Thursday 20 December 2018

Minesing Talks

In January, we will begin writing TED Talks-style speeches. Some students might want to begin thinking about a topic for their speech so that they are ready to go in January. Attached below, you will find the TED Talks assignment, success criteria, evaluation rubric, timeline, as well as some ideas for possible topics.

MINESINGTALKSTEDTalkPersuasiveSpeechWritingAssignment.docx.pdf

Upcoming Science Assignment

Please find attached below the Biome Research Assignment that the grade 6 students will be working on after they return from break in January. They may wish to review the assignment now and have an idea of the biome they would like to research.

2019 Grade 6 Biome Research Assignment.pdf


Tuesday 11 December 2018

December Update

Wow! December is quickly flying by and it has been another busy month! I would like to thank you all for your kindness and generosity in support of our Christmas Cheer Drive. It has really blown me away just how amazing this class is!

In language, we are still working on our novel study, The Breadwinner. Students have been asking many questions and making predictions while responding to the text. This book has also allowed us to learn more about people in other countries, as we make connections between our novel study and events that we hear about in the news.

When writing we continue to work on editing for CUPS (capitals, understanding, punctuation, spelling).

In math, we are still working on fractions, decimals and percents. We have talked about some key terms: numerator, denominator, equivalent, multiples and factors. We have compared and ordered fractions using fraction strips, and finding equivalent fractions with common denominators. In the next few days we will work on comparing fractions using a number line, and relating fractions to decimals and percents. We will also continue to use the four-block problem solving model when working on rich problems in math.

In science, we have finished our unit on electricity. Now, we are ready to begin biodiversity. We will be classifying living things, looking at many different species living in ecosystems, the human impact on biodiversity, and invasive species. In January, students will have the opportunity to research a biome of interest to them.

In social studies, students have been learning about the experiences of various immigrant groups once they arrive in Canada. In the next three weeks, students will be working with a partner to choose two immigrant groups and compare and contrast their experiences upon arrival in Canada. This will lead to some very interesting discussion and further questions regarding the history of immigration in Canada.

Students have been working very hard on a country line dance that they will be performing at the Merry Mustangs night on December 12. We can’t say any more because we want this to be a surprise!

We look forward to a well deserved holiday!

Thursday 18 October 2018

Spooky (not scary) Halloween Mystery Story!

In class we will be reviewing the characteristics of narratives and more specifically, mystery narratives. Throughout the month of October, students will be working on their own Spooky (not scary) Halloween Mystery narratives! Below, you will find the assignment outline as well as the graphic organizers we will be using in class. This assignment is also posted in the google classroom. Also, students have paper copies of the assignment, as well as the graphic organizers. In the Google Classroom, there is an electronic copy posted of the graphic organizers in Google Slides format so that the students can type right into the graphic organizer if they choose to do so.

I am looking forward to a very spooky October!


Monday 1 October 2018

RECAP OF SEPTEMBER

This is what we have been up to for the month of September:

Math

We have been busy working on team building and problem solving skills through The First Twenty Days of Math program. In addition, we have been working on our first math unit “Place Value of Whole Numbers to One Million”. We are looking forward to our place value test on Thursday, October 4th. After this, we will begin working on factors, prime and composite numbers, multiples as well as multiplication and division of whole numbers. I will try my best to post practice tests and activities on this blog as well as on Google Classroom.

Literacy

We have been very busy reading our class novel “The City of Ember”. So far, we still haven’t figured out where exactly this city is or what exactly the mayor is hiding from the citizens. Students have been doing an excellent job predicting and questioning throughout the reading process. In addition, we have begun our “Flavour of the Week”.

Everyday is something different:

Math Mondays: We talk about communication strategies in math.

Tuesday Newsday: We look at current events and hot topics in the media.

Word Wednesday: This is our grammar/spelling day!

Thankful Thursday: On this day we dedicate 20 minutes of our literacy time to the MindUP program. This is an excellent program where we read and write about mindfulness and strategies for learning.

Friday Funday: On this day, we look at short motivational videos and read/write/talk about the content.

Very shortly, we will begin writing using the Answer Sandwich Model, and later in October we will begin writing our Halloween Mystery Stories!

Science:

We are currently in the middle of our unit on electricity. So far we have learned about the parts of atoms (protons, neutrons, and electrons). Soon we will discuss static and current electricity as well as some different kinds of electrical circuits!

Social Studies:

We are currently working with Ms. Beacom using the inquiry model to study the experiences of new immigrants upon arrival to Canada.

As you can see, it has been a busy, busy start to the school year!


Thanks to all of the amazing families for your support throughout this first month of school!

Kandalore Fun

On Wednesday, September 26, our grade 6 Mustangs traveled to Camp Kandalore for a three-day adventure! What an experience this was!

I was so proud to see so many students step out of their comfort zones to try new activities like high ropes, archery, rock climbing and canoeing, while their friends cheered them on!

During this trip, I saw students help their friends who were sick, comfort their friends who missed home, and celebrated with friends who were trying something new or mastered a skill. This trip allowed students the opportunity to work together while orienteering and demonstrated the power of teamwork during the Inuit blanket toss. This trip was full of encouraging words, jokes, and laughter! This trip has resulted in many new friendships and stronger bonds in existing friendships.

This trip was educational, fun and has shown me that we have a pretty incredible group of grade 6 students!

Please check out a slide show of pics I put together!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=11eWjCRAB-DTyVGB0iIQfJWOMi0sjAUg6P3xicP9nfCM


Tuesday 28 August 2018

Welcome to our class blog!

Hello families and students! I want to take this opportunity to say how excited I am to be teaching grade 6 at Minesing this year. In my 18 years of teaching, I have taught grades 5 through 8, and am looking forward to learning, thinking and creating alongside this wonderful group of grade 6 students.

This blog will serve a few purposes. It is a place you can go to get up to date information about what is happening in the classroom, helpful links to support student achievement, curriculum being covered, photos and videos of students hard at work, and of course discussions on current events and critical thinking activities.

You can subscribe to this blog, using your email, and be sure to get notifications when there has been an update. It is also my hope to have all students join my "google classroom", using their scdsb email account and the class code rms9eb.

I will be available to show students exactly how to do this, so not to worry if your child does not know their school email.

I will be getting to know all of my students this week, and hope to meet many parents early next month at "Meet the Teacher" night. Save the date, Wednesday, October 3, 2018.

I encourage you to be active in your child’s learning by sending me an email or calling whenever you feel the need. My email address is lihodgins@scdsb.on.ca and the phone number for the school is (705) 728-1944.
Please consider joining the Remind app at https://www.remind.com/join/lianneh