Classroom Library

Our Classroom Library

Our classroom library has been well-loved this year! Please take some time this weekend to check your homes for books that belong to the school and to our classroom library. Many of our once-full bins are down to only 1 or 2 books. Please return these books to the classroom as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Mrs. Longo

February Classroom Update

January went by in a flash and February is here! 

*** We need your help! ***

Please send empty cereal boxes to school this week for our next art project! 

Thank you!

Upcoming Important Dates to Remember:

Thursday February 1st -- National Sweater Day! Thank you to everyone who dressed a little bit warmer so we could turn the heat down in the school by 2 degrees. Those 2 little degrees make a BIG difference to our environment!

Friday February 2nd -- Enjoy your PA Day! While your teachers are busy at work learning and working together, we hope you enjoy a safe and relaxing day with your family!

Wednesday February 14th -- Happy Valentine's Day! We will be celebrating Valentine's Day at school with a school dance. Feel free to dress in red, white, and pink, and tell your friends and loved ones how much you appreciate them!

Thursday February 15th -- Report Cards go home today. Celebrate your accomplishments with your family, and set out new goals for the remainder of the school year.

Monday February 19th -- Family Day! Spend the day with your family!

In our classroom...

Literacy

1. Book Talks
Our first round of book talks was a great success! Students are in the process of choosing a book for their next book talk. If you have not seen it already, ask your child to see their rubric from their first book talk. The rubric provides clear expectations, positive feedback, and steps for improvement.

Please ask your child when they are presenting their second book talk and ask them to practice with you at home. As a reminder, due to privacy issues, the schedule cannot be posted to this blog.

2. Newspaper Article Presentation
Each Monday we listen to two presentations about current events from around the world. Students are working on these presentations at home. Students are marked on their Oral and Visual Communication. The expectations, the rubric, and teacher sampled were shared with students. Please ask your child when they are presenting and ask them to practice with you at home. Due to privacy issues, the schedule cannot be posted to this blog.

Math
1. Measurement
Our unit on Linear Measurement is complete. This includes measuring lines, calculating area and perimeter, and converting units in the metric system. (km, hm, dam, m, dm, cm, mm). The units have gone home. Please review the unit with your child and sign and return the entire unit to school.

2. Addition and Subtraction

Our current unit is on Addition and Subtraction. Students will be solving basic math problems as well as multi-step word problems. Grade 5 students will work with whole numbers to hundred thousands and decimal numbers to hundredths. Grade 6 students will work with whole numbers to millions and decimal numbers to thousandths.

Science

We are beginning new units in Science and Technology. Students will be completing units on "Understanding Matter and Energy"

Grade 5: Properties and Changes in Matter
Big Ideas:
- There are three states of matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3) 
- Matter that changes state is still the same matter. (Overall expectations 2 and 3) 
- Physical change refers to the fact that a substance can be changed from one form to another. (Overall expectations 2 and 3) 
- Chemical change implies the formation of a new substance. (Overall expectations 2 and 3) 
- The properties of materials determine their use and may have an effect on society and the environment. (Overall expectation 1)

Grade 6: Electricity and Electrical Devices
Big Ideas:
- Electrical energy can be transformed into other forms of energy. (Overall expectations 2 and 3)
- Other forms of energy can be transformed into electrical energy. (Overall expectations 2 and 3) 
- Electrical energy plays a significant role in society, and its production has an impact on the environment. (Overall expectation 1) 
- Society must find ways to minimize the impact of energy production on the environment. (Overall expectation 1)


Homework Reflection Sheets - As discussed in September, students may have some homework each night. Generally, homework is work that has not been finished in class, but may be supplemented. Students who do not complete their homework in a timely or efficient manner will be asked to fill out a Reflection Sheet. This sheet will come home for a parent to sign and must be returned to school the following day.

Please remember...
©      Homework is always be written on the white board at the front of the classroom, and students are expected to record their homework in their agenda books daily.  The students are expected to come home with students at the end of the day, and must accompany them to school each morning.  Please look over your son’s/daughter’s agenda book with him/her each evening, and if necessary, aid him/her in completing the required homework.
©      Students should be spending between 30 and 60 minutes completing homework each weeknight. 

©      In addition to homework, students are also expected to read a text (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers, instruction manuals), for 30 minutes each evening. 

©      Homework will be checked for completion regularly. Failure to complete assigned homework on a regular basis will affect student’s Learning Skills, as per the Ontario Report Card, and has a strong impact on student learning.

©      If students do not have assigned homework for the evening, it would be beneficial for them to practise their math skills or their keyboarding skills.  Free websites are available online.  Some examples are http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/, and http://www.nimblefingers.com

©      If students are unable to complete their homework due to extenuating circumstances, they are expected to have a note in their agendas from parents explaining the circumstances.

Thank you for your interest in our classroom and in your child's learning! 

Mrs. Longo

Books, Books, BOOKS!

Looking for a good book to read over the Winter Break? 

Head to http://www.cbc.ca/books to see some of the best Canadian books of the year. 

CBC has published "Best of 2017" lists for Fiction, Non-Fiction, Picture Books, Young Adult, Graphica, and more... there's something for everyone!

Happy Reading!
Mrs. Longo

December Classroom Update

How is it already December?! The countdown is officially on -- there are 15 days left of school until the Winter Break and you can feel the excitement in the air! 

There are a lot of events happening in the next 3 weeks...

School Council - School Council is looking for a Community Volunteer member

Please check the school blog to learn more about this position. As well, the next school council meeting is Monday December 4th @ 7pm in the school library. Items on the agenda include: Winter Open House, Sick Kids hosting Science workshops, parking and signs, cost share technology, outdoor classroom and playground, PRO-grant night, Subway lunch, and movie night.

Food Drive - Our food drive is well underway! Please help out by donating non-perishable food items such as canned and boxed foods.

Coats For Kids - This year we are collecting  winter coats/jackets/snowpants for men, women, and children. The Lions and Lioness Club runs a program called Coats for Kids. Please send in your gently used and clean winter coats/jackets/snowpants. We are collecting for men, women, and children. We will be collecting from November 27^th  through to December 15^th

Holiday Open House - Our Holiday Open House is on Thursday December 14th, beginning at 5:30pm. The classrooms will be open from 5:30 - 6:30pm for you to enjoy and then we will be heading outside to the front lawn with hot chocolate to sing holiday songs together as a community. Dress warm! We hope to see you there!

Student Council - Our grade 6 students have been invited to join student council. Through this leadership opportunity, students are able to have a say in their learning and what happens in their school. Students who participate on student council help by being MC's for assemblies, running spirit days, and announcing cultural, religious, and spiritual days, and much more! Student council is a great leadership opportunity -- ask your child if they joined!

And finally... in our classroom...

Student Led Conferences

Our first round of student led conferences were a great success! Here is some of the feedback... straight from the mouths of the students! 

There were some great "positive" moments...

"I liked getting feedback from my parents."

"I like that I got a chance to speak. I was involved in the conversation."

"I got to control how the meeting went"

"It was just me and my dad. He listened to me. He didn't listen then go to the teacher, he actually listened to me".

"I like how I know what my mom is thinking."

"I liked that I could tell my mom what to focus on"

And, of course, there are the learning curves...

"I was uncomfortable talking about myself"

"I was nervous, but I don't know why"

"I liked hearing what my parents had to say, but I didn't like writing it down."

If you have any feedback you would like to share, please email me! 

Literacy

1. Book Talks
Students have begun to present their book talks. They worked on these for 2 weeks during their in-class Literacy periods, and are reminded daily to practice at home. Students receive two marks for this presentation -- one in Reading and one in Oral and Visual Communication. The expectations, the rubric, and teacher samples were shared with students prior to their work periods. Please ask your child when they are presenting and ask them to practice with you at home. Due to privacy issues, the schedule cannot be posted to this blog.

2. Newspaper Article Presentation
Each Monday we listen to two presentations about current events from around the world. Students are working on these presentations at home. Students are marked on their Oral and Visual Communication. The expectations, the rubric, and teacher sampled were shared with students. Please ask your child when they are presenting and ask them to practice with you at home. Due to privacy issues, the schedule cannot be posted to this blog.

3. Literature Circles
We have begun Literature Circles. Students in both grade 5/6 classes have been divided into groups of 5 or 6. Each group reads a book, and completes a section of work. On Tuesdays and Thursdays students get together in their groups to discuss the reading and share what they have worked on for that meeting. Each student was provided an individualized package that reflected their book, and their jobs for each meeting. They are encouraged to read this book and work on their job at school during Independent Reading each day. Please ask your child to see their Literature Circles package.

Math
1. Data Management 
Our unit on Data Management (Graphing) is complete. Grade 6 students were given their feedback last week and asked to bring it home to share it with you and get it signed. Many students have not returned their unit. Please ask your child about this.

2. 2D Geometry
We are well into our unit on 2D Geometry. We are learning to use protractors correctly to measure angles, and construct regular and irregular polygons. As well, we are thinking about real-life applications where we might need to estimate or measure angles.

3. Measurement
Our next unit will be on Linear Measurement. This includes measuring lines, calculating area and perimeter, and converting units in the metric system. (km, hm, dam, m, dm, cm, mm)

Social Studies
1. Canada's Actions at Home and in the Global Community
Students in grade 5 are working on National Issues, such as First Nations Education, First Nations Water, and the Lac Megantic Disaster. Students in grade 6 are working on International Issues, such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Clean Water in Haiti, and Education in Afghanistan. We have also discussed the Rights of Children, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how some children's rights may not be being met due to these issues. Please ask your child which issue they are working on becoming an expert in, and discuss other National and International Issues of interest.


NEW
Homework Reflection Sheets - As discussed in September, students may have some homework each night. Generally, homework is work that has not been finished in class, but may be supplemented. Students who do not complete their homework in a timely or efficient manner will be asked to fill out a Reflection Sheet. This sheet will come home for a parent to sign and must be returned to school the following day.

Please remember...
©      Homework will always be written on the white board at the front of the classroom, and students are expected to record their homework in their agenda books daily.  The agenda book will come home with students at the end of the day, and must accompany them to school each morning.  Please look over your son’s/daughter’s agenda book with him/her each evening, and if necessary, aid him/her in completing the required homework.

©      Students should be spending between 30 and 60 minutes completing homework each weeknight. 

©      In addition to homework, students are also expected to read a text (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers, instruction manuals), for 30 minutes each evening. 

©      Homework will be checked for completion regularly. Failure to complete assigned homework on a regular basis will affect student’s Learning Skills, as per the Ontario Report Card, and has a strong impact on student learning.

©      If students do not have assigned homework for the evening, it would be beneficial for them to practise their math skills or their keyboarding skills.  Free websites are available online.  Some examples are http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/, and http://www.nimblefingers.com

©      If students are unable to complete their homework due to extenuating circumstances, they are expected to have a note in their agendas from parents explaining the circumstances.

Thank you for your interest in our classroom and in your child's learning! I hope you have a happy and safe holiday season with your family and friends!

Mrs. Longo

Homework Completion & Expectations For Written Work

Homework

As parents and students are already aware, homework is written on the white board at the front of the classroom. Students are expected to record their homework in their agenda books and complete their homework every night. 

Homework generally consists of reading on a nightly basis as well as completing unfinished classwork.  Students are also encouraged to practice typing at home. Classwork and homework will be checked for completion regularly. Failure to complete assigned work on a regular basis will affect student’s Learning Skills, as per the Ontario Report Card, and has a strong impact on student learning.

If students are unable to complete their homework due to extenuating circumstances, they are expected to have a note from parents explaining why the homework was not completed.  “Extra” homework will not be assigned to students by parental request.

*** There have been many occurrences of homework not being completed by the assigned due dates. Please review the expectations for homework with your child.

Expectations for Written Work in Grades 5 and 6

*** Grade 5 and 6 students will be receiving this handout on Monday. Please review these expectations for writing with your child.

The following is expected in ALL written work that you complete this year. If you do not take the time to ensure that your works meets these expectations, it will be handed back to you to redo. As well, this will be reflected on your report card in your Learning Skills and your Writing mark.

As we have discussed numerous times in class, if you take the time to do your work right the first time, it will be less work as you will not have to redo it. As well, your marks will be higher, and more accurately reflect your ability.

Capital Letters

o   All sentences begin with capital letters

o   Capital letters are also used for proper nouns (i.e., people’s names, places, etc.)

o   You may not use a font where the entire piece of writing is in capital letters

Periods

o   All sentences must end with punctuation

o   Most sentences you write will end with a period

o   Those that do not end with a period end with a question mark (to ask a question) or an exclamation mark (to show excitement)

Commas

o   Commas are used in between items on a list (i.e., I like apples, strawberries, bananas, and melons)

o   Commas are used to show a pause when reading or writing (i.e., Jenny, my best friend from summer camp, is coming for a visit this weekend)

o   Commas are used after a greeting (i.e., Dear Mrs. Longo,)

Apostrophes

o   An apostrophe is NOT used in every word that ends with the letter “s”! You do not use an apostrophe to  

o   Apostrophes shows possession of a noun (i.e., Mike’s jacket) or it is used to show the omission of letters, as in a contraction (i.e., doesn’t)

Full sentences

o   You must always write in full sentences

o   Read your work out loud to determine if the sentence is complete

Spacing

o   There is one space after a comma

o   There is one space after a period

o   The use of space on the page is important. Only titles are centered – not your entire paragraph

o   New paragraphs should be indented

These are only the “basic” rules that you should already know from earlier grades.

We will re-visit all of these grammar rules, and more throughout the year.

Please make sure that all of your writing follows these rules.


Thank you,
Mrs. Marni Longo

Newspapers Needed!

Starting next week, our class will be learning about newspapers and current events.  

We are collecting newspapers, such as the Thornhill Liberal, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National Post to help us get started.  

If you have copies of these, or other similar newspapers that are neat, in order, and not missing any sections, please send them in! Please note, the newspapers will not be returned!

Thank you!

Suggested Book List

Suggested Book List – Grade 5/6

As requested, here is a list of suggested reading for students in grade 5 and 6. Many of the books listed below are award winning books, classics, or my own personal favourites!

Please be advised that some books may have more mature content. Not all books are suitable for all students.

Palacio, R.J. - Wonder

Sachar, Louis - Holes

Paulsen, Gary - Hatchet

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley - The Egypt Game or The Changeling

Green, John - The Fault in Our Stars

Ellis, Deborah - The Breadwinner Trilogy

Zusak, Markus - The Book Thief

Babbit, Natalie - Tuck Everlasting

Boyne, John - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Christie, Agatha - And Then There Were None

Collins, Suzanne - The Hunger Games Series

Curtis, Christopher Paul - Bud, Not Buddy

Farley, Walter - Black Stallion

Montgomery, L. M. - Anne of Green Gables

Hesse, Karen - Out of the Dust

Konigsburg, E.L. - The View From Saturday

Lowry, Lois - The Giver

Fleischman, Sid - The Whipping Boy

Paterson, Katherine - Jacob Have I Loved or Bridge to Terabithia

Raskin, Ellen - The Westing Game

Twain, Mark - Adventures of Huck Finn              

Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein

Dickens, Charles - Oliver Twist                                      

Burnett, Francis Hodgson - The Secret Garden                         

London, Jack - White Fang                                      

Dickens, Charles - A Christmas Carol                          

Twain, Mark - Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Sewell, Anna - Black Beauty                                               

Stoker, Bram - Dracula

O’Dell, Scott - Island of the Blue Dolphins

Alcott, Louisa May - Little Women

Pyle, Howard - Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Defoe, Daniel - Robinson Crusoe                           

Tolkien, JR - The Hobbit

Lewis, CS - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Baum, L. Frank - The Wizard of Oz

Stevenson, Robert Louis - Treasure Island

Kadohata, Cynthia - Kira-Kira

Roth, Veronica - Series: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant

Kerz, Anna - The Mealworm Diaries, Better Than Weird, or The Gnome’s Eye

Walters, Eric - Alexandria of Africa

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Longo