P. 13 Update

Hello Parents of P. 13 students:

It was a pleasure meeting with you during interviews last week.  I know that together we can help your students meet their goals for the rest of the term.

Just a little note to let you know what we are working on, and what is coming up.

Language

Media  - We have been looking at the purpose and audience of media, different types of media, and techniques advertisers use to sell their products.  We analysed billboards and TV commercials, and on Tuesday we went downtown to look at examples of media.  We will also be listening to radio commercials, public service announcements, and will eventually be creating our own ad campaigns.

Reading - We have been listening to read-alouds, and doing shared reading on texts that focus on description.  We analysed how the author used effective verbs and adjectives, and used sensory words to create pictures in the readers's minds.

Writing - After seeing sample texts that use descriptive writing, we are writing our own descriptive pieces.  We will be writing descriptions of places, people, and objects.  We created Success Criteria as a class.  If students follow these criteria, they will be successful.

Criteria:  Our descriptive writing:

. will use interesting words, not over-used words
. will include sensory details (i.e., the 5 senses of sight, smell, taste, feel, hearing)
. should have adjectives and adverbs
. should paint a picture in the readers' minds that shows exactly what you're describing
. will be edited for proper paragraphing, spelling, gramar, punctuation, capitalization

Math

Students created strategies for each other about how to remember the timestables.  They MUST know their timestables to 9 x 9, since we are now doing 2 x 2 digit multiplication and long division.  Soon we will be doing standard linear measurement, converting between measurements, and perimeter.

French - Students have a quiz on Monday, November 26 about sports vocabulary, the verb aimer, and endings of -er verbs.  Study!!!!!  Next we will learn clothing words, the verb porter (to wear), and how to use colour adjectives with nouns.  We will create paper dolls with clothing, and present them, and we will have a French fashion show.

Ms. Ryan has just finished some Social Studies on levels of government, but we will do more on this.  Students will be starting to learn about Matter in Science, s Ms. Ryan will need empty 500 ml plastic pop and water bottles to do this unit.

Ask your child about the trip we had on Tuesday.  Some students got an extra surprise!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Bordonaro

Hi  P13!  We're here to keep you up to date on what's going on in our class and,what you could be waiting for!

 First, let's get the highlights of the Terry Fox run.  Was it fun for you? Well I hope we all raised lots of money for the run! The whole school raised about $1600! A lot of money, right? Our little rap "Lets go Terry Lets go woff woof!" for Terry was really good and got most people's attention. We should be really happy that we all worked together, despite our diffrences. We worked like a powerful team! I can't believe we walked across the WHOLE neighborhood, and it didn't even take that long! We did it in about 5 minutes! If you want my opinion, I thought it was a lot of fun, and we were also helping people with cancer! I hope you had a really good time. GO TERRY!
 
 In Science, we have a big, and I mean really big, Science project about.... The Human Body! Who knew it could be so much fun!  For me, but what about you? Every person has a part of the body, and they have to write about it, and don't forget:  Add pictures! It's due this Tuesday the 9th! I can't wait to see all of your projects! Remember, remember, remember!!!

 One of our big topics in class is making a differnce no matter who you are and what you do. Anybody can make a differnce by

. Helping
. Cleaning
. standing up for what's wrong

and lots, lots more! We have read some small articles about caring for others, and trying to stop something, even if it hasn't happened to us. We can all be good citizens, and try our best when a chance comes up. What do you think you can do to be a good citizen? How can you help? Here is a challange for you: Do something to help the community, not only for you , but for everyone else. You will feel much better that you did someting to help.

  Did you know on Monday it's Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a holiday where you and your family come together, and are thankful for all the things you have. You can eat turkey, or have a big dish with your family. The main purpose is to get with your family, and always enjoy life. Never waste a minute of it!  You will never know when you might need it. What is your family doing on Thanksgiving?

We wish you a great long weekend!

Note to parents: No school on Monday!

Written by Student Bloggers Arwa and Sare

Curriculum Afternoon

Hello Parents and Students of P. 13:

I said in a previous post that I would be away the day the rest of the Grade 5's were doing Curriculum Afternoon.  My daughter's surgery has been re-scheduled, so I WILL be here that day.

Here is the information, which I will also be sending home in agendas, and in a paper notice.

GR. 5 CURRICULUM AFTERNOON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
2:35 p.m.
Portable 13

This afternoon is not to discuss your child's progress.  It is a time to visit the classroom, see some work already done, and hear about routines, expectations, and curriculum.

I am looking forward to seeing you here!

Ms. Bordonaro

Welcome to Grade 5 - 2012/2013

Dear Parents of P. 13 students:

Welcome to another year of school.

I am very excited to be teaching your children this year, and we have gotten off to a good start.  This blog will be a great place for you to check what we have been doing in class, and what is coming up, including what larger projects your child might have.  Sometimes I will be doing the blogging, and sometimes student bloggers will write as part of their writing block!

During the first couple of weeks of school, we have been working hard to get to know each other, learn routines, and develop a classroom community where we learn together.  We have made Name Art where we drew our names with important things about us in each letter.  We have played games in Language and Math to help us get to know each other, and we are now presenting "Me Bags" where each student has been bringing items that represent them.  All of these activities are helping me to get to know your child.

There are 4 important agreements in our class that students should remember:

Mutual Respect
Attentive Listening
Appreciation
Right to Participate

Ask your child what these mean, and what might happen if they do not follow these agreements.

In the coming weeks, we will be reading and writing about rights and responsibilities, community, and citizenship.  In Math, we will be focusing on data management (graphs, tables, analysing information).  For French, we will soon be learning a verb so that we can describe what we like, and will be learning vocabulary to do with recreation.  Our artwork will be focused on the use of lines, and analysing our pieces of art.  Students have Ms. Ryan for Science, but I know that they are studying systems of the Human Body.

Students should be reading EVERY night for homework, as they will soon be required to do an assignment on a book they have read independently.  Soon, you will be seeing a writer's notebook coming home.  They should write in this at least 3 times a week, but it will be collected once a week for me to read and respond.  I ask that you not help your child with this writing, or make corrections to their writing.  I will want to see what I can do for them to improve their writing.  Any other homework is what they did not finish in class.  They should not be doing more than about 40-50 minutes of homework.

The best way to communicate with me is through the agenda.  Please write me a note, and have your child show me when they come in.  I will write to you in this same fashion.  I do not sign agendas every day, but will certainly contact you with information or concerns (for example, incomplete homework).

Curriculum afternoons are coming up so that you can see the classroom, and hear more about Gr. 5 curriculum and plans for the year.  I will be sending a note home informing you of a change in when I will be holding that afternoon, since one of my children is scheduled for minor surgery the day the rest of the Grade 5's are having Curriculum Afternoon.

I can already tell that this is going to be a wonderful year, and I look forward to working with each of your children.

Thank you for your support of your child's learning.

Ms. Bordonaro

Heat in the portables

This week is supposed to be VERY hot, and the portables can get hotter than outside, and very stuffy.  Please send your child with bottles of water (a re-usable bottle is preferable), so that they are not leaving class often to get a drink.  They should also dress appropriately for the weather.

Students are also reminded that although it is getting near the end of the year, they should continue to finish work that has been assigned in class, but not completed.

There may only be 8 days of school left, but we still have some things to get through!!!!

Ms. B

Thank you

Thank you to my wonderful students who threw me a surprise birthday celebration on Friday, June 15th.  With the help of some teachers, they decorated, and brought a cake.  Of course, there was the "popcorn incident".  NEVER put popcorn in a microwave for 4 minutes!!!!!!!  2 minutes or 2 minutes 30 seconds will do it.

Once the portable aired out, we had a lovely time eating cake.  A group of students even did a folkfest dance for me as a present.

It made my day lovely, and my students were so thoughtful. 

We are getting close to the end  of the year!

Thanks again,

Ms. Bordonaro

"Greece"d Lightning

GREECE!

A place of awesomeness.A place of adventure.A place of knowledge. A place of creation.

Greece was divided into many city-states.

The two most famous city-states were Athens and Sparta.

Athens was a democratic city state. A place that started  a good democratic goverment.

Sparta was a strike army camp place. Sparta conquered many lands.

Other city-states weren't as popular as those two.

We have learned a lot about Greece.

We did art for Greece.(Pottery)

We are doing a project on Greece right now with computers.

And we will make brochures on the laptops in the libary.

Written by student bloggers

Track and Field

 Dear Parents:
On Thursday May 3rd, 2012, Grade 4's and 5's had track and field.
What is Track and Field you ask? I will tell you. Track and Field is when you race some kids, or do jumping events, and whoever comes 1st, 2nd or 3rd will get to go to a "STADIUM" and race other kids that are the same age as us from different schools. Some kids in our class p.13 made it to the finals.  They will go to a stadium where they will race each other. It is really, really fun to race, but also hard because you get tired.  The distances run were Sprints, 200m, and 400m, and the jumping was standing long jump, running long jump, and triple jump.

Good luck to everyone who is moving on.

Student bloggers

Important Assignments

Hello families of P. 13:

I'd just like to keep everyone up-to-date about important assignments that are due.

For Media, students have been working on analysing songs that deal with "Change".  We are now creating CD covers/booklets that show images/words/messages from the songs.  The final product is due on Friday, May 4.  Students have had several hours in-class to work on this, and have one more in-class work session tomorrow (Tuesday, May 1).

Next week, students will sign up for a day to do a Book Talk (May 7 - 11).  Students should have read a chapter book/novel that is appropriate for their level of reading.  They are to present their book to the class in a creative way (power point presentation, poster that sells the book, radio or TV ad for the book, newspaper, puppet show, triorama or diorama that shows important characters/scenes from the book, letters to the author or characters, a talk show, a mobile, a comic strip, a story board, etc.).  Their book talk should include all the important aspects of a narrative (characters, setting, plot, problem/solution), and should show their understanding of point of view (whose side of the story is being told), and opinion (why did do characters do the things they did, why is the setting important, how they relate to the book and why).  Their Book Talk should not just be a re-tell of the story.  It should show a deeper understanding of the messages in the book, what the characters are like as people, how they connect to people or situations in the book, what inferences they can make (e.g., the author may have had a similar experience as a child.  I can tell this because in the book.....).  Students have had several hours in class to work on this in class, and will have one more work session tomorrow (Tuesday, May 1).

On Friday, May 4, there is also a Math assignment due.  Students were to create a petting zoo with several enclosures for various animals.  They had to show the appropriate dimensions for that size animal, and calculate the perimeter and area of each animal enclosure.  Once again, students had several hours in-class to work on this, and must now finish at home.

Thank you for your continued support of your child's work.

Ms. Bordonaro

EARTH HOUR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Earth hour is a time to save electricity, and make the world a better place. Everyone around the world is saving energy to show how much we love the world. During Earth Hour, you should turn off everything that is electrical to save ENERGY. During Earth Hour you could read, draw or do anything, but not anything electrical.  Earth Hour is actually tomorrow on March 31 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  But here at Thorncliffe Park P.S., we had Earth Hour today from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Since it was cloudy, it was a little dark in here, but we managed. So turn off all your electrical items tomorrow night, and do something together as a family! Have a wonderful EARTH HOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Share a wonderful weekend

YOURS TRULY,

 P 13

Greek Pottery!!!

In P.13, we did some pottery with Ms.Fountas, our student teacher.  It was soooooo much funnn!!
We chose our pots from greek books.Our pots had to explain things about ourselves, about what we like, and our lives.The main colours we used to paint our pots were red, brown and black! It took us about 2 days to finish them.  Every student had a different and uniqe pot.The pots were great, and Ms.Fountas and Ms. Bordonaro liked them too :D

Our pots turned out GREAT at the end.Thats what we did with the pottery! It is part of our study of Ancient Greek culture.  Pots were used in daily life, but are now considered works of art.  When archaeologists find them, we learn more about what life was like.

Student bloggers with input from Ms. Bordonaro

Language challenge - Making Big Words

Here is a fun activity you can do at home with your child.

Write and cut out the following letters.

A  P  I  T  S  M  O  E  O  A  M

Move the letters around and make as many words as you can.  The challenge is to make as many "big" words (4 or more letters), using only the letters you are given.  You cannot add letters.   You can only use double letters if there are actually two of them above (e.g., 2 O's).

The BIG challenge - the letters above are actually one word.  Scramble the letters to see if you can figure out what the 11-letter "big" word is!

Hint:  the students have seen and heard this word in the last couple of weeks in Social Studies!

Good luck!

Ms. Bordonaro

Term 2 Topics

Hello Portable 13 Families!!!!

We are a couple of weeks into Term 2, and it has been very active here in P. 13.

In the past few weeks, we have looked at Greek Myths (Language), CD covers (Media), Linear Measurement (Math), 3-D Geometry (Math), an Introduction to Ancient Civilizations (including the start of our Ancient Greece Unit), and sculpting (2-D and 3-D) and pottery-making in Art.  With Ms. Karavidas in Science, students are looking at Energy.  In Gym, students are learning yoga.  Students are learning a new song in Music.  For French, we created monsters, and described how many of different body parts they had.

In the next while here is what we will be working on:

Language - Persuasive Writing, Making Brochures, Making Newspapers, Giving opinions about our reading, and supporting that opinion with evidence from the text, Literature Circles, poetry and songs, making CD and DVD covers

Math - Mass (weight), Capacity (measurement of space in containers), Area, Perimeter, Volume (how much space 3-d shapes take up), Probability Games, Fractions and Decimals, Simple algebraic expressions

French - expressions with avoir, food, reading simple comics

Social Studies - comparing and contrasting two or more Ancient Civilizations, making a travel brochure showing the important aspects of Ancient Greece, making a newspaper showing the important aspects of a different ancient civilization, comparing Ancient Civlizations to life today

We have a lot to do before the end of the year, and students should continue to complete homework and assignments on time, and do their best work.  We want to be ready for middle school next year!

Try to ask your child specific questions about what they did in school.  Being a parent myself, I know that asking "What did you do today?" often leads to the answer "Nothing!".  If, however, you ask "What Writing assignment are you doing right now?" or "What was the Math lesson about today?", you might get a better description of what their day was like.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me through your child's agenda, and have your child tell me there is a note.  That is the best way to get in touch with me.

I look forward to working with all of your children throughout the rest of the year.

Ms. Bordonaro

Engineering Week Presentation

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 6, students from P. 13 will be walking to the public library to take part in a lesson given by a group of engineers who work in countries less fortunate than us.  They will be explaining how water is filtered and distributed to people in villages around the world.  Students will be taking part in hands-on activities and having discussions.

The walking excursion form given out at the beginning of the year covers this outing, and students will be back in time for lunch.

Make sure to have your child tell you all about it afterwards!

Thanks to the Toronto Public Library - Thorncliffe Branch for providing us with this opportunity!

Ms. Bordonaro

Ms.Fountas

Hi moms and dads oh and kids.  We have a third STUDENT TEACHER! SHE ROCKS! We all like her.She is a woman of coolness, freedom, and  imagination! She gives us all a chance. Like the colore RED, she is not biased (we learned that in math). It has been a long time since we last blogged. Hope you don't mind ( :  Ok now let me tell you about her. She is Greek, and is teaching us about Greece. What luck! She is doing a really cool art project with us. We are going to use clay. Air dry clay.We are going to make a piece of pottery about ourselves. So remind your kids to bury it when they go home, so that a million years from now, some archaeologist will dig it up,and learn about us. It will be loads of fun.OH NO I have to go. BYE!

by Student Bloggers