E.B. and N.Z. putting the finishing touches on their eco home.
Greetings,
This should be an exciting week. Not only will the winner of the Mole contest be crowned, but that sneaky Mole will finally be exposed. This contest has been as much fun for myself as the children. Given the competitive nature of the event, I've decided to reward the runner up and to have an ice cream party for the whole class on the last day of school before Valentine's Day.
Here's what is going on this week:
Language/Writing: Students will be completing their final drafts of their movie reviews. I've enjoyed reading these critiques. Nice to see so many students developing their "writer's voice." In writing, we are returning to spelling and grammar. This week, we're revisiting adjectives. I'm teaching a lesson called, "nice is a weak word," tomorrow. This will tie in with our Valentine's Day-related home assignment.
Media/Reading: If time permits, we'll begin a unit on parody and humour. Students who have handed in their final draft of their film review may begin using time in Writer's Workshop to begin planning a parody of a commercial or music video. Why do I get the feeling Thomas is going to be Vince from Slap Chop? February is also Black History Month. We will be celebrating poetry by American poets including Langston Hughes, as well as contemporary Canadian poets throughout the month.
Math: Measuring time, including elapsed time. If time (ha ha) permits, we'll investigate temperature.
Social Studies: Our wonderful student teacher Miss Esling will be kicking off our new Social Studies unit on Ancient Mexico by looking at what this civilization has given us.
Science: Students who have completed their eco homes (just about everyone) will begin presenting them to the class. We will also be viewing segments of the documentary Water Life and investigating the reasons why the fresh water supply is diminishing. We will also be looking into the problem of invasive species in the Great Lakes.
Homework:
1. Students will have until Feb. 8th to complete his/her jot notes needed for their explanation of their Ancient Egyptian topic/artifact. Please aim to have artifact ready by Feb. 8th as well. If any big problems arise "My clay pyramid collapsed!" we can talk.
2. Warm Fuzzies for Valentine's Day. Students will be given a piece of paper with the names of their classmates on it. They will be asked to write a warm and fuzzy comment for everyone without using the word "nice." These eventually will be cut into strips and distributed on Valentine's Day. We'll be making felt hearts to hold them in.
* This Friday, there will be a quiz on Ancient Egypt. It will mainly be multiple choice, true/false. Students must be able to describe the mummification process in some detail.
Stuff we need, please - wallpaper remnants, more 1-L milk or juice cartons, and scrap fabric. If you have any of these materials that you don't need anymore, please send them in.
That's it for now,
Have a great week,
E. Hawkins
Here's a beautiful example of time elapsed photography. Talk to your child about the word "elapsed" and point out examples if you see any on TV - e.g. a stain being removed after five minutes in soaking in stain remover.
