December 2020

December 4th, 2020

December has finally arrived! We're 2 weeks away from the break and there's lots to do before the end of the year. 

In Language this week, we continued to work on the good copies of biographies and they're almost finished. Some students still have a few finishing touches to put on their work and then they'll be ready to go up on the wall. We also started learning about autobiographies - an account of a person's life, written by that person. This week we started thinking about our lives by completing a graphic organizer and a word web reflecting on our actions, achievements, background and values. We will continue this work next week as students reflect on who they are and the stories of their lives. We've made it to THE END of The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel. With only 1 episode left in the podcast, we're anxious to know how this saga will end. Today we found out that Mr. Q somehow is still on Earth while the other adults are missing. We also found out that Mr. Pruitt works for the Tardigrades. This just adds to the twist and turns that have been a major part of this season. If you have time this weekend, perhaps sit with your child and see what predictions they'll make for the end of this amazing podcast.

In Math, we continued to use operations to solve word problems. This week we focused in on adding tax to purchases. Students are learning that some on items - books, kids clothing and some food - we only pay 5% tax and on others, we pay 13%. For one of our questions, we used a KWC to help guide us and students are reminded that this is a great strategy for getting started on solving word problems. Next week is Hour of Code and we will be doing a variety of lessons in Minecraft as we learn about Computational Thinking. Interested in coding practice at home? Why not check out our Coding Activities page. 

This week's version of O'Canada lead us to a conversation about Indigenous Peoples, O'Canada and colonization. In Social Studies, students started learning more about the timeline of Indigenous Peoples, particularly focusing in on the time when Europeans arrived in Canada. Next week, we will continue to be examining the timeline, gaining more information about some of the conflicts that arose and the need for treaties. 

In Music, students learned a new song with Mrs. Hunt and we continue to practice body percussion, steady beats and rhythm. This week's song was all about weather. Students are encouraged to practice this, along with our disappearing beats activity, as again next week, we will be having performances. 

Whether the weather be cold.

Or whether the weather be hot.

We'll weather the weather whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not.

In Science we reflected on how things are going so far with our solutions and our next steps. Students also continued building and some got to a stage where they were ready to start their pitches. We'll continue creating both our prototypes and pitches next week and we hope that just before the break, we'll be ready to pitch our ideas to the class.

In Physical Education this week, we had a group of students who will be leading us in learning how to play Soccer until the Winter Break. This week we were given a taste of King's Court Soccer and next week students will learn tips for passing and shooting the ball.

In Visual Arts, we continued to work on our cityscapes and they are looking very impressive. Students continue to use the rules of 2-point perspective and shading to create the illusion of depth. It's been a challenge and I am so impressed by what they have accomplished!

December 11th, 2020

I can hardly believe that there is only 1 more week until the winter break! I'm so proud of the students for doing such a great job in the midst of a pandemic. From lending a hand to a friend in need of help to giving their best during lessons and assignments, I have to say that the students in room 207 have been amazing!

In Literacy this week we finished biographies and started working on our 5-slide autobiographies. Students were tasked with thinking about different parts of their lives and writing about them succinctly. Next week, we will continue to write and students will start to think about images that represent different parts of their lives, to include in their slides. We also finished our podcast this week and what an end it was! Students were asked to consider the new knowledge gained about Oliver Pruitt to determine whether or not their feelings towards him changed. They were also asked to compare their predictions to what actually happened and to share similarities and differences. The podcast has been a great way to have students focus in on listening and responding to what they hear. Interested in more podcasts to listen to over the break? I suggest the Six Minutes podcast or But Why? A Podcast for Curious Kids. 

In Science, we continue to build and prepare for presentations next week. We have 2 more days of building next week and then we will be doing a peer showcase on Friday to share our innovative solutions with classmates. 

In Physical Education, our team continues to lead in learning the skills and rules of soccer. This week, we continued to learn how to pass and shoot the ball and we played a number of close matches for King's Court. We will be continuing to play soccer next week and after the break, we have another team set to get us started with volleyball.

Sunday is the Aga Khan's birthday. In Visual Arts, students learned a little about this celebration and more about geometric patterns found in Islamic Tile designs. We explored shape and geometric patterns, creating our own mosaic designs using Model Magic. Also, some students have been asking to teach different Art techniques to their classmates and it was really great to have one student teach us to draw the human figure. Next week we have a couple of students interested in teaching us to draw and paint.

In Music, we continued with Orff and the learning is getting more and more challenging. Students are reminded to continue to practice a steady beat for our songs, as well as the rhythm. We will be continuing to practice songs in rounds and we will also be having a few performances next week. 

I hope that you have a great weekend! Next week is the last week of school for 2020. We've got a lot to wrap up this week so it's sure to be a busy one. 

December 18th, 2020

We made it! Today was the last day of school for 2020! This year was unlike any other and I'm ever so grateful that we made it safely to the winter break. Over the next while, you will be receiving information on the plan for the return to school in 2021. Should we be going remote starting in January, students are already familiar with how to login and I will be sending out a schedule that we will follow to connect and continue the learning.

In Language this week, students continued to work on their autobiographies. In the new year, we will be continuing to write non-fiction texts about ourselves (autobiographies) and others (biographies). 

In Math, we continued to work on unit price. Students practiced solving a variety of problems online in IXL and with peers in the classroom. They also were introduced to a couple of videos to help understand the concept more easily. I've added the videos below. In the new year, we will be continuing our unit on Financial Literacy by moving into understanding budgets.

In Science, students continued to build and work on their pitches. Unfortunately, we didn't get to our peer learning showcase and we look forward to starting off the new year sharing our solutions with one another.

In Music, we continued with our songs and learning about making a variety of sounds through body percussion and using the Lummi Sticks. We learned a new song and practiced holding a steady beat as well as the rhythm. The words are below and I found an interesting video online if you are interested in trying something new with this poem. 

In Physical Education, we finished our first student-led unit on soccer. I was so proud of our team who led us in learning more skills. It was great to see improvements book in the level of skill as well as in sportspersonship. In the new year, we will have a new team getting us started on volleyball. 

In Visual Arts, students finished up their tiles from last week and they are beautiful.

I know that school in 2020 was nothing like we've ever experienced before. Thank you so much for making it possible for us to learn together in our learning space this year. I wish all families a happy, safe and restful winter break. I can't wait to get learning with you again in 2021!