Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Civil War...Not So Civil

As we continue our discussion regarding the Civil War, watch the following video and think about the necessity of this war. The Union was being divided with the issue of Slavery at the forefront and economic gain underneath. However, do you think that the war did more good for our nation than bad. Leave a comment telling me your thoughts about what you have learned about the Civil War and rather or not you believe that it had to happen. After watching the video, create a new post writing a letter as if you were actually fighting in the war and you want to tell your family about it. Use your text book pages 498 - 503 as reference to what life was like during this crucial time in our Country. Title your post: Civil War Letter. Your post must include information from both the text and the video that you will watch in a moment. Have fun learning!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Using Garage Band in the class...

During our Science rotations to prepare for TAKS, students were required write a song to demonstrate mastery in any of the 4 objectives. Groups were made up of 4 to 5 students and they collaborated to come up with lyrics that would fit a popular instrumental track. The students used GarageBand™ to record, edit and mix each song and then exported the project as an mp3.

Out of the 24 songs, 5 were voted on as the top songs. Now it's time for the people of the 5th grade to have a voice. Please listen to each track and decide on which one you like best.

Fireflies Adaptation
Dynamite Energy
I Whip My Oxygen Around
Party Like An Inherited Traits Star

Energy Fireworks
After listening, please vote for the song you like the best. You have until 10:00 pm cst to cast your vote and vote as often as you like. The winner will be announced Tuesday, May 24.

End of the Year Awards

So long, farewell, it's time to say goodbye...well, almost. However, as an annual tradition, the Smittie's K.I.D.S. Choice Awards will take place on June 1, 2011. To determine the winner of each award, it is up to you, yes you the people will decide who gets what award. You can also vote at Smittie Project Wiki and click on student polls.