Migration Unit Web Links

Hello Everyone!

Here are some links to use as we talk about “How did we get here?” There are also links to help with the science portion of our unit on migration, so you can find out information about the different biomes.

MBG Net Biomes

Fact Monster Biomes

NCEAS World Biomes

BBC All About the Vikings

Canadian Atlas Online Settling Canada

Government of Canada Geographical Maps

Enchanted Learning Explorers of Canada

Canada’s History Greatest Explorers of Canada

Government of Canada Library Archives Pathfinders and Passageways to Canada

Another version of Library Archives Pathfinders and Passageways to Canada

HBC Heritage A Brief History of the Hudson Bay Company (fur trade)

HBC Heritage Beaver Pelts

Canadian Geographic Canada’s Greatest Women Explorers

Canadian Geographic Canada’s Greatest Explorers

Knights Canadian Early Explorers of Canada

CBC 10 Explorers Who Made History in the Arctic

Canada Guide Early History of Canada

Canadian Encyclopedia Exploration

YouTube Canadian History in a Nutshell 

YouTube History Channel Jacques Cartier

YouTube Biography Jacques Cartier

YouTube History Channel Henry Hudson

YouTube Biography Henry Hudson

YouTube Viking River Cruises The Vikings Leif Eriksson

YouTube John Cabot’s Search for a Passageway

YouTube John Cabot Biography

YouTube That Was History Jacques Cartier

YouTube History Central Samuel de Champlain

YouTube Curriculum Services Canada Beaver Fur Trade

YouTube Canada’s Early Explorers

YouTube Henry Hudson’s Explorations

YouTube Biography Samuel de Champlain

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update January 19th! Getting going with a new unit

Hello Everyone!

Here are some quick updates so everyone knows what is going on in our class!

New Unit, Migration!:

I asked the class the question, “How did we get here?” I didn’t mean, how did we get to school this morning, or how did we get to grade 4/5. What I meant was how did we all get here? What is our story of how we ended up having our lives here? 

We have begun exploring Canada’s story, beginning with the First Nations who came here via Beringia, then the explorers who came here from Europe, and the immigrant groups who found a new home in Canada. It is a complex history with so much to cover. We will go over our history in a general way, so we are aware of the timeline and reasons people came to Canada. Then, I will ask everyone to become a specialist. Each student will choose a character (either an actual, named character, or a creative, made-up person from a specific time period) to research in more detail. They will create a mini-monologue for that person and present it in a creative way. More details on this to come, but I have asked everyone to begin thinking of WHO they might want to research in more detail or WHAT time period they want to focus on for the project. I think this will be a fun way to learn more about the story of Canada!

I also asked everyone to take home a family tree and map, as we would like to map everyone’s migration journey. This may mean having a conversation at home about the journey previous generations made to eventually end up in Canada. The family tree and map are due on Monday. Thank you in advance for your immigration stories if you are willing to share!

A short unit quiz from unit two will be on Monday. Please review questions from your journal from when we did the unit review together. It will be multiple choice and short answer.

Language Arts:

We are finishing up our last unit by preparing for debates on technology. Each student is asked to have 20 pieces of evidence prepared on cards by end of day Monday. Debate teams have been assigned. We will write debate speeches and talk about persuasive language next week, which will be followed by the actual debates! I look forward to the conversations. Remember, your opinions need to be backed up with some actual FACTS and QUOTES from your research!

For general grammar and writing practice, we will also be doing the following during the next few weeks.

  • Vocab Study: Each Monday, students will independently choose 10 words from the advanced vocabulary list I provided that they do not already understand. In their journal, they will write short definitions for each one and two sentences for words that are the most challenging. On the next Monday, a partner will call out the words to give them a spelling test for their journals. So, our first spelling test of challenge words is next Monday.
  • Byrdseed Grammar and Phunny Enuf: Using two resources for more advanced students, we will do mini grammar lessons in class between other unit activities. Hopefully this will provide a fun way to review some common errors found in students’ writing.
  • 642 Big Things to Write About: Students will be asked to do some creative writing using a choice of writing prompts. After doing several, we will choose one to revise, to work on in more detail, and to edit carefully for publication.

MATH:

Students were asked to practice metric conversion using websites found on the blog. If you haven’t done this, please do so!

We have been developing a deeper sense of multiplication, discussing multiples, factors, digital roots, square roots, divisibility, order of operations, and more. Some of this work is done in our journals and a part is done through playing games. If anyone has difficulty immediately recalling multiplication facts up to the 12s, I recommend using these games for extra practice. We even made some games of our own, especially for student who were ready to practice more advanced numbers.

For anyone in upper math, we are focusing on math properties. Please take a look at this website on math properties to expand your knowledge in this area.

You can also practice using the properties and order of operations here.

Here are some games for order of operations.

Ms. D also gave out a challenge from Perfectly Perilous Math about the deadly pendulum. Answer to be discussed on Monday! We will continue doing challenges for fun from this book.

NEXT — We will be working from YOU DO THE MATH: Skyscrapers as we put together measurement, multiplication, operations, area, perimeter, and other math skills to talk about building, construction, and engineering. More on that next week.

OTHER:

Young People’s Concert next Thursday morning!

Tennis will be coming up as an activity for PE in early February!

Please do check out our lovely zentangle, watercolour trees posted on the bulletin board to the right of Ms. Hetrick’s room, near the office and the side doors of the school. Everyone did an amazing job of using elements and principles to make these!

Students will begin working again on French-games.net, so stay tuned.

Field trip coming up on February 2nd, Friday. Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to drive!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. D

New Unit! The Way We Move

Hello Everyone!

We are in the process of finishing up our last unit! Over the next week, we will do our PowerPoint presentations about machines we think have had the greatest impact on humanity and continue preparing for our debates about technology.

But it is time for a new unit, and we will begin to have discussions about it! Here you go:

Unit Focus Statement: Migration is a response to challenges, risks, survival, and a natural need to explore.

Areas of Inquiry: Covering Socials, Science, LA, ART, PE/Health

  • Human migration and it impact on Canada and the world (which will involve discussions about explorers, fur trade, gold rush, and times migration occurred in our history)
  • The reasons people move throughout the world
  • The nature of EXPLORATION (not just that of explorers!)
  • The biomes of the world
  • The similarities between humans and other animals as related to migration
  • Becoming more aware of world geography

We will also continue to look at MATH in the following ways as part of Math Makes It Work:

  • Measurement and Metric Conversion (how it involves the base 10, multiplication, division, and decimals)
  • A deeper sense of multiplication
  • Area and Perimeter
  • Geometrical shapes, angles
  • Math related to Skyscrapers from the book You Do The Math

We will also continue to work on FRENCH, focusing on the following:

  • French Immersion students will be working on reading French graphic novels and creating conversations amongst themselves for presentation
  • Beginning French students will focus on basic conversations and do presentations in front of the class in partner groups
  • All students will focus on countries where French is spoken in connection with our geography studies
  • All students will continue to use technology for their French studies through Duolingo and French-Games.net

This unit will take us through February 20th approximately, and then on to the next one!

Ms. D

SFU Fun Opportunities for Students

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to pass along some information about upcoming programs for elementary, middle, and high school students interested in computer science and engineering! 

Please find a brief description of upcoming programs below with detailed information available at the SFU website at https://www.sfu.ca/fas/news-and-outreach/community-outreach.html. 

As I am only passing along information and can’t answer questions, please direct inquiries to fasevent@sfu.ca.  

Technovation (January to May 2018)

Open to girls ages 10 to 18. The Technovation Challenge teaches middle and high school girls how to make an app for a mobile phone using AppInventor.  This 12-week, online, after-school program is structured so that groups of girls (ages 10-18) learn how to identify a problem, design and test a solution, collaborate with a team and communicate effectively.  Each team will work though the Technovation curriculum with assistance from a mentor. 

Girls Get IT (May 26, 2018)

Open to girls ages 9 to 11. Each year, the Faculty of Applied Sciences hosts a great opportunity for girls aged 9-11 to learn about the fields of Computing Science and Engineering! Participants take part in various activities and have the chance to talk to current students about what it means to be a computing scientist or engineer. All activities are supervised by SFU faculty and staff. Girl Guides Canada participants complete all requirements for both their computing science and engineering badges. 

Science AL!VE (Throughout the year)

Open to grade K to 9 students depending on the specific program. Science Alive provides opportunities for youth to explore science beyond the textbook through hands-on, interactive discovery which stimulates their interest and fosters confidence. A student-run not-for-profit organization based at Simon Fraser University,  Science AL!VE is supported by the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and a member of Actua, a national organization that reaches 225,000 youth annually. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Math: Practice Metric Conversion!

Hello Everyone!

Earlier this week, as part of our ongoing work on our math unit Math Makes It Work, we continued discussions about the metric system of measurement.

Here are some things we talked about:

  • In the metric system, we have bases which are liters, meters, and grams.
  • In front of each of the bases, we can put prefixes that tell us how many of the base is involved in the measurement. These are: kilo-, hecto-, deca-/deka-, deci-, centi-, and milli-
  • We can use a set of stairs (going from upstairs to downstairs in a left to right fashion) to convert between the different units of measurement in the metric system. To remember the stairs, you could make up a phrase, such as “Kangaroos Help Dingos Because Dingos Can’t Multiply”
  • The B stands for the base unit of measurement. Always stay in the same base when converting using the stairs.
  • You can convert measurements by putting them on the stairs in the right unit, and then multiplying or dividing.
  • If you move down the stairs, each stair means multiplying by 10 and moving the decimal one space to the right. If there isn’t a number, add zeros.
  • If you move up the stairs, each stair means dividing by 10 and moving the decimal one space to the left. If there isn’t a number, add zeros.

Want some more practice?

Quia Metric Millionaire Game

Khan Academy Conversion of Units Practice

IXL Compare and Convert Units Grade 4/5 Level

IXL Compare and Convert Units Grade 6 Level

IXL Compare and Convert Units Grade 8 Level

University of Waterloo Math Frog Metrics

More advanced Metric Units Using Notation 

More advanced Matthew Metrics Gum Parlour

Metric Card Game (which we will adapt and play in class)

Other Fun Games: (Do you have any to recommend? Tell Ms. D!)

Sheppard Software Measurement Activities

BBC Build a Shed Game

Read How To Part on this one — Death to Decimals Game

Debates! Here’s how they work

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, we had a great conversation about the positive and negative impacts of technology on young children. Here are some of the points you made during our in-class discussion:

  • Technology is being used in positive ways by children to communicate with one another, to make change, and to interact with their world.
  • Some people become addicted to technology for a variety of reasons, and the World Health Organization has identified it formally as a potential addiction disorder.
  • While some people are addicted, which means they just can’t ever stop being on digital technologies and playing video games, others are just staying too long on the computer. There was general agreement that people need to monitor how long they are on devices.
  • Being on a device for too long can have an impact on your body (posture, eye strain, eye development, etc.) and on the sleep you need to help your body.
  • We need to be aware of balance between computer activities and other fun entertainment. You all identified many ways you like to have fun other than sitting in front of a computer, like swimming, reading, drawing, playing with friends, biking, and more!
  • Some video games can be violent and we need to be aware of how our systems can be sensitive to the stimulation. Violence in video games does not necessarily make a person violent according to research.

I was impressed how many of you took a look at the UNICEF document I pointed out before. Great job reading the articles from the blog! If you want to see those links again, here they are.

So, how do we get started on a debate?

  • We create a statement we can debate, which is called a resolution.
  • Our statement is: Be it resolved that the use of technology by young children should be more limited as it has a negative impact on their development.
  • We then form teams of two.
  • All team members will make research cards that either support the resolution or go against the resolution.
  • One team member will make a positive paragraph about the topic, and the other one will make a negative paragraph. Or, the two team members can work together on both.

During the actual debate, what do we do?

  • We flip a coin to determine which team is positive and negative.
  • Positive team goes first with an opening statement – 3 min. max
  • Negative team goes second with an opening statement – 3 min. max
  • We pause and think. Teams think about what has been said during opening statements and look for evidence in their collection that will help make a counter argument and prove their case! – 5 min.
  • Positive team provides a rebuttal — 1 min.
  • Negative team provides a rebuttal — 1 min.
  • Positive team sums up their arguments – 1 min.
  • Negative team sums up their arguments – 1 min.

Evidence Cards:

Use the model I gave you. You can put your evidence on index cards. You could also collect the evidence in a list online, but it makes it harder to see it all during the debate. Each index card should have:

  • Title to say if this is negative or positive evidence, and what kind of argument
  • Name of where you found the evidence and the date
  • Quote directly from the evidence, in quotation marks

Marks and Judging:

  • Each person will be marked on a rubric for their completion of evidence, their public speaking skills used, and their overall thinking about the topic
  • Teams will be evaluated in the first rounds by Ms. D and the class. Final rounds will be evaluated by guest judges.
  • Everyone participates in minimum one round. Some people may do more if they win their rounds.
  • Winning does not impact your mark. Public speaking, being prepared, and completing your evidence does.

Thank you!

Ms. D

Commentary PowerPoint on Machines and Technology

Hello Everyone!

Today I have passed out a handout and rubric for your end-of-unit assignment to create a PowerPoint slideshow about the machine or technology you believe has been the most influential on humanity and the world.

During this project you will:

  • Create a minimum of 10 separate slides (not including your title or citations page at the end) to answer the questions provided below.
  • You need to discuss the positive and negative impacts of your machine or technology on humans and the world. Be specific.
  • Each slide should have a subtitle at the top, a picture, and a one sentence comment at the bottom that will give us an idea of your commentary about the machine or technology. It is a good idea to make the subtitles match the questions I have asked you to answer.
  • On separate paper, or in the notes section of the PowerPoint, create commentary for each slide that you can use to make a presentation during the slideshow.
  • Write commentary that answers the questions.
  • Provide copies of your notes, your PowerPoint, and your commentary to the teacher in Google Drive.
  • Practice saying the commentary out loud so you can present it to the class.

Questions you need to answer. Use these to guide your notes.:

  • What is the machine or technology you plan to discuss?
  • How is this machine or technology used? 
  • How does the machine or technology work?
  • When was the machine or technology invented? What is its history?
  • Why is this machine or technology the MOST influential on humanity and the world?
  • What are the positive impacts of this machine or technology?
  • What are the negative impacts of this machine or technology?
  • What is a summary of your key points on why this machine or technology is the most influential?
  • What is your bibliography of resources?

Do use:

  • Persuasive language to convince us this machine or technology is the MOST influential
  • Pictures that show you did some research
  • Captions under pictures to tell me what the picture is
  • Specific facts about where the machine or technology comes from that show some effort and research
  • Proper C.O.P.S. throughout the presentation
  • Basic transitions
  • One sentence of text

Please do not use:

  • Emoticons. At all.
  • Cartoon pictures.
  • Lots of text. Follow instructions. Only one sentence please.
  • Fancy transitions that increase the overall time of the slideshow, as they are not needed
  • Pictures from Google that have nothing to do with your topic
  • Pictures that have any copyright symbols or writing on them
  • Goodbye slides. If you want a slide at the end, simply say “Thank you and Questions?”
  • Black, red, neon colours that are hard to look at
  • Tiny fonts no one can read
  • Jokes in the middle of your PowerPoint. You are trying to prove a case. Convince me. Be professional.

Thank you!

Bibliographies! Useful info for your research

Hello Everyone!

Here are websites to help you with making bibliographies, which ensure all the information you are using during your research process is cited and acknowledged. Someone did all the great research before you, so we have to give them credit! This also applies to photographs you have used from the Internet.

Easy Bib — is a great resource for helping you to build your bibliography, but make sure you understand how to put a final bibliography together yourself without using this tool.

Sample Bibliography Style Sheet — Using the MLA format, here is a sample bibliography for you to follow. Notice that bibliography entries change for each type of resource.

MLA Tutorial — Here is another tutorial for young students on the MLA format of bibliographies.

Science Buddies — This website provides great tips for making MLA and APA format bibliographies. We are using MLA for now.

Sample Bibliography — Here is an entire bibliography. Notice the different resources are put in alphabetical order by the first letter of the entry. Notice the first line of each entry is not indented, but the lines afterwards are. Notice there is a space between each entry. This helps with making your resources clear to the reader and super organized!

MLA Citations Video — This is the quick video we will watch in class, if you would like to review again.

There are many more resources online about bibliographies if you need them. For example, if you forget how to cite a magazine, just put into Google “how to MLA cite a magazine” and you will find examples.

Ms. D

 

Our First Day Back! January 8th

Hello Everyone,

Just some quick updates from MACC n’ Cheese.

  • Reifel Bird Sanctuary February 2nd: Please ask your parents if they are willing to drive on Friday, February 2nd, for our field trip to the bird sanctuary. We need about 8 more passenger spots to make this work.
  • Gym Shoes: Make sure on Monday/Wednesday/Friday you have runners. You can’t run in boots, so you will have to sit out if you don’t have proper shoes. Having to sit out multiple times can affect your mark. Thank you for remembering proper footwear.
  • Report Card Envelopes: Please return report card envelopes, signed.
  • Most Influential Machine: Choose the machine or technology you think has had the most impact, positive or negative, on humans and the world. Do 15-30 minutes of research on this item tonight. You will be creating a PowerPoint of at least 10 slides that explains what the machine/technology is, how it works, its history, and the reasons you think it is the most influential. We will work on these all this week.
  • City of Ember: Please finish the novel before end of week. Please complete questions in your journal.
  • Tree Art: Great work today discussing the elements and principles of art, drawing trees outside, creating the outline of your tree, and finelining it. Next step — zentangle! If you didn’t finish the outline and finelinining part, use silent reading tomorrow to complete it so you stay on track.
  • Britannia Mines Trip All Day Feb. 23rd, Friday
  • Absences: This is a short term overall, and we have our next report card on March 16th before Spring Break begins. If you know you will be absent for a few days, please let me know the dates. Check the blog while away and ensure you stay up to date. When you return, make sure to check in and complete work that was missed so it can be counted for term two report cards. Work for term two is due by March 2nd.

As you consider which machine or technology to choose for your PowerPoint, check out this list of some of the Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century.

Have a great evening!

Ms. D

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