Guest Expert: Josh Kobak

Miranda's uncle has graciously agreed to be a guest expert on our blog!

Mr. Josh Kobak studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he was in several plays, including playing Huckleberry Finn in Big River. He then toured and performed in musicals on Broadway. Mr. Kobak wrote and directs a play "Subway Train" which he produces from time to time in an Off Broadway Theatre. He currently has a CD out called "Above and Beneath" featuring his band Swim. He also scored all the music for an A&E TV show "The Passion of Helen of Troy." Right now he's getting ready to perform in Disney's new Broadway musical: Tarzan!

Here is a place where you may ask Mr. Kobak questions about musical professions, acting, and music in general. Be sure to think critically about the questions you ask him (as with all our experts) as he has a very busy schedule and we don't want to waste his time with questions that are not clearly stated.

Animal Expert: Dr. Camilliere!

Welcome Dr. Camilliere to our classroom blog!

Dr. Camilliere studied biology (the study of life), received a Master's degree in zoology (the scientific study of animals), and completed his veterinary training. Currently, he is a small animal veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland. His job includes providing medical and surgical services for many types of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, birds, and reptiles.

The Camilliere family lives in St. Leonard. They share their home with their dog, two cats, several lizards, and a tankful of guppies.

Here is the perfect spot to ask Dr. Camilliere questions pertaining to his areas of expertise. Please remember to keep your questions geared towards science, our "In the Wild" reading theme, and questions that fascinate you about animals in general.

Science Questions for Dr. Perry

Class, here is where you can ask Dr. Perry astronomy questions you'd like answered! It's your very own spot to ask an expert! Proofread your questions carefully before you post!

Dr. Perry was one of the managing astrophysicists who worked on Hubble Space telescope. Retired, he is currently producing a local access cable TV show, "Know Your Sky," for Anne Arundel County. His show's purpose is to provide the amateur star gazer with information about celestial objects visible during each month of the year and how to find them in the night sky. His other expertises include forest and agricultural preservation.

Engineering Expert: Mr. Chris Gay!

Welcome our newest guest expert from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Mr. Chris Gay!

Mr. Gay is currently a flight test engineer for Pax River. Last year, he attended the United States Test Pilot School at Pax River to help him design better planes. This is the same test pilot school that astronaunt John Glenn attended! Mr. Gay has flown in many of our military's highest performance aircraft, including the F18 pictured here! Below is a picture of him in flying an F-18 Super Hornet over Pax River:
Before returning to school to earn his engineering degree, Mr. Gay worked as an automotive technician, working on all kinds of cars - from Honda Civics to Ferrari Testa Rosas. He's even helped design and build race cars!

Today his main projects at Pax River includes redesigning the Hawkeye aircraft so that it has the capability for midflight refueling and a new propeller design that lowers noise and vibrations. He lives in Lusby, Maryland with his wife and baby girl Lillyn.

Here is a place for you to ask Mr. Chris Gay all your engineering questions! Questions about cars, planes, Pax River, and engineering design are all great types of questions to ask him!

Idiom Fun!

As we create our idiom flipbooks this week, take the time to list your favorite saying or expression here! Define an idiom and use it correctly in a short (but creative) paragraph. Use at least 4 descriptive adjectives to make your writing more interesting. Be sure to proofread you writing before you post!

Start the fourth quarter off on the right foot - extra credit will be awarded for multiple entries!

Here are some of my favorites... can you figure them out based on the literal pictures?

Love that Dog Discussion Post #3

Miss Stretchberry is able to convince Jack to write poetry and share his feelings even though he doesn't want to. Point out the qualities Miss Stretchberry has as a person and as a teacher that allow her to reach Jack and help him express himself through writing poetry. How did you as the reader figure out these qualities?

Post Guidelines:
1. Answer the question.
2. Give detailed support (paraphrase/quote with page #)
3. Extend your answer by connecting to prior knowledge, making a text connection, etc...

Be sure to check for spelling and grammar errors before you post. Make sure you have at least two detailed pieces of support and make sure you wrote one to two developed paragraphs.

Love that Dog! Discussion Question #2

In Love that Dog we only get one side of the conversation (Jack's) and never what the teacher writes or says to him. Why did the author do this? How can you, the reader, figure out what the teacher is saying? Do you think this writing style (only writing from Jack's perspective) adds to or detracts (takes away) from the story?

Post Due: March 9th

Reminder on requirements: You should have your ideas on paper BEFORE you sit down at the computer to type. Remember, your posts are now graded on content (your ideas and how well you express them) and mechanics (spelling/language). You have three questions to respond to in the above prompt, so I would expect a well developed paragraph that's at least 7 sentences.

Love that Dog! Discussion Question #1

Post your response to the following discussion question:

Jack says, "If that is a poem about the red wheelbarrow and the white chickens then any words can be a poem. You've just got to make short lines." Do you agree?

Post Guidelines:
1.) Answer the question
2.) Give detailed support.
3.) Extend your answer by discussing other poems you've read, give an example that clarifies your opinion, make a text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to world connection.

Teacher's Note: We finally had a chance to discuss this assignment and student ideas on Friday. You should be ready to post. Remember to PROOFREAD for errors. Posts from now till the end of the school year will be given both a content & mechanics (language and spelling) grade.

Student Responses Due: Monday, March 6.

Calendar Math: March

Here's an Irish happy face to wish you some St. Patrick's Day cheer!

Our calendar certainly looks like it has a complicated pattern this month! Here is a place for you to write all your predictions and observations regarding the March Calendar Math components! As always, make sure you identify the Calendar Math component you are writing about.

Participation Expectations: All homeroom students should post at least once during the month.