March 2023

The Grade 5’s have been working on a number of projects lately that they eagerly shared during our recent Student-Led Conferences. Please see below for some more details.

Math & Social: Representing Canada Through Fractional Tessellation Art

Students have been working to gain a conceptual understanding of fractions and decimal numbers.  As an extension and application of this understanding, students have engaged in a cross-curricular project incorporating equivalent fractions, 2-D shapes, tessellations, art and Canadian regions.  

Please ask your child to share their final tryptic art piece and accompanying workbook to demonstrate their understanding of equivalent fractions and regions of Canada.

LA: Patchwork Frankenstein Project

The rich themes and character development presented in our class novel study of Frankenstein have provided the opportunity for rich discussion and exploration of the essential elements of an engaging story.  

• Part 1: Patchwork Representation & Artist Statement

After shared reading of the novel, students have worked hard to bring to life their own “patchwork” representation of Victor Frankenstein.  They have looked deeply into the internal conflicts, feelings, desires, character traits and flaws that bring this “round” character to life.  Students then studied how Frankenstein’s actions and dialogue further help to reveal character and move the story along.  Please ask your child to share their detailed artistic response to this exciting novel by reading aloud their “Artist Statement”.  

• Part 2: Letter to My Creation

The second part of this project asks students to take on the perspective of Victor Frankenstein and compose a letter to his Creation/Monster.  

• Part 3: Short Story Sequel

The final section of the project is a short story sequel to Frankenstein, where your student was prompted to tell the tale of Frankenstein’s Creation/Monster after he realizes his maker is dead and vows to live a life of solitude.  For this task, students were given 70 minutes to write and edit their work.  

Social Studies: Canadian Puzzles Pieces of the Past

Students in grade five have been exploring the stories, events, people and innovations  that have shaped our Canadian identity in Social Studies this year. As part of this exploration, we have been actively viewing a series entitled, “Canada: The Story of Us”. The programs' powerful dramatizations and thoughtful depictions of the stories that have contributed to who we are as a country have provided for rich discussions and analysis by students. In response to these episodes, students have been creating a visual timeline representation of what stories have resonated with them as crucibles that have shaped our current Canadian identity. These representations take the form of puzzle pieces that each depict an important person, event, innovation or story that the students have chosen to bring to life through a variety of creative choices.

Today, students will be sharing with you two of their puzzle pieces and the story behind each piece.

Math Game: Decimal Pickle

Playing math games that are related to our units of study has proven to support students in developing a deeper understanding of Math concepts. Games allow students to apply their knowledge in a novel way, open up discussion and ‘math talk’ between players, support students in the development of strategic thinking and are an engaging way for students with different learning styles to work cooperatively with others.

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January 2023

The students in grade five have been cruising along over the past few weeks as a number of our projects have culminated. 

Students combined their research skills, script writing and creativity to produce a number of informative, spooky and engaging episodes highlighting the regions of Canada in their Netflix Hosts Wanted projects. We have enjoyed viewing these episodes and learning from each other about the diverse and unique regions that comprise this country. This has also been a wonderful opportunity for students to further develop their project management skills as many have come to appreciate the importance of setting daily work period goals, use their class time effectively and to consult assignment checklists as valuable tools that support student success. If you have the chance, ask your child to login to our Google classroom, where you can access our episodes and see our future television hosts in action!

We are also wrapping up our Create a Dance Routine project in P.E., which saw both grade five classes combining their creative vision and innovative dance moves to create an original dance to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. This experience pushed many students to be brave and try something new and we could not be prouder of the positive energy and supportive community that they demonstrated towards each other when it was time to share their dances.

2023 brings with it some exciting new projects that we have embarked upon. Here is an overview of what’s ahead for our grade fives:

As always, we are truly grateful for your ongoing support and for sharing your amazing children with us each and every day. 

Sincerely,

Polly and Tanis

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October 28th, 2022

Grade 5’s spent the week growing together and creating shared memories at Camp Chief Hector.  Students engaged in team building challenges, learned outdoor survival skills, went on a day long hike, played many games, shared in community style meals and enjoyed nightly campfires.  We surprised ourselves with our ability to persevere and support each other through feelings of homesickness, during what was for many, their first experience away from home.  Undoubtedly, we have all grown and built strong ties to one another through our week together!

November is all about projects, as we have finished much of the background knowledge and understanding in all subject areas. Here is what is to come as we move into November:

Note: As always, you can access your child’s Google Classroom to see project specifics, resources and rubrics.

September 16th, 2022

Polly’s Peeps and Team TSev have had a busy and exciting start to the school year!

In Math, we have started our year with Geometry.  We have been building Tangram Puzzles and are creating a “Polygon Family Tree” so that students can understand the defining characteristics of polygons.

In Social Studies, students have begun their study of Canada’s regions with a project entitled “Netflix Hosts Wanted” and a detailed map of Canada.

In Science, we are learning about the elements of Weather and will be using this understanding to engage in a research project on extreme weather phenomena.

In Language Arts, students have been learning about core virtues.  We have been talking about character traits and focusing on our “superpowers''.  We have also been looking at the artwork of Frank Big Bear and have taken inspiration from his work to create our own self portraits.