June 21 - June 25 

Mark Your Calendars: 

June 2021

• June 26 - Report Cards available for viewing on PowerSchool
• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day by Appointment

Student highlights of the week: 

“On Monday, in Social, we finished our Consensus decision making, we decided to have a movie afternoon and wear PJs and bring snacks!” (On Monday, June 28)    

“On Thursday, we were able to have Grade 3’s ducks visit our classroom!” 

“On Tuesday and Wednesday, we made tiny houses to show our understanding of Area and Perimeter.” 

“On Wednesday, in Science we did chromatography, it is used in investigations to find out the types of ink used.” 

“We got to do something called Trail Tales out in the gulley, where we read a book page by page by following a trail.” 

“In ELA we did a reflection on a book we read called The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse.” 

“In Gym, we played a whole class basketball game!” 

“We had our Grade 6 Celebration on Friday and everyone dressed up and there was a surprise…”   

Learning Intentions: 

ELA 

I can write a friendly letter

I can reflect on my life experiences and make connections to them in my writing

This week in ELA, we wrapped up our year reading a book titled, “The Boy, the Mole, The Fox, and The Horse,” which is chock-full of metaphors and life lessons. Off the back of those life lessons, students wrote a letter to their future selves, which will be emailed to them this time next year. EMJ also had the opportunity to participate in a Trail Tales experience, in which they got to read the story and experience land-based learning. This has been a continuation of our conversations surrounding Truth and Reconciliation. Students were able to draw on personal memories of Alberta, their Home, to make connections to the story. 

MATH 

I can develop and apply a formula for determining the:

• perimeter of polygons

• area of rectangles

This week, students completed their unit on measurement, first by learning how to calculate volume. Later in the week, students designed a house on grid paper in which they had to calculate the area and perimeter of each item in their design. 

SCIENCE 

I can analyze ink using chromatography.

In science this week, students continued with their work on fingerprint identification. Later in the week, we completed a chromatography lab in which students separated a variety of black markers using coffee filters to identify which marker had been used. 

SOCIAL 

I can discuss and identify to what extent the decision-making process within the Iroquois Confederacy reflects democratic ideals of equity and fairness

 

In Social, students completed their consensus decision-making and reflected on the ideals of fairness and equity in the Iroquois confederacy. Students were tasked to decide how to spend their last full day of Grade 6 and had to reach a decision in which everyone agreed upon.

June 14 - June 18

Mark Your Calendars: 

June 2021

• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day
• June 21 - 25 Aboriginal Awareness Week in Calgary
• June 26 - Report Cards available for viewing on PowerSchool
• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week in ELA, students will be wrapping up the year with a book titled, “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse,” by Charlie Mackey, as a way to reflect on the past year and think about the near future of Junior High! In Math, students will be completing an area and perimeter project in which they will create a tiny house and have to provide the area and perimeter of each item. In Social, we will complete our consensus and students will have the opportunity to reflect on their experience and fairness and equity in the Iroquois Confederacy. In Science, students will complete their learning about fingerprints and learn about chromatography and how soil and fabric samples can be used as evidence.

June 7 - June 11 

Mark Your Calendars: 

June 2021

• June 14 - All library books due back
• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day
• June 21 - 25 Aboriginal Awareness Week in Calgary
• June 26 - Report Cards available for viewing on PowerSchool
• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week, we will be connecting with Indigenous Month through song with a close study of a “Song of the Week.” In Math, we will begin our last unit on Area and Perimeter, student will use their understanding to create their own “Tiny House.” In Science, we will continue our unit on Evidence and Investigation by studying footprints and fingerprints. And lastly, in Social, we will be having our own class consensus decision-making to connect with our unit on the Iroquois Confederacy. A reminder to families, Monday will be our first lesson on Human Sexuality, we will begin with a short review of the Grade 4 and 5 curriculum. Please refer to the outline that was sent by email last week.

May 31 - June 4 

Mark Your Calendars: 

June 2021

• June 11 - Year End Slide deadline (on Google Classroom!) 
• June 14 - All library books due back
• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day
• June 21 - 25 Aboriginal Awareness Week in Calgary
• June 26 - Report Cards available for viewing on PowerSchool
• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day by Appointment

Student highlights of the week: 

“We watched Disney’s Hercules and compared it to the original myth” 

“We made parachutes, we used our understanding of Air and Aerodynamics and gravity and drag to make them”  

“We got to test run our parachutes on Frid-egg (Friday!)”

“We had our Air and Aerodynamics unit test” 

“We watched a video about Hercules and read the original myth of Hercules, we created a diagram to plot out both of them.” 

“One of the differences was, in Disney, Hercules was not assigned tasks from Kind Eurystheus” 

“Hercules had the same amount of tasks and it was the same creatures in both the myth and Disney’s version” 

“In Math, we played Tetris and it was awesome! We played because it was a connection to Transformational geometry. Then we used Tetris to show our understanding of translations, reflections, and rotations of shapes.”

“We learned about the sum of interior angles of Quadrilaterals in Math earlier in the week, then we took a test on angles and triangles and we got to do it outside” 

“In Social, we discussed the Iroquois confederation and the Great Law of Peace and Peace Treaty.”

“We learned about the Wampum belt, they are made out of clamshells trimmed into beads. The Wampum belt is very important to the Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) people”  

   

Learning Intentions:

ELA: 

I can discuss the filmmakers' intention and purpose

I can comment on the credibility of characters and events in various forms of media

I can discuss the differences between print and other media versions of the same text

I can sequence elements of the plot through the creation of a plot diagram.

I can analyze how audience and purpose drive media decisions.

I can evaluate changes across media by writing a summary and critique. 

This week, we completed our unit on myths and legends with a close study of the myth of Hercules. We started our week reviewing the oral beginnings of myth by completing a class read aloud about the myth. Students reviewed a version of the original myth and broke down the plot on a diagram. Later in the week, we watch Disney’s Hercules, and plotted the different events on the same diagram to compare the two stories. 

MATH: 

I can describe and analyze position and motion of objects and shapes

I can classify angles and estimate their measurements 

I can classify triangles based on their angles and sides 

I can demonstrate that the sum of interior angles in a quadrilateral is 360°

We started our week with a lesson on the measuring the interior angles of triangles and quadrilaterals to calculate their sum. Students took a short check-in Tuesday to complete our unit on angles and polygons. We revisited Transformations for the remainder of the week. We first worked on recognizing reflections and rotations, and then completed an assignment using Tetris pieces to show understanding of transformations. 

SCIENCE: 

I can design a parachute to demonstrate my understanding of terminal velocity 

Students spent the first part of the week completing their parachutes, which we attempted to try today, however the wind did not allow it! We also had a review day for the unit test, students completed a study guide and then tested their knowledge with a Kahoot before the unit test later in the week

SOCIAL: 

I can identify how the Wampum Belt address collective identity

I can explain how was the Iroquois Confederacy structured

I can identify the role and status of women within the Iroquois Confederacy 

In Social this week, we discussed the history of the  Haudenosaunee people’s Great Law of peace and importance of the Wampum belt to their culture and how it originated. Students created a visual journal page of jot notes which they will be able to use during the final unit test. 

Looking ahead: 

In ELA, students will be doing close reading annotations of articles about the Iroquois confederation, as well as focusing on completing our class read aloud with personal response writing. In Math, students will begin a new unit on Statistics and Probability. In Science, students will test out their parachutes (weather permitting!) and begin their last Science unit, Evidence and Investigation. And in Social, we will be learning about consensus in the Iroquois confederacy.

May 25 - May 28 

Mark Your Calendars: 

Wheel day at EMJ School: On Wednesday, June 2nd we will be hosting a ‘Wheel to school day’.  This day is to help promote active methods of transportation on the way to school.  Research shows that being active before school can stimulate student’s engagement in their learning.  Students can ride their bikes, scooters, skateboards to school.  We will be closing the gym for the day and students can safely store their ‘wheels’ there until the end of the day.  Please remember to wear your helmet!  We look forward to seeing you on your ‘wheels’ on June 2nd.

June 2021

• June 2 - Wheel to School Day
• June 14 - All library books due back
• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day
• June 21 - 25 Aboriginal Awareness Week in Calgary
• June 26 - Report Cards available for viewing on PowerSchool
• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week in ELA, students will be completing a short film study unit to end our theme of myths and legends. We will be comparing the film of a well-known myth with a variety of written versions. In Math, students will be ending their unit of angles and polygons by learning the sum of angles in a quadrilateral, and then completing a short lesson on transformations of shapes. In Science, we will be completing our unit with a parachute egg drop and then having our unit test on Wednesday. A review for the test has been posted on Google Classroom. And lastly, in Social, we will continue learning about the Iroquois confederacy, focusing this week on the different roles in their society. 

May 17 - May 20

May 10 - May 14 

May 3 - May 7

Hi families! Back to Online Learning for us! Room 16 will be keeping up with our student written blog as part of our collaborative writing and learning reflection aspect of ELA. 

April 27 - April 30 

Important Dates:

Hats On! for Mental Health Day

On the first Wednesday in May, Albertans are invited to wear a hat to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health. EMJ will relax our hat rules and encourage students and teachers to build understanding by wearing hats to school. Students will also participate in classroom discussions around understanding mental health and the importance of removing the stigma associated with mental illnesses.  

May 2021

• May 5 - Hats On! for Mental Health
• May 11 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• May 21 - No Classes - Teacher Professional Learning

June 2021

• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day - by Appointment

Student highlights of the week: 

“Today and Thursday we decided to annotate and write “I can” statements on our Wonderopolis articles before turning them in. It was time-consuming and not as fun as I thought it would be, but I learned a lot about myself as a writer and how to improve.” 

“In Science, we conducted an experiment: We used two ping pong balls, a leaf blower, and a giant inflatable softball. It was to test Bernoulli’s principle.” 

“The leaf blower was so strong it blew off a paper airplane that had been stuck on a light for months!” 

“In Math we mastered division with decimals including, with remainders! And we played Division War” 

“In Social, we completed unfinished projects and had a study session and Kahoot review for the test. The test is on Monday, May 3!” 

Learning Intentions: 

ELA: 

I can evaluate my writing with critical thinking skills

I can identify the skills and goals that i have set to achieve within my own writing

In ELA this week, students completed their Wonderopolis research projects. They spent the first part of the week ensuring that they had every part of the assignment completed, and the second part completing a self-assessment. Students annotated their own work to using success criteria to identify their strengths and areas for growth before turning in their completed work. 

MATH: 

I can demonstrate an understanding of the division of decimals (1-digit natural number divisors) using personal strategies.

In Math this week, students spent the week mastering division with decimals. Students practiced as a group, and independently. We ended our week by playing a game called “Division War” where students teamed up together to work through division problems.

SOCIAL:

Students were given the opportunity to tie up any loose ends from previous assignments, such as their Day in the Life of an Athenian, and Perspective writing about Fairness and Equity in Athenian democracy. Students also prepared for their upcoming unit test by completing a study guide and Kahoot review. The completed study guide can be found on Google Classroom, and we will be having our unit test on Monday, May 3.

SCIENCE:   

I can describe air movement across a surface. 

I can describe air movement across a surface results in lift (Bernoulli's principle). 

I can demonstrate how air movement across a surface results in lift.  

We had an exciting time in Science this week! After reviewing the four forces of flight and Bernoulli’s Principle, we conducted an experiment! We first used a hairdryer and ping pong balls to show how air pressure affects lift. Then we brought out a leaf blower and tried it on a large scale using a giant inflatable soccer ball! 

Looking Ahead:

This coming week, in ELA we will be sharing and reading our Wonderopolis articles together, and begin our next unit, focusing on oral narratives. In Math, we will wrap up our work with division and multiplication with decimals and begin identifying different types of angles and triangles. Students will also practice measuring angles using a protractor. In Science, we will be learning about the adaptations that allow birds and insects to fly. And in Social, we will be wrapping up Ancient Athens with a unit test.

April 19 - April 23

Mark Your Calendars: 

April 2021

• Apr. 26 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

May 2021

• May 11 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• May 21 - No Classes - Teacher Professional Learning

June 2021

• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day - by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

In ELA this week, students will be completing their Wonderopolis research assignment that we were near finishing before we went on Isolation. Students will be completing an in-depth self assessment using the rubric and success criteria prior to handing in their work to ensure they’ve completed everything. In Math, we will continue practicing with Division and Multiplication with Decimals. We will be finishing that this week and having our test for the unit on Thursday. In Social, we will be wrapping up our unit on Ancient Athens and having our unit test the following week before beginning our next unit studying the Iroquois Confederation.  

April 12 - April 16

Mark Your Calendars: 

April 2021

• Apr. 26 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

May 2021

• May 11 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• May 21 - No Classes - Teacher Professional Learning

June 2021

• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day - by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

We will still be doing online learning this week, scheduled to be back for April 22, as I am sure you are all aware! Our schedule for this week remains similar to that of last week, with two scheduled Meets per day. We will be working on a retelling of a Greek myth in ELA, with students choosing their own representations. In Math, we will be practicing division with decimals. In Social, students will be completing an assignment to demonstrate their understanding of fairness and equity in relation to Ancient Greek Democracy. And in Science, students will work on identifying the parts of an airplane and how they contribute to the four forces of flight. 

April 6 - April 9

Mark Your Calendars: 

April 2021

• Apr. 13 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Apr. 26 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

May 2021

• May 11 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• May 21 - No Classes - Teacher Professional Learning

June 2021

• June 29 - Early Dismissal at 12:15 pm - Last Day of Classes
• June 30 - Appeals Day - by Appointment

Looking Ahead: 

This week in ELA, we will wrap up our research unit with peer review, self-assessment, and finally viewing and celebrating one another’s hard work. In Math, we will begin dividing decimal numbers. Students will learn strategies to divide decimal numbers in the thousandths by a whole number. In Science, we will continue discussing the forces of aerodynamics and looking at Bernoulli's principle by conducting experiments. And in Social, students will have a short quiz on what they have learned so far and begin discussing fairness and equity in Ancient Greece. 

March 15 - March 19 

Mark your Calendars:

March 2021

• Mar. 29 to Apr. 2 - Spring Break - No Classes

April 2021

• Apr. 5 - Easter Monday - No School
• Apr. 6 - Classes Resume
• Apr. 13 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Apr. 26 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

Student highlights of the week: 

“This week in Social we start ancient Greece and ancient Athens, we are studying this because Ancient Greece was the birthplace of democracy!” 

“We started our Wonderopolis research, we are writing a research summary on anything we want!”  

“We worked on percentages in math and did real-world word problems with fractions and percents.” 

“The Premier and MLA met to talk about the first issue they wanted to tackle, which was the recess schedule.” 

“We started in air and aerodynamics in Science and learned that air is made of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, and other gasses and water vapor.” 

Learning intentions for this week: 

MATH: 

I can demonstrate my understanding of ratio and percent by solving real-life word problems 

I can demonstrate my understanding of percent and ratio pictorially and symbolically 

I can relate fractions, decimals, ratios and percent 

This week in Math, we practiced relating percentages to decimals, fractions, and decimals. They began by comparing with a base-hundred fraction and then began with more difficult fractions, needing to use their knowledge of the factors of 100 to solve. We ended our week with real-world word problems to solve for percent. 

ELA: 

I can locate and evaluate information from a variety of sources.  

I can quote and summarize information from multiple sources.

I can gather research from multiple sources to answer a research question.

Students completed generating their research questions and began gathering sources to include in their research assignment. We came up with success criteria as a class of criteria for their research question. Their research question needed to be specific, yet relatable and factual. They ended their week by forming jot notes to use in their summaries. 

SOCIAL:

I can reflect and evaluate my research and selection process in the EMJ election

I can reflect on my participation in our local City of Calgary election

I can share my understanding of the relationship between governments and citizens as they engage in the democratic process

I can describe what life was like in Ancient Athens

I can describe important landmarks in Ancient Athens and what they were used for

In the first part of the week, students reflected on their experiences in our election. Constituents reflected on how informing themselves on the candidates' campaigns helped to influence their vote, and Candidates reflected on their experience of running in an election. Later in the week, we began our unit on democracy in Ancient Athens! Students explored the different significant landmarks in Ancient Greece and what life would have been like.  

SCIENCE: 

I can provide evidence that air takes up space. 

I can provide evidence that air exerts pressure. 

I can give everyday examples of air taking up space/exerting pressure. 

In Science, we began our unit on Air and Aerodynamics by going over the characteristics of air. Students then generated their own definition of air.

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week in ELA we will begin writing our research summaries and students will begin forming their Wonderopolis articles in Google Slides. In Math, we will begin Order of Operations and using BEDMAS to solve number sentences with multiple number operations. In Social,  we will begin studying the citizen statuses in Ancient Greece, and lastly, in Science, we will be conducting experiments to prove how we know the air is real.

March 8 - March 12

Mark your Calendars:

March 2021

• Mar. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Mar. 11 and 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Mar. 11 - Early Dismissal - 12:15 pm - Conferences
• Mar. 12 - No School - Conferences
• Mar. 29 to Apr. 2 - Spring Break - No Classes

April 2021

• Apr. 5 - Easter Monday - No School
• Apr. 6 - Classes Resume
• Apr. 13 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Apr. 26 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week, we will continue our work with percentages in Math; we will be converting fractions with a variety of denominators to percents. In ELA, students will decide their research topic and begin gathering resources as step one of their research project. In Social, we will reflect on this week's election before moving on to democracy in Ancient Athens. And in Science, we will begin our Air and Aerodynamics unit by completing a KWL chart to add to throughout the unit. 

March 1 - March 5 

Mark your Calendars:

March 2021

• Mar. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Mar. 10 - EMJ Class Election
• Mar. 11 and 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Mar. 11 - Early Dismissal - 12:15 pm - Conferences
• Mar. 12 - No School - Conferences
• Mar. 29 to Apr. 2 - Spring Break - No Classes

April 2021

• Apr. 5 - Easter Monday - No School
• Apr. 6 - Classes Resume

Student highlights of the week: 

“I really enjoyed preparing for the election, which is on Wednesday.” 

“This week we completed our Sky Science Unit with a test and a Kahoot review.” 

“In Math, we learned how to simplify ratios, you need to find the greatest common factor to do this.” 

“The candidates made posters and videos, this was something I have never done before so for me, it was a lot of fun.” 

“On Friday, we were finally able to look at each candidate’s campaigns.”

“On Wednesday and Thursday, we wrote a summary about forest fires and how they can be beneficial or damaging to the forest ecosystems.” 

“In ELA, we summarized our jot notes and added in quotes from the article.” 

“We completed our Hockey unit this week... unfortunately.” 

“We learned how to play Gaga Ball.” 

Learning Intentions for this week: 

MATH 

I can identify ratio concretely, pictorially, and symbolically

I can create and identify equivalent and simplified ratios 

This week in Math, we spent a lot of time practicing and developing strategies to solve for simplified and equivalent ratios. Students sorted ratios, created pictorial ratios, and developed strategies to find the greatest common factor. We ended our week with a review of Multiples and Factors for our weekly check-in.  

ELA 

I can locate and evaluate information from a variety of sources.

I can quote and summarize information from multiple sources.

I can set and work towards personal learning goals.

This week, students completed a summary about forest fires. Students were required to make jot notes and pull quotes from two separate sources and use their notes to write their summary. This was our first attempt at embedding quotes into a research summary! Students also learned a method in Sourcing their information to credit the original source. 

Students also reflected on their learning and developed goals for themselves for reading, writing, and math, to focus on from now until the end of the year. 

SOCIAL 

What a busy week in Social! In preparation for our election this coming week, candidates spent the week developing their campaigns by interviewing their constituents and creating platform posters.  Students not running in the election spent their week researching our Premier and a chosen Mayoral or Councillor candidates in the upcoming municipal election.  On Friday, students were able to review the platforms of each candidate and develop their questions for Monday’s live discussion and debate. Exciting stuff! 

SCIENCE 

In Science this week, we wrapped up our Sky Science unit with a unit review and unit test. The results are posted in Google classroom!

Looking ahead to next week: 

In Math, we will begin learning about percentages. Students will need to connect their previous understandings of concepts such as fractions, decimals, and ratios to percentages.  In ELA, students will begin researching for their desired research question - more to come on this!  In Science, we will begin our next units of Air and Aerodynamics and Flight. And in Social, we will be having our live debate and election on Wednesday! 

February 22- February 26

Mark Your Calendars: 

March 2021

• Mar. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Mar 10 - Grade 6 Class Election
• Mar. 11 and 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Mar. 11 - Early Dismissal - 12:15 pm - Conferences
• Mar. 12 - No School - Conferences
• Mar. 29 to Apr. 2 - Spring Break - No Classes

Looking Ahead: 

This coming week in Math, students will begin learning about equivalent ratios and how to simplify ratios; toward the end of the week we will begin learning about percentage and correlating decimals.   In ELA, we will continue with our summary of multiple research sources. This week's focus will be on embedding research quotes into their own writing and sourcing their information.  In Science, we will be completing our Sky Science unit with a unit test on Tuesday; Monday will be a review of all the concepts. Students completed a unit review today and were given the opprtuity to print to review on the weekend. The science review is also available on Google Classroom. In Social, students will continue their work around the election or research. Candidates in the election will be expecting to have completed their platform for their peers to review Friday, and those researching will need to have their research and jot notes complete.

February 16 - February 19 

Mark Your Calendars: 

February 2021

• Feb. 21 - Pink Shirt Day - Anti Bullying 

March 2021

• Mar. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Mar. 11 and 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Mar. 11 - Early Dismissal - 12:15 pm - Conferences
• Mar. 12 - No School - Conferences
• Mar. 29 to Apr. 2 - Spring Break - No Classes

Looking Ahead: 

This week in ELA, we will begin working on developing the skill of using credible sources and quoting them directly. In Math, we are beginning our next unit of Ratio and Percent.  In Science, we will continue our work with constellations. And in Social, we are at the beginning of the first phase of our class' election!  

February 1 - February 4 

Mark Your Calendars: 

February 2021

• Feb. 3 - Winter Walk Day!
• Feb. 4 - Report Cards Available Online through PowerSchool
• Feb. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Feb. 11 and 12 - No School - Calgary Teachers’ Convention
• Feb. 15 - No School - Family Day
• Feb. 21 - Pink Shirt Day - Anti Bullying 

Looking Ahead: 

This week in ELA, we will look to developing skills in collecting and utilizing jot notes from a single source to summarize ideas in writing.  In Math, we will continue learning about Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers. Students are working on ordering and comparing using a number line.  In Social, we will be learning about how laws are passed in Alberta and in Science, we will be completing an activity to allows students to understand the distance between the planets. 

January 25 - January 28 

January 2021

• January 29 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

February 2021

• Feb. 3 - Winter Walk Day!
• Feb. 4 - Report Cards Available Online through PowerSchool
• Feb. 9 - School Council - Online - ALL parents are welcome!
• Feb. 11 and 12 - No School - Calgary Teachers’ Convention
• Feb. 15 - No School - Family Day
• Feb. 21 - Pink Shirt Day - Anti Bullying 

Looking ahead:

This week in Math, we will continue working with mixed numbers and improper fractions.  Students will be working on ordering mixed numbers and fractions using a number line. In ELA, students will be beginning a new writing unit focused on synthesizing their research. The first skill we will work on this week is summarizing information in their own words and using jot notes to collect research.  In Science, students will be working on a writing assignment comparing Earth to one of the planets from their research previously. And in Social, we will continue learning about Provincial Government and the responsibilities of the Provincial Government. 

January 18 - January 22 

• January 4 to 8 -  At-home learning through Google Classroom
• January 11 - Students return to in-person learning at school
• January 29 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

February 2021

• February 3 - Winter Walk

Looking ahead: 

Next week in math, we will be continuing with our learning of mixed numbers and improper fractions by ordering them on a number line.  In ELA, we will continue with prefixes/ sufficxes, and carry on to verb tense. Students will also be annotating a poem for imagery, mood, and symbolism

January 11 - January 15 

• January 4 to 8 -  At-home learning through Google Classroom
• January 11 - Students return to in-person learning at school
• January 29 - No School - Teacher Professional Learning

February 2021

• February 3 - Winter Walk 

Student highlights of the week: 

“We researched about planets and made planet trading cards” 

“We researched other planet’s moons and landscapes, distance from the Sun, orbital and rotational periods, and if they had rings, and the temperature!”

“We set learning goals for ourselves for the rest of the year in Health.”

“We started transformations in math, and learned about reflections and rotations of shapes.” 

“In ELA we wrote news articles about our experience with online learning last week.” 

“After writing our article, we had to complete a self assessment.” 

“In ELA, we read a short paragraph about Anne Frank and had to find grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.” 

“We also looked for facts and opinions in a news article about healthy screen time.” 

“In gym we started cup-stacking and had a tournament!”

Learning intentions for our week:  

MATH:

I can recognize and perform reflections on a 2D shape. 

I can recognize and perform rotations on a 2D shape. 

We began a new math unit this week learning about transformations; specifically rotations and reflections of shapes. Students started by graphing a shape on a Cartesian plane. Then, they learned to recognize reflections and rotations. Later in the week, they attempted to create their own reflections using a grid. 

ELA: 

I can write a news article that includes the main elements and information collected

I can compose a text that is well organized and sequential

I can differentiate between facts and opinions in news articles

We started out the week discussing the importance of differentiating between facts and opinions when reading news articles. Students annotated an article looking for facts and opinions, and then used their new knowledge and apply it to writing a news article about their experience learning online the previous week. 

SCIENCE: 

I can identify the other eight known planets and examples of their characteristics 

I can identify the moons of other planets 

I understand the celestial bodies of our known solar system beyond the Sun, Moon, and Earth 

Continuing with our Sky Science unit, we dove into learning about the different planets in our solar system. Students used their new learning to begin a research project creating Trading Cards of the different planets.  They will be completed this week! 

Looking ahead: 

This coming week in Math, we will continue with our Transformations unit. Next we will be learning about translations of shapes on a Cartesian plane.  In Science we will begin looking at the changing seasons and why this happens.  In Social, we will complete a review on democracy and look at important historical events, such as the suffragettes.

December 7 - December 11 

Mark your Calendars: 

December 2020

• Collecting donations for Mayor’s Annual Food Drive
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

Student highlights of the week: 

“We started writing news articles, we wrote about “so

meone” stealing Mrs Mabbott’s coffee” 

“We started working with Integers in math, we worked with comparing integers and ordering them on a number line”

“We watched Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley’s question period about Covid 19 in Alberta, it was interesting and intense!”

“In Science we started Sky Science and we learned about the space rover “Perseverance” and that it will be landing on Mars February 18, 2021.”

“In ELA we reassembled a news article and labelled it” 

“We learned about the Speaker, he keeps order in legislative assemblies and keeps the conversations going” 

“In Science we went onto NASA’s website and learned about the planets in our solar system.” 

“In Health, we are learning about naming emotions and core emotions. We are starting our day with Mindful Moments.” 

Learning intentions for our week:  

MATH:

I can order positive and negative integers on a number line 

I can demonstrate understanding of opposite integers 

I can demonstrate an understanding of integers pictorially, concretely, and symbolically 

We wrapped up our work with patterns and graphing this week and have started learning about Integers. This week, we focused on identifying integers and comparing and ordering. 

ELA: 

I can write a news article that is organized and informative

I can include the main elements of a news article in my writing - headline, by line, place line, lead (who, what, when, where), body (why and how), important facts and at least 2 interview quotations

We’ve continued our work with news articles.  Students started their weeks by annotating articles and identifying the various parts of  a news article.  Students also completed an assignment where they were given a “scrambled” news article and had to rearrange it in the correct order.  We ended our week with students writing their own news article after being given details to follow. 

SCIENCE:

I can identify the other planets that revolve around the sun. 

I can identify examples of the differences between Earth and other planets.

We began our new unit Sky Science this week. Students learned about how the Earth rotates on its axis and orbits the Sun.  Students spent time exploring the NASA website to learn about the different planets that orbit the Sun. 

SOCIAL:

I can identify how the local government is organized. 

We continued our work with municipal governments by discussing how local governments are organized.

Looking ahead: 

In Math, we will begin learning about Integers in real life. In ELA, we will continue our work with news articles. This week our focus will be on writing lead paragraphs.  In Science, we will work with phases of the moon. And in Social, we will wrap up our work with municipal government.

November 30 - December 4

Mark your Calendars: 

December 2020

• Collecting donations for Mayor’s Annual Food Drive
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

Student highlights of the week: 

“We made our own esti-mysteries in Math” 

“We have a new student who joined our class this week”

“We started playing football in gym and focused on throwing and catching” 

“We had a our unit test on Trees and Forests” 

“We started learning about the different parts of a New Article” 

“In music we played a very nice song called Imagine on the Glockenspiels and Xylophones” 

“In Social we are learning about bylaws in local government and researched Calgary bylaws” 

 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

I can translate a concrete or pictorial pattern to a table of values and graph

I can explain a pattern rule using mathematical language

We started our week discussing the quality that all patterns have and where we might find patterns in everyday life. We also looked at a variety of patterns and identified pattern rules. We then began translating patterns into their numerical state using a table of values, and from there, graphing the pattern. Students used concrete manipulatives to create patterns after being given a pattern rule using mathematical language, as well as a graph and table of values. 

ELA: 

I can identify the seven different parts of a news article 

I can identify the purpose of news articles 

I can create a headline that effectively informs and engages the reader

We began our week creating headlines for a variety of photos from throughout the year. Students enjoyed using a program that allowed them to submit their headline for a particular photo and have it displayed  Continuing with our work around news articles, we spent the rest of our time investigating news articles and identifying the different components of them.  We have also began our small reading groups this week! 

SOCIAL: 

I can analyze the structure and functions of local governments in Alberta 

I can analyze and identify the responsibilities of local governments

I can explain the purpose of bylaws and how they are formed 

We started our week with a review of municipal government before looking closer at the different roles and responsibilities of local governments.  We then moved on to municipal bylaws and students learned what they are and how they are formed. Students completed a project researching Calgary bylaws and choosing one to report on. 

SCIENCE: 

We started the week completing a unit review of Trees and Forests in order to prepare for the unit test which students wrote later in the week. 

Looking ahead:  

In math this week, we will continue our work with patterns and move to problem solving with patterns in everyday contexts. We will likely wrap this up by the end of the week and get started working with improper fractions and mixed numbers.  In ELA, we will continue working with news articles and students will write their own. In Social, we will wrap up municipal governments and begin learning about provincial government.

November 23 - November 27 

Save The Date! November 23 - December 4, 2020

Mark your calendars! The fun and excitement of a Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Ethel M Johnson School! To adapt to our changing needs, Scholastic has developed a Virtual Book Fair to provide an opportunity for our students and families to experience the joy of reading together.

So save the date! Our Scholastic Virtual Book Fair will take place November 23 - December 4, 2020. When it’s time to shop, November 23 - December 4, visit EMJ’s Virtual Scholastic Book Fair site using this link: 

EMJ's Virtual Scholastic Book Fair

Sales from this Book Fair provide free books to our library, so share link EMJ's Virtual Scholastic Book Fair with your friends and family.  Happy reading!

Mark Your Calendars:

November 2020

• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair

December 2020

• Collecting donations for Mayor’s Annual Food Drive
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

 

Student Highlights of the week: 

“We finished writing our winter stories, we used a picture prompt” 

“We learned about Municipal Government in Social” 

“We worked on factor arrays, and we started working with patterns” 

“We did SMART (Science Math Art) which was making a Cartesian plane and finding science items and plotting them on” 

“We are finishing up Trees and Forests unit, on Monday we are doing a Kahoot review and Tuesday having the unit test”

“We shared our winter stories with a partner and had them comment on our stories to help with revising and editing” 

“We are going to be doing virtual buddies and sharing our stories with the grade 4’s”

“We started news articles, and read a newspaper from the Canadian Veteran’s Association.”    

“We finished our volleyball unit and next we are doing football.” 

“We started true or false problems in Number Talks.” 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

We completed our work this week with multiples and factors, and composite and prime numbers. We worked creating factor arrays, as well as learnt about the “Sieve of Eratosthenes” as a strategy to find prime numbers.  We ended our week starting our next math unit of patterns. 

ELA:

We completed our Winter-Inspired story.  Students were able to provide feedback to one another using Google Docs using Grade 6 writing strategies discussed in class.  We also spent some time reading the “Canada Remembers Times” in order to prepare for our next ELA unit on news articles. 

SOCIAL:

This week we spent more time learning about Municipal government and the roles and responsibilities of Calgary’s local government, as well as our local councillor. 

SCIENCE:

We spent the week completing our final project, which was a review of all our Trees and Forests learning using our skills in plotting coordinates on a Cartesian plane. 

Looking ahead: 

In math this week, we will continue to work with patterns, specifically number patterns. This will jump off of our previous work with multiples and skip counting.  In ELA, we will begin small reading groups, it will look a bit different this year! Students will read their small group novels independently and then complete a reading task, which they will share with their group during a teacher-led virtual meeting once per week. In Science, we will be completing a unit review and unit test. In Social, we will continue working on local government. Students will complete a project reviewing several of Calgary’s bylaws.

November 16 - November 20 

Mark Your Calendars: 

November 2020

• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

December 2020

• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

 

Students Highlights of the week: 

“We started making factor trees in math; this is called prime factorization.” 

“We started learning about factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers.” 

“We are finishing our tree art where we are using warm and cool colours.” 

“We completed our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms presentations in Social.” 

“We are writing winter stories in ELA.”

“We assessed ourselves for writing strategies to make goals!”

“We have been playing Volleyball in Gym” 

“We are talking about the Municipal, Provincial, and Federal government in Social.”  

 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

I can determine multiples and factors of numbers less than 100  

I can determine prime and composite numbers  

We continued our work with multiples and factors this week. We started with a review of last week’s learning with prime and composite numbers.  Later in the week, we began working on prime factorization using factor trees. 

ELA:

I can write fictional narratives with an effective and sequential plotline 

I can edit and revise my writing to increase its effectiveness

We started our week by looking at a variety of writing strategies. Students went through their own stories to determine which writing strategies to make as a goal for their next story.  We then planned and began writing stories inspired by winter.  

SOCIAL: 

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights

I can explain how the municipal government works in Calgary 

We focused on completing our Charter of Rights and Freedoms presentations this week.  Students then completed a self assessment about their project as well as presentations.  We began discussing Municipal government. 

 

Looking ahead: 

This week, we will be completing our work with factors and multiples and moving on the a review of basic division facts and long division.  In ELA, students will complete their winter-inspired stories and we will shift towards reading News Articles by annotating several.  In Science, we will begin our final review of Trees and Forests for our unit test the following week. And Social will be a continuation of Municipal government. 

November 9 - November 13 

Mark Your Calendars: 

November 2020

• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

December 2020

• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

 

Students Highlights of the week: 

“This week in math we worked with multiples and factors.” 

“We learned about prime numbers which are numbers that only have two factors. 2, 3, 11, 13, 17 are some examples of prime numbers.” 

“We annotated the poem “In Flanders Field” and specifically looked at key vocabulary.” 

We also read inquisitive mind of a child poem 

 “For social we started presenting our charter of rights to the class” 

“In Science we talked about things that threaten the forest and enhance the forest.” 

“We started the volleyball unit in Gym, we worked on bumping and setting.” 

“We had our first online school assembly for Remembrance Day.  Students from our class read “In Flanders Field” by John McCrae.”  

"We made warm/ cool trees based on the Trees we researched in Science" 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

I can determine multiples and factors of numbers less than 100  

I can determine prime and composite numbers  

We started our week discussing multiples.  Students were able to determine multiples as well as least common multiples.  They eventually learned that there are patterns within multiples and were able to determine common multiples using mental math.  Later in the week, we shifted our focus to factors, and prime and composite numbers. 

ELA: 

I can annotate a poem to determine key vocabulary 

I can summarize a poem’s main idea and theme 

I can make inferences about the message in a poem

This week, our focus was primarily on Remembrance Day.  We read and discussed the poems “In Flanders Fields” and “The Inquisitive Mind of a Child”. We used our work with annotation to closely read these two poems and understand their significance and message. 

SOCIAL: 

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights

This week, we began our presentations on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms family connections.  Students are required to choose one component of their presentation and teach our class more about their families as well as answer any questions. 

SCIENCE:  

I can identify human actions that enhance the existence of forests. 

I can identify human actions that threaten the existence of forests. 

This week, we discussed what types of things enhance the forests and threaten the forest.  Students looked at a detailed photo of a forest scene to determine what could help or hurt the forest. Some of what students came up with were: conks, water sources, trees, animals and animal scat, mushrooms, fallen logs for enhancing the forest. We then discussed types of reforestation, including natural generation and direct seeding. 

Looking ahead: 

This coming week, we will start our week with a “show what you know” review of what we have learned lately (factors and multiples) and we will continue our work with investigating factors.  In ELA, students will investigate their own writing and break it down into different writing strategies to determine goals for their next writing assignment.  In Social, we will continue with our presentation and hopefully begin work with municipal government.  And lastly, in Science, as we wrap of Trees and Forests, we will begin our final project.  The following week will be our unit test.

    

November 2 - November 6 

Mark Your Calendars: 

November 2020

• November 11 No School - Remembrance Day
• November 16 - 20 National Metis Week
• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

December 2020

• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

Student Highlights of the week: 

“We completed our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms project in Social”

“In Science we did a land assignment project where we had a specific amount of land and different people wanted to use the space and we had to distribute it.” 

“We learned about equivalent fractions in Math” 

“In ELA we did annotation and read two short stories and we annotated them.” 

“We played Kahoot on Friday reviewing what we learned this week” 

“Some people in our class are reading In Flanders Field for the Remembrance Day online assembly on Tuesday”   

 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

I can compare and order proper fractions 

I can convert fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions

This week we reviewed ordering and comparing fractions and equivalent and simplifying fractions.  Students used online manipulatives to develop their understanding. 

ELA: 

I can demonstrate close reading by annotating to show my understanding

As a class, students generated annotation codes and symbols.  We then annotated several short stories together and identified a number of important components, such as: juicy words, unfamiliar words, and figurative language. 

SOCIAL:

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights

Students completed their Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms assignment this week and chose one component to share with the class. 

SCIENCE: 

I can identify human actions that enhance the existence of forests. 

I can identify human actions that threaten the existence of forests. 

I can identify an issue regarding forest use and explore different perspectives in that issue. I can identify actions that might be taken on the issue. 

This week, students got to take on the role of “land manager”. They were given 80 hectares of land to distribute to a number of stakeholders and had to justify their reasoning as well as identify problems that wildlife may encounter on their developed map. 

 

Looking ahead: 

This coming week, we will be circling back to story writing. Students have created writing goals from their last story and will be applying them to their next one.  In math, we will begin work with factors and multiples before coming back to multiplication with decimals.  In social studies, students will present their Charter connections to the class. And lastly, in Science, we will continue our learning about human uses of forests.

Have a great weekend! 

Ms Wilkinson

October 26 - October 29

Mark Your Calendars: 

November 2020

• November 1 - Daylight Savings Time 
• November 3 - Picture Retakes for All and Photos for HUB students
• November 3 - School Council Meeting - Annual General Meeting
• November 11 No School - Remembrance Day
• November 16 - 20 National Metis Week
• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

December 2020

• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• December 4 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• December 18 Last day of classes before winter break

Student Highlights of the week: 

“We completed tree plasticine art.”

“We wrote spooky stories for Halloween. It needed to include: dialogue, figurative language, etc.”

“We did multiplication and decimals in math” 

“We learned lattice method, box method, and standard method for multiplication” 

“We had to research characteristics of the tree we wanted to re-create” 

“We learned a strategy to order decimal numbers from greatest to least or least to greatest”  

 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH: 

I can solve 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication with whole numbers using a variety of strategies. 

I can order and compare decimal numbers. 

This week, we started our week learning a new multiplication strategy called lattice method.  Students were able to choose which multiplication strategy to use.  Later in the week, we began work with decimal place value and how to round, order, and compare decimal numbers. We ended our week with a ‘show what you know’ to practice the skills learned this week. 

ELA:

I can write fictional narratives with an effective and sequential plotline 

I can use figurative language to enhance my writing 

I can edit and revise my writing to increase its effectiveness

This week, students completed writing their Halloween stories and then spent time learning how to revise and edit their work.  We then shared our stories with one another as a way to celebrate our writing and Halloween!  

 

SOCIAL:

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights

Students began their presentations for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms project.  They will be choosing one aspect of their project to present to their peers. 

SCIENCE:

I can identify four local trees and describe their characteristics 

We had a great time in Science this week, we were finally able to complete our long awaited project.  Inspired by author and illustrator Barbara Reid, students created a plasticine portrait of an Alberta tree of their choice. 

 

Looking ahead: 

This week, we will be completing our Charter of Rights and Freedoms presentation in Social.  Students will choose which Right or Freedom best represents themselves and their family to present to the class.  In Science, we will be spending time looking at photosynthesis as well as human uses for the forests.  In Math, we will begin making connections from our learning of decimals this week to some fraction review.  In ELA, students will begin to break down the writing process by annotating writing for specific content.    

 

October 19 - October 23 

Mark Your Calendars: 

October 2020

• October 30 No School - Teacher Professional Learning

November 2020

• November 1 - Daylight Savings Time 
• November 3 - Picture Retakes for All and Photos for HUB students
• November 3 - School Council Meeting - Annual General Meeting
• November 11 No School - Remembrance Day
• November 16 - 20 National Metis Week
• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

 

Student Highlights of the week: 

“We learned french and how to play a game called “zoot” - which is practicing counting to ten in French!” 

“We started writing our Halloween stories, where we will use dialogue, show don’t tell, interesting beginnings and figurative language.” 

“We are going to make a plasticine tree next week of a Tree in Alberta so this week we did the research and made a sketch” 

“We learned standard and box method for 2 by 2 number multiplication in math” 

“In Social, we are working on a project on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms making personal connections to the rights” (this is homework!)

“We created a diagram of tree cookies to explain the internal parts of the tree - heartwood, phloem, xylem, cambium and outer bark in Science.” 

    

 

Learning Intentions for our week:

MATH:

I can solve 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication with whole numbers using a variety of strategies. 

We started our week with a review of math we’ve learned so far this year: addition and subtraction with whole and decimal numbers, as well as place value.  Later in the week we started working on understanding a variety of multiplication strategies.  We finished our week with 2 by 2 digit multiplication using standard and box methods. 

ELA:

I can write engaging story beginnings 

I can create effect using show don’t tell to enhance my writing 

We started our week discussing the purpose of a story’s beginning and how to effectively engage your reader.  Student’s began planning and writing their fictional narratives using writing skills we have learned and discussed this year. 

SOCIAL:

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights

Students began a project relating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to their own lives.  Students began the project at school and will speak with a family member at home about which rights are most meaningful to their family. 

SCIENCE:

I can identify and understand the internal parts of a tree 

I can identify various branching and bark patterns of a tree 

Students created their own “tree cookies” using a variety of materials to represent the internal parts of a tree. Later in the week, students learned about tree branching and bark patterns, which they used while researching a local tree. 

 

Looking ahead: 

In math, we will continue our work with multiplication. Students will begin learning to multiply decimal numbers.  In ELA, students will finish writing their fictional narratives and after editing and revising, we will have a time to share and celebrate their stories!  In social studies, students will use their personal connections to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to begin a presentation.

October 13 - October 16 

Mark Your Calendars:

October 2020

• October 30 No School - Teacher Professional Learning

November 2020

• November 1 - Daylight Savings Time 
• November 3 - Picture Retakes for All and Photos for HUB students
• November 3 - School Council Meeting - Annual General Meeting
• November 11 No School - Remembrance Day
• November 16 - 20 National Metis Week
• November 19 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• November 19 & 20 Parent-Teacher Conferences (on-line)
• November 23 to December 4 - Scholastic Online Book Fair
• November 27 - Cookie Dough Fundraiser pick up (tentative)

 

 

 

 

Looking ahead: 

In math, we will start the week off with a show what you know quiz on what we have covered so far: place value from one thousandth to one million, addition and subtraction of whole and decimal numbers, interpreting graphs, and plotting points on a Cartesian plane.  In ELA, we will begin by working on developing story beginnings and writing that shows not tells. In Science, we will begin a project to demonstrate understanding of the internal parts of a tree.  

October 5 - October 8 

Mark Your Calendars:

October 2020

• October 12 No School - Thanksgiving 
• October 14 - Our class will be going on a short walk as part of ELA
• October 30 No School - Teacher Professional Learning

November 2020

• November 1 - Daylight Savings Time 
• November 3 - Picture Retakes for All and Photos for HUB students
• November 3 - School Council Meeting - Annual General Meeting
• November 11 No School - Remembrance Day

Student highlights from this week: 

“We researched about the different coniferous and deciduous trees of Alberta in Science” 

“We did memoir writing in Language Arts to show our understanding of figurative language”

“We did a new thing called MART, which is Math and Art, and we made a drawing on a Cartesian plane” 

“In math we did a lot of mental math and number operations” 

“We started working with esti-mysteries and decimal numbers during our number talks” 

“We learned about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in social” 

“We finished reading the book Fatty Legs by Margeret Pokiak-Fenton”  

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH:

I can demonstrate place value for numbers less than one thousandth

I can add and subtract whole and decimal numbers up to one million 

I can add and subtract decimal numbers less than one thousandth 

ELA:

I can use figurative language to enhance my writing 

I can use sensory detail to enhance my writing 

I can organize my ideas effectively  

SOCIAL:

I can explain my rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

I can explain how the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms defines and protects my rights 

SCIENCE: 

I can identify and describe at least four trees (two deciduous and two coniferous) within the local environment

Looking ahead: 

Next week, we will begin looking at different components of a story, such as dialogue and story beginnings, in order to begin writing our own fictional stories. In Math, we will begin working with complex multiplication and different strategies available to approach multiplication. In Social, we will continue to work with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and students will begin a project about this.

September 28 - October 2 

Mark Your Calendars:

October 2020

• October 9 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• October 12 No School - Thanksgiving 
• October 30 No School - Teacher Professional Learning

 

Student highlights from this week:  

“We made questionnaires and then used the data to make a bar graph” 

“We made nutrient webs in Science using Jamboard which was really cool!” 

“We had orange shirt day and talked about why we wear them” 

“We learned how democracy works and we learned the 4 purposes of government which are making laws, ” 

“We read the book "Fatty Legs" about an indigenous girl who had to go to a residential school” 

“We played a new game called Bean Bag Burglary in gym class” 

 

Learning intentions for our week: 

MATH:

I can collect, display and analyze data to solve problems 

I can create, label and interpret line graphs to draw conclusions

ELA:

I can explain how literary devices/ figurative language are used to enhance effects in writing 

I can use figurative language to enhance my writing

SOCIAL:

I can name the 3 levels of government.

I can identify and describe the purpose of government.

 SCIENCE:

I can describe the role of trees in nutrient cycles. 

I can describe the kinds of animals living in, under and among trees. 

 

Looking ahead: 

Next week, we will begin using our new understanding of figurative language to write about memories. In math, we will work with addition and subtraction using whole numbers to one million. In science we will research about trees found in the local environment. And lastly, in Social we will be doing work with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Have a great weekend! 

- Ms Wilkinson

September 14 - 17 

It was wonderful to connect with families during conferences this past Thursday and Friday! Here is what we have been up to this week:

Mark Your Calendars:

September 2020

• September 30 Orange Shirt Day

October 2020

• October 9 No School - Teacher Professional Learning
• October 12 No School - Thanksgiving 
• October 30 No School - Teacher Professional Learning

 

Student highlights from this week: 

“We learned about the Four Pillars of Democracy in Social, which are Representation, Freedoms, Equity, and Justice” 

“We made our own line graphs in Math” 

“We learned about the levels of the forest and lives in each of them” 

“We completed the Terry Fox run - as a class we ran 139 laps total!” 

“We had our first fire drill practice today” 

“We learned about Figurative Language, like metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration, irony and more!”  

 

Learning Intentions for our week:

MATH: 

I can interpret line graphs to draw conclusions

I can create and label line graphs from a given data set 

ELA:

I can explain how literary devices/ figurative language are used to enhance effects in writing 

I can use figurative language to enhance my writing

 

SCIENCE:

I can classify leaves and needles by type, arrangement, shape, and margin.

I can describe the kinds of animals living in, under and among trees. 

I can identify how trees affect and are affected by living things.

SOCIAL:

I can identify the four pillars of democracy and explain their importance

 

Looking ahead: 

Next week, we will be talking about the nutrient cycle and food webs in Science when students have the opportunity to create their own webs. In Social, we will be discussing how citizens participate in a democracy and our rights and responsibilities as citizens. And in Math, we will continue working with graphs, and students will have the opportunity to create their own questionnaire. 

Have a great weekend! 

September 14 - 18

Another great week in Room 16!  All students have now logged on and been able to access Google Classroom using their school Gmail account.  If a student has to be away for an extended period, I will be posting learning tasks that we have completed in class that can be done at home.

 

 

Mark Your Calendars:

September 2020

• September 24 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• September 24 & 25 Parent-Teacher Conferences (not face-to-face, information to come)
• September 30 Orange Shirt Day

 

Student highlights from our week:

“We played producers, consumers, and decomposers in gym class” 

“We played four corners with democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, and oligarchy to help remember the vocabulary” 

“In ELA, we wrote about our treasure, which is something that is special to us.”

“We learned about the Cartesian plane and how to find coordinates in math, then we played Cartesian plane Battleship”

“We played place value Yahtzee to practice place value”

 

“We collected leaves and then looked at their type, shape, arrangement, margin”  

“We discussed our responsibilities as citizens in a democracy, and other parts of democracy, such as equality and majority rules in elections” 

“We learned about decomposers, producers, and consumers and the different roles they play in an ecosystem” 

 

Learning intentions for our week:  

MATH: 

I can identify and plot points in the first quadrant of a Cartesian plane using whole numbers

I can demonstrate an understanding of place value including numbers greater than one million

ELA:

I can write using proper writing conventions (punctuation, spelling, indent)

I can include detailed vocabulary to  enhance my writing

I can include a topic sentence to let my reader know what my writing is about 

I can use the five w’s to guide the details in my writing

SCIENCE: 

I can classify leaves and needles by type, arrangement, shape, and margin

I can describe the kinds of animals living in, under and among trees. 

I can identify how trees affect and are affected by living things.

SOCIAL: 

I can explain how Canada participates in a form of Democracy

Looking ahead: 

Next week, we will be looking at a variety of different graphs and data, and collect data to create our own graphs.  In ELA, we are beginning to work with figurative language and begin to use it to enhance student writing.  We will be discussing the four pillars of democracy: Justice, Equity, Freedom, Representation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 1 - 11

WELCOME TO GRADE 6! 

Wow! What an amazing start to the 2020/ 2021 school year it has been for us in Room 16! Everyone is adjusted well to the new routines and has been doing their part to keep themselves and those around them safe and healthy.

Please read the following important information:

Outdoor Classroom: As we practice social distancing in our learning community, we will be utilizing our Outdoor Classroom.  While outside we will participate in various learning experiences and engage in our natural environment.  It will be important that students dress for the weather each day.  Layered and warm clothing will be crucial to a positive learning experience.  Proper footwear, coats, mitts and a toque will ensure we stay warm and ready to learn.

Indoor and Outdoor Shoes:  It has been EMJ’s school policy that each student wear separate indoor and outdoor footwear. Due to Covid-19, we will are changing our usual routine.  When the weather changes - either rain or snow - students will then need separate indoor and outdoor footwear. Their indoor shoes need to be suitable for gym class (non-marking running shoes) and outdoor shoes need to be weather appropriate.

Home Reading & Basic Fact Practice:  I highly encourage each student to read 25 to 30 minutes each night.  I understand that schedules are busy and families are always on the go, but daily reading is important to all children’s educational growth. You and your child can figure out a time to read and what material is most engaging. Please check out our Google Classroom for Basic Fact games and practice - I suggest 5-10 minutes/day. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

Supplies:  Students may bring in their own supplies if they choose, but be assured that we have supplies in our class for everyone.  Our current school order was delayed but we have received our pencil crayons and will be receiving pencil boxes soon.  The only optional supply we are requesting if possible, is a standard binder.  We will be supporting our students as they learn to organize their binders by subject and unit.  

Google Classroom: Our Google Classroom is up and running! Students are able to log in with their CBE gmail account and password. 

Water Bottles:  Water bottles are necessary this year.  I ask that they be taken home daily to be washed.

Ear Buds:  Students will need ear buds when using the technology at our school.  Please send in a pair as soon as possible.  If able, earbuds with a microphone will be valuable as we plan to use this feature at school and home.

Library Book Exchange:  As well as our classroom library, we will be having a book exchange from the Library on a scheduled basis.  Mrs. B and her library expertise will be mobile this year as students will request books, choose books virtually and learn to use our eLibrary.  

Parent Volunteers:  Parent volunteers have always been a crucial element of our school year.  Unfortunately 2020-2021 may not allow us to utilize this resource, but we will keep you informed if things change.

Thank you for all of your support in making this year the best it can be for students!

 

Mark Your Calendar:

Ethel M. Johnson School is proud to take part in this year’s 40th Anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Please help show your support by donating to: http://www.terryfox.ca/EthelMJ.... 

Students can even get involved by creating their own fundraising page under their school name: https://terryfox.org/schoolrun/students/. Thank you for supporting our school in the fight against cancer and continuing Terry’s legacy! 

September 2020

• September 17 School Photos
• September 24 Early Dismissal 12:15 pm
• September 24 & 25 Parent-Teacher Conferences (not face-to-face, information to come)
• September 30 Orange Shirt Day

Student highlights from our week:  

“The best part of this week was playing soccer in Gym, we also played alien abduction.”

“In math this week, we learned about place value of numbers greater than a million” 

“We learned about the four types of government: oligarchy, democracy, dictatorship, and monarchy” 

“We made a goal to be a self-advocate” 

“In science, we learned about coniferous and deciduous trees and about biotic and abiotic things in the forest. Abiotic is non-living and biotic living things”  

“In ELA we made All About Me presentations.” 

 

 Learning intentions for our week:       

                                                   

MATH: 

I can demonstrate an understanding of place value including numbers greater than one million

ELA: 

I can strengthen my writing through planning, revising, and editing 

SCIENCE:

I can identify why trees and forests are valued

I can state that forests serve as a life supporting environment

I can identify characteristics that distinguish trees from other plants

SOCIAL: 

I can compare 3-4 different types of governments

I can explain how Canada participates in a form of Democracy

                                                         

Looking Ahead: 

Next week we will continue to work on our understanding of place value as well as begin work with plotting points on a Cartesian plane. In ELA, We will also begin a writing task where students will have the opportunity to write about something that they treasure. In science, we will continue with our trees and forests unit and delve into the types of animals living in Alberta forests. 

 

Have a great weekend! 

Ms. Wilkinson