To do...Oct. 31

1. Math Checkpoint tomorrow
2. Blogpost due on Monday, November 4
3. Rubrics returned (Math test, blogpost etc.)
4. Enjoy your Halloween night!

Haunted House - descriptive writing

To do...Oct. 30

1. Math test and blogpost rubrics signed
2. Halloween Hop $ due tomorrow
3. Next blogpost due Monday, November 4
4. Picture Orders - due November 7 (photo retake day is November 21)

Our class will be dancing in the afternoon tomorrow. The tradition in the older grades is that costumes are only to be worn from lunch on. Regular classes will take place until lunch.

Art on the iPad

Last week, we had a great class discussion about graffiti and art. I was impressed with the quality of ideas expressed by everyone. It was argued that passion and creativity were key ingredients to make ART (even I could create art with these ingredients my students claim). A day hasn't gone by without me being surprised or impressed with the ideas and thoughts expressed by this group of grade sixes.

Is this the future of art?

Art Hockney get creative on an iPad

Descriptive Writing - Picture Prompt

Writing Contest

Thank you to K.M.'s mother for sending me this link to a great contest:

http://meaningofhome.ca/

It ties in very nicely to the article we read, "No Home." After our presentations on "important items," we realized there was a great theme about the importance of family and friends running through all the selections. The contest is affiliated with a great organization called Habitat for Humanity. Check it out.

To do...Oct. 28

1. Science test - Wed.
2. French - read Halloween story & test (Wed.)
3. Social Studies due tomorrow
4. Old magazines?

Art Assignment

Your assignment this week is to create an original monster. Here is some inspiration:

Blog-post

Complete a blog-post, responding to the prompt below. It is up to you how you will make your post stand out from everyone else. Due Monday, November 4.

New Technology Helps Communicate

Being the proud uncle that I am, here is a link about my niece Abby. She was on CTV news over the weekend:

New technology helps people with Rett Syndrome communicate

To do...Oct. 25

1. French - Quiz on Wed.
2. French - Learn scene 3 for Friday
3. Science - test (Wed.)
4. Science - find a topic for Science poster (Canadian person, event or flying craft)
5. Math - worksheet 1.1 (#1,2 and 1)
6. Literacy - dialogue for "Calvin and Hobbes"
7. Art - due Monday

Science Test - next Wednesday

What do you need know?

• 4 forces or principles of flight; and explain how they work
• explain how the shape of a wing helps a plane fly
• Bernoulli's Principle (examples)
• characteristics of birds that help them fly
• experiments (what did they prove?)
• properties of air (including heated air)
• planes vs. helicopters

To do...Oct. 24

1. Art - pastel design (due Monday)
2. Bring in any old magazines for Art
3. Scholastic due tomorrow
4. Science questions - helicopter (due tomorrow)
5. Social Studies - drawing & paragraph (due Tuesday) - show what you've learned

"Mathletics"

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) – York Chapter is hosting their annual “Mathletics” competition for all York Region elementary students in grades 5 through 8.  The event will take place on Saturday November 16^th 2013 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Sir William Mulock Secondary School in Newmarket. 

If anyone is interested in this event, let me know I can give you more information.

Using dialogue

To do...Oct. 21

1. Math test tomorrow
2. Blogpost due tomorrow - be prepared to present (talk about your items)
3. Science - questions "What did You Learn?" p. 245 #1-4
4. French test signed

Science Questions due on Friday

To do...Oct. 18

1. Math test - Tues. and Wed. (review p. 76 #6-9, 11-16, factor trees)
2. Blogpost due Tues. - remember you are presenting to the class
3. Bring in any old magazines for ART

To do...Oct. 17

1. See note about Math test below
2. Math homework: textbook p. 70 #1 a-c, 4
3. Don't forget about the Blogpost due Tuesday!
4. French Test
5. If anyone has old magazines please send them into class. We need them for a future Art assignment.

Math Test

Part A: Knowledge - Tuesday, October 22

Part B: Thinking, Communication, Application- Wednesday, October 23

• Multiples (LCM)
• Factors (Common, GCF)
• Prime/Composite (Product of prime factors)
• Order of Operations
• Adding/Subtracting/Multiplying/Dividing

We will be reviewing Friday & Monday

Malala Yousafzai

This teenage girl is one of my heroes right now. She may win the Nobel Peace Prize. What questions do you have when you hear some of her story?

To do...Oct. 16

1. 3 rubrics signed (oral recount, reading history blogpost, recount)
2. Weekly blogpost - don't leave it until the last day!
3. Thanksgiving Food Drive is still going on
4. French test on Friday and read Scene 1 of play

Mr. Congram's Important Items

You may have a noticed an orange chair sitting by the window in my room. I've been surprised that no one has asked me about it. It is a chair that has many teaching memories for me. When I began teaching, fifteen years ago, my parents were getting rid of this chair that had belonged to my grandmother. I had many fond memories of my grandmother from when I was very young, plus she had been a school teacher when my mom was younger. 

As I set up my first classroom the chair seemed destined to be a part of the space. When I taught grade 3 it was the reading chair and when I've taught grade 8s it has been the hang out chair. I think of many different people when I see it. When you sit in it be careful, it is getting old!

 When I went off to university for my first year, this card arrived in the mail. It was a note from my dad. I won't give you all the details of what it says, but in it, my dad told me how proud he was of me and how much he loved being my dad. I kept the note and I would pull it out and read it when I needed a boost. Last year, when my dad was visiting me, he handed me the letter I had sent him in response to his note. Both of us had saved the notes for over twenty years. It reminds me of how lucky I am! 

This is my wedding ring. If I didn't include this one I would be in trouble. It is a reminder of a promise I've made. It reminds me that I am very lucky to have my wife in my life. Sometimes I think about my wedding day and what an amazing day it was. I still remember when my wife put it on my finger and gave it a little tap. 

Paperman

To do...Oct. 15

1. Math homework - text p. 66 #3, 5, 9, 10
2. Blogpost - start your assignment (choose items & take photos) - due Oct. 22
3. Add your Bitstrips to your blog
4. Finish your writing - Down the Stairs

TOMORROW is Picture Day.

Weekly - due October 22

Learning Goal:  To present 3 to 5 important personal items, orally, visually and in written form.

Success Criteria:

• Organized
• Represent at least 3-5 important items that you own
• It’s clear you put some thought into your item selection
• Post pictures with descriptions on why the objects are important to you

  These are couple of my items; more information to follow!

Math Problem

To improve his fitness, Mr. Congram climbed 16 flights of steps in a local building. Each flight has 11 steps. The height of each step is 18 cm. Calculate the number of centimetres he climbed to reach the top of the stairs. 

• Did he climb more than 30 m? Explain how you know. 
• Explain how you know that each calculation is reasonable. 

Apple Store visit!

On November 22, we are taking a trip to the Apple store in the Upper Canada Mall to create a project (more information to follow). As part of the trip, you will be receiving a free t-shirt! Please fill in the form below:

Writing task

Complete the following task, using either Google Docs or paper and pencil:

To do...Oct. 10

1. Math textbook - p. 66 #6 a-d, 12 (if you didn't finish in class)
2. French - reminder to read Scene 1 and 2
3. Social Studies - Question from "Impact of Fur Trade"

Where have you been? Where do you want to go?

Our Class Map

Multiple Intelligences

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Anyone know this story?

Multiplication

Discuss why this person colour coded this question. Use math vocabulary.

To do...Oct. 9

1. Math - worksheet "Adding and Subtracting Problems"
2. French - read Scene 1 and 2 from play

To do...Oct. 8

1. Math textbook: p. 63 #7, 8 & 10
2. Social Studies: Impact of Fur Trade (Question due Tues. October 15)
3. Literacy: Asking Questions charts (3) - no more class time

The "E" word

To do...October 7

1. Math - checkpoint (Order of Operations) signed
2. Math homework - worksheet #1a, c, 2 a, c, 3 and 4 (also Order of Operations if needed)

Learning Goals - Oct. 7

To do...October 4

1. Blogpost due Monday
2. Science - paper airplane contest (who will fly the farthest?)
3. Art - portfolio due Monday

To do...October 3

1. Math checkpoint tomorrow (order of operations)
2. Math - Order of Operations worksheet (if you need practice)
3. "History of Reading" blogpost due Monday
4. Recount - fluent reading (ready for Monday
5. Spirit Assembly - wear your colour!

Little Bits

I have a starter kit of Little Bits. If anyone creates a plan for a design and wants to try it out this year, let me know. Check out the site for ideas: Littlebits

Learning Goals - Sept. 30

To do...Oct. 3

1. Math textbook - p. 56 #1 a-f & 7
2. Art - portfolio due Monday
3. DRA survey 

To do...Oct. 1

1. Recounts - practise fluent reading (ready to present Monday)
2. Math - order of operations questions
3. Math - checkpoint #2 signed
4. Kidblog - you should be able to change your blog theme if you want