April 14th, 2014
So, it's been a while. Apologies for the lengthy time away from this, but let's take a look at what is going on in 5C.
We have our second teacher-candidate with us for the next couple of weeks, Ms. Bernachi. She has been teaching a number of core curricular areas. In math, she has focused on DECIMALS and will be completing the unit by the end of her stay. In LANGUAGE she is focusing the idea of QUESTIONING as a reading strategy to develop understanding. Here is a link to the type of material she is discussing in class:
So, it's been a while. Apologies for the lengthy time away from this, but let's take a look at what is going on in 5C.
We have our second teacher-candidate with us for the next couple of weeks, Ms. Bernachi. She has been teaching a number of core curricular areas. In math, she has focused on DECIMALS and will be completing the unit by the end of her stay. In LANGUAGE she is focusing the idea of QUESTIONING as a reading strategy to develop understanding. Here is a link to the type of material she is discussing in class:
Ms. Bernachi is also working on teaching students how to write a RECOUNT. Here is an example of a recount she used in class:
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/features/titanic-survivor
Her focus in SCIENCE involves FORCES ACTING ON STRUCTURES and includes a close look at bridges along with a variety of structures. Students will be asked to complete a building project over the course of the next 2 weeks to demonstrate their understanding of a variety of concepts.
With Easter just around the corner, the students have been learning about the last days of Jesus Christ and my class will also be performing the STATIONS OF THE CROSS using the dramatic practice of TABLEAUX. Groups have been assigned their Stations and are working hard at bringing them to life. The week after Easter, we will also be having our Easter Mass. This is the most important time of the year for Christians and I hope all of you get to Mass and have a happy and blessed Easter weekend.
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/features/titanic-survivor
Her focus in SCIENCE involves FORCES ACTING ON STRUCTURES and includes a close look at bridges along with a variety of structures. Students will be asked to complete a building project over the course of the next 2 weeks to demonstrate their understanding of a variety of concepts.
With Easter just around the corner, the students have been learning about the last days of Jesus Christ and my class will also be performing the STATIONS OF THE CROSS using the dramatic practice of TABLEAUX. Groups have been assigned their Stations and are working hard at bringing them to life. The week after Easter, we will also be having our Easter Mass. This is the most important time of the year for Christians and I hope all of you get to Mass and have a happy and blessed Easter weekend.
February 14th, 2014
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope the upcoming long weekend is a good one for all of you. Some notes on some things that will be forthcoming in the next couple weeks.
Next week we will have our first student teacher of the year joining us. I will appreciate the extra help and another teacher in the room means additional time for those who need it. Can't wait.
In math we'll be finishing up our unit on PROBABILITY. It's a short, but difficult unit, so I'd ask that homework be reviewed nightly by the students.
In social studies we'll continue with our MAPPING unit. Along with the unit, kids will be asked to do a large project. They are to choose one of the 88 countries that are taking part in the Olympics and create a presentation about the country. It will be a combination written and technology-based project, similar to the UNSOLVED MYSTERY webquest they did earlier in the year. An outline of the project will go home next week and they will begin researching their project next week as well.
In religion we will continue to look at the LITURGICAL CALENDAR and its meaning while in language, we continue with INFERENCING and the concept of VOICE in writing, 2 difficult areas to grasp for most. Below are a couple links that may assist students and parents to know what it is I'm looking for and have been talking about, not just with VOICE, but with writing in general. The posters are particularly good and highlight key concepts I've been stressing throughout the year:
http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm
This one actually has a nice power point presentation.
http://so024.k12.sd.us/6%20+%201%20Traits.htm
Here is a nice little quiz site dealing with inferencing:
http://www.tv411.org/reading/understanding-what-you-read/strategies-better-reading/activity/1/1
Here is an inferencing website with some practice activities. There are several good power point inferencing presentations on the web as well.
http://www.irsc.edu/uploadedFiles/Students/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingLab/Making-Inferences.pdf
Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Family Day. :)
Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Hope the upcoming long weekend is a good one for all of you. Some notes on some things that will be forthcoming in the next couple weeks.
Next week we will have our first student teacher of the year joining us. I will appreciate the extra help and another teacher in the room means additional time for those who need it. Can't wait.
In math we'll be finishing up our unit on PROBABILITY. It's a short, but difficult unit, so I'd ask that homework be reviewed nightly by the students.
In social studies we'll continue with our MAPPING unit. Along with the unit, kids will be asked to do a large project. They are to choose one of the 88 countries that are taking part in the Olympics and create a presentation about the country. It will be a combination written and technology-based project, similar to the UNSOLVED MYSTERY webquest they did earlier in the year. An outline of the project will go home next week and they will begin researching their project next week as well.
In religion we will continue to look at the LITURGICAL CALENDAR and its meaning while in language, we continue with INFERENCING and the concept of VOICE in writing, 2 difficult areas to grasp for most. Below are a couple links that may assist students and parents to know what it is I'm looking for and have been talking about, not just with VOICE, but with writing in general. The posters are particularly good and highlight key concepts I've been stressing throughout the year:
http://writingfix.com/6_traits/voice.htm
This one actually has a nice power point presentation.
http://so024.k12.sd.us/6%20+%201%20Traits.htm
Here is a nice little quiz site dealing with inferencing:
http://www.tv411.org/reading/understanding-what-you-read/strategies-better-reading/activity/1/1
Here is an inferencing website with some practice activities. There are several good power point inferencing presentations on the web as well.
http://www.irsc.edu/uploadedFiles/Students/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingLab/Making-Inferences.pdf
Hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Family Day. :)
January 23, 2014
So, a quick update here. The field trip was excellent! Response from the students was overwhelmingly positive. The ceremony itself was very touching. Twenty-Nine people and their families became new Canadian citizens. It wa sa pleasure and an honour to be allowed to attend the ceremony. Judge Vachon was kind to thank us for our visit and to allow us to sit in. The science center was a lot of fun. Kids took part in a number of experiments and were able to look at and play with a lot of old technology. Typewriters were a big hit, as were phonographs and an accordion! Kids had fun being inside a bubble and handling a pair of real-life snakes! All in all, a great time had by all. Below are a few pictures from my class and Mrs. Holland's class. I look forward to a similar trip next year!
So, a quick update here. The field trip was excellent! Response from the students was overwhelmingly positive. The ceremony itself was very touching. Twenty-Nine people and their families became new Canadian citizens. It wa sa pleasure and an honour to be allowed to attend the ceremony. Judge Vachon was kind to thank us for our visit and to allow us to sit in. The science center was a lot of fun. Kids took part in a number of experiments and were able to look at and play with a lot of old technology. Typewriters were a big hit, as were phonographs and an accordion! Kids had fun being inside a bubble and handling a pair of real-life snakes! All in all, a great time had by all. Below are a few pictures from my class and Mrs. Holland's class. I look forward to a similar trip next year!
January 21, 2014
Happy New Year! Once again I've fallen behind in my updates. I've made a resolution to try and be more prompt with these updates. It's been a great start to the year so far. We've been working really hard to catch up after losing almost a whole week of classes due to the 'SNOWPOCALYPSE' of 2014..... Some things we've been looking at closely include CONSERVATION OF ENERGY in science, and DATA MANAGING in math. Our science test will be this Friday, and will include everything from sources and types of energy, to how power stations work, to environmental disasters and ways and technologies that will allow us to save energy in the future. One thing we talked about quite a bit was the OIL SANDS of Alberta and the profound impact they are having on the environment. Here is a video that talks about the Oil Sands:
Happy New Year! Once again I've fallen behind in my updates. I've made a resolution to try and be more prompt with these updates. It's been a great start to the year so far. We've been working really hard to catch up after losing almost a whole week of classes due to the 'SNOWPOCALYPSE' of 2014..... Some things we've been looking at closely include CONSERVATION OF ENERGY in science, and DATA MANAGING in math. Our science test will be this Friday, and will include everything from sources and types of energy, to how power stations work, to environmental disasters and ways and technologies that will allow us to save energy in the future. One thing we talked about quite a bit was the OIL SANDS of Alberta and the profound impact they are having on the environment. Here is a video that talks about the Oil Sands:
There are many other videos out there that discuss the Oil Sands and ways for Canada to limit the harm they are causing. We also discussed the profound impacts of the BP DEEPWATER HORIZON spill, the wreck of the EXXON VALDEZ, the concept of FRACKING and the disaster at CHERNOBYL. Kids should be familiar with each and which sources of energy each dealt with.
In LANGUAGE next week, we'll be looking at HISTORICAL FICTION and examining the idea of VOICE. We'll also be finishing up our DATA unit in math.
Kids are looking forward to our field trip tomorrow to the CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY and the SCIENCE CENTER. After being unable to attend last year, I'm looking really forward to it as well.
That's all the time I have for the moment, but check back next week and I'll be sure to have some new information posted. Happy belated New Year to you all.
In LANGUAGE next week, we'll be looking at HISTORICAL FICTION and examining the idea of VOICE. We'll also be finishing up our DATA unit in math.
Kids are looking forward to our field trip tomorrow to the CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY and the SCIENCE CENTER. After being unable to attend last year, I'm looking really forward to it as well.
That's all the time I have for the moment, but check back next week and I'll be sure to have some new information posted. Happy belated New Year to you all.
December 17th, 2013
I've been remiss is updating my blog these last few weeks. Sorry about that. Busy, busy time of year. Today we're building our gingerbread houses. Take a look at what my class looks like today!
I've been remiss is updating my blog these last few weeks. Sorry about that. Busy, busy time of year. Today we're building our gingerbread houses. Take a look at what my class looks like today!
As you can see, CRAZY day! This morning my kids made some REALLY good Christmas cards on the computer using a design site called FOTOR.COM. Great tool for the holidays. Try it at home. Make a card and post to FACEBOOK or just email them to friends and family. Easy to use and they look very nice. Check out the ones we made by taking a look at your child's blog! Button below links to Fotor. Have fun experimenting and don't be afraid to send one to your favourite teacher! :)
So, what can we look forward to in the new year? Well, in MATH, we'll be doing a very short unit on MONEY when we get back. Making change and making specific amounts of money (reading and writing money amounts to $1000) will be the focus before we move on to looking DATA MANAGEMENT.
In language, we'll continue our focus on SENTENCE FLUENCY and be shifting our reading focus to INFERENCING. We'll be using a number of stories from both their textbooks and short stories to get across these concepts. On the whole, I've seen marked improvement in many as regards their writing skills. Hopefully the new year will see even more improvement. I'm thinking about trying something new after Christmas as well--LITERACY CIRCLES. I've done them i the past many times, with varying degrees of success and reward. I may try it again with this group.
In SOCIAL STUDIES we'll finish up on unit on CITIZENSHIP, which will culminate with a field trip on JAN 22 to the Citzenship Courthouse on Walker Rd in Windsor. The trip is always an excellent one, and I'm really looking forward to it.
And that's about it for the moment. I just want to take a minute now to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season, wish you all the best in the upcoming year. This year's class has been amazing, and I look forward to more great stuff in 2014! Ho-ho-ho!!
In language, we'll continue our focus on SENTENCE FLUENCY and be shifting our reading focus to INFERENCING. We'll be using a number of stories from both their textbooks and short stories to get across these concepts. On the whole, I've seen marked improvement in many as regards their writing skills. Hopefully the new year will see even more improvement. I'm thinking about trying something new after Christmas as well--LITERACY CIRCLES. I've done them i the past many times, with varying degrees of success and reward. I may try it again with this group.
In SOCIAL STUDIES we'll finish up on unit on CITIZENSHIP, which will culminate with a field trip on JAN 22 to the Citzenship Courthouse on Walker Rd in Windsor. The trip is always an excellent one, and I'm really looking forward to it.
And that's about it for the moment. I just want to take a minute now to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season, wish you all the best in the upcoming year. This year's class has been amazing, and I look forward to more great stuff in 2014! Ho-ho-ho!!
Nov 25th, 2013
Last week my class did some plays that demonstrated ways to deal with bullying. Here they are. Enjoy. :)
Last week my class did some plays that demonstrated ways to deal with bullying. Here they are. Enjoy. :)
Nov, 22, 2013
So, just a quick update. The students performed their anti-bullying plays this morning and for the most part did very well. The messages were good ones, and the kids had fun doing them. Some of the groups worked very well together. The young kids seemed to really enjoy the performances and were able to understand the messages my students tried to get across. We'll be doing more plays/dramas, so it will be important for students to understand what did and didn't work well in the performances. Each student wrote an entry in their blogs about their thoughts. Be sure to check them out.
Next week in language we will finish our CONVENTIONS unit and there will be a small test on all the conventions we've dealt with. This continues to be a huge area of trouble in daily writing assignments. In READING, we'll be looking at CONNECTIONS during individual reading conferences, and in class, we'll be starting a unit on VISUALIZATION.
In math, we'll continue with our MEASUREMENT unit, looking at time, elapsed time, the relationship between time/distance (SPEED) and capacity. It's a lengthy unit that we will continue to focus on for the next 2 weeks at least.
In SCIENCE we have completed our look at the HUMAN BODY and will finish it off with a visit from doctor Matt Shaw, and ER doctor at Met Hospital, and my cousin. The kids always love his visits and he always gives us lots of great information. Next week we'll shift back to SOCIAL STUDIES and take a closer look at CITIZENSHIP.
In RELIGION we'll be looking in depth at the idea of PRAYER, and the different forms it can take.
And that's about it for the moment. I'll try and add some sites and additional info to this post in the next couple days. Have a great weekend everyone.
So, just a quick update. The students performed their anti-bullying plays this morning and for the most part did very well. The messages were good ones, and the kids had fun doing them. Some of the groups worked very well together. The young kids seemed to really enjoy the performances and were able to understand the messages my students tried to get across. We'll be doing more plays/dramas, so it will be important for students to understand what did and didn't work well in the performances. Each student wrote an entry in their blogs about their thoughts. Be sure to check them out.
Next week in language we will finish our CONVENTIONS unit and there will be a small test on all the conventions we've dealt with. This continues to be a huge area of trouble in daily writing assignments. In READING, we'll be looking at CONNECTIONS during individual reading conferences, and in class, we'll be starting a unit on VISUALIZATION.
In math, we'll continue with our MEASUREMENT unit, looking at time, elapsed time, the relationship between time/distance (SPEED) and capacity. It's a lengthy unit that we will continue to focus on for the next 2 weeks at least.
In SCIENCE we have completed our look at the HUMAN BODY and will finish it off with a visit from doctor Matt Shaw, and ER doctor at Met Hospital, and my cousin. The kids always love his visits and he always gives us lots of great information. Next week we'll shift back to SOCIAL STUDIES and take a closer look at CITIZENSHIP.
In RELIGION we'll be looking in depth at the idea of PRAYER, and the different forms it can take.
And that's about it for the moment. I'll try and add some sites and additional info to this post in the next couple days. Have a great weekend everyone.
Nov 8th, 2013
Hi everyone. Hopefully, you all had a good week and will enjoy a restful weekend. A quick update to let everyone know what they can expect in the upcoming days in 5C. First and foremost, PROGRESS REPORTS will be going home on Monday with interviews later in the week. Lots of nerves over the upcoming reports, but bare in mind this is just a quick snapshot. I look forward to seeing many of the marks move as kids become much more at home with me and my own style and expectations, while many have meshed quickly and need only maintain their very strong starts. To that end, the first order of business is our upcoming math test in geometry. The test, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will be moved back to Wednesday, giving another day of review. The test will cover all the material we have discussed in math the last couple weeks including polygons, measuring angles, creating triangles and nets. Kids will need to be familiar with a variety of polygons and ways to name them, as well as recognize the different types of angles and triangles.
Hi everyone. Hopefully, you all had a good week and will enjoy a restful weekend. A quick update to let everyone know what they can expect in the upcoming days in 5C. First and foremost, PROGRESS REPORTS will be going home on Monday with interviews later in the week. Lots of nerves over the upcoming reports, but bare in mind this is just a quick snapshot. I look forward to seeing many of the marks move as kids become much more at home with me and my own style and expectations, while many have meshed quickly and need only maintain their very strong starts. To that end, the first order of business is our upcoming math test in geometry. The test, originally scheduled for Tuesday, will be moved back to Wednesday, giving another day of review. The test will cover all the material we have discussed in math the last couple weeks including polygons, measuring angles, creating triangles and nets. Kids will need to be familiar with a variety of polygons and ways to name them, as well as recognize the different types of angles and triangles.
While I'm on the topic of math, parents often ask me what kids can do at home to strengthen their knowledge of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Here are a couple math computer games that students can do AT HOME, for fun, extra practice. Click the links below, sign up and give them a try. Be sure to let me know what you think of them after trying them out!
In science, we will be working toward the end of our HUMAN BODY unit, but looking at our last system, the skeletal/muscular system. After that, we will take a closer look at nutrition and diet, then close with taking a look at some of the recent advancements in medicine. That's always my favourite part of the unit.....
In language, we'll continue our close look at connections as a reading strategy to aid understanding, and we will continue to look at conventions in writing. Conventions continues to be a huge hurdle for many of my students. Here are a couple of links that may be of interest to parents and students alike. The first is a link to a learning module that will allow students some extra practice with conventions. They can write out some of the sentences, or just read and edit in their minds or out loud to parents or guardians. Hopefully some will take advantage of the site. They MAY just see some of the questions on paper one day soon...... The second link leads to some WRITING EXEMPLARS. Exemplars are simply examples of student work, at various levels, and tend to be the guides we teachers use when assessing writing. Take a look (grade 5 starts on page 75) and compare your own, or your child's writing, to what other kids across the province have been doing.
In science, we will be working toward the end of our HUMAN BODY unit, but looking at our last system, the skeletal/muscular system. After that, we will take a closer look at nutrition and diet, then close with taking a look at some of the recent advancements in medicine. That's always my favourite part of the unit.....
In language, we'll continue our close look at connections as a reading strategy to aid understanding, and we will continue to look at conventions in writing. Conventions continues to be a huge hurdle for many of my students. Here are a couple of links that may be of interest to parents and students alike. The first is a link to a learning module that will allow students some extra practice with conventions. They can write out some of the sentences, or just read and edit in their minds or out loud to parents or guardians. Hopefully some will take advantage of the site. They MAY just see some of the questions on paper one day soon...... The second link leads to some WRITING EXEMPLARS. Exemplars are simply examples of student work, at various levels, and tend to be the guides we teachers use when assessing writing. Take a look (grade 5 starts on page 75) and compare your own, or your child's writing, to what other kids across the province have been doing.
This last link is to an exceptional site called REFLEX MATH. But, while a truly great site, proven to be effective in increasing math fluency, it IS a pay site. But it is very likely worth every penny, (and offers free trials!) so check it out.
We will also be finishing up our Sherlock Holmes adventure--The Adventure of the Speckled Band. Interest in the story has been high, and the kids seem to really be enjoying it. We'll wrap it up with a couple activities then finish with a comprehension test that will let me know just how much the kids understood the story.
In the gym, we'll focus on a sport near and dear to my heart--volleyball. (Speaking of which, our boys volleyball team--coached by yours truly--scored its first victory in our opener last night! Go Panthers!) Back in the classroom, we'll finish with our first Fully Alive unit, by looking at the ways we connect to various people in our lives, and the impacts we make while in the lab we try and make NEW connections (see a theme taking shape here...?) with our new EPALS! Most of the kids seem to have taken quite a liking to this project. We've come to know people in both Northern Ontario (Peterborough) and KENYA, AFRICA! We'll be introduced to our newest friends next week--in PAKISTAN! The web is truly shrinking the world. I look VERY forward to collaborating with our new friends from around the world. For those who haven't yet seen it, clink on the link in the OCT. 25th posting and take a look.
And that is it for the moment. Please leave a comment to let me know how you like the blog, or to let me know if there's anything I can do to make it more helpful. Have a good weekend.
In the gym, we'll focus on a sport near and dear to my heart--volleyball. (Speaking of which, our boys volleyball team--coached by yours truly--scored its first victory in our opener last night! Go Panthers!) Back in the classroom, we'll finish with our first Fully Alive unit, by looking at the ways we connect to various people in our lives, and the impacts we make while in the lab we try and make NEW connections (see a theme taking shape here...?) with our new EPALS! Most of the kids seem to have taken quite a liking to this project. We've come to know people in both Northern Ontario (Peterborough) and KENYA, AFRICA! We'll be introduced to our newest friends next week--in PAKISTAN! The web is truly shrinking the world. I look VERY forward to collaborating with our new friends from around the world. For those who haven't yet seen it, clink on the link in the OCT. 25th posting and take a look.
And that is it for the moment. Please leave a comment to let me know how you like the blog, or to let me know if there's anything I can do to make it more helpful. Have a good weekend.
October 25, 2013
Hello. I apologize for the late start on this blog, but it's been a busy month trying to get a few different things going. I just want to take a moment to tell everyone how great the class has been this year. Can't recall a year where I have had fewer problems, both in class, and outside of class, than I have this year. Hopefully things continue to go as smoothly. The class respectful, hard working and maybe best of all--they generally seem to really like each other! It's been fantastic.
Along with a quick hello, I just wanted to let parents know some of the things and areas we'll be looking at in the upcoming weeks. In LANGUAGE, we'll be finishing up our Sherlock Holmes adventure, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." the kids seem to really be enjoying this exceptionally challenging story. We'll have a few upcoming activities and assignments dealing with the mystery before we wrap it up. We are also finishing our focus on CONVENTIONS in the upcoming week. From there we will look at generating IDEAS in writing. Next week will also see the end of our look at the mysterious HARRIS BURDICK, one of my favourite books. Below is a link to a video detailing the images that are so inspiring within the book. Ask your child which one THEY chose to write about, and why!
Hello. I apologize for the late start on this blog, but it's been a busy month trying to get a few different things going. I just want to take a moment to tell everyone how great the class has been this year. Can't recall a year where I have had fewer problems, both in class, and outside of class, than I have this year. Hopefully things continue to go as smoothly. The class respectful, hard working and maybe best of all--they generally seem to really like each other! It's been fantastic.
Along with a quick hello, I just wanted to let parents know some of the things and areas we'll be looking at in the upcoming weeks. In LANGUAGE, we'll be finishing up our Sherlock Holmes adventure, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." the kids seem to really be enjoying this exceptionally challenging story. We'll have a few upcoming activities and assignments dealing with the mystery before we wrap it up. We are also finishing our focus on CONVENTIONS in the upcoming week. From there we will look at generating IDEAS in writing. Next week will also see the end of our look at the mysterious HARRIS BURDICK, one of my favourite books. Below is a link to a video detailing the images that are so inspiring within the book. Ask your child which one THEY chose to write about, and why!
In math, our new focus will be GEOMETRY. Among some other skills, the focus will be on creating and measuring angles and triangles. In SCIENCE, we will continue our look at the systems that make up the human body, before moving back to social studies, and in RELIGION we will focus on the various stages we pass through as we get older, and the areas in which we grow. In computers, we will be finishing our WEBQUEST projects and we will tidy up our student blogs, organize them and add more information. We will also be communicating and collaborating with a grade 5 class from PETERBOROUGH through the wonders of EPALS! I'm very much looking forward to that! Feel free to take a sneak-peek at EPALS. Just follow the link below.
That's it for the moment. Check back often. I will try and update weekly to keep everyone in the loop. I look forward to hearing from you in the COMMENTS section of this blog, and to a continued great year.