As part of our grade 1 and 2 Health (
Safety) and Social Studies (Traditions and Celebrations) classes, today my class and I discussed Halloween Safety Rules. Here are some of the sites and games I used.

Halloween Safety Video:

Billy Brings His Buddies: Halloween Matching Game

Halloween Safety Game  This one has some great tips but there is alot of reading.  It is probably more suitable for grade 3 up.

Pumpkin Carving Game 

PBS Games

• Cyberchase: Disguise Combos
• Arthur: Crank It Up
• Caillou: Match the Leaves

Last month Mr. McGaughey wrote a song entitled: Countdown, The Ballad of Chris Hadfield. He teaches music and science to Ms. Graham’s grade 3 class and they asked to record it with him to send to Chris Hadfield.

Listen to the song on Soundcloud

or watch it on Youtube 

http://youtu.be/7nK7jR7455Y

Lyrics:

Countdown: The Ballad of Chris Hadfield
Sean McGaughey © Feb 8, 2013
Key of G- 6/8 time moderate to brisk tempo

Growing up on the farm, Chris Hadfield would dream,
of soaring around in a flying machine.
As a boy Chris resolved that he would try
to go out and make his mark in the sky
As a scientist, pilot and astronaut
Chris still made music and never forgot
As he and his brothers would play their guitars,
His dream of bringing his songs to the stars,

He’s the first folksinger in space
Singing tunes far above the whole human race
He takes pictures and tweets as he orbits around
picking at 23 times speed of sound.

A Canadian proud who has travelled the world,
He takes time to tell all the young boys and girls,
To dream their own journeys beyond what we know
And make a bright future wherever they go.

He’s the first folksinger in space
Singing tunes far above the whole human race
He takes pictures and tweets he orbits around
picking at 23 times speed of sound.

When we finished the recording, the children also had a bunch of questions for Chris Hadfield. We emailed these questions to Chris.

April 5, 2013
Hello Commander Hadfield:
My name is Sean McGaughey. I’m an elementary school teacher at Bayview Public School in Midland Ontario and a singer songwriter. Last month I wrote a song entitled: Countdown, The Ballad of Chris Hadfield. I teach music and science to Ms. Graham’s grade 3 class and they asked to record it with me to send to you.
The students also had some questions for you.

1. How do you deal with homesickness on the space station?
2. Do you ever get annoyed being around the same people all the time?
3. What is it like to wear a space suit?
4. Have you recorded any kid’s songs in space?

 

Thank you for inspiring all of us. We hope you enjoy our song.

Sean McGaughey and Ms. Graham’s Grade 3 class

On April 9, we received this response from Commander Hadfield on the International Space station.

Dear Sean and Bayview students:

Thanks for the song! I love it! That was really nice of you to write and sing it, and send it to me. And it turns out I CAN play G in zero G.

Answers for the questions:

1. I talk with my family almost every day, and email too, so I don’t feel so far away.
2. The only time I get annoyed is with myself. The other people are working hard and doing as well as they can, always.
3. Space suits are very uncomfortable, stiff and bulky, like a snow suit combined with hockey gear and metal pieces. But really they’re a 1-person spaceship, so they have to be that way.
4. Yes, I wrote and recorded a space lullaby for my daughter. It came out very pretty, and so did she.

Take care, make a point of learning and understanding things

Best from ISS!

Chris

This December, my intermediate students and I are reading,  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

• You can download an Ebook version of the story at Project Gutenberg
• Wikipedia has more information about the author, Charles Dickens, and the story, A Christmas Carol Internet Archive page.
• Zip file of the entire book recorded by Librivox Volunteers 87.1MB

Here are links to the Librivox audiobook of A Christmas Carol (dramatic reading)

• 1 – Marley’s Ghost – 00:44:28
  [mp3@128kbps – 42.6MB]
  2 – The First of the Three Spirits – 00:39:01
  [mp3@128kbps – 37.4MB]
  3 – The Second of the Three Spirits – 00:50:14
  [mp3@128kbps – 48.2MB]
  4 – The Last of the Spirits – 00:33:07
  [mp3@128kbps – 31.7MB]
• 5 – The End of It – 00:14:42
  [mp3@128kbps – 14.1MB]

As part of our Shrek unit, this week my grade 5-6 students read two different versions of the Gingerbread Man.
1) The Little Gingerbread Man, By George H. Putnham (1910)
Librivox has a free audio version.
2)The Gingerbread Man, from Sara Cone Bryant: Stories to Tell Children .
Librivox has a free audio version.

Your assignment due Monday November 7, is:

1. Write a summary retelling of one of the two versions of the story.
2. Write 1-3 paragraphs comparing the similarities and differences between the two versions of the story and explaining which one is your favorite.
3. Use pencil crayons to draw a scene from the story.

We will have our literature circle discussion on Monday November 7.

You can read both of the stories after the break.
Continue reading →

Anyone living in the 705 area code must now dial 10 digits to make a local phone call. (The area code and 7 digit phone number).    This is because we are getting a second area code (249) beginning this spring.

Some of the students in our class have made cartoons using Bitstrips for Schools to explain these changes.

At our school,we are having a play called The Spyglass. It takes place in the Medieval age. There are lots of parts in it such as the Jester, the King and the strange old man. I am in the play. I do not know what part I have, but I hope I am either the Jester, the servant or the Farmer. The play will be sometime in the spring. I hope it is very good!