Blog Entry - Week of January 13th

Blog Entry –Week of January 13^th

LANGUAGE - READING

A reminder that students write a letter every other week to me in their Readers Notebook. They are given time during Daily 5 read to self to work on their letters in class.

Here is the schedule of when students’ letters are due. Next week the Grade 5’s (week of Jan. 27) will be handing their letters in and the following week Grade 4’s will.

Letter Due Dates

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Alex Antony Mark Amelia Madison E	Nyle Martina Adam Lucas Ella	Madison J Iqra Samiya Amber Bella	Fatima Lindsay Ben Fernanda Josef	Nick Taha Eshaal Zoya Yasmeen Sahar

Letter Due Dates

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Lauren Eric Daniel B. Ethan Adrian Talla	Nathan Stuart Je Nae Tristan Iris Sam	Samuel Filip Jonah Sarah Hanna L. Pratham	Aistis Alex Hannah N. Abdullah Omar Reid	Will Zeerak Daniel S. Aaron Isaac Emily

I’m very impressed with many students who respond and answer the questions I have asked them in my responses to their letters. A few have asked for sample letters that fall in the 3+ to a 4 range. Here are some examples.

Grade 5 Sample

Grade 4 Sample

Recording Students Fluency

Over the next few weeks students will be reading a “Good Fit” Book Aloud and I will be recording there reading. Afterwards they will have the opportunity to listen to themselves read and self assess their own fluency. Helping them hear their strengths and next steps when it comes to their fluency.

At home during when students are reading 20 minutes a night. Ten of those minutes should be spent reading their books aloud.

What is fluency?

Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly with expression..

Why is fluency important?

Fluency is important because it allows students to focus on making meaning rather than sounding out words.

How can fluency be developed and improved?

Model fluent reading and engage children in repeated oral reading.

Fluency has important elements to focus on:

1.. Expression & volume: The reader is reading the passage with feeling, paying attention to

punctuation marks. The reader is also loud enough for the audience to hear with correct

emotion.

2.. Phrasing: Reader is using punctuation and meaning to read complete thoughts. (Reader

stops at periods and pauses at commas.)

3. Smoothness/Accuracy: The reader can read smoothly without having to sound out words as

they read.

4. Pace: The reader is reading at a normal pace. Reading sounds like a conversation. It is not

slow or choppy. It’s also not too fast!

MATH

We finished our Data Management Unit. Students created their own survey questions, and collect data from their peers in the school. Using the data they collected they graphed their results. There will not be a test for Data Management their assignment was their final assessment.  

We will be starting Decimals!!

Grade 4 Expectations:

* demonstrate an understanding of place value from 0.1 -10,000 using a variety of different tools and strategies

*count forward by tenths from any decimal number expressed to one decimal place, using concrete materials and number lines (e.g., use base ten materials to represent 3.7 and count forward: 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, ...;

*add and subtract decimal numbers to tenths, using concrete materials (e.g., paper strips divided into tenths, base ten materials) and student-generated algorithms (eg., “When I added 6.5 and 5.6, I took five tenths in fraction circles and added six tenths in fraction circles to give me one whole and one tenth. Then I added 6 + 5 + 1.1, which equals 12.1.”);

* compare whole numbers from 0.1 to 10,000 using a variety of tools (e.g. base ten blocks, number lines)

* order whole numbers from 0.1 to 10,000

* explain equivalent decimals to tenths (e.g. three tenths (0.3) is equal to thirty hundredths (0.3)

* represent whole numbers to 10, 000 and decimals to 0.1

* demonstrate equivalent representations of a decimal number, using concrete materials

Grade 5 Expectations:

*demonstrate an understanding of place value from 0.01 -100,000 using a variety of different tools and strategies

* compare whole numbers from 0.01 to 100,000 using a variety of tools (e.g. base ten blocks, number lines)

* order whole numbers from 0.01 to 100,000

* explain equivalent decimals to hundredths (e.g. three tenths (0.3) is equal to thirty hundredths (0.3)

*round decimal numbers to the nearest tenth, in problems arising from real-life situations;

*add and subtract decimal numbers to hundredths, including money amounts, using concrete materials, estimation, and algorithms (e.g., use 10 x 10 grids to add 2.45 and 3.25);

*multiply decimals numbers by 10, 100, 1000, and 10 000 and divide decimal numbers by 10, and 100 using mental math strategies (e.g. use a calculator to look for patterns and generalize to develop and rule)

*count forward by hundredths from any decimal number expressed to two decimal places, using concrete materials and number lines (e.g., use base ten materials to represent 2.96 and count forward by hundredths: 2.97, 2.98, 2.99, 3.00, 3.01, ...; “Two and ninety-six hundredths,

* represent whole numbers to 100, 000 and decimals to 0.01

* demonstrate equivalent representations of a decimal number, using concrete materials

Math Help

Wednesdays (1^st break) and Fridays (2^nd break)

E-TEXT (a great resource for extra practice)

The pages on the E-text for this unit is…

Grade 4 p. 299-307

Grade 5 p.112 -149

Week of January 13th 2014

Blog Entry –Week of January 13^th

Making a Difference

Our theme as a school right now is focusing on individuals who make have and continue to make a difference. Students have been using their inferencing skills to determine qualities that these individuals posses to discuss some qualities that they feel individuals who make a difference might have.

 LANGUAGE -  READING

This week in Daily 5 we continued to focus on inferencing, a reading comprehension strategy. We have inferred what is happening in pictures using clues from the image and our prior knowledge.

Grade 4 letters are due next week on their Read to Self stop and jots of their thinking during Read to Self times. Grade 5’s handed theirs in this week.

Students did a great job searching in letters for the reading strategies (inferencing, predicting, connecting, and questioning) that were used and the evidence from the text used to support the ideas. 

We will continue to look at short paragraphs to infer from text, and look at characters in our fiction books during read to someone to infer about the characters in our stories.

ART

In Art we reviewed The Elements of Design and focused on the element of Line. 

MATH

This week students have begun to create their own survey question and collect data from their peers to analyze and graph their data.

Math Help

Wednesdays (1^st break) and Fridays (2^nd break)

E-TEXT (a great resource for extra practice)

The pages on the E-text for this unit is…

Grade 4 p. 164-197

Grade 5 p. 156 – 191

Week of January 6th

Blog Entry – January 6^th

LANGUAGE -   READING

Students will be examining how to bump up letters this week using the group letters they wrote before the break. They will then continue to write their letters on a bi-weekly basis starting the second week back after our holiday break.

We will be focusing on inferencing a reading comprehension strategy. 

WRITING

In writing the Grade 4’s will be starting procedural writing and the Grade 5’s will be moving into explanatory after their finish their persuasive advertisement presentations this week.

MATH

This week I will be offering extra practice and reviews for the patterning re-quiz which will be this Friday. I will hold extra math help on Tuesday at first break so students can meet with me twice before the re-quiz.

Math Help

Wednesdays (1^st break) and Fridays (2^nd break)

We will be continuing with our Data Management unit. Students have already read, interpreted and drawn conclusions from data in a whole class setting, group, and individual. As a class we have reviewed how to calculate the mean, median, and mode. Students have had the opportunity to create graphs in their problem of the week and as a class. This week we will create our criteria for creating bar, circle, pictographs, and line graphs.

E-TEXT (a great resource for extra practice)

The pages on the E-text for this unit is…

Grade 4 p. 164-197

Grade 5 p. 156 – 191

December 8th Update!

Blog Entry – December 8^th

LANUAGE  

READING

Students are continuing to write letters on a bi-weekly basis to communicate their comprehension of the reading they do doing read to self-times. Over the next two weeks we will be looking at samples of letters and discussing ways we can bump up our letters to a level 3 or 4.

WRITING

Students have gone through the writing process from Prewrite-Draft- Revise/Edit and produced their first Recount for this year in Grade 4. The Grade 5’s went through the writing process and produced a persuasive piece. This week students are working on their second writing piece in their text form (Recount or Persuasive) they will be provided feedback on their first written piece to help them with their second.

The Grade 4’s were given a Robert Munsch story and in groups discussed the 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, why), the important events, and something they learned from the story. Then they were given time to fill out a prewrite organizer. As a class we wrote a recount of Stephanie’s Ponytail and used it as a sample students could refer to when writing their drafts of their Robert Munsch story.

Recount of Stephanie’s Ponytail

            In the book Stephanie’s Ponytail by Robert Munsch, Stephanie is a girl who enjoys having different styles of ponytails.

            The story starts off with Stephanie asking her mom for a ponytail coming right out of the back of her head. When Stephanie gets to school that day all the kids make fun of her new ponytail style. The following day all the girls have copied her ponytail style. Stephanie gets frustrated that her schoolmates are copying her hair after they have already made fun of her. The story continues with Stephanie coming to school with new ponytail styles. Some of them are on the side of her head, front of her head, and top of her head. Everyday students keep teasing her because of her new hairstyle then copy her the next day. Finally Stephanie tells everyone she is going to shave her head bald because she is tired of everyone just following what she does. The story ends when everyone (students, teachers, and animals) shaved their heads bald but Stephanie comes to school with a nice ponytail coming out the back of her head.

            Stephanie’s Ponytail taught me that it is important to make your own decisions and not just following along with what everyone else is doing.

The Grade 5’s co-created their assignment with me discussing the success criteria and outline for their project.

This was the outline we came up with as a class.

Persuasive Advertisement

Assignment

- persuade someone to buy your product, or an already existing product

- know your audience

- how is your product going to make someone else’s life better (“Making a Difference”)

- you may work in a group of 2 or independently

Success Criteria

- name of product

- your opinion

- colour/attract attention (for posters, brochure….)

- 3 reasons why someone should buy your product

- at least 3 examples/evidence

- evident use of persuasive writing techniques (slogan, bandwagon, testimonial , emotional appeal, expert opinion)

Topic Ideas

- type of cereal

- pet food

- sell a shoe

- toy

- book

- rainbow looms

- video game, board game

- action figure

- comic book

- car

- piece of technology

- sports equipment

- pencil sharpener

- art piece

- McDonalds

- a pet

- boat

- house (energy conservation)

- new materials for the classroom

- locks

- website

Forms

- Brochure

- Commercial

- Poster

- Billboard

- Slideshow

- Magazine/Newspaper Ad

- letter

- website

Students were given a prewrite organizer to ensure they cover the success criteria.

Name: ______________________

Product Persuasion

Product Information-

Product Name: ______________________ Purpose (what does it do?): _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Who would need it (Audience – who are you selling it to?): _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ My product will make someone else’s life better because… _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

    

The method of advertisment I will be using is… (poster, billboard, letter, newspaper ad etc.)

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

My advertisement will attract my audience because I will use _______ persuasive strategies.

(e.g. slogan, colour, emotional appeal, bandwagon, testimonial, expert opinion)

-

-

-

3 Reasons why someone should buy my product

Reason 1. _____________

Examples/Evidence

Reason 2. _____________

Examples/Evidence

Reason 3. ______________

Examples/Evidence

            Once students have finished their prewrite they will begin to create their advertisement using the form they choose. Students will be given work periods in class. Students were asked to choose a task they could do in class not always needing a computer, as the lab is booked for most of the periods in the remaining two weeks. Students are welcome to work at home but they will be provided time in class. Once the advertisements are created students will be presenting their ad in a oral presentation.

MATH

This week we have a Division/Multiplication Re-Quiz for students who needed more time to practice the concepts. It will be this Wednesday.

Math Help

Wednesdays (1^st break)  and Fridays (2^nd break)

We will be starting a new unit in math. We will be looking at Data Management. Here are the expectations for the Grade 4’s and Grade 5’s.

Grade 4

 *collect data by conducting a survey (e.g., “Choose your favourite meal from the following list: breakfast, lunch, dinner, other.”) or an experiment to do with themselves, their environment, issues in their school or the community, or content from another subject, and record observations or measurements;

*collect and organize discrete primary data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including stem-and-leaf plots and double bar graphs) that have appropriate titles, labels (e.g., appropriate units marked on the axes), and scales (e.g., with appropriate increments) that suit the range and distribution of the data, using a variety of tools (e.g., graph paper, simple spread- sheets, dynamic statistical software).

*read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary data (e.g., survey results, measurements, observations) and from secondary data (e.g., temperature data in the newspaper, data from the Internet about endangered species), presented in charts, tables, and graphs (including stem-and-leaf plots and double bar graphs);

*demonstrate, through investigation, an understanding of median (e.g.,” The median is the value in the middle of the data. If there are two middle values, you have to calculate the middle of those two values.”), and determine the median of a set of data (e.g.,” I used a stem-and-leaf plot to help me find the median.”);

*describe the shape of a set of data across its range of values, using charts, tables, and graphs (e.g. “The data values are spread out evenly.”; “The set of data bunches up around the median.”);

*compare similarities and differences between two related sets of data, using a variety of strategies (e.g., by representing the data using tally charts, stem-and-leaf plots, or double bar graphs; by determining the mode or the median; by describing the shape of a data set across its range of values).

Grade 5

* read, interpret from primary data and from secondary data, presented in charts, tables, and graphs (including broken-line graphs);

* distinguish between discrete data and continuous data

*compare similarities and differences between two related sets of data, using a variety of strategies

*draw conclusions from data in charts, tables, and graphs

*describe, through investigation, how a set of data is collected and explain whether the collection method is appropriate

*describe, through investigation, how a set of data is collected and explain whether the collection method is appropriate

*collect data by conducting a survey

* demonstrate an understanding that sets of data can be samples of larger populations

*collect and organize data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs

*calculate the mean