This will be my last blog post for 2014. I have to admit that time has passed very
quickly but overall I am very satisfied with the growth and learning of my
class.
Next week is a bit mixed up as it will primarily be to
complete projects followed by some celebrations at the end of the week.
Monday will see our PBL exhibition finally take shape. All the pieces are complete and ready to be
displayed. The entire hallway in the 5th
grade area will be taken over by the PBL Timeline project. I think it important that parents know this
is entirely a student project. I
presented the idea to the class, they selected the formatting of the
exhibition, how the pieces would be displayed, divided up the work load among
all members of the class and proceeded to complete both the research and
products. All this will come to a
conclusion on Monday. I will complete
the assessment for this project next week and send it home after the holidays
with the Monday Folder.
Explorer projects are also now complete (for the most
part). On Monday and Tuesday students
will video tape each other and then produce an aura and post it on Arasma. This aura’s will be available outside the
classroom for the whole month of January.
All you need is the app or you can stop by and borrow an iPad from me to
view the work. It has been quite a
journey and I am satisfied with the outcomes of the students.
We have also completed our Speculative Fiction stories and I
am in the midst of producing our first class book. I should have this out to students upon their
return after the Winter Break. Every
student will get a copy.
We have also completed out first novel study of the year so
next week students will be doing their first video reading journal entry and
also have a poster to complete on the impacts of the characters in the
story. We will continue with book clubs
in the New Year.
Thursday is the annual grade 5 Winterfest and there are tons
of great activities planned, an buffet lunch and then a movie in the
afternoon. This is always a welcome
respite for the grade 5 students at this time of year.
Please remember that on Friday all students are dismissed at
11:30 and there is only one bus for the day.
There are no ASA or afterschool sports this day. All students are expected to go home at
dismissal.
I would like to take
this opportunity to wish all of you the best of the season and warm wishes for
a relaxed and restful break. I look
forward with enthusiasm to seeing everyone again in the new year.
Harold Daw
