February 1st

Dear Friends,

February is Black History Month.  Think about fairness and equality.  How are they achieved:
-at home
-in school
-in your country
-in the world?

You are encouraged to bring in stories, articles, poems, art or music (cd) that relate to Black History.

Skating
*The Ramsden Park supervisors have confirmed that the skating rink should be available for Thursday 2nd and 9th!

The Presentation Series ("P.P.T")
*The purpose of the PPT is to inform the class about something, somebody or someplace that you know about.  Use your rubric (marking guide) when practicing your speech.  Your PPT will be marked on the following things:
-speaking skills (loud, clear, tone of voice, expression)
-apporpriate language (choose interesting and positive things to say - information, anecdotes)
-visual aids (poster, diagram, item)
-non-verbal cues (eye contact, facial expression)

Math
*We've been practicing our problem solving skills this week. Here is your Success Criteria for solving word problems:
-frame key information in the problem
-determine what the question is
-identify a strategy to use that will help you solve the problem (i.e. work backwards, draw a picture, make a chart, guess and check, use manipulatives/make a model)
-use correct calculations
-explain the answer using words and/or numbers from the problem

A problem posed in class was:
A PLANT CAN PRODUCE 9 STRAWBERRIES.  THESE ARE PACKED 27 STRAWBERRIES TO A BASKET.  HOW MANY PLANTS WILL IT TAKE TO PRODUCE 30 BASKETS OF STRAWBERRIES?
(Teacher's tip- this is a great problem to solve by drawing a picture.  I can also work backwards by writing "It will take ___ plants to produce 30 baskets of strawberries.  I know this because...")

Media
*What are the features of a restaurant menu?  How do menus compare to each other from different restaurants?  If you could create a menu for your family, what would it look like?

Collect take-out menus if possible and bring them into school. 

Science
*What do you know and want to know about Structures and Mechanisms?
Gr.4 - pulleys and gears
Gr.5 - forces acting against structures

You wrote facts and questions and posted them on our KWL chart in class. I'll share some of your notes below.

Here are some of your thoughts on what you know:
-a force is something pushing while another pushes back
-buildings are structures
-structures have to be stable
-if a structure is skinny at the bottom and fat at the top it would fall over
-people use pulleys and gears to help them get things done fast

Here is what you want to know:
-how do you make a pully?
-how do forces work?
-do humans use forces with their hands?
-how does wind happen? (is wind a force?)
-how are we stronger than the wind when it hits us?