Week of December 14 - 18, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Complete and hand in Similes worksheet tomorrow.
2.  Spelling Dictation #10 is tomorrow.
3.  Fruits Veggies and Snacks for Friday party.  No chips/cheetos/doritos please.  An example of a snack could be cake, cookies, cheese and crackers.  We have two students with nut allergies so please be mindful of what is sent.  Ingredients lists are important.  Thank you!
4.  The Science activity on Technology  will be completed tomorrow with a 2 paragraph in-class written judgment of the technology.  Students should take into account the perspectives on the invention and then make a decision about its ultimate worth, with some reasoning for their choice.

Wednesday HW
1.  Complete any unfinished posters from our Literacy In Action Activity and return them tomorrow.
2.  Spelling Dictation #10 is on Friday.
3.  Fruits Veggies and Snacks for Friday party.  No chips/cheetos/doritos please.  An example of a snack could be cake, cookies, cheese and crackers.  We have two students with nut allergies so please be mindful of what is sent.  Ingredients lists are important.  Thank you!
4.  Do some internet reading on the technology you chose for the Science paired activity we started today.  For the in-class assignment students choose a technology that had an effect on a human body system, summarize the technology, outline what the effects on the body are, and make a judgement on whether this is a useful, helpful invention or not.  The internet reading is to provide a background in addition to the computers and iPads we are using in class.  Students are reminded that the internet is free to use at any public library in the City of Toronto.

Tuesday HW
1.  Complete your angles Reading Buddy card.  We are giving them out on Thursday.

2.  Fruit, Veggies and snacks party on Friday.  No Chips please.  We are trying to encourage different eating choices.  Please contribute if you are inclined to do so.  It isn't a requirement.

3.  Food drive continues.  We have 79 items so far.  Thank you!

Monday HW

1.  Spelling Cycle for Word Up list # 10, including 15 sentences.  Last week 12 students did not complete this work by the end of the week, despite starting it in class.

2.  Fruit, Veggies and snacks party on Friday.  No Chips please.  We are trying to encourage different eating choices.  Please contribute if you are inclined to do so.  It isn't a requirement.

3.  Food drive continues.  We have 59 items so far.  Thank you!

Week of December 7 - 11, 2016

Thursday HW
1.  Spelling Dictation #9
2.  Finish last two panels of the Character place mat.  We started this in class today for 20 minutes.
** The computer in my class was acting up last night and I wasn't able to update the site until Friday AM

Wednesday HW
No HW.  Concert tonight.  Book report is due tomorrow

Tuesday HW
1.  Math Quiz Wednesday December 9:  Lessons 1, 2, and 4 from Unit 3.
2.  Complete MMS Lesson 3.5 which was started in class today.
3.  Character Side of placemat for your Literature Circle book.
4.  Book Report due on December 10.
5.  Food drive -- 25 items so far!

Monday HW
1. Spelling Cycle and sentences for list 9.
2.  Math Quiz on Wednesday, December 9, 2016.  Lessons 1, 2, and 4 of Unit 3.
3.  Food Drive is ongoing.

Week of November 30 - December 4, 2015

Friday HW:

Based on the number of absent students I elected to move the Triangles and Polygons quiz to Monday, December 7.

Thursday HW
1.  Book Report is due December 10.
2.  Literature Circle reading and note taking for the last quarter of the book.  we will meet on Friday for our final oral presentations.
3.  Triangles and Polygons quiz tomorrow.
4.  Spelling Dictation #8 tomorrow.
5.  Refugee Relief Fundraising:  cookie order forms were handed out today.  Cookies can be ordered for $2.00 each by December 4 or by December 11, with correspondingly different delivery dates.  Thank you for considering a donation.
6.  Food Drive is underway.

Wednesday HW
1.  Book Report is due December 10.
2.  Literature Circle reading and note taking for the last quarter of the book.  we will meet on Friday for our final oral presentations.
3.  Do some reading on the web about the smoking topic you are researching in Science class.  Bring whatever notes you have to class for Friday.
4.  Refugee Relief Fundraising:  cookie order forms were handed out today.  Cookies can be ordered for $2.00 each by December 4 or by December 11, with correspondingly different delivery dates.  Thank you for considering a donation.
5.  Food Drive starts tomorrow.


Tuesday HW
**HW Club is today after school.
1.  Book Report is due December 10.
2.  Literature Circle reading and note taking for the last quarter of the book.  we will meet on Friday for our final oral presentations.
3.  MMS Lesson 3.4, pages 40-41.  The page numbers are somewhat hidden in the binding of the duo-tang at the bottom.  We've been stressing the importance of using proper Math vocabulary in our work (acute, right, and obtuse triangles; regular and irregular polygons) and in recording it legibly in our notebooks.  Today we also learned that the angles in a triangle add up to 180 degrees and that we can sort polygons by attributes, such as number of sides, length of sides, and types of angles.
4.  Refugee Relief Fundraising:  cookie order forms were handed out today.  Cookies can be ordered for $2.00 each by December 4 or by December 11, with correspondingly different delivery dates.  Thank you for considering a donation.


Monday HW
1.  Complete Spelling Cycle for week 8 with 15 sentences and the four lists.
2.  Good copy of the Illness In The Human Body report is due on Tuesday by 3:15.  we worked on it last week, today and we will have some time tomorrow.
3.  Book Report is due December 10.
4.  Literature Circle reading and note taking for the last quarter of the book.  we will meet on Friday for our final oral presentations.

Week of November 23 - 27, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Test pack is due with a parent signature and corrections for Monday. November 30.
2.  Tomorrow is Pizza day.
3.  We checked the rough drafts of the Illness in the Human Body report today to ensure that students knew there should be five body paragraphs and an introduction and conclusion for a total of seven in all.  We also discussed the possibilities for a diagram or graph.
4.  Literature Circles presentations tomorrow.
5.  Book Report is due December 10.  Students should be able to tell me the type of report they are doing by Monday.  I am checking early to ensure that no one submits a summary or a report that is not one of the 24 choices in the package.
6.  Spelling Dictation #7 tomorrow.

Wednesday HW
We had five students at homework club last night.  Students received support with Math problems, correction s and homework feedback.
1.  Test Pack is due with a parent signature and corrections for Monday November 30.
2.  Book Report is due on December 10.  Please identify the title of your novel to me tomorrow to ensure that you are on track.
3.  Illness in the human body rough draft is due tomorrow.  I suggested that students write it in their writing notebooks.
4.  Literature Circles work for week three is due for class on Friday.
5.  Book Fair Friday.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS Lesson 3.1.  We started a new unit on geometry today.
2.  Spelling Cycle Lists and 15 sentences for 7th Dictation (which is lesson 8 in the text).
3.  Literature Circles reading and notes for Friday.
4.  Illness in the Human Body draft due on Thursday.  It should appear in the Writing notebook.
5.  Scholastic orders are due on Friday.  Cheques only, thanks.

Monday HW
1.  Literature Circles Reading and note-taking for week three.  Presenting on Friday.
2.  Illness in the Human Body Rough Draft due on Thursday.  The rough draft can be completed in your Writing notebook and the good copy can go in the Human Organ Systems booklet.
3.  Book fair Friday.  If you want to purchase items you can bring some money.  Be sure to keep track of you funds and any change you receive.
4.  Book Report is due on December 10.

• There is a Homework Club time tomorrow (Tuesday) after school until 4:00 PM.  This will take place each week.  I will not host for just one student -- two is the minimum.  Hope to see you there.
• I gave out a scholastic book order form today.  If students wish to purchase anything, they can submit CHEQUES ONLY by Friday of this week.  I will not process cash submissions.  Cheques are payable to "Scholastic Canada Ltd."

Week of November 16 - 20, 2015

Friday HW
1.  Unit two quiz on Patterning for lessons 3 and 4 on Monday November 23.  This will mark the conclusion of Unit one.  We will start Unit three on Tuesday or Wednesday.  If students have a small geometry set at their disposal that would be a definite advantage.  I can provide 'school quality' protractors and large yellow rulers.  It's been my experience that students can handle shorter, clear plastic rulers with more control and accuracy.  These sets are often available in stores for as little as a toonie.
2.  Literature Circle presentations for week 3 take place next Friday.  Students were given page ranges to read and the tasks were reviewed with each group.
3.  A full period was allotted today to finish this Spelling text work:  page 32, # 3, 4 and 5; page 33, #7 and 'Focus On Language'.  This practice should be completed if it was not done in class today.
4.  Illness in the Human Body rough draft is due in class next Thursday.  We completed jot note organizers this afternoon with the use of iPads and laptops to supplement the paper research the students were meant to have with them.  I collected the organizers at the end of the day to assign a process grade.

Thursday HW
1.  Unit 2 quiz on Patterning for lessons 3 and 4 on Monday November 23.
2.  Spelling dictation tomorrow.
3.  Students need to have research material in class tomorrow so that they can conduct some information gathering for their Illness in the Human Body report.  Students will do some self-directed work using an organizer and the topic sheet while I moderate Literature Circle group meetings.
4.  Literature Circle presentations for week 2 take place tomorrow.  After the meetings students can make good copies on lined paper (which I will provide) to place in their orange duo-tangs.

Wednesday HW
1.  Human Illness research material should be in class for Friday class work period.
2.  Literature Circle reading and notes for presentation are due on Friday for the week two meetings.
3.  Unit 1 quiz on Math Patterning is tomorrow.
4.  Spelling Dictation on Friday, November 20.

NOTE:  I washed out the lunch bin for the second time in two weeks due to a spill of a drink that was not properly capped in a student's lunch bag.  In addition to the inconvenience for me, this is no fun for the rest of the students whose lunch bags get soaked to greater and lesser degrees.  I will continue to remind the students at the beginning of lunch to close their drink containers carefully and tightly.  Can you please reinforce this message with your child at home?  It was not previously an issue in our class in the first 2 months of school and we should be able to resolve this quickly.  Thank you!

Tuesday HW
1.  Human Illness research material should be in class for Friday class work period.  On Friday I will take a look at home much readiness is in evidence and then determine a due date for the rough draft.  I would like the students to write a significant amount of the draft at school, but continue to collect research work at home.
2.  Good copy of week one Literature Circle work is due tomorrow.  All the meetings went well.  we had some fruitful oral discussions  Week two reading and notes for presentations are due on Friday.
3.  Patterning Quiz 1.0 on Thursday.  The quiz is on Unit one, lessons one and two.  The "Quick Review" portions of the homework book are good resources for the style of response expected as well as vocabulary that would be presented in the instructions on the quiz.

Monday HW
1.  I was absent and did not record today.

Week of November 9 - 13, 2015

Friday is a PA Day -- No School.

Thursday HW
1.  After our first Literature Circle meetings it is time to proceed to the second week's reading.  Each novel group has a different page range and these were written on the board on Thursday.  Students also take on a new role from the four available.  These roles and the progression, were listed in their duotangs.  Readings are due for next Friday.  Students should make notes using sticky pads if they have them or with 'goose' paper from class.  As noted in Monday's entry, all of the novels are mysteries and organizing theme in inferring (making a conclusion based on reasoning, reading between the lines).
Page ranges --
Egypt Game:  pp. 59-113
Curses of Third Uncle:  pp. 38-73
Dust:  pp. 43-78
Westing Game:  pp. 63-103
2.  Choose three disease options for our Human Illness research project.  We will select them by lot next week.  Most of the writing will take place in class, but students need to gather some research materials at home to bring to school.  I have organizers to collect rough work that are once again focused on inquiry questioning.

Wednesday HW
None -- Field Trip

Tuesday HW
1.  Remembrance day Donations in the envelopes provided if you wish.  The envelopes also contain a poppy for each student.
2.  Human Illness report choices (1, 2, 3) for Thursday.
3.  Field Trip tomorrow.  Lunch, snack, water and proper dress.  Check the weather.  If the ground is wet, consider wearing boots rather than sneakers.
4.  Literature Circle reading deadline for Friday.

Monday HW
1.  MMS pages 4 and 5 (Lesson 1.2) in the navy duotang.
2.  Field Trip to Warren Park on Wednesday this week.  Students should bring a lunch, snack and a water bottle.  We will spend a good part of the day outdoors, so students should dress appropriately for the weather.  We leave and return within the school day.  No early arrival is needed, and students will be able to leave on time at the end of the day.
3.  Students were all introduced to the Human Illness research report for Science.  They should be selecting a disease they wish to write about by Thursday at the latest.
4.  Literature Circles have begun.  Students are in groups and have been given page ranges to read within a week's time.  There is reading time in class most days, but some has to be done at home.  The theme is inferring, and all the novels are mysteries.

Week of September 14-18, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Show your test pack to a parent or guardian.  Have them sign the top page.  Make corrrections on the Dictation and the Number Sense quiz.  Do NOT correct the Morrison-McCaul survey -- it's a diagnostic.  When it is corrected and signed, return it to school and put it in the bin.  They are due for Monday September 21.  The results were good overall.  I especially liked seeing evidence of syllable breakdowns in the spelling dictation, which showed me that the students were using that practice to solidify their skills.  Well done kids!
2.  Math Makes Sense Homework book (royal blue duotang) Lesson one on pages 10 and 11.  The page numbers may have been cut off on some or all copies.  It's the first lesson.  It is due tomorrow for correction.  Hereafter I'll refer to it as "MMS HW book".

** There is a spelling error in this post.  Tell me about it tomorrow!


Wednesday HW
1.  Spelling text work on page 9 (# 1, 2 and 3, including the "Try This" section).  This work is for tonight and students should return with the books tomorrow.
2.  Photo Day on Friday September 25.

Tuesday HW
1.  Word Up dictation tomorrow.  Students were reminded to bring notebooks home to study.
The correct list to prepare with is called "Personal Word Up List"
2.  DEAR book in class.
3.  Photo Day Friday September 25.
4.  To bring to school:  completed yellow info sheets, agenda money, photo of yourself.  There are still about four students who need to do this.

I reminded students that they should not leave texts, notebooks or papers at home.  They should be returned t school each day so we can use them.  Today was the beginning of our second cycle and also the beginning of my homework tracking.  Two students did not return the math practice sheets bundle which I collected before the quiz.  A final check after breakfast before leaving for school should help students develop their own skills to stay on top of their things, a goal toward which we'll work this year.

Monday HW
1.  Finish Word Up cycle:  4 Lists and fifteen sentences, using one word in each sentence from the Word Up List.  There is a 'recipe' for the spelling cycle glued into the inside front cover of the Spelling notebook that explains the steps in detail.  We also modeled the expectations twice using document camera demonstrations.  What I am finding is that students are forgetting to skip lines in the lists (it helps them see the word in space) and they are unsure of how to number a list using a margin.  I will continue to reinforce these standard practices in class and would ask for some home reinforcement as well.
2.  Word Up dictation on Wednesday.  Students should study their Word Up lists.  We spent time this afternoon nailing down which list to study.
3.  Number Sense quiz tomorrow.  This quiz is based directly on the four practice sheets we've done and corrected.  I asked students to staple the four sheets together, use them to study, and return with them tomorrow to hand them in so I can check that they made corrections.
4.  To bring to school:  completed yellow info sheets, agenda money, photo of yourself.  There are still about four students who need to do this.
5.  A DEAR book (drop everything and read) should be in class as soon as possible.  This should be a chapter book of at least 90 pages -- no graphic novels please.  The public library is a good place to get one.  We have some silent reading most days for about 20 minutes.  Currently the students graze my book collection but I want them to form a more consistent connection with a longer book and follow the story through.

Welcome to the 2015-2016 School Year!

Week of September 8-11, 2015

Thursday HW

1.  Number Sense practice 3.0.  There will be a quiz based directly on the practice practice pages we are doing this week.  The fourth one is going out tomorrow.  I do not assign weekend homework so it will be completed in class.

2.  Please bring a roll of paper towel and box of Kleenex tissue for class use.  Thanks!

3.  Yellow forms filled in and returned.

4.  A lice check form was sent home today.  Signing up for this service is voluntary.  Students are to return the form and toonie directly to the office if you choose to sign up..

Wednesday HW
1.  Number Sense practice 2.0.  I have reminded the boys and girls that long division is difficult and will likely require several tries.  If a student makes an honest effort to try a problem and doesn't get it, that is fine with me -- practicing and building skill is what we're here to do.
2.  Please bring a roll of paper towel and box of Kleenex tissue for class use.  Thanks!
3.  Yellow forms filled in and returned.
4.  Bring a photo of yourself that you can cut up.

The class seem like a wonderful bunch so far.  They are eager to participate and share ideas.  They have been very cooperative in helping bring the lunch bins up for Primary classes and they have taken to our routines well in the early going.  Thank you for the reinforcement at home and for sending well-rested kids to school each day.  

Tuesday HW
Greetings to the new students in my class for 2015-16, which will be Runnymede's Centennial Year.  I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know all of you during this first week.  We will jump right in to the school year with some ice breaker activities and some Math and Language reviews.  As the first week goes by we will be preparing for the first Math unit in Number Sense and the first Language activities with News Journals and a novel study.  

This blog will function as a weekly homework listing and be archived as the week ends.  Be sure to check out my class web page at http://areynolds.org/ all year long.  My current updates are in progress but should be complete by next week.  Plenty of useful stuff is posted, including downloads of class handouts which you should use to replace lost work.  As part of my Eco-Schools effort I am reducing the number of extra photocopies I am producing.  Usually the document can be downloaded and printed by students, using my web page as needed, by students.

At the bottom of this blog page is a calendar for the year.  I have updated it for the year.  I also use the calendar to make note of tests, field trips and other school events.  I urge you to subscribe to the blog posts to receive daily updates of your child's activity.  I do make time each day for agenda writing by the students and you should ask to see that book on a daily basis, but this page is a useful complement to that routine.  I will not be signing agendas each day, but you are welcome to do so and include any notes in it that you would like to have me look over.  Please have your child alert me to the note in the morning.  

Let's have a great year!

Week of June 15-19, 2015

Wednesday HW
1.  Return Library books and settle accounts.  16 out of 31 students have one or more outstanding Library books, not the nine who told me yesterday.  That is a significant number amounting to over thirty missing books from our class alone.  Please look carefully at home, in the car, in backpacks or elsewhere for these missing books.
2.  Party contributions.  Our class party is scheduled for Wednesday June 24.  We would like a mixture of healthy snacks and sweets.  As well, we need napkins, cups and plates.
3.  On Friday, June 19, our class is attending a hockey game at George Bell arena for The Alex Shapiro Fighting Eagle tournament.  We will leave at about 12:40 PM after eating lunch at school.  In order to return to school by 3:15 PM we may have to leave the game (which starts at 2:00 PM) a bit early.  I would welcome any parents who are able to walk as chaperones with our group to George Bell arena.  Please let your child know and have him or her tell me if you are free and willing to come.  It should be a great afternoon.

The sun will hopefully be shining.  Students should have a hat.  The inside of a hockey can be cooler than an air-conditioned room.  Students should bring a warm hoodie or sweater.  Sandals are also not a good idea due to the cooler temperatures in the rink and the long walk we are taking.  Students should wear closed toe shoes and probably add socks to the mix.  Students should dress according to the weather and observe our school's dress code.

We will NOT be bringing water bottles unless they are disposable.  NO MONEY should accompany the students on this trip and no electronics are permitted.  We will return at the end of the day to collect our backpacks before the 3:15 dismissal.


Tuesday HW
1.  Party contributions.  Our class party is scheduled for Wednesday June 24.  We would like a mixture of healthy snacks and sweets.  As well, we need napkins, cups and plates.
2.  Library Books returned.  There are nine (9) students who still have Library books at home.
3.  Class books and novels returned.  There are several class novels that are at home.
4.  On Friday, June 19, our class is attending a hockey game at George Bell arena for The Alex Shapiro Fighting Eagle tournament.  Our school's senior team is playing the Warren Park Eagles following a pep rally at the arena.

It is a walking excursion and we will leave at about 12:40 PM.  In order to return to school by 3:15 PM we may have to leave the game (which starts at 2:00 PM) a bit early.  I would welcome any parents who are able to walk as chaperones with our group to George Bell arena.  Please let your child know and have him or her tell me if you are free and willing to come.  It should be a great afternoon.

The sun will hopefully be shining.  Students should have a hat.  We will NOT be bringing water bottles unless they are disposable.  Students should dress according to the weather and observe our school's dress code.

June 1 - 4, 2015

Wednesday HW
1.  MMS 11.1 (new unit on Probability)
2.  Test pack #6 was handed out today.  It is due back in class next Tuesday with a parent signature.
3.  Yard refresh pledge forms were handed out today.  I am happy to support this parent council initiative to improve the play spaces at Runnymede.  The kids seemed excited about the plan today and had many questions about how the project would begin.

Monday HW
1.  MMS 9.6 and 9.7
2.  Math Quiz on Wednesday, June 3 on Measurement: Convert Linear Units, Perimeter, and Area.

The First Nations project was due today and I received almost all of them.  One was missing and one was half done.  I have no flexibility on this due date due to the lateness of the year.  Students who were not ready today should be aware of two things:  I did not require typing for the good copy and I provided ample class time to prepare.  If the work does appear in class over the next two days i may be able to have a look but with little feedback.

Week of May 25 - 29, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  The First Nations project is due by the end of the day on Monday, June 1.  Several students have told me they are typing it at home.  This is not a request of mine.  I am perfectly willing to accept handwritten pages.  My goal is to make this have less impact on family life.  The project should be fully assembled with any pictures and titles by the end of the day on Monday.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS 9.5.   Today's homework check was very good.  Thank you!
2.  "Truly Foolish" story rough plan in the Writing notebook.

Today I had a conference with almost every partner group for the Social Studies project.  It was terrific to see how many students were up to date and ready to produce a good copy.  We will be doing so over the next four afternoons, targeting Monday afternoon next week as the final due date.  That being said, several students were unprepared or had left their work at home.  A substantial amount of the final mark is based on there "on-the-way" check-ins.  The final good copy is only one piece of the evaluation.  I urge all students to come to school prepared for the class and adjust for absences for things like sports tournaments with their partners.

Monday HW:
1.  MMS 9.4
2.  Finish up rough copy of First Nations Project.  Find pictures.

Week of May 19 - 22, 2015

Thursday HW:
1.  Please work on folding your scooters for easier class storage.  I have nearly 10 of them on some days and it creates quite a tangle on my floor.  I realize that some do not fold down, but if they do, I would appreciate you oiling them with your child so I can store them more effectively and safely in class.  Thanks!
2.  Feats and Failures rough draft due in class tomorrow.  This is a 4 to five paragraph report on the structure you chose, written in your writing notebook.  We will work on the good copies in class next week.
3.  First Nations research project rough draft due in class on Monday.  Students should use sentences grouped into paragraphs which follow the rough outline of the organizers.  The work should appear in the writing notebook.  Next week we will assemble the collected partner pages in good copy form in class.  Students should consider images (copied or hand drawn) that could be added to the Bristol board presentation.

Week of May 11 - 15, 2015

Friday HW
1.  Thank you for your generosity for the Nepal relief fundraising.  Cookies arrive on May 22.
2.  Social Studies research and jot note making is ongoing.  We had our final in-class period today for making jot notes using organizers.  The due date for the ROUGH DRAFT is Monday May 25.  For most students that would mean two sections each composed of about 4 paragraphs each, and a few printed pictures or drawings.
3.  Feats and Failures information to gather.  The photocopy I provided to students is a starting point, rather than the total of research that could be done.  The due date for a four to five paragraph report on the structure in ROUGH DRAFT form is Friday May 22.  Today was our final day for in-class note-taking.  Students had a chance to preview the Inquiry question page I will be asking them to complete on Tuesday.  In it they are asked to generate four rich questions on the topic and write out the notes that would help answer the question.  This will provide an "on the way" snapshot of their progress toward the final report.
4.  CASI late next week.
5.  Math Quiz on linear conversions and perimeter of rectangles late next week.

Thursday HW
1.  Social Studies research and jot note making is ongoing.  We have had 7 work periods in class to create inquiry questions and make jot notes using organizers I provided.  The due date for the ROUGH DRAFT is Monday May 25.  For most students that would mean two sections each composed of about 4 paragraphs each, and a few printed pictures or drawings.
2. Feats and Failures information to gather.  The photocopy I provided to students is a starting point, rather than the total of research that could be done.  The due date for a four to five paragraph report on the structure in ROUGH DRAFT form is Friday May 22.  We've had four class periods to work on the jot notes to this point.
3.  Math Quiz on Thursday May 14 on Unit 8 Lessons 5 and 6.  These are the final lessons of the unit.  We started Unit 9 (on Measurement) today.
4.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.

Wednesday
1.  Social Studies research and jot note making is ongoing.
2. Feats and Failures information to gather.  Assignment was worked on today.
3.  Math Quiz on Thursday May 14 on Unit 8 Lessons 5 and 6.  These are the final lessons of the unit.  We started Unit 9 (on Measurement) today.
4.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.

Tuesday HW
1.  Social Studies research and jot note making is ongoing.
2.  Test pack handed out last week is due with a parent signature on Wednesday, May 13.
3.  Feats and Failures information to gather.  Assignment was worked on today.
4.  Math Quiz on Thursday May 14 on Unit 8 Lessons 5 and 6.  These are the final lessons of the unit.  We started Unit 9 (on Measurement) today.
5.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.

Monday HW
1.  MMS lesson 8.6
2.  Illustrated Tanka due tomorrow.  We had three class periods to compose after I gave instruction of how to create a tanka poem.
3.  Social Studies research and jot note making is ongoing.
4.  Test pack handed out last week is due with a parent signature on Wednesday, May 13.
5.  Feats and Failures information to gather.  Assignment was handed out today.

Week of May 4 - 8, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Social Studies project research continues tomorrow.  Congratulations to those students who were prepared and ready for a partner exchange of information today.  I heard lots of purposeful talk from those pairs.  Students have had one week to prepare for the beginning of this research time.  With the state of internet access at our school, it is just not practical to expect to find all of the research material during the day at school.  I have some books and some printed internet materials ready, but there is an expectation from me that students locate some of their own reading material.  The Canadian Encyclopedia online is a good source as are the links on my webpage.
2.  Math quiz tomorrow on Unit 8, Lessons 3 and 4.  I continue to review the material just before the quizzes.  There are more than a couple of students who seem unfamiliar with the quiz material each time.  Please encourage your child to review the Quick Review portions of the home practice duo-tang in the relevant lesson sections.
3.  A test package was handed out today.  It should be returned with a parent signature by next Wednesday, May 13.  Lots of daily math work is included with feedback as well as an inquiry questioning activity connected to our posted "deep-thinking" Q-Chart model.  Inquiry-based learning is a delivery model that our superintendent is encouraging us to follow and to introduce to parents.  As time passes, you will notice your child being evaluated on questioning skills more and more, both this year and in future years.
4.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.  Due tomorrow.  Thank you for your generosity!
5.  Scholastic orders due tomorrow.

Wednesday HW
1.  Social Studies project research should be ready for class work on Thursday.  Students have had one week to prepare for the beginning of this research time.
2.  Math Quizzes
a) Lessons 1 and 2 on Thursday May 7
b) Lessons 3 and 4 on Friday, May 8.
3.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.  Due Friday this week.  Thank you for your submissions so far.
4.  Scholastic orders due Friday.  Cheques only please.

Tuesday HW:
1.  MMS 8.5
2.  Social Studies project research should be ready for class work on Thursday.  Students have had one week to prepare for the beginning of this research time.
3.  Cookies for Nepal fundraiser.  Due Friday this week.
4.  Math Quizzes
a) Lessons 1 and 2 on Thursday May 7
b) Lessons 3 and 4 on Friday, May 8.

Week of April 27 - May 1, 2015

Thursday HW

** Our network did not permit login yesterday (Wednesday) so i could not update the blog.  Sorry.

1.  Library period tomorrow.  Bring your book for exchange.
2.  Start to gather research material for your First Nations People culture study.  We identified group pairs, selected topics and divided tasks today.  I am looking at about three weeks until the draft is due.  Partners, who chose each other, can share research material, but each has her/his own task to perform and will be graded separately.
3. Raven Story board is due in good copy form on Monday.  We've had four class periods to work on it so far.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS lesson 8.3.  Four of 23 were not ready when 8.2 was checked today, which represents a small improvement.
2.  Think carefully about a partner you can work with for our Social Studies First Nations project.  We will be looking at a rough copy due date about three weeks from tomorrow.  Your partner should match your level of commitment to school work for best results.


Monday HW
1.  MMS lesson 8.2 for checking tomorrow.
2.  Bring in any Pub Night forms.
3.  Please ensure you have a DEAR time book available in class each day.

Week of April 20 - 24, 2015

Wednesday HW
1. Have your mural ideas ready for tomorrow (sports or movies/TV from the 1980's and 1990's)
2.  15 sentences -- one for each word from the Word Up list.
3.  Africville perspectives sheet is due tomorrow.

In today's homework check 6 out of 24 students did not have their MMS 8.1 ready for class, thereby missing out on the feedback during our correction time.  It is an ongoing concern of mine that home practice is frequently not ready by significant numbers of students.  A typical day's homework check finds between half a dozen to a dozen students unready for the day's correction.  That's an unusually high number.  I keep students in to complete the work and write agenda notes when possible.  Please ask to see your child's home practice each night.  Even if they say they finished at school you should expect then to bring it home so that you can look it over as a matter of routine.  Thank you for your help.

A goal for this unit is to have students becoming more comfortable with their multiplication table recall.  As the concepts progress during the year, a multiplication table sheet should become less necessary in order to complete calculations that feature more complexity, such as making conversions between equivalent fractions.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS 8.1
2.  Spelling Word Up list # 8:  Alphabetical Order and Syllabication.  No derivatives this week because the words are all proper nouns.
3.  Scholastic orders due with a cheque on Friday April 24.

Today was a terrific day for the class.  I really felt like we had solid attention and effort across the board and made a significant dent on the planned activities for the day.  Thank you very much to the boys and girls and I hope to see many more days like this one.

Monday HW
We had a successful egg drop today.  The majority of our eggs survived their fall.  Since the eggs had not been refrigerated all day and were possibly cracked I held onto all of them (broken or not) and disposed of them safely at the end of the day.  No other homework was assigned.

Week of April 13 - 17, 2015

Friday HW
1.   Egg Protector report writing went well today.  We will have our egg drop on Monday afternoon next week.  Any additional building should take place at home.

The kids have gym first thing in the morning and I have duty at 8:35 AM.  

If anyone is looking to leave the egg with me for safekeeping it has to be before 8:30 AM 

so I can be on time for my yard duty.

Thursday HW
1.  Math Quiz on Friday for Measurement lessons 6,7,8,9.
2.   Egg Protector building went well today.  We will work on the report tomorrow with a target egg drop on Monday or Tuesday next week.  Any additional building should take place at home.
3.  Library tomorrow.  Return books for exchange.

Tuesday HW
1.  Math Quiz on Friday for Measurement lessons 6,7,8,9.
2.  Egg Protector materials in class for Thursday.
3.  Page 37 of Spelling text.

Two notes of a general nature:
a)  A growing number of students regard our home practice as optional.  Today's MMS 6.6 check revealed nine of 24 students without no homework done.  Some amount of practice and reinforcement are beneficial for skill building.
b)  Our class was left with a surprising amount of debris, scraps and building garbage from our egg protector work.  I will encourage the kids to pick up after themselves with your help.  Thanks.

Monday HW
1.  MMS lesson 6.8.
2.  Spelling page 35, #1,2,3 and page 36 #5,6,7.  We worked on this today in class for 25 minutes.
3.  Spelling dictation tomorrow for Word Up List 8.
4.  A letter from the office was delivered today requesting materials for the Centennial Mural that our class is helping to compose.  The text of the letter is below:


April 16^th, 2014

Dear Parents,

In order to honour Runnymede's Centennial, the student body has been creating murals for the last two years to showcase each decade. This year, the grade five students will be painting two murals of the 1980's and 1990's during the month of May. We are asking for donations of rags, margarine containers (and other similarly medium sized plastic containers) and old sheets to be used as drop cloths. If you are willing to donate any of these items, they would be greatly appreciated. Please send them to school over the next week with your child (collection date ends April 30^th, 2015).

Thanks,

Andrew Reynolds.

Week of April 7 - 10, 2015

Friday HW
1.  Health posters are due on Monday morning.
2.  MMS 6.7 is due for Monday.
3.  Our class is helping create the 1980's and 1990's panels of Runnymede's Centennial mural project this spring, starting on May 4.  I followed up the assembly we had earlier with a review of people, events and places in those time periods that might be considered iconic.  Our class voted to pursue Sports and Movies/TV for our images.  To that end I asked the kids to come up with four photos (perhaps 2 for each) that they could be interested in sketching and painting for the mural.  The focus is on Canada and Toronto, but World events can be part of it.  We are encouraging the positive and uplifting side of history in a general sense.  The students should have their choices ready for early next week.

Thursday HW
1.  Math quiz on lessons 6.4 and 6.5 tomorrow.
2.  Health posters are due on Monday morning.
3.  Spelling:  3 lists and 15 sentences.
4.  MMS 6.7 is due for Monday.

Wednesday HW
1.  Math quiz on lessons 6.4 and 6.5 on Friday
2.  Book Report due on Thursday.
3.  Health Posters are due on Monday April 13.
4.  Journal on Day of Pink

Tuesday HW
1.  Math quiz tomorrow on Lesson 6.1 and 6.2
2.  Math quiz on lessons 6.4 and 6.5 on Friday.
3.  Book Report due on Thursday.
4.  Journal on # 6 from page 212.

Week of March 30 - April 3, 2015

Reminder:  This coming Friday and Monday are holidays and there will be no school.  Happy Easter!

Monday:
1.  No homework other than continued reading and preparation for the Book Report due on April 9.
2.  So far we have had 3 Book Club meetings in small groups.  The remainder will be presenting orally over the next few days.
3.  Thursday April 2 is Ms. Harris's final day in our class.  I have greatly enjoyed hosting her in room 365.

Week of March 23 - 27, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Book Report due April 9.
2.  Test pack due on Friday March 27 with signature and corrections.
3.  MMS 6.1
4.  Book Club presentations start tomorrow.

Tuesday HW
1.  Book Report Due on April 9.
2.  Africville news article due tomorrow.
3.  Math Geometry unit test tomorrow.  Test pack with quiz results for the unit was handed back on Tuesday.
4.  Book Club oral presentations on Friday.

Monday HW
1.  Book Report due on April 9.
2.  Rehearse your Book Club reading presentation and generate reason for the favourite part you selected so you can participate orally when your Book Club meets.
3.  Africville news article is due Wednesday morning.
4.  Math Geometry Unit test is on Wednesday, March 25.

Week of March 9 - 13, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Math Quiz tomorrow.
2.  Hand in MMS Unit 7 booklet and duotang tomorrow.
3.  If you have not completed any notes in your Africville organizer, you should do so tonight.  We've had several class periods to do so using computers.

Wednesday HW
1.  Spelling Dictation tomorrow
2.  MMS 7.6
3.  Math Unit 7 quiz on Friday.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS 7.3, started in class last week, should be done.
2.  Spelling Dictation #6 on Thursday this week.
3.  TV Ads are due on Wednesday.
4.   Math Unit 7 quiz on the remainder of the unit on Friday, March 13.
5.  Library tomorrow.
6.  Spelling text work from today.(p. 32 # 3,4,5, p. 33 # 7 and Focus on Language)

Monday HW
1.  MMS 7.3, started in class last week, should be done.  Students need to use a ruler for this geometry unit and should be referring to the "Quick review" at the beginning of the lesson to locate ways to prove that shapes are congruent.
2.  Spelling Dictation #6 on Thursday this week.
3.  TV Ads are due on Wednesday.
4.   Math Unit 7 quiz on the remainder of the unit on Friday, March 13.

A note from the Peace by Peace conflict resolution program leaders was sent home today.  We are coming to the end of our sessions.  It is our hope that students will independently use the techniques practiced over the past 11 Monday morning sessions to reduce the frequency and severity of recess and class disagreements.

Week of March 2 - 6, 2015

Friday HW
1.  Math Unit 7 quiz on lessons 1 and 2.
The Unit four test is marked.  The class average was 75%.  The major areas for growth were in the problem solving sections.

Thursday HW
1.  Spelling Cycle 6:  3 lists and 15 sentences.  No derivatives this time.  We had 25 minutes in class to work on this today.
2.  Math journal based on the "Reflect" prompt on page 234 in the textbook.  I will collect it tomorrow.
3.  Art activity started yesterday and continued today is due in finished form tomorrow.
4.  Math quiz on Monday, March 9 -- Unit 7, lessons 1 and 2.

Wednesday HW
1.  Math Transformations Geometry quiz on Monday, March 9.
2.  MMS HW book lesson 7.2

Tuesday HW
1.  Scholastic orders are due on Wednesday.
2.  The unit 4 math test is tomorrow.
3.  I checked the MMS unit 4 HW booklets last night and handed them back today, as I had planned, for use as a study aid.  We had a further 25 minutes today to work on some of the gaps I identified in the booklet.  Please return it tomorrow before the test.
4.  Please return the most recent test package tomorrow with a parent signature.  It has the decimals quiz and some dictations in it.

Monday HW
1.  Scholastic orders due Wednesday.  Cheques only.
2.  Math Unit 4 test on Wednesday.
3.  MMS HW 7.1
4.  Spelling text page 25, #3,4.

Week of February 23 - 27, 2015

Thursday HW
1.  Book Club novels should be read in full by Monday.
2.  Unit 4 math Test on Wednesday, March 4.
3.  Spirit Day tomorrow:  Crazy hair/crazy hat day
4.  Pizza day tomorrow.
5.  MMS Lesson 4.8
6.  Spelling dictation 5 tomorrow.

Wednesday HW
1.  Return test pack ASAP.  It was due last Friday.
2.  Book Club novels should be fully read by Monday March 2.
3.  Unit 4 Math Test, Wednesday, March 4.

Week of February 17 - 20, 2015

Tuesday HW
1.  Test Pack due with signature on Friday, February 20.
2.  Math Unit 4 Quiz on Lessons 1,2,3,4 and 5 this Friday, February 20.
3.  Spelling Dictation for Word Up List Words on Friday February 20.

Week of February 9 - 12, 2015

Wednesday HW
1.  Report report card envelopes
2.  MMS lesson 4.3 on comparing decimals
3.  Book Report due tomorrow.

Tuesday HW
1.  Return report card envelopes with a signature on the slip.  Interview confirmation slips were sent home today.
2. Book report due on Thursday, February 12.
3.  If you don't have a magazine ad for Media Literacy yet you should get one to school ASAP.

Monday HW
Report cards were distributed today.  Please return the envelope with a signature some time this week.  You will receive notice of your scheduled, requested interview tomorrow.  I'm still waiting on a few responses.
1.  Book Report due on Thursday, Feb. 12.
2.  Magazine ad for Media Literacy was requested last week.

Week of February 2 - 6, 2015

Friday HW
1.  Book Club book reading -- 30 pages.
2.  Bring a full page magazine ad for Media Literacy.

Thursday
1.  Book report due on February 12
2.  MMS Lesson 4.1 and 4.2 on Decimals.  Both were started in class for generous amounts of time.

Wednesday HW
1.  Book Report due February 12.
2.  Return interview letter by Friday February 6.

Today we spent a fair amount of time on a marked problem solving math activity on equivalent decimals.
Absent students should be prepared to stay in at recesses when they return to catch up.


Tuesday HW
1.  MMS Lesson 4.1 to complete.
2.  Book Report due February 12.
3.  Return interview letter by Friday.
We completed a "Going With the Flow" Venn diagram activity and some Lesson 1 Math catch-up in the morning.  In the afternoon we worked on the Experiment write-up for the Change stations we did last week.

Monday HW
We had 21 students in class today.  I did not start new work as a result.  We had a presentation from the Peace by PEACE conflict resolution skills presenters and Officer Eric Berridge this morning.  In the afternoon students received their Book Club novels and groupings.  Book Club is different from the Novel study group activity.  It is primarily an oral delivery.  We used the afternoon periods to ensure we wwere caught up with Science and Social Studies work and to check on our experiments.

1.  Book report #3 is due on Thursday February 12.  I announced the due dates in the package the students received in the Fall.  There is one more after this one due on Thursday April 9.  These dates are in my calendar on the blog.
2.  Book Club reading.  This is 15 new pages from the point students left off this afternoon.

Week of January 26 - 30, 2015

Thursday HW
Today's lesson in Language introduced the term 2 focus of "Point of View".  We discussed the meaning of the term and cycled through some examples.  Of particular interest was the missing point of view in a text.  we continued our decimal talk.  Students are still struggling with the correspondence of Base 10 blocks to place values, and had some wobbles in representing numbers on a hundredths grid.  In the afternoon we had Change Station experiment rotations for Science in groups of three while the remainder of the class worked on Social Studies.
1.  Return test pack 2 with a parent signature on Monday.
2.  Students were asked to consider bringing their own cheap earbuds for laptop use (viewing video clips).  I have cheap headphones that can be used but any personal earbuds are likely much better than my stock.  Nothing valuable should be taken to school.


Wednesday HW
Thank you very much for the Kleenex boxes!  I think we will be OK for the next few weeks.
Today we introduced a new math unit on Decimals.  We had a diagnostic based on grade 4 outcomes (proper and improper fractions, mixed numbers, hundreds grids, the meaning of "represent" a number, using base 10 blocks to model decimals with tenths and hundredths).  We also looked at the purpose of an introduction in Reading.
1.  A second test pack with Language, Science and Social Studies materials was distributed today.  I is due back in class with a parent signature on Monday.
2.  Scholastic orders will be logged and mailed on Friday this week.  Please send a cheque and order form if you wish to purchase any materials from Scholastic.

Tuesday HW
The students worked very well today.  There are plenty of coughing kids so I am encouraging water bottle use and drinks.  Lots of runny noses too.  Stay healthy...
I introduced the first steps of a book club today.  It is designed to appeal to the oral language sharing strengths of students.  Right now the students are selecting a trio of books from my sets in which they are interested.  I will use their choices to make small groups.  Stay tuned for more details.

1. Math test bundle with signature due tomorrow.
2.  We are out of Kleenex tissues.  If you are able to donate a box for class use the kids would appreciate it.  Thanks!

Monday HW:
1.  I distributed a Math bundle of test today.  Please sign the top and return the set by Wednesday.  Another bundle is waiting.

Week of January 19 - 23, 2015

Wednesday HW
1.  2 Minute Drill:  students should be prepared to give a short talk, without notes on their Story of Stuff.  The basic structure is an introduction, a mention of what it is made from, how the materials are gathered, how they are changed in a factory and how the process affects the environment.  Close with a short personal opinion/judgment about whether you think you item should continue to be made or not.

No Notes/No Scripts.

Tuesday HW
1.  Both the "Story of Stuff" (five short paragraphs and some drawn pictures) and the "Create a Country" (three longer paragraphs and a map or graph) assignments are due tomorrow by 3:15 PM.  We had a productive day today.  We will have more time in class tomorrow to finish it off.  It is my preference that we finish the work at school if possible.  I have assigned idea generation and research gathering as homework over the past two weeks but the composition has largely been done in class.

Monday HW
1.  The good copy of the Story of Stuff is due with hand drawn pictures in class on Wednesday, January 21.
The students have healthy amounts of class time to do this work and several have completed the good copy writing already.
2.  The good copy of the paired "Create -a- Country" activity is due in class on Wednesday, January 21.  The students have had considerable amounts of class time to do this work with partner input.

Week of January 12 - 16, 2015

Friday HW
I asked the students to find a 30 to 60 second advertisement in which they were interested to be able to write about in class.  They should know all the details of the events of characters in a sequence as well as the product being sold.

Wednesday HW
1.  We have a data management quiz on line graphs and interpreting data on Friday January 16.  A study sheet will be provided on Thursday.
2.  Many more students were prepared for the Story of Stuff work periods we had today.  Thank you!  I asked students to think about the environmental impact of their object and jot down three ideas in their agendas.  Examples and some guiding questions are in the booklet.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS 5.6.  Today was the last lesson on Data Management in this unit.  We will be starting work on Number Sense (Decimals) this week.
2.  20 of 29 students were prepared for today's Story of Stuff research note taking period.  The other nine either left their notes at home or 'forgot' to locate any material over the past seven days.  The due date is next Thursday January 22, which leaves little time for delays like this.  I attempted to phone or write notes for as many students as I could when I noticed they were unprepared.  Today we worked on the elements of an interesting introduction and created a 4 level description of the range of lead-off sentences.  We will try again tomorrow to work on the "Extraction" and "Production" portions of the Story.

Monday HW
1. Tomorrow is a Story of Stuff day.  Students should come to school with research material (from the web, from a library) so that they can begin composing the five paragraphs they need to describe the stages of transformation into the final product chosen by the student.  Students have seen many examples of completed work and should be able to predict and deliver the length of the finished product on an 18 X 24 page.
2.  Your Citizen profile should be done in rough form in the Social Studies booklet.  This should be a creation of yours of a leading citizen in the field of Art, Music, Sport or Leadership in your created country.

Week of January 5 - 9, 2015

Friday HW:
There is no formal homework today, but students should be making efforts to find out information about how the object they chose for the "Story of Stuff" is made.  A complete listing of the activity guidelines is included in the Changes in Matter booklet in which we do our in class work.  There is also an organizer in that booklet.  Students have seen a video outlining the process and have seen several examples of what a finished product looks like:  five short paragraphs, a heading and some hand drawn pictures on an 18 x 24 piece of manila paper.

Thursday HW
1.  Story of Stuff research should continue.  Focus on the extraction phase.
2.  Write three rough sentences for your citizen profile in the Create-a- Country activity.
3.  MMS lesson 5.5

Wednesday HW
1.  Story of Stuff research should continue.  You should have a list of the raw materials your object is made from for tomorrow.  Record this list in your agenda.
2.  A "Create a country"  in-class assignment was introduced today.  This is a partner project but each member has specific parts of the assignment and each will be marked independently.  The work is creative rather than research based so it can be done using ideas introduced in the unit.  We are looking at being done by January 22.  Tonight students should come up with three ideas about the leading citizen they invented.

Tuesday HW:
1.  Start "Story of Stuff" research.  Topics were selected today and we watched a Story of Stuff video.  You can view it to for some background.  It is widely available on Youtube.
2.  MMS, Lesson 5.4.

Monday HW:
Welcome back and happy new year!
1.  Choose three topics you would consider researching for our "Story of Stuff" report in science which we introduced today.  Remember what goes into making a good topic.  A car or computer are not suitable choices because they have too many different pieces. Also remember that we are looking at making a class book of 30 unique things, so I will not permit repeat topics.