Happy Holidays! Dec. 20- Jan 4

I hope that all the room 21 students and parents have a wonderful holiday. There is no homework over the break, but I do encourage daily reading, preferably in pyjamas. See you in the New Year on Jan. 5th!

Upcoming dates:

Wed, Jan. 7th: pool
Monday, Jan. 12th: scientists in the school
Tues, Jan. 13th: TUSC field trip

Best,
Bronwyn Davidson

Dec. 12-19

This week in math the students continued to work on geometry skills.  Students wrote a quiz that will go home to be signed on Monday. Next week we will start a new math unit on data management, focusing on creating and interpreting different types of graphs. 

This week continued their work in literature circles. The last literature circle meeting will be next Tuesday. Students will work with their group members to give a book chat to the class. Students finished their second piece of independent writing and began their third piece.

We also began our second inquiry, during which we will investigate the question, "What is Power?" We will investigate who has power and who is most powerless, as well as how we as citizens can exercise our power to create change. Students began a social studies project on a social issue. Grade 5s will investigate an issue in Canada, while grade 6s will explore an international issue. We watched this video on the issue of homelessness in Toronto to get us thinking about social issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8KQlhwmsII&feature=youtu.be. 

Last but not least, we finished our read aloud of "I am Malala." It was a hard book for me to finish because I enjoyed it so much. We now have quotes by Malala up on our window to remind us of her strength. We also watched part of Malala's Peace Prize acceptance speech. You can see her full speech here: http://community.malala.org/malala-nobel-prize-speech-871079750.html. Additionally, we read a beautiful picture book entitled, "Malala, A Brave Girl from Pakistan; Iqbal, A Brave Boy from Pakistan. Ask your child about this book and what he or she learned from it. 

Important upcoming dates:

Tuesday Dec. 16th:  last literature circle meeting

Wed, Dec. 17th: pool

Thursday, Dec. 18th: homework due 

Friday, Dec. 19th: last day before the holidays; pyjama day

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. This can be a book of your choice or your literature circle book. 

2) Complete your role sheet for Tuesday's meeting. 

3) Continue to collect quotes from your book. (7-10) In class next week you will complete your assignment, which will be to create a page of quotes, as well as write a paragraph on your opinion of the book.

4) Complete your research notes for your social studies project. Take point form notes on your topic that answer the questions in the assignment. Remember to write down your sources. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Dec. 5-12

This week in math the students continued to work on geometry skills.  Students wrote a quiz that went home to be signed. They also worked on comparing triangles based on side length and angles, as well as finding and labelling parallel lines in polygons. The grade 6s began to learn how to use a compass to create triangles with specific side lengths. There will be a second geometry quiz next Friday that covers the same material as the first quiz, plus comparing triangles, identifying parallel lines, finding lines of symmetry and rotational symmetry. 

This week the students finished two culminating tasks to wrap up our unit on overcoming challenges and learning from failure. Students finished both their paragraph and art piece on overcoming challenges. This work is now on display in the hall. Students continued their work in literature circles. I'm happy to see everyone engaged in their book and doing great accountable talk around their novel. 

Important upcoming dates:

Friday, Dec. 5th: PA day

Tuesday Dec. 9th:  4th literature circle meeting, Scholastic book fair browsing

Wed, Dec. 10th: Holiday concert (band, strings and choir for rm. 21 students)

Thursday, Dec. 11th: Scholastic book fair shopping 

Friday, Dec. 12th: math quiz , Holiday Sale, 2:10-2:40

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. This can be a book of your choice or your literature circle book. 

2) Complete your role sheets for Tuesday and Friday's meetings. 

3) Continue to record important sentences from your novel on your "literary luminary" sheet, in preparation for your literature circle assignment, which will be completed in class. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Nov. 28- Dec. 5

This week in math the students continued to work on geometry skills.  Students learned how to create polygons with specific side lengths and angles. There will be a math quiz on Tuesday that will cover measuring, creating and labelling angles (acute, obtuse, straight, right, reflex), and creating polygons using a ruler and protractor. 

This week we have begun two culminating tasks to wrap up our unit on overcoming challenges and learning from failure. Students are writing a paragraph and answering the question, "What have you learned about overcoming challenges and learning from failure that you will apply to your life?" Students also began to create a piece of visual art that communicates their feelings, ideas and understanding of overcoming challenge. They are in the planning stage of their work. 

This week we started literature circles. Students were given several books to choose from and were put in groups based on their preferences. Students will take part in meetings on Tuesdays and Fridays. (Next week it will be Thursday due to the PA day.) Literature circles are like book clubs, in that they promote the joy of reading and focus on talking about books. Take some time to talk to your child about their book. 

Important upcoming dates:

Friday, Nov. 28th: first literature circle meeting

Tuesday Dec. 2nd: pool, 2nd literature circle meeting, math quiz

Thursday, Dec. 4th: math homework due, 3rd literature circle meeting, spelling quiz

Friday, Dec. 5th: PA day
Dec. 10th: winter concert (The only junior students involved will be those in band, choir and strings. Rm. 21 will perform in the spring concert.)

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. This can be a book of your choice or your literature circle book. Complete your role sheets for Friday, Tuesday and Thursday's meetings. 

2) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the 7th 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

3) Practise the 8 times tables and review up to 7.  

4) Complete the geometry work for math and prepare for the quiz on Tuesday.  
5) Play the geometry game that's been added to the blog. This will help you get ready for our next unit in geometry. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Nov. 21-28

This week in math the students began a new unit on geometry. We reviewed how to classify shapes by the number of sides and by the length of those sides. Students also learned how to measure and create different types of angles using a protractor. 

This week was bullying awareness week, and, as such, students were involved in a variety of activities around the topic of bullying and standing up for oneself and others. On Monday they listened to a speaker on internet safety, and were introduced to our school prefects, a few of whom are in our class. On Tuesday students participated in a presentation by De Santos on standing up for yourself. On Friday the students watched a live theatre performance entitled, "Frenemies," and were also introduced to our positive space room, which is now room 4. Please take a minute to talk to your child about these rich experiences. 

Important upcoming dates:

Tuesday Nov. 25th: pool

Thursday, Nov. 27th: homework due
Dec. 10th: winter concert (The only junior students involved will be those in band, choir and strings. Rm. 21 will perform in the spring concert.)

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. 

2) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the 6th 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

3) Practise the 8 times tables and review up to 7. 

4) Complete the editing and cursive work. 

5) Complete the geometry work for math. 
6) Write a persuasive paragraph on an opposite opinion to your own, using my example. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Nov. 14-21

This week in math the students continued to work on solving problems involving patterning, including solving for unknown variables and extending patterns in graphs. They wrote a quiz on Thursday which will be returned next Monday to be signed. Next week we will start a new unit on geometry. 

In language students wrote a persuasive paragraph on the topic of their choice. They also began a new independent writing piece. On Remembrance Day students read articles from a Remembrance Day newspaper and summarized and wrote the main idea of one article. We also watched this video and made inferences about how the people felt and why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kX_3y3u5Uo . In guided reading small groups read texts related to social studies and we worked on the skill of summarizing. 

Important upcoming dates:

Tuesday Nov. 18th: pool

Thursday, Nov. 20th: homework due

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. Practise making inferences. What is the author saying without saying it directly?  

2) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the 5th 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

3) Practise the 8 times tables and review up to 7. 

4) We've talked, read and written a lot about overcoming challenges and learning from failure. This week, interview a family member or friend about a time that they have overcome and challenge or learned from failure. Write down 3 good questions to ask and take point form notes on their answers. 

5) Next week is anti-bullying week. Create a Bitstrips comic that has, "Don't bully and don't be a bystander" as its main idea. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Nov. 7- 13

This week in math the students continued to work on solving problems involving patterning and began to work on solving for unknown variables, also known as algebra. There will be a follow-up patterning quiz next Thursday that will include concepts on the first quiz, with the addition of solving for variables, finding patterns in graphs and patterns in divisibility for grade 6s. 

In language students learned the key features of persuasive writing and how to create an outline for a persuasive paragraph. They began to write their own persuasive paragraph on the topic of their choice.

In science we had a great trip to the Science Centre! Many thanks to our parent volunteers, Susan, Mike, Mark and Arthur, for your help! The students came away with a lot of knowledge and enjoyed the hands-on learning experiences. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Nov. 10th: pool

Tuesday, Nov 11th: Remembrance Day assembly, progress reports go home, interviews            start and continue all week

Thursday, Nov. 13th: homework due, math quiz #2 on patterning

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. Practise making inferences. What is the author saying without saying it directly? 

2) Complete the math work on algebra. 

3) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the 4th 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Friday.

4) Complete cursive work. 
5) Write a persuasive paragraph using the following main idea: It is important to celebrate Remembrance Day. Remember to include the main idea given, 3 supporting details that are explained, transition words and a concluding sentence.  Use the outline provided to help you organize your ideas. 
6) Read the biography of Edwin Baker and answer the questions. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Oct. 31- Nov. 7

This week in math the students continued to work on solving problems involving patterning. We looked at several types of problems, including open response and multiple choice questions. The grade 6s began to work on patterns of divisibility. There will be a quiz on patterning on Monday. 

We continued to discuss our first inquiry topic, which is overcoming challenges and learning from failure, and read the book,  "Nelson Mandella," while focusing on the skill of inferring.  We also watched this inspirational video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c62Aqdlzvqk, and students discussed and answered questions in groups, then recorded their thinking on the board. 

Students also wrote a cloze reading quiz, which tests the use of context clues to understand. Ask your child about his/her quiz and strategies to improve this reading skill. Students read a text on Michael J. Fox, which is included in this week's homework, and applied skills that we've learned, such as summarizing and finding the main idea. 

In science students presented their research on the human body and space in the form of a power point. We've also begun to prepare for our field trip next week! In art the students collected leaves from around our yard and created multi-media prints. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Nov. 3rd: pool, math quiz on patterning

Tuesday, Nov 4th: field trip to the science centre

Thursday, Nov. 6th: homework due, spelling quiz

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. Practise making inferences. What is the author saying without saying it directly? 

2) Prepare for your book chat. Due dates vary. (Many are finished.)

3) Complete the math work on patterning. 

4) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the 3rd 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

5) Answer the questions on Michael J. Fox. Re-read the text to answer the questions.
6) Complete the Bitstrip comic assignment on patterning: Make a comic showing a pattern (increasing or decreasing pattern) in the panels. Use 4-8 panels. Use creativity when creating your comic but make sure that the pattern can be figured out. You may use characters who are explaining or counting the objects that are increasing or decreasing in numbers, use speech or thought bubbles for the characters or captions for the panel. Remember to use copy and paste to save some time! 

Best,
Bronwyn Davidson

Oct. 24-31

This week in math the students continued to solve problems using patterns. We looked at linear patterns, ( 2, 4, 8, 16), as well as patterns in tables and on geoboards. Students also worked on showing their understanding of patterning through word problems.  Students participated in "author's chair," reading their independent writing work to the class or listening to others' work. They also engaged in a heated debate on who should be our next mayor. They participated in a mock vote in room 27, and were able to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice. Much of the students' time this week was spent working on research and preparation for their science power point presentations, which will continue to be presented next week. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Oct. 28thth: pool 

Thursday, Oct. 30th: homework due, spelling quiz 

Friday, Oct. 31st: Halloween parade at 1PM

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. 

2) Begin to prepare or plan for your book chat. Due dates vary. (Some are finished.)

3) Complete the math work on patterning. 

4) Complete the cursive practice. 

5) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the second 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Thursday.

6) Write a letter to a character in a book that you are reading or you read most recently. Use my model to help you. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Oct. 17- Oct. 24

This week in math the students had a quiz on long divison, long multiplication, order of operations for grade 6's and word problems.  Tests are going home on Friday to be signed, corrected as much as possible and returned on Monday. We also began a new unit on patterning this week. 

We continued to discuss our first inquiry topic, which is overcoming challenges and learning from failure, and read the book,  "Gandhi: A March to the Sea" while focusing on the skill of summarizing.  We also discussed Malala's  Nobel Peace Prize win and watched her interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGL6YY6oMs Students then wrote questions that they would ask Malala if they could interview her, then took turns role playing and answering their questions. Students also finished and evaluated their independent writing work. It was interesting to see the wide variety of writing interests, from poetry to comics to chapters of novels. 

In science students began to research new topics related to space, (gr. 6), and the human body, (gr. 5.) Students will present their research in the form of a power point. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Oct. 20th: pool, Centennial celebration assembly 9:15AM
Tuesday, Oct. 21st: sports team day
Wednesday, Oct. 22nd: favourite singer/ band day

Thursday, Oct. 23rd: homework due AND dress like any decade day
Friday, Oct. 24th: spelling quiz and Willy wear day
Saturday, Oct. 25th: Centennial celebration! 

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. Practise the "say something" strategy while you read and after.

2) Begin to prepare or plan for your book chat. Due dates vary. 

3) Complete the math work on patterning.

4) Memorize the 7 times tables and review 3-6.

5) Complete the cursive and cloze reading activity. 

6) Study this week's spelling words: your own personal list, and the first 10 spelling demons. There will be a quiz on Friday.

6) Grade 6's: Complete the science work by researching and answering the questions. 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Oct. 10-17

This week in math the students worked on solving word problems, including multi-step problems. The students also practised a different way to do long multiplication, called lattice multiplication. There will be a math quiz on Wednesday that will cover long divison, long multiplication, order of operations for grade 6's and word problems.  

We continued to discuss our first inquiry topic, which is overcoming challenges and learning from failure, and read the book, "Something Beautiful," while focusing on the skill of finding the main idea.  We also watched this powerful video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlXWp6vFdE,  and discussed then wrote a response to the question: "Did he fail? Why or why not? Justify your answer. " This could lead to some rich conversations at home as well. 

Students finished and evaluated their personal narrative stories and continued with independent writing. The students also began personal spelling lists to help focus on challenging words and how to remember them. Students received their CASI marks, which is a reading test, and reflected on how to improve. Ask your child about his/ her mark and how he/she can improve their reading responses. 

In science students finished their presentations on planets and body systems. We also did an election poll for our upcoming municipal election. The results of our class poll were:

Olivia Chow: 1
John Tory: 8
Doug Ford: 3
other: 0
undecided: 4
absent: 7

It looks like it's still anyone's race in room 21!

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Oct. 13th: Thanksgiving

Tuesday, Oct. 14th: picture day! 
Wednesday, Oct. 15th: math quiz

Monday, Oct. 20th: pool ( We'll have pool on Mondays for a few weeks.) 

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. 

Because it is Thanksgiving weekend, no other homework will be assigned. A book chat assignment has been included in the homework folder. Students will sign up for a time in the next month to present their book chat. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

Oct. 3-10

This week in math the students worked on long division.  We continued to discuss our first inquiry topic, which is overcoming challenges, and focused on Ruby Bridges. The students created a triple Venn diagram comparing Ruby Bridges, Terry Fox and Malala- lots of deep thinking! We also practised the strategy, "say something." Have your child explain the strategy to you and practise it while reading at home. 

We spent some time talking about failure, and how failure is sometimes part of learning and growing. 

The students also continued to work on independent writing and their personal narratives. They  "made friends" with the dictionaries and thesauruses and we looked at how to use each tool to help improve their writing.  In science the grade 6s presented their infographic posters on planets, while the grade 5s presented their life-sized posters of the different human body systems. We also began to discuss the different levels of government in Canada, and the upcoming municipal election, which lead to a heated conversation! 

Important upcoming dates:

Thursday, Oct. 9th: cross country meet

Friday, October 10th: homework due; pool (homework is due on Friday because of the meet)

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. 

2) Complete the cursive worksheets. 

3) Complete the math work on long division and the 6 times tables mad math minute. 

4) Complete the spelling work on " i before e, except after c."

5) Complete the reading activity on Rick Hansen and answer the questions. 

6) Start to gather information about who you will vote for in the municipal election.

7) Watch the following movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUpl0HDGq1Q

Comment below on the blog by answering this question: Much like book authors, screenwriters write movies with a message. Based on the trailer, what do you think the screenwriter's message is? (What is he/she trying to teach the world?)

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson