Kevin and Lee's Classroom

EOG Day 1

2008-05-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

Hey out there. Everything is fine in the wonderful world of Kevin and Lee. Of course we had to take the dreadful E.O.G! We all got through and we are still alive! We had recess like usual. And then we went to art and painted our masks we came back and made duck tape roses with Alex.

S.P

2008-05-06T16:35:00.001-04:00

Today we were talking a lot about communication and how to treat each other.
At enrichments we finished up our Cherokee masks by plastering each others faces with dry slips you dip in water, last art class we picked partners and plastered one persons face in the pair and this week we switched. Now everyone has a mask that fits our faces perfectly. At dismissal we had a kind of conference between the students, it was about communicating.

May 5, 2008

2008-05-05T15:26:00.000-04:00

We have just turned in our Cherokee stories and Cherokee masks. We were writing our own stories based on ones we read in class. When we made our masks we had the choice of making our own symbols for the seven clan groups like the Blue Clan, Wolf Clan, Potato Clan, Long Hair Clan, or deer clan. R.A.

Caving Field Trip Reflections

2008-04-10T13:52:00.002-04:00

I thought it would be nice to share some of our students reflections from our awesome caving adventure. Read on! Oh, and look down a few posts to see our slideshow with fun photos of the experience!

#1
Caving at Worleys
By S.H.

April fools Day 2008 was an unforgettable day for me. I arrived at school and got my helmet secured on my head. I was really excited because soon we would all be caving in Worley’s Cave. I got in the car and we drove off.
Half way to the cave our school bus broke down on the side of the highway. One of our teachers, Kevin, got in the tour guides car and went to pick up a rental van for us. The kids on the bus hung out there while the kids in the mini van watched a movie. I was lucky to be one of the ones in the mini van. When Kevin got back the kids from the bus loaded up into a big van and we hit the road again.
At the cave we discussed safety rules and turned our headlamps on. As I walked through the cave I saw a lot of sleeping bats. I was surprised because the cave was warmer than I thought it would be. At times I could hear other kid’s voices echoing in the cave but mostly I heard water dripping.
After walking for a while we eventually came to a giant cavern at which I could hardly believe the size. The class climbed up a small hill and crawled into a little hole. By this time in the adventure, I was challenged because my arms hurt and the tight squeeze made me feel uncomfortable. I was relieved when I finally got through the tiny hole and happy that I had done it.
Another challenge I faced was when I climbed up a giant mudslide. It was difficult to get a grip on the wall so my feet kept slipping. Additionally, the classmate in front of me was slipping too. I helped him out by giving him foot support with my foot. Ultimately, the whole class got up the mudslide, probably because we all worked together.
To me, the funniest thing that happened was when we all turned off our lights. The entire cavern, as far as my eyes could see, was pitch black. Except for my glowing fingernails. I had special glow-in-the-dark nail paint on them. Our cave guide requested that I hide my fingernails so that it could be completely dark in there.
Until I visited Worley’s Cave I never knew what a pitch-black cave was like. Caving builds cooperation through teamwork, builds self-confidence and shows some of nature’s natural wonders.

I want to go caving again!

#2
The Cave

by S.G.
Before I saw Worley’s Cave in Tennessee, I thought it was going to be small. But when I saw it, it was immense.

My class looked down at the river below. It sounded like a light rain falling on your window.

I looked at the rock closely and noticed all the little layers of rock.

I went inside the entrance and I looked around. The rocks looked like they had been glazed. I touched the rock. It felt like water but it was solid.

Later in the cave, we came to a part where the class had to sit on our butts and slide down a narrow path of wet mud.

Then somehow we had to dodge the deep pools of water. One of the ways I did this was I would leap across.

After that, we came into a big opening. There we rested for a while. As we rested, we all turned off our headlights and stayed quiet. As we stayed quiet, I noticed that the air smelled like sweet clay, and the ground felt like a mixture of clay and mud.

After we turned our lights back on, we climbed up a slippery hill. I had a really hard time climbing up. Aidan helped me up. From my point of view, I really think he is a good leader.

Finally, after we got to the top of the hill, we headed for the hardest part of the cave. We would have to get on our stomachs and move forward by using our elbows. I was wondering if I might get stuck.

When I was going through the tunnel, one part of the rock was slanted and we had to roll around to get out.

When I got to the end of the small tunnel, everybody started cheering for Colton because it was hard for him to get through the tunnel. I said to myself, “What a great field trip!”

#3
An Adventure
By S.W.

It was a hot day in Tennessee. After having the bus broken down and the getting a rental we were excited to hit the road. It was the first of April. We were going to be at Worleys for the whole day. All of the class was so excited.
Wow, I saw the entrance of the entrance of Worleys cave it was amazing the entrances rocks had crumbled off the ceiling.
“Awesome”, Daniel said in delight.
“I know”, Lucian answered.
All of us crept in stopping right in front of the entrance. The teacher started talking and we listened, but a part of us knew that we wanted to explore the silent cave.
When the talking stopped Aiden started the lead part we turned on our head lamps and walked slowly into the black pit. The walking never seemed to stop, but later on we caught on the twinkling water and stepping stones.
Splash, many of us hit the water with a big thunk, we laughed to cheer people up about there dripping bodies.
Suddenly saw something it was fast asleep… It was a bat.
Eventually everybody got over the slippery rocks and moved on.
“Weeee” we slided down slide landing at the bottom of the slide with a thud.
“Owwww”, Madeline said with a wine.
We walked on and came to a very large room. We stopped and sat down on a large rock and decided to test how dark it was.
Sylvan raised her hand she wanted to be the leader. Sylvan got picked and counted to three, and we all one by one turned off our lights. There was no difference between closing our eyes and opening them.
Five minutes passed and Sylvan turned on her head lamp.
All of us fallowed turning on our lights. After that we put down our bags and started up a tall mountain.
We got up and saw a crack in the wall. Suddenly we herd a low voice … We looked a crevasse in the wall the shine of the head lamp was very strong.
“Go straight”, Greg (our instructor) said in a low voice.
We made our way through the tiny crack in the dripping wall.
The space was tiny in witch we crept on our hands and stomachs. The crawling led into a bigger space, but it could only fit 4 people.
Then again we went straight into a rolling area were we started rolling. The rolling stopped and we slid down a hill, there we waited for the rest of the group. Out popped more people, but Kevin and Colton were still in there.
Lee showed up laughing and laughing and wouldn’t stop all of us were wondering why she was laughing. Lee was gasping for air, finally she stopped and told us that Colton had cracked her up. And he told her the most funniest things. Suddenly we saw the faint glow of Colton’s head lamp. He poked his head and hesitated to slide down Lee asked him why, he didn’t answer he just his feet in front of him. His snow pants were hanging from his feet. Aiden came up and pulled them off. Colton slowly slid down and everybody cheered.
Once everybody decided it was time to go we all and slowly walked back.
Yay I could barly see the light shining from inside the cave. We slowly made our way out of the cave. We took off our extra layers and made toward the rental.
Vroom Vroom, the van started up and we were on our way to school.

April 9th, 2008

2008-04-09T15:22:00.001-04:00

Today was so fun. At math we covered a lot and at recess we got a ton of exercise. At language arts we wrote poems about how much we hated homework. And then we ate lunch. After lunch Kevin read two Cherokee stories. Then we went to music and did a circle dance. When we came back in we had a protest against Mike Sule to state that we think we should be able to bike with the middle schoolers. Also, tomorrow is the last day to turn in the plastic bags, so find them all.

S.P.

Come See Skyla's Blog!

2008-04-08T10:13:00.004-04:00

I am excited to announce that one of our very own has her own blog. It will focus on art. Please click on the link and check it out! Leave comments and check it frequently, as she has lots of great advice to offer us all!

http://skylablue.blogspot.com/

Way to go!!!

Caving in Tennesse

2008-04-02T00:43:00.007-04:00

Wow! That was so much fun! Except for the bus breaking down on the side of I-26 in Tennessee; having to drive to a rental place to rent a 15 passenger can, then drive back to the bus on the side of the highway- all while making arrangements to be picked up later that day at the rental place with the other Evergreen bus, which was late due to traffic in Asheville. Yeah, that's how we ended up being an hour and a half late. Sorry about that. The Transmission Gods seemed to have been against us, but we prevailed and, most importantly, the kids stayed positive.

We were very impressed with the kids today. As our TAASC leaders led us on a fantastic trip through the wonderfully mysterious Worley's Cave, we saw students lending hands, helping one another up, as they slipped and slid on the caves smooth, damp floor. We heard encouraging words, chanting, victory screams, and many grunts as we slid on our bellies (in what can be best described as a slanted chimney on it's side). We covered ourselves in mud and soaked our feet in the cool, dark, stagnant waters.

This was the perfect experience for our class to start with coming back from spring break. It really sets the tone for the remainder of the year. We need to continue to support one another, take risks, and trust ourselves so that we can go out in style. I am so proud of our students today. They showed a large amount of courage, compassion, and responsibility. Thanks for sending us these amazing kids!
Here is a slideshow of some of the said moments. Enjoy the rest of your week!

March 31, 2008

2008-03-31T13:57:00.002-04:00

Everyone seemed to be rested and ready to rock here at school today! We jumped right in learning about Worley cave, stalagtites and -mites! Everyone is so excited for our trip tomorrow. Please see the info that went home today.

Parents,

Please make preparations to pick up your child tomorrow at 5:00pm. We are trying to maximize the amount of time we get to spend in the cave. Hopefully, many of you checked the blog (http://evergreengrade4.blogspot.com/) last week and have made accommodations. If not, I hope you can make this happen so that we can enough time in the cave. This is going to be a fantastic trip! Please review the equipment listed below. The cave will be a constant 55 degrees and damp. Students will get wet and muddy, up to their knees and while crossing a subterranean river. We will be leaving first thing in the morning, so please get to school on time.

Thanks,
Kevin & Lee

EQUIPMENT LIST FOR CAVING AT WORLEYS
• headlamp/small flashlight
• packed waste-free lunch
• warm clothes (avoid cotton)
• rain jacket/pants (if possible)
• helmet (skateboard/bike/etc.) We have 14 helmets but need more
• plastic grocery bag with extra pants, sox, and shoes
• water bottle
• warm fleece layer
• backpack (school pack is fine)

SPELLING LIST
1. habitat *
2. adaptation
3. behavioral
4. physical
5. camouflage
6. survive *
7. adapt
8. behavior
9. survive
10. species
11. animal *
12. extinct
13. appearance
14. protect *
15. migrate
16. hibernate
17. predator
18. prey

Grandparents Day and Field Trip Information

2008-03-19T14:45:00.003-04:00

Grandparents Day – This Friday, March 21st, 8:15 am

Grandparents go directly to the gym when they arrive for registration, refreshments, and welcoming.
Please wear casual clothing and comfortable footwear.
8:15-8:40 Welcome and refreshments
8:40-9:30 Whole school Community Circle in the gym
9:30-10:30 Classroom Activities (K-5)
Field Activity (6-8 grades)
10:40-11:30 Field Activity (K-5)
Classroom Activities (6-8 grades)
11:30-12:00 Closing Wrap-up in classrooms
12:00 Dismissal for Spring Break

The 4th Grade will be going caving (at Worley's Cave in TN) with TAASC on the first Tuesday and Wednesday upon return from Spring Break. One class will go at a time.
The money to cover this is coming out of the money for the end of year field trip. Our guides have limited the number of people we can bring into the cave at one time. Therefore, we cannot take any chaperones. We are asking that you can pick up your child at 5:oopm on this day to extend the amount of time we can spend in the cave.

First payment for the end of year field trip is DUE THIS FRIDAY- $25.00

Division Math Movie

2008-03-14T01:09:00.004-04:00

One math group recently created a short movie based on Pat Hutchins' book, The Doorbell Rang. It is a book we use each year to teach division. We sure had some fun with it this year! Enjoy.

Tuesday, March 6, 2008

2008-03-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

Hello again! Our morning work was picking out portfolio pieces. We did that until 9:40, which is when Karl came in and read to us. At 10:15 we went to recess. After recess we wrote our scripts for conferences on Monday. We are having a party on Tuesday because we are just finishing our slavery unit and the WRITING TEST, and we are about to finish our student led conferences! Like it said in Kevin’s post below, three major events in just seven school days! We are about to finish our student led conferences like it said above. Our next exhibition is going to be all about the mountains. We will discuss the Cherokee, animal adaptation, mountain geography and many other things about the mountain region that we are a part of.

S.P AND M.K

Student Led Conferences

2008-03-05T22:08:00.005-05:00

Parents,

On Monday, March 10 you will see what I hope to be a personalized experience as rich as our Exhibition Night. Each student will serve as a "conductor", as they guide you through their learning experience thus far in the year. The responsibility is their own. They are spending these next few days examining their learning and reflecting on their work. On Monday, during their conference time,your child will articulate their strengths and shortcomings. Lee and I will serve merely as facilitators.
Please learn about the benefits of student led conferencing through this article HERE.

This is our third major event in as little as a week. Exhibition Night, the writing test, and now, student led conferences! Nothing will stop these kids. Their perseverance is striking! Your children have been putting forth so much effort and working so hard.

Come celebrate their learning! If you haven't already, sign up for a conference time. The form is posted on our door. We can also put available times into your child's planner.

I look forward to seeing you all next Monday. And, please, see the link to learn more about what to expect on Monday. Your involvement in this conference can really help us maximize your child's learning potential.

-Kevin

March 5, 2008

2008-03-05T17:01:00.001-05:00

Hello Parents,
Today we worked on our historical fiction stories with the laptops. After that we graded our math assessments. Then we looked through our portfolios. Our enrichment was music and we got to play the marimbas. It was wicked! The star musician was CM. We ended the day with a story from our favorite author,Paul Jennings. (I’m excited to announce that we now have an autographed copy of his book, Unbelievable, sent to us by him all the way from Australia!!!) That’s it, have a nice evening. Bye!
-MK

Exhibition Night Photos

2008-03-04T15:09:00.006-05:00

Click on the photo to see more photos of our unbelievable EXHIBITION NIGHT! These kids did such an amazing job teaching our community members about the Underground Railroad. I am so proud of them. This exhibition night will certainly be tough to beat!

March 4, 2008 (Day of the Writing Test)

2008-03-04T15:04:00.003-05:00

Hello parents, I’m back. First we did the state Writing test.
It was horrible. Personally, I hated it. But Kevin cheered us up with a mint between it.
After that we had snack and lunch put together. Before we went to our art enrichment we watched Chicken Little. We went to art again, yeah!
MK

Although our student blogger wasn't into it, I saw all of our students working hard and trying to do their best work in the 75minutes of allotted time. Talk to your child about their experience today. Ask them what they felt successful with and what they might change if they could do it all over again. I applaud the efforts of our students today and have confidence that they gave it their all!

February 22, 2008

2008-02-22T15:50:00.004-05:00

Today we had another wonderful class of PE. The people for the Underground Railroad got their lines and practiced outside. The choir worked with Sue. We worked on our historical fiction stories and finally, we figured out all the materials for our costumes. It was a working day. Have a great weekend. S.H.

The pictures are from Tuesday's trip to the Smith McDowell House. Where we learned about slave auctions, the life of a slave, and life in the 1800s.

Feb. 12, 2008

2008-02-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to the play “freedom train” at the Civic Center. We heard all the songs we learned in expedition and music class. Today we had fun in technology learning about Power Point, we all made a cool page about anything we wanted after we did are jobs we read a Paul Jennings story it was a story about a boy who could only say something without saying “with out a shirt” after every word.

2008-02-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

Our class went to technology and typed a story on the computer. Then every five minutes we switched computers and wrote another thought. It really helped with typing skills. For morning work we worked on our Quilt squares. Each one represents… rotation, reflection, and translation. Today in writing we were working on our slave stories. The slave stories are where we write a story about a slave and there life. We are doing are ruff draft right now. In math groups we are working on division.

Whoop, There it is!

2007-12-13T15:34:00.001-05:00

It is true. We do have a confirmed case of whooping cough from a student in our classroom. By this time all of you should have received a call from a nurse and been told what to do. Much of it is precautionary, but with the holidays around the corner... it's just best to play it safe.

We washed hands at least six times today and discussed proper cough/sneezing protocol. If you would like additional information on Whooping Cough click HERE. (I just googled "whooping cough" and it was one of the first to come up. You may wish to investigate more.) Please, if your child is running a fever, or exhibiting any symptoms, keep them home!

Also, a parent had mentioned some alternative remedies. Click Here for more information about those. Of course, in no way, shape, or form do I claim to be a doctor, so it is best to go get checked from a professional.

Dec. 13 2007

2007-12-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

Today we walked in the room and Kevin had a picture prompt set up for us to write about. It was a picture of people’s shadows in a cave. We also had our fire pit lit. Our enrichment was technology; there we worked on Kevin’s surprise. When we came back to the room we did jobs and I started working on this.

P.S Almost at break, almost there, almost there…. S.W.

December 11, 2007

2007-12-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

Today was a wonderful day. When we walked in the room we had a hard problem to solve. Enrichment was technology and when we were in the tech room we worked on a special surprise for Kevin. Also in Language arts we talked about alliteration (same starting sound). After tech we went back to the room to get called.

P.S. we can’t tell you the surprise because Kevin is going to read this. S.W.

Spelling Words

2007-12-10T10:54:00.000-05:00

The /ou/ Sound (can be spelled ou or ow)

1. mouth
2. bounce
3. sound
4. ground
5. brown
6. shroud
7. slouch
8. crowd
9. scout
10. sprout
11. count
12. power
13. pounce
14. crouch
15. around
16. flower
17. coward
18. allow
19. found
20. growl

2007-11-30T15:48:00.000-05:00

November 30, 2007
Today we had our O.C.D. (AKA off campus drill) which was pretty exiting. Than almost all of us finished our incredible balsa wood gliders. We also learned stuff like PATS (Place Action Time Speaker). Those are the things that indicate when you should start a new paragraph.

November 29, 2007
Today we had a guy named Cactus who’s a rapper come to our school and he was totally wild! Than we had an absolutely positively great time finishing the bodies of our planes.

November 27, 2007

2007-11-27T15:35:00.001-05:00

Today we learned about singular possessive nouns in language arts, and in expedition we had our first day of designing our competition gliders!

November 26, 2007

2007-11-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today we looked at the different endings that we had replaced with others like, “we drove home”, and we made them a lot better. Afterwards, we just had a pretty enjoyable day.

Go Green With All Contest Letters

2007-11-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

Parents,
Here are the contest letters that your child wrote for our school’s chance to win $50,000. Please find your child’s letter, help them make revisions, and submit it to this website. WWW.GOGREENWITHALL.COM The letters have not been proofread at all and their names have been removed and replaced with initials for privacy reasons. Please add the names back in when you submit the letter. We have a great chance of winning here and are really hoping for your cooperation. The contest ends at midnight tonight! Thanks.
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Dear Ellen,

Hi my name is AE. I go to Evergreen Comm. Charter School in Asheville, NC . I think my school is the greenest because . . . We’re putting solar panels on top of the school. We also have a greenhouse where we keep plants to keep them warm over the winter .The kindergarten reuses the same bookbags. At the end of every year the kindergarten gives in their bookbags to use next year. Our lunches are almost always waste free. We recycle too . At the end of every week the 8th grade takes the recycling and puts it in recycling cans and the recycling people pick it up . Those are the reasons I think my school is the greenest .

A.E.

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Hello my name is AG. I go to a school called Evergreen in Asheville, North Carolina.
At my school we have a pick up line. The teachers take turns on the pick up line and encourage parents to turn off their cars. We turn off our cars to save gas and not to pollute the air.
Then two or three years ago our school built a greenhouse. Our school was excited to use the greenhouse.
A week ago our school got solar panels on the school. Our school got to watch them install the solar panels.
That’s why I think our school is the greenest.

A.G.
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Dear Ellen,

I AW know my school is one of the greenest schools in NC. Here’s why- the school has solar panels, the 3rd grade sells compact florescent light bulbs, the 6th grade has a ECO team, some of our teachers ride bikes to school. You have been great to read this.
by A.W.

Hey Ellen I’m a kid that goes to a great green school.
[Just incase you’re wondering my name is CW.]
Evergreen charter school is a really green school.
I first want to tell you we just got a new solar panel.
Also the kindergarteners use the same book bag tell 3rd grade.
Middle school even has a ECO club and almost every year we have a contest to see
who can bring the most waste free lunch.
Well that’s just a taste of our school being green.
Sincerely,
CW
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Dear Ellen,
Hello my name is CM from Asheville North Carolina and I’m going to tell you how green my family is. I’ve heard about your contest and I’m writing to tell you how green my family is. One of the things my family does to be green is we recycle cardboard, paper, plastic and glass. Another thing my family does to be green is we take quick showers. Also we turn off the water when brushing our teeth. My family mostly uses compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The reason recycling is important is because we can reuse items and not take more from nature. Also not using too much water is important because we get most of that water from natural lakes, rivers and springs. We don’t want to use all the water.

Sincerely,
CM
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Hello, I am DS. I will take good care of my I pod if I win. I have wanted an I pod for a long time for about 3 years but never got one and I will always if I win I will always thank you.

Dear Ellen,

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Hello, my name is KM and I go to a school in Asheville North Carolina. There are a few reasons I think our school is green. Like, we have Solar panels being put up and the 3rd grade plants seeds and put them in the school Green house. Also, we encourage people to turn off their car engines in the drop off line and we also have two ponds where we have frogs, tadpoles and other sorts of critters!

Sincerely,KM
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Dear Ellen,
As you now that my name is L.St.V. My school is greener then green. This is how my school is green
We have solar panels and recycle stuff. We compost and we reuse paper. Our eco team takes our trash to the trash cans.
Our recycle people come and take the glass and paper.
That’s why I think our school should win.
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Dear Ellen,
Hi my name is M.K.
I go to school at Evergreen Community
Charter School in Asheville North Carolina.
I have heard about your contest so I’m
going to talk about how our school is green.
First of all the way our school is green
is we have waste free lunches, we have 12 solar
panels on the roof. Each class recycles
and the 8th grade takes it to the end
of the road so the recycling people
can pick it up and take it to the recycling
plant. Our Kindergarten gets
backpacks and they keep reusing them.
We have several waste free gardens.
We have two frog ponds.
We have one butterfly garden.
We use recycled paper for pretty much
anything. The plastic bottles that are
not # 1or 2 we use them for projects.
A green school means that your school is
trying to make global warming stop so
the planet will not explode in 49 years.
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Dear Ellen,

Hi my name is N.W. And I think that my school is the greenest in the USA. And if we win $50,000 our school can become more very green. So we made a list of things that are green. The list has like 50 things on it. I hope we win the contest.

From,

N.W.
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Dear Ellen Degeneres,

My name is R.A.
I am going to tell you how Evergreen Community Charter School, Asheville NC is green. We have solar panels on the roof, several grades compost, recycle, green house, and we use backs of paper to draw on and lots more. We have a big list of things of how we are green at our school.
We try to do all goods for the earth, a lot of other students like myself do the same at their homes. Like these things we do at my house, we have a compost, recycling paper, bottles, and cans, we use earth friendly light bulbs, we car pool every day, we eat things that are local, and a lots lots more!
If we win and next year you’re having the same contest we can say we all have solar powered i pods and a solar powered playground!

Sincerely,
R.A.
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Dear Ellen Degeneres

Hi my name is S.G. how are you doing? I go to Evergreen Community Charter School in Ashveille, N.C. I am writing to you to tell how green our school is. The first reason that I think our school is good at learning is how to solve problems around the school as in cleaning up litter in the woods and lots of other things. This year we installed solar panels on the roof to save electricity and help the earth and that’s why I think my school is green.

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Hi my name is S.H. and I go to a little school named Evergreen Community Charter School A.K.A. ECCS. I would like to tell you why my school is greener than all those other green schools around the country. One, we are installing solar panels. Secondly, we have bio diesel buses. Third, we compost. And last but not least, we pick up trash around the campus. There are a lot more ways our school is green.
S.H.
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Dear Ellen Degeneres,

My name is S.W. and I will tell you how we are green in many ways. I will also tell you how I’m green in my house. First I’ll tell you a little about my school. Evergreen Community Charter School. My school is awesome. Let me tell you some examples.
We use waste free lunches.
We encourage car pool.
When families are waiting we encourage for families to turn off engines.
We bike instead of using cars.
We put up many solar panels.
We recycle paper.
Now I will tell you some examples of my home and how it is green.

My mom owns a company that uses organic fabric.
My dad is a green builder.
We always turn off the lights in our house.
We color on paper with writing on the back.
And there are some good examples
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Dear Ellen,

My name is S.P. and I want you to know that I go to Evergreen
Community Charter School in Asheville North Carolina.
I have heard all the girls and boys talking about your contest and I want to tell you why our school is the greenest school in the state. One, we are installing solar panels, we recycle and encourage recycling. We use bio diesel instead of gasoline on our buses and only use them on field trips. Evergreen as a school has been encouraging every kid and family to be and live green! Evergreen is the greenest school in the state!
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Dear Ellen,
I’m W.C. and I go to the greenest school Evergreen
Community Charter School in Asheville, North Carolina.
I’m here to tell you why and how me and my school are green.
I’m green because I make my own clothes, my school has solar panels
and I use compact fluorescent light bulbs. WE ARE THE GREENEST IN THE USA!

Friday, November 16

2007-11-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

Well, we came back from our 4 day weekend and Steve Longnecker came (Tuesday). He brought his broad winged hawk and his peregrine falcon. The Warren Wilson student’s came also. They taught us a lesson about Thanksgiving and the Mayflower. All of us were able to make a turkey out of the things that they eat. Then we went to a concert in the cafeteria. The performers were Warren Wilson student’s also! Wednesday, the RC airplane guys came. They brought their RC airplanes and we got to see them fly! They flew a fast blue plane and tried to fly a red biplane, but it crashed during the preflight. Thursday, we basically started on our glider blueprints. Today we had a silent gallery critique on the glider blueprint designs. We ended our art sessions this week and will be switching to technology next week.

November 8, 2007

2007-11-09T09:06:00.000-05:00

Today we had math as usual. Kevin’s group is doing two digits by two digit math. Then we did Language Arts. In Language Arts we are working on a story called The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups. In fact, our class is going to make a 3rd book! We looked at our pictures from the WNC Air Museum and talked about how one thing by itself is weak and a whole bunch of things working together is much stronger.

November 7, 2007

2007-11-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

We went to the WNC Air Museum today and we got to look at airplanes. Some of them were old fashion, or antiques. Also, we got to see a helicopter land. The tour guide told us the history of airplanes. We were able to see one airplane that we could all touch and we all got to move the rudders! My three favorite planes were the Tailor Cub, Cessna 176, and the Whitman Tailwind. When we got to school we had music. Then, after that, we experimented with paper airplanes. M.L. & S.G.

Nov 5, 2007

2007-11-05T13:57:00.000-05:00

Student:
We had a special guest and he was from the Big Bald Banding Station. Mark Hopey talked about birds. We have 10 spelling because it is a short week.By: M.L.

Teacher:
Thanks, M.L. Yes, it is a short week indeed. It seems November is filled with these pesky days off. Due to the schedule of the month some regularly scheduled things may become irregular! For instance, spelling has been shortened to 10 words and the test will be on Thursday. Below are this weeks words.

Spelling List
/e/ Marker (final e makes the preceding vowel long) –long e

theme
squeeze
freeze
extreme
athlete
breeze
centipede
complete
concrete
stampede

Challenge List
Students with the Challenge List this week should use a dictionary to find 6 words that follow the final e –long e rule.

Nov.01 2007

2007-11-01T15:43:00.001-04:00

Today we did paper aviators. They went fantastically fast. In art we took paper and used charcoal pencils and drew five boxes. Then we colored each one a different shade.

Nov.01 2007

2007-11-01T15:43:00.000-04:00

Today we did paper aviators. They went fantastically fast. In art we took paper and used charcoal pencils and drew five boxes. Then we colored each one a different shade. N.W.

Community Work Day

2007-10-25T10:16:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is an Evergreen community work day. Please come out and show your support by volunteering a few hours. There are a variety of projects that you can participate in. If you are handy with a drill, there are some small shelves that we would like hung in our classroom. I haven't had the time to hang them myself. Thanks for all that you do and please consider representing our classroom, and Evergreen, this Saturday from 9:00-12:00.

Also, if you are interested, we still need a driver for our trip to the Big Bald Banding Station. This is going to be an awesome experience for all of us! Check out the links posted below to learn more about this great opportunity. Have a fantastic day!

Writing Lesson

2007-10-23T13:53:00.001-04:00

During our writing time we have been discussing the 6 +1 writing traits. Currently, we are working with the trait: Voice. (If you are interested in learning about the 6+1 Writing Traits click HERE.) I would like to share with you all a written response to a R.A.F.T. prompt. (To learn about RAFT click HERE.) Below is the assignment and written response by Oz.

Role- Momma Frog
Audience- frog eggs
Format- letter
Topic- growing up

Dear Frog Eggs,
Here you are today in little white spheres. One day you will pop out and take your first breath. And, as time passes you will soon be swimming around. Do not be startled when legs pop out, it's normal. You will soon be a fully grown frog and as you grow you will learn things, but here are the most important things: Always do the right thing. Life is not fair... deal with it! And, stay away from snakes!

Love,
Momma Frog

Field Trip Rescheduled

2007-10-23T08:56:00.000-04:00

Our field trip to the Big Bald Banding Station has been postponed to this Friday, October 26th. We have decided not to go tomorrow due to the weather. We should have a better chance on Friday, of seeing some hawks. If you are interested in where we will be going click HERE to learn more about this service project and partnership. This is a great opportunity for our students and a wonderful way to enhance our flight investigations.

October 22, 2007

2007-10-22T13:57:00.000-04:00

Student
Hi, today some of the kids in the class went to the book fair. Many of the kids finished the symmetry name activity. Name symmetry is when you cut out a name and it looks really cool because it’s symmetrical. We also had indoor recess because it was to wet for Lee. We read about The Lost Colony it was very interesting. Did you know that the colonist were horrible to the Native Americans? Bye for now! A.G.

Teacher
Today was one of the most memorable days of my life. The Red Sox are going to the World Series! Whoo Hoo! Oh, and in other news, the new spelling list has been posted. Have a great day!

New Spelling List

2007-10-22T10:34:00.000-04:00

Spelling List
October 22, 2007
Short vowel in a closed syllable
(a closed syllable begins and ends with a consonant)

animal
wagon
thumb
August
bottom
stretch
cannot
spaceship
December
September
February
fifth
pocket
follow
November
pencil
uncover
shrunk
crumble
struggle

Challenge List
adjective
welcome
terrific
except
difficult
symbol
principal
Africa
citizen
metric
magazine
central
glance
helicopter
gentle
frantic
scenic
happen
gallon
jiggle

Health Adventure: Flight

2007-10-12T00:39:00.000-04:00

I hope you enjoy the slide show from our recent visit to the Health Adventure. We learned a lot about the basic principles of flight. The students loved all the really cool activities that they were able to participate in. After learning about flight we had a few minutes to explore the new exhibits featuring transportation. Thanks for such wonderful kids! I'd also like to extend a big THANK YOU to our chaperones and drivers. Enjoy your weekend!

October 10, 2007

2007-10-10T15:24:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today we went to the Health Adventure! We learned how lift helps with flight. We also got see how to force the air out of can!

Teacher:
We had a real blast today! I think the kids got a lot out of our visit to the health adventure. It was spectacular. Ask your child about the bottle and small paper ball trick. Also, ask them about the smashed can. Hopefully they will tell you that the air has pressure and after you force the air out of the can (by heating it) the can will collapse. They also were able to experiment with paper airplanes… something we will be doing more of. It was a fantastic day. Be sure to look for pics soon!

2007-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:00

The important thing about our 4th grade class is how much fun we have while learning.
We play math games to learn multiplication,
Brain Pop to test our knowledge of different subjects,
write to cool prompts to get us ready for the writing test,
use tools, art supplies and research to create projects that demonstrate our understanding of where we live.
But the important thing about our 4th grade class is how much fun we have while learning.

Ask your child about "The Important Book" and what we're doing in class.

What a great week we had!
Lee

2007-10-04T16:38:00.000-04:00

Thursday, Oct. 4th- Our blogger student is absent today. Kevin is out until Tuesday. I 'm tired and I wanna go home!
Spelling test tomorrow and 8th grade debate on the "Lost Colony"- ask your child what they know. Please send in $5.00 for Health Adventure field trip next Wed. at 11:00- we are to see the "Wright Stuff" program. Parents have an assignment due Fri., Oct. 12th- see your newsletter for details on 'your letter' to your child.
We took our first 4th grade writing test prompt practice today- ask your child about this.
I shared with the kids today just how touched most parents were when reading their "I am" poems. Thanks again for all the great conferencing- we have an amazing class!
Lee

October 2, 2007

2007-10-02T15:44:00.000-04:00

Today is the second day of October! We started the day with a crazy picture prompt. It was of a man with roots as his legs! He was carrying a big walking stick. It looked as if the stick was carved very carefully. He was walking in the desert. The whole class thought this prompt was really cool. We didn’t have time to share all of our stories. In math, we are working on place values and rounding numbers. We were “shopping” in catalogs and cutting out the prices of items and then rounding the prices. The class is finishing their box habitats in expedition time. We keep writing and writing and writing. In art, we are finishing our soda bottle fish. -Wanagi

Spelling List # 3 short vowel i

2007-10-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

Short vowel – i

chill
didn’t
unit
since
fifty
little
inches
listen
children
stiff
picture
himself
magic
which
little
conflict
getting
friend
except
ever

Challenge List
Atlantic
automatic
interesting
multiply
negative
continent
independence
dolphin
chicken
medicine
liberty
invited
justice
traffic
uninteresting
magnetic
positive
million
alligator
investigation

September 27, 2007

2007-09-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today we went to math . Then were finishing up our writing story.
Then we did our projects. Then we went to art. M.K.

[This entry was actually from yesterday, Wed. Sept. 26]
Today we worked on our projects. REMEMBER,
BRING SUPPLIES FOR PROJECTS!! Then
we went to music with Sue Ford. We learned a
new song and it was awesome. The star musician was
Alex. M.K.

Teacher:
We are working our tails off in here! Phew... I'm exhausted and I imagine your kids are too. Lots of action going on in here in preparation for our conferences. These conferences will be used to reflect on last year, discuss challenges we may face this year, and to set goals. I look forward to getting a chance to speak with each of you, one on one.

Reminders

Spelling quiz tomorrow
No School on Monday (Oct. 1st) but students are expected to be here for their conference.
Fall Family Night is Thursday, October 18th (Book Fair also opens this night.)
Evergreen lost and found items now have their own web page! CLICK HERE

Field Work

Health Adventure

Oct. 11, 2007

11:00-2:00

$5.00

*We need drivers and we can pay for four chaperones*

September 25, 2007

2007-09-25T15:30:00.001-04:00

Student:
Today we had our math groups. In my math group we had a multiplication quiz and we learned about place value with marshmallows and Cheerios. Then we did expedition. We are starting projects. We got our reading response journals today.
M.K

Teacher:
We talked at length today about the writing process. Specifically, we discussed graphic organizers. We saw our friends at BrainPop and they taught us about story maps. We then read Salt In His Shoes. The story was about Michael Jordan. This activity modeled for the students the writing process, from brainstorming, to story mapping. Then the kids worked on their own stories. Look for these to be shared with you at your conference!

I will be out of the classroom tomorrow, so there will be no blog updates. Please sign up for conferences and ask your child about the new Reading Response Journal. This will be handed in each Monday, during the school day to be checked. This will be much better then the stray pieces of paper I have been seeing. Plus, students can look back on their reading responses and see how their views or predictions have changed.

That’s all, folks! Have a great day and I hope you will scroll down to see our Sleep with the Sharks slideshow.

Spelling List

2007-09-25T08:54:00.000-04:00

Spelling List #2
Short Vowels – e

been
ever
lead
deaf
fresh
twenty
smell
slept
inches
breath
except
guess
west
next
friend
getting
Short vowel – a (review)
fact
mammal
subtract
actor

Challenge List
Short Vowel – e
weather
whether
breathless
everyone
explain
splendid
plenty
together
skeleton
spread
arithmetic
envelope
everything
elephant
wealth

Sleep With the Sharks Slideshow

2007-09-24T23:35:00.000-04:00

2007-09-24T15:16:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today we did aquarium reflection then we started new stories. Then we did job’s. REMEMBER, parents sign up for parent teacher conference on Monday, October 1st. M.K

Teacher:
We watched a slideshow from our recent visit to the aquarium. After watching this we wrote reflections from the trip. I'll try to post a few online. After that we discussed Writers Workshop and reviewed the writing process. Our friends at BrainPop offered some advice and we recorded notes on what we learned. We then choose a topic and started a new story. Students also got new spelling words. Parents, please stop in and sign up for a conference time. Conferences will be held on Monday, October 1st from 8:40-5:00. Student attendance is mandatory. So far just an 8:40am, 11:35am, and 3:00pm slot is filled up. Conferences will last 20 minutes (with 5 minutes of teacher preparation time in between).

Climbing Wall Trip

2007-09-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today we went to the climbing gym and everybody met their goal. Some people climbed with blindfolds and ear plugs. It was so much fun. M..K

Teacher:
It was great to see these guys encouraging one another and cheering each other on. I was so proud of the class. Each student set a goal and attained it. Lee and I are so proud of each and every one of you! Way to go class! K.S.

Happy Friday!

2007-09-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today was a community Circle! We had P.E., one of our favorite enrichments. We also watched another lunch time movie called IMAX Coral Reefs. A.W.
Teacher:
We had an action packed day! It started with a school wide community circle. We then took our first spelling test of the year. After that we discussed homophones and did some fun activities with that. During lunch we watched an IMAX movie on coral reefs. These movies are building background knowledge, in addition to our habitat research, for our night at the aquarium.

Monday, we start off with our MAP test so please do your best to have your child here on time. We will then leave for our climbing trip at 9:30am. We are all looking forward to our Sleep with the Sharks program on Tuesday. Hope you all have a great weekend!

September 13, 2007

2007-09-13T15:45:00.000-04:00

Student
Today we each got to make a letter. The letter is for a community circle on Friday. We also watched the rest of the IMAX Deep Sea movie. We hope you all can come to our community circle. And were having such a fun time! A.W.

Homework Tonight
Bring in can food item
Reading Response
Spelling test tomorrow. Please do a practice test with a parent and have it signed.

*MAP Test * We will be having our final MAP test first thing Monday morning! We need to start at 8:30am so that we can leave on time for the climbing wall. Please do your best to get your child here on time. Thanks!

Climbing Wall Trip on Monday

2007-09-12T15:15:00.001-04:00

Lots of updates on the blog today. Hope you are enjoying this form of communication.

We have a busy week ahead. Please do not forget about our trip to the Montford Climbing Wall. This is one of my favorite trips as I can learn a lot about a child by watching them climb. Students should wear sneakers, bring a lunch, and girls should avoid wearing skirts. If you would like to join us come by Monday around 9:30. We can always use more belayers and if you don't know how I will do a quick training session with you. The more belayers we have, the more climbing the kids can do. Thanks a bunch!

September 12, 2007

2007-09-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

We saw an IMAX movie called Deep Sea! We had a lovely time in music. This afternoon we got to pick our groups for which coastal plain habitat to learn about. Our math groups our going very well. A.W. (student)

We also review parts of speech, worked on “I Am” poems, and had our very first fourth grade library experience! Then we did some research on our habitat as a group. We discussed note taking skills and used highlighters in highlight important information.
-Kevin

PS For the record, we watched the IMAX movie as the kids ate lunch. Our time is valuable and we aren't just watching movies all day! :)

* Important Field Trip Information *

2007-09-12T14:05:00.000-04:00

We sent home a newsletter and more information in regards to this trip today. Please read the documents in your childs communication folder.

THIS IS IT! We are going to the Aquarium! The following is all the info you need on our travels to Gatlinburg’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
We will have a normal school day (8:30-3:00)
5:00- Teachers arrive at ECCS to prepare bus and gather paperwork
5:15- Students arrive with gear packed, full stomachs, and ready to board
5:30- Depart for Gatlinburg Aquarium
8:00- Arrive at Gatlinburg Aquarium and start program

Friday, September 19, 2007
9:00am- Program ends
10:30- Leave Gatlinburg Aquarium
12:30- Arrive back to Evergreen
· Lunch will be provided
· Students will write field work reflection
· We will celebrate our first successful field work experience

Click HERE to see our schedule at the aquarium. Feel free to explore the website with your child. We will see lots of interesting things. It's going to be great!

Student Blogger and Teacher Information

2007-09-11T15:36:00.000-04:00

Student:
Today we looked at two Brainpops! We also went to enrichment (art). We saw how deep a styrofoam cup, a diver, a squid, and a submarine can go into the ocean without be affected by pressure. We are leaning about the coastal plain habitats, the ocean, and every creature within it.

A.W.

Teacher:
Yes, it is true. Our coastal expedition is in full swing. We are learning about the coastal plain and the many habitats within it. We are also investigating the ocean and coral reefs (though no coral reefs are found along the Outer Banks). Students will spend this week learning about the following habitats: beach/sandy shore, estuaries, kelp forest, ocean, swamps, coral reefs, and peat bogs. If you have any information, books, websites, or expertise, within any of these habitats, let us know! As you are aware, we are gearing up for the Sleep with the Sharks trip next Tuesday. Be sure to read the important information that we will be sending home tomorrow. There will be a list of items students should bring, important times, and information about lunches.

Be sure to ask your child about the following parts of speech: nouns, proper nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives. Also, be sure to quiz them on their spelling words. A great time to do this is in the car while on the way to school.

Also, ask your child about BrainPop! This is a great site that offers tons of great information. We are hoping to get a license to use the website year round. Right now we have a temporary membership. Ding! Donation/volunteer opportunity! Check out the site at www.brainpop.com. We watch these animations when it is appropriate, or sometimes during lunch time. Another site we frequent is www.unitedstreaming.com. Again, this is a temporary membership.

Please feel free to leave comments and thanks for visiting our blog!

-Kevin

First Day of Spelling

2007-09-10T13:41:00.000-04:00

Our first spelling list is shown below. Students who got just one, or two, wrong on the pretest should use the CHALLENGE words listed. Also, all students had their SPELLING CHOICES sheet stapled into their planner. These choices will be used throughout the year so put the SPELLING CHOICES list somewhere that it can be referred to weekly.

Also, if you would like to leave a comment please click on the COMMENT section below. It would give me a good idea of whom, and how often, people are checking this blog. Let us know!

Thanks.
K.S.

Spelling List 1

Short Vowels- a

Short vowel: The sound of the vowel is soft.

Example: A short a is pronounced like the a in the words: mask, task, act, jack, bag.
1. Short-Vowel Rule: When one-syllable words have a vowel in the middle, the vowel usually has a short sound: Examples: cat, dog, man, hat, mom, dad, got.

If the letter after the vowel is f, l, or s, this letter is often doubled. Examples: staff, ball, pass.

This is our spelling list. (Unless you got all but two wrong, then your list is the Challenge list.)
actor
batch
brass
craft
draft
gases
graph
grass
organ
quack
scrap
smash
stack
taxes
taxi

Challenge List

Absent
Adventure
Basket
camping
canyon
capacity
dragon
factory
gather
mammal
passage
planet
scramble
shadow
traffic

September 10, 2007

2007-09-10T13:40:00.000-04:00

Today we learned about adverbs . And we had our second MAP test in the computer lab (reading). Sadly, we did not have enrichment. We have been reading lots of funny books.
A.W.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

2007-09-06T15:10:00.000-04:00

Today in Kevin and Lee’s classroom we went to art and worked on our Original Arts. We also went to our assigned math groups and got some math homework. Some kids did there math homework in class. It was cool. We also worked on our exhibition work. We studied habitats. We learned that habitats offer food, water, shelter and space.
S.H.

Visit Kevin's Website

2007-09-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

Although I haven't updated the website in a while the educational games are still online and loads of fun for our students. Each game reinforces concepts that we will cover throughout the year. To visit the site click HERE or follow the link below.

www.kevinsclassroom.com

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

2007-09-05T15:14:00.000-04:00

Today’s enrichment was music. At music we played on the small marimbas. It was very fun of course. We also took a small parts of speech quiz (nouns, proper nouns, verbs, adjectives). We also saw a Brain Pop video on parts of speech. We have had lots of fun Kevin and Lee’s class. :)

S.H.

1st Day of Blogging!!!

2007-08-31T14:40:00.000-04:00

Today I started blogging !!!The basic thing that we did this week is, finishing our vehicles. We also started making posters about the Coast, Piedmont and Wetlands.