Week 32 - May 6 - 10

This is another full, uninterrupted week! Great! Here's the plan:

Science - We'll begin our look at Newton's 3rd Law this week. Once introduced, expect a few demonstrations. Then, I'd like you to be on the lookout for Newton's 3rd law in action, as you'll get an opportunity to explain the law yourself while conducting a demonstration of your own. 

Math - We've been poking around a couple of areas of math in the past week. Some geometry (perimeter of straight-sided objects) has led us to building algebraic expressions. We've begun to explore t-tables, and we have been substituting given values for variables. Expect a quizzy on Tuesday. Then we will carry on with our look at geometry + algebra as we explore some special triangles, and we find expressions for the area of some regular polygons. Whoa. Fun!

Writing - Last week we began writing a "compare and contrast" piece about two related things. Our focus remains on sentence fluency, and this week's sessions will zone in on revising for fluency. We will revisit your piece more than once this week, so please keep it top of mind. (Remember, even when you think you're done, you've only just begun. There are always ways to improve your writing, so please don't be satisfied with your first, or your second drafts.)

L.A. - Your independent novel study continues this week. Week 4 ends on Wednesday, which means we have just over one more week's worth of reading and responding to questions. I have noticed many of you have really improved your thinking and effort with these reading responses. Thank you for your insight, your connections, and your effort to make your responses worthy of the time we are committing to these tasks. Remember, too, that your work habits in class are important. The quiet concentration (and avoidance of distraction) that many of you have brought to L.A. sessions lately has been awesome. Keep it up!

Looking Ahead - keep these dates in mind:

    Mon, May 13 - Rainbow week assembly

    Wed, May 15 - Exploratory rotation #6 begins

    Thurs, May 16 - District transition day: grade 5s visit.

    Fri, May 17 - Pro-D day

    Mon, May 20 - Victoria Day holiday

    Thurs, June 6 - CC day

That's all for this week, folks. Enjoy!

Week 31 - Apr 29 - May 3

Look at that! The calendar will roll into May this week. Two months remain in your grade six year, folks. It is a great time to check in with your folks. Tuesday afternoon's Student-Led Conference is your opportunity to do just that. Bring a parent or two in to our learning environment and show them around. Demonstrate a few things that you are learning about these days. I look forward to hosting your families from 4:00 to 6:30 on Tuesday. 

Here is the run-down of the week ahead:

Math: we will continue to investigate concepts in geometry as we also explore some basic algebra. Quick, what is another way to express this:

a + a + a = 

or this?

p + q + q + r = 

Writing: we have launched into a writing piece that will, hopefully, allow you to show your best sentence fluency skillset. Look for ways to expand your ideas, add variety to your sentence lengths, and variety to the ways you begin sentences. Keep it interesting as you compare and contrast two different, but related, ideas.

Reading: your independent novel study is into its 3rd week. Be sure to respond fully to this week's prompts, which have to do with the conflict of the story. What is the main character struggling against? How do they typically respond to this conflict? Make sure you take the feedback I've supplied in week 1 and week 2 and find ways to make improvements to the work that you submit this week. 

Science: you'll get your hands on some equipment this week as you run an experiment. You and a partner will verify Newton's 2nd law. Be on the lookout this week for potential problems with the lab. Can you identify any experimental uncertainties? What influential factors have not been controlled by the experiment? Hmmm. How could you change this week's experiment to make it more valid and fair?

That's all for this week, folks. Enjoy!

Week 30 - April 22 - 26

Hi All. Well look at that. Its our 30th week together! With the calendar rolling onwards, some of us are tempted to sneak a peek at "the end". It is still 10 weeks away, folks... that's a significant chunk of time. The time we have left together should be full of your best learning. You now know more about being in grade six than you ever have, and your understanding of the things we're learning, and your familiarity with the ways you learn are as good as they've ever been. You are older and wiser and more knowledgeable than you were in September. Hopefully, you feel this. You are better at school than you have ever been. Pat yourself on the back! 

That all said, this is a time of year where it is sometimes difficult to be at your best. The days are longer, the weather is better, and you are, perhaps, feeling more self-assured than earlier in the year. Please remember to bring your best self - calm, attentive, respectful, interested and interesting - to school each day (even Mondays!). Work hard to recognize the needs of others. Take yourself seriously. And set a high standard for your conduct.

Here's the plan for the week ahead:

Math - We will work toward a quizzy on dividing decimals on Wednesday. There are practice opportunities aplenty. Be sure to do the work that you need to do to become familiar with a reliable strategy or two for dividing. This might mean taking your work home to practice!

Language Arts - You all have received feedback about the reading responses you submitted last week. For many of you, I've asked that, going forward, you aim a little higher in terms of writing quality, and enhancing your responses with details and examples from the story. Write in full sentences that incorporate part of the question so that your answers can stand independent of the question. Week 2 reading responses are due on Wednesday. Remember that you also have "Choice Tasks" to complete over the next few weeks... some of these should be done as you read each section. Others are better started after you have completed the book. We'll work on making a plan for completing your Choice Tasks. 

Writing - we will launch into a new writing piece this week as we begin to practice revising for sentence fluency. 

Science - Newton's 2nd Law of motion will be the focus of the next few classes. We're going to work toward a hands-on activity and lab.

That's it for this week, team. Enjoy!

Week 29 - Apr 15 - 19

Hi All. Term three is well underway. I'm happy to see that many of you have managed to return to your excellent learning mode. Do you have everything you need? A ruler? Pencil crayons? Loose-leaf paper? Pencils and pens? A highlighter? The better prepared you all are the quicker we can transition from one thing to the next, the sooner you can get started on learning tasks, and the more we can learn.

Here is this week's plan:

L.A. - How is your independent novel study coming along? Remember that the due date for each week's reading response task is Wednesday. Your work should be turned in via Classroom by Wednesday, which is also a great time to open up next week's question set to preview the task. I'll do my best to provide you with some feedback on Week 1's question set before the end of the week so you'll know if you are on the right track. I also would like you to commit to 2 or 3 or 4 of the "Choice Tasks" for this novel study. Some of these tasks are best started early - especially ones that need you to gather details about the book as you read. Be sure to check in with me early this week to let me know which tasks you plan to do. 

Math - We'll carry on dividing decimals this week. This is a brief unit... we'll be on to more exciting things soon! Expect a quizzy by the end of the week.

Writing - Sentence fluency remains our focus. Expect more activities focused on identifying and writing fluent sentences before we launch into a full writing task with fluency expectations.

Science - Quick! Can you share with someone at home what Newton was talking about with his First Law of motion? We'll wrap up with a handful of demonstrations, and I'll ask you to devise a little demonstration of your own. Fun!

That's all for this week, team. Enjoy!

Week 28 - Apr 8 - 12

This is our first full week of classes in a month! Whew, it will take some time to build up our stamina, I think. But this is a relatively short term, and we have so much to do. Let's get at it!

Math - We're just about finished our look at applying multiplication strategies to decimal values. Expect a wee quizzy on Tuesday. Afterwards, we'll get into division of decimal values. 

Language Arts - On Monday we will launch into an independent novel study! It has been a long wait to get into reading and studying a novel; it is finally here. Job number one for each of you is to select your next great read. Please revisit the "Novel Study Book Selection Criteria" to ensure the book you've chosen fits the task. As the week goes on, I will lay out the shape of the study unit, and we'll chat about the pros and cons of approaching novel study in this way. (As a preview of this conversation: One of the big advantages of independent novel study is that each of you get to choose your own book. This is an awesome opportunity to really think about what attracts you to a story. Don't be hasty in your decision! I want you all to select a book that you'll be happy to read and analyze over the weeks ahead.)

Writing - Sentence fluency is what this week's writing lessons are all about. What is sentence fluency?  Be sure to have a look at the "Sentence Fluency Writing Guide". You'll find this under the task "Sentence Fluency in Informational Writing" on Classroom. Remember that one of the keys to recognizing quality fluency is to read a piece aloud and listen carefully for its rhythm and flow. We'll spend some time emulating quality fluency, and practice revising work to improve fluency. 

Science - This week we'll properly get into Newton's 1st law of motion. Fun! Expect demonstrations and discussion and a "formal" demo write-up. 

Skating - We are ON for skating next Monday afternoon. Circle your calendars!

Enjoy your week, everyone.

Week 27 - Apr 3 - 5

Let's go! We're back. Even for just a short week, it's great to return to classes, and great to see you all again. Here is the plan:

How is your stock of school supplies? Now is a great time to replenish your desk goodies. 

Math: We will pick up from where we left off before the break with a revisit of multiplication strategies for decimals. 

Language Arts: Let's read and respond to an article about the upcoming total solar eclipse that will pass diagonally across North America on April 8th. 

Writing: So far this year we have explored three writing traits: Ideas, Organization, and Word Choice. At the same time we've practiced quality Conventions and Presentation. Beginning this week we'll look for ways to enhance our writing pieces with improved Sentence Fluency. We'll start with building longer and more complex sentences using a variety of clauses. 

Science: We'll launch straight into Newtonian mechanics this week. The ideas that Sir Isaac Newton developed in 1687 still stand up today as ways to describe the effects of forces upon the motions of objects. Expect a series of demonstrations, experiments and labs designed to support Newton's laws of motion. 

PE: Badminton! It's time to play! Please remember to wear athletic shoes for our gym times. 

Brainstorm: Our second brainstorm rotation begins next Thursday.

Don't forget that we have our final Wolves Team skating session on Monday, April 15.

Enjoy your week, everyone!

Week 26 - Mar 11 - 15

Hi All. This is our final week before a well-deserved break. Here is the plan.

I'll be sending information about the YE market home via email. Please ask your parents to share the plan with you. This is shaping up to be the big event of our term. We've put in tonnes of work, and Wednesday's market will be a really fun way to celebrate our learning. 

Math - We'll do some money math this week, and of course we'll do it for real on Wednesday at the market and on Thursday when we do our accounting. We've also been looking at multiplication of decimal values.

Language Arts - this will also focus on YEP stuff, as we begin to reflect on all that we've learned over the term.

Science - Your Solar System Object lap-books are looking great. We'll get these completed and have a chance to share our products with other groups later this week. 

Report Cards - these have gone digital! No more paper reports, kids. No more envelopes to return. Your parents will have a chance to check in on your progress on Friday.

Enjoy the week, everyone!

Week 25 - Mar 4 - 8

Here we go! We're into our 7th month together, if you can believe it. Grade 6 is moving right along. Here is the plan for the week ahead:

YEP - Just over a week to go until the big YE market event. Hopefully your "factory of one" has been running efficiently, and that you have done what you need to do to avoid a last-minute scramble! Getting ready for the market will be a major focus of our week. I'll be asking you to make a display plan, create a poster and complete your hallway flyer. We'll begin talking about how to chat with your potential customers, and why its important to be always "on" and always at your station. And we will talk about money - building and repaying a float, keeping your cash safe, and being prepared for a busy day. 

Science - The focus this week remains on your Solar System Object lap-book. Work efficiently with your partner to get this done soon. Be sure to check in with the task criteria to ensure each required element is complete and in place. Once you and your partner are finished, you'll have a chance to design and build your water rocket (especially those of you who don't play with the band, but perhaps you too!)

Math - Well done on the quizzy last week. We'll turn our attention to multiplication of decimals this week.

Language Arts - By the end of this week, we will begin to reflect on the YE project. We'll revisit the goals we set for ourselves, predict the outcomes of the market, and talk about your sales pitch and how you can practice it (this will be important in the noisy, busy environment of market day!). Also this week, I'm aiming to introduce the next writing trait: "sentence fluency" is all about making your writing easy to read, and interesting to hear. We will explore how to add variety to your pieces.

That's all for this week, folks. Enjoy!

Week 24 - Feb 26 - Mar 1

We're approaching the end of February already. Wow. Time is flying! Here is the plan for the week ahead:

YE Project: Two weeks to go until market day, team! This week is all about creating your marketing campaign. We'll begin work on posters (an advertising 'flyer' and your big merchandising display poster). We will also start talking about the things you might say to shoppers to entice them into a purchase. And we will begin to plan for your table display. To help make your posters pop, this is a great week to bring in markers, and other decorating supplies you might need for your poster. 

As we get nearer to the project's big sale on March 13, you'll need to be super-prepared. Have you made a plan to finish building your product? (How many more hours will you need to dedicate to making your target number of units?) 

Math: it's all about decimals in math these days. One thing we'll continue to practice is making change. This is all about quick mental math, and about finding complements. It takes practice! Quick: a customer has just passed you a $10 bill for an item that costs $4.25. How much change do you give them? (And, how could you make this change from a float that has toonies, loonies, and quarters?)

Science: it is full-steam ahead with the Solar System Object lap-book project this week. Be aware of this task's criteria set (we will revisit this in class, but it is available to view on Classroom anytime). Aim to complete this lap-book by end of next week, please. Be efficient!

PE: I've noticed a number of you have begun to show up for PE without proper footwear. A reminder that this is a basic expectation. Clean athletic shoes are a must for the gym, and students will find themselves having to sit out if they don't have them. Remember, no crocs, no Uggs, no Blundstones or Docs, and no sandals. Wise students keep a spare pair of runners or sneakers in their locker.

Writing: This week we will follow a structure to build a self-reflection piece for your report card. 

It is Music Appreciation Week! See Monday's Daily Agenda for details about how you can participate. 

Enjoy the week, everyone!

Week 23 - Feb 20 - 23

Hi gang! This is an abbreviated week, with limited opportunities for classwork and new lessons. Be sure to make yourself ready for when those learning moments come your way. Do what you need to do to ensure laser-sharp focus!

On Wednesday this week we will head to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. I'm really looking forward to this field trip, and I'm hoping you'll come away from the excursion with a better understanding of outer space. Remember to bring a portable lunch, and to dress for both warmth and cold.

Science: This week we will begin to assemble our Solar System Object information. With your partner you will transfer the best of your research onto lapbook elements. Do your best to manage your in-class time for this one! I'd like to check in on your progress by the end of the week.

YEP: Thank-you for those who have assembled their spending documents - receipts, notes detailing spending, and your loan certificate. We'll work through the financial side of the YEP throughout the week. 

Writing: Two writing pieces that are related to Science and the YEP are currently on the go. And both pieces are sales pitches. The first is a paragraph-form piece of advertising for your YEP product. And the second is a piece of advertising copy for the lapbook travel brochure that you and your Science partner are writing collaboratively. For both, details can be found on Classroom. 

Math: We will spend a bit of time with decimals this week.

Thursday is Curriculum Completion day. You will be dismissed at 11:40.

That's all for now, folks!