Thursday, March 31, 2022

 Today we: had a much easier time with the phonics routine change. It happened to be the day I do not have any lessons in the word work rotation, so I was able to circulate the groups and help them with their tasks. Having chapter books made the word hunt task much easier! 

In literacy block, many students chose to do word ladders for either literacy games group or as a task when they were done their job. It was great to see the collaboration and teamwork with the ladders, and how many new words they either know already or get to learn. 

After recess, the picture pies were finally finished and they calculated how many pieces of each color pie were used to make their picture. Check out some creative ones below! 

We read some more of the Jumbies before lunch and things are really getting dramatic as Corinne pretends to be a mythical goddess to fool the new islanders they meet by wearing snakes around her neck! 

The class always has 20 minutes of silent reading after lunch, and they went to music after. Unfortunately, the amazing Mr. Newton was needed elsewhere, so Ms. Gadbois and I taught gym. Instead of games like yesterday, we continued the jump-rope and skipping lessons based on the short tutorial Mr. Newton gave me just before school started this morning. Everyone gave their best effort and the energy was hard to tune down when we got back to class. 

We learned about another newcomer today, Alfred Waddell. He was a black man in Nova Scotia who provided medical care to the town of Africville - a town where black residents were given minimal to no amenities. 

The class has earned 11 of their allotted 12 Minecraft points so it is looking promising to play for the full hour tomorrow! 

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

 Today we: Started a new unit in phonics. We've been practicing playing with the sounds at the beginning of words. Today we looked at the ending sounds. The routine was hard to change as the students were so used to listening for the beginning sound so it took a few repeats to get into the groove. 

After recess, we finished our fraction pie art! The pictures were very clever and well done. We still have to do our calculations for the fractions, but I will post a picture of them once the students have completed the assignment. Those who finished first practiced more equivalent fraction comparisons with a few more problems. I went over the problems as a class when everyone was done.  

Before lunch, we read another chapter of the Jumbies. Since we have decided to start reading every day, this time the students were expected to only listen, not do any writing. Based on how that went, students will be expected to record in their visual journals every time from now on to limit distractions. 

The class had music after lunch, and then used the chromebooks to complete a social assignment. Learning about newcomers that created the multicultural Canada, they watched a video about Martha Black, an American who came to Canada for the Gold Rush in 1897. She ended up being a member of the House of Commons and advocated for the people of Yukon. After completing their comprehension questions, they had time on prodigy before going to P.E. for revenge dodgeball. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

 Today we: did the usual morning Literacy routine - Phonics, Word Work, and then Literacy Block rotations. 

In math, we continued to practice fractions by looking at the rules for comparing and ordering smallest to largest. We learned that if the numerator (top) is the same, the one with the larger denominator (bottom) is the smaller fraction because the portions are smaller. But, if the denominator is the same, the one with the larger numerator is greater because there are more portions of the same size. Once they finished their practice questions they were able to use the extra time to finish their Picture Pie art. Tomorrow we will be calculating the fractions used in the pictures. 

After lunch, we read more of the Jumbies. We had to have a discussion to remember where we left off before the break. We decided to start reading a little every day instead of just on day 2 & 4. We will just do prediction writing on those days. 

We had our Learning Commons visit today and they were told they had to check out one chapter book if they get a graphic novel. It is important for them to challenge their reading skills and not just interpret pictures. It is also helpful to have a novel for the Word Hunt in Word Work - more words means more to hunt through and they will be more familiar with their word categories. 

To end the day, we reviewed the science electricity lab we did before the break. Using an electricity breadboard, batteries, wires and a lightbulb, we were able to make circuits that would turn on a tiny lightbulb. They had a Science worksheet to record their findings so we did one experiment to solidify some answers. 

Remember, your children need to have jackets at school, it is colder in the mornings, even if the afternoon is warm. 

Monday, March 28, 2022

 Welcome back 5A!! It was so lovely to see everyone again after a week-long break. It sure is bittersweet to be back; we had some very sleepy children this morning! 

Today we: picked up where we left off with phonics, word work and Literacy Block. The mornings are always spent on literacy because it seems to be the calmest part of our days. The class was very focused on their tasks and getting back into routine was actually pretty easy! 

We are experiencing more weather changes now that it is Spring, so it is very important that students layer up in warmer clothing for these cold mornings. Recess was a lot colder than we expected, and some students were only in sweaters while I was wearing my winter jacket and gloves. Please make sure your child has a jacket at school - they can always take it off if the temperature goes up, but being without one when it's cold outside is not fun. Always be prepared!  

After recess, we did a review of the equivalent fractions lessons we learned before the break. The class was given an assignment on prodigy and they were able to practice some fraction problems in a fun way to ease back into the learning on this gloomy Monday. We will move onto ordering fractions now that they have had their memories jogged! 

Using fraction pies, we began an art project in the afternoon. Students colored twelve different circles that represent a fraction (i.e. 1/4 would have 4 equal pieces of pie) and then used the colors to make a color-coded key in their math books. When the key was completed and all circles colored in neatly, they cut out all of the pie pieces. Still having vacation brain, we did not finish the project today, so tomorrow we will use those cut-out pie pieces to make a picture. 

The day ended with P.E. and Mr. Newton started a new unit for their return - jump rope lessons! They practiced being spacially aware in their jump-rope space, how to jump over the rope in different ways (double hop, side-to-side, etc.) and then tried to see how many jumps they could get while swinging forwards and backwards. 

Hope everyone had a great Monday! 

Friday, March 18, 2022

 Happy Friday!! 

Today we: chose new groups for our literacy block, new chores for end-of-day clean-up, and our new helpers for the week we return will be Hurley and Rehan. We did our usual word work and then daily 5 for literacy. 

The students did some hockey challenges in P.E. with Mr. Newton, and we spent some time outside playing soccer. 

We read a book about being a purple person by Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna in Frozen. Ask your child what it means to be a purple person - hint, it means being totally yourself! 

The class collectively earned 10 Minecraft points, so we ended the day with some Chromebook time - some students chose to draw instead. 

Enjoy the time off, the rest and free time to play and explore. We will see you on March 28 to kick back into gear with fractions, book studies, Canada settlers tasks and electricity experiments. Wishing everyone a wonderful Spring Break!

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We hope you wore green today!  

Today we: rotated our literacy groups and some students got a chance to finish work from the last week and some. They've been warned that I will be marking all of their working journals over Spring Break and that sparked some effort! 

In math, we continued to explore equivalent fractions with the use of group work and imagining cakes and pies. Students were given problems to solve in their table groups and asked to draw a visual representation of two fractions that were equivalent and show how they are the same. After exploring the answers as a class, we utilized a number line as well for some of the higher values. We will be moving onto ordering fractions from smallest to largest when we get back from break. 

After lunch, we shared a few of our Jumbies predictions before continuing to read a couple chapters. New predictions were written and then we did some DPA. Being Numeracy Week, we have a Pi workout! 

We ended the day with a science experiment. Students got to explore electricity using what is called a "bread board" where they can make circuits with multiple wires and they have to connect them on a grid to light the lightbulb. 

Tomorrow is multiples spirit day, so remind your kiddos to pick outfits with their friends. Us teachers will be wearing the NLS T-shirts. Also, please be sure to sign and return the permission form for health. One more day until Spring Break! 

See the memo below:

K-5 parents: Please put extra pants and socks in your child's backpack

Children frequently get wet and/or muddy when playing outside, or they have unexpected bathroom accidents.   To help with this, please put an extra pair of pants and socks in your child’s backpack.   (These pants and socks will always stay in the backpack.) We do not have spare clothes at the school for children to use. This will help us to help children make a change out of their dirty clothing without needing to call parents to have someone bring clean clothes.  Even if your child says they don’t need them, tell them that Mrs. Brinson said they need to be in there anyway.  If they use the spare clothes in their backpacks, please put in clean clothes to replace them.  We will send dirty clothes home in a  plastic bag to be washed. Thanks for your help!

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

 Today we: are wearing patterns for today's Numeracy week Spirit Day. Our usual morning routine starts with 5 minutes of mindfulness to get into the green zone and be ready for learning. Phonics sounds are progressing well, the students are starting to know what to expect. Word work has changed since the classroom layout is different, so some groups have a new location to perform their tasks. There will be an assessment after the break as we look at who is progressing and what groups may need to be rearranged now that we have gone through a couple units of word sorts. 

In math, we explored equivalent fractions. They each got a colorful handout of a fraction tower to cut out and glue into their math books and we will be referring to them plenty as we go through the topic. Visual representations are a great way to understand fractions, and the students seem to love my references to pies and cakes! Some lightbulbs certainly went off today when we discussed how to make equivalent fractions using our times table charts. Now they know why we spent so much time learning them! 

After lunch, students had music and P.E. again. When they returned to the classroom, we watched another video for the settlers of Canada. This one was about the large population of Ukrainian people who immigrated before the first world war, and how they were drawn by the vast amount of land and lack of landlords. 

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, so remind your kiddos to wear green! Again, be sure to return the signed permission form so we can begin a health unit at the end of April. Only 2 days left and we are on Spring Break, yay! 

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

 Today we: needed a bit of a reminder on what end-of-day cleanup is supposed to look like. Seems we are already on vacation brain! Spring Break is only 3 days away now, we are all itching for some free time!

Literacy block groups had to stay in the classroom today so it was a little bit noisy for some. Numeracy week has some serious measuring activities going on in the prairie for those cute little kinders! Speaking of numeracy, we did a secret code message with math clues as one of the activities for the week. Students got to run around the school counting chairs, bulletin boards, and mustaches, performing mathematical equations to solve the clues! It is also dress in numbers day, so there are a lot of jerseys and NLS T-shirts out there. Below is a pic of some of the outfits, but check out this sweet joke drawn on the board! 

In math, we continued fractions and compared them using blocks, counters, and other visual representations. We also did some numeracy riddles and shared some math jokes in light of it being numeracy week. 

After lunch, the class had music and P.E. and with the little time between, we managed to fit in a math read aloud! Zero to Hero talks about the importance of the number zero. We discussed what happens when you take zero out of numbers, and what an important role the zero plays. 

Tomorrow is Patterns day, so be sure to remind your children to wear all kinds of patterns (polka dots, plaid, stripes, etc.). Also, please be sure to check your child's backpack for the permission form to sign and return to us before the break. The warmer weather sure has been nice, but it is not yet warm enough to go without a jacket. Please remind your kids to wear proper outside clothing! 

Monday, March 14, 2022

 Today we: practiced our 4-syllable sounds in phonics. There were some tired kids after daylight savings and a long weekend... Hopefully tomorrow they will annunciate with a bit more gusto! 

In math, we started our fractions topic. We explored comparing fractions to see which are closer to 1/2 or 3/4 or one whole. We drew visual representations in our books, like pizzas and cakes cut into sections, and we used colored blocks to see which sections had more or less. 

While some students finished their letters for the Great Canadian Mail Race, an assignment on prodigy was made specifically for comparing fractions. The letters are being mailed by the school so the race is on to see who gets their reply first! 

After lunch we read chapter 12 and 13 from The Rise of the Jumbies. Things were getting intense as the mermaids escaped a giant squid! We wrote predictions after visiting the learning commons for some new books. It was encouraged that students take out a chapter book, not just two graphic novels. These kids need to be challenging themselves! 

The day ended with a video and comprehension assignment for social studies. We will begin looking into the settlers of Canada and what impact they made on the history of the country. Today we learned about Mary-Ann Shadd, a woman who moved to Canada to teach fugitive slaves. She was a major player in the abolition of slavery and women's suffrage. We will be exploring these key terms more as the week goes on. 

It is also Numeracy Week so there are spirit days! Tomorrow is "Wear a Number" day, so jerseys or number patterns on your clothing, or taped cutouts on shirts are some ideas. Please remember to check your child's backpack for a very important letter! We require permission via signature to begin teaching Sexual Education on April 19, so please sign and return the form as soon as you can. 

Thursday, March 10, 2022

 Today we: did our usual literacy block for the morning and chose new roles for cleaning/groups for next week. We had a math test on multiplication and division to close off our whole numbers topic. We can now begin fractions and decimals next week!   

After lunch, students finished writing their letters to schools around Canada. They researched the schools on google maps and wrote the addresses on the envelopes. When they finished, they were able to use their banked points for Minecraft fun, and other students chose to work on their interest projects or do prodigy.  

In P.E. they had a hockey showdown playing actual hockey games with red vs. blue. 

Next week is Numeracy week, so be sure to check the newsletter for Spirit days! Monday will be "dress like you are 100 years old" day, so help your child find an outfit suited for a senior. 

Looking forward to the conferences this evening and tomorrow! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, just one week left until Spring Break!!! 

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Today we: received a letter from our friend in Surrey, BC; Iram! We are now part of the "Great Canadian Mail Race" and will now be writing letters to grade 5 classes all over Canada. The race winner will be the first student to receive a letter back from their mysterious pen pal! We are excited to write to some of our friends around Canada, or here in the city, and see who gets their response first! 

Since we had indoor recess today, we chose to stir up the classroom a bit and rearrange everything! Say hello to our new layout:

Students were given the chance to pick their own seating - this is temporary! I am allowing them the chance to earn their choice seating based on appropriate behavior. So far it has been a very noisy day so there may be some seating changes in a couple days to promote better focus. 

In math, we did a drill on 8x facts and then practiced long division and 3-digit multiplication in our table groups. This was the last day to practice - tomorrow there will be a test. Make sure you're helping your kids practice, by grade 5 they should know their timetable charts. After that, students were given chromebooks to write their letters around Canada. 

Luckily the weather warmed up enough to have outdoor lunch recess, which was really needed for this energetic bunch. 

The Jumbies read aloud is progressing along with chapter 11 today. We shared and then wrote new predictions. Things are getting very exciting as the plot unveils! Ask your child to tell you what the chapter was about.

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside. We joined the other 2 grade 5 classes for a science experiment. We observed 2 situations, a 9-volt battery being attached to alligator clips and a string of steel wool, and rubbing the battery on a bundle of steel wool. Students predicted what they thought would happen and then wrote down what really happened. A bit anti-climatic but it was made better by the awesome capture the flag game outside to end the day. 

Remember Parent-Teacher Conferences are tomorrow and Friday - be sure to sign up! 

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

 Today we: practiced math using word problems instead of equations. Trying to extract the equation from the word choices helped to connect literacy to the math skills, for example "how many is left" is a subtraction question. 

We also discussed strategies for mental math with our basic math facts. We did a 5 minute drill on 12's for multiplication, and students confessed this was the hardest fact of all of them. We shared ideas on strategies and some we came up with are: counting on from 11x, adding 2 facts we know (10x and 2x), and lining them up in the step by step for multi-digit. We will continue practicing our long division and multi-digit multiplication before our test on Thursday! 

Students who completed their math practice early were given time on prodigy to keep practicing their math skills with friends. 

After lunch, students had music and P.E. taking up the majority of the afternoon. 

The final presentations were done to end the day, and we are now ready to move onto some new social studies topics! 

Remember to send your children to school with proper winter attire (boots, hats, coats, and mittens). Many students were without jackets yesterday, and we cannot always count on indoor recess. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared! 

Monday, March 7, 2022

 Today we: started off with our literacy routine - Phonics and then Word Work. Students are progressing well in their groups and are becoming more independent as the weeks go on. 

In math, we continue to practice long division and multiplying 2-digit numbers for our test on Thursday. Small groups spread out with "experts" in each pairing to help a classmate practice more. Some are confident in the order of the steps, while others have no need to look at their multiplication charts. The more we practice - the more it sticks! 

After lunch, the students had music. They watched an Irish film and did an Irish jig/dance. 

We did a brief reflection of our social projects as they have been marked and returned. Students wrote about what they learned from the process, why they think it is important to learn it, and what they could have done better looking back. 

The day ended with P.E. and they played a game called Whacky Stick. Teams had to capture a variety of sized sports balls from a partially closed off area using their hockey handling skills. Each type of ball was worth a different amount of points based on how hard it is to handle it with a stick. 

Please remember to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences! Check out the images below for some amazing examples of the visual journal pages on Canada's regions! 

Friday, March 4, 2022

 Today we: followed our usual morning routine - phonics, word work, and then Literacy Block. As we do on every Friday, we made new groups for Literacy Block, chose new clean-up chores for the end of day, and our helpers for the next week will be Layla and Haily. 

Literacy block has changed slightly - instead of doing word work from our usual daily program, students are given word ladders to practice their spelling and defining new words. 

In P.E., students played a competitive game of bowling with hockey sticks! Mr. Newton was extra creative and had the students practice their hockey shooting, but instead of into nets, he had bowling pins they were supposed to knock over. Some students acted as a goalie by guarding the bowling pins and the students came back fanning themselves from the heat they worked up! 

After snack, we read a book called One. This was a book about colors being similar to feelings, and how the color red can be very aggressive. We had a talk about pushing buttons and trying to be more powerful by being aggressive, and this is the way bullies can act. It just takes One person to stand up to a bully, and that we are stronger in numbers. 

The book created a great discussion, and students really had a lot of connections. We did a quick writing exercise where everyone wrote their feelings or a memory or a picture. This was intended to be a mental health strategy, not for marks, so some students were given permission to tear their paper and throw it out as a cathartic way to release their feelings. At this age, they are only just beginning their journey into conflicts, managing emotions, learning to manage their behaviors - the best we can do is provide the tools to do so. This exercise was the most engaged I have seen them all week!  

Since they earned 10 minecraft points, we ended the day with the computers. I hosted a world so they could interact together. Some chose to go onto Prodigy math games instead, and others worked on their interest projects. 

Reminder - parent teacher conference slots are now open for booking. Conferences are Thursday, March 10 from 4:30-8pm, and Friday, March 11, from 9:00am-1pm. If you would like to discuss your child's report card, or just have a chance to meet and talk with me, please book one 15-minute time slot. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Thursday, March 3, 2022

 Today we: had our final block of time dedicated to catching up on social projects. 

In math, we did our 5 minute drill on 4's and I'm seeing everyone get better and better each day. They will be pros in no time! We reviewed multiplying 2-digit numbers and took some time in our table groups to practice the procedures in multiplication and long division. 

Some students got to change their seating today based on their learning needs in the classroom. They also earned 7 Minecraft points for using strategies to stay in the green zone during learning times. 

After lunch, we shared our predictions for the Jumbies next chapter and then read it. It was great to see how many predictions were spot on! We wrote another prediction before moving on to social presentations. 

The final Canadian Regions presentations were done this afternoon, and we are prepared to begin a new topic next week! 

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

 Today we: continued work on long division with some small group practice and a few extra EA's to circulate and help with the procedures and operations. We did a math drill on 2's and the entire class has made exponential progress on their multiplication facts! 

Before lunch, students were given extra time again to catch up on their current social and LA projects. Many managed to complete their Canadian Regions slideshows and practice presenting for the afternoon. Those who were done got some time on prodigy to practice their long division and 2-digit multiplication. There will be a test at the end of next week for these procedures so we will be practicing them daily until then. 

After lunch we watched some of the students present their slideshows. I was very pleased to see more support and kindness from the class as an audience, they had many positive things to share about each presentation that lifted the presenters up. 

We had a short discussion about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We discussed what their conflict was about, how it originated, and watched a few videos about the relationship between the two countries. 

The day ended with P.E. and the students played a relay race of hockey shooting into nets. They reviewed how to hold a hockey stick and how to pass. We learned today that having a contest for the most points was not the most motivating way to get students engaged. They were very tired by the end of the day. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

 Today we: had a much better focus on our literacy routine this morning! Some students explored a word ladder to work on their spelling and explore word meanings. 

In math, we did the 5-minute drill on 9's and discussed a strategy to find multiples of 9. If you hold both palms up, and count from the left to the finger of the multiple you are finding, then put the finger down - the number of fingers on the left side is your tens and the number on the right side are the ones. For example, if you want to find 9x7, go to the 7th finger, put it down, and you will have 6 on the left and 3 on the right - the answer is 63. 

We practiced some long division through step-by-step examples and broke off into groups to use team work to solve the worksheets. We followed this with some more catch-up time for social and visual journal assignments. 

After lunch, we read a chapter of the Jumbies book and wrote predictions. This task took a very long time as the class was extra wiggly and chatty today! Sad to say, but no Minecraft points were earned today. The day ended with more prep time before some more social presentations.