Thursday, November 27, 2014

Science Fair


We began our day with a math lesson. Today students learned how to multiply a number by 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001. They used a calculator at first just to observe patterns and quickly realised that multiplying by these decimals is the same as dividing by 10, 100, and 1000 respectively. They then learned to do it mentally by shifting the number 1, 2,  or 3 places to the right, or by moving the decimal 1, 2, or 3 places to the left respectively. Some of the word problems were particularly challenging in today's practice questions. Students are asked to complete practice questions on p. 144 and 145 of the MMS textbook.

In our inquiry unit on the human body we began learning about the digestive system. Students were  given non-fiction texts about the human body. They were challenged to research information about the structure and function of the digestive system. Students then shared their findings with the class and what we learned was fascinating. Everyone agreed that the digestive system is a very interesting system and they all learned a lot. We wondered if we could swallow food while upside down. We tested this out (thanks to a brave volunteer) by having a student chew and swallow a snack while doing a head stand. We learned that peristalsis continues to work without the help of gravity. Students have received templates to colour in blue and to cut out of the digestive system that will be added to their skeletons. They have been asked to do a self portrait of themselves on the face before they cut it out. This is due on Monday. Students were treated to a Bill Nye video about the skeletal and muscular systems.
 

Students then had class time to complete their persuasive writing piece and their Polar Expressions poetry piece.

Students attended French class.

Students ended the day presenting their science fair projects to judges and then to visiting family members. Well done to all students on their hard work and learning  through this process.






 


 
Tomorrow we are all on a P.E. field trip. Remember to come to school wearing full gym uniform and bring a lunch.

Look out for Scholastic order forms coming home today.

Homework & Reminders:

  • MMS p. 141 & 142
  • Wear gym uniform for tomorrow's P.E. trip - bring your permission forms if you haven't already
  • Digestive system self-portrait, colouring (in blue) and cutting out due on Monday
  • Scholastic orders and payments due Monday for those interested in ordering
  • Please return parent-teacher conference forms if you haven't already
  • Fri. - Term 1 Report Cards go home, P.E Trip to Burloak Sports Centre, Oakville
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Fri. Dec. 5 - Carollers go carolling in Streetsville, 1 pm
  • Tues. Dec. 16 - Christmas concert 11:45 am - All Welcome
  • Wed. Dec. 17 - Christmas concert 7 pm - All Welcome

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Structure and Function of the Skeletal System


We began our day with a math lesson. Today students learned how to divide a decimal by 10, 100, 1000, and 10 000. They used a calculator at first just to observe patterns. They then learned to do it mentally by shifting the number 1, 2, 3, or 4 places to the right, or by moving the decimal 1, 2, 3, or 4 places to the left respectively. After yesterday's lesson students found this pretty easy. Students are asked to complete practice questions on p. 141 and 142 of the MMS textbook.

In our inquiry unit on the human body we revisited the Body Words chart we created on Monday. Students were challenged to brainstorm any skeletal system body words they could add to the chart. Our collective chart is looking pretty impressive. Students were then given non-fiction texts about the human body. They were challenged to research information about the structure and function of the skeletal system. Students then shared their findings with the class. Ask your child what they discovered about the human skeleton today.

We then met  for our final group discussions of Shannen and the Dream for a School.

It was then time to head to Streetsville for tree decorating. Grade 6 students were well behaved while we were there. They made me proud!



 

Tomorrow is the science fair. Students should bring their display boards, science journals, and materials for their display. We will be setting up displays first thing tomorrow in the gym. Grade 6s will be presenting their projects to the judges during the day. Students are asked to be in full uniform for their presentations - no hoodies. Families are welcome to visit the science fair between 2:30 and 3:30 tomorrow.

Homework & Reminders:

  • Science Fair tomorrow! Parents welcome from 2:30 - 3:30 to view projects.
  • MMS p. 141 & 142
  • Please return parent-teacher conference forms if you haven't already
  • Fri. - Term 1 Report Cards go home, P.E Trip to Burloak Sports Centre, Oakville
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Fri. Dec. 5 - Carollers go carolling in Streetsville, 1 pm
  • Tues. Dec. 16 - Christmas concert 11:45 am - All Welcome
  • Wed. Dec. 17 - Christmas concert 7 pm - All Welcome

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Human Body


We began our day with a math lesson. Today students used rounding to estimate sums or differences between two numbers. They then calculated the sum or difference using place-values. Students are asked to complete practice questions on p. 135 & 136 of the MMS textbook.

We began work on our third inquiry unit this morning. This unit belongs under the transdisciplinary them Who We Are. Our central idea is:
The human body is a highly organized structure made up of different systems that work together to accomplish functions necessary to sustain life.
Our lines of inquiry are:

·          The structure and function of systems and organs of the human body

·          The relationship between organs within each system

·          Factors contributing to good health

Our concepts for this unit are:
 Form, Function, Connection

To start off the unit, students brainstormed all the body words they knew. We created a class chart of body words. We began our inquiry on the human body by focusing on the skeletal system. Each student has received copies of the parts that make up a skeleton. For homework, students need to colour the parts in yellow, cut the parts out along the thick black lines only, and return the skeletal parts to school in the sealable bag for tomorrow. It is important that all cutting out is completed as we will assemble the skeleton model tomorrow. No class time will be allocated for cutting out. Students were inquirers today as they read about the skeletal system and worked to complete a package on the skeletal system.

We then met in groups to discuss chapter 19 of Shannen and the Dream for a School. Students had class time to read chapter 20. They did not have enough time to complete the questions relating to chapter 20.

Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students should all have purchased their trifold display board and pasted their information onto their boards.

Homework & Reminders:

  • Science Fair on Thursday! Parents welcome from 2:30 - 3:30 to view projects. Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects.
  • MMS p. 135 & 136
  • Novel Study Chapter 20
  • Skeleton - colour it yellow, cut out each part around the thick black lines only, return to school tomorrow
  • Picture retake takes place tomorrow
  • Bake Sale tomorrow - $$$ goes toward purchasing technology for the school
  • Wed. - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm (please return trip forms)
  • Fri. - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - please return forms

Friday, November 21, 2014

Election Results


We began our day with reflecting on our last two inquiry units - electricity and government. Students wrote what they enjoyed most about these units and how they showed that they were inquirers during these units. Students continued with reflections as they worked on their report comments. Some students worked on their portfolios and organizing their student binders.

We learned the results of yesterday's election.

First Place: Volornian Party

Second Place: Equality Party

Third Place: U-Nations Party

Fourth Place: Volcanic Hilo Party

Fifth Place: Party of Rights and ADJS Party.

Well done to all parties on the platforms they developed and their campaign.
 





 

In math we learned how to estimate sums and differences involving decimals. We did this by rounding to the nearest, hundredth, tenth, and whole number. We also did it by only rounding the subtrahend or second addend in the problem.  We made good progress on the practice questions. Students are asked to complete questions on p. 130 and 131 as follows.

1. a) - d), 2. a) - d, 3. - Round to nearest hundredth, tenth, whole number and round second number only. For the remaining questions, round to the nearest whole number. Students are bringing their trifold display boards home to finish them up over the weekend. We will have practice presentations next week to prepare for the science which takes place on Thursday, November 27. Families are welcome to come and view projects from 2:30 - 3:30 on the day of the science fair.

Students met in groups to discuss chapter 18 of Shannen and the Dream for a School. They had class time to read chapter 19. Some students managed to complete the discussion questions in class. Students who did not get done in class will need to complete discussion questions at home.

Look out for parent-teacher conference and Terracycle letters coming home today.
                                                                          
Homework & Reminders:

 MMS p. 130 & 131
  • Science Fair: Finish up display boards over the weekend
  • Novel Study Chapter 19
  • Parent-Teacher Conference Letter
  • Terracycle letter
  • Mon. Nov. 24 - Term 2 begins
  • Students need scissors, glue, and tape for Monday. Please speak to your child and ensure they have these supplies at school
  • Please return pictures if not purchasing. Please send payment and order forms if you are purchasing. Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25
  • Wed. Nov. 26 - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm
  • Thurs. Nov. 27 - Science Fair
  • Fri. Nov 28 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Election Day


Today our day began with a math lesson. Students rounded decimals to the nearest whole number, tenth place, and hundredth place. Students used place values and number lines as strategies to help them when rounding decimals.  We made good progress on the practice questions. Students are asked to complete all questions on p. 127 and 128.

We had an hour of class time to work on science fair projects today. Students who did not have their work with them worked on their math homework. Tomorrow is the last day for testing building, and note-taking in class. Students will be taking home their science fair work to finish up over the weekend at home. Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students should all have purchased their trifold display board.

Then it was finally time for government presentations. We had packed room as families joined us as did the Grade 3 and 4s. Grade 5s and 6s did a wonderful job of sharing their learning with such a large audience. We are also happy that it took only about an hour to get through the presentations. Well done to all students for all their hard work.












 

Students attended French and gym class today.                                                                   

Look out for a letter coming home today about the tree decorating trip taking place next week Wednesday.

 Homework & Reminders:

  • MMS p. 127 & 128
  • Science Fair: Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects.
  • Lunch forms and payment are due tomorrow
  • Mon. Nov. 24 - Term 2 begins
  • Please return pictures if not purchasing. Please send payment and order forms if you are purchasing. Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25
  • Wed. Nov. 26 - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm
  • Thurs. Nov. 27 - Science Fair
  • Fri. Nov 28 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Please Be Patient. We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties


Today our day began with a math lesson. Students ordered and compared decimals using place-value as their strategy. Everyone seemed to grasp how to do this quite quickly and some made a good dent in the homework questions during class time. Students are asked to complete all questions on p. 123 and 124.

The rest of the day was spent preparing for tomorrow's government presentations. We didn't expect it to take so long but we encountered many technical difficulties along the way. We managed to figure most of them out. It was a day of real-world learning experiences and we hope the gremlins stay away tomorrow! Students enjoyed the opportunity to share their work with others and to be an audience for their class mates. We ended the day with students sharing ways that others could improve their presentations and things that groups had done well. Parents are welcome to visit P6 at 12:15 tomorrow to be part of the audience and to participate in the election.

Students attended French class today.

We did not have time to work on science fair today. Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students should all have purchased their trifold display board.

Look out for a letter coming home today about the tree decorating trip taking place next week Wednesday.

Homework & Reminders:

  • MMS p. 123 & 124
  • Thurs. Nov. 20 - Government Presentations & Election in P6 @ 12:15 All welcome
  • Science Fair: Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects.
  • Lunch forms and payment are due Friday, November 21
  • Mon. Nov. 24 - Term 2 begins
  • Please return pictures if not purchasing. Please send payment and order forms if you are purchasing. Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25
  • Wed. Nov. 26 - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm
  • Thurs. Nov. 27 - Science Fair
  • Fri. Nov 28 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Persuasive Speeches


We started our day working with the Grade 5s for government inquiry time. Today's challenge was for students to complete the editing of their TV commercial, writing their persuasive speeches, and electing a political leader who can effectively deliver the speech on election day. Most students accomplished this. Students will practice their presentations tomorrow. They have been asked to have both the commercial and the slide show on one device to make things runs smoothly during presentations. Families who are able are invited to join us for the presentations on Thursday, November 20 at 12:15. All in attendance will have the opportunity to vote for the most promising political party.

In math, we worked on yesterday's practice questions on decimals. Students who did not get done in class are asked to complete p. 119 & 120 of their MMS textbooks.

Students attended Drama, French, and Gym class today.

Students who are behind on their science fair projects were kept out of gym class to work on their projects. Students should be typing up all the sections of their projects to paste onto their display boards. Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students should all have purchased their trifold display board.

Homework & Reminders:

  • MMS p. 119 & 120
  • Government unit tests are coming home today. Please take time to review the test with your child, sign it, and return it to school
  • Thurs. Nov. 20 - Government Presentations @ 12:15 All welcome
  • Science Fair: Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects.
  • Ensure your group's slide show and commercial are on one device. Political party leaders should be memorising their speeches.
  • Lunch forms and payment are due Friday, November 21
  • Mon. Nov. 24 - Term 2 begins
  • Please return pictures if not purchasing. Please send payment and order forms if you are purchasing. Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25
  • Wed. Nov. 26 - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm
  • Thurs. Nov. 27 - Science Fair
  • Fri. Nov 28 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Monday, November 17, 2014

Political Party Commercials


We started our week with the Grade 5s joining us for government inquiry time. Today's challenge was for students to complete their slideshow presentations, complete writing the script for their party's tv commercial, practice the commercial, and record the commercial. Most students accomplished this. Some students still do not have iMovie, Movie Maker, or similiar software on their devices. Students will work on editing their commercials and writing their persuasive speeches tomorrow.

Grade 6s wrote their government test today. We did not have time to work on science fair or novel studies today. Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students should all have purchased their trifold display board.

In math, we continued learning about decimals. Today's focus was on thousandths. We used Base Ten Blocks to help us understand tenths, hundredths, and thousandths.  Students used a fraction and a decimal to represent a flat, a rod, and a unit if the cube is the whole. We showed our work in many ways, including grids, pictures, fractions, decimals, equivalent decimals, words, and expanded form. We did not finish up our math lesson today. We will continue with it tomorrow.

Homework & Reminders:

  • Thurs. Nov. 20 - Government Presentations @ 12:15 All welcome
  • Look out for an after-school programs letter coming home today
  • Science Fair: Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects.
  • Bring devices to create a slideshow, record the video component of your commercial, and edit the video using Movie Maker, iMovie, etc.
  • Lunch forms and payment are due Friday, November 21
  • Mon. Nov. 24 - Term 2 begins
  • Please return pictures if not purchasing. Please send payment and order forms if you are purchasing. Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25
  • Wed. Nov. 26 - Casual Day & Christmas Tree Decorating in Streetsville, 1 - 3 pm
  • Thurs. Nov. 27 - Science Fair
  • Fri. Nov 28 - Term 1 Report Cards go home
  • Thurs. Dec. 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, November 14, 2014

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario


SJA students were treated to an unexpected house game by Ms. Nelson this morning. House teams worked as a group to take turns drawing a snowman. Well done to Kappa for winning, but Zetas snowman was better!;-)

Grade 5s joined us for government inquiry time. Today's challenge was for students to complete the good copy of their constitution and their slide shows. This was a tough challenge as we had to leave for our trip to the Legislative Assembly. Students were also asked to start thinking about their political party's commercial. For inspiration, we watched some commercial put out by major political parties, such as the Bloc Quebecois, the Conservative Party, the Green Party, and The liberal Party.
 
















Our trip was to Queen's Park was awesome. Students got to see the mace, tour the building, and participate in a mock debate. Ask your child to tell you what they learned.

Once back at school Grade 6s met for novel study discussions. Students had class time to complete the reading of chapter 18,  and also had time to answer the questions for chapter 18.

We did not have time to work on science fair projects today. Students who are behind are strongly encouraged to come to school early each day to work on their projects from 8 am to 8:45 am daily. Students are also asked to make time to purchase the trifold display board.

Homework & Reminders:

  • Novel Study chapter 18
  • Science Fair: Students are encouraged to come early, 8 am to 8:45 am, to work on their science fair projects. Make time to buy the trifold display board sometime soon.
  • Study for the Government Unit Test on Monday, November 17.
  • Bring devices to create a slideshow, record the video component of your commercial, and edit the video using Movie Maker, iMovie, etc.
  • Lunch forms and payment are due Friday, November 21
  • Picture retake is on Tuesday, November 25