Gingerbread House

The class enjoyed designing, making and decorating a gingerbread house during this last week of school. First they created a model complete with measurements and then voted on their favourite house design. The class chose the "beach house" design. Then we made the dough and baked the gingerbread. Despite measuring the pieces, we didn't get it completely right so the design ended up being "beach house after a hurricane!" The kids enjoyed icing and decorating the house and despite its appearance, it still tasted great!

This past week students began a review of multiplication. They learned a few strategies 

for finding multiplication facts including skip counting and drawing arrays.  In Science, the students learned about the changes that occur when iodine is mixed with various household powders. The class continued with their research on the physical regions of Canada and some of them started designing their Instagram posts. In Art, they participated in a guided drawing activity to create a cardinal. After, they used pastel to colour the cardinal and tree branches and painted the bright blue background 

with a wash of paint. Have a wonderful and relaxing break!

Probability

Grade 5 students are enjoying playing games to learn about the concepts involved in probability. They are learning how to use the terms, "certain," "equally likely," "more likely," "less likely," "impossible" and "possible" when describing various outcomes. This week each child created a probability experiment to show their understanding.

In Social Studies, the class is engaging in research on the 6 physical regions of Canada. They are learning about the people, climate, natural resources and landforms that can be found in each region. Next week, they will begin a group project to showcase their knowledge of the regions with Instagram posts. Students began a project in French to create a zoo using the vocabulary they have learned so far. In Language Arts, we are still learning about parts of a sentence and how to correct fragments. The students are loving participating in the science experiments during our chemistry unit. This week they were able to observe the reactions that occur when powders and liquids are mixed. Finally, the class is participating in a kindness challenge where they are attempting to perform 16 random acts of kindness before the Christmas break. Everyone is enjoying being the recipients of this challenge!

Regions of Canada

Grade 5 will begin researching the regions of Canada in the weeks to come. In order to fully understand this concept, the class looked at features that define a region. The children came up with concrete examples of climate, landforms and natural resources to help solidify this concept. After researching the various regions, each student will design a travel blog highlighting key features in each area.

This week we finished learning about the characteristics of 2-D shapes and various ways to sort quadrilaterals. The children wrote a test today and a copy will come home next week. In Language Arts, the class began a short grammar unit on what makes a sentence. They began by taking notes about the two components of a sentence (subject and predicate) and came up with some examples. The goal of this unit is to support students in recognizing sentence fragments and run-on sentences. In Science, the kids have engaged in a number of hands-on activities and experiments to learn about the properties of water. On Thursday, students used the Scientific process in order to make crystals. They will be recording their observations weekly of the growth of their crystal. Ask your child about their observations. 

Classroom Chemistry

separating with air

Grade 5 began a Science unit on Chemistry this week. First, the students learned about the states of matter including solids, liquids and gases. Then on Wednesday, they experimented with a variety of ways to separate solids. Students chose two solids and then tried to separate them using water, magnets, air and sieves. The kids discovered that some methods are more effective than others.

separating with magnets

separating with water

separating with sieves

This week in Language Arts the kids learned about simile and how to enhance their writing with them. We wrapped up the Pattern unit in Math and began learning about the attributes of quadrilaterals. Some of the characteristics students will be exploring are parallel, intersecting, perpendicular, vertical and horizontal lines. In Social Studies, the class compared other regions of Canada to Alberta. Next week they will learn more about factors that define regions such as landforms, natural resources and climate. The students finished creating an optical illusion using pencil crayons and markers. During conferences, you can check out their beautiful art!

Science Fair

Interested students brought home information about the science fair last week. Each student has a letter with important dates and a list of safety regulations, and each group has one shared consent form/proposal sheet. The first two pages are for you to keep at home as a reference, and the third sheet needs to be completed and returned to either Ms. Swinton or Ms. Drummond by Wednesday, November 20, along with $14 for the trifold. (One trifold per project.) Students have asked if they can bring their own trifold; the answer is yes, as long as it meets the city science fair guidelines. Trifold measurements, along with other important information and tips, can be found on the city science fair website, which all participating students are encouraged to check out (http://cysf.org/students/ ). The frequently asked questions section (http://cysf.org/students/project-faq/ ) will be particularly helpful. If you have any science fair related questions, please direct them to Ms. Swinton (fcswinton@cbe.ab.ca ) or Ms. Drummond ( madrummond@cbe.ab.ca ). Thank-you for your support in this!

Monster Math

Students made monsters this week during Math to explore concepts related to measurement. After putting together their creation, they measured the straight sides of shapes within their monster. The kids converted the measurements from centimeters to millimeters and determined the perimeter and area of their creature. 

During Social Studies this week the class used mapping skills in order to support their learning about the regions of Canada. In Language Arts, the class finished up their writing assignments where they used their senses to describe their favourite season. Students partnered up to do research in Science on an endangered animal or plant in Alberta. In the process, they discovered some of the threats to wetlands and how individuals can protect them. Next week the groups will be presenting what they learned to the class.

Cultural Artifact Museum

Over the past few weeks, students have been learning about identity and diversity in Social Studies. To solidify the concepts taught, each child interviewed a family member and brought in an artifact to represent their culture. Today they went through the museum to look at the variety of cultures within Grade 5. After reflecting on the diversity in our school some noted that "people can come from the same place but have a different history" and "all of us and our families are very unique." 

  

   

                     

During Language Arts this week, students engaged in some visualization exercises to enhance their comprehension when reading. In Math, the class reviewed addition and subtraction strategies. Students researched and took jot notes on different types of wetlands in Alberta. They determined the plant and animal life as well as the water source found in specific wetlands such as marshes. In French, students reviewed ways to express how they are feeling. Students were very excited to start their Genius Hour project on Thursday. Genius Hour is an opportunity for children to research a topic of interest and share it in a creative way with their peers. We focused on determining good research questions. Ask your child about their topic!

Wetland Mural

Over the past few weeks, the class has been working on creating a wetland mural. They began by researching specific plants and invertebrates to find out what adaptations make them suited for wetlands. Then they created their bugs using various materials with the goal of making them look as realistic as possible. Check out their work below:

Students learned more about life cycles of invertebrates and animals in the wetland this week. On Tuesday, the class wrote a test on place value and estimation and a copy of it will be coming home next week. Students practiced various strategies for regrouping when adding and will continue working on this into next week. The class finished writing a paragraph desciribing a picture and will share their work with each other next week.  In Social Studies, the focus has been on diversity and students have received an assignment that is due next Friday. They will interview family members to find out their background and reasons for moving to Canada. On Friday the kids will share an artifact that represents their cultural background with all the Grade 5 classes. Please e-mail pictures of any priceless heirlooms or artifacts rather than send them to school. 

Literacy Night

Literacy Night is coming up on October 17. Parents and students are invited to attend!

Terry Fox Run

Despite the chilly weather, Hawkwood students participated in the Terry Fox Run today. Following the run, the class brainstormed character traits Terry Fox possessed and reflected on how he is a Canadian hero. Students used words and textures to make an art piece in the shape of a shoe.

Terry Fox art

This week students began research on wetland plants and animals. The goal was to find out what adaptations make them suited to this environment. Students applied their knowledge of place value to identify mystery numbers based on clues. They also compared numbers to determine which was greater. In Social Studies, the kids learned about the purpose of latitude and longitude and how to use it to identify specific locations. During French, students reviewed vocabulary and phrases around months and days. The Language Arts focus was using the five senses to describe a scene. We will continue with this work into next week.

Field Trip

The Grade 5's went on a field trip to Heritage Park this week to explore wetlands. Students had a great time pond dipping and looking closely at a variety of invertebrates. Using illustrated reference sheets, they were able to identify a number of the bugs. They also learned how Indigenous groups within Alberta and settlers used water sources and the impact water had on their way of life.  

In Social Studies this week the class learned about elements of mapping and how keys are used to identify different symbols found on maps. The focus of Math was around representing numbers to a million using place value blocks and words (writing numbers). Students researched what producers, consumers and decomposers are and created a food chain in Science. Check out "Curriculum Connections" to find out more about what your child is currently learning in class.

Team Building

To build community as the students settle into the classroom, they have engaged in a number of challenges. The students chose different classmates to experience working with a variety of people. One of the challenges involved working together to save a gummy worm from the water. The kids used paper clips to get a lifepreserver onto the worm. The other challenges required groups to build the largest tower they could using a variety of materials. So far one group was able to build an 80 cm tower using spaghetti, marshmallows and tape.

Next week we will continue to learn about living creatures in a wetland environment in preparation for the field trip to Heritage Park. In Math, the focus is on place value up to 1 000 000. Mapping skills such as learning about direction, longitute/latitude, symbols etc. is the focus of Social Studies. During Language Arts, students have been using their senses to describe their favourite activity or an event from their summer vacation.

     

Saving Fred

Marshmallow Challenge

                          

                                                                     

Welcome to Grade 5

Welcome to Grade 5! I hope you had a fantastic summer and are looking forward to a new school year. To ensure good communication this year, daily agenda messages will be posted on the blog as well as a list of important dates. Check back on a weekly basis to find out what's happening in your child's classroom. If you need to get in touch with me, please e-mail or call me. My e-mail is rmraude@cbe.ab.ca. I'm really looking forward to working with your child this year.