Day: October 2, 2015

We had another busy day of activity! Today, we began with some journal time, and students were asked to write about how their systems were interacting together as they were sitting and writing their journal entry. This gives us both writing practice and also allows me to see their thinking regarding systems.

Afterwards, we did some math! We started with a discussion about how to calculate the number of calories one burns in a day. They were given a sheet detailing the number of calories per pound used up for a long list of activities. To find the calories burned, they would multiply that number by their weight (in pounds), and multiply that by the amount of time they were doing the activity (expressed in hours). We discovered through this activity that many of the students did not know their weight, which made it difficult to make the calculations. So, as part of homework, students need to find out their current weight in pounds. They do not need to share this with anyone, as it is an individual activity of charting their calories. For those who do not have a scale at home, I recommended trying a friend’s house, a pharmacist such as London Drugs or Shoppers (they often have one if you ask at the desk), or a scale at home. I will also bring one on Monday if we have trouble finding one, so we can continue with this activity related to both math and our unit.

We then moved on to a math activity all about mean, median, mode and range. Students each received a small box of Smarties and had to do data analysis on their box and that of other students in the class. For those who needed an extension of the activity, I also asked for percentages and fractions related to our class’s data. Following the activity, we had a long conversation about how the class is made up of different levels of math strength, so we will be doing activities that allow as much as possible for everyone to feel challenged appropriately. Students also shared their ideas for activities the whole class could do related to data analysis and mean.

Our class is a very energetic and dynamic group of individuals, and we are learning how to work together as a classroom community. To this end, we did an activity related to the language we use to talk to ourselves and to one another, and we also discussed how creative ideas grow best within groups (versus getting shut down.) Students have a chart related to this activity, and we shared aloud our thoughts about the chart and ways we could communicate with one another. For homework I am asking them to go over this chart with you at home.

The latter part of the day was dedicated to music, read aloud (Ms. DeTerra bought some new books!), and our free-choice time on Fridays. Homework is to look at the chart with your parents, think about where we would find germs in the school for an experiment we are doing Monday, find out your weight so we can continue our math activity, and bring in a jar/YPC $ and Pizza $ for Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Reminder that we have our MACC Suncrest parent night on October 8th, Thursday, at 6:00 – 7:00 PM in our classroom space. It is a presentation designed for parents. Just to avoid confusion, this presentation is not for parents who are interested in the MACC program and would like to apply. That presentation is at Burnaby Central on October 8th at 7:00 PM.

We started the day by doing an experiment about how germs spread. Everyone was given a cup of water with their name on it, and Ms. D put a special chemical (Borax) into one cup (without telling the students who had it) that would represent a virus in that person’s system. Then, everyone was asked to choose three people in the room to exchange water with. With each exchange, person A would give person B five spoonfuls of their water, and then person B would give person A five spoonfuls of theirs. After three exchanges, Ms. D came around with chemical #2 (turmeric) and put it in the cup. Turmeric is a natural acid/base indicator and it turns red when exposed to a base like Borax, so anyone infected had their water turn red or pink. Students documented their experiment in a lab report including a title, hypothesis, question, materials, procedure, results/data, and a conclusion about how germs are spread. In our class you appeared to have a 25% chance of becoming infected if one person came in with the pretend virus.

Later in the day, we went over paragraphing as part of language arts, writing a paragraph about what we would do as principal for a day. We did this together, with Ms. D writing on her computer such that everyone could see the paragraph together on the projector. For journals, everyone had to copy the paragraph down and make any changes they wanted to its wording. The main purpose was to talk about how to make paragraphs more interesting with a hook and a strong concluding sentence. Ask your child what things they shouldn’t use for a concluding sentence!

Other time in the day was dedicated to MUSIC, a discussion together about relationships in class, and time to work on their Body Systems Expert research or writing. Homework is to continue working on any research needed. Also, I asked students to think about where the most germs in the school would be in preparation for another experiment either tomorrow or Monday, depending on how Ms. D’s kitchen prep goes tonight. Please also bring in a jar for art. Monies for YPC and Pizza Lunches are due on Monday.

Have a great night!