Wednesday April 22

Thank you for a successful class meeting. For those who missed it, no problem! We will have another one this Thursday (tomorrow) at 2:00PM. 

I want to remind students and parents that if you need to contact me, I have provided students with a temporary phone number that they can reach me at. It is shared only on Teams for privacy reasons.

Here’s today’s schedule. Make sure to stay active and to reach out to myself and one another if you have any questions.

Remember to update your physical activity for P.H.E.!

For math: 2 new lessons on Math IXL. These assignments will gear you for a different type of math activity on Thursday. No additional math work on Teams. Again, tutorials for Math IXL can be found here.

For ELA, you will be reading a poem today. Keeping in mind of the 5 poetic devices we have learned about earlier, you will be asked to identify some of them in the poem.

In Social Studies, you will be looking at mining and minerals as a non-renewable resource. You will analyze and reflect about the benefits and drawbacks that come with mining.

Please continue working on typing. You may use All The Right Type, or a typing program that you are more familiar with. Again, remember to use those home row keys and know that all this practice is only going to help you be better at whatever you do in the future. (Who knew as a teacher, I would have to type this much!)

Questions? Email me, let me know on Teams, or call me if it’s more urgent 🙂 – Mr.Cheung

Tuesday April 21

Happy Tuesday!

We will be having a virtual class meeting today at 10:30am. You will find a invitation to join at around 10:15. Please join, even if you do not have a microphone or webcam. It will be a great opportunity for us to connect since we haven’t had the opportunity to do so in a large group setting yet. I will also be sharing some reminders and other tips to be successful on Teams.

Below is the schedule for today:

Class meeting. Details above.

Math on IXL: 2 more lessons. No extra assignment on Teams today. Please make sure to do the YELLOW STAR lessons. Instructions of how to set Math IXL along with a video explanation can be found HERE.

ELA Poetry: We are going to learn about 2 new poetic devices today. Please be sure to watch the resources that I’ve attached on the assignment page.

Science: We are looking at biomes today. Make sure to go through some of the 360 biome tours and to answer the questions on the bottom of the document.

P.H.E: Please go to your P.H.E Activity log and log your hours for yesterday. Video example can be found here.

See you at 10:30. – Mr. Cheung

Monday April 20

It’s a new week! I hope that you are all refreshed. I am a bit behind in reviewing your assignments so thank you for your patience. I want to remind you all to make sure that you turn in your work by clicking the turn in button on the assignment screen. There have been quite a few assignments that were not turned in properly.

Today, we will be using a new program which means another set of usernames to remember. I recognize how it can be a hassle to track all your different logins, but here’s a form that you can print out to help you organize all this information! Click here if you are interested in this sheet. Click print on the top-right corner.

This new program is Math IXL. It will provide you with practice as well as extra lessons to help you understand Geometry. Your assignments will include work on Math IXL and sometimes on Teams. We will have a math mini project in the next coming weeks so please make sure you take the time needed to learn. The goal is never to randomly pick answers for the sake of going fast.

  • Your username can be found here. Email me if you have problems.
  • Your password is the same as the one you use to log into Teams and your email.
  • Click here for a written tutorial. Click here for a video tutorial on how to use Math IXL.

Here is today’s schedule:

Math: Learn how to access Math IXL and do the 2 recommended lessons. No other assignment on Teams.

ELA Reading: You will read a short story with lots of visuals. You are then to visualize and make some inferences. More detail can be found on Teams –> Assignments.

We are gearing up for our class meeting tomorrow. Please gather any questions that you may have about learning online. Please also be prepared to share the art that you’ve done, or be prepared to share the idea that you have for art.

For P.H.E., you will be tracking the amount of physical activity you are getting each day. Details and the working document is on our assignments tab. I will a live tutorial (instructions on Student Communication Channel) at 2:00pm for those who are interested.

For music, please check Ms. Fletcher’s blog. You can find her updates as well as resources when you explore the different tabs on the menu bar of her website.

Have a great day! As always, I will see you on Teams.

Friday April 17

Happy Friday! It was great to connect with even more of you again yesterday. We are almost ready to have larger group conversations as a class – Thank you for your patience.

Just a reminder for students to regularly check your emails! I sent you all a document about Digital Responsibility yesterday. Please read over it.

Today is mostly self-guided, meaning there aren’t a lot of things that you have to turn in. I have placed trust in all of you to motivate yourself to do the activities that don’t need to be handed in.

For Current Events today, you will be seeing images of animals roaming within towns and cities due to people staying in to physical distance. There are some journal response topics that you can find on the assignment page. Please let me know if you would like to write about a different topic.

Please continue working on your typing! We have been using All The Right Type in class so this is definitely an option. If you have been using another program at home, feel free to use it today. What’s most important is that you are practicing your home row keys.

Please continue on your self-guided art project. You won’t have to share it on Teams, but I may be checking in with you individually during quiet time to either chat about your plan (and how well you’re following it) or I may ask to see it :).

The weather is great and this means it’s a great time to go outside! Of course, remain physically distanced from non-household members, but go for a walk! Walk with your siblings, parents, dogs, cats, fish?. Jump around on your trampoline. If you have a laptop, bring your laptop out there to work! Read outside! Fresh air is important and so is staying active. When I was your age, I stayed at home all spring and summer long and now I have a bad hip and back!

For French, please go on Duolingo and practice your French for 20-30 minutes. So far, I have 7/28 students sign up for an account. I may be checking in to see how I can help you make your account during quiet times tomorrow. Click HERE to sign up (class code: uruqcs). Make sure you click sign up and use your school email.

This week went by really quickly! I hope you enjoy the weather this weekend and most importantly, stay safe!

-Mr.Cheung

 

Thursday April 16

It was nice to chat with some of you yesterday. If you haven’t gotten a call from me yet, I will try again today and tomorrow! I hope to have small group check-ins at least once a week where you all get to see each other’s faces! But for now, here is a summary of the tasks that we will be doing. Make sure to check the due dates on Teams so you don’t fall too behind!

For math, you will be doing two brief quizzes just for you to self-assess how you are doing. Take some time to review our previous lessons and to check-in with me for some help if you felt like you could’ve done better. Afterwards, you will learn about NETS in our geometric shapes. You will be using PowerPoint (or paper + tape) to make some nets on your own!

For ELA, you will continue learning about poetic devices. Please know that I have included some resources on Teams that help what certain poetic devices are.

For Social Studies, you will look at renewable and non-renewable resources. Afterwards, you will be investigating around your home, objects that are made from renewable and non-renewable resources. I have also included a brief snippet of what your project for this unit will be.

Many of you know that there’s a call function within Teams. Please use it maturely. Use it to speak with me if you have a question. Make sure that an adult knows who you are speaking with.

See you on Teams! – Mr.Cheung

Wednesday April 15

Yesterday’s assignments are due by the end of today. Please let me know if you need an extension. We are working on some new topics this week, so make sure to try your best to stay on track! I want to let you know that during our quiet times of 10:30-12:00 and 2:00-3:30, I may call you on Teams just to check-in with you and see how things are going if I see that you are online.

Today’s work:

In ELA, you will be reading a short story. Afterwards, you will be writing a summary as well as a response. Full assignment details can be found on Teams –> Assignments. Due date: End of Friday

In math, you will continue working on Geometry. Keep an eye out on geometric shapes and qualities that you see around your house. Everything around you has some aspect of geometry. For instance, the wood that forms the skeleton of your house must be built in specific shapes otherwise your building will crumble! Due date: End of Friday

In science, you will begin to look at animals living in an aquarium. You will go through a virtual tour and begin thinking about the animals’ lives living inside tanks. Due date: End of Friday

Remember to stick to your schedule and to keep a healthy and balanced lifestyle! Take an energy break when you need one. Kindly communicate with each other on Teams when you need a social break while keeping in mind with our quiet times of 10:30-12:00 and 2:00-3:30.

Questions? Just ask me.

Mr. Cheung

Tuesday April 14

Here’s our schedule for the day! Based on the survey on Friday, most of us are feeling more comfortable working with Teams and the Office 365 suite. This is great as now we can begin focusing on new learning! There are 4 tasks today. All of these tasks (besides reading about expectations) are due by the end of tomorrow. Please me mindful of the schedule that you created. Though it is impossible to 100% follow the schedule, there is the expectation that you do a variety of activities throughout your day (and not just play video games all day!).

Again, here are the activities of the day but feel free to move them around in your schedule.

I would first like to remind you about the expectations on Teams. I have spoken to some of you individually on our chat channel and through email about online behaviours. Please do not use this area to spam. This means typing jibberish and then pressing enter, or purposely typing things that make no sense and do not contribute to our class community. This makes our chat very disorganized and it means that your classmates’ discussions are hidden and pushed to the top. Secondly, there will be 2 dedicated quiet times where our chat channels will be temporarily disabled. These times will be 10:30 to 12:00pm, and 2:00 to 3:30pm. These times will allow all of us to have some quiet work time as I recognize that hearing chat sounds and seeing chats pop up on our screens while working can be rather distracting.

You have some math work. Both grades are starting geometry. The assignment and its instructions can be found in the assignments tab on Teams.

You have some ELA work. We are starting our unit on poetry! Poetry is hidden within the songs that we listen to everyday and therefore, it is important for us to discover the links between songs and poetry. In this assignment, you will learn about some poetic devices. Afterwards, you will analyze a song that I like to listen to a lot!

For P.H.E, please use the Student Communication chat channel to share how you have kept active (or maybe sanity) while being at home. Do you go for daily walks? Jump on a trampoline? Do Just Dance? Share what you’ve done in hopes to inspire your classmates to be active as well!

Any questions! Please ask! I will be online with you. -Mr. Cheung

 

Thursday April 9

Hello everybody,

Your schedules should be completed by now. We have 3…and a half new tasks today.

We will be sharing our schedules in the student communication channel and not in small groups as suggested yesterday. To post share an assignment on any chat channel, please go to the area where we chat. You will notice that on the bottom, there is a paper clip symbol. Click on it, and then click recent. From there, find your schedule assignment and finally, click Upload a copy. Wait for the file to upload, and then click send like you normally would send a message. As more people upload their schedules, look at their schedules and reply to at least one person’s schedule with a comment.

Your second task of the day is to do a little bit of French! We will be using Duolingo. Please make sure you either CLICK HERE to sign up, or use the class code URUQCS. For more instructions, click here or go to the general –> files –> tutorials tab within Teams. Signing up will require your email address. Make sure to use your DIGITS@edu.burnabyschools.ca one. Once you’ve signed up, go ahead and try Duolingo out! Start from the beginning. Spend around 15-30 minutes on it because again, we’re just trying to get used to new tools. Start with BASICS and NOT the placement test!

Your third task of the day is to search for a self-directed art activity. Normally in art, I choose an activity for you but with this art project, you will be choosing your own mini-project. This mini-project is your passion project and can be done whenever you feel like you need a break. It doesn’t have to be BIG but it shouldn’t be something that can be done in 15 minutes. Be mindful of the materials that you need. If you do not have a lot of art materials at home, then simply pick something that requires fewer materials! There are tons of cool projects that only require pencil and paper. There’s no theme for this assignment. Do not go out and buy materials. We are resourceful and can find cool projects using materials we have at home 🙂 Some of you may want to create your own art activity. Yes, you can. Just make sure you clearly describe to me what you have planned.

  • You will need to copy and paste the idea that you’d like to do in a new assignment page. If you do not remember how to copy and paste, research it! (Hint, you have to right click). Please be sure to do this so I know what you will be working on.You need to have an idea submitted by the end of next Tuesday. This will give you some time to look at a lot of different projects.
  • There is a temporary chat channel called “Art Ideas”. This is where you can share ideas of cool projects that you found online. I will also be posting projects that don’t require a lot of supplies here throughout the day.
  • You can begin your project anytime, but a deadline will be near the end of this month. Plenty of time 🙂

Your third and a half task of the day is a survey. It’s really short and straightforward! You can find the survey (called a quiz) in the ASSIGNMENTS tab on the left. This is just to let me get a sense of how you’re doing on Teams before we dive into some more learning next week. Please be honest and mature when doing this quiz. Put some thought as your input can influence the learning experience for everybody.

That’s a wrap for this week! Enjoy your well-deserved long weekend! A rough outline of the weekly schedule for next week will be posted on Monday evening. See you Tuesday on Teams!

 

Wednesday April 8

Hello everybody,

Your grateful journal from yesterday is due by the end of Friday. Your math review is due by the end of Friday as well.

Today you will be creating a schedule. The goal of this assignment is to bring awareness of the types of activities that you do. How much time do you spend relaxing? What about doing homework? What about screen time? Are you getting enough sleep? Another goal of this assignment is to help you establish a routine. You now have more flexibility with how you want to manage your time. I assign new work to you everyday, but it is up to YOU to decide which assignments you want to do first! Some of you may already have a routine made by yourself, with your parents, or maybe you collaborated!

Your job is to develop your schedule using Teams and its tools. There’s a new assignment ready for you. If you need a reminder of how to find the assignment, check yesterday’s post.

Here’s a sneak peek at my example of a schedule. It was fun to relive my life as a forth/fifth grade student.

See you on Teams! – Mr.Cheung

 

Tuesday April 7

Hello all,

Today we will be doing a bit more work on Teams. Our work load will increase a bit from yesterday but it won’t take too much time because we don’t want to be far ahead of students who have not had enough times learning about Teams.

There will be 3 assignments today.

  1. Read a bit more about the expectations on Team (below). No quiz .
  2. Journal writing
  3. Math review

 

Expectations on Teams: If you login to Teams, you will now see two chat channels. The General tab is for me to let you know of important events for the day. The newly created Student Communication channel has been created. Feel free to test it out and try to keep in mind that it can be overwhelming for some of us if you spam the chat too much. With that in mind, try to write all your thoughts into one post instead of writing one thought, pressing enter, then writing another thought. See the picture below to see where to access the Student Communication channel.

Journal Writing: Instructions on this assignment has been posted onto teams. To access it, click on the assignment button on the left (with a backpack). Click on the class O-365-53_Cheung_Div4. You will see a journal assignment. Click it, and review the expectations before beginning it. Remember that to edit it, you may have to click edit in browser on the top right of the word document. DUE: End of tomorrow.

Math Review: If you found the journal writing assignment, you will have no problem finding the math review. Remember, you are writing story problems and NOT regular questions (4 + 5 = 9) will not do! DUE: End of Friday.

To keep you on track, I’ve updated the class blog with a link to our planners document. Visit the class blog, and you will find a button that says Planner Board. This tool is meant for you and your parents!

As always, let me know if you have any questions below, on Teams, or through email.

-Mr. Cheung

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