DIVISION 12 OVERVIEW SPRING 2015
I can’t believe it’s the end of the year! I have so enjoyed your children; thank you for sharing them with me.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language arts includes reading, viewing, writing, responding, speaking and listening. In reading, students participated in literature circles and completed a twelve part independent novel study. Students also completed two major writing projects, creating their own creation my and a persuasive essay. Speaking and listening opportunities included impromptu speeches, readers theatre and listening for a purpose.
MATHEMATICS
This term students completed units on: integers; measurement; 2D & 3D shapes; probability; patterns & relations; and variables & equations. We continued the two programs aimed at improving students basic skills: Mastery of the Basics, a self-paced mastery developing set of tests and Wall Math, a set of six or fewer questions across a range of skills designed to challenge students and keep concepts fresh.
SCIENCE
We began by completing our Chemistry unit, before moving onto our Extreme Environments unit. In our Extreme Environments unit. students learned about the characteristics of extreme environments, obstacles to human exploration and settlement, animal adaptations in extreme environments and technology developed for exploration and survival. The unit featured discussion on the benefits and problems with exploration and investigation of technology that included First Nation contributions, Canadian developments and student designed technology.
FRENCH
This term in French, students have learned about french culture in Canada and locally including; francophone communities, L’association Francophone de Kamloops, and french schools in Kamloops and Quebec. They also learned about french music around the world (Belgium, Quebec, Senegal, modern and folk). Students have learned how to tell time formally, informally, the 24 hour clock, all orally and written. In addition, students have learned about house and spatial orientation vocabulary with simple descriptive sentences. Further, students have learned the verb “etre” and reviewed “avoir”. Video clips of french songs/language/vocab, oral conversations, class discussions, games, worksheets and assignments enabled students to learn the associated vocabulary and to practice speaking and listening in French. Review of the year, through oral question and answers occurred daily as well.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This spring, students participated in dance, track and field and outside games, as well as weekly shared gym classes focused on fitness, strategy and team building. In addition, students participated in a variety of shorter activities on a daily basis.
HEALTH AND CAREER
Topics this term included goal setting and time planning, along with an investigation about personality and careers.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students learned about rights and responsibilities. As well they investigated a developing country and suggested a method to improve their standard of living.
FINE ARTS
As we did last term, our class along with Mr. Sandhu’s and Mrs. Anderson’s students were recombined into three groups for music. Topics this term were guitar and use of voice and puppets to tell a story. In art, students learned about optical patterning, symmetry, a variety of seasonal crafts, and using visual materials to enhance other projects.
DIVISION 12 OVERVIEW WINTER 2015
Another busy term! The year is flying by. Some highlights include our Christmas Concert and field trips to Sun Peaks. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who make these events possible. Remember, you can follow along during the term through our Weebly blog, Class Dojo, Google Classroom and the weekly email updates. If you’re having problems accessing any of these great tools, please let me know.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language arts includes reading, viewing, writing, responding, speaking and listening. In reading, our class completed a novel study on Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief that included activities that ranged from creating trading cards to participating in readers’ theatre. Students also completed two major writing projects, creating their own graphic novels and long stories. Speaking and listening opportunities included impromptu speeches, readers theatre and listening for a purpose.
MATHEMATICS
This term students completed units on fractions, coordinate planes, decimals and percents. Our next unit will be on integers. We have also started two programs aimed at improving students basic skills: Mastery of the Basics, a self-paced mastery developing set of tests and Wall Math, a set of six or fewer questions across a range of skills designed to challenge students and keep concepts fresh. Both programs are run weekly and due on Tuesdays.
SCIENCE
We have completed a variety of hands-on investigations this term. We began by using microscopes to compare and observe cells and tiny life forms. We then started our Chemistry unit with investigations into the properties of matter and how to measure them. Students enjoyed our lab on density where they built liquid towers with coloured layers. Next, pupils were asked to use the properties of matter to choose a chemical to melt ice and defend their choice by making an advertisement. We will continue our Chemistry Unit into the beginning of the third term before moving onto our final topic, Extreme Environments.
FRENCH
This term in French, students have learned family vocabulary, possessive pronouns, the verb “avoir”, and some oral work with asking & answering questions about their families. Students have also learned winter & regular clothing vocab along with associated articles (feminine and masculine), the verb “porter” and how to write a sentence with the correct colour (adjective) usage. In addition, students are currently learning about French culture through le carnaval de Quebec. We will continue to study French culture into the third term. Video clips of french songs/language/vocab, oral conversations, class discussions, games, worksheets and assignments enabled students to learn the associated vocabulary and to practice speaking and listening in French.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This winter, students participated in basketball and badminton , as well as weekly shared gym classes focused on fitness, strategy and team building. In addition, students participated in a variety of shorter activities on a daily basis. These included kooshball fitness, dance videos and movement breaks incorporating strength, cardio and stretching.
HEALTH AND CAREER
Topics this term included goal setting and time planning, along with information about kindness and bully prevention.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students ended their Japan unit with a potluck sushi luncheon and then began investigating Ancient Rome. They researched different classes of people, completed a scavenger hunt and other informative activities.
FINE ARTS
As we did last term, our class along with Mr. Sandhu’s and Mrs. Anderson’s students were recombined into three groups for music. Topics this term were guitar and performance skills. In art, students learned about optical illusions, a variety of seasonal crafts, and using visual materials to enhance other projects..
Thank you for your support at home. I can be reached via email at [email protected] or through the school at 250 851 0632. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or concerns.
DIVISION 12 OVERVIEW FALL 2014
We’ve had a busy term getting to know one another and settling into our learning routines. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the students and am proud of what they’ve accomplished in a short period of time. I look forward to seeing them soar during the rest of the year. As well as this overview, you can follow our class online through our Weebly blog, Class Dojo and Google Classroom. In addition, there is always the weekly email updates. If you’re having problems accessing any of these great tools, please let me know.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language arts includes reading, viewing, writing, responding, speaking and listening. In reading, students investigated the techniques used in graphic novels and information texts as well as completing an independent novel study that allowed them to share their understanding of the story in a variety of ways. They improved their reading by using strategies such as prediction and inference. In writing, students practiced creating paragraphs that used topic sentences and supporting details. Students also responded to viewing and listening opportunities by writing poetry and picking out main ideas.
MATHEMATICS
This term we have reviewed basic facts, multi-digit multiplication and division as well we learned about factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers. We then moved on to order of operations before starting our current unit on fractions.
SCIENCE
This term students have been investigating the diversity of life on earth. We began by defining the characteristics of living and non-living things in the environment and then considered how they could be classified. We learned about the five kingdoms with a focus on how plants and animals have adapted to their environments to survive. Finally we used magnifiers to investigate the world up close. Activities included group assignments, videos, an online game and using magnifiers and microscopes.
FRENCH
This term in French, students reviewed the colours, alphabet sounds and numbers to 60. In addition, they have been working on basic greetings and responses, both orally and written. Students have worked on vocabulary as well as, asking and responding to basic questions associated with: days of the week, months, the calendar, seasons, weather, their birthdates, name and age. They have also started to ask and respond to simple questions in a survey format. Video clips of french songs/language/vocab, oral conversations, class discussions, games, worksheets and assignments enabled students to learn the associated vocabulary and to practice speaking and listening in French.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
This fall, students participated in soccer and volleyball units, as well as weekly shared gym classes focused on fitness, strategy and team building. In addition, students participated in a variety of shorter activities on a daily basis. These included short runs, dance videos in the classroom and movement breaks incorporating strength, cardio and stretching.
HEALTH AND CAREER
Our Healthy Living unit incorporates goal setting and time planning, along with information about making healthy food choices and the importance of staying active.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In Social Studies this term, students learned the importance of research skills to gather information on the culture of Japan. Students completed a map of Japan, identifying the islands and the major cities. Students also researched information about the land, cultural celebrations and festivals, sports, food, education, and clothing. They were able to compare these findings to that of Canadian culture. Students then presented their findings in a brochure type pamphlet using a variety of methods including a paper brochure or an online application.
FINE ARTS
Our class along with Mr. Sandhu’s and Mrs. Anderson’s students were recombined into three groups for music this fall. Topics this term were rhythm, guitar and ukuleles. In art, students learned about patterning, mixing their own colours with paint, colour schemes and Georgia O’Keefe.
Thank you for your support at home. I can be reached via email at [email protected] or through the school at 250 851 0632. Please feel free to contact me with any comments or concerns.