Rollercoasters!

Yesterday, students used the concepts they've learned about force, motion, friction, and Newton's 3 Laws of Motion, to build rollercoasters in the classroom. Check it out!

Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere's Ride

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

---

Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war; A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street Wanders and watches, with eager ears, Till in the silence around him he hears The muster of men at the barrack door, The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, And the measured tread of the grenadiers, Marching down to their boats on the shore. Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church, By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses and moving shapes of shade,-- By the trembling ladder, steep and tall, To the highest window in the wall, Where he paused to listen and look down A moment on the roofs of the town And the moonlight flowing over all. Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, In their night encampment on the hill, Wrapped in silence so deep and still That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread, The watchful night-wind, as it went Creeping along from tent to tent, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!" A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent On a shadowy something far away, Where the river widens to meet the bay,-- A line of black that bends and floats On the rising tide like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere. Now he patted his horse's side, Now he gazed at the landscape far and near, Then, impetuous, stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry tower of the Old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still. And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns. A hurry of hoofs in a village street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet; That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night; And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat. He has left the village and mounted the steep, And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town. He heard the crowing of the cock, And the barking of the farmer's dog, And felt the damp of the river fog, That rises after the sun goes down. It was one by the village clock, When he galloped into Lexington. He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed, And the meeting-house windows, black and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare, As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon. It was two by the village clock, When he came to the bridge in Concord town. He heard the bleating of the flock, And the twitter of birds among the trees, And felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadow brown. And one was safe and asleep in his bed Who at the bridge would be first to fall, Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket ball. You know the rest. In the books you have read How the British Regulars fired and fled,--- How the farmers gave them ball for ball, >From behind each fence and farmyard wall, Chasing the redcoats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load. So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,--- A cry of defiance, and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo for evermore! For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Play with Logo On-Line!

Here is a website that allows you to play around with Logo software on the Internet:

MathsNet Turtle Logo

It doesn't have all of the same features of the program we use in the classroom, but all the basic commands still work! Have fun!

Field Trip to UNF Wildlife Sanctuary!

Next Friday, February 6th, we'll be taking a field trip to the UNF Wildlife Sanctuary! It will be an all-day field trip, from 9:00 to 1:30. Students will need to bring a bag lunch and canned drink. The cost of the trip will be $9.00. Look for permission slips in your child's binder THIS MONDAY! Please make sure to return the permission slip ASAP!

Also, we need a few chaperones to join us on the trip! If you want to chaperone, please let me know via an e-mail. Thanks!

Candy Grams are coming again!

Once again, student council will be selling Candy Grams to raise money for Student Council projects. Order forms and information will be coming home tomorrow!

Watching History Take Place

Today, instead of reading about history, talking about history, or writing about history, we watched history happening live as we saw President Barack Obama sworn into office. I encourage all of you to enjoy this momentous occasion the rest of the day, including the Inauguration Ball tonight on ABC.

Pics from the Dance

We had a blast on Thursday! Check out these great pics from the dance!

Fourth/Fifth Grade Mid-Year Dance!

Beauclerc is hosting a dance NEXT THURSDAY after school! A note went home in Friday Folders about the dance. The cost is $5, and the money and permission slip have to be turned in BY WEDNESDAY in order for your child to go to the dance. They will not be accepting money at the door. I hope to see everyone there!!!

Spelling Bee!

Congratulations to Jayla and Amer who made it to round four in today's Fifth Grade Spelling Bee! It's really hard to spell correctly under such intense pressure, so I was very proud that they were able to do as well as they did! Also a big congratulations to Monica from Mrs. Hayden's class for winning Beauclerc's Spelling Bee!

A Sad Day in Room 70

After having him in my class for the past three years, since third grade, I was extremely saddened to learn today that Malik would be leaving our class! He and his family have moved to the Arlington area and he'll be starting in a new school tomorrow! As sad as I am to lose Malik after the past three years, I wish him and his family the very best in their new home and school!

Here are a handful of pictures from over the past three years of having Malik in my class.

Lots of New Stuff in January!

Tomorrow, we return to school after a very long break! I hope you've all had as much rest and relaxation as I have - because we have a whole lot of new things to learn this January! These are the three big units we'll be starting in math, science, and social studies.

Math - Picturing Polygons

In Math, we'll be exploring polygons - their properties and the way mathematicians classify them. Now that we have computers in the classroom, we'll be using them to explore a really fun computer drawing program to help learn the concepts associated with polygons.

Science - Mechanical Energy

& Simple Machines

In Science, we'll continue our exploration of energy - this month focusing on mechanical energy and simple machines. So, what in the world does sports equipment have to do with mechanical energy?? You'll have to wait and find out this month!

Social Studies/Reading -

The American Revolution

Finally, in social studies, we've spent much of the beginning of the year learning about the constitution and the process of voting. But how did we get to be the country that we are in the first place? Like most major changes in the world, it happened through a war - a very important war called the "Revolutionary War" or the "American Revolution."

Here's a picture of Demi Lovato:

And here's a Nike Zoom LeBron VI shoe:

What on earth do these have to do with the American Revolution?? More than you'd think actually, as you'll learn this week!

Also, we'll be reading several stories in our reading books about the American Revolution, and for our read aloud this month, I've chosen one of the greatest stories about the American Revolution:

I look forward to seeing you all back again tomorrow! Make sure you come to school with your smiles on and ready to learn!