Sunday, October 26, 2014

Choosing Your Letter

Dear Grade Five and Sixes!
We are continuing with choosing the stories from soldiers and families. This week you must finalize which letter you will be using for your assignment. With help if needed, copy your letter onto a word document and save it in your documents. Grade fives, please ask grade sixes to help if you need it.

 This week, we will begin preparations for our Remembrance Day assembly. Our class will share some thoughts from our Canadian Soldiers and families. You will be asked to share part of one of their stories. You will do this in teams or groups.

This week I would like you to read through (or listen to) some of the stories you will find in the booklet Thoughts of our Canadian Soldiers at War”. Please go to the link and begin your journey, which will sometimes be a hard one.

Love, Mrs. French


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Preparing for Remembrance Day

Dear Grade Five and Sixes!
Welcome to our class blog. (This activity counts as a Read to Self.) I will use the blog to present new assignments or to just provide you with information.

 This week, we will begin preparations for our Remembrance Day assembly. Our class will share some thoughts from our Canadian Soldiers and families. You will be asked to share part of one of their stories. You will do this in teams or groups.

This week I would like you to read through (or listen to) some of the stories you will find in the booklet Thoughts of our Canadian Soldiers at War”. Please go to the link and begin your journey, which will sometimes be a hard one.

Love, Mrs. French

Monday, March 3, 2014

Platypus

Dear Grade Fives!       
This week, you will both take notes and write your paragraph. 
Today:

  1. go to http://a-z-animals.com/animals/platypus/
  2. inquiry question: What are some interesting facts you have learned about the platypus?
  3. record brief, keyword notes that answer the question
  4. edit your notes
  5. post them 
Wednesday:

  1. reread your notes to ensure they provide answers to the inquiry question
  2. write your paragraph
  3. read it over and edit it, use the checklist
  4. listen to your paragraph
  5. have a peer edit it as well 
  6. post your blog and post it as usual

Love, Mrs. French

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Great White Sharks

Dear Grade Fives!  

Today: Last week you recorded notes answering the question: What are some interesting facts you learned about the Great White Shark? Using your edited notes, I would like you to answer the question in a single and complete paragraph.


Tomorrow, you will edit your response, listen to it, and then have a peer edit it as well. When you have made all of your corrections, you will copy your blog and post it as usual. Grade Fives, you have been writing paragraph for several months now. Be sure to use what you know. Write the best paragraph you can about what you have learned.

Just a reminder that a paragraph contains:
a)  topic (promise) sentence: what you promise to tell the reader about
b) at least three support sentences (at least): specific examples or details about your topic
c)  concluding sentence: where you remind the reader what you promised to tell the reader

Love, Mrs. French

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Great White Shark

Dear Grade Fives! 
Today, you will be continuing to refine your note-taking. This week, you will go to a new website and take short brief notes that, once again, answer a specific inquiry question. These notes will be recorded on your Blog Response word document. Tomorrow, you will edit your notes.

Today:
2) inquiry question: What are some interesting facts you learned about the Great White Shark?
3) record brief, keyword notes that answer the question
Wednesday:
1) reread your notes to ensure they provide answers to the inquiry question
2) check that you use keywords only (not full copied sentences)


I am really looking forward to reading your notes!
Love, Mrs. French

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Bactrian Camel's Humps

Dear Grade Fives!  


Today: Last week you recorded notes answering the question: How are the camel humps used and how do they work? You edited your notes and we edited them as a class. 

*Please post your newly edited notes (e.g. the ones we discussed in class).

Using these edited notes, I would like you to answer the question in a single, complete paragraph.


     


     Tomorrow, you will edit your response, listen to it, and then have a peer edit it as well. Please note that the checklist is a bit longer. You will also be checking that you have used proper paragraph conventions. When you have made all of your corrections, you will copy your blog and post it as usual. You may want to have two windows open side-by-side, one with the blog letter and one being your word document.
Just a reminder that a paragraph contains:
a)  topic (promise) sentence: what you promise to tell the reader about
b) at least three support sentences (at least): specific examples or details about your topic
c)  concluding sentence: where you remind the reader what you promised to tell the reader

Love, Mrs. French

Monday, February 3, 2014

Bactrian Camels

Dear Grade Fives!
Today, you will once again read and take notes. Please take short brief notes that answer the specific inquiry question. 







 
Remember:
- use bullets to mark your notes
- avoid using words in the question
- use digits rather than number words
- leave out unnecessary little words out e.g. ‘a’, ‘is’, ‘the’, ‘and’ etc.
- start your notes with a lowercase letter unless it needs a capital

Tomorrow you will edit your notes.







Today:
1) Go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/ 
2) Choose “Mammals” > “Bactrian Camels
3) Inquiry Question: How are the camel humps used and how do they work?
Wednesday:
1) reread your notes 
2) remove all notes that do not to provide answers to the inquiry question
3) check that you use keywords only (not full copied sentences)

Assessment:
       Content (clarity, accuracy, quantity)
       Conventions (spelling, keywords)



I am really looking forward to reading your notes!
Love, Mrs. French

Monday, January 27, 2014

African Elephants

Dear Grade Fives!

Today, you will be doing something a bit different. You will go to a specific website and take short brief notes that answer a specific inquiry question. These notes will be recorded on your Blog Response word document. Tomorrow, you will edit your notes.
Today:
  1. Go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/ 
  2. Choose “Mammals” > “African Elephants”
  3. Inquiry Question: How do African Elephants use their trunks?
  4. record brief, keyword notes that answer the question
Wednesday:
  1. reread your notes to ensure they provide answers to the inquiry question
  2. check that you use keywords only (not full copied sentences)

Assessment:
  • Content (clarity, accuracy, quantity)
  • Conventions (spelling, keywords)

I am really looking forward to reading your notes!

Love, Mrs. French

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Human Body: The Learning Highlights

Dear Grade Fives! 

Today: In Science, you are wrapping up your science unit on the human body. In a single and complete paragraph, please tell me at least three of the most interesting things that you have learned.
Tomorrow, you will edit your response, listen to it, and then have a peer edit it as well. Please note that the checklist is a bit longer. You will also be checking that you have used proper paragraph conventions. When you have made all of your corrections, you will copy your blog and post it as usual. You may want to have two windows open side-by-side, one with the blog letter and one being your word document.
Just a reminder that a paragraph contains:
a)  topic (promise) sentence: what you promise to tell the reader about
b) at least three support sentences (at least): specific examples or details about your topic
c)  concluding sentence: where you remind the reader what you promised to tell the reader


Love, Mrs. French