Properties of Air

Today is science we worked on some demonstrations to help us understand the four properties of air.  Ask your child what they are and what activities we did.  The photos will help jog their memories.

Juliana and Matt blew up balloons

Andrew helped demonstrate that air has weight

Brian and Olivia prepare the demonstration
to prove that air takes up space

Our Thoughts About the EQAO Experience

Now that EQAO is finished, I would like to report on the reaction that our class had to the evaluation and the experience.  Daily, after all students completed, we debriefed, and I recorded their comments.  Here they are, in no particular order:
"It was easier than I thought it would be!"

"It was just like our math tests, just longer!"

"It looked like our tests!"

"For a provincial test, it was not as bad as I thought."

"I think our school's math scores will be higher than they have been in the last few years!"

"Our tests are harder than EQAO."

"It was easy now that we know what to do for open response questions."

"It was fun."

"I liked the writing part - it was easy and fun!"

"The open response questions were really easy."

"EQAO is too easy."

"It was easy and there were not a lot of questions."

"I wish there were more questions."

"Easy peezy, lemon squeezy."

"The topic for the report writing was challenging."

"I thought it would be a lot harder based on the previous years."

"Literacy was fun!"

"I found it easier than grade three."

"CASI is harder than EQAO."

"We're lucky that we are learning about explorers right now, since we had to write about them."

"Yeah!  We're done!"

"It was far easier than I thought."

"I wish there was more math!"

As the teacher, I must say that our class worked very well, they respected their classmates well, especially those who finished early, and it appears that everyone tried their very best.  That is all that we can ever ask for!  The next EQAO experiences are scheduled for grade nine (math) and grade ten (literacy), so you can have a breather for a while! 

Of course the results will not be known until the fall.  I hope that their reactions are directly related to their scores.  At least the optimism is encouraging!

Pizza Party!

Today we enjoyed our reward for selling so many lottery tickets for the fund raiser.  It was also a great way to celebrate the end of EQAO.  We enjoyed pizza and juice supplied by the School Advisory Council.  I also supplied the dessert - we all made ice cream sundaes!  Check out the photos!

Delicious pizza from Rosa's

So many flavours of juice to choose from!

So many sundae toppings!

before........

.........and after!

What Does Smoking Do To You?

Our class is very interested in the health discussions that we have had as of late.  We have been discussing the topic of smoking.  While our book has great facts, testimonials, and information, it lacks photographs and illustrations.  To supplement that, please check out the visuals below.  Remember:  If you don't start you never have to stop!

Which lung would you rather have in your body?

These chemicals (and others) are added
to your body each time you smoke.

Do you want to age prematurely?

Do you really want to run the risk of getting
one or more of these types of cancer?

 

Make sure you make the right choice!

There are many more visuals available that are too graphic to show you here, but you can be sure that smoking is NEVER a good thing - don't ever let anyone else convince you otherwise.

What We Did Today

Today our whole class crammed into the office and had the honour of singing our National Anthem on the P.A. during morning announcements.  This is a huge compliment.  Our class is great about singing daily and being proud of our country, so we were rewarded for our efforts. 

                          

We continued with EQAO today, of course.  We finished math, so we just have literacy to complete.  It is very hot in our room, and most students are remembering a cool water bottle.  It really helps!

Most students have completed the health homework that was due today, as assigned on May 24.  For those who did not, I will be checking it tomorrow.

Today, for gym class, we stayed inside out of the hot sun.  Our class admitted to not having sunscreen on, and the gym was cooler anyway!  Ask your child about the frizbee game we played.  It is not as easy as it sounds!

Snacks Provided!

Did you know that we have been provided with EXTRA snacks during EQAO?  Thanks to Mr. LeBlanc and Mr. Marenchin for giving us the extra energy boost!  (we do continue to receive the daily healthy snacks that the rest of the school gets too!)

Reminders...

Here are some reminders for events for the coming week:

• health homework is due Monday (see May 24 blog post)
• EQAO Math part 2 is scheduled for Monday morning
• Wednesday is the last day of EQAO and our class pizza party (our reward for selling so many lottery tickets) - see the note that was sent home on Friday.  I will also provide dessert for our class!
• many students are not returning evaluations signed in a timely fashion.  Currently students need to return:  Unit 9 Math test, Unit 10 Show What you Know, drama rubric, Literacy Evaluation from May 10
• Social Studies will come home on Monday for parent's signature
• rehearsal of our new play on Friday will be WITHOUT SCRIPTS:  lines were supposed to be memorized for May 25, but many did not 

Literature Circle Meeting #3

Today we had our third Literature Circle meeting.  More students are now ready for these meetings and are being productive members of the group. Next Friday we will hold our last meeting, then we will work on our group book talks.  Check out the pics!

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe group.

Frindle group

Sign of the Beaver group

Holes group

Health Homework Assigned!

Today each student was given there own copy of "Drug Safety:  Smart Choices for Life".  This was provided by the WECDSB in conjunction with our VIP program and it also matches with a portion of our Health curriculum.  The homework, which is due Monday May 28, is to watch the enclosed DVD with one or both of your parents.  The video is broken into seven sections which last from 2 to 6 minutes each, so it doesn't have to be watched all in one sitting.  After completing the viewing, have your parents sign the label in your agenda.  It is also recommended that your parents read part four of the book because it was designed for them. Bring your book back to school on Monday because it is a resource that we will be using in class daily.  HAPPY VIEWING!

Quiet, EQAO Testing in Progress!

Our class dove right in to the first portion of the EQAO math evaluation.  Our room was a comfortable 76 degrees and the ceiling fans kept the air moving.  Most students had a water bottle and nutritious snack on their desk. Check out the photos!

Math Manipulatives are provided.

Some math sheets are provided

Anchor charts that provide some question
 answering tips are allowed in the room

Anchor charts that assist with answering math
open response questions are allowed in the room

Students hard at work!

Very Intense!

That's showing your thinking!

Gearing Up for EQAO!

Today we prepared our room, our supplies, and our minds for the enivitable evaluation that begins tomorrow.  Please find a list below that will help maximize any students' potential on any given day, but is particularly important for the next six school days:

• be present daily
• be punctual (we write each morning)
• get 10-12 hours of sleep nightly
• eat a balanced breakfast
• bring a nutritious lunch and snacks
• bring a water bottle to keep on your desk
• have all of your math tools at school (see a previous blog post)
• have a positive attitude - our class has done everything we could possibly do to prepare for EQAO.  If you have done well in class, this evaluation should be no different
• wear cool comfortable clothing since we do not have air conditioning
• take your time during the evaluation, check everything over, and don't take short cuts - it will be worth it in the end

BEST OF LUCK AND KNOWLEDGE!

Anchor Chart Auction

Since our classroom must be void of all supportive materials related to literacy and numeracy for EQAO, I have been taking down all of our anchor charts (some students have counted them and apparently there were 130+).  I was initially not sure what to do with them, so I offered them to the students.  Much to my surprise, they are a huge hit!  In order to distribute them fairly, we are doing an "Anchor Chart Auction".  When I asked the students what they were doing with them, some were making gigantic paper airplanes, while others said that they were hanging them in their room and studying them - after all they are chocked full of great information!  Enjoy the photos!

Math Review Recommended

All of the students were given their six math duo tangs (one for each strand and their problem solving duo tang) and their textbook to take home this weekend even if they did not have math homework.  I recommend that they review, especially the material new to grade six, or anything they find tricky.  On the first day of EQAO, we will do the first half of the math evaluation, so it is wise to review the many definitions, diagrams, formulae, and procedures.  This week, for example, many students admitted to forgetting about Prime Numbers; Mean, Median,and Mode; constructing triangles and parallelograms; etc.  They know that the anchor charts are gone and than I CANNOT HELP OR GUIDE THEM IN ANY WAY during the evaluation.  The only thing I can do for them during the math portion is read a question to them.  Best of luck and knowledge when studying!

Can the Thrilling Three Save Grandville? part 3

Cast B

Cast B

Cast B

              








Cast B also did a fine performance yesterday.  They have their rubrics to be signed and new lines to memorize by May 25.  Check out the photos!

Cast B

Cast B

Cast B

Can the Thrilling Three Save Grandville? part 2

Cast A

Cast A

Cast A did a fine performance today.  They have received their rubrics which need to be signed this weekend.  Check out the photos below.  The students have new lines to memorize for a new play (due May 25). 

Cast A

Cast A

Cast A

Cast A