Wednesday, October 27, 2010

GREAT POEMS

WINTER IS WHITE by Rabab

Winter is white
Snow makes more height
I see sparkles in the snow
In the Spring snow get low
We make snowmans
With our warm hands
When its snowing
The clouds are showing
With the fun forts
And has rocks like warts
But when it melts
It has lots of felts
When the trees are back
The flowers are bloomed
We don't use a rack and people go zoomed
REMEMBER
Remember the soldiers who died
Everyone in the military does good things
Most important people in our country
Everyone cares for them
My Dad is in Afghanistan
By my side always in spirit
Everyone respect the soldiers over seas
Respect the soldiers for always
by Mikayla Duperron

CHIPMUNKS
Chipmunks are brown, white, black and grey
They like to jump, run, and play
They hide their nuts in the ground
They make a squeak sound
They play around
They always know where their nuts are found
They are very cute and sweet
Getting one for a pet would be a treat!
by Ryan Kernaghan
MY BUNNY
Twinkle, Twinkle little bunny
How you are so soft and funny
Watch you sniff
Watch you jump
See you nibble, hear you thump
The way I put you in your cage
Your fuzzy hair gets in my face
But I don’t care
I’ll love you into outerspace
by Abby Walker

MY DOG MILEY
by Emily Norman
She loves going for walks
She doesn’t like coming when called
She loves catching balls in the water
She doesn’t like bringing them back
She is always happy
Except when she doesn’t get any attention
She loves when you pet her
She doesn’t like to get needles
She used to love her red rubber bone
But she ate it!
She is very loving
But she doesn’t like birds
She is usually very quiet
Except when she snores and says “woof woof” in her sleep
She likes to curl up in my pink beanbag chair
She loves treats like pig ears
But she sometimes saves them to eat later
She loves her nickname Smiley Miley and Miley May
But she doesn’t like being called Bad
She is cute and cuddly
But sometimes she’s stinky!
But we LOVE her anyway!!

SEASONS
It’s Spring. It’s warm out
Plants are blooming. Rainy days
Splashing in puddles. People wearing raincoats
It’s summer. It’s hot out.
Going to the beach. Playing in the water.
School is out. Time to go camping.
It’s Fall. It’s cool Out. Leaves falling. Colours exploding.
Windy days and time to go trick or treating.
It’s winter. It’s cold out.
No leaves on trees. Making snowmen and forts.
Drinking hot chocolate. Snowball fighting.
Animals hibernating
By Jarod Kernaghan

THE DAY I LEFT HOME
On the day that I left home
It was not what I thought
When I wanted to roam
Everyday it got colder and colder
Yet everyday I got bolder and bolder
Until the day that I hit ground
And there I lay, so very proud
by Farati

POEM ABOUT FALL
When leaves fall off trees their colours change
In our school I want fall leaves around the stage
I like Fall because there’s Halloween and it’s scary
I think ghosts eat black food so I think of black berries
In Halloween there comes snow,
But when you play long you won’t know
Make sure to be warm and cozy
And comfortable and snoozy
by Rabab Azeem

A POEM BY BRAEDEN
I’ve got no idea what to say,
But I have to write this poem
Because my Mom says if I don’t
get it done to the movie I’m not going.

MY HORSE STORY
I would like a horse for my own
So every day I could say
Let’s gallop away
I love when horses raise their ears
It means they’re full
Of curiosity and cheer
When I walk outside
I want to see horses galloping and jumping
Excited with glee
I would groom my horse
Before and after I ride
So it would be comfortable and pretty
With a lot of pride.
I wish for the day
My dream will come true
So I can gallop away
On the morning dew
by Remi Lavoie

POPPIES
Poppies
Red and black
Bloom at the place where
Men who fought
Died
Poppies
Soft and smooth
Worn on the heart
Sad Remembrance Day
Remember
By Seth Malino

MY DOG AVES
My dog Aves
Hates waves
She likes to bite
But not at night
She sleeps in her crate
And goes to bed late
Sometimes she’s bad
But she’s the best dog I’ve ever had
She bit my brothers fingers and made them bleed
And when I take her for walks she tries to lead
Everyday I take her for a walk
And we walk around the block
She poops on the floor
And barks when someone’s at the door
She plays with me
And she loves me
I love her a lot
And I’m glad that she got bought
August is her month of birth
And she is worth
She was born on the 15th
And likes going over to the table underneath
by Abigail Jupp

PEACE TO THE WORLD
by Madison Hunt
Believing happiness and love
Being happy, loving people and helping
Being brave when people go to war
Helping stop war
Loving the people who died
Died so others could survive
Survive and go home with families

BOILED FISH
My Dad is allergic to dogs
My Dad is allergic to cats
My Dad is allergic to birds and all that
If my Dad meets a bunny
he’ll get really sick and that’s not funny
So I can’t have the pets that I wish
The only thing left for me is a fish
On one Winter day we went to the bank
Then to the pet store to get a good tank!!
Home in a bag came two fish of gold
My Mother was worried they might be cold
While I got their new home all prepared
They waited in a cozy spot “Don’t be scared.”
Okay, everything was ready...HEY!!! I cried with a frown
Why are my new fish floating upside down?
In their tank swim three new friends
Goldie, Chompers, and Kissy Face
This time my Mom didn’t put them
Too close to the FIREPLACE!!!
By Julie Deschambault

HALLOWEEN NIGHT
There’s a lot of kids
On Halloween Night
Oh my gosh
What a fright!
Can you see what I see?
There is a lot of scary
Costumes out there, if I weren’t a pirate
I would have been a girl, horse or mare.
Halloween night is my favourite
Time of the year
Because when I am dressing up
I can look in the mirror
I love Halloween night
Because it’s so much fun,
Especially when we can start
And the sun is gone
My sister and I love to decorate
But our favourite time is on Halloween Night
by Bobbi Lavoie grade 2

HE SHOOTS HE SCORES
He shoots He scores
Hockey is fun speed and strategy to score goals
Team work is how you get the goals
Winning the face off is about speed and stick handling.
by Tommy Campbell

October 28, 2010

From the Desk of Ms. Legault

Dear Parents,


Thank you for all your support and assistance getting the homework completed. I received many fine examples of poetry and I hope to submit many of these shortly to the contest, as well as showcase some of samples on our classroom blog (www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspot.com). The primary students did an excellent job sharing their procedures to the class. Some of the work is on display outside the classroom. We had a great variety including pizza, jack’ o’lanterns, turkey, lego and so much more. Students have demonstrated a lot of improvement in speaking clearly and loudly. Thank you to everyone for helping to make this an exciting and enjoyable experience for the students.

In the classroom we have been reading and responding to a number of stories. The grade 1 and 2 students have been retelling the story of a Bear in War by Stephanie Innes and Harry Endrulat. Grade 3 and 4 have been working on a book called The Enemy: A story about Peace by Davide Cali and Serge Bloch
and the grade 5 and 6 class have been reading Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Corr. Many students also followed instructions provided online at http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-a-Paper-Crane-1100 to fold their own paper crane. Origami square (scrapbooking) paper is available at Dollarama.


As part of a schoolwide initiative to improve students skills in literacy, we will be beginning a focus on the development of inferring skills. Inferring is drawing conclusions, making predictions, evaluating and judging using information from the text. The key point we are trying to stress with the students is that they need to provide proof by referring to the text/story. One question you can ask during your daily story time is “What does the author want us to learn from the text?” You can also talk about the characters and what we learned about the characters from the story. Be sure to ask your child to provide evidence from the story to support their thinking. I will send more information about this home as I begin exploring it with your child at school more in depth.










Homework


Grade 1 and 2: New sight words and word patterns to print and spell. For those who like technology, I stumbled on an APP for the Ipod that helps children with sight words. My twin daughters are in grade one. One of them loves this game, the other does not care for it. Its just another way to help them learn their words. You can find it at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dolch-sight-words-complete/id352798485?mt=8

Grade 3 and 4: Continue with the handwriting work and research frameworks are due on Nov 3.

Grade 5 and 6: Research frameworks are due November 3. Students from these grades have shown an interest in beginning a Peer Mediation program to help younger students solve their problems on the playground. Some students have also been selected to assist with the Remembrance Day assembly. Watch for more information to be sent home soon.

Thanks again for your support. Enjoy your week. Ms. Legault

P.S Any parents interested in assisting with the Remembrance Day Assembly or the Peer Mediation Program please contact me or send a note. I am looking for someone to speak at the Assembly. Thanks again

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

OCTOBER 20, 2010 CLASS UPDATE

Dear Parents,
An exciting week in Core English as the Remembrance Day contest came to a close. Thank you to all the students who participated in the contest. You can view many of the students work in the halls of General Lake. The winning entries will be entered in the Legion’s contest. Congratulations to the following students Connor Chalmers-Wein Grade 5, Erin O’Hara Grade 2, Clancy Bridger Grade 2, Marissa Nelson Grade 1, Emily Norman Grade 3, Farati Femi-Babalola Grade 3, Nic Bennett Grade 1, Emily Scott Grade 4, Rabab Azeem Grade 3, Emma Baird Grade 1, Kalee Granter Grade 1, Emma McKinnis Grade 2, Mackenzie Carter Gorin Grade 4, Bethany Marquardt Grade 2, Erin Stacy Grade 6, Jada McInnis Grade 6, Ridge Chartrand Grade 4, Gabe Layden Grade 5 , Elizabeth Houde Grade 5, Ryan Kernaghan Grade 3, Alexis Arnott Grade 5, Carson Gallant Grade 4, Jenna Chan-Watson Grade 5, Julia Suprenant-Johnson Grade 6, Zac Corrie Grade 5.
Grade 1/2 Homework: Students in Grade 1 and 2 are asked to make an oral presentation of the procedure they followed to make something. It can be something they already made, or something you create together. I am looking for their use of the words first, then, next and finally in the presentation. The following is the rubric I will use to mark this assignment. Presentations will begin for students whose first name begins with the letters A -J on Wednesday; K-Q on Thursday; and R - Z on Friday.
Rubric
Topic
Speaks in simple correct sentences yes no
Speaks loud enough to be heard yes no
Has a prop (picture or model) yes no
Tells how it was made using first, then, next, finally yes no
Uses some descriptive adjectives to add interest
(e.g. colour, texture, quantity words) yes no
Grade 2 only Write out the instructions using the words first, then, next and finally
Students should continue learning their sight words and practicing reading daily. Students who know their sight words are encouraged to begin practicing spelling the sight words. I have enclosed a book for students to practice spelling their words. Students should choose 10 words from the sight word list beginning with the pre-primer. Using the words in a sentence will help students associate the spelling with meaning. See the classroom blog www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspotcom for a list of tips.


Grade 3 - 6
Part 1 Poetry Writing Contest. Students are asked to submit one poem of the topic of their choice. Poems should be of 24 lines (maximum) or less. Ms Legault and her a group of esteemed judges will select several poems from each grade level to be submitted in the Young Writers of Canada Poetry Contest. All poems eligible for the contest must be submitted by October 27th. Students may submit more than one to Ms. Legault but only one entry per student may be submitted to the Official Contest. Students may not wish to submit an entry to the contest but all students must submit one poem as part of their homework. First prize of thee Young Writers Contest is $50.00 and a free book with their poem published. There are over 75 awards of excellence. All poems accepted for publication will receive a certificate to mark their achievement.
Part 2 Students in grade 3 to 6 have been talking about a number of historical events related to peace and Remembrance Day through their read alouds in English class. Students are asked to research one aspect they are interested in using a research framework, jotting notes to answer five guiding questions which may include who, what, where, when. why and adding any interesting details they may find. For example we talked briefly about the Battle of Passchendaele. Students may use the internet or the library to find out information.
Research rubric
Five guiding questions clearly labeled on framework 1 2 3 4
Located and recorded information which clearly covered the topic 1 2 3 4
Organized, easy to read notes 1 2 3 4
Wrote notes using own words 1 2 3 4
Oral presentation (3 minutes) not required N/A 1 2 3 4
Students may wish to present their information to the class with a 3 minute presentation which can include props and pictures. Students will be given until the week of November 3 to complete this research. Oral Presentations will begin Nov 3 for students whose first name begins with the letters A -J on Wednesday; K-Q on Thursday; and R - Z on Friday.

Thank you for your continued support
Yours truly Debbie Legault

Dante's Poetry

My Mom I love my Mom
She is really calm
She likes to shop
And drink lots of pop
She has her own store
And it’s called ‘Decore I Adore’
She sells lots of gum
And man it’s really yum!

My Dad
I love my Dad
And he hates when I’m bad
He loves to play hockey
He hates disc jockeys
He works in construction
But he hates destruction
He loves his wife
And has a happy life

My Dog
My dog’s name is Piper
And she is really hyper
She has lots of hair
She’s like a bear
She’s really small
She’s a fury ball
She likes to sleep in my bed
All curled up by my head

Monday, October 18, 2010

SAMANTHA: My Nice Caring Good Friend

Wishes to be a teacher or a doctor

Who wonders about animals and insects

Who fears spiders

Who likes to colour and use her imagination to draw and hang out with friends

Who loves animals,

Who believes in friendship

Who plans to be a teacher or a doctor

Sam is a good friend

By Emily

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

OCTOBER 12, 2010

I hope everyone had a happy and relaxing holiday. Thank you to all the students who returned last weeks homework. It may take several weeks for us to get into the routine of getting it in on Tuesday. If I have not received homework from your child I made a note on this sheet.
Homework:
Grade 1 and 2’s continue working on sight words: Please continue to work on the words, as well as the printing practice worksheet enclosed in folder. Grade 1’s are also reviewing the ‘m’ sound.
Grade 2: Grade 2's need to practice spelling the enclosed sight words: away, down, my, up we and I as well as the new list bat, cat, hat, mat, rat, sat and flat. Grade 2’s will have a spelling test next Tuesday.
Grade 3 and 4: Students continue to complete their handwriting worksheets. Complete a couple of sheets then practice what you learned on lined paper. Return all practice sheets for me to monitor. Students should also continue reading daily. After they read I encourage them to discuss the characters, setting, beginning, middle, and end of the story. This will reinforce what we are talking about in the classroom.
Grade 5 and 6: Students will complete 3 entries again. This time I request that at least one entry be a proper paragraph including a topic sentence, three supporting details and a conclusion. We have been using the hamburger model, which I have attached to the journal for quick reference.
EVERYONE SHOULD CONTINUE TO READ, READ, READ DAILY
In the classroom students in all grades had an opportunity to ‘read’ a procedural writing piece in the form folding instructions. Students folded fortune tellers, frogs, and paper cranes. I have assessed all the reading levels of the primary students. The following is a guideline of recommended reading levels
By the end of Grade 1: Level 17
By the end of Grade 2: Level 22
By the end of Grade 3: Level 27
By my assessment, your child appears to be currently reading at level: _______
Our target for January for Grade 1 students is level 8; Grade 2 students is level 17; Grade 3 students is level 22.
I will send home information to the Junior students in the near future. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.
Yours truly, Debbie Legault Be sure to check out the blog at www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

My Grandpa by Alexis

I admire my Grandpa. He is like a Dad to me. His name is James, but everyone calls him Jim or Jimmy. He is awesome, the best and so cool. He also does everything with me including hunting,fishing,taking me to hockey games, watching tv with me. You name it, and he does it. He is practically like a Dad to me. My Grandpa is my hero and most important he is my best friend.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Oct 5, 2010
Dear Parents,
What a wonderful September we have had in Core English, and I am now offering a variety of homework packages to assist you at home and help students become successful in the English language. A special thank you to Mrs. Claudia Major for volunteering her time and putting together these packages.
Grade 1, 2: Sight word review. Enclosed in the folder you will find your child’s list of sight words. The highlighted words are the words your child successfully identified. Also in the folder you will find a printing worksheet with this weeks sight words. In the printing worksheet we are working on:
1. Practising the formation of the letters
2. Practising where the letters go on the line.
3. Learning our sight words. As your child is writing the word, have them read it.
Please continue to practice placing the letters in the correct space and to have a finger space between each word. If your child is having trouble, ask them to show you how we are practising spelling sight words at school. Here’s a prompt “Sit on our chairs for the letters a,c,e ......sit on the floor for the letters y, j....stand up with our hands above our heads for ...b,d,f.... Please return the folder every Tuesday so I can monitor their progress and add additional printing worksheets and update sight word progress.
Grade 3 and 4 Students have a handwriting practice book using the ‘Handwriting without Tears’ Program. I encourage students to work slowly at the cursive writing activities and to practise the letters they learn on separate sheets of paper. Please return the folder every Tuesday so I can monitor their progress.

Grade 5 and 6 students are asked to keep a journal which we will call their ‘Super Thought Spots.’ I have provided students with a book for them to record a minimum of 3 entries/ week. Students can write on anything they wish....fiction or non fiction. The idea is to get students writing about anything that is important to them. Thought spots are to be handed in on Tuesday’s for me to monitor their progress. One writing entry should be about someone they admire. We will be using this information next week to create poetry.

Classroom Update: In the classroom the students presented their wonderful Remembrance Day homework in both small and large groups. I was very impressed with the student's hard work. Posters will go on display shortly in the halls. We will choose the top 2 from each grade level to enter in the Legion's contest. We have been reading a variety of books in our Read Alouds. The Grade 1 and 2 students read Proud as a Peacock, Brave like a Lion by Jane Barclay. The grade 3, 4, 5, and 6’s read A Bear in War by Stephanie Innes . Be sure to ask the students about their reading. We are currently working on retelling these stories in our own words. We will continue to work on a theme of Peace for the next few weeks as Remembrance Day is coming soon. Ms. Spencer’s class examined the words to the song ‘One Tribe’ by the Black Eyed Peas and Ms. Gibson’s class, Ms. Bernardins class and Ms. Turgeon’s class sang a song called ‘This Little Sign of Peace’. Ms. Bell’s class and Mr. Mallette’s class have been reading the story of Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. Be sure to ask these students to show you how to fold the paper cranes.
Watch out for the following coming activities in the next update:
General Lake Great Reading Challenge: I hope to have all the reading levels completely assessed next week and I am hoping to begin a reading challenge for all students.
Students will have the opportunity to enter a poetry contest. The maximum number of lines is 23. It is open to all students grades 2 and up.
Finally I would like to invite you to view my classroom blog at www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspot.com. I hope to post all these letters as well as pertinent classroom information, homework assignments and samples of students work in the near future. Of course no student pictures will be posted. Thanks for your continued support.

Ms. Legault