Don't forget to brush and floss!
Hello, I hope everyone had a safe, sweet weekend. We had a great time last Friday. Thanks to Thomas, Natasha, Anum, Phoebe, and Kiri from Mr. Mitkovski's class for making our Cherry Beta fish jack-o-lantern for the pumpkin carving contest. We didn't win, but the kids had fun making it and I had nothing to do with it. Good job!After field trips and parties, we've got to get down to business.
Language
Media: This is Media Literacy Week, so we'll be covering more media literacy than usual. We will be briefly looking at design elements of movie posters. Student will choose one thumbnail sketch from their Where the Wild Things Are storyboard and use it as the foundation for a movie poster which they will design. As we are pressed for time in class for activities that involve sketching, I am sending this home for homework with a two-week deadline. We will begin looking at Public Service Announcements. This mini-unit will link to Science (see below).
Reading: Guided Reading - students will be given various media texts to analyze and interpret. We will also be looking at reading comprehension strategies and we will unpack the work "characteristic."
Writing: We will begin looking at Explanatory Writing. Students will look at various examples of Explanatory Writing and will have the opportunity to write a short piece in class. There will be an assignment coming soon in Social Studies that will involve Explanatory Writing that this will help prepare them for. *Personal Narratives are due this week. Those who have not completed them by Tuesday will be asked to stay in at morning recess/after school until they are completed. I want to collect them to offer feedback and have students reflect upon their writing, before completing a final draft.
Math: Last Friday morning, our class unpacked the wordy Math Achievement Chart and they rewrote it using Grade 5-friendly language. I was very impressed with what they came up with. Perhaps they should start involving children in curriculum writing. I will be taking their notes and creating a rubric for them to use in Math for the rest of the year. We are starting Data Management this week, but I will also be discussing problem solving strategies with them and I'm going to try to squeeze in some multi-digit multiplication with decimals review.
Science: We are beginning the Respiratory System this week. I still need more 2-L pop bottles so that we can make models of the Respiratory System. Please keep them coming. There will be a test on the digestive system this Friday afternoon. I will talk it over with the class. Please see Homework for information about Science homework research.
Social Studies: We are beginning our classroom election to help us better understand the Federal Government and how voting works. Please see Homework below for our Social Studies homework assignment.
Homework
This week there will be no Home Reading Journal assignments.
1. There will be a Data Management sheet. Due this Friday.
2. Where the Wild Things Are movie poster. Students will create a movie poster from their storyboard of Where the Wild Things Are. I will supply poster paper. Please encourage your child to do this assignment for him or herself. (Due Thursday, Nov. 12th).
3. In Science, students will choose one of the major systems in the human body (e.g. musculoskeletal system, digestive system, nervous system, respiratory system, or digestive system). They will be given a sheet to organize their information on. Students will be given close to two weeks to work on this. They must use at least one book for their information, so this extended deadline will give students ample opportunity to visit a public library. Please make sure your child gets to a library on time. In addition to a book source, they may use a website that is reputable. We'll discuss this in class. Next week, I will give them the second part of this assignment. Research sheet due Thursday, Nov. 12th.
4. Social Studies: Students will complete a booklet on official symbols of Ontario. They are free to use the computer lab in library this week. The link for this website is http://www.onzone.ca/english Click on My Ontario and then click on Official Symbols. Students will be given the booklet and instructions in class. Due Nov. 12th.
5. Social Studies Pt. 2: Students will be given a research planning sheet and will make some notes on the Ontario ministry they have been assigned. Go to http://www.ontario.ca/en/residents/index.htm Click the red sidebar to the left (Explore Government) and click the link for the ministry each child has been assigned. This will be handed in on Monday, Nov. 16th. There will be a writing assignment connected to this to be completed in class, so it is essential they complete the research ahead of time.
Here are the ministries each student will be investigation:
Natasha: Aboriginal Affairs
Justin and Emily R.: Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Emily B., Trinity, and Matthew B.:Children and Youth Services
Ayjan: Citizenship and Immigration
Megan: Community and Social Services
Jonathan: Community Safety
Quentin: Correctional Services
Adam: Culture
Sibghat: Economic Development and Trade
Aaliyah: Education
Grace: Energy and Infrastructure
Nathan: Environment
Ashna: Finance
Phoebe: Francophone Affairs
Thomas: Health and Long-Term Care
Ryan: Municipal Affairs
Aahil: Labour
Ayden: Natural Resources
Nicolas: Northern Development
Saima: Mines and Forestry
Anum: Research and Innovation
Dimitri: Revenue
Colten and Ethan: Tourism
Mathew M.: Training, Colleges, and Universities
Mathew W. Transportation
Core English Corner - English in Room 210
This week, we will be aiming to complete personal narratives. We will also be taking a critical look at magazine ads. For homework, students will be asked to write a letter to Langston Hughes. I will go over this with the class on Monday.
