Day 2 of Centers kicked off our day today!

After recess, students took a paragraph we wrote last week and began to break it apart and see what they could do to make it better. Students used the "funky pens" to add details to their work. We also took some time to look for words that we think might not be spelled correctly. Students are doing a wonderful job in making their writing juicier and recognizing some of their spelling mistakes.

Our afternoon started off with Math pods. At teacher table students worked with using estimation to check addition and subtraction questions. Students were assigned numbers 1 and 2 from page 62. At the second station, students worked with Mrs. Lippai to practice using benchmarks when estimating. Students were assigned numbers 3,4,5,7,and 11 from page 55. Both of these assignments are due for tomorrow.

We finished off our day with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Reminders:
-Spelling Test tomorrow
-Book orders due Wednesday, November 3
-Halloween party tomorrow (please, no costumes until 1:15)
-Bowling money

Our first snow day has arrived!!

We kicked off our morning by combining both grade 5 classrooms and worked with our detail cubes to write a paragraph about an item. We then worked together to make our paragraphs "juicier" by adding details. Students also started to work on trying to find words that we might need to check for spelling. Great job today grade 5!!

We also completed a set of pods using adding details as one of our stations. A second station had students on Mathletics.com. Finally, students read quietly independently.

In the afternoon the students enjoyed a movie and phys ed.

Hopefully, I will see everyone tomorrow!!

We enjoyed a wonderful show this morning, Fizzical Fizzics!

After recess, students completed Math Pods. At Teacher table, students began estimating using number lines. At seat work, students completed a subtraction estimation sheet. The final station had students working on the Mathletics website.

We then continued to focus on adding details during 6+1 Writing. We will continue with this activity tomorrow.

After lunch, students wrote their Social Studies unit test.

After French, students finished off their test and enjoyed Phys Ed with Mr. Leidl.

Another week has come and gone!! Students completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. A new set of Centers will begin on Tuesday.

After recess, students handed in their Survival Island assignments. Students also received their outline for their Social Studies unit test that will be on Monday, October 25.

After lunch, we completed Math Pods. At computers, students continued to practice on Mathletics.com. The contest begins next week!! At the rug, students worked with cards and a partner to create adding and subtracting questions to estimate using Compensation. At the back table, students worked with all 3 estimation strategies and solved addition questions. The students are doing a wonderful job with estimation! Keep up the great work!!

We finished off our day in Phys Ed and continued to read our Dear Canada book during Read Aloud.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

We started off our day with Problem Solving. Students worked in partners to try to solve an Exemplar. We will continue with this problem next class.

To celebrate Library Week, students were then split into varying groups throughout the school to enjoy the reading of 2 new books.

After recess, students had Art with Mrs. Schentag.

Students were introduced to the third and final estimation strategy today: Compensation. We will continue with this strategy tomorrow.

Students also worked on their Survival Islands. This activity is due tomorrow.

We finished off our day in Phys. Ed.

Reminders:
- Spelling test tomorrow
- Survival Island due tomorrow

Our Wednesday began with Day 3 of Centers.

After recess, we continued to work on adding details to our writing. Students had to choose an item from the classroom. We then used our Detail Cubes to write about this item. The students got a wonderful start with these detail filled paragraphs.

Our afternoon started off with Math Pods. Students began their Math Challenge at the computer station. Using the website Mathletics, students are practicing this week to sharpen their math skills. The students are taking part in a world wide math competition starting next week. I encourage the students to continue the challenge at home as each student has their own sign in and password in their agendas.
At seat work, students worked on choosing which estimation strategy to use, Front End Rounding or Compatible Numbers.
At teacher table, we continued to practice estimation with Compatible Numbers.
Two students also demonstrated the two estimation strategies we are using. They did a wonderful job explaining these strategies.

We finished off our day with a new read aloud: Dear Canada - A Prairie as Wide as the Sea.

Our day started out again with Centers.

After recess, students worked hard during Math Pods. At station 1, students finished up yesterday's Front End Rounding practice. At station 2, students practiced estimation using Compatible Numbers. We are doing an excellent job with both strategies. At station 3, students played Ice, Ice Maybe on the computer.

Students had library with Mrs. Schentag before lunch.

We started off our afternoon by enjoying a presentation from Josh Leidl. He spoke to the students about how to make animations on the computer.

We then finished off the afternoon in French and Phys. Ed.

Students were given a copy of their Markbook for unit 1 Math. Please review if you have not received this already through email. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call or email me.

The list for classroom parties has also been sent home today. Please check to see what your child is responsible for. Please feel free to switch amongst yourselves if you choose to.

This week started off with a new set of Centers. Students choose 7 of their spelling words from their past TWAS or Spelling Lessons. Test will be Friday, October 22.

After recess, we completed Science pods. At station one, students completed the next day of their weather station. We will complete one more day. At station two, we reviewed the water cycle. Students were able to choose from a variety of links on the computer for station three.

Math Pods started off our afternoon. At the computers, students played Ice, Ice, Maybe. At the back table, students were introduced to the second estimation strategy, Compatible Numbers. At seat work, students were working on an adding and subtracting sheet using Front-End Rounding.

We finished off the day by completing our read aloud, Hatchet!!

We finished up our week by completing yet another set of Centers. The students have been enjoying the different stations and are continuing to improve every day.

After recess, we completed 3 stations during Math Pods. At the computer station, students worked with partners to practice saying and writing numbers using the website Can You Say Really Big Numbers? At seat work, students worked to complete a handout asking students to write out numbers in words, as well as write words into numbers. At teacher table, front end rounding was introduced to the students. We will continue to work on various estimation strategies over the next few weeks.

After lunch, students used all of their weather instruments that they have created so far and set up the first day of their weather stations. Students had to record the temperature, measure air pressure, measure wind speed, use their rain gauge, and describe the type of clouds. We will complete this activity two more times.

Students then had French with Mrs. Orosz.

We finished up the day by working on our Survival Island Project in Social Studies. Students will get one more class to complete this activity. This project is due Thursday, October 21.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

We started off our short day with Day 3 of Centers. We will wrap up this set of Centers tomorrow.

After recess, we continued to work on our Survival Island project in Social Studies.

Studetns finished up the morning with Mrs. Schentag and Art.

I have emailed out the latest Markbook for Math. Now that I have it set up, you will receive updates from the various subjects after the completion of units. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. If I do not have your email address, I will send home a paper copy of your child's Markbook tomorrow.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! This week is going to fly by as Thursday is also early dismissal!!

We started off our week with a new set of Centers.

After recess, we completed Math Pods. At the computer station, students could choose any of the links we have played so far. At teacher table, we reviewed Friday's assignment, as well as practiced expanded notation using the wipe boards. At seat work, students completed an expanded notation worksheet. The students have worked extremely hard and have really impressed me with their number work!!

After lunch, we completed the last day of our field test for the Reading Assessment for Learning.

To finish up the day, we had Phys Ed and read the next few chapters of our exciting read aloud, Hatchet!!

Reminders:
-Spelling test Friday, October 15
-Early Dismissal Thursday, October 14

Students came in this morning beaming from ear to ear with excitement from last night's Family Fun Night! I'm happy that the students had a wonderful time.

We completed our last day of Centers this morning. Students worked eagerly to get all of their activities completed and ready to hand in. We will begin a new set on Tuesday.

After recess, we completed Math Pods. At computer, students played Hangman Expanded Notation. Please encourage your child to practice with this game as expanded notation has really challenged the students. At the rug, students played a card game in pairs to try to create the largest 6-digit number. Students had to read their numbers correctly in order to get a point. We will continue to practice how to say numbers. As we start working with larger numbers, students are finding this challenging as well. At the circle table, students worked on page 45 and 46 of their textbook. We are working on numbers 3,6,8, and 13. This was assigned for homework for the weekend.

We finished up our day with French and Phys Ed.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!

Our classroom has been chosen to complete a field test for the Assessment for Learning department at the Ministry of Education. We are completing this field test for the grade 4 reading assessment that will be given in the spring. The Ministry field tests the assessment to help them find any flaws in the assessment. We completed the first hour of the assessment this morning, and will continue with the last hour tomorrow.

After recess, students worked in groups to describe the purpose of a specific object in as many ways as they can. Students were asked to compile a list of the purposes of string. We then categorized these uses and wrote a paragraph compiled of this information. We focused on using a good introduction sentence and not simply listing our ideas.

We completed Math Pods after lunch. At the computer station, students were able to choose from any of the math links we have used already. At the back table, students were introduced to writing numbers in standard and expanded form. We will continue with this next class. At the rug, Mrs. Lippai shared a children's book that helped the students put the size of numbers into perspective.

We finished off the day with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Reminders:
-Spelling Test tomorrow
-Family Fun Night tonight

We were treated to a wonderful October assembly to start off the morning.

We worked to finish our group writing activity focusing on adding detail to our writing. These are hanging in the hallway. Stop by during Family Fun Night to read what a wonderful job the students did!! Our writing is improving every day!

During Math pods, students got a chance to play a new place value game on the computer, Fruit Shoot Place Value. At the rug, students worked in their group to construct 1 000 000 dots!! At teacher table, we continued to work on place value and completed yesterday's worksheet.

After lunch, students got the chance to use an anemometer in Science. Students will be putting their completed weather stations together to help them compile a variety of weather information for one day.

Students had French with Mrs. Orosz before recess.

In Social, we worked to complete the Geographical terms activity, as well as Brandon Beaver's map activity. Both of these assignments were handed in today.

We finished up the day in Phys Ed with Mr. Leidl.

Students began the day with a presentation about wind instruments with Mrs. Schentag. Ask them what instrument they want to play in band next year!!

After recess, we completed day 3 of Centers.

In math, we worked through Math Pods. At the computer station, students worked on practicing how to write and read numbers using Cookie Dough Place Value. At the rug, students practiced using numbers to 100 000 with Mrs. Lippai. At the back table, we also worked on practicing our numbers to 100 000. We will continue with this worksheet tomorrow.

We finished up our day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

*I have sent newsletters home with students or emailed them. I have also posted the newsletter on the blog so please take a few minutes and take a peak. If you have any questions please contact me.

**I will also be sending home a Markbook update for the subject areas very soon. You will be able to see how your child has been doing up to this point. If I have your email address, I will send it that way. If not, I will send home a paper copy.

October Newsletter

I hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather that we have been having. I hope October can be just as beautiful!!

The month of October is full of lots of exciting new things for us in Grade 5. Here is what we will be doing this month…

Language Arts
The students have had a blast with Centers during our Language Arts time. We will continue with Centers, changing our stations every 4 days. Students have done a wonderful job being responsible and getting their work done and handed in on time.

We are just starting Lesson 5 in Spelling. Students are continuing to pick their 7 spelling words from stories we are reading during Guided Reading. We will also have weeks where students choose their spelling words from their own work (T.W.A.S, past spelling sentences, creative writing). Students are reminded to write their words in their agendas to study.

The students have done a wonderful job with the Ideas trait of 6+1 Writing. We are beginning to work on adding details to our writing. We have some of our most recent writing displayed in the hallway so stop by during Family Fun Night and enjoy!! We will continue with the Ideas trait throughout the month of October.

Students will continue T.W.A.S. as well. This allows for the students to share with you what they are doing every week. This also allows for us to practice proper paragraph structure and letter writing. Please remember to look for these letters every Friday!

Independent Reading – Mrs. Lippai
We are off to a great start in Independent Reading! During the past month students have practiced how to pick the right book using the 5 finger rule and an awareness of their interests. As well, students have learned to recognize and use a variety of strategies to help them pause and clarify while they read so that they can make better sense of their text. We have recently identified and discussed fiction and non-fiction texts, along with narrative and expository pieces of writing. Within these we have learned to identify a variety of text features (title, table of contents, index, glossary, diagrams, maps, timelines, etc…) to help us easily find our way around a book and gain information quickly and easily. Students alternate our lessons together with a chance to read their book on their own every other day. Ask your child what he/she has learned in Independent Reading!

Math
Congratulations to all of the students for doing such a wonderful job on the last unit, Patterns and Equations!!

We will be working on our Whole Numbers unit for the month of October. In this unit, students will work on recognizing and reading numbers to 1 000 000. We will be writing numbers in standard and expanded forms. Working with place value and manipulatives will also be a major focus for this unit. Students will be working with estimation strategies for sums and differences as well.

I will be constantly adding math links to my blog. Please encourage the students to practice their math skills using these links.

We will also be continuing with our Problem Solving skills. Students will be working with the Making an Organized List strategy. We will work as a whole group, then partners, and finally individually.

Science
We will continue with our Weather unit during the month of October. The students will continue to work on their weather stations with their partners. We will also look at types of clouds, the water cycle, adapting to weather, and climate.

Social
We are currently wrapping up our Location unit. The final project for this unit will have students design their own island using the different landforms that we have looked at.

Our next unit, Canadian Symbols, will focus on the many different symbols of Canada, as well its provinces and territories.

Phys. Ed./ Health – Mr. Leidl
The Grade 5’s will shift from sending/ receiving skills to work on striking and movement patterns. Fitness planning, strength training, and flexibility skills are ongoing. Students will continue to work on strategies to improve their fitness and wellness. Students will begin to examine how nutrition plays an important part in the maintenance, growth, and development of the human body.

Art – Mrs. Schentag
During the month of September, students have been working in the Music Strand, learning about musical instrument families, creating their own musical instruments and listening to different types of music genres. Mrs Hearn, the band teacher from the High School, will visit our class to share her expertise and allow the students to try a few intruments out. Should be fun!

In October, we plan to conclude our Music unit by playing musical games and participating in rhythm activities.

As well, we will begin a new unit of work concentrating on the Drama Strand. It is entitled The World of Drama and the topic will be Clowns Around the World.

Students will have the opportunity to learn a few drama techniques such as mirroring and improvisation while getting into clown characters. They will even have the opportunity to present a clown performance for an audience of sick children (another class assuming this role). This is always a fun unit of work and I look forward to working with the students in order to enhance their dramatic skills and interests.

French – Mrs. Orosz
Students are learning basic communication in French, in a new and enjoyable way. Vocabulary is introduced with gestures, which assists students with comprehension and expression. Students have reviewed and extended known vocabulary and gestures, and are learning some more. We are beginning a new play called: L’ Arbre Ungali.

It is very important for students to observe and listen carefully and to participate in all pronunciation, action and other activities.

Day 2 of Centers started off our day today. Students chose their new spelling words and wrote them in their agendas.

After recess, the class spent an hour and a half in Art with Mrs. Schentag.

We started our next problem solving strategy after lunch today. We are focusing on Making an Organized List. We will continue with this problem next class.

Students then had French with Mrs. Orosz.

We finished the day off by starting to match our landform pictures to the definitions.

Phys Ed wrapped up our day!

Reminders:
Spelling Test Friday, October 8
Family Fun Night Thursday, October 7