Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Good afternoon!  Here's a look at our busy, exciting day:

With started our morning with Mrs. Pendergast, the guest fabric artist who is leading our students in a huge quilt-making project with a focus on climate change.  Today, students drew a shape onto a small piece of fabric, then practiced using fabric markers and 3-D paint to see how these materials will respond on fabric.  Then they designed their quilt square for tomorrow, when they will put things together. 

 

 

 

 

After recess and P.E., we did some more factoring and creating arrays in math.  Then the students had fun working with multiples inside a circle simply joining numbered dots to create patterns.

After lunch, they worked hard on their biome research projects, adding to Book Creator.  They were given a checklist to help keep them on track.  (see below)

 

BIOMES &  Non-Fiction Book Features Using BOOK CREATOR CHECKLIST

Biome: ______________________________________________ Your name: _______________

Criteria	Description	Dates worked on	Date completed
Research booklet	with information recorded is to be submitted; info should be in note form, not full sentences
BOOK CREATOR:	Title and Author; SAVED
Cover / Title page	Title page is attractive and inviting. Contains: name of biome, your name, and a picture
Table of Contents	*To be completed once the book has been finished
Definition & Location	A clear definition of your biome, including climate and any distinguishing features; explanation of location(s), including latitude
Map	World map showing areas of your biome
Climate	Description of climate; seasons
Landforms	Key landforms specific to your biome
Flora (plants)	Specific to your biome; this may differ depending upon location in the world
Fauna (animals)	As  above; no need to list all of the fauna, just key or distinctive ones
Indigenous peoples	Key nations or tribes specific to your biome (Eg. Inuit in the Tundra in Canada; different name in Russia? Scandinavia?
Pictures (from online) Pictures (from books)	1000X1000 resolution; no watermarks Not blurry; only photo visible
Captions	Pictures should include a caption about where it is or what it is
Venn Diagram	Of either climate vs weather, biome vs ecosystem, or specifics to your biome (Eg. tropical rainforest vs temperate rainforest; grasslands vs savanna…)
Graph Interesting facts Labelled diagram Glossary	These items are optional!  You may wish to include them… or not.
Composition, vocabulary	Words should be your own; no plagiarizing! Avoid scientific language and vocabulary that does not sound like you speaking.
Style	No emojis, jokes, or funny remarks
Conventions	Edit your work for complete sentences, punctuation, capitals where appropriate
Presentation	Pages should look nice, have attractive backgrounds, and an easy-to-read font.

           

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Good evening, parents / guardians.

Thursdays are our full-on days (no music, sadly) so we did some art after recess. But before that...

we started with Brain Dance, then on to Holes.  Three students wrote their quiz today; several others are almost finished their novels so will be ready soon.

*I gave the students a new Novel Study Layered Curriculum sheet today, noting my expectations.  [See below]
Students were to have added to their planning schedule (see bottom of second page) their goal dates for finishing the novel and writing the quiz.  They were also to have picked activities to add to 30 points.  Please initial your child's sheet beside the Due Date and the planning table so that I know you have seen this!  Students should read at home if they are behind.  Thanks for your support with this.

For Language Arts / Social Studies we continued with Christmas Around the World (CAW), learning about England and some of its traditions.

In math, we did multiplication drills, graphed results, and went over the multiples stairs.  The remainder of the package was assigned for homework if not completed during class time.  *The grade fours only have to do three of each section.

We did not fit French into our day but will make up for it tomorrow. 

In art we practiced tinting colours and painted monochromatic hills with a contrasting sky.  We will finish these tomorrow and post photos of their works then.

REMINDER: Greek & Latin Roots Unit 4 Quiz tomorrow!!!!

PURDY ORDERS ARE IN THE OFFICE IF YOU ORDERED SOME.

Novel Study: Holes

Due date: December 21^st (Book read, quiz taken, and

at least one Layer C assignment ‘defended’.

Use a planning schedule to help you record your activity choices and to plan your time.  Challenge yourself by trying different assignments to expand your skills. Start with

Layer C.

Layer C – Knowledge / Comprehension                                60 points

Choose enough activities to attempt 60 points.  Be prepared to give an oral defence to earn full marks for each activity.

o   Read the book (mandatory)                 20 pts

o   Design a bookmark illustrating a scene from the story.       5 pts

o   Create a card game or board game related to the story.                15 pts

o   Choose ten challenging vocabulary words from the novel and make up cards with definitions.  Relate the vocabulary to the story.                  5 pts

o   Create a ten-question quiz for others to write.  Have three people complete it.  Mark it.    10 pts

o   Write an ABC book about the novel.                 15 pts

o   Host a guest show (see handouts for details)  15 pts

o   Write, perform, and record a scene from the story (may be expressed through dance).                    20 pts

o   Collect at least ten objects / items related to the story.                  10 pts

o   Create a diorama of a scene from the story.               15 pts

o   Choose a character from the story and write a diary about events, thoughts, feelings.                                  15 pts

o   Design a poster advertising the book.               10 pts

o   Write a song and perform it; make reference to at least ten things about the story.  15 pts

o   Rewrite the ending of the story.            15 pts

o   Complete a short quiz (mandatory)   10 pts

Choose one activity from each of the layers below (B & A). Remember to present your best work.

Layer B – Application / Analysis                                   20 points

1. Create a poster / collage of Texas, depicting its climate, environment, and wildlife.

2. Prepare a jar of spiced peaches at home, and bring them to school for a taste test.  Write out the recipe and procedure. 

3. Do onions really grow wild like suggested in the story?  What are the natural health benefits of onions? What other native plants grow in Texas that are edible?

Layer A – Synthesis / Evaluation                                                         20 points

1. Research an infamous outlaw from the past.  Be prepared to give a short presentation to the class about him / her.

2. Design your own invention.  Include a title, list of materials, instructions, purpose, and suggested retail price.  Explain why you think people should buy your product.

3. Continue the story of Holes.  What happens to Stanley, Zero, and the other boys five or ten years later?

Activity choices: Layer C:	Possible points	Goal for completion	Date marked
Read novel	/20
Write quiz	/10
Layer B:
Layer A: