Best Math Block of the year!

Hello,

I am so thrilled with how our Math block went today. The kids were so excited about their progress with order of operations (BEDMAS), that some students were asking to stay in at recess, so they could do more practice problems, just for fun! It was awesome!

A reminder to complete Numbers 7, 8 and 11 from the Math work that was given out on Wednesday. I promised I would post the links to those awesome songs too, so here they are:

Bedmas Song

Order of Operations Rap

Next, we wrapped up our Family Life readings and discussions about the growth and stresses in friendship. Then we explored our monthly theme for March - Justice - and brainstormed ideas and concepts we could use in presentations on this topic. We will continue to work on these presentations tomorrow.

Also, the students who volunteered for this week should be ready to present their newspaper article summaries in class on Friday. I look forward to hearing them.

Finally, anyone who has not completed the yellow French pathways sheet that went home with the report card, needs to return it to the school tomorrow, as the forms will be sent to Holy Trinity on Monday. Thanks.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Great Work!

Hello,

The students worked very hard on their Geometry tests today during first block. I have looked at the multiple choice questions so far, and the students have done quite well. I am aiming to have the test back to the students by the start of next week.

Once the students completed their tests, they had a chance to work on their book trailers. Our plan for tomorrow is to finish the trailers and watch them as a group. Then, time permitting, we can do some planning for our entrepreneurship project.

Remember that five students will be presenting their article summaries on Friday. Please be sure to have them completed on time.

Unfortunately, I will be unable to host after school basketball tomorrow night, as I will be attending a resource workshop. After school basketball will be rescheduled to Thursday.

It's time for me to get ready for the School Council Meeting. Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Get Ready for Tomorrow

Hello,

My daughter is not feeling 100% right now, and I promised I would watch some of the Olympic Closing Ceremony with her before bed, so this will be a short post.

Today we worked in our groups on our entrepreneurship project. We started to set dates for our timeline, as we move toward our event in just over two months. Now the real work begins. The group leaders were also announced. Thanks to everyone who submitted an application. They were very well done.

We also worked on a review for tomorrow's Geometry test. I will go over any questions the students had difficulty with, before we work on the test, so please be sure to complete this review task, to help in your studying efforts.

Have a great night. I'm off to watch one more broadcast from Sochi.

Mr. Skinner 

Identifying and measuring Triangles

Hello,

This morning we complete some multiple choice geometry questions and constructed a parallelogram with a 115 degree angle and side lengths of 6 and 7 cm. Then we worked on a sheet that involved measuring and classifying triangles based on side lengths and angle sizes. If this sheet was not completed in class, it is for homework.

Next, we made hearts of kindness, which described a kind act someone in the school had done for each of us.

For Language, we continued to work on our Book trailers. We will be wrapping up this activity tomorrow.

We will also be working on a Geometry review task, as we will be having our unit test on Monday.

Don't forget to wear red and white on Friday! Be ready to keep cheering on Canada to Gold!

Have a great night!

Mr. Skinner

Riddles and Planning

Hello,

This morning the students shared their riddles with two classmates and they all took turns discussing and solving the problems. I was planning on posting some tonight, but I want to discuss some of our favourites in the morning and our reason for liking them, and then I will post the selections made by the class.

After solving the riddles, we had a discussion about the interior angles of polygons. We looked at the patterns we found regarding the angles and the number of sides.

Interior Angles of Polygons

Next, we looked at lines of symmetry and rotational symmetry. The students were asked to glue the definitions into their notebooks and to label the lines of symmetry on the shapes provided. They were also asked to indicate whether each of the three shapes had rotational symmetry. Finally, they were asked to complete the Venn diagram of the various shapes, indicating whether they were symmetrical, and/or had rotational symmetry.

For Language, the literature circle groups got together to plan and begin filming the trailers for their books. A reminder that the trailer does not need to feature a lot of shots of members of the group, the focus should be on promoting the content of the book.

A reminder to everyone to finish bumping up your answers for your EQAO reading response questions. Only a few of you asked me for the levelled responses for reference, but I will include the link in case you want to look at the examples we discussed in class.

Sample Responses for Overcome and Husky Team Reading Responses.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Trailers and self evaluation

Hello,

Today we spent some time correcting an evaluating work we did last week, that was based on previous EQAO assessments. First, we evaluated our reading response work from two stories, with the help of a peer, then we corrected our multiple choice and short answer geometry questions from last week.

In between these two tasks, we brainstormed some ideas for our Book trailers with our Literature Circle group members. We will start to work on these trailers on Tuesday.

Don't forget to bring a riddle about a polygon tomorrow, that a peer can solve, and to bump up your EQAO reading response questions for Thursday.

In case you can't remember some of the characteristics of some of the polygons, here is a reminder:




Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Happy Family Day!

Hello,

I hope everyone has had a wonderful long weekend and that you are enjoying today with your family.

On Friday, we finished up our Literature Circle activities with our final job presentations and discussions. A reminder to have all of your work for the literature circles from the past four weeks organized, to be handed in to your teacher on Tuesday.

We will be working on iMovie Movie trailers with our groups, to wrap up this activity this week.

We also finished and decorated our Geometry Valentine poems. The end products were quite funny and creative.

For those students who did not have the opportunity to complete the survey for the Holy Trinity transition day, here is the link:

Holy Trinity Transition Survey

Have a great day.

Mr. Skinner

Great Job!

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for doing such an amazing job on the cake raffle today. With 60 different items on display, the kids had a lot of choice and there were a lot of happy winners!

While we helped students with their tickets, the members of the class also worked on their Geometry poems and in pairs on a variety of Geometry-based questions from past EQAO assessments.

We will be finishing up our poems tomorrow and decorating them to put them on display. We will also be completing our last Literature Circle task. Please be sure to have your jobs completed!

Here is the link to the jobs, if you lost your sheet.

Also, don't forget to wear red for Valentine's Day and to bring a mug for some hot chocolate. You can also bring Valentines, just be sure to have enough for everyone in the class. I went out and bought some Valentines for my Kindergarten students tonight and picked up enough for my Grade 6 students as well, so everyone will be getting an Elmo or Dora valentine! Yeah!

Finally, please be sure to return any paperwork related to the report card package over the next week. If you have any questions, or anything you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact me via the agenda or by phoning the school.

Also, just a reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for anyone wanting to apply to be a group leader for our entrepreneurship project.

Job application.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Cake Raffle Reminder

Hello,

I was very happy to return from my workshop this morning to hear that the students were very productive. You have no new homework tasks tonight (just complete the previously assigned Math) because I know many of you will be busy baking delicious cakes - or going to the store and buying one like me!

Just a reminder to everyone to bring their baked goods, and any other items for the raffle, to the Learning Commons upon your arrival at school on Thursday morning. We will have tables set up to display your wonderful creations.

So remember to bring your tasty treats and your money for raffle tickets. You might be lucky enough to win your favourite cake for your family!

See you in the morning! I hope you have a great evening in the kitchen!

Mr. Skinner

Triangles and Poetry

Hello,

Today, the students started the day by getting out new books from the Learning Commons. Then, they printed out their Cake Raffle posters and put them up around the school to publicize Thursday's big event! Finally, the students used the netbooks to begin their first drafts of their geometry poems or to work on their applications for the manager positions for the entrepreneurship program.

In Math, the students that had completed their work shared and discussed their responses together and with their teacher. There were some interesting discussions about the different shapes they had drawn. Any students who had not finished their homework tasks were given the chance to complete this work and I will discuss it with them tomorrow. A quick reminder that it is a great help to the learning process to get your work done in a timely fashion. If the students complete their homework, they can be active participants in class discussions and increase their level of understanding.

The students were also given a new sheet that examines side lengths and classification of triangles. The students will be given an opportunity to work on this activity tomorrow in class, but they can get ahead if they start to work on it tonight.

Don't forget to bring in your cakes on Thursday and your complete Literature Circle work on Friday.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Third & Final Message of the Day

Hello,

I hope everyone can access the link for the manager applications that I posted earlier today. Please let me know if you run into any difficulties.

Also, I just wanted to clarify that the cake raffle is this Thursday. There was one typo that said Friday on the note that was sent home, but all of the references to Thursday were correct. The Cake Raffle will be held on Feb. 13, 2014.

Tonight, the students are asked to complete the Math worksheet that involved the construction of various quadrilaterals, when given information about sides and angles. I had asked the students to complete it over the weekend, but many of them had some difficulty, so we reviewed some of the concepts and strategies today to clear up any confusion.

In Language, we worked in pairs and groups to examine and evaluate various writing samples from EQAO tasks from previous years. Then we started to work on a Geometry-based Valentines poem that we will complete by the end of the week. The final results should be quite interesting and fun!

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner  

Cake Raffle

As a way to raise money for the Grade 6 June activities,  the Grade Six class will be holding a Cake & Fun Raffle on Thursday, February 13th. 

This is a raffle in which all students may participate. Tickets are $0.50 each, 5 for $2.00 or 12 for $5.00 and can be purchased from your child’s teacher. We always need donations, and all families are invited to participate. You can send in homemade or store-bought cakes, new toys and stuffies, or other clearly marked baked items (we ask for baked items to be nut-free). These items can be sent in on the day of the raffle with your child and brought directly to the library. 

Tickets will be available to purchase beginning on Monday, February 10th through until the morning of Thursday's raffle. There is no limit to the number of tickets a student may purchase, however, each student will be eligible to win one prize only.  

All cakes and prizes will go home with the winners on Thursday, February 13th. Winners of cakes will be given the opportunity to contact a parent to arrange transportation for their delicious prize. Otherwise, the students will walk or take their cakes home on the school bus. 


We are very excited to see all of the yummy cakes, surprises and treats on that day! It is guaranteed to be an exciting start Valentine celebrations!

Thank you very much for your support!
The Grade 6 Class

Job Applications

Hello,

Here is the link for the job application for the team leader positions for our entrepreneurship program project. The applications are due on Friday.

Good Luck.

Application form.

Mr. Skinner

Are You Ready to Ski?

Hello,

This morning we went over the safety rules for tomorrow's ski trip, and discussed how the students should dress for the day.

We also watched the following videos:

Safety Tips and Ski Trip prep

Mount Pakenham Skiing in Schools program

Then we completed our review of the angles worksheets and practised measuring various angles.

Next, the two Grade 6 classes worked together with Mr. Lemieux to continue to move forward on our entrepreneurship sandwich making project. We worked in groups to brainstorm all of the tasks that each group must complete for this project to be a success.

See you in the morning. Don't forget to wear your layers and to bring your ski equipment.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

An Inspiring Guest Speaker

Hello,

This morning the kids were lucky enough to be visited by a very inspiring guest speaker: Olympic medalist Sue Holloway. She competed in both the Winter and Summer Olympics and talked to the students about her experiences.

Sue Holloway presentation.

Before listening to our guest speaker, we heard the first presentations of the newspaper article summaries and started to correct our worksheets on labeling and measuring angles.

Here are some more interesting videos that help to explain angles.

Come on Angles

Types of Angles

We also discussed how to best deal with the stresses we face in our daily lives, at home and at school.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Analyzing Commercials

Hello,

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I was very pleased that many students came to school today with their favourite commercials from the Canadian and American broadcasts of the Super Bowl. We talked about what made the commercials interesting and memorable. We also discussed whether the commercial effectively identified the product to the consumer. Next, we looked at the commercials they had created, with a slightly smaller budget, and discussed whether their ads were effective as well.

In Math, we are continuing to work on angles. We are identifying and labelling various angles and measuring them. If you did not complete the worksheet handed out on Friday on the weekend, please finish it tonight.

We continue to work very well in groups with the other class. The students completed their second round of literature circle jobs on Friday and today we got together to decide on the various groups that need to be created to successfully complete our sandwich making entrepreneurship project in the coming months. We will continue to work on this project this Wednesday and the reading and jobs for the third literature circle meeting need to be completed for Friday.

Finally, don't forget your Olympic-themed questions for our guest speaker on Tuesday.

I will leave with a link to one of the class favourite from the Super Bowl, an "interesting" Doritos ad.

Little Cowboy Doritos Ad

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner