Good evening!

Today we focused on Math. Students have been working really hard at practicing our various mental Math strategies over the course of the unit. Today we needed to take some time to specifically review some of our strategies for 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication. In particular, we focused on the expanded form strategy that students have been using. Check out the example below:

Eg. 23 x 36

Step 1: Expand It!

(20 + 3) x (30 + 6)

Step 2: Multiply Across

(20 x 30) + (20 x 6) + (3 x 30) + (3 x 6)

Step 3: Solve It

600 + 120 + 90 + 18

Step 4: Add it all together to solve!

23 x 36 = 600 + 120 + 90 + 18

23 x 36 = 828

You can start to see from some of the material over the last few weeks, how important it is to be practicing your multiplication times tables at home. We have small quizzes in class to help motivate us, but students should know their multiplication and division facts from 0-81 consistently. One way that we practice in class is by playing games. I’ve included some of our center games at home that you are more than welcome to play at home to help with review!

Multiplication Bingo

Powerful Products

I Have, Who Has

Multiplication (2, 5, 10, doubles)

Multiplication (2, 3, 4, 5)

Multiplication (2, 5, 10)

Our next quiz will be focusing on the 3x and 4x tables. Keep practicing everyone!

Today I sent home Science Fair logbooks that students are to use while conducting their experiments. The logbooks contain the steps to follow the scientific  method, rules, and specific forms that are needed to be filled out depending on the topic of the Science Fair project. Please read through the logbook with your student.

Our classroom Science Fair will take place on  March 3^rd  and our school-wide Science Fair will be March 6^th. Students  are assessed on their Science Fair projects, so please review the rubric located in the Science Fair logbook.

Students have the choice to complete their projects on their own or with a partner. If working with a partner, please ensure that the students are able to meet outside of school time.   

For further information and tips on the Regional Science Fair please see http://www.wbrsf.ca.  Click on the parent and student tabs and follow the link, which includes Science Fair ideas.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (tomorrow)

Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow (3x and 4x)

Spelling: Word Practice

Health: FRIENDS Pg. 64, 66

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Science Board Orders – tomorrow ($3.61/board)

WiM Poems – January 29th

Book Orders – January 29th

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journals (Friday)

Multiplication Quiz (Friday) – 3x and 4x

Spelling: Word Practice

Math: Pgs. 94-95 #1-9, 11-14

Health – FRIENDS Pgs. 64, 66

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Science Board Orders (due Friday) – $3.61/board

January 29th – Book Orders Due

January 29th – WiM Poetry Due

Hello everyone!

Another busy Monday in 5N. Today we started with some Math. Students have been practicing different strategies for 2-digit x 2-digit multiplication. Today we reviewed the hundreds block strategy. Groups joined me at the red table to practice making an array of a 2-digit by a 2-digit multiplication question. We followed the technique that I wrote about last week. Students then continued to work either on their practice questions (pgs. 94-95 #1-9, 11-14) or played multiplication bingo. We are going to keep reviewing some other strategies that students could choose from throughout the week!

In Science today we continued to discuss some of the dangers that students need to be aware of when working with electricity. We used our workbooks to go over some dangerous scenarios and to detect what the problem was. For example, we discussed a scenario in which two many plugs are being plugged into a single outlet. We now know that outlets can only handle so much “work” and that if an outlet is doing more than it can handle, it may lead to an electrical fire. We went through lots of different scenarios of unsafe electrical use. We also watched this handy video which had students help be detectives and determine different electrical problems around the home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Upae5eVXGg

Next students were asked to use what we had learned, and working in small groups, to detect some other examples of unsafe electricity use. Groups were also asked to create two of their own unsafe situations to share with the class! We learned about why you should pull on the plug not on the wire, why we need to be careful of electrical lines, why electricity should not be used near water, and that electricity is a good conductor of electricity. Some of the scenarios that we observed?

1. A man using a power saw while standing in a puddle.
2. A child climbing a tree underneath a power-line.
3. A kite tangled in an electrical wire.
4. Using a fork to remove something from a toaster.
5. Listening to the radio while in the bathtub.

These are just some of the examples of situations that students practiced discovering today. Good detective work everyone!

In Language Arts today we continued to review our First Steps reading strategies. Today we reviewed connecting. We added the following information to our resource books:

Keep reading this week to hear about some of the ways we are going to practice practicing this strategy!

Agenda:

Reading Journal (Friday) – NINJA Question: Tell my your setting, then create a new, better setting for your book. Be descriptive!

Multiplication Quiz (Friday) – 3x and 4x

Spelling – Word Practice

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Science Boards – $3.61/board (Due Friday)

Word in Motion Poetry – January 29th

Good afternoon!

What a great day! We started our day off by collecting our Great Lakes-St. Lawrence flipbook pages and Reading Journals. I have to commend everyone, I was VERY impressed. Homework is something that we have spent some time discussing over the past few weeks, and I was so excited to see that everyone had their flipbooks pages in and that the large majority of us had finished our Reading Journals. What a great improvement everyone, and what a wonderful way to start the day. Check out the sticker boards on Monday to see the results of all your hard work!

We did have some DEAR (Drop Everything and Recess) time today as a reward from our sticker board. We haven’t done a technology day since we started the classroom rewards, so students were allowed to bring in technology and have some free time this morning. We also had our student computers up and running and the Prometheon Board was turned on to some games that students could play together. Some students even chose to play cards with one another instead of using technology. Want to play some of the games at home? The site that we use is listed below:

http://smartboard.someschoolgames.com/

In Social Studies today we completed our final activity of the Great-Lakes-St. Lawrence Region. Today we read about the Ice Storm that hit Quebec in 1998. We discussed the climate of this region and what caused the storm. We already know that this region gets a lot of precipitation due to its warmer climate and the bodies of water. Then we discussed some of the damage caused by the storm. Students were asked to consider what they would do if our region was ever affected by a winter storm of this magnitude. What would you do if your electricity was turned off? We worked in small groups to brainstorm ideas and students completed a Winter Emergency Plan. They have been asked to take this plans home and review them this weekend. Parents and guardians are welcome to help make suggestions or additions to the plan. Students will return them on Monday to finish our discussion. Next week… the Canadian Shield!

In Art today we continued to work on a project that we actually started before the break. We had watched a video on Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau and examined some of his work. We noted the themes of nature, his use of colour, the “skeleton” like shapes, and all the ovoid (round) shapes that we could see in the images. Students were given paper and pastel and allowed to create their own Norval Morrisseau inspired images. They were encouraged to consider the themes above, but were welcome to be creative and add their own dreamlike and imaginative images to their creations. Check out some of our works below!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Spelling: Word Practice

Social: Winter Emergency Plan (Monday)

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Recorders – Monday

Good evening!

Today we started multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit numbers for the first time! This meant that we started off with a modelling strategy. We are going to be using arrays once again, but because we are using larger numbers we are using base-10 blocks to help us build our arrays. Look at the example below:

Eg. 34 x 12

Now you can add up the blocks in your array to find the answer! We have 3 hundreds flats (300), 10 tens rods (100), 8 ones cubes (8). So…

34 x 12 = 300 + 100 + 8

34 x 12 = 408

We also learned some other strategies today, but we are going to be spending a few days going over each strategy in more depth.

In Language Arts today, students completed the predicting section of their Resource Books. They used a graphic organizer to gather information about a book, without reading any of the text. They instead look at things like: the title and headings, the author information, the illustrations, the cover, etc. After students collected their information, they were asked to predict what they thought would happen in the book. Groups then traded books with one another. Once a group had a read a book, they were able to add to or verify some of the predictions! It was really fun and I heard some really wonderful conversations happening about their reading. Our next strategy to add to the resource book… connecting!

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

 Reading Journal (tomorrow)

Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow (2x and 10x)

Spelling: Word Practice

Social: St. Lawrence Flipbook (tomorrow)

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Recorders – Monday

DEAR – tomorrow! Bring technology!

Good afternoon!

Today we started with some Math review. Today students were working in 4 different Math centers. Each center was meant to help students work towards mastery within multiplication and division. In Meet the Teacher, we worked on the break-apart strategy for 2-digit x 1-digit multiplication. We’ve discussed this strategy many times over the last few weeks, but students are still working towards becoming proficient in this area. It can be especially difficult if a student is still struggling with their basic multiplication facts. That is why I suggest that students practice their multiplication on a nightly basis. Quiz yourself in the car while driving, while doing the dishes, playing some mathletics, etc. but make sure you find the time to practice every day. Here is an example of how our break-apart strategy works.

Eg. 43 x 6

Well… 43 can be changed to 40 + 3

So… (40 + 3) x 6

Then I need to solve (40 x 6) + (3 x 6)

(40 x 6) + (3 x 6)

240 + 18

258

43 x 6 = 258

Students can also round up and use subtraction to help them with this strategy like so.

Eg. 39 x 4

Well… 39 can be changed to 40 – 1

So… (40-1) x 4

Then I need to solve (40 x 4) – (1 x 4)

160 – 5

156

39 x 4 = 156

We had a student we was away for part of November earlier this year. Today she shared with us a video of some of the activities and celebrations that she was able to take part in and enjoy while she was there. We learned a lot about Diwali. We learned about different foods, practices, art, and got to see some great sparklers and fireworks. Thank you very much to the student and her family for sharing, and check out the images below! 

We have a Social Studies quiz marking the end of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region. Students are responsible for studying the climate, natural resources, landforms, bodies of water, and how people live within this region. Students can use their textbook as well as their geography flipbook to help them. I also reminded students today to make sure that they knew the provinces and territories of this region and could name at least 4 cities that you can find there.

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday)

Spelling – Word Practice

Social: St. Lawrence Flipbook (Friday)

              Quiz (Tomorrow)

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Family Literacy Night: Monday, January 27th

Recorders (Monday)

Good evening!

Today we worked on Mathletics. Students were assigned activities that had them reviewing some of the strategies that we have been studying so far. We worked on multiplying by 10, 100, 1000, multiplying by multiples of 10, and on mental math strategies for multiplying. We have worked on various different mental math strategies over the last few weeks, and students were encouraged to bring a pencil and paper and to use the strategy that makes the most sense to them. One of our favourite strategies is one that we’ve nicknamed the “Break-Apart” strategy. Check it out:

Solve 23 x 4

23 is too difficult of a number…

but I know that 23 = 20 + 3…

So I can solve (20 x 4) + (3 x 4) and add the products!

Like this…

23 x 4 = __

(20 x 4) + (3 x 4) = __

80 + 12 = 92

So… 23 x 4 = 92

Students can break-apart larger, more challenging numbers, into smaller numbers that are easier to work with. We prefer multiples of 10 when we can (eg. 20) because they make the problem even easier to solve!

In Social Studies today, students continued to work on their Geography Flipbooks. These pages will now be completed for homework and handed in by Friday. They should be detailed, organized, and colourful. Tomorrow we are going to review the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands region by playing a challenging game, and then we will have a small quiz on Thursday. Working on your flipbooks is a great way to study, so don’t leave them until the last minute!

In French today we started discussing school subjects. Students are going to use their new knowledge of numbers and telling time to be able to put together and discuss a school schedule. This meant that today we had to learn some new vocabulary! We also discussed some differences between a typically French (from France) students school day and our own. We noted that we don’t have a separate Geography and History class. We have a combined Social Studies class. We don’t learn multiple foreign languages, and we also do not split our Science classes into Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. It was a lot of fun discussing these differences. Can you think of some more? Want to check out the subjects video again from home? Click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJTkgOD8BSk

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday)

Multiplication Quiz (Friday) – 2x and 10x

Social: St. Lawrence Flipbook (Friday)

Ski Day: Feb. 6th

Health: FRIENDS Home Activity 5A + 5B (tomorrow)

Good evening!

Welcome back everyone! We had a busy day, trying to get back into the swing of things and remembering our routines. We  started our day off with some Math review. Before we left for winter break, we had several review days for our current Math unit. Many students expressed during our small group sessions, a need to further explore halving and doubling. This is just what we did today. Today our Math centers were all about halving and doubling. Students worked with me at the Teacher Center. We built arrays for different multiplication facts.

Eg. 3 x 5

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

Then students tried to half the arrays that we had built. For the example above, there was no easy way to half the array of 3 x 5. This told us that there wasn’t an easy multiplication fact that could be doubled to help us solve 3 x 5. Try this example instead.

Eg. 6 x 4

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

When we try and half this array, we discover that it can be done two ways very easily.

Eg. (3 x4) + (3×4)

_ _ _          _ _ _

_ _ _          _ _ _

_ _ _          _ _ _

_ _ _          _ _ _

Eg. (6 x 2) + (6 x 2)

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

 

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

Students practiced breaking arrays in half, and examining the halves to discuss which multiplication facts would be able to be doubled to help them find the hold. They continued to practice this activity as a group in Center #2. Center # 3 had students working with our Division Flash Cards and Center #4 had us playing Powerful Products, but with our foam dice for something new today.

In Social Studies today we continued reviewing the St. Lawrence Lowlands region of Canada. Students have been working on completing the pages on the St. Lawrence in our Geography Flipbooks that we are building. This requires students to gather information about: Landforms/Bodies of Water, Climate, Natural Resources, and How People Live. We will be playing having our unit Review Race (similar to our Appalachians game!) on Wednesday, and a small quiz on Thursday or Friday. The flipbook pages are due on Friday as well, however, students will be giving time to continue working on them in their groups tomorrow.

In Language Arts today we began a review of the First Steps Reading Strategies that we have covered so far this year. So far we have worked on: predicting, connecting, comparing, and creating images. Each day this week we are going to be reviewing a strategy. Students are creating a Reading Strategy Resource Duotang that they can use. It is filled with information about the strategy and an example of an activity that we used to help practice using the strategy. Today we reviewed predicting. Students used TumbleBooks to help make some predictions about “Hoover’s Bride” by David Small. We made our first prediction by only examining the cover and title. Students were given two minutes to discuss what they saw and the prepare a prediction about the book. We then watched a few minutes of the online book. After we paused it, students were asked to reevaluate their first prediction and to make a new prediction about what they thought would happen next. They filled their predictions out and placed them on our crystal ball (something we used to practice this strategy back in September). We then watched a few more minutes and once again reevaluated our predictions and made a new prediction about the book. In order to make a good prediction, students are encouraged to use the information from the book (eg. illustrations, title, cover, text, etc.) and their own schema (eg. connection to self, information from similar books, tv shows, etc.). In fact, check out the information on predicting that we added to our resource books!

These resource duotangs are really going to come in handy when we start our Literacy Centers later this month! Want to watch more TumbleBooks at home? Check out: http://asp.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/customer_login.asp?accessdenied=%2Flibrary%2Fasp%2Fhome%5Ftumblebooks%2Easp

The district username is: fmpsd and the password is: books.

You can also explore some other great books written by David Small by visiting his website below! We have a copy of “Imogene’s Antlers” in our classroom library!

http://davidsmallbooks.com/books.php

Agenda:

Read 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday) – NINJA: Describe the Setting (where, when)

Multiplication Quiz – Friday (2x and 10x)

Spelling – Word Practice

Social: St. Lawrence Flipbook (Friday)

Ski Day: Feb. 6th