C'est l'Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We had a terrific morning of Halloween-inspired learning today!

We started our morning with Spooky Math Puzzles that we solved in our table groups. A set of Math equations had some of their terms replaced with Halloween pictures and we had to figure out what each one represented in order to solved the final equation at the bottom.

Next, we listened to a silly Halloween song, "La chanson des squelettes" and filled in the missing words in the lyrics. We then watched the video and corrected our work by watching the lyrics on the screen. We also enjoyed some yummy candy corn fudge brought in by Aidan! Merci, Aidan! :)

We then got to work on a Halloween Math puzzle. Some of us successfully put our puzzle together and glued our finished puzzle to a piece of cardstock; many of us opted to take our puzzles home to work on (perhaps tonight after we are full of candy?!).

We finished our morning together with a "Day of the Dead" craft. We started by reading an article about this Mexican celebration and then followed a set of instructions to each create a unique skeleton. We learned that many of us cannot handwrite our names, but we persevered none the less!

Please ask me about my skeleton!

Our finished Day of the Dead skeletons will be posted in our classroom soon!

Thanks for a great morning, everyone!

Wishing you all a fun and safe evening! :)

*****

Agenda items:

Thursday: Mo-Vember Moustaches (Les moustaches de Mo-Vembre)!

Let's kick off November moustache styles! No moustache, no worries! 

We'll have some available for sale by the “casse croûte” that morning. 

All proceeds will go to the Movember Foundation.

1. Calcul mental Section B - tomorrow (Thursday) 

2. Factors and Multiples sheet - tomorrow (Thursday)

3. First draft "Les buts" - tomorrow (Thursday)

4. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

5. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

Tuesday - Cinémental!

Hello, everyone!

We had a great morning at our french animated film, "Nelly et Simon, Misson Yéti."

Our students were great ambassadors of École Ness! Bravo à tous! :)

*****

Agenda items:

Wednesday: Jour de costumes (Halloween Costumes)!

Wear your Halloween costumes, past or present! 

Please remember that all costumes must be school appropriate. 
Masks and weapons associated with costumes will not be permitted.

1. Factors and Multiples sheet - Thursday, November 1

2. Calcul Mental Section B - Thursday, November 1

3. First draft "Les buts" - Thursday, November 1

4. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

5. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

Monday!

Happy Monday, friends of learning!

It was great to see so many students in their pjs today!

We had a busy morning, working on Factors and Multiples in Math, reading and writing in Français, 

and observing tomatoes (19 seeds from each group have already germinated!) 

and designing our alien planets in Science.

There are a few due dates coming up, so be sure to check out the agenda items below.

Looking forward to a great week! :)

*****

Agenda items:

Spirit Week - Tuesday: La tête décorée  (Dress Up Your Face)

Decorate your head in any way you please! 

Hat or face, crazy hair don't care…dress yourself up from the neck up!

Masks will not be permitted.

1. Cinémental field trip - tomorrow (Tuesday)

2. Calcul Mental Section B - Thursday, November 1

3. Factors and Multiples sheet - Thursday, November 1

4. First draft "Les buts" - Thursday, November 1

5. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

6. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

Friday Agenda Items

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Agenda items:

1. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

2. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

3. Spirit Week is next week! See Spirit Week post for more details.

Thursday Agenda Items

*****

Agenda items:

1. Rough draft of "Les buts" due Friday

2. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

3. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

4. Spirit Week is next week! See Spirit Week post for more details.

SPIRIT WEEK!

Our first Spirit Week of the year is coming up next week!
Here's a look at how we can share our NESS spirit:

Monday: Journée de PJ (Pyjama Day)!
Not another manic Monday, it's PJ fun day!
Stay warm and cozy in your jammies all day!  

Tuesday: La tête décorée (Dress Up Your Face Day)!
Decorate your head in any way you please! 

Hat or face, crazy hair don't care…dress yourself up from the neck up!

(A reminder that Cinémental is this morning)

Wednesday: Jour de costumes (Halloween Costumes)!
Wear your Halloween costumes, past or present!
Please remember that all costumes must be school appropriate. Masks and weapons associated with costumes will not be permitted.

Thursday: Mo-Vember Moustaches (Les moustaches de Mo-Vembre)!
Let's kick off November moustache styles! No moustache, no worries! We'll have some available for sale by the “casse croûte” that morning. All proceeds will go to the Movember Foundation.

Friday: Motif-dredi (Pattern Day)!
Polka dots, plaid, and stripes, oh my!

A Tax Man, a Science Project and a Goodbye

Happy Wednesday, learning friends!

Mme Careen had us working hard today in Math trying to 'cheat' the Tax Man out of as much money as he could. Here's the scoop:

Once Mme Careen presented us the question as a full group, we chose a card to determine our teams and headed to the white boards to see what we could come up with.

How much money did we get in the end? Did we beat the Tax Man? Please ask me about it! :)

Next, in Science, Mme Careen explained our Science "Design Process" project.

We have landed on a new planet and have discovered a group of 16 extra-terrestrials that live there! Our task is to design a planet and its inhabitants and then to create a dichotomous key to classify them. We will have three to four classroom periods to work on our project before finishing up at home. The final copy of the project will be due Monday, November 12.

And, now for the sad farewell...

One of our classmates is moving back to Alberta and she popped in this morning to say goodbye... and brought a yummy treat for us to eat, too!

So long, dear friend! Wishing you all the best on your new adventure!

We will miss you! :)

*****

Agenda items:

1. Section A Mental Math - due tomorrow (Thursday)

2. Rough draft of "Les buts" due Friday

3. CFOO #1 presentation - Monday, November 5

4. Science design process project - due Monday, November 12

**A special note: I will be away the next two days at the training session for our educational study. 

I will be checking my email, but will not be at the school to pass along messages to the students if need be. I am looking forward to learning with the other teachers involved in this process and can't wait to bring what I learn back to the classroom!

Have a great evening! :)

Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!

We had a jam-packed morning of learning today!

Here's a one quick picture of us in Science 'testing out' our peers' dichotomous keys.

After we followed the key to classify a group of buttons, Mme Careen checked our work with a picture of the original group's work. We were all successful collaborating in our teams and following one another's work. Bravo à tous! :)

*****
Agenda items:
1. October Scholastic orders - due tomorrow
2. Cinémental permission forms - due ASAP, please!
3. Section A - Calcul Mental (multiplication de la gauche) - Thursday
4. Rough draft "les buts" - due Friday
5. CFOO #1 presentation "Opinions" - Monday, November 5

An introduction to the week...

Happy Monday, learning friends!
We had a great morning of learning together and our week is off to a super start! :)

On tap this week in Math: a new mental math strategy, learning more about factors and a fun
'thinking classroom' question!

Coming up in Français: daily reading, an introduction to CFOO, working on our goals for the year
and a new article to read and study as a class.

And in Science: daily observations of our tomato seeds, testing dichotomous keys and learning about our first design process assignment.

Stay tuned for more details!

*****
Agenda items:
1. Permission forms for Cinemental - due ASAP, please!
2. October Scholastic orders - due Wednesday
3. Rough draft of our goals - due Wednesday (more info to follow in class tomorrow)

In other Thursday news...

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Although tomato planting kept us busy today, it was not the only thing we worked on this morning.

In Math, we worked with a partner to solve this "What Number Am I?" Math word problem. Going through the list of steps given, we had to come up with a number that met 5 specific criteria.
After finding the solution, we were tasked with coming up with our very own question, following the same template. Mme Careen took pictures of our questions and will use them over the coming couple in class and, when our question is used, WE get to be the ones circulating and checking our peers work to see if they are on the right track! The English version of the question is posted below for you to try. Good luck! :)

*****
Agenda items:
1. Calcul mental "Double" assessment - Monday.
2. Cinémental field trip forms due ASAP
3. October Scholastic orders - Wednesday
4. We will continue working on our goal writing in Français next week. Many of us have a good start on our goals and our action plans, while some of us are still brainstorming about what we may want to work on this year. If falling into the latter category, we should spend some time thinking about what we might want to achieve this year so that we're ready to continue our writing in class on Monday.

Tomatosphere!

Today was an exciting day in Room 208. We planted space tomatoes!

After reading about and discussing the Tomatosphere project and watching THIS VIDEO featuring astronaut Thomas Pasquet, we were ready to get started!

How might someone plant a space tomato?

Here's our planting method:

As part of a 'blind test,' we planted two types of seeds - one from a control group and another from a group of seeds that have been in space on the I.S.S. We each planted 2 seeds - one from each seed group. The groups this year are "J" and "K" but we don't yet know which letter belongs to what seed group (hence the blind test). After planting our seeds, we placed our peat pots in mini-greenhouses (seedling trays with humidity covers), away from direct sunlight and cold-air drafts in order to provide ideal growing conditions.

We will make daily observations every day for the next 30 days. Our daily observations will include writing the date, the day of the experiment, the time of the observation, the temperature of the class and how many seeds from each group have germinated. It is expected that the seeds will start germinating between days 5 and 7, meaning we should start seeing tiny stems and leaves as early as Monday or Tuesday!

There are the 2 official seed pouches and our 2 'greenhouses' that will house our tomato plants over the next 30 days.

Here we are plating our tiny tomato seeds!

After planting our seeds, we put in a small stick with our Name and Seed Group (J or K) to identify our plant as our own. Some of us even named our plants so that we can say hello to them every day when we arrive in class! :)

As as class, we will make daily observations of how many seeds have germinated. We also note the time, classroom temperature and any other important information (such as when they were watered), We will continue this for 30 days.

As the experiment continues, we will discuss the need for collecting this type of data as it pertains to humans colonizing Mars. We will also be discussing the Scientific Method and learning how to: write detailed hypotheses, analyze and graph our collected data and represent our findings in well-written conclusions.

At the conclusion of the experiment, we will be submitting out results to Tomatosphere, and at that point we will discover the identities of the seed groups.

Participation in this month-long experiment will not only help Canadian scientists address the question of how we supply space exploration missions with life support requirements, it may also inspire us to pursue studies in Science and Technology as our space scientists and Mars explorers of the future. 
Tomatoes, anyone?

Wednesday Agenda Items

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1. Calcul Mental Assessment - "Double" - Monday
2. Permission forms for Cinémental - due ASAP!
3. Start brainstorming 4 goals for the year for our second writing task in Français
4. October Scholastic! - Orders due by Wednesday, October 24.

Have a great afternoon! :)

Tuesday Agenda Items

*****
1. Section B Calcul Mental "Double" - tomorrow (Wednesday)
2. Permission forms for Cinémental - due ASAP!
3. Start brainstorming 4 goals for the year for our second writing task in Français
4. October Scholastic! - Orders due by Wednesday, October 24.

Have a great afternoon! :)

Monday Agenda Items

*****
1. Section B Calcul Mental "Double" - Wednesday
2. Permission forms for Cinémental - due ASAP
3. Start brainstorming 4 goals for the year for our second writing task in Français
4. October Scholastic! - Orders due by Wednesday, October 24.

Have a great afternoon! :)

Friday!

Hello, friends of learning!

We had a short but great week of learning!

Here's a quick look at how we capped it off...

In Math, we continued working on our first problem-solving question.

We were first introduced to the question last week and had a chance to discuss and work through the question in a small group. We were able to decipher new words, compare strategies and arrive at an answer as a team. Today, we were given the same question and were tasked with showing how we would approach the problem. To help us ensure our work is complete, Mme Careen included a problem-solving checklist at the bottom of our sheet. The checklist includes items such as : did I identify all of the important information, did I label my numbers and present my work in a logical order, and did I write my final answer in a sentence?

In Français, we started our period by reading with a partner. We then worked as a class to write a summary about the Terry Fox article we have been studying the past two weeks.

Finally, in Science, we worked in teams of three to create a dichotomous key (une clé dichotomique) for a group of 12 buttons. We need to ask clear yes/no questions in order to create specific subgroups. Once we have classified our button selection, Mme Careen will take a picture of our work (to serve as an answer key) before we switch our dichotomous keys with another group to see if they can follow the questions to arrive at the same final button-groups we did. Wish us luck! :)

*****
Agenda items:
1. Section A - Calcul mental "Double" - Monday
2. Please return permission forms for our Cinémental field trip as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend! :)

Thursday Agenda Items

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1. 5 minute Science reflection : What yes/no questions can we ask to separate our final 4 modes of transportation (skis, a ship, a pedal boat, a canoe) into more specific categories? 

Please be ready to discuss in class tomorrow (Friday).

2. Section A - Calcul Mental "Double" - Monday

3. Please send back permission forms for our Cinémental field trip as soon as possible

We're Going on a Field Trip!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!
We're headed on a field trip! Hooray!

Information letters and permission forms were sent home today.
Please sign and send back as soon as possible!
Also, we are looking for volunteers to attend the film with us. If you are interested, and have your 'checks' on file with the school, please contact Mme Careen via email. Thanks! :)

Tuesday Agenda Items

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1. Math multiples sheet - due in class tomorrow
2. Reminder: HPV vaccinations tomorrow morning (for those who returned their forms and indicated they will be receiving their vaccination at school).

Have a great week! :)

We Are Thankful For...

Happy Friday, friends of learning!

Today was an exciting day - we published our first piece of writing in Français!

Yesterday in class, we started the writing process by brainstorming things we are thankful for and made a word bank on the white board. We divided the words into "féminin" and "masculin" words to make sure we knew the proper article (le/la, un/une) to use when writing our sentences. We then got to work writing 10 sentences of things we are thankful for, using the sentence starter:
"Je suis reconnaissant(e) pour ________ ."

Today in class, once we finished writing our rough drafts, we had them checked by Mme Careen or Mme Champagne and then got to move on to our final drafts... and in this case, our published writing took the shape of a pumpkin! So fun!

We wrote our sentences on orange strips of paper and then taped them together to form a ball (pumpkin) shape. We finished off our pumpkins by adding leaves and a stem, and voilà!
Published writers we became!

It was wonderful to read all of the things we are thankful for, and it was certainly festive to have a classroom full of pumpkins. A true pumpkin patch of learning!😊

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Stay warm! (And eat pie!)

Thursday agenda items

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Agenda items:

1. Picture orders were due back at the school today. Orders will still be accepted until tomorrow and can also be placed online through the LifeTouch website.

2. A reminder to choir students that there is NO choir practice tomorrow (Friday) morning.

Have a great afternoon! :)

Wednesday

Hello, learning friends!

We had a busy morning together!

Ms. Wake was back with us period 1 and today we did different learning stations with the 4 Zones of Regulation. We played "Zones Uno," played a dice game, made a Zones paper craft and made slime! Our first period together flew by as we learned more about each Zone and how we can cope when we move from one Zone to another.

We were able to squeeze in a quick Math question before heading off to our Talking Circle Session with Pam. Today we learned more about the medicine wheel and heard teachings on sweet grass, cedar and sage. Weather-dependant, we will be smudging tomorrow morning during period 4. (If the weather does not cooperate, we will try for period 4 on Friday).

*****

Agenda items:

1. Last call for smudging permission forms

2. School photo orders due tomorrow (Thursday, October 4).

Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!

We had a full 4 periods in Room 208 this morning and were able to get SO much learning done! :)

In Math, we continued our work with multiples, learning "tricks" for how we can determine if a number is a multiple of 3 or 9. Please ask me to explain how I know 342 is a multiple of 2, 3 and 9. (It is also a multiple of 6, but we haven't learned that trick yet).

We also started to compare the multiples of a set of numbers to determine what multiples are in common. The smallest multiple in common is called the "plus petit commun multiple" (ppcm). We will continue to explore multiples and le ppcm in a variety of questions and word problems this week.

We ended out Math lesson with our first mental math assessment on the strategy "Coupe et colle les zéros." Mme Careen explained the steps of how we would be completing each assessment and then we got started. Please ask me how my first assessment went this morning!

In Français, we started with a "dictée" - a set of words that we should be able to spell by Grade 6. We will complete our dictée with a second set of words tomorrow. All Grade 6 students are completing the same task and Mme Careen (and the other teachers) will use the results to plan how to best support us in our French writing this year.

Finally, in Science we worked in our table groups to complete another sorting activity. Today we were sorting things we wear and had to come up with specific questions of how to divide the objects into specific groups. A few of the items were a bit challenging to sort, but through a lot of discussion with our groups we were able to figure it out! Bravo to all teams! :)

*****

Agenda items:

1. Smudging forms due back ASAP

2. Picture order forms - due back October 4. (You can also order online).

Welcome, October!

Happy Monday, learning friends!

We are ready for a great week of learning!

In Math this morning, we started discussing the rules of multiples.

HOW do we know a number is a multiple of 2, 4, 5 or 10?

After our mini-lesson, we paired up with a classmate and played a multiples game 

similar to "Connect 4," but with Math!

We were then fortunate to welcome Ms. Kristy Wake to our classroom for a lesson on The Zones of Regulation. Ms. Wake will be visiting us for 3 more lessons over the next couple of weeks.

In Français, we started reading an article about Terry Fox and will be using a reading strategy, "Les 4 fantastiques" to help guide our reading. After reading the title of the text and giving it a quick scan, we wrote a prediction together as a class in the "Prédire" section of our paper. After listening to 

Mme Careen read the first 2 paragraphs, we stopped for the "Questionner" step; where we review/ammend our predictions and ask more questions about the text.

Our next step will be to start of the "Clarifier" part of our sheet; this is when we share and discuss all of the unfamiliar words we highlighted while listening to Mme Careen read. We will write the words down on a large chart paper and include either a short definition or a picture next to it. We will then be able to refer back to this chart as continue on with our reading.

To help guide our discussions about the text, we can refer to a set of cue cards, each one specific to one of "Les 4 fantastiques" categories,  that give us sentence starters using the appropriate vocabulary for each section. We will be using this same strategy as we study a variety of articles and texts in Français this year.

*****

Agenda items:

1. Calcul mental - Coupe les zeros assessment tomorrow (Tuesday)

2. Last call for Terry Fox donations!

3. Please send back smudging permission forms ASAP.

4. Picture orders due back to the school by October 4.