Drawing Bar Graphs and Line Graphs

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be learning how to draw bar graphs and line graphs. Here are a couple of videos to review the process before we do it in class. Take a look to remind yourself of the steps involved.

Bar graphs:

Line Graphs:

Sequencing - Putting Ideas in Order

We have begun our next unit in Language, which is focusing on a skill called Sequencing. This simply means putting ideas in the correct order as they occur in a story or non-fiction work. This is an important skill for readers because it helps develop understanding of a story in a logical way, and it also assist students in retelling events in a manner that is both logical and makes sense.

As part of our sequencing unit, we are reading a novel called "Tuck Everlasting", which is a fiction novel about a family that lives forever. It is a great story for developing our understanding of sequencing, and is also excellent for learning about descriptive writing. We will be practicing both as we read this story as a read aloud in class.

As a shared reading text, we read a script called "The Great Crepe Battle". It is much like the American folktale "John Henry" in which a man battles a machine, except that it is set in a small town in Quebec. We have read the script a number of times, and then we identified all the most important events. I wrote the events on the Smartboard in no specific order, and then asked students to write them down in the correct order from the story. Following this, students are making a comic strip to retell the important events of the story in the correct sequence. We hope to finish these before the Christmas holiday.

We also reviewed this Blendspace lesson about sequencing to learn about what exactly it is. Although it is made for younger students by another teacher, the core ideas of what sequencing is are there. Here is the link:

Blendspace Sequencing Lesson

Here is a Glogster page with practice for sequence of events a well. This is excellent!

Sequence of Events Glog

Field Trip to Museum of Nature January 13th

On January 13, 2015, the grade 6 classes will be going to the Canadian Museum of Nature for a field trip to further our understanding of Biodiversity. The classes will be touring the museum, and participating in a workshop entitled “Our Local Biodiversity”. There is no cost to students as the trip is paid for by student activity fees and parent council funds.

We will be leaving the school at 9:15 AM and returning around 2:15 PM. There is an eating area, so students need to bring a lunch that does not need refrigeration or warming up. There is an area to hang coats, and put boots. Students should bring their indoor shoes as well.

Please return the forms for the field trip by Friday, December 19. We will contact parent volunteers after the Christmas Holidays once we have all the permission forms in. Thank you!

Data Management Unit Begins!

We have just begun our next unit in math, which will be Data Management. In this unit, we will mostly be looking at organizing data into graphs and charts, and using mean, median an mode to help us analyze the data.

Here is a Blendspace lesson that I have started putting together to assist students in learning and studying this material. I will be adding to it throughout the unit, so please check back often!

Data Management Blendspace Lesson

Our first lesson was on interpreting graphs, which is fairly easy for most students to understand. Here is a short presentation that can be used to remind students of our learning:

Interpreting Graphs Grade 6

Jonathan’s Butterfly Wall Fundraiser - December 11th and 12th

On December 11th and 12th, the grade 6 class will be raising funds for a boy named Jonathan Pitre who has a rare skin disease called EB. This disease makes his skin so delicate that it hurts when he’s touched, puts his clothes on, or even eats. When anything brushes his skin it blisters and gets rashes that take along time to go away. Because of this it takes him 2 hours to get ready for bed so he doesn’t get the blisters or rashes. Jonathan’s dream is to see the northern lights because he think it bring him closer to all the people with EB. He also wants to help raise money for EB awareness. The grade 6 students at  St. Anne school are raising money to help Jonathan with his dream by selling origami butterflies for one dollar each. On the 11th and 12th of December students will be going from class to class selling the origami butterflies, which will then be put up on the wall outside the Learning Commons to show support for Jonathan. For more information about Jonathan and his mission, please click here.

We are doing the Hour of Code on Monday!

This Monday, December 8th, our class will be getting together with Mrs. St. Louis' grade 1 class to participate in the Hour of Code. This is an initiative to inspire children to learn computer programming skills at an early age. It is taught using fun, interactive technology using simple lessons for all ages. Here is a handout from the Hour of Code organization:

Hour Of Code Handout

For those interested in trying out some of the coding activities, here is the link to some of the tutorials. 

Hour of Code Tutorials

Geometry Assessments next week!

We are wrapping up our unit in geometry. Next week, we will be having a variety of assessments to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their learning. This unit covered the following concepts:

1) Estimating and measuring angles, focusing on reflex angles

2) Classifying shapes (eg. by number of sides, types of angles, etc.) Here there was a specific focus on convex shapes (those without a reflex angle) and concave shapes (which have a reflex angle).

3) Nets and isometric drawings

4) Constructing shapes 

 Here is a video I made about constructing shapes:

We will be solving a problem on Monday, a quiz on Tuesday, some EQAO questions Wednesday and the Unit test on Thursday. Good luck!

Constructing Triangles

Today we are learning how to draw triangles. This can be done in a variety of ways. See the video below for a review about how we can draw triangles.

Report Writing

One important expectation in language in Grade 6 is the ability to write reports that contain multiple paragraphs and include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. We move away from writing paragraphs to writing longer pieces, organized in a traditional 5 paragraph format.

We have been reading many types of non-fiction text and finding the main idea and supporting details. Also, we have been learning to differentiate between facts and opinions. It is important to read many examples of non-fiction before writing, because student learn by seeing and studying sample of good non-fiction works.

The next step in writing reports is to write one together, which we called shared writing. In our shared writing, we used the book about cheetahs which we were reading aloud and I demonstrated how I would take notes from a text by organizing facts into the 3 main ideas we want to write about. Then we organized those facts into an outline to begin writing our non-fiction report. Finally, we wrote the report together using ideas students provided.

After writing a report together, I provided students with an opportunity to write a report if given an outline. First, we read a non-fiction text, which we analyzed and broke down into the main ideas and supporting details. Then, we used the outlines we had just created and re-wrote the reports in our own words using the outline we made. This helped students in writing because they were not able to look at the original text, but were able to remember what it looked like as a final product.

Finally, students will be writing reports of their own from beginning to end independently. They will be choosing a topic, performing research, organizing their notes into an outline, and then writing their reports.

Here is the success criteria, rubric and organizers students have been given to create their reports. We started this last week, but had to stop for a bit to work on our Digital Citizenship projects for Anti-Bullying Week. We will be returning to this either on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Information Report Success Criteria

Empowerment Week!

Monday November 24- Friday November 28

Empowerment week.

Kingdom club is raising money to buy goats to help families in Kenya.

Monday-Moustache day.

Wear a moustache.

Tuesday-Twin day.

Have a twin or triplet.

Wacky Wednesday.

Wear your clothes inside-out. Crazy hair day.

Thursday-pj day.

Wear your pajamas to school.

Friday-sport day.

Wear your sport jersey.

One dollar to participate every day .

$50 to get one goat.

Our goal is to get $600!!!

For more information you can visit this website!!

http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/adopt-a-village/

Nets & Isometric Drawings

Over the next couple of days, we will be looking at identifying nets of 3D objects, and making isometric drawings of 3D objects. Here are some videos and practice links that may help students prepare for these lesssons:

Nets:

Here is a page where students can practice identifying nets:

IXL math - Nets


Here is a site that has a wide variety of videos and lessons on nets. Very informative!

Online Math Learning - Nets

Isometric Drawings:

Isometric drawings use a solid and try to draw the 3D shape using triangular dot paper. This can be challenging for students, because it is the first time many will have attempted this. Here is an excellent demonstration of how to draw an isometric drawing:

Isometric Drawings


Here is a video taht also explains the process well:

Here are some websites that may help in isometric drawing:

1) Find a 3D shape somewhere (a picture or an actual object) - then use this link to try to draw it:

http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=4182

2) http://www.learner.org/courses/teachingmath/grades6_8/session_06/section_02_b.html

Anti-Bullying Week and Digital Citizenship

This week is Anti-Bullying week and so we are going to be teaching a number of lessons on Digital Citizenship, and good citizenship in general. I will be away for a workshop Wednesday and the Boy's Volleyball tournament on Thursday, so we will be spending a lot of time focusing on this for Monday and Tuesday, and then focusing on Math for Wednesday and Thursday in the mornings. The lessons on digital citizenship will include a culminating task that we will begin next week.

These lessons have been prepared by the board an are excellent. Please encourage your child to talk about what they have learned about being a good citizen throughout the day and how they can apply what they have learned in their day to day lives.

Have a wonderful Anti-Bullying week!

Thank you Lieutenant Colonel Hogan!

Thank you so much for such a personal, heartfelt presentation. Lest We Forget.

Electricity!

We have begun to learn about Electricity in science. Over the past couple of days, we have been investing what electricity is, the two main types of electricity, and where electricity comes from. Students made presentations to demonstrate their understanding. Most students are complete and we will be finishing this part of our investigation on Monday.

In this unit, we will be exploring the following concepts:

• static and current electricity, and the types of common circuits (series and parallel)
• insulators and conductors
• how electricity is generated and the societal and environmental implications
• proper safety around electricity
• circuit design
• how electricity is changed from and to other forms of energy

Below is a link to a Blendspace unit I created to help reinforce the concepts that we are learning in class. I will be adding to this throughout the unit, so please check back!

Electricity Unit

Reflex Angles

We have been learning about measuring angles lately, specifically reflex angles. A reflex angle is any angle greater than 180 degrees. Before teaching about measuring these angles, however, we reviewed the three main types of angles: acute, obtuse and right angles.

We then learned about benchmark angles. I explain that a right angle is a good helper when we are estimating angles, and then if we cut a right angle in half, then we know it is a 45 degree angle. On the other side, if we split the difference between a 90 degree and a 180 degree angle, a good benchmark is a 135 degree angle. These can help us to estimate any angle that we see within a reasonable amount.

The reason I often insist on students estimating angles before measuring them is because many students make the error of reading the wrong side of the protractor when they measure. For example, they may measure a 60 degree angle, but call it a 120 degree angle because they looked at the wrong number for their reading. If they estimate first, it can help students to recognize that they have done this. Here is a game to practice estimating angles:

Banana Hunt

To measure a reflex angle, we looked at an acute angle first, and then examined the angle on the other side, which is the reflex angle (see diagram).

Next, I ask students if they see the shape that the acute and reflex angles make. If you join the two, you will see that it makes a circle, or a 360 degree angle. All angles have this, so to find the reflex angle, all we do is measure the inside angle, then subtract from 360! Here is a video that helps explain this. It shows another way to measure reflex angles as well:

Finally, here is a webpage that reviews reflex angles and has a few questions for practice:

Reflex Angles

Science test Monday!

Hello superstars! As I told you in class, we will be having a science test on Monday. Here are some pictures of the anchor charts we have created in class to help you study. I will be posting some notes as well very soon. Additionally, click the links for additional games and websites that will help.

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/climate/adaptations/index.cfm

Millionaire Biodiversity

Progress Reports Home Today

Progress reports were sent home with students today. Progress reports are not a report card, but rather a way to communicate to parents a general idea of how your child is doing so far. This gives us some time to work together in areas where students may be struggling, and to celebrate the areas they are demonstrating success.

 In our class, I had students take a look at their reports before they put them away in their bags. This allows them some time to look them over and ask me any questions if they want. Also, it prevents them from opening, and potentially losing them on the bus! I find that allowing students to take a look and ask questions help alleviate any anxiety about the reports for them. I will do the same process for the February report cards as well.

Inside the progress report is an interview form. It indicates the time for your family's interview. Please indicate if you are able to attend the interview on the form. If not, then we can schedule a phone interview. I would like to meet with all families for our interviews if possible. Please feel free to bring your child if you wish. Interviews will be held Thursday, November 6th, from 4 -9 PM.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next Thursday!

Assignment: Where Does Electricity Come From?

Today we are going to read a text about Electricity and find the main idea and the details (or supporting facts) for each main source of electricity. We have already talked about main idea and details quite a lot, but here is a video to help you remember, and to watch at home too!

After you have watched the video, read the article "Where Does Electricity Come From?" in the textbook. We are going to use the Chromebooks today to show our understanding of main idea and details in this text. First, we will read the text, then we will do the first one, Water, together as a class. Finally, you will be working on the rest of the items using the chromebooks to complete the presentation by finding the main idea and details for the other types of energy sources.

Remember, when you open the presentation, the first thing you must do is go to "File -> Make a Copy" and then save the new copy with your names. That way, no one else is working on your presentation at the same time!

Here is the link to the presentation:

Where Does Electricity Come From?

Good Luck!

Important Dates

Some important dates for June:

Leaving Ceremony: June 23rd. Time to be announced, but likely around 1PM.
Grade 6 end of year trip: Y- Camp is booked for June 15th. Pricing not determined yet.
EQAO - May 25th - June 5th.

We are also currently booking a trip to the Museum of Nature, hopefully in January. This will go along with our science unit on Classification.

I will be providing more information about end of the year events as we get closer to the dates. I just wanted to let everyone know well in advance. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Math Testing Next week and Blendspace for studying!

Next week, we will be doing some assessment for our math unit of number sense. We will have a quiz on Tuesday, some EQAO questions on Wednesday and a test on Thursday. We will be reviewing in class on Monday to practice for the assessments.

To help your child study an review the concepts, I have created a number of links to study tools in an app called Blendspace. Before students use the app, they should register as part of our class. In the future, this will help because we will do some short quizzes using the app, and I will be able to track the amount of time students have spent working on each unit. Additionally, I will be using this app to introduce new concepts at home, before coming to school, as a pre-teaching tool.

Here is how students can register:

1. go to blendspace.com
2. click "sign up" in the top left corner
3. click "I'm a student"
4. You will see a screen titled "Register as a student" - click the button underneath the title. The button says "Sign up with google account"
5. use your child's google account sign in information to sign up, press the accept button for the message that follows.
6. you will then be into Blendspace. Press "Join Class" and enter the code "ezdi"
7. now you should see the lesson "place value" which is our study tool for this unit. 
8. You can also access this through our blog under the "Homework Links" on the right side of this page. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Good luck!

Dividing Large Numbers

Over the past few days we have been learning how to divide large numbers. Specifically, we have been learning how to perform long division, which is often very challenging for students because of the many steps involved in the process.

There are two things that affect a students ability to do long division:

1. Knowledge of basic multiplication facts - I cannot emphasize enough how important basic facts are for children to understand a variety of math concepts, and this is another one. In order to perform long division, students need to be able to use multiplication facts to figure out at least two of the four steps. I highly encourage students to work on Xtramath as much as possible!
2. Having a systematic process - having a checklist-type system to follow helps students see and perform each step. 

Here is the system that I use to teach students how to do long division. This example is what would be expected at a grade 5 level. 

In this system, we use the acronym "Da Monkey Sells Bananas" to remember the steps of Divide, Multiply, Subtract and Bring down.

For grade 6, students are expected to be able to divide a 4-digit number by a 2-digit number. To help students understand how to do this, we watched a video from Khan Academy. I highly recommend this website for review of concepts and extra practice. Here is the video we watched in class:

Here is another video from Khan Academy that might also be helpful:

To practice we used the practice problem in Khan Academy, and we did some problems step by step together on the smartboard. This continues to be a challenging concept for many students, so we will be doing questions over the next few weeks to review.

Khan Academy Division today

Go to the link to practice long division!

Khan Academy

Kidblog, and Multiplying larger numbers

We have finished our first book in Literature Circles! Today, many students handed in their book report forms, and I am hoping that more will come in tomorrow. We will begin a new book next week for Literature Circles.

This week, I would like to focus on some writing, and specifically some free writing for students. To this end, I introduced a site called Kidblog, which allows students to have their own blogs, which only students in our classroom can read and comment on. I will be moderating all posts and comments for students to ensure that they are appropriate before going live on the site. Parents may also access their child's blog by using a code in their child's Profile. You may need to press "regenerate" to get your child's code. Here is a link to find out how to access your child's account:

http://support.kidblog.org/entries/23242610-Parent-Accounts

This week, students are asked to write 2 blog entries about anything they wish, as long as it is appropriate. Each entry should be about 200 words each, if possible. Please let me know if your child is having difficulty logging in and I will assist him/her at school. Thank you!

Today we also began learning about multiplying larger numbers. In grade 5 students learned how to multiply 2 digit by 2 digit numbers. In grade 6, they learn how to multiply 3 digit by 2 digit numbers, which is not a large jump. Although there are many ways to multiply, I taught students the "place value" method, outlined here:

Multiplying Larger Numbers

Here is a video that shows the process:

If you are looking for some extra practice of this concept, try the problems at these sites to help:

Multiplying without carrying

Multiplying with carrying

Kidblog!

Today we are going to write by beginning to blog! A blog is like an online journal that you can use to write down about your day, your interests, things you like, etc.

Before we begin, please read the `Rules for Blogging`` page, and then watch the video to learn about blogging.

Rules for Blogging

Blogs in Plain English - Movie

When you are ready, click on Kidblog in the `homework`section to the right side of the screen. Then choose your name from the drop down list and enter your password. We all follow the same password pattern. the password is: Welcome2FL - where the FL is your first initial and your last initial. So...the password for Mr. Pouliot would be:

Welcome2CP

Be very careful to use capitals for the W and the initials, otherwise it won`t work. Ask for help if you need it! Good luck and enjoy blogging!

Today you can write about anything you wish. Try to write about 500 words or more if you can. That`s about three or four paragraphs. The more you write, the better you will get, so write often. Remember, your friends in this class only will be able to see what you write, and your posts will be read by Mr. Pouliot before being visible, so make sure what you write is appropriate. Good luck!

Template for The Truth About Canada`s Air Pollution

Today you are going to read the article `The Truth about Canada`s Air Pollution`and find facts with your partner.

1. First, read the article together. 
2. Then use the powerpoint template and write down the facts from the article in the spaces provided. You may need to change the font to fit them all in. 
3. If you finish, try going on the internet and learning some new facts about the different types of renewable energy. 
4. Share your document with me to submit it. Make sure to put your name on it!

Here is the powerpoint template for you to use to complete your fact-finding today! Be sure to go File--Make a copy before beginning so that it doesn`t get overwritten by someone else. Good luck!

Truth about Canada`s Air Pollution

Mental Math, BEDMAS and Timelines!

We have been busy lately in our class! First we studied some mental math strategies to assist us in performing operations quickly in our heads. Click the link below to see the strategies that we learned.

Mental Math Strategies

Next we learned about the order of operations that we can use to come to a consensus about a "correct" answer when doing multiple operations. Perhaps you remember BEDMAS from school? This is what we learned today! 

First, we looked at a number sentence (9 + 3 x 6 - 4) and tried to come up with as many different answers as possible. We saw that there are lots of different answers we could potentially come up with using this number sentence. However, I told the class that the correct answer is actually 23. Was anyone able to find a way to perform the operation that would give us that answer? Of course! Then I introduced BEDMAS:

Brackets

Exponents (which we do not study in grade 6)

Division

Multiplication   ---> division and multiplication are done in the order they appear in the problem

Addition

Subtraction    ---> addition and subtraction are done in the order they appear in the problem.

Here are some videos that may help to explain this concept in more detail:

TVO Kids Order of Operations

Finally, in Language we have been learning about a new reading skill, analyzing, which means finding facts in the story. I will post another entry about Analyzing, because it is an important skill in itself. 

In order to practice finding facts, however, we read a comic strip that explained a little about the history of electricity, and thenmade a timeline to show our learning. This helped students to demonstrate their understanding of the text and to find the facts within it. The timelines were completed using ReadWriteThink. Here is the link:

Timeline organizer

Timelines!

Today we are going ot be making timelines using this link: Timelines

Click the link and follow the instructions to make a timeline of the history of electricity using the facts we learned from our Power Up magazine! Good luck!

Prime and Composite Numbers

Yesterday and today, in the midst of banging hammers and nails while working on our lanterns, we learned about prime and composite numbers. Before learning about this concept, we needed to review what factors and products are. Here is a link to a presentation that we looked at that helped us to better understand these concepts. This may be helpful to review later for a quiz. Please feel free to download, save, copy and distribute these presentations any time. They are being made to be used. The more people they can help, the better!

Prime and Composite Numbers

On another note, we are almost finished our "How to" brochures. Tomorrow, we will begin building an anchor chart for our next skill, Analyzing, which basically means finding facts in a text. I will post a presentation and anchor chart for this when we build it in class. We will be reading a book about Cheetahs, and a magazine called "Power Up", which is about electricity use. We will be writing a information report at the end of this unit. 

Assessment folders

Assessment folders were sent home today. I will be sending them home about once per month. I use a folder system instead of sending each test, quiz or assignment home so that I can keep better track of the folders, parents can get an overall view of their child's progress and because it provides some feedback to students and parents without being overwhelming. 

To let me know that you have seen your child's folder, please sign or initial each page. The folders are red, and contain a math quizand a test, some EQAO practice questions, and a reading quiz about a story we read in class. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's progress, please feel free to contact me.

Lanterns!

On Monday, October 6, I would like to start making lanterns with students in the class as part of our religion program. In order to make the lanterns, we will need a tin can for each child. Soup cans are perfect, as well as spaghetti tins, canned vegetable tins, etc. Once we are done making our lanterns, we will have a short ceremony to celebrate our theme of being a light to others this year.

If you could possibly send in your child with an empty can, that would be great! Thank you!

Multiples

Yesterday the grade 6's did a problem using multiples, although they didn't really know that at first. Here was the question:

On Thursday morning, the local radio station held a call-in contest. 

• every third caller won a t-shirt
• every seventh caller won a baseball cap

In 50 calls, which callers won a T-shirt? A baseball cap? Both prizes?

Students worked in pairs to try and solve the problem. It was interesting that students used a variety of strategies to come to the same conclusion. Here, a pair of students used multiples to help them find their answer:

Here, you can see that the students found the multiples of 7 and the multiples of 3, and then circled the COMMON multiples. This term, common multiple, is a new one for us, so we discussed that for a little bit. After looking at  a few samples of student work, we discussed the idea of multiples as well. Students should understand that multiples are the same as counting by 3's or 7's, etc. 

Here is another way a pair of students figured out the problem: 

 This is a similar strategy, but the students used a table, which is a little more organized and may help find common multiples a little easier. Both ways work! 

What is important, and that we try to stress, is that there are almost always more than one way to solve a problem. The important thing that we want to see students trying to do is to show all of their thinking, as they have done here. I also encourage them to show their thinking in Numbers, Pictures and Words, if possible. 

Here is another interesting way of finding the solution to this problem. This student wrote all the numbers from 1 -50 in a list, and then placed letters (t- for tshirt, b- for baseball cap) next to the appropriate multiple. I thought this was an excellent, different way to find the solution for the problem. 

We will be continuing to examine multiples today, and then moving on to Prime and Composite numbers, which students generally find fairly easy. 

Comparing and Ordering Numbers

Today we began learning about how to compare and order larger numbers. Before students can really be successful at this skill, they need to have a fairly solid understanding of place value. That is why we teach place value first, before this concept.

The biggest idea that students have to remember about comparing and ordering numbers, and about place value in general, is that as we go further left in a number, the value becomes larger. For example, I would rather have 1 thousand dollars than 9 tens (or 90) dollars. Even though the digit is larger, the value of the 1 is more because it is in the thousands column (it is worth one thousand).

When comparing and ordering numbers, I encourage students to "stack" the numbers on top of each other, paying close attention to keeping the columns lined up. This helps them to clearly see which digit in each column is larger. See the attached presentation for an example. We looked at this presentation in class, and we also did an activity in which students worked in pairs to order the areas of a number of countries from greatest to least. We used place value charts to assist us with the activity. If your child needs to use a place value chart (or the "houses" idea like we did in this post) then that is fine. Students are encouraged to use whatever tools they can to help them understand concepts.

Comparing and Ordering Numbers Grade 6

Procedural Writing Assignment

This week we are going to be working on an assignment focused on procedural writing and brochures. Students will be designing and writing a brochure that explains how to do something, for example, How to log into Edmodo. We have created an anchor chart to talk about what characteristics good procedural writing has, and we also created a Bump it Up wall, which students can use to see exactly where their writing might fall in a spectrum from level 1 to level 4. Here is a picture of our Procedural writing anchor chart:

And here is a picture of our Bump it Up Wall:

Using these tools, students should have a good idea of what makes quality writing when giving instructions. One thing I have tried to emphasize with students is that they need to write each step in detail, and add adverbial phrases to create more detail. For example, instead of writing:

1) get a pencil

They could write:

1) get a pencil from your pencil case  (underlined is the adverbial phrase - it describes where, how or when).

To look more closely at the examples on our Bump It Up Wall:

Additionally, we looked at brochures and came up with an anchor chart to tell us some features of a good brochure. Here is what we noticed a good brochure has:

Tomorrow I will be handing out the rubric detailing how students will be assessed and we will continue working on our assignment.

Homework Helper Place Value Houses

Today we began learning about place value in math. We watched the above video that explains how our place value system works up to the hundred millions. In grade 6, although not part of the formal curriculum, I tend to teach students up to the billions. We learn about each section being called a "house" or a "period", and with each period is a ones, tens and hundreds column. This helps us when we are trying to say larger numbers.



We also learn how to express numbers in 3 ways: standard form, expanded form and word form. Here is an example of each, for the number 234,675,873



Standard form: 234,675,873



Expanded Form:  200,000,000 + 30,000,000+4,000,000+600,000+70,000+5,000+800+70+3



Word form: 234 million, 675 thousand, 873



Finally, we learn to replace values with each column to come up with new numbers, For example, in the above number, what new number might I get if I added 3 more in the hundred thousands column?



First, look at the hundred thousands column, there is a 6, so it is worth 600,000.

Next, add 3 to the 6 = 9 --> but this is in the hundred thousands column, so it is worth 900,000!

Finally, change the number to reflect the new amount: 234,975,873.



We will be continuing to practice this tomorrow as well. Please let me know if your child is having difficulty with this, as it forms a foundation for other concepts.



Later in this unit we will be learning about multiplying and dividing larger numbers, identifying prime and composite numbers, comparing and ordering whole numbers, using the order of operations (BEDMAS), and adding and subtracting larger numbers.

Writing Procedures and Classifying Plants

Today in Language we read a number of examples of procedural writing and gave them a "mark" based on whether we thought we could follow the directions well or not. From our conversation we built an anchor chart of some characteristics of good procedural writing. We will be building on this chart as we learn more about this skill.

In science we learned about how plants are classified by scientists. We tried to find out this information using the chromebooks, but it turned out to be difficult information to find. Finally, we were able to find a site that was useful in showing us how plants are further broken down into groups. Here is a link to a page with a chart that shows clearly how plants are organized:

Plant classification Chart

More Patterning Practice!

Today we spent some more time reviewing patterning concepts for our test on Monday. I posted some questions on the Smartboard and students answered them in their notebooks. We took them up together and (hopefully) corrected any misconceptions. Here are the questions we used. Please feel free to use these to review concepts with your child.

Patterning review part 2

Next week we will also be completing a few problems from EQAO and a unit problem to wrap up our assessment of our patterning unit. The next unit we will be working on will be number sense - specifically whole numbers. 

In language next week we will begin learning about procedural writing and identifying what characteristics good procedural writing has. We will look at a number of examples, and give them a level, which we will use to create our Bump It Up wall. Afterwards we will be looking at an example of procedural writing and beginning to explain some procedures on our own. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Patterning test Monday, plus assessment folders explained

Today we began to review everything we have learned in our patterning unit. We will continue to review on Friday. On Monday we will be testing our understanding of what we have learned about patterning so far. This test will cover:

1. input/output machines
2. number patterns
3. solving equations, and 
4. integers

It will be helpful for students to review the past blog posts that explain these concepts. You can click the above topics for the links to each blog post. 

Here are some practice questions for students to work on that may also prove helpful. Students are not required to complete these. They would definitely be helpful in assisting your child while studying. Here is the link to the practice pages:

Patterning practice

Further assessment of our patterning unit will involve a few EQAO problems from prior years' tests, and a unit problem completed in class. I will send assessments home after they have been marked. 

In order to ensure that tests, quizzes and other types of assessment are not misplaced, I have students keep everything that will be reflected on their report cards in a folder called their Assessment Folder. I will send this folder home about once a month to keep parents up to date. Please sign and return all items in the assessment folder as soon as possible. 

I use this system instead of sending home each test individually for a few reasons. First, it helps keep test from being misplaced since they are in a folder. Secondly, it gives parents a good overall view of their child's achievement, and third it gives you information about your child's progress on a regular basis. Of course, if you have any concerns about your child's progress, please feel free to contact me and we can meet any time. 

Good luck studying! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the school or by writing a note in your child's agenda. 

Integers, More Literature circles and Music!

We were introduced to Integers today! We started with a quick definition of what an integer is and related integers (and negative number especially) to a thermometer because it is very common. Then we did an inquiry problem in which students had to use a pattern to find the temperature at the top of a mountain, knowing the starting point and the fact that for every 150m rise in altitude, the temperature would get 1 degree lower. This was a challenge for many students because the increments that started the pattern went up by 300m, not 150m. Afterward, we looked at a presentation that explained a little more about integers. Here is the presentation I showed the class. It explains everything they need to know about integers this year and has some practice problems at the end. It can be an excellent study guide if working with your child to study for a test.

Integers

We will be having a test on Monday for our patterning unit. This week we will be reviewing the material we have studied this unit to ensure we are ready!

In the morning class we also tried to plan out our literature circle work again. I demonstrated to students how to organize themselves to make it easy to assign jobs. All students should have a copy of their jobs for the next 4 weeks in their agendas. It might be a good idea to  post this somewhere visible in the house to remind them! Literature circle books are to be read at home independently, and then students must complete their jobs using Edmodo. See our class website (literature circles link) for more information about how to complete the various jobs. Feel free to download any of the sheets for use at home. They can be used as a template and then copied and pasted into Edmodo if you wish. The first job for Literature circles is due next Monday. If you find that the book your child has chosen is too difficult, please let me know and we can make alternative arrangements. 

In Music, we are learning about the families of instruments in an orchestra. Students are using Chromebooks to learn about the four families and then making a presentation about it to show the class. They are using a website called SFS Kids. Here is the link: sfskids.org.

Literature circles, the 6 Kingdoms and Good Communication

Literature Circles

In our morning class, we are ready to try and start literature circles properly. Today we tried to organize ourselves into groups based on the book we chose, and figure out which pages we need to read this week and for each of the next four weeks. Literature circles can get confusing, so here is a brief explanation of how it works:

1. At the beginning of a cycle, I will either put students into specific books, or I will allow them to choose their own. Often if they choose their own they are more interested, but they sometimes choose books that are too hard. This time, I let students choose their own books, since I am still getting to know them as readers and writers.
2. Next, we spend a bit of time getting organized. The groups get together and have a "meeting" in which they break the book up into roughly 4 equal parts. They are responsible for reading each part over the next four weeks. For example, if the book has 20 chapters, they would read chapters 1-5 in week 1, 6-10 in week 2, and so on. I encourage children not to read on in case they give something away to their group.
3. They also divide up the jobs in their meeting. The rule is that they can only do a job once in the cycle. Also, the Discussion Director job and Summarizer jobs must be done. They cannot be left out. Here is a link to our planning Literature circle planning sheet
4. Throughout the four weeks, I expect students to:
1. read the section they are supposed to each week
2. do their job for the week and post it in Edmodo
3. make 3 comments (answer questions, comment about the book, discuss with another student, etc.) in Edmodo.

That is it for Literature circles! I am hoping that it will be like on online book club, and that students will actively discuss their books in Edmodo. The combination of choosing their own books and using technology to interact and display their thinking may encourage them to have rich discussions.

Science

In science, we are learning about classification. Today we finished reading a little and taking some notes about the 6 Kingdoms. Here are some pictures of the charts that show the notes we took:

We are going to continue by looking at how scientists further classify plants an animals, and then we are going to try to classify a "mystery living thing" with a partner.

Health - Communication Skills

As part of the Health curriculum, we are learning about the importance of good communication skills, and how we can communicate effectively. Today we watched part of a short video which showed us that part of good communication is being a good listener. Here is an anchor chart we made during the video to help us remember:

Solving Equations

Today we learned about what an equation is, and how we solve them. Solving equations can be a challenge for students because this is the first time that unknowns (or variables) are introduced. Sometimes we see them as letters, and sometimes as empty boxes. I try to emphasize to students that it doesn't matter what the variable looks like. It is important to just realize that we don't yet know what that number is, so we use the numbers that we do have. Our job is to figure out the variable so that we can make the equation balance.

Here is a link to a presentation that we looked at today to assist us in figuring out how to solve equations:

Solving Equations