Monday HW
1. Summer reverie due tomorrow in good copy form.
2. Spelling Cycle #5. I realize some of the words on the supplemental list will not work in derivative form. I will be lenient on that list this week.
3. Halloween parade is on Thursday at 1:00 PM. Students are asked to wear costumes in the afternoon only.
Music on a Monday: Donkey Kong Beatbox! We've come a long way since the Police Academy movies...
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Monday, October 28, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Week of October 21 - 25, 2013
Thursday HW
1. Test packs back on Monday, October 28, with corrections and a parent signature on the top of the first page. See yesterday's blog note for more detail.
2. The final Unit 2 Math test is on Monday, October 28, first thing in the morning. Students should review the types of problems they had on the quizzes and also review the types of instructions and questions we used in the text and the MMS booklet. As always, they show use a long division format when asked to divide.
3. Our class will have a visit in our Library with Ms. Irene Atkinson, our school trustee, on Friday morning. She will talk to the students about her work in this area of local governance. There should be some useful crossover with our citizenship study in Social Studies. I asked the boys and girls to think of questions they might ask her.
4. MMS pages 2 and 3. We've introduced patterns for 2 days now. The main types are growing, shrinking and repeating (also called alternating). The vocabulary for the unit is very important. We describe the numbers, letters or shapes in the patterns as "terms". Repeating patterns have a "core" that "alternates". Pattern rules are written with a familiar, repeated style as shown at the top of page 2 in the MMS duo-tang ("Start at... each time.") The code for a pattern is usually cracked by subtracting the first term from the second and finding the difference. Doing this three times (2nd minus 1st, 3rd minus 2nd, 4th minus 3rd) usually reveals the operations at play. We modeled at least eight examples of this as a class yesterday and today. Students with questions should ask them. I know I am checking for understanding regularly in large groups and individually but it is a big class and I may miss someone's confusion.
5. Spelling Dictation #4 is tomorrow afternoon. Students should remember to bring their books back to school for the test. If a student is absent I expect him/her to make it up the next school day.
6. Pizza day tomorrow.
Wednesday HW
1. Test packs were returned today. I would like them back on Monday, October 28, with corrections and a parent signature on the top of the first page. The package contains three dictations, three problems of the week, four Math quizzes and a CASI evaluation. I tried to supply a generous amount of feedback on most of the pieces. In Math I notice that the students are reluctant to estimate and that multiplication (times tables and by two digit factors) continues to be a challenge for some students. This was a much longer period (5-6 weeks) than I usually spend on a single Math unit. We have to move on to Patterning, which I introduced today.
2. The final Unit 2 Math test is on Monday, October 28, first thing in the morning. Students should review the types of problems they had on the quizzes and also review the types of instructions and questions we used in the text and the MMS booklet. As always, they show use a long division format when asked to divide.
3. Our class will have a visit in our Library with Ms. Irene Atkinson, our school trustee, on Friday morning. She will talk to the students about her work in this area of local governance. There should be some useful crossover with our citizenship study in Social Studies. I asked the boys and girls to think of questions they might ask her.
4. The parent council has asked that we remind families to consider handing in the fundraising envelope this week.
Tuesday HW
1. Spelling text page 21 #1; page 22 # 4,5,6,7; page 23 #1.
Monday HW
1. MMS pages 34-35. If division is required, used the long division format. Recall that word problems should be answered with a sentence that uses words from the original question.
2. Spelling Cycle #4 activities.
3. Photo retakes on November 5.
Music on a Monday: Mickey, the Firefighting Cat.
1. Test packs back on Monday, October 28, with corrections and a parent signature on the top of the first page. See yesterday's blog note for more detail.
2. The final Unit 2 Math test is on Monday, October 28, first thing in the morning. Students should review the types of problems they had on the quizzes and also review the types of instructions and questions we used in the text and the MMS booklet. As always, they show use a long division format when asked to divide.
3. Our class will have a visit in our Library with Ms. Irene Atkinson, our school trustee, on Friday morning. She will talk to the students about her work in this area of local governance. There should be some useful crossover with our citizenship study in Social Studies. I asked the boys and girls to think of questions they might ask her.
4. MMS pages 2 and 3. We've introduced patterns for 2 days now. The main types are growing, shrinking and repeating (also called alternating). The vocabulary for the unit is very important. We describe the numbers, letters or shapes in the patterns as "terms". Repeating patterns have a "core" that "alternates". Pattern rules are written with a familiar, repeated style as shown at the top of page 2 in the MMS duo-tang ("Start at... each time.") The code for a pattern is usually cracked by subtracting the first term from the second and finding the difference. Doing this three times (2nd minus 1st, 3rd minus 2nd, 4th minus 3rd) usually reveals the operations at play. We modeled at least eight examples of this as a class yesterday and today. Students with questions should ask them. I know I am checking for understanding regularly in large groups and individually but it is a big class and I may miss someone's confusion.
5. Spelling Dictation #4 is tomorrow afternoon. Students should remember to bring their books back to school for the test. If a student is absent I expect him/her to make it up the next school day.
6. Pizza day tomorrow.
Wednesday HW
1. Test packs were returned today. I would like them back on Monday, October 28, with corrections and a parent signature on the top of the first page. The package contains three dictations, three problems of the week, four Math quizzes and a CASI evaluation. I tried to supply a generous amount of feedback on most of the pieces. In Math I notice that the students are reluctant to estimate and that multiplication (times tables and by two digit factors) continues to be a challenge for some students. This was a much longer period (5-6 weeks) than I usually spend on a single Math unit. We have to move on to Patterning, which I introduced today.
2. The final Unit 2 Math test is on Monday, October 28, first thing in the morning. Students should review the types of problems they had on the quizzes and also review the types of instructions and questions we used in the text and the MMS booklet. As always, they show use a long division format when asked to divide.
3. Our class will have a visit in our Library with Ms. Irene Atkinson, our school trustee, on Friday morning. She will talk to the students about her work in this area of local governance. There should be some useful crossover with our citizenship study in Social Studies. I asked the boys and girls to think of questions they might ask her.
4. The parent council has asked that we remind families to consider handing in the fundraising envelope this week.
Tuesday HW
1. Spelling text page 21 #1; page 22 # 4,5,6,7; page 23 #1.
Monday HW
1. MMS pages 34-35. If division is required, used the long division format. Recall that word problems should be answered with a sentence that uses words from the original question.
2. Spelling Cycle #4 activities.
3. Photo retakes on November 5.
Music on a Monday: Mickey, the Firefighting Cat.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Week of October 15 - 18, 2013
Friday HW
1. Problem of the week (It's All In The Game) is due on Monday.
(It's All in the Game: Four years ago, the Kimura family's DX3 gaming system cost $320. Now it's
worth $140. If the system depreciates (decreases in value) by the same amount each year, how much will it be worth when they plan to sell it, two years from now?)
2. Long Division and Multiplication quiz on Monday.
3. Spelling dictation # 3 on Monday.
4. Photo retakes are on November 5.
There was some concern expressed over the instructions for the MMS homework on pages 32 and 33. The short division model was requested in these instructions and I neglected to inform students that they should rewrite the problems to use the Long Division place value style we've been practicing. Sorry about that.
Although I know there are several division techniques, I tend to show the students only the multiples of ten technique and the the standard, place value-based DMSB algorithm. Inevitably the students opt for the latter style. Short division, which is very useful for some students, is not a style I encourage through modeling since there are more complex pencil-paper calculations coming next year with two digit divisors. Short division will be a tough technique to use in that context, so I choose to model long division almost exclusively.
I would expect students to present their quiz and test answers in the long division and multiplication styles we've been using in class in our modeled demonstrations.
Thursday HW
1. Summer reverie anecdote in Writing notebooks. We introduced it yesterday and reviewed it again today. Student had the opportunity to make a mind web of possible topics and then of best vocabulary in a guided format. I want students to complete at least 15 lines of a rough draft tonight. We are following regular organization of text conventions (lined up along the margin, using indentations, writing on each line, adding a personal title) and trying to develop our audience awareness while telling a meaningful story of an event that students witnessed or participated in over the summer. It should be a significant event but not necessarily 'life-changing'. It should be something a student is willing to share (happy or otherwise) rather than a private story.
2. Long Division and Multiplication quiz on Monday.
3. Spelling dictation # 3 on Monday.
4. Photo retakes are on November 5.
5. Parent Donation letters.
6. Flu Shot letter went home today.
We will have our final Terry Fox fundraising award tomorrow. The afternoon periods only will be for electronic use if students are caught up with their homework. No movies or saved videos please. As well, it will be an all-day pyjama day should students wish to wear them. Thank you once again for your excellent fundraising efforts.
I wanted to also thank my class for their great behaviour during yesterday's tree plaque ceremony for Alex Shapiro. They were terrific! Here is a tweet from the Toronto Star's reporter, Kristin Rushowy:
Wednesday HW
1. MMS pages 30-31.
2. Parent Council donation envelopes.
3. Return Photo Orders -- due Thursday, October 17.
4. French test on Friday "etre".
Tuesday HW
1. Problem of the week (It's All In The Game) is due on Monday.
(It's All in the Game: Four years ago, the Kimura family's DX3 gaming system cost $320. Now it's
worth $140. If the system depreciates (decreases in value) by the same amount each year, how much will it be worth when they plan to sell it, two years from now?)
2. Long Division and Multiplication quiz on Monday.
3. Spelling dictation # 3 on Monday.
4. Photo retakes are on November 5.
There was some concern expressed over the instructions for the MMS homework on pages 32 and 33. The short division model was requested in these instructions and I neglected to inform students that they should rewrite the problems to use the Long Division place value style we've been practicing. Sorry about that.
Although I know there are several division techniques, I tend to show the students only the multiples of ten technique and the the standard, place value-based DMSB algorithm. Inevitably the students opt for the latter style. Short division, which is very useful for some students, is not a style I encourage through modeling since there are more complex pencil-paper calculations coming next year with two digit divisors. Short division will be a tough technique to use in that context, so I choose to model long division almost exclusively.
I would expect students to present their quiz and test answers in the long division and multiplication styles we've been using in class in our modeled demonstrations.
Thursday HW
1. Summer reverie anecdote in Writing notebooks. We introduced it yesterday and reviewed it again today. Student had the opportunity to make a mind web of possible topics and then of best vocabulary in a guided format. I want students to complete at least 15 lines of a rough draft tonight. We are following regular organization of text conventions (lined up along the margin, using indentations, writing on each line, adding a personal title) and trying to develop our audience awareness while telling a meaningful story of an event that students witnessed or participated in over the summer. It should be a significant event but not necessarily 'life-changing'. It should be something a student is willing to share (happy or otherwise) rather than a private story.
2. Long Division and Multiplication quiz on Monday.
3. Spelling dictation # 3 on Monday.
4. Photo retakes are on November 5.
5. Parent Donation letters.
6. Flu Shot letter went home today.
We will have our final Terry Fox fundraising award tomorrow. The afternoon periods only will be for electronic use if students are caught up with their homework. No movies or saved videos please. As well, it will be an all-day pyjama day should students wish to wear them. Thank you once again for your excellent fundraising efforts.
I wanted to also thank my class for their great behaviour during yesterday's tree plaque ceremony for Alex Shapiro. They were terrific! Here is a tweet from the Toronto Star's reporter, Kristin Rushowy:
Here is Mr Reynolds addressing Runnymede staff, students pic.twitter.com/byNvoDMsQG
— Kristin Rushowy (@krushowy) October 16, 2013
Wednesday HW
1. MMS pages 30-31.
2. Parent Council donation envelopes.
3. Return Photo Orders -- due Thursday, October 17.
4. French test on Friday "etre".
Tuesday HW
1. MMS pages 30-31. Students are struggling with the idea of estimating in long division. Estimation is a useful skill both in adult life and to check now if answers are reasonable when precise calculations are done. We continue to reinforce the importance of times table control while building on earlier exposure to concepts such as rounding, compensation and multiplying by multiples of 10
2. Parent Council donation envelopes.
3. A new Problem of the Week was handed out today. Only two students were absent for it, but four others did not have it ready in class. I will check again tomorrow, but not after that.
4. Return Photo Orders -- due Thursday, October 17.
5. French test on Friday "etre".
4. Return Photo Orders -- due Thursday, October 17.
5. French test on Friday "etre".
Music on a Monday (which is Tuesday): Science Nation Army
Monday, October 7, 2013
Week of October 7 - 10, 2013
Wednesday HW
1. Complete the six long division questions we used for practice on the whiteboard today. This is the start of our long division arc. There will again be an emphasis on estimation as a tool to self-check the calculation. I am encouraging use of the standard algorithm (Divide/Multiply/Subtract/ Bring Down with place value) to divide, but I also showed the students another technique using multiples of 10 which is outlined in the textbook.
This is only the first lesson in a planned series of at least four days so some difficulty with the concept is to be expected. Times table command is an area on which to work. We practice in class, but some home practice is a must, even if it is not assigned homework.
2. Parent Council fundraising request letters were sent home today. I have made good use of all our parent council funding over the years, most recently for the four iPads we use. Thank you for your past support of this initiative.
3. Photo Orders are due October 17. Proofs were sent home today. No retake date has been posted yet by our school.
4. Problem of the Week (Angry Nerds App) is due on Tuesday October 15.
Tuesday HW
Today was an unusual day in that 13 students were absent for XC running for the bulk of the day. We used the time to catch up and do extra practice but also introduced two new activities. Cross Country runners need to catch up but will have an extra day to do so.
1. Journal: The Backpack. Students should write a page entry in their journals on the prompt shared in class. Special focus should be on indentation of paragraphs, proper capitalization and application of previous editing I've done in the journal especially with respect to sight words.
The prompt: "There is an emergency. You have 20 minutes to gather at least three important items that can fit in a backpack before you leave your home. You may not be able to ever come back. Name the three or more items you chose to take and give reasons for your choices." The focus is on choosing special items that are irreplaceable and on the reasoning for each one. No laundry lists should be composed ('my Superman action figure, my Batman action figure, my Iron Man action figure...') if students want to create a good journal that others would like to read.
2. Multiplication by two digit factor practice. We had 16 extra practice questions today on the whiteboard. The XC boys in class, who left later, had time to see them all. The girl XC runners might have run out of time and should catch up with the extra day.
Monday HW
1. Spelling text book activities on page 17-19. The students should have copied it down correctly from the whiteboard today. Some students received a shorter assignment.
2. A new problem of the Week was handed out today. I wrote each student's name on it and handed it to them personally. It is called "Angry Nerds App" and is due on Tuesday October 15 due to the holiday Monday. When I collected the previous Problem only three students did not have it ready. They stayed in at AM recess to work on a new one.
3. Our class total for Terry Fox was $418.80. Bravo! Our school total was over $13 450.00, which is a new record by a considerable margin. Thank you Runnymede!
1. Complete the six long division questions we used for practice on the whiteboard today. This is the start of our long division arc. There will again be an emphasis on estimation as a tool to self-check the calculation. I am encouraging use of the standard algorithm (Divide/Multiply/Subtract/ Bring Down with place value) to divide, but I also showed the students another technique using multiples of 10 which is outlined in the textbook.
This is only the first lesson in a planned series of at least four days so some difficulty with the concept is to be expected. Times table command is an area on which to work. We practice in class, but some home practice is a must, even if it is not assigned homework.
2. Parent Council fundraising request letters were sent home today. I have made good use of all our parent council funding over the years, most recently for the four iPads we use. Thank you for your past support of this initiative.
3. Photo Orders are due October 17. Proofs were sent home today. No retake date has been posted yet by our school.
4. Problem of the Week (Angry Nerds App) is due on Tuesday October 15.
Tuesday HW
Today was an unusual day in that 13 students were absent for XC running for the bulk of the day. We used the time to catch up and do extra practice but also introduced two new activities. Cross Country runners need to catch up but will have an extra day to do so.
1. Journal: The Backpack. Students should write a page entry in their journals on the prompt shared in class. Special focus should be on indentation of paragraphs, proper capitalization and application of previous editing I've done in the journal especially with respect to sight words.
The prompt: "There is an emergency. You have 20 minutes to gather at least three important items that can fit in a backpack before you leave your home. You may not be able to ever come back. Name the three or more items you chose to take and give reasons for your choices." The focus is on choosing special items that are irreplaceable and on the reasoning for each one. No laundry lists should be composed ('my Superman action figure, my Batman action figure, my Iron Man action figure...') if students want to create a good journal that others would like to read.
2. Multiplication by two digit factor practice. We had 16 extra practice questions today on the whiteboard. The XC boys in class, who left later, had time to see them all. The girl XC runners might have run out of time and should catch up with the extra day.
Monday HW
1. Spelling text book activities on page 17-19. The students should have copied it down correctly from the whiteboard today. Some students received a shorter assignment.
2. A new problem of the Week was handed out today. I wrote each student's name on it and handed it to them personally. It is called "Angry Nerds App" and is due on Tuesday October 15 due to the holiday Monday. When I collected the previous Problem only three students did not have it ready. They stayed in at AM recess to work on a new one.
3. Our class total for Terry Fox was $418.80. Bravo! Our school total was over $13 450.00, which is a new record by a considerable margin. Thank you Runnymede!