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Mrs. Maslen's Advocacy

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Welcome to week 6 of distance learning!  Please reach out if you would like any assistance in keeping your child engaged!

Advocacy Activities from Mr. Rowan

This month’s theme is Wellness! Please see the additional post with information and activities from Mr. Rowan

Night of the Notables 

We are excited to announce that the 3/4 pod is offering Night of the Notables as a totally optional project for kids to do at home! This project can be done in place of the MobyMax social studies assignments, or in addition to them if you and your child are looking for something extra to do! The guidelines will look slightly different for 3rd and 4th graders, so please read the section that applies to you and your child carefully! Feel free to email your child’s advocate with additional questions, or stop by office hours!  

3rd Graders 

Many of the third graders had started looking forward to this project so I want to encourage them to continue the work they may have started.  The students were to choose a notable figure from any time period in history. They could be from Ancient times or more recent past.  We have read about many notable people this year in our Studies Weekly newspapers and you may certainly choose one of them or use your own background knowledge to select a notable person.    

Basic Project Outlines 

Students should read and take notes on their notable person 

Students should write a 3 paragraph biography about their person 

Complete a bibliography to record your research resources (2-3 different sources) 

Prepare a short speech (about 2 minutes) that explains what that person did and why they are notable in the first person (they present as that person) 

They could dress up as that person for their speech 

Students could start by visiting www.brainpop.com to which they have free access.  

Presentation details of the project are still being worked out and we will provide them as soon as they are determined.   

4th Graders 

Last year, students were able to research any person who would be considered notable to research and present as.  This year, students will choose someone who was either 

Born in Colorado 

Notable for the work they did in Colorado 

For example, Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia, but did some of his important work in Colorado Springs.  Nikola Tesla would be someone your child could research!  

Throughout the year, we have read about many important people in our Studies Weekly newspapers.  Any of these people could be potential candidates for this project!  In addition, I have some links that have biographies of other notable Coloradans.  These articles are mostly kid-friendly, but may require some outside assistance in order to fully comprehend the information.  These links also provide a list to kids of people they may not have heard of!  In order to choose someone to research, we just need to find at least one kid-friendly article with sufficient information.  If you and your child are having difficulties finding someone to research, please let me know and I can try to help as best I can!  Please note that you do not have to choose someone from either of these links! 

Link 1 - https://history.denverlibrary.org/colorful-coloradans 

Link 2 - https://www.historycolorado.org/biographies-notable-coloradans 

Basic Project Outlines 

Students should read and takes notes on their notable person 

Students should write a 5 paragraph biography about their person 

Prepare a short speech (about 3 minutes) that explains what that person did and why they are notable in the first person (they present as that person) 

They dress up as that person for their speech 

Of course, we will not be able to present in person, but we are currently working on some ideas of what might be possible (ex: Zoom, a video, etc…).  This part has not yet been planned.   

Please feel free to reach out with any questions! 

Advocacy Zoom Meeting

Our Advocacy Zoom meeting is on Tuesday at 10:00am. I hope to see all the kids there! It is the same link & password as last week.

Example of an informational writing response.

     I have learned many interesting facts about horses. The first fact is horses have eyes on the side of their head so they can see about 360 degrees. The second fact is they have  bigger eyes then any other mammals that live on land. Another fact and physical trait I learned about horses is they have 205 bones, that's one less then humans. The final fact and physical trait I learned about horses is they have small stomachs for their size.

    I'm also learning about sleep habits and emotions regarding horses. The first fact about sleeping habits for horses is they need only 2 1/2 to 3hrs of sleep. The second fact about sleeping habits and horses is they can sleep lying down and standing up. In regards to emotions, the first fact I learned about horses and emotions is they show their emotions using their eyes, ears, and nose. Another fact is they show they're angry if their nostrils are flared and their ears are back. Overall, what I've learned about horses is they're physical traits, habits, and emotions make them beautiful animals; which is why I like them.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322234
 

Week of 5/4/2020

Welcome to week 5 of distance learning! I hope that everything is going smoothly and routines are falling into place.  Staying engaged can be especially challenging right now.  Please reach out if you would like any assistance in keeping your child engaged!

 Important Dates & Information:

  • Monday, May 4th- Specials rotate

  • Monday, May 4th - Belongings Pick-Up - 9:00am - 1:00pm

    • If your child still has any belongings that need to be picked up at school, you can come on this day and time.  These are only for essential items, such as backpacks, jackets, and other items your child might need.  We will not be gathering items such as notebooks and other school supplies.  You should have received an email from your child’s advocate if they found any of your child’s belongings at school.  Below are the pickup times.

    • 9:00 - 10:00am - Last name A-F

    • 10:00 -11:00am - Last name G-L

    • 11:00 - 12:00pm - Last name M-R

    • 12:00 - 1:00pm - Last name S-Z

Advocacy Activities from Mr. Rowan

Mr. Rowan is in charge of the advocacy activities this month which focus on physical, mental, and social-emotional wellness. Check out the Newsletter he emailed parents (also posted on this page) for interviews, bingo, and more!

Writing

For writing this week, you will find the rubric on which students will be assessed.  This is a new rubric since we are now doing an informational piece. In the instructions, I pointed out to students that informational writing pieces are fact based, thus having facts from reliable resources would be great! I will be posting the PDFs to the rubrics should you wish to see them.  It is also on MobyMax, or I can email them to you if necessary!  There is a 3rd grade rubric and a 4th grade rubric.  This is all under the “Writing Assignments” tab.  Here are some additional guidelines for the weekly prompts:

  1. The response should be a minimum of two paragraphs, and about 10 sentences in total.

  2. The prompt should follow a RACES format.

    1. R - restate the question

    2. A - answer the question

    3. C - cite evidence (if possible)

    4. E - explain

    5. S - summarize

Lastly, I noticed many students are using the same transition words for their paragraphs, if any. I am posting a list of transition words above. Some assistance at home on using transition words may be needed.

Time Guidelines

    Math-- 45 minutes a day

     Fact Fluency work on as needed or wanted

    Reading -- 45 minutes a day

      Reading Skills Literature

      Reading Skills Informational

      Reading Stories

    Writing -- 20 minutes a day

       Writing Workshops

       Writing Assignments

       Language

   Science/Social Studies -- 25 minutes a day (each subject)

Social Studies - MobyMax will send assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

Science - MobyMax will send assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

Our Advocacy Zoom meeting is on Tuesday at 10:00 am. I hope to see all the kids there! The Zoom link and password will be the same as last week.

My office hours are on Monday and Thursday from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. where I am available to help students with work, answer questions, share my screen and have students share their screen. 

Belongings Pick-up Times

Please only pick up items if you have been contacted by a teacher notifying you that there are items waiting at school for you!!!!
 

  • Monday, May 4th - Belongings Pick-Up - 9:00am - 1:00pm

    • If your child still has any belongings that need to be picked up at school, you can come on this day and time.  These are only for essential items, such as backpacks, jackets, and other items your child might need.  We will not be gathering items such as notebooks and other school supplies.  If you know your child has something that needs to be picked up in the classroom, please describe the item via email to your child’s advocacy teacher and we will do our best to locate the item

    • 9:00 - 10:00am - Last name A-F
      10:00 -11:00am - Last name G-L
      11:00 - 12:00pm - Last name M-R
      12:00 - 1:00pm - Last name S-Z

Week of April 27, 2020

Welcome to week 4 of distance learning! I hope that everything is going smoothly and routines are falling into place.  Staying engaged can be especially challenging right now.  Please reach out if you would like any assistance in keeping your child engaged!

 

Important Dates & Information:

  • Monday, April 27th - Medication Pick-Up - 9:00am - 11:00am

    • If your child has medication that needs to be picked up from the clinic, it can be picked up at this day and time.  Please call the front desk for more information if necessary

  • Monday, May 4th - Belongings Pick-Up - 9:00am - 1:00pm

    • If your child still has any belongings that need to be picked up at school, you can come on this day and time.  These are only for essential items, such as backpacks, jackets, and other items your child might need.  We will not be gathering items such as notebooks and other school supplies.  If you know your child has something that needs to be picked up in the classroom, please describe the item via email to your child’s advocacy teacher and we will do our best to locate the item

    • 9:00 - 10:00am - Last name A-F
      10:00 -11:00am - Last name G-L
      11:00 - 12:00pm - Last name M-R
      12:00 - 1:00pm - Last name S-Z

Advocacy Activities from Mrs. Valenza

Monday - Nature is magic! Today’s nature craft is to make a stick wand. Go find a really good stick that feels right when you hold it in wand position. If you can find some small sticks, leaves, or pinecones those may be nice to have to add to the end of your wand. Then ask your parents for some string and get to decorating. Wrap the string around the stick however you’d like. You can use some of the string to hang leaves, sticks, pinecones, or flowers off the end. Once you’re wand is done, decide which powers your wand has and how can you use those powers for good. Send a picture to Mrs. Valenza with your wand. 

Tuesday-  Westgate kids are amazing at solving real-world problems. They dream big! This game from National Geographic uses a robot to solve real-world problems.  

Wednesday - It has been hard to not be able to go where you want, see who you want, when you want. Today make a list, journal, or draw a picture about all the places you want to visit once the “Stay at home” order has been lifted. Hopefully this will keep your spirits lifted and remind you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Share your list with someone you trust.  Mrs. Valenza wants to go camping in Moab, have a picnic at Chautauqua, and buy a plane ticket to go see humpback whales in Hawaii.  

Thursday – Today, go outside! Here are a few ideas: You could build a bee water station --> https://carolinahoneybees.com/diy-bee-waterer/ 

Add some pollinator plants to your yard or porch. Call your local nursery to see if they have any of these plants. --> https://resourcecentral.org/5-plants-for-your-colorado-pollinator-garden/

Have a picnic outside.  

Just sit on your porch and watch the world pass by. 

 

General Information Regarding MobyMax & Advocacy

For all subjects other than writing, students should be working at their own pace, continuing to aim for the work times below.  The Moby Max software will start assignments automatically when your child clicks on the related subject icon.

Please remember, I can help, answer questions, share my screen, and have your student share their screen during my office hours (Monday and Thursday 10:00 - 11:0am). 

For writing this week, you will find the rubric on which students will be assessed.  This is the same rubric as last week as we are doing another opinion piece.  If you scroll down on this page, you should find them from last week.  If you can’t, it is also on MobyMax, or I can email them to you!  There is a 3rd grade rubric and a 4th grade rubric.  This is all under the “Writing Assignments” tab.  Here are some additional guidelines for the weekly prompts:


  1. The response should be a minimum of two paragraphs, and about 10 sentences in total.

  2. The prompt should follow a RACES format.

    1. R - restate the question

    2. A - answer the question

    3. C - cite evidence (if possible)

    4. E - explain

    5. S - summarize

Time Expectations for Moby Max:

     Math-- 45 minutes a day

     Fact Fluency work on as needed or wanted

     Reading -- 45 minutes a day

      Reading Skills Literature

      Reading Skills Informational

      Reading Stories

     Writing -- 20 minutes a day

       Writing Workshops

       Writing Assignments

       Language

    Science/Social Studies -- 25 minutes a day (each subject)

Social Studies - MobyMax will send assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

Science - MobyMax will send assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

Our Advocacy Zoom meeting is on Tuesday at 10:00am. I hope to see all the kids there! Don't forget to have their show-and-tell item prepared to share with the class! The Zoom link and password will be the same as last week.

Week of April 15, 2020

Welcome to week 3 of distance learning! I hope that everything is going smoothly and routines are falling into place.  

Students will find their assignments in Moby Max as they click on each subject, specifically for science, social studies & writing.  Students should begin working on each subject at their pace, continuing to aim for the work times below. If you have any problems with Moby Max, please let me know right away so I can help get students rolling in the right direction! Please remember, I can help, answer questions, share my screen, and have your student share their screen during my office hours (Monday and Thursday 10-11 a.m.). 


For writing this week, you will find the rubric on which students will be assessed.  There is a 3rd grade rubric and a 4th grade rubric. The rubric is also attached to their assignment on MobyMax, which you can also view.  This is all under the “Writing Assignments” tab. Here are some additional guidelines for the weekly prompts:


  1. The response should be a minimum of two paragraphs, and about 10 sentences in total.

  2. The prompt should follow a RACES format.

    1. R - restate the question

    2. A - answer the question

    3. C - cite evidence (if possible)

    4. E - explain

    5. S - summarize


     Math-- 45 minutes a day

     Fact Fluency work on as needed or wanted


     Reading -- 45 minutes a day

      Reading Skills Literature

      Reading Skills Informational

      Reading Stories


     Writing -- 20 minutes a day

       Writing Workshops

       Writing Assignments

       Language


    Science/Social Studies -- 25 minutes a day (each subject)

Social Studies - MobyMax will have assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

Science - MobyMax will have assignments automatically. Please meet the minimum time for the week

 

Our Advocacy Zoom meeting is on Tuesday at 10:00am. I hope to see all the kids there! 

3rd & 4th Grade Advocacy Activities 

 

Monday - If you are doing one of the choices for the “Earth Day Assignment” please use this day to work on that and send it to Mrs. Valenza as you finish it.  

                  Mrs. Valenza will also be doing a live Zoom with the chickens and goats at 12:30pm this day! Tune in to see the ladies and ask questions.  

                   Time: Apr 20, 2020 12:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 

                  Meeting ID: 951 417 9342        Password: (see your email)

 

Tuesday - Westgate kids are natural problem solvers. There are 2 ways you can problem solve today.  

    1. Think of a problem you’ve seen in your house, your neighborhood, your city, Westgate, the world and create an invention to fix that problem. An app that tells people where their food came from? A drone that picks up trash along highways? Think big!  

    2. Create a way to get people to do something positive for the environment.  Hand out bee hives to every school? Give every house 3 new trees to plant? Give everyone who picks up trash $100? Think big! 

Wednesday - You have 2 options today...Join the Lorax and Mr. Rowan for a live reading of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Or head to Mrs. Valenza’s staff profile page to hear a pre-recorded reading of the story.  

                   Topic: The Lorax Read Aloud with Question and Answer 
                   Time: Apr 22, 2020 01:15 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada) 
                   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79083049885?pwd=cXdiMk9vYjh6Z2Y4dGl5NHpvUVJHQT09 
                   Meeting ID: 790 8304 9885 

                   Password: (see your email)

 

Thursday -Today I want you to make sure you get outside for a walk. With all the water we’ve been getting (in the form of snow) the plants should be popping! Take notice of this. What flowers can you find? What new buds are popping up on the trees? Is there sign of life? Can you find any birds nests? If you want to get really fancy you could download a plant identification app – Plantifier is a relatively good one that is also free! Send Mrs. Valenza a picture of you with your favorite sign of life.  

 

Friday - Choose a video to watch from The Story of Stuff that interests you -https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/the-good-stuff/