Upcoming Data Management Test

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Hard to believe there are less than 2 weeks left of school before Christmas break!  They are gonna be jam-packed with lots of hard-work and exciting events!  On Wednesday, we will be having our end of unit test for Data Management.  You should not need to study as we have been reviewing in class.  However, here are some things you will need to know:
- the definitions for mean, median, mode and range (you can watch the videos, sing the song, and practice with the math link)
- you will need to know when to use various types of graphs
- you will need to know how to improve survey questions

I have a good feeling about this test :)

Given how busy we will be this week with Book Clubs and Math, there will be no online homework this week.


P.S. Don't forget to bring your items in for the food hamper tomorrow (I think most of you have already brought them in!  Awesome!) and any items you might have for the white elephant sale.

Wednesday's awesome 

Finishing a great book

I'm sure you know the feeling. You have been swept away by the author's words and transported into a new and exciting world. You have made new acquaintances and wonder how everything will turn out for them. When you get to that last page, you are satisfied knowing how the adventure ends. Even better? Now you get to start a new book and let the magic begin all over again. Awesome!

Thursday's awesome 

Enthusiastic Hellos

One of my favourite moments of the day is always Cooper running up to me with open arms and yelling Maman, as though we haven't seen each other in ages. AWESOME!
 
Friday's Awesome

Cookie Exchanges

What could be better than getting together with friends and swapping a whole bunch of cookies?!  Me love cookies!  Awesome!   

Trading Partners

We are finishing up our first Social Studies unit, Canada and its' trading partners.  We will be having a unit test next Tuesday.  Here are the things you will need to know:
- A definition of commerce, imports and exports
- Main products that Canada imports and exports
- Canada's main trading partners
- You will need to know who Canada's biggest trading partner is and why
- You will need to know what NAFTA is (ALÉNA)
- Countries that are part of the European Union
- Why is tourism important?

Keep in mind that you do not need to memorize this information, however you must only write in French on the test itself.  Please take your Social Studies book home to study for this test.

In addition, you will have 2 weeks to prepare for your final project "Un pays dans une boîte".  All written work will be done at school, but the box is to be done at home and is due December 16, 2013.  Students must decorate the outside of the box so that it represents their chosen country.  On the inside, they can include important items (imports, exports, etc.) and they must create a scene that is representative of their country (can include tourist attractions, famous people, etc).  Click below for a link to the project description:

Les partenaires commerciaux

All regular French homework projects will resume in January.

Today's awesome

Christmas Carols

I admit it.... I absolutely love Christmas Carols! The old classics as well as new songs made to celebrate the season (my current favourite is Snow Globe by Matt Wertz). Nothing brings a smile to my face like I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (really, who even thought of that song, it's fantastic!). Songs like these that make you laugh, others like War is Over make you reflect, songs like Joy to the World allow us to rejoice and songs like Christmas Shoes make you cry (every single time!). What a great way to celebrate all of the blessings in our lives and be thankful for the time we get to spend with our loved ones. Evoking some of the best memories ever through the power of song? AWESOME!

Special Advent Liturgy

Today we had a very special Advent liturgy in our classroom. Despite only seeing their readings this morning, the students read their parts eloquently and together we sang a beautiful advent song (one of my favourites!). We also talked about how important it is to be a light to others as we prepare our hearts for Jesus' arrival.   On that note, don't forget to bring in your items for the Christmas hampers, preferably by Friday!

Today's awesome

Watching the Christmas tree lights dance

Have you ever just stared at Christmas tree lights? There is something so hypnotic about the way way they appear to be dancing. Every time I see them, I watch in amazement. They truly brighten my day. AWESOME!

Book Clubs!

What an exciting day we had! Today students were introduced to book clubs!  We watched book trailers, discussed responsibilities and handed out books.  Each group had a chance to get together and decide on their first roles.  Our first meeting is Tuesday!  I think you will all really enjoy the experience of sharing your ideas and opinions about the books you're reading,. I can't wait to hear what you think of your books!

PS Here are all 10 books we are reading:

The Lion, the With, and the Wardeobe by C.S. Lewis (So, so, so good and a must read for anyone who loves fantasy!  I remember studying it in Children's Literature in University.  It is quite the deep book!  Some of you have probably already seen the movie)

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick (Loved it! Quite the tear jerker for me!)

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop ( Rated 3.94 on Goodreads, sounds like a winner to me!  Might try to read this one with you.) 

Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop  (Same author as the last one.  Great for those of you interested in Social Justice, especially child labour.  I think I may read this one after you so I can have it count for my historicla fiction!).   

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Such a fabulous author!  An awesome sci-fi mystery!  It is a series, so get ready to get hooked!)

Alexandria of Africa by Eric Walters (The one I would have chosen if I got to pick a book for book club, can't wait to read it when you are finished!)

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby (I was sad that I didn't get to read this one right away either since all 6 copies were taken - from what I know, this too is very emotional)

Doorway to Danger by Vicki Blum (A passage into another world with ogre and elves - gotta love fantasy!) 

Loser by Jerry Spinelli (A great author!  I just loved this book trailer!  Looks like it will be a great tale about rising above bullying)

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse (You'll have to pay attention to the font and decide why the author has chosen to change it throughout the book.)

Today's awesomeness.... Drum roll please....

Book Clubs!

What could be better than getting together with friends to discuss a great book you have read? It is a great opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the text, appreciate other peoples points of view and maybe even learn something about yourself along the way. AWESOME!
 

PS Bet you saw that one coming!
PPS Yes, I know I am backlogged on awesome things...  I am working out a list :)

Smartie Pants Math

We sure had fun during math on Friday!  We reviewed the measures of central tendency by working with a small sample of smarties.  After finding the mean, median, mode and range, students created a circle graph or a bar graph with their data.  You guys did an awesome job!  I sure am lucky to have a class full of Smartie Pants!

     

Mean, Median, Mode Math

We are all about data management lately!  We completed a "databet" and I was amazed at how much vocabulary you already know (we have a a minimum of one word for each letter!).  Today we started talking about measures of central tendency.  To help us remember which is which (who decided they should all start with the letter m?!), we watched a video and listened to a song about it.  Check them out below to help you at home!  Just remember:

"MO"de: is the "MO"st popular (or think of the French expression "à la mode" which means to be in fashion.  Keep in mind that data does not always have a mode.

Median: is the middle(sing it with me now!).  Don't forget to order those numbers first! When the totals of the list are odd, the median is the middle entry.  When the totals of the list are even, the median is equal to the sum of the two middle numbers divided by two. Be sure to remember the odd and even rule.

Mean: is the average.  Add together all of the data and then divide it by the sum of the total number of data there are.  Mme Charles sure is mean to make us calculate the mean of all this data!

 

Range: is the difference between the largest and smallest values.

Wait til you see tomorrow's activity for measures of central tendency!  You're gonna love it!

PS  Don't forget to go under Math links - Mean, median and mode and test your skills!

Helping others around the globe

Sorry I haven't posted in a while!  We have been keeping very busy at school!  This week we are helping raising funds and awareness for Typhoon Haiyan.  We started by wearing green ribbons to represent hope, then we wore red, white and blue, the colours of the Philippines flag and today we dropped everything to read for a block.  Tomorrow there is a games block and Friday is Pyjama day.  Don't forget to bring in a loonie or a toonie to participate in these activities and help raise funds for victims of this natural disaster.  So far we have raised over $1000, but we are still quite shy of our $2000 goal.  Since the Government of Canada is matching funds, our donations will be going twice as far.  Thank you to everyone for your generous contributions for all of our local and global campaigns.  You truly are a light to others!


I know I am behind on my awesomes, promise to catch up tomorrow!