Hello, 5B families!
Next week is Literacy Week, and we will kicked it off with all St. Patrick’s students invited to come to school this Monday dressed as a favourite character from a book they have read!
(Mr. Dufort will follow up with more information and permission forms on Monday for the basketball trip.)
Also, as a part of the Physical Education program, all grade 5s will participate in a fun and friendly basketball jamboree for local independent schools this Thursday, January 30th.
Ask your child what happened in the “paper clips experiment”!
It was an exciting time using the scientific method and sharing delight together at witnessing unexpected results. We observed and recorded how many paper clips we could sneak into an already full glass of water without spilling it—thanks to the power of surface tension.
Most students guessed we could fit 3-6 paper clips; one person guessed we could 16 to fit. But the results revealed……139! Our minds were blown. We couldn’t have believed if not for seeing it with our own eyes.
In term three, students will be challenged to prepare and present a simple science experiment of their own choosing, either live in class or on video. Today I modelled how an experiment presentation could look.
This experiment assignment is intended to be entirely student directed— no family help or purchasing of materials is necessary. By offering students over 4 months advance notice and lots of class time to prepare the experiment with teacher support, I hope everyone will have what they need to be successful and have fun!
As well, in Science students have been working through a unit on the digestive system. Their major creative research project this term is designing a board game as a fun way to teach other people about the digestive system.
In Language Arts, we have been reviewing spelling rules and are on chapter 12 of our “Hatchet” novel study—lots of rich discussion and critical thinking happening as a result!
In Math, we have made excellent progress in our multi-digit multiplication unit, and quizzes are coming home today to share that growth. Next week we will layer in multi-digit division skills at an even pace, while also continuing to practice this week’s lessons.
Here is a video that teaches a very helpful division strategy we will use next week. (It’s likely a strategy parents were not taught years ago, but I wish we were because I’ve seen how it really helps students keep focussed on the meaning of division.)
Tiffany Poirier 