Silent Auction

Dear Friends,

     Welcome back!  Last week, the grade five and six students were visiting the Island School while the grade fours spent time with Ms. Ugolini.  Now that we're back together, our focus is on getting back to routines, setting a new homework schedule and using computers.  Please make sure that the reading book bags are coming home on Monday and returned on Friday. Read on...

EXAMPLE OF A WORDLE

     This week, we created a piece of art for Frankland's silent auction.  First, we used the web tool, Wordle, to create a "word cloud."  Then, we chose the theme of our Wordle to be Frankland.  After, the students brainstormed different words using a mind map.  As a class, we grouped our best words into three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.  Finally, we wrote the chosen words into the Wordle text box. The Wordle is a colourful display of our feelings about Frankland. 


http://www.wordle.net/


At home, make your own Wordle about a topic of your choice.  If you are signing on to the TDSB Virtual Library, use your student number as the username and password.  Also, remember to follow the success criteria. 

Success Criteria for Making Wordles:
1. pick a topic you know or care a lot about (i.e. pets, sports, technology)
2. use different words (i.e. "fun", "awesome" and "great" are NOT different)
3. brainstorm nouns, adjectives and verbs (i.e. pet = lizard, colourful, quiet)
4. the theme word has to be written the most times (i.e. 10 times)
5. words about the theme can be written fewer times (i.e. 5 or 3)
6. save your Wordle text onto a Word document

Remembrance Day

Dear Friends,

Just a heads up that we did not get a chance to do a Home Letter this week because we were so busy writing about Remembrance Day.

This week we did many activities around Remembrance Day.  We read books, brainstormed our thoughts and questions, watched a video and wrote poems.  Some themes we identified were war, freedom, Canada, peace, hope and freedom.  Please see the Frankland Newsletter and the blog page "Week of Nov.5-9" for examples.

Today's Remembrance Day assembly was very special.  I The students sang beautifully.  The first song was solemn (sad/serious) and haunting; it was sung as far back as the medieval time period between 500 and 1500 a.d.  That was over 500 years ago.  The next few songs were more recent, like One Tin Soldier and Peace Train. 

What do you think the message of the song One Tin Soldier is?  (Hint: Look at the chorus. Who is the Tin Soldier? What is the role of hate in the song? Why do people hate? What is the result?) 

 

Go ahead and hate your neighbor

Go ahead and cheat a friend

Do it in the name of Heaven

You can justify it in the end

There wont be any trumpets blowing

Come the judgement day

On the bloody morning after who...

One tin soldier rides away

To read the whole song, visit: 

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/onetinsoldier.html

To view the song, visit:

For homework this week, read the article about Remembrance Day.

 

Suggested strategies:

Remember to use features of non-fiction texts to help you understand the article.  Also, use a highlighter!

 

Suggested steps:

1. Look at the photo.  Read the caption.

2. Read each paragraph.  Highlight the key word/idea in each.

3. Read the text box. Is it part of the article or a separate idea?

 

Photo, caption and paragraphs



Text box



Reminder to Parents

Dear Parents,

We are getting the Progress Reports ready to be sent home next Monday.  Parent-teacher interviews will also be held next week.

Have you remembered to:
1. send in a signed copy of your child's IEP?
2. fill out the parent-teacher interview form?

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at Dorit.Perlmutter@tdsb.on.ca.

Also, Remembrance Day is on November 11th.  We are having an assembly this Friday to honour
the occasion.  To learn more about Remembrance Day, you can use resources such as:

Websites:
1. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/video-gallery/video/9044
2. http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/iremember
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/15492752

Books:
1. Feathers and Fools by Mem Fox (a picture book about how conflict can start)

Thank you,
D. Perlmutter

Learning with Computers

How do you use computers to help you learn?

We are now wired and connected!  The students have their own laptops to use in the classroom.

This week, the students used the school's virtual, or online, library independently to explore the different reading resources.  First, they visited the TDSB website and linked into the Virtual Library.  (Go to www.tdsb.on.ca)

Then, they spent about 10 minutes navigating, or searching, the site.  After, they each shared a resource they found and liked in a round-table discussion. 

We are very excited to use this online library at least once week for our reading program!

Here is your homework for the weekend:

1. Teach someone how to use the school's Virtual Library!  

2. Record his/her reaction in your home journal. 

3. Write down the resource you used (i.e. ebooks, pebble go, book flix)

4. Also, write down what were you able to do with the resource.

*Remember to show your weekly reflection letter to a family member/s.

For more information on class learning and practice activities, visit the page Week of Oct.30 - Nov.2.