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?