Good morning Division 7!

I wish I could stand at the door to greet each of you as you walk into the classroom! However, a smile at your device screen will do just fine for now. While we are not gathered together in person, ready for attendance at 9 am on the carpet, it is expected that you are still ready to learn each day and will try your very best (even if you are in your Peppa Pig pajamas — you know who you are…) You are not expected to hand-in everything but effort should be made to complete each task (depending on your situation). There will be an assignment due weekly.

We are all transitioning to virtual learning together. I am learning with you! We may notice some parts of our virtual learning program works really well and some parts that don’t. We will practice our patience, flexibility and compassion during this time and adjust our program as we need to.

This week, we have 3 goals:

1. Successfully access and read on Epic! Books (class code: bhr0575).
   Please ask your parents to check their emails for more information.
2. Successfully accessing our class Office 365 – Microsoft Team.
3. Work on learning opportunities provided on the blog.

****Warning: Today’s blog will likely require some parent/adult assistance to navigate and setup. Subsequently, there is also more reading. We are starting slow today as to not overwhelm. Please contact me if you have any questions.*****

_____________________________________________________________________

1. Accessing Epic! Books

• Visit https://www.getepic.com/ and enter the information that was provided in the email your parents received last week.
• Our class code is bhr0575. Please write your username, password, and class code on the front page of your planner.

2. Accessing Office 365 – Microsoft Team

• Open a web browser like Google Chrome or download the app (NOT SAFARI). Go to https://portal.office.com
• Login using this format:
  • Username: pupil#@edu.burnabyschools.ca(The same ID used to login to school computers. Example 1444892@edu.burnabyschools.ca)
    Password: your SD41 school password
    Note: This information should be on the front page of your planner. If you do not have it written/memorized, please email me.
• Select the “Teams” icon (shown below)
  
• You now have access to 0365-Suncrest-Division 7
• Reply a school-appropriate greeting under my post on the main page so I know you got to this point.
• Once the majority of you have access, I will give you further instructions on how to access Files (documents that I will upload), Calls, and Chats where we can communicate with each other about learning, and activities.Remember that this is a school-based chat. Please do not play with settings — do not add any photos/comments to your profile. Remember to stay on task and appropriate. 

3. Learning Opportunities

I was going back and forth with the idea of a weekly vs. daily schedule. Alas, I have decided to try a daily schedule. I understand that each of your situations at home is unique; this means that your learning journey will differ too. Please complete what you can given your circumstance.

Before you begin your day, spend a few minutes creating a to-do list for your day. Check off each item as you complete them. The priority should be quality time spent on each task rather than getting through all of them quickly. The time below the title is a suggestion only. Take as much or as little time as appropriate for you.

Shape of the Day: Monday April 6th, 2020
(in an order that makes sense to your situation)

• To-Do List
• Morning Journal
• Literacy
• Brain Break
• Snack
• Math
• Service
• Lunch
• Independent reading

 

• To-Do list
  5 mins

Before you begin each day, spend a few minutes creating a to-do list for your day. Check off each item as you complete them.

Example:

 

• “Morning Journal”
  15 mins

  Similar to our classroom routine, I suggest you begin your day with morning journal. The difference is that instead of a journal, you will post a comment on this blog post.

  Morning Journal Question:

  How was your weekend?
  How do you feel?
  What is something you appreciate about this otherwise challenging period of social distancing?

To post a comment on the blog post:
– Practice commenting on this blog post by scrolling up to the top of this post and clicking the title “Our first class blog!”
– Once you click that, scroll to the bottom of the post and enter a comment. Include your first name and your email (or parents) and type your response. Again: please stay on task and appropriate. You may want to review the following video, as posted on Teams.

• Literacy
  45-60 mins
  Lesson adapted from Adrienne Gear’s “Writing Power”

We will continue our Questioning & Inferring unit we started in Term 2. Today, we are focusing on Inferring from Questions.

As we discussed, Good writers don’t tell you everything.
Take a moment to think: Why would an author might want to leave things out while they are writing? What does it allow the reader to do?

I would like you to access your Epic! Books account and find the following book: Clarence #2 By Liz Prince.

Then,

1. Read the first page.
2. Come up with at least 3 deep questions that will help you understand the story (e.g. Who is Dwayne World Wide? Where are they?)
   *Avoid quick questions that are not important to the story (eg. What is the boy’s favourite food?)
3. Come up with at least 3 inferences remember: inferences often begin with “maybe…” (e.g. maybe they were on a long drive since the boy is asleep and drooling) .
4. Do you want to continue reading this book? Why or why not?

Find books around your home, reading only the first line or page. Which books hook you in? Which do not? Why?

Your task:

In a dedicated “Writing Journal” or duotang, you will be writing a short paragraphs that will invite your reader to jump into the story so they can fill in what you did not tell them. Play with exciting hooks. Notice that most stories that draw in readers do not begin with “once upon a time there was a girl named….” (not to say some stories beginning like that are not wonderful).

Practice with hinting or giving  away the setting, characters, action and problem right away. This allows the reader to know a little bit but with lots of wonders.

• Brain break
  30-60 mins
  Do something that gets your heart pumping. Some ideas:

• Air time: Keep the balloon in the air — don’t let it touch the ground
• Skipping rope: how many can you get in a row? How many times can you spin the rope in one jump?
• Cartwheels, somersaults, other gymnastic movements
• https://www.gonoodle.com/ 
• Practice keeping a hacky sack in the air. To make one click here. These can double as a fidget toy.
• Create or learn a dance routine — (parent approved music/videos)
• Using yarn/string, create a maze on the ground. Challenge yourself: how fast can you complete the maze while staying on the string? With one foot? Hopping sideways?
• Create a hopscotch outside with chalk.

• Math
  30 mins

Multiplication Game: Today we will practice a simple game to ease back into math.

• Split a deck of cards between two players (use cards A-10, but for a challenge you can use J [11], Q [12], and/or K [13 or some other value]).
• Players do not look at their cards.
• Each player draws their top card and slaps it down at the same time.
• The player who says the product first wins that round and collects the cards – ex, Player A draws 5, and Player B draws 6. Player A says, “30,” first and collects both cards.
• Whomever has the most cards at the end of the game, wins!

Word Problem:

There were 14 wheels in the playground.
What vehicles could there be?
How many ways can you find?
How will you know when you have found all the ways?

• Service
  30 mins

Do something helpful for others. Complete a chore. This may include loading/unloading the dishwasher. Cleaning your room/common space. Deciding what to do with/how to store all of your art creations. Sweep. Vacuum. Watch/read/help your younger sibling. If you can’t think of anything, ask an adult if you can help with anything.

• Lunch
  60 mins

Have a nutritious lunch and body break. Remember to help set-up and clean-up! (this includes the dishes)

• Independent Reading
  20+ mins

Read a book you enjoy. If you can’t find access to a book you enjoy, try Epic! books. If you still can’t find a book you enjoy, read a book you normally wouldn’t read. Try a new genre of books.

The end of the tasks are reached. The blog is still under construction. If you would like more to do, check the resource page (in progress).

Enjoy your day,

Ms. Daneshwand