Special visitors arrive in Room 5!

On Thursday, May 29, we had some special people visit our class. In the photo you will see Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada and his wife, Laureen Harper. We were also visited by Melinda Gates, of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Queen Rania of Jordan. Later, President Kikwete of Tanzania came by to visit us too!

The students worked very hard to write a message to each of our visitors. They figured out that to make 5 cards, 19 students plus 1 teacher ( 19+1=20) would have to make 100 paper messages altogether! Our tradition in Room 5 is to glue all these messages into cards and decorate them. We gave these beautiful cards to each of our visitors and they were so happy to receive them! It was interesting to think about how these cards will now go to Ottawa, The United States, Jordan and Tanzania.

What a wonderful day in Room 5!

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a non-fiction story in the homework writing journal. The students were asked to write either about the famous people who visited our classroom this week or the butterfly project that finished up on Friday. There is also a math review worksheet with questions that cover many math strands from this year. This homework is due on Thursday, June 5th.

Please note:

The warm weather has finally arrived! The rays of the sun can be very strong. Recall that students are outside for over an hour  each day (2 x 15 minute recesses, plus a 30 minute lunch recess). Sometimes, Ms. Francesca has her gym class outside too. Please have your child prepare for the warmer temperatures by having them bring to school:

* a water bottle that can be kept at his/her desk and taken to gym
* a hat
* sunscreen (applied at home or a tube to be applied at school)

News for May 30

News for May 30

Of course the BIG news was the visit of the important people to our classroom on Thursday! Photos can be found in a separate posting.

In math, the students learned about measuring capacity, or the amount (of solids or liquids) that a container can hold. Using standard and non-starndard units, the students did different activities to discover that the size and shape of a container can fool our eyes about the capacity of a container.

In writing, the students used their photos of the Picasso-style art they made to write stories using these photos as characters. Then they had another challenge. The students now have to introduce Picasso as a character in each of their stories. Will he be working at a store? A fireman? The pilot of a plane?

The students learned about the fifth (of six in total) device grouped as a simple machine. The bolt or screw is actually the simple machine called an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder. The students each had a chance to experiment with a toggle blot that actually is a lever type of nut matched with a long bolt screw.

The Painted Lady butterflies came out of their chrysalids this week. It was so exciting! The students spent a lot of time reflecting on just how the butterflies managed to get their butterfly shapes after being in the sort of cylinder shape of the chrysalis. They broke open the plastic bags containing the lego models they built last week to model what happens when the butterfly comes out of the chrysalis. The star student was wrapped in paper to know what it felt like to be inside a chrysalis and the students used large pieces of fabric to feel what its like to unfold the wings and fly away. Did you know that butterflies use insect blood called hemolymph to pump up and straighten out their wings when they come out of the chrysalis? After the wings are straightened out, the hemolymph squirts out (that explains the "blood" all over the table and butterfly cage).

The students found out that butterflies drink but don't eat (and caterpillars eat but don't drink). They use a straw-like tongue called a proboscis. The butterfly tongue is as long as its body so it curls it up in a spiral when its not using it. The students used measuring tapes to see and feel what it is like to have such a long tongue and what it takes to roll it up into a spiral to store it. Finally, the class went outside to release the butterflies so they could be free. Some flew up higher than the school!

The students folded small origami boxes and decorated them with colourful symmetrical paper butterflies. These boxes were made to hold an empty chrysalis as a memory of our class project. These boxes went home with the children on Friday.

Books read aloud this week:

Capacity by Henry Pluckrose
OOOOh, Picasso! by Mil Niepold
The Butterfly Alphabet by Kjell B. Sandved
Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to complete the reading comprehension activity and the math work. This homework is due on Friday, May 30th.

This week, all the students in the school were checked for head lice. Below is a link to the Toronto Public Health website for more information on prevention and treatment of head lice:

http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=91c662ca69902410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=80f862ca69902410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

Important Dates:

June 3 - Author Joyce Grant visits our school (AM).
June 6 - P. A. Day - There are no classes on this day.
June 14 - Fun Fair (11:00-3:00)
June 17 - Primary Concert at Hodgson Senior Public School (6:30)
June 26 - Report cards go home.
June 27 - Last day of school.

News for May 23

News for May 23

This four-day week had the children spending a lot of time learning and thinking about our caterpillar/butterfly project!

The caterpillars have now all changed into the chyrsalis (or pupa) stage of the life cycle. The children had a chance to examine the chyrsalids and explain their hypotheses about what was happening inside as the caterpillars change (metamorphosis) into butterflies. We learned that inside there is sort of a "caterpillar soup" as the cells change their function, shape and colour. Using 20 lego bricks the students made a long shape, then inside a bag, they took the bricks apart and reassembled them into a different shape to help them understand what was happening inside the chyrsalids.

In math, the class learned about mass and weight and how to measure them. The students used a scale and plastic cubes to measure the mass of various objects they chose from around the classroom. They also compared the masses of different objects. They held a one kilogram bag of sugar to help them understand how heavy a kilogram is. Students have an average mass of 22 kilograms or 22 bags of sugar!

Our class has started a project on the artist Pablo Picasso. We read books about his life and art. One of the things Picasso liked to do was to make beautiful art using ordinary things. So, the students had a chance to do just that. The children were challenged to create faces using materials they found around the classroom. I took photographs of these faces and now the students are writing about these characters they created. The students also wrote down their questions about Picasso and these questions will help to guide our research about his art and his life.

In our guided reading time, the students have begun the second round of testing for the year. (Students are tested in October and May each year.) This testing will continue next week.

In science, the children learned about another simple machine called the lever. They learned that the scissors, staplers and even their arms and elbows are examples of  levers.

The children helped Ms. Mantello get ready for the visit of the author Joyce Grant by putting the stories and art they made last week into a binder to give to her on June 3rd. They also painted a huge sign to hang in the gym, welcoming her to our school.

On Friday morning, all the students in our school went outside to participate in the Jump Rope for Heart event to raise money for the Canadian Heart and Stroke foundation. The children jumped and jumped and jumped to remind us to exercise to keep our hearts healthy.

Books read aloud this week:

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil by Hanoch Piven
Weight by Henry Pluckrose
Lumpito and the Painter From Spain by Monica Kulling
Pablo Picasso by True Kelley
Picasso and the Girl With the Ponytail by Laurence Anholt
The Boy Who Bit Picasso by Antony Penrose

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a fiction story about a caterpillar in the homework writing journal. There is also a math worksheet. This homework is due on Friday, May 23rd.

News for May 16

News for May 16

This week the focus of our writing and science time was on our caterpillars! The students checked their caterpillars everyday. Each time they measured the caterpillar, drew a picture and wrote down how it has changed. They also wrote down their questions and hypotheses about what they saw. These questions helped to guide our research. For example, did you know that caterpillar poop is called "frass"? The class also learned a song about caterpillars and butterflies with American Sign Language signs.

In math, the children worked on their understanding of symmetry by applying what they know to new types of pictures and drawing lines of symmetry. Later in the week, the students used their knowledge of direction words and spatial orientation to help them understand how to draw their own maps.

In writing, the children learned how to use quotation marks in their writing to properly show how characters speak. By putting a set of quotation marks at the beginning and ending of the words that a character says, it shows the reader what was actually said.

Our librarian, Ms. Mantello, asked our class to draw pictures of the character Gabby from Joyce Grant's books that she has read to the students during our library time. So, not only have the children drawn pictures, but also they wrote stories about the pictures they created. The children will give these pictures and stories to the author when she visits our school on June 3rd.

In guided reading, the students read about simple machines. This week we read about inclined planes, pulleys and wheels and axles. The students also had a chance to create their own set of two wheels attached with an axle to learn first why wheels are round (and not rectangular!) and how wheels make moving things easier and faster.

The students integrated math and art by creating shapes from cardboard squares that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Then they outlined the shape they made many times as they slide the shape along the paper to create a pattern with no spaces in between the shapes. Then they used  3 different watercolour pencils to put colour on the shapes in a repeating pattern. This art is now on display in our classroom.

The students continued to practice Speed Stacking and they recorded their times to show that they are getting better as they practice!

Books read aloud this week:

Zoom! (short chapter book) by Tim Wynne-Jones
Weasels by Elys Dolan
Spork by Kyo Maclear

Update from Ms. R

I would like to wish all the mothers of students in Room 5 a very happy Mother's Day!

The homework for this week is to name the Pet Valu mascot and write a story about him or her. (The Pet Valu mascot will visit our classroom on June 11th!) There is also a math worksheet on using directions to move along a surface and on symmetry. This homework is due on Friday, May 16th.

Please Note:

The Spring Concert on May 15th is for grades 4, 5 and 6 and students from the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing department.

The Primary Concert for grades 1, 2 and 3 (English and French) will be on Tuesday, June 17th. The students in Room 5 will be in this concert. More information will follow soon.

News for May 9

News for May 9

This week the students worked hard to create and wrap original necklace designs as gifts for Mother's Day. Also...the caterpillars arrived for our science project!

The students created a movie about the countries they studied for their social studies projects. They sang the song "Everywhere Man" with the names of the countries as part of the lyrics and were filmed saying cool facts about the countries they studied. This video can be seen at the end of this posting.

The students finished their stories based on what happened before the movie (prequel), A Grand Day Out or after the movie (sequel). These stories will be typed up this week.

In math, the students learned about how to use direction words (for example, left/right, north/south) to move along a surface. The children also learned how to recognize symmetry and how to use a "mira" to help decide if an image is symmetrical.

In science, the students began to talk about movement as a beginning to understanding simple machines. We read about all the different ways objects move (for example, rolling and sliding). The students made a simple button toy and we discussed all the different ways that it could move, especially, spin and vibrate! We also read a non-fiction story about how the simple machine called an "inclined plane" makes moving things (and people) up and down, easier.

On Tuesday morning, our class took part in the Primary Track & Field event. The children did many events like, 200 metre run and long jump. Everyone tried their best and showed good sportsmanship.

Our caterpillars arrived this week. These caterpillars will turn into Painted Lady butterflies in a few weeks. The students measured how long they were, drew pictures of what they looked like and most importantly, they wrote down the questions they had about these small creatures. The students record their observations in small science notebooks that each child made. We use these questions to guide our research. So far the caterpillars have grown from about 1 cm to about 2 cm. The job of a caterpillar is to eat a lot and to try not to get eaten by a predator. We learned that the light brown spheres are called "frass" and are actually caterpillar poop. The small black bits are actually the caterpillars skin and exoskeleton that it sheds (like pulling off a sock) as it grows. The web-like stuff over the caterpillar is sticky and is used to protect it.

Speed Stacking is getting even better in Room 5 because Ms. Farrelly and Ms. Schneider visited our classroom and gave us brand new cups and timing mats! We record the times on chart paper and after practicing the students will get timed again to see how much they improved.

Books read aloud this week:

Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button (The students of our school voted this the winner of the Blue Spruce Award for children's fiction.)

If You Hold a Seed by Elly Mackay

A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna

Caterpillars to Butterflies by Camilla de la Bedoyere

Gravity All Around by David Conrad

Our Countries Video!

The Room 5 Interview Show!

This week Abhi and Alex interviewed Mr. Pearce. He is a supply teacher at our school.

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a story in the homework writing journal that includes the probability words: certain, likely, equally likely, unlikely and impossible. There is also a math worksheet on probability. This homework is due on May 9th.

NOTE:

The school has begun a fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, called Jump Rope For Heart. Students are asked to collect money for this charity. The last day for this campaign is Friday, May 23. On this day, all the students at school will be outside together, being active to keep their hearts healthy!

A collection envelope was sent home with your child on Friday.

News for May 2

News for May 2

This week we went to the Book Fair in our school library. Mabel's Fables, a local bookstore,
set up a small store in the library and students could shop and buy books there.

The students worked hard on their writing challenge this week. The challenge was to write a story with the characters from the movie, A Grand Day Out, that the class watched last week. The students learned that if their stories happened before the movie, it is called a "prequel". If the stories happened after the movie ended, it is called a "sequel".

The children wrote a reflection on their cursive name art projects and of course, they wrote the words in cursive! The students were asked to think about what was easy and hard about doing the activity. Because the name art is also in reverse, the art reminded the students of things like skeletons and aliens. The finished art and writing assignments are now on display in the hallway outside of our classroom.

In math, the class finished the unit on probability. The children flipped coins, rolled dice, spun spinners and played games. They also worked very hard to use math language outside of math class. We tracked how many times the children said the words: certain, likely, equally likely, unlikely and impossible.

The students finished their country posters! The students will be sharing the information learned about all 20 countries with the rest of the class. We will be posting facts about these countries in a video, to be created next week.

The class began an activity, to improve hand-eye coordination, called Speed Stacking or Sport Stacking. After reading about the history of Speed Stacking during guided reading time, the students tried stacking cups themselves. It's not as easy as it seems! The children watched a DVD of a champion Speed Stacker to see some of her tips and tricks. Finally, each child had a chance to time his/herself using the official Speed Stacking competition timing mat.

Books read aloud this week:

Boy + Bot by Anne Dyckman
Lego Man In Space by Mara Shaughnessy
Rabbit & Robot by Cece Bell (short chapter book)
Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds