http://mrjwilliams.com

I tried to move everything over to the new site, so most of the posts and comments are already there!

Anything new will go on that site as well.

Edublogs recently started adding them as a way to pay for the server space. I didn’t notice them because when I am logged in with my Edublogs account they don’t show up.

I do not mind banner adds, but the linking directly in the posts is not something I like. I don’t have control over what exactly the advertisements link to and do not want anyone to think that I put them in there. I know that the content is safe for students to visit because Edublogs is for teachers and students.

I’m currently looking into options on what to do about this. I could pay a fee and have them all go away, but I’d also like a better website address that would be easier for students to get access. So if I’m going to be paying I think I might just have the website hosted somewhere else so I have more control over it.

I’ll let everyone know what ends up happening. Thanks for visiting our site!

I thought the way the video was set up was great. It used pictures of words to tell a story. I think this would be a great way for us to share stories in reading class.

If your taking pictures over the break with a digital camera or a cell phone, take some of different words. We will put all the word pictures together on flickr and use them to make stories.

If you are not in our class and want to contribute your pictures, visit this wiki page for more information:
http://trailsidepd.wikispaces.com/Picture+Stories

Here is the video we watched and another one that uses the same type of storytelling. Enjoy, and go take some pictures of words!

“Mankind is No Island” – http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrDxe9gK8Gk

The Girl Effect” – http://www.girleffect.org

If you want to view the pictures you can here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23757202@N02/sets/72157611070061557/

If you want to watch them a bit quicker and hear a little music with them, click play below. They aren’t as clear as the photos in the link above but you’ll get through them a lot quicker. If you want to view them full screen, go to http://animoto.com/play/yHkZWedYtqleWA0TktIXUg to watch.

There is video on their website of the event. It can be found at:

http://media.myfoxphoenix.com/KSAZ/hilites/whirlybird.html

Students from 6th grade can be seen in the Trailside Point 3 video.

1. What is easy about fractions? Why is it easy?

2. What is difficult about fractions? Why is it difficult?

We then entered them into a Google Form. It is the post below this one. If you would like to add your opinions feel free to do so in the text boxes.

After the students entered their journal entries, I copied and pasted them into Wordle.net.

Here are the resulting Wordles:
(You can click on the picture for a larger picture)

Easy:

Difficult:

Google Earth – “Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others.”

Google Maps – A lot like Google Earth, but online instead of a download. There are not as many features.

Cooliris – This is a visual picture viewer that we use in class. You can search for images and video about a topic. It is a really visual way to experience the Internet. This is a browser-add on.

Skype – We are not able to use this at school, but it is a video conferencing tool. If you have a camera hooked up or built in to your computer you can audio and video conference with other people that have Skype installed. It is a great way to keep up with family and friends.

Google Docs – By signing up for a Google Account you can access Google Docs. It is a lot like Microsoft Office, but completely online so you can use it from any computer with Internet access. It has a word processor, spreadsheet application, interactive forms, and a presentation tool. You can also share documents with other people and they can edit them. Up to 10 people can be editing a document at one time. This is great for collaborative projects or documents that you want to be able to access on more than one computer.

UStream.tv – “Experience live video. In just minutes, you can broadcast and chat online with a global audience. Completely free, all it takes is a camera and Internet connection.” If you have a camera and microphone you can have your own video broadcast. I’ve seen this used for classroom presentations, professional development videos for teachers, and live video of different events. We have not used this in class yet, but it is a very interesting tool.

VoiceThread – “A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to leave comments in 5 ways – using voice (with a mic or phone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.” We will be using Voice Threads soon for a science picture dictionary. It is a great tool to share student work with the world. There are some examples from my previous classes on this blog.

These are a few of the interesting tools we’ve used in class or that I use personally. If you have any questions about any of the software or websites please feel free to contact me or leave a comment on this post.

Water Cycle
Fruit Basket Science Water Cycle Video – YouTube (This link won’t work at school).

Oceans
David Gallo – The Deep Oceans Video – TedTalk.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Web Cameras – Live video from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Math
Classifying Angles – Math.com - Interactive measuring and classifying of angles.

TravelPod IQ Game – Place the marker as close to the location listed as you can. The closer you are, the more points you get.
http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

Stop Disasters Game – Choose a natural disaster then prepare a village for that disaster. Once the disaster hits it shows how well you prepared the village.
http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/

Statetris – Like tetris, but using states instead of blocks. Set your difficulty and put the states in their proper place.
http://www.mapmsg.com/games/statetris/usa/

Cathy’s Math – Online interactive math practice.
http://oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/mathmagician/cathymath.html

2.5 Notes


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

2.6 Order of Operations Notes

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

3.1 Decimals Notes


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

3.3 Estimating Decimals Notes


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

Here are the presentations from Chapter 1.1 & 1.2 with audio narations. These will be great if you miss a day or just want to review what we went over. I don’t know how often I’ll be able to put these up like this, but I’ll try to keep up with it during the year. I’ll be sending a letter home sometime this week (and also posting here on our class website) showing how to download these presentations into iTunes and put them on to a video iPod.

Above each presentation is a link to the guided notes we used in class.

1.1 – Place Value
1.1 Place Value Notes

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

1.2 – Estimation
1.2 Estimation Notes

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by mrwilliams

Chapter 1.2 – Estimation

Chapter 1.3 – Addition and Subtraction

Cathy’s Math – Timed math games.

Math Activities Index –  A ton of educational (and increadibly fun) math games that you can play by yourself or against a partner.

ToonDoo – Online comic creator.

Phoenix Mars Mission Website –  The website of the Phoenix Mars Mission.

VozMe – A website that you can type or paste text into and get an audio reading of the text.

Flags by Colors –  A website that shows pie charts of flags based on the percentage of colors on the flag. Click on the pie chart to see the flag.

Rain Forest Math –  A bunch of different math games sorted by grade level and content.

Boone Nolte is an architect employed by the firm Locati Architects in Bozeman, Montana.

What university did you attend? How long did it take? Why did you choose that university?

I attended Montana State University. I received my Masters Degree in Architecture in 5 years. I chose MSU because it had a great architecture program, labeled “Best in the West” and because I love the state of Montana. It is a great place for outdoor activities such as camping and fishing.

How do you make “work” fun?

One way I keep my work environment fun and exciting is by finding a topic that deals with my job (i.e. new “green” building materials) and learning about those topics through research on the Internet, books, or by visiting a new building that may have used those materials in their designs. The key for me is to break through the day to day routine of a job by learning new things all the time.

What do you like about your job?

I like my job because I am in the field twice a week meeting with clients, contractors, and other groups that are involved with the design and building of our projects. I get to work with many types of people and am involved with the project from the day it started to the day the client moves in.

What types of buildings have you designed?

I have designed high end residential projects. The homes we design are all one of a kind custom homes that fit the client’s needs and tastes.

What are your career goals?

My main career goal is to keep working hard at what I do. That way when the time is right I can open my own firm and branch out to different types of design.

Who are your favorite architects? What do you admire about their work?

My favorite architect is Richard Meier. The reason I like Richard Meier is because he developed his own style of architecture and was able to do projects he enjoyed. His work is unlike any other architects right down to the color of the buildings. He is also not afraid to put his design out into the public eye even though it is so different from other architects work.

What was your favorite studio project or architectural class in school? Why?

I enjoyed my thesis project the most. The reason I liked this project was because I was able to pick a topic (adaptive reuse) and design a building that would showcase that topic and my ideas best. It is always more enjoyable to work on something you are interested in rather then what your professor likes.

If I wanted to become an architect, what (as a 6th grader now) do you think I should do?

Becoming an architect is not a difficult thing to do if you work hard in school and are not afraid to try new things. I believe that new experiences are stepping stones that you follow through life. The path can be as fun and exciting as you want it to be, with each bend or turn becoming a learning experience.

Thank you Mr. Nolte for taking the time to answer our questions!

Edublogs changed the way that certain types of files are linked. They let me know quite awhile ago that this would happen, but I thought I had them linked in a way that would still work. I was wrong, so I’m in the process of getting them all linked back up.

Jordan Robinson is a sports agent with GRV Sports Agency based out of Orlando, Florida. Recently he was kind enough to answer interview questions for us. Below are the questions and his answers.

Why did you become a sports agent?
Jordan Robinson – I became a sports agent because I am very passionate about sports and about helping others. I have always loved playing sports since I was a little kid and I even got a chance to play basketball at the collegiate level. Since I wasn’t good enough to play sports professionally, I knew I could use my sports knowledge and my drive to make others happy by becoming a sports agent.

What do you do in a typical day, week, or month?
JR – A typical day for me involves talking to all of my clients to make sure they have everything that they need and to make sure they are content with where they are at. Also, my partners and I will travel around to various colleges and ballparks and try to meet players and coaches and let people know that our agency is ready to help anyone who needs it.

How did you get started as an agent? What kind of training/school?
JR – Just like anyone who wants to start their own company, starting a sports agency takes a lot of time and hard work. In order to represent players in certain leagues, such as the National Football League, you need to have achieved certain requirements and take a lot of tests. I went to 4 years of college, 2 at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois and 2 at Indiana University in Bloomington Indiana. I then went to 3 years of Law School at Barry University School of Law in Orlando Florida and passed the Florida Bar Exam in July 2007.

 
Who do you work with?
JR – A good friend of mine who I met in Law School and another buddy of ours started up our agency now known as GRV Sports Agency. The GRV stands for all three of our last names. Gropp, Robinson, and Vrska.

What do you feel is the most important part of your job?
JR – I feel the most important part of my job is helping others be as happy as they can be. My job all depends on the success and happiness of my clients. If a player of mine is not happy, then I’m not happy.

What is your favorite sports memory? What is your favorite part of your job?
JR – I have a few favorite sports memories. One would be that in a college basketball game I got a chance to play at then end of the game when time was running out and we were down by 2. I ended up getting the ball with 3 seconds left and I fired up a 3 pointer with a defender right in my face trying to block my shot. I made the basket as time expired and my team won the game. It was a great memory and an even better shot!

Also, I attended a summer camp in Eagle River, Wisconsin called Camp Ojibwa which was primarily a sports camp with very intense competition for 8 weeks. For the last week of camp everyone is divided up into 12 colleges and drafted like any professional sports draft. My last year as a camper I was drafted at the 7th pick of the 1st round which made me the captain of my team. We ended up winning the week long competition which is called Collegiate Week. I will never forget that day. People go to this camp for their entire lives and never get a chance to win, so that was a very exciting time for me.

My favorite part of my job is getting to meet so many interesting people and athletes.

Thank you for your time and good luck to everyone!

———————————-

Thank you Jordan for taking time to answer our questions. We will try and get an interview up once a week for the rest of the school year. Next week we will be interviewing an architect.

**Remember: Tuesday is a half day. Parent – Student – Teacher conferences are on Tuesday and Wednesday. We do not have school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

| View | Upload your own

11.1 Integers

| View | Upload your own

11.2 Adding Integers

| View | Upload your own

Monday
Algebraic Reasoning Review
Homework: EdHelper Mixed Review
TrailFire: http://trailfire.com/mrwilliams/trails/58652

Tuesday
Geometry Review
Homework: EdHelper Mixed Review
TrailFire: http://trailfire.com/mrwilliams/trails/58649

Wednesday
Fraction Review
Homework: EdHelper Mixed Review
TrailFire: http://trailfire.com/mrwilliams/trails/58654

Thursday
Probability Review
Homework: EdHelper – Probability
TrailFire: http://trailfire.com/mrwilliams/trails/58655

Friday
Basic Operation Review
Homework: EdHelper – Basic Operations
Cathy’s Math Games

Also check the rest of the class website for review slide shows.

If you would like a CD of our benchmark content review, bring in a blank CD.

http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq/

| View | Upload your own

11.7 – Reflections

| View | Upload your own

10.1 – Area of a Parallelogram

| View | Upload your own

10.2 – Area of a Triangle

| View | Upload your own

10.3 – Circumference of a Circle

| View | Upload your own

10.4 – Area of a Circle

| View | Upload your own

10.5 – Solid Figures

| View | Upload your own

Unfortunately we can not watch it on the class blog at school. I’d suggest doing it at home or visiting the public library (if YouTube is not blocked there).

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/VatLApO3XiY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Click on the picture to make it bigger.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=44281" width="480" height="360" wmode="transparent" /]

Use them to supplement your notes and fix any parts you might have missed.

9.1 – Geometry (Monday)

| View | Upload your own

9.2 – Angles (Tuesday)

| View | Upload your own

9.3 – Classifying Angles (Wednesday)

| View | Upload your own

9.4 – Classifying Triangles (Thursday)

| View | Upload your own

9.5 – Classifying Quadrilaterals (Friday)

| View | Upload your own

Now you can comment on VoiceThreads using your phone instead of a microphone.  While viewing a slide, there is a phone icon near the microphone icon. You can click on it, put your phone number in, and they call you to leave a message on the slide. The only problem I see with this right now is that you have to have registered an account with VoiceThread to use this feature. That is actually a good thing too, because it tracks who leaves the comments.

Check out this VoiceThread for an example on how to leave a voice comment using your phone:
http://voicethread.com/blog/#20071207

To download Google Sketchup go here: http://sketchup.google.com

For some video tutorials go here: http://sketchup.google.com/tutorials.html

This is a very neat, fun, and free program!

Feel free to stop by and see what we are up to!

Equations and Inequalities – Math.com -  Work on some algebra problems.

Functions & Input – Output Tables – (Click on Grade 6, then the frogs by Functions) – rainforestmaths.com – Work on your functions and input – output tables.

Tree Diagrams – Oswego City School District – A good review of Tree Diagrams.

Wow! The definition of the word and sometimes even a pronunciation that you can listen to is on there. This is great if you don’t know or don’t understand a word. This is really neat.

12-1-Expressions

Tomorrow we will be reviewing input-output tables.

We will have a test on Wednesday!

Cathy’s Math -  Go Here – Click on Math Magic – Click on All Operations at the bottom. Put your name in. Find out how many you can get right in 5 minutes. Do this at least twice.

Rain Forest Math – Go here and check out the probability and input-output sections under 6th grade.

Other Links:

Google Maps – Go here and check out the Street View’s. See how close you can get to your house or the school. (Start Street Views by clicking on Street View on the top right of the map. Drag the little yellow guy onto the blue roads)

Google Mars – Go check out images of mars put together a lot like Google Earth.

Flickr Search – Flickr search for California Wildfires. You can click on Most Recent, or Most Interesting.

Suns Stats – Percentages and statistics from last season. Look for decimals and percents and how that information was found.

Cricket Market VoiceThread -  Pictures and voice from the Cricket Market in Shanghai, China.

CNN Student News – Watch news made for students.

Writers Room – Pictures of where writers write. Writers offices with a written description by the writer.

Cathy’s Math – Math practice online. This one is timed and FUN!

Interactive Math Activities Index – This has a bunch of fun interactive math activities and games that you can play by yourself or against the computer.

Wiki Mind Maps -  The Wikipedia mapper I showed you in class.

Also Check out the other Computer Lab Links.

Powered by Jott

Anti-Phishing Phil Game - Figure out if the website are real or fake websites trying to “phish” your information.

NetSmartz Kids Page - a bunch of different information and games about staying safe online.

Math:

Mathisfun.com

1. Mean
2. Median
3. Mode

Mathisfun.com Puzzle Games - Pick a puzzle game and try to solve it.

Science:

Wikipedia Oceans Page

BBC Ocean Games – A bunch of different games and activities based on oceans.

Maze Game – navigate using coordinates. Don’t hit any bombs!

Looking for the Top Quark – Hide your Quark, find some Quarks. This is a lot like Battleship.

Online Battleship Demo – I didn’t try this one out to much, but it is suppose to be an online version of Battleship.

Creating Charts on Microsoft Excel – Tutorials on how to make charts on Excel.

Neat stuff:

Wiki Mind Maps – put in anything you want to search on Wikipedia (and set it to en.wikipedia.org) and it gives you a visual “map” of information.

What the World Eats Photo Essay – a picture of what people eat from around the world and how much it costs. Interesting.

Top 100 American Speeches – List of the top 100 American speeches from American Rhetoric. You can listen to the speeches online.

9-11 Tribute Panorama – A panorama (360 degree picture) tribute to September 11th.

If you would like to view this on Voice Thread (and larger) click here.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=7697" width="480" height="360" wmode="transparent" /]

To view our presentation on Voice Thread (and a little bigger) click here.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=7699" width="480" height="360" wmode="transparent" /]

Click here to view the VoiceThread!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=7369" width="480" height="360" wmode="transparent" /]

Statetris – A Tetris like game where you put states in their correct places.

Type, Type Revolution – Dance, Dance Revolution but for typing. This one is tough.

Earth Guide – An interactive tour of our planet.

Google Maps – Go find an interesting place (not just your house!).

Math Magician Games – this is the one we looked at in class. Test your math skills here.

Yellowstone National Park Panoramas – Go take a look at Old Faithful in a 360 degree view!

Monterey Bay Aquarium Live WebCams – Take a look at what animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are doing right now.

Stop Disasters Game – Prepare a village for a natural disaster.

Equivalent Fractions Pointer – Create equivalent fractions.

Fraction Sorter – Make fractions and figure out which is the largest.

Fraction Four – A Connect Four game that uses equivalent fractions.

The Exploratorium – Online part of the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco.

Internet Public Library – Teen Space – Links to good reference material.

Number the Stars Wikipedia Page – Wikipedia page for the book Number the Stars. There are links to more information.

Topaz Relocation Center Wikipedia Page - The setting of most of the book “Journey to Topaz.”

GeoGreeting! – Use buildings to spell words.

The Water Cycle – a diagram that you can click on to learn more about each part of the cycle.

Aquaculture Wikipedia Page – More information about aquaculture.

5.1 Slideshow
[slideshare id=4752&doc=chapter-51-514&w=425]

5.2 Slideshow
[slideshare id=4817&doc=chapter-52-14403&w=425]

Links:
Greatest Common Factor Tool from Mathisfun.com
Factor Game – Play against a friend or the computer.

Science:

This week we worked on Chapter 1.3 – Fresh Water Flows Underground & Chapter 2.1 – Fresh Water is an Essential Resource.

Links:
Yellowstone Park – Old Faithful Web Camera

YouTube – Water Cycle video – Fruit Basket Science

YouTube – Old Faithful Eruption

Chapter 1.1

[slideshare id=4803&doc=chapter-11-20602&w=425]

Chapter 1.2

[slideshare id=4804&doc=chapter-12-4096&w=425]

Chapter 1.3

[slideshare id=4807&doc=chapter-13-29524&w=425]

Chapter 1.4

[slideshare id=4626&doc=14-9704&w=425]

Chapter 1.5

Full Presentation Handout

Notes Handout

Reading
     – Chose our group books (The Giver, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hatchet or Holes)
     - Worked with our groups on our reading packets and reading section 1.

Math
     – We reviewed basic math operations - Chapter 1.1 (addition, subtraction, divison and multiplication)
     – We worked on rounding and estimating – Chapter 1.2

Science
     – We read Chapter 1.1 and learned about the water cycle.

Helpful links:
Math – Cathy’s Math – Online Math Games 
Science – Water Cycle Interactive Flash Video

I will put the YouTube video of the Water Cycle up here this weekend but it will not work on school computers.

Microsoft Surface – We looked at this in class. Imagine a desk like this!

Quizlet – Pretty neat online flashcards.

Screencast-O-Matic – Record whats on your screen for tutorials, etc.

Earth Guide – Interactive tour of our planet.

Math Magician Games – We used this in class when we had the math competition. Great review for all basic math operations.

YouTube – WiigoBot – Perfect bowling game on the Nintendo Wii using Lego Mindstorm robots.

Panoramas – Panoramas throughout the United States listed by state.

Learn Out Loud – Podcasts broken into categories. Check out the Great Speeches in History Podcast.

Flickrvision – Word map showing new geo-tagged additions to Flickr.

Weather Bonk Trip Planner – Planning a road trip? Check the weather along the way.

Technorati Tags: summer-links

I want to thank everyone in 6th grade for a great year. I will not be returning to Sine next year, but I will still be in the district at Sunset Vista. My email address and this blog will still be the same, so feel free to email me and check out what ends up on this page.

I will be posting some good math links for the summer so check back here often.

Google Earth File (the pictures are not working right now, I need to re-link them)

Wikipedia 7 Wonders Article

Technorati Tags: brochuremaker, ancientwonders, googleearth, kml

SEI-Lesson

Technorati Tags: gesd, sei, structuredengishimmersion

[swf width="425" height="348"]https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=40363&doc=create-your-educational-tool-13046[/swf]

Stop Disasters Game – http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/

FlickrCC – http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net

TED Talks – http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/list

National Zoo Animal Webcams – http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/WebCams/

Monterey Bay Aquarium Webcams – http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/cam_menu.asp

Your Basketball Player Podcasts – http://www.gcast.com/u/jdwilliams/main

The University of California – Berkeley Webcasts

(If you look to the right of the list of classes, there are some dots. If the dot is below the webcast column, there is video. If it is below the podcast column it is only in audio. Some classes have both. Use those iPods effectively and listen to a college course sometime.)

Technorati Tags: uc-berkeley, onlineclasses, podcast, vodcast,

You will need to scroll down to your name and push the green play button.

Remember how quickly we did these. They sound great, but how could they sound if we planned it more, put in background music, and wrote more of a script?

Hopefully we can do more things like this in our classroom.

Technorati Tags: basketball-podcasts, podcast, classroom-podcast

Check out what we’re doing right now. The image below is a picture of what is on the SmartBoard in our classroom right now (or the last time I had the capture program running). A new picture is taken about every 3 minutes. Come by and take a look at what we’re working on in 6th grade math.

On the top right of this page there is a link to our Right Now! page.

Technorati Tags: smartboard, imagecapture, 6thgrademath

10.2

[swf width="425" height="348"]https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=27498&doc=102-area-of-a-triangle-9423[/swf]

10.3

[swf width="425" height="348"]https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=27704&doc=103-circumference-of-a-cirlce-6599[/swf]

10.4

[swf width="425" height="348"]https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=27767&doc=104-area-of-a-circle-4604[/swf]

Technorati Tags: powerpoints, 6thgrademath, middleschoolmath-chapter10

To view our angle drawings you can click on a picture on the right side of this blog, or go to the following website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35215788@N00/sets/72157594536277636/detail/

Check out the photos that have notes left on them. You can set up your own Flickr account and it is really easy if you already have a Yahoo ID. If you have one set up, ADD ME by searching for Mrwilliams under the Contacts link on the top.

————————————————————–

Your angle drawings are due today (so I can scan them over our long weekend). Next week we will be adding comments to the pictures labeling the measurement and classifying each angle.

You can see some of your drawings on the right side of this blog, or view all of the drawings I have scanned and uploaded here.

Technorati Tags: angle-drawings, flickr,

This week lessons 5 and 30 would be good review.
We have also covered almost all the other lessons this year.
I think I need to update this list!
Click Here for the Site -

Instructions:
Click on Grades 6-8
Click on Math Active
Click on Grade 6
Pick a lesson

Technorati Tags: 6thgrademath, math-review, ASSET, math-flash-videos

It’s an odd idea for someone like me to keep a diary; not only because I have never done so before, but because it seems to me that neither I — nor for that matter anyone else — will be interested in the unbosomings of a thirteen-year- old schoolgirl. Still, what does that matter? I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.”

Yes, there is no doubt that paper is patient and as I don’t intend to show this cardboard-covered notebook, bearing the proud name of “diary,” to anyone, unless I find a real friend, boy or girl, probably nobody cares.”

Where are these quotes from? Saturday, the 2oth of June, 1942 – The Diary of Anne Frank.

The book is now considered one of the key texts of the twentieth century. As of 2004, more than 25 million copies of the book had been sold; the book had also been translated into more than 50 languages.

Why do you write?

Mrs. Bridges’ Class 

Mrs. P’s Class 

Mrs. Pollock’s Class

It is a Geometry (basic shapes) lesson in Google Earth. We will be classifying shapes and finding their perimeter and area. There are also some bonus questions (geography, etc.).

When I get the worksheet finished I will also post it here.

If you want to download the file to take a look at it, click on Geometry.kmz below. You need to have Google Earth (download here) installed on your computer to view this file.

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Geometry.kmz (0.04 mb)

1. YouTube – It is still blocked by our district. If you are at school most of the video’s below will not play. I am working on getting this changed, but if it does get changed it will take some time. (You can view most of the video’s at school in the Mr. Williams’ class folder on your desktop)

2. Homework Club – Homework Club will be changing. I am writing up a letter to send home to parents. I will be doing more intensive tutoring in Math. Everyone is invited (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 2:45 – 3:45) but you may be required to come based on your last math benchmark score. A passing grade was a 60%. If you scored below a 60% I would like you to come in at least once a week. If you scored under a 30% you need to come in at least twice a week. You will receive a letter with your score on it on Friday with your Progress Report.

3. Our Class Movie – We are still working on our class movie, but we are not able to spend as much time on it as we need to get it finished. I hope we can finish it within a month, watch it in class, and get it burned to some DVD’s that you can check out to share with your parents and family members.

4. Imbee.com – “55% of all online youths age 12 – 17 use social networking websites (myspace.com, etc.). 91% of all social networking teens say they use the sites to stay in touch with friends they see frequently, while 82% use the sites to stay in touch with friends they rarely see in person.” I know that a lot of you have MySpace accounts (and I know that it is against their user policy for anyone under 14 to be a member). I also hope that your parents know this. I want to make sure that you have the skills to use these Social Networking websites safely. “Imbee is the first free, secure social networking and blogging destination specifically designed for kids from ages 8 to 14. Imbee was created to provide a secure, dynamic environment where children can safely explore online social networking.” Imbee has a lot of the same features like blogs, messaging, and photo sharing. I am thinking about setting this up for at least my homeroom class just to teach more about Internet safety and so that students can work together on projects in a safe environment. I have set up a teacher account and will be sending permission letters home within the next couple of weeks. I will talk more with the other classes about Imbee if I think it is useful.

5. Meaner – Quite a few of the students from my homeroom class said that I should be meaner in the evaluations they filled out before winter break. I’ll think about this one.

6. Blog – I will try to put up more content from our class discussions here on the blog. Also, I really don’t like the color scheme of the blog, but I can’t figure out how to change it (yet).

Leave a comment telling us why.

[youtube]Xta3ypBXeIw[/youtube]
Video 1 -0:30 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xta3ypBXeIw

1. Is this video interesting to you? Why or why not?
2. Write a paragraph about the ways you use technology to communicate with others.

Watch the second video then answer the questions in your Word document.
(Watch for technologies that you recognize. You can watch the video more than one time.)

[youtube]x60pWzJvb9Q[/youtube]
Video 2 – 1:32 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x60pWzJvb9Q

3. What technologies did you recognize?
4. Which of these technologies have you used before?
5. Which of these technologies would you like to use or learn more about?

Save the Word document in the class assignments folder. The file name should be your name.

[youtube]qOYf_1I4VBQ[/youtube]

Leave a comment about these videos by clicking  comment above.

What did you think about them? Did  you like them? Why or why not?

Below are also more of Mike’s shortcuts. We looked at three of them in class. He has 10 listed on his website.

Mike’s Math – Math Shortcuts

ABC News Video – (on the left side, click on “Video -> Click to Watch”)

[1] Squaring numbers in the 50′s:
Example 56 x 56:
Step 1: You start out with 25 and add the ones digit to it.
25 + 6 = 31
Step 2: Square the ones digit. 6 x 6 =36 Tack this onto the end of the answer from step 1.
Answer: 56 x 56 = 3,136

Now, if the number from step 2 is less than 10, you have to put a zero in front of it.
So, if it is 53 x 53:
Step 1: 25 + 3 = 28
Step 2: 3 x 3 = 09 (note that since 9 is smaller than 10 we have tu put a zero in front of it)
Answer: 53 x 53 = 2,809

[2] Squaring numbers that end in 5:
Example 65 x 65:
Step 1: Take the tens digit and multiply it by the number one greater than it. 6 x 7 = 42
Step 2: Tack 25 onto the end of the number from Step 1.
Answer: 65 x 65 = 4,225

[3] Multiplying two numbers that end in five that are ten apart:
Example 65 x 75
Step 1: Take the smaller tens digits (6) and multiply it by one more than the larger tens digit (7+1 = 8). 6 x 8 = 48
Step 2: Tack 75 on to the end of the number from Step 1.
Answer: 65 x 75 = 4875

[4] Multiplying two numbers that end in five that are twenty apart:
Example 65 x 85
Step 1: Multiply the smaller tens digit (6) by one greater than the larger tens digit (8 + 1 = 9) and then add 1 to that product. 6 x 9 = 54. 54 +1 = 55
Step 2: Tack 25 on to the end of the number from Step 1.
Answer: 65 x 85 = 5525

[5] Multiplying two numbers in the 90′s together:
When you multiply two numbers in the 90′s together, in parenthesis next to each number put how far that number is away from 100. Since 92 is 8 away from 100 and 94 is 6 away from 100, the problem 92 x 94 would look like this: 92( 8 ) x 94(6)
Example: 93(7) x 96(4)
Step 1: Add up the numbers in parenthesis 7 + 4 = 11 and subtract that number from 100. 100 – 11 = 89
Step 2: Multiply the two numbers in parenthesis together and tack that on to the number from Step 1. 7 x 4 = 28
Answer: 93 x 96 = 8928

[6] Squaring numbers in the 40′s:
Example 43 x 43:
Step 1: You start out with 15 and add the ones digit to it. 15 + 3 = 18
Step 2: You figure out how much the number you are squaring is less than 50 and square that number. 43 is 7 less than 50. 7 x 7 is 49. Tack that number onto the end of the number from step 1.
Answer: 43 x 43 = 1849

Now if the number from step 2 is less than 10, you have to put a 0 in front of it.
Example 48 x 48:
Step 1: 15 + 8 = 23
Step 2: 48 is 2 less than 50. 2 x 2 = 04
Answer: 48 x 48 = 2304

[7] Multiplying two numbers together between 100 and 109:
Example: 105 x 107
Step 1: The first digit of the answer is always 1.
Step 2: To get the next two digits of the answer, add the ones digits together. 5 + 7 = 12
Step 3: To get the final two digits of the answer, multiply the ones digits together. 5 x 7 = 35
Answer: 105 x 107 = 11,235

If the number from either step 2 or step 3 is less than 10, you have to put a zero in front of it.
Example: 102 x 104
Step 1: The first digit is always 1.
Step 2: Add the ones digits together. 2 + 4 = 06
Step 3: Multiply the ones digits together: 2 x 4 = 08
Answer: 102 x 104 = 10,608

[8] Multiplying two numbers together between 200 and 209:
Example: 204 x 208
Step 1: The first digit is always 4.
Step 2: To get the next two digits of the answer, add the ones digits together and then double it. 4 + 8 = 12, double that is 24.
Step 3: To get the final two digits of the answer, multiply the ones digits together. 4 x 8 = 32
Answer: 204 x 208 = 42,432

If the number from either step 2 or step 3 is less than 10, you must put a zero in front of it.
Example: 205 x 201
Step 1: First digit is 4.
Step 2: 5 + 1 = 6. 6 doubled is 12.
Step 3: 5 x 1 = 05
Answer: 205 x 201 = 41,205

[9] Squaring Numbers between 491 and 509:
Example: 494 x 494
Step 1: To get the first three digits of the answer, subtract the number you are squaring by 250. 494 – 250 = 244
Step 2: Tack on a zero to Step 1. So you have 2440.
Step 3: Figure out how far the number you are squaring is away from 500, and square that number and tack it onto the answer from Step 2. 494 is 6 away from 500. 6 x 6 = 36
Answer: 494 x 494 = 244,036

If the number from Step 3 is less than 10, you have to put a zero in front of it.
Example: 503 x 503
Step 1: 503 – 250 = 253
Step 2: Add a zero. You have 2530.
Step 3: 503 is 3 away from 500. 3 x 3 = 09
Answer: 503 x 503 = 253,009

[10] Multiplying two two digit numbers that end in 1:
Example: 71 x 61
Step 1: Multiply the tens digits together and tack a zero on at the end. 7 x 6 = 42. Tack on a 0 and you get 420.
Step 2: Add the tens digits together and add that sum to the number from Step 1. 7 + 6 = 13. 420 + 13 = 433
Step 3: Tack a 1 onto the end of the number from Step 2.
Answer: 71 x 61 = 4,331

Example: 31 x 51
Step 1: 3 x 5 = 15. Tack on a zero and you get 150.
Step 2: 3 + 5 = 8. 150 + 8 = 158
Step 3: Tack a 1 onto the end.
Answer: 31 x 51 = 1,581

12-6 Linear Functions (.pdf – 0.25 mb)

(When I look at it online, our little pictures to mark our points either look different, or are not there. Now the flower is what looks like an upside down sleeping man, and the blue and red balls are not there. It’s ok though, you know this stuff already.)

Use Google Maps.

You can search by an address, click and drag around, zoom in… just about everything you can do in Google Earth for viewing. Make sure you click on Satellite or Hybrid in the top right corner of the map.

You can even view placemarks in the Google Earth Community on Google Maps.

Take a Tour of Google Maps.

Here is a view of our school from Google Maps.

Here is the link for the picture below:
http://www.geogreeting.com/view.html?zcjVUsZC+g6YCGsr

Want to practice your spelling words for next week?

Unexpected spellings
doubt, fascinate, science, scenic, autumn, column, guilty,
league, guardian, disguise, subtle, debt, reminiscent,
descent, condemn, solemn, guidance, vague, fatigue, intrigue

This week there will not be any bonus words. You can get your three extra points by making a geoGreetings of at least three words. Email it to me, or put the link in a Word File in the class folder (name the file as your name). We’ll talk about this more before computer lab on Thursday.

http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1114-google_earth-act.html

“Deep in the most remote jungles of South America, Amazon Indians are using Google Earth, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, and other technologies to protect their fast-dwindling home. Tribes in Suriname, Brazil, and Colombia are combining their traditional knowledge of the rainforest with Western technology to conserve forests and maintain ties to their history and cultural traditions, which include profound knowledge of the forest ecosystem and medicinal plants. Helping them is the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), a nonprofit organization working with indigenous people to conserve biodiversity, health, and culture in South American rainforests.”

GPS data gathering on a mapping expedition in the Amazon. Image courtesy of ACT.

[swf width="385" height="285"]http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swf[/swf]

The new Power Points will go up in the blog and be archived on the Power Point page.

To view all the previous Power Points go to:

http://mrwilliams.edublogs.org/power-points/

Chapter 13.1 – Part One
[swf width="425" height="348"]https://s3.amazonaws.com:443/slideshare/ssplayer.swf?id=8235&doc=131-part-one-2484[/swf]

To view these tours you need the latest version of Google Earth.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Tour (0.77 mb)
Each placemark has a photo and short description.
Some placemarks have UnitedStreaming video.
Some placemarks have 3D SketchUp Drawings if you have the latest version of Google     Earth.

Washington, D.C. Tour  (1.63 mb)
Placemarks and SketchUp Images of:
Iwo Jima Memorial
Pentagon
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
White House
RFK Stadium
J Edgar Hoover Building
National Gallery of Art

Each Placemark has a photo, links to Wikipedia Articles, each spots website, and some UnitedStreaming videos.

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Download – Google Earth
- Google SketchUp

You only need Google Earth to view the Tours. You can use Google SketchUp to draw in your own buildings and add them to Google Earth.

I downloaded the SketchUp 3D images from the SketchUp 3D Warehouse.

There are also some great SketchUp Tutorial videos.

I’m going to see if we can get Google Earth and SketchUp installed on the laptops and really start using it during homework club. Maybe we could make all of Sine Elementary in SketchUp and share it on the Google Earth Community. I need to go buy some tape measures.

They even have weekly SketchUp Challenges. Go there and check out some pictures of what can be created.

I hope everyone is having a good break. See you on Monday. I think from the things I’ve learned this week we’ll have some changes in class.

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Download Google Earth

Download SketchUp 

SketchUp Tutorials

If you do have Google Earth -> Check this out!

It is different “trips” you can take through the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel. If you have Google Earth, you can fly from location to location and watch the video. If you don’t have Google Earth, you can still watch the videos about the different locations. This is pretty empressive!

There are a few short advertisements, but they last less than 30 seconds.

The cool thing about it is that you can use it like a voice mail system.

If you have questions about the things we are covering in class, and don’t want to actually type it out, you can send me an odeo. It will take you to a webpage where you can record your question with a microphone.

Test it out, leave a message with your name in it. Just remember, I know what your voices sound like .

Unfortunately, I can’t just put them right here to use. Luckily, edublogs is partnered with WikiSpaces and I was able to get the Power Points to work there.

So CLICK HERE or look at the Wiki link on the right to view our Power Points online.

http://mrwilliams.wikispaces.com/

The Math Page – Adding and Subtracting Fractions
http://www.themathpage.com/ARITH/add-fractions-subtract-fractions-1.htm
A good tutorial on how to add and subtract fractions with like and unlike denominators. This is great review.

SOS Math – Adding Fractions
http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/fraction/frac3/frac37/frac37.html
A short tutorial on adding fractions.

Visual Fractions – Like Denominators
http://www.visualfractions.com/AddEasyCircle.html
A visual representation of fractions and how to add them. You must first identify the fractions, then add them together. This link has fractions with like denominators.

Visual Fractions – Unlike Denominators
http://www.visualfractions.com/AddUnlikeCircle.html
A visual representation of fractions and how to add them. You must first identify the fractions, then add them together. This link has fractions with like unlike denominators.

Chapter 5 Math Review Notes (.pdf) (206 k)

Chapter 5 Study Guide (.pdf) (148 k)

[youtube]UhBGNbRVZVg[/youtube]
Video 1

[youtube]U-v8yPwX6T4[/youtube]
Video 2

Math Test One (.pdf) (0.833 mb)

2-4 Freuqency Line

Bridges Tables

Welch Tables

Pollock Tables

Williams Table

Tony and the Snark Sequence

Here are some useful Tangram Links:
Tangram Grid – A printable .pdf grid of Tangram pieces.
Tangram Movies – Why Run? – Soccer
NCTM – Puzzle like Problems with Tangrams
134 Tangram Puzzles – (.pdf file – You need Acrobat Reader to view this file)
Tangram Puzzles – A large list of puzzles split in to categories

Google Earth:
The idea is simple. It’s a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route. We invite you to try it now. (From the Google Earth Website)

Google Earth is free and can be downloaded at: http://earth.google.com/
 - To use Google Earth you will need a high-speed Internet connection (Cable or DSL).

You can download “Placemarks” that show specific sites. You can also create your own placemarks and share them with the Google Earth Community.

Download the WWII battles .kml here

Click on the “Open this Placemark” link under the title. It will open Google Earth. You can save the .kml file when you close Google Earth.

The great thing about this file is that it is broken into categories. Viewing it all at once is overwhelming. You can set it to only view battles in specific countries, or to only view things like Concentration Camps, Nazi & Japanese war crimes, etc. It also has links to WikiPedia articles about each placemark. **Note: WikiPedia can be edited by anyone. Be sure to double check the information you find on it if you are using it for your projects.

Google Earth is a great resource for History and Geography because it is so visual. It is also very fun. The students really enjoy using it on the Smart Board.

The Links section is a list of good websites for review of content. It has educational (and very fun) games, video tutorials, etc.

The Homework section will (hopefully) be updated on nearly a daily basis with the assignments from that day.

These sections can be accessed by clicking on the links above the picture on the top of the page.

This week a SmartBoard was installed in our classroom. This incredible piece of technology turns our whiteboard into a touch-screen computer. We can access any of the software on the computer in front of the classroom, write & draw on it to take notes, and save everything for later review. It is very interactive, and the students in my class are already enjoying it and picking up on how it works at an improbable speed. I am very excited about the possibilities this technology brings. Eight SmartBoards have been installed throughout the school.

Due to the actions of one person that is no longer available. Comments must now be approved by me before they are seen by everyone. This could mean it would take more time to get an answer to a question.

I have put up this website to be helpful. If you want to post comments that are inappropriate and not helpful, I would rather you don’t use this website.

Commenting is a way to communicate with me about the posts that are up, and questions you have about information we have covered in class. Now one person has runied that for everyone by using language that shows an inability to communicate like a responsible, educated person.

Parents, please monitor your childrens’ Internet usage.

The following websites may help:

Cox Communications Internet Tools

AOL Parental Controls

IamBigBrother – Internet Monitoring Software

CYBERSitter – Internet Monitoring Software

You need a passcode to sign up. You can contact me or your childs sixth-grade teacher for the passcode.

 Signing Up for United Streaming Tutorial

About unitedstreaming™unitedstreaming is a digital video-on-demand service brought to you by Discovery Education. Find out what 50,000 schools and over 20,000,000 students and teachers already know—unitedstreaming works!With unitedstreaming, you get:

• The largest and most current K-12 digital video/video clip library available today
• The only standards-based video-on-demand application shown to increase student achievement
• Practical teacher and student learning resources
• Access to a wide variety of producers—Discovery Channel School, United Learning, Standard Deviants, Weston Woods, and many more
• Unparalleled options for customization and local control
• New content and features continuously added throughout the year

Imagine having 4,000 educational videos available for use in the classroom (or home) — at any time you wish!

Some of the students were asking about inserting video from United Streaming into Power Point presentations. We will all be learning about this during our next computer lab time. If students would like to find out before then, there is a tutorial below.

Inserting Video Tutorial -> United Streaming in PowerPoint

Most students have set up a United Streaming Account. Through this account they can log-in to United Streaming to watch & download videos. If your student has not yet set up an account and would like to, they need a pass-code from me or one of the other 6th grade teachers. Please email me for this information and instructions on setting up the account.  jwilliams {at} gesd40. org

To Log-in to United Steaming please visit the following weblink:
http://www.asset.asu.edu/asset_website_2004/auxiliary/us_signin.html

Click Here for the Site -

Instructions:
Click on Grades 6-8
Click on Math Active
Click on Grade 6