November Mash-up!

Once again another month has flown by! We have been very busy in Division 6. Here is a brief summary of what has been happening in class.

Writing

We have started learning about the trait of word choice in our writer’s workshop. Our goal this month was to start writing with descriptive detail, using “verbs of steel” and “triple scoop words”, and to add to our vocabulary. We started to write Power Sentences to help us expand our details (Sample below). Instead of “The boy went up the stairs”, students were challenged to expand on each component. For example, “With a huge grin on his face, the boy raced up the steep staircase and flew into his room to play with his toys.”

Reading: Biography Study

We have continued to revisit our biographies and practice different non-fiction reading strategies. Students have worked hard throughout this study and are now “experts” on their subject. Students have learned to use text features to support their reading, how to select key details and how to identify the main idea of a section. Students read about Micheal J. Fox, Catriona LeMay Doan, Alexander Graham Bell. Kay McKeever, Pitseolak Ashoona, Rick Hansen and Harriet Tubman.

Volleyball

I introduced the students to volleyball this month. It has always been a favourite sport of mine and I like to give students the basic skills early. We also purchased brand new “soft touch” volleyballs for our equipment room. These are designed to help younger athletes work on their skills. The kids have been very focused and are already beginning to pick up the proper techniques for bumping, setting and serving.

Social Studies: We continued to explore traditional Inuit culture and practice critical thinking. The students haven’t learned how to take research notes and how to organize them for making decisions.

Fine Arts

The students have given an amazing effort in art class this year. They are very calm and focused during each lesson. Here, we looked at warm and cool colours. They each created an image using oil pastels that juxtaposed day and night and the moon and sun.

Science

We have started our second Mystery Science Unit. It is titled “The Birth of Rocks”. This unit takes the perspective that every rock has a story. The unit will focus on the rock cycle and Earth’s Processes. The first two lessons focused on volcanoes. In lesson 1, the students learned where volcanoes are puns the world are located. The students then took part in an experiment to determine which type of lava created which type of volcano. They learned about shield volcanoes, cone volcanoes and felsite and basalt rocks.

Math

we have been learning about measurement this month. The kids have learned about the difference between centimetres, millimetres, metres and kilometres. They should be able to covert these units and make estimates with each type. We did a look of measuring in class during two lessons. They worked very well together! Highlights below.

Champs of the Week!

I have always liked to reinforce positive behaviour in the classroom. We have a class marble jar and each marble that has been added represents something positive that the class, a small group, or even one student has done. I recognize hard work, great efforts, and acts of kindness and responsibility. I decided to bring even a bit more fun into the classroom by giving one student a chance to wear the Champ of the Day belt! Students will be recognized for something that was accomplished or demonstrated during the day or week. Our first three champs are Misha, Zaynab and Alex. Misha and Zaynab were recognized for showing massive improvements in Volleyball. They gave a great effort, showed proper technique and made huge gains in this skill. Alex won listening champ of the day. Well done.

ADST Catapults!

The kids finished their final versions last week. The students seemed to really enjoy the process and demonstrated great creative thinking skills. After the first week of testing, many students made small adjustments and improvements that helped the overall performance of their catapult. Well done Div. 6.

October Mash-Up!

What a month! The kids are rolling along and have been very busy. Please have a look at some of the highlights. This is such a nice group of kids to work with.

Language Arts

We are continuing to practice our reading strategies (Using text features, selecting key information, making connections, visualizing and predicting) using the Heroes resource. We recently read about some fictional superheroes and discussed story elements (problem, setting, solution). The students then created their very own comic strip! Check out a few samples below.

We also worked on selecting the main idea of a piece of nonfiction reading. The students read four mini biographies on famous Canadians. They did very well during the lessons.


Writing

We have transitioned to the trait of organization. Students are learning how to write an effective lead, use an organizational pattern and how to write a conclusion. They have already began hooking readers with some excellent introductions! Each sample is assessed and feedback given on a mini-rubric that is stapled to the page in their journal.

This student is able to see exactly where their strengths are and where they need to improve.

Math

This month we concluded our unit on Number Sense and have started to work on addition. The students showed a good understanding of place value, rounding and patterns. Students are now learning how to add up to four-digit numbers with regrouping. We have also spent a couple days practicing mental math strategies. This was tricky at first, but many students have found the strategy that works for them and can add two-digit numbers in their head. Some students have begun to share their work and reflections on myBlueprint. We also incorporated card games to help each of us practice our mental math skills and some partner teaching to help with communicating our understanding.

Social Studies – The Resourcefulness of the Inuit.

We have completed the first lesson of the unit. This was called The Inuit’s Mainstay. We are learning about how they used the caribou and seal to meet all of their needs. The students have been impressed with how skillful and resourceful the Inuit were. Each lesson is presented as a critical thinking challenge. They are learning factual information, but also being taught and encouraged to think critically by analyzing and comparing information. We have had some amazing discussions so far!

Fine Arts

We have been working on a guided drawing series this month. With Halloween being a big theme, the students are drawing monsters. Each lesson involved a step by step process. Check out some of the creatures below! We also created a Halloween themed painting. We used oil pastel to sketch the haunted house and foreground and a water colour paint technique to complete the sky and background. The students were amazingly focused and calm during the process.

Applied Design Skills and Technology (ADST)

This month the kids have been given their first creative challenge. They were tasked with making a simple catapult using only popsicle sticks and rubber bands. They had two weeks to plan, design, build, test and then redesign. The class was amazing! They were very focused and on task. Here are some highlights of the process.

Science

We have continued to learn about the “human machine”. The lessons focused on the muscles and skeleton, light, eyes and vision and the brain and nervous system. The students explored four inquiry questions:

  1. Why do your biceps bulge?
  2. What do people who are blind see?
  3. How can some animals see in the dark?
  4. How does your brain control your body?

After learning about the skeleton we decided to create xrays of our hands and a cranium mask! They turned out great! They were the perfect Halloween themed Science activities too 😃

Designs in Nature

Today the class took to the outdoors! They created some beautiful artwork using only items found in nature. They were asked to work together and create a design that showed pattern and contrast. The kids did a great job and were focused and on task the entire time. Please have a look at their finished products.

September Mashup!

September has flown by! It was a great month. The focus for the first two weeks was on getting to know each other and the routines and expectations of the class. The kids are extremely receptive and adapted quickly. Division 6 is filled with wonderful students.

We have also started all of our academic subjects. Here is a brief summary of some of the themes and work we have done thus far.

Language Arts

Sentence of the Day: Each morning we will edit one sentence for conventional mistakes to start our day. This 5 min activity will help activate their minds early and help them master the basics of correct sentence structure.

Weekly Paragraph editing: Every week we also work together to edit an entire paragraph. Students carefully proofread each passage and hunt for mistakes in capitalization, spelling, sentence structure and grammar. I use this as a teachable time and we review each paragraph together.

Spelling program: Every week the class will be given a unit of exercises and a list of 20 words. Each unit has a specific focus. Rather than just memorizing 20 words, the program emphasizes recognizing patterns in words. The exercises are introduced on Monday and the class has about 50 minutes of class time to work on them. The exercises are due every Friday (unless a holiday or school closure occurs). I encourage and ask the students to bring their folders home so they can study for the test on Wednesday or Thursday. On Friday, the students self correct their exercises, fix any mistakes they might have made and then I dictate their test.

Write Traits lessons: My favourite part of writing! Each week I will teach a lesson focusing on one of the 6 write traits (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Conventions). We are starting with ideas. Students take part in a guided lesson and then practice independently by writing in their red journals. They impressed me with some great writing already! I will attach a small rubric to certain pieces. these rubrics give specific feedback on the writing for each traits.

Samples

Reading: We have begun a unit on heroes. That is also the title of the resource we are using. We will be using this book to practice our reading strategies and learn about heroes from around the world. I hope the students are inspired by the amazing people featured in this book!

Math

We are using the JUMP math program this year. Our focus for September has been on Number Sense and Place Value. Students use their purchased workbooks for practice. They can bring these home anytime to show their progress to their parents.

Student work in their notebook

Science

We are using an online resource called Mystery Science. This is an amazing resource. Each “mystery” is hosted by Mystery Doug. It begins with an inquiry question that we investigate together. The lessons contain videos, discussion questions and guide the students through hands on activities and experiments. In our first mystery each student made a robot finger! Our focus is on the human body, sense and brain. I hope your children can answer the question “Why do our biceps budge?”

Social Studies

We have started a unit titled The Resourcefulness of the Inuit. It is a critical thinking unit about how the Inuit people use their environment to meet their needs. We have a lot of discussion in these periods. Students will also learn note taking and research skills while learning about this amazing culture.

Fine Arts

Check out some of our first projects! The students produced some great artwork and had fun in the process.

Hamburger Collages

Good Fish, Bad Fish drawings

Career

We have been integrating this curriculum into our daily routine. We are working on using self-assessment to drive our learning forward, setting small goals and personal organization. The student planners are a part of this area and the students have been using them well so far. They record their assignments, check them off when finished and are being encouraged to use this for reminders and events outside of school. We will also begun using the myBlueprint platform to support the Career curriculum. Reflecting, goal setting and exploration of ones values, attributes and interests are all a part of this platform.

Core Competency – Positive Personal & Cultural Identity

As a part of helping the student’s show their learning of this core competency they created “Personal Pan Pizza’s”. Each slice on the pizza represented a little about who they are and what values and interests they have. It was very fun to read these! Here are a few samples:

Welcome to Division 6!

I am looking forward to this year and can’t wait to get started. Please check in with this blog as frequently as you can. I will update families on the learning that is happening in class. Consider this your “window in the class”. Each month I will post a “Mash-Up”. A mash up is a small summary of what the students have been doing. It may include photos, highlights and a brief description of the activities we have been doing.