Blog Entry –April 30th Update

 

 Opening Week is Coming!!!

There are many exciting events coming up at Irma Coulson Public School!!!

On Tuesday May 6^th it is Coulson Family Night! Come to the school between 6pm – 8pm. There will be a BBQ set up to get food, games and activities being played outside, Spirit Wear being sold, a book fair in the library and you will have the time to see all of the wonderful poems the students have made to represent themselves (I am From…). It is a great opportunity for families to share stories and enjoy reading student work.

Each student created their own “I Am From…” poem and then took their favourite line and we created our own class poem.

I Am From 4-1 FI

I am from that warm cheesy sizzling pizza fresh out of the oven with soft and fluffy mushrooms and a pinch of hot pepper.

I am from every day when I come to school and I see the little pond near my house.

I am from the loud voice that yells “Karma saaf qaro ab!”

I am from eating orange sweet mashed potatoes and the juiciest meat at Christmas when I spend time with family.

I am from playing soccer all day every day.

I am from the awesome hockey in my head because my dad is always talking about it.

I am from “Do you have any homework?”

I am from getting dizzy and lost in my flips at gymnastics.

I am from “Get up here and clean your room right now!”

I am from mangoes sweet and juicy picked out of a tree.

I am from my computer and ipad that are in the basement that I play with a lot.

I am from the hot cheesy lasagna fresh from the oven.

I am from strawberry shortcake out of the freezer, with frozen icing.

I am from sitting on the couch, eating chips and watching my tablet.

I am from the fun and laughter saying Riba, Butterflyman and Cheropi!

I am from “Fait ton chambre maintenant Josef!”

I am from a cheese pasta with red sauce.

I am from a fluffy soft comfy pink warm cozy wool blanket.

I am from my dog barking every single day non-stop, he is so annoying.

I am from the chocolate glaze on a fresh straight out of the oven chocolate cake!

I am from a room that is faded lime green.

I am from cold pink strawberry ice cream with four scoops.

I am from scootering fast up a high ramp.

I am from a cruise to the Bahamas.

I Am From 5-1 FI

I am from sizzling pasta with melted cheese on top right from the oven.

I am from under my bed where there are boxes that make a secret hiding passage.

I am from routlatin on Christmas in memory of my Grandma who died from cancer.

I am from the pencil gently sliding across my paper flowing lines, here and there, beginning a sketch.

I am from sushi bought straight from the supermarkets fresh scent of the avocado, next to the vibrant orange colour of the skinny pieces of carrot, neighbouring the lobster, with the pink shade getting lighter and lighter, all wrapped with grains of rice, all glued together, wrapped around the seaweed.

I am from the delicious tender steak sizzling on the grill.

I am from bulunius blynius sizzling like a crackling fire, with added bacon bits and it looked just as great as the Mona Lisa, I ate it like bread and it felt like I could hold it forever, it smelled like a field of roses and tasted as good as it gets and beyond.

I am from digital devices shining bright side to side every night.

I am from juicy succulent chocolate covered and caramel filled candy apples.

I am from cheesy stringy sizzling pizza from the dirty but mouthwatering pizza store.

I am from seeing the same houses and cheerful kids playing.

I am from dark moist mouthwatering brownies fresh out of the oven that melts in your mouth the moment you take a bite, unleashing the heavenly flavours of rich chocolate and a hint of vanilla, which makes your taste buds tingle in delight.

I am from a place where my friends always say “When in doubt yolo it out.”

I am from a warm and soft pie with some refreshing cool ice-cream slowly melting on top fresh from the oven.

I am from harsh rules enforced by my parents.

I am from my 100 1950-2003 hockey cards.

I am from Christmas trees glowing, lights shining, and the decorations standing proudly in the middle of my dining room table.

I am from cheeseburgers straight from the bbq, with tomatoey ketchup and a tiny bit of delicious mayo on the bun.

I am from seeing lots of kids around the block.

I am from Fort Lauderdale where I can cruise year round.

I am from sweet cinnamon candy called hot tambels.

I am from scrumptious divine swirling Nutella with chocolate creamy hazelnut mixed with it and nutritious strawberries dipped in.

I am from my mom’s creamy rich chocolate mouse, which she recreates every Christmas eve when my entire family comes over.

I am from a place where I will never let go of my golden snitch that shines so bright I can see my reflection in it.

I am from New York City and the glowing lights at night.

I am from the calm pond where ducks swim in circles.

I am from a world of clicking buttons on the computer writing me a poem or a story to take me to bed.

LANGUAGE         

READING

        

         The students are working hard to complete their readings and weekly literature circles tasks. There has been some great discussion about their books in their groups last week and this week. Students are really showing their collaboration skills by sharing their ideas, and reflecting on their group members’ thoughts. Students are given class time to work on their literature circle tasks but they are also expected to read their chapters and work on their tasks at home as well to ensure they are completing their work on time.

* Reminder of Literature Circle Tasks *

To be completed individually before each Wednesday for Grade 4’s and before each Thursday for Grade 5’s:

-       Read assigned chapters

-       Complete your role worksheet (e.g. questioner, connector, etc)

-       Write a summary of the assigned chapters

-       Complete your word detective sheet

MATH

         We are finishing up our Fraction unit. Students were given a review today and it will be taken up tomorrow to ensure students feel confident for the Quiz on Friday.

The OERB website is also a great tool for students to use to study.

Computer Task:  Fraction Activities!!!

Step 1: Search in Google OERB

Step 2: Click on the Ontario Education Resource Bank

Step 3: Log in using our username and password

Step 4: Click on the search button (near the computer image)

Step 5: Click Simple Search

Step 6: Type in:

1. Fractions – Exploring Part/Whole Relationships (fraction strips) – good review

2. Fractions – Memory Match Game

- Click Equivalent Fractions (then you choose how you would like your fractions represented)

- Start Matching!

3. EPractice Fractions – Entire Cluster of All Activities

E-Text pages

Grade 5 pages 256 – 305

Grade 4 pages 270 - 317

A reminder, Math Help is every Wednesday and Friday and is open to all students in my Grade 4 and Grade 5 class. As well after any quiz if a student would like a re-quiz they should be coming to math help and asking for help in order to do the re-quiz.

Reminders

Friday Folders need to be handed back in on Mondays. Some students have not returned their Friday Folders in a long time. 

Literature Circles

Literature Circles

Literature Circles:

         Students have been given a novel where they are responsible for reading assigned chapters each week and completing a role within their group (ex. connector, questioner, passage picker, and inferencer/profiler). They also are expected to write a short summary of their assigned chapters for every week reading. It is important that students complete their readings and their role on a weekly basis to be able to participate in their literature circle with their group. Since it is a group activity students will also be assessed on their ability to work with their group members. 

Grade 4's 

Week #	Date Assigned	Due Date
Week 1	Wednesday April 16th	Wednesday April 23rd
Week 2	Wednesday April 23rd	Wednesday April 30th
Week 3	Wednesday April 30th	Wednesday May 7th
Week 4	Wednesday May 7th	Wednesday May 14th

 Grade 5's

Week #	Date Assigned	Due Date
Week 1	Thursday April 17th	Thursday April 24th
Week 2	Thursday April 24th	Thursday May 1st
Week 3	Thursday May 1st	Thursday May 8th
Week 4	Thursday May 8th	Thursday May 15th

To be completed individually before each Wednesday for Grade 4’s and before each Thursday for Grade 5’s:

 -       Read assigned chapters

-       Complete your role worksheet (e.g. questioner, connector, etc)

-       Write a summary of the assigned chapters

-       Complete your word detective sheet

Weekly Update - April 12th

LANGUAGE            

READING

            We will be starting our literature circles next week!!! I have had a difficult time finding enough books for every student to have the book their group has been assigned. I have asked some of the students to try to find their book at the public library this weekend. Hopefully we will be able to get a few more of the books this weekend and will be able to finally start next week. I do ask that the students don’t start reading their literature circle books on the weekend, as they will be assigned a few chapters every week. Also depending on the books that are signed out on the weekend I might have to shuffle groups or books around.

            The literature books were chosen because of the social justice themes in the books. Literature Circles are a great way to incorporate full-length novels into the classroom. They allow students in groups to read, discuss, and thoroughly explore a novel that is at their reading level! It allows students to read independently and have student-led discussion about the material. Think of it like a Book Club!

                                                       

MATH

This week we focused on Comparing and Ordering Fractions. Students used these strategies to help them. Fraction strips are also a great visual to help the students in their understandings.

We used the OERB website to do activities online to help us with our fractions.

Computer Task:  Fraction Activities!!!

Step 1: Search in Google OERB

Step 2: Click on the Ontario Education Resource Bank

Step 3: Log in using our username and password

Step 4: Click on the search button (near the computer image)

Step 5: Click Simple Search

Step 6: Type in:

1. Fractions – Exploring Part/Whole Relationships (fraction strips) – good review

2. Fractions – Memory Match Game

- Click Equivalent Fractions (then you choose how you would like your fractions represented)

- Start Matching!

3. EPractice Fractions – Entire Cluster of All Activities

E-Text pages

Grade 5 pages 256 – 305

Grade 4 pages 270 - 317

A reminder, Math Help is every Wednesday and Friday and is open to all students in my Grade 4 and Grade 5 class. As well after any quiz if a student would like a re-quiz they should be coming to math help and asking for help in order to do the re-quiz.

Reminders

Friday Folders need to be handed back in on Mondays. Some students have not returned their Friday Folders in a long time. 

Week of April 7th

Blog Entry –April 7^th Update

LANGUAGE            

WRITING

This week students will take their learning from their mini lessons in previous weeks and work on writing descriptive sentences and paragraphs by continuously adding more detail to their writing using some of these techniques.

MATH

Fraction Expectations

Grade 4

 -determine and explain, through investigation, the relationship between fractions (i.e., halves, fifths, tenths) and decimals to tenths, using a variety of tools (e.g., concrete materials, drawings, calculators) and strategies

– demonstrate and explain the relationship between equivalent fractions, using concrete materials (e.g., fraction circles, fraction strips, pattern blocks) and drawings (e.g.,“I can say that 36 of my cubes are white, or half of the cubes are white. This means that 36 and 12 are equal.”);

– compare and order fractions (i.e., halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, tenths) by considering the size and the number of fractional parts (e.g., 4/5 is greater than 3/5 because there are more parts in 4/5 ; 1/4 is greater than 1/5 because the size of the part is larger in 1/4 );

– compare fractions to the benchmarks of 0, 1/2 ,and 1 (e.g., 1/8 is closer to 0 than to 1/2 ; 3/5 is more than 1/2)

– represent fractions using concrete materials, words, and standard fractional notation, and explain the meaning of the denominator as the number of the fractional parts of a whole or a set, and the numerator as the number of fractional parts being considered;

Grade 5

– determine and explain, through investigation using concrete materials, drawings, and calculators, the relationship between fractions (i.e., with denominators of 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100) and their equivalent decimal forms (e.g., use a 10 x 10 grid to show that 2/5 = 40/100 , which can also be represented as 0.4);

– represent, compare, and order fractional amounts with like denominators, including proper and improper fractions and mixed numbers, using a variety of tools (e.g., fraction circles, Cuisenaire rods, number lines) and using standard fractional notation;

– demonstrate and explain the concept of equivalent fractions, using concrete materials (e.g., use fraction strips to show that 3/4 is equal to 9/12 );

– demonstrate and explain the concept of equivalent fractions, using concrete materials (e.g., use fraction strips to show that 3/4 is equal to 9/12 );

– describe multiplicative relationships between quantities by using simple fractions and decimals (e.g., “If you have 4 plums and I have 6 plums, I can say that I have 1 1/2 or 1.5 times as many plums as you have.”);

E-Text pages

Grade 5 pages 256 – 305

Grade 4 pages 270 - 317

A reminder, Math Help is every Wednesday and Friday and is open to all students in my Grade 4 and Grade 5 class. As well after any quiz if a student would like a re-quiz they should be coming to math help and asking for help in order to do the re-quiz.