I hope everyone had a lovely fall weekend. Here is what we did today:
Math-After our Daily Problem and Precision Math, we talked about the census. We are going to be participating in the Census at School. Here is a link if you would like to read more about it: http://www19.statcan.ca/10/10_000-eng.htm
Today, we focused on taking all of their measurements and talking about why a country might take a census. We also discussed why different countries have different questions on their questionnaires.
Literacy-For their communication books today, I asked them to summarize their weekends. I modelled that I wanted them to write an introduction sentence that stated the main theme of their weekend. I then asked for 2-3 sentences that went into more detail, and finally a concluding sentence to wrap it up on an interesting note. I also asked them to make sure that the body and concluding sentence reflected the theme outlined in their introduction. I was pleased to see all of the students follow the structure. I saw the word "friend" spelled correctly many times as well.
Afterwards, we used different resources to define the terms timbre, duration, dynamics, pitch, form, and texture as they relate to music. We will use these definitions in a year-long assignment I will call Desert Island Discs (an idea borrowed from Andrew). More about this to come later.
Next, Lynn joined our class. She began today by meeting with two small groups to do some guided reading. I met with a group to discuss summarizing. We read a touching article and then used a t-table to deciper the "Need to Know" information from the "Nice to Know" information. We then wrote summaries of the article from the "Need to Know" side of the t-table. Tomorrow, I will repeat this lesson with another group while Lynn meets with the two other guided reading groups. The other students worked on finishing their personal newspapers.
In gym, we began our unit on Ultimate by focusing on the throw and catch.
There are two notes coming home today. One is about the Family Breakfast and the other one is about the Tie-Dye workshop.
Please remember to hand in cheques only. It makes things so much easier. It would also be helpful to write your student's name and homeroom in the memo line.
All Terry Fox forms are due tomorrow. In order to account for all necessary volunteers, I need at least a day or two to process all of the forms. For this reason, I will not be accepting forms after tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding.
Have a wonderful night!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Condiment Election!
Today we participated in a great activity with all of the 5/6s. It was our condiment election!
We started by saying that we needed to divide all of the students up into groups. To do this, we asked them to choose what they would put on their hot dogs: ketchup, mustard, relish, a combination of the three, or plain. These then formed our "parties". Each group elected a leader and came up with a campaign slogan. Some groups, like the Ketchup Party, were bigger than others. We drew comparisons by saying that some parties, like the Liberals and Conservatives, are bigger while others, like the Green Party, are smaller.
We had a map that showed all of the homerooms or "ridings". Each group assigned one student to a riding. They tried to choose someone who used to be a part of that class to represent that you can only be a nominee in your own riding. Some parties only had 3 or 4 members so we explained that they could only be represented in 3 or 4 ridings just like the Green Party and how they may not be on the ballot in every riding.
The students then went out to the classrooms and collected votes. The results were tabulated and, just as they had predicted, the Ketchup Party won. Luckily, Jasper, the leader of the Ketchup Party, won in his riding and didn't have to kick one of his party members out. We fudged the results a little so that we could have an official opposition (Ketchup one in every riding except for two!). Malcolm, leader of the Ketchup-Mustard Party, was the Leader of the Official Opposition. We had so much fun that we ran right out of time. I will be having a concluding conversation with our class to wrap things up. Their homework tonight was to tell you about it. So, if you ask them what they did at school today, they aren't supposed to say "nothing", "I can't remember", or "ugghhhh".
In math, we all looked at different methods of solving word problems. We divided into groups and each group is creating a poster to outline a different method so that we can use them as tools in our room.
Please hand in your Terry Fox forms and remember to sign those agendas.
We started by saying that we needed to divide all of the students up into groups. To do this, we asked them to choose what they would put on their hot dogs: ketchup, mustard, relish, a combination of the three, or plain. These then formed our "parties". Each group elected a leader and came up with a campaign slogan. Some groups, like the Ketchup Party, were bigger than others. We drew comparisons by saying that some parties, like the Liberals and Conservatives, are bigger while others, like the Green Party, are smaller.
We had a map that showed all of the homerooms or "ridings". Each group assigned one student to a riding. They tried to choose someone who used to be a part of that class to represent that you can only be a nominee in your own riding. Some parties only had 3 or 4 members so we explained that they could only be represented in 3 or 4 ridings just like the Green Party and how they may not be on the ballot in every riding.
The students then went out to the classrooms and collected votes. The results were tabulated and, just as they had predicted, the Ketchup Party won. Luckily, Jasper, the leader of the Ketchup Party, won in his riding and didn't have to kick one of his party members out. We fudged the results a little so that we could have an official opposition (Ketchup one in every riding except for two!). Malcolm, leader of the Ketchup-Mustard Party, was the Leader of the Official Opposition. We had so much fun that we ran right out of time. I will be having a concluding conversation with our class to wrap things up. Their homework tonight was to tell you about it. So, if you ask them what they did at school today, they aren't supposed to say "nothing", "I can't remember", or "ugghhhh".
In math, we all looked at different methods of solving word problems. We divided into groups and each group is creating a poster to outline a different method so that we can use them as tools in our room.
Please hand in your Terry Fox forms and remember to sign those agendas.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday, September 22
Math: The grade fives reinforced their skills in division. They began by discussing estimating quotients before calculating with Terra. Terra tells me many of them were confused by the lesson so we asked them to continue practicing with the candy division. I am trying to have a student film me doing the candy division so we can post it on the blog, but we've been having some technical difficulties. We hope to sort this out soon.
The grade sixes discussed factors and products with me. We talked about how multiplication is visually just a rectangle. Than we discussed the difference between numbers that only have one rectangle (prime numbers) versus numbers that can be represented by several rectangles (composite numbers). They reinforced these concepts with work from the text book.
Literacy: Today we discussed context clues and learning to find meaning for an unknown word or phrase from the context surrounding it. We then shifted gears to Social Studies. The grade sixes discussed what imports and exports are. They then worked with a map and a chart from Stats Can to identify our major trading partners.
The grade fives had an active lesson where we identified the major players in our federal government. They were assigned hats and roles to learn about the Queen, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Senate, the Members of Parliament, the Speaker, the Mace, the Judiciary branch, and the role of the people.
We finished the day with some fitness stations in gym and a review of some high-frequency commonly misspelled words. Ask them about the tricks we've learned to remember the correct spelling. This month's words are in their agendas.
We are also continuing to read our read-a-loud novel which is Surviving the Applewhites.
Please help make the agenda routine a regular habit.
Terry Fox permission forms were sent out today and I will be putting the Scholastic order in tomorrow.
Have a good evening!
The grade sixes discussed factors and products with me. We talked about how multiplication is visually just a rectangle. Than we discussed the difference between numbers that only have one rectangle (prime numbers) versus numbers that can be represented by several rectangles (composite numbers). They reinforced these concepts with work from the text book.
Literacy: Today we discussed context clues and learning to find meaning for an unknown word or phrase from the context surrounding it. We then shifted gears to Social Studies. The grade sixes discussed what imports and exports are. They then worked with a map and a chart from Stats Can to identify our major trading partners.
The grade fives had an active lesson where we identified the major players in our federal government. They were assigned hats and roles to learn about the Queen, the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Senate, the Members of Parliament, the Speaker, the Mace, the Judiciary branch, and the role of the people.
We finished the day with some fitness stations in gym and a review of some high-frequency commonly misspelled words. Ask them about the tricks we've learned to remember the correct spelling. This month's words are in their agendas.
We are also continuing to read our read-a-loud novel which is Surviving the Applewhites.
Please help make the agenda routine a regular habit.
Terry Fox permission forms were sent out today and I will be putting the Scholastic order in tomorrow.
Have a good evening!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 21
At the end of the day, we wrapped up and reviewed what we had accomplished and learned today. Here is what the kids said:
I learned a new way to divide that works for me (a video blog to come shortly)
I learned how to summarize each paragraph as I read something. I can use the first and last sentences of a paragraph to help. I can also underline important words.
I learned about voing in Canada and why voting is important.
I learned how some words are spelled illogically and I also learned some tricks on remembering how to spell because, people, they, off, laugh, said, have, want, until, and friend.
I learned how to answer a "Would You Rather" question by starting with an introduction sentence, followed by two or three sentences explaining my choice, and finishing with an interesting concluding sentence.
All in all, a productive day. Please make sure the kids are reading at home and writing it down in their agendas.
I learned a new way to divide that works for me (a video blog to come shortly)
I learned how to summarize each paragraph as I read something. I can use the first and last sentences of a paragraph to help. I can also underline important words.
I learned about voing in Canada and why voting is important.
I learned how some words are spelled illogically and I also learned some tricks on remembering how to spell because, people, they, off, laugh, said, have, want, until, and friend.
I learned how to answer a "Would You Rather" question by starting with an introduction sentence, followed by two or three sentences explaining my choice, and finishing with an interesting concluding sentence.
All in all, a productive day. Please make sure the kids are reading at home and writing it down in their agendas.
Snack Schedule
Here is the snack schedule for September and October.
19 | 20 Fraser | 21 William | 22 Nadia | 23 Callum | 24 Daphne | 25 |
26 | 27 Julia | 28 Sage | 29 Mark | 30 Eric | 1 Josephine | 2 |
3 | 4 Olivia | 5 Matt | 6 Nick | 7 Imran | 8 Jasper | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 Benn | 14 Scott | 15 Sophie | 16 |
17 | 18 Sean | 19 Chloe | 20 Ryo | 21 Desanka | 22 Luca | 23 |
24 | 25 Brayden | 26 Jacob | 27 Liam | 28 Annika | 29 Cameron | 30 |
Friday, September 17, 2010
New Beginnings
Hello! We wanted to let you know about some of the things we've been working on.
Mixed Media Art
One of our most recent art projects have had to do with mostly scale.
This art project contains things that represent us.
We used magazine picture to make a back round of sky and land that we thought represented us then we used pictures that Tiiu (the best teacher ever!) took for us and cut our heads out then we chose a body from the magazines thinking about scale and attached our heads on to it.
You can find our pieces of art just out side of our class room.
Mission Statement
310 would like to have fun while learning and respecting each other.
Lattice Multiplication
In class we are learning about lattice multiplication which can be an easier way of doing multiplication. Most of us have been able to use it to multiply large numbers together. Want to know more? Check out this link! http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-lesson-lattice-multiplication-1.html
Newspapers
We are each developing a newspaper about ourselves. We learned that headlines describe a story using big, bold words. The byline is the name of the author. Articles start with an introduction that summarizes the story in a sentence or two. They may also include captions and pictures.
Types of Sentences
We have been learning about the four different types of sentences. We have actions to help us remember them. Ask me, and I will show you! We also wrote and performed little skits about them.
Mixed Media Art
One of our most recent art projects have had to do with mostly scale.
This art project contains things that represent us.
We used magazine picture to make a back round of sky and land that we thought represented us then we used pictures that Tiiu (the best teacher ever!) took for us and cut our heads out then we chose a body from the magazines thinking about scale and attached our heads on to it.
You can find our pieces of art just out side of our class room.
Mission Statement
310 would like to have fun while learning and respecting each other.
Lattice Multiplication
In class we are learning about lattice multiplication which can be an easier way of doing multiplication. Most of us have been able to use it to multiply large numbers together. Want to know more? Check out this link! http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/times-tables-lesson-lattice-multiplication-1.html
Newspapers
We are each developing a newspaper about ourselves. We learned that headlines describe a story using big, bold words. The byline is the name of the author. Articles start with an introduction that summarizes the story in a sentence or two. They may also include captions and pictures.
Types of Sentences
We have been learning about the four different types of sentences. We have actions to help us remember them. Ask me, and I will show you! We also wrote and performed little skits about them.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hello!
Welcome back! I had a lovely “stay-cation” this summer and spent the majority of my time playing with Hayden and Daisy May. I have come to appreciate the boundless energy that toddlers have to share and have really learned to appreciate grandparents and their generosity of time and babysitting help.
There will be a lot of information and details coming at you over the next week. I hope this letter helps to sum it all up for you.
Attached you will find a package of papers from the school. There will be about one million forms to sign and return. Please do your best as a family to return all of the forms and money as soon as possible as it helps us as a school to organize important information for keeping everything running smoothly and safely. I suggest that you keep the package of forms stapled and returned as one bundle. Thank you for your efficiency with all of the forms.
I am looking forward to another fabulous year. I know it will be a year full of entertaining education.
Room 310 Blog
A few years ago I began a very worthwhile project which was our classroom blog. What is a blog you may ask? A blog is similar to an online journal. Our blog will be used as a means of communication and I will update it often with notes about projects, homework, field trips, and other reminders. I may post links to interesting websites that pertain to what we are studying or images of things that we have been working on in class. I hope you will all check it often! I found that many families found it a wonderful tool to keep in touch with our classroom events. The address is: http://room310churchill.blogspot.com/.
This year I will be taking our blogging to the next level. Please stay tuned for more details.
Class Meeting
Our class meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 15th at
Agendas
I rely heavily on the agendas as a means of communication. Please set aside some time as a family to go over the Churchill Guidelines together and sign them after you have read and discussed them. From then on, each student will be expected to record their nightly reading into their agendas (ex: Tuck Everlasting pages 15-27). Each student should be reading a minimum of 20 minutes a night. I will also ask an adult in the family to sign off the agenda each evening.
Our Schedule
As you all know, the beginning of the year is a precarious time. As new students register and our population settles, it is always possible that our classes can be reorganized. Regardless, I like to take the beginning of the year to establish routines and get working. With that in mind, here is our tentative schedule which can hopefully be written in stone soon.
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
Math | Math | Math | Math | Math | |
French | French | French | French | French | |
Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | |
Nutrition 1 | Nutrition 1 | Nutrition 1 | Nutrition 1 | Nutrition 1 | |
Literacy | Literacy | Literacy | Literacy | Literacy | |
Literacy Including Sci/SS | Literacy Including Sci/SS | Literacy Including Sci/SS | Literacy Including Sci/SS | Literacy Including Sci/SS | |
Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | |
Nutrition 2 | Nutrition 2 | Nutrition 2 | Nutrition 2 | Nutrition 2 | |
Gym | Gym | Gym | Gym | Arts | |
Arts |
Terry Fox Day
Terry Fox Day has been a growing success, and a popular event with our community over the past two years. This year we will hold our own Terry Fox run on the afternoon of Thursday, September 30th at
Shoes and Gym
Footwear that students use outside on the yard is not to be worn in the classroom, library, or gymnasium. This is particularly an issue during the wet and winter months, but it is a practice that we will try to get used to from the beginning of the year. At no time are students to be walking without footwear in the school. Gym shoes must be shoes that can be laced up, are not worn for everyday use outside, and have non- marking soles. This is standard practice for school gyms in order to provide a safe environment for participants.
Group Snack
The group snack program has been a lovely custom here at Churchill and it would be nice to continue it this year. This healthy snack would be shared during first nutrition break and would follow a monthly schedule organized by our volunteer coordinator.
Following the “Healthy Snack” policies that the school promotes, the students in past years made up some guidelines to keep in mind when choosing snack for the class.
· low sugar items
· healthy foods high in vitamins
· variety
· focus on fruits and vegetables
If a relatively “sweet” snack is being provided it should be combined with another item such as carrot sticks, fruit pieces, cheese and crackers, etc.
In the past, we have had nearly one hundred percent participation in this program, but this does not mean that all must take part. If you would prefer to send your child with their own snack each day, and not have them take part in the sharing of snack, simply let me know and I will make sure that your child’s name is not on the schedule. We will probably set a schedule from the second week of school, and try to arrange following months through the volunteer co-coordinators.
Nut Restricted
Please remember that Churchill continues to be a “Nut Restricted” school in an effort to create a safe environment for a number of seriously allergic members of our school community. More information is available through the office concerning the details of this policy, but basically the main item to be aware of are that students are asked to not bring food to school that contains nuts as a major ingredient (especially peanut butter).
Volunteers and Volunteer Co-ordinator
Yes, we still welcome (and need) volunteers in grade 5/6. It may not always be glamorous work, but it is always a valuable contribution that you make to our learning environment when you can find the time to join us in class. You are all encouraged to help out in class whenever possible. If you have a particular strength or area of expertise, please let Tiiu know so that we can make use of it. We are in need of one or two people who are willing to take charge of our volunteer and snack schedule on a month-by-month basis. If you are able to help us out with this please let me know right away so we can start to organize the school year.
I would like to start a read-a-loud program this year which involves students reading a loud to an adult. If you are able to share some time with us, please let Tiiu know at the class meeting.
Wish list
Not everyone can make it in to volunteer for various reasons, but often I am asked if there is anything else that they can do for the class. Here are a few roles that need filling and items that we could benefit from. Let me know if you are able to take care of any of the following “wishes”.
Tissue : If each student could bring in two boxes of facial tissues runny noses would be taken care of for the whole year.
Electric Pencil Sharpener: They actually do a better job of sharpening and save time for the students.
Class visitors : The next best thing to a field trip is a guest to the classroom. If you are (or know) a musician, author, journalist, known athlete, etc. who would be willing to share with the class, please let me know and we can arrange a visit.
Public Library Contact : Go online or in person to the Ottawa Public Library every few weeks and sign out/return books for class use based on the subjects being covered.
Read Aloud Volunteers: Give students in the class a chance to read out loud.
Hand Sanitizer: Our class pump of hand sanitizer sits by the door and gets well used around recess and at other times during the day. Refills are needed two or three times a year.
Books : Both fiction and non fiction to add to the class library.
If you ever have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can reach me by phone, here at the school, and leave me a message but the best way to reach me is through email. My email address is tiiu.tsao@ocdsb.ca.
I’m looking forward to an exciting year and working together with all of you.
Tiiu Tsao
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