As I unloaded all of your lovely and thoughtful gifts at home this evening (don’t worry, I got a drive! :), I reflected on how kind and generous you had all been.
This has truly been, as I said this morning, a wonderfully warm welcome to a fantastic community. My thanks go out to you, the parents, to your exceptionally warm, playful and supportive children and, for the organizational efforts today and throughout the year to Catharina and Kathryn. Thank you.
This afternoon we celebrated the publication of our personal narrative stories. These have been a remarkable process of collecting and developing ideas, drafting, revising and editing and each story has been a real journey of growth. We shared our stories, offered each other compliments and enjoyed some (deliciously alcohol-free) celebratory bubbly.
Enjoy the photos:
These stories will come home, along with a recent math assessment, in January for you to share, comment upon and return.
In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and a very happy new year.
We were sorry to learn some time ago that Junwon would be leaving us at ZIS this December.
Many thanks to Catharina for organizing a lovely goodbye gift. We sat before lunch yesterday, took time to share with Junwon all the things we loved and valued about him, and he unwrapped his gift.
What a busy first half of the year it has been! I have felt privileged to watch your children learn and grow over the past months and I greatly look forward to the new semester and to seeing them journey towards becoming sixth graders.
The last two weeks have seen us continue to work with decimals, write personal narratives and put together our PSA films on Digital Citizenship. Busy, fun times!
I wanted to share a few of thoughts with you before the break:
Reports: You will soon be able to access your child’s report card online. For those of you that were at ZIS last year, you will notice some changes in the reporting system. For Literacy and Math there are a greater number of indicators which aim to give you a more detailed picture of how your child is progressing. Students are placed on each indicator according to whether they are ‘exceeding’, ‘secure’, ‘developing’ or ‘beginning’ their skill or understanding in a certain area. Do be sure to read the explanation for each of these descriptors, included at the top of report card. I felt it worth noting that descriptors are given based on expectations for this point in the school yearand that it is possible that your child may have a mix of descriptors within a subject area. As learners, we all have strengths and goal areas within a certain subject or discipline, so this is no cause for concern and helps me and your child to finely tune our work together for next semester.
Genius Hour: After the break, we’ll start our second round of Genius Hour projects, however if your child is already excited about starting his/her exploration of a particular subject then this is absolutely fine. I look forward to inviting you in to see our sharing at the end of this round and will let you know the date soon!
Holidays: Your child’s priority for the upcoming break is to rest, spend time with family and to play and have fun. However, I would like to give a little reminder that everyone should be reading, reading, reading! I’ll be asking students to share what they have read when they return from the break, so it would be worth keeping track please.
Maths: This week we are our math assessment on addition and subtraction of decimals and it will be sent home in the first week after the break. We are still waiting for several students to return the Volume assessment which they took home some time ago.
Finally, I want to thank you for all your support and to wish you a restful winter break surrounded by friends and family. May it be a happy and peaceful time.
Last week 5R spent some time learning about some environmental aspects of our global food systems, in particular, we explored the idea of a carbon footprint, and food miles. This led to a discussion of how we could reduce the carbon footprint of our food, and one suggestion was to eliminate the transportation carbon by purchasing it locally.
So, on Friday we walked over to a local farm that we knew had a little vegetable stall. On the way we had a look at the llamas and geese that they farmed, as well as the greenhouses and irrigation systems. At the food stall, each student chose an ingredient, we added all the decimal prices and made our purchases.
Returning to school on Friday, we didn’t have enough time to cook, but we did make and share a big salad. This morning, we booked the kitchen and put together a huge vegetable soup, as well as some delicious roasted pumpkin and squash! Yum!
What else can we do to reduce the carbon footprint of our food?
Below is a message from Clement about a great opportunity to take part in an art project by a famous artist called Red. Here is a link to her portfolio for information:
“My artist friend Red Hong Yi has asked if some of you would like to be part of her latest project.
The project is about asking people what their most meaningful object is and why…
If you would like to participate, you need to get your photo taken at home with your special item. Then email the photo to me along with your story about why that object is so meaningful. I am collecting as many as possible before I send them to Red this Saturday (tomorrow!). Don’t email your teacher. Email me directly. The email address you will need to use is:
Just a quick post to say that, late in the coming week, winter is forecast to arrive.
Therefore students must please bring:
Indoor shoes (can be the same as indoor PE shoes),
Snow gear – no snow play is allowed without snow pants, jackets and gloves.
I’m happy for all these things to be left at school.
Thanks!
Today I asked the class: “If you could learn about one thing (a skill, subject or passion), for three weeks, what would it be?
Students began brainstorming lists, and then we got into the thick of it. I showed them the following video and asked “What stands out to you in this video? What ideas or sentences seem important, meaningful or challenging to you?”
Students had a lot to share. They noted the ideas that we all start with nothing, even Einstein had to learn to count, and Shakespeare needed to learn his ABCs, just like the rest of us. They appreciated the ideas that failure is just another word for growing and most importantly, that we can all learn anything.
And then I gave them a quick 15-minute inquiry challenge. The task? Answer the question: “What is Genius Hour?”
Students got into it, finding websites, watching videos and making notes.
After, during our report back students shared their summaries, as well as some of the resources they’d found. Among the videos shared was this one:
And we produced this chart:
Students asked…. Are we really going to do this? The answer is yes. Over the next month, 5R will get our first taste of Genius Hour, sometimes referred to at ZIS at iTime. This will be a combination of in-school work, every Tuesday, for one hour starting next week, and work at home.
Here is how it will work:
You will have three choices:
Spend this time on your NaNoWriMo writing
Create your own fiction story by following the writing process in your writing workshop notebook (this does not have to have a particular word count!)
Research/Explore a topic that you are really interested in and want to know more about.
For all three of these choices, you will have to:
Share your progress once a week on your blog. This may be a written reflection, a movie, an infographic, an interview…think creatively, think out of the box!
Share what you have done with your class at the end of three weeks. This may be in the form of a small presentation with models and artifacts to share, or an author reading of a story. Perhaps it’ll be a poster showing your writing process or a video demonstrating how your soccer skills have improved.
How will you get started?
During this week, you will have the chance to meet with your homeroom teacher to plan out your project as if it were a mini unit of inquiry. You may even wish to collaborate with a partner for this project. Together we will identify a central idea, transdisciplinary skills to be developed throughout the project and a timeline to help you keep on track.
As this form of home learning varies somewhat from what you might have done before, here are some guidelines for the process and answers to questions you may already have.
Our first project will last just 3 weeks to give you a taste of the overall process (starting next week). As we move through the year, the timeframe will be lengthened to mirror more closely the Exhibition process.
Week 1: (November 16-20) This is a research week. Having chosen your subject (e.g. soccer, origami, fashion, painting, baking), you may wish to research something of the background or history of your subject area (e.g. how ladies’ fashions or make-up techniques have changed over the last 100 years, the history of origami, the life of a famous artist). Alternatively, you may wish to research material to support your personal inquiry in week 2 (e.g. 3 different recipes for baking chocolate brownies from 3 different chefs, the skills do you need to be a successful goalie). Don’t forget to look for primary sources (people in your family, people in your community) who might be able to help you with your research. You will be asked to post some evidence of your learning on your blog.
Week 2: (November 23-27) This week, you will be investigating, creating and planning your sharing. You might be baking cakes and bringing them in for taste tests, trying out basketball techniques, making different origami creations or painting in the style of a famous artist. Experimenting, investigating, taking photos, making notes and creating videos to post on your blog are all in order!
Week 3: (November 30-December 4) In this final week, you will share and reflect on your project, share your experiences with the rest of the class and post a final reflection on your blog. The following questions will give an idea of what this reflection might look like: What progress did you make towards your transdisciplinary skills? Did you manage your time independently at home, or did you need reminders? How successfully did you collaborate with your partner? What aspect of the process did you find challenging and how did you overcome these difficulties? What was the most exciting part of your experience?
What kinds of things should you post on your blog?
You may have your own great ideas, but here are some suggestions:
Reflections and wonderings – like you would in a journal.
“I tried my dad’s favourite chocolate cake recipe today. Unfortunately, I misread the instructions and left it in the oven way too long! Result: hard, burnt cake. I’m going to try again tomorrow and this time I’ll set the oven timer. Here’s the recipe. Give it a try and tell me how it works out for you!”
Links to websites, or blogs of others who share your passion. Browse these carefully to be sure they are relevant, accurate, trustworthy and interesting.
Movies – the best are those you make yourself! “How to” movies, or documentaries of your progress are possibilities. But… be creative!
Photos – again those taken yourself (or of you!) are the best. Anything else has to be cited and have a Creative Commons license. Your teachers will review this with you.
Further posts will be made on the Grade 5 blog to ensure that you know exactly what is required and when.
Students can expect 1 hour per week of school time for these efforts, every Tuesday. All additional time will be spent at home.
It’s going to be awesome, so connect with your passion and let ‘er rip!
Since the beginning of the school year, students have been asking about the possibility of bringing their iPad home at times. With ongoing projects such as the Nanowrimo writing project, the time has come to take a more serious look at this option. It is the view of the Grade 5 team that there are situations where it makes sense for students to be able to take their iPad home. To be able to do this successfully, however, there are several factors that must be agreed to.
You, the student’s family, must agree to your child and yourselves taking responsibility for the iPad. If you or your child are not comfortable taking full responsibility for this, please inform me as soon as possible and it will not go home.
This is a question of responsibility. Responsibilities are good things, but they must be earned. If a student isn’t yet consistently demonstrating their ability to take responsibility for their belongings, their work, and classroom materials, they will be judged not yet ready to take responsibility for their iPad.
ZIS iPads are intended for learning-related work. Taking them home should always be for purposes of using them for a specific, agreed task. They are not intended for general entertainment.
ZIS iPads will only go home when the student and teacher have explicitly agreed that they are to go home on that specific day. There will be no pattern of iPads going home every day. The default, if there is any question, is that they do not go home on that day.
Please return the iPads to school with at least 20% charge on the following school day, so that they can be used right away.
iPads must always return to school on the following school day.
This week our Writer’s Workshop has gotten off to a flying start. We’re three sessions in and students have been experimenting with ways to generate ideas for personal narrative writing, as well as ways to improve the quality of this writing. Additionally, we’ve been working to improve our stamina and volume in writing.
Students have begun the early steps of collaborating with a writing buddy, and have put some time into the design of their writing notebooks, turning them into objects of inspiration as explored in this presentation:
Now, our challenge is to begin really living as writers. This means “seeing potential for stories everywhere and giving yourself eyes to find them!”*
Students have been asked to notice details, whenever, wherever. To make note of interesting characters, settings, views, moments and more. To scribble them down on notes, napkins or whatever’s at hand, and to bring these beautiful bits in to school to add to their writer’s notebooks. These then can be used to add detail, depth and truth to their narratives. Please support your child in this. You can do this by calling attention to these things yourself, maybe even scribbling down some of your own! You may even want to start your own notebook 🙂 ! So much of quality writing is about bringing significance to small things.
This habit should begin now, and should last through the year. Students are so excited by this new direction in our writing. I’ve had students cheer that we have writing time, and another say that he’s “never before, in my life, written for pleasure.” Your support can extend this enthusiasm beyond the school day and deeper into your child’s life. Thanks for your help!
*Lucy Caulkins & Alexandra Marron, Narrative Craft, Heinemann, 2013.
October 24 was UN day. It also marked the 70th anniversary of the global organization. We’ll be celebrating this event school-wide through an assembly at the end of the day on Friday, and many of us will dress to represent the parts of the world that have contributed to who we are (I’m trying to concoct a Canadian/Japanese/Global mash-up!).
As we celebrate the aspirational qualities of the UN, we thought it would be nice to also learn a little about where it came from, and why. This video provides a nice introduction, through the lens of the long and ongoing fight for global human rights.
