Month: May 2017

Self-Assessment for Report Cards Term Three – Please Read

Self-Assessment and B.C. Core Competencies (SKILLS):

As we transitioned into a new curriculum in B.C., we also introduced the Core Competencies, which are a set of skills that help us be successful learners — not just in school, but for life.

Sound familiar? That’s because even before we had the Core Competencies, in Ms. D’s MACC class we were talking about the Learner Profile. The Learner Profile gave us some words we could use daily to focus on being better learners. By working on being knowledgeable, open-minded, a thinker, an inquirer, a communicator, caring, a risk-taker, reflective, balanced, and principled, we can gain skills that will help us through life!

The B.C. Core Competencies are skills used in K-12, across disciplines, and in all types of school work and interactions. The skills are organized into the follow areas: Communication, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Positive Personal & Cultural Identity, Personal Awareness & Responsibility, and Social Responsibility.

Each of these areas has a set of “I can….” statements associated with it, so students can have the language to do self-assessment on how they are developing these skills. While we, as teachers, will guide students in these areas, we will not be assessing them. The students will do it! There isn’t a “mark” for this. It is an opportunity for students to reflect and be involved in reporting.

For our class, the self-assessment will appear as reflections in the E-Portfolio, and students will also play a role in providing input to the final report card. Earlier this month, I sent parents information on how to access the E-Ports, and there will be a specific link provided on the report card.

On Friday, to help with the process of assessing, we took our Learner Profile words, put them on chart paper, and then organized the “I CAN” statements from the BC Core Competencies around each word. We discovered that it was very easy to continue using these simple words to sum up the larger listing of skills under each area. So, when you read your child’s self-assessment, you will see both Learner Profile words and “I Can” statements from the Core Competencies.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to talk with me. Please also see the Ministry’s information about Core Competencies.

Thank you for reading and have a good evening!

Ms. D

Monday May 29th – New Unit, Update, Reminders!!

Hello Everyone!

Our last unit of the year will be called Communication is KEY! We have already been working on some of the items covered by the unit. The last unit of the year is a little smaller in terms of introducing new material, as I want to leave time for independent projects and end-of-year events.

Unit Focus Statement: Being an effective communicator requires reflection and critical thinking.

Areas if Inquiry:

  • Choosing legitimate resources for research 
  • Fake news and social media safety
  • Presentation skills (independent project and masks character monologue)
  • Effective group communication (Battle of the Books team and more!)
  • Communication in team sports (dragon boating, kayaking, ultimate)
  • Reflection on our performance for the year (B.C.’s Core Competencies and the Learner Profile)

Projects & Reminders!

  • Disasters Presentation: Due now. Present during the week as we have time.
  • Animal Research OVERDUE!!!: Some of you have not turned in your research for this even though you did finish the art. Others have not posted the art on their e-portfolios as instructed. Some of you may find you have lower marks because you have not turned things in, and you can talk to me about it.
  • Dragon Boating/Nature Quiz Marks: These were passed out. Please get them signed and return.
  • French Weather Report & Quiz: Quiz on Wednesday for weather vocabulary, days of week, and months. Weather Report presentations due Thursday June 1.
  • Masks: Create a character, design a mask, give it a voice through a poetic monologue, and present! We have only two more people to do the base plaster mask tomorrow and then we move forward with the next part! Please make an e-portfolio entry about your mask as we go from stage to stage of construction.
  • Battle of the Books: Try to read four books by June 12th when we have our competition! We will be doing a mini book report on your favourite.
  • Independent Project: Primary research, notes, & formal bibliography are due June 7th. Presentation on June 23rd 12-2 PM. HAVE YOU GONE TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY? HOW GOES THE PRIMARY RESEARCH?
  • Independent Math: At least two more units by June 7th.
  • SUNSCREEN!  Wear sunscreen daily. Bring a plastic bag with swimsuit/towel daily, as when time permits, using our walking field trip permission form, we will go cool down in late afternoons at the Rumble Water Park next door.
  • Sex Education: Grade 4s on Tuesday, Grade 5s on Wednesday
  • LIBRARY BOOKS: All books due next week by June 9th unless being used for a project. Please look for any missing books.

See you tomorrow! Only 22 days to go!

Ms. D

 

Disaster/Human Impact to Environment Project — Update/FAQ Help

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying your long weekend!

Just some quick info as I have received some questions about the Disasters Project. Here’s your FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to help!

Do I need to answer all of the questions you gave to us?

Yes, answer all of the questions. But, those questions can be answered ANYWHERE in your presentation. You can choose to organize your slides and presentation any way you want. Remember, you must 1. answer the questions I gave you somewhere in the project, and 2. convince us that as people living in Vancouver WE need to be aware of this disaster and take it seriously, because something like it could happen to us!

BTW, please check project description again here for those questions.

How many slides do I need?

There is not a minimum or maximum number of slides. Please keep your presentation to under 5 minutes, though, so we can hear everyone’s presentation. You can organize the presentation any way you want as long as you complete the purpose of the project (see above.)

When is the project due? Will we get more time to work on it?

It is due EOD on Friday May 26th. You can work on it Tuesday afternoon 1:30-2:45, Wednesday all morning 9-10:30/10:45-12:00, Thursday 9-10:30, and Friday 1-2:45. If you know you are going to be away, plan accordingly and work on it at home, as I will not be able to give more time after Friday so we can move on to other things. 

How do we include the chart of data? What kind of data do we use?

You need to have a chart/graph/diagram in your presentation. One way is to make it on the computer. Or, you can make it on paper and take a picture of it to include in your presentation. The data should help us better understand your environmental disaster and/or show us how this disaster is related to us. 

Do we have to turn in notes? And a bibliography?

Yes. On Google Drive/Doc or paper. Yes, a bibliography is required. Please see Easy Bib or use Ms. Ho’s suggested site for Making a Bibliography. We have talked about how to do this in class. As you will see from the examples, a proper bibliography is alphabetized by the first letter of the entry. The first line of each entry is aligned to the left margin, and then the second line is done with an indent. Easy Bib will help make it for you! Use the MLA format.

Does the bibliography need to be in the PowerPoint?

No. Just turn it in with your notes on a separate piece of paper. Please type it up so I can read it clearly. Thank you!

What kind of resources do I need?

An encyclopaedia, legitimate science websites (e.g. NASA, Smithsonian, Scientific American, NOAA, National Geographic, etc.), books, and reputable newspapers or media (CBC, PBS, Globe and Mail, The National, Washington Post, NY Times, Vancouver Sun, Washington Journal, BBC, etc.). Remember, Ms. D provided some books on climate change in the classroom. If your topic has to do with one of those books, I would expect you are using them for research, since we took time to go over them as resources. Please avoid using blogs with opinions vs facts and wikispaces/wikipedia. These are not “bad sites” but not really the legitimate resources when you want to do quality research.

How will the project be marked?

I have provided a Disasters Project Rubric 2017 for you. It tells you how the different parts of the project will be used for evaluating different subject areas.

Please let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂

Happy Long Weekend! Update May 19th and Important Dates List

Hello Everyone!

We have had a busy week working on projects, having great discussions, and doing some awesome outdoor activity through dragon boating!

Projects We Are Working On:

  • Disasters Project is due May 26th EOD. Don’t forget to have a variety of sources including an encyclopaedia, legitimate science websites, and newspapers. Remember to make a bibliography.Project description can be found here.  And the rubric: Disasters Project Rubric 2017
  • ART: Your animal art should be done. They look great! Remember to take a picture of the art, post it to your E-Port, and then write two paragraphs for assessment (art and language arts). Paragraph 1: Talk about your animal (8-10 sentences), Paragraph 2: Tell us about the images you used on the drawing — how do they relate to information you discovered about your endangered animal?
  • Weather Report: Due June 1st. French Rubric Weather Report. You have the project description in your binders.
  • MASKS: Keep working on your masks designs, adding any details before next week to your nature character. Bring your bag of supplies to make plaster mess no later than Thursday next week.
  • POETRY: Today we went over different kinds of literary devices used in poetry. Then we talked about Blues and Spoken Word Poetry, which are two forms of poetry used to express emotional ideas. Remember, you will need to think about what your nature character and you would like to say – something that is important to you both. You will be writing a poem, which could be free verse or any other style, to express the character’s ideas. 

Math Update:

  • Remember, for independent math, you need to complete two more units by June 7th. Most of you are doing a great job with this!
  • Thank you to everyone who took the Gauss and Abel exams. Results announced at the end of year Recognition Assembly on June 27th.
  • We have been doing group math challenges using Pickle Math online. So far, we did the Venn Diagrams challenge as part of our focus on graphs/charts/data and nature, and we also looked at the Hexagonal Trampolines probability challenge. We will keep doing these until the end of the year. The problems are tough, but I hope you enjoy them! I expect everyone to at the minimum participate and turn in their work as they go through the problem-solving process. (NOTE: Please do not use Pickle Math online, as this will ruin the work we do together.)

Independent Project:

  • Ms. D has been working to make connections in our community so everyone can get some primary research done, but “it does take a village!” Make sure you talk with Mom and Dad to see if they know anyone that could help. Thank you to all parents who have been helping with this.
  • Go to the public library!!!! I would love to start seeing students bringing in any books they have found on their topics there! Please go!
  • Make sure you are keeping a running bibliography and taking notes as you research.
  • If you are doing an experiment, make sure you write up a proper lab.
  • If you do an interview, make sure you type up questions and answers.
  • Research, notes, bibliography, and primary research are due June 7th.

All Upcoming Events and Dates (six weeks left!!!):

  • Dragon Boating May 23rd. Leaving at 9:45 AM
  • Plaster Mess May 25th Thursday afternoon, bring supplies
  • Dragon Boating May 26th. Leaving at 9:45 AM
  • Disasters Project Due May 26th EOD
  • Sexual Education with Saleema Noon Educators (more info to come) May 29th-May 31st
  • French Weather Report Due June 1st EOD
  • PRO D, NO SCHOOL June 2nd, Friday
  • Ultimate Workshop for PE June 6th, Tuesday
  • Independent Research Notes/Bib/Primary Research Due June 7th, EOD
  • Sports Day June 9th
  • Vancouver Maker Faire at the PNE (Ms. D there on Saturday) June 10-11
  • Battle of the Books Competition in Class June 12
  • Kayaking Deep Cove June 20th, Tuesday
  • Independent Project Presentations/Viewing — Parents Welcome, 12-2 June 23rd, Friday
  • Recognition Assembly Awards/Certificates, June 27th
  • MACC 4/5 Awards and Party, CLEAN UP OF ROOM June 28th
  • LAST DAY June 29th 9-10 AM, Reports Go Home

Getting Busy ON Projects!

Hello Everyone! And again, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!

Today, we had our Gauss Math Test Competition, and thank you to everyone who participated! I will let you know when results will be announced.

We also had a lot of time for open project work on our Disasters Project to finish up the nature unit, our French weather report presentation, our Sue Coccia art, and independent math.

Tomorrow is DRAGON BOATING! Parent drivers should come at 9:40 AM, and we will leave promptly at 9:45. We will boat from 10:15-11:15, and then return to school before 11:45. Please dress for the weather. Take into mind you cannot wear jeans, you may get wet, and you can’t wear a bulky coat as the life jacket has to be put on over it. We went over what you need in class today, and I also provided a Dragon Boating Participation Rubric for this outdoor education opportunity.

As you complete your French, please use this document for criteria: French Rubric Weather Report

As we work on our Independent Project, please use this document for criteria: Independent Project Rubric 2017 MACC

Great work today! More to come tomorrow!

Ms. D

Happy Weekend May 12th

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms this weekend!

This weekend, the tasks are:

  • Study for French Quiz on Numbers 1-31, which will be Wed. May 17th
  • Note: Dragon Boating First Session on Tuesday, May 16th
  • Think about primary research (some have deadlines to send me questions for interviews — I would like to see questions before interviews)
  • Catch up on Art (for those who were told to), or 15-30min. of Independent Math
  • Disaster Research if you want and/or have time
  • Continue to read BOB!

Upcoming Deadlines / Notes: (Don’t worry, Ms. D will be providing class time, support, guidance, and more info as we go along!!!! This is just to give you a heads up.)

  • French Quiz Numbers 1-31 — May 17
  • Sue Coccia Art — Due May 19
  • Dragon Boating – May 23
  • French Quiz Weather, Days of Week, Months — May 24
  • Dragon Boating – May 26
  • Disasters Project (Notes, Bibliography, Presentation for a mark) – due May 26
  • French Weather Report — due June 1
  • PRO-D Day, No School — June 2
  • Ultimate Presentation for PE — June 6
  • Independent Project Notes, Bibliography, Primary Research – due June 7
  • Mask and Poem for Character – due June 7
  • Independent Math Two Units at least — due June 9
  • BOB Competition — June 12
  • Masks Presentation — June 14
  • Deep Cove Kayaking — June 20
  • Independent Research Presentation — June 23
  • Recognition Assembly – June 27
  • Last Day (one hour) & Report Cards Distributed – June 29

Independent Project Details

As we get closer to the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to detail what must be done for the independent project. Everyone already has a topic and has begun the research process. Time will be given in class, but it is also expected students are working on some of this at home, too. I will be providing support and guidance along the way, and thank you in advance to parents for supporting the research efforts at home!

Here is what must be included as part of the project:

  • Notes from your research: Must say where research has come from. Can be recorded on paper, in Google Docs, or on Evernote, as long as it can be sent to me electronically or a printed version can be handed in.
  • Proper bibliography: Use Easy Bib as a guide or other websites online to put your bibliography in order. Ms. Ho, our librarian, also has links on the library site to help with bibliography format. Must be a nice, neat, alphabetized bibliography printed out and handed in. This paper will also be available the day of presentation for people to view.
  • Primary research: First-hand research must be done. It cannot be based on past experiences or your own knowledge. You need to one of the following: an interview with an expert (write questions, write responses, document and turn in), an experiment (do a proper lab write up, take pictures of the process, write a conclusion), visit a location (go to the aquarium, zoo, space centre, a park, a lab and then record all observations with pictures and notes), make observations (create a journal and take detailed notes from observing something such as watching frogs in an aquarium over time), documenting making something as part of learning how to do something (examples: studying fish and then making a habitat for fish, or studying website production and making a website), or a survey (prefer you did not do this one as it is hard to get enough responses to actually mean anything — classmates are not enough.)
  • Present: Design and make a way to present your information to the public. Ideas are: poster, PowerPoint, Prezi, BookCreator, Puppet Pals, diorama, model, cartoon, drama presentation, speech, brochures to hand out, poster, active experiment display, etc.
  • Reflection: Reflections on work posted on E-Portfolio during and after the process.

Criteria (Rubric Will Be Provided):

  • Shows critical thinking about the topic. Asked some great questions along the way that helped the research along.
  • Answered questions posted on e-portfolio as best as you could. Evidence of having answered these questions is in notes or in the presentation.
  • Complete, alphabetized, printed, neat bibliography that shows at least 10 secondary resources used, as well as a mix of internet and book resources.
  • Primary research completed with complete documentation in terms of photos, observations, and notes.
  • Notes, with key points from what you read, and with each section of writing showing where the information came from.
  • Visually appealing, creative, engaging, and/or interesting presentation method so the public can enjoy your research. (Each project will be different, of course!)
  • Reflections show effort to look back on research process and comment on what went well and what could be improved for next year.
  • Time management – done on time before our presentation day.

Due Dates:

  • June 7th: All notes, bibliography, and primary research complete. Turn in notes and bibliography to Ms. D for marking.
  • June 23rd: Presentation due! Public comes to visit our classroom to see!

Human Impact Project

For this project, choose one environmental accident or disaster that has occurred where human activity was the cause.

Your job is to use this incident to help prevent future disasters!

Find out:

  • Details of the incident–where, what, how, when
  • What was done to clean up the mess
  • What the impact on the environment was
  • How the damage to the environment hurt the ecosystem 
  • How the incident impacted humans directly
  • Could the incident happen here? If it did, then what would be the impact?
  • What should we do to avoid that happening?

You will need to have:

  • Notes and bibliography 
  • A way of sharing the info with us, whether diorama, ppt, prezi, or speech and slideshow of pictures. 
  • A chart to show data you found about the event

Criteria (rubric to come):

  • Complete research with notes in Google Docs where you have put a bibliography entry first and can then cut and paste info you find.
  • Good communication skills as you present your information, clear enunciation, volume, speed
  • An effective visual aide with evidence
  • Must have info relating the event to both impact on environment and on US
  • Must have a chart with data, whether about the event or Vancouver as you talk about how to avoid disaster here. Chart must be labeled appropriately, appealing, and use units on x and y axis effectively.
  • Uses data and past event details to really convince us we need to avoid events like that here.

For your reference, Top Man-Made Disasters!

Ocean Acidification Labs! May 10

Hello Everyone,

Today, we explored ocean acidification as a way humans are impacting nature. As a result of increased carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from human activities, and because the Earth’s trees and plants cannot absorb all of the excess, there is a lot of extra carbon dioxide! Not only is it contributing to global warming and climate change, but it is also being absorbed by our oceans. As more carbon dioxide is absorbed, it changes the alkalinity of the ocean and the pH. This means organisms who rely on a specific pH are having difficulty and that their shells, made of calcium, are deteriorating in the over-acidic water.

For more information on this, we watched a video on ocean acidification, narrated by Sigourney Weaver, which originally aired on Discovery Planet Green.

Then, we experimented with the pH scale by testing a wide variety of household liquids and types of water available to us: lemon juice, vitamin C (Redoxon), oxyclean, 2% milk, salt water, distilled water, tap water, seltzer water, lemon-lime soda, baking soda, vinegar, borax, and aspirin. To test the acidity of each, we used red cabbage extract, which is a natural anthocyanin that can be used to test acidity levels. For more information on how to prepare your own red cabbage extract, see these links:

Red Cabbage Indicator Experiment  (complex version, with higher chemistry)

Science Project Lab on Red Cabbage and Acidity

Red Cabbage Coloured pH Scale

We had a rainbow of colours as our indicator changed colour in each of the substances. We predicted the possible pH ahead of time, making a hypothesis, and then recorded the actual results. Finally, we had a discussion, making conclusions about the proper pH for organisms to survive in fresh or salt water. If you have an aquarium or visit pet stores, you may know about this already!

We then talked about alkalinity, which is the water’s ability to hold a consistent pH and is measured in mg/L or ppm. We discovered alkalinity increases as the pH increases. In other words, as the ocean gets more acidic, alkalinity goes down, and the water has a harder time holding the appropriate level of pH. To test this, we took four water samples (salt water, distilled water, tap water, seltzer water) and tested alkalinity using Tetra test strips for aquariums. Then we measured the pH of each water. Finally, we took straws to blow bubbles into the water, adding CO2, to see if we could affect the colour from the indicator and make the water more acidic.

Thank you everyone for your great work on the lab!

Students who signed up for the ABEL TEST completed their tests this afternoon. I will let you know when I am able to share results with you, but I know they have to be reported to the District first. Thank you for your patience in advance.

If you are taking the GAUSS TEST, then you will do that on May 15th, Monday. Please study ahead of time and be prepared by having a calculator for class. 

We also did some exploring outside, trying to identify local plants around the school.

For tonight:

  • Please work on our Sue Coccia drawing art if you need to catch up.
  • Remember to turn in your 20 BOB Questions, poems, and journal which are now overdue.
  • Read the rules for the Biodiversity Card Game so you can play it tomorrow with a partner.
  • Take a look at yesterday’s blog post for websites and articles on oceans that we won’t have time for in class.
  • And LIBRARY is tomorrow, so bring your books!

Have a good evening! 

 

Articles on Oceans to Read & Don’t Forget ABEL Practice!

If you signed up to take the ABEL Exam, please don’t forget to do a practice test. As announced, the test is tomorrow. We will do it in the afternoon.

Congratulations to Sylvia who visited 45 nature places and won our overall NATURE CHALLENGE! Thank you, too, to Anisha, Michael, Peter, Kane, Patricia, and Emily who all made a great effort and submitted nature slide shows of their adventures. Thank you for participating! Prizes were handed out in class. It was nice to see people enjoying the frisbees on the park this afternoon!

Here are some articles and websites to check out as we talk about oceans:

NASA’s Climate Change Kids – Oceans

World Wildlife Federation – Climate Change

Oceana Canada

Nature Conservancy Oceans & Coasts

PBS Oceans of Acid

Convection Currents Demonstration — How the currents work!

National Ocean Service – What does an oceanographer do?

National Ocean Service – Ocean Facts

The Ocean Clean Up

NASA Garbage Patch Data

What really happens to the plastic you throw away – TED Talks

Is Sea Level Rising? Yes.

Also, there are lots of songbirds and nature out there to watch! Go to these sites to check them out and get out in nature! 

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Vote for Vancouver’s Official City Bird

iNaturalist.org – Record species you find and be part of a community of scientists!

Observe Nature with iNaturalist – Tells How it Works

How to use a compass

Go back to the Lower Seymour Watershed by yourself – here’s a map!

Have a good night,

Ms. D

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