Friday 28 September 2012

Today I evaluated the Grade 5s on their recall of the french numbers from 1-10, as well as being able to identify selected numbers in french or translate from english. As this was done all out loud, I record each student so I can evaluate pronunciation and recall. I’ve edited one mystery student’s recording… can you guess who has this excellent french accent?

 

Our class has begun collecting digital memories of some of the activities that are part of school life at Brooksbank for a future video podcast. For now, we just have a very short clip of the Terry Fox run from yesterday.

 

No new math homework… we worked in class on respective pages.

 

Reminder: This Monday 1 October is a school-based Professional Development (“PD”) day at Brooksbank, and students do not attend.

Also, P.E. strip should be laundered weekly please.

Thursday 27 September 2012

Gr. 5s should be prepared to be assessed on their recall of the French numbers from 0-10, and our basic greeting dialogue.

 

Parents, I am putting out a call for ‘AA’ batteries if you can spare a few for our set of digital cameras.

 

Today we had great weather for the Terry Fox run. Fabulous effort on everyone’s part, including some of our very own

See the full gallery on Posterous

Gr. 4/5 photojournalists who captured some images from the event.

 

No homework this evening.

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Homework:

No math homework, but just so you are aware…

Gr 4s are learning about comparing and ordering numbers. In plain english, comparing means saying which of two numbers is bigger; ordering means putting three or more numbers in order, either from smallest to largest (usually “from least to greatest”) or from biggest to littlest (“from greatest to least”); they are also using the > sign (which means greater than), the < sign (lesser than), and of course the = sign (equals).

 

Gr. 5s are exploring different ways of making an educated guess when you are having to guess at what a series of numbers would add up to. Our page today talked about a fast (but no so terribly accurate) way of estimating called front-end rounding; and another method (also easy to do, and slightly more accurate) called compensation.

 

Social studies: Both grades have a map labelling and colouring assignment (Th).

 

Tomorrow is our Terry Fox run shortly after 2:00 pm.

Tuesday addendum

 We just heard that the Photo retakes have been scheduled for Wednesday 24 October 2012 at 11:00 a.m.

Reading_reccommendations.doc
Download this file

Also, I’ve attached some titles of books that come highly recommended by some of our students. These books have been read in the last month or so. More to come…

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Homework:

Language Arts:

Gr 4 & 5:  Grammar quiz to be signed by a parent (W). If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me or call, but I just like to have parents see what is being taught, and how well your child is doing on that quiz. I’d like the quiz to come back to school tomorrow, and they go in a “Tests” duo tang for review later.

 

Math:

Gr. 5 only: p. 45 # 6, 7, 8, 11, 13

 

Social Studies:

Gr. 4s only: Map colouring (W). In this activity, students traced a blank map of Canada, then transferred provincial and territorial borders, then added the 13 names of provinces and territories, and now they are to do some colouring, according to how I taught them: only on the outside margins of the provinces, very lightly, no adjacent colours to be too close to confuse us as to which is which, no colouring overtop of a word, and use the side of a pencil crayon to avoid scribbling-type lines. Finally, the place names should be gone over with a black fineliner pen.

 

French:

Gr 5s only: I’ll be recording their ability to say the numbers from 1-10 from French to English and from English to French over the next couple of days. We’ve also been practicing a very short greeting between two people.

 

Reminders:

Photo orders are due in tomorrow (W).

Terry Fox run is this Thursday afternoon (27 September)

Monday 24 September 2012

Homework:

 

Journals (T)

Students were asked to write two paragraphs: the first, clearly fantasy; the second more serious. The title is “If Only…”. In the first paragraph students were encouraged to write about how their teacher could be improved, such as “If only my teacher had long flowing blonde hair”, or perhaps “if only my teacher rewarded hard work with unlimited candy”, etc. That paragraph needs a topic sentence to start it off! The wilder or sillier the better. It is not supposed to be real at all. The second paragraph should convey a more serious tone right from its first sentence, because this is where children can offer constructive criticism on how their teacher could improve the classroom life of students. “If only my teacher would listen to me before speaking” or perhaps “It would be nice if our teacher encouraged us to reach for the moon”. These are examples only, but I would like the two paragraphs completed for Tuesday morning.

 

Math:

Gr 4s handed in p. 12/13 for marking;

Gr 5s need to have p. 45 # 1-5 completed for Tuesday morning.

 

Reminders:

Twoonies for Terry Fox. If your child feels so moved, a small donation in the name of Terry Fox would be appreciated!

Also, photo orders must be in by this Wednesday 26 September

Friday 21 September 2012

Today we had a Bee Friendly presentation in the Library by two beekeepers, Ric and Sharon, who worked with our school last year as well. This will be the start of our second year when Ms. Reichert’s class and Mr. Clarke’s class are designated “Bee Guardians”. Once a month Ric and Sharon will join us in our classes to share knowledge and enthusiasm for protecting our rapidly declining numbers and species of bees. Our efforts will positivelly make a difference, which is good for the local flowers and vegetables (important since we have Gerry’s Garden, as well as the Loutet Farm right at our back yard), but it is also good for the bees, and good for the children. As a result of our efforts last year, Brooksbank School won a City of North Vancouver Environmental Stewardship award from Mayor Mussatto and Council. Ms. Reichert and I are very please to be able to take part in this vital and fascinating project.

 

Math:

Gr. 4s received a new handout (p. 12/13) which is due Monday.

Gr. 5s are working on p. 45 # 1-5, but they will get time on Monday to complete it.

 

A reminder if you are going to place an order for your child’s photo (or if you’d like a retake), the deadline to return the envelope indicating so is due Wednesday 26 September.

Thursday 20 September 2012

In Math we are moving slowly, with the Gr 4s working on standard form (1987), expanded form (1000 + 900 + 80 + 7), and in words (one thousand nine hundred eighty-seven). Gr 5s are working on whole numbers to 1 000 000.

 

We are preparing for a Terry Fox run next week. Twoonies for Terry would be much appreciated!

 

Gr. 5s continue to practice French vocabulary in simple greetings and numbers from 0-10.

 

Photo orders went home today, and if you’d like to place an order, the deadline is next Wednesday.

 

No new homework.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Homework:

Reading:  Students created a “List of 10” things they would always like to remember about someone (person or pet) “who is very important” in their lives. The homework is for parents to read, discuss the list, and sign. Students are to return the signed List (Th).

 

Math:

Gr. 4:  p. 36 # 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 (Th)

Gr. 5: p. 42 # 5-9 (Th)

 

A note about homework:  If for some reason your child can’t complete their homework, do not let them or yourself get upset about it. Just jot a short note in their planner and have them show me that first thing in the morning… I can usually straighten things out or allow extra time quite easily. There is no need for late night frustrations or upset children. I don’t treat them like high school students, and neither should you. If they insist they MUST get their work done, refer them to these words directly from Mr. Clarke.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

See the full gallery on Posterous

This morning we had the use of the iPads the PAC has bought over the last two years, and they are very much appreciated.

 

Today we did a short word processing activity, then reviewed the process whereby those documents were emailed wirelessly to our school account where I could (and have!) reviewed them.

 

In Music, children were asked to have a poster of the American composer Gershwin completed (Th).

 

 

 

 

Friday 14 September 2012

We’ve completed our second week of school, and routines and best practices are being put in place!

This process takes time, and there are so many items to attend to, but for me the most important thing is this: has your child got either their duo tangs or their binder organized and are the assignments neat and in order by date? If you pick your child up after school, you might take 5 minutes one day soon and ask your child to show you their desk and a sampling of their duo tangs/binder sections. Puttting handouts or their own notes in order by date is a crucial skill which I emphasize especially at this time of year. Good habits established now pay off all year long, and your active interest and encouragement can really help motivate your child to keep this high level of organization and neatness until it becomes a habit.

Homework:

Math:

Gr. 4 p. 36 # 1-4 (M)

Gr. 5: p. 41, # 1-4 (M)

Our first Scholastic book order went home today, and is due this coming Tuesday 18 September. Just a few reminders about Scholastic book orders:

-it is entirely optional

-I can’t extend the deadline

-cheques only please, please, please!

 

I can’t send cash through the mail. Cheques only for that reason (made out to Scholastic Canada Ltd.) please!

 

To those who were able to attend the Meet the Teacher event last night (or who sent regrets), many thanks for taking the time. We had a pretty full classroom, and that is a good sign! Any time you have a concern you should know you can call the school and ask for me, or email me. My work email address is

p  clarke  at  nvsd44   dot  bc  dot   ca   

I’ve written it this way to avoid spam bots who troll for email addresses … so in the above address, omit the spaces, use the @ in place of the word ‘at’, and replace the word dot with a period).

 

This is, as I say, my work email address. I try to check it every working day, and should respond by the next day. I do like to reserve weekends and evenings for my own pursuits so I usually don’t respond at those times.

Thursday 13 September 2012

Homework:

French (Gr. 5 only): Practice saying the numbers from 1-10 in French aloud. (see previous posting for some YouTube links.)

Reading: (Gr. 4 & 5): In our read-aloud book ("Because of Winn-Dixie") we just met a character called Otis. Students copied this down:

In Winn-Dixie, we met Otis at the Pet Store. I think he is like this…

-lonely
-embarassed"
–
–
–
–

Their homework for tonight is to write in point form what they actually think Otis is like on the inside, based on what we read in class today. The students are having to make inferences, which is a great strategy for improving reading comprehension.It is due Friday.

Reminder:

If you can make it to tonight's "Meet the Teacher" event that would be great! Here's the schedule:

6:15  Classroom Presentations for Divisions 7 – 14   – (that does not include you or I… don't come at this time to see me! This is for parents of children in Grade 3 and under)
6:45  Whole School in the gym (introductions etc)   (if you don't have a younger child at Brooksbank, that's where you and I should first be starting at 6:45 pm)
7:10  Classroom Presentations for Divisions 1-6   –  (that is, we'll move to my classroom… Gr. 4/5 in Room 105)

We'll take about 20 minutes, and should be done by 7:30 p.m.

Photo day is tomorrow!

Late breaking news!

Tomorrow (Friday 14 September) is the day individual student photos will be taken in the morning.

Got up.
Got outta bed.
Dragged a comb across my head…

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Homework:

Gr. 5s begin learning French (4s do not, just Gr. 5s), and today we began learning how to pronounce the numbers from 1-10 in French. As I told the students, we don't worry about the spelling of these words initially, just the pronunciation. There are enough silent letters, accented letters, and "foreign-looking" (!) spellings that I have found greater success if I can get the kids to focus just on pronunciation. We'll tackle the spelling later once the pronunciation is firmly entrenched.

To that end, YouTube can be a great help. Doing a YouTube search for "French Numbers" or "French Numbers 1-10" will reveal a host of excellent short videos that provide very good accented french pronunciation. Of course, there are some that are not of excellent quality, and a few for-profit sites (usually aimed at business people), but with a little searching you can find lots of free videos that provide great repetition of the correct pronunciation. They often provide the spelling too, and while I wouldn't necessarily avoid those, I also wouldn't require it at this time. Some use music, and that can be very effective too. Here are just a few sites you and your child might like to try out:

Hope to see you at the Meet the Teacher night tomorrow (Thursday 6:15 pm)!

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Homework:

Math
Gr. 4  "Base 10" numbers
Gr. 5  Key words defined

Reading
Wallenda (if not already handed in)

Art
"Initial" art activity for Mrs. Martin (M)

Any forms, "comfort kits", or cheques are due by Monday 17 September.

See you at the PAC BBQ Wednesday night at 5:30 pm?

See you at the "Meet the Teacher" Thursday night at 6:15 – 7:30 pm?

Hope so!

I've got fingers crossed that this classroom blog is over its little hissy fit, and will begin acting normal again, as it usually has over the past three years. Let's hope these postings go up on the 'net in a timely fashion!

Monday 10 September 2012

Homework:

Reading:  Students received a handout ("Wallenda" crossing Niagara Falls) today. We read it together, but I suggest students re-read it at home to thoroughly understand it. Their assignment is to make *inferences* about Mr. Wallenda's character (his skills, personality, beliefs, values, and accomplishments) from the facts. I gave students this example:
Clue:  The cable is 550 metres long. Inference: Mr. Wallenda must be in good physical condition, and have excellent balance.

This assignment is due tomorrow morning (Tuesday). Note that the mini-biography is not part of the assignment, just the inferences, and what clues led to those inferences.

You may have noticed some problems with this class homework blog. I am in communication with the host (Posterous), but we are still experiencing some difficulties. One post took 20 hours to get online, and others have been immediate, leaving them somewhat out of chronological order. Please bear with me while I get this sorted out.

Thanks!

Thursday 6 September 2012

Thanks to all of you who took the trouble to sign your child’s planner last night, and to navigate to this website. That is much appreciated early in the year like this.

Although there is no new homework for our students, there is for you!! Your child should have brought home a ziplok bag full of forms to fill out, sign and return as soon as possible. One of those forms requires your child and you to sign… it is the Code of Conduct form. The rest do require just parent signatures, but the devil is in the details, so please take care to ensure both sides of the forms are completed where necessary.

Thanks for your cooperation in making this a smooth start to the year!

Friday 7 September 2012

As we get back into the swing of things, we look forward to our school library opening next Wednesday. In the meantime, can you please ensure your child has a novel (a chapter book of some kind) on hand for silent reading for Monday 10 September. Your child can bring a book from home, or from the City or District Public Library.

I would also ask that all school supplies be at school by this Monday as well.

Yesterday a raft of forms went home with your child, and we would encourage all families to complete and return those forms as soon as possible.

Next week there is a PAC-sponsored BBQ on Wednesday from 5:30 pm, and the next night (Thursday 13 September) at 6:15 pm is “Meet the Teacher” night. I’d love to see you if you are available, and thanks to those who have popped in to introduce themselves because they know they have something else on that night.

There is no homework for Div. 4 students this weekend.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Thanks to all of you who took the trouble to sign your child's planner last night, and to navigate to this website. That is much appreciated early in the year like this.

Although there is no new homework for our students, there is for you!! Your child should have brought home a ziplok bag full of forms to fill out, sign and return as soon as possible. One of those forms requires your child and you to sign… it is the Code of Conduct form. The rest do require just parent signatures, but the devil is in the details, so please take care to ensure both sides of the forms are completed where necessary.

Thanks for your cooperation in making this a smooth start to the year!

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Welcome to our Grade 4/5 classroom blog. My name is Paul Clarke, and I look forward to meeting you!

In the meantime, please bookmark this site so you can easily return here. I’ll post homework, assignments, projects, pictures and upcoming announcements on a nearly-daily basis. Certainly most days, anyway!

Your child has been asked to ask you to come to this site to learn the secret word, so congratulations on getting this far. The secret word for today is BARD (as in the Bard, as in William Shakespeare). Could you please write BARD in your child’s planner and place your initials beside it so I know the agenda made it home to you and back to me. Closing that circle of communications is important.

Thanks for this, and welcome to an exciting new year!

Regards,

-Mr. P. Clarke
Division 4
Grade 4/5