savoy095

FACT: Seasons change as we orbit the sun. Spring  •  Summer  •  Autumn  •  Winter Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23, our sun shines directly over the equator. That event marks the beginning of spring or fall. What is the  equator ? Public Domain photo e·qua·tor [əˈ kwā •dər] noun an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles,  dividing  the earth into  northern  and  southern   hemispheres  and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°. In March when the sun shines directly over the  equator , the event is called the spring or  vernal equinox . In September when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the fall or  autumnal equinox .  The Autumnal Equinox will occur in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 6:54 P.M. Things to look for in fall: 1.  Deciduous ( di•si•jo͞o•əs)  trees wi...

After reading Peter H. Reynold's fabulous book The Dot , we put together a fun "Connect the Dots" writing project with our blogging buddies. We hope to get some fun stories! Here are the steps we took to set up our "Connect the Dots" stories! Step 1: Each team made a collection of words from the story or words used in our classroom.  The collection could be five to six words.  Step 2: Each person on the team wrote one word on a dot and then cut it out.  Step 3: Each person on the team decorated their dot.  Step 4: This is where YOU come in! Please select a team and write a clever story or poem using all of their words. We can wait to read your story in the comments! TEAM WILBUR:  Wilbur the pig, swirly, surfboard, taco, discovered TEAM BARNABY BONES:  Barnaby Bones, painted, gazing, carefully, dot TEAM BEVERLY:  Beverly, swirly, taco, tomato, gold  TEAM ARNOLD:  Arnold, jab, dot, blue, gold, swirly TEAM PANDA:  Panda, dot,  p...

Mrs. Yollis' class is celebrating International Dot Day! We are celebrating in many ways with our global Dot Day blogging buddies! Here is a link to our collaborative International Dot Day Project Blog!  Map Credit: Kathleen Morris  You might be asking, how did Mrs. Yollis connect her students in Los Angeles with these classrooms in other countries? The answer is by taking a risk and reaching out through social media. Building a professional learning community is so important for teachers and has never been easier.  Leaving comments on classroom blogs and/or discovering professional opportunities on Twitter provide teachers with collaboration opportunities for their students. Let's connect the professional dots!  Mrs. Yollis met Mrs. Morris from Australia through blogging! Their classes left comments for one another on their classroom blogs and a ten-year friendship began. Their passion for education blogging was shared at the ISTE conference in 2012, in San Di...

Normally, Mrs. Yollis' class looks like this. Tonight, the classroom looked like this! It was Back to School Night! Parents came to hear about third grade! Lots of information was shared about classroom expectations, curriculum, and resources.  The centerpiece of the classroom is the blog.  Mrs. Yollis had her good friend and blogging buddy, Mrs. Morris from Australia, Skype in and talk with the parents about the value of blogging. Meeting and learning from our new Australian friend was a highlight of the evening!   Educational blogging has so many benefits! Thank you, Mrs. Morris, for this blogging diagram.  To learn about blogging from a student perspective, watch this video Mrs. Yollis made with her third graders about why they love blogging.     Here is a wonderful video about supervising and guiding children on the web. It is a great video that really  drives  the point home. Thank you, Bill Genereux, for the fabulous movie.  *   ...