Monday, February 28, 2022

 Today we: were slightly off the morning schedule as everyone had so many eventful weekend stories to share. We are back to doing our literacy block rotation every morning so they can read and write more consistently. The phonics program is progressing from 3 sound words to 4 sounds, such as slip (s-l-i-p). 

In math, we did a 5-minute drill on multiplying by 7, then had a number talk about multiples of 7. This was followed up with a mental math strategy about friendly numbers. We watched a video with a song to remember the numbers that make 10, which helped to see more clearly how to add or count on mentally. 

We will be exploring long division more tomorrow, but the students were given extra time this morning to work on anything that needed catching up. Primarily, the social presentations needed to be caught, but those who are done were given time to work on their visual journals in an attempt to earn higher marks. 

In the afternoon, they did some pattern games in music. In P.E., the students started their hockey unit learning to use hockey sticks. 

Finally, with the 30 minutes left of the day, social presentations began and we saw 3 different pairs present their slides and discuss their chosen region.  

Friday, February 25, 2022

 Today we: followed our morning routine the same as always. Phonics and word work are progressing well, and the students are calm and ready to begin after their 5 minutes of mindfulness. Friday housekeeping always involves picking new helpers for the week and setting up new chore responsibilities. The helpers next week will be Abelina and Zak. This was followed by our Literacy Block which cycles students through specific literacy activities like reading, writing, and speaking. 

In P.E., the class played ultimate hide and seek. There were mats set up to hide behind, and anyone with an orange ball could tag you to be out, and the ones with a purple ball were invincible and could un-tag. They had a blast! After this we had a snack and spent some time outside enjoying the snow with the Gadbois Gang. They were challenged with the task of building the highest mountain, and some students even made a mermaid! 

 

The rest of the morning was dedicated to Minecraft. They have earned 10 points this week and multiplied by 5, that makes 50 minutes of time to create their own Minecraft worlds. We had a full class today, no absences, which tells me this is a very engaging learning opportunity! No one wanted to miss it. 

Hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend! See you Monday! 

Thursday, February 24, 2022

 Today we: had a great discussion about current events and their connection to racism. Black History Month has so many relative subjects and the students were so interested in knowing more about history and current events. We briefly talked about World War II and how it was driven by racism against Jewish people, and how it connects to Putin in Russia choosing to invade Ukraine for similar reasons (we gathered this from a video on the news aired today). Anne Frank was discussed and a few students have already read or want to read her book based on this discussion. We also talked about why the world gets involved in country conflicts and how this takes it from a war to a world war. It was amazing to see so much interest, and we researched so many things as we talked to make sure the facts we looked up were credible - this led to a talk about fake news, propaganda, and social media as well. It was very brief, and many things were brought up, I encourage parents to facilitate more discussions around these topics, but they will be learning more about them as they grow to junior high. 

In math, we are perfecting our skills with our times tables by doing 5 minute drills first and reviewing with a number talk. Today we did the 3's and followed it up with a visual explanation of counting by 3's. We looked at all of the multiples of 3 up to 12, and we used blocks to show groups of 3. We discussed patterns we saw in the line up, and strategies to remember the ones we struggle with - such as referring to the closest multiple we remember and counting up from there. After, the class split off into groups and worked on two division word problems. They were encouraged to work together on strategies and to make mistakes to help get closer to the answers. We took it up as a class afterwards, and reviewed how to do long division which is just more practice using the times table charts. Some light bulbs really went off today!

The kids were thrilled to have outdoor recess again! They've been encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather, and not to count on blue days for every cold day. Hats, mittens, proper coats and shoes are important for playing in the snow. The exercise was definitely missed this week, so they were much less stir crazy with some movement and fresh air. 

After lunch the students had music and P.E., so with the little time in between, they worked on their social presentations. Curling continued with Mr. Newton, and the students are learning the difference between a strong throw and a soft one. With curling, it is crucial not to throw so hard or it will not land on the circle, but blow past it, but they can hit their opponent off the circle! Competition was motivating and they had a lot of fun practicing their skills. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

 Today we: showed up in our brightest pink shirts to raise awareness for anti-bullying. We continued reading a book about racism this morning where we also discussed cyber-bullying and how discrimination can occur in many different scenarios across many platforms. This was a fantastic discussion that promoted a lot of acceptance as we all shared our ethnic backgrounds, our personal stories, and the consequences of cyber-bullying. Students were incredibly kind and open and it was a very positive experience. 

In math, we did a 5-minute drill on our 6 times tables and then had a number talk about counting by 6's. This helped students to see the patterns as we discussed strategies for knowing our multiplication facts. Students then split into groups to explore a division problem about a school lunch event - for example, samosas were $3 per package and the parent council spent $63 total on samosas, so they had to use their knowledge of multiples of 3 and 6 to find how many packages of samosas were bought. 

The social projects are coming to an end, and students are preparing to present them. Many are starting to write scripts and practice their presentations to one another to get ready for next week. 

Being a blue day, students have been inside for recess twice now, and so I took the liberty of showing them a movie during snack and lunch today - Encanto. They sing the songs to me almost every day, so it was a great way to do something fun and engaging that gave us teachers a bit of calm through the chaos. 

After lunch we read another chapter of the Jumbies, shared predictions, and worked on our visual journals before going to the Learning Commons for new books. We ended the day with a science exploration using battery circuits to make a small lightbulb glow. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

 Happy TWOsday everyone! It is the 2nd day of the week, the 22nd day of the month, the 2nd month, and the 22 year in the 2nd millennium. That is why it is Twins day too! Some students dressed to match their classmates, and all the grade 5 teachers and Mr. Newton all dressed to match in jeans and plaid shirts. Take a look at these matching besties below:

Tomorrow is another spirit day - Pink Shirt Day! This is a day to remember when two boys stood up for a student who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. These boys came to school, the day after seeing this boy bullied, wearing pink shirts to show their support. They also had more than 85% of the school join in wearing pink. This also connects to Black History Month and our learning of the term "discrimination." We all wrote on a tiny pink shirt cut-out what we would do to spread kindness in the school, which will be added to the display in the Prairie room. Remember to wear pink shirts tomorrow! 

Today we: read a book about racism and discussed key words like discrimination, equality, stereotypes and prejudice. We added to our visual journals while we had a meaningful and respectful discussion about stereotypes and unfair treatment. Many classmates had anecdotes to share as these issues are still very prevalent in our time. The important thing is to educate ourselves on the facts so we can prevent unfair judgement. 

In math, we began exploring the concept of division using blocks to make arrays of different fact families in our times table charts. For example, students were able to see that the number 20 can be divided in to more groups than just 4 and 5, such as 2 and 10. They were able to connect the numbers they learned in the chart, and visualize by dividing the objects physically to further their learning.  

We watched a read aloud done by Mr. Scout about planting seeds and the metaphor to planting kindness and watching things grow. This connected to pink shirt day and how we can prevent bullying by being kind.  

After lunch, we had the computers to work on our social projects and prepare for presenting them at the start of next week. We also did a quick survey for CBE. We ended the day with P.E. and curling in the gym. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

 Today we: treated the day like a Friday since the students have a 5-day weekend. We had Literacy Block this morning after our Word Work and Phonics routines. 

In math, students had a 5-minute quiz on 8's multiplication facts just to see where everyone is on their comfort levels. This task allowed me to work with individuals based on what skills needed support. Students paired up and created their own 2-digit multiplication problems for each other and walking them through the steps. Using their times table charts to get more comfortable with the facts. 

Before lunch, students made more progress on their regions slideshows. Presentations will be at the end of next week. Students who are already done have begun "special interest" research projects where they choose a topic of interest and make a slideshow and presentation on important facts about the topic. This enhances their research skills. 

After lunch we read the next chapter of The Rise of the Jumbies. Students shared their predictions and while I read, they worked on their visual journals, focusing on their listening and summarizing tasks. 

With a quick exercise to get everyone stretched out and re-energized, the class got to end the day with some earned Minecraft time. 

Here is a look at our Compliment Hearts! 

Spirit Day on Tuesday! TWOsday where we are allowing students to be twins by dressing to match with a friend. This will take some planning so hopefully students can chat over this excellent 5-day weekend. Have a great mini-break everyone!

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

 Today we: discussed the term "discrimination" and how it shaped Black History and the creation of Black History Month. Students corrected spelling errors in the definition written on the board and then we read a book about racism as they jotted down key words and meanings in their visual journals on their Black History Month page. 

In math we continued our multiplication pairings from yesterday, practicing some fact family webs and building mental math strategies for the times table. When students finished their exercises, we used the remaining time before lunch to finish coloring our compliment mats from Friday. 

After lunch the students had Music and P.E. again. In music, they sang a song about how to make new friends and practiced using some instruments with some games. In P.E. they played some inventive curling on the gym floor with some wheelie equipment. Be sure to ask your children for clarification!  

The day ended with computer time to work on our social projects, but with the wi-fi crashing, some students spent the time finishing other work or reading. Hopefully it is back up for tomorrow's Minecraft time!  

Monday, February 14, 2022

 Happy Valentine's Day! And Happy Birthday to Layla who celebrated on Sunday! It is also the first day where students can come to school mask-free! We are still respecting that this is a personal choice, and while I am happy to see so many smiling faces, students can absolutely still wear masks. We are still providing some for those who ask. 

Today we: learned about a man named Willie O'Ree who was the first black hockey player to join the NHL. He grew up in New Brunswick and is still alive today! We explored the concept of racism and how this impacted Willie's decision to choose hockey over baseball when he experienced discrimination on a baseball trip to New York. 

Before snack time, students shared their Valentine's cards and it was lovely to see the generosity and joy in everyone. 

In math, we focused on targeting for specific skills. Students who were more comfortable with their math facts acted as teachers to the students who needed more practice and they worked on some problems in pairs. We had a lovely new Ed. Assistant, Ms. G, who helped circulate with this task while a small group got some extra support from me with basic math facts. 

We also had computer time to work on our social projects about the Canadian Regions. Some are still finishing their visual journal pages, but a few have moved on to their google slides focusing on one chosen region. Research is being broadened from the textbook to the internet and they were told to find tourist attractions as well. This helps them see Canada from a travelers perspective and to see where they would like to visit if they could. 

After lunch, the students had music and P.E. so they were lively and busy! In between we had Valentine's Art where students made a card for families, hopefully the paint didn't run too much! There was not a lot of time for them to dry.  

Friday, February 11, 2022

Today we: began the day with the usual routine - phonetic sounds practice and the Word Work program. Being Friday, we did the general housekeeping - meaning we picked new chores for everyone to clean at the end of the day, new helpers for next week, and handing back some marked math check-in sheets. 

The students had Literacy Block today instead of Black History Month writing. We rotated the groups and they were given tasks in their 5 Language Arts tasks. 

Basketball continued in P.E. with some 5-vs-5 games. They had to make 3 passes before they could shoot baskets. Many students were thrilled to be playing games. 

After snack the students got to cash in their Minecraft points and were given a full hour on the computers. I hosted a world for them to play in together. Some brought their own mouse from home to play better. 

The day ended with a Valentine's Day Art exercise. Students were all given a sheet of paper with a giant heart on it, and their name. They had a bingo sheet for every student in the class and they had to go around to each page and leave a compliment for everyone in the class. These will be hung on the wall outside our classroom so stay tuned for a picture next week! 

***IMPORTANT NOTICE: VALENTINE’S CARDS 

Due to the new lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions for Monday, if you would like your child to be able to hand out Valentine’s cards they have made or purchased, they may now do so.  This is fully optional and students or families should not feel obligated.  

 

If you do wish to send cards, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines: 

• There must be one card for all children in the class.  (A list of first names was sent home today for their reference.)   
• Food items / candy cannot be included or sent to school. Non-edible items only please. 
• Tell your child that if someone says, “No thank you” to receiving the card, that is also okay.  There are many reasons that not all families will want to participate. 

 

If you DO NOT want your child bringing cards home, please tell them to leave them at school. (Teachers will not be able to monitor this.) 

Thursday, February 10, 2022

 Today we: discovered that Carter G. Woodson is the man who founded Black History Month. He is also the second African-American to get a doctorate from Harvard University. Students had this message written on the board with many errors and they did a wonderful job finding them all and correcting them. We added this fact to our Black History Month page in our visual journals. 

In math, we continued our practice of multiplication facts with an exercise in algebra. We explored how the equals symbol can represent a divider for two sides that equal the same thing, and then discussed Part-Part-Whole and how answers can be divided into two parts (or more). This helped to understand how algebra is about finding the missing variable in an equation and using the answer to find the part. For example, 3 x __ = 12 means that both sides will be 12 in total. So 3 groups of what amount will give us 12? We also saw that 12 divided into 3 groups shows that there would be 4 in each group. These fact families are very important for mental math, and these practices will help them to memorize these facts for future grades. 

Before lunch, we explored the makings of an electricity circuit through moving images provided by EPCOR with an online slideshow. It shows how the electricity moved through the circuit and how a light switch can open and close the flow. They had to draw a diagram and label the components, and then we watched a video testing the conductivity of water and why it is dangerous to have water around electricity. We also saw how a potato can be used to make a battery - while the power source is very small, the light still turned on! 

After lunch, we read chapter 3 of Rise of the Jumbies. We shared our predictions and recorded descriptive words to help build the imagery of the creatures in the book. 

Students got to switch their books today in the Learning Commons and we made a stop at the Lost & Found to see the items that have not been claimed yet. 

We ended the day with some chromebook time to work on our social projects. With 12 Minecraft points, the students will get an entire hour to play tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to a fun Friday! 

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

 Happy Birthday to Liam!! 

Today we: learned about Rosa Parks and how her experience standing up for herself started a boycott that changed the world. She refused to be segregated on the bus and stood up for her rights as a human being which caused many people to join a protest against these rules. The students recorded their information on their Black History Month page in their visual journals, including terms like discrimination, boycott, and prejudice. 

We had a surprise fire drill today, and luckily the sun was warm enough! 5A did a spectacular job of exiting the building and lining up for attendance. Mr. Scout even came in to tell us how wonderful we did, setting a great example for the school. 

The drill pushed our snack and recess back, but afterwards we did some practice of our 7, 8, and 9 multiplication facts with some partner marking. We watched a video online of a song made to help remember the facts, and the students had a little dance party in their seats as the song was really catchy! Check it out for yourself below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGsrC6ZPVGM 

After lunch, the students had some more time to work on their social projects. They are practicing their research skills by looking for specifics on each Canadian Region. This assignment is progressing into a partner presentation - students will choose their favorite region and do a google slideshow to go further on facts about their region. These will be presented to the class at the end of the month. 

The day ended with P.E. and the kids are just loving their basketball games! Mr. Newton does such an amazing job organizing exciting activities to practice their skills and get their bodies moving. 

5A has also been earning points towards more Minecraft time on Friday - so far, they have 9 points! Each point is worth 5 minutes and we are all hoping to get the full hour. Points are earned by doing expected behavior, like raising hands to contribute to class discussions, not interrupting those who have the floor, and completing tasks in the time given. 

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

 Today we: learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous speech about civil rights. Students corrected an excerpt on the board that had spelling and punctuation mistakes and then we watched a video explaining who he is and why he is so important to the world's history. 

After some more practice on multiplication of 2-digit numbers, we dove into a science lesson about conductors and insulators. Students got to predict and vote on whether certain objects were conductors or insulators, and then we watched an experiment online to test each object for its ability to pass electricity on a circuit. They recorded them in a chart in their visual journals. 

After lunch, we started our next Read Aloud book, The Rise of the Jumbies. We did a musical chairs exercise of text graffiti where the students got to share their predictions based on solo quotes taken randomly from the book. We read the first two chapters and then wrote a prediction for Chapter 3. 

The students were very wiggly by this time, so we had an intermittent fitness break to get some energy out. We did a 5 minute video of 40 second exercises with 20 second rests. Students were panting by the end! 

We ended the day with some Kahoot online quiz challenges for math and science. Students tested their multiplication facts and reviewed what we learned this morning about electricity conductors and insulators. 

Monday, February 7, 2022

 Happy Birthday to Eva, today! 

Today we: learned about Black History Month through a short introduction video and a Read Aloud story about Viola Desmond. Students started a visual journal page to record what they will be learning as we do some special activities throughout the month celebrating important African-American and black people in the world's history. For example, in 1946 Viola Desmond was arrested for sitting in the wrong seat in a movie theatre, and went to court to fight for her human rights. The students learned that there used to be segregation (separation) and that black and white people were given separate allowances, usually unfair towards back people. Viola went to court to fight it, but unfortunately the courtroom found her guilty. It was important to note that the judge and prosecutor would not admit it was based on racism, but still found many ridiculous reasons to pursue the charge. Some students were very unhappy to hear about this unfair and unjust moment of history. We were happy to hear that Viola was pardoned (long after her death in 1965) and her face was put on Canada's $10 bill in 2018. Her sister, Wanda, shares Viola's story with schools, universities and interviews around the world. 

In math, we practiced 2-digit multiplication using base 10 blocks to make grids that show our equations. We explored the problem of having 14 buses, and 52 students on each bus, and seeing how many students could fit on that bus. They worked in teams of 5 to estimate, build, and then check and compare their work. Afterward, they were challenged with the task of coming up with their own problem, and some were very creative! With the last few minutes before lunch, they paired off to quiz one another on their basic math facts using their multiplication tables. 

After lunch, the students had music where they explored instrument sounds and then learned a new song on the xylophone. Basketball lessons continued in P.E. and they practiced their passing and dribbling skills through some games and challenges. Our class managed to pass around the world in only 52 seconds! 

The day ended with our research project on Canada's regions. Most students have moved onto the 4th on the list - The Canadian Shield. 

Friday, February 4, 2022

 Today we: practiced our phonetic sounds with a lesson on 3-syllable words. Afterwards, we did our Word Work program, and then spent some time drawing new names for the end-of-day chores. 

On Fridays, we do Literacy Block. Students were organized in groups and given a specific category to work on - Word Work, Work on Writing, Response to Reading, Partner Reading, Read to Self and Literacy Games. These rotate every Friday so they each get a chance to do them all. 

In P.E., students continued their basketball lessons by learning how to shoot hoops! Some racing games to top it off and then back to class for snack. 

We had a special treat today, on top of Pajama Day, we got to go on an outdoor walk with the Gadbois Gang! We walked to Nose Creek Park and checked out the Dry Pond, which was a fantastic connection to the Wetlands unit and our Lorax Letters. 

We ended this fantastic Friday with our very first lesson on Minecraft Education! Students were taken through the steps of creating a student account and setting up their computers. They started creating their own worlds and next week, they will get to enter a world as a class and interact. This is a great way to learn both math and coding skills. They are thrilled about this learning task! 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

 Happy TWOs-day! We are in the second month, on the second day, of the year 2022. This fun fact was noticed and talked about by many students this morning. 

We started a new program on phonemic sounds during our morning literacy time. This is a daily 10-minute lesson that breaks down the phonetic sounds in words which will help with spelling and pronunciation. 

In math, we continued our learning of basic multiplication facts. Breaking down the equations through fact families and repeated addition is helping them to grasp the most basic concepts of algebra (finding the missing piece of the equation) for example; 2 x ? = 16 and they check their charts to see what 2 groups would make 16 total. As we move forward in patterns, the students are going to be learning basic formulas for pattern rules and having their multiplication facts somewhat memorized through daily practice will help make the rest of the patterns unit much more understandable. 

In the afternoon, we had a visit to the Learning Commons for some new books! We also spent some time discussing the difference between Peer Conflict and Bullying for some role playing exercises in Health. The goal was to understand what can be done when a situation may present itself, whether it is with themselves or someone around them. It is important for students to understand and recognize these issues so they can better prepare for resolution and build those skills for the future. 

The day ended with some Electricity discussions and videos to begin our new Science unit. We discussed safety hazards and protocols for dealing with electricity in many different situations. 

Attention Parents! Friday, we will be going out for a Winter Walk as the weather should be warmer by then. It is also Pajama Day, so please encourage your kiddos to dress appropriately for both events - bring snow pants, gloves, hats, boots. If students are concerned about being warm enough in pajamas, they are more than welcome to bring a change of clothes or layer up/down. We will be joining Ms. Gadbois's class for the walk and it will be a wonderful opportunity for socializing and fresh air. 

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

 Today we: corrected a message written on the board. After being away for a week, I left a greeting message for the students on the board that was full of mistakes. Many noticed immediately, but after our Word Work routine, students wrote the message into their journals and corrected it themselves. We checked all the mistakes as a class and they corrected their own work. 

In math, we went over the process for multiplying 2-digit numbers as a class and then they were given practice questions to try on their own. Everyone swapped books with another student and used a different color pencil to mark each other's work while I went through each question and each process on the board with the input of some volunteers. They finished off the morning with some Power of Nine Face-Off games in partners. 

In the afternoon, we continued our research on the Canadian Regions. Groups broke out in the Prairie space, the classroom and at the tables to make brochure pages in their visual journals. We finalized the Arctic Region and learned that the frozen tundra of Nunavut makes it hard to grow crops, but there are a lot of minerals in the ground that are mined, like diamonds and gold. 

We ended the day with P.E. and they started their Basketball unit. Students practiced their dribble and how to hold and handle the ball in fun and creative ways, like bouncing between the legs and catching with opposite hands. 

Stay warm out there!