Mrs.Shields' Blog

2012-02-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. Students handed in their activities and will start fresh tomorrow! Remember to practice your spelling words!

After recess, we worked through math pods. We worked on our corrections from our unit review. Remember....the unit test is Friday, February 17. Students also worked with a partner to solve repeated subtraction long division questions using the whiteboards. We also practiced our division facts on the computer/Ipods.

The students then headed down to the library.

After lunch, we watched a short video called "Treaties and the Law."

French and Phys Ed wrapped up our day.

*I won't be here Thursday and Friday therefore there won't be any new posts.

2012-02-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

Students wrapped up Day 3 of Centers this morning.

After recess, we discussed balanced and unbalanced forces in Science. Students worked in partners to brainstorm different examples of these forces. We then watched a short video demonstrating Newton's laws of motion.

We will be having a Math test Friday, February 17 to wrap up the unit before the break. Those students who will be absent on Friday will write it on Thursday. We worked on the review today and is homework if students did not get through it.

The day came to an end with Phys Ed and a short Valentine's Day party.

2012-02-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

We kicked off the week with Day 2 of Centers this morning. Students were given their Lesson 18 spelling words.

After recess, we continued to practice our long division using repeated subtraction. Students also practiced estimation strategies.

We then began to put our "colorful" words activity into good, quality sentences. We will continue with this next writing class.

Our afternoon was spent celebrating Mr. Leidl's Principal of the Year award.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and read aloud.

2012-02-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for missing the last few days of posts.
Our Friday started off with Day 1 of Centers. We also wrote our spelling test and our TWAS for this week. Please remember to read, sign, and return your child's TWAS on Monday.

After recess, we discussed Treaties in Social Studies. We discussed what a treaty is and why they were formed.

The students then had Art with Mrs. Schentag.

The afternoon focused on the strategy of repeated subtraction for long division. We worked on corrections and practicing of this strategy in small groups. Those students that did not get through the assignment will be bringing it home for homework. Keep practicing boys and girls.

We wrapped up the day with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

2012-02-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. Just a reminder...if you are absent, it is your responsiblity to collect the Center stations that you missed and complete them for homework.

After recess, we worked through 3 stations in Math: 1) Compatible Numbers (estimation) practice, 2) repeated subtraction long division, 3) computers.

The students then headed down to the library to exchange their books.

After lunch, we presented the rest of our Prime Minister powerpoints. Great job boys and girls! You did an excellent job!

Our day wrapped up with French and Phys Ed.

2012-02-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

We started off a new week with a new set of Centers. Students were also given their spelling words for Lesson 17. The test will be Friday, February 10.

Students wrote their Science unit test after recess. I will get these back to the students as soon as possible.

We practiced our division estimation strategies during Math today. We worked through 3 stations: 1) Front End Rounding and Compatible Numbers, 2) Compatible Numbers, 3) computers.

We wrapped up the day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2012-02-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. We also wrote our spelling test and TWAS.

After lunch, we worked through three stations in Math. We continued to practice front end rounding at the independent station. We also worked though more examples of compatible numbers at teacher table. The third station was on the computer.

We continued to work on choosing "colorful" and more powerful words to describe items from our Metis Buffalo Hunt picture. Students are to complete this for homework if they did not get through it today.

After lunch, some students presented their Prime Minister power points with their partners. I have to say I am very impressed! They have done a wonderful job! We will continue with the remaining presentations next week.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

We ended the day with Science. Students were given their reviews back to study from for Monday's test. Study hard boys and girls!

Have a great weekend!!

2012-02-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up Day 3 of Centers this morning. The students are doing a wonderful job concentrating on various reading strategies at guided reading. Remember to study your spelling words for tomorrow's test.

After recess, students finsished their Prime Minister powerpoint presentations. We will start presenting tomorrow.

The students then headed to Art.

After lunch, we completed three stations in Math. Students continued to practice front end rounding at the independent station. Students were also introduced to estimation using compatible numbers. I can not stress enough the importance of our multiplication tables. Keep practicing boys and girls! That's your only homework for tonight! The third station was on the computer.

Our day came to an end with Phys Ed and Read Alound.

2012-02-01T13:37:00.002-07:00

We completed Day 2 of Centers this morning.

Students enjoyed Art with Mrs. Schentag after recess.

We spent some time this afternoon reviewing the estimation strategy of Front End Rounding with division.

Our day came to a wrap with French, Phys Ed, and Read Aloud.

2012-01-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

We started off the week with a new set of Centers this morning. Students were also given their Lesson 16 spelling words. The spelling test will be on Friday, February 3.

After recess, we completed 4 stations in Writing. Students worked at one station to find different words for the color words. Another station allowed the students to choose a piece of writing from the beginning of the year and improve its presentation. A third station gave the students an opportunity to use Thesaurus.com to identify other words for some over used words. The fourth station continued from last week where students are identifying different items from a First Nations themed picture. The students worked today to find more interesting words to describe these items.

The students continued to work on their division skills during math. Students worked on their basic division facts at station 1. Please keep practicing your multiplication facts as these are so important for the division unit. At station 2, the students used Front End Rounding to estimate with division. Station 3 was computer based.

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

2012-01-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. Students wrote their Lesson 15 Spelling test and wrote a TWAS for the week. They also handed in their assignments from the week and will begin a new set of Centers on Tuesday.

We completed 3 stations in Math today. Students continued to practice and identify the fact families for division and mulitplication. At teacher table, the students were introduced to the second symbol for division. The students also practiced their division facts on the computer. We will be beginning long division on Tuesday.

After lunch, the students continued to work on their Prime Minister presentations. Students will have one more class then they will be presenting to the class.

Students then headed off to French and Gym.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Reminders:
- No school Monday
- Book orders due Wednesday
- Hot lunch money

2012-01-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Students completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. Remember that all activities are due tomorrow and our Spelling test is tomorrow.

After recess, we completed 4 stations in Science. Students worked on their unit review. This is homework if students did not get it completed. Students also worked to finish their manufactured materials poster. A crossword was provided to students for bonus marks. Students can hand this in tomorrow. Lastly, students used the time at computers to continue working on their Prime Minister presentations.

During Math we completed 3 stations. Students worked to demonstrate the relationhip between mulitplication and division at one station. At the teacher table, we practiced basic division facts. The third station was on the computer.

We finished up the day with some time to work on activities that were incomplete.

2012-01-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our Wednesday morning kicked off with our January assembly. We were treated to some square dancing entertainment from the Grade 2's and 3's. A thumbs up goes out to those girls and boys!

After assembly, the students worked with their partners on their Prime Minister powerpoint presentations. They are coming along really well and I'm looking forward to seeing what the students put together.

We completed three stations in Math. Students worked independently to show me what 4 different division questions would look like. We also worked at the teacher table to recognize the connection between multiplication and division. Students completed a variety of fact families to demonstrate this connection. Students also had some time at the computer to continue practicing their multiplication facts, as well as their division facts.

I'd like to continue to stress upon the importance of the multiplication facts. Please encourage your child to practice their facts as the facts are going to be an important part of our division unit.

We reviewed the Presentation trait during Writing. The students were shown an example of a piece of writing that needed some work. We discussed what we should change to make that piece of writing more attractive. Students will be choosing a piece of their own next week to improve upon their presentation.

During the afternoon, students continued to work on their Prime Minister projects and had Phys Ed with Mr. Leidl.

2012-01-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. The students are practicing summarizing and retelling during Guided Reading.

After recess, we continued to work on our Prime Minister presentations. The students will be starting to work with their PowerPoints next class.

The students then headed to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

Our afternoon kicked off with our next unit in Math, Division. Students explored with manipulatives to demonstrate what division looks like.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2012-01-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another week! We started a new set of Centers this week. Students also got their new spelling words today. The spelling test will be Friday, January 27.

After recess, students went to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

The students wrote their Math test after lunch. Great job everyone!

We then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

We wrapped up the day by working on our Prime Minister powerpoint presentations.

2012-01-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. Those students that have been missing over the past few days must complete the stations that they missed for homework. The students wrote their Lesson 14 spelling tests this morning as well.

After recess, we worked through 4 stations in Writing. At station 1, students worked on the trait of Presentation. The students were given a rough draft of a short story and had to write the story using the presentation checklist. At station 2, students created a word web using as much detail as they could describing a picture. At station 3, students continued to work on their "Holes" writing assignment. This assignment is for homework and due on Monday if students did not get it completed today. At station 4, students played Scrabble on the iPod's.

During Math, those students who were missing over the last few days worked on their unit review. The test will be on Monday, January 23.

Our day came to an end with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

2012-01-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

As another bus day is upon us, we decided not to do Centers this morning. Hopefully the buses will run tomorrow giving those students a chance to catch up on the work they have missed. We worked through our Math review this morning and made any corrections needed. Students also continued to work on their "Holes" writing assignment.

After recess, the students competed in a Classroom Multiplication challenge. Great job boys and girls!
Our Math test has been moved to Monday.

Students received their Power Point project for Social Studies this afternoon. Students are working with a partner to create a Power Point presentation about a past or present Prime Minister of Canada. We will continue with this activity for the next few classes.

Students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

Have a warm evening everyone! Remember to study for your Spelling Test!!

2012-01-18T13:08:00.001-07:00

Another very cold day hit us again today! We carried on once again with a normal day even though the buses did not run.
We completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. Students used the time at guided reading to finish up activities or to read their independent reading novel. Remember to keep practicing your spelling words.

After recess, we worked through 4 stations in Science that focused on raw materials vs. manufactured materials. Station 1 was on the computer. Station 2 had students determine whether a variety of items were manufactured or raw materials. Station 3 was a continuance from last week where students continued to develop their advertisement poster. Station 4 had students hunt for pictures of raw materials and manufactured materials in magazines and create a collage of these items.

Our afternoon kicked off with our Multiplication Review. I have moved the Math test to Monday as some bus students have not been at school due to the weather.

We wrapped up the day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Stay warm everyone!

2012-01-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hopefully everyone was able to keep warm today. Even though the buses were not running today, we carried on with a regular day. Students completed Day 2 of Centers this morning.

After recess, we worked through 3 stations in Math. At station 1, students continued to use partial product to solve 4 multiplication questions. At station 2, students could choose from the three strategies we have discussed to solve 3 different questions. Station 3 was on the computers.

Students then continued to work on their "Holes" writing activity.

After lunch, we played a game to review the responsibilities of the three different levels of government in Social Studies.

Students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

We wrapped up the day with Read Aloud.

2012-01-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

Welcome to another week!! I think it's safe to say that Winter has roared her ugly head as the weather has taken a turn! Please remember to dress warm!

We started off our week with a brand new set of Centers. Students were also given their spelling words for the week. The spelling test will be Friday, January 20.

After recess, we discussed the three levels of our Canadian government in Social Studies (federal, provincial/territorial, and municiple). We will continue with this lesson next class.

Students then headed to art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we completed three stations in Math. At station 1, students practiced drawing the diagram for the first step of Partial Product. At station 2, we practiced solving the remaining portion of Partial Product. If this activity didn't get completed in class, students are to complete it for homework. At station 3, students continued to practice their multiplication facts on the computer.

We wrapped up the day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2012-01-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

We completed our final day of this set of of Centers this morning. All of the activities were collected. Students also wrote their Lesson 13 spelling test as well as a TWAS for this week.

After recess, students enjoyed Arts Ed with Mrs. Schentag.

Our afternoon kicked off with the introduction of our final multiplication strategy. Students will be practicing "Partial Product" to solve 2 digit multiplication next week.

We then headed off to French with Mrs. Orosz and Phys Ed with Mr. Leidl.

We wrapped up our day with Social Studies. The unit test was returned to the students. Please sign and return this for Monday. We also emptied our binders to make room for the new unit, Canadian Governance Structures which we will start next week.

Have a great weekend everyon!!!

2012-01-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Early dismissal days seem to fly by so quickly!

We completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. The Spelling Test for Lesson 13 is tomorrow.

After recess, students continued to work on their Holes writing assignment.

Enjoy your afternoon!

2012-01-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

We completed day 2 of Centers this morning.

Students wrote their Social Studies test after recess. Great job boys and girls!

We then headed down to the library to exchange our books.

After lunch, we reviewed drawing with arrays to solve 2-digit multiplication. Students then practiced solving 2 more questions using this strategy.

Our day wrapped up with French and Phys Ed.

Reminders....
- Book orders are due on Friday, January 13
- Spelling Test on Friday, January 13

2012-01-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

We started a new set of Centers this morning. Remember to practice your spelling words for Friday!!

After recess, we worked through three pods in Science. At station 1 students worked in small groups to construct an experiment where they had to determine if the mass of baking soda would change after you mix it with vinegar. At station 2, we discussed raw material and manufactured material. Students then had to choose an item used before 1900 and complete an advertisement for their item. Students explored the Science links on the blog at station 3.

After lunch, we completed Math pods. At the first station, students continued to practice drawing 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication questions. At the second station, students could choose either strategy, drawing or building with base ten blocks, to solve 2 questions. The third station was computer based where students practiced their multiplication tables.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Don't forget to study for your Social Studies test tomorrow!!

2012-01-09T15:42:00.001-07:00

We started off our week by wrapping up our latest set of Centers. Students handed in their activities this morning. Students were also given their spelling words for this week. Please remember to practice them for Friday's test.

After recess, we completed Math Pods. At station 1, students continued to build arrays to solve 2-digit multiplication questions. At station 2, students were introduced to a second strategy, drawing the array. We worked through a few examples. We will continue with this strategy tomorrow. At station 3, students continued to practice their multiplication facts on the computer.

We continued to work on our RAFTS activity during writing. I'm very interested to see which items with holes students decided to describe.

During the afternoon, students were given some time to study for their Social test which is on Wednesday of this week. The students have their unit reviews to study from.

The students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

We wrapped up the day with Science, discussing if mass changes when state changes.

2012-01-06T13:48:00.001-07:00

We worked to complete Day 3 of Centers this morning. The students did not write a TWAS for this week.

After recess, we reviewed the Social Studies study guide that students worked on for homework. These were returned to students so they could study over the weekend. Just a reminder...the unit test will be on Wednesday, January 11.

Students then headed down to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we worked through 3 stations during Math. At station one, students worked with a partner to solve 2-digit by 2-digit multiplication using arrays. At station two, students worked individually to solve using arrays. Lastly, station three was computer based.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!! See you Monday!

2012-01-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Students worked very hard this morning to complete Day 2 of Centers.

After recess, Room 20 headed across the hall to Arts Ed with Mrs. Schentag.

Our afternoon started off with some Math Problem Solving. We reviewed a problem that we completed before the break. The students then worked independently to complete a similar problem.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

Our day wrapped up with Social Studies. Students were provided their unit review for the test. These reviews are due tomorrow. Our unit test will be Wednesday, January 11.

2012-01-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone and Happy New Year!! It was great to get back into the classroom routines once again.

We started off the new year with a new set of Centers. Some of the groups have been switched around a bit so some students might have made a change into a different classroom. Students are doing extremely well in the guided reading groups!! Super job everyone!! Each of the groups started with a new anthology today!

After recess, we wrapped up our Organizational Trait in writing by discussing endings in our writing. Students will be focusing on using 4 different types of endings.

Students worked in partners to create new endings for two children's books.

The students were then given their writing assignment to wrap up this trait. Students will be writing an expository piece based on a given RAFTS. Students will be assessed on 6 different components that we have discussed so far. We will continue with this writing activity next class.

After lunch, students jumped right back into Math. The students are bringing home their multiplication test that they wrote before the break. Please sign and return as soon as possible.
Students worked through three station today. We will be continuing with the second part of our multiplication unit. At station 1, students worked with partners to play Multiplication Tic Tac To to review their multiplication facts. At the teacher table, students were introduced to the first of three strategies for multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit numbers. Students will be building arrays with the base ten blocks to solve as one of the strategies.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.
Have a great evening everyone!

2011-12-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!! See you after the Holidays!!

2011-12-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Students kicked off the day by completing Day 3 of Centers. Tomorrow will be our last day of Centers before the holidays. All activities will be collected tomorrow.

We then headed down to the gym to enjoy wonderful entertainment and a yummy turkey lunch!

After lunch, students continued to work on their How To paragraphs. We discussed the editing marks that we will be using throughout the year. Students were asked to look for periods and capital letters in their work. We also looked for words that we thought might not be spelled right within our writing pieces. Students were then responsible to use the Dictionaries, computers, or Ipods to find the correct spelling.

Students then headed to French and Phys Ed. Our day wrapped up with Read Aloud.

Have a great evening everyone!

Reminders:
Christmas Party - Thursday, December 22
Early Dismissal (2:00pm) - Thursday, December 22
PJ Day - Thursday, December 22 (SCAMO goal)

2011-12-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Great job this morning Grade 5!! The students had dress rehearsal for the Christmas concert this morning and did a wonderful job. Parents are in for a real treat on Monday!!

After recess, the Grade 5's had an opportunity to shop at Santa's Workshop. All together, the Grade 5's raised over $500!! Super job everyone!! Thank you to everyone who donated items to the Workshop.

This afternoon, students corrected their Compatible Numbers and Compensation activity from yesterday. Students also used the time to study. Remember that Monday, December 19 is our Math unit test. Please don't forget to bring your binders back to school on Monday.

We wrapped up the day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud!

Have a super weekend everyone!!

2011-12-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

We started off our Thursday morning making corrections on our Math Review booklet. Students will write their Math test Monday, December 19. I will be sending home their binders tomorrow. Please make sure that the binders come back to school on Monday so we don't misplace them over the holidays.

Room 20 then worked extra hard during Santa's Workshop. They eagerly helped the younger students shop for someone special in their lives. Great job boys and girls!!

After lunch, students continued to practice using Compatible Numbers and Compensation to multiply.

Our day ended with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Remember that tomorrow is our dress rehearsal for the Christmas concert.

2011-12-14T13:42:00.001-07:00

Wednesday kicked off with Day 2 of Centers. Remember to practice your Spelling words tonight. Your spelling test is Friday!

After recess, the grade 5's helped the Kindergarten students through Santa's Workshop. We will be helping the rest of the classrooms tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who donated items for the workshop this year. We have many little goodies in store!!

The students headed down to library before lunch.

In Social Studies, students worked to complete "Where Did That Name Come From?" In this activity, students had to research to find out the origin of a variety of city/town names in Canada. This activity wraps up our Multicultural Canada unit.

The day came to a wrap with French and Phys Ed.

2011-12-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Students were introduced to their last set of Centers before the break this morning. We are continuing to work extra hard at the guided reading table. Excellent work Grade 5!!

After recess, students worked through four stations during Science. Students were exploring reversible and non-reversible changes in a variety of items. Super job!!

Students worked on their Math review after lunch. Those students that did not get finished were asked to complete the review for homework. The review is due tomorrow.
Students also worked in small groups to create short videos that help to explain the various estimation and mental math strategies that they will see on the unit test.

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

2011-12-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Students worked hard on day 4 of Centers this morning. All of the activities were collected. We will start our last set of Centers before the Christmas break tomorrow. Students were also given their Lesson 12 spelling words. Students are expected to know their words for the test on Friday.

After recess, we worked on correcting various Math worksheets. Students will receive the review for the first half of our unit tomorrow. We will have a Mental Math Multiplication test on Monday, December 19.

After lunch, students worked with their partners to finish the Immigration web search activity that they started last week.

Our day wrapped up with French and concert practice.

Have a great evening everyone!

2011-12-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

Students wrapped up Day 3 of Centers to start of our day today. We wrote our lesson 11 Spelling Test as well.

After recess, students worked on an activity in Social where they had to summarize 5 ways that the Citizenship and Immigrantion Canada website would be helpful to an immigrant of Canada. We will continue working on this next class.

Students then had Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, students completed Math Pods. Students worked at two of the stations to review the 3 Mental Math strategies they have been introduced to. We will be having a unit test on these strategies before the Christmas break.

Our day came to an end with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

2011-12-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Centers started off our day this morning. Remember to practice your spelling words tonight!!

After recess, students headed down to Art with Mrs. Schentag where we also practiced for the Christmas concert.

Enjoy Early Dismissal!!

2011-12-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

We started a new set of Centers this morning. We only have one more set to go before the Christmas holidays!! Please remember to practice your spelling words for Friday's spelling test.

After recess, students worked through 4 writing stations. Each of the stations focused on using transition words in our writing. At station 1, students worked to put a paragraph in the right order. At station 2, students were to describe a weather forecast for a 5 day period, using transition words to connect the days. The third station had students begin planning for a "How To" guide for a topic of their choice. The fourth station was on the computer.

Students were introduced to the third mental math strategy today, Compatible Numbers and Compensation. We will continue with this strategy tomorrow. Students also completed a review of the Breaking it Down strategy.

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

2011-12-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

We completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. Students handed in all of their activities. Just a quick reminder to those students who have been absent...it is your responsiblity to gather the Center activities that you have missed and complete them.

After recess, we took some time to catch up on some corrections that students have had in Math. We will continue with the mental math strategy of Breaking it Down tomorrow.

Students then headed off to Library with Mrs. Schentag.

Our afternoon consisted of Christmas concert practice, French, and Phys Ed.

Have a great evening everyone!

2011-12-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Great job during Centers this morning boys and girls! You did a wonderful job of staying focused and determined to get your centers completed. Students picked their spelling words for this weeks test this morning. The spelling test will be on Friday, December 9.

After lunch, we completed 4 Science stations. The first station was on the computer using the Scienc links on the blog. The second station was with Mrs. Kulcsar where students explored various materials and their properties. The third station was with myself where we used various substances, such as corn starch, flour, sugar, salt, and sand to discover how their properties changed when we added water. The fourth and final station was a glossary activity where students added 6 new words to their Science glossary.

Our afternoon kicked off with three stations in Math. Students were introduced to a new mental math strategy, Breaking it Down. Students also worked on a Problem Solver at the independent station. The third station was on the computer.

The day ended with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2011-12-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Students worked through day 2 of Centers this morning. We wrote our Lesson 10 spelling test then wrote our TWAS for the week. Keep an eye out for TWAS after school today!!

After recess, students worked very hard at Math pods. At teacher table, students practiced the multiplication strategy of Halving and Doubling.

Students also practiced Halving and Doubling at the Independent Station. They did a super job and worked very hard!! The third station was at the computers practicing their multiplication facts.

After lunch, students practiced for the Christmas concert. We also had Phys Ed.

We finished off the day by reading and discussing about Changes in Matter in Science. We reviewed the activity that we will be completing tomorrow.

2011-11-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Students completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. All of the activities from the previous days were collected. We will start a new set tomorrow.

After recess, students headed to Art where we began to practice for our Christmas concert. Great job today boys and girls! Great start!!

Students completed an Exemplar today that incorportated multiplication. Students were able to choose their own strategy to solve the problem.

French and Phys Ed helped to round off our afternoon.

We wrapped up our day with Social Studies and discussing the graph that we prepared last class. Students looked at where the population of Canada has immigrated from and how those numbers have changed over the years.

2011-11-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up Day 3 of Centers this morning. We are continuing to practice various reading strategies at guided reading. Some groups are working on activities such as distinguishing between literal and inferential questions and finding similarities and differences among two pieces.

After recess, students worked hard on completing their beginning/middle/end stories. We will be taking the stories that students completed today and comparing them to the original stories they wrote last week. I think the students are going to be surprised to see their improvement!!

Our afternoon kicked off with Math Pods. Students worked through three stations. At station 1, students worked with estimation and problem solving. At station 2, students completed an activity where they had to use all three estimation strategies that we learned yesterday. Station 3 was at the computers.

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

2011-11-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Our week started off with Day 2 of Centers. Students were given their Lesson 10 spelling words. The spelling test will be on Friday, December 2....is it really December already????

We completed Math Pods after recess. Students continued to practice multiplying using multiples of 10. At teacher table, students were introduced to estimation and multiplication. Students were surprised to know that we will be using the same strategies that we used in our Whole Numbers unit (compatible numbers, compensation, and front end rounding). Students practiced their multiplication tables on the computer at the third station.
PLEASE continue to practice your multiplication facts nightly. Some students are finding this unit extremely difficult as they aren't comfortable with their multiplcation facts.

Students also had library today with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we continued to work on our immigration graph that we started last week in Social Studies. We will discuss this graph next class.

Our day wrapped up with French and Phys Ed.

2011-11-25T14:27:00.001-07:00

We started a new set of Centers this morning. Great job Grade 5! Students wrote their lesson 9 Spelling Test, as well as their TWAS. Please sign and return these on Monday. Some students have left their TWAS folders at home. Please send them back to school.

After recess, students completed 4 stations in Science. At station 1, students completed a glossary activity defining 6 terms we will be working with over the next week. At station 2, students described different changes in matter that they could find in a picture. At station 3, students worked to compare the mass of various objects. The fourth station was a computer based station where students could access the various links on the blog.

Our afternoon kicked off with Math pods. Students worked independently on a worksheet where they had to find mulitplication questions that were wrong, and correct them. Students worked at the teacher table on a new concept of multiplying numbers by multiples of 10. For example, 9 x 30 or 30 x 60. We will continue to review this on Monday. The third station was a computer station.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Report cards, December newsletters, and book orders were handed out today. Please return the book orders by Wednesday, November 30.

Enjoy the weekend!!

2011-11-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Students completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. Great job boys and girls!! We will start a new set tomorrow.

We continued with three stations for Math. At station one, we completed filling in our multiplication table. I strongly encourage the students to practice their multiplication table nightly as we will be starting to multiply 2-digit by 2-digit numbers next week. At station two, students played a multiplication game with a partner. At station three, students continued to work on their multiplcation skills with the links on the blog.

We are continuing to work on developing the beginning, middle, and end of our writing. We will continue with this next week as well.

After lunch, we started to discuss where Canadian immigrants are originating from. We will continue with this map activity next class.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

We wrapped up our day with our first introduction to our new Science unit - Properties and Changes in Matter. Students did a quick brainstorm of the different types of matter they could see in a picture.

2011-11-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the missing posts!!

Students were treated to a school assembly this morning. We then jumped into Social. Students watched a short video in regard to immigrants and refugees in Canada. We then completed questions that discussed some of the topics we had watched.

After recess, we completed our Beginning/Middle/End writing activity from last week. Students then headed to Art.

In Math, we completed three stations. At the Independent station, students are continuing to practice their multiplication facts. We will continue this until the end of the week. At the Teacher station, students continued to fill in their known facts into their multiplication tables. Students also practiced their facts on the computer at the third station.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Have a great evening everyone! Enjoy the warm weather!!

2011-11-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

Students completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. We are continuing to focus on reading and retelling, as well as reading and paraphrasing.

Math Tests and Social Stuides Tests were returned to students today. Please review, sign, and return tomorrow.

We then headed out to Binscarth for a wonderful theatre presentation.

I will be away for the next two days. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday.

2011-11-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone enjoyed their extra long weekend!! The students came well rested to school this morning and worked very hard during Centers. Students were given a new set of spelling words today. Please practice these as the spelling test is Friday.

During Social Studies we discussed Canadian citizenship and the process that immigrants go through to become a Canadian citizen.

Students then headed off to Art.

After lunch, students wrote their Whole Numbers unit test. Great job boys and girls!! I will have these back to you as soon as I can.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
- Return Parent/Teacher Interview time request forms ASAP
- Binscarth trip ~ tomorrow
- Open Book Science Test ~ Thursday, November 17
- Spelling Test ~ Friday, November 18

2011-11-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

The students enjoyed a wonderful Remembrance Day program this morning.

Students tackled some writing shortly following the program. We are continuing to discuss how to organize our writing. Today, students were given three sticky notes and drew the beginning, the middle, and the end of a story they would like to write about. Students then took their drawings and began to write out their stories. Students worked on choosing a good lead and got a start on their stories. I'm excited to read what the students have in store!!

Students then headed to Art with Mrs. Schentag for the remainder of the morning.

Have a great long weekend everyone!! Don't forget to study for the Math test on Tuesday!!

2011-11-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

The students were introduced to a new set of Centers this morning. The guided reading groups are doing a wonderful job discussing their readings. Keep up the excellent work!!

After recess, students shared their letters they wrote with a partner last week. The students did a wonderful job expressing voice in their pieces! We then talked about Leads and looked at a variety of examples of Leads in children's books. Students then worked with a partner to develop a new sound lead, a new dialogue lead, or a new question lead for a children's book of their choice.

We corrected the unit review for Tuesday's Math test. Students were told to take home their math binders today as we will not have a math tomorrow because of early dismissal.

The day came to an end with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
- Math test - Tuesday, November 15
- Science test - Thursday, November 17
- Trip forms/$5 due ASAP

2011-11-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another week everyone! Students worked hard at day 3 of Centers this morning. There will not be a spelling list this week as it is a short week.

After recess, students worked through 4 pods in Science. At the computer pod, students had access to the links provided on the blog. Students also worked at a pod with Mrs. Kulscar discussing how systems can work together in a variety of situations. An indpendent pod has students complete a short reading and list 6 interesting facts they learned from the reading. The fourth station, with myself, read a short excerpt on the "Bionic Body" explaining how technology can improve the lifestyle of people in need.
Our Unit test in Science will be Thursday, November 17.

After lunch, students completed Math Pods. At the independent station, students worked to complete a problem solver. At the teacher table, students were introduced to using estimation to check whether our adding and subtracting answers are reasonable. The third station has students using the links on the blog.
Our Unit test in Math will be Tuesday, November 15.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2011-11-04T15:02:00.000-06:00

As another week comes to an end, Room 20 has continued to work very hard in the classroom. We completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. Students wrote Lesson 7 Spelling Test, as well as their TWAS for this week. We will not have a Spelling Test next week as it is a short week.

After recess, students completed their Problem Solver for our Whole Numbers unit. Students worked hard at the template to try to explain how they solved the problem.

Students then worked with their partner to continue their letter writing activity in which they had to pick an item that could not talk and an item that would be associated with that item. Their letters are coming along quite well!

The Social Studies tests were returned to students after lunch. I will send these home shortly. Great job Grade 5 on a job well done!! We then started our next unit, Multicultural Canada. We started today by discussing what a Census is and how it is used to help make decisions in Canada.

Students then headed off to Phys Ed.

The day came to an end with a video in Science about the Muscular and Skeletal systems. These are the last systems we will be focusing on in Science before our Human Body unit wraps up.

Have a great weekend!!

2011-11-03T15:28:00.000-06:00

Students started a new set of Centers this morning. Remember to study for your spelling test tomorrow.

After recess, students completed a Math review of all of the strategies we have used so far.

Students then went to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, students wrote their Social Studies unit test.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2011-11-01T15:41:00.000-06:00

We started the day with day 3 of Centers. Great job everyone!

After recess, we worked on RAFTS in 6+1 Writing. Students worked with a partner and tackled a variety of writing prompts to identify the RAFTS. Students then started to work on a writing piece in which they have to use a voice other than their own to write a letter. We will continue with this next class.

Math Pods started our afternoon. At teacher table students worked on corrections from previous days. At the independent station, students continued to practice using compatible numbers to subtract. The third station was computer based.

The day came to an end with Phys Ed and read aloud.

2011-10-31T15:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween everyone!!
We worked hard at Centers this morning. The students received their spelling words for lesson 7. The spelling test will be on Friday, November 4.

After recess, we completed Math Pods. At teacher table, students worked on the last estimation strategy for subtraction of the unit, Compatible Numbers. Independently, students continued to practice Front End Rounding with subtraction. The third station was computer based.

We then headed down to the library.

Our afternoon was spent enjoying the Halloween parade and some treats in the classroom.

Have a safe Halloween everyone!

November Newsletter

2011-10-30T20:07:00.000-06:00

November 2011 Newsletter

Room 20 – Mrs Shields

www.mrsshieldsblog.blogspot.com

As the snow gets nearer, Room 20 continues to “heat” up the classroom!! The students are continuing to work so hard in the classroom. Just a reminder to everyone...please do not send Halloween treats to school for snack or for lunch.

Here is what we are doing this month...

Language Arts

We are continuing with our small group instruction for guided reading during Centers. The Fontess and Ponell reading assessment has been completed. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

The students are doing an excellent job practicing for their weekly spelling tests. Students will continue practicing their words taken from the short stories we are reading, past spelling tests, and TWAS. Spelling tests will continue to be given every Friday.

We have moved into the Organization trait for 6+1 Writing. The students did a wonderful job working on their ideas and are ready for the next step. We will work on the beginning, middle, and end of our stories. Students will focus on how to put their ideas in order to help their writing flow.

Math

We are coming to the end of our Whole Numbers unit. Students will continue to practice estimation of subtraction questions to wrap up this unit.

We will then move into Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers. Students will be asked to recall basic multiplication and division facts. Students will also be multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit numbers, as well as dividing 3-digit by 1-digit numbers. Please encourage your child to practice their multiplication and division facts daily.

Social

We are wrapping up our Locations unit with our unit test during the beginning of November. Our next unit, Multicultural Canada, will have students focus on immigration and refugees. Students will be looking at population numbers and how Canada has changed over the years. We will also be researching why cities and towns have the names that they do....for example, why is our town called Esterhazy?

Science

The Human Body unit will wrap up this month as well. We will finish the unit by discussing how all of the systems we have learned so far work together. Students will have a unit test before Report Cards go out at the end of the month. Our next unit, Properties and Changes of Materials, will focus on what matter is and how the changes in matter influence the design of materials and products.

Art – Mrs. Schentag

November will be a time where Arts Ed will turn from the Visual Arts strand to the Drama strand. Students will complete their vegetable/fruit sculpture which was part of their Victor Cicansky artist study. They will also complete a Remembrance Day Poster for the poster competition. We willl culminate the unit with a comparison of traditional First Nations art and First Nations Pop Art.

In our Drama Unit, we will still focus on Pop Culture while students are engaged in drama games and activities. Students will participate in role-playing, improvisation and action/voice activities. The students appear to be very excited about beginning the drama unit. I am looking forward to working with them in this very fun and creative unit of work.

Phys Ed – Mr. Leidl

Students will review the areas of physical literacy they have participated in so far this year (sending, receiving, striking, and evading). They will also be introduced to the dominant movement patterns in gymnastics. Students will review the elements of personal safety and how they can create a safe checklist that applies to their daily lives.

French – Mrs. Orosz

Students will participate in activities around a wacky week school subject timetable in French. They will continue to do general vocabulary review and reinforcement activities, including numbers to 100, games and songs, and specific on-line activities.

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-06:00

A new set of Centers kick started our day this morning. Students wrote their Lesson 6 spelling test, as well as this week's TWAS.

After recess, students watched a short video helping to explain the nervous system in Science. We then read through some information regarding the nervous system. Students then worked together to go through a varity of scenarios and determine which of the body systems work together to make it work.

After lunch, we completed Math Pods. At the independent station, students continued to practice Front End Rounding with subtraction. At the teacher table, students corrected some of the work from earlier in the wee. The third station was computer based.

We ended our day with Phys Ed and read aloud. We started a new book today..."Walking Backward." We are very excited to read this book as we have heard many great things!!

Have a great weekend everyone! Just a reminder....please do not wear your costume until the afternoon on Monday. The parade will begin at 1:15.

2011-10-27T14:31:00.000-06:00

The day started off with the final day of Centers. Students handed in their activities. Remember to study your spelling words tonight!!

After recess, we completed Math Pods. Independently, students completed a review of all three of the estimation strategies for addition. At teacher table, students were introduced to estimation of subtraction using Front End Rounding. At the third station, students practiced Whole Numbers using the links on the blog.

We started the Organization trait in 6+1 Writing Traits today. Students were introduced to RAFTS. We will be using this to help guide our writing over the next few weeks.

After lunch, students were given their review for our unit test in Social Studies. If students did not finish the review it is homework. The review is due on Monday, October 31. The unit test will be on Thursday, November 3.

Students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

We ended the day with the return of our Famous Canadian paragraphs, as well as our 3-D models in Science. We also wrapped up our read aloud today. What a great ending to a great book!!

Have a great evening everyone!

2011-10-26T14:46:00.001-06:00

Super job once again boys and girls!! We completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. Remember...tomorrow all of the Center activities will be collected.

After recess, we discussed our last lesson in Social Studies. Students discussed a timeline of Canada's western expansion and discussed the reasons why people moved to the west in the 1800's. This wraps up unit 1. We will be getting a unit review tomorrow to start getting ready for our unit test next week.

Art wrapped up the morning for Room 20.

After lunch, we completed Math Pods. Students were introduced to the third, and final, estimation strategy today...compensation. Students also worked on a practice sheet of compatible numbers. The third station was on the computers.

Our day finished off with Phys Ed and read aloud.

2011-10-25T15:42:00.000-06:00

Another great day in Room 20! The students did a wonderful job and worked very hard to complete Day 2 of Centers this morning. Remember, to practice your Spelling words tonight.

Students will have the opportunity to Skype with Keltie Thomas, an author of one of the books that has been nominated for a Willow Award. If everything goes as planned, the Grade 5's will get a chance to ask Mrs. Thomas some questions and learn more about her book through Skype. We are all very excited for this to take place next week!!

After recess, students headed down to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

Problem Solving kicked off our afternoon. Students worked in partners to complete our next problem...

The students then headed to French and Phys Ed.

Our day wrapped up with students handing in their Famous Canadian paragraphs. I'm very excited to read through their work as I know the students have worked very hard on them.

Students then completed a self evaluation and peer evaluation for their work on their 3-D models of the digestive system.

Have a great evening!! Remember that tomorrow is picture re-take day.

2011-10-24T16:02:00.000-06:00

We kicked off the day with a new set of Centers. Students also got their new spelling words for Lesson 6. The spelling test will be Friday, October 28.

After recess, we headed down for bowling. Here are just a few sneak peaks of our morning...

After lunch, we continued to work on Estimation in Math. At the independent station, students worked on Front End Rounding. At the teacher table, we continued to work on Compatible Numbers. The third station had students on the computer and the iPod Touch's.

The day finished with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Reminders:
- Social Studies - Famous Canadian paragraph due tomorrow

2011-10-21T15:54:00.000-06:00

We wrapped up Day 4 of Centers this morning. The students handed in their activities for the week. We also wrote our Lesson 5 Spelling test and wrote this week's T.W.A.S.

After recess, students completed Math pods. Today was the first day that students got to use the iPod Touch's as part of the computer station. I don't know who was more excited....me or the students!! At the independent station, students practiced Front End Rounding, as well as writing numbers in words. At the teacher table, students were introducted to the second estimation strategy, Compatible Numbers.

Students then headed down to the Book Fair.

After lunch, students worked on their Canadian Hero paragraphs. This was the last class period they will get for this. If students are not completed, this assignment is homework. The paragraphs are to due on Tuesday, October 25.

Our day wrapped up with French and Phys Ed.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

2011-10-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

Students completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. Remember...tomorrow is the Spelling test!!

After recess, we headed down to bowling. The students had a great time!!

Our afternoon was spent designing and building our 3-D models of the digestive system. Great job boys and girls!! They were very creative and did a wonderful job!!

I hope to see everyone tonight at Family Fun Night!!

2011-10-19T15:24:00.000-06:00

What a great day Room 20 had today!! To start off our day, we enjoyed some entertainment during assembly. The Grade 2's and Grade 3's danced the "Bird Dance" while many of the Grade 5's were dancing along in their seats!!

We worked to complete a "Building Blocks" activity where students had to expand a sentence 4 different times including details such as when, size, name a place, and add a name. The students have become very good at adding details to their writing. Great job!!

After recess, we completed three stations during Math Pods. At station 1, students worked on a booklet that reviewed place value and writing numbers to the millions. At station 2, students were introduced to their first estimation strategy, Front End Rounding. At station 3, students practiced their Whole Number skills using the links on the blog.

Students continued to work on their Canadian Hero paragraph. This activity is due Tuesday, October 25.

Students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

We then started to work on our Digestive System models. Students will continue with this tomorrow.

Reminders

Book Fair - Friday

Bowling - tomorrow

Family Fun Night - tomorrow

2011-10-18T17:12:00.000-06:00

Students completed Day 2 of Centers this morning.

After recess, students continued to work on their Canadian Hero paragraphs. Most students are beginning to work on their first draft.

Students then headed down to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After recess, students enjoyed a presentation from Mrs. Charlotte Raine in regard to Willow Awards awarded to books.

Students then worked on a review of place value and writing numbers in words. If students did not complete this in class, it was homework for tonight.

The day came to an end with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2011-10-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

The Grade 5's started off the week with a new set of Centers this morning. Students picked their new Spelling words and will have their Spelling test on Friday, October 21.

After recess, Room 20 headed off to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

The afternoon kicked off with Problem Solving. See if you can solve the problem...

Students then headed to French and Phys Ed.

The day wrapped up with the students continuing to work on their Canadian Hero paragraph. Students are beginning to work on putting their ideas into a graphic organizer.

Reminders:
Assembly - Wednesday, October 19
Family Fun Night - Thursday, October 20
Bowling - Thursday, October 20

2011-10-14T20:51:00.000-06:00

Today began with Day 4 of Centers. Students handed in their activities at the end of today's Centers. Students also wrote their Lesson 4 Spelling test as well as their TWAS.

After recess we completed 4 stations in Writing. Students worked to complete their final draft of our String Along assignment. Students also worked on adding details to simple versions of The Three Little Bears and Cinderella. Students worked with me to add "Building Blocks" to their writing. We discussed how adding thoughtful details (when, size, where, and names) can be very effective. The fourth station was computer based using the links on the blog.

The afternoon was spent in Math pods. Students worked on a wrap up activity using expanded notation, standard numbers, and written numbers. Students were also given verbal numbers which they had to write in standard form, then expand. The third station was computer based using the links on the blog.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders
Bowling money and Party money
Family fun night - Thursday

2011-10-13T16:32:00.000-06:00

Our day began with Day 3 of Centers. Please remember to study your spelling words tonight for tomorrow's test.

After recess, students completed Math Pods. At the independent station, students practiced expanding and writing numbers out in words. At the teacher station, students practiced hearing numbers and writing them in digits. At the computer station, students practiced expanding numbers using the links on the blog.

The day wrapped up with library.

2011-10-12T15:31:00.000-06:00

Students wrapped up Day 2 of Centers to start off our day. Great job today boys and girls! The students continue to impress me every day!

After recess, students worked through 4 stations during Science. At station 1, the students and I read through en explanation of the digestive system and the role that it plays to keep us healthy. Students at station 2 worked as a small group to plan how they will build a model of the digestive system. Students are encouraged to bring their items asap to make sure everything is here when they need it next week. Students worked at a third station to complete the graph that represents their pulse rate from the activity we completed last week. Lastly, students watched a short video explaining the digestive system.

After lunch, we completed Math Pods. Mrs. Gale worked with expanded notation at her station. Students practiced expanding numbers. With me, we worked on writing numbers in words and using digits. The third station had students using the links provided on the blog.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
-Early Dismissal tomorrow

2011-10-11T14:43:00.000-06:00

Yet another week started off with a fresh, new set of Centers. Students also received their Spelling words for this week. The test will be Friday. The word lists are in each of the student's agendas.

After recess, we worked as a whole group to discuss writing numbers in standard form and expanded form. Students were assigned pages 45 and 46 from their textbook, numbers 3,6,8, & 9. This is homework if they didn't get through it in class.

Students continued to work on adding details and final drafts of their String Along stories in Writing.

After lunch, students spent one more day gathering 8 interesting facts about their famous Canadian. Students will start to compile their sentences into a short paragraph on Thursday.

Students then headed off to French and Phys Ed.

We ended the day by drawing a graph to represent our pulse rates from the previous Science experiment we completed last week.

2011-10-07T14:41:00.001-06:00

Day 4 of Centers started off our morning today. Students handed in their activities. A new set of Centers will start on Tuesday. Students also wrote their spelling test and wrote a TWAS for this week.

After recess, students began researching their famous Canadian. We will continue with this research next week.

Students then headed off to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we completed Math Pods. We began working with understanding 1 000 000. Students also worked with a partner and played a game called "Aim for 100 000." Students also spent some time on the computer practicing place value with the links provided on the blog.

Our day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
- Safety Patrol permission slips due Tuesday, October 11
- Bowling money

2011-10-06T14:44:00.000-06:00

Our morning kicked off with a great performance from Junior Concert. The students were treated to a magic show that was magnificent!! Here is a sneak peak of what we saw today...(Sorry, I can't flip the video!!)

We continued to work on our String Along stories to finish off the morning. Keep an eye out in the hallway for these wonderful pieces of writing!!

Students then headed off to Art with Mrs. Schentag to present their Me Boxes.

After lunch, we continued to work through the problem solver template that we started last week.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

The day ended with Social Studies where students got an opportunity to choose which famous Canadian they want to research for their expository paragraph.

Reminders;
-Spelling Test tomorrow

2011-10-05T14:57:00.003-06:00

We completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. We will not have Centers tomorrow due to Junior Concert.

After recess, students worked through 4 stations during 6+1 Writing. At station 1, students continued to work on their String Along paragraphs. Station 2 had students rolling their Detail Cubes to describe, in detail, an object of their choice. At station 3 students used their Narrow the Topic activity from last week to add more details to the final box. The fourth station had students using RazKids.

Our afternoon began with Math Pods. Students worked with a partner to create given numbers using the base ten blocks. Students then took pictures of their numbers. Students also worked through a variety of numbers and stamped the representation using base ten stamps. The last station had students on the computer using the links on the blog.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.
Enjoy the beautiful weather everyone!!

2011-10-04T15:30:00.000-06:00

We completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. Remember to study your spelling words for Friday!

Students did an excellent job on the Math test yesterday!! I'm very proud of everyone!! The students are bringing their tests home to sign and return for tomorrow.
We began our next unit today, Whole Numbers. Students worked together as a group at a station to find as many 1, 2, 3, and 4 digit numbers they could find from magazines. Students also worked with a group to build a variety of numbers using base ten blocks. Students also had a chance to play whole number games focusing on place value on the computer.

Students were able to take out library books today with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, students tried their best to write out the words to O'Canada. We are beginning the last portion of our unit focusing on Canadian symbols. We also brainstormed a number of Canadian symbols.

The day wrapped up with French and Phys Ed.

Reminders:
- Return math tests tomorrow
- Class party money ($8) asap

2011-10-03T16:40:00.001-06:00

A new week started off with a new set of Centers. The groups have also been shuffled around a bit. Students recieved their new spelling words this morning. Please check their agendas as the word lists should be listed there. The spelling test will be on Friday, October 7.

After recess, students completed three stations during Science. We worked to complete four different activities where we measured our heart rate after a variety of activities. Students were to find their pulse and count how many beats per minute their heart made. We will be constructing a graph with this information. Students also worked to draw the Circulatory System to their human body systems chart. The third station, due to the loss of the Internet today, had students explore through a variety of books that relate to the human body.

Our afternoon began with our Patterns and Equations unit test. I will have these marked and returned tomorrow.

The day came to an end with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

2011-09-30T14:22:00.001-06:00

Friday began with Spelling Tests and TWAS. Those students that headed out to cross country did not complete a TWAS today. Students then completed three stations of writing activities. Students used their String Along ideas from yesterday to begin writing a paragraph. We are continuing to focus on how to write a paragraph and the important components needed for a successful piece of writing. Students also worked to construct a Detail Cube that we will be using next week. Lastly, students were able to use the computers to practice a variety of writing skills using the links on the blog.

After recess, we completed three stations during Math. At the c-table, we used the white boards to continue practicing solving a variety of equations. Students also worked individually to practice writing problems that matched three given equations. The final station was on the computer using the blog sites. Remember....the unit test is on MONDAY!! Study hard over the weekend!

During the afternoon we watched a short video that introduced the students to the next system we will be looking at in Science...the Circulatory System. If you were away at cross country please watch the following video.

French, Phys Ed, and Read Aloud rounded off our day!

Have a great weekend everyone!! See you Monday!

2011-09-29T14:51:00.000-06:00

Our day shifted a bit from the norm as we did not complete Centers this morning. Instead, we completed stations involving 6+1 Writing. Students worked individually to write a paragraph using their Snap Shot details from earlier in the week. Students also worked with a partner to describe, with as much detail as possible, as many uses for string that they could think of. Great job on the creativity boys and girls!! Lastly, students used the Create A Story link to practice some language skills on the computer.

After recess, students completed their partner activity in Social Studies in which they compiled information describing the 7 different regions of Canada.

Students then headed down to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we discussed the Math review that students handed in yesterday. We went over each question together. Please use this as a study guide over the weekend for Monday's unit test.

The afternoon wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
- Friday, September 30 - Saltcoats Run
- Friday, September 30 - Book Orders Due

2011-09-28T14:46:00.000-06:00

We wrapped up our latest set of Centers this morning. Just a reminder to continue practicing spelling words as the spelling test will be Friday.

Students headed off to Art after recess.

After lunch, we started working on using a template to help us solve a word problem in math. Students will be going through all of the detailed steps of the problem solving process, including describing each step they are taking as they solve the problem. We will continue with this next class as we will be doing this problem together as a class.

Students then headed down to French and Phys Ed.

Our day ended with Social Studies where students continued to work on their partner activity in which they are describing the 7 different regions of Canada.

Reminders:
- Saltcoats Run Friday, September 30
- Spelling Test Friday, September 30
- Book Orders Due Friday, September 30

2011-09-27T15:27:00.000-06:00

Students worked to complete Day 3 of Centers this morning. All activities will be due tomorrow after Centers.

6 +1 Writing was filled with 4 different stations today. Students worked on the computer to compile an acrostic poem using details about themselves. Students also worked to Narrow the Topic on an idea of their choice. Students then worked on picking a pet that they would like to have and described using as much detial as possible as to why they would like this particular pet. Lastly, students worked on an individual Snap Photo activity in which they were to describe a picture using their five senses.

Our afternoon began with Math Pods. Students worked to complete matching equations to word problems which was started yesterday. Students were also given a unit review that is due tomorrow. The unit test will be Monday, October 3. The final station was computers where students played the links on the blog.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Students completed Fontas and Pinnell assessment today. Great job everyone!!

*Reminders
- Book orders due Friday, September 30
- Math test Monday, October 3

2011-09-26T14:35:00.000-06:00

Students completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. We also picked our new spelling lists. Please review these words for Friday's spelling test.

After recess, students worked on matching word problems to given equations. We also continued to work on corrections of various equations. We will be wrapping up the Patterns and Equations unit this week!!

Our afternoon started with Social Studies where students continued to work with their partners to compare the 7 different regions of Canada. Students will get one more class to complete this activity.

French and Phys Ed wrapped up the day!!

(We have begun Fontas and Pinnell reading assessment. We hope to have this wrapped up by the end of the week)

Reminders:
-Book Orders due Friday, September 30

2011-09-23T15:53:00.000-06:00

As another week comes to an end, we have continued to work very hard in the classroom. Students completed Day 1 of Centers this morning. Students wrote their first Spelling Test and completed this week's TWAS. Please don't forget to read your child's TWAS and return on Monday with a signature.

After recess, we jumped into the respiratory system in Science. We watched a short video describing the parts and function of the respiratory system. Students then read a short excerpt describing the importance of cells in the body. We then completed a fun activity that measured the lung capacity of each of the students.

Math kicked off our afternoon. We worked on some corrections with various equations. Students also worked with a partner to develop a problem from a given equation. Students also got to practice patterns and equations using the links on the blog.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Have a great weekend everyone!! See you Monday!!

2011-09-22T16:41:00.000-06:00

Students completed day 4 of Centers this morning. All of their activities were collected. A new round of Centers will begin tomorrow. Remember...spelling test tomorrow!!!!

After recess we quickly worked on some Math corrections before heading out for the Terry Fox Run.

Students are working in pairs to compare the 7 different regions of Canada. We will continue to work on this next class.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

Great job today boys and girls!! See you tomorrow!!

2011-09-21T17:02:00.000-06:00

Students completed Day 3 of Centers this morning. We have started a variety of guided reading activities at the teacher table. The students are doing a wonderful job!! Remember...Spelling Test is Friday! Students should be bringing home their agendas every night to study their words.

We then watched a short video describing the 7 regions of Canada. Students will be working in partners to complete a charting activity next class.

Students then headed to Art with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we completed Pods in Math. Students are continuing to practice equations using the links on the blog. Students also worked independently to complete various multiplication and division equations. We also started to discuss how to create equations to solve word problems.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Great day everyone!! Remember that tomorrow is the Terry Fox run!!

2011-09-19T15:44:00.000-06:00

Students were introduced to a new set of Centers this morning. Students also received their first set of Spelling Words. The Spelling Test is on Friday, September 23. Please practice these words nightly.

After recess, students worked with a partner to describe a picture using their 5 senses. Students then used this brainstorming to compile a paragraph.

Our afternoon began with Math Pods. Students completed an individual station of adding and subtracting equations. Students were also introduced to multiplication and division equations. Students continued to practice patterning and equations using the Math links on the blog. Please encourage your child to practice their multiplication facts!!

Our afternoon wrapped up with Phys Ed.

2011-09-16T15:33:00.000-06:00

As we wrap up another week, we also wrapped up another set of Centers. Students handed in their activities today and will be starting new on Monday. Students also completed their first TWAS (This Week At School). Students have written a letter to someone special in their lives that explains what they found interesting at school this week. Please sign and return the TWAS to school for Monday.

After recess, we completed Math Pods once again. Students worked independently to correct some equations work we previously completed. At the teacher station, we continued to solve addition and subtraction equations. Students are to finish this for homework if they didn't get it done in class. Students also practiced their pattern and equation skills using the links on the blog.

Students then returned and choose new books during library with Mrs. Schentag.

After lunch, we discussed in Social Studies what boundaries might look like in different situations. We completed a handout together.

Students finished off the day with French and Phys Ed.

Have a safe weekend everyone and we will see you on Monday!!

2011-09-15T18:04:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to the Parent Night last night. Mrs. Gale and I appreciate your time to explain our style of teaching and help you to get comfortable with your child's learning.

Sorry I was not at school today as my son is sick. Here is a breakdown of the day:
Day 3 of Centers was completed this morning. Remember....tomorrow is Day 4 therefore all activities will be collected and marked. Students will also be completing their first TWAS tomorrow so please keep your eyes pealed for these to come home after school tomorrow!!

Students worked to complete their title pages in Science. Students also discussed the Canada Food Guide and how eating healty can help them to maintain a healthy body. As a group, the students worked through a variety of food types to identify the food group, as well as a single serving size.

After lunch, students completed Math Pods with equations as the topic of the day!! Students worked individually to complete a handout practicing adding and subtracting equations. Students also worked with the whiteboards to practicing solving a variety of equations. The blog was also used to practice patterning and equation skills.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

I will see everyone tomorrow!!

2011-09-14T18:33:00.000-06:00

Our first assembly for the year started off our morning today!

We finished off the morning with Social Studies. Students worked independently to brainstorm three ways they could personally use a physical or political map. We also discussed the different between a country, a province/territory, and a municipality. Students also had a chance to work on the computer to identify the different provinces and territories.

We completed Math Pods as well. Students worked to complete a variety of patterns. We also continued to work on equations and solving adding and subtracting equations. Various games were added to the blog for students to practice this skill as well.

Students had French and Phys Ed to begin the afternoon. We then completed 3 questions in Science in regard to a Healthy Body reading that we discussed last class.

2011-09-13T14:47:00.000-06:00

Students completed Day 2 of Centers this morning. The boys and girls continue to impress me with their great work habits! Super job today!!

After recess, students worked in pairs to complete a Venn Diagram that compared a Physical Map to a Political Map.

Students then headed off to Mrs. Schentag for Art.

Math Pods kicked off our afternoon. Students worked independently to complete a Problem Solver where they had to look for the pattern. At the teacher station, students were introduced to Equations. Lastly, the computer station had students practicing patterning.

We finished off the day with Phys Ed and Read Aloud.

Reminders:
- Parent Night tomorrow night @ 7pm in Room 20

2011-09-12T16:38:00.000-06:00

We completed Day 1 of Centers this morning. A new set of stations was introduced to the students.

After recess, students enjoyed Art class with Mrs. Schentag.

Our afternoon kicked off with some Math Problem Solving. Students worked on using the strategy, "Use or Look for a Pattern" to solve the problem.

Students then had French and Phys Ed.

We finished up our day with Social Studies. Students watched a short video that introduced a variety of different types of maps.

Reminders:
-Book orders due tomorrow
-Parent Night Wednesday @ 7

2011-09-09T15:39:00.000-06:00

Students completed Day 4 of Centers this morning. This completes this set of activities. The activities were collected. It's very important for students to make sure their activities are completed on time. Activities will be considered late after the next set of Centers if activities aren't completed on time.

After recess, students completed an "Ideas Treasure Map." Students drew a map of a memory they have. From this map, students were to come up with three ideas. We then choose one of these ideas and wrote a short story describing this memory.

Our afternoon began with Math Pods. Students continued to work on using Patterns to solve problems.

The day wrapped up with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Reminders:
- Verification forms are due Monday
- Terry Fox pledge forms have gone home
- Book orders are due Tuesday

Enjoy a great weekend everyone!! See you Monday!!

2011-09-08T12:45:00.000-06:00

Early dismissal days always seem to fly by so quickly!! Our day began with Centers. We are continuing to discuss how to choose a "Just Right Book." Great job yet again boys and girls!!

We finished up our day working through two problems that students had to use patterns to help solve.
Students also made a quick visit to the library!!

Enjoy this beautiful weather!! See you tomorrow!

2011-09-07T14:54:00.000-06:00

We started our day with Day 2 of Centers. The students continue to become more familiar with these activities and are improving every day.

Students completed Pods in Science this morning as well. At the Computer station, students were able to browse through the KidsHealth link listed on the blog. Students also worked on designing and coloring their title pages for our Human Body unit. At teacher table, we began discussing "What makes a healthy body?"

Our afternoon kicked off with Math Pods. Students were able to choose any of the links from the blog during the computer station. Students also worked individually to create a pattern and identify the pattern rule. These will be displayed in the hallway. At the third station, we began discussing how to use patterns to solve problems.

We wrapped up the afternoon with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Reminders:
-Highlights due tomorrow
-Book Orders due Tuesday, September 13
-Early Dismissal tomorrow

2011-09-06T16:50:00.000-06:00

Students kicked off the day with Day 1 of Centers. Great job today everyone!! Remember that all activities are due Friday!

After recess, we completed Math Pods. At the computer station, students were able to choose from any of the pattern links on the blog. At the independent station, students worked on identifying number patterns, as well as the pattern rule. At the teacher station, students continued to work on identifying number patterns, without the use of a hundreds chart.

We worked through our first writing lesson today! We compiled lists of our favorite and least favorite foods, as well as things we like and don't like to do. These "Seed Idea Lists" will continue to grow as we begin to write about them.

We finished off the day with our beautiful smiles!!

Have a great evening everyone!! Enjoy the beautiful weather!

2011-09-02T17:05:00.000-06:00

As we wrap up our first few days of school, I'm looking forward to the many weeks ahead. We have a wonderful group of students in Grade 5!

This morning we enjoyed the Annual Pancake Breakfast! Thank you to everyone who was a part of making this morning happen!!

After recess, students spent some time looking through the book baskets and picking a book they might be interested in. Next week, we will review picking a Just Right Book.

Students then headed off to Mrs. Schentag for an hour of Art.

Our afternoon started off with Math Pods. Students worked at three stations. At computers students played Pattern Chomper. At the independent station, students worked to complete a variety of color patterns. At the teacher station, we worked on identifying number patterns using a hundreds chart.

The day finished up with Phys Ed and read aloud.

Have a great weekend everyone....and don't forget pictures on Tuesday!!

2011-09-01T15:49:00.001-06:00

Our first day of school was a hit!! Students have settled in and are ready to hit the books tomorrow!

We spent our morning reviewing classroom expectations, classroom jobs, and Centers.

Mrs. Schentag had a great Art class with the students after recess.

Math kicked off our afternoon. Students watched the video "Born Numeracy" and picked the top 6 ways math is used in the real world.

The day ended with Phys Ed.

Students also received the September newsletter, as well as a blog permission form and email address request. Please send these back to school ASAP.

Have a great evening everyone!!

PS.....If your child forgot a pencil case, please send one as soon as possible.

September Newsletter

2011-08-31T12:28:00.001-06:00

Welcome to a new and exciting year in Grade 5! Grade 5 has so many new things to offer students that this year will sure to be fun filled!
Communication is very important to me. I feel communication between everyone involved in your child’s education is extremely important for success. Please use my blog (www.mrsshieldsblog.blogspot.com) as a constant means of communication. I encourage parents to check the blog daily to keep up to date with what is going on in the classroom. I try to update my blog daily by including daily happenings, due dates, reminders, educational links, newsletters, and examples of student work. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me through email, kshields@mail.gssd.ca, or by phone 745-2171.

Grade 5 will be hosting a parent night on Wednesday, September 14 at 7:00 in Room 20 (Mrs. Shields classroom) to help clarify any questions you may have. Mrs. Gale and I strongly encourage you to attend this important evening. (It is not necessary for students to attend this meeting)
Attached to the newsletter you will find an email request form. Email is a very important means of communication for me. I like to send Markbook updates to the parents directly on a monthly basis so parents are aware of how their child is doing in the various subjects. With the click of a button, I am able to send an email printout of your child’s Markbook which includes each assignment and grade, as well the overall grade. You are will also be able to see if your child is missing any assignments or has been late in handing in any of these assignments. Monthly newsletters will also be sent through email rather than paper copies, unless otherwise requested.

Students will be provided with a day planner. Using a day planner is one of the most important skills your child will develop over the course of the school year. Students are expected to use their day planner as an organizational and communication tool. Students will be responsible for entering information into their day planners, taking it home and returning it back to school daily. Your support in this is appreciated.
Here is a breakdown of what the month of September will look like for us:
Language Arts:

We are using a Centers approach to Language Arts. All Grade 5 students have been split into 8 different small groups. Smaller reading groups have been created to help create individualized instruction. Students may be completing these Centers in either my or Mrs. Gale’s classroom.
Guided Reading – Students will be enjoying a variety of stories and poems in small groups. We will be working on reading fluency, comprehension, and written responses. Some stories or poems that we work on will lend themselves to students also writing stories or poems with similar elements, topics, or structures found in the initial story or poem.
Independent Reading – Students will be learning how to select a book that is “just right” for them. Too easy a book does not challenge and too hard a book makes reading enjoyment and comprehension very difficult. Throughout the year students will learn a variety of reading strategies that will assist them in their reading and comprehension of what they are reading.
Students will work on individual stations if they are not at one of these two reading stations. These stations include: SMARTboard, computers, SURF (novel on CD or Raz Kids), Science/Social, Math, Spelling, Newspaper, and Creative Writing.
Spelling words will be given every Monday (or first day of the week in the case of a long weekend). Students will be choosing 7 words from a word list provided from the story they are reading in Guided Reading. Each student will have an individualized list therefore it is very important for students to write their words in their agendas. Students will write their Spelling test every Friday. Please practice these words throughout the week.

Students will be writing a TWAS (This Week At School) every Friday. TWAS is a letter writing activity where students summarize what they have done at school during the week. Enjoy reading these summaries as they will be a collection of the entire year! Please sign and return these on the following Monday.
We will also be using the 6+1 Writing strategies within our creative writing class. With this system, students are encouraged to be creative and let their individualities shine! At this stage in our writing process, we are focusing on Ideas, the first of the 6+1 traits. With this trait, we are not concerned about spelling words correctly. We want kids to step out of their comfort zone and use words that may not be common place for them.
Read aloud has been scheduled into our day. I feel reading aloud to students is a critical component of modeling reading strategies and allowing students to simply enjoy a good book. We are starting off the year with “Hatchet,” an adventure filled realistic fiction book.
Math:

We will be using a Math Pod approach during our Math classes. Within this system, students rotate through three separate stations. One station is always computer based. I will continue to post the sites we use in the pods on my blog site for students to practice the skills. A second station, guided by myself, is for introducing new concepts. At this station, we often work through examples and begin working on the new concepts. The third station is meant for reinforcement of the previous lesson. The activities done at this station are usually hands on.
Our first unit in Math is Patterns and Equations. Throughout this unit students will be analyzing number patterns and stating pattern rules. We will also be working with problem solving strategies by applying patterning. Students will also be working with number expressions and solving equations.
We will also work to practice our problem solving skills using Problem Solvers and Exemplars.

Social Studies:

Our first unit in Social is titled Canada-The Land. Within this unit, students will be comparing physical and political maps, as well as defining a country, a province, and a municipality. Students will also be challenged to identify all of the provinces and territories, as well as when they entered into Confederation. Students will also spend some time discussing how the Western expansion of Canada affected our country. Focus will then shift to the 7 Physical Regions of Canada (ex. The Canadian Shield). Lastly, students will investigate a variety of Canadian symbols.

Science:

We are kicking off our year with the Life Science unit – Human Body Systems. Students will learn how to maintain a healthy body. Students will also investigate the structure and function of the major organs of a variety of human body systems. Lastly, students will discuss how the various human body systems function together.

Physical Education/Health (Mr. Leidl):

The Grade 5’s will begin their Physical Education classes focusing on sending and receiving skills. Students will also work on fitness planning, strength training, and flexibility skills. Participation, fun, and enthusiasm are required.

Students will get an overview of the Grade 5 Health Curriculum which will begin with a unit on Personal, Social, and Emotional Wellness. Students will learn strategies to improve their fitness and wellness initiatives.

Arts Education (Mrs. Schentag):

Welcome back to another school year! I hope that everyone had a relaxing and fun-filled summer holiday.

I am very excited to be teaching your child Arts Ed this year, as well as working with them in the library. This year in Arts Ed I will be implementing the new curriculum so the students will be exposed to entirely new content and experiences in the 4 strands of Arts Ed - Visual Arts, Drama, Dance and Music. The emphasis in this new curriculum will be on pop culture and how it influences the students' lives and choices. Students will draw from their own experiences with pop culture to inspire them in the artwork that they complete this year.

For the month of September, we will be working on a Visual Arts unit. The students will learn about what pop culture and pop art is and then complete various art projects based upon this knowledge. We will discuss and explore how the media influences the students' decision-making as well as learn about the Elements of Art, such as line, shape, colour and texture.

One main project that we will be completing in this unit is a "Me" Box. Students have already been asked to bring a shoebox to school. They will also be asked to bring a number of articles from home that they can use to decorate this box. Please watch for a letter to be brought home by your child in the next day or 2 explaining this assignment in more detail. Thank you for helping them get prepared for this assignment.

I look forward to a fun and rewarding school year. Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions. I do welcome anyone who has any artistic talents that they would like to share with the students. Just give me a call at school!

Have a great year everyone!!

Welcome Back!!

2011-08-27T22:29:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to another school year!! Please feel free to browse our Blog! I update our classroom blog daily to update parents and students on our daily activities. All links that we use in the classroom are also provided. Please bookmark our blog in your favorites!!

2011-06-16T16:02:00.000-06:00

As we continue to be very busy in the classroom we are wrapping up many things as the end of the year quickly approaches.

Students continue to work on their Author Studies. The due date is Tuesday, June 21. I encourage students to take their books home with them.

Students continue to work on their book talks...

We are currently wrapping up our last math unit, Statistics and Probability. Students are writing an open book "Show What You Know."

Students are very excited about the school trip on Wednesday, June 22. Please remember to bring a bag lunch and a towel.

2011-06-01T15:01:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,
Sorry it's been almost a month since I've posted last!! There is so much going on in the month of June that it's important to keep you updated.

We started our day off with Centers. Students are currently working on an author's study. Each student is reading a Gordon Korman book. Students have a choice from different activities and are welcome to work at their own pace.

After recess, students had Art with Mrs. Schentag.

We worked on the second section of our AFL math assessment after lunch. Students are doing a wonderful job working this assessment. Great job Grade 5!!

We read from our classroom novel after lunch and finished up the day with Phys Ed.

Please keep an eye on the June calendar at the bottom of the blog because as important dates come up, I will add them to the blog.

* Please bring $5 for swimming as soon as possible.