Thursday Roundup: May 24th!

I have forgotten to post homework on here for the last two days, so here is a quick rundown of what is going on:

1) Language Arts: Students are finishing up the poems they haven't finished (we are almost completely caught up by now!) and when they are done they are assembling them into books. We will be sharing some of our poems on Monday.

2) Socials: We have a final assignment for the unit. Students are to find new uses for the following parts of a car:

• The seats

• The windows

• The steering wheel

• The metal body

• The tires

• The gas tank

• The lights

• The radio/tape/cd player

• The seatbelt

• The mirrors

• The license plate

• The engine

• The windshield wipers

• Anything else you can think of (bonus marks if you do)

3) Personal Planning: I am in the process of putting together a script from the student's work. We will potentially be filming our video on Monday and Tuesday if we are able to finish it.

4) Science: There will be a final test for simple machines on Tuesday. The students have a review sheet to try. If they can answer the questions on that sheet, they should be able to do well on the test...

That's all for now. I will be at the Zone track meet with some students tomorrow so there will not likely be any homework posted.

Thursday Roundup

The last few days have been very busy and thus I have been unable to post the homework, though there was none and is none for the long weekend.

Here is a short bit about where we are in each subject area:

Math: we have just started talking about perimeter and area using geoboards.

Language Arts: We finished our rough copies of Hexaduad poems today. Next week we will be talking about poetry in music and on Monday the 28th we will have a Poetry Cafe for students to read their poetry to their classmates.

Socials: We talked about not making waste and are looking at how we can reuse all the parts of everyday objects when we are finished with them. We will have a big object to work with next week as a final assignment in this unit. I am also in the planning stages of a field trip in June.

Personal Planning: We have begun work on a class video to present all of the information we have learned about smoking and tobacco. We will work on this next week and film it the last two days (the 28th and 29th) I am in the classroom.

Have a great long weekend!

Tuesday Roundup

There was no homework today so here is a quick recap of the day:

Science - we talked about the last simple machine: screws. A screw is a inclined plane wrapped around a core.

Personal Planning: We made something of a plan for our video and assigned roles to everyone. We spent a good amount of time working on the various parts that will be included in the video.

Math: We took up the homework that had been assigned last night on measuring the distance around a circular object.

Socials: We discussed yesterdays lesson about the parts of a buffalo and used that as a starting point to look at wasting and why it's important not to waste. We started an activity where we're taking an everyday object and trying to figure out how we could reuse that object in another way. Next class we will work with a larger object with many parts and the students will prepare a report about how they would use that object's parts.

Personal Planning: Video

We started talking about what we are going to make for our final class project for our Tobacco Unit. We listed all the main ideas that we had to include and we decided that we would do it in a Talk Show format. I will spend some time working out exactly what we will need for the talk show overnight and tomorrow we will be working on this again.

Socials: Parts of the Buffalo

I read a passage from a book today about how the First Nations of the plains used every part of the Buffalo after the hunt. Students listened to write down at least 10 things (many wrote more) that the Buffalo could be used for. We will be using this information in the next few lessons to talk about using our resources wisely. There was no homework for this lesson.

Poetry: Hexaduad Poems

Today we started Hexaduad Poems. A hexaduad poem consists of 6 duads (two lines that rhyme with each other). The students were allowed to pick any topic, provided it was a topic they hadn't used too much in the class already.

Rough copies of these poems are due tomorrow.

Math: Circumference

Today we finished up our work on circumference. Students were to finish questions 1-10 and reflect in their textbooks for homework - this is due tomorrow.

Friday Roundup

Again, there is no homework tonight, so I'll explain what we did in one post tonight:

Math: We worked a little bit today on circumference. We discussed the similarities and differences between perimeter and circumference.

We also had a special performance today: a play called The Boy Who Learned To Fly

I wanted to say a quick Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, and aunts out there who are a big part of the student's lives. I hope you all have wonderful days on Sunday!

Thursday Roundup

There was no homework today, so I thought I would just do a quick roundup:

PE: we started learning how to do a proper relay exchange

Math: We did a short explore activity to find the distance around a circular object (this lesson will be continued tomorrow)

Drama: We did some games involving blindfolded members of the class being led around an obstacle course by sighted members.

Personal Planning: We talked about advertising and specfically Tobacco advertising.

Language Arts: Instructions

Today I had students work on writing a set of instructions. These instructions are to be as specific as possible and are due tomorrow (Thursday). See this post for more information.

Science: Inclined Planes and Wedges

Today we discussed Inclined Planes and Wedges as our 4th and 5th Simple Machines. An Inclined plane is pretty much a ramp (stairs count as well) and a wedge is like a doorstop. Other examples of wedges include knives, teeth and other cutting tools).

There was no homework for this lesson today.

Socials: Sustainability

We took up work we had done in class regarding sustainability. We had 10 phrases which I had students sort into sustainability, maybe sustainability and not sustainability. We discussed their answers and why they put their answers where they did. Their homework was to come up with two examples: one for sustainability and one for not sustainability.

Math: Estimating and Measuring Using Non-Standard Units

Today we took up the homework from yesterday and I gave them a question for homework: find one use that we have for estimating a length using non-standard units.

The textbook gave the example of estimating how many tables would fit in the hallway, and I gave the example of how many cars could fit in a certain length of a street.

Language Arts: Writing Instructions

Today we started looking at how you would write instructions. I gave the students an example and we worked through it as a class and then I had students talk about a task with a partner. There was no homework for this, but students were to think about what they would write instructions to next class (I gave them a list to choose from):

1. Getting ready for bed.
2. Planting a seed.
3. Cleaning up after dinner.
4. Warming up for a sports practice.
5. Getting ready to go to the beach (and coming home)
6. Going on a trip to Mexico (by airplane)
7. Anything else you want to do (must be approved by me)

Science: Pulleys

Today we talked about pulleys. There are three types of pulleys: Fixed, moveable and combined. We did an experiment as a class to look at the advantages of each type of pulley. Students were to fill out a chart that explains the advantages and disadvantages of each pulley. They are also to come up with 3 examples of pulleys. This work is homework.

Personal Planning: Nicotine Addiction Cycle

Today in personal planning we talked about the Nicotine Addiction cycle. Students were given a mandala to fill out (the outer circle explains the steps of the cycle, the next one has a picture, the third has a feeling - how the person would feel, and the middle circle has the picture of a smoker).

This is to be completed by Thursday.

Language Arts: Desrcriptive Sentences

We worked today on making sentences more descriptive. The example I gave was "I sat at my desk" which I then changed to "I dreamily sat at my huge, wooden, untidy desk." Students were given 10 simple sentences which they were to make more descriptive. This work was to be done for homework if it was not finished.

Math: Estimating and Measuring using non-standard units

Today we estimated and measured using non-standard units. Students had questions #1-4 and reflect on page 317 to do for homework if it wasn't finished in class.

Personal Planning: Tobacco

We finished our plays today on how tobacco affects our ability to breath. Again, the students did quite well on this activity and worked well in their groups.

Drama: Fables

Today we finished up our fables and presented them. The students did a wonderful job and they worked together wonderfully, especially by integrating students who had missed the day when we started the fables.

Math: Place Value and Units

We have been talking a lot lately about place value, decimals and units of measurement. We have had many problems to solve with decimals and with changing units. There was no homework for math today.

Language Arts: Poetry and Letters

Tomorrow (Friday) we will be writing our good copies for our letters and our poems. If students have not given me a rough draft to look over, they MUST come with a rough draft on Friday. Those students who have missed the whole week will be given time to work on those on Friday. Today some of the students talked about similes and were given a small amount of homework. They were given 10 things and were asked to write a simile for each one. This was to be completed for Friday.

Socials: Sustainability

We discussed The Lorax today and how it relates to Socials. We then looked at the term "Sustainability" and what that means. I gave the students a definition and some criteria for what sustainability is. They were then to sort various sentences and phrases into three categories: Sustainability, Maybe Sustainability and Not Sustainability. This work was done in partners or in threes and was not homework.

Language Arts: Rough Copies

Today we had time to work on our rough copies for both our Limericks and our letters (to my sponsored child). Those must be done for tomorrow.

Drama: Aesop's Fables

Today students read and dramatized some of Aesop's fables. They were then asked to "update" their fable for modern times. This was not homework and will be continued on Thursday.

Science: Levers

Today we talked more about levers. We discussed how levers give us an advantage and we looked at three different types of levers. Students wrote in their book about 1st, 2nd and 3rd class levers and were asked to find examples of each for homework.

Poetry: Limericks

Today I introduced Limericks to the students. We looked at three examples to see what the rhyme scheme is (a-a-b-b-a) and to hear the pattern of the words.

I gave students a fourth poem that I wrote about the hockey playoffs. Ask your children if you want to hear it (they might not be happy with me if I posted it here).

There was no homework for this today.

Personal Planning: Affects of Tobacco on the Body

Today we continued working on our plays that students started last week. Most groups are close to finishing up and we will hopefully be rehearsing and performing these plays later this week.

Personal Planning: Affects of Tobacco on the Body

Today we continued working on our plays that students started last week. Most groups are close to finishing up and we will hopefully be rehearsing and performing these plays later this week.

Socials: The Lorax

Today in Socials I read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss to the class and asked them two questions:

1) What does "The Lorax" have to do with socials?

2) Why would Mr. Davidson read us this book?

Both questions are to be answered for Tuesday.

Letters to Phichit

Today we started writing letters to Phichit, the little boy from Thailand that I sponsor. The students were read the letter I received last week and then they were to write a letter in response.

The rough copies of these letters are due Wednesday.

Have a Great Weekend!

There is no homework for the weekend. We finished up our math lesson today and will start a new one on Monday. Students also made good copies of their poems and their stories.

In the afternoon we went swimming and watched some teachers get pies in the face. Check back here this weekend as I may post some pictures of the event!

Socials: Deserted Island Game

We played something of a game today in Socials. The students were pretending they were stranded on a desert island and they could only eat berries or nuts (fish could be substituted for nuts). They had to choose how much of each they ate each week in order to survive the longest they could. Each week they got more or each.

There were a few questions about this game that students answered in class.

Math: Linear Dimensions

We talked some more about Linear Dimensions today and the students got a chance to do some measuring.

Students have Questions #1-6 plus reflect to do for homework on pages 311 and 312 from the textbook.

Creative Writing: Short Stories

Today I showed the students several pictures of animals. They were to choose at least one of the pictures as a starting point for a story. They could tell me what happened before the picture and what happened after.

I asked that the stories not be too short or too long (one page to about 3/4 pages would be best). I wanted them to finish a rough copy by tomorrow and have someone (a peer, a parent, etc.) to read over their rough copy and offer suggestions.

We will make good copies tomorrow.

Poetry: Quatrain Poem Rough Copies

Today we started on rough copies of two Quatrain poems. The students were to make one poem where all lines rhyme and one where the 2nd and 4th rhyme. They also were asked to make one serious poem and one funny poem.

If they did not finish the rough copies in class they were to complete them for homework. I asked that they all have someone check their poem and give them any tips for improvement.

One thing that is something to look for is a rhythm. The lines should all be about the same length and take the same amount of time to read. We talked about this in class.

Science: Levers

Today I introduced the first simple machine we will be talking about, Levers. I gave students a diagram of levers to copy and we started an experiment to look at the different amount of force needed when we move where the fulcrum is.

There was no homework for this section.

Poetry: Rhymes

Today we talked about rhymes. I showed the students the notation we use for rhyming (using letters to mark each line that rhymes).

For homework I gave them the task of finding all the words they could think of that rhyme with: Glad, Blink, Hive, Round, Call, Clock.

If students wanted a challenge, I gave them six more words to look for rhymes for: Orange, Beige, Silver, Wasp, Wolf, Month.

Science: Work and Machines

Today we talked about the scientific definition of work: using a force to move an object. We also talked about the definition of a machine: something that makes work easier.

I had the students try three tasks: push against a wall, lift a textbook, and pull their chair across the floor. The students were to draw a picture, put one arrow in the direction they applied the force, put another arrow in the direction the object moved, and write whether or not worked occured. This is homework if not finished.

Poetry: Quatrain Poems

Today we spent quite a bit of time looking at Quatrain poems and what makes a Quatrain poem a quatrain. We looked at several examples and talked about each.

As a class we made a poem at the end of the lesson:

The purple turtle's name is Mertle

And Mertle ate a popcorn kernel

At the movie “Super Yertle”

That was the end of the turtle Mertle

There is no homework tonight for Poetry. There is however, Math homework.

Poetry: Alliteration

Today we talked about Alliteration (having many words in a sentence or in a row that start with the same letter). I asked the students to write one sentence for each letter of the alphabet. They are to have at least three words with the same letter in each sentence and the words must make up more than half of the sentence (so if there are 9 words, 5 of them must start with the same letter). The sentences do not have to be serious, but they should make at least a little bit of sense.

Poetry: Haiku Good Copies

Today we did a lot of work on our Haiku poems. Some students were able to get their good copies of their Haiku poems finished while others are still working on them. We will likely get some time to work on them tomorrow in class so that everyone can be caught up.

For those students who have not yet finished their rough copies, they need to be done tomorrow. If any parents get a chance to look at them that would be helpful. One thing that I am being particular about is that students not use "It is" and similar words in their poem. They should be using as many descriptive words as possible. They do not need to write sentences.

I gave the examples of lines in class today:

Cold and Damp in here

and

It is Cold and Damp


I would prefer the first sentence as it sounds less choppy than the first. I hope that explains things for you.

Science: Review of Forces

Today we did a review of the work we have done with forces. I mentioned to the class that there will be a quiz next week (likely on Wednesday).

I gave the students a list of words and concepts they need to know for this quiz. If students do not know they are free to ask me, but not on the day of the quiz:

• force
• weight
• mass
• friction
• ramp
• load
• balanced forces
• unbalanced forces
• equilibrium
• spring scale

Personal Planning: Tobacco

Today I had students use the information I gave them last week about the effects of Tobacco and smoking to fill out a Venn Diagram. One circle was to show Short Term effects and the other Long Term effects. If this was not done in class it was to be finished for homework.

Science: Balanced Forces

Today in Science we started talking about balanced forces and equilibrium. This led into a discussion about gravity and how some objects fall faster than others (and why most objects fall at the same rate). There was no homework for this lesson.

Socials: Canada's Resources

Today we looked at the different resources throughout Canada. We talked about the advantages of having more resources.

Students were given a short activity to do in class. They were given a variety of natural resources and asked to explain what those resources could be used for. If this was not finished it was homework.

Poetry: Haiku Poems

Today I introduced Haiku poems to the students. A Haiku poem is one that has 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the third line. They are typically about nature (though several of the examples I gave were not about nature).

We talked about criteria for a good Haiku poem and came up with the following:
- Spelling and grammar
- Fits the form (5-7-5 syllables)
- Uses strong words to describe something
- Is about Nature (for a traditional Haiku)
- Pick a subject and stick to it

We made a poem as a class:

Pizza is pretty,
Pineapple olive sauces,
Pizza is so good

Socials: Survival Plans

Today in socials we finished our pastel drawings of what the local area might have looked like before people came here. Afterwards, students were given a Survival Plan to fill out. They are to think about what they would do to fulfill four basic needs: food, water, shelter and clothing. I asked that they talk to someone about their plan and have that person sign the back of their page indicating that they did have a conversation.

Poetry: Diamante Poem Good Copies

Today we went to the computer lab and made our good copies of our Diamante Poems. I will be taking these home this weekend and looking at them closely. Next week we will be working on a different type of poem (likely a Haiku) as well as talking about how to use great words in our poems.

Personal Planning: Tobacco

Today we started a unit on tobacco. I had the students brainstorm what they knew about tobacco in groups. After this brainstorming, we posted the responses around the room and everyone read each other's thoughts. We finished by reading about the effects of tobacco use. We will be continuing with this material next week

Poetry: Editing our Diamante Rough Copies

Today we discussed how to edit a poem and offer up constructive criticism. I prepared two poems and as a class we discussed how I could improve them. Afterwards I had the students switch their rough copies with one another and offer up constructive criticism. The students were given some time to revise their poems. I will now look at them tonight and offer suggestions to students. Tomorrow we will be working on our good copies.

PE: Adventure Curriculum

Today in PE we started working through the adventure curriculum. This unit deals with games that are fun and adventurous. There is a focus on teamwork, cooperation and communication in this curriculum.

We started with talking about the 4 important ideas (in our "contract"):

1. Play Hard
2. Play Fair
3. Play Safe
4. Have Fun

We played a few games to show these parts of the contract.

Poetry: Diamante Poems Rough Copies

Today we finished looking at Diamante poems and I had the students start their rough copies. We established a set of criteria in the class that the students will be expected to follow:
- Correct spelling
- Big, bold, clear letters
- Looks like a diamond
- Fits the form (the students took notes on this)
- Use of descriptive words (this is the focus of this assignment)

Students have been asked to write two poems, one of type A and type B. These rough copies are due on Thursday April 11th.

Science: What Affects How Much Force We Need

Today in Science we talked about the different factors that affect how much force you need to move an object. We briefly reviewed yesterdays lesson on friction and brainstormed several other situations in which you might need more or less force.

We did an exploration as a class with what happens when you add things to a bag (the force you need goes up) and what happens when you increase the steepness of a slope (the force you need goes up). There is no homework for this section.

Social Studies: Local Resources

Sorry for not posting this yesterday, but as you know a lot went on and I did not have the time to get this up.

Yesterday in Socials we talked about what resources are. We then took a walk around the school to look at all of the natural characteristics of our area. Once back in the classroom, I had the students create a picture of what this area might have looked like 10,000 years ago or before any human beings had come to the area. We did not finish these pictures so we will continue with them another day.

There was no homework for Socials today.

Poetry: Diamante Poems

Today I introduced Diamante poems. I showed 4 examples (one is included below) and we talked about one way that the poems can be written. Due to time constraints we didn't get to the second way we can write the poem. The plan is to continue with that tomorrow and then to move on to first creating criteria for a good Diamante poem and then writing our own.

Example of a Diamante Poem:

Rain Forest
Damp, dark
Raining, dripping, steaming
Monkey, jaguar, frog, anaconda
Climbing, stalking, slinking
Furry, scaled
Endangered

Science: Friction

Today we talked about Friction. We discussed how friction is related to surface texture (rough surfaces create more friction and smooth surfaces create less friction). We also talked about advantages and disadvantages of friction.

The homework for tonight is to finish the sheet called "Section 1.3: Friction." Students only need to complete the front side of that page. We will be working with the back side of the page tomorrow so they should remember to bring back their sheet.

Poetry: Shape Poems Good Copy

Today we started on our good copies for our Shape Poems. I had read through all of them last night and enjoyed them all. Most students finished their good copies today, but for those who didn't the good copies are due on Tuesday April 10th.

There is no other homework for the weekend! Enjoy the time off!

A Note

I incorrectly noted that the math test was Friday. It is THURSDAY APRIL 5th.

Also, I did not realize it, but the settings used to be that you had to have an account to comment. I have changed that so that anyone can comment.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Poetry: Shape Poem Rough Copies

Today we worked on our Shape Poem rough copies. Students took their homework from last night and put the words into a shape. We then switched poems with students and had them review the poems to give two things they like about the poem and one thing they could improve.

At the end of the class, students handed in their rough copies to me. Tonight I will go through them all and provide feedback to the students for their good copies which we will work on tomorrow.

Science: Measuring Forces

Today in Science we talked about the difference between Mass and Weight. Mass refers to how much of something there is and Weight refers to how much the force of gravity pulls down on something.

We looked at spring scales and how to use them and the class made their own out an elastic, a pencil and a ruler. They used their scales to measure the weight of some classroom items.

There is no homework for today's science lesson.

Math Test Reminder

This is a reminder that there will be a Math Test on Thursday April 5th.

Please remember to study for this.

Poetry: Shape Poems

Today we started writing Shape Poems. Yesterday we had talked about them and came up with the following criteria for a good shape poem:

• Clear, big, bold letters

• Creative

• Make sure it looks like something

• Make sure it has an interesting shape

• The words have to make sense

• The shape and the poem must match

• Correct spelling*

• Proper grammar*

The last two have a * because I told them if they make intentional errors it is acceptable.

For homework I have asked the students to finish brainstorming the words they want to include in their poem. They do not yet need to arrange the words into a picture. We will be doing that on Wednesday.

Science: What Makes Things Move?

Today in Science we talked about forces and how objects move. We discussed many ways objects can move and talked about forces as pushes or pulls. We looked at how a ball bounces and how we can change the height the ball bounces. We also did an experiment involving how high a ball bounces on different surfaces.

These are our results:

Surface	Trial #1	Trial #2	Trial #3
Baseball Bag	45cm	34cm	30cm
Floor	65cm	70cm	75cm
Cardboard	69cm	70cm	74cm

The homework is to answer three questions at the bottom of the page titled: How Does Floor Surface Hardness Affect How High a Ball Bounces?:

1. Which surface resulted in the highest bounce?
2. How does the hardness of the floor surface affect how high a ball bounces?
3. Did your results fully support, partly support, or not support your prediction.

We also had question from the textbook:

1. Think about riding a bike or going skateboarding. Choose one of these activities and describe, in words or pictures, how force is used to:
• start and stop moving
• change speed
• change direction