Ontario Science Center

Dear Friends,

I'm planning ahead for our trip next Tuesday, Dec. 6th to the Ontario Science Center. First, I mapped out our route on the TTC. Second, I found additional resources for you to visit connected with the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit. You can check all of it out below!

You may want to review our trip route. I've posted our TTC "Trip Planner" schedule below. We will also discuss the travel route and behaviour expectations for our trip in class.

Trip Planner

Options for your trip for December 6, 2011

From: 61 DAVENPORT RD, TORONTO
To: 770 DON MILLS RD, NORTH YORK

Time for trips include estimated walking times.

The current section outlines a trip

Leaving at 9:13am

38 minutes

1 transfer

Leaving at 9:17am from			BAY STATION - EASTBOUND PLATFORM
Using these routes			BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY
			25 DON MILLS towards STEELES
Arriving at 9:50am at			DON MILLS ROAD AT EGLINTON AVENUE EAST FARSIDE

The above information was found at http://www3.ttc.ca/Trip_planner/index.jsp.

For related online resources to explore science and the exhibit, you may visit:

1. Ontario Science C entre da Vinci Adventure and Hunt – These engaging activities will tease your brainand challenge your problem-solving skills as you explore the exhibition and hunt for other specially marked exhibits here at the Ontario Science Centre!

http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/davinci/default.asp

2. Universal Leonardo – Explore games, resources and exhibitions dedicated to uncovering
Leonardo da Vinci’s life and thoughts.

http://www.universalleonardo.org

3. Online Game – Help Leonardo da Vinci to configure the system of cannonball movement towards the designated urns with the help of different types of objects.

http://armorgames.com/play/10964/fun-da-vinci

4. Leonardo3 – Producer of Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop – The Exhibition currently at the Ontario Science Centre
http://www.leonardo3.net/leonardo/leonardo_eng.htm

Weekend of the 25th

Dear Friends,

Please read the blog entry before this one as well. There are some good extensions if interested.

You have chosen one form of media to include in your political campaign for class Prime Minister or Grade 4 sales pitch for best Canadian travel destination. Here's the chart from the classroom:

FEATURES OF MEDIA FORMS
FLYERS for Political Campaign can have - photo of candidate, information (i.e. history, character trait, qualifications, goals), heading/slogan (i.e. Vote for..., Think Green!)
BROCHURES can have - a variety of information, pictures/photographs/maps, headings, folded to have sections
COMMERCIALS can have - catchy saying/jingle/slogan, actors, dialogue (i.e. script), actions (i.e. expression, movement), setting/background, props

I look forward to seeing your media either on Monday, Tuesday OR Wednesday. Speeches are on Thursday. (There will be no more extensions!)

Your reading letter is due on Monday.

Have a fabulous weekend,
Ms. Perlmutter

Interesting Links

The following website links connect to the information on the blog's side panel (i.e. poll), as well as upcoming events and ongoing learning.Visit any or all of them at your leisure.

Art
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001159/artstyle.htm
Language
www.bitstripsforschools.com
Math
http://www.gamequarium.com/placevalue.html

How many years ago was the Great Pyramid of Gyza built?

What is the value of each digit in a 5- or 6-digit number?

When might we count in millions (besides money)?

Read to Learn
www.teachkidsnews.com

Which section of the news do you find most interesting? Is it also the most important?

Dance
(In preparation for our special Dance Workshop on Tuesday November 29th!)
http://www.activitytv.com/dance-for-kids

Why do people dance?

Reading and More for Nov.18th

Dear Friends,

This weekend, please work on your Social Studies (gr.4 worksheet; gr.5 ch.2, task 3). We will be wrapping up our units in Canada and World Connections this Friday with our persuasive speeches for a class election (Gr.5) and class vote (Gr.4). You will have class time to peer edit and write the final copy of your speech.

We will be starting a new math unit on Whole Numbers. How do we read, represent and order whole number to 10, 000 (Gr. 4) and 100,000 (Gr. 5)? Also, we will continue problem solving, using I.C.E. (illustrations, calculations, explanations) as a strategy to show our thinking.

It seems that you have all been excited to design a Science cover page for our new units in Life Systems. What do you already know/think about Habitats and Communities (Gr.4) and Human Organ Systems/Human Body (Gr.5)? I look forward to sharing our cover pages and beginning investigations in science.

I look forward to receiving your next Reading Letter, due on Monday November 28. I have compiled a list of Recommended Reading for students ages 9-12. I have categorized the books by gender but, of course, they are not exclusive to boys or girls. If you love a book and want to recommend it, please reply to this post with a recommendation!

For Boys:
-The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (adventure series)
-Holes by Louis Sachar
-Coraline by Neil Gaman (Mystery)
-Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel (novel series)
-The Hardy Boys series (Mystery)
-Hoot by Carl Hiasen
-Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (Canadian Adventure)
-Dear Mr. Henshaw (Beverley Cleary)
-Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
-novels by Matt Christopher (Sports Fiction)
-The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter
-Olympians (Graphic Novel series)
-Bone by Jeff Smith (Graphic Novel series)
-Sherlock Holmes (Graphic Novel series)
-The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Graphic Novel series)
-Iqbal by Francesco D'Adamo (historical fiction)
-Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
-Redwall by Brian Jacques (fiction series)
-Artemis Foul by Eion Colfer (Graphic Novel series)
-The Boxcar Children (Graphic Novel series)
-The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley (biography)
For Girls
-The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis (historical fiction)
-Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman (historical fiction)
-novels by Kate DiCamillo (funny, adventure)
-Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (fantasy)
-Number the Stars by Louis Lowry (historical fiction)
-Black Beauty by June Brigman (graphic novel series)
-Helen Keller: A Light for the Blind (Biography)
-The First Woman Doctor by Rachel Baker (biography)
General
-Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (series)
-The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Happy Reading,
Ms. Perlmutter

Photographs!

Steel Pan: "That's the Way I Like It"

Thank You, Ms. Wong-Tam!

November 11th Weekend

Dear Friends,

This weekend's homework:

1. Parent interview form due on Monday

2. Science Centre field trip-form due on Monday

3. Finish Remembrance Day reading and reflection (i.e. connection, illustration, question and inference, new/interesting words)

4. If you have time, check out this blog and website links of your choice (i.e. science videos, favourite internet sites)

Keep your eyes out for some photos from our Remembrance Day presentations and Steel Pan session.

Happy Sunday,

Ms. Perlmutter

November 4th Weekend!

Dear Friends,

What a lovely weekend. I hope you get a chance to be outdoors and enjoy the fabulous weather we've been given . Did you remember to turn the clocks back an hour?

Please be prepared for Ms. Wong-Tam's special visit to our class on Monday

morning at 10 a.m. For your interest, here are some websites (resources) to research more about local government and Ms. Wong-Tam herself:

http://www.kristynwongtam.ca/

http://www.toronto.ca/councillors/wong_tam1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristyn_Wong-Tam

Brainstorm questions you may have for her. Think about what we're learning in

Social Studies (S.S.) about elections, Canada's regions/resources/jobs/culture,

levels of government and writing persuasive speeches. Write down your questions

and have them filed away in your S.S. folder.

If you haven't finished your Math problem solving, you can look over your worksheet/s as

we'll be taking up the homework in class later in the week. How can you use patterns to solve

problems? Think about I.C.E. (illustrations, calculations, explanations)! See an example below for an extra challenge, if you want.

Check out the latest Science poll on the side panel. We'll be launching our Science Unit on

Life Systems. For fun, you can check out some websites. Here's a good place to start:

http://www.linktolearning.com/science.htm

Select your grade level and links related to Life Systems!

Sincerely,

Ms. Perlmutter