Happy Halloween!

Hello,

I hope everyone has a great night tonight! Try to stay dry!

Thanks to everyone who returned their report card envelopes and interview confirmation sheets.

This morning we continued to read "Out of My Mind" while the students worked on creating a 1-3 page narrative with a Halloween theme. Melody needs to be one of the characters in the story.

Students will present their stories to the class tomorrow morning, and prizes - the leftover candy from my house - will be up for grabs. Anyone who wants to win needs to finish their stories tonight. I will give the students 15-20 minutes in class to put the finishing touches on their stories in the morning.

In Math, we corrected the problem solving factor questions. I also handed out the unit review task we will work on tomorrow. We will be using it to prepare for the test next week.

Good luck tonight! Don't eat all of your candy at once!

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

A Later Than Usual Post

Hello,

I'm sorry for the late post tonight. I was at school late working on the apps for the iPads, then when I got home I wanted to spend some quality time with my daughter before getting her ready for bed.

This morning, all of the students worked in pairs to edit their "Meaning of Home" writing. Then we submitted the final copies. The winners will be announced in January. Hopefully someone from our class will be a winner.

I also continued to read from our novel, "Out of My Mind." The students are asked to respond to the two new questions I posted today.

Finally, in Math I continued to conference for patterning. I only have one student left to work with now. We also did an inquiry math activity in pairs. The students had to work together to solve two questions dealing with multiples. We didn't have time to correct the factors work, numbers 5-11 today, so if you didn't get your work done, it must have been your lucky day. We will be looking at these questions on Thursday morning.

Next, we will work on a unit review, which will help us get ready for a test next week.

Don't forget to wear orange and black tomorrow!

Last but not least, the progress reports went home today. Please review them as a family and return the interview form to me. If you can't make your assigned time for next week's interviews, I will be happy to set up a time for a phone interview to discuss your child's progress.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

What is a Home?

Hello,

This morning we continued to work on our "Meaning of Home" writing submissions.

Meaning of Home contest

The students have submitted completed rough drafts - 50 to 300 words - to me, about what home means to them. If any students have not completed their rough drafts, they are asked to complete their work tonight. Remember, you can check examples from previous years for inspiration.

Next, we examined and corrected the first four questions, dealing with factors and Prime and Composite numbers. Everyone is asked to complete questions 5 - 11 tonight.

Thanks to the six students who gave me their Math notebooks yesterday. The work was well done. I have collected five books tonight. The final 7 students are asked to have their notebooks ready on Wednesday.

Finally, a reminder that we will not be having after school basketball on Wednesday, as we played at lunch recess today. There will be after school basketball on Friday afternoon.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

Math Review and Chalk Talk

Hello,

This morning we corrected our five "multiples problem solving questions" and looked at the importance of reading the questions carefully, so we are sure we have answered all parts of the question.

Next, we reviewed two digit, by two digit multiplication and all of the steps involved.

Finally, while I continued to conference with students, everyone worked on their Prime and Composite Number questions. All students are expected to complete questions 1 - 4 tonight.

Over the next few days I will also be taking a look at all of the Math notebooks. Thanks to the six students who volunteered to hand in their books first. Please make sure that all assigned work is complete.

We also had an interruption during Math class this morning - a fire drill!

Kudos to the entire class for being so well behaved. Despite the cold temperatures, they waited in line with me before entering the school and set a wonderful example for all of the younger students.

During second block we had a great Chalk Talk activity, where the students brainstormed on chart paper what "Home" means to them. In small groups, the students wrote responses on chart paper, about home, without speaking. They came up with some great ideas, which will be posted, to help them complete their "Meaning of Home" writing assignments when we have the netbooks in the morning.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Silent Communication

Hello,

This morning, we started by reviewing factors, and prime and composite numbers. I gave the students some time to complete the work assigned by the supply teachers the previous days, while I worked on my conferences with students, as we went over the previous Math unit.

The rest of the two-digit multiplication sheet is for homework tonight. We will be correcting this work, and the multiples problem solving tomorrow. We will also continue to work on factors.

Thanks to all of the students who returned their signed Math tests today. I am still looking for signed tests from: Jamie, Justin C, Adamina, Justin D, Anthony, Mama, Joe M, Michael, Adam and Kaitlynne. Please return them to me as soon as possible.

During second block, the students found out what it would be like to communicate like Melody from our novel, "Out of My Mind."

Using Communication Boards to have a conversation in class.

The students used communication boards to have conversations with one another and to perform basic tasks throughout the school. It was an eye-opening experience. Many students said it was difficult to keep track of what the other person was trying to say and that their choice of words on their boards really impacted how well they could communicate. Both classes were in the same room and you could hear a pin drop. It was amazing! We will continue our discussions about how this activity went tomorrow morning, before we begin carving pumpkins.

Yes, we will be carving pumpkins tomorrow morning to help decorate the gym for tomorrow night's Halloween Family Fun Night!

Halloween Family Fun Night Information!

The pumpkin carving might get a little messy (hopefully not), so don't wear your nicest clothes. Unless you are taking part in the photo re-takes, then bring your nicest clothes too!

One final note. I wanted to share this article from Wednesday's Ottawa Citizen, which profiles a young man, whom I had the privilege to work with, many Summers ago, at a day camp in Kanata.

As I mentioned in class today, he refuses to let obstacles get in his way, and always strives to achieve his goals, just like Melody, in our novel. 

Tommy Des Brisay profile - Ottawa's First Fastest Runner

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Multiplication and Communication Boards

Hello,

I hope everyone had a great day while I was at my Math workshop.

Today the students put the finishing touches on their Communication Boards, with their 40 words, number line and alphabet. We will use the boards for a communication exercise on Thursday, with the other Grade 6 class.

In Math, the students were asked to work on the final three Multiples problem solving questions and a worksheet that examined two-digit multiplication. Each student should have at least one page completed from the multiplication worksheet.

I will be at a resource workshop on Wednesday, so After School Basketball will have to be re-scheduled. I will probably hold a session at lunch recess on Thursday, as my afternoons are booked solid this week.

See you on Thursday.

Mr. Skinner

Choose Your Math Questions this Weekend

Hello,

This morning the students started the day by picking 40 words they will use on a Communication Board next week to simulate the communication experiences of Melody in "Out of My Mind."

They also completed a self-evaluation of their learning skills for the year so far. I will be sending these evaluations home next week, so that they can be reviewed and discussed as a family.

Their final task in Language class was to complete a Grammar worksheet that examined synonyms and antonyms. The students are asked to have this sheet completed for Tuesday.

In Math, the patterning tests were returned to the students. Everyone is asked to return the signed tests next week. I am happy to conference with anyone next week who would like to work on more questions, so that they can show increased understanding and improve their final mark. I had originally said the conferences would start on Monday, but since the students will be gone on their field trip to the Bill Mason Centre, we will hold the conferences later in the week.

We also corrected questions from our Multiples worksheets and examined strategies students used to solve the questions.

Finally, the students received a new problem solving worksheet. Everyone is reminded that they do not have to complete all of the questions. They need to select two questions from Numbers 4, 5 and 6 on the front page, and two questions from the problem solving section.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

A Day to Give Thanks!

Hello,

This morning the Grade 6 students displayed great teamwork and faith as they worked together to prepare a delicious fruit salad and delectable soup for lunch.

First, the students brought in and prepared all of the food, under the supervision of the Grade 6 teachers. Then, they shared prayers of Thanksgiving and enjoyed the feast together. It was a great morning.

As we spent most of the morning working on this team-building task, and completing an online survey about Math, there is no new homework tonight. Please make sure to have the assigned Math and Language tasks completed, so that we can move forward tomorrow.

Have a great night. Thanks to all the students for working so hard and making today such a wonderful experience.

Making Fruit Salad.

Mr. Skinner

Congrats to the Class!

Hello,

We were crowned the winners today for the Junior division in the spirit category at the Walk-a-thon! Everyone did an incredible job dressing up and participating in our singing, chanting and dancing.

I was going to post the song, but I thought I would test the memories of the students and ask them to teach the song to their parents tonight.

Special thanks to Natasha, for choreographing the dance moves for "What does the fox say?"

A class photo of our tickled pink and green to grow theme.

We won a pizza party which we will have later in the year. We usually have them just before a holiday (Christmas, March Break etc.). More details will follow in the near future.

It wasn't all Walk-a-thon preparations today, we also read from our "Out of My Mind" novel study and responded to questions about the novel on our Edmodo group. Students are reminded that they can post on our group at home as well.

Any students who did not complete the "Ring story" are expected to finish it tonight, so that it can be handed in tomorrow.

Finally, in Math we will wrap up our introduction to Multiples. Please have as much as possible of the second multiples sheet completed tonight, so we can correct the work and move onto factors.

A reminder to everyone to bring in their assigned food tomorrow so that we can all contribute to our Grade 6 post-Thanksgiving feast.

Have a wonderful evening.

Mr. Skinner

Tickled Pink & Green for Growth

Hello,

After some discussions and voting today, we decided that we would select a theme of tickled pink and green for growth for the walk-a-thon. The choice of colours shows support for Joe (Green) and for Cancer research (pink). All of the students are encouraged to wear these colours and bring their pledges in the morning. We will select our final version of our chants and songs in the morning as well.

We also read another chapter of "Out of My Mind" today and took out new books at the library. The students also used some work time to complete the language activities assigned by the supply teachers last week. Please make sure that the Iceberg Wranglers and Strange Job sheets are completed. It would also be much appreciated if all the students brought in some lyrics for our walk-a-thon songs.

Finally, for Math, please have the introduction to multiples double-sided worksheet completed. We will continue to work on the second multiples sheet tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Have an Amazing Thanksgiving Weekend!

Hello everyone,

I hope all the students had a productive day with the supply teacher on Thursday. The Math is not for homework, we will continue to work on multiples next week, but feel free to work on the sheets if you want to get ahead and get some extra practice.

For Language, I expect that you have completed all overdue work (comic strips, jobs worksheet and Iceberg Wranglers questions). We will continue to work on the Edmodo group postings next week.

As for our theme for the Walk-a-thon, I know we have not had a chance to think about and discuss it yet, but I was thinking we could possibly wear pink. My friend Wayne was in the Ottawa Citizen this week after participating in the Walk for the Cure and I thought he looked pretty cool. We wouldn't have to dress as crazy as him. He was just my inspiration for the idea. Let me know what you think on Tuesday.

Finally, I wanted to share an awesome video that we watched today about working together to overcome obstacles and succeed as part of our PD Day activities. I thought it was incredible and wanted to share it with you too. 

Have a wonderful weekend with your families. Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Skinner

Wear Your Green Clothes Tomorrow!

Hello,

I was at a workshop this morning, so this will be a quick summary of what the students were supposed to work on, and what they assured me at After School Basketball that they had completed.

First, the students read a story called "Iceberg Wranglers" and answered multiple choice and short answer questions about the story in the language duotang.

If they completed this task, they started to write a narrative about finding a ring on the sidewalk. Both of these tasks were from EQAO tests from past years. I want them to be comfortable with the types of tasks they will need to complete, so it will seem like our usual routine when they write the test in the spring.

For Math, the students examined multiples and lowest common multiples. They were given a double sided worksheet of practice questions to complete in class. I will give more time to work on these questions in class on Thursday, but if you didn't get much done, it would be a good idea to work on the questions tonight.

Don't forget to wear green and bring in money if you would like to support him and to help fund his treatments as he battles Dravet Syndrome.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

Edmodo Posts, Library Books and New Seats

Hello,

This morning we started the day with a trip to the Learning Commons to take out new books for the week. Thanks again to Natasha and Chelsea for helping everyone check out their books.

Next, we did our monthly seating change. We kept the desks in the same formation, but the students had to sit besides someone new for the month. The entire class was so well behaved and worked so hard for the month of September that I decided to let them choose their seating partners for this month as well.

Next, we read more from "Out of my Mind". We learned about a teacher that really annoyed Melody with her teaching methods. I hope that none of the students ever feel that way about me.

I posted some new questions on our Edmodo group and the students posted their responses, using the netbooks. If you haven't responded to all of the questions yet (except for the most recent one, as we haven't read to that part), please type your responses tonight. I will moderate and approve answers later this evening.

I am also still waiting on a few comic strips. I approved a few more comics today and I will check again this evening to see if any more have been submitted to me.

During second block we worked on a task involving proportional reasoning. The students had to answer the following three questions:

1. If you cut a piece of wood into 3 cm pieces, 1 cm is left over. If it is cut into 4 cm pieces, 1 cm is still left over. How long is the original piece of wood?

2. A recipe for 8 muffins uses 2 cups of flour. Choose a different number of muffins - either 10, 12 or 14 muffins. Tell how you will change the amount of flour. How many extra muffins did you make? Why do you not add that many cups of flour to the recipe?

3. Ross has a picture on his computer of a rectangle that is twice as long as it is wide. If he enlarges the shape so that the length is 50 cm, what is the width?

I will be using the data collected to help guide discussion at a Math workshop I am attending on Thursday with Math teachers in our School Board.

It was very interesting to see the responses of the students and the results will help to guide my instruction going forward. Ask your children if they can explain how they solved the questions. We have not corrected them yet.

Our Math took a little longer than expected, so the note about the Thanksgiving Grade 6 lunch will be sent out on Wednesday. The students will also be selecting what they would like to contribute as part of the meal.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

What are we Thankful for?

Hello,

After an incredible retreat at the church to end last week, we were back to work today.

First, let me say how proud I was of our students at the retreat last Friday. Everyone was very quiet and focused during the morning Mass. Then the students had a lot of fun participating in a variety of games and discussions. Of course, they enjoyed the pizza lunch and they learned a lot from the informative tour of the church.

Hopefully the students enjoyed the day as much as I did and some might start attending the Rock youth group if they are looking for something productive to do on Friday nights.

Upon our return to the school, the students wrote thank you letters to Cathy, the youth coordinator at Holy Redeemer Church, for all of her hard work, preparing for the day.

The two classes got together again today to start planning a Thanksgiving lunch we will have as a group next week. A letter will be sent home on Tuesday. In groups of four, the students also composed prayers that highlighted some of the many things that the students are thankful for.

Earlier this morning, our class continued to read "Out of my Mind." The students posted their responses about the book and the characters on our Edmodo group. We also had some discussions about how Melody would feel during her visit to the doctor and in her classroom.

A reminder that all students should complete their recount comic strip. No more class time will be given for this task. It will now be completed during recesses on the netbooks with Mr. Skinner, or at home.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Time to Correct

Hello,

This morning I went through the Math tests with most of the students. I was very impressed with the results and the explanations of their strategies that the students provided. Many of the students were clearly working at Level 3 or Level 4 and we will work next week with the rest of the students to get their level of understanding to Level 3 as well.

While I was working with the students, individually or in small groups, on their Math, the rest of the students worked on the netbooks. Everyone finished the good copies of their Summer recount. Students are reminded to have their comic strips completed for Monday.

I would also like the Strange but True Job Files worksheets handed in on Friday morning.

I will continue to give feedback regarding the test in the morning, before we go to the church for our Grade 6 retreat.

I am really looking forward to the retreat at Holy Redeemer Church and I hope the students are too. I still need permission slips from Joe M., Justin D., Chelsea and Jamie. Please bring them in on Friday morning.

Have a wonderful evening.

Mr. Skinner

Our First Test is Done!

Hello,

This morning the students completed their patterning math test. At first glance, the students look to have done quite well.

I will be correcting the tests tonight and going through their work with the students tomorrow morning.

The one thing that I will continue to remind all students to do is show all of their work. If they show their steps, they can still get credit if they make a calculation error.

After we completed the test, we read from "Out of my Mind". Tomorrow morning we will be discussing the character traits of the major characters of the story.

We will also have the netbooks, so the students will have a final opportunity to work on their Summer recounts and comic strips.

Finally, don't forget to bring your permission slips for the church retreat on Friday.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Practice Makes Perfect

Hello,

I hope everyone had a productive day while I was at the Board office working with Grade 3 and Grade 6 teachers. We were discussing strategies for best preparing our students for success during the EQAO testing period.

With their supply teacher, the students corrected the rest of the Practice Test and worked on some growing pattern questions to help them get ready for tomorrow.

Before we start the test, I will take any questions in the morning to ensure understanding of the concepts.

The students then completed a reading and questions examining strange and interesting career that some people have. Next, they started to work on some videos about collaboration and responsibility, using the iMovie app on the iPads. We will continue to work on these videos later in the week.

Once we complete the test tomorrow we will read more of "Out of my Mind" and continue our class discussions.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner