Morris's Mavericks

Our 2009-2010 Maverick Year

The 09-10 school year is approaching quickly, and we are going to have wonderful and very interesting class of Mavericks this fall. This BLOG site is going to be our official class website. On this class site you will find the newsletter and homework postings as well as all kinds of links to interesting websites that are "Maverick Safe". You can also go to http://mtbethel.blogs.com/5th_grade_focus/ to view various other fifth grade wide activities and events.

We have also added a Science Olympiad website. Visit it at http://mtbethel.blogs.com/science_olympiad/ to find out what we are doing, to download an application, see pictures of our team and keep up with our exploits!

So, thanks for visiting us here, and please come back every Sunday! I will be posting "good-to-know" stuff about our 2009-2010 class activities soon!

Later Mavs,
Mr. M.

Mr. M's Bike

  This is my 750 Honda Shadow. Her name is Rocinante. If you can discover why that is her name, you will know more about Mr. M. Remember those famous words, "The only thing that changes about boys is the size of their toys." Thank you Carolyn, for my toys!

The Homework Pile, Words O' the Week and Project Dates

 

Welcome to our homework, spelling exercises and project plans fare for the coming week. This area of the BLOG will be updated every week by sunday afternoon. Please select the appropriate week and click on the Homework Pile link. It will be in MS Word format. Go get 'em Mavs!

Download 0910 Homework Pile 1 Aug 10
Download 0910 Homework Pile 2 Aug 17
Download 0910 Homework Pile 3 Aug 24
Download 0910 Homework Pile 4 Aug 31
Download 0910 Homework Pile 5 Sept 7
Download 0910 Homework Pile 6 Sept 14
Download 0910 Homework Pile 7 Sept 21
Download 0910 Homework Pile 8 Sept 28
Download 0910 Homework Pile 9 Oct 5
Download 0910 Homework Pile 10 Oct 12
Download 0910 Homework Pile 11 Oct 19
Download 0910 Homework Pile 12 Oct 26
Download 0910 Homework Pile 13 Nov 2
Download 0910 Homework Pile 14a Nov 9
Download 0910 Homework Pile 15a Nov 16
Download 0910 Homework Pile 16 Nov 30
Download 0910 Homework Pile 17 Dec 07
Download 0910 Homework Pile 18 Dec 14

Special Project's Criteria!

We will be having projects that both compliment our classroom work and extend beyond the classroom. This area will give the criteria for those projects.

Download 0910 ROS Guide
Download 0910 Reading Program

Download 0910 Map Project Where Am I
Download 0910 Map Project Parchment

Download 0910 The Kid in the Red Jacket Book Report Options A
View this photo of the original Uffner Primary Document of KITRJ Book Report

Download 0910 Mavericks from History 2008

Download 0910 portfolio 2nd 9

On-line Math Blaster information:
In an effort to support our green school effort, the fifth grade would like to complete our monthly Math Blaster timed tests online to save paper.  The link will take you to the test. Please set the length to "100", set the level to "10" and set the timer to "4:00". For a mixed review, put a check in all the operation boxes. Then change to a check only in the multiplication and then division box. Please continue to list your student's scores in their math blaster folder.

http://www.thatquiz.org/tq/practice.html

Below are links to paper copies of timed tests that can be printed off if you are having trouble with the website. 

http://mtbethel.blogs.com/files/math-blaster-multiplication-time-test.pdf
Download  div
Download  sub
Download  add

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

 

Download 0910 Immigration Family Tree Project

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

 

Download 0910 Immigration Family Tree Project

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

 

Download 0910 Immigration Family Tree Project

The 2009-2010 Maverick Mailgrams

 The Maverick Mailgram
"All the Twice Monthly News that is News"

The Maverick Mailgram is an ancient and venerable tradition dating back to the dawn of Mr. M's teaching career when the earth was still cooling. A Mailgram has been published every two weeks on Thursday without fail for 14 school years. Please click on the below link to download the mailgram you wish to read in Microsoft Word.  All your favorites are here!

Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 1
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 2 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 3 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 4 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 5 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 6 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 7 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 8 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 9 BLOG
Download 0910 Maverick Mailgram Vol 10 BLOG

      

2009 - 2010 Science Olympiad Application and Event List

If you are interested in being on the 2009-2010 Mt. Bethel Science Olympiad team you will need to;

1. Reserve a space at the Science Fair on October 1, 2009.

2. Download and fill out the attached application and turn it in by the deadline to one of the S.O. coaches listed on the application.

3. Be available at the Science Fair to explain your science project as the judges come around.

Application:
Download 0910 S O Science Olympiad Application -

 

The events we will be training on for the Cobb County and State Science Olympiad are:
Download 2010 ESO Event Correlations

Safe Links for Mavericks

These sites are maintained by Ms. Jerri Cheek of Kennesaw State University and our Media Center and are an inclusive list of "All Things Fifth Grade." Feel free to explore!

This is a link to our Media Center and a safe place to surf and access all kinds of information:
http://mtbethel.blogs.com/wright/
http://elementary.nettrekker.com/subject/

A Child safe search engine:
http://www.squirrelnet.com/search/ajk/ask_kids.asp

This is a link to KSU and covers everything you can think of:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/3-5.htm

For Graphing and Graphs:
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/index.asp
http://www.42explore.com/graphs.htm

For slightly more advanced topics:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek1/

For topics relative to Jekyll Island:

Plants: Smooth cordgrass, glasswort, cabbage palms, live oaks, sawtooth palmettos, Spanish moss, lichen, resurrection fern, wax myrtle, sea oats, southern red cedar, yucca, pennywort, poison ivy

Animals: Ghost crab, hermit crab, knobbed whelk, brown pelican, fiddler crabs, periwinkle snails, seagulls, common terns, great egret, snowy egret, great blue heron, cormorant, sea anemone, sea star, sea squirts, barnacles, Atlantic bottlenose dolphin , Ticks

Sea Turtle Links:
Loggerhead Turtles - http://www.turtles.org/loggerd.htm
Kemp's Ridley Turtles - http://www.turtles.org/ridleyd.htm
Leatherback Turtles - http://www.turtles.org/leatherd.htm
Green Sea Turtles - http://www.turtles.org/atlgrnd.htm
Hawksbill Turtles - http://www.turtles.org/hawksd.htm
http://mtbethel.blogs.com/jekyll

For Civil War Topics:
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/civwar.html

Ellis Island and Immigration:
http://library.thinkquest.org/20619/Eihist.html

http://www.history.com/minisites/ellisisland/

http://www.nyctourist.com/topten_ellis.htm

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/070_immi.html

http://www.inetours.com/New_York/Pages/Ellis_Island.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/5101/

For All Things Science:
Download blog_science_web_sites.doc
and:
Download blog_more_science_sites.doc

This is Cobb's virtual Library!
http://cvl.cobbk12.org/

 

In an effort to support our green school effort, the fifth grade would like to complete our monthly Math Blaster timed tests online to save paper.  This link is listed below with a link to the directions for setting up the test

http://www.thatquiz.org/tq/practice.html

Download Math_blaster_on_line2

Below are links to paper copies of timed tests that can be printed off if you are having trouble with the website.  THANKS!

Note the heading of tests say Sept.or Oct.  - we will use the SAME ONES for Nov.

Download  div

Download oct_mix.jpg

Download oct_multiplication.jpg

Download october_subtraction.jpg

Download oct_addition.jpg

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

Download oct_mix.jpg

Download oct_multiplication.jpg

Download october_subtraction.jpg

Download oct_addition.jpg

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

Download oct_mix.jpg

Download oct_multiplication.jpg

Download october_subtraction.jpg

Download oct_addition.jpg

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

In order to print a full size copy of these test, you will have to follow these steps--

1) Go to file Print

2) Look at the box that says PAGE SCALING

3) Pull down to FIT TO PRINTER MARGINS

4) Hit ok

Kennesaw Films a Maverick Math Lesson

Today we were lucky enough to be filmed by Mr. Stephen Rahn of the Kennesaw Educational Technology Training Center.   The video will hopefully become a way for other teachers and students to learn how to divide with fractions! A special word of thanks to Ms. Appleyard for her help in setting up this taping and for working with Henry to post this slide show on our site.

Mr. H.W. chose the wonderful music with a dramatic flair!

Seeds of Democracy Lesson Plans

During 2007 and 2008 I participated in a Federal History Grant titled Seeds of Democracy. Follow this link to a complete copy of the lesson unit produced for this endeavor.
Download seeds_lesson_plan_traveling_trunk_maps.doc

Frontiers History Grant Lesson Unit

As part of my new federal history grant opportunity, Expanding Frontiers 1800-1893, I developed a unit of lessons centered on Native Americans . Please feel free to use, modify, share and enjoy these plans.
Download lesson_plan_for_october_2008.doc

Official Stuff List

Official stuff I have to have on my BLOG:
Teacher: James W. Morris
Email address: James.Morris@CobbK12.org
Mt. Bethel Elementary School
1210 Johnson Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30068
School Phone: 770.578.7248
School FAX:    770.578.7250