Good afternoon!

What a wonderful last day of school! We started our morning off with a classroom meeting. We didn’t have anything that really needed discussing today, so we played two TRIBES energizers today instead of one. We started off with an energizer that we are already familiar with, This is a What?, and then we played a new game called Buzz. Buzz is a great way to practice using multiples! Yesterday we were reminded that multiples are when you start at a number and continue to count up by that number (eg. 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.). You can see that this strongly relates to our multiplication unit, as multiples are directly related to the times tables that we have been practicing (eg. 3 x1 = 3, 3 x 2 = 6, 3 x 3 = 9, 3 x 4 = 12, etc.). Students go around the circle counting up (eg. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, …) when you reach a multiple of the number you are practicing you need to say, “BUZZ” instead of the number. It can be really challenging, and the whole group needs to use their attentive listening to help remember where we are in the game. I heard a lot of mutual respect and appreciation statements for each other today as we played this game for the first time. We practiced with multiples of 10 and multiples of 3 today. Stay tuned for more Buzz fun in the new year!

Today we also had the opportunity to go and watch the Division 1 Christmas Concert. They had an encore presentation in the gym today for parents that were unable to attend the concert on Tuesday night. The students showed amazing attentive listening throughout the performances! At 11:00 am we returned to the gym for our annual carol sing-along. We got to sing songs like “Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and “Frosty the Snowman” with the rest of the school, and we also got to enjoy an encore of the Grade 6 classes Christmas concert song.

When we weren’t enjoying some Christmas fun in the gym today, we were working on some Art projects. Students were working on a Social Studies project that we started earlier this week. These projects will be continued in the new year. Students also had time to finish up their Grinch images from yesterday. See some of the completed images below!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Math: Practice Multiplication Tables!

Have a good break!

Good afternoon!

What an amazing day! We started our day off with a little bit of Math review. As you all know, we have been practicing some multiplication and division mental math strategies over the last few weeks. Students were given time today to continue practicing in their Unit #3 Workbooks, and to spend some time using the Mathletics on the IPads. One of the strategies that we have really focused on is using multiples of 10 to help us. Our textbook gives the following definition:

Multiple: Start at a number, then count on by that number to get the multiples of that number. To get the multiples of 3, start at 3 and count on by 3: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, …

So the multiples of 10 are as follows: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, …, 100, 200, 300, …, 1000, etc.

Multiplying by a multiple of 10 can be easier to do sometimes, because there is a trick to it!

Students can use the number of zeros that correspond with the place value place to help them solve these problems. If they are trying to solve 45 x 10…

45 x 10 = __

Well… I know that 45 x 1 = 45

So… 45 x 1 ten = 45 tens

So… 45 x 10 = 450

This strategy works with multiples of 100 and 1000 as well.

In Language Arts today we worked on the December reading strategy of the month – creating images! Today we watched the cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Then we discussed similes and metaphors. Students were reminded that similes are comparing sentences that use like or as to help compare two things. Metaphors are comparing sentences that do NOT use like or as to compare two things. Then we listened to the title song from the movie. In it we found a few similes (“You’re as cuddly as a cactus”) and quite a few metaphors (“You’ve got all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile”). Then students were challenged to create an image out of one of the similes and metaphors. I’ll post some pictures of our work tomorrow, as some of us still need to finish colouring them.

As this half of the school year draws to a close, I just want to send out a thank you to all the parents for their support and generosity over the last few months. You help make our class a great place to be and learn. This was exemplified in the generosity we saw today for our holiday celebration. The students enjoyed a wonderful buffet filled with healthy holiday snacks. The amount of food and options was enormous, and I was overwhelmed by your support. Thank you so much. The students really enjoyed eating all of those healthy, APPLE friendly snacks while watching Ice Age this afternoon. Check out some of our snacks in the pictures below.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Library Books – due tomorrow!

Mathletics Night – tonight @ 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm

Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow (2x, 10x)

Mathletics – 20 minutes

Language Arts – Word Practice

Ski Day – Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Science: RAFT

Pyjama Day – tomorrow!

Good afternoon!

Today we started off with some Math review. We have been working really hard at reviewing the concepts from this current unit. A few days ago I wrote about using skip counting to help with multiplication. Today I want to review related facts. Students have been practicing using a familiar multiplication fact, and using it to find the related multiplication and division facts. Something like this:

I know that 5 x 7 = 35…

So… 7 x 5 = 35

35 ÷ 7 = 5

35 ÷ 5 = 7

If I know one fact, I actually know four facts!

We have also been reviewing our doubling and halving strategies. This is the strategy that seems to be the most confusing for some students. Here is an example from our textbook of doubling:

 

So… If you know 2 x 6 = 12, you can use that fact to discover another multiplication fact. Like this:

2 x 6 = 12

I can double the 2 to 4…

4 x 6 = __

Well… since I doubled 2 to 4, I can double the product of 12 to 24…

4 x 6 = 24

When I double a factor (like 2) if I double the product (12) I have a new multiplication fact! If I know 2 x 6 = 12 then I know that 4 x 6 = 24!

4 x 6 = 24

I can double the 4 to 8…

8 x 6 = __

Well… since I doubled 4 to 8, I can double the product of 24 to 48…

8 x 6 = 48

If I know 4 x 6 = 24 then I know that 8 x 6 = 48!

Halving is a strategy that works VERY similarly to our doubling strategy and requires students using the same set of skills. Take a look at our example:

 

If I want to solve 64 ÷ 4…

Well… I know that 4 = 2 x 2

So… I could solve 64 ÷ 2…

64 ÷ 2 = 32

And then divide by 2 again…

32 ÷ 2 = 16

This will give me the answer of 64 ÷ 4…

64 ÷ 4 = 16

Again, it is important that students have a strong understanding of their multiplication and division facts in order to help them succeed in this unit. Please be reviewing our multiplication facts at home as much as possible. Our next quiz is on Friday and we will be covering the 2 x and 10 x tables.

Our classroom also was lucky enough to win the Division 2 Door Decorating Contest! Our students all worked so hard on the door and it turned out so beautifully! Thank you everyone for all the effort that you put in over the last few weeks. We are going to be having our own special DPA session with the Gr. 6 Sports Leaders as our prize! Stay tuned for more details… Want to see the door? Check out our earlier posts or visit our classroom Twitter page:

https://twitter.com/Classroom5N

Our Winter Concert is tonight. The concert itself will start promptly at 7:00 pm, but the doors to the school are going to open at 6:30 pm. Please have students here at this time. Students are going to be meeting me in Mrs. Leckie’s classroom (our Grade 1 buddies). They are allowed to bring technology to use while we are waiting to perform. We are also asking parents to please attend the entire concert if possible. We understand that Fort McMurray is a busy community and that we all have things to do in the evenings to prepare for the next day, but our concert will only be an hour and a half. Last night the concert was finished around 8:00 pm. It is very disruptive to have parents leaving during the concert, as the next class is often unnecessarily interrupted by these exits. Noise in our atrium makes it very difficult for parents and family in the gym to hear their own students perform. We also want ALL of our students to have an audience to perform to. It is disappointing for the students to see an empty gym near the end of the concert. If you are interested in purchasing an SPCA calendar, you can do so in our multi-purpose room.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Library Books – due tomorrow!

Multiplication Quiz – 10 x, 2 x (Friday)

Mathletics – 10 minutes

L.A. – Word Practice

Ski Day – Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Science: RAFT Rough Copies

Winter Concert – tonight (see above) 

Permission Forms – ASAP

Winter Celebration – tomorrow afternoon (bring snacks if you wish!)

Good afternoon!

A short post today I’m afraid. I want to get home for a little break before I come back to help with the Division 1 concert.

Students brought home a permission for with information about our Winter Celebration on Thursday as well as some information about our classroom Twitter page. Please review the forms and bring them back to school as soon as possible! It would be wonderful to have them all back tomorrow!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Multiplication Quiz – Friday (2x and 10x)

Mathletics – 10 mins.

L.A. – Word Work

Ski Day – Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Science: RAFT Rough Draft

French: Numbers Quiz from 1-100 (tomorrow!)

Winter Concert – tomorrow (doors open at 6:30 pm)

Good afternoon!

We started off our day with some Math, as always. This week students are not going to be starting any new Math lessons. We are reviewing some of the concepts already covered in our Multiplication and Division Unit. Students are going to be spending some time getting to practice the skills we have already learned. Then we can quickly review when we get back from holidays, before moving on. One of the concepts that students are currently reviewing is to skip count from a known fact. When students don’t know how to solve a multiplication problem, they can start at a fact that they DO know, and work their way up or down. See the example from our textbook below:

So…

If a student is trying to solve 6 x 8:

They can start at 6 x 6 = 36

Skip count up by 6 to find 6 x 7…

6 x 7 = 36 + 6 = 42

Skip count up by 6 to find 6 x 8…

6 x 8 = 42 + 6 = 48

And now we know that 6 x 8 = 48. I find drawing a number line really helps me when I am working through this strategy. Students can also skip count down.

To find 5 x 7:

Start at 7 x 7 = 49

Skip count down by 7 to find 6 x 7…

6 x 7 = 49 – 7 = 42

Skip count down by 7 to find 5 x 7…

5 x 7 = 42 – 7 = 35

And now we know that 5 x 7 = 35! Again, using a number line can be really beneficially. Keep practicing Grade 5!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Multiplication Quiz – Friday (2x, 10x)

Mathletics – 10 mins.

L.A. – Word Practice

Skiing – Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Science – RAFT Rough Copy

French – Numbers Quiz: 1-100 (Wed.)

Did you know that the fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia?

Good afternoon!

What a busy day! We had classroom dress-up day today, as part of our December Spirit Week. Students decided to dress-up as superheroes or the Flash. Many of us chose the Flash because of runner Jamie MacDonald. As many of you know, we have been tracking Jamie’s journey across Canada as he raises money for SickKids. He usually runs in a Flash costume. This month he has been a little down. He’s getting tired and he isn’t going to make it home for Christmas (he’s from England). We decided that we would dress-up like the Flash ourselves and send Jamie a Christmas greeting to try and cheer him up a little bit. This will be done through our brand new classroom Twitter account! Check it out below:

https://twitter.com/Classroom5N

You can follow us! I’m hoping to tweet something at least once a day, and I’m also hoping that most days our tweets will be student written! You can also see some of the people that we are currently following to get a better idea of some of the things that we do or discuss in class, or you can retweet or comment on some of our photos, activities, etc. Check it out now!

We also worked on completing our door for the door decorating contest. We went with a Winter theme instead of a Christmas theme. Students constructed a large wintry castle and village out of recycled cards and construction paper. We did build a Christmas tree, but rather than building something traditional we used colourful stars to match all the colours in our village. There is one things missing… but we will be adding them Monday when they dry! Check out the photos below.

We were interrupted in our work today by the fire alarm. As with last time, our students did a wonderful job. We were able to get our coats quickly and efficiently and headed straight over to St. Anne’s school this time. I was so impressed with the students behaviour and cooperation. It was amazing to see. Keep up the good work everyone! The office has sent an email and posted updates about the fire alarm on the website, facebook page, etc. if you would like more information, but as always you can also email me with your questions or concerns.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Math: pgs. 90-91 #1-7, 11-13

Mathletics – 10 mins.

L.A. – Word Practice

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Winter Concert – Dec. 18th @ 7:00 pm

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal – tomorrow!

Math: pgs. 90-91 # 1-7, 11-13

Mathletics – 10 minutes

L.A. – Word Practice

Ski Day – Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Classroom Dress-up – TOMORROW

Good evening!

Today we started practicing estimating strategies to help with multiplication. We aren’t using any new strategies this unit. The strategies are the same as our last unit on Whole Numbers. Students will be practicing compatible numbers, compensation, and front-end rounding. Check out some examples below:

Compatible Numbers

Estimate: 78 x 8

Well… 78 is close to 80… and it is an easier number to work with…

So I could solve 80 x 8…

80 x 8 = 640

Therefore 78 x 8 is about 640.

This is an overestimate, because 80 is greater than 78.

Compensation

Estimate: 38 x 52

Well… 38 could be rounded to the nearest 10 and become 40…

Since I rounded 38 up, I need to round 52 down…

52 rounded to the nearest 10 becomes 50…

So I could solve 40 x 50…

40 x 50 = 2000

Therefore 38 x 52 is about 2000.

It is hard to tell if this is an over/under estimate, but compensation is usually an accurate strategy to use.

Front-end Rounding

Estimate: 240 x 4

Well… 240 is already a multiple of 10… but front-end rounding would make it even easier to work with…

When I front-end round, I only keep the first (or the first two) digits…

So… 240 becomes 200…

So I could solve for 200 x 4…

200 x 4 = 800

Therefore 240 x 40 is about 800.

This is an underestimate. Front-end rounding always gives you an underestimate.

Students did a great job working through these examples in their Math groups today. As you can see, a knowledge of multiplication facts is extremely important throughout this unit. Please don’t forget to be practicing your times tables at home as much as possible!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday)

Math: pgs. 86-87 # 1-6, 8-11

Multiplication Quiz – Friday (0x, 1x)

Mathletics – 10 minutes

Mathletics Meet-up: Tomorrow @ 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm

L.A. – Word Practice

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Thursday – Holiday Hats!

Good afternoon!

What a busy day in Grade 5 N. We started off our morning by visiting the computer lab to work on some Mathletics. Today we actually explored a different part of the website than we usually work on. We looked at the Rainforest Problem Solving section of the website. Want to visit it at home? Follow the instructions down below:

The great thing about Rainforest Maths is that students can work on different levels. Each level is suited for different grade levels. If a student isn’t feeling confident in an area (eg. multiplication) it may help to work back a few levels at home until students feel more comfortable. It is a great way to review and to stay on top of those math skills!

Today we also completed our Wetlands Unit Test. Students did a great job staying focused and being respectful throughout. I know it takes a long time some days, but I really love being in a classroom that can be patient and supportive of one another.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday)

Math: pgs. 82-83 #1-9, 11-13

Multiplication Quiz – Friday

Mathletics – 10 minutes

Mathletics Meet-up: Thursday @5:30 pm and 7:00 pm

L.A. – Word Practice

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Wednesday – Red/Green Day

Good evening!

Today we had an assembly and students were able to meet the new principal of Walter and Gladys Hill Public School, Analee Nutter. She came to introduce the students to a contest that she is going to be holding. They are looking for a student in Gr. 4-6 from Timberlea Public School to create the new mascot and slogan for the new school! The students were pretty excited, and I hope people start thinking about how to use the school colours (purple and black) in interesting ways! What kind of mascot do you think they should use? I suggested “Walter’s Water Boatmen” in celebration of us finishing our Wetlands Unit, but I don’t think very many people took that suggestion seriously.

Today we finished our review of Wetlands. Students went through the information that they can use to help them to study for our Unit Test on Tuesday. We also played a small review game. Make sure that you review the different types of Wetlands that we learned about everyone! Some of the information covered we learned back in September, so people are definitely going to have to do some review this weekend.

We also created our display for the Winter Concert today. The students are going to be performing “Jingle Bells” at the concert (with Mrs. Wilson’s class) so we created a jingle bell themed display. Check out the picture below. We have also started working on our door decorations. More information about those to come!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Math: pgs. 78-79 #1-8, 10-12

Mathletics – 10 minutes

Language Arts – Word Practice

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Emergency Blankets

Report Card Slips – ASAP

Science: Wetlands Test (Tuesday)

Crazy Hair Day – Monday! (bring a donation for the Philippines)