Holidays

I would like the students to relax and enjoy their holidays, but also practise some of what we have been doing in class. Students should review their notes on the digestive system and respiratory system (see previous posts for the notes) so that they can match system parts with their names and identify what each part does. As well, students should work on identifying various polygons by the number of sides and number of vertices (see previous post). If you have a protractor available at home, students can also practise measuring and drawing angles.

Have a great holiday!

Nutrition

In health we have been talking about nutrition. I encourage the students to look at the nutrition label on the side of their food packages to become familiar with what they are eating. We have been learning how to read these labels and discussing how nutrition ties in to our digestion unit in science. We have also been discussing healthy food choices, and how media influences our food choices. Please take the time to look through food packaging with the students and discuss healthy food choices.

Angles

Students have been working on measuring angles with a protractor. Practise doing this will be beneficial. I have been working with students to remember that one arm has to line up with the 0 line and the vertex of the angle has to line up with the T point in the protractor. Then I remind them to begin at the zero and move up towards the second arm of the angle to measure.

Respiratory system 2

Students took the following notes on respiration:

Your Lungs are two spongy, saclike organs inside your chest, that hold air. The lungs hold air while oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.

Your Diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that divides the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. It moves down to increase the depth of your chest cavity during inhalation, while your ribs move outward to widen the space so that air will rush into the lungs. During exhalation, the diaphragm moves up and the ribs move in, squeezing the air out of the lungs.

Respiratory System

We spoke today about respiration and the students took the following note:

Inhalation is when we breathe in. It allows oxygen to be absorbed by the body. Exhalation is when we breathe out. It allows us to push carbon dioxide out of our bodies. Inhalation and exhalation is part of what we call respiration.

Please review these notes as we go through our unit in order to help the students remember the systems, each part of the system, the processes and what each part does.

Digestive System notes

The following is the notes the students took in class:

1. The first step in digestion is using your mouth to chew your food. You use your tongue, teeth, and saliva to help break your food apart. We turn our food into a liquified ball called bolus. 

2. Your esophagus is the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach. Contractions of its muscles, called peristalsis, pushes the food through the esophagus.

3. Your stomach is at the end of the esophagus. It uses acids to break your food into smaller pieces. It changes the bolus into a yellow liquid called chyme.

4. The chyme is then released into the small intestine. The small intestine breaks down the chyme into nutrients for the body to use. The inner parts of the small intestine has small finger-like coils, called villi, which pick up the nutrients to deliver them to the blood.

5. At the end of the small intestine, the chyme moves into the large intestine (or colon). The main function of the colon is to remove water from the chyme, which is now called feces. The feces moves through to the end of the colon, called the rectum. Feces collects in the rectum until there is enough to "go to the bathroom", when the feces is released at the end of the colon by the anus.

Geometry

We have begun working on geometry in math. We have discussed polygons as a closed figure with at least 3 sides, as well as the names of each figure (from triangles up to octogons). We have also gone through the different quadrilaterals and triangles and the names and attributes of each. It would be beneficial for students to review these at home so they become familiar with the terms and the attributes of these shapes. Here is a list of terms by number of sides:

3- triangles: scalene (no sides equal)

                   Isosceles (2 equal sides)

                   Equilateral (all sides equal)

4- quadrilaterals: trapezoid (1 pair of parallel sides)

                           Parallelogram (2 pairs of parallel sides)

                           Rhombus (2 pairs of parallel sides and all sides equal)

                           Rectangle (2 pairs of parallel sides and all right angles)

                           Square (2 pairs of parallel sides, all sides equal, and all right angles)

5- Pentagon

6- hexagon 

7- heptagon

8- octogon

Body Systems

We have finished discussing the digestive system and are moving into discussing the respiratory system (we will continue to discuss digestion now in our health unit on nutrition). The students have taken notes on the different sections of the digestive system (mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine or colon) and it would be good for them to review as there will be a test on the different systems at the end of our unit. In the section on the respiratory system, students will again be taking notes on the way the system works. It would be good to discuss the way we breathe with the students, and I will try to add more information on the blog as we move along.

Math Test Monday

On Monday students will have a test on addition, subtraction, and multiplication. For addition, students should be able to add up to 4-digit numbers, with and without regrouping (carrying over). For subtraction, students should be able to subtract up to 4-digit numbers with and without regrouping (borrowing). This will include having to borrow from the thousands column to subtract in the ones, for instance: 3000 - 2356 where you would need to borrow from the 3 thousands because there are no ones, tens, or hundreds. Some of the students found this difficult and may need more time practising these. For multiplication, students should be able to multiply single digits, a single digit by a double digit, and a double digit by another double digit. Students should be able to work on solving problems involving multiplication, addition, and subtraction, and be able to tell which of these they are being asked to do in the problem. A sample problem may be: There are 2 mountains. Mount Moriah is 1263km tall, Mount Mustaine is 978km tall. How much taller is Mount Moriah?

Please review these concepts with students over the next 4 days to help them prepare for the test.

Social Studies Project

Students will be working on a Social Studies project this week. Today students will have chosen a social issue they would like to address and begun brainstorming ideas. They will have to suggest a solution, discuss the level(s) of government that would be involved, and their plan of action. The success criteria is:

-clearly state the issue and your proposed solution

-in what way will you present the problem and suggested solution (what is your plan of action)? This will include actions such as petitions, protests, writing letters etc.

-identify the level(s) of government that you will be presenting the issue to

-identify the actions that the appropriate level of government should take to help with the problem

-identify the actions that citizens should take to help with the problems

Students will have time to work on these projects in class, but it will be beneficial for them to have extra time at home to work on it as well.

Answering questions on characteristics

Students have been reading biographies and answering questions about the people. One of the questions they have been answering is listing characteristics about the people and the backing up their answer with proof from the text. We have been working on an A.P.E. format to help them create their answers:

Answer the question

Prove your answer with supporting details or evidence from the text

Explain how your supporting details prove your answer

A sample answer may look like this:

Bob was a timid person. In the story "The Quiet Day", It states that when Bob saw the crowd gathering around the statue, he moved away from it and "went to another exhibit that was not so crowded". As well, when they asked for someone to speak up if they believed that the woman's story about the painting was true, he did not say anything, even though he knew it was true.  A brave person would have been able to speak up in the crowd, but Bob is too shy to speak, even when he knows it is important.

It would help students if they could practise this at home. They could verbally tell answers to questions about characters in stories they have read about at home, or even about real people or characters they have seen on TV.

Remembrance Day Wreath

The students created poppies for our Remembrance Day Wreath which will be presented in the gym tomorrow during our Remembrance Day assembly.

Multiplication

We will be beginning multiplication on Monday. We will review multiplication facts for single digits, but we will be working on 2-digit multiplication. In order to be able to complete 2-digit multiplication more efficiently, students should know their single digit multiplication well. Practising their times tables will assist in this. Please review students' multiplication facts with them each night to ensure they are remembering them. Breaking it into small chunks of information each night over time can alleviate frustration at home (trying to learn too much at once) and at school (when they have to use the knowledge to do two-digit multiplication.

French test

There is a French test on Friday. Students should be reviewing their numbers.

November 4 Homework

The students have been working on subtraction of 4-digit numbers. Tonight they have been assigned #2-5 on page 46 in their textbooks. It is important they practise these subtraction skills so that it becomes easier for them when they have larger digits and decimals.

Class Pumpkin

Parker's father did an astounding job carving a pumpkin for our class! Thank you so much!

Math

We will continue with addition and move into subtraction of 4-digit numbers as well next week. It would benefit the students to practise strategies they have learned in order to add and subtract numbers quickly with mental math.

Addition strategies

We have been practising our mental math strategies. These are ways we can solve problems involving 2-digit numbers without having to rely on our fingers, manipulatives, calculators, or even paper (everything should be done in our heads). Adding 20 to 30 is easy because it is only having to add the tens (2+3). Adding 20 + 36 is similar because we can just add 20 to 30 again, but add the extra 6 as well. This can now help if you have a problem like 19 + 36. We know 19 is one less than 20, so therefore the answer will also be one less than 20 + 36. Having your child get used to such a strategy can help with their mental math.

Picture Day

Picture day is tomorrow, so make sure students are dressed appropriately for their first pictures of the year!

What Independent Writing Looks Like In Our Classroom

We have been practising our independent writing for this week. Students were given a writer's notebook where they could record their ideas for writing and write texts of their own. The grade fives have been working hard in these notebooks and some have filled out numerous pages already! Here are some pictures of the hard work they did today.

Spirit Wear Orders

The order forms for John Campbell Spirit Wear were sent home today. If you wish to order, the order form and money are due in the office by Friday, November 7th.

Math Tests

I handed back the math tests today. Please review them with your child to discuss where they had troubles and ways they could improve. I have informed them that they can bring any questions about the test to me, so that I can clarify things for them (I already had a couple of students ask their own questions about the test). Please sign the test and return it as soon as possible.

Tuesday, Oct. 14 Homework

Students need to complete work on p.32-33 #1, 2, 3, 5. We have begun practising our addition of numbers up to 4 digits. Students should review the strategies we discussed in class (p. 31-32 in the text).

Thanksgiving Weekend Homework

In the math textbook we worked on page 30, #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 in class. Please complete these over the weekend. If a student finished theirs in class I asked them to write it in their agenda as homework and bring it home to show it to someone at home. This way, you know if it is completed and it can be checked over to see if your child is on the right track.

As well, a reminder that book orders for this month are due on Oct. 21st.

Enjoy your long weekend together!

Comparing game

We played a math game today with a deck of cards, to help us with comparing numbers. We discarded Jacks, Queens, Kings, And Jokers. We counted the Ace as a one and the ten as a zero. We each drew the same number of cards (3, 4, 5, or 6). With the cards we chose, we tried to come up with either the largest or smallest number (you can choose which before you play a round). You then compare the two numbers to see who has the larger (or smaller) number created.

For instance: If I chose 5, A (1), 3, 9, I could arrange them as 9, 5, 3, A(1) to make the number 9 531. I would then compare it with my partner's four digit number to see who had a larger or smaller number.

Try it at home for extra practise and have fun!

Mock Government

Today we had two students represent a government for our class. They told us things we had to do, and we were supposed to do them. The class were a bit irritated when they were being told to "put their heads down" or "don't smile", so we chose two representatives to be the Supreme Court. The next rule was for chocolate bars to be given out, one per student, once a week. Some people really liked this idea, but one student brought forth the idea that this was not a healthy idea, and others agreed. We then discussed how the student had the right to disagree with her government's rule, and how the Supreme Court had the ability to decide whether the law could be allowed, or not. It was a very fun way to explore our government.

Music Test

The students will be having a music test next Friday.

How to compare numbers

As a class we came up with the following steps to help us compare two or more numbers:

1. You can line them up, one on top of another, in the proper place value columns.

2. Look at the number of digits each number has. If one number has more digits, it will be larger than      the other and you are done.

3. If they have the same number of digits, look at the first digit on the left side of the number and compare those digits. The digit with the higher value will also be part of the larger number.

4. If the digits on the left are the same, compare the digits in the next column to the right.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the students who went to our Cross Country Meet today! The students tried their best and had a great day. Some of the students in our class have even made it to the finals next week! Great job! 5S is proud of you!

Rights, and Whole Numbers

Today we discussed the Canadian Charter of Rights and the importance of each right and freedom. We also touched on the voting process and how it is important to us especially with the upcoming elections. I suggested to the students to begin watching local news broadcasts to see coverage of the campaigns.

We have also begun a new unit in math. We will be talking about whole numbers in this unit, which will include place value up to 100 000, comparing and ordering numbers up to the same value, addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division. It is a lot covered in one unit, so it would be good to practise these skills at home each night. Today we began with identifying the place value of different digits in a number, reading numbers and writing them in words, and comparing numbers to find out which is larger/smaller, or ordering a list of numbers from smallest to largest (and vice versa). We will continue with practising these skills tomorrow.

Tuesday, Oct. 7 Homework

Students have to finish their booklets for French. The booklets are due Friday.

Reading with Someone

Part of our mornings are spent reading. This morning we were practising our "Reading with Someone" skills.

Math Test

The math unit test has been pushed back one day, it will be tomorrow now.

Friday, Oct. 3 Homework

A reminder that we have our math test for patterning on Monday. Please review the lessons over the weekend to ensure the students are ready for the test. A little practise each night can make a big difference! Enjoy the weekend.

Oct 2 Homework

Students are to finish questions #5-7 on page 18 in their math textbooks. They had #1-4 for homework the night before, and we were working on 5-7 in class today. If you feel that your child is having difficulties with certain parts of the homework, please write me a note so that I may review that concept with them personally. Thank you for your assistance.

Mini-Me Art

We have been working on an art project using a cutout of our own faces and paper-doll bodies to create a mini-me or bobble-head of ourselves. The students were excited to design their own outfits and accessories.

Math Test for Patterning Unit on Monday

As most of you may have noticed in the agenda, we have a math test coming up on Monday, October, 6th. This will be on Patterning. Please review the textbook lessons with your child each night to prepare them for this. There will be questions asking students to continue patterns, such as 2, 3, 5, 8, 12... Where they will have to give the next terms, as well as identify the pattern rule. They will also be asked to identify the missing terms in a pattern, such as 42, 38, ___, 30, 26, ____, 18. They will need to identify and continue patterns in tables, as well as create their own tables based on patterns of numbers or attributes of shapes. They will also need to be able to solve word problems that involve patterns. It would be a good idea to review each lesson in the text, and the "Show What You Know" on pages 22-23 of the textbook would be a good practice for the test.

First Post

Welcome to the blog for 5S. We have had a great start to our year! I am looking forward to the months to come. I will be updating this blog periodically with information about our classroom and work, as well as pictures and upcoming events, so keep checking in!