Week Thirteen -

 November 27- December 1

December is almost here! 😅😉😇

Thanks for all those who came to parent-teacher interviews. 

Report Cards are out on Dec. 15. 

Second term starts on Dec. 8th! 

Math Multiplication Quiz on Wednesday
- basic facts
- single digit 
- double digit multiplication
- multiplying with decimals
Students will have worksheets  this week on word problems. 

English reports on Wonder due this Thursday 
(see previous post for descriptions)
Students may borrow  Wonder books, however I am reading the book aloud in class as well. Students have time during reading to work quietly on their projects. 

Next week another creative book project is due. 

Goal this week: Writing good sentences!

In Science we will begin a new unit on Solutions which will lead into some experiments... (and cooking!)

In Socials we will continue our work on Rights and Responsibliites. Students are working on a group poster and will be looking at the Canadian and Universal Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

In PE we will continue with BASKETBALL. 
In PE we will also complete a food and activity weekly journal and set some goals for the month ahead. We will use this information in PE, Health, Science and French. 

Week Twelve - November 20-24

It's a short week with lots of tying up as report cards are being prepared.

It's great to see so many parents signing up for interviews! I look forward to chatting with you and showing some of your child's work. 


Socials

As an extension of our walk down the creek and observation of the salmon, the students have been preparing for a debate. Each student is working on communication skills and creative thinking.
In assigned groups the students prepare three "pros" (supporting the proposal) and three "cons" (against the proposal). 
The sceanio (fake news) is that a small fish farm is been proposed for the Sooke River.

The groups are Provincial Government, Federal Department of Fisheries,  First Nations, Local fishers, children, environmentalists and  the Project Developer.

Groups presented their ideas and answered questions on their views about the proposed fish farm.


Math

We have continued to work on double digit multiplication, including working with decimals. We will begin order of operations next week. 
Worksheet due Nov. 23

Wonder

We hope to finish reading Wonder by December so have begun to work on Projects as the novel is read daily. Students are welcome to bring the novel home to read and work on projects over the weekend. Projects are due November 30th. 

1)      Vocabulary List. Find definitions and write a sentence for words.

2)      Character Studies. Find 10 words to describe your character and use them to decorate face.

Add 2-3 quotes from Character and a paragraph about the character describing  personality, dreams, fears, comforts, friends and history.

3)      Comprehension Questions. Answer questions from each Part in complete sentences and with examples to support your opinions.

4)      Point of View. There are several different narrators in Wonder. Describe the mood or feeling created by each narrator and how they see Auggie’s life differently. Give 3 examples for each narrator.

6)  Letter writing. Write a series of letters (3 letters each) to one of the characters in the book about what happened and their thoughts and feelings about the events.

7)    Precepts Choose 5 slogans from the book and make a poster. Include quotes from  3 or more  characters and 4 or more scene descriptions of  examples where these precepts were demonstrated in the book. Use examples from your own life as well. 

Week Eleven - Nov 14- 17

Some tests, book project marks and interm reports went home on Friday. Check with your student!

Conference Manager for

November 23rd Parent-Teacher interviews

is open on Thursday. 

This week...
In English: 

We have finished 2 book reports and are working on a third (due Nov 30). 

We continue to listen to Wonder (a few students are reading along). This week we will begin working on vocabulary (and dictionary skills), examine point of view and continue with descriptive characterizations of the many narrators. 

In Writing we have been working from our Halloween stories to find and improve sentences. We will be building a writing profolio this week.

Google Read Write
From Chrome, using their sd62learns.org accounts, students have access to Google Education and its Apps. These include Read-Write, which Mrs. Syme introduced to us this week. Read-Write includes Predictive Text, Translator and, text to speech and Speech to Text. Students will have access to these tools as the work that they do in Google Docs ( and other programs!) for as long as they are enrolled in the Sooke School District. (Yes, until they are are in High school!) These tools help with research, writing, reading,  editing and collaborating with other students. Check out this video for an overview: 

In Math: 

Multiplication continues as we practice basic skills and try out various methods of double digit multiplication (traditional, lattice, box (grid/partial product) method)

Homework assignments will be sent home each day. 

There was not a Math Quiz on Friday. Students are working either from the textbook (challenge) or from worksheets (some review). 

We will complete applied problems this week with word problems. 

In Socials...

Following our Headlines Report (which students handed in last week) and adding to our trip to view Salmon Spawning in Demaniel Creek (below the school), we will be researching and role playing some of the viewpoints and government actors involved in the Fish Farm Debate up Island. 

In Science we wrap up our study of the Nervous System with a couple of experiments and review the scientific method in the process!

In PE we begin basketball...

Here's the lattice method of multiplication which we are learning in class. The students are loving it!

Week Ten: November 6-10

Our howling was fun and the snow has come,  

the week ahead is for getting things done!

Math
Students have completed the times table and we have shared some tricks to help them remember. We move into double digit calculations this week and some word problems. Quiz on Friday.

Here are some videos on double digit multiplication for review.



There are A LOT of fun videos and games online to review times tables! A few minutes a day playing with Multiplication is AWESOME. (We can post them in our Google classroom!)

Become a Multiplication Master!!

English

• The students have begun some pretty fabulous, very imaginative stories about Halloween!
•  We are continuing to read Wonder (which will be in the theatres this month!) and 
• students are finishing up their second (very brief) independent reading report. The report is due on Monday. We will have a bit of class time tomorrow and reports can be submitted on Tuesday. A worksheet was given out last week. 

The report is out of 12 and focusses on story elements. 

• 1. Identify and describe main characters (3)
•  2. Title and Author (1) 
• 3. 4 star rating (1)   
•  4. Favourite Quote (1) 
• 5. Main plot problem and why it's a problem (2) 
• 6.Main plot solution and how it worked (2)  
• 7. A review: reader's rave about the book with descriptive reasons.(2) 

Writing - has become a regular event in the classroom. First drafts have been read. We will use the writing process to polish our work to publication. The goal is to have at least one piece at a publication stage by December. 

As we begin some editing this week, students will continue to write new work and select prize sentences which they like best and troubled sentences which need some care and revision. We will revise just a few sentences as we focus on the mechanics of sentences and punctuation. 






Socials
4 Headlines Summaries due this week!

Since September students have been asked to find headlines from the news, touching on all the continents. 


We are building global awareness and an awareness of global issues as well as learning about the media. This week students need to complete a W5 on 4 articles

• Who is the article about?
• When did it happen?
• Where did this happen?
• What happened? 
• Why is this event important to the world and to me in Sooke?

Upcoming... Rights and Responsiblities

Page one from the Journey Code of Conduct. Poster and Video Challenge Ahead. 

Science

We are wrapping up our study of the Nervous System and will be reviewing this week with a Quiz. Some experiments will continue next week .  A study sheet will be compiled in class before the quiz. 

Here's a link to the Bill Nye video we watched last week. 

In French we continued with les coleurs et les numéros. Our emphasis is on conversation with students beginning a labelled poster in the next week and a quick quiz.

If students are interested in practicing more French in a fun format I encourage you to download the Duolingo app for free. Students will need parental permission and an identity so that they can practice and gradually build their skills. WARNING: it's so fun, it's addictive! https://www.duolingo.com/

Upcoming Salmon Project
We will kick off more of our exploration of SALMON as a Natural Resource (Socials) and a series of  Biological Systems (Science) this week through some PLACE-BASED learning with our Aboriginal Teacher, Eva Marten during a walk to Sooke River on Tuesday afternoon. We will be incubating roe in our classroom in the new year. 





And Last, but most importantly, here's some inspiration for creating a fun, positive, supportive, bully-free, accepting classroom. This video has some good thoughts and surprising strategies for dealing with bullies or any negative interactions. Stay strong! 


https://www.facebook.com/JungleVT/videos/1707031749438660/

Also see the resourses at ERASE bullying: 
http://www.erasebullying.ca/index.php

Week Nine -  Oct 30-Nov3
Happy Halloween!

We have a fun week ahead.

PHOTO RETAKE DAY IS ON MONDAY!

Please make sure that your child has all supplies needed for swimming and a simple/limited costume on Halloween day. We will be swimming this week as part of our PE program, on both Tuesday and Friday. 

Also coming up and important is the critical Grade 6 immunizations. Consent letters were sent home 2 weeks ago and need to be returned to the public health nurse next week. She will be at Journey next week. Although some students may feel nervous about this visit, this is the last immunization they receive at school and is a booster. More information is in the letter. Contact the public health nurse for Sooke at VIHA for further information 

English
We continue to read and discuss Wonder.Students have worked hard and done some fabulous book projects which we have just begun to share. We will have time to report on 3 more books of all different genres before Christmas. (Due Nov. 6, Nov 30 and Dec. 8)  Students can complete 2 Short reports, 1 shared report, interviews and another creative project to have another chance to think and write about reading. Regular individual reading is the best way for students to improve in all subject areas, especially writing. Daily reading at school and home is recommended.

We have been writing a Halloween themed story using the writing process and will finish revising and begin publishing this week. 

Math
We have begun multiplication this week, finishing our Multiples package of times tables from 1-12. Practice of these basic facts is fundamental to grade six and will be ongoing with mastery as a goal for all. 
This week we will look at tricks and multiples of 10, 100,1000 and double digits. (eg. 29 X 5)

Science 
We examine experiments and the scientific method explore our brain power. We will have a quiz and a project this month. 

Socials
Newspaper articles and the media are being examined and we will be discussing culture in the context of our experiences during Halloween. 

French
Vocabulaire: 

0  = zéro                  4  = quatre                8  =huit                     12  =douze

1  = un                     5  = cinq                   9  =neuf                   13  =treize

2  = deux                  6  = six                     10  =dix                      14  =quatorze

3  = trois                  7  = sept                  11  =onze                   15  =quinze       16  =seize

Les coleurs: 

Highlights this past week....
The Halloween dance was a blast and well attended by Division 18. Students LOVED playing Mantracker in the forest on Friday. Students received class jobs, we continued our run around the world. 

Our fundraising the week before was an excellent teambuilder and a proud accomplishment (over $113 raised, thank you for your help, bakers and crafters!)
We will be saving half of our funds for class trips and donating the other half to charity (Salmon defenders, Red Cross and mirco-loans all being considered). 

Week eight - Oct 23-27

This week is Howling! 

We have the dance on Thursday from 6-8. 
Basketball practices underway- Girls in the morning and boys at lunch. Come check it out!


And Swimming Trips are upcoming as part of our PE. 

We will be swimming at SEAPARC on Halloween the 31st, Tuesday afternoon. We will walk, so costumes would need to be removed. Suggested donation  is $2.

On November 3rd - We are visiting the Commonwealth Pool for the day with our team from Narnia. Suggested donation (cost of admission, buses and lockers) is $5.

The book projects look amazing and students are sharing them this week. 

In Math we have begun a review of multiplication facts and a look at factoring

There will be a multiplication quiz on Friday. 

Week Seven - Oct 16-19, 2017

It's Spirt Week and Div18 is working on Some Fundraising Projects!

Tuesday, Wednesday - Lunch - Bake Sale!

Thanks to volunteer bakers!

Tuesday, Wednesday Lunch - Craft Sale - Magnets, Stickers, Slime!

Students are making crafts at school. 

Bring Loonies, Toonies and Quarters! 


Monday - Pajama Day!!
Tuesday - Journey Colours and Swag - Red, Black, White
Wednesday - Twin Day (prizes!)
Thursday - Sports Bling Day - Who are you cheering for?

Friday, Oct 20 - PRO - D  --- No school ---

English 
Independent Reading Book Projects are due Monday! 
Students have been reading and working in class on different Book Report Projects over the last 3 weeks (scrapbooks, timelines, tests, board games, posters). Today is our DEADLINE. The goal is completion. 

What if you're not done??
Lunches, recess, literacy and morning advisory time can be used and assistance is  available - talk to me! 

Students need to have independent reading books available at school. 

We are continuing to read Wonder as a class. 

Science: 
We continue our study of the Nervous System  focussing on the BRAIN and conducting an experiment on focus and attention. How can we control what happens in our brain and our ability to learn and remember?

Socials: 

Headlines have arrived thanks to our many researchers (WTG!!) and new complimentary copies of the Times Colonist. We are reading, questioning and making connections to GLOBAL ISSUES and ourselves as we learn the latest around the world. Students will be working in small groups this week to discuss events and their importance. We are chosing charities which we want to support with some of our fundraising. The Red Cross Emergency Response has been very active worldwide in the past month in the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. 

French: 
We are working on introductions in French as we "run" across Canada, discovering Francophone communities en route. Click on the link below
https://wiki.mcmaster.ca/Northern_Health/_media/mod1:frenchmothertongue3.png

PE:
Next week we switch and Division 18 will work with Ms. St. Jean. This week we are continuing our rivalry. WAY TO GO - 18! Benchball Champs
SHOES and GYM STRIP are needed every TUESDAY AND FRIDAY.  We are continuing our daily runs around the school - appropriate footwear is needed. 

Final Cross Country Meet on Wednesday at Juan de Fuca -

 way to go Nevaeh!

PAC PIZZA is on Wednesday, Oct 18!

Next week Thursday's DANCE tickets will be on sale. 

Notices are going home on Thursday which need to be returned as soon as possible (Friday or Monday) regarding immunizations.

Week 6 - Oct 10-13

Welcome to Week six - Oct 10 -13 

We have a fortnight (vocab for those grade sixers!) of short weeks followed by Halloween week.

Friday's Math Quiz on Subtraction was challenging! Retesting and reteaching will be happening this week as we begin a new unit on Prime, Composite Numbers and Factors. A brief Math quiz is planned for Friday. 

In English Students should be well into their work on their independent book projects. We are continuing our class study of Wonder and will be focusing on Characterization this week and Narration and Perspective next week in a responsive journal. 

Science - The Peripheral Nervous System, Sensory Nerves, Inter-neurons and the Spinal Cord lead to the Brain, which is our focus this week. We will continue to look at the role of the cerebrum, Cerebella and the brain stem in regulating our actions and reactions to stimulus. How can we control our reactions? 

As a Friday the 13th special, we investigate the power of Positive and Negative thinking. 

Socials - Headlines around the world and our global connections shape our IDENTITY. 

PE - BRING PE STRIP or extra clothes and shoes. We are OUTSIDE, rain or shine!! We are wrapping up our soccer unit and the competitive/divisions have been playing well. We will be missing our class on Friday the 20th but will be playing Capture the Flag with other classes as well as continue our soccer games. We are continuing our run around the world. 

Google Classroom. I have set up a Google calendar which can be accessed through the Google Classroom. All student will join the classroom by the end of this week. 

Francais! As we pass through a few Francophone communities in Western Canada we will prepare for notre arrive A la Belle Province du Quebec! 
We are learning greetings and introductions. 

• Bonjour, Je m'appelle Jean, et toi? Comment t'appelles-tu? 
• Je m'appelle Belle. Quel age as-tu? 
• J'ai onze ans! 
• Moi, aussi!! 
• Genial!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Week Five - Oct 2-9

Week Five  - Oct 2-6, 2017

We've made it to October and the cool darker mornings of autumn. 

 

This week we are forging ahead with units and projects and finishing some intake assessments. Students should be familiar and comfortable with routines now and have made a few friends and ....

***EXPLORATORIES are starting on THURSDAY!!!***

Don't forget PE strip on Tuesdays and Fridays! Bring extra clothes as we are outside 

rain or shine!

In Math 
We have just written a quiz on addition and are using PLACE VALUE for regrouping. This week we will continue with SUBTRACTION. Students will be working on the procedure for subtracting numbers up to one billion. BASIC FACTS are being used but will need to be practiced. We will begin some addition drills and mental math strategies on WEDNESDAYS after lunch, during our NUMERACY block. 

In English
We have begun a class novel, Wonder as a read aloud. Last week, students  compared Auggie (the narrator's) experience starting school with the stories shared during Orange T-shirt Day and the experiences of Aboriginal students in Residential schools. We are learning about genre, characters and setting. 
 Here is the trailer of the upcoming Wonder movie (out November 18)

Students have also been asked to chose independent reading books. Creative book reports on these books are underway and DUE OCT 15th!

In Socials
We will continue to collect headlines and plot our headlines on a map. This week will begin to categorize topics and form questions. 

Running around the world!
As part of our socials and PE unit and in celebration of Journey's 25th Anniversary, we're running around the school and tallying our total milelage. One lap is 25 km. In 3 days we have run all the way to Manitoba. Our goal is to run around the world. I hope that we can learn a bit about countries as we pass through. So far, as part of our French studies too, we have been able to discuss a little of the Metis and other Francophone communities in Western Canada. The plan is to make it to Montreal this week, where we have a contact in a middle school who would like to be epals with our class. 

In Science
We have begun our study of the nervous system. 
Terms this week are: 
1) sensation
2) sensory nerves
3)interneurons
4) brain cells
5) motor neurons

Kidshealth.org is an excellent resource
 http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/brain.html

See also this introductory video from Makemegenuis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjyI4CmBOA0


Google Classroom
We are working to get our Google classroom open this week or early next week. Students will then be able to access Chromebooks and many online learning tools and collaborative forums. 


Library Books are due next Tuesday.

Exploratory Forms accepted starting Monday!

Get them in early for the best chance at your first choice! Don't forget to include fees. 

Find extra forms and waivers here: 

http://journey.sd62.bc.ca/about/forms/

Thanks to all for your support and hope raised for Terry Fox and the fight against cancer.

Week Four - Sept 25-29

 Orange T-shirt Day is on Friday, September 30. We remember and pay tribute to the thousands of residential school survivors over the last century. We are committed to Reconciliation, education and building a just and equitable future together. 

Wear an orange shirt in respect.

Every child matters.

In Class this week....

Math: We will begin a review of addition and subtraction with regrouping this week. See these videos for review if needed. We will continue with having a quiz on Friday. 
Addition with larger numbers: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAvuom42NyY

Subtraction with larger numbers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6M89-6106I

Students did well on last week's place value quiz. Here's a video for review if required: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Qf0qSSJFI

Challenge question:

•  Read and express 87 654 321 in words and expanded form.

Tell me the answer for 5 golden tickets!

English: We will continue a responsive journal to our class novel Wonder
by R.J. Palacio. Students need to choose a novel for an independent book report by Friday. We will visit the library this week!!

Socials: Students are asked to continue to bring in headlines from the news and from different continents. As we build an awareness of global issues and players and the role the media plays, students are also working together on fundraising projects. 

Science: We will begin our first unit on the NERVOUS SYSTEM. As we share our background knowledge about the brain and nerves, we form guiding questions, and will learn some key definitions.  

French: Students have been asked to draw faces expressing 6 different responses to the question: "Comment ça va?" Students have a vocabulary sheet to guide them. They need to write their sentences in French. A rough copy is due Monday !
 Here is an image of that worksheet:  


PE: Soccer Lessons 4 and 5 on Tuesday and Friday. Students need to change into gym clothes! We will be practicing offensive and defensive tactics in small groups in preparation for games next week. 

Have a restful weekend! See you all Monday!