October 

Hello 5G parents!

Here's what's been happening in our classroom so far this October!

In English.... we are working to complete our second assignment, where we examine what types of word choice create a fantastic description. Together we studied the burger entries for the local Burger Love competition and noted eye catching and mouth watering phrases used by restaurants to captivate and encourage community members to try their entry! The students were then given the task of making point form notes about what they found enticing. These were then turned into a rough copy for their very own Burger Love descriptions. Students were asked to review their work then pass them on to me for a final look. For the good copy they will fill out a Burger Love poster, complete with a hand drawn illustration, their description, as well as the name of the restaurant the burger is sold at. They have been loving the experience and have worked hard on this assignment. They are very proud of their descriptions so far and will be happy to see them posted on the walls in 5G! The next assignment we will be working on is a recount piece of writing.

Spelling tests and word work have been going fairly well! Just a reminder that there is a spelling test every Friday and that students are required to write their words into their agendas for further practice at home. We have been working our way through our first read aloud -Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and should be finishing it up by the end of the month. This book has been well loved by our group this year, as it contains many important life lessons delivered in a touching story about a boy and his dog. The next book we will be reading together will begin at the start of November and will fit in nicely with our Remembrance Day theme.

In French....last month they spent time writing ‘les petits moments’ (small moment) with plenty of detail.  In the last week we have switched over to work on a Halloween fictional story. We had many class discussions to brainstorm stories and characters. We will be using a graphic organizer to plan out such things as where and when their story is taking place, who is our main character/ secondary characters and how our narrative will roll out in chronological order. We have also continued working on verbs in the present and passé composé. We will continue to revisit these verbs throughout the entire school year. Last week the students were introduced to dictée. These are sentences that they take home just like their French spelling words and practice  by writing them out. These dictations are read aloud and students are to write what they hear for testing. Typically every two weeks they will have a dictée test instead of their french spelling word test.  (Just a note that students are also asked to copy their French words or glue a dictée  paragraph into their agendas, for review throughout the week as homework.) 

In French we have also started guided reading in small groups with leveled books. These sessions have been going well and the students have enjoyed their opportunities to come to the back table and read with their peers. During these sessions we are practicing proper pronunciation, attention to punctuation, learning new vocabulary and expressing our comprehension of the texts we read. Although these sessions are great and make an impact, students are also expected to be reading at home to increase their literacy skills. The class is reminded daily to make sure they take a book home in French two nights of the week and in English two nights of the week for required reading. They are encouraged to read out loud and self- correct when mistakes are made. 

In Math....  We are finishing in up N1 (Represent and describe numbers to 1 000 000).  We will soon be working on: N8- Describe and represent decimals (Tenths, Hundredths, thousandths) concretely, pictorially and symbolically and RR1- determine the pattern rule to make predictions about subsequent elements. Pr2- Solve problems involving single variable, one- step equations with whole number coefficients and whole number solutions. .  Reminder: Please practice multiplication math facts at home. 

For Art...This Wednesday our class will be having a fun afternoon creating our own artistic versions of turkeys for Thanksgiving. They will be put together with a variety of materials and will be displayed on one of the back walls.  

Reminders:

Please ensure your child is taking a moment to review their French dictée or French spelling words and English list words and completing 20 mins of reading a night!

Upcoming dates:

October 10th- Pd (no classes)

October 16th- School photo retakes

October 13th- Thanksgiving (no classes)

October 31st- Halloween Costumes are permitted (no toy weapons or masks)

November 6th and 8th  and 7th PEITF (no classes)

November 10th- Pd (no classes)

November 11th- Remembrance day (no classes)

Have a wonderful day!

Mme. Tonita

September 

Hello 5G parents!

Welcome to our 5G Blog! Here is what we have been up to in our classroom! 

In English…The students have completed their first assignment (a Newspaper all about themselves). These newspapers will be hung around the walls of our classroom and will showcase the many valuable members of our classroom. Our next focus has been to work on recognizing and adding good detail and description to our writing. We have been working on changing up the adjectives we use so that our pieces become more interesting. 

Another key change that will be taking place in English will be the addition of weekly Spelling words. Each week, students will be working on a list of 20- 25 words that they write into their agenda to look over at home. Throughout the week students will do word work to familiarize themselves better so that they are ready for the test which will take place each Friday. Finally, we have begun our first read aloud of the year, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The class has been very captivated by this heart-warming tale.  The students will often be completing a response on a few questions concerning what we read that day.

In French.... We have been learning about ‘les petits moments’ (small moments). Students are learning to create small pieces of writing that describe what took place during a particular moment in their day. They are focusing on a small seed from the entire watermelon as our mini lesson explains. Putting a moment under a microscope and using good detail to describe it. They have been encouraged to add lots of detail, to make their writing as interesting as possible! We have also started reviewing the basic verbs and later they will be tested on the verbs ‘avoir’ and ‘ être’ in the present followed by passé composé. They will be working hard independently and in pairs to review these verbs. They will also be encouraged to write these in their agenda for extra review at home, if necessary. At this point, all students should also have a French and English book to read. At home, they should read two days in English and two days in French. We have also started up a spelling program in french and we will be alternating between dictée tests and spelling tests as the weeks continue. If it is a  dictée week the small paragraphs will be glued into their agenda and if it is a spelling words week they will also be written in their agenda. Finally, last week we read a mentor text which is a story called “Qui va bercer Zoé’. In this story an old man named Méo Lebel, loses his wife and with that, his interest in daily life. While failing to thrive, he is visited by his neighbour Claudine, who encourages him to get up and go to work with her at the hospital. Here he meets a baby called Zoé. Initially, he wants nothing to do with the baby and refuses to console her while she cries. Upon his third visit to the hospital, he discovers that Zoé was prematurely delivered because her parents were in a car accident. They are okay, however because they are dealing with their own injuries, they are unable to be around their newborn as often as they would like and she is left to be looked after by overworked nurses. As the story continues Méo has a dream where sees his late wife rocking and soothing the baby. Following the dream, Méo starts his day differently. His depressive state has vanished, and he is motivated and excited to go to the hospital once again. This time he slowly makes the decision to pick the baby up and rock her. Méo and Zoé are both calmed and soothed by this action. This precious fictional story examines real life problems and was absolutely loved by the students in our class. They routinely would ask when we would be reading the story. 

In Math.... we have been working on review and have started up N1 (Represent and describe numbers to 1 000 000). In 5G, we have been playing many games to help lock down their multiplication facts. Normally we expect to see a lag between the proficiency from the previous grade level skills and the new grade level when coming back from summer. Many students require a little bit more practice with their math facts. At home we encourage parents to quiz their child or play math facts-based games. Flash cards are usually available at the Dollar Store/ Walmart or Staples to help.

For Art...We will soon be completing a class set of intricate multi-pattern pumpkins. They are always beautiful and colourful and will be displayed under the names of each student on our back wall. There will be more art coming soon! 

 Reminders

• Reminder that the Journal de lecture will be due every Friday morning, filled out by the students with one parent signature. (You can sign anywhere on the completed week)

• If a student is not able to finish an assignment within the given time limit and the class is moving on, the project will be sent home for completion. 

Upcoming dates

• October 10th- Pd (no classes)

• October 13th  Thanksgiving Day (no classes)

• October 16th Retakes for pictures

• October 20th- 24th book fall book fair. 

Have a wonderful week!

Mme. Mary Ellen Tonita

September