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| November/December Newsletter.pdf |
In Math today, we started to look at our new unit on Whole Numbers. In this unit, students will be working with numbers up to 1 000 000. Today, we discussed the relationship between numbers and worked on expanding our understanding of place value. For example,
- 10 000 is 10 000 x bigger than 1
- 10 000 is 1000 x bigger than 10
- 10 000 is 100 x bigger than 100
- 10 000 is 10 x bigger than 1000
We used hundreds blocks to help us to see these relationships in greater detail:
- You would need 10 000 ones cubes to build 10 000
- You would need 1000 tens rods to build 10 000
- You would need 100 hundreds flats to build 10 000
- You would need 10 thousands cubes to build 10 000
Using our knowledge of place value, we can start to think about the value of larger numbers. For example, would you rather have one hundred $10 bills or ten $100 bills? Well, one hundred $10 bills would be equal to $1000. Ten $100 bills would also be equal to $1000. Trick question! They are the same amount!
In Language Arts today we worked on editing and revising entries from our Writer's Notebook as well as our Verb Paragraphs that we wrote last week. Remember, when students edit their work they are looking for:
We are hoping to have both of these paragraphs edited, revised, and published to our blogs by the end of the week.
In Science today, students shared their device presentations with the class. I was very pleased with how this in-class project turned out. The students worked very hard within their groups to research and build these devices. Student slideshows are available to view on the "Weather Watch" page. We are almost done Weather Watch now! We have one final experiment to complete and then a lesson on Global Warming and we are done! More information will go home at the end of the week about when our unit test will be and what students will need to study. Our next units will be Electricity and Magnetism, and Mechanisms using Electricity. These are two separate units in our Program of Studies, but I always teach them as one longer blended unit.
In FRIENDS today, students started to discuss positive self-talk. One strategy we discussed today is using mindfulness to help us. When students are feeling stressed, angry, sad, scared, etc. they can focus instead on the positive things that are taking place at that moment. Use your 5 senses. What can you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel that would make you feel happier, calmer, or more relaxed. Then, change your self-talk to reflect this. For example, if you are feeling nervous before a presentation, don't focus on feeling your hands shaking, force yourself to look at a friend who is smiling at you. Focus on their friendly face. Then tell yourself, "My friend is interested in what I have to say." While we can't always help feeling negatively, we can change the way we think. Find a positive thought and share it with yourself. It can be useful to manage those negative feelings and to help us make positive choices.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 1x or 2x tables
- pg. 38 #2, 3, 5 (Day 1 - Not Homework)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Yassmin, Ashton, Dilini)
Ski Forms - due WEDNESDAY!
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Habit 1 (Be Proactive!) Assembly - November 30th @ 1:00 pm (parents welcome)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
In Math today we worked on our Multiplication Challenge. Students are working through their times tables again. We have gone back to where we started - 0x and 1x tables. Students this week were challenged to complete their 0x and 1x tables in under a minute. Students begin practicing as they enter the room. After "Oh Canada" students complete their times table. If a student finishes that times table in under a minute, they move on to another times table. This means that different students might move on at different rates, and that's okay! We have some students who are going to keep reviewing their 1x tables after today's Challenge, and some students who are moving on to their 2x and 4x tables. Make sure you keep practicing at home! Have you looked at the "Fact Practice" page yet?
In Language Arts today, students continued to practice paragraph writing. Today students reviewed their brainstorming and body sentences that we wrote on Monday and Tuesday. Today students reviewed how to write topic and concluding sentences. Remember, a topic sentence: should stand out, introduce your topic, hook your reader. A concluding sentence should: interest your reader, tell the reader the paragraph is finished. To write both, ask yourself, "What is the main idea of my paragraph?" and "Is my sentence interesting?" Afterwards, students put their paragraphs together, paying attention to their indentation, capitals, end punctuation, neatness, and spelling. Next week we will edit and draft these paragraphs for our blogs!
We also finished our Science projects today! I am so excited with the outcome of this project. Usually when I teach weather, I get the class to construct one device together and then I construct the other devices. Afterwards I give the students the necessary information on each device. I have never let the students do their own research and construction before. I was so happy with the results. Students were much more engaged. Each group was excited to finish their slideshows and to build their device. It was also easy for me to see what each group was doing. I was able to help edit their slideshows and give them immediate feedback in real time, something you usually don't get until the end of the unit. I can't wait to share these presentations and devices with the classroom on Monday and Tuesday.
Students have also begun working on researching a physiographic region of Canada. Students are working in groups of three. Each group is working on one of the following regions: Arctic, Cordillera, St. Lawrence Lowlands, Interior Plains, Hudson Bay Lowlands, and the Canadian Shield. Students will be researching the landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and climate of each region. This is going to be an ongoing project for most of December and January. At the end, we will have collaboratively built a "book" of regions. Students will also be sharing their region with the class by becoming the "teacher" for a day. Each group will teach the class about their region and even give their classmates a quiz! Stay tuned for more information. Right now, we are just focusing on the landforms of each region.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 1x or 2x tables
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Monday)
Ski Forms - due WEDNESDAY!
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
STEAMPower Conference - Nov. 26th, 8:30 am, Westwood High (open to Grs. 5/6)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
We had a busy day today! Our day started with our first lockdown drill of the year. This can be stressful for students and teachers. We went over the procedures together thoroughly beforehand. Afterwards, we reviewed and discussed why we might have a lockdown, what to do in different situations, etc. This took up quite a bit of time this morning, but we wanted to make sure that everyone understood and felt comfortable and secure with our routines and procedures. Parents and guardians - are you familiar with FMPSD's School Emergency Procedures? Be sure to review them so that you know what YOU would do in case of a lockdown at one of our schools:
School Emergency Program - A Guide for Parents and Guardians
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of description for how we spent the rest of our day. We continued to work on our Science projects. Most groups will have them completed tomorrow. We also had our Math test. With the lockdown, Physical Education, and Music, that was a full day! It seems strange to have so little to report on, but I guess some days are like that. Thank you to all the students for working so hard on your Math test today. It isn't easy writing a test. All of you persevered. You also showed a lot of patience and respect for the rest of your classmates by reading, working on Tynker, Mathletics, or practicing Cursive Writing while you waited. Well done everyone!
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due tomorrow)
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 1x tables
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Monday)
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
STEAMPower Conference - Nov. 26th, 8:30 am, Westwood High (open to Grs. 5/6)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Today in Math, students completed the "Show What You Know" questions at the end of the chapter. This is part of our preparation for our Unit Test tomorrow. Students should all be reviewing the concepts from "Patterns and Equations" at home tonight. Do extra practice questions from the textbook, use your Mathletics, play a game from the "Patterns and Equations" page, or print the extra workbook. Please make sure your student takes some time tonight to review.
In Language Arts yesterday and today, students started drafting a new paragraph in their Paragraph Books. We have been struggling to remember some of the concepts covered earlier this year, such as how to write topic and concluding sentences. So, we are going to be writing a paragraph EACH week for the next four weeks in our paragraphing books. Students will review the components of an effective paragraph daily. This week's paragraph is on a student's favourite verb. Mine was reading. Yesterday we brainstormed and today used our ideas to write the body sentences of our paragraph. Remember, you can follow our progress in our Paragraph Books by looking at the digital copy on the "Writing" page.
Today we also continued to practice making text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections. Today we used Robert Munsch books. Students are doing a great job trying to connect what they are reading to their own life. This takes some time to learn how to do. It isn't always easy to look into your schema to find a memory or a real-world example to share. We'll keep practicing this skill in our upcoming classes.
In Science today we continued to work on our culminating project for our Weather Watch unit. Students have been working in their assigned groups to research their devices. Students have also been working to collaboratively to prepare a Google Slides show that they will present to the the class. Finally, we already have two groups who have begun construction on their device. I can't wait to share everyone's hard work at the end of the week.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due November 24th)
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 0x and 1x tables
- "Show What You Know"
- Patterns and Equations Unit Test (tomorrow)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Wednesday)
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
STEAMPower Conference - Nov. 26th, 8:30 am, Westwood High (open to Grs. 5/6)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
*Note - There is NO hot lunch tomorrow due to the closure of Mr. Sub.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due November 24th)
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 0x and 1x tables
- pgs. 28-29 #2, 4, 7, 8, 9
- Patterns and Equations Unit Test (Wednesday)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Wednesday)
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
We finished our 7x and 11x tables today. Don't worry! We aren't finished reviewing multiplication and division yet! We go back to our 0x and 1x tables on Monday.
In Language Arts today we worked on reviewing our current reading strategy - making connections. Students were using Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer. Using books by the same author or with similar characters makes it easy to practice and make text-to-text connections. I also find that these books are great for students to make text-to-self connections. Who hasn't gone shopping with Mom or gone to the beach with Gramma? The real life settings and situations make it easier for students to connect to. Don't worry, our next connecting activity won't be just a review! We'll make it a little more challenging!
Today I also sent home our very first Book Talk! Students are going to be presenting a favourite picture book to the class. A Book Talk is a very short (only 2-4 minutes) presentation on a book. Students are asked to introduce the book, the characters, provide a brief summary, and to read a selection from the back or from the book. Students can also challenge themselves by adding questions to their presentation, making connections to their or their classmates lives, showing illustrations, etc. The only rule is to NOT give away and secrets or the ending of your book. Book Talk is a great way to recommend books to our classmates; we don't want to ruin it for them. Students have been asked to practice at home and come prepared to share their book on November 30th. Students are allowed to borrow my books if needed. Today I presented "The Deepest Dark" by Chris Hadfield as my example. I had all the "Must Haves" in my presentation but students thought that I could have read a longer selection, asked more questions, and made stronger connections to their lives not just my own. Lots of constructive feedback for me to practice for my next Book Talk. Want some inspiration when practicing at home? You can read/watch the Scholastic staff's Book Talks at the link below. I'll add this link to the "Reading" page under "Language Arts" so that it is easy for students and parents to find it when needed.
Scholastic: Children's Booktalks and Video Booktalks
We also started working on a new post for our blogs today. Students are choosing one of their favourite entries from our Writer's Notebook. Students today worked on typing a second draft of this entry. Remember! A blog post needs to be a complete paragraph (topic sentence, details, concluding sentence). This might mean some editing and revising need to occur between your first draft and your second draft. I will also be editing these paragraphs before students type and publish their final draft.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due November 24th)
- Book Talk (November 30th)
Math:
- Practice 0x and 1x tables
- Patterns and Equations Unit Test (Wednesday)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Wednesday)
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
Fall Market (Saturday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Volleyball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Started a new read aloud book today! I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while so I am really excited!
In Math today we continued to work at solving equations to solve problems. Today we began looking at equations using multiplication and division. It is important that students remember that multiplication and division are inverse operations (ie. one can undo the other). This is the commutative property, just like addition and subtraction. For example:
3 x 5 = 15
15 / 5 = 3
5 x 3 = 15
15 / 3 = 5
This will help students to closely examine the equations they are using to solve problems. Take a look at the example below:
First, write an equation to represent the problem. We know that the total snowfall was 15 cm.
= 15 cm
We also know, that 3 cm fell each hour it snowed. We need to know how many hours it snowed.
3 cm x each hour it snowed = 15 cm
3 x hours = 15
3 x h = 15
3h = 15
Now, how to solve this problem? We need to find the value of h. When in doubt, I recommend drawing a picture. Fill 3 groups equally until you reach 15 then count how much you have drawn in each group. You can also use your knowledge of equations to help you. Using inverse operations, the following equations all represent the above story problem:
3h = 15
15 / h = 3
h3 = 15
15 / 3 = h
The last equation (15 / 3 = h) would be easiest to solve. Divide 15 into 3 equal groups. How much do you have in each group. Remember, draw a picture if it helps!
15 / 3 = 5
h = 5
It snowed for 5 hours.
Drawing a picture is a great strategy (similar to yesterday's guess-and-test) for students who are still working towards mastering their multiplication and division facts.
Drawing the fact can help you to better understand what multiplication and division mean.
In Language Arts today, students completed their blog posts from yesterday. We also spent some time reading and commenting on one another's blogs. Please click on "Gr.5 Blogs" to see our complete guidelines surrounding student blogging. The students and I went through these guidelines in detail today and had a great discussion of the importance of good digital citizenship and what good comments would look like. Please take time to review these guidelines with your student. There will be long lasting consequences for any student who is not adhering to these guidelines and using their technology privileges appropriately.
In Science today, students got started on their final Weather Watch project. Students will be building and presenting a device used to measure the weather to the class. Students are working in groups of 4-5 students and will have class time to work on this project. Our devices are: rain gauge, anemometer, wind vane, and thermometer. Today students met in their groups and reviewed how to build their devices. They planned a list of supplies that they will need. Tomorrow, students will begin working on their presentations.
In Art, students continued to work on their ongoing Art TREX project. Today we started our third and final drafts! Yay! I'm excited to see how these turn out once completed. We will also begin working on a new project for the new Art TREX exhibit that is on display in Timberlea's atrium. Parents/family who are visiting the school are more than welcome to stop and take a look at the artwork.
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due November 24th)
Math:
- Practice 7x and 11x tables
- pgs. 27-28 #1, 3, 5, 6
- Patterns and Equations Unit Test (Wednesday)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Wednesday)
Stuff-a-Bus Donations (Nov. 14-18th)
Angel Tree Donations - due December 9th (ask Ms. B for a tag)
Family Movie Night - Nov. 24th, 6:00 pm, Finding Dory (admission by donation)
Fall Market (Saturday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Volleyball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Today in Math we continued to use equations to solve problems. Today we focused on solving addition and subtraction questions. We have been exploring different ways to solve equations. The first strategy is to evaluate the equation. Take the example below:
We can write the equation 72 + w = 98 to represent the word problem. Wendy has washed 72 windows, she needs to wash some more windows to wash 98 windows altogether. We use the variable w to represent the unknown value; how many more windows Wendy needs to wash. To solve this problem, we could evaluate the equation. It is helpful to be able to use the commutative property of addition and subtraction questions to help us. Since we have already written 72 + w = 98, the following equations would also represent this problem:
72 + w = 98
w + 72 = 98
98 - w = 72
98 - 72 = w
The last equation, 98 - 72 = w can easily be evaluated to solve for w:
98 - 72 = w
26 = w
So, Wendy needs to wash 26 more windows.
Another strategy we have used is to use inspection (or investigation). In this strategy, you look more closely at the numbers and their relationships to help you to solve the problem:
If we count up from 72 to 98, we would count up 26 times. Thus, Wendy will need to wash 26 more windows to reach 98.
Finally, we can use a guess-and-test strategy:
In this strategy, students guess a number that w could be. We started with 20. If w is 20, then Wendy has already washed 72 windows. The 72 windows she has already washed plus 20 more windows would only equal 92 windows altogether. This is too low. We know she needs to wash 98 windows altogether. So, we guess and test another number. How about 25? The 72 windows she has already washed plus 25 more windows would only equal 97 windows altogether. We are getting closer! What about 26? The 72 windows she has already washed plus 26 equals 98 windows altogether. So, we know that Wendy will need to wash 26 more windows. Remember, guess-and-test is a great strategy IF you test! You should double check your answer to make sure your work is correct.
In Language Arts today we finished setting up our blogs! See the links at the top to visit the student blogs. Our first entry used our Noun Paragraphs that students have been writing and revising. We will continue to add to these blogs throughout the year. Students are allowed to comment on one another's work IF they THINK before they post:
Commenting will be strictly monitored and there will be serious consequences for inappropriate behaviour. Parents, if you notice a comment that does not follow our guidelines before I do, please contact me immediately. Several sets of eyes would be appreciated.
In Science today, we explored the differences between climate and weather. We are getting close to wrapping up this unit. Students have been working hard and I can't wait to see the results of some of our upcoming projects. Stay tuned for more details.
In Social Studies, we are exploring the landforms, bodies of water, climate, and natural resources of Canada's physiographic regions. Today we explored the landforms of the Appalachian Region. We are using Read & Write for Google to help us to track what we have learned. We can use the dictionary and picture dictionary to help us to better understand what we are reading, and the highlighting tools to help us to collect relevant information. Stay tuned for what we will be using this information to create!
Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes
- Book Orders (due November 24th)
Math:
- Practice 7x and 11x tables
- pgs. 24-25 #2, 5-7
- Patterns and Equations Unit Test (Wednesday)
Health:
- PEAK Basketball (tomorrow)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #3B (Wednesday)
Stuff-a-Bus Donations (Nov. 14-18th)
Healthy Family Fun Night (TONIGHT, 5:30-7:00 pm)
Fall Market (Saturday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm)
Tech & Trades Academy- Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Volleyball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Recycling Leaders - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
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