By now you should have received any photos you ordered, and a copy of our class photo! Tomorrow, please look out for a form for our next field trip. On Friday, Dec. 13, we will be heading to Ripley's Aquarium for a full day of fun and discovery. This trip costs $12/student which can be paid using Cash Online. Our class is allowed to bring 3 parent chaperones. Please indicate whether you are interested on the form, which is due back by December 10th at the very latest.
I want to give you a heads up that we will be having our Data Management math test this Wednesday. Last week's homework was a short review, which we took up this morning. Last Friday we completed our pretest which was sent home today. We have done well on this one, but we will take up the pretest tomorrow morning and students can ask about anything they were unclear on. Please sign and return the pretest promptly! In this unit, we covered the terms mode, moyenne, médiane and l'étendue (range). We looked at different types of diagrams and had several discussions about the potential uses of each. In particular, line graphs were likely new this year. We also reviewed some probability terms and added the step of describing probability as a fraction.
Last week we spent two double math periods rotating through 7 fun probability centres. Each centre was a different probability game (dice, cards, coin toss, spinner, "Roll up the Rim", lottery and the 3 doors problem). Each game was explained in a booklet where we were also asked to make predictions about the likelihood of outcomes, and then note the results as we played the game. There were some deeper follow-up questions for several activities. Ask your student what their strategy will be if they are ever featured on a game show with the 3-door problem. This isn't on the test, but we took the time to watch a couple explanatory videos on it because it is super interesting!
In French, we are now working independently to type up a resume of a text we read and discussed together - gradually building our independence with resume writing. In English, we just made an independent effort at finding the main idea and supporting arguments in a short paragraph, after a few weeks of working together. In French grammar, we have been working on adjectives for a few weeks - descriptive, possessive and now comparative.
In Science, our grade 6s are doing their presentations on their independent research and hands-on activity. So far, we have seen some videos, slide shows, interactive games, and Bill Nye-style presentations. The audience is taking notes on each presentation and for the first few, we commented on the effectiveness of the presentations giving positive and constructive comments that can benefit those who have yet to present.
The grade 5s are working on their hands-on component of their project. Many groups have chosen to build a model of an organ or organ system. They have brought some materials from home, and have let me know, in their plan, what supplies they need from me. We will have one more building period on Thursday and then we will get to work on presentations as well.
I think you're up to date for now!
Have a great week!