Week 33 - May 11 - 14

Hi gang, 

We have a couple of short weeks ahead of us. These next two are also the last ones for Ms. Miller. There's plenty to accomplish either side of your extra-long weekend. Here's the plan:

Math - This week, we’re continuing with geometry! We’ll learn about angles and different types of triangles, and will learn how to use a fun new tool… the protractor! 

Social Studies - Let’s continue with climate change! On Monday we talked about how we can connect with the land around us, and why we should want to take care of our environment. Stay tuned for a new project later this week! 

Science - It’s time to wrap up Newton’s second law. Later this week we’ll be moving on to Newton’s third law. Be prepared to learn about actions and reactions… We have some fun demonstrations planned for you!

L.A. - WOW, we are almost at the end of The Skeleton Tree. This week’s topic: Conflict. You’ll also have some time to finish up your black-out poems that we started last week. Make sure you’re on top of your reading. (By Wednesday this week you should have read to the end of Chapter 13). Take a moment to share with your folks about an intense and exciting moment you have encountered from the story.

District Transition Day events will happen Thursday afternoon this week. This is your opportunity to be a tour guide for incoming grade 5 students. You get to be a kind and wonderful and caring host. You'll remember your own tour from last year - and you might remember how you were feeling. Scared, anxious, nervous, excited, confused... do what you can to be a calm and reassuring leader and make this experience the best it can be for your newbies.

Friday is a Pro-D day. Next Monday is a holiday. 

Week 32 - May 4 - 8

Hi Team! Wow. It is May already (although the weather suggests it is June - beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures!). We've got a few things on the go for the week ahead:

Student-Led Conferences - You get to go home a little early tomorrow. Then, come on back to the school sometime between 4:00 and 6:00. Our "Student-Led Conference Cafe" closes at 6:30... please leave at least 20 minutes free for your visit. See you then!

Also on this week:

Math - Let's take a side road down to Geometry Town. With Ms. Miller you will learn about shapes - how to identify classify them, find their areas and perimeters, and more. You'll use some algebra (*gasp!*) concepts along the way. Fun!

Social Studies - we'll pick up where we left off last week. You are now an "expert" in at least one area of climate concern. What have you learned about? You'll share your expertise with a group, and each of them will share with you. We are working toward a little project centered on how people are responding to global climate change.

Science - Our look at Newton's Second Law involves some demonstrations and hands-on lab work. Yes, it's the "mathy" Law (F = ma), but there's some pretty cool science in here that you can do to prove the law.

L.A. - The Skeleton Tree continues. This week's topic: Connections. Be sure to stay current with your reading. (By Wednesday this week you should have read to the end of Chapter 10.)

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Week 31 - Apr 27 - May 1

Hi Team! Welcome to our 31st week together. Wow. That's a lot of weeks. Time is flying. 

A few key events are upcoming...

1) Monday, 27th: Oak Bay Police bike safety presentation.

2) Wednesday, 29th: School-wide assembly

3) Friday, May 1: Swimming at OBRec

4) Tuesday, May 5: Student-Led Conferences

For this week:

L.A. - The Skeleton Tree continues this week. Do you have a favourite moment of the book so far? A number of you have missed some time over the past week or two. It is your responsibility to get caught up! If you've been away, expect homework. Be sure to have your copy of the novel here every day. Chances are high that you'll need it!

Science - Our exploration of Newton's 3 laws of motion continues this week. The 2nd law is a tricky one because Newton got out his pencil and his slide rule for this one. He crunched some numbers and discovered a pretty interesting relationship between force, mass, and acceleration. 

Social Studies - This week we will begin to explore how people (and especially young people) are responding to, and finding answers for, global climate change. 

Math - Let's extend our understanding of division. This week we'll explore how to deal with dividends that have decimal values. The partial quotients strategy remains our go-to technique. But we'll need another tool, another strategy, to deal with numbers that don't divide evenly. 

Being Organized - guess who's coming next week? Yep, that's right. Your parents! What will you do to help show them how organized, thorough, and on-task you've been? Your hanging file should be loaded with all kinds of top-notch work. It should be reasonably tidy. Is it?

Enjoy your week!

Week 30 - Apr 20 - 24

Hi Team. Time is marching on - we are well into 3rd term. The school's Student-Led Conferences event is just a couple of weeks away (May 5th). Are you organized? Doing neat and tidy and readable work? Staying up to date?

Here is the plan for the week ahead:

Math - we will spend some time practicing multiplication of decimal values by whole numbers this week. Remember the array model strategy for multipling whole numbers? That's what we'll continue to use for decimal values.

L.A. - Your Skeleton Tree novel study is underway. Be sure to stay current with the reading. This might mean you'll need to do a little reading at home. Just be sure to put your copy of the novel into your backpack when you're done reading for the night. Your book must be here each day! What do you think of the book so far? (For me, it's a dark, atmospheric read with hair-raising moments of tension and crisis. Fun!)

Science - Ms. Miller will launch a new unit about Newton's 3 Laws this week.

French - Your "Smash Doodle" is due on Thursday.

Writing - This week, let's begin to explore "writer's voice" as a worthy trait of writing. You may recognize my writer's voice here on the blog. There are ways that I word things that seem distinctive - not everyone would say things the same way that I do. One of the keys to Voice is to seek those little things that make your writing you. How you build your sentences, the word choices you make, and the way you organize your ideas help you "speak" to your audience. We'll chat this week about writing with strong Voice.

For your Calendar: Looking ahead, we will head to the Rec Center one more time next Friday, May 1, for a swim. As mentioned, Student-Led Conferences will happen Tuesday, May 5. And There is a Pro-D day on Friday, May 15, followed by Victoria Day on May 18.

Enjoy your week, all!

Week 29 - Apr 13 - 17

Hi All! Time is marching on. We'll hit the middle of April this week. Spring has sprung. A myriad of opportunities have opened up for students. Here's a list of extra-curricular stuff currently on the go:

- Rugby

- Track and Field

- Field Hockey

- Badminton

- Futsal

- Dance club

- Cheer

- Rubik's Cube

- Magic the Gathering

- Warhammer

- Board Games and Card Games club

- Self-Directed Art/Quiet Time

- Book Battle 

- And, as well as all of the usual Band and Strings and Choir options, Gr. 6's have been invited to join Jazz Band this term.

Wow. No wonder this feels like a busy place! Which of these opportunities have you tried?

This week is the first of a six week practicum for Ms. Miller, our wonderful new student-teacher. Welcome to Div 13, Ms. Miller. Over the next few weeks, she will have new stuff for you in Social Studies, Language Arts, Science and Math.

Here's the plan for the week ahead:

Math: let's see what you know about decimals. We've been working with these "part-wholes" for a while now, and I hope you're starting to feel more comfortable with them. We will work toward a short quizzy on Wednesday. After that, we will explore multiplying and dividing decimal values. 

 

Podcasting: We'll launch a new unit on podcasting this week. We'll explore what makes for a podcast, and the wide variety of podcast styles and formatst. We'll look at how podcasters tell stories through sound. And, eventually, we'll try our hand at writing and producing our own short podcast.

L.A.: Ms. Miller will get us all started on a novel study this week.

Writing: Finishing up with the Compare and Contrast piece will take up the first part of this week. If there's time, we'll begin exploring the next writing trait: Voice.

Remember that Tuesday is Class Photo Day!

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 28 - Apr 7 - 10

Hi Div 13. It's another short week! Here's the plan:

Math - Let's explore writing fractions and percents at decimals. If you keep you eye on place value, this is a less mysterious task than it first appears. We'll also revisit the adding and subtracting strategies we developed earlier in the school year, and apply those strategies to decimal values. 

Writing - Our look at sentence fluency continues. We will look at a few more writing pieces that have less-than-ideal fluency and look for ways to revise those sentences so they show better flow. Keep you eyes on the "keys to sentence fluency" as your guide.

Science - we will continue to follow the progress of Artemis II this week. The Orion capsule should return to Earth early Friday evening. Cool!

L.A. - expect a partner reading task this week. 

Skating - Oh yes, team! We're going skating on Friday afternoon! Make sure you are prepared for it.

Enjoy your week, everyone.

Week 27 - Mar 30 - Apr 2

Welcome back, gang! This is a short week, and so will next week be. Term 3 is upon us: it is time for a fresh start. Are you ready? Do you have all the supplies you need? Please restock pencils, liner pen, ruler, pencil crayons, scissors, glue stick, lined paper, Sharpie, etc.

Are you feeling prepared to take on new challenges, and to take advantage of new opportunities in our school community? There's lots to get involved with... grab onto these opportunities while you have the chance! Let's go!

Math - this week we'll quickly revisit ratio and unit rate before moving into a look at decimal values. We'll explore what they represent. We'll learn how to read decimal numbers. We'll touch on adding and subtraction of these part-wholes.

Writing - this is another one we will pick up where we left off. Before the break we were exploring sentence fluency. This week, we'll begin to write longer, detailed sentences while we practice using clauses. 

Science - After wrapping up our look at the Solar System, we will learn about the Artemis II launch, which is scheduled to happen on Thursday this week. 

Enjoy your week, all.

Week 26 - Mar 9 - 13

Hi All. This is a late-edition blog post for your penultimate week of Term 2. Here's the plan:

YEP - So much to remind you of here, I've gone point form and simplified:

• Float - $20 or more in coins to make change
• Cashbox - a small box, a pencil case, with your name and division clearly on it
• Tablecloth and tabletop display
• Packaging and other extras (price tags? info cards? intruction manuals?)
• Have a demo piece ready to show off
• Transportation for your products on Wednesday
• Water and Snack 
• Cash boxes stay at school until Thursday (that's when we'll do our accounting); Mr. Pite will lock them up when not in use. Your profits and loan repayment and float repayment go home Thursday.
• Do not take orders for the future: once the market is over, your business is closed down
• Market is open 12:40 - 2:50, and from 5:00 - 7:00. Attendance for both of these sessions is super important!
• Stay for the duration (even if you sell out)
• Stay at your market table the whole time
• You will get a chance to go shopping at the end of the market. To avoid confusing your accounting, you must bring your own $$ (no dipping into your cashbox for shopping money).
• Remember to SMILE!!!!

We've put a tonne of work into this project, gang. Do your best to make sure all you need is here on Wednesday, that you have made enough product, and that you are well-rested and ready for a great day!

Math - let's finish up our look at ratio. We also have some money math related to the YE market to get through. 

Writing - we'll take a further look at the Sentence Fluency writing trait.

Science - your Solar System Object lapbooks are due on Friday. These are looking great! Keep up the good work.

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 25 - Mar 2 - 6

Hi All. Just two weeks remain before a well-deserved break! Here is the plan for the week ahead:

YEP - Your product building should be well underway. Aim to have everything ready to go by early next week, okay? Once Market Day is upon us, there are no more chances! We will be working on some of the final bits and pieces here at school: your money plan needs finishing; your market day business sign/poster will get done in class, and we will work on how to talk to customers. These are important pieces to cover, but there certainly are other things you can do at home, too. Here are a few things you can do at home to help prepare for next Wednesday:

- Bring your receipts! What have you spent on supplies and packaging? These receipts must be collected here at school - they're vital to the financial literacy part of the project. And they are needed to calculate how much money you'll need to pay back to your parents after the sale. 

- Packaging. If time and budgeting permits, you may wish to find a way to attractively package your product. Remember, you must stick to your $50 budget! Don't buy bags, boxes, fancy paper wrapping, etc. if it will break your budget. If you can make packaging, remember to include your branding in a visible way. Keep "sustainability" in mind here, okay?

- Float. For next Wednesday you will need a float from which you will make change for your customers. We will chat about what your float should consist of here in class. Like you did with your business development loan, you'll need to ask for another small loan to have some coins and small bills in your cash box at the start of the sale. Of course, this is another loan that will need to be repaid! You'll bring your float in your cash box next Wednesday - not before, please!

- Cash Box. Scour your home for a small box. It should have a closeable lid. And, for added security, avoid clear plastic. This will become your personal cash register for the market.

- Market Display items. We'll talk about effective displays, bringing your product closer to your customers' eye level. We'll discuss arrangement of your items on your well-decorated table. You will need to bring a table cloth. Successful displays often include racks or tabletop shelving, photographs, information cards, samples, and attractive, branded packaging. We'll look at some examples this week to get you thinking about how best to show off your product.

And this Wednesday is your Charity Research presentation. Thank you for doing your part to build an effective slideshow and script. Be prepared to talk about your Charity on Wednesday. Winning team gets to represent our class on Friday as Div 13's entry into the Wolves Charity presentation event. 

Also on this week:

Math - We'll complete our look at simplifying fractions, and with comparing fractions with unlike denominators. Let's talk about percent. And we'll look at ratios later this week.

Science - the Solar System Object travel brochure/lapbook project continues this week. We'll set a due date for this one - stay tuned for news on that.

Social Studies - we'll look at media influence in marketing and elsewhere over the next couple of weeks. Soda, anyone?

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 24 - Feb 23 - 27

Hi Team 13! We have a full week of classes ahead of us. Let's make the most of it:

YEP - We are entering countdown territory. As of Monday, you have just 16 nights until market day. There is plenty to do here at school - researching and presenting about a charity, creating a money plan, and building a marketing campaign will feature heavily this week. 

It is also time for those who have not yet begun mass producing your product to get a move on. At this point, you and your little factory should be pumping out your product. Consider yourself "on track" if you have now built close to half of the units that you plan to construct. For most, this means you will need to increase your effort. Please ask your parents to help you plan your time. Figure out how much time each unit takes to make. Recall how many units you hope to make in time for the market. Work out how many hours you'll need, and create a schedule for yourself. Don't get caught short on time. And don't sell yourself short for the number of units you produce. Making enough product is often a significant investment of time. Keep up the high quality of the pieces, and remember to have fun! Do the best you can to be organized, smiling, and ready to go for March 11th!

Math - We'll continue to play with fractions this week, and turn our attention to ratio - a related concept.

L.A. - More partner reading this week.

Science - Let's continue working on our Solar System Object lapbook.

Enjoy your week, everyone!