Monday, January 31, 2011

Something From Nothing

Summary:

When Joseph is a baby, his grandfather makes him a wonderful blanket. After a while

his mother tells him that the blanket is worn out and should be thrown away. Joseph

does not want to give up his blanket and tells his mother that his grandfather can fix

it. Grandpa turns it round and round. His scissors go snip, snip, snip. His needle goes in and out,

in and out, in and out. Sure enough, Grandpa has “just enough material” to make a wonderful jacket.

Over time, Grandpa uses the material to make a vest, then a tie, then a handkerchief,

and finally a button. When Joseph loses the button, his mother declares that even

Grandpa cannot make “something from nothing.” The next day Joseph goes to school

and starts to write. He realizes he has “just enough material” to make a wonderful

story. This warm story was adapted from a Jewish folk tale and offers a loving portrait

of shtetl life in Eastern Europe.

February 1, 2011

Welcome to the last hard copy version of the class newsletter. Next week the newsletter will only be posted on the blog, unless I hear otherwise. So far I have been hearing only positive responses to my paperless proposal.
Students have been busy this past week preparing speeches and storytelling. Students in grade 4, 5, and 6 chose a topic for their speech and they were given time to write. They should now be practising their speech memorizing as much as possible. They should be working on adjusting their speed; using gestures effectively; and making eye contact with the audience. The speeches are expected to be 3 - 5 minutes. Students will be given opportunities this week to practise their work in front of the class, if they want. Beginning on Friday, I will start the presentations and I hope to pick the top three from each grade level. School-wide presentations take place on February 17th in the gym.
Students in grade 1-3 have been working on storytelling. Grade 1 students prepared a story board of 'Something From Nothing'. I have posted the story online for those that would like to help their children and are not familiar with the story. I encouraged the students to retell it changing the details to make it their own. Grade 2 students had a choice of 'Something From Nothing', 'Anansi' or their own adventure story. A framework went home but all completed primary stories should be posted on this blog. Finally grade 3's picked their favourite story (Lots of Robert Munsch) and they began to practise these. Students should now be trying to retell their stories adjusting their speed and voice; using gestures and making eye contact. Stories are supposed to be 3 to 5 minutes but no points are taken away in this division if the story is too short. Storytelling will take place at 9:00 am on February 16th in the gym. Winners from this division will be attending the Legion's Storytelling event.
This Thursday is the Chinese New Year and to mark this occasion we will be reading and working on activities related to this event. On Friday students are asked to wear red (another reason) and bring a noisemaker as we parade through the school in a dragon parade.
Thanks to all the grade 3, 4, 5, and 6 students for submitting their inspiring person poetry and writing. I will be submitting many of the pieces for the contest. I was quite impressed with many of the works. I learned so much about many of the students and the wonderful things they do. Hopefully I will get to publish these on the blog in the future. It is just so uplifting to know about the truly important things our kids are doing and how special they make someone feel.
Finally I am extremely pleased to announce that the Peer Mediators have been completely trained and they are ready to start their duty. They will be visiting the kindergarten and primary classrooms on Friday to introduce the program. Then next Monday watch for their bright yellow vests, as they make their presence known. Peer Mediators have been trained to work with students to assist with conflict mediation. They are not their to judge or punish, just to help students solve their own problems.

Homework: (Please return all white A-Z books when you are finished reading)
Grade 1 Practise Storytelling; Sight word worksheet
Grade 2 Practise Storytelling; Sight word spelling
Grade 3 Practise Storytelling; Cursive writing
Grade 4 Practise Speech; Cursive Writing
Grade 5 Practise Speech; Practise individual spelling list (Most common misspelled words)
Grade 6 Practise Speech; Practise individual spelling list (Most common misspelled words)
Finally I am running out of the beloved white Reading A-Z books and I am looking for some volunteers to come in replenish my supplies. Let me know if you are available.
Thanks
Gung Hei Fat Choy

Ms. Legault



Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Storytelling: Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock

ANANSI AND THE MOSS COVERED ROCK

Once upon a time, Anansi the spider was walking, walking, walking through the rain forest, when something caught his eye! It was a strange, moss-covered rock!

"How interesting!" Anansi said. "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!"

KABOOM! Everything went black & down fell Anansi, fast asleep!

An our later Anansi woke up, his head was spinning. He wondered what had happened!

"I was walking along the path when something caught my eye, I stopped and said "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock"

KABOOM! Down fell Anansi again! But this time, when he woke up an hour later, he knew what was happening.

"Aha!' He said. "This is a magic rock! And whenever someone come along and says the magic words, "Isn't this a strange hmm-hmmmmm hmmmmm?" down they go! This is a good thing to know." said Anansi. "And I know just how to use it!"

So Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest until he came to Tiger's house. Tiger had in front of him a nice variety of food! Anansi loved all the food he saw before him, but was always too lazy to find them himself. Anansi said to Tiger, "Hello Tiger! It is very hot today. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, Anansi," said Tiger. "it is terribly hot!"

'I am going for a walk in the cool jungle," said Anansi. "Would you like to come?" "I certainly would!" said Tiger.

So Tiger and Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. After a while Anansi led Tiger to a certain place.

"Tiger! Do you see what I see??'

"Oh yes Anansi!" said Tiger. " Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!'

KABOOM! Down fell Tiger! Anansi ran back to Tiger's place and made off with all Tiger's food!!

An hour later, Tiger woke up, His head was spinning! Anansi was no where in sight. And when he got home, he found that every single bit of his food was gone! Tiger was very sad!

But Anansi was very happy! He couldn't wait to play his trick again! Once more Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. This time he stopped at Elephant's house. At Elephant's feet was a great pail of bananas! Anansi loved bananas, but was always too lazy to pick them himself. So he said to elephant, "Hello Elephant! Isn't it hot today!" "It is!" Elephant agreed. "I am going for a walk in the cool forest" Anansi said "Would you like to come?" "That sound nice," aid Elephant "Tank you for inviting me Anansi!"

So Anansi and Elephant went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. After a while Anansi led Elephant to a certain place. "Elephant! Look! Do you see what I see?"

Elephant looked. "Yes I do Anansi! Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!" KABOOM! Down fell Elephant. Anansi ran back to Elephant's house and made off with the bananas!

An hour later Elephant woke up, His head was spinning! Anansi was nowhere in sight. And when he got home, he found that every single one of his bananas was gone! Elephant was very sad!

But Anansi was very happy! He couldn't wait to play his trick again!

He played it on Jaguar

He played it on Snake.

He played it on Fruit Bat.

He played it on Turtle.

He played it on every single animal in the rain forest! But all this time, watching from behind the leaves, was Little Spotted Deer. Little Spotted Deer is small and shy and very hard to see. She watched Anansi play his wicked trick again and again on all the other animals. Little Spotted Deer decided it was time for Anansi to learn a lesson!

So Little Spotted Deer went deep into the rain forest to where the coconut trees grow. She climbed a coconut tree and threw down a great many coconuts. She carried the coconuts home in a basket then she sat down beside them to wait.

In a little while, along came Anansi. Anansi's eyes lit up when he saw Little Spotted Deer's coconuts! Anansi loved coconuts, He loved to eat the tender while coconut meant and drink the sweet coconut milk inside. But he was much too lazy to gather the coconuts himself.

Instead he said "Hello Little Spotted Deer! It is so hot today!" Little Spotted Deer smiled, "It IS very hot, Anansi!" "I am going for a walk in the cool rain forest, would you like to come?" "Yes I would!" said Little Spotted Deer.

So Anansi and Little Spotted Deer went walking, walking, walking in the cool forest, After a while Anansi led Little Spotted Deer to a certain place. "Little Spotted Deer! Do you see what I see??" Little Spotted Deer knew all about Anansi's trick. She looked. "No Anansi, I do not see anything!" "You must see it. Look very carefully!" Little Spotted Deer looked. "No I still do not see anything' she said.

Anansi began to get angry. "You must see it! Look over here! Look right where I am pointing. Do you see it now?' "No, Anansi," said Little Spotted Deer. Anansi stomped his legs "You see it!! You just don't want to say it!"

"Say what?" said Little Spotted Deer. "You know!" "Is that what I am supposed to say?" 'Yes!" said Anansi. "All right. Then I will say it to make you happy. 'You know' " said Little Spotted Deer. "There! I said it! Are you satisfied?"

"NO!" Anansi shouted. 'You're not supposed to say 'You know!'"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"You're supposed to say, 'Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!'"

KABOOM! Down fell Anansi.

Little Spotted Deer rain and got all the other animals. Together they went to Anani's house and took back all the good things he had stolen from them.

An hour later Anansi woke up. His head was spinning. Little Spotted Deer was no where in sight. And when he got home, he found his house was as empty as it was before.

But if you think Anansi learned his lesson, you're mistaken. Because he's still playing tricks to this very day!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Grade Three Adventures

Portal to the Secret Place by Angelina
In the park near my house I found a map. I followed it and it led me to a portal and I transformed into a mouse. I had a name tag, My name was Cheezy. I was in school in room 23. At the end of school I went on the bus. I got off and started running, I fell in a hole and got stuck. I saw a light and I thought I was dead. It touched me and I was back at the park. I ran home and said, “Can you come to the park with me next time?”“My Mom asked why. “Oh”, I said, “I had a pretty big adventure.”“What happened”, said Mom.“Oh, I can’t tell you. It’s a pretty big secret”, I said.
Lost City by Tommy
When I was at school in the playground I found a shovel. So I started digging and I found a map. So I started following the lines and it took me to a desert and I found a dragon.
The dragon was scared at first but when I introduced myself he relaxed. I started to follow the map again and I found army men. I asked myself,"Where am I?" because I didn't actually know where I was. I started walking and I found a map. It took me back to the playground but they were inside, and I was outside. So I got in big trouble, but I was okay.

The Hot Air Balloon by Tommy
I found an air balloon with tons of holes in the balloon. I went to Home Hardware and I got some patches. So I went back and started to patch all of the holes with a sewing machine and some patches. When I finished I just remembered that I had to have fire to make it float, so I made a huge fire in it. So I started to float but I wasn't in it, so I jumped really high and I got in. I was really scared because I hadn't ever been in one. When I got really high, it took me to a starnge mountain. So I got off. There were aliens. When I got off I found Mario. He took me to his own den and gave me some juice and said,"Don't let them see you or they will kill you!".
I said "Why are you here?"
He said, "I'm here to kill the aliens. He said,"Do you want to go home?"
"Yes," I said.
He said, "Come with me".
He took me to a ship that could float and he hopped on and I followed him. He started the loud engine and it was really fast and took me back home where I found the air balloons. The End

Pirate's Gold by Farati
It all starts when we're all at the playground. We're digging in the sand. Emily M. finds a map.
"What does it say?" asked Emily N.
Emily M says, "It leads to a cave".
After we're on a pirate ship with gold.
"We're going to be rich," says Rabab.
We start following the map.
"We're at the place", I said.
"Are you sure?" says Tommy.
"It's the place, on the map. There is an 'X' and we're standing on the X", says Emily M.
"Lover!" we all say, with some joy. "Now we're on the pirate ship! Yay!"
"We get gold now", says Rabab.
After awhile some pirates come out ,"ARRRRR! You want to steal our gold. Are you nuts?"
"NO, we're not. We want to fight for the gold".
"Bring it on", says the pirates.
"Okay, bring it on", says Emily N.
Then Rabab kicked the pirate. And then we get the gold. The End.

Mario by Connor
Mario went to the castle but Bowser just attacked! Mario had to get all six worlds. He gathered 120 stars and beat Bowser! Then the 120 green stars appeared. I got most of them. The End

The Pokemon World by Jeremy
I find a map. I touch it. I'm in the Pokemon World falling from the sky. Rayquaza flips. I fall off. I'm knocked out. I wake up and a Pikachu is on me. I push it off. A voice calls out 'Pikachu'. I see the famous Ash, Ketchum, Dawn, and Brock.
Ash says, "There you are. I want to battle you".
"I don't have Pokemon", I say.
Dawn says, "Then go to Prof Roan."
I go to him. I choose Chimchar. I find two fire stones. I give them to Chimchar. He is infernaee. I go to Mt. Cornet. I stop Cyrus. A map pops out. I'm in the real world, falling from the sky! I grab a bird and say "Fly birdie fly". I land on a gymnastics mat thankfully. They were doing gymnastics outside.

The Sky Pavillon by Jeremy
I find a hot air balloon. It took me to the sky pavillon. I saw Mew! He gave me an infernape, and played chase and relaxed. It was awesome. But it got dark and I was going home...But Mew said I could go if I wanted! I went home. The End.

Dumb Prince by Seth
Once upon a time, a Prince was playing on baby swings and fell off. Oh I almost forgot, it is in a playground. Well let's get back to the story. He found a map. It led him to the under surface, where the dragon and princess lived. But when he got there, he well died because the dragon beat him. Then the Army comes out of nowhere and throws a bomb on the castle and kills the princess. But the Dragon was there too. So don't worry. Then they dealt with the dragon.

Supper Time by Ryan
Me, Weiny and I were walking in the park. All of a sufdden I saw a map. I went to go and pick it up. When I touched it, I disappeared into a Stickman world. There was thousands of stickman, but I had to get home to supper time. But maybe I could just stay for awhile. A guy came up to me and asked, "Are you lost?"
I said "Yes I am. Can you help me get out of here?"
He said "No one knows how to get out of here".
So I just walked around for a bit. I went to have a snack at a snack bar. Then when I turned around I saw an Exit sign. In a blank space I opened the door. I was in my room.
My Mom yelled "Supper Time."
I was just in time for supper and I ate it up really fast. It was delicious. The End

Sarah's Life by Connor
One day Aunt Yvonne gave me a phonecall. She asked me if I would like a cat. We went to meet her and my Mom said I could have her.
We named her Sarah. She was a domestic short haired Tabby. We loved her very much. When my Mom brought out wet cat food, Sarah would start meowing. I had to clean her litter box, and feed her dry food and water.
Then one day when I went to school she ran out and never came back. We loved having a cat. I learned to be responsible. We are getting a new kitten this spring. The End

Nickleback Going Back in time by Ridge
Nickelback was a group of kids that were friends. They grew up together and they said "I think we should start a band. I will play lead guitar and sing. You play a guitar. You play drums." They grew up and called it Nickelback and became my favourite band. Rock on forever,

Hot Air Balloon Adventure By Owen
One day Mario was walking around. He saw a hot air balloon and got in it. He took off the sandbags sandbags and started slowly floating away past California, San Francisco. Then when he got to Las Vegas there were some people who were not just civis. They had guns and grenades. He tried floating away but they shot down his balloon. There were no parachutes so he had to try and get away. Then when he was running they threw a grenade but he threw it back. Then it killed three out of fourof the people. There was one more left so he started running at him. When he passed him he stole one of his pistols and shot him. He got back in my air balloon and floated away.

Ella and Sarah by Emily N
One day me and my sister Sarah found a map in the snow at school. "It leads to the Arctic!" said Sarah.
"Wow I always wanted to go to the Arctic" said Ella. "I heard that penguins, puffins, polar bears, arctic foxes and snowy owls live there."
"Wow! that's a lot of animals!" said Sarah. "Hey I know, lets follow the map".
So we made a plan to go to the Arctic. When we got to the Arctic we met a girl named Bobbi. She lived in an igloo. She wore red snow pants and a pink jacket. We asked her if we could have some food for the trip ahead of us. She said Yes. So she packed up my backpack with some mugs, hot chocolate and hot water. When we got out of there we had some hot chocolate.
Right then we saw an X. We dug up a treasure chest with chocolate chip cookies. We brought some in the igloo and me, Sarah, and Bobbi had them.

The Trick Adventure by Rabab
Another ordinary day doing school work. After lunch we went outside playing soccer with my friends and other people.
When I was passing the hole on the corner of the fence I saw an old piece of paper. There was pictures. Farati called me. She came here. As soon as she came I picked up the paper. It was a map of a treasure, but I left it.. "Cool!"
"Who said that"
"Boo"
"Ahh You scared me Farati", I said.
Why are you leaving that map? Farati said.
"It's fake" I said.
"Okay leave it", said Farati.
After the whole soccer game, I went to the hole with Farati. "Are you really sure about this?" said Farati.
"Yes", I said.
But recess is over.
I will use magic to freeze everyone.
I got my wand. Then suddenly every one stopped.
We took the map and followed it.. It took an hour. It took us to a desert. It was sandy and the other side had cakes and chocolate. It said the same thing on the map.
Farati said, "I'm tired." She got her water bottle out of her backpack and put it in her mouth.
I said, "Come on". When I went closer I saw an X on each side. The map said one of them has the golden key. But you have one chance. So I went to the person in front. So I asked her. She said,"Choose one for the golden key." So I used magic to get two shovels. Then Farati and I started digging on the other side. I started digging. I saw Emily N. I said, "Boo!"
She got scared. "I got you!" I said.
Emily N explained she made this whole thing up to trick us. "I knew it was fake", I said to Farati in an angry face. It wasn't me!

Pirates by Madison
It all began one day when a little girl named Elizabeth went to the beach. She was collecting seashells but the she saw something in the water. She looked closer. It was gold! She went to show her Mom but her Mother said it was just sand. So Elizabeth decided to go in the water and she saw a boat. Well at least she thought it was a boat. Elizabeth came out of the water and took a nap. She was dreaming of being a pirate.....When she woke up she was on a boat with PIRATES!! She was scared because they looked mean but she saw that they were looking for buried treasure. Then she asked them where they were going and the boss of all pirates said that we were going to Whale Island. Then two minutes later the boat crashed into an island. Then Elizabeth saw a big X marked where I was standing. There was also two shovels. She took one of them and she was digging. Finally she found a BIG treasure box. Then she opened the treasure box and found a map. She followed it and it brought her back to the beach. Her Mom asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said a PIRATE!

A Big Surprise By Emily N
One sunny day I found a map in the playground. So I followed it. First it led me to my house in the backyard where my dog Miley was. I remembered I had a bone in my pocket, so I gave it to Miley. He ate it up very fast. So I played a little with her for awhile and then I followed the map again. But I brought Miley with me. I took her for the treasure hunt. So we could both see what it was. Then the map took us to the little farm down the big hill where there were free apples. I found Emily waiting. So I asked her what or who are you waiting for. She said "Somebody said, I would find you here and they were right! I did find you here. So do you want to go somewhere or something because they said you wanted to go somewhere when I found you." I said, "Well I'm following this map and the next place is in the restaurant, that's about a five minute walk from here. So come on let's go to the restaurant."
When we got to the restaurant it told us to sit down and have a bite to eat and it was the day that the food was free so we both sat down to have a bite to eat. Emily M chose pepperoni pizza and I chose alfredo pasta with shrimp on the side. When we were done eating, the map led us by the beach and into the boat. None of us knew how to drive a boat so we had to go home and get Mom or Dad. So we went home and it was about a twenty minutes walk to get back home. So when we finally got home I made my Dad drive us down so we didn't have to walk all the way back to the beach. So when we got to the beach my Dad drove the boat to the beach. There were lots of people from where I llive that like to go to the beach. It's nice and relaxing going to the beach. You can have time to yourself just alone or maybe with a friend or a boyfriend or girlfriend. I like to have ice cream. There my favourite flavour is cookies 'n' cream. It tastes so good with those little oreo bits. So anyway back to the map. After that it took me to my aunts and uncles cottage where they were making hot chocolate, social tea squares, and wonderful goey chocolate chip cookies. My Mom was there too. After they were done baking, they asked me, Emily and my Dad if we wanted to try them. I had a social tea square first. Second I had the hot chocolate and then chocolate chip cookies. They were very very good. Emily ate her chocolate chip cookies, then her social tea square, then her hot chocolate. My Dad ate his chocolate chip cookie, then his hot chocolate, then his social tea square. Then we followed the map to the water where a canoe was. We got on the canoe and put on the life jackets so we didn't drown. The map said to canoe to the other side of the island where the island was like a jungle. Then the map told us to move to the middle of the jungle where there was a big X. We didn't bring any shovels so we had to dig with our hands. When we finally dug up all the sand we saw a treasure chest. We all had butterflies in our chests so when we opened it there was some packs of cupcakes, some streamers and some candles. Right then I knew what had happened. I said I forgot my birthday? Then all of my friends jumped out of the bushes and from behind trees and said 'Happy Birthday". I was so happy. Everybody remembered my birthday. But the wierd thing was I was the one that forgot my own birthday. We put up the streamers and had cupcakes and I made a wish. My wish was that all my birthdays were this exciting. The End!

Friday, January 21, 2011

January 25, 2011

January 25th, 2011





What a great week full of school spirit at General Lake! Students were excited and showing off their various costumes for the various Spirit Days. It is really a great time to be in school with all these fabulous activities taking place. Congratulations to all the students who took part and made this event a resounding success.


In Core English students were busy preparing either their story telling (Grades 1-3) or their speeches grade 4-6. I have enclosed a copy of the rubric I will be using to mark the students. All students are expected to complete this assignment. I would like all students to present in front of their class. I will make special arrangements for students at recess if they are absolutely unable to do this, but I am hoping most students will feel safe, secure and comfortable in the classroom to be able to present. Speeches are to be completed by Feb 11 when we will begin the class presentations until Feb 15. Student chosen to go to the school speak off will present on February 17. I haven't got the final dates for the grades 1 -3 school wide event, but I anticipate it to be before the junior/intermediate event. Students will begin bringing home their storytelling and speeches so the can practice as much as possible before the event.



Rubric for Public Speaking grade 4 and up Name:___________________________

Delivery:

Appearance Suitable 1 2 3 4

Gesture natural unaffected 1 2 3 4

Manner natural sincere 1 2 3 4

Material

Worthwhile suited to topic 1 2 3 4

Organized in logical order 1 2 3 4

Suitable in keeping with age and background 1 2 3 4

Originality, thought and presentation 1 2 3 4

Language and Literacy Form

Words effective and clear 1 2 3 4

Fluency easy to follow 1 2 3 4

Grammar correct usage 1 2 3 4

Pronunciation correct with good enunciation 1 2 3 4



Rubric for Grade 1-3

Delivery

Visual Appearance 1 2 3 4

Contact with audience 1 2 3 4

Voice, Quality/Dramatics 1 2 3 4

Material

Suitability 1 2 3 4

Introduction 1 2 3 4

Organization 1 2 3 4

Creativity 1 2 3 4

Language 1 2 3 4

Fluency -easy to follow 1 2 3 4



Finally I would like to make a proposal to help move towards using less paper. I would like to propose that I post this newsletter on the blog only on Tuesdays, rather than photocopying over 100 notes. If you would prefer I continue sending the letters, please let me know with a quick note. I feel its very important to have regular communication between school and home and I don't want to make a change if its going to be detrimental. I will continue for the next couple of weeks with the same paper format to give everyone time to respond. If I don't hear from anyone I will move to the online forum. Also thanks to all for the positive comments you left on the Blog. I really appreciate hearing from you.



Homework

Please return all paper reading a-z books when you are finished using them. I will exchange them for new ones when you return the others. Also don't forget to let me know how the reading is going (too easy, too hard or just right).

Grade 1 printing / Storytelling practice: Students have learned a story at school and they have prepared a sheet to help remember their story. Students should practice telling their story as much as they can to prepare for the contest.



Grade 2 spelling/Storytelling practice: Students have learned a story at school and they have prepared a sheet to help them remember the story. Students should practice telling their story as much as they can to prepare for the contest.



Grade 3 cursive/ Storytelling practice: Students have learned a story at school and they have prepared a sheet to help them remeber the story. Students should practise telling their story as much as they can to help prepare for the contest.



Grade 4 Cursive writing/ Speech preparation Due Feb 11



Grade 5 Speech preparation due Feb11



Grade 6 Speech preparation Due Feb 11

Finally many students in Mme Spencers class indicated an interest in becoming a Peer Mediator at General Lake. These students have completed the Peer Mediation Training program. These student have been trained in effective strategies to help students solve problems on the playground. These students will be visiting classes in the near future to introduce the program to the rest of the school and begin their regular patrol on the playground.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

January 19, 2011

January 19, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians,
A busy week as we finished up writing our adventure stories. I have started posting the stories on the blog. I hope to get all of them posted in the near future. I will post them in booklets on a bulletin board outside the classroom. Also there is an up and coming contest with the Young Writers of Canada. I hope to enter some of the stories in the contest. As I mentioned many of our poems were selected to be in their up and coming anthology entitled 'Under the Pumpkin Tree'. It is very exciting for the students to have their work published. Watch for the students photo to appear in The Observer. Many of the poems are posted on a previous blog post entitled GREAT POEMS.

I am changing the direction a bit for this week as I was just informed about an up and coming public speaking contest that is sponsored by the Legion. (I will return to the poetry unit at a later date) Students in grade 1 - 3 have begun preparing to tell a story. I have introduced one of my favourites 'Something from Nothing' by Phoebe Gilman as a model for the Primary students. Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 will be involved in writing a speech about a topic of their choice. As we all know the ability to speak in public can be learned and it improves with practice. Once we have our stories and speeches I will be encouraging students to practise at home.

Thank you to all the parents who sent in some pencils. We should be well equipped for now. When I run out I will let you know. Thank you so much.

Also I need to make a correction on last weeks newsletter. I had neglected to mention the name of some of the junior students who had completed their 25 days of reading. Once again for 25 days of reading congratulations to: Rabab, Abby, Seth, Emily M, Dante, Emily N, Connor, Ryan, Jarod, Emma, Farati and Owen
For 50 days congratulations to Tommy, Abby, and Ryan. Keep up the excellent work.

Finally parents of students in grade 1 and 2 should have received some feedback regarding reading level and sight words in last weeks homework. If you did not receive information or if you were missed please let me know.

Homework
Grade 1 Printing Reading
Grade 2 Printing spelling words Reading
Grade 3 Handwriting Reading at home program Poem/Story Assignment from Jan 11
Grade 4 Handwriting Reading at home program Poem/Story Assignment from Jan 11
Grade 5 Reading at home/ Poem/Story Assignment from Jan 11
Grade 6 Reading at home/ Poem/Story Assignment from Jan 11

Grade 1 and 2
Ask us about 'New Business'
Hello, my name is Joe.
And I work in a button factory.
I have a dog, a house and a family.
One day my boss said, "Hey Joe, Are you busy?"
I said "No!"
He said, "Turn the button with your right hand."

Grade 2 Adventures

Catching a beautiful butterfly by Emma M.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Samantha. She saw a beautiful butterfly and she wanted to catch it. But when she went to go catch it the butterfly went into a dark scary cave. She was too scared to go in but she had to go in so she could catch it so she went...and she stepped on one of the star steps and something flew down at her. She wondered what it was...then she ran all the way out and a bat was looking right at her and he said "Hi". What!!!!, a bat can not talk. Well I can but get out of here. It is too scary over here. But before she could go a bear was there. And said with his big loud voice GET OUT OF HERE!!!! and she ran all the way home. But the butterfly followed her all the way home and she followed him and she caught it and then she had to let it go. She did and she went home. The End.

The Bad Safari by Samantha

A long time ago there was an old cave. Three girls got caught in the rain so they went into the cave and dried off then a bear came and chased them to Africa. In Africa it was so hot the girls went to a tree and sat in the shade until a monkey went crazy and they went to the sea. In the sea a big catfish was guarding her nest. The girls went past it so she bit one. So the girls went home. At home their Mom gave them a towel and some hot chocolate. After they had lunch and watched TV on the computer for the rest of the day. The End

Iron Man's Great Adventure by Mitchell St

Once upon a time Iron Man was flying in the sky, then there was trouble. There was an enemy Iron Man said "Die" and the enemy surrendered. He said No! No! and then War Machine shot a bullet. The enemy died. Iron Man said Finally. THe End.

Lilly's Jungle Park Adventure by Bethany

One day Lilly went to the park with her Mom. And she wanted to go to the monkey bars but it was scarier than you think. So she went to the slide. and she thought to herself "This is scary too." And then she thought I will go to the swings?! And theree she sees a monkey. And they learn to be friends. I wonder if monkey can come home but that's another story. ANd that's what happened. THE END

6312 By Cole

Crackey was looking for birds in the tree. And then he found money behind the tree. And then Crackey brings the money home. There's the cops! AHHHHH!!! And then the cops brought him to jail. Crackey was in a big cage with a bed. The Cops went to Crackeys cage and said, "You can come out."

Magical Door by Madison

I found a map in my backyard. It led me to a magical door that led to a magical land. It had magical creatures. ANd a magical castle which an evil king takes over. So me and the creatures have to find the real King. And we travel through the forest and towns that had no people that lived in them.

Snowflake by Rebecca

Snowflake's owner was going on a trip. But Snowflake didn't want to be left behind. And then she saw the suitcases. She climbed in one. And then her owner went on a airplane and Snowflake crawled out. And looked around and then she crawled back in. And then after a couple minutes she poked her head out again but it looked different. Snowflake knew that this was the place her owner was coming to. She saw lots of water. Her owner was going somewhere too. She followed her until she got to a big boat. Her owner told her it was called a ferry. Her owner went on . She followed. When her owner went on and left. Her owner junped off and swam back over. She followed. When she got back she climbed back in and they went home.

3102 by Tanner

The robber robbed the bank. THen the cops came. Two criminals got arrested. One got away and the swat team came and it was a fight in the bank. One robber jumped out the windopw and went into a dark alley. He got away with a map to every bank in the world. The End

The Zombie Map by Hunter

I found a map. It was a Zombies map and I didn't know what to do with it. So the Zombies got shot. WHOOOOOCH! I shot the Zombies.

Blacky's Great Adventure by Sydney

Blacky told his sisters that Blacky, Wingy, Fangy and Zangy were going on a great adventure. Blacky, Wingy, Fangy and Zangy were off into a forest of Doom and it didn't make Blacky not even one bit scared. It made him bored. But Blacky saw two animals that looked like a Yoshi and a Teradacto. Wingy, Fangy and Zangy stood right behind Blacky. And then Yoshi and the Teradacto saw Blacky. Blacky walked up to the Yoshi and Teradacto and asked them if they wanted to go on another great adventure with Wingy, Fangy and Zangy. The Yoshi and Teradacto said "Sure!" In the foggy forest it was very quiet. Blacky knew something was going to jump at them and something did. It was a Dino! Blacky said, "ANOTHER DINO!!!!!" The Dino said, "Run for your life! There's a stampede of T-Rexs!" So Blacky and his friends flied as fast as they could and the Teradacto cornered Yoshi and they did a sharp turn into a cave. Blacky and his friend were safe now and also the Dino. The End

Yoshi by Erin

Yoshi was walking along with nothing to do but then Yoshi had an idea. I'll go for an adventure. Then Yoshi went. First Yoshi went through the haunted forest. Yoshi was scared but still bored. Next Yoshi went through the piranna sea. It was scary but Yoshi was still bored. Next Yoshi went through the lava ocean. He was scared but still bored. Next Yoshi went through the mini mushrooms dome. He was scared but still bored. Last but not least was the bog. When Yoshi saw it his eyeballs popped out and he was not bored anymore. He was freaked to death!

Who Dies by Sam

Once someone found a map. His name was Aran. He was in war. He got caught by two bad guys. They ordered a tank to come and shoot him. THe people were sad. The map was not seen again.

Jungle Adventure by Lauralei

I find a map in my backyard. It leads me to a jungle and I find a hidden door that leads to a haunted house. It has a secret room. I read hieroglyphs and I do some research on my phone. I go home and take a nap. I wake up and it was all a dream. I get up in the morning and I heard a voice at school and it was nobody....or was it?

Cat and the Map by Faith

I go to the cat. The cat goes to the map. I followed the map. The map leads to the pond. I jump over the pond. I run and run and run. I go to the blue zoo. I go to the little dragon. I attack the dragon. I go to the monkey, then I go to a haunted house. I see the haunted house. I see a ghost. The ghost said, "Go to the zoo!" I go to the zoo. I find the treasure.

Rudolph Going to the North Pole by Sydney

Rudolph said, "I'm going to the North Pole!" Rudolph flies up into the air. Rudolph says, "I'm going to the North Pole!" Rudolph was standing right in front of the entrance to Santa's Workshop. And finally he's at the workshop.

Grade One Adventures

Building a Fort With Dad by Kalee

My sister Madi and my friend and me Kalee and my Dad were building a fort. First we make a hole. Next we take the snow out of the hole. Then we make the hole all the way to the other side. Finally we get to play in it.

Henry by Edward

This is Henry. He is working. He has a big face.

Indiana Jones Great Adventure by Luke

He walks out of the house. Then he goes on an adventure. Then he builds a rope. So then he launched it. But he didn't see anything!

Mouse His name is Mouse by Mika

He goes for a swim. Then he dries off. THen he goes to the bathtub. Then he goes to bed.

Chippys Great Adventure by Alex

Chippy woke up. Chippy sat on the couch. Chippy went to his friend's house. Chippy sat on his friend's couch. Then he went back home.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by Maison

He is walking. The bad guy is Victor. He right kneed him. Harry Potter won. He fell through the ground. He is walking. He found the half blood prince.

The Fort by Caleb

I am playing on the fort. My sister says get down. We are going home. My friend says see you tomorrow. A monster appears. The monster eats us. It is filled with money becuase monsters eat money.

The First Day of Happy's High School by Komal

It was Happy's first day of High School. Happy was so happy that she went inside WOW It is like a museum HAHAHA She found a girl and asked her to be friends. She said YES YES YES!

I love being at school. The bell rang. Her room number is 20 and her room number is 20 too. She asked for her name. Yessir my name is Nella. Cool. My name is Happy. Nella you are in my school. Yes Nella said. Terrific and when they went in Madame said are you all ready. They said yes We are and the class said Hurray. The school was cheering. They were all fine.

I Like Sid The Kid by Mitchell Sm

Sid the Kid plays hockey. He plays for Pittsburgh and he beats them 9 - 1. One day Sid the Kid scored a goal and I went to see it. I was happy and that day he was happy too. The End

I like Cammalleri by Drew

I like Cammalleri. He plays hockey. One day I went to Ottawa. I went to see Cammalleri play hockey. He scored a goal. It was fun. The End

Chippy Chippy by Nicholas

This is the school. This is Chippy. Chippy is sitting on his desk. Then they play ball. Then he goes to the office. Chippy goes home.

Skye the Rabbit by Ava

Skye walked in the forest. She found the carrot. Then she ate the carrot. Then she walked in the hole. The End

A Dragon's Life by Skye

First I get dressed. Next I go on the swing. Next I go flying. Next I sleep. ZZZZZZ!!!!!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by Marissa

Harry Potter is walking and he sees something. It's ghosts. They were trying to get him. His friend punched the evil guy in the face. Then they time travelled. He tries to save himself. And he walks away. And all of the stuff is over.

Gbolu and Emma B and Superdog by Emma B

Gbolu and Emma B and Superdog search it. Gbolu and Emma B and Superdog find Emma M. Emma M and Emma B. and Gbolu and Superdog find Dara. Dara and Gbolu and Emma M. and Emma B. and Super dog find Rita Jeanne and Samantha. They live happily ever after.

I am sleeping by Emma B

I am sleeping. We were chased by a monster. We became friends.

The Magical Rock by Lelia

I went to go find the magical rock. I was walking in the forest. I found the rock.

The Magical Santa by Brody

Santa goes down the chimney. He brings toys and a nerf gun. He has reindeer. He brings presents. Santa goes home. Santa is sleeping.

Once Upon A Time by Ryan

Once upon a time I went to sleep. The rat took me to the castle. I woke up and saw the rat. I go through the maze. The rat did not know which way to go. I went through the obstacles. I found the door. I went home. The End.

The Magical Tree by Breaelle

One day me and Dahlia looked for a tree. We almost fell off a cliff!!! But the Tiger saved us! The Tiger saved us from the lion!!!. We found the tree. Kalee gave it to us. Dahlia made me carry the tree home!!! At home we decorated the tree. It was fun!! At night Santa came and he left presents. Kalee loved her Barbie. Me and Dahlia loved our Teddy bear. The End.

A Mouse Cooks by Sophia

He cooks a piece of cheese. He eats the cheese. He goes to bed. Then he goes to school. Then he goes back from school. Then he sees his family.

Play Hockey by Caden

Brody hit into the boards. He is asleep. We played the game last. We went home.

My First Time At The Pet Store by Faith

I walk a cat. I buy a cat. I pay @20.00 for the cat. I walk home.

Chippy's Great Adventure by Sarah

Chippy goes to school. He sits down in class. He goes outide to play soccer. He has to go to the Principal's office. THen he goes home. THen he goes to bed.

My Name is Indiana Jones by Evan

Hi my name is Indianna Jones. I am walking through the forest. I find a cave. I go in it. I almost got killed by spikes. Oh no I forgot my hat. I got it before the door closed quickly. I pass by a big hole with spikes. I quickly got passed. THe End

Chippys Great Adventure by Cole

Chippy went to school. He had to do his homework. Chippy and his friends play soccer. Chippy goes to the Principals office because he ate the ball. Then he went home.

First Day Going to School by Preslie

She see the school. She tries to go in. She can't. And then she goes in.

The Tank by Kristopher

A tank shoots a mouse. A running guy shoots the mouse. Then they are friends. He punches him in the face. They are not friends. They both run. The mouse loses his head. The running guy loses his head. The mouse is sad. The running guy is sad.

Boomer is the Dog by Andon

Boomer is the dog. The dad owns the dog. Dad goes to get groceries. Dad goes into his car. Dad comes back from the store.

Mouse Greatest Adventure! By Matt
One day mousie found a firework. He wanted to launch it, but it was day. So he launched it! One day mousie found a ice cream shop. He wanted to get some ice cream so he ate it.

Monday, January 10, 2011

1st Grade Frequently Misspelled Words List
becausewhenliketheywent
toosaidtherehouseknow
withhaveveryfriendmy
wouldarewantfriendswere
peopleabout
playwas

2nd Grade Frequently Misspelled Words List
because
friendfriendsknow
peoplesaidtheretheytoo
wentwerewhenwouldtheir
favoriteoura lotuponoutside

onceagaindidn'tscared

Ninety Most Common Misspelled Words

about

again

almost

also

always

anyone

are

before

buy

by

can't

could

didn't

doesn't

don't

enough

except

excited

first

friends

getting

have

hole

I'm

into

it's

its

knew

know

laugh

let's

myself

new

no

off

one

our

people

really

right

said

school

that's

their

then

there

they

they're

threw

to

too

trouble

two

until

usually

very

want

was

wear

we're

went

were

what

when

where

who

whole

with

won

won't

write

your

you're

beautiful

because

especially

everybody

everyone

everything

favorite

probably

something

sometimes

terrible

through

whether

wouldn't


Friday, January 7, 2011

January 11, 2011

January 11, 2011

Welcome back. It seems everyone had a restful holiday and they are ready to get back into the swing of things. Last week the students got right to work creating an adventure story. I hope to post some samples in the near future. It was very interesting to see how the different grade levels approached the same topic. This week we are working on editing and revising the finished product. I have posted in the classroom and on the blog a list of words that are commonly misspelled. Students are encouraged to edit their work paying attention specifically to those words on the list.

Students in grade 3, 4, 5 and 6 also had an opportunity to examine samples of adventure stories from the EQAO web site to determine what the criteria is for level 3 and level 4 work. Samples of the assessment and samples of levelled work is available for your information at http://www.eqao.com.

I have completed assessments on all the Grades 1 and 2 students in regards to their reading level and sight word identification. I have included this information in your child's homework package. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to write a note in the agenda or call me at the school. I was really pleased to see the progress that has been made.

Many students have been enjoying participating in our Home Reading Incentive program (Grade 3, 4, 5, and 6) Congratulations to Seth, Conner, Madison, Emily, Jeremy, for reading for 25 days. Special mention to Tommy and Abby for continuing to read throughout the holidays and completing 50 days of reading. I would like to see more students involved in the program. Daily reading is one of the best ways to ensure academic success.

Congratulations to all the students that had their poetry accepted in this years addition of the Young Writers of Canada contest. Please have your child let me know if you received notification. Mme Laselle would like a list of all the students who were accepted. We look forward to seeing the book 'Under the Pumpkin Tree' published in May with your fine work.

Next week we will be beginning some poetry lessons. If anyone has a particularly favourite poem, I encourage students to bring them along to share with the class.

Finally, I have a special request for pencils. The Core English program seems to go through an enormous amount of pencils due to the large number of students using the supplies daily. When you are replenishing your supplies for your regular classes, I was wondering if everyone could donate a few extras to the Core English class. It would help me out tremendously.

Thank-you
Ms. Legault

Homework Grade 1 Levelled Reading program / Sight word printing practice

Homework Grade 2 Levelled reading program / Sight word printing practice and spelling

Grade 3 Reading at Home program/ Cursive Writing/ Story or poem assignment due January 25 (Assignment posted on separate blog)

Grade 4 Reading at Home program/ Cursive Writing/ Story or poem assignment due January 25 (Assignment posted on separate blog)

Grade 5 Reading at Home program/ Story or poem assignment due January 25 (Assignment posted on separate blog)

Grade 6 Reading at Home program/ Story or poem assignment due January 25 (Assignment posted on separate blog)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Happy New Year

Happy New Year General Lake! For those that check the blog I just wanted to let you know I am not sending homework this week. I thought I would ease everyone back into the routine. I did however return the cursive and the reading logs to students (grade 3, 4, 5, and 6). I know many students were anxious to get working on their reading again! The students seem rested and very keen. This week we are working on an adventure story in all the grades. It should be interesting to see the different levels of work. I will post some of the stories and I hope to put together a class book of adventures. Watch for my newsletter next Tuesday. As always thanks for your support.
Ms. Legault