Month: October 2021

Mini SOLO Math Project: Data & Graphing!

To show our understandings of data, probability, and graphing, each student will do a mini SOLO math project!

The goal is to show your ability to collect, analyze, and present data on a topic of your choice.

Steps and Requirements:

  1.  Choose a topic you can find out data about. Ms. D will give you some examples in class. It will need to be a number-based set of data, such as measuring something using the metric system, or finding out the number of something.
  2.  Gather your data in a tally table in your journal.
  3.  Look at the data and find the mean, median, and mode of your data.
  4. Find out the probability of having a specific response or measurement in your data collection. Use fractions, decimals, and percentages in your journal to show your work around probability.
  5.  Decide what kind of graph you will do. Ms. D will give you a piece of graph paper to put it on.
  6.  Complete a graph, making sure to include all the important parts of a graph, as well as putting on the graph paper your results for mean, median, and mode, as well as probability, including the fraction, decimal, and percentage.
  7. Post a picture of your graph on an e-portfolio labeled “Solo Graph Project.” Write a 5 sentence minimum statement about your graph and what you can conclude from your data (what can you say about the data?).

Criteria:

  • I am able to collect data using a table, and to communicate my questions and data collection well in my journal, such that others can read the data clearly.
  • I am able to make a graph with all of the essential parts.
  • I am able to make a graph that is clear, aesthetic, and neat, so my ideas are communicated clearly.
  • I am able to use fractions, decimals, and percentages to express probability (at a minimum, I am able to do fractions and decimals)
  • I am able to make a conclusion from my data and communicate it to others.

This shouldn’t take us very long to do, so it will be due November 10th. We will work on it concurrently with our PowerPoint and game projects.

 

Math in MACC 4/5 – a Q&A for Parents

Hello Everyone,

Given our many levels of math in MACC, I do things a bit differently than other classrooms to provide differentiation and challenge. So, here are a few reminders on how I do math:

Textbook, do we have one?    It is my experience one textbook is not helpful to address all of our needs in MACC, and usually students do not find it engaging. Thus, I work from a variety of resources, some traditional and some of my own making, so we have materials to work with.

What level of math are we doing?  Just a reminder that we do grade-level math for grade 4/5. That said, sometimes students are ready to talk about things above grade level, such as finding percentages or using exponents. I do discuss those things as we need them for applied math, or for math that connects with our conceptual unit. In the end, though, the focus for assessment is on the grade 4/5 material, and that is what we focus on finishing and reviewing more than the extra discussion items.

How is the main math practice and checking in done?  Students participate in discussions, practice in their journals, and math activities with partners or the whole class. It is during those activities, and through the e-portfolio and projects, that I can see they are understanding math concepts. For example, in the SYSTEMS unit, we created a scatter plot graph together as a class, we did mean/median/mode through Skittles, we played Let’s Make a Deal and Rock Paper Scissors for probability, and we had discussions about graphs from the NY Times. All of these activities provide me with input about whether or not students are understanding the key concepts and material at the grade 4/5 level.

I see my child is bringing home some handouts. Some are challenging for them and they are unable to finish. Do I need to be concerned?   I provide a variety of handouts to further practice things we have already done as a whole class. Some students fly through the handouts, while others may find them challenging or not have the time to finish them. It is okay. These are extra practice and challenges. Each child can finish what they have time for.

Do you mark all of the handouts?  There are some handouts I specifically mark with the class, because they are at grade level. For example, in this last unit, we worked from the book Math on the Job: Keeping People Healthy, and we will go over each question from those, as it deals with grade-level measurement concepts. However, there was extra practice from three other books at a variety of different levels. These handouts take some time and are at different levels of difficulty. Students can finish what they can. I mark it for completion and look over them for general understanding of material. Students are welcome to use the books I have in class to mark their answers if they finish, and have completed all other required work.

How do I know how they are doing on math?  I ask questions about their learning in their e-portfolios. I also ask students to apply what they have learned to a specific activity in class. Assessment is through e-portfolios, observation of their work in class, listening to their answers during discussion, and project work.

My child is feeling some frustration about the math, what can I do? In this group, there isn’t any student below proficient in math this year for grade-level concepts. So, it is important to remind your child they are doing well, and that this program is providing them with some challenge that can sometimes take them outside of their comfort zone. But, that is where new learning happens! If they are having too much trouble with the extra handouts, however, they need to be encouraged to either ask questions in class about questions they don’t understand, or put aside the math and move on to required activities.

How long should students spend on math at home? Each night, please use the 30-40 minutes as a guide for all work, not just math. Please have them work on the priority item first, which is anything with a due date indicated. For example, e-portfolio entries and projects take priority over extra practice for math. It is not my intention that any student stay up late or work beyond 40 minutes on math homework. If I feel students are doing this, and spending hours on math problems beyond their bed times, then I will hold back on offering some of the challenge opportunities so they do not lose sleep. Given we all have different needs in the group, I monitor the temperature of the class throughout the year and make adjustments as needed. Please help support this by limiting the time your child spends on extra challenge at home, encouraging a healthy routine of sleep, nutrition, and play, too!

If you ever have any questions about math, please let me know!

Ms. D

Health and Systems GAME!

Hello!

Final assignment for our first unit of the year!

Students will be put in groups to create a game to teach people how their personal choices are connected to the health of their body. The goal is to show your knowledge from the unit!

A minimum of 30 questions must be included with information from the unit.

A winner should be able to be determined after 30 minutes of play.

The game can be a board game, cards, 3-Dimensional, jeopardy, etc.

 

Step One  Make up a theme for the game. We will brainstorm some themes together in class, so feel free to use one of those or make up your own.

Step Two  Create the rules of the game. Write them down for your players to study.

Step Three  Look at materials we have available. Think about how much time you have to build. Then, make a draft of what the game will look like and a list of the materials you will need.

Step Four   Make the game. As you find issues with construction, don’t worry about changing your idea, but keep track of how much time you have to build so it is finished on time and meets criteria. Make sure you think about the knowledge the game is supposed to teach.

Step Five   Add playing pieces and think about how to store the game so pieces are not lost.

Step Six    Find someone to play the game with. Have them evaluate your game. Evaluate yourself on the rubric.

 

Tips and Ideas:

  • Always remember simple is better. If the game is easy, it will be more fun to play.
  • Add a start and a finish space. Add a path, maybe one that’s short but dangerous, or a long but easy one.
  • Add a gimmick like put in items or a jail; use your imagination for this step.
  • Add spaces where you have to draw a card and print or hand write cards on heavy paper
  • Have a few test plays by yourself to see if it is too hard or has too many spaces.
  • Cut small figures out of paper to use as game pieces, or use Legos, etc.
  • Get ideas from other people. Creativity doesn’t just come from one person. The best ideas are ones that involve lots of ideas.
  • Make it colorful and eye-popping. Make it 3D! Don’t make it too big.
  • Name it! Come up with something of your own – don’t use a name out of a movie or comic book.
  • If you want people to play your game make it unique – people won’t want to play it too much if it’s already been done.
  • Add something like spaces that take you to other spaces or a space that gives you triple of your next roll. Remember to use your imagination.
  • Try playing around with rules. Rather than moving a set number of spaces, for example, have a player be allowed to move freely for a set time period.
  • You could have an objective instead of a finish space such as find a golden nugget or land on the water fountain 10 times.
  • For the base of the game you can ask for a clean take out pizza box from a restaurant or buy some from a restaurant supply. Any supplies from home are also okay, as long as Mom and Dad are okay with it!
  • Minute timers, dice with 6 to 32 sides, and some playing pieces may be available from Ms. D, but you will have to return them after we are done playing with the games 

A rubric will be provided to self-assess at the end of the project. The project is due by November 10th.

 

Investigating Diseases!

Hello Everyone!

We have been talking together about germs and pathogens, and what we can do to keep the body healthy!

To further explore this area, with a partner of their choice, students will do some research on a disease of their choice. Here are the guidelines for choosing and researching a disease:

  • It needs to be a communicable or non-communicable disease, not a condition/disorder.
  • Your choice needs to be approved by Ms. D before starting research.
  • The disease needs to be one that you would be more likely to get due to personal choices (nutrition, hygiene, exercise, etc.) so you can talk about how not to get the disease.
  • Please look on the Articles of Interest on the blog for website suggestions, or use legitimate websites per our discussion in class.
  • If you can’t understand an online article, and it has too many vocabulary words you can’t understand on your own, then maybe use a different online source that is at your reading level.
  • If you have questions about whether a website is safe or legitimate, please ask Ms. D.
  • Keep notes in your journal using our note taking chart method.
  • No formal bibliography is needed for this presentation, but I would like you to record where you found your notes in your journal, such as the website name, book title, or article title and author.

What do you need to find out about the disease? Each of these things can be one slide in your PowerPoint presentation, for 10 slides total:

  • Introduction: Name of the Disease, and your name as author
  • What is it? Does it have more than one name?
  • How long have we known about this disease? Who discovered it?
  • What causes it? Is there a specific virus, bacteria, or pathogen that is involved? What does the pathogen look like under the microscope if one is involved?
  • What are the symptoms of the disease? How would I know I have it? What tests would have to be done to find out?
  • Who usually has the disease?
  • What treatments or cure are there for this disease?
  • How can I prevent getting this disease? What specific lifestyle or personal choices will help?
  • Summary Slide, 5 key points or takeaways you want everyone to remember.
  • Concluding Slide, “Are there any questions?”

We will use PowerPoint to do this project: For many grade fours, this is a new presentation method. For grade fives who were with me last year, the focus this year is to make your slideshows more aesthetic and effective. We will focus on how to use fonts, colours, pictures, and organization to make them more effective! We will then present our PowerPoints to the class using a script. Here are the criteria for this assignment:

  • Please do 10 slides for your presentation as described above.
  • Share the responsibility with your partner. Each of you can do either the intro or the last slide, and then split up the other 8 slides. Have one person create the PowerPoint and then share between you using One Drive.
  • Don’t edit any slide that isn’t your own to do. If you have input on your partner’s slides, make sure you talk to them first.
  • Use the rules of collaboration to work together!
  • Use one of the set themes in PowerPoint for your slides.
  • Each slide can have a title in size 14/16 font, and then information in size 12 font. Use Arial or a similar clear writing for your font. Ask Ms. D if you aren’t sure.
  • Use bullets and shortened phrases to present information, not paragraphs. Do not use too much text. People will be listening to you present information. So, use illustrations and short phrases of key information only.
  • Put a picture on each slide. Pictures need to be related to what you are talking about, not silly pictures, smiley faces, or cartoons. Do not use pictures that have copyright marks on them. If you don’t know how to tell, you can ask Ms. D.
  • Do not use emojis. At all.
  • Avoid using really bright colours such as red, yellow, or bright blue for text. Keep text in dark, easy to read colours.
  • Don’t use a black, red, or orange background, as this can be hard to look at.
  • Don’t have a last slide that says, “Bye!” or “Thank you for watching!” It can say “Are there any questions?” and have a picture related to your presentation.
  • Make a script for your PowerPoint with what you would like to say for each slide. Don’t just repeat your bullet points. Add information here.
  • Limit your whole presentation to 5 minutes or less. Share it with your partner. Practice in front of someone. It does not need to be memorized, but it does need to be well practiced.

We will decide a definitive deadline together later this week, but our target date is Nov. 1st.

Nutrition Poster Assignment Details!

Hello Everyone!

We have been having excellent discussions about NUTRITION!

 

 

We have talked about:

  • The key food groups you need for balanced nutrition,
  • How what we eat can affect our brain health,
  • The role of fat, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in our body’s systems,
  • How to read a nutrition label to make healthy food choices, and
  • How our gut acts like a second brain and has a microbiome that is important to our overall health.

Here are some videos you can watch that we watched in class:

Now, we are helping one another do some further research. Rather than investigate ALL of the nutrients out there, each of us is taking on the research for one. We will then produce a poster to share our information with one another.

For the research, students need to take notes and to find out the following:

  • What is the nutrient?
  • Where would I find the nutrient? (In which foods?)
  • Why do we need this nutrient? Do we absolutely need this nutrient?
  • How much of this nutrient do we need?
  • What is the nutrient used for in the human body?

After finding out the answers to these questions, students will produce a mini poster. The poster will be done on blank 8.5 x 11 paper, which Ms. D will provide, and it needs to have the following:

  • A big title in the middle or at the top, which has the name of the nutrient.
  • Bubbles on the poster with key facts about the nutrient.
  • Some illustrations to help us better understand the nutrient.
  • An aesthetic presentation — coloured pictures, fine-lined words (which were done in pencil first), straight lines (use a ruler), and a nice layout (not too crowded on the page and using up the whole space.)
  • Readable information. If neatness is a concern, one option is to create the words with MS Word and then cut them out to put on the poster.

This mini poster is not meant to be a long project, just a mini research opportunity while we do a series of other experiments related to germs and microscopic stuff in our body!

Poster is due no later than Thursday, October 21st.