Update September 11th: Beginning a new unit!
Hello Everyone!
NEW UNIT:
As mentioned in my beginning of year information, we will approach the curriculum with larger, trans-disciplinary, conceptual-based units that allow us to not only touch upon all requirements for grade 4/5, but also allow us to pursue depth and complexity in the subject areas.
Each unit has a unit focus statement to organize the BIG IDEAS we are learning. Our first unit is called BODY WORKS, and the statement is:
Our personal choices play a role in the interconnected system of the human body.
During the unit, we will talk about these areas which will touch upon areas of the curriculum in Science, Socials, PE/Health, Math, Career Education, Language Arts, and French:
- The systems of the body and how they work together
- Diseases and how they impact our community
- How the body defends itself against disease
- The factors and strategies that contribute to healthy immunity and well-being
- Crunching Data: How we gather and analyze data to tell us information we need to stay healthy
- How art and mindfulness practices are related to mental and physical well being
- Beginning French & French words for the human body
STARTING THE UNIT:
Today we introduced the unit and how it will work. Students did a pre-assessment activity to see what they already know about the human body by drawing life-size posters of classmates and seeing what parts of the body systems they could identify without looking at books or the web. We have some entertaining posters in the classroom! 🙂
We also began working with our composition notebooks, which will serve throughout the year as a place to reflect, to put down notes about the unit, to do brainstorms, and to record our thinking. These notebooks will go home every night, but should be brought back with you every day. Everyone had to create a cover page, and for tonight, finish a HUMAN BODY brainstorm. Please fill page 2 with all words you can think of related to the human body!
Tomorrow, we will continue our talk about the body systems!
READING AROUND THE WORLD:
As part of their Language Arts Reading marks, students are required to do 20 minutes of reading a night. If they choose, they can participate in the Reading Around the World program. They were given a green duotang today with the information about the program, including a letter explaining how it works. Here are some highlights:
- There is a book listed in your packet for each country of the world, organized into six continent groups.
- Sometimes there is a specific book to read, but many times it will say “any book” — it really is any book! Not necessarily anything to do with the country name next to the prompt.
- As you finish books, you can write them on the list or record them on a piece of notebook paper. Parents can initial to say it was completed.
- If you are not allowed to read a certain book or have absolutely NO interest in reading the book suggested, tell me another book you would like to use to replace it. I am flexible.
- Finish a continent, receive a prize, recognition on the blog, and a post-it on the wall calendar in my room.
- Finish all the continents, then get a free lunch with Ms. D in late June.
REMINDERS:
- Do the brainstorm in your composition book for tonight. If you don’t have a composition book, please get one soon.
- Thank you to everyone for turning in the parent questionnaires! They are all in!
- Thank you to everyone who brought supplies! We really appreciate it!
- First gym class tomorrow, so be sure to bring runners you can move in AND a water bottle so we don’t have to stop and keep going out for water in the hallway.
- Parent Conferences Sept. 20/21: Save the date! Notice to come soon!
- Field Trip on September 28th: Save the date! We are going all day with Ms. Geddes class (the other MACC 4/5 class in North Burnaby) to Science World to study the human body. Notice to come soon!
Have a great night!
Ms. D
