December 2024

December 20th, 2024

The winter break is here! This week there was quite a buzz in the building and our room as the break approached.  Here's what we were up to this week:

Language

Lights, camera, action! This week, we enjoyed watching some incredible plays come to life. Students presented enthusiastically, and we were all mesmerized by the performances. This project took us quite some time, but it was well worth it. We have some incredible performers in 5A!  

We wrapped up our McDonald's Innovation Project with students recording 30-second radio commercials. Once again, the students showed up and I heard many commercials that made me want to hop in my car and grab their new and delicious menu items. Upon our return, students will have the opportunity to share their commercials with their peers. 

This week, we found out what was going on in the pictures from last week. While they were more challenging, seeing students zoom in and make connections to justify their answers was great. Many students have been wondering where I get these images, so I thought I would share the site again. Can you determine what's Going On in This Picture? 

We had another game of Fun with Letters and this time students were tasked with creating as many words as possible related to colours. From juicy red and aquamarine to turquoise and cornflower blue, students were on a mission to get the most points for their team. In ten minutes all teams were able to get more than 100 points. You'll notice that students were each given a kit to try the game at home. I hope that you take some time to play over the winter break. 

Math

We finished up our room plans including rectangles with different areas and perimeters. We also continued problem-solving with rectangles with either the same area or the same perimeter and we tried to see what we could notice. The students are getting better at easily determining the perimeter and area of a rectangle.  

We also started some work on unit conversions for length and capacity. Learning how to convert between units can be simple. Students learned that we have to consider them in powers of 10. Because both place value and the metric system are based on a system of tens, metric conversions can be visualized as a shifting of digits to the left or right of the decimal point in a certain number of places. We will continue this work after the break. 

Science

Once again this week, some students asked for additional time to put the finishing touches on both presentations and they got it. On Thursday we started small group presentations for our natural phenomena projects. Students were tasked with completing a peer learning opportunity sheet that allowed them to organize their learning and give feedback on the presentations they saw. Presentations for their conservation of energy projects will continue in the new year. 

Health

We wrapped up our unit on healthy eating and students had the opportunity this week to review their notes from the unit and to make any changes before submitting their work. I will be taking a look at their work over the break. 

Physical Education

This week we played bench ball and we had our final day of hockey. I'm not sure what we'll start the year off with but I'm super impressed by the fact that no matter the skill or sport, students are learning quickly and doing their absolute best in every physical education period.  

The Arts

This week students learned about pixels and worked to create incredible pixel art. Please take a look at the images below. They are stunning!

The Wrap-Up

I can't believe we have made it to the winter break so soon. Your support over the last 4 months has been wonderful. Thank you. I have appreciated working with the students and families of 5A. I wish you all a safe and restful break. I look forward to working with you and seeing you in 2025!

December 13th, 2024

What a week! We worked hard to wrap things up before the winter break. Here's what we were up to this week:

Language

I have to say that I can't wait until next week when groups begin to present their plays. This week, I watched in awe as students created incredible props and practiced their parts with enthusiasm and excitement. I'm so impressed by the imagination and creativity that has come from this activity. 

This week we continued with our McDonald's Innovation Project. Students worked on understanding different advertising techniques and created billboards. They also took the time to do some Math on the pricing of their food items and revenue generation. Next week, we will be working on creating radio commercials to try and get the word out about these new and unique menu items.   

While we learned more about the pictures from the previous week, we had another week of What's Going On in This Picture? Students were reminded to continue to work on taking in the entire picture and connecting it to what they already know to see if they can determine what is going on.

We wrapped up the week with Fun With Letters and this time students had 10 minutes to create as many words as possible based on the theme of winter. I'm noticing that students are getting better and better at sounding out words in their groups and spelling in general.

Math

We continued with measurement this week. In groups, students were tasked with creating line segments of specific lengths and working on problems related to rectangles with either the same perimeter or area. Today, they were tasked with creating floor plans for a room for a before-school and after-school program. Given specific dimensions, they were tasked to determine how it might all fit.  

Science

This week, students continued to work on their forces acting on structures and conservation of energy projects. I've seen some great work on posters, in Google Slides and Scratch. I can't wait for the presentations to finally start. 

Physical Education

This week we continued with games for our hockey unit. There's one week left and we'll be spending it doing a tournament in teams. 

Health

This week we dug deeper into advertising strategies used in food marketing. We took some time to reflect on where we have seen some of these techniques in TV commercials and tried to identify them while watching a few. 

The Arts

We got into a lot of Art this week. From finishing our textured landscapes to decorating our door, we had an opportunity to get creative. Today we also started creating 3D snowflakes; many are up around the classroom. 

The Wrap-Up

Next week is the last week of school before the break. On Wednesday we have an assembly at 1 pm. On Friday, we will have a little celebration for completing 4 great months of school so far. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend. 

December 6th, 2024

December came fast and wild with colder temperatures and some snow. Students are encouraged to dress warmly as they will be outside for recess. With just a couple of weeks left before the winter break, here's what we were up to this week:

Language

We started the week with another edition of What's Going On in This Picture? After finding out what was going on in the pictures from the previous week, students had the chance to consider what was happening in a new set of pictures. We are trying to see if we can tell the whole story of the pictures - the who, what, where, when and why. 

We also got into another edition of Fun with Letters. This week, students were tasked with thinking of words related to sports. It was a little more challenging, and it was great to see that students were thinking creatively. Not only were they thinking of different sports, but they were also including equipment, names of different positions, and more.

This week students put the finishing touches on their McDonald's Innovation Project menu ideas. We also learned about various forms of media and how they are used to communicate messages to a targeted audience. Next week we will start to design billboards for their new and innovative menu items. Some of their ideas look delicious enough for me to eat.

I met with almost every group to go over their plays and gave feedback. Most have finished their scripts and they are ready to be printed and rehearsed. Some groups have gotten extremely creative and brought in props too. Next week we will get into practicing more and prop creation.

Science

Some students have wrapped up their Forces Acting on Structures projects. Others are well on their way. We hope to have them all finished next week so that we can do presentations in small groups. 

This week we tried to see potential energy in action by experimenting with marbles. This connected perfectly with our measurement unit as students measured the distance a marble would travel once it was let go at the top of a ramp. Some groups spent some time testing marbles of different sizes to see what difference size might make. 

We also learned more about the conservation of energy and resources. Students learned about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling. Using Scratch, they were tasked with creating something to share this information with peers. 

Health

This week we had a Counsellor session with Kids Help Phone. Students participated in the call, learning more about their services and asking questions about mental health and well-being. 

Physical Education

We started our hockey unit. Students practiced stick handling, passing and shooting. On Thursday we had the chance to try our hand at a couple of games and it was great to see students applying the skills learned earlier in the week. Our unit continues for the next couple of weeks. 

The Arts

In Art, we continued with our textured landscapes. They are coming along nicely as students work on effectively demonstrating foreground, middle ground and background. 

The Wrap-Up

Next Thursday is the Winter Market for interested families. It's an indoor market featuring over 55 unique vendors, free games and activities for the whole family. There will be festive treats and a raffle for a gift basket valued at over $200. RJ's Roadhouse Food Truck will be on-site. Please check your email for information on how to order. 

Additional practice was added to Google Classroom this Wednesday. I will continue to post this each week for interested students and families. 

Have a wonderful weekend! Please stay warm.