Thanks for the Generous Donations

Hello,

It was a very comfy and cozy day at St. Anne School today, as many students wore their PJ's. Thanks to all who gave money or new PJ's to help others. Your efforts and support are much appreciated.

This morning, we started the day with an Advent liturgy. The students were well behaved and reflected on the true meaning of Christmas.

Next, the students finished up their work on their group structures. We will be organizing our final thoughts tomorrow and engaging in a group discussion about the big ideas of the unit.

In Math, we took some time to review the concepts the students worked on with the supply teachers last week, sharing our strategies for comparing km, m and cm, and calculating perimeter.

In Language, we wrote about some of the acts of kindness we have accomplished and decided as a group that we needed until the end of the week to accomplish our goal of 10 acts each. We also looked at some of the answers the students wrote for their reading responses for the "Inline Skating Lesson" and "Two Chains" texts. We discussed the importance of including detail and explaining your thinking in your responses.

http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/primary-division/assessment-docs/3e-Lang1-2014.pdf

http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/primary-division/assessment-docs/3e-Lang1-Rdg-SG-2014.pdf

We will be working on our new spelling sentences tomorrow. This week's 14 words are:

1. wouldn't 2. everything 3. terrible 4. hidden 5. trouble 6. anyone 7. about 8. what 9. can't 10. no 11. really 12. don't 13. know 14. everybody

Finally. Mrs. Zulpo's class joined us for the last 20 minutes of the day to watch and practice the song we will be singing together at Christmas time. Get ready to hear a lot of this song in the near future!

Can't Stop These Shoes

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Wear your PJs on Monday!

Hello again,

I wanted to share this note from the Kingdom Club.

At St. Anne we are going to have a pyjama day on Monday, November 30, 2015. On Monday, we would like students to wear their favourite pyjamas and please bring in a donation or a brand new pair of children’s sized pajamas to support the Pyjama Patrol Project. Students can wear pajamas, slippers, and bring in a stuffed animal if they wish. We hope everyone can participate and enjoy wearing their PJ’s to school!

Summer vs. Winter Persuasive Paragraphs

Hello,

Here are our slides for our seasonal persuasive paragraphs, comparing summer and winter. We collaborated in the editing process and used Google drawings for our designs. This is our final product, after peer editing of a written version and teacher editing of the typed version. I shared this work as part of my tech workshop presentation today and the teachers were very impressed with the students' work.

Today, the students started the process again, indicating their preference for getting to school. They are now comparing walking to school and getting a drive.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Three Days in One Post

Hello,

Sorry that I missed posting yesterday. This week is very busy with various workshops I am attending and my schedule has been thrown off.

I have attended workshops on EQAO and leadership, and I will be presenting at a Learning Connections technology workshop tomorrow.

In Science, we have finished our plans for our final structures and we have started the construction process. The plan is to work on them tomorrow and finish building them on Friday. Then we will share our learning and discuss the key concepts from the unit, to show our understanding.

In Math, the students should be finishing their work on ordering and assigning units (cm, m, km) and completing p. 119-120 for homework. Tomorrow, the students will begin to explore perimeter, working on measuring the outside of various shapes and objects.

In Language, the students are finishing up their work for digital citizenship and the sentences, or story, for spelling. Both tasks should be finished for Friday, when I am back in the classroom.

Next, the students will be writing another persuasive paragraph about whether they prefer walking to school, or getting a drive. The students are reminded to include an introduction, three points with explanations and a conclusion.

Upon finishing this writing task, the students will read "The Inline Skating Lesson" and answer multiple choice and short answer questions, where they will use examples and explain their thinking, in their orange language duotangs.

I look forward to being back for the full day on Friday. Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Making a Positive Digital Footprint

Hello,

This morning we finished our discussions about our paper skyscrapers, talking about what made them strong and stable or how they could be improved. Next, we worked in groups of three or four to plan our final structures and show how much we have learned from the start of the unit.

In Math, we took some time to discuss measurement skills and clear up any misconceptions students might have about estimating and where to start measuring on a ruler. Tomorrow, we will look at kilometres and how to decide whether an object should be measured using cm, m or km.

In gym, we went outside for a spirited game of soccer baseball, which allowed for everyone to have a chance to hit the ball and enjoy the experience.

Finally, in Language, I gave feedback to various students about their spelling sentences and stories, and improvements they could make this week, when working with the following words:

recycle
discover
before
enough
first
journal
beautiful
let's
hopeless
write
right
our
are

The students also started to work on a task for leaving a positive digital footprint. Some students are making internet safety posters using Google slides. Other students chose to make bitstrip comics about being a good digital citizen and a final group of students will be making blog posts about the things they have learned from the unit and how they will apply this information to their daily lives. We will work on this task throughout the week.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

PD Day on Friday

Hello,

First, a reminder that tomorrow is a PD day, so there will be no classes taught. Instead, the teachers will be participating in professional development workshops and the students will be staying home for the day.

Over the last two days, we have continued to work on digital citizenship. We looked at how to search for things safely on the internet and how to be aware of the many advertisements we will encounter online. We also explored how social media can be used to make a positive impact and explored the idea of 10 acts of kindness. We set a goal for each member of our class to perform 10 acts of kindness by the end of the month. In December, we will be using kid blog to document the work that we did to help others. This morning, the entire school went outside to stand up to bullying and recite the St. Anne students pledge. It was great to see the enthusiasm shared by all of the students.

In Science, we completed our work on our paper skyscrapers, tested their strength and stability and shared what we learned with the class through discussions and presentations. It was interesting to see how many books some of the structures could hold, and when they would finally collapse.

In Math, we are continuing to look at estimation and measurement of objects using cm and m. I have collected the math books to correct over the weekend. In Language, the students finished their sentences and stories for the 13 words I posted at the start of the week. I will be looking at this work over the weekend as well.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Learning about our Digital Footprint with the Cyberpigs

Hello,

This morning we had a great discussion about our digital footprint and the ways we should interact with others online. The students learned how they should not share personal information or passwords with others online.

The students had a lot of fun playing a game involving the cyberpigs and wanted me to post the link, so they could play the game and share it with their parents.

http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/games/privacy_playground/flash/privacy_playground_en/start.html

In Math, we practised using a ruler and measuring items in cm. The students were given two double sided activity sheets to work on, while I had individual conferences with students about their patterning tests. The students will be bringing home the test tonight. They should complete both sheets for homework. I will send rulers home with the students, if they need them.

In Science, we finished our paper skyscrapers. We will share our work with the class on Wednesday and continue to plan for the building of our final structures for this unit. The goal is for the students to use the terms we went over in our unit review, to explain their building choices and why or why not their structure works effectively.

Finally, the students worked on their sentences or stories for the vocabulary words provided to them yesterday. Then we went to the Learning Commons to exchange our books.

If you are interested in purchasing new St. Anne clothing, an order form is coming home today.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Exploring Measurement

Hello,

Today, in Math, we began to explore measurement. The students had to take a series of measurements of items in the classroom and decide if it was best to measure the item using mm, cm and m. In our groups, we discussed how to properly use a ruler. Tomorrow, we will be sharing our measurements with the class and test their accuracy. I had one student return from two days of illness today and complete the test, so I will return it to everyone tomorrow.

In Religion, we began our Samaritans on the Digital Road - digital citizenship lessons, where we discuss how we should treat others, in person and online, and the digital footprint that is left by our actions on social media. It is a wonderful unit designed by members of our Board.

https://sites.google.com/a/ocsb.ca/ocsb-digital-citizenship/

In Language, we put the finishing touches on our persuasive paragraphs - summer vs. winter, completing our editing with our peers and teacher. We also began to use a new series of words that we will aim to incorporate into our daily writing and vocabulary.

The students are to use the following words this week:

two
too
to
laughed
community
exciting
countries
city
when
they're
there
their 
went

The students have two options for how they would like to use these words in their spelling notebooks.

They can make a sentence for each of these words, or they can create a story that accurately uses all of these words in the story.

The choice is up to the students and I will be collecting their completed work at the end of the week.

In Science, the students have been doing some amazing work. Last Friday, they worked in small groups to review the key concepts of the unit, then they used this knowledge to help teach the Grade one students in Mrs. Truchon's class more about structures, when they worked together to use a variety of materials to create structures. Today, the students continued to work on their paper skyscrapers, adding more paper pillars and cardboard to ensure they are strong and stable. Our goal is to wrap up this activity tomorrow and start to build a final structure that incorporates all of the key concepts we learned throughout the unit.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Wrapping up our Pattern Work

Hello,

This morning, the students worked very hard on their Math patterning tests. My goal is to have the evaluated tests back to the students by Monday, at the latest.

When the students finished their work, they went on the chromebooks and used Dreambox. Some students have expressed a desire for more of a challenge, so I have raised the level of difficulty for the activities. I have encouraged the students to let me know if the tasks are too easy or too hard, so that I can continue to adjust the levels for individual students.

In Science, we continued to work on our skyscrapers. If possible, the students are encouraged to bring in cardboard to use on their structure. We also had a discussion about the common themes for the Grade 1 and Grade 3 work on structures, as we will be working with Mrs. Truchon's Grade 1 class tomorrow afternoon, helping to guide them through a variety of tasks involving the building of structures. The students will be bringing in a list of structure vocabulary words to the class to help guide the Grade Ones through the task.

Finally, in Language, we continued to work on the Google slides for our seasonal persuasive writing. I have been editing the work with the students to give suggestions for including more detail in their written work. When the slides are finished, they will be posted on the blog for parents to read and enjoy.

It was great to see so many of you yesterday at the interviews. Thank you for your great feedback, questions and suggestions. I look forward to working with you to ensure the success of your child throughout the year.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Remembrance Day

Hello,

We have been completing some patterning review questions in our Math notebooks, yesterday and today. The students can use this work to help them study for tomorrow's test.

In Religion, we had a great discussion about Remembrance Day yesterday, discussing the concepts of peace, sacrifice and giving thanks. We watched some videos to spur discussion about the importance of Remembrance Day. Today, we attended the school's Remembrance Day ceremony. The students showed great respect to our veterans.

Bell Commercial - Poppy

Bell Commercial - Calling Grandpa

A Pittance of Time

Ask your child about the messages in these videos. I was very impressed with their responses and overall level of understanding.

In Language, we finished our discussion about the "Neighbourhood Niggles" persuasive texts. Now, we are taking the feedback from our peers and typing a second draft of our seasonal persuasive paragraph - winter vs. summer - in Google slides, which can easily be shared with the entire class.

After finishing our Remembrance Day art and pastel Fall art, we put our work up on display in the hallway.

Have a good day. I look forward to seeing all of the parents who signed up for interviews, in the gym this afternoon and evening!

Mr. Skinner

Peer Editing and Discussing Persuasive Texts

Hello,

This morning we worked with partners to edit our persuasive texts about summer and winter. Each group read the two pieces they had written, came to a consensus regarding the level of the text, and discussed suggestions for improvement.

https://twitter.com/MrSkinnerocsb/status/663736601957265408

https://twitter.com/MrSkinnerocsb/status/663736929343643648


Next, we read more "Neighbourhood Niggles", a series of texts about issues that arise in a neighbourhood. As a group, we discussed which sides of the various arguments we agreed with and what made the texts effective when it came to persuading someone.

In Math, the students worked on the white boards to create and answer patterning questions with a partner, and continued to hone their math skills on Dreambox, while I discussed strategies for solving patterning questions with various students, to help them prepare for our next evaluation task, which will take place on Thursday.

Daily reading and preparing for Thursday's Patterning Math test should be the focus for homework activities this week.

Finally, in Science, we continued to work on our paper skyscrapers. The students are reminded to bring in cardboard, to help provide extra stability to their structure.

There will be students bringing poppies to the classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday. The students are invited to bring money to make a donation.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Cupcakes and Best Wishes

Hello,

This afternoon, the students presented their information about their chosen saints. The students found some very interesting information.

Next, we read a variety of persuasive texts, to look at common characteristics, and we wished a classmate the best at her new school.

We are sad to see this student go, but we were also very appreciative of the cupcakes she brought in and shared with the class.

In the morning, the students took some time to finish their saint research and they completed some more patterning work, including a problem solving question that asked how many handshakes would take place between seven people. The students also continued to work on their fall pastel art.

Finally, we finished the last of the monster description presentations and had a very spirited game of bench ball, where the girls and boys battled to a tie after three games. Luckily, with everyone winning, we could all celebrate with the cupcakes in the afternoon!

There is no homework, but the students are encouraged to continue to work on their math and reading skills, on Raz Kids and Dreambox, or using other tools of their choice.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Fall Pastel Art

Hello,

Today we continued to work on patterning in Math, as I challenged the students with a problem involving subtraction, but by amounts increasing by three each time. The students made great progress, but some will need a little bit of time tomorrow to finish solving the problem.

In Art, we created Fall scenes with pastels. I will post some of the work tomorrow, once most of the students have finished their work. They have created a beautiful collection of reds, yellows and oranges.

In Religion, we continued to work on our saint presentations. Most groups made great progress and are ready to present their information on Friday. A few students will be getting a few details online tonight, to finish their work.

In Language, we continued to present our monster descriptions and give and receive feedback. I did some editing with students and then we shared the work with the class, so they could see the steps we need to take to successfully complete the editing process. Tomorrow, we will be doing some peer editing, using sticky notes, with our summer vs. winter persuasive paragraphs that we wrote earlier in the week.

We also started to read a collection of persuasive pieces, relating to solving issues in a neighbourhood, which we will continue to read tomorrow.

For homework, the students need to return their progress report forms and envelopes, complete their saint presentations and continue to work on Dreambox and Raz Kids, for a total of 30 - 40 minutes.

Thanks to everyone who returned the progress report forms and signed up for interviews, by following the process online. I look forward to meeting with you.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Progress Reports

Hello,

The students are bringing home their progress reports today. Please review them with your children and follow the instructions included in the envelope to sign up for interviews next week.

This morning we solved a patterning question involving using toothpicks to make triangles. The first triangle used three toothpicks and every triangle after that one required two toothpicks. The students had to draw the design for four, five and six triangles and find the number of toothpicks needed to build 10 triangles.

Next, we went to the gym to continue to work on our volleyball skills, volleying in groups of three.

In Language, the students presented their monsters and received feedback from their peers and teacher with regard to how they could improve their work. Next, we looked at the short answer questions for the "Underwater Apartment" to examine the differences between the levelled responses. We discussed the kinds of detail we could include to improve our answers.

Finally, in Religion, we began to research a saint of our choice to present to the class on Friday.

The students are using http://www.loyolapress.com/saints-stories-for-kids.htm to answer the following questions:

The saint's name
Where they are from?
When they lived?
Why are they a saint?
Is anything named after them?
Are there any connections you can make to their experiences?
Why did you choose this saint?

We are working on this presentation in Google Drive, so the students can collaborate on this task.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Pattern Problem Solving

Hello,

This morning we continued to work on developing our understanding of patterns. We answered a variety of questions on the white boards, reviewing concepts we have examined throughout the unit.

Then, in pairs, we solved the following problems in our Math Enquiry books:

Mr. Skinner is buying bags of marshmallows at the Super Store. For every 3 bags he buys, he gets 1 for free. How many bags will he need to buy to get 4 free bags?

Calya walked her dog every third day in October. She started this job on October 5th. On which days of the month did she walk her dog? How many total days did she walk her dog?

In Language, we discussed how we could improve Level 3 writing to Level 4 writing, using the examples we looked at yesterday, that compared winter and summer. Then we discussed how we could use Bump It Up Walls to improve the quality of our writing. Next, we examined the multiple choice questions for the "Underwater Apartment" reading selection that the students read last week. Tomorrow, we will discuss the short answer questions they completed for this selection.

In the afternoon, we had outdoor gym, where the students had a choice to play running games or work on their gross motor skills on the play structure.

Finally, we went to the learning commons to read and to exchange our books.

The proofs for the school photos will be coming home today with the students. The order forms need to be returned by November 9, 2015.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Comparing seasons

Hello,

This morning we started the day by talking about our Halloween weekends. The students had some interesting and scary stories to share.

Next, worked in pairs to solve the following problem:

Jackson wants to collect more Pokemon cards. He already has 34 cards and he buys six more each week. How many weeks does it take Jackson to collect a total of 88 cards? Please show your work.

Once we discussed and solved the problem. The students completed a worksheet that involved making patterns with squares. Any student who did not finish the double-sided sheet should complete it for homework.

In Language, we began to examine persuasive writing techniques. We talked about how the writer needs to include an introduction, three main points, with reasons or examples, and a conclusion.

Today, we wrote about whether we prefer summer or winter. Once the students completed the task, they were shown some examples I created with a group of Grade 3 teachers. The students were asked to identify the leveled work, from level 1 to level 4. Ask your child to identify the correct level and explain the reasons why.

LEVEL -

I prefer winter to summer because it is more fun. First, I live close to a community centre and I can play hockey on the outdoor rink everyday during the winter. Second, I go skiing with my family each weekend during the winter and we get great exercise on the hill. Lastly, you can get hurt during the summer from sunburns and bug bites. I prefer winter.

LEVEL -

I prefer summer because there’s more fun things to do and you won’t get cold. If you stay out in the cold too long you might get frostbite and get hurt, so winter is no fun.

LEVEL -

I prefer summer because I don’t like the cold.

LEVEL -

I prefer winter because it brings our community together. In Ottawa, we can meet up with our friends and get exercise skating on the Rideau Canal. We can even take a break from skating to share a delicious Beaver Tail as a snack. Another winter activity that brings us together is cheering on the Ottawa Senators. Each winter, we can go to the Canadian Tire Centre to cheer on our hockey heroes. Finally, we can enjoy  the beauty of nature together, by going on nature walks, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. With so many fun things to do in winter, it’s easy to see why we prefer the chilly days to the summer’s heat in Ottawa.

In the afternoon, we continued to work on our paper pillars for our construction projects. Then we talked about All Saints Day and explored information about some of the saints we know. Finally, in Art, we finished up our work on our Remembrance Day pieces.

Don't forget to bring in your popcorn orders.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner