Writing the Draft Paragraphs

We started our day together working on our Where we are in place and time inquiry unit. We took up Wednesday’s fill-in-the-blank worksheets about French and English explorers. Students were then introduced to their summative task for this unit. They will create an RSA-style animation that teaches the class about an early explorer of their choice through the lens of change, causation, and perspective. Use of technology forms a large part of this project. Please refer to the package that students received today for more information. This package will guide them through the process. Students have formed groups as follows:

Group	Explorer
Pooshne & Sofia	Marco Polo
Mahhdi & Yashmeen	Ferdinand Magellan
Aamna & Emaan	Jacques Cartier
Jasmeet & Himmat	James Cook
Charlie & Jaiden	John Cabot
Emana & Vishva	Henry Hudson
Aanika & Eva	Francis Drake
Daniel & Div	Amerigo Vespucci
Khooshali	TBD

Students started researching about their chosen explorer. They will have a large section of time on Monday to finish up their research.

The inquiry unit test will be written on Tuesday, January 21^st. Students should study all work including Aboriginal perspectives on who first founded America, scientific theories such as the Beringia Land Bridge theory, Map work (continents and oceans), all explorers (Asians, Polynesians, Irish, Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French), events leading up to the Age of exploration (1095 & 1453 AD/CE), Reasons for European exploration, and technological advances that allowed for successful exploration.

We continued working on speeches today. I met with most students and checked that they recorded 3- 5 examples for reason # 2 & 3 as well as their counterargument in their chart. Some students had to improve this work if their examples were too general, repetitive, or weak. We read through the instructions in our speech package to guide us on writing a good paragraph. In a nutshell, the reason paragraph should begin with a topic sentence (opinion & reason), be packed with persuasive examples and evidence, and end with a concluding sentence. This was done in one sitting, in pencil, while skipping lines. Students now need to get feedback (from a peer, teacher, and parent) on the ideas in their paragraph (not conventions – we correct those when we edit). Feedback must be written in ink, directly on the extra lines. Students will then write a revised draft of their Reason #1 paragraph again in pencil on lined paper while skipping lines. All paragraph drafts are to be stored in order in the speech duo-tang.

Students attended Music class with Mr. Oliver, French class with Mme. Stella and math class with Ms. Joseph. In math students took up Wednesday’ review work. The math unit test will be written on Monday, January 20^th.

Do not order a hot lunch for the following dates:

-          February 19, 2020 – Ski & snowboard trip

-          March 4, 2020 – Ski & snowboard trip

The lunch site is now open for February lunches. It will close Wednesday, January 22^nd at 3:00pm sharp. The special of the month is Chicken Stir Fry which is available every Friday. All payments are to be made through QuickBooks by February 6^th.

DON’T DELAY - THE DEADLINE FOR RE-REGISTRATION IS FEBRUARY 18 AT 4 PM

To reserve your child’s 2020-2021 place at St. Jude’s Academy, complete and return your child’s re-registration forms and payment by FEB 18 AT 4 pm.

Homework and Reminders

Speech:

·         Catch up if you are behind on your speech work

·         Get feedback on your Reason #1 draft

·         Write a revised (improved ideas) Reason #1 paragraph – due on Monday

Unit of Inquiry:

·         Unit test on Tuesday, January 21^st – will cover all work including

o   Aboriginal perspectives on who first founded America,

o   scientific theories such as the Beringia Land Bridge theory,

o   Map work (continents and oceans),

o   all explorers (Asians, Polynesians, Irish, Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, French and English),

o   events leading up to the Age of exploration (1095 & 1453 AD/CE),

o   Reasons for European exploration, and

o   technological advances that allowed for successful exploration.

·         Timeline – Add John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), Giovanni da Verrazano, and Henry Hudson to your timeline

·         Timelines are past due

French – as assigned by Mme. Stella

Math:

Study – math unit test on Monday, January 20^th   

Upcoming Dates

• Monday, January 20^th - Math test
• Tuesday, January 21^st – UOI Test
• Wednesday, January 22^nd 
• Grade 5 & 6 Ski Trip to Crawford Lake, arrive at 6:45
• Deadline to order February hot lunches, 3 pm
• Friday, January 24^th 
• Town Hall, 7pm 
• Tuesday, January 28^th – Bake Sale
• Wednesday, January 29^th - Bake Sale
• Thursday, January 30^th – Casual Day
• Thursday, February 6^th:
• JK - Grade 3 Oral Competition
• Deadline for February hot lunch payments
• Friday, February 7^th
• Grade 4 – 8 Oral Competition