May 13th Update — Projects and Deadlines

Hello Everyone!

We are in the home stretch before the end of the year!!! I can’t believe it…. We are gradually finishing up our unit, and we have several projects we are working on now as we reach the end.

Animal Research and Art Project: I provided students with a rubric for this. Today I started checking in on their notes, sent to me in Google Docs or done in their journals. Many students need to add depth and detail to their research AND to ask more questions. So, tonight, I told everyone to add 5 new questions about their animal to their research notes. In class, students have begun making the art pictures using Sue Coccia’s art as a guide. They will draw the images, fine line them, and then colour everything in with watercolour pencils or pencil crayons. The final version of the research, a bibliography, and the animal drawing are due end of day Thursday, May 16th. Colouring can continue beyond that time as it may take extra days to finish.

Poetry Out Loud!: Everyone was asked to find a poem of 8-16 lines or two main stanzas to present out loud in front of the class. We are practicing using enunciation, emphasis, tone, inflection, volume, gestures, eye contact, expression, etc. The presentation does not have to be memorized, just well practiced. 

Connections Project: For the end of our unit, we are looking more seriously at human impact on the environment, climate change, ocean acidification, and ways humans can improve their behaviours to be better connected with nature. Each student will choose one way humans are CONNECTED to the interdependent system of nature, whether it is a positive or negative example. For example, they could look at alternative energies, pollution, improving mental health by being outdoors, or how climate change is affecting us. There are many books in the classroom right now to help everyone find a topic, do basic inquiry, and make a short, 10 slide PowerPoint. Details to follow in a different post with criteria. Due date will be May 31st, but if it is finished before then, great!

Independent Research Project: Books from the District libraries will be returned by Thursday,  May 16th end of day. Please use and document them in your notes before then. At some point this week, please let me know what you are doing for primary research, as this will help me plan ahead and/or point you in the right direction. All research, notes, and bibliography are due by June 7th. The presentation is due June 13th. We will be talking in class about ways you can present!

E-Port Reflections: We have done 6 so far, and there will be a few more in class to come. Please make sure you have published all of your reflections so I can look at them. I was following up with people today if they hadn’t finished and reminding everyone of the topics for each entry.

Applied Design and Math Nature Space: Please see separate post about this project we have already started. Everyone has a partner and will be creating a scale model. I think this will be a fun making project for everyone! While the general plan and most of the project will be done by June 17th end of day for assessment, it is okay to be working on final touches up until the last week of school.

Nature Canvas Art: We are going to see if we can also do one last art project around nature for the year, so we will see if we have time during the last 2 weeks of school. We will also be writing some poetry to go with the art!

Skeleton Tree and Battle of the Books: We are working on finishing this novel, then we will turn in our ReadMinders, and write a final book response related to survival in nature. Then, to practice QAR questions and to develop reading comprehension skills, I am having a mini Battle of the Books. More on this in a separate post!

Animal Math, Planet Earth Math, Angles Handouts, Fibonacci: Done this week by end of day Thursday. I am in the process of checking in with everyone on Animal Math and doing one-on-one math lessons as needed on basic division, adding and subtracting of decimals, and mainly, geometry concepts such as types of angles. As we finish the year, we will do the Abel/Gauss tests on May 15th and more class work on Fibonacci, angles, and a fun activity using pythagorean theorem to find the height of a tree.

Dragon Boating: Our main PE/Gym has been through walking and getting outside. On May 22, 29, and June 5 we will work hard as a team dragon boating! Thank you to our parent volunteers.

French: We are going to learn basic weather expressions and learn to sing them in French! Tomorrow bring your vocals! 🙂

Have a great evening!

Ms. D