Today was one of those crazy days where I felt like we never even sat down!
During math, I met with the grade 5s about mean and mode. We were also treated to a presentation in Ray's room about the Smart Board which is an interactive white board. It is a mobile unit and I'm hoping to learn how to use it in the classroom.
After our first break, we met with Yasir Naqvi (not Nasir Yaqvi) who is our local MPP (not a city councillor-SORRY!). He did a great job at presenting and really showed us concrete examples of how he has been able to make differences in our community. It was really interesting!
Next up, we headed to the gym for picture day. The company was great and the kids are all coming home with proofs TODAY! If you want to order, just fill out the envelope.
We also did some brainstorming for our Haunted Museum, practiced some Ultimate skills, had a fire drill, and talked about some school house keeping issues.
Please remember that all students should be leaving at 2:30. If they are not accompanied by a parent, they should not be in the yard after 2:45.
Our field trip is tomorrow. Please dress appropriately for the weather and pack a lunch that will be easy to eat and filling. Thank you to those parents who are volunteering!
Today, we also had Jeff Humphries in. He is a teacher working as a SEA Trainer which is someone who helps the students who have special technological equipment. He was really helpful to the whole class and is going to come back and do some training with the students on how to use certain software. In the meantime, he let me know that a lot of the software is available to all families-for free! To download it, goto www.premierathome.com. The login is "ocdsb" and the password is "family". As part of the suite, there is a talking work processor which reads back what the kids have typed in, a pdf equalizer, and a universal reader which will read things off of the internet. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. The students certainly look a little fuller to me.
First, I want to thank everyone involved for getting those newspapers in on time! I believe this is a record for me. I received all but one newspaper on time! Yay! I will do my part and try and get them back to you as soon as possible.
We have a busy week ahead with the field trip and picture day.
Today we tried to finish some textbook work in math. The grade 6s were looking at a set of data about housing prices that a realtor sold. The question asked them to calculate mean and median and asked them to reflect on which they thought represented the data for effectively. For this question, we discussed how most of the data hovered around $161 000 -$174 000, except for one number which was $260 000. For this reason, we chose the median as a better average since the mean would include the $260 000 and be higher than most of the data set.
We had a special treat when Megan (our new Principal) came in and taught a lesson to the class. She spoke mostly about leadership and the power of words. We hope to have her back soon.
In Literacy, we did a short lesson on the conjunctions and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. We discussed how using them in sentences could enhance their sentence fluency. In our Communication Books, for practice, I asked them to reflect on how words are powerful. They were expected to write an introduction, body, and conclusion (as always) but were also required to use at least 2 conjunctions and 3 different types of sentences (imperative, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory) to increase their sentence fluency. They did a great job too!
We are now doing reading buddies to wrap up our day.
Please remember to look spiffy for picture day tomorrow!
First, I want to thank everyone involved for getting those newspapers in on time! I believe this is a record for me. I received all but one newspaper on time! Yay! I will do my part and try and get them back to you as soon as possible.
We have a busy week ahead with the field trip and picture day.
Today we tried to finish some textbook work in math. The grade 6s were looking at a set of data about housing prices that a realtor sold. The question asked them to calculate mean and median and asked them to reflect on which they thought represented the data for effectively. For this question, we discussed how most of the data hovered around $161 000 -$174 000, except for one number which was $260 000. For this reason, we chose the median as a better average since the mean would include the $260 000 and be higher than most of the data set.
We had a special treat when Megan (our new Principal) came in and taught a lesson to the class. She spoke mostly about leadership and the power of words. We hope to have her back soon.
In Literacy, we did a short lesson on the conjunctions and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. We discussed how using them in sentences could enhance their sentence fluency. In our Communication Books, for practice, I asked them to reflect on how words are powerful. They were expected to write an introduction, body, and conclusion (as always) but were also required to use at least 2 conjunctions and 3 different types of sentences (imperative, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory) to increase their sentence fluency. They did a great job too!
We are now doing reading buddies to wrap up our day.
Please remember to look spiffy for picture day tomorrow!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
We had a fabulous Friday here in Room 310.
In Math, we played "Is It a Minute to Win It?". I went onto the website for the telvision gameshow called Minute to Win It. In the show, contestants are asked to complete a task in under a minute. I replicated some of these tasks in class. Each person was placed in a group. Each group perform each task and timed each player doing it. Then they calculated the mean time it took for them to perform the task. We did pretty good! Most of the mean times were under a minute. It was a lot of fun.
In literacy/art/social studies, we discussed Coat of Arms. We looked at common heraldic elements and symbols. Students are working to create their own including the shield, the supporters, and a motto.
In gym we played Dr. Dodgeball because that was what won the vote on our blog. We also played a little bit of Teacher's Revenge. The kids begged for it, I swear.
Next week we will start to do some serious planning for our Haunted House. We conducted our survey and I am happy to report that the circus theme did not get chosen (I have a serious clown phobia). We will be doing a Haunted Museum.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I am particulary thankful this year for the kids in room 310. I am thankful that they are respectful and appreciate my sense of humour.
Please remember that Parliament Building field trip forms and newspapers are both due on Tuesday. Please help the students respect these deadlines.
In Math, we played "Is It a Minute to Win It?". I went onto the website for the telvision gameshow called Minute to Win It. In the show, contestants are asked to complete a task in under a minute. I replicated some of these tasks in class. Each person was placed in a group. Each group perform each task and timed each player doing it. Then they calculated the mean time it took for them to perform the task. We did pretty good! Most of the mean times were under a minute. It was a lot of fun.
In literacy/art/social studies, we discussed Coat of Arms. We looked at common heraldic elements and symbols. Students are working to create their own including the shield, the supporters, and a motto.
In gym we played Dr. Dodgeball because that was what won the vote on our blog. We also played a little bit of Teacher's Revenge. The kids begged for it, I swear.
Next week we will start to do some serious planning for our Haunted House. We conducted our survey and I am happy to report that the circus theme did not get chosen (I have a serious clown phobia). We will be doing a Haunted Museum.
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I am particulary thankful this year for the kids in room 310. I am thankful that they are respectful and appreciate my sense of humour.
Please remember that Parliament Building field trip forms and newspapers are both due on Tuesday. Please help the students respect these deadlines.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Hello!
We had a busy and productive day here in 310. In math, we did some textbook work to review mean, median, and mode. Further review may be required. I have a very active and scintillating lesson planned to review the concepts tomorrow. We will need timers for this lesson. If you have a digital watch or stopwatch that we can borrow, that would be very helpful.
In Literacy, we continued to work with our project partners. Most groups have answered half of their research questions. If you have access to the Internet at home or to a public library, some students may benefit from more research material. These would mostly be grade 5 students. Here are the topics:
Mark, William, and Callum: How a bill becomes a law in Canada.
Eric and Fraser: The Parliament Buildings
Daphne and Sage: The Canadian Charter of Rights
Julia and Nadia: How to become a Canadian Citizen
Tracy, Vita, and Annika: China
Nick and Matt: Brazil
Chloe and Sophie: Mexico
Benn and Imran: United States
Marian and Olivia: United Kingdom
Liam and Ryo: Japan
Scott and Calvin: United Kingdom
Jasper and Sean: United Kingdom
Brayden and Luca: Japan
Jacob and Cameron: United Kingdom
Desanka and Josephine: India
We also have been working on preparing for our Haunted House Extravaganza. We are looking at the project as a business. We started by creating questions for a survey whose answers would help guide our planning. Once we have collected and interpreted the data, we will move forward with the planning stage. If you have large pieces of cardboard, they will definitely come in handy.
We had a busy and productive day here in 310. In math, we did some textbook work to review mean, median, and mode. Further review may be required. I have a very active and scintillating lesson planned to review the concepts tomorrow. We will need timers for this lesson. If you have a digital watch or stopwatch that we can borrow, that would be very helpful.
In Literacy, we continued to work with our project partners. Most groups have answered half of their research questions. If you have access to the Internet at home or to a public library, some students may benefit from more research material. These would mostly be grade 5 students. Here are the topics:
Mark, William, and Callum: How a bill becomes a law in Canada.
Eric and Fraser: The Parliament Buildings
Daphne and Sage: The Canadian Charter of Rights
Julia and Nadia: How to become a Canadian Citizen
Tracy, Vita, and Annika: China
Nick and Matt: Brazil
Chloe and Sophie: Mexico
Benn and Imran: United States
Marian and Olivia: United Kingdom
Liam and Ryo: Japan
Scott and Calvin: United Kingdom
Jasper and Sean: United Kingdom
Brayden and Luca: Japan
Jacob and Cameron: United Kingdom
Desanka and Josephine: India
We also have been working on preparing for our Haunted House Extravaganza. We are looking at the project as a business. We started by creating questions for a survey whose answers would help guide our planning. Once we have collected and interpreted the data, we will move forward with the planning stage. If you have large pieces of cardboard, they will definitely come in handy.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Newspaper
Just to be clear, the newspaper is now homework. A completed newspaper will be the ticket they need to get in the door on Tuesday, October 10th. Here are the expectations:
Newspaper Title: Appropriate font, borders to make it stand out
Headline Story: Stand out headline, byline, story starts with a brief summary as an introduction, include a picture
Extras: Newspaper includes other extras. These extras should represent information about themselves in the form of elements found in a newspaper (comic, weather, sports, want ad, movie review, etc)
Looks like a newspaper: The eye is drawn to the Header (title, date, weather), Footer (usually an ad), and the headline story (title and picture)
We will not be working on these in class anymore. I will send them all home today. We spoke about finishing these before the long weekend so that they can enjoy their time, or waiting until the last minute and have it hanging over everything they do all weekend long.
Bridgehead
Today we also had a guest speaker from Bridgehead come in and talk about fair trade. She spoke to us about the farming process of coffee and what fair trade means. Did you know that there are only 2 beans in each coffee cherry? and that many of these cherries are handpicked?
The two important things that I wanted them to take from the presentation was about fair trade and purchasing power. Please ask your student what they think purchasing power is.
Newspaper Title: Appropriate font, borders to make it stand out
Headline Story: Stand out headline, byline, story starts with a brief summary as an introduction, include a picture
Extras: Newspaper includes other extras. These extras should represent information about themselves in the form of elements found in a newspaper (comic, weather, sports, want ad, movie review, etc)
Looks like a newspaper: The eye is drawn to the Header (title, date, weather), Footer (usually an ad), and the headline story (title and picture)
We will not be working on these in class anymore. I will send them all home today. We spoke about finishing these before the long weekend so that they can enjoy their time, or waiting until the last minute and have it hanging over everything they do all weekend long.
Bridgehead
Today we also had a guest speaker from Bridgehead come in and talk about fair trade. She spoke to us about the farming process of coffee and what fair trade means. Did you know that there are only 2 beans in each coffee cherry? and that many of these cherries are handpicked?
The two important things that I wanted them to take from the presentation was about fair trade and purchasing power. Please ask your student what they think purchasing power is.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
I hope you had a lovely fall weekend! I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I am trying to make the blog a little more interesting for the STUDENTS of room 310. I will start to place poll questions on the side. Many of you have mentioned how helpful the blog is. A couple of students tell me that they sit down with a parent and read it together.
In math, we are continuing to look at data management. So far, we have completed the census and used the results to create bar graphs and pictographs of our choosing. Today, we began a discussion on mean, median, and mode. So far, we have only defined the words. We will look at these terms in a more practical example tomorrow.
In Literacy, we met with our research project partners in the computer lab. We spoke about powerful search tools like the quotation marks. Then the students had time to look for the answers to the questions that they created to guide their research. We also spoke about making note of any bibliographic information.
We also continued to work on a reading assessment known as CASI. This assessment has them reading a short narrative and answering questions to show their understanding of what they've read. We have broken down this assessment into three chunks and today most of us completed part two of three.
The students have been working hard on their personal newspapers. Most of them are close to finishing while others are further behind. At some point this week, I will assign the completion of their newspaper for homework. Here are my expectations for their newspapers:
In math, we are continuing to look at data management. So far, we have completed the census and used the results to create bar graphs and pictographs of our choosing. Today, we began a discussion on mean, median, and mode. So far, we have only defined the words. We will look at these terms in a more practical example tomorrow.
In Literacy, we met with our research project partners in the computer lab. We spoke about powerful search tools like the quotation marks. Then the students had time to look for the answers to the questions that they created to guide their research. We also spoke about making note of any bibliographic information.
We also continued to work on a reading assessment known as CASI. This assessment has them reading a short narrative and answering questions to show their understanding of what they've read. We have broken down this assessment into three chunks and today most of us completed part two of three.
The students have been working hard on their personal newspapers. Most of them are close to finishing while others are further behind. At some point this week, I will assign the completion of their newspaper for homework. Here are my expectations for their newspapers:
- A neatly printed newspaper title, published to look like a newspaper (we had examples in the class and looked at the fonts, the names, and the use of lines and borders).
- A headline story including a headline, byline, and a story with an introduction and conclusion.
- Other written pieces reflecting commonly found items in a newspaper (crossword, sports, weather, comics, want ads) that reflect things about themselves.
- Elements to make their newspapers look like a newspaper (graphics with captions, header and footer elements, borders, lines).
A reminder that students will need to have a recorder for October 21st. Steve's Music sells them for $5.99. Please let me know if you will have difficulty getting a recorder in time and I will make arrangements.
Coming up this week will be a guest speaker on the topic of Fair Trade, the Family Breakfast on Thursday, continued collection of October Scholastic and tie-dye forms.
Please make sure to hand in cheques rather than cash. Cheques should be made payable to Churchill Alternative School unless otherwise stated. Please do not write cheques out to CASC unless specifically stated.
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