* FES fifth and sixth grade students practiced manipulating text in Microsoft Word. Also, they shared step by step instructions on creating a Scanner Collage Book report. They additionally sent a personal update and answered any questions from their E-pals. Here a few examples of the letters that they wrote.
950 Central Ave.
Fultondale, AL 35068
October 2, 2007
Dear
Mark,
It’s me again. Arizona sounds real cool. I wish I could live there, since there is a lot of stuff there. It is not as hot here as up there. I wish I had the Grand Canyon in my state. We’ve done things new since I first wrote to you.
We did this project called
scanner collages. What we did was read a book first. Then we needed to find 15
3-d items. Next, we wrote a description about each one. Put the items you have
on a scanner. Put the fabric over it and scan. If you don’t like what you
have, do it over again. Then print it and you have a scanner collage.
Now we are reading the book Frindle. In the story, a boy
named Nick Allen finds a pen and calls it “Frindle”. Then it goes to a
newspaper, a magazine, the news, and a product. Then every thing calms down. And
that’s it. It ws an interesting book to read. Have you read it before?
We are also reading the book Island of the Blue
Dolphins. It is about a girl
stranded on an island by herself. All she can use are the island resources. But
she has wild dogs after her, people who might kill her, a scraped knee, and
resources are going fast. So how would you survive like that? I know I
wouldn’t be able to. She has tried to escape the island many of times, but she
has never escaped the island prison. I would not even try after the first time.
Would you try to? If I was stuck on
an island I would try to get help by S.O.S or wait for help.
We also had a fundraiser for our new playground. The prizes were sizzlers, a puffer ball, a FM scan radio. All I got were the sizzlers and puffer ball. That’s been my life so far.
Now we are doing a
project that is called character posters, but I don’t know about it. So when
we finish it, I will tell you about it.
I also want to know if you have ever been to the Grand Canyon.
What you do on the weekends. Do you do any sportsor do you have a hobby? What is
a dwarf frog????????
Finally we are going on a field trip to the Georgia aquarium and
the CNN station too. What field trips will you go on? I also have another field
trip to the McWane center, and the Birmingham museum of art.
Write back soon.
Your e-pal,
Steve
950 Central Ave.
Fultondale,
AL 35068
September 26, 2007
Dear
Tom,
Hi, Tom, how are you?
I’m just writing you back. I’m
going to tell you something about my town Fultondale.
The school Fultondale has sweet teachers and two lovely principals.
I like all of them, and they are smart.
Did I tell you that we have a supply store? You can buy cool things.
They have an eraser telephone that comes in different colors.
I almost forgot did I tell you about our first project.
It’s called a Scanner Collage and everyone had to find something little
that represented a part of the book that they read.
Then we had to put it on the scanner and let it scan.
Then it will show you the picture. All
of the classmates were looking cute. The class brought cool things.
I wish you were down here in Birmingham, so I can see you.
So how is your school?
We don’t have 10 minutes of recess time.
We have 30 minutes of ours. Is
your lunchroom food nasty?
Did I tell you about the story we are
reading? It’s called Frindle
and you are going to love it. A boy
named Nick is a troublemaker. He
turns the class into a Tropical rain forest.
His teacher wrote a good list, a bad list, and a smart list, and Nick
name wasn’t on any of those lists.
I just thought about something.
Did I tell you about our Promethean board?
We have it on our old board. The
Promethean board has a lot of flip charts.
Ours is white and Mrs. Ramsay shows us everything that she learns about
it.
I hope we can be friends.
Your E-pal,
Tanya
950 Central Ave.
Fultondale, AL 35068
September 25, 2007
DearSly,
It’s
me again, and I will answer all your questions. First, yes I am a miniature kid because I’m not very tall
and I’m not very short. My
favorite sports are baseball, basketball, and soccer.
My favorite subjects are Science, Math, Social Studies, Language, and
Spelling even though we don’t take spelling tests.
We don’t have recess we actually have Physical Education {P.E.}.
On Monday-Wednesday we play whatever game our coaches {coach Holcomb and
coach Cook} want us to play. On
Thursday we have running day which means we run.
Fridays we get to play whatever game we want.
We are doing Newcomb this month, but I didn’t make the Newcomb team
though. So, these are the answers to your questions.
Another thing that we are doing is this project.
This is called “Scanner Collage.”
This project is done with easy 1 2 3 steps. First of all you have to read a book, it can be any book you
want. Second, when you have read
the whole story you should put together 15 things that relate to your book. One
of the items you should have is the book you are reading.
Then, you should ask Mrs. Cooper if she can let you borrow her scanner.
Before you start you should probably put cardstock on the printer.
Once you have done all this put all of your things on the scanner.
Make sure you can see the title of your book before you print it. Make sure you have something behind the 15 things.
You might also want to ruffle the background up so it looks kind of real.
Then, after doing all this now you can print. Then, finally PRESTO!!!!
Your scanner collage is ready.
What did you do this summer? For
this summer I went to Mobile. We
had to live in a trailer because we were only going to stay for a week.
We only stayed for a week for a week.
It wasn’t like we were going to live there our whole lives.
When we came back a few days later we went to the park.
Oh I enjoyed going to the park because I hadn’t gone for a while and it
seemed like a millennium. Are there
any parks there in Arizona? I’m
not talking about water parks I’m talking about normal parks.
Have you ever had a fair in Arizona?
So far in my life I have gone to 3 or 4 fairs. How many have you gone to?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you were someone else
that wasn’t you? I have,
sometimes I think about how it would feel to be somebody else.
Have you ever wanted to save up money so you can buy something like for
maybe your mom, dad, sisters, brother, or maybe for yourself? I have tried to
save up some money so I can buy something for my mom, dad, brothers, sister, and
myself. Unfortunately, I only have
$22.00 or so. Luckily I might of
miscounted when I checked. If I
collect enough money I’ll buy something for my family and some roller skates
for me. If I can’t I guess I’m
going to have to work very hard to save up a lot of money. I really hope I can save up enough money before Christmas.
How much do you have saved up?
Do you have any books you are reading during any subject that goes with
what your doing? We are, we’re
reading “Island of the Blue Dolphins.”
Mrs. Ramsay told us that you took a field trip to the Island of the Blue
Dolphins. Was it fun to go and see
the island? We are almost done
reading the book, but if I have a chance I will try to check it out from the
library. I hope nobody has checked
it out yet because there I want to read it over and over again.
I love that book because it has excitement and sadness.
I almost cried when Karana’s quick, excited, lively, merry, and
energetic brother Ramo got killed by the wild dogs, and her wise, smart, strong,
calm, serious, and considerate father the Chief Chowig was also killed by the
Aluets. We are also reading this
book called “Frindle.” This book is about a boy who does bad things and then
in 5th grade he made up a new word frindle which had replaced the
word pen for Nick {who is the main character} and his friends.
Then, after the reporters found this out they started going to Nick’s
house and asking about how he had invented the word frindle.
Then, the word was getting old and everybody stopped using the word.
Next, after a few years the word was in the dictionary.
We’re already done reading that book though, we were doing it for
Language as figurative language. In the morning when we get to class we do
Grammar Grabber. A Grammar Grabber is when Mrs. Ramsay puts two incorrect
sentences on the board and we write that sentence down. At the bottom of that
sentence we write the correct form of the sentence. Before we do this we have to
write down our homework on our agendas. We also have this test we do in Spring,
Fall, and Winter. This test is
called DIBELS.
Here are some questions for you. What
is your favorite subject? Do you
have any favorite cartoon? What is
your favorite place in the world? What
is your favorite season? Are you in
any band or team? Do you have any
friends at school? What is your favorite color? Here are some questions for you.
I hope you write back soon, too.
Sincerely,
Anya
950 Central Ave
Fultondale, AL 35068
September 26, 2007
Dear
Addi,
Hi, Addi. It’s great to have you as an e- pal too.
I do like sports such as basketball and volleyball.
I go to a church called Christ of Salvation. My place is beautiful and
nice. My favorite TV show is Ben
10 the Movie. We have clickers
at our school. It’s called the
CPS which stand for Classroom Performance System. We use them to take tests.
On August 30, 2007, we did something called a scanner collage.
A scanner collage is when we read a different book. Then we get some
items and put it on the scanner with the book.
After we’ve done that, we put a cover on top of the items to scan it
and you’ll see it on the computer. If you like it, print it out.
When you’re done, hang it on the wall or take it home to show it to
your parents. It will be fun if you
and other students do scanner collages with us.
On October 4, 2007 we are doing another report on our own book.
This time is a report that doesn’t use items.
My favorite place in school is P.E.
I like it because we play dodge ball and other fun things to do. When we
go outside, the weather is about 108 F and really hot.
When is time to work, we use a Promethean Activboard.
It is fun to use it. We use
like pens to write on it. The pen
is not a regular pen; it’s a pen like a marker.
When we come to school, it takes our attendance and lunch count.
Write me back when you have time.
Your friend,
Ontario
950 Central Ave.
Fultondale, AL 35068
September 27, 2007
Dear
Kevin,
Hi, how are you doing? I
am doing fine. My favorite kind of
music is Christian music. I would
play the guitar if I was in a band. I
like football too, but I would rather be in my room or with my friend playing
videogames. My favorite band is
Casting Crowns. I also like to go
on the internet too. When were you
born? I was born on April 4, 1996.
You also have a lot of brothers and sisters.
We will be doing READ posters soon. READ posters are when you do a book report.
Then, you dress up like a character and your teacher takes a picture of
you. They have already done scanner
collages. Scanner collages are when
you find 15 3-d items that go with your book.
Then, you do something like a book report, except it tells what each item
is. Then, you put the items on a scanner, scan it, print it and
hang it up. Both projects are cool. You
should try them.
It is about 100 degrees here in the summer.
In the winter it gets to about 30 degrees.
Do you have a PS2, PS3, Xbox, or an Xbox 360?
What is your favorite animal? I
have a PS2 and my favorite animal is a dog.
What is your favorite game that you like to play if you have any of them? My favorite game is Madden 08.
Are you the youngest or the oldest out of your brothers and sisters?
What is your favorite food? My
favorite food is beef tips and rice. What
is your favorite drink? Mine is
Mountain Dew.
Sincerely,
Donny
950
Central Ave.
Fultondale, AL 35068
September 26, 2007
Dear
Temprance,
Now that I know some about you, I just want to say we have so much in
common. I don’t like Green Day,
but I like a few songs of theirs. What
does the S. stand for? I
love singing as well!!! You are
very pretty. Also my hair changes
colors through the year! It goes
from blonde in the fall and winter to a red brown in the spring and summer. I hope I replied to some of your sentences.
While you were typing your E-Pal letter to me, we were busy making
scanner collages. A scanner collage
is a collage that you make and put on a scanner and you put your favorite fabric
over the things you put on the scanner, you then press the scan button, then a
few popup windows will come up, you will click on scan, then you click on done,
then you click on print and you will see your scanner collages.
You will need 15 small items and if you have
like 6 of the same item it’s still only 1 item.
Also, you will need to put everything facedown and the book will go in
the middle of the scanner. That’s
how you make a scanner collage.
Well I change classes too! I change from social studies/language/reading to math/science. My favorite subjects are language, math, and science. How smart are you? I’m pretty smart myself.
Also, I have apartments across the street from my school, and I live down
the street an around the corner. My
house is very pretty. I’m getting sidetracked. I do know what you mean by
green. Summers are hot here too.
We got up to 110 degrees. That’s
hot to us. Well
that’s that.
Anyway I love 5th grade too.
Could you tell me some more about Project Ideal?
I don’t follow. Did you
know what I was saying about the CPS system and by the way?
Oh you’re very pretty. I
don’t think I’m pretty. Oops
I’m getting side tracked. Let’s
see we got a new board. It’s
called a Promethean board. It’s
attached to our white board. We do
almost all of our work on it! There
are little pens on
each side of the board and we use those to go on websites, all of the work, we
just do basic every day work. Yes,
we do have specific projects. For example, we have Lit Centers. Lit centers are centers that we do work in every day.
We do them for 30 minutes Monday-Thursday. We do them for 1 hour on
Friday. Well that’s the 411.
Well, lastly, I love cats too. They’re
fluffy, sweet, cuddly, nice, sharp claws, yet you can’t help loving them.
Also, I have a good family all around.
Nice to learn about you, also. Write back soon.
Sincerely,
Donna
950
Central Avenue
Fultondale,
AL 35068
September 27, 2007
Dear Dillon,
Hi, how are you doing? I’m
doing fine. Also, it is cool you
like so any sports and that you have so many brothers and sisters.
What are their names? We
have many places in Alabama. First,
we have a music parks, theaters, and other buildings.
We have the Pinnacle and Galleria. Next we have the Alabama Zoo and a
Museum. Also were going to get a shopping center in our city (Fultondale) called
the Promenade. What are some places
you like to go for fun and enjoyment? Last,
is if you could go anywhere in the world, what would it be?
Mine would be to go to Hawaii.
Next, we have many types of plants.
One plant we have is a plant that can heal you.
Also, we get rain often and no snow.
It is usually always very humid. It
would be cool to switch schools. Don’t
you think? What different activities do you do at school?
Are your teachers nice? Mine
are very nice. What are your
teachers’ names? What subject do
you like to do in school the most and why?
Next, what is your favorite video game?
Last what is your favorite food and drink?
Mine is Red Beans and Rice and my favorite drink Red Bull.
I live on 3027 Forest Dr. My
favorite things to do are read and draw. My
dog, Max, is a rattier mix. I have
another dog, Mya, who is a chaweeinie. Here
are some of my favorites. My
favorites are shopping, going to the mall, getting accessories and stationary.
I do like to go to all types of museums and technology places.
I like going to birthday parties and different occasions.
What kind of dogs do you have? What
are your favorites and what do you love to do?
What field trips do you go on?
What is your culture? What
do you do for fun? I hope you write
back soon.
Your E-pal,
Marie
Fultondale, AL 35068
September 26, 2007
Dear Charles,
Hey , it’s me, Ethan, again.
We are reading two books: Frindle
and Island of The Blue Dolphins. Frindle is about a boy named Nick
Allen who makes up a word called Frindle instead of pen. In the Pacific,
there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around
it blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound.
Once, Indians also lived on the island. When they left and sailed to the east,
one young girl was left behind. This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who
lived alone for years on the Island of The Blue Dolphins. Year after year she
watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away.
While she waited, she kept herself alive by building shelter, making weapons,
finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. Hers is not only an
unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal
discovery, and that’s about the Island of the Blue Dolphins.
We also did scanner collages. Here are the steps: Step1- find a book and
read it. Step2- and find 13 3-D
that represent your book (your book is one of the 13 things). Step 3-
then you find a bright silk cloth. Step 4- lay all of your 13 things in a
scanner but don’t close the top. Step 5 pull up the scanner software. Step
6-scan it and then you click print. There you go! You’ve made a scanner
collage.
My friend said, “You look like a dork in your picture.”
I’m just kidding. I do that a
lot. She really said you are
handsome. We also just got our Promethean Board working because the Promethean
people didn’t take the time to hang up our projector on top of the ceiling. We
also do flip charts on the Promethean Board.
My favorite show is Family Guy My
favorite characters are Megan, Peter, Brian, Stewie, and Louis. Well, hope you
enjoyed my letter.
Your Friend,
Ethan
950 Central Ave
Fultondale, AL 35068
October 2, 2007
Dear
Rosemary,
Hello, I’m so glad to from you!
What you wrote sounds cool. What is a Carne Asada?
I might not be whom you wrote to, because you didn’t put the name on
it. I was saying this so you
don’t get confused. Well, anyway,
I’m in something like Project Ideal, it’s RLC (Resource Learning Center). My
friends’ names are Anya and Donna. I
heard that at your school, you have to go outside to change classes. Is that
true? I’ve got 5 brothers and 1
sister. I go for the University of Alabama. What football team do you go for, if
you go for one?
During the time you were writing and typing, my class and I were making a
scanner collage. A scanner collage is when you read a book and collect 15
items that go along with the book. You
write a short explanation of how and why those things go with the book. Then,
you go to a scanner (often found at schools) with your book and 15 items, plus a
piece of fabric since you can’t close the scanner) because the items aren’t
flat, their 3D). Then you place the
book in the middle and arrange them in a neatly manner you like.
After that you put the fabric over it, press the scan button, then print
it on cardstock. BAM! You are done!! My
book report was on a book called MIDNIGHT MAGIC.
It was pretty cool. The kids
in my class and I did a great job and the pictures are great.
Maybe you would like to make one!
What we are going to do, while you all get your letters, is tons of
things. I’ll tell you about two
of them. The fifth grade and I are
going on a field trip to Atlanta. We
are going to an Aquarium and the CNN news station!!
I’m so excited to go. I can’t wait another week!!!!! (There’s about
10 more days till we go on the 11 of October).
Also, we are doing another book report.
This one we have to write a summery using first person writing (I, me,
us, we, etc.) and dress up like one of the characters. We have to make a
background of anything that goes with the book.
Then on October 4th , or before, my teacher
will take a picture of us. I
think it will be as fun as a carnival! Are
you doing anything like this?? If
you are, tell me about it!!!
Can’t
wait to hear from you!!
Your
Friend,
Angela
P.S.
What is Peoria Arizona like?