Feb. 27-March 6

This week in math the students wrote a quiz on decimal numbers. Those tests went home on Thursday to be signed and corrected by the students as much as possible. I encouraged students who need further instruction in any area of decimals to stay after school next week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday so that I can go over any areas of confusion. This week the students also learned what the word ratio means, and have solved word problems involving ratios. 

In language students continued to practise saying their speeches in order to be fully prepared for next week's presentation. We also discussed anxiety reducing strategies that they can use before public speaking or any time that anxiety rises. Students also began to brainstorm possible topics for a business letter. They will write to someone in a position of power about a social justice issue that they would like to see changed. In guided reading students self-selected which area of reading they would like to focus on improving: comprehension, accuracy, fluency or expanding vocabulary. Students will be able to change their goals as they see fit and I will change guided reading groups accordingly. This will give students greater ownership over their learning.  

In science we used the very cold weather to our advantage and performed an experiment involving changes in matter. Students also learned about the transformation of energy and how electric circuits work. Students had the opportunity to create circuits using batteries and wires in preparation for an upcoming design and make project. 

In art we looked at reproductions of masters and created a mock gallery in our room. Students browsed the gallery and chose their favourite pieces of work then explained why they preferred those to others. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, March 2nd: pool

Thursday, March 5th: AGO field trip

Friday, March 6th: homework due

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. You will complete a third "Retell, Relate, Reflect" next week. (We didn't get to that this week!)

2) Complete the ratio recipes work for math. 
4) Complete the apostrophe work.
5) Record yourself or have someone record you saying your speech. Watch yourself and notice if there's anything that you could improve, like slowing down, adding intonation, or using more eye contact
6) Read the text, "Obama Makes Tough New Pollution Law" and answer the questions. 

a) Summarize the text. 

b) What is the main idea of this text? 

c) According to the text,  "In a speech, Obama said that 'as a president and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that’s beyond fixing.'" What did the president mean? 

d) What would you say to the people who are worried about losing their jobs if you were the president?

e) How does this text relate to our inquiry on power?

Speech Success Criteria and Some Interesting Research

This year I've had the opportunity to attend Leadership Team Meetings for our family of schools, and the focus has been on mathematics. At the most recent meeting this slide jumped out at me, as it relates to our first inquiry on challenge and failure and speaks to the importance of struggling in order to learn. I will talk to the class about this but wanted to share it with parents as well. We, (I) as parents, often want to save our children from the frustration of struggle in academics, but, in fact, the struggle is where learning happens! 

These charts are currently hanging in our classroom, and I thought that posting them would be helpful for students as they practise speeches at home. The students and I co-created the success criteria after reading and watching many speeches and analyzing the components of a good speech.

Feb. 20-27

This week in math the students learned how to multiply and divide decimal numbers. We will have a quiz next Tuesday on decimal numbers, including rounding, comparing, adding, subracting, and comparing decimals and fractions. Grade 6s will also be tested on multiplying and dividing decimal numbers as well as percent.

In language students continued to work on speech writing. Many students have finished their rough drafts and practised saying their speeches out loud while timing themselves. Speeches need to be between 2-3 minutes long. Some students have begun to write their speeches on cue cards. Speeches will be presented during the week of March 2-6th. In guided reading our focus has been on using evidence from the text to support an inference.

We also continued to think about our inquiry on power. We read the book, "I Have the Right to Be a Child," and discussed children's rights, as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of Children. We made connections to our prior knowledge on the topic and discussed how it relates to power. Students learned that children have the least power and therefore need to be protected. 

Important upcoming dates:

Monday, Feb. 23rd: pool

Tuesday, Feb. 24th: math quiz

Thurs., Feb. 26th  homework due, danceathon

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. You will complete a third "Retell, Relate, Reflect" next week. 
2) Complete the decimals work for math. 
3) Practise typing for 10 minutes each day. Use one of the websites on the blog.
4) Complete the spelling work on homonyms. Their/ there and they're misuse is a big pet peeve of mine, almost as much as good vs. well!
5) Read the text, "Nearly 60 years ago Rosa Parks refused to change seats on the bus," then answer the questions attached.
6) Complete your speech if it's not already complete and memorize it. Read it aloud many times! It's even better practice if you have an audience. Work on intonation and eye contact. 

Best,
Bronwyn Davidson

Feb. 13- 20

This week in math the students learned how to add and subtract decimal numbers. Students wrote a quiz on decimal numbers, which was sent home to be signed and corrected as much as possible. We will take it up next week.  

In language students continued to work on speech writing. Students learned the various techniques for writing a good hook, then practised writing a hook for their speech.  In guided reading we're practising making inferences and proving them using the text.  Students also worked on a second retell, relate reflect response on their independent reading book. Finally, we talked about what it means to read voraciously and why it is important. Please talk to your child about his/her reading habits and whether or not he/she is reading voraciously enough. This is an important factor in reading success!

Important upcoming dates:

Mon, Feb. 16th: Family Day

Friday, Feb. 20th: pool

There is no homework this week in order to allow families time to spend together. Enjoy! 

Best,

Bronwyn

Feb. 6th- 13th

This week in math the students learned about the relationship between fractions and decimal numbers. Students practised converting fractions to decimals and putting decimal numbers in order. They also learned how to round decimal numbers. We will have a quiz next Thursday on fractions and decimals. 

In language students began to work on speech writing. We looked at the key features of a speech, and watched several examples of speeches being delivered. Together we co-created success criteria for what makes a good speech, including the writing and the delivery. Next week we will begin writing the speeches. 

We also began a new read aloud novel, entitled Branded, by Eric Walters. This novel fits well with our inquiry on power, as it's partially about power struggles between people and also ties in social justice issues. It's proven to be a very engaging read so far! 

Finally, the students created beautiful pieces of artwork on our snowy Monday. The works depict birch trees in winter and were created using tape, watercolour and tempera paint. The students made artistic choices about colour and use of space and learned how to create the illusion of light and 3 dimension by using shading and cast shadows. 

Important upcoming dates:

Thurs., Feb. 12th:  homework due, math quiz, super swim meet, Valentine exchange (Phew!) 

Fri., Feb. 13th: PA day

Mon, Feb. 16th: Family Day

Homework for this week:

1) Read for at least 20 minutes each night. You will complete a second "Retell, Relate, Reflect" next week. 

2) Complete the decimals/ percent work for math. 

3) Practise typing for 10 minutes each day. Use one of the websites on the blog. 

4) Read the text, "NYPD Officer's Random Act of Kindess Goes Viral," then answer the questions attached:

a) What type of text is this? Identify the key features and give an example of each from the text.
b) Summarize the text. (Who, what, where, when, why, so what?)

c) What kind of person is the officer? Use ideas from the text and your own ideas to support your answer. 
d) Officer DePrimo says that he’s always tried to live according to the wise words of his grandfather. What wise words do you try to live by? Why do you think these words are so meaningful?

e) How does this article relate to our inquiry on power?

Best,

Bronwyn Davidson