My Precept

Ms. Davidson’s Precept

Be better.

When I was in my 20’s I had the privilege of living and teaching in Japan for two years. It was there, among the green tea fields, the cherry blossoms, the crush of people and the thunder of bullet trains that I discovered my personal precept: be better. One of my closest friends and mentor in Japan was named Suzuki sensei. He was one of those people who everyone instantly likes: he had a wide, open face and was always quick to laugh. Like many people in Japan, Suzuki sensei was a Buddhist, and it was from him that I learned my precept. The Buddhist philosophy can be boiled down to, “be better,” and Suzuki sensei used it to guide his life.  As soon as I heard it I knew that I had encountered a profound idea, and this precept has guided me ever since. I apply it to all aspects of my life, from teaching to parenting to health. I know that I can’t be perfect, but if I just focus on being a little bit better, then I will constantly improve. My precept guides how I teach as well, as I believe that everyone can be successful, and that improving is always the goal. Looking back, I can see that I left Canada for Japan all those years ago to try to see myself and the world more clearly.  Little did I know that by moving to the other side of the world I would find what I believe in most deeply, and in turn, truly find myself.

March 28th-April 4th

We've had a great week of learning in room 21. In math the students learned how to round, add and subtract decimal numbers. We will have a math quiz next week on these concepts and comparing decimals to fractions. In language the students met with their literature circle groups to discuss their chosen novel. We also finished the novel Wonder and discussed the main messages from the book. This week's homework will relate to Wonder. In art the students created a piece of work based on Paul Klee's "Cat and Bird," but using an idea that we got from Wonder. In the novel the main character created a piece of work depicting himself as an animal. The students did the same, using the medium of chalk pastel. Next week we'll write about them. In science the grade 6's presented power point presentations to me (Steven Harper), and tried to convince me to invest in their chosen source of energy. I was impressed by the presentations, as well as the debate that followed- the students showed high level thinking! The grade 5's just finished a series of centres where they explored different types of energy and are moving on to the transformation of energy. We will begin a social studies project shortly; details to follow.

This week's homework:

1) Continue to practise times tables.
2) Complete the math homework on decimals.
3) Update your spelling list and study your words. 
4) Read your literature circle novel and be prepared with your completed role sheet for both meetings. 
5) In your language notebook, answer the following 2 questions in paragraph form. You will need to write 2 separate paragraphs. 

1) What do you think is the main message of Wonder? What was the author trying to teach us? Use your own ideas and examples from the text to explain.

2) I have given you a copy of Mr. Browne's precepts and the precepts of all the characters from Wonder. What is your personal precept? Explain why it is important to you. I want to hear your voice as a writer. Use my example as a model to help you.

Important dates:

Tuesday, April 1st: math quiz on decimals- not an April Fool's Day joke!

Wed, April 2nd: literature circle meeting

Thursday, April 3rd: homework due, library, pool

Friday, April 4th: literature circle meeting

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson

March 21-27

This week we began to explore decimals and compare them to fractions. You can help your child with these concepts by pointing them out in real life. Referring to money is a great way to practise and understand decimals. In language students chose new novels to read for literature circles and had their first meeting. I was pleased to hear great conversations going on about literature! We also learned the words "implicit" and "explicit" and how they relate to questions about texts. In the junior grades reading questions become more implicit, so students have to infer and read between the lines. We practised these skills during the guided reading of a text about maple syrup production.

Important dates this week:

Wednesday: literature circle meeting #2
Thursday: homework due, pool, library
Friday: literature circle meeting #3

Homework for this week:
1) Practise those times tables!!!
2) Complete the math work on comparing and ordering decimals.
3) Update your personal spelling list and study those words.
4) Read your novel and be prepared for both meetings with your role sheet complete.
5) In your language homework notebook, answer the following question in paragraph form. Don't forget an introduction, transition words and a conclusion.
Good readers constantly ask questions as they read. What questions do you already have about your literature circle novel? What do you wish you knew? 

Best,
Bronwyn Davidson

March Break homework: read!!

This week we worked on a reading strategy called, "say something." Have your child practise this with you. The idea is to read a paragraph, page or chapter, depending on the length of text, then say something about it. This can be a connection or a summary. This strategy is used to increase reading comprehension.

We used this strategy this week in guided reading groups while reading a non-fiction text. We also used it during a shared reading of "The Lorax." We read The Lorax while connecting it to our inquiry topic of balancing needs. This lead to an interesting discussion of, "What are needs?" We looked at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a frame of reference and compared needs to "thneeds" in The Lorax, which represent material things. We discovered that in the story, the quest for "thneeds" was taking away creatures' basic needs. Who knew that Dr. Suess was so deep? :-)

Have a wonderful March Break.

Best,
Bronwyn Davidson