Amulya's Post

Greetings From Abroad
By: Amulya

Helllooooo, Room 19!!!!! I am Amulya, your fifth grader from India. Sorry, it has been a VERY long time since I got in touch with anyone in Portal. (Except Meryem)

It feels like I have been in Meridian (the school I go to now) for a long time. In India, our timetable for the year is hard to get used to. We have 3 Terms aka Semesters. In every term we first have slip tests, Unit tests, and then slip tests again, then...the term tests. I got A+ for Social Studies, Science, English, Computers and Telugu (3rd Language). For Hindi (2nd Language), gulp, I got a C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am getting a dog during the Dasarah holidays. It is going to be a Yellow Labrador Retriever. If it is a boy, we will name him Buddy. If it is a girl we will name her Daisy. I am SOOOOOOO excited.

I miss Portal & the U.S. more than anything.

P.S. I want every 4rth grader to know that Room 19 is the best among the Rockhopper villages and that you are very lucky to be in this class.

BYE!!!!!!!!!!! MISS YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What questions to do have for me about living and going to school in a far away country? What things do you think are different and what do you think is still the same? Please ask away and more than one question is definitely allowed! ;0)

Meryem's Post

I’m on the Road... AGAIN!!!
By: Meryem Guler

When I was little I traveled a lot, but my family first started in New York City, New York. My mom and my dad were visiting my mom’s brother (my uncle) who lived in New York. They were introduced to each other and were married two days afterwards.

Soon they moved to Houston, Texas where my older brother, Mustafa, was born. 17 months later a baby girl was born to the family while in Houston, and you can all guess who that baby was: ME!

A few months later we moved to Cleveland, Ohio where my younger brother, Mehmet, was born. We only stayed there about 3 months and then moved to New York again.
Then we moved to Foster City, California. Afterwards we moved to Cupertino, where we stayed for quite a while. Our next move was to San Jose, where we are now.

After moving from Texas, to Ohio, to New York, and, finally, to California we are tired of moving and hope to stay here a while.

Where were you and your sibling(s) born? Where did you travel to? And give me DETAILS!

In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

We just started reading this entertaining, and quite funny, book in class this week. The main character so far is a young girl named Bandit, who finds out she has to move to America and leave her home behind. What have you learned about her so far? Include descriptions from the text to help support your opinion.

How would you react if you found out your family was moving to a country you have never been to before? Why? Explain.

Popsicle Stick Abacus

Procedures:

1. Cut each skewer into 4" rods.

2. Place the tips of the rods onto one popsicle stick, centered and equidistant from each other. Trace the tips with a pencil.

3. Remove the rods and draw lines of glue over the pencil marks. Carefully place the rod tips onto the glue. (A popsicle stick placed under the rods helps to prop up the rods so the tips maintain contact with the first popsicle stick while the glue is drying.).

4. After the rod tips dry, thread two pony beads onto each rod. These will be your "Heaven" beads.

5. Place the second popsicle stick (for the center bar) under the rods about 3/4" down from the first popsicle stick. Mark the rod placement by tracing with a pencil. Draw lines of glue onto the pencil marks and glue the rods onto this stick. Be careful not to let the beads stick to the glue.

6. Thread five pony beads onto each rod for the "Earth" beads. Place a third popsicle stick under the rod tips and glue the tips to the stick.

7. Line up and glue a popsicle stick over each of the three sticks you glued the rods to earlier.

8. Another layer of three popsicle sticks will raise the abacus to prevent the beads from rubbing on the table surface. You're now looking at the back of the abacus. Flip the abacus over and enjoy!

Can you explain in your own words, using math language like "place value" and such, how the abacus works? Why did people use this? Why is it not used as much anymore?