Week 22 - Feb 9 - 12

Hi Team! Believe it or not, we are just five weeks away from the end of Term 2. Time flies when you're having fun, eh? This is what we'll try to get done on a short week:

L.A. - The Bookworm is in the books, so to speak. Expect to see some of your reviews begin to show up here on the blog's Bookworm page in the coming days. We will continue working on Partner Reading this week. I hope the extra oral reading practice, and reading with a peer, is benefitting your reading fluency and expressiveness. Sometimes reading aloud seems easy. Other times, like when there are frequent unfamiliar words, or when there is pressure to read well, our ability to flow with the printed language can be disrupted. This is a case of practice makes better (though rarely perfect!). Take partner reading for what it is - a chance to practice and an opportunity to learn.

Writing - The Mysterious Object piece is due Thursday this week. Take care to focus on the task criteria for this one. I'd like you to try to "put it all together" - Ideas, Word Choice, and Organization - for this one.

Science - We'll get into our Science project this week. You each have a solar system object to study. Follow the research guide; do your best to quickly gather the information it is looking for. I will publish a list of trusted search locations here on the blog. Work fast and accurately, okay?

Math - Our look at fractions continues this week. We will learn about equivalent fractions, and we will practice comparing fractions with unlike denominators. We'll use what we know about lowest common multiples to help with this!

YEP - With your market research well underway, you should now have a better idea of what your customers are seeking. Let's publish our digital surveys and get these out to our school's grade 7's and 8's, as well as out to grade 4's and 5's at Willows and Margaret Jenkins. I'll check in with each of you this week about launching into full-scale production. This is work that will happen at home. Do your best to make high quality pieces that you are proud to sell!

Musical Munchies fundraiser candy bags sales: Tuesday this week.

Pink and Red Spirit day: Thursday this week. 

Pro-D day: Friday this week.

Family Day holiday: Monday next week.

Enjoy!

Week 21 - Feb 2 - 6

Hi Team! The weeks are whipping by: it's already February, and the end of this term seems just around the corner. There's plenty to do between now and then, though. We've got a field trip on Friday, too. So let's get after it:

L.A.: I'm enjoying reading through your Bookworm book reviews. Some advice for those who haven't yet turned theirs in - review, revise, and revisit! A few book reviews that have been turned in seem a little rushed. Be on the lookout for basic writing errors - missing capital letters, run-on sentences, and misspellings are the most glaring mistakes I see. Be sure to read through your piece carefully - do this aloud to yourself and listen to the flow of your sentences. Will your writing make sense to your audience? 

Also this week, we will pick up again with Partner Reading. With a new partner you'll be tasked with learning a little about your personal choices and your health.

Writing: Let's spend some quality time on your Mysterious Object writing pieces this week. These should be done by Friday, please.

Math: We will continue our look at fractions this week. 

Science: We'll launch the Solar System Object lapbook project this week. You'll get to learn about one of the other worlds in our star system - a moon, a planet, or a dwarf planet. Cool! By the way, the moon is in its waning gibbous phase throughout this week: that means it rises late at night and sets later in the mornings. We may get clear skies on Thursday or Friday mornings. If it works out, we'll try to have a telescopic look at the moon as it approaches third quarter phase. 

YEP: This week is all about market research. We'll spend some time practicing and refining our questions before digitizing our surveys. We'll also create 1-pagers - easier for clipboards - in advance of our market research event on Friday.

Swimming: Our next field trip to the rec center is coming this Friday. Be prepared! Swimsuit, towel, coin for a locker, and good shoes for walking are all needed. I'm seeking one parent volunteer to help walk us there. And as always with rec center trips, parents will need to send a note to me if you would like to be dismissed directly from the rec center. Thanks!

Enjoy your week, everyone.

Week 20 - Jan 27 - 30

Hello Wonderfuls! This week, you will earn a new milestone: Grade six-and-a-half. That's right, your first year of middle school is half over already. Can you believe it? Here's what we'll try to get done on this short week:

L.A. - We'll revisit partner reading again. This is a long-term routine. In other words, we will continue to revisit partner reading throughout the term. By adding structure and purpose to our reading practice, we should all benefit. I'm hoping to hear improved fluency and expressiveness. And I'm hoping to see you get faster and more adept at paragraph shrinking. 

Last week we set a due date for your Bookworm book review. Please do your best to have these done by the end of this week. As always, please don't rush your work just to meet a deadline! I'd much rather you take an extra day or two to finish your review well than have you turn in a rushed piece. We'll take a moment to read, and offer revision suggestions, each others' reviews. Expect time to work on these on Wednesday.

Math - Well done, gang, on demonstrating what you know about average. We'll definitely come back to those skills as we move forward in our YE project's market research phase. This week, we'll begin our exploration of fractions. Expect some work with your collaborative math group. Be prepared to stretch your understanding of these "part-wholes". 

Science - Up to now we've looked at the Sun and the Moon, and how they move and affect our planet. This week we will begin to explore the rest of the solar system. I wonder: which solar system object is most fascinating to you?

YEP - Keep bringing in your prototypes - they will need to be done by Friday. We'll begin to build a market research survey this week. Coming up next week is market research day - that's the moment when you'll really learn what people think about your product idea!

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 19 - Jan 19 - 23

Well hey there! This is another action-packed, big busy week. Please know that Term 2 is a short one. We're well into the swing of things and expectations are rising. We'll do more work in less time than we did in Term 1. With the experience you've earned to this point, you are better able to handle this. Here's the plan for the next few days:

L.A. - We will continue to focus on Partner Reading and Paragraph Shrinking. Remember that while Partner Reading we are focusing on pronounciation of unfamiliar words, extending our vocabulary knowledge, and aiming for improved fluency. Some of you are ready to work on your expressive reading as well. Paragraph shrinking involves paraphrasing - expressing the main idea of each paragraph in just a few words. We will continue to read across the curriculum during these sessions - Science, Social Studies, Health Education and more. 

Let's set a tentative due date for the Bookworm task. Most of you have finished reading your book - great job! And many of you are ready to start writing your review based on the notes you took in the "Book Review Start Guide". If you are feeling behind in this task, please make a big effort to get caught up. We're going to try to have this task written, revised and turned in by Friday this week. Stand by for confirmation. Don't forget to check the Bookworm page on the blog for examples, and to stop by Classroom for a checklist of criteria.

Writing - Your How-To Comics should be finished. If you aren't done (and that's about half of you if you're reading this on Monday), please spend some time at home to complete this task. Again, criteria for the comic can be found on Classroom. We will move on to a new writing task this week, one that ties together our first three traits - Ideas, Word Choices, and Organization. Look for the Mysterious Object writing task on Classroom. 

Math - We're going to wrap up our mini-exploration of Average this week. Be sure to understand the process for finding the mean of a set of values. "Mean" will be joined by two other statistical middle ground values - the "Median" and the "Mode". 

Science - We'll continue to explore the Moon this week. By the way, I borrowed a pretty nice pair of binoculars on Sunday night, and I was not only able to easily pick out Jupiter in the eastern sky, but could clearly see it's spherical shape. (Unlike stars, which appear as a pinprick of light, Jupiter has width). And I was also able to spot one of Jupiter's largest moons. The four Galilean moons - Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa appear as tiny balls of light nearby their planet. If you have access to quality binoculars or even a telescope, Monday night should offer another clear sky and a good view of Jupiter and its moons.

And, while you're at it and looking to the east, you should spot a pretty distinctive star. Look for a red-tinted point of light - it'll be quite bright - just to the south (to the right of where you'll find Jupiter this week). Betelgeuse is one of the brightest stars in the sky, and it makes up part of the constellation Orion (look for Orion's "shoulder"). We'll talk about this star, and why it appears red to our eyes. 

YEP - we'll work toward project approvals this week. I'm aiming to get you the go-ahead to build a prototype next weekend. In the meantime, we'll discuss sustainability, and how you can make decisions now that will affect your project's triple bottom line. 

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 18 - Jan 12 - 16

Well hello there! We're aiming to get a whole lot done this week. Here's the plan:

Math: Let's carry on with our exploration of division. Many of you are feeling ready to quiz your understanding of our most recent division concepts - estimating quotients, and dividing with two-digit dividends. Once we've done that, we'll turn our attention to using division to find averages. 

L.A.: This week, I'd like to introduce a new "reading routine". The aims of the routine are to improve our read-aloud fluency, to practice pronouncing unfamiliar words (and infer their meanings), and to practice finding the main idea and paraphrasing (or "paragraph shrinking"). This reading routine is called "Partner Reading", and I hope you'll see the benefits of this practice. 

In the background, you should continue to build your Bookworm book review. For those who have not yet finished reading their book, please aim to complete the reading by the end of this week. I'd like to set a due date for the Bookworm for next Friday (Jan 23). Be sure to build your review on your planning pages: these pages will form part of your score for this task. Keep them safe!

Science: This week we will return to Earth and look at how life on our planet is affected by the movements of the Sun and the Earth. Afterwards, let's turn our attention to that other ball in the sky: the Moon. What is that thing? Where did it come from? How far away is it? Why does the same side of the Moon always seem to face us here on Earth? Why does it seem to be bigger when it is near the horizon? Why does it seem colourful (red, orange, etc) when it is low in the sky, and white when it is high in the sky? What colour is it, really? Who is the man in the moon? Why is he made of cheese? 

YEP: We'll talk about your goals for this entrepreneurial project. we'll continue to brainstorm great product ideas, and we'll discuss a schedule of progress, so you know when you'll need to have each step of the project complete.

Next Friday (Jan 23) is our next OBRec field trip. This time we're going skating! Parents, I'm looking for a volunteer or three to help us with the walk and with our skates. Please let me know if you can help. 

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 17 - Jan 5 - 9

Happy New Year! We're back, with plenty of new things to look forward to this term. Here we go:

L.A. - One thing that will run in the background over the next few weeks is the Bookworm book review project. It is officially underway - you should now all have a book to read, and many of you are well into reading that book. This week we'll discuss the elements you will need to put together to create your review, and we'll explore some samples. 

Writing - This week we will continue our look at the Organization writing trait. We'll explore sequencing ideas to create and clarify meaning. The How-To Comic will involve building and combining written and visual texts into a single piece.

Math - Dividing multi-digit numbers is becoming more familiar to many of you. We'll extend our understanding of division through estimating quotients, finding average, and solving in-context word problems.

Social Studies - This week, we'll watch a fantastic film that puts your daily journey to school into perspective. On the Way to School follows four groups of children from their remote homes as they travel to school. We all have the right to an education. Here at Monterey we are prone to taking that right for granted. The epic journeys of the students in the film should help to highlight the value of education - that getting to school is worth the enormous effort it takes some to get there. 

Science - We will pick up where we left off before the break, looking at how the Sun, Earth and Moon rotate and revolve, and how these movements affect life on Earth. 

Young Entrepreneurs Project (YEP) - we'll begin looking at this project in its initial stages later this week. 

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 16 - Dec 15 - 19

Hi folks! Are you ready for a break? Here's the plan leading into your winter holiday.

L.A: Let's continue our look at identifying and expressing the "main idea" of an informational piece of text. This week, we'll talk about an upcoming book review project. I'd like you to select a book before you head off on break. With a couple of weeks ahead of you, now is a perfect time to launch into your holiday read. Be sure to pick a book which you'll be interested in, has way more words than pictures, and runs more than 100 pages. (I know many of you will select long novels running into several hundreds of pages... just be sure to get started on these over the break so you aren't rushed to finish reading in January.) 

Writing: We'll explore "Organization" as a writing trait this week.

Math: Most of you have proven that you're ready to learn more about division. You'll get your Friday quizzes back early this week. If you aren't quite there yet, please make the time to follow up with the partial quotients strategy again. I'm happy to help!  

Science: We'll begin to explore the relative motions of the Earth, Moon and Sun, and how those motions (and the forces controlling them) affect life on our planet. 

Drama performance on Tuesday pm.

I'd like to go for a walk with the class on Friday morning. Parents, if you'd like to join us, I could use the help of one or two of you. Let me know if you are willing and able to spend an hour with us 8:55 - 9:45 Friday.

Term 1 reports will be available to view on Friday.

Enjoy your week; and then enjoy your break! Next blog post in January 2026.

Week 15 - Dec 8 - 12

Hi All, this post comes a day late - 'tis the season for colds and I've been at home recovering. Here's the plan for the week ahead:

Math: Let's keep practicing the partial quotients strategy for division. I'd like to see how you're doing at the end of the week. With more practice, will you be ready to move on to the next piece of the dividing puzzle?

L.A.: We have come to the end of our study of Refugee. I know from the number of you who've picked up other Alan Gratz books that this was a really good book for many. That's great, I like it too! We will turn our focus to more reading strategy work over these next two weeks.

Science: We are also coming to the end of our look at Body Systems. We now get to turn our attention to the skies. Our Solar System is a pretty interesting little corner of our galaxy. With long nights ahead over the next couple of months there will be opportunities for stargazing. For those hoping to get a head start, this year's Geminid meteor shower will peak on Saturday, Dec 13. If it is clear outside, and you can stay up late, bundle up and head out to your fave stargazing spot (Cattle Point is the nearest, though it can get busy). Hopefully the clouds will part for a little night sky show.

Writing: We will begin to explore Organization as a writing trait.

The Young Entrepreneurs Project launches this Thursday. More to come about this next week!

This is a busy time of year, with plenty of fun extras to come your way. Stay healthy, wash your hands, eat well and get lots of sleep, okay? Enjoy your week!

Week 14 - Dec 1 - 5

Hi 13's, 

We have a full week of learning ahead. Let's get at it!

L.A. - We'll continue to work on our Refugee posters this week. These are (tentatively) due on Friday, so work hard and make good use of your class time, okay? I've noticed that many of you really enjoy these structured projects, especially when they have options and extension opportunities. I'd like to be able to do more of these in terms 2 and 3. Show me this week that this is a good idea, okay?

Social Studies - Let's get to that bit we didn't find time for last week. Our goal is to look at the basic human rights that were denied to the characters in Refugee. Do some thinking in advance: the human right that you highlighted weeks ago with the mini-poster is your area of knowledge. Can you think of a moment or a situation in the novel when this right was taken away?

Math - Our look at division concepts and strategies will ramp up this week. Our go-to strategy for dividing will be the partial quotients strategy that some of you are already familiar with. (Elementary teachers may have called this the "big seven" strategy... not a term I like to use, but there it is...). 

Science - We have one more lab to get to this week. And it is about memory. How sharp is yours?

Lots of winter-themed stuff is heading your way over the next three weeks. Candy-can Grams, winter extravaganza posterboard display, and a holiday charity drive. Stay tuned to the announcements!

Enjoy your week, everyone.

Week 13 - Nov 24 - 28

Hi All,

Thanks for your patience with this week's post. We've got a busy rest of the week ahead. Let's go!

Math: We'll introduce some division concepts this week. Let's explore "divisibility rules", and look at two ways of thinking about division. While you may not know it, you have been dividing since you were little. Sharing equally is a basic, intuitive skill. (There are 4 trucks in the sandbox, and you and a friend decide to share them, taking two each.) At the same time, we will continue to practice basic division facts.

L.A. and Social Studies: We have reached the end of Refugee. Let's link the story back to what we learned about fundamental human rights. Which of the Universal Declaration rights were denied the characters in the novel? We'll also put together a collection of the "best of the book".

Writing: Your "food poems" look great! You've made some strong word choices, and have shown off top-drawer vocabulary. Let's keep it up! The sensory details theme continues this week as we find our inspiration from magazine photographs. 

Science: Your nervous system extends throughout your body. An experiment in sensory reception is coming your way this week.

The end of your first term is near. We'll spend some time this week reflecting on your middle school journey so far. What have you done well? Where could you find improvement? What do you look forward to?

Have a great week, everyone!