Ms. Swinton's Class

Students wrote a math check-in today that covered the multiplication and division concepts that we have learned so far in this unit. The results from this check-in will be very helpful in highlighting which concepts students understand and which necessitate further review and practice. We continued our discussion from yesterday around mental health. Students created four-word affirmations that they can use to build themselves up and calm themselves down. Some examples include: "I can do anything," "I believe in myself," "This can't affect me," and "I'm worthy of love." Then each student filled in a speech bubble detailing an action they are committing to in order to create positive change in terms of their own mental health or in support of others. These will go up on a bulletin board in the classroom in order to remind students to take care of and build up themselves and others. We wrapped up today with an all grade 5 Snack and ...

Today in Math we created and shared number sentences equalling 29 as well as marking Lessons 3 and 4 in small groups. A reminder that we have a check-in tomorrow about all of the concepts covered thus far in the unit. Topics to review include: Basic Multiplication and Division facts (up to 10x10) Multiplying by Multiples of 10 Estimating Products to solve problems Mental Math strategies for Multiplication We also had some quiet reading/unfinished work time and read more of chapter 13 of The Boundless . We left off at a really exciting spot! In Science students began creating visual dictionaries of important vocabulary words from our Electricity and Magnetism unit. We will continue with this work next class and throughout the unit. In Social Studies students finished up their jot notes about the Canadian Shield region.  We finished up the day with some work around mental health for Bell Let's Talk Day . We watched some videos about how we can support others...

Today in Math we reviewed the mental math multiplication strategies from yesterday and then continued working on the practice questions. Students also spent some time writing and sharing number sentences, and we had some great discussion about the challenging concepts some students have begun exploring, including factorials, fractions, decimals, and order of operations. We've been really impressed with the way that students have been pushing themselves to try more challenging number sentences. Keep up the great work! In French we shared the last few fashion show presentations and then played "J'ai... Qui a...?" which is the French version of a game we've played in Math. This game helped us practice saying clothing words. In Social Studies students continued taking jot notes about the Canadian Shield region to highlight important information and unique features about this large region. We are using the textbook as our primary source for information. After...

Today in Math we began exploring mental math strategies for multiplication. These built off of strategies that we have already been working with throughout this unit. Each strategy uses the basic facts that students already know in order to solve a multiplication equation with larger factors. Students brainstormed a number of fantastic strategies with which to find the product of 14x50, and then we highlighted three key mental math strategies. The strategy used for a particular problem will depend on the factors. The three main strategies are: 1. Breaking the number into smaller parts 2. Halving and doubling 3. Using compatible numbers and then compensating Students began solving practice problems mentally using these strategies and will continue with this work tomorrow.  Important math dates to note: - Multiplying by 10s worksheet (lesson 3): due Wednesday - Estimating Products worksheet (lesson 4): due Wednesday - Multiplication Check-in (basic multipl...

We started our day with Circle time and then had an extra Music class as our usual one on Wednesday was canceled for opera auditions. In Art we continued working on the pattern mug art we started last week; we will have more class time for this on Monday. We continued to read The Boundless  and almost finished chapter 12. In Social Studies we began taking jot notes on the next region - the Canadian Shield. We had some quiet reading/unfinished work time, and wrapped up the day with our whole school math activity about visual number representations and patterns. Today we also introduced an assignment that students will have to prepare for Thursday, January 30 (which is this coming Thursday). They will be giving an informal presentation to a peer about a book that they have read and enjoyed. The information and assessment sheet came home today, or a digital copy can also be found here . It is important for students to ensure that they include all key elements in their talk. I hav...

Today in Math we corrected the textbook pages that were due today about strategies for basic multiplication and division facts. Rather than all going over the answers together, students broke into groups of three, compared their answers, and explained/justified their answers/processes if there was disagreement. The idea was for students to consider their own processes, convince one another and ultimately come to agreement on the best answer. For any questions that were incorrect, students copied down the correct answer to help them review later. In Science, we reviewed the meaning of a circuit and the parts of a battery and lightbulb. Then we worked together to trace the flow of electricity through a circuit , describing which parts of the battery and bulb had to be connected, and the direction and path of electron flow. The electrons begin at the negative terminal of the battery, flow into the lead tip of the lightbulb, through the filament (which lights up), out of the lead contact...

Today more than half of our class participated in the science fair! It was wonderful to see the hard work that students put in and all of the amazing projects that were completed! We will be announcing the projects that will move on to the city science fair early next week (after which time trifolds can be taken home). Whether your project moves on to the city science fair or not, I am so proud of all of you, and I hope that you are proud too! Thank-you as well to the parents who provided support at home for these projects, and the to the large number of parents who came through the science fair today! I know that the students appreciated you being there! For the students not participating in the Science Fair, we had some time in Math to catch up on unfinished multiplication and division assignments. In French we used Quizlet Live to practice our clothing vocabulary. In Language Arts we created Wacky Web Tales together. We had a solid period of quiet reading/unfinished work ...

Today in Math we explored estimating products to solve problems. We reviewed when  to use estimation, and went through the strategies of compatible numbers, compatible numbers with compensation, and front end rounding (which are the same strategies we've previously used in estimating sums and differences). We discussed how useful rounding at least one factor to a multiple of ten or one hundred is when it comes to estimation, as these numbers are easy to work with mentally. We began some practice problems involving estimating products, which we will continue tomorrow. In French we reviewed clothing and colour vocabulary, and introduced the fashion show assignment that we will be presenting on Monday. Students put themselves into groups and designated at least two individuals as models. Each group member will take a turn with at least one speaking part, introducing the models and identifying different items of clothing that they are wearing. In Language Arts we finished up our de...

Today we started off with Circle sharing and DEAR reading time, then moved into Math. In Math we worked with multiplication equations where at least one factor was a multiple of ten, and we explored a number of strategies for this type of problem before completing practice questions. In Phys. Ed. we continued working on volleyball skills, practicing bumping and volleying, and then trying out different serve shots. In Language Arts we began descriptive writing, with students choosing one of two scenes to describe. We will continue with this pre-assessment tomorrow. In the afternoon we had quiet reading/unfinished work time, continued preparing our Interior Plains newscasts in Social Studies (which need to be ready to be recorded on Thursday), and read more of  The Boundless . Science Fair Reminders: The science fair is this Wednesday, January 22. For students to participate, they need to have their finished trifold, logbook, and any other project components in the Hawks...

Thank-you to the student who made Goosey this warm new poncho to wear! Looks like he'll be okay in this cold weather! We began the day with our usual Circle sharing time, and some students went to do their auditions for the school's opera with Ms. Smith. We are eager to hear who gets these parts! In Art we began creating a new piece that showcases 4 or 6 mugs with interesting and colourful patterns on each mug, each table, and each background wall. These are turning out great so far! Just looking at those steaming mugs helps us feel warmer! We will continue with this artwork next week. Stay tuned for the finished pieces! We also spent time today reading independently during DEAR, reading The Boundless  together during Language Arts (finishing chapter 10 and adding to our story boards), and having a bonus choice day in Phys. Ed. with Ms. Williamson's class. Mr. Janzic would like to remind students with long hair to please always have an elastic at school with w...

Today in Math, following our usual number sentences equalling 16, students had a chance to explore online math games for practicing basic multiplication and division facts. These links would be a great way for students to continue practicing these facts at home as well. Following this computer time, students had a final opportunity to work on textbook pages 74-75 and 78-79, about multiplication and division strategies. These pages are now unfinished work/homework, due on Wednesday, January 22, and students are encouraged to work on this at home as needed. In French, we had our final class time to work on our clothing visual journal pages. We had another Social Studies class to work on our Interior Plains region newscasts. We will be filming these newscasts next Thursday, January 23, so scripts need to be completed and well rehearsed by then. In Science we watched a Bill Nye video about electricity , taking jot notes and discussing important information. To round out our day,...

https://www.mathplayground.com/index_multiplication_division.html https://www.multiplication.com/games/all-games https://www.multiplication.com/games/division-games https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/multiplication-and-division https://www.splashlearn.com/division-games https://theteacherscafe.com/multiplication-and-division-facts-games/ https://www.abcya.com/games/math_facts_game https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/category/7/multiplication-and-division https://www.arcademics.com/games/drag-race Remember to play only multiplication and division games, even if there are addition and subtraction options!