Week of September 26 - 30, 2016

Friday HW
We had a very successful Terry Fox fundraising effort in our class!  We raised $570!  Thanks for your generosity!

Thursday HW
1.  Tomorrow is Pizza Day lunch.
2.Math Quiz tomorrow:  Unit 2, Lessons 5 and 7 (Prime/Composite Numbers; Mental Math).  Students should study their MMS homework books and try redoing sample problems from our in-class practice.
3.  Terry Fox Reflection Journal done tonight and due in class tomorrow.
4.  Terry Fox Donations:  We have collected $488.oo in cash and online.
5.  French Quiz tomorrow.

Wednesday HW
1.  MMS Lesson 2.8, pages 24-25
2.  Math Quiz on Unit 2, Lessons five and seven (Prime/Composite, Mental Math) on Friday, September 30.  Students should study their MMS homework books and try redoing sample problems from our in-class practice.
3.  Spelling:  3 lists from the Word Up List word set #3.
4.  Have a news journal article in class for next Tuesday.
5.  Terry Fox Run tomorrow -- rain or shine.

I did a class homework check yesterday for the MMS and the Spelling I assigned on Monday.  Both assignments were worked on in class to some degree before going home.  I noticed some habits developing that concern me to greater and lesser degrees:

• Almost half my class did not do any (or all) of the assigned work/practice. It's hard to improve based solely on in-class repetition.
• The standard of written work was really lacking.  I know the kids can write more neatly and at greater length, using the lines and margins provided.  What seems to be taking hold is that daily work can be done with minimal effort that isn't reflective of the better efforts on their submitted work for marks.
• Titles, dates and margin numbering may seem like a quaint preoccupation, but the student work without these is worthless for later review and study.  There is no way to make head or tail of the practice in a notebook when a student looks back at his/her own work that looks like that.  I have put to the test several times -- "Can you read for me what you wrote here?" is a question that is rarely answerable for a growing number of learners.  Modeling is provided and a rationale for it as well.  I need some buy-in from some students at this point.  Computer networks have failed already once this year at Runnymede.  Paper and pencil are reliable and cheap and will be used in the near and later future in our class.  

Thanks for having an informal chat with your students if you can to reinforce my messages.

Sorry to Tuesday's late posting -- I had to run out for Slow Pitch Practice.  The kids were given time to write the items in their agendas.

Tuesday HW
1.  Dictation on Word Up #2 tomorrow.
2.  MMS page 23-23
3.  Stratford fees and forms were due today.
4.  Terry Fox donations -- we have $76 today.
5.  15 Sentences for spelling.

Monday HW
1.  Math Quiz tomorrow:  Unit 2, Lessons 1,2 and 3.
2.  MMS 2.5 page 20 and p. 21, except for the game.
3.  Spelling text work:  p. 13, # 2,3, and 4; p. 15 # 5,6; and p. 15 #1.
4.  Terry Fox Money.  Our class total is #25.  The run is this Thursday.
5.  Stratford form and fee are due tomorrow.

Week of September 19 - 23, 2016

Thursday HW
1.  Stratford field trip form and fee returned for September 27.  I have space for up to four volunteers (who unfortunately have to pay) that I will select by lottery if there are more than four offering.
2.  Book report novel should be in class Monday.  We had our first Library book exchange period today and students were invited to select up to three books each time.  As always, keeping track of them for return is an important part of the book exchange.  Book exchange times occur every second Day 2 (week A), which I am updating in the class calendar now.  Start reading if you already have a book.
3.  Tomorrow is Picture Day.

Wednesday HW
1.  Stratford field trip form and fee returned for September 27.  I have space for up to four volunteers (who unfortunately have to pay) that I will select by lottery if there are more than four offering.
2.  Spelling cycle #2:  use the second Word Up list made today to complete an Alpha Order list, a Syllables list and a Derivatives list.
3.  Book report novel should be in class Monday.  We had our first Library book exchange period today and students were invited to select up to three books each time.  As always, keeping track of them for return is an important part of the book exchange.  Book exchange times occur every second Day 2 (week A), which I am updating in the class calendar now.

Tuesday HW
1.  Stratford field trip form and fee returned for September 27.  I have space for up to four volunteers (who unfortunately have to pay) that I will select by lottery if there are more than four offering.
2.  MMS lesson 2.4, pages 18-19
3.  Summer Reverie rough draft complete and edited for tomorrow.  It should contain three or more distinct paragraphs and be about a page long, single spaced.
4.  Book report novel should be in class Monday. We have our first Library book exchange period tomorrow, which should help.

Monday HW
1.  Spelling Dictation tomorrow.  Students should study their Word Up Lists.  I asked the class if they understood what that was today during agenda time.
2.  Spelling:  15 sentences (underline the Word Up word, write a sentence that explains the meaning of the word); textbook p. 9 # 1,2; p. 10 # 4,6,7; and p. 11 # 1.  This work was started in class today for a full period already.
3.  Book report package signed.  Pay special attention the first due date on the front cover.  We will review styles for reports in class in the near future.  In the meantime students should ensure they have an appropriate book for the report by Friday.

We had our first Homework Club night today after school.  No one attended.  Some students felt they shouldn't stay if their day's homework was done.  I noted that there are several other things that can be done besides the day's homework (times table practice, Inquiry project research) which are listed on a large chart posted in class.

Of special note:  

• I need to have at least 2 students stay to conduct it.  
• Students should decide before 3:15 that they are planning to stay and make arrangements with caregivers, RAC or parents.

Week of September 12 - 16, 2016

Wednesday HW
1.  (MMS) Math Makes Sense HW practice booklet pages 14-15.
2.  Paper towel and kleenex box.
3.  Curriculum night is on Thursday September 15 at two times:  6:00 PM and 6:50 PM.  I will be presenting twice.

Tuesday HW
1.  Spelling Cycle activities:  Alpha Order, Syllables, Derivatives.
2.  Paper towel and kleenex box.
3.  Curriculum night is on Thursday September 15 at two times:  6:00 PM and 6:50 PM.  I will be presenting twice.

Monday HW
1.  (MMS) Math Makes Sense HW practice booklet pages 12-13.
2.  Complete journal from class today about the ways of getting to school, based on imagery found at this site:  http://www.boredpanda.com/dangerous-journey-to-school/
3.  Paper towel roll and kleenex box for class use.

Welcome to the 2016-17 School Year!

Thursday HW

1.  Math Operations 3.0 sheet.  There is a quiz on Monday next week on all four.  We are practicing the techniques for this work in class.  Today we spent a lesson working through the algorithm for multiplication with 2 digit by 2 digit numbers and reviewed long division for a third day. We have corrected two already and will do two more before the Quiz on Monday September 12.  Students that still have trouble with long division can generate extra problems using online sources, checking them with a calculator where necessary.  We will revisit long division again on Friday.
2.  Parental forms package and agenda $

3.  Have a novel in class for Monday, September 12 to read during DEAR time:  90 pages or longer, no graphics for this one please.

4.  One roll of paper towel and one box of facial tissue for class use.  I appreciate your generosity.
5.  Complete family tree to the best of your ability in the Inquiry Booklet.  Return the booklet to school tomorrow.

Wednesday HW

1.  Math Operations 2.0 sheet.  There is a quiz on Monday next week on all four.  We are practicing the techniques for this work in class.  This is work that is meant to be covered by the end of Grade 5.  We are taking it slow, but must make daily progress.  We will do four of these, correcting each the next day before having a quiz next Monday.

2.  Parental forms package completed, signed and returned.

3.  Agenda cost is $7.00.

4.  One roll of paper towel and one box of facial tissue for class use.  I appreciate your generosity.

5.  Select an inquiry question for your personal research project.  We practiced forming such questions today with a look at ways kids get to school, why fingers get 'pruny', and why the moon appears in the sky with the sun sometimes.  The questions should be rich enough that they can sustain an inquiry Ii.e., not answered simply) and be able to be presented visually in some way.  I'll work with each student to refine a question but they should come up with some starting points.

Tuesday HW
1.  Math Operations 1.0 sheet.  We are practicing the techniques for this work in class.  This is work that is meant to be covered by the end of Grade 5.  We are taking it slow, but must make daily progress.  We will do four of these, correcting each the next day before having a quiz next Monday.
2.  Parental forms package completed, signed and returned.
3.  Agenda cost is $7.00.
4.  One roll of paper towel and one box of facial tissue for class use.  I appreciate your generosity.


Greetings to the new and returning students in my class for 2016-17!  I'm looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with 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, which is entering its seventh continuous year, will function as a daily homework listing and be archived as each 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!