WEEKLY UPDATES
The Weekly Updates page is where students and families can find a summary of what is happening in our classroom each week. It will include information about what we are learning, important reminders, upcoming assignments, due dates, special activities, and school events.
This page will help families stay informed about classroom routines, current units, projects, assessments, and anything students may need to bring or complete. It may also include suggestions for conversations or simple activities that families can use to support learning at home.
Please check the Weekly Updates page regularly, as new information will be added throughout the school year. My hope is every Friday.
Week of September 14th-18th
Our class is settling into routines really well, and we have such a great group of students!
In Math, we have been reviewing some concepts from last year and are now beginning a small project exploring how math is all around us in everyday life. Students will be looking at the many ways we use and see math without always realizing it. Next week, students will complete the SNACC assessment, and then we will move into our first new Math unit.
In Science, we conducted an experiment using nutrient agar petri dishes. Students were excited to swab different surfaces around the school, classroom, and playground to investigate which areas may have the most bacterial growth. They are very excited to observe the results and find out which surfaces are the “dirtiest”! We have also been working on a variety of STEM challenges that encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.
We have also started our Paper Bag Project. Each student will choose three items that are important to them, place them in a decorated paper bag, and present them to the class. This is a fun way for us to continue getting to know one another and learn more about what is important to each person.
Next week, we will begin settling into more of our regular classroom routine and diving further into all of our core subjects. It has been an absolute great start to Grade 6!
Week of September 28th - October 28th
In Math, students completed the SNACC (Student Numeracy Assessment of Critical Concepts), which will help guide our instruction and identify areas where we may need some extra practice throughout the year. On Tuesday, we began learning about divisibility rules as we move into our first new Math unit. Students are also continuing to work on their Math in the Real World project as part of our morning start.
In Science, we wrapped up our nutrient agar petri dish experiment and discussed our observations and results. We have now started learning about the scientific process and the different types of variables in an experiment. At the beginning of next week, students will put this learning into action with another hands-on lab where they will be making and testing something they made. I won’t give away exactly what they will be making just yet!
In Language Arts, students have been learning about writer’s craft and the elements of short stories through engaging Pixar short films. So far we have covered elements such as character, setting and plot, and discussed how the filmmakers used these elements to effectively tell a story.
In Social Studies, students have been learning about what Social Studies is, including the Five Themes and the different types of social scientists. We are also learning how to think like a social scientist where students have been solving short mysteries while practicing how to identify perspective, fact versus opinion, reliable sources, bias, and primary and secondary sources. These are important skills that we will continue to use during our weekly discussions about current events and throughout the year.
Next week, we will begin exploring world geography with map foundations and tools. Students will take some of this learning outdoors, where we will practice orienteering in the forest using compasses and maps.
In Careers, we have begun learning about who we are as learners, goal setting, and thinking about the goals students would like to work toward this year.
In Art, students are exploring patterns, repetition, primary colours, and thick lines. They are using permanent black markers and acrylic paints on acetate paper to create artwork that will have a beautiful stained-glass effect when it is finished.
Week of October 5th - 9th
This Week in Our Classroom!
On Thursday, we were set up in the multi-purpose room for the day as our classroom was getting some white board upgrades. We did spend a third of the day in the forest as it was hard to work in tables of 6 in a room full of instruments.
Assignment Tracker - Starting next week, please take a look inside your child’s agenda, where you will find a new assignment tracker sheet stapled in. As assignments are given, students will record them on their tracker and check them off once they have been handed in. This will help students develop their organization, independence, and responsibility while also making it easier for families to see what assignments their child is working on and whether they have been completed. Click here for a copy.
In Math, students continued learning and applying divisibility rules through a variety of activities and worksheets designed to meet them at their learning levels, with additional challenges for students ready to extend their thinking. We have also been using vertical non-permanent surfaces (whiteboards around the classroom), inspired by Peter Liljedahl's Building Thinking Classrooms approach. Students work collaboratively in small groups to solve problems, share strategies, and explain their thinking. It has been a great way to encourage mathematical discussions, teamwork, and problem-solving! We are now moving into factors, factor pairs, and prime and composite numbers.
In Science, we finished learning about the scientific method and independent and dependent variables. Click here for the guided notes pages of the scientific method and variables. Students put their understanding to the test by watching short MythBusters clips and identifying the variables in each experiment.
We also headed outdoors for a fun cross-curricular Science and Math investigation! I wanted students to have a hands-on opportunity to explore area, sampling, and averages in a real-world setting. Students collected data by counting objects (many chose pinecones!) in three sample plots to investigate how scientists use sampling and averages to estimate quantities across much larger areas.
What started as a fairly simple investigation turned into some great mathematical discoveries! We quickly realized that our forest was roughly triangular rather than square or rectangular, which made calculating its area a little more challenging. We ended up using Google Maps to outline the forest and estimate its area. Along the way, students discovered how the area of a triangle relates to half the area of a rectangle with the same base and height.
Our forest is approximately 10,524 square metres, and based on our samples, we estimated that there could be around 1.2 million pinecones in the forest! Of course, this is only an estimate, which led to some great discussions about the accuracy of sampling and why scientists collect multiple samples.
We had hoped to beat the rain, but unfortunately, it caught up with us! For some students, pacing through the wet forest to measure distances turned out to be a memorable way to reinforce the difference between area and perimeter, two concepts that can sometimes get mixed up. Sometimes the unexpected parts of a lesson lead to the best learning!
On Tuesday, we will begin our next hands-on science lab! Students will be making three different bouncy balls using different ingredient measurements, testing their bounce heights, calculating averages, and determining which recipe produces the best bounce.
In Social Studies, we wrapped up our work on thinking like social scientists, including identifying bias, different perspectives, facts versus opinions, and primary and secondary sources. We are now moving into geography, beginning with maps, mapping tools, and globes. After learning some foundational concepts, students will create papier-mâché globes to explore the continents and better understand how their sizes and shapes can appear different on flat maps compared to a globe. Toward the end of the month, we will take our geography skills outdoors and practice orienteering in the forest using maps and compasses!
In Language Arts, we took a short break from our story elements and writer's craft unit to focus on personal narratives in preparation for our school-wide write. Students explored the prompt "A Day Made Just for Me" and imagined what their perfect day would look like if there were no rules or limits! We worked on organizing our ideas, using transition words, and adding supporting details to bring our writing to life.
Students completed their school-wide write today, and those who were away will have an opportunity to complete theirs next week. We will then return to our story elements and writer's craft unit, where students will begin planning and writing their own stories, applying the techniques we have been learning.
Today, we started Little Buddies with Ms. Haugland’s class! We headed into the forest together to collect natural materials such as leaves, sticks, pinecones, and other interesting treasures. Next week, students will use their collections to create a Nature Monster and then bring their creature to life by creating a comic about them! This will be a fun way to combine creativity, storytelling, and outdoor learning while giving our older students an opportunity to build connections with their younger buddies. We are excited to see what they come up with!