I need to start out with a request from everyone in the class - parents and students. I know this is a little presumptuous but I want to avoid any unpleasantness or embarrassment. Korea has very strict anti-graft laws that affect public employees. That is me. With this in mind I must ask that you not have a gift for me this Christmas. While I am thankful for all the students I have in my room and I love them all a great deal, there is no need for them to show this. Having them in my room each day is a gift in itself and the growth I am seeing already this year is more than reward enough. I hope you understand and please know I do not do this to be disrespectful - I really do love my class a great deal and that is fine for me.
There is a lot happening this coming week. The biggest event is both the lead-up-to and final band/choir concert for grade 4 and 5. This is on Thursday at 10:30 am in the Lyso Center. Mon-Wed all students have a band rehearsal so they need their instrument on Monday and it will remain at school for the entire week going home on Thursday after the concert.
All students need to have their formal attire for the concert on Thursday. As I understand it, this is a white shirt, black pants/skirt & socks and dress shoes. I believe that this has been announced in several of the last band notes that Mrs. Holbrook sent home. If you are unsure please make sure you contact her in advance.
Just before the concert will be the first parent meeting for Grade 5 Exhibition. It is in the ES Veranda starting at 9:00. We will make sure that everyone is out in time to get to the Lyso for the concert.
The grade 5 classes will be co-sponsoring the ES Market Bazaar on Tuesday and Wednesday. We have things to sell and also games to play. Should be a neat opportunity.
There is the all school Christmas concert on Wednesday at 5:00 pm in the Lyso Center. There is a group of musicians from 5D playing in this concert.
The grade 2/3 concert is on Wednesday starting at 9:20am.
Friday is our class Christmas Lunch. I have a mom who will order and deliver the pizza, and a couple of moms making treats for the kids. I will supply drinks, fruit and cookies. I also have a lot of plates, napkins and cups - I think we are all set to go. I do fully believe that my class has earned this. It will be a great social time for the students. Later in the afternoon I also have a surprise for them.
Even with all of this, we will still have our regular math, writing and reading classes. The current math unit on area of triangles will be completed this week since it is only two lessons long. I forgot to send the parent letter last week so it is attached to this letter.
I have also uploaded a holiday booklet to our Google Classroom. If students are bored or need some time fills, this book is filled with a lot of activities that are fun and also help learning along. Enjoy as needed.
I will not send out another class letter until the weekend we return to school. I want to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas a prosperous and healthy new year. For those of you traveling, please stay safe and enjoy your time away. For those remaining, enjoy the respite from school and take the time to be with friends and family.
daw.com - December 8
This coming week is filled with lots and lots of things going on in 5D but first is some organizational things.
For the class luncheon on Dec 20 I need several families to bake some cookies for desert. I will supply the pizza, drinks and snacks. If I could have three families each supply 2 dozen cookies that would be great. Please let me know.
I want to let you know how proud I was of your students this week as we did the sewing of baby cloths for orphans. We got this all done on Tuesday and I have to say what an excellent job they all did. Once again, we talked about how important it is to help each other out in times of need and this was an excellent way for the the class to be involved in a service project. I would like to announce to all of you that the entire class was also involved - everyone donated the money needed for this project. It made my heart feel really good to see these youth doing something for someone they will never even know. My hearty congrats to 5D.
This week the class will host Mrs. Baird who is the school PYP coordinator. She will be taking the students through a further process that will prepare them eventually for exhibition. We started this process last month with Inspired Citizens and these are the next steps. In case some of you have not heard, Mr. Webb, the former Asst. Principal will return for the remainder of the year as the PYP coordinator.
The lower school concert is on Wednesday so we have been invited to attend. Since they will attend ours and because several of my students have siblings in these grades, it is a good idea to support them.
For our UOI this week there are 4 stations that each class will go through. Each of the teachers has taken one of our Lines of Inquiry and drawn up an exercise for the classes. Mine is on wants and needs and they will be doing a simulation about producing shoes. I have used this before with great success. Should be interesting.
Our reading and writing unit on poetry is moving along nicely with a look a various forms of poetry and some famous poets. Were are reading these out loud as that is the way poetry is meant to be studied.
Our next math unit is area of triangles and it will start on Wednesday. Not a hard unit, but an important one for both geometry and algebra in the future. We will complete Algebra on Tuesday with the final assessment.
The students asked about Secret Santa this past week and I made the decision to not have it. In truth, I have had a lot of problems with this in the past so when we talked about it in class meeting, they should now understand why I have said no. If they wish to do a gift exchange with their best friends that us fine, but nothing will be set up here in the classroom.
The holidays are not far off and if anyone is planning on leaving early, please let me know so I can plan properly. Thanks in advance for this.
That is all for this week. If you have questions or concerns please let me know and I will set up a time for us to meet.
daw.com - December 1
I do hope everyone had a great holiday. While it is was short, I am sure the respite from the regular routine was well worth it.
Here are some important happenings this week;
Band is on Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday is to make up for the missed lesson last week.
Swimming ends this week.
Tuesday is our sewing of the cloths for the babies at the orphanage.
Tuesday from 12:45-1:30 is our class celebration. Hope some of you can make it.
Thursday is the SFS bazaar. If students want to purchase something they will need some money - I would suggest no more than W10,000.
Thursday is also our Holiday Service Celebration. More later on this.
Friday is a class with Mrs. Breedlove on the digital portion of our Governance unit.
Whew - that already sounds like a full week but there is still more.
Our unit on Algebra is progressing nicely and will finish this Friday with the final assessment. It is a short unit with only three lessons and some review. I have the previous math assessment all finished and it will go home on Monday.
Our writing unit on Poetry will look at the Cinquain, the Lune and the Sense poem. Students will be writing their own poetry within all three of these forms. Our literary device we will look at will be Alliteration which is the repetition of the starting sound - “Chubby cheeks on the child”. I expect some funny responses to some of these.
The reading of poetry continues to look a verse, symmetry and form. Within all this is the reading out loud of poetry. All students have to do this over the week and I am very pleased with what I have seen so far. Finding and maintaining a rhythm is not always easy. We will also look a memorizing a poem this week and then reciting it from memory.
Our unit on governance started with a look at what it takes to govern. We did an activity where leadership, cooperation, communication and teamwork all played an important role. The students really had a good time and a lot was learned. This week we will look at our needs and wants starting with the individual and moving up to the class, school, and community.
I have completed report cards now and if there is anyone needing to meet with me about these, please let me know. I will set up a time with you.
This week we have a grade 5 Holiday Service Celebration planned for Thursday afternoon. Students will be able to move between five stations as they make and do things for charity and service. As I have talked previously, I believe this to be an important part of a Childs growth so this will give them yet another opportunity to experience helping others they do not even know. My station will be making things for the ES bazaar sale.
If anyone is planning on leaving for the Christmas break early, please take the time to let me know. There is a lot of planning in the last week of school and I want everything to run smoothly. I also really appreciate knowing in advance so I can plan as well.
As always, if you have anything you need to talk to me about please let me know so I can make a time for us to meet.
daw.com - November 24
Last week we had Leighanner Yuh come in to the grade and give a presentation on governments and history of North and South Korea. In her presentation, Professor Yuh shared the history of Korea from Colonial independence to modern democracy. She spoke of the bumpy road to today’s democracy, and the different forms of governments that existed in Korea since the 1950s. She also spoke of the rights citizens have fought to gain, such as the right to free speech, right to vote, and right to assembly.
We hope the experience was beneficial to the students in developing their understanding of important concepts such as democracy, citizenship, needs, rights and leadership. I am sure you will be hearing more about this as the weeks go on.
We will start our next reading and writing unit this coming week as soon as we complete the last one. This is a unit on Poetry, its forms, verses and styles. This is a very neat unit that allows students to really explore how they want to tell a story in verse form. We will also look at some of the things that make up poetry.
Our next math unit is an introduction to algebra. The parent letter is attached. We completed the first part of fractions today and I am hoping to have the assessment out to you just after Thanksgiving. I have report cards to complete first then I will be able to get to the assessments.
I want to thank the parents/students that have already brought in their W10,000 for our classes contribution to the So-Good fund raising happening right now. There is still time if others want to do this. I want to have the money turned over to the organizers just after Thanksgiving so up to this coming Wednesday, students will still be able to participate. I am hoping that everyone sees this as an opportunity to participate in making someone less fortunate happier.
This coming week is a short week with Thursday and Friday school holidays. Students have swimming on Tuesday no Monday as I told them. Sorry for the error. I got mixed up on the school days for next week.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday everyone.
daw.com - November 10
First off, an important change in calendar dates. Please note this down as it is not on any calendar. Our PYP Coordinator is leaving at Christmas break so we wanted to have our PYP Grade 5 Exhibition Parent meeting prior to her moving on. The new date and time is as follows;
Grade 5 Exhibition Parent Meeting - December 19th 9:00-10:00 am - place to be determined.
This will work out well since the Holiday Band concert is immediately afterwards starting at 10:30 in the Lyso Theatre. More on this as we get closer to the time.
Also a reminder that for PE all students will be swimming. This means they need to bring swim suit, towel, goggles and swim cap on PE days. Next week this is Thursday. I have talked to everyone in the class how important I feel this is since the earth is covered 60% with water. We also discussed some of the options of the future if they are good swimming. Things like Kayaking, sailing, SCUBA, diving and synchronized swimming will all become available if they already know how to swim. I also personally feel it is the best long term fitness sport since it is non-weight bearing, aerobics and strength training all rolled into one.
Our writing is coming along quite nicely. We have now started to look at writing the first draft of our research report. Lessons last week included more work on the outline, adding in a bibliography, presenting and citing pictures and URL’s. This week we look at crafting the report in a more formal tone and also making sure that explanations are complete. I expect that first drafts will be done by Friday.
Reading lessons continue to look at the three step process for summarizing complex nonfiction books; 1) finding main ideas, 2) combining them into a central big idea, 3) finding evidence to support the big idea. After all that is done then students can write a summary. We have done this as a class for the first three books in the Scientific Process using them as examples of what this should look like. Students have also started to use their own books in this process.
On Monday students will bring home the chapter 3 math assessment. While it was not a surprise to me, I am finding that students are having a great deal of difficulty in interpreting mathematical word problems. We will continue to work through this in the next unit. I have added in more math problems to our daily lessons as well in an attempt to strengthen this. Chapter 4 is the multiplication and division of fractions. It introduces two models; area model for multiplication and ribbon model for problem solving. We have just started these and will continue to work with them throughout this unit. I have included the parent letter for this unit with this newsletter.
Next week students have the opportunity to work with Inspired Citizens, listen to a real author talk about the writing process and listen to a band concert with students from all over the Asia-Pacific region. Should add a lot of interesting learning to their repertoire.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
daw.com - November 2
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support of Grade 5 chapel and Korea Days. These are important events for the school and the class and without your support, they would not be possible. I have to say that I was very proud of the class during the chapel which went off without a hitch. We tried very hard to make it a student led event and upon reflection, we did succeed. I have placed pics in a folder and you can find them here. Please feel free to download all you want.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18SE0HTyK8aMIrZMW4kqESgonA9lWyDuO?usp=sharing
We are well along in our research report unit. This week we took the time to begin looking at outlining our writing and I was very impressed with what the students came up with. It was more a brainstorming session since the topic of matter is so large, the students cannot possibly cover it all and they are not expected to. I anticipate that we will complete our research on Monday or Tuesday of next week and then it is on the first draft of their actual report. We will be using Google Docs to write this report. It is the first writing they have done this year on the computer and I used this since I want to have lessons on adding in graphs, tables and diagrams. All of these will need to be properly labeled and also cited. We will also begin to look at putting our bibliography together from all the research we have done. While important, it is an abbreviated version we use just to get students use to making sure they cite their sources.
Our reading unit continues to look at complex non-fiction. We used a special article on the Mantis Shrimp this week to continue our look at main ideas and supporting evidence. We also started to look at asking questions and giving our own thoughts about the reading as well. There are articles on deep water lakes, air vents in the ocean floor, historical people and native Americans that will continue to stress these features of complex non-fiction.
We will complete our math unit this coming week with the final math assessment on Tuesday. While the basic arithmetic does not seem to be a problem, when the math is turned into words, I have noticed that many students continue to struggle. We will continue to work through this over the next few chapters of the math program. We have also started to look at the math practices and what they should look like in class. They are designed to give students a framework to work within as we go through our math studies. We should complete these next week. I will also be continuing to have students teach the concept learned on Seesaw each time we finish one. I am really enjoying this as a way to see what they have really understood about the math concept.
Our UOI unit is still working on explaining the results of an experiment. Students should be getting close to finishing this and then we will post the completed project on Seesaw. We also started looking at the Scientific Process this week by reading the first of 6 books. This will continue next week with the last two books and then integrate with reading as there are two graphic novels on the subject they will read. This process is what they will use as they design their own experiment based on one that we have completed in class.
Next week we are fortunate to have a reading specialist in the school and I will be attending several reading labs, learning about reading workshop and also active read-a-louds. This last one really interests me as I fully believe that students learning to read need to be reading out loud. It is the only way that anyone can really tell if learning its happening and also greatly improves fluency in reading. These are areas I am looking for in the reading in my class. We are reading Manic Magee by Jerry Spinelli in class and looking deeply into how it was written and what affect this has on the reader. Doing it all out loud has really been a good way to see what students are getting out of the book.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
daw.com - October 27
What a great week we just completed. We have moved along steadily in all our units, which this time are all interconnected, except for math.
Our reading unit is learning how to understand more complex non-fiction books. We have done this through looking at several articles which show some of the complexities of reading. These are titles, headings and subheadings that are not descriptive, more than one main idea in the text, having the main ideas and central ideas hidden (implicit) in the writing and the use of more technical language and vocabulary. This ties is nicely with our unit on Matter and The Scientific Process since next week’s home learning will us this teaching. More on that later.
Our writing unit has been how to take notes and prepare for a research report. The subject of the report can be anything that falls under the giant umbrella of Matter. This gives the students lots of choice in what they finally write about. This week we learned how to take notes in our own words, how to find main ideas and evidence/support for these main ideas, asking and writing questions about what you are reading, even if they never get answered, thinking while reading takes place and noting the thinking down and finally doing writing along side of note taking and not waiting until the end. This last part is fairly new for students so I am doing it on a regular basis and also asking them to do it as they feel the need. On Monday we will do yet another flash draft of one of the main ideas they have been researching. We have also planned a one-hour block in the MS library this coming week for research. They have a wider array of books for students to use.
Now that we are well along in these units it is time to put them into practice. The first four books in a series about the Scientific Process will be uploaded to our Google Classroom page. The only home learning that students have this week is to read these books, take notes, question what they read and to think while they are reading. Each morning there will be a sharing time where the students gather together to share what they read and found out the previous night. As there are 8 books in the series, this will continue next week as well. Students will take home their UOI books to keep track of their thoughts and ideas. Each day these will need to be returned to class as we use them for our unit as well.
Our UOI this week started to look at physical and chemical changes in matter. We started an experiment where two eggs are placed in vinegar and water and then observing the change. Our second one will be a look at the movement of molecules due to temperature. We are also starting to research why these experiments work and once completed, the presentation will be posted on Seesaw for you to see.
Our math unit has now looked at the addition and subtraction of mixed numbers. The students learning is on Seesaw for you to look at. We will continue this week with word problems and also a brief introduction to decimal fractions. We should complete this unit by Friday with the final assessment. Our next unit is on multiplication and division of fractions.
I had two interesting conversations with parents this week about certain processes I have in place in my room. The first one was about the planner. The idea here is two fold - remind students what is coming up and allow parents to stay in tune with the class. While I do not ask for planners to be signed by parents, all my students know you can ask to see them. The second one was on home learning. Each night there is a home learning assignment that is marked, discussed and reviewed the next morning. At any time parents should be able to ask students to see their homework, just like the planner. All my students are aware of this.
This coming week is chapel at 8:30 on Tuesday in Robb Hall, picture day for Korea Days on Thursday morning, and Korea Day activities on Friday. Please note we do not celebrate Halloween in school. Band on Monday has been postponed to Wednesday due to limitations for us to practice our chapel.
Let me know if you have any questions.
daw.com - October 20
We had a great week of starting new learning and also assessing where we are in our learning. While this took a lot of time, it was all in preparation for the learning to come in the next units. I got an email from the office that MAP scores will be emailed out sometime this coming week. If you do not get them, please contact the ES office.
We put our first fractions seesaw post up and I am looking for this to become a regular thing now. Look for more this coming week. We have covered addition and subtraction of like and unlike fractions. Our last section was on why division questions end up as fractions. We move on to mixed numbers next.
Our note taking in non-fiction reading started with an organizational exercise as this is the focus in our unit. Taking random and un-organized notes is not worthwhile at all. We are also learning to not copy from an author as this is not allowed. Using our own words is a much better way to make sure we understand what we are taking notes on. It will also help us in our writing as we learn how to write a research report, which must be well organized.
We started our first experiment in our Matter UOI this week with a look at dissolving in different temperature water. We still have some research to do to completely understand this. On Tuesday we will do a set of 4 experiments and research each of these as well. Since this is so new to students, it is exciting to watch them see the wonders of science at work.
Grade 5 is preparing for our Chapel on the 29th and all students have been split into various groups to make ready for this event. We have a couple more times this week and a dress rehearsal on the 28th. The chapel starts at 8:30 on the 29th in Robb Hall.
We had a great time at sports day on Friday and I was very happy to see everyone enjoying themselves and trying their best. The vipers gathered the most points from the day but it should be noted that there was only 13 points difference between the highest and lowest. This would mean that everyone was really trying hard - congratulations are in order.
Vision and hearing screening is on Tuesday this coming week.
Hope all is well and let me know if you have any questions.
daw.com - October 11
A good time was had by all at the grade 5 retreat, I hope everyone is rested from their holiday and we are ready for the next adventure in 5D.
There is a lot happening this week to keep us busy. First up is class photos - these are on Thursday Oct 17 right after lunch. Next is sports day - this is Friday October 18th from 8:30 - 12:30. ERB will be Tuesday and Wednesday.
Our next math unit is on Fractions and Mixed numbers. This is the first of he units on fractions that students continue with all year long. Later it will mix with decimals. The final assessment from unit 2 will come home this week.
Our next writing unit is on research report writing and is tied in directly with our UOI on matter. There is a lot of technology with this unit for the research so it is important that computers come to school fully charged each day. The assessment for the previous unit will come home this week.
Tackling Complexity is our next reading unit and it is the first of several non-fiction units. While many students enjoy reading these books, very few know how to get the information out of them in an organized manner. This unit will help with this. It is also tied in with our writing unit which is based in non-fiction writing.
Out next UOI is on matter and the scientific process. We will look at the changing of states of matter, both reversible and non-reversible, types of matter (did you know there are seven), how to conduct a scientific experiment through some really neat and interesting demonstrations and experiments. This is a unit that most students really find fun.
Monday is a Day 5 so students have library,. We did not have time before we left for retreat and holiday to get this into out planner, so they may need to be reminded to bring their library books back for this day. There are also several students with overdue books and I would like to get these books either renewed or returned a well.
Home learning will continue this week as should instrument practice and reading. All together this should take no more than an hour a night.
There is a lot of technology in these units so please help your student to make sure their computer is plugged in each night and fully charged before they come to school. It will be a shame if they have to miss any of this due to a computer out of power. All students also need some kind of head set since there are videos and computer simulations to take part in as well.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
daw.com - September 28
I want to thank all of you for the wonderful sessions we had over the past two days. I have gotten to know your scholar more and this is always a positive move forward. If there is anything you need to talk to me further about or questions you have please let me know.
Retreat is this week and here is the information you need for it;
1. We are still arriving home on Wednesday at 4:30 in time for the 5:00 late bus. Please make sure that your scholar knows where to get off for the late bus or that arrangements have been made to pick him/her up.
2. Snack and lunch are needed for Tuesday. There is no hot water or microwave so everything must be able to be eaten as is. I do suggest a hard case to store it in as the day pack will have a lot of other things in it that could squish the lunch. We have several severe nut allergies so nothing nut related please (oh man— no peanut butter!!!!!). Please do not pack any other food for the trip. We have plenty for meals and snacks at camp.
3. If students want a snack from the convenience store on the way home then they will need 5,000 KWN. This will easily cover some snack foods as we come home.
4. No electronics at all - none. We do have a photographer with us and these photos will all be shared with you. There is so much going on and a lot of water around which means, no electronics are needed.
5. Please make sure that packing is done by the students so they know where everything is in their pack. Also remember, we are only out for one night. As it is a little cooler now than our original time 3 weeks ago, sweater/light jacket and blanket for night is probably a good idea. The dorms are heated but it is always better to be safe than sorry. It is also better to not need something than to find that you do need it and not have it.
6. If any students is on medications of any kind, remember to pack them up in a ziplock or other secure bag with their name and instructions clearly on the outside. The nurse will collect these as soon as we arrive at the beach.
We have come to the end of our first set of units and our second unit in math. Our next reading unit is on tackling complex non-fiction books, our writing unit is on article writing and out math unit is Fractions and Mixed numbers. I expect to write the math test for the current unit on Monday and should have it back to you the first week after the holiday.
After we return from retreat, students are on a well deserved break. I hope the family takes the well deserved time off to regenerate, recuperate and just rest and relax. I will be traveling to Hawaii to visit some friends who are moving to Zimbabwe at Christmas time. I have not seen them in four years so it will be a great reunion.
There will be no home learning next week or over the holiday. Regular home learning resumes after October break.
daw.com - Sept. 20
I do hope everyone had a great Chuseok holiday and spent quality time with the family. I went out and about Seoul over the holiday and really enjoyed learning more about this wonderful city and country. When we came back on Monday there was a realization that this quarter is almost at an end. Wham!!! Wow!!!
All that we have left for our MAP testing is the makeup sessions for absent and incomplete tests. I expect that to be completed this coming week. We are also starting our Fountess and Pinnell reading inventory and while I would like it complete before fall break, I am realizing it might take longer than the time we have left - in that case, we will complete it soon after we return from Fall Break.
Our writing unit on personal narratives is going really well and many of the students are now at the final stage of edits and revisions. This means that throughout this week I will see some published pieces completed. I have noticed a marked improvement in the students writing but I keep reminding them that there is always more that can be accomplished.
Our book clubs are coming to a close with our first and second journal article completed. There are two sections of reading left and one more journal article before we wrap this up. Being able to share idea and concepts has helped the students make sure they have a full understanding of the book they are reading.
The unit on migration is also coming to a close with the final piece well underway. There are four stations where students have looked at m migration over history and throughout the world. This week the will also look at personal history and any migration they have been.a part of. To do this you may find that the students have questions they need to ask you about the family tree and history. Any help you can give them will be greatly appreciated.
I hope that everyone has signed up for parent teacher conferences. I look forward to this each year as we talk about the future of your scholar. I believe the system has closed now so if you still need to make an appointment or change the time, please call the ES office to help you. Thank-you in advance for this.
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Remember that this coming Friday is no school for scholars since I will be busy with parent teacher conferences., Students get a three day weekend.
The whole class was proud to see our own Jonasz as one of the prayer moderators in United in Prayer on Wednesday. It was a glorious day and a wonderful event. Thanks to Christian Ministries for this.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
daw.com - September 6
Please remember that there are only three days of school next week, since Thursday and Friday are national holidays. There will only be home learning on Monday and Tuesday evenings. If anyone is leaving early or coming back late, please let me know so I can plan accordingly. It is not a problem, but knowing in advance is very helpful for me.
Next week is MAP testing on Tuesday and Wednesday so please make sure your scholars have plenty of sleep the night before and a good breakfast in the morning. These tests, if done accurately, can really show you where your scholar is in learning at that particular moment in time.
I also need to ask that students have their computers fully charged when they arrive to school. Leaving them plugged in overnight is the best way to accomplish this. I have very limited access in my room to electrical outlets so it is hard for a student to work if their computer is not functional. It is also a good system to have in place since the use of computers increases as the years go on. As most of our math lessons are first thing in the morning, there is no time to use the class charging station before we begin.
We are at the revising stage of our first piece of writing and while this is a struggle for most students, it is a very important part of their writing. We are looking at making our writing bigger and better with each draft that his done. How we do this, depends on the type of writing and for narratives, asking the right questions is important.
We did our first reading journal entry this week and I was impressed. We have looked at 4 examples and also done one as a class. The important aspect here is to look for an idea in the story and then explore it deeper and have examples to back up the concept. This, most likely, has never been done by my students so there is lots of learning here. Please, please please make sure they are reading at home every day. As a teacher of many years, I can, with authority, tell you the improvement will be significant if they do this and it will also prepare them for the increase in reading in the years ahead.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me and I will gladly set up a time to meet.
daw.com - August 31
The big event next week is Grade 5 Retreat on Thursday and Friday. Just some reminders;
1) Everyone needs a snack and lunch for Thursday. Nothing with nuts please as we have several students who are quite allergic to nuts. Make it healthy and light.
2) Remember, this is an electronics free night and two days. No cell phones, no iPods, no MP3 devices, no watches, no cameras (will explain below). Students are going to be so busy there is no way they will have time for these and with the amount of water around our activities, they could easily get damaged or lost.
3) We are only going out for one night - keep the packing simple and small. One thing we have had several conversations about was the dishes and tea towel. Each student will be responsible for washing and drying their own dish ware.
4) As the entire trip is outdoors, sunscreen, hats, sunglasses etc. are definitely a must. Please no aerosol spray cans.
5) Have students do their own packing so they know what they have with them.
6) There is a snack store on the way home so if they want to purchase a snack they will need 5000 won with them. Securely stored in the day pack.
7) Two packs - overnight bag and day pack. The day pack is needed both days for the activities, the overnight is only needed for change of clothes, toiletries etc.
8) Make sure your scholar has fun - wish them all the best as they leave on Thursday morning. OK, this is my request, but I think it is a good one. I am planning on doing everything possible to make this the best retreat ever in grade 5 history at SFS.
9) Make sure that return plans are well known by student. Remember, we arrive back at SFS at 4:30 pm on Friday.
There is a photographer coming with us to camp and all the pics will be made available to everyone. Once again, there is no time for students to take pics. They are going to be busy all the time. We have decided therefore, cameras are not to be brought out to camp. We are also aware of all the water around us for activities and the possible damage to cameras.
Please direct all last minute questions to me no later that Tuesday so I will have time to research answers I may not know. Thanks in advance.
Beginning band is underway and what a great day Saturday was. It is to the credit of the students for all the music learning they did that day. I remember my sister learning to play the French Horn when she was about 12-13. She was certainly pumped as these scholars were today.
Our first unit in Math is over and the test is completed. Our next unit is on Multiplication and Division of whole numbers. This will be with numbers up to 9,999 for the most part with a few explorations into the 10,000’s. We will also be learning how to use spreadsheets and calculators in this unit. Watch out for some neat demos at home by your scholars.
Reading a writing are moving along at steady pace with our first move into revisions and edits starting this week. As well the first book clubs of the year start with assigned books. Later in the year I will start to let students choose the books they read for the book clubs they participate in.
Ask yourself this question - how do you know your scholar is completing the reading they are doing? I ask this as I am not convinced that my students are all doing this. I see them with new books every day or choosing new books every day. With the books they are choosing, there is only a slight chance they are completing the reading. It is very important that all books started are completed. It is OK to not like a book, but it needs to be completed and then a determination made about how good it is. Comic books are not part of the school reading curriculum. They are a great read but, unless you purchase all 200-300 volumes, never develop characters, plots or settings. Graphic novels are ok as they do have all the above.
That is all for this week. If you have any questions or concerns be sure to let me know and I will set up a time for us to meet.
daw.com - August 23
We made it through our first full week of school and what fantastic week we have had. We completed many projects and are well into our first units of discovery. We also welcomed our newest class member Eric Watson.
I want to thank everyone who attended Back to School Night last night. I hope it was informative. If you were not able to make it, I am going to put up both the slide show I used, and the Seesaw slide show for you to view at your leisure. Please remember that I am here for your scholar all the time. Please let me know if we need to meet.
Computers are all now set up for use at school. Starting on Monday I would like to see students bring them with them every day. They can store them in the locked cabinet overnight if they want except over the weekend when they must go home. This is a choice I leave up to you and your scholar. Be on the look out for much more coming your way digitally.
Grade 5 retreat is September 5-6. This is coming very rapidly. Permission slips and packing lists went home on Friday. The permission slip is due in to me by Wednesday August 28th please. Be accurate with the information on it as that is what I will take out with me to camp. We will arrive home on Friday at 4:30 pm so please start immediately to make arrangements to pick up your son/daughter from school or to take the 5:00 late busses. While I do not know who to call, starting with the transportation office will likely get you what you need.
Next week in math we continue with our look at whole numbers and I predict that the final assessment for this unit will be towards the end of the week. It is a fairly short unit and I am please with what I am seeing in the way of student learning.
Our writing unit on the Personal Narrative continues. We have been busy writing small moments from our lives and will continue with this through next week when I expect that each student will have up to five or six small moment pieces. From there we will look at expanding one into a complete story and then publish it later in the unit.
Our reading unit is taking the time to write well about what we read. This is something that I feel the class needs a lot of work in, so I am teaching it with repeated ideas and using many examples from students I have taught in the past and also from professional readers. Our first library period is next Wednesday so students will finally get to sign out books and bring them home. I expect that we will visit the library about twice a week for book exchange. Please remember that after home learning is complete, students should use the rest of their time, up to 50 minutes, to read. On the weekend I would like them to find 15-20 minutes per day to do the same. I know this is not always possible, but since reading is such an important life skill, it is a worthwhile endeavor.
Our migration simulation on Tuesday went very well. The objectives were met and the students really got a feel for what it is like to be an immigrant arriving for the first time to a new country. We have reflected on the simulation and will continue with the learning next week. I will give you a heads up that if you have anyone in your family that has migrated to another country, your student would love to talk with them and hear their story. It is something that really adds strength to the learning.
That is all for now. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I will gladly set up a time for us to meet. Have a great weekend.
Harold Daw
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