This Week in Room 204

Above: Phoebe's Mangafied poem "Dusk 'n Honey Milk Tea"

Below: Sibghat's poem "Space"

This week, students will be selecting 1-2 of their most favourite poems for the Room 204 Poetry Anthology.

This week we'll be working on the following:

Language: Zeus willing all students will have the first draft of their editorial written. We will also be learning how to write a bibliography, which is a required part of the ancient Mexico Media Project (details coming home on Monday). We will also be working on singular and plural nouns as well as verb tenses. Last week, students completed the final CASI reading assessment. These will be reviewed in class and retained by the school.

Math (link to Social Studies): Mapping using a coordinate system based on the cardinal directions to describe a specific location. * There will be a Geometry quiz on Friday. Students must be able to distinguish between perimeter, area (length x widty), and volume (length x width x height). Most students have a handle on the three, but some students are jumbling area and volume. We will review in class throughout the week. Nothing to sweat about.

Science: Changes in Matter: Returning to the cornstarch experiment and exploring the chemical reaction that occurs when cleaning pennies with vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.

Social Studies: Rural life versus city life in ancient China, the four social classes, building the Great Wall, and the Terra-Cotta Army. I hope that during Friday's class, we can make imitation terra-cotta soldiers out of clay or salt dough. I'll bury them and students will play archiologists and try to unearth them without damage. We did this last year and it was a fun way to learn about the difficulties involved in being a field anthropologist.

Homework:

1. Literature circle roles for this Friday. Students were given their new role last Friday.

2. Ancient Mexico media project. Planning sheets along with my descriptive feedback, rubrics, and a reminder sheet on how to write a bibliography are coming home on Monday. Assignment is due Friday, June 11th. Students will present their media presentation to the class.

I think that's all for now. Students, parents... Have a great week. The Mole is still at large.

Read for the World Record This Summer

Parents, kids - lend me your ears! Scholastic is having a summer reading competition to see who can read the most books. Wonderful Tomas from Mr. Mitkovski's class should take note!

Visit the following link for details, plus a comprehensive list of great books (by genre) that you might be interested in checking out soon. http://www.scholastic.ca/summer
Happy reading!
Ms. Hawkins

Living City: A Critical Guide

As part of our investigation into public space vs. private property, our class will be viewing this excellent documentary hosted by the Toronto Star's Christopher Hume. It aired on The Nature of Things.

This Week in Room 204 Same as Last Week

* This week will be very much a continuation of what we started last week, so please consult last week's "This Week in Room 204" (scroll down the page and click on Older Posts) if you want to see what we're up to. I posted a homework update as well at the end of last week. Scroll on down to find it.

Thank you.

E. Hawkins

Same as it ever was...

Amazing Doll House Blogs

One of kibbygirl's doll houses currently being built

Hello kids,

One of the things I do when I'm not teaching and being a mom is collecting vintage objects for house and home. I'm a vintage/thrift blogger and I'm also connected to some wonderful bloggers who are artists and crafters.

One of my blogger friends is kibbygirl who spends her spare time in Bolton making doll houses. I thought that some kids in our class (especially the Aaliyahs and Emily Bs) might be interested in checking out her blog. Visit http://thefrugaldollhouseaddict.blogspot.com She's got links to oodles and oodles of other doll house blogs, which some may enjoy as well.

From New England Miniatures Blog http://newenglandminiatures.blogspot.com

From Liberty Biberty http://libertybiberty.blogspot.com Is it ever too late to travel back in time and be a kid again?

Long Range Homework Forecast

We're off the Monday to Friday homework schedule this week. Today, students were assigned their new role for our literature circles next Friday. Each child in our class is engaged in his or her book and the circles are a huge success. Yesterday in the library, students began researching topics for their ancient Mexico media text project. Instructions are on the planning sheet that went home today. Students are asked to bring the completed planning sheet with them to class next Friday (including the Venn diagram on the back, to help them organize the topic they will be investigating when they compare the two Mexican cultures). Both assignments could be completed next week, but I sent it home today for eager readers or students keen to get books from the public library over the weekend.

Have a happy long weekend.

Erin Hawkins

Shovels Needed For Gardening Club

This is a copy from my last post on the Clairlea Green blog. I'm trying very hard to drum up support. Thanks to all the kids and families in our class who have been pitching in with the Gardening Club. Please leave a comment on the Clairlea Green blog, or send a note in with your child if you have any ideas. Cheers!

- Erin Hawkins

Hello,
Thanks to the hard work of the wonderful kids in our Gardening Club, we are starting to make some progress with the weeds and old grass at the front of the school. It is however, a huge job. Many parents and teachers have kindly donated shovels and it is great to meet families all happy to pitch in. We are in desperate need of more garden shovels. I reckon we need 10 more shovels to keep the Garden Club digging along. Many children are showing up eager to help, but unable to actively get involved due to the lack of shovels. I am now thinking about how we can get some shovels for the kids. If you have any suggestions, please post a comment below, or meet me at the front of Clairlea after school next Wednesday.


Ideas:
- Gardening Club bake sale
- solicit Clairlea families or people in the community to "adopt a shovel" - this would mean buying a shovel that we could have students paint their name on to honour their contribution
- approach big box hardware stores to look into the possibility of a donation (I've worked in retail in a previous life and know how stores get approached all the time to donate and they can be stand-offish in this department)
- send out requests to borrow shovels from Clairlea families - this would mean more paper going home
Please let me know if you think any of these ideas work. I am in touch with a parent who works at a tool leasing company to see if they can help.


Thanks for your help and a big thanks to all of the hard-working kids in the Gardening Club and the family members who have supported us in different ways. I'm a do-it person and I'm determined to move this project forward. Our classroom faces the front of the school and we were roasting from the heat this afternoon. One day, a nice big tree will cool things down. We'll make it happen.
E. Hawkins

Message to Melbourne

Hello to our unofficial follower from Melbourne, Australia. I'm curious to know who you are. Can you please leave a comment saying "hello" on the Clairlea Green Blog?

I'm half-Australian on my dad's side, so I'm always keen to connect with Aussies.

Bye-bye!

Ms. Hawkins

Here's my favourite Australian band of all time...

Track & Field Goodness

Cheers to the Clairlea Track and Field Allstars! Yesterday Ethan, Anum, Dimitri, Justin, Thomas, Mathew and Quentin represented us in fine style. We're proud of you all!

An extra big hurrah to DS who came in first yesterday in shot put. Nobody puts the shot where it needs to go quite like him!

Fabulous AP representing the girls. I've seen this dynamo playing soccer with the boys at recess. She's a force to be reckoned with.

As an athlete, EC truly measures up.

TT competed wearing the kimono. Really. Alright. I made that up.

JP the fantastic. He jumped right in yesterday.

Hard rock action guy shows off his athletic side.

Two buddies catching their collective breath.

Ribbon bling bling.

Star Wars Double Feature

Check out Mathew W. and Cool Nic's funny Star Wars videos. I don't know how they keep finding all this creative stuff.

It's worth it to see MW's brother (unless it's a cousin who wears glasses) looking like this guy...

Burt Reynolds (ask your parents for his mostly dubious filmography)

And it's also worth it to see Cool Nic looking like...

Long deceased country folk singer John Denver. Nic who knew that you're a country boy?

This Week in Room 204

Cat snugs of love. Here's Kiko and Spook keeping warm together last Saturday afternoon. Sorry to all the dog people out there. You just won't understand! P.S. Spook's tummy troubles are better, but now he has to have rotting teeth removed. Can you say $1000.00 vet bill? There's a song for all the cat lovers at the bottom of this post. Ahhhh, more eighties nostalgia.

Hello,

I took a day for professional development today. Part of my time was spent evaluating Clairlea's EcoSchool status and planning for the future. I trust the day ran smoothly.

This week will be a continuation of what we've been working on:

Language (Reading/Writing/Oral/Media Lit): Responding to and writing editorials.

Math (Measurement/3-D Geometry): Students began building creatures out of 3-D connecting cubes last week (see pictures below). This week, they will give written instructions (using Math language) to a classmate and they have to see if they can successfully recreate the sculpture. Students also began designing a home without straight lines, edges, and vertices. Hopefully we'll have time to return to this project.

Science: Review of physical (irreversible) changes in matter. I hope to begin chemical (reversible) changes towards the end of the week.

Social Studies: Mapping China.

Homework:

1. Literature Circles: Our first lit circles ran successfully last Friday. Almost all students came prepared. I circulated around the groups and noticed some very intelligent discussions about books. Students evaluated their group members at the end. Come prepared and keep the discussions book-centered! Based on student input, we've altered the chapter readings for some groups. They are as follows: The Breadwinner: 3 chapters a week, Never Cry Wolf: 3 chapters a week, Safe as Houses: 3 chapters a week, Hatchet: 3 chapters a week, Tuck Everlasting: 4 chapters a week, and Raven Quest: 2 chapters a week. Remember to fill out the side of the sheet with the role you were responsible for. If you've forgotten your role, see me as soon as possible.

2. Writing with clarity: Students will correct my poorly written questions about the new Pink Tartan shop in Yorkville using proper nouns and descriptive language.

That's all. Have a great week.

Erin Hawkins

Below: Photos from math. Students first attempted to follow poorly written instructions (they didn't know it at the time) of how to build a robot using 3-D connecting cubes. Their creatures did NOT look like the picture in the math textbook. Next, they worked in groups making their own creations and had to write down instructions using accurate math language (e.g. the body has a volume of four cubes etc.). This week, they will share their instructions with classmates to see how accurate their instructions were.

Below: Photos from our first literature circles. Great to see such passion for reading. Missing from photo gallery - the second Tuck Everlasting group, who were digitally recording themselves in the library hopefully for a future podcast. Stay tuned...

So Creative

I am amazed by the creative work going on in the Room 204 blogosphere. Since the majority of kids in our class have a blog, I'm going to give them a special creative project for Media Literacy within the next couple of weeks. I'll think of an alternative project for the non-bloggers. I've alerted the staff on Clairlea Online about the wonderful work the students of Room 204 are doing on their own. I hope this passion spreads throughout the school.

RJ "tooned" out.

Why wait to be famous to have yourself on a bus shelter?

Megan is responding to the need for high-quality primate baby care magazines.

If you want to see a swell slide show of this fellow

go to Dimitri's hockeydee blog.

Grace has also posted some interesting information about the recent RNA discovery at U of T.

U of Toronto cracks the code........... My dad told me to read this article about them uncracking the code of University of Toronto staff members finding a Genetic Breakthrough on RNA.It is something like the German decoding device from World War 2.They say it is a similar device.Here are some words I did not know.Enigma,Splice,Myriad,Nematode and Algorithm.This machine was to crack the code of the genetic tissue in the body.It interested me by finding new words I did not know and being one of the first people to read this piece of news.Quite interesting.Isn't it?

He's at it Again

Hey kids,
Cool Nic has found more awesome photo effects.

Check out his blog. I'm sure he'll be happy to explain how to do some of these at the next Blogger Club meeting.
Ms. Hawkins

Chris Spence Tweets About Clairlea Bloggers (Our Class!!!)

Although Chris Spence did not have the chance to come into our class, Ms. Persaud told him about the Blogger Club and how students have been teaching each other as well as teachers how to blog.
Dr. Spence took to Twitter afterwards and posted a tweet about those kids - who happen to be in our class! I'm so proud of what we're doing and the leadership that is happening right now with some of our wonderful kids. A special shout out to Nicolas, Mathew W., Megan, Justin, and Phoebe who have gone out of their way to teach and share their knowledge.
Full steam ahead!

Below, find a copy of his Tweet. This validates what we're doing. Yeah!

Technology and Clairlea Public School
As we embrace technology at the TDSB, we'll be required to go through a cultural shift as educators - we'll need to change from being "knowledge givers" to "knowledge facilitators." I was so impressed to hear students at Clairlea have adopted teachers and are showing them how to blog. Today's students truly are digital natives and have been surrounded by and grown up in this digital culture. So why wouldn't we be learning from them? Developing and supporting the whole child is our overarching goal at the TDSB so it was great to hear how this school, with 507 students, has been able to generate specialty teachers for visual arts, drama, dance and physical education.-Director of Education Chris Spence

Science Quiz Update & More

Tomorrow, we'll have a short quiz on Forces. In our Monday homework rush, I forgot to remind the students of the definitions for energy and force, posted on an anchor chart in the class. Today, they copied the definitions down and agreed they were pretty straight forward. We did another quick review of examples of forces as well. Here are the other definitions:

Energy: the ability to do work

Force: any push or pull

Sorry for any inconvenience. The other parts of the quiz students are responsible for are mentioned in the homework section of This Week in Room 204. Ta!

TDSB Director of Education Dr. Chris Spence visited Clairlea today. Due to his busy schedule, he was unable to come into all of the classrooms, but we all had a chance to say "hi" as we were on our way out to recess. He was very interested in our blogging and I told him I'd send links to the students' blogs. I will check in with the bloggers again tomorrow and remind them that they might want to post a little message to Dr. Spence, or perhaps ask a question. He seems like a man of vision and we're fortunate to have someone with energy and ideas.

Please remind your child about the importance of following instructions and staying on task. Generally, the students are all focussed in the morning, but following French in the afternoon, some students have had difficulty walking quietly in the hallway back to class. Several students also have difficulty lining up outside after recess. We are the second biggest class in the school and even under the best of circumstances, it can be unwieldy marching that many kids up and down the hallway. We need to be mindful of other classrooms and the office staff who are working. I still have great deal of teaching to do and I don't want to waste time having the same conversation over and over about appropriate behaviour. Thanks to all of the students who work hard to limit social talking and follow basic classroom conduct. We can all be doing this and we can all be successful.

Tomorrow is Panoramic Photo Day. Please have your child wear Clairlea Spiritwear, or purple, white, or grey t-shirts. It sounds like another fun interruption.

All the best,

Erin Hawkins

Here's the song the kids were dancing to in the above pictures from Diversity Day. Thanks to Mrs. Brathwaite for the choreography. I think I can't dance, but I know she can.

A Wonderful Poem by a Student

Over the past few weeks, we've been immersed in poetry. We've read poems, we've deconstructed poems, worked hard at interpreting poems, and written a great deal of poems as well.

Last month, on our way back from the Dance Recital at Earl Haig, Mathew W. and Ryan were sitting across from me on the bus. I told them how I was reading a book called Last Child in the Woods - a book about the importance of getting kids outdoors and exploring nature. The author believes that children are being sheltered indoors too much and turning into zombie couch potatoes. To this, they responded by telling me an elaborate story about a ravine that they play in. In this ravine, magical adventures come to life. They've seen all kinds of wildlife up close and they've built a fort. It was a great true-life story. The next day, Mathew began writing an epic poem about it. Like any great writer, he blocked out all distractions and put all of his thoughts and creativity into crafting his poem. He went back and revised, taking out unnecessary words and adding a word here or there that would bring the woodlands vividly to life on page. Without further adieu, here's Mathew's spare, but beautiful poem. I think this should win an award. Don't you?

The Fort

I walk from my house as quiet as a mouse

We sneak from our friends through all the dead ends

Now we're at the fort

It is not short

Now we sort the tools

Trust me I am no fool

Now we go fishing for crawfish

We put the crawfish on a big dish and set them free

This is the place I want to be

I go to the creek and let out a shriek when I see a deer

I see its fear then it runs away

Next we go to the lake

It is no fake

I climb the tree so I can see the amazing view

Suddenly we hear a crack near our little shack

It was just a stray cat and it is not fat

It was cute

Now the sound is back to a mute

I cross the bridge and use the raft to send sticks

To the other side of the creek

Then Ryan adds them to the hut

I have a hunch it is time for lunch

We go back to the house as quiet as a mouse

And then eat lunch

We come back from lunch and back to the fort

We lie down and watch the creek go by as it sings a soft song

It is time to go back home

We go to my house as quiet as a mouse

We sneak past our friends threw all the dead ends

This place is for me.

- Mathew White

The Mole is Working Overtime...

The Mole has been busy posting names of possible suspects on the Student Blog. Check it out for everything you could possibly want to know about the interests and tastes of Grade 5 kids. Marketers, please leave us alone! P.S. Mole - I believe Dimitri has 0 brothers, not 10. If he does, his mother is holding up remarkably well. LOL.

Does the Mole enjoy the musical stylings of Selena Gomez? You be the judge.

World's Largest Beaver Dam - Only in Canada

The reporter really said "dam" as in beaver dam. I guess that makes it alright.

And yes, the cuss word has an "n" at the end. Not that I condone such vulgarities.

Homework Update & Dr. Chris Spence Visits Clairlea

Hello there,

I was hoping things would be a little more "normal" this week. This morning eight students were absent and then five or six of the wonderful PALS from Room 204 were pulled for the PALS program. No complaints - it is what it is. On the bright side, I now know what it feels like to be teaching a Primary class: 20 kids? Sweet!

Just a word on the Literature Circles for this week. Despite the absences, I'm determined to crack on with things. All students were given a role for this week: Discussion Director/Summarizer, Travel Tracer, Illustrator, or Vocabulary Enricher. I've double-sided the sheets and explained to the students that they do not do both sides - just the side he/she is responsible for. They will come to school Friday prepared to discuss the first two chapters of their book. Those reading Raven Quest will read the first three chapters since it is a longer book. Hope that helps. New roles will emerge as the lit circles continue and students will rotate through the roles. I am working to obtain two copies of Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf, which we cannot find extra copies of in the school.

This Thursday, Dr. Christopher Spence, Director of Education for the TDSB, will be visiting our illustrious school. We have talked about him a fair deal in our class as we've discussed some of his ideas reported in the news. Tomorrow, students will come up with questions they would like to ask Dr. Spence. We will choose 3-5 of the most urgent/interesting questions and (hopefully) we will have a chance to ask him. Ms. Persaud suggested a student conduct a short interview with him. Sibghat has volunteered his services and I'll bring my digital recorder that day. A possible podcast for the blog? Do we have a future broadcast journalist in our midst?

Bye for now. Have a good week.

E. Hawkins

Here's a joyful song that makes me feel all summery.

This Slightly More Normal Week in Room 204

Cheers to the always wonderful girls of Room 204!

After a very herky-jerky (I use the term lovingly) schedule last week, we're back in the saddle again. Here's what we're up to this week:

Language:

Reading: Literature circles begin this Friday. Normally, students will have seven days (Friday to Friday) to complete his/her role in their lit circle. For the kick-off week, we're starting tomorrow, so I'm going extra light on homework. Last year our entire class read The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. The circles were a huge success. Students not only enjoyed reading the book, but they got a great deal out of their assigned roles as well as their group members'. This year, I've differentiated the reading materials based on interest, as well as ability levels and willingness. Everyone seems happy with their choice.

* On Tuesday, teachers are meeting with our literacy coach to assess student responses to poetry as part of their summative evaluation. I chose a rich poem by Langston Hughes ("Ballad of the Fortune Teller") and students had to make some inferences about the character traits of the male subject based on clues from the text and their own ideas. Teachers will work together using rubrics to evaluate these responses. I'm feeling pretty good about the progress we've made in the area of inferencing this year. To be continued...

Writing: Students will continue to work on their editorials. I'm hoping to see the rough drafts taking shape by Friday.

Math: We are working on 3-D geometry and measurement. These two strands integrate well together. I'm keeping this unit as lively and hands-on as possible and there will likely be little to no Math homework over the next two-to-three weeks. Students will learn how to estimate and calculate volume. We will also experiment with water displacement and capacity. This week students will work in pairs to design and build a home that is not rectangular or square. The emphasis is on spherical 3-D shapes. Check out my last post on this blog to see some cool homes in Europe.

Science: Physical changes in matter.

Social Studies: We will be wrapping up Ancient Mexico this week with a take-home assignment that will be done in pairs and culminate in a seminar. I will be walking students through the task this week and the homework research will be assigned next Monday. We will be starting Ancient China next week.

Homework:

1. Literature Circles: Books and instructions will be distributed tomorrow. Students - please come to school this Friday prepared to discuss your chapter readings based on your particular job. Do not let your group down. Each week, everyone will have to rate their contribution, as well as their group members'. I will also be recording one group per week as a podcast to be uploaded onto the blog.

2. Science: Forces quiz this Friday. Tomorrow, we will go over the terminology and students will create a study sheet together. Students will be asked to define: force, energy, friction, buoyancy, magnetism, and gravity. They will have to give four examples for the four forces bolded.

We'll get back into spelling and grammar next week.

Thanks for reading and caring.

Have a great week!

E. Hawkins

Some of the brainy, hip kids in our class taught me how to make a slide show. Do check out the Track and Field Day photos on this page. If you go to the Room 204 Student Blog page, you'll see some of the merriment from last Friday. I still have many other photos from Diversity Day which I'll try to post later.

When looking for the song "Big in Japan" for the student blog, I stumbled upon this video by German electro-pop band Alphaville. If this isn't the ultimate eighties video, I don't know what is. Spiky hair-gelled singer - check. Band looking like they're performing on a bed of steaming rice - check. Unexpected explosion that sends band members rocketing into the air - check. Half-male, half-female people in fancy dress attire and roller skates - check.

Inspired

As part of 3-D geometry, this week students will be designing and creating homes that are not rectangular or square. Curved lines and spherical shapes are encouraged. Here are some ideas to kick-start the creative juices.

These pictures and words are taken from the always amazing blog Love You Big by Australian blogger Kate. Thank you! Your blog inspires me and will help galvanize the thinking in a class on the other side of the world. Bookmark Love You Big! http://love-you-big.blogspot.com

Swiss underground homes:

Tiny crooked stone house in Spain

This fun little holiday house is located in Spain and designed by Spanish architect Anton Garcia-Abril of Ensamble Studio. The website explains that it is dubbed "the “Truffle” house, the most unique feature of this cave house is the fact that it was hollowed out by a cow – the house was built by stacking bales of hay in a cavern in the earth, and the remaining space filled with poured concrete. The entire mass was then exhumed, and the hay removed with the help of Pauline the cow, who got a year’s worth of lunch in the deal. As described by the architect, “The Truffle is a piece of nature built with earth, full of air; a space within a stone that sits on the ground and blends with the territory. It camouflages, by emulating the processes of mineral formation in its structure, and integrates with the natural environment, complying with its laws.”

The clip below is just for fun.

Track & Field Champs