Math
We've been working on mastering how to represent phrases into algebraic expressions and solving algebraic equations. We will be having a check-in on Tuesday next week (May 22nd; 5.2 in the am; 5.1 in the pm). Students can use their notes, previous assignments, and Khan Academy videos/assignments to study. Science We performed a lab to test the solubility of solutes in water. Focus on this was qualitative observations and understanding why water is such a good solvent (polarity of the molecule). We also did another lab on Thursday on investigating another property of water by finding how many drops of water can a penny hold. We compared that to oil and students were required to answer follow up questions along with representing their findings in a graph. Looking ahead: separating mixtures Humanities The students finished up their research and presentations on historical figures and groups in Canada. Students also spent time doing detailed reflections on our Fort Steele trip and sharing some of those with the class. Next week we will be starting a new novel study - book(s) yet to be determined. Housekeeping items picture orders due May 23rd Students will be longboarding/scootering on Tuesday, May 22nd (5.1 in the am; 5.2 in the pm). Students need to be bring helmets, water bottle, appropriate clothing, running shoes, cycling style gloves (optional), sunscreen, bug spray. Children's Festival We are still looking for a few more volunteers to join us on May 23rd for this trip. We will be watching a play in the am, and then going to a historical guided walk in the afternoon. Please let me know if you can join us for either or both parts of the trip. Have a wonderful long weekend!
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Math This week we spent time completing a math challenge based on our knowledge of Area and Perimeter. We were also introduced to patterns this week. We learned how to organize patterns into table values, how to write the pattern in words as well as algebraic equations. During the week we practiced these skills by playing a game called “What's my rule?” Ask your child to show you how to play!
Science In Science this week we took time to review concepts we learned throughout the electricity unit and how to read an electricity meter. We also explored how electricity and magnetism are connected by building electromagnets. Humanities We have started to look at the histories of both the French and English coming to Canada and the interactions with the indigenous people. We will be looking at the stories of the settlements of these and many other groups that came to settle in Canada and the impact and challenges that they faced. Fort Steele We still need parent volunteers for Fort Steele. 5.1 and 5.2. For each homeroom, we have two dads, and one mom who expressed interest. That would mean we need two more volunteers per homeroom, preferably one more dad and one more mom. If you've already offered via email and we have not gotten back to you, acknowledging your interest, please let us know. We will confirm with you soon about your status as a volunteer. Fort Calgary We're going on a field trip next week on Tuesday to Fort Calgary (full day). We are still looking for volunteers to join us. Please, please, please come and join in on the fun!!! Math:
This week we spent the majority of our time working on new math concepts, including:
Science: The students’ rubrics for their Ember Inventions were uploaded to FreshGrade along with their planning pages, self assessment and final reflection. Looking ahead: We will be learning about electromagnets and learning how to read electrical meters. Possible walk to Weaselhead on Tuesday or Thursday. More information to come on Monday. Humanities: We finished reading The City of Ember. Yay! Please ask your child about the ending of the story. Next week we will be watching the movie and having a potluck. Following this we will be doing a comparison between the movie and novel. Students did a self assessment for their humanities work over the duration of this past term. If you were unable to attend student led conferences, your child should be bringing home their self assessment to review with you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us. Field Trips and Volunteers We're going on a field trip to Telus Spark on April 10 (Tue), we're still looking for volunteers to join us. We would like to have about 4-5 volunteers per homeroom. If you'd like to join us and already have completed your volunteer clearance forms, please contact your child's homeroom teacher. We also have two subsequent trips after this one; both on Tuesdays: - Fort Calgary & St. Patrick Island April 17th (Tue) and Heritage Park: April 24th (Tue) - Wanna join us on these trips too? Let us know. Math: This week in math we started quadrilaterals and 3D shapes. We learned how to classify various quadrilaterals based on their attributes and then completed a scavenger hunt around the school looking for quadrilaterals. We also downloaded an application titled “Geoboard”. This application will allow us practice making 2D shapes, but more specifically quadrilaterals. We also completed Khan assignments about quadrilaterals. Looking ahead: Next week we will continue working on 3D shapes and begin angles.
Science:We had a very busy week in science. We spent the first half of our week finishing our City of Ember projects. Once we completed our Ember projects we completed peer assessments, self assessments, and a reflection of the overall project. We also shared our projects with the rest of the class so that we could showcase our accomplishments and discuss the challenges we faced. Looking ahead: Next week we will begin to discuss how electricity and magnetism are related. Humanities: We continued on with the reading of, "The City of Ember," and are endeavoring to figure out the Instructions page and the mystery of the missing letters and words. We expect to finish the book this week and then will be watching the movie to do a comparison of the characters, setting and storyline between the book and the movie. The students looked at the Metis culture and the history of their people. The students did a follow-up reading comprehension sheet on the Olympics. The students did a self-assessment for term 2 that they will be sharing with you during student led conferences. Expo: On Wednesday we had the privilege of listening to a guest speaker, named Ian, discuss solar energy. During this workshop we learned how solar panels are used around the world, how efficient solar panels are (30.7% efficient), and how solar panels help reduce pollution. We also had the wonderful opportunity to build circuits that incorporated solar panels. We will also be going to Telus Spark on April 10 (Tue) from 10:30 to 2:30. We are looking for about 2-3 volunteers with their volunteer paperwork completed. Please contact your child's homeroom teacher if interested. Report Cards: Report cards are going home today. Student-led conferences are Thursday from 4 pm to 8 pm; and Friday from 8 am to 1 pm. Sign up will start this afternoon at 4 pm and will be online. Instructions will be emailed to you from our office. If you're unable to attend these conferences, we will be sending the forms (i.e. a script) home with your child so you can conduct a home conference with them. MathThis week in math we spent time completing FreshGrade assignments and check-ins that were overdue. Looking ahead: We will resume working on bar graphs and our shape and space unit.
Science Most of our time this week was spent on our City of Ember Project! We had time to plan our projects prior to jumping into the building process. Once our plans were complete we gathered our materials and headed to the science lab for our building phase. We spent multiple period experimenting and building our projects. We faced many challenges that were not expected, but used the growth mindset to persevere and find solutions. At the end of each class we had the chance to reflect on the challenges we faced, how we overcame them and what our next steps will be. Looking ahead: We will be completing our building process early next week and then presenting our projects. Humanities This week we finished off our Poetry Anthologies and they are now bound and beautiful! The students put a great deal of effort into learning new forms of poetry and choosing images that illustrated their poems. We continued on with the reading of “The City of Ember” and are digging deeper into the possibilities of what will happen in the city as things seem to be getting more dire. We also did formal reflections about our field trips to Mount Royal University and The Military Museums. Pink Shirt Day Wednesday was Pink Shirt Day, when we focused on anti-bullying and the importance of kindness and empathy. Please have a discussion with your kids at home about this important message. Report Cards Report cards go home on Monday, March 12. Student-led conferences to follow. Details will be forwarded to you in one week. Math This week we took time to review our division check-ins and upload them to FreshGrade. We reflected on what we can do better in the future as well as our areas of strength. We also did daily check-ins with our classroom Olympic Bar Graph, looking at the amount of medals that were added overnight and which country is in the lead. Looking ahead: We will continue working on bar graphs and also begin our shape and space unit.
Science This week in Science we learned about electrons through a hands on group activity and the use of an energy stick. We experimented with parallel and series circuits using unique materials like tinfoil, paper clips and brass fasteners. Following this experiment we reflected upon our experience and the challenges we faced. We also began the planning phase of our City of Ember Electricity Project. Looking Ahead: Students will begin gathering and bringing in their materials for their Ember Project so they are able to begin building their projects. Humanities We had an awesome trip the the Military Museum this past week. Please ask your child about what they did and what they learned. Our poetry unit is finished! Some students will be bringing their unfinished poems home this weekend. Please ask if your child finished all their work or will have a bit to finish up at home this weekend. Looking Ahead: We will be catching up on our reading of the City of Ember as well as exploring the Metis culture through a kit we have in from the National Music Center. As always, do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. Expo This week was a busy week for EXPO. On Tuesday we went to the Mount Royal University Library and the Military Museum. At Mount Royal we experimented with snap circuits and little bits to enhance our understanding of electricity. One class learned how to make buttons and received a tour of the Maker Space and the other class received a tour of the library. At the Military Museum the students took part in 3 different learning experiences: creating story robes, listening to a presentation about Famous First Nations veterans that were in the war, and listened to stories about artifacts while they were passed around the circle. On Wednesday the students spent the day swimming where they took part in the Swim to Survive program. EXPO pictures https://goo.gl/photos/FufmVRi9Ag7YJams5 please visit and download ones with your kids in them. iPads We spoke to students about appropriate iPad use as there have been numerous incidences of inappropriate use. We did a mass delete of apps along with pictures of memes and videos that were not directly related to school work. In addition, students are now required to email parents if they want to take their iPads home, describing what they need to work on and why they need to take it home (reason: probably not using their time wisely in class). We ask that you follow up with a conversation at home and a brief reply to these emails so that we both know that you're aware of this. Math
We spent time this week working on Olympic themed double bar graphs so that students could connect math to a current event. We started off by collecting data from the 2018 Olympics website and from there we created and shared what we learned using double bar graphs. As the week continued, we took time to create a graph representing medals that Canada and four other countries have won so far. In one class, we made predictions about who would win the Olympics based off the data in our classroom graph by using key words such as “more likely”, “less likely” and “equally likely”. Looking ahead: We will be working on more graphing related to the Olympics, and we will have a class review of our check-ins. Science Students were tasked with constructing series and parallel circuits in groups, this time using motors instead of lightbulbs. We also continued our discussion on the differences between series and parallel circuits. Looking ahead: Students are to design and construct something electrical that can/will help them do their jobs in the City of Ember. Planning for this project will begin next week. Both classes spent time this week looking over their FreshGrade Portfolios and making sure that all of their assignments were complete and up to date. Humanities This week we continued to work on our poetry anthology and should be finished up early next week. We have also continued on with the reading of, "The City of Ember," and getting a better handle on all of the various jobs within the city. EXPO We will be visiting two sites on Wednesday, Feb. 21st: the MRU Maker Space in the Riddell Library and the Military Museum. Then on Thursday, Feb. 22nd, students will be swimming at the Southland Leisure Centre for the whole day. Informed consent forms were sent out this week. Please have them signed and returned to your child's homeroom teacher asap. We are still looking for a few volunteers for the Maker Space/Military Museum trip. Have a lovely Family Day weekend! Math
We had a guest speaker, come and talk to students about the wonderful and interesting math behind snowflakes. Students constructed their own snowflakes with their knowledge of fractals, fractions, angles, proportions, etc. Students also learned the long division method for solving division questions. We also did a check-in on division in word problem formats. Feedback to be returned next week. In one class, we started our unit on quadrilaterals with students creating their ways of classifying/sorting the many types of quadrilaterals. Looking ahead: more quadrilaterals Science Students constructed series and parallel circuits and we began our discussion on their differences. We then drew jobs for their City of Ember project. Looking ahead: With these jobs, students are to design and construct something that is electrical that can/will help them do their jobs in the City of Ember. Humanities Students continued to work on their poetry unit and have explored a variety of poetry forms. All students should have completed a visual representation of some sort of their "Where I'm From" poem. We should finish up the poetry unit by Wednesday next week. We started the City of Ember read aloud and all students have chosen their jobs as contributing members of the City of Ember. We will be continuing with the reading and analysis of the novel until spring break. EXPO: Swimming all day (PE) February 22 (Thursday all day) Informed consents for this trip will be distributed by their PE teachers. Looking ahead. We will be looking for volunteers for the following trip: Maker Space at MRU and Military Museum. Feb. 21st (Wednesday). Informed consent to be given on Monday next week. Rubix cubes We have noticed a dramatic increase in rubix cube use in the classroom and it's exciting to see students use problem-solving strategies through this toy. Should students use it during inappropriate times, i.e. work times, we will and have confiscated them (and returned them at the end of the day). If you notice that your child is bringing more than a handful (like >5) of them to school, please talk to them about bringing only one for them to use during down times. Thank you for your support. Math
We reviewed the box method of division then used the long division algorithm to divide. Students are encouraged to choose the method that works best for them (including the array method which we explored two weeks ago). Students also looked further into the relationship between multiplication and division by using previous multiplication strategies to check quotients. Looking ahead: assessment, open-ended task, and a guest speaker on Tuesday re: snowflake fractals Science Students signed a safety contract when working with electrical components; then they were introduced to the definitions of open and closed circuits and in drawing circuit schematic diagrams and hypothesized how to light up a bulb. They then tested these different configurations: looking for successful and unsuccessful ways of lighting it up. Looking ahead: Lighting up >1 light bulb challenge Humanities We have started work on poems for the students Poetry Anthology. The first poem will be a “Where I’m From” poem that relates to the students PLACE and what makes up where they are from. Students should have brought this home for discussion. We will be moving on to a variety of poems and this unit will culminate with each one having a “published” anthology of their own poems. Next week we will be starting the reading of “The City of Ember” in conjunction with the students exploring the electricity unit in science. We will be doing an interdisciplinary study with this novel as the students design and develop an electrical improvement for their assigned jobs as citizens of Ember. Stay tuned for the students to receive their assigned rolls as workers in the city of Ember. Humanities
- We are carrying on with The Wild Robot novel and are now writing stories as if we were a character interacting with ROZ the robot. Students have done another reading comprehension booklet that should have come home yesterday for review, corrections and parent signature. As we move further into the year I will continue my focus on careful work and attention to detail. If your student is asking you to sign “20 club” sheets please have them explain to you why they are doing that and how with more careful attention to their work, they will not have those in the future. If you have any questions please email me. Math - Place value equivalences were reviewed (e.g. 40 tens = 400 ones) as we introduce multiplication. - Feedback on Estimation assignment was returned and discussed with students. See FreshGrade. - Looking ahead: multiplication using the array (x and y axes; length and width models); students need to have their times table (basic facts) memorized. This is something they can do at home daily. They can use the Quizlet app (digital flashcard) to help. They know how to use this app. Science - Returned Analyzing Food Webs check-in with feedback; allowed corrections to be done as some predictions were not supported well. - STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) activity by building an adaptation that would help Roz (The Wild Robot) become a better parent. Students constructed adaptations and presented them to the class. EXPO Next EXPO week: Dec. 11-14 with trips to the Weaselhead (Mon), Glenbow Museum/Fort Calgary (Tue), and Masters Gallery (Wed for 5.1; Thu for 5.2) We are going to need a lot of volunteers for those trips. Please let us know if you're interested in any or all of them. We're taking names this early. Contact your child's homeroom teacher to volunteer. Food Bank Donations We are collecting donations for the Calgary Food Bank. Students will be bringing these donations to their Family Group teachers. Agenda Use Please remind your child to bring their agenda to school daily. Although we send weekly updates to you, there are important daily announcements that we need to relay to you, and the agenda is our primary way to do this. It also helps to teach organization skills and accountability. That said, there are students who consistently "forget" their agendas at home; and as a backup plan, they end up writing on pieces of paper that probably don't reach home. Can you please remind them to bring it to school daily? Your support is appreciated. |