A busy couple of weeks here!

This post will be mainly informational, since I want to outline the schedule for our next couple of weeks. They promise to be quite busy, so here goes!

We will have a few pieces of evaluation coming up in class, since the limit for submitting Report Card marks is March 4th. The class will be having their health test on Tuesday, so everybody brought home their health textbook and exercise book to study. We have reviewed the material exhaustively in class, and created a study guide from which all content will be drawn. I would love the kids to keep the books at home until Tuesday, so they can review at their leisure.

On Wednesday the 2nd, the class will be creating poetry books. They have been asked to select 4 types of poetry that they really enjoy, and to write several points about each. These points are meant to describe the poem aesthetically and technically, so that someone else could create such a poem using their instructions. Then, they will have to write a short (5-6 line) example of each one. Since this is a closed-book activity, I am giving time in class to do all the prep work they need to be ready. This will go home over the weekend so your child can continue to prepare/write examples, etc. Definitions and examples of all poems are already in their notes.

Because of this flurry of evaluation, I am bumping the due date for Book Reports back to next Friday, the 4th of March. Some students have already completed their projects, and others will be given time in class to take some pressure off at home.

We are having a fun activity tomorrow afternoon that requires snow sculpting outside, so please note the following:

• Students may bring along accessories such as plastic shovels, buckets, food colouring or any other things they would like to use in creating their design
• PLEASE BRING SNOWPANTS, MITTS AND HATS!!!! Students who don't have these things will not be able to participate to the same degree.

I will be attending a Professional Development session on Monday and Tuesday, the 28th and 1st. I will still be available via email, but will discontinue the Multiplication Journal until I get back on Wednesday.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Winter Wonderland

Wow, the snow just won't stop coming! After fielding a wide array of inquiries about the potential of an abbreviated day, we kicked things off with a few good discussions and sharing time. As I have been doing most days lately, I gave students a bit of time to finish up missed/incomplete work while others worked on supplemental projects or read in French.

The majority of the remainder of the morning was occupied with a Grade 4 Winter Games, which seems to have been a big hit. Everybody had fun, and some even won prizes for winning or placing well in the various competitions. I continue to be impressed (this being my first year at BCE) at the level of encouragement given to physical activity and friendly competition. It is a hard balance, keeping things fun and still challenging, but the Phys Ed staff does a great job. Our music teacher is also improving her French over the course of the year, so is able to converse with students in their/my language of choice.

I am happy with students' progress in their multiplication journals, and would encourage parents/guardians to push their children even further in thinking of the "WHY?" portions of each question. Problem Solving is an area the school is trying to improve, and applying these principles to something straightforward like single-figure multiplication is a good way to get more comfortable and stay in practice.

We started writing up our health study notes today, something that I will send home tomorrow. The unit on healthy living was fairly straightforward, and all content on the test will be taken from the notes I send home with them.

We had a library session today as well, and I have started to push students to choose more books that are outside their comfort zones or that slightly challenge their reading level. This inevitably meets with opposition, which is understandable. However, students seem to realize soon thereafter that there are many types of books they enjoy and that it is worth taking a risk every so often. Now that students have really embraced reading in class (and many at home and in free time), I am less concerned about alienating them from reading by challenging their interests and abilities. As always, reading in French is very constructive and will do wonders for their reading, writing and oral skills.

If you have any questions, my ESDNL email is back up and running well. Enjoy the snow, and stay warm!

Poetic; just us.

Today was a great day in our class, as we got further into our unit on multiplication and drew our poetry unit closer to being finished. All students completed and presented posters about their favourite type of poetry, and animated activities about them for the whole class to take part in. The students in my class are enjoying student-teaching more and more, and have become quite comfortable speaking in front of their peers in either French or English.

I was pleased to see how students were progressing with their Multiplication Journals, as well as their February book reports. Their 200-word outline of the book and what they plan to present it due tomorrow. Also, they have taken home a new question in their Multiplication Journals to complete by tomorrow. Thanks to all who are helping with this activity; the students benefit greatly from discussion and participation!

We have almost finished our unit on Nutrition and Exercise, and I will be conducting a test on the relevant material next week. As with their last Science test, students will build their study guide as a group in school so they have a complete list of terms and concepts to study.

I am having trouble responding to my ESDNL email, so please bear with me. I can also be contacted at sam.paterson@gmail.com if necessary.

Multiplication Station

Today I launched a new initiative, focusing on improving mental math skills when it comes to multiplication. We did a great activity with cards as a way of assessing where students are "at", and I was very pleased with the results. We talked about why it is important to be able to do mental math (particularly simple multiplication facts) and discussed ways to recall these facts without just relying on rote memorization. I sent home a handout with ideas and tips about this a few months ago, something that several students tell me they have been using on a regular basis. Glad to hear it!

If you need any other ideas, please search "multiplication" in the blog's Search Box, and it should link you to a number of other entries I have posted in the past months. There are also games and helpful sites linked on the right sidebar. In the interest of increasing the focus on multiplication, I have replaced the ever-popular "Journal de Lecture" with a "Journal de Multiplication". Students will have one question per day to solve at home, starting with very easy problems and getting more challenging as we go along. Today's question asks students to draw "2 X 3", 3 different ways. We solved this problem using different numbers today already, so I don't anticipate any issues.

Thanks to all parents who have sent in extra exercise books over the last couple of weeks, it's a great help. Students are accumulating written work at an increasing rate, so we are starting to run out.

All students have chosen a book for their book reports this month; final presentations will be on March 2nd. I have asked students to finish their 200+ words by Tuesday. I will be giving more time than usual to work on these in class, since February's book reports will be a key component of my grading for the upcoming report cards.

AAAAAGHHHH!!! NOT MORE REPORT CARDS!!!!!

Sadly, yes. I am happy to say that I have seen students' interest levels, abilities and effort increase in leaps and bounds, so I am looking forward to documenting their progress again. If you have any concerns or questions leading up to this key time of year, please contact me so we can meet or talk if you would like.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and have a good evening.

Candy-fuelled Chaos

Yesterday was a frantic day to say the least, as we were caught up in a number of school and class activities surrounding Valentine's Day. A big thanks to all parents who sent in birthday cards for me as well, I appreciate the thought. Today was a busy day as well, a few points about which I would like to outline.

We wrote the math test, after lunch, and I am happy to say that the class did a fantastic job. Their hard work over this unit (2D Geometry/Symmetry) was evident in their results, and I think they're all pretty proud tonight. We did more work on poetry as well, and had our first game of Geography Wars in a while. I have pitched the notion that we are working with a limited amount of time, and that perks like playing games and doing "fun" activities are contingent on us not wasting too much of our precious time. This has been well-received, and students are responding my increasingly monitoring and moderating their own behaviour and helping set a great tone for the rest of the class.

A few more notes only, since I must head home in the aftermath of whatever that storm was today! I am currently "sans-laptop" for a couple of days, so I won't be able to check my email until the morning.

• A note went home today about a mishap with one of our school buses. Everybody was fine, but the administration just wanted to make sure all details were clear.
• Most students have chosen a book for February's Book Report, and some have even finished their 200-word synopsis. For this month, I am asking the class to realy focus on punctuation in their writing, and character analysis in their reading/reporting.
• An ongoing reminder, Ms. Tapper is conducting outdoor gym classes throughout the week. Please make sure students have appropriate attire.
• February's calendar was sent home last week.

Have a great day, and talk to you tomorrow.

Half Snow Day!

We had a weather-abbreviated day today, which we filled with some activities based on debating. The students who made it in (7/14) had a debating tournament that they did a great job with. They debated topics ranging from Lego to Swimming, and learned a lot about the process and end results of debating. It was a fun thing to experiment with!

I assigned students a small task for their snow day, which they should be finishing up by now. I would like them to note down what physical activity they took part in throughout the day, as well as what they ate. This will be the initial step of a project we are working on tomorrow, so I would suggest students get something down on paper tonight or tomorrow morning.

See everyone tomorrow, and good job to the students who debated so well today.

Late Night Update

I am presenting a tutorial about the use of SmartBoard technology on Wednesday afternoon, and spent this afternoon re-familiarizing myself with the wonderful piece of technology that we find in so many classrooms at Beachy Cove Elementary. The capacity of the SmartBoard to help with teaching, learning and practicing in immense. I think that as we incorporate more and more technology into the day-to-day running of the class, it will open up opportunities to use the SmartBoards we have at our disposal more often.

We had the first "All-Canadian" edition of Geography Wars on Friday, which exposed a number of the challenges that are posed when using research materials and tools like maps, charts, tables of contents, and a variety of indexes and appendices. As long as the class is engaged, I will not shy away from exploring these ideas with the class, especially as a way of framing material we are covering anyways. Students have already made huge leaps in their ability to research, locate information and recognize familiar data.

I am using our unit on poetry as a means of learning many elements of English grammar and style, and it seems to be going quite well. It is hard to impress the importance of setting some limits in order to allow for increased stylistic freedom. Once students start to realize the value of the guidelines of a particular literary style or technique, they are quick to start adding detail and their individual identity. 

Hopefully we get a whole day in tomorrow before the snow blitz hits, but if we don't, I hope everybody has a great day playing in the snow.

A few notes, more to come later on.

We had a busy day today again, spending time with Mme Natalie's class in the computer lab and launching into Chapter 3 of our Social Studies textbook. This unit focuses on Why people explore, and should help crystallize a lot of the knowledge they have been accumulating over the first couple of chapters.

We also took our first stab at debating, and discussed the important elements of creating an argument, choosing language, doing research, etc. We had a couple "Flash Debates" to try this out, and it seemed as though the class really enjoyed the activity. It really encourages logical thought and process, as well as collaborative thinking and organization. I hope to use this as a review and pre-assessment technique as we go forward.
I have a few notes, with another post to come later on tonight.

• Starting immediately, Ms. Tapper would like students to be prepared to go outside for gym. Tomorrow we have gym in the morning.
• One of my esteemed colleagues in the class reminded me that I hadn't passed out February's schedule yet. I had to edit a few things over the weekend, and got caught up in some other duties that prevented me from getting it photocopied today. The February schedule will go home tomorrow.

Un pizza pour Sami

As a follow-up to my previous post from today, here is one of the videos created by a student in my class for his book report. He took still pictures to document the action in the story, then took video of them and narrated over top of it. I think Eric did a great job, so please take a look! Even if you don't speak French, I think you will enjoy. When you are finished, you can click on the YouTube icon to watch it on YouTube and give it a thumbs-up.

Happy Snow Day Eve, everybody!

At the risk if causing catastrophic disappointment, I decided to go ahead and teach my sure-fire, never-fail Snow Dance today. It works 9 times out of 10, and when combined with the doom and gloom Ryan Snodden has been spreading around, it seems like a sure thing.

That being said, today was a "flurry" (sorry for the pun) of activity as we presented book reports, had buddy reading and BURP (Boys Undercover Reading Program) and worked on some independent projects after Recess. We are close to finishing our 2-D Geometry unit in math, and our health unit on activity and nutrition is getting nearer to a close as well.

Last night I had students read a newspaper or magazine, and we talked about it this morning. It was a great way to compare the ways informational texts can be presented and used, and sparked some interesting discussions. Tonight's reading assignment is to look at a nutritional label on something they are eating. I asked the students to note anything interesting or surprising they find out, and we will compare these tomorrow (or Friday!) morning.

Using the food data information I got from our cafeteria's food provider (Chartwells, a subsidiary of Compass Group), students have been going through the pages and highlighting things that they think stand out. They have been surprised by the elevated amounts of sodium, fat and sugar in some foods, as well as by the high nutrient levels in others. I also printed off the Eastern School District's healthy eating mandate, and the guidelines by which it is regulated. We will be using this to analyze the overall adherence to healthy-living rules we have at school, and build a list of recommendations.

Have a good snowy day!

Today's action

We are moving along at a great clip in both our poetry and symmetry units, finding ways to incorporate them into a variety of curriculum areas. We have explored 8 different types of poetry, most recently Haiku. The kids have really embraced the styles we are looking at, and are even writing poetry on their own time on a variety of subjects. Nice to see!

I found a great (Free) iPod App for editing video/film clips. It is called Splice, and I hope to use it in class. It will be the program we will use for doing the final edit of our "Monsieur LeBlanc" videos. Also, I used it to put together a show that gives more detail on the "Floor Symmetry" shown in the previous blog post. If you or your child has an iPod Touch or iPhone, I would suggest downloading it and playing around with it.

I put off book report presentations until tomorrow, due to some activities running long today. This should take up most of the morning tomorrow, and the afternoon will be dominated by science experiments as we get more in depth into our unit on light. Here are a few more notes on what is coming up, with more to follow tonight.

• Most students finished enough classwork to get their Math Review sheets today, and should be able to start working on them up to Lesson 4. I hope to test and finish this chapter by sometime next week.
• We will be creating a poetry booklet over the next few weeks that will showcase the styles we are working on.
• Building further on students' interest in musical styles and varieties, I have been playing more and more music during class time. This ranges from comedy to contemporary to classical, and seems to be a very constructive force in class.
• The Sweat-a-Thon assembly is this Friday. Thanks to parents who have donated prizes; if your organization or place of work is interested in donating any sort of prize, please send it along before then.

And just like that, it's February

The end of January was a mad flurry of activity, snow and flu, but I'm glad to be back on the go now. I will post a series of short updates to bring things up to our current status, starting with a video showing an activity we did about symmetry.

Students used masking tape to create shapes on the floor, on one side of an axis of symmetry. Then they switched places and had to race to complete the other side of the symmetrical shape. What this video shows is the final flurry of activity. It was a great way to see where the class is at, and was very tangible.

Cruising through January

Not much to comment on today, just moving along as per my update from Tuesday. I did some specific listening assessment work, in the form of a read-aloud that I had the students answer questions about. Our poetry unit is ticking along, and we got some more work in on our nutrition/exercise unit in health. On that note, I requested the full nutritional information for our school's cafeteria, and it got sent along to me by their regional representative. We will be analyzing these (sometimes surprising) data tables into our health lessons. I can also make copies for any parents who are curious!

We also did a really fun math activity today, reminiscent of an activity I saw demonstrated when I was a student at MUN. Dr. Mary Cameron, a very accomplished prof in their department of Education, gave us lots of time to research and demonstrate different contemporary math-teaching techniques, many of which were very hands-on and fun.

Today, the class split up into groups and made shapes on the floor with masking tape. I assigned a shape to make, such as "A figure with 3 sides and 2 axes of symmetry", or "A figure with 2 equivalent sides and 2 parallel sides". Many of these goals were attainable in a variety of ways, and showed good insight into how students view 2-Dimensional shapes and what they were able to share. They got points based on group involvement, speed of completion and tidiness.

We also downloaded a free LEGO online design program, which the students are really enjoying. It incorporates a wide array of specific and general curriculum outcomes, from spatial reasoning and visualizing to concepts about process, sequence and design.

A few reminders for parents:

• Sweatathon pledges are coming in, so thanks very much. They can be sent in at any time until the day of the event.
• Book reports are due next Tuesday.
• I put off editing our diorama video until we could work on it together in the next week or so. Final copies will be ready soon after.

Have a great night, and talk to you soon.

Update #2 for 2sday.

I thought I'd take this post just to give an update on where we're at in terms of our current curriculum outcomes. Believe it or not, I am already starting to think about marks for the second series of report cards that will be coming out for spring!

In math, we are well into our work on 2-dimensional figures. The main focus in Grade 4 is on symmetry, so we did a fun activity today that had students make a big chart to outline the properties of 2-D figures. We compared numbers of points, sides and axes of symmetry, and tried to think of some rules we could go by. In the afternoon, we made drawings that used the play on words "En Forme" to have students represent different ways of "Staying in Shape" using a variety of shapes. Then, they switched scrapbooks and catalogued all the shapes they could see and what they were used for.

In Science, we will be moving into experimenting with light in earnest. We have spent the last week or so building up vocabulary and doing some pre-evaluation exercises to get us ready for this big step, and I think we are ready. The school has lots of great materials at our grade-level that will allow us to demonstrate the properties and uses of light, many of which they will be able to recreate at home.

We are moving on to "Why People Explore" in Social Studies. The curriculum has us doing many comparisons and analyses of different explorers and situations, in an effort to develop better research and comprehension skills. It is a challenging curriculum to teach, but the class seems to have bought into it. They are also taking full advantage of a variety of atlases, maps and other resource books available in class and in the library. Lately, their interest has also manifested itself in the form of Geography Wars, a student-directed geography quiz/research game.

In Religion, we are moving along in the textbook. The current focus in on friendship, values and morals. We are reading stories from the text, researching wherever possible, and having many good discussions. I often take a chance in Religion class to structure discussions in a way that forces us to practice the idioms, structures and vocabulary that we are focusing on most. We will move into study of the variety of events and customs surrounding Easter and other rites of spring.

As mentioned, book reports are coming along well. We will be starting group novel studies soon in French, and in English Language Arts we continue to study and enjoy poetry as a class. Many students have demonstrated an increased interest and aptitude in music recently, so I also plan to start incorporating more music listening, making and critiquing into our Language Arts and Art classes.

The music teaching staff at BCE does a great job of exposing students to a variety of styles and genres of music, so I would love to take advantage of it. I played some songs on the computer during seatwork today, ranging from Chopin and Saint-Saens to Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. The class was very quick to react to the music, and quite willing to share their thoughts and emotions.

I'm rambling, so I will cut it off now. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to be in touch.

Back on the Blog

After a bit of a lapse due to some factors that I won't go into now (ahem, stupid computer, ahem..), I am happy to be back on the blog. The end of last week was a whirlwind of activity, as we really start to hit our stride post-Christmas. I don't know if it is the snowfall or what, but the class seems quite invigorated and has been doing some really good work lately.

In particular, I am happy to see progress on recurring projects like book reports and math tests. I had worried that familiarity would breed contempt, but it seems as though it has actually made most students more comfortable in their work and more willing to ask questions and push the envelope in terms of the content and execution of their work. I also see this during their seatwork, where their comfort with the routine is allowing them to get more completed, more quickly.

My prep period is drawing to a close, but I will have a longer post at the end of the day with some links we have been using in class. I apologize for my absence, and please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

A logical progression

Today was another important day in the continual evolution of our class, something that is becoming more and more common. I fully handed over the reins to students on a number of occasions, in situations where it was clear that their level of interest and comprehension could drive the lesson forward. This is proving to be a key way to involve more introverted class members, and encourages constructive interactions between all students.

Our (daily, it seems) Geography Wars game was again directed by students, who researched and located facts in the Atlas and wrote out corresponding questions. This is a very encouraging sign, as I no longer need to actively solicit such involvement most of the time. I think we are beginning to see the widespread intrinsic motivation and desire to be involved that we have been working toward. It is a testament to the effort and drive of students, as well as the dedication of families at home.

In French, I am starting to move more and more into technical details and writing/comprehension activities. I think that students' comfort levels are increasing rapidly, which allows them to further analyze and criticize written text. This, in turn, improves their writing skills and knowledge. Today we focused on elements of grammar and style, using a text about "Bodies in Motion". It was a very challenging piece of reading, but we took the time to painstakingly dissect it to get as much meaning as possible out of it.

I sometimes worry that this process takes the fun out of reading, but I think I have spent enough of the year encouraging reading for enjoyment alone. I will still do so, but I think that students are in a great position to take their reading skills to the next level. This is an integral part of the English and French Language Arts program in Grade 4, and can be a lot of fun if students are ready and willing.

This afternoon, we went to the computer lab and did some work that involved critiquing websites based on a variety of criteria. Particularly in a time when childrens' access to online content is expanding at a staggering rate, I think that it is increasingly important to give them the tools to make decisions based on the quality, integrity and content of websites. The sheet they filled out asked questions about content, style, prejudice, authorship, relevance and other topics. I would encourage parents to have similar discussions at home. I think that it is important to make our discussions about technology as comprehensive as possible; the internet is not 100% hazardous, nor is it 100% benign and utilitarian. It seems to be somewhere in between, and being able to judge for oneself is an important skill nowadays!

Have a great night, and don't miss Republic of Doyle @ 9:30 NT.

Late Update

Sorry for the late update, but I had quite the busy day! In class, we had a fast-paced day that hit on topics from Graphing and Data Management to Poetry and Geography. I feel like today was a real watershed day for student motivation and achievement - not bad for a Tuesday!

Two students taught today's math class. Wow. The only element of this math unit that had not been covered yet was the lesson about Carroll Diagrams. I knew that a few students had already finished these sheets in the review I sent home last week, so I solicited their help to teach the lesson today. They did a great job, from explaining the concept to leading discussion and answering questions. As if I wasn't feeling intimidated enough, they did it all in French! Well done boys.

We talked about ballads in English Language Arts, which captured the attention of the class more than any other style we have discussed so far. I read "Casey At the Bat", one of my favourites of this style. I am broaching the topic of poetry style in a way that allows students to read poetry of a certain genre, then define it themselves. It seems as though this increases their level of comfort with a variety of styles, particularly when it comes to creation.

I have already mentioned Geography Wars, the game that we play to improve Atlas-using skills and general knowledge. Well, the class has taken it to the next level as usual. Students are now creating their own questions, which lets them lead the activity and find novel information that they think their classmates will enjoy. I think this is a great development.

We had our French money auction today, as I'm sure most parents are aware of by now. The kids are really making the connection between speaking French and progressing in the class, not to mention the correlation between speaking French and obtaining some high-quality prizes. Gel stickers and Pez Dispensers, anybody?

Tonight I sent home an activity that has students report on their food choices, as a precursor to tomorrow's lesson about food groups. Speaking of homework, I am glad to hear that some parents and students downloaded the iPod Apps that I linked to, and have been exploring them. If possible, I will begin using these in class next week.

Have a great week, please contact me if you have any questions.

Monday Funday

We had a great time today, finishing up The Chicken Doesn't Skate and getting all remaining math review taken care of. We also got into the heart of our health unit on Nutrition and Healthy Living, which coincides with Beachy Cove's Sweatathon fundraiser. We had a great time looking at wrappers from our recess and lunch foods, and took plenty of time to ask questions, compare ingredients and figure out how to read the darn things!

One point I tried to make was that not all foods are perfect, and even thought they were amazed to see how much fat, sodium and/or sugar was in foods they enjoy, this doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy these foods from time to time. The focus of my teaching this unit is to emphasize the importance of understanding the principles and definitions involved in nutrition. By understanding these elements, students will be better equipped to make their own decisions.

I sent home a sheet that outlines the structure of the Sweatathon fundraiser, with a pledge sheet on the other side. As usual, we took a precious few minutes to discuss the why of what we were doing the activity. I think that activities like this get taken for granted, so it was nice to hear students' input on the value of fundraising as well as the value of raising awareness for important issues. It seems as though fundraising or working for a particular cause is a big part of many students' lives.

Here are a few notes for the upcoming week, followed by a links the students enjoy.

• Students' 200+ word summaries for their Book Reports are due on Wednesday. These summaries, as usual, should include some information about how they plan to present.
• Our math test (graphing, pictograms, Venn diagrams etc.) is scheduled for Friday.
• Our "French Money" auction takes place tomorrow.
• Students will begin working on some quick take-home poetry assignments

Students loved this link today; it allows them to compare a variety of fast foods using different criteria.

http://www.foodfacts.info/

As I mentioned previously, it is important to look at these in context. In particular, we looked at % Daily Intake values. This Health Canada site gives lots of good information about Recommended Daily Intake and more.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Lions and foxes and pikas, Oh My!

Just a quick note; I'll post more later on tonight. We had a good day again today, ranging from a Planet Earth movie viewing to work with graphs that students brought in from media sources they found at home. Book exchanges, gym, poetry... all essential ingredients in a healthy breakfast!

Students and parents, enjoy the day tomorrow. I have a PD day, but will try to post to update you during the day at some point.

The Live Poets Society strikes back.

Today marked the beginning of our foray into poetry, at least formally. The class has already shown a great affinity for poetry and song of many types, so they were excited to launch into a focused lesson on the subject. We are going through the types of poems outlined on the site I linked to last Saturday; Today we looked at Acrostic, Alphabetic and Autobiographical styles.

Students wrote down the criteria for defining each type, then we each did an example. It was a bit of a riotous afternoon, but we had lots of fun and got lots of good work accomplished. I look forward to seeing their final products when we finish the unit in a few weeks.

As mentioned in a blog post last week (the exact date escapes me now), several students in the class have developed an interest in screenwriting and movie-making. They got together over the weekend to create a script, block scenes and shoot a stop-motion movie. We watched it today, to much acclaim from the rest of the class. It involved Star Wars, a squid, Lego, needles, a nurse and some serious destruction, but I won't spoil the ending just in case it gets picked up at this year's Sundance Festival.

The rest of the day was dedicated to making an exhaustive chart that compared what we know about light to other matter and forces such as electricity, water, living organisms and minerals. This was another great way to get some ideas going and clarify a few things. I plan on conducting an experiment each day throughout the unit on light, since experiments involving things that lack mass or force are usually easier to clean up than other varieties...

We continued reading "The Chicken Doesn't Skate" as well, and things are certainly picking up. Like many books by Canadian author Gordon Korman, the book touches many sensitive issues that are relevant to kids entering Elementary school. Bullying, relationships, school and family all play significant parts, as to a variety of different characters that have their own unique strengths, weaknesses and hopes. The book is very funny and poignant, and the good news is that we're only halfway through!

As a note to parents, we set dates for the 200 Words (Book Report) to be finished, as well as a date for the next Math Test. Math review sheets are now in the yellow DuoTangs, and can be finished up to Lesson 6.

Fun with Wordle

The above image is an image that represents the text of this blog using Wordle. Wordle is a function that creates a visual representation of written text. The most frequently used words are represented with the largest font, and vice versa. This is a tool that we will use in class to help students craft their writing, and is a fun thing to do with any typed project! Just go to wordle.net, and enter the text you wish to have turned into a Wordle.

Oh No! The January Plague has hit!

Well, it seems as though the usual attack of influenza that hits schools this time of year is starting to rear its ugly head. A couple of students spent the day sick in bed, so I wish them all the best in a speedy recovery. Far better to take a day than to infect everybody else!

We have a great new fun activity in class, called "Geography Wars". I have matching French-language atlases in class, which allows the class to split into teams and compete to find information within. A lot of the questions I ask are specific to certain pages, tables, charts or maps in the book. My intention is to present the process and results of research and data collection in a fun way, and it seems to be a resounding success.


Questions range from geographical (What mountain range dominates northern India?) to aviary (What is the official bird of Guatemala?) to culinary (What are the three main ingredients in sushi?). The intent is not to memorize these facts, but to become familiar with the processes involved in finding them. By tapping into a bit of competitive spirit and camaraderie, it has become a much less daunting task.

We will be finishing up our math unit about data management and graphing before too long. Today we looked at Venn diagrams, a personal favourite of mine. These proved challenging, but I believe the class can see their usefulness when it comes to managing and classifying information. Parents, I will be sending home the chapter review sheets in Yellow DuoTangs by tomorrow.

We also started exploring our unit about Light today, in the form of a quick scan through the chapter headings and a discussion about what some possible answers to the questions posed might be. These questions focused on everything from the nature of light to movement, colours and collection for energy production. This was a good way to update our mental vocabulary lists, as well as highlighting (for me) what words need to be worked on a bit more. We wrapped it all up by drawing pictures of all the different ways light is created, harvested, measured and seen around us.

In social studies, I have been using the text book a bit more as a tool to develop students' skills in comparison, synthesis and application of information. Today we compared 2 stories; one about a recent 9-year old immigrant to New Brunswick and the other about the first female African-American pilot. The two stories had some similarities, and many differences as well. We broached the very dicey, heavy topic of racism in the context of understanding the challenges some people face, and how others in a society can make efforts to empathize with them and offer support. Students were a wealth of personal anecdotes and ideas, and did a great job on the activity.

I will remind parents in particular to check out the post from Saturday, since it contains a wide variety of useful sites, links and resources for the upcoming month or so. Students have also been assigned homework tonight, that being to find a graph in some sort of media. I have suggested that if they are having trouble, they can find one on a math site linked in an earlier blog post.

Talk to you tomorrow, and as always let me know if you have any questions.

A rainy Saturday

Now that we've gotten back into the swing of things, I thought it would be a good idea to post some new useful links. The main focuses of the upcoming month or so will be:

• Health: Nutrition and Healthy Living

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/main.asp - This is a site we are using in class, and one I have linked before.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/ - This is a fun and useful site, for searching nutrition data on almost  any food or browsing things by category. I will be assigning work that uses this site in the next few weeks.

• Math: Graphing and Data Processing, Multiplication Facts

http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/graph/graphing_main.htm - This site generates graphs and poses questions about them. It is a good review/supplement tool, and will come in handy when we begin our review for this chapter in a week or so. The site can also generate review questions for a variety of other topics.

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/math1-3/p-mentalmath.html - The Saskatoon School Board maintains this site, which has many strategies for doing mental math. This includes everything from basic addition to multiplication, and would serve as a good reference for helping with homework and improving multiplication skills and techniques.

• Social Studies: Explorers and Research Methods

http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/lac-bac/explorers/www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/explorers/kids/index-e.html - This is another site we will be using in class; it is an archive of exploration-themed stories from Canada's history. There is also a link to Newfoundland's Historical Archives in a blog post from September.

• Science: Light and Optics

http://homepage.eircom.net/~kogrange/light_experiments2.html - We will be carrying out experiments throughout our "Light" unit in Science. If students are interested, there are some fun projects to do at home on this page. They reinforce a lot of the basic concepts we will be learning, as well as the ever-important Scientific Process.

• French: Literature Study, Process Writing and Book Reports

I have already posted a number of links related to novel study, process writing and book reports in past blog posts, which can be found by entering any of these terms into the Search box at the top of the page. 

• Language Arts: Poetry, Public Speaking, Voice and Structure

http://www.poetry4kids.com/index.php - This is a fun poetry site, one that I will be using for some take-home projects. There are tons of light-hearted, fun poems in a variety of styles. Students have already shown great interest in poetry, so I think it will be an easy sell.

http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html - Here are a variety of poetry forms that students will become familiar with in the next couple of months. This site would be worth bookmarking for future reference, for students and families.

• Religion: Seasonal topics, with a focus on how morals and cultural background affect decisions and opinions

http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/Main_Page - Most of the content for our religion curriculum is found in the text, but I will be incorporating some elements of this useful website as well. I think that this site will be particularly useful as we start to move into topics related to decision-making and self-reflection. I have more information on this approach if you are interested.

• General: Uses for Technology, Healthy Living, World Geography

My first suggestion would be to bookmark and use the interactive map I posted earlier in the week. It has some great functions and will come in handy in a variety of curriculum areas.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/lv?key=tenru11ELMGfma9kDka2moQ&type=view&gid=0&f=true&sortcolid=0&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250

                - This link is one I will be using to find educational Apps for iPod Touch, a resource that seems to be readily available to many students. The portability, relevance and interactivity of the device is very well-suited to our classroom environment, and I would encourage you to explore these Apps at home as well (especially the free ones).

http://www.nourishinteractive.com/ - A final link, sorry to overwhelm everyone! This one also focuses on nutrition, and can be used either with a membership or not. 

Have a great weekend, talk to you soon.

Welcome to the weekend

Just a quick note for tonight, more tomorrow morning as usual. The class finished up their letters for the Great Canadian Mail Race today, and we also did a great job on a Social Studies project about explorers. The afternoon, as a big "Thank You" for the effort everybody put in this week, we spent a couple hours playing games. We set up a dozen or so stations that had students playing games such as Chess, Scattergories and a variety of problem-solving, electronic and "just-for-fun" games.

The kids kept track of who they played (and what game they played), and prizes will be given out on Monday for the students who played the most games + the most different opponents. The juice and cookies were a big hit, as I'm sure you found out approximately 2 hours later.

I will give some more details tomorrow, but have a great weekend! To all budding screenwriters in my class, best of luck on the sleepover/production meeting/script development session.

A few more details for the Old Christmas Day

As promised, a few more words on today's activities! I continue to be impressed by the progress the class is making in their oral french-speaking skills. To take advantage of this, I am incorporating grammar, verb and spelling lessons into our usual "Show and Tell" sessions. While the importance of spontaneous written expression cannot be overstated, I subscribe wholeheartedly to current notions that language must come first, in order for written/technical skills to be developed.

I am also happy to see how students have embraced the variety of media I have suggested they use in their book reports. So far, January book reports are taking the form of videos, character sketches, posters, narrations, role-plays and written descriptions.

Tomorrow afternoon I have planned a special fun activity, centered around board games. The class has showed interest in games such as chess, Scrabble, Scattergories, Guess Who and dice, to the extent that I think we could have a lot of fun playing these together in a more organized way. I think it will also be a lot of fun to start discussing strategy, methods and more complicated games in this framework. Oh, and cookies should help ease the whole process....

Thanks to all those that helped students research towns, schools and ideas for our letter-writing project. We will finish final copies tomorrow.

Holy Busy Day, Batman!

I will post a longer update later, but wanted to give a little glimpse of what we were up to today. We wrote first drafts of our letters for the Great Canadian Mail Race, and did some more work on "The Chicken Can't Skate". Book Reports were pitched, graphing reviewed indepth as a class, and in religion we talked about animals.

The latter activity spun into a discussion of moral code and moral obligation, a topic that I have wanted to approach for some time. The class was very interested in the idea, particularly as it applies to other issues we have already dealt with in class. The students were quick to consider how their own moral code would apply to situations like habitat loss, friendship and other issues in a variety of subjects.

Talk to you later!

Creamy Orangesicles and much more.

Parents, feel free to ask your child about the title of this post. For the rest of you, just Google "Creamy Orangesicles" for more information. We had a fun-filled day today, taking time to go to the computer lab for a research session and technology study. We also played a board game on the SmartBoard (mind the generation gap!) and exchanged library books. Add in gym and music this morning, and I think the class was pretty happy with our day.

We are well into our new read-aloud book, and working on questions relating to concepts like point-of-view, character, plot and voice. Our next read-aloud will be in French, but I wanted to do one last English book to help polish their skills.

We are participating in an activity known as the Great Canadian Mail Race, which will see us respond to a letter and send out one apiece to random schools across Canada. Students have been tasked with choosing a city/town and a school tonight, as well as picking what language they would like to write in and what content they would like to include. I would encourage you to sit with them and look at a book/map/Google Maps to find a place that interests them.

Then, search the website of the local schoolboard (or once again, Google) to find the name of a school. If they have chosen to write in French, please make sure that the school has Early French Immersion, or is in a francophone province. If internet access or resources are an issue, please don't worry. I will help students fill out any missing information tomorrow morning.

I have also asked students to prepare for their book reports by choosing a book and bringing it to school tomorrow if they have any questions. I want to give as much time as possible to work on the project.

Here is a link to the "Membership" page of the Canadian School Boards Association. On the right-hand side, you can see links to most provincial school boards.

http://cdnsba.org/about-us/membership

This link will take you to a useful interactive map of Canada. I would suggest bookmarking it for future reference.

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/reference/national/referenceinteractive

Back on the blog!

After a lovely Christmas break, I'm back into full swing in the blogosphere. Today was the class's first day back after the holidays, and while we had the usual first-day sluggishness, we got into the swing of things fairly quickly. It was great to see the students again, and hear what they got up to over their break.

My initial concern was that the class' interest in French would have declined while they were vacationing, but they actually got back into things really quickly. The first order of business was to discuss the holidays, using our familiar verbs and tenses to tell what had happened, what gifts had been acquired etc. The activity was done as either individual journal writing or as an interview. I have been trying to give such options wherever possible, since it seems to help engage the class more completely and keep things interesting.

In the same vein, we carried out a response-writing activity based on a newspaper story about a group of women from Bonavista who have been doing missionary work in Uganda. I am noticing that the class has made great strides in their abilities to analyze text for content, meaning and style. For our next activity we discussed the idea of New Years Resolutions, and made our own related to school and our class in particular. It was a great way for students to set some soft goals, and also gave me some insight into their specific concerns and interests over the upcoming term. I would encourage you to discuss these goals and the idea of reflection and improvement in general.

We also kept working on graphing in math, again in partners. The next step will be to create our own material, using the surveys we sent home in Science and a booklet I made from sports pages in The Telegram. This booklet outlines the scoring totals and biographical information of all Newfoundlanders (past and present) in the NHL, and has been a source of great interest.

Buddy writing, some art activities and the beginning of a new read-aloud book filled out the day, and more! I am excited for this part of the year to get going, so here are some of the highlights coming up, and some areas I would like students to focus on.

• Our next unit in health will combine fitness and nutrition, and incorporate elements of an ongoing CBC TV/radio/internet focus on youth and adult health/lifestyle.
• I have been promised that the arrival of our (mine included) Scholastic order is imminent.
• The next unit in science concerns light, which should give us lots of opportunity to experiment and have fun.
• Students will be carrying out more self-reflection activities to be included in their portfolios, and will decide on the topic of their personal project in the next couple of weeks.
• There is no school on January 13th, as noted on the January schedule that was sent home today.
• Please work on multiplication facts at home with your child. If you would like additional resources to help with this, please let me know ASAP. It is crucial that math facts learning be supported at home in a meaningful (not rote-learning, if possible) way.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Happy Holidays!

I've been off the radar a bit, partly because things have been so busy and partly because we have been carrying out covert ops (gift-creation) in class lately! We have a big day planned tomorrow, as we continue with some Christmas crafts and watch that great example of 90's cinematic nostalgia, Home Alone 2.

I will post a further update tomorrow, once the dust has settled some. Hope preparations are going well for Christmas, and try to stay dry this week.

A quick note, more later!

Hello all,

I have a meeting right after class, and must leave immediately after to attend an award ceremony with my fiancee. I am happy to say that the business we own is the recipient of two awards in the annual Scope Magazine "Best of St. John's" Awards tonight, but I will try to post something as soon as I get home tonight.

We had a busy day, taking time to work on our writing and math in particular. We also fit in a great discussion about our progress through the curriculum so far, as well as talking about my plans for the rest of the year. I received lots of wonderful ideas and feedback, all things that I will gladly factor into my in-class and extra-curricular activities in the upcoming months!

A couple Christmassy links

Here are a couple of games and activities that tie into the season. This first one involves gingerbread, candy and math. Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

http://www.multiplication.com/flashgames/HolidayPractice.htm

This game has no educational value. One click to make the penguin jump, a second click to activate Yeti.

http://www.addictinggames.com/penguinswing.html

This game involves 3 of my favourite things: monsters, catapults, and healthy eating.

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities/monster2.asp

Here comes Santa Claus...

We had plenty of work to do today, but I'm happy to day the class has generally been able to retain focus as we get closer to the holidays. A few students have some work to finish up tonight, but we made great strides in most areas. The first December book reports are finished, with some great work being showcased. We had a great "How to get rid of the monsters under your bed" poster, a great character sketch, an informational poster, and a beautiful painted wooden Santa.

I announced that I will be enforcing a few school policies a bit more seriously leading up to the holidays, particularly being polite to other students and always changing your shoes when you come into school. Aside from both being good ideas (and school-wide rules), I don't want there to be any double-standards. We also introduced "Homework Buddies" in an effort to make sure everybody is prepared before they go home. Also, given that time is limited and stretched thin, I am asking students to get to class as early as possible to make things a bit more relaxed over these last few days.

 

The class also chatted about what types of activities we would like to do in the lead up to Christmas. I think there is fun aplenty to be had, and I can't wait to get it rolling! We had our first candy canes today, no doubt the first of plenty to come. In lieu of having a class Christmas tree, we will be making a small Christmas Tree forest that will have one tree made by each student. This will be a mixed-media art project, and students can take these trees home as decorations or ornaments for Christmas.

Not much else to mention, other than to say that I will post a couple more links tonight. I removed a few elements from the blog (countdown tree and falling snow) because I was having some issues with the source code. Source code is the basic text that I input to create different visual elements on this page, and is so dorky I can't even believe I'm explaining it.

Please accept this festive video as my apology! I miss having only CBC, when this Christmas Special was my only option for holiday viewing.



Cheers!

It doesn't get much cuter than kids dressed as snowflakes...

We had the immense pleasure of seeing the Grade 2/Grade 6 Christmas Concert this morning, which was a nice way to launch into Christmas full speed. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, as we entered the final countdown 'til holidays in a week or so. Process Writing is coming along well, and we've made our way through the entire digestive system as well. I distributed the surveys the class developed today as well, and we carried out an exhaustive review of the necessary vocab and concepts for Friday's science test.

Tomorrow I plan on having the class finish up their letters to Santa, and we will also create a Christmas tree for our class. In our library period, Ms. Godden will be reading a Hanukkah story. Between these things, as well as moving along in Math and starting book reports, we should have a pretty full day! Video editing will keep moving along; Ta-Da!!

Have a good night, and drop me an email if you have any questions.

Another busy day!

Today was another in a series of whirlwind days we have had lately in our class. I introduced the binder we will be using to catalog Country Profiles, something some students have already begun to do in their spare time. We also inaugurated a classroom Art Gallery that I am encouraging students to fill up. Each student will have 1 piece at a time in the Gallery, and can replace it whenever they have something new. We began a new chapter in Math (graphing, data processing) and carried out some fun activities to model why this skill is both important and relevant on a daily basis.

I didn't get a chance to begin the video-editing, because Gym was extended this morning. Mme Tapper has been taking the Grade 4's out as a group over the last couple of weeks, since the gym has been in use for a multitude of Christmas Concerts. I hope to start video editing tomorrow, with a lofty goal of having it finished before Christmas. On the topic of Christmas, we made stockings today in an effort to further decorate the classroom. Nice work!

Book Reports are due on Friday, but I already have a couple turned in. I encourage students to bring Book Reports in as soon as they are complete, so that they can "get them out of the way" by presenting early if they wish. This also provides a good model for students who have yet to finish theirs up. I continue to be amazed by the calibre of work that I am seeing, especially the level at which students are incorporating the pointers I have given and the new skills they have learned.

Letters to Santa will be ready for final drafts on Wednesday, as our Process Writing goes into 1st draft stage tomorrow. If students are falling behind in this process or I think they could use some extra support, I will send them home with their current draft to work on a bit. The intention is to give more time to generate content and review their work, so don't worry about it being perfect.

Today's lesson in Religion was about the origins, traditions and meaning of Hanukkah. Rather than just read from the text, I decided to set up stations in class with different books on the topic. Some were stories, others were basic informational texts, and others were more challenging reference books. I had students go from station to station, and jot down as much information as they could in the form of a web. Judging by the excitement and discussion during the process as well as the end results, I plan on doing this a bit more often! I was happy to hear students reading to each other, correcting pronunciation, elaborating on thoughts and giving direction when needed. We will do the same thing for Ramadan and Christmas later in the week.

We are 2/3 of the way through our unit on digestion, but I don't think we will finish it completely before Christmas. I want to finish studying the process and components of digestion before Christmas, then talk about Nutrition in depth in early January. The evaluation for this unit will take the form of a presentation that incorporates elements like a song, poem or piece of theatre. Students have been commenting on their enjoyment of the games I posted last week, and I have been seeing the results in their familiarity with the topic.

I have decided to conduct a test to assess knowledge of the terminology and basic processes in our habitats unit. As mentioned before, we have reviewed and discussed this at length and I don't anticipate any problems. That being said, I will send home a study guide tomorrow to help students prepare. On the test, I will provide word lists and other choices. Still with Science, students will also be bringing home a survey about habitat loss and pollution that they have compiled as a class. They will each have 5 copies of the survey, and I will also send each parent a digital copy if you wish to email it to family/friends. The data gathered will form the basis for a project in math, and conclude our final requirements in Science before Christmas.

I know this is a lot of information, but I feel like I have been neglecting the blog as of late. Enjoy the holiday season, and let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, here is a multiplication game to capitalize on the great work students did on patterns/factors last unit. It covers up some content on the right sidebar, but if you need to access links, just view an archived blog post that doesn't take up so much space.

**Please note: Multiplication game has been removed, since a glitch was redirecting things off the blog. I will post another one ASAP! **

Thoughts on a sunny Sunday

Just a few thoughts today, to get everybody up to date and set things up for the last couple of weeks before Christmas. The big things we will be finishing up are a piece of writing in French, letters to Santa Claus, Book Report Presentations and our habitats unit in science.

I have decided to have students write a test to cover the main concepts and terminology from science. This will happen later on in the week or maybe even on the 20th. We have been reviewing these things in class, so I don't anticipate many problems. That being said, I will be giving out a study guide ASAP.

Book Reports seem to be coming along well, and I am looking forward to seeing the final products on Friday. I will also give students the option of presenting earlier if they want to, in an effort to get everything done on time. Students will also be finishing up our diorama video, as I will have the computer set up with video-editing software so students can edit their own clips with my support.

There are no vocab words to learn this week; rather, I will be continuing to focus on concepts and rules such as pluralization and pronouns. I still want students to write in their Reading Journals nightly, and I will also be assigning a few questions to be done at home.

Enjoy the escalation of the Christmas season, and let me know if you have any questions.

A few games for the weekend

Before I sign off for the night, here are a few pertinent games for the weekend if anybody (heaven forbid) gets bored before class on Monday. They are all in English, but provide good review of some key concepts.

The first is another digestive system game and quiz.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/health/anatomy/digestion/digestion_tutorial.htm

This next link focuses more specifically on the nutrition component of our current chapter in Health.

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/nutrition-main.asp

As we start to move into the part of our Social Studies curriculum that will deal with Canada's geography, culture and history, I would suggest trying out the games on this page.

http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/games/default.asp

Moving Day

The title of this post refers to a great activity we did this afternoon. I had students use a model to design new ways to lay out our classroom. Shelving, desks, computers; all mobile and represented by small cards on the whiteboard. This brought in problem solving skills of a high degree, as well as plenty of French vocabulary related to relative position, action words and contingencies.

Today's math test and spelling activity went well, as I had expected. The usual wrinkle here or there, but overall the class more than lived up to the high standard that I have come to expect. It seemed as though the class really took some of the pointers on their report cards to heart, and have a renewed focus. Math tests should be discussed, signed and returned by Monday.

As has become my habit, I will post a short update tonight and take the chance tomorrow to expand on some thoughts and outline the upcoming weeks. I did not assign any homework over the weekend, since I am sure things are very busy at home. Also, please check out last Saturday's blog post if you are looking for some fun family Christmas activities this weekend.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Back in the Beachy Cove Groove!

It was nice to get back in the swing of things today after a day of "Teacher School". I was able to download the software I needed to manipulate our class videos about our diorama, so (barring the potential snowstorm) we will be able to edit and publish the video tomorrow! Today we had lots more math and science review, as well as plenty of time for reading and writing in French and English.

I will post more later on, but have some Christmas "have-to's" to complete right now. I feel as though a line-up at Costco is in my future... In the event of a snow day tomorrow (notice the new background?), our Math Test and spelling words will be deferred to Monday. Students should start working on Book Reports if possible, but I will give more class time as well.

Flying under the radar...

As you may know, I spent today at a professional development function in support of the implementation of our new Social Studies curriculum. There were some great ideas floated at the meeting, things I hope to incorporate into the class over the next couple of months.

I also had an opportunity to share some of the things we have been working on (namely our Exploration activity and some mapping games), which got a great response. The other participants were impressed by the effort students put into the project, and were curious to see more.

Parent-teacher meetings went very well yesterday; I appreciate so many parents showing up for meetings. I will have a much longer update tomorrow once I am back in class, so talk to you then!

Ode to Room 110

In hats and mitts and scarves and warm knits,
they come piling in through the door.
Shoes are changed and the desks re-arranged
as agendas and books hit the floor.
We jump right in but it's time for Gym,
so the pencils fall like rain
And it's hard to read a book together
with recess on the brain.
A crossword puzzle! That should work,
to soothe our addled minds.
Yes that's the trick; but they finish too quick,
onto work of another kind.

"We'll do some math!" I quickly say,
and try to make everyone care.
So we forge ahead with thoughts of dread
as Pattern Blocks fill the air.
"You can take it home if you didn't get it done,"
their faces all turn queasy.
Then as quick as that the task is complete;
Mention homework, and work becomes easy!

Then out through the door to the winter winds' roar,
I have fifteen minutes to recover.
Then a deluge of students and one scraped knee,
then another...then another... then another.
There are fish to feed and comics to read,
and puddings to drop on the floor.
Not to mention the chorus of "Can I go pee?"
every time I get near the door.

We dabble in Science and Religion and French,
progressively getting more wise.
In Health, we go through the digestive system
faster than a Big Mac and fries.
We talk about grammar and spelling and style,
I'm feeling that I'm quite profound.
I can picture my Teacher of the Year Award,
when someone says "Sir, what's a noun?"

They're a wonderful lot, this class that I've got,
and they smile as they're put through their paces.
No matter the task I know they will last,
with grins on their angelic faces.
Tomorrow I meet with their parents and families,
then Wednesday they're back at my door.
Congrats to all and good luck next term,
I couldn't want anything more.

A lunchtime update

Just so I don't forget, here is a link to some logic games. I have introduced the concept as a problem-solving strategy, and the students really enjoyed them. There are lots of other good games on this site as well.

http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/logic_games/index.html

Holiday fun for the whole family

If you are looking for something to do with friends/family this weekend, here are a few ideas.

• Check out a performance of Bella's Tree at The Rooms on Sunday. Written by local author Janet Russell, this book won a Governor General's Award. The performance features local performer Jody Richardson, and should be an amazing show. Later that evening, make your own Christmas decoration! Details at: www.therooms.ca/family_fun.asp
• Check out the annual reading of A Christsmas Carol at Gower Street United Church in St. John's. The performance features many CBC celebrities (Alan Hawco, anyone?) and only costs $10 to get in. Show starts at 7pm tonight.
• Go see More Munsch!, a play that tells 6 of Robert Munsch's favorite stories. It is running at the Arts and Culture Centre Basement Theatre until the 19th. I have seen it other years, and it is a ton of fun for the whole family (And cheap). Call the Box Office for details (729-3900). Also playing at the ACC is Scrooge, which should be a great spectacle. Again, box office for details
• Giving Back is an afternoon event taking place at the Fluvarium every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 until December 18th. It is a family event that helps kids and their parents make gift-giving more "green". 

I'm sure there are lots of other activities on the go, but these are a few that caught my eye. Have a great weekend!

**Update**

If you are interested in all things crafty, I would suggest you go see the "Comfort and Joy" show at Devon House, the Craft Council gallery across from the Sheraton. There is an open house today and should be lots of fun, with lots of great locally-made gift ideas.

**Update over**

Happy Report Card Day!

We had a good day today, lots of excitement and apprehension as would be expected under the circumstances. We took plenty of time to talk about evaluation and talk about the self-reflection we have carried out, as well as discussing how report cards "work" and how the information should be used. Above all, I congratulated students on their achievements. We have been setting high goals and expectations so far, and I marvel each day at how well all students are performing. All parents, families and students should be very proud, and looking forward to a great second term.

Students have been given the task of picking out some strengths and weaknesses over the weekend, and writing the results in their Journal de Questions. I would encourage you to help them with this activity, extending on the conversations you will already be having about the marks and comments on their report cards. I hope to use this feedback in Tuesday's parent-teacher meetings, so the more detail the better!

A few pointers, then I'm off for a reporting-free weekend!

• We covered more math today (Lesson 6), so students can finish up to Lesson 6 in their math review.
• Students' 200+ word Book Report synopsis is due Thursday
• Don't forget to sign up for parent-teacher meetings at www.parentinterviews.com/beachycove. Parents can check their email for notes on how to sign up for back-to-back slots. Please contact me if you need to be accommodated in any way.

Again, congratulations to students on a great job and have a fun weekend.

A new chapter

Anticipation of Christmas and report cards is quickly building, as we move toward Christmas vacation. There are only 14 school days left before our winter holiday if you can imagine! Today we began a new read-aloud, since we have finished up Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. We are reading I Want To Go Home, a great book by Canadian author Gordon Korman. It is a long-time favourite of mine; a very humorous, engaging book with great characters and stimulating dialogue and vocabulary. We covered the first few chapters today, and will be responding to it as we go along.

Gym was outside today, and will be for the next week or so as Christmas Concert season hits full pace. I have advised students to dress warm for this reason. We played soccer and 4-square, and I think the fresh air did us well for the rest of the day. The class spent more time working on a survey they will bring home for science as well. The survey focuses on habitat depletion, and will hone their research, information gathering and data management skills. These surveys will go home on Monday.

A memo went home today, giving details about signing up for parent-teacher interviews on Tuesday. You can sign up for back-to-back slots by altering your child's name slightly for the second slot. For example, enter Bob Jones for the first slot, then Bob V. Jones for the second one. If you are having any problems, please let me know.

Tomorrow we will be moving on to the second-last unit in math, and finishing up brainstorming for our French stories. I have also been taking the time this week to use our morning "Saviez-vous que?" sessions as a lesson in grammar or style when speaking french. This has ranged from simple things like pluralization and masculine/feminine nouns to more complex concepts involving verbs, adjective placement and advanced grammar.

I think everyone will be happy with Report Cards tomorrow. We have come a long way this year, and continue to move along every day. In your child's Report Card envelope, you will also find a letter from the principal and a copy of your child's Grade 3 CRT results. As always, if you have any questions please get in touch with me. Talk to you soon.