Ms Legault's Classroom: November 9, 2010

Thursday, November 4, 2010

November 9, 2010

Dear Parents,
Thank you to all the parents who stopped by to say hello. I am really pleased with all the positive comments and all the hard work we have done in Core English up to this point. Some changes, as a result of your input are as follows:
The newsletter will now list homework assignments by grade clearly on the reverse. Grade 3, 4, and 5 students will now bring their agendas to English class on Tuesday or Wednesday to ensure assignments are clearly listed. If you lose the assignments all information is posted on the blog (www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspot.com)Assignments are generally due the following Tuesday.
Also as suggested here's a list of the Read Aloud books I will hope to use this term with the students. The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown; Weslandia by Paul Fleischman; The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn; Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting; Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti; Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts; One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss; Faithful Elephants: A Story of Animals; People and War by Yukio Tsuchiya; and Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig. As I indicated, my books centre around social issues which I am hoping will spark lots of conversation and dialoque, particularly in the area of inferencing which is our school wide focus. I am also very interested in the work being done at http://www.freethechildren.com/ so my lessons may be related to some of the issues addressed through this organization.
Also, as requested here is a list of the reading levels and their corresponding grades. Grade 1: 1 to 17; Grade 2: 17 to 22; Grade 3: 22 to 27. Remember this is only a guideline. Many children vary between these levels. Also it was suggested that I send home a sample of what reading at each level looks like. I am in the process of putting together samples.
Finally many parents expressed concern over the amount of homework. As a guideline the Board suggestS 10 extra minutes for each grade each night. Therefore grade 1 is about 10 minutes/night; Grade 2 is 20 minutes; Grade 3 is 30 minutes and so on. If your child is doing significantly more than that please let us know and we can adjust the amount of work. The most important thing to me is that the students are reading everyday, as well as learning to take responsibility for their work by setting aside some time daily to do some work.
Thanks again to everyone for the tremendous support and all the suggestions.

Homework:
Grade 1 printing sight words/reviewing sight words/reading enclosed levelled books Grade 2 printing sight words/practicing spelling/reading enclosed levelled books
Grade 3 cursive writing/reading at home program
Grade 4 cursive writing/reading at home program
Grade 5 read at home program/ research: Who is General Lake?/ check out: http://www.freethechildren.com/
Grade 6 read at home porgram/ research: Who is General Lake?/ check out http://www.freethechildren.com/

No comments:

Reading Assessments

Primary Reading Assessment One reading/comprehension assessment resource used by the Renfrew County District school board at the Primary level students is PM Benchmarks. PM Benchmarks is a comprehensive Reading Assessment Resource using 30 unseen levelled texts used to level students reading and give information regarding programming needs. The reading levels are matched with corresponding grade levels. Here are the suggested levels: Grade 1: 1 to 17; Grade 2: 17 to 22; Grade 3: 22 to 27. Remember this is only a guideline. Many children vary between these levels.

Junior /Intermediate Reading Assessment At the Junior/Intermediate level one measure used by the Renfrew County District School Board for reading and comprehension assessment is the CASI assessment. CASI or Comprehension Attitude Strategies Interests is used to diagnose student strengths and learning needs as well as to inform planning and instruction for the individual student. In the CASI Reading Assessment a level of performance is assigned in the different areas, as the teacher assesses the quality of student responses and rates the student’s work according to a set of predetermined criteria using levels 1-4 for each response. Students are expected to achieve level 3 and above for their grade level.

Echo Reading

What is Echo Reading?
Echo reading is reading with your child. It involves a person reading the text with natural rhythm and phrasing and then the child repeats the sentence or text with the same natural rhythm and phrasing. The child is 'echoing' the individual reading the book.
Why should I 'Echo Read' with my child?
1. Builds fluency - (reading flows -not word for word and the reading has a natural rhythm and phrasing).
2. Beginning stage of reading is memorization.
3. Aids comprehension 9sounding words out taxes working memory so comprehension is not sustained).
4. Your child is successful with 'reading'!
5. It is fun!!!
How do I 'Echo Read' with my child?
1. Read the title -have your child read it after you.
2. Begin the book by reading a page and then have your child read the page.
3. Continue to read a page and then have your child echo after you until the book is finished.
4. After 'echo reading' the book -read it again this time having your child 'echo' 2 pages at a time. If he/she is comfortable, have him/her 'echo' read the entire book back to you. This will depend on their memory and each child is different. Once you have finished the book, have your child echo the book back to you again. Also encourage your child to look at the pictures as well to help with the words.
If you would like to move to the next stage from memorization, please try the following suggestions:
1. Have your child find some sight words and point to them (Dolch sight words are posted on blog).
2. Have your child talk about the pictures to build his/her oral language.
3. Have your child find a specific word that is on the page -discuss how they know that is the word you asked for.
Talk about what the book is about -this will help build his/her comprehension.
Once you feel that your child is comfortable reading on their own you can have your child read the book to you, using reading strategies learned (e.g. sounding out, finding smaller words in big words, looking at pictures, reading on and coming back to see what word would make sense).
Remember memorization is the beginning stage of reading. Reading a book that is too hard or sounding out words slows down our working memory and our reading ability. If we are reading word for word, it is more difficult to remember what the text is about (comprehension/understanding)
HAPPY READING

Jolly Phonics

Jolly Phonics

What is the purpose of Jolly Phonics?

Jolly Phonics was designed to teach children how to read, write, and spell using a systematic multisensory phonics program.

With whom can it be used?

Jolly phonics was developed for children from junior kindergarten to grade 2. It can be used for children who have reading/writing difficulties and for children who are learning how to read/write for the first time. This program is also especially useful for teaching children who are learning English as their second language.

What is the format of Jolly Phonics?

There are five basic skills that are taught in Jolly Phonics:

Learning the letter sounds

There are 42 English letter sounds that are taught to the children. One sound is taught each day through worksheets, kinesthetic actions, flash cards, games, sound books, and by using an alphabet frieze, which illustrates the action and symbol for the sound. The systematic order for learning the sounds is:

Week 1 s a t i p n

Week 2 c/k e h r

Week 3 m d g o u

Week 4 l f b ai j

Week 5 oa ie ee or z w

Week 6 ng v y x oo oo

Week 7 ch sh th th qu ou

Week 8 oi ue er ar

Learning the letter formation

While learning the 42 letter sounds, the children are also learning how to form the letters; this is accomplished by air writing and worksheets. During letter formation, the children are taught how to write using cursive writing. A Canadian version has also been developed, which teaches letter formation using ball and stick printing.

Blending for reading

Children learn how to blend the different sounds together in order to say different words. The children gain experience through the use of sound books, letter games, letter activities, and word boxes.

Identifying the sounds in words - for writing

The children learn how to break down words into individual sounds in order to learn how to spell the word; they practise by writing simple sentences and having dictation.

Tricky words - irregular words

Through memorization, the children learn how to read and spell words that do not sound the same as they are spelled (e.g., “was” and “come”).

In what types of settings should Jolly Phonics be used?

Jolly phonics is best used in a whole group setting, with the teacher using direct instruction to teach the different sounds and applications. Acquisition and consolidation is facilitated in small groups and individually.

To what extent has research shown Jolly Phonics to be useful?

Research has shown Jolly Phonics to be extremely beneficial in helping children to read, write, and spell. Researchers have found that the earlier Jolly Phonics is introduced to children, the greater the improvement in reading, writing, and spelling abilities. Current research has found that even junior kindergarten children can greatly benefit from this type of systematic phonics program and, for children whose first language is not English, Jolly Phonics increases the rate at which they learn the language.

References

Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA. MIT.

Lloyd, S. (1998). The Phonics Handbook. Essex, UK. Jolly Learning Ltd. (Video)

Mival, E. (1997). Using Jolly Phonics: A guide for teaching reading and writing. Essex, UK. Jolly Learning Ltd.

Website

Jolly Phonics HYPERLINK http://www.jollylearning.co.uk www.jollylearning.co.uk

GENERAL LAKE 'YARD PATROL' SCRIPT

Peer Mediation Script

Hi, My name is _____________.

BOTH: And we’re your Peer Mediators.

Are you familiar with Peer Mediation?

We are students helping students solve problems.

We will not take sides

Everyone gets a turn to talk.

We are not going to judge or advise you.

This will just be between all of us in here.

So the mediation can work, we have some rules you need to agree to: (ask each person)

Do you agree to work to solve the problem? (yes/no)

Do you agree to tell the truth? (yes/no)

Do you agree that there will be no put-downs or name calling? (yes/no)

Do you agree not to fight? (yes/no)

Do you agree not to interrupt each other? (yes/no)

Do you agree to speak directly to us? (yes/no)

What happened and how did it make you feel? (Restate)

Do you have anything else to add?

What would you like to see happen?

What can you do to solve this problem?

Thank you for coming to Peer Mediation.

You did a good job. (Fill out agreement sheet & shake hands).

* If there is no agreement, say “You are not ready to solve your problem yet. Please come back when you are ready to work things out”.

Higher Order Thinking Questions

TYPES OF QUESTIONS BASED ON BLOOM'S TAXONOMY
From Bloom, et al., 1956

When talking about different texts, we tend to ask questions in the "knowledge" category 80% to 90% of the time. These questions are not bad, but using them all the time is. Try to utilize higher order level of questions. These questions require much more "brain power" and a more extensive and elaborate answer. Below are the six question categories as defined by Bloom.
KNOWLEDGE

remembering

memorizing

recognizing

recalling identification

recalling information

who, what, when, where, how ...?

describe

COMPREHENSION

interpreting

translating from one medium to another

describing in one's own words

organization and selection of facts and ideas

retell...

APPLICATION

problem solving

applying information to produce some result

use of facts, rules and principles

how is ... an example of ...?

how is ... related to ...?

why is ... significant?

ANALYSIS

subdividing something to show how it is put together

finding the underlying structure of a communication

identifying motives

separation of a whole into component parts

what are the parts or features of ...?

classify ... according to ...

outline/diagram ...

how does ... compare/contrast with ...?

what evidence can you list for ...?

SYNTHESIS

creating a unique, original product that may be in verbal form or may be a physical object

combination of ideas to form a new whole

what would you predict/infer from ...?

what ideas can you add to ...?

how would you create/design a new ...?

what might happen if you combined ...?

what solutions would you suggest for ...?

EVALUATION

making value decisions about issues

resolving controversies or differences of opinion

development of opinions, judgements or decisions

do you agree that ...?

what do you think about ...?

what is the most important ...?

place the following in order of priority ...

how would you decide about ...?

what criteria would you use to assess ...?

Ninety Most Common Misspelled Words Grades 3-6

about

again

almost

also

always

anyone

are

before

buy

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

off

one

our

people

really

right

said

school

that's

their

then

there

they

they're

threw

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

Levelled Questions

Level 1: Knowledge
The remembering of previously learned material
Where is...?
What happened when...?
What is....?
How did....?
Can you list...?
How would you define....?
Who was....?
Level 2: Comprehension
The ability to grasp the meaning of material
What do you think ____ meant....?
What is the main idea of....?
Can you give examples of....?
What does the chart (graph, video, map, etc.) mean?
What might happen next?
How would you summarize?
Level 3: Application
The ability to use the learned material in new and concrete situations
How could you demonstrate your ability to....?
What is the principal (rule, concept, idea, etc.) behind....?
What would you do....?
How else could you....?
How would you use....?
Level 4: Analysis
The ability to break down material into its component parts and recognition of the organizational principles involved
What is the sequence of....?
What inferences can you draw from _________...?
What conclusion could you draw....?
How would you diagram the sequence/structure?
How would you classify....?
What evidence can you find....?
How does ________________relate, compare, contrast with/to ___________...?
Level 5: Synthesis
The ability to put parts together to form a new whole
How would you prove that_______...?
How could you improve (change, modify, maximize, fix), ___...?
Can you think of an original way to (say, do, show, create, prove, etc)_____....?
How would you use ________to do ________ (a new application)....?
What would happen if....?
How could you modify the plot (plan, diagram, chart, picture, etc)...?
If you had ______, _______, and _______, how could you use them to solve _______...?
Level 6: Evaluation
The ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose based on the definite criteria
Why do you think that....?
What might have been a better solution....?
What choice would you have made.....?How well does this story (or any other art form meet the criteria
Based on your own beliefs, what do you think about ______...?
If you were in this situation, how would you have responded (what choices would you have made, etc.)?
Do you agree with _____ and why _____...?
What would you recommend...?

DOLCH SIGHT PHRASES

Dolch Phrase List

1) a big horse

2) a big house

3) a new book

4) a new hat

5) a pretty home

6) a pretty picture

7) about him

8) about it

9) all day

10) all night

11) as he did

12) as he said

13) as I do

14) as I said

15) at home

16) at once

17) at school

18) at three

19) by the house

20) by the tree

21) can fly

22) can live

23) can play

24) can run

25) could eat

26) could make

27) did not fall

28) did not go

29) down here

30) down the hill

31) down the street

32) down there

33) for him

34) for the baby

35) for the girl

36) for them

37) from home

38) from the farm

39) from the tree

40) has come back

41) has found

42) has made

43) has run away

44) he is

45) he was

46) he would do

47) he would try

48) her father

49) her mother

50) his brother

51) his sister

52) I am

53) I may get

54) I may go

55) I was

56) I will come

57) I will go

58) I will fall

59) if I could

60) if I may

61) if I might

62) if I must

63) if you can

64) if you wish

65) in the barn

66) in the box

67) in the garden

68) in the grass

69) in the water

70) in the window

71) is coming

72) is going

73) it is

74) it was

75) must be

76) must go

77) my brother

78) my father

79) on the chair

80) on the floor

81) so long

82) so much

83) some bread

84) some cake

85) the black bird

86) the black horse

87) the funny man

88) the funny rabbit

89) the little chicken

90) the little children

91) the little dog

92) the little pig

93) the new coat

94) the new doll

95) the old man

96) the old men

97) the red apple

98) the red cow

99) the small boat

100) the small boy

101) the white duck

102) the white sheep

103) the yellow ball

104) the yellow cat

105) then he came

106) then he said

107) they are

108) they were

109) to go

110) to stop

111) to the barn

112) to the house

113) to the farm

114) to the nest

115) to the school

116) too little

117) too soon

118) up here

119) up there

120) was found

121) was made

122) we are

123) we were

124) went away

125) went down

126) what I say

127) what I want

128) when I can

129) when I wish

130) when you come

131) when you know

132) will buy

133) will go

134) will look

135) will read

136) will think

137) will walk

138) with brother

139) with mother

140) with the dog

141) with us

142) would like

143) would want

144) you are

145) you were

146) you will do

147) you will like

148) your father

149) your mother

150) your sister

www.dolch-words.com

THE IMPORTANCE OF READING AT HOME: Tips for Reading

Learning how to speak is a phenomenon that people do naturally, usually without even trying. Learning to read is not natural, and if we don’t work at it, we don’t learn how to do it. The only way to become a reader is, of course, by reading. The only way to become proficient and skilled at reading is to practice, a lot, all the time.

However, as with sports and other skill-based activities, a child can only be as good as the skills he’s been taught. Children need a coach, mentor, or teacher to show them the new trick, teach them the next skill, point out mistakes, and push them to the next level.

Every child should be encouraged to read independently. But, reading with your child coaches him to become a better reader, getting him from Tim Bits Hockey to the NHL, as it were.

Here is how reading with your child helps.

*It shows that you value reading and encourages your child to value it as well

*Curling up with someone to share a text creates a comfortable, safe and enjoyable association with the reading experience.

*There is an opportunity to have common experiences that lead to shared interests and personal connections between you and your child.

*It exposes him to new and more challenging texts that he doesn’t have the skills or experience to access on his own, such as the sports section, poetry, comic strips, information magazines, and communications from friends and family.

*There is an opportunity to ask questions and explain new ideas, which doesn’t exist when the child is reading independently.

*The more she is read to, the larger her vocabulary becomes, the more aware she is of textual language and features, and the more capable she will be when she encounters those words, sentence structures, or text features when it comes time to read on her own.

*Being read to builds mental stamina and lengthens attention spans.

*Parents develop a sense of their child’s progress in reading skills and reading comprehension development.

Tips for Reading With your Child

*Read from a wide variety of text types (comic books, comic strips, newspapers, magazines, poems, picture books, catalogues, joke books, novels, etc.)

*Try to set up a routine, (it doesn’t have to be bed time) but if you can’t read regularly, read as often as possible.

*You do most of the work – remember, this is you reading with them, not them reading to you.

*Let your child chime in or read simultaneously with familiar or predictable texts. Have him track the words with his finger.

*Read favourite texts over and over, even if you’re bored yourself.

*If your child asks to or offers to read, let her.

*Look at the text first, talking about what kind of text it is and what you think you’ll find in it (an adventure, stats or scores, etc.), and why you’re reading it (fun, learning, etc.)

* Don’t water down or change the language. Explain tricky vocabulary by giving synonyms or describing situations that the word applies to.

*When you don’t know a word, or are confused about an idea, show how you go about solving the word (dictionary, sounding out, rereading the sentence) or how you try to figure out what’s happening (reread the paragraph or sentence, go back to look for clues, speculate on what you think it means, say out loud why it doesn’t make sense).

*Share your thinking about the text out loud. Show what you’re doing to try to understand the text better. You might make comments like:

I bet you he’s going to… (Predictions)

I wonder if he did that because… (Inferences)

This is just like the time I… (Connections)

I can almost see him doing… (Visualizing)

*Ask lots of questions that encourage your child to share his thinking.

Predictions – What do you think will happen next?

Inferences – Why did he do that?

Connections – What does this remind you of?

Visualizing – What do you think that would look like?

*Ask questions that can be answered by looking at the text, but also ask questions that require some deep thinking; questions that you might not even have the answer to.

*Read for information. Read for meaning. Read for fun.

Nifty-Fifty Spelling Words

antifreeze
beautiful
classify
communities
community
composer
continuous
conversation
deodorize
different
discovery
dishonest
electricity
employee
encouragement
expensive
forecast
forgotten
governor
happiness
hopeless
illegal
impossible
impression
independence
international
invasion
irresponsible
midnight
misunderstand
musician
nonliving
overpower
performance
prehistoric
prettier
rearrange
replacement
richest
semifinal
signature
submarine
supermarkets
swimming
transportation
underweight
unfinished
unfriendly
unpleasant
valuable

MR. REED'S SPELLING STUDY TIPS

1. Don't cram the night before.
2. Look for known patterns (an, ing, er, ight etc).
3. Study only the parts you don't know (you might know "nife", study adding k).
4. Do frequent pre-tests to see what errors are being made.
5. Say the letters while writing them.
6. Study them out of order (test is in randome order).
7. Look, cover the word, say the letters, look again to confirm.
8. Try going backwards with tricky words (t, ht, ght, ight, right)
9. Come up with a memory trick or mneumonic (the e's in the eye look like eyelids)
10. Pronounce the word like it is spelled (people = pee-O-PL-Eh, Wed-Nes-Day

Two Sculptors

Two Sculptors
I dreamed I saw a studio
And watched two sculptors there
The clay they used was a child's mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher --- the tools he used
Were books, music and art.
The other, a parent, worked with a guiding hand,
And a loving heart.
Day after day, the teacher toiled with a touch
That was careful, deft and sure,
While the parent labored by his side
And polished and smoothed it o'er.
And when at last, their task was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had moulded into the child
Could neither be sold or bought.
And each agreed they would have failed
If either had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher, the home.
Anonymous

DOLCH SIGHT WORDS

Dolch Pre-Primer Sight Vocabulary

and

away

big

blue

can

come

down

find

for

funny

help

here

jump

little

look

make

not

one

play

red

run

said

see

the

three

two

where

yellow

you

Dolch Primer Sight Vocabulary

all

are

ate

black

brown

but

came

did

eat

four

get

good

have

into

must

new

now

our

out

please

pretty

ran

ride

saw

say

she

soon

that

there

they

this

too

under

want

was

well

went

what

white

who

will

with

yes

Dolch First Grade Sight Vocabulary

after

again

any

ask

could

every

fly

from

give

going

had

has

her

him

his

how

just

know

let

live

may

old

once

open

over

put

round

some

stop

take

thank

them

then

think

walk

were

when

Dolch Second Grade Sight Vocabulary

always

around

because

been

before

best

both

buy

call

cold

does

don't

fast

first

five

found

gave

goes

green

its

made

many

off

pull

read

right

sing

sit

sleep

tell

their

these

those

upon

use

very

wash

which

why

wish

work

would

write

your

Dolch Third Grade Sight Vocabulary

Name: Date Pretest: % Correct:

Date of test: % Correct:

about

better

bring

carry

clean

cut

done

draw

drink

eight

fall

far

full

got

grow

hold

hot

hurt

keep

kind

laugh

light

long

much

myself

never

only

own

pick

seven

shall

show

six

small

start

ten

today

together

try

warm

ONLINE RESOURCES:

http://www.spiritsd.ca/eclection/teacher_resources/dolch_words/dolch_teacherresources.htm

http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm

http://specialed.about.com/od/literacy/a/dolch.htm

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dolch-sight-words-complete/id352798485?mt=8

http://www.netrover.com/~crose/dolch/dolch.htm

http://www.mrcpl.org/literacy/lessons/sight/index.html

Gifted Resources

"Parenting a gifted child is like living in a theme park of full thrill rides. Sometimes you smile. Sometimes you gasp. Sometimes you scream. Sometimes you laugh. Sometimes you gaze in wonder and astonishment. Sometimes you're frozen in your seat. Sometimes you're proud. And sometimes, the ride is so nerve-wracking, you can't do anything but cry." Carol Strip & Gretchen Hirsh, in Webb, Gore, Amend, & DeVries, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children Web links http://www3.telus.net/giftedcanada/ http://www.ontariogifted.org/ http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

Web Sites Parents, Always Monitor Your Child's Internet Use At Home

www.sense.lang.com
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/games/cybersense_nonsense/flash/start.html
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/special_initiatives/games/privacy_playground/flash/start.html
http://www.infoplease.com/homework/writingskills1.html
http://www.hasslefreeclipart.com
http://disney.go.com/disneyhand/index.html
http://www.theideabox.com/
http://www.mathforum.com/
http://drwilliampmartin.tripod.com/classm.html
http://www.teachnet.com/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/
http://drwilliampmartin.tripod.com/reallyusefullist.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/
http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp
http://www.education.com/teachspace/
http://www.suelebeau.com/
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/homework/

Black History Museum

Students at General Lake Public School celebrated Black History month in February by taking a look at the achievements of the great and often unrecognized Black leaders in the field of invention and innovation. With the guidance of their teacher Ms Debbie Legault, French Immersion students in grades 3,4,5, and 6 created projects, which they showcased with an 'artifact' in their own school 'museum'. Parents, staff and other students then had the opportunity to tour the museum and view the tools and processes that helped to shape the modern agricultural, industrial and technological world.

Homework Advice

If you have to do homework, here is some advice so you do not have problems with your homework. First make sure you have all your homework. If you are angry or upset, calm yourself down, perhaps through Silent Sitting. Also record your homework in your planner so if you forget your homework you will have it all recorded in your planner. Make sure you have everything you need to complete everyting. It's also a good idea to have a phone number of a friend that you can call in case you forgot some of yor homework or you need help doing it. You can also check Ms. Legault's classroom blog. As soon as you reach home, its a good idea to do your homework right away. Work in a quiet place so you can concentrate. Ask an adult to check your homework. If you have trouble doing homework, join a homework club. As soon as you finish your homework, put it in your bag and put the bag in a safe place so you can find it easily the next school day. By Adithya I give this advice about homework to anyone that's reading this page. Homework is for you to do at home. Teachers give homework as a part of your education and a part of your marks in the Learning Skills part of the report card (Homework Completion). Remember doing your homework is a good sign. Do your homework if you want good marks in your learning skills and to help improve your marks in all areas. By Fadli

Stories by Ms. Legault

KHAOS by Ms. D. Legault It was early October, the leaves were changing colours and the weather was starting to get cooler and cooler. There was a definite chill in the air. The students at Braeburn were excited to be back at school. It seemed like a regular day. The bell rang at 8:40 and all the students lined up at the door anxiously awaiting their teacher to open the door and invite them in. Little did they know today someone else would also sneak in. The rules of the school were clear. All visitors had to report to the office. Students were not to open the doors to let anyone in. All visitors had to wear a pass. This particular day a stranger was at the back of the line. He was clearly disguised as a student in a red baseball cap, red t-shirt, blue jeans and Baby Fat shoes. But no one recognized him and on this day no one even noticed him. “Miss, I didn’t get to do my homework ‘cause I was at the Hospital all night with my friends almost Uncle” blurted one of the students “Miss, Are you going to talk to Richard. He threw a stick and it almost hit me three weeks ago and he never said sorry”, chimed in another student as they lined up.“Good Morning, class”, said Ms. Legault in a pleasant voice. “Please walk quietly to the class, hang up your coat and get out your homework. Today’s bell work is listed on the chalkboard.....Junior stop bouncing that ball!!!! “ she instructed. As the class came through the doors Ms. Legault was distracted by Junior bouncing the ball. In sneaked the uninvited visitor to the Grade 4 class. He slithered across the floor and quickly crawled under the teacher’s desk to await the perfect moment to make his presence known. A little later after the students had settled in Ms. Legault was teaching the Math lesson. “Take out your math book to page 32 number 4”, said Ms. Legault. “Today we will be learning about the different kinds of patterns”. “BURP!!!!!!!” The disgusting sound rang out through the class. “Who did that? “ screeched Ms. Legault. “Who made that rude and disgusting noise?” “HA HA, it was meeeee. I’m Khaos now let me be. HEHEHEHEHE!” said the intruder as he hopped out from under the desk. Khaos began prancing around the class to the ultimate glee of the students, but to the ultimate horror of Ms. Legault. “Now, stop that right now. What are you doing here? Do you have a visitors’ pass?” questioned Ms. Legault. Ms Legault began chasing Khaos around the class, under desks over chairs, and by the coat rack. The students cheered in excitement, “GO Legault GO!!!!” When all of a sudden Khaos came to a halt . He turned and blew a huge kiss at Ms. Legault. She stopped frozen in her tracks. The students gasped. Not a word was heard throughout room 11...not a word as they waited their teachers next move. "Hurrah, “cheered Ms. Legault. “It’s free-time. Let’s Party!” The students quickly lined up behind Ms. Legault and a Conga Line was formed as they danced and partied throughout the day. Well it didn’t take long until news of the shenanigans in Room 11 to reach the office. Mr. Fleming the Principal, was not impressed, as you can well imagine. He quickly headed towards room 11 to investigate the goings on and the unusual behaviour of his grade 4 teacher. As he approached the room he felt the anger welling up inside him with every hoot and holler coming from the classroom. He stood gazing in disbelief at the class. Anosh, Fadli, and Vladimir were swinging ‘Spidey Style’ from the lights. Metrah, Danielle and Alissa were painting pictures on the walls; Aliya, Patricia and Keanna skipping along the shelf; and the rest of the class was involved in playing a game of desk basketball with makeshift baskets hung from the ceiling and the tops of desks acting as the court. Ms. Legault was leading her team to victory as she bounded across the desks bouncing the ball. “SWOOSH, I score!”, she cheered. As she passed the ball to Sophia who passed to Collene. Mr. Fleming raised his hand to stop the madness. The students stopped and watched with anticipation. Ms. Legault caught the ball and stared with a little look of apprehension. Sami and Nick covered theirs eyes, worried about what would happen next. Khaos leaped out from under the basketball court and said” Hey, where’s the party.” Everyone gasped as Mr. Fleming stared at Khaos. You could’ve heard a pin drop as everyone wondered what would happen next. It was Khaos that sprung forward first and proceeded to give Mr. Fleming a high Five. Mr. Fleming then jumped three feet into the air as the students froze. He proceeded to reach to the left and grab the basketball. “Whose team am I on?”, he shouted. Everyone cheered as Abdirashid announced “You’re with us Fleming- my- man.” Navid and Najib gave Mr. Fleming a high five and the game continued. Well the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. Report cards went out. Adithya looked at his marks and he said, “AHHHH!!, where’s all my A’s.” Precious and Ayan were mortified. “We never got less than a B before. How are we ever going to go to University with marks like this?” Roman said, “Hey, I can do better than this!” Jadziah brought her report to Ms. Legualt demanding to know why her marks were so low. Nick and Najib did the same. “Who cares , announced Ms. Legault, “We’re having lots of fun. I need to work on shooting hoops.” Kuwayne said, “NO way, I CARE. We’re not learning anything. Chantel agreed saying we have to do something about this. The students all met at recess at the playscape to devise a planWhen the bell rang they all filtered inside the school in an orderly fashion. Instead of going straight into the class they all stood arm and arm beside each other at the back of the classroom. As Khaos tried to pass they raised their hands and said in unison “NOOOOO!” Neha spoke for the group saying, "Khaos, You’re no longer welcome in our class. ” And as she spoke she lifted up her hand to reveal the classes secret sign of solidarity. Khaos began to shrink. Abdirashid repeated the words. Khaos shrunk even more. Alissa continued, then all the students joined in repeating the phrase, "Khaos, you’re no longer welcome in our class.” Khaos was reduced to the size of a minuscule ant. Ms. Legault was the last to speak. As she looked at her class and saw their tremendous desire to learn and how they were working together to achieve this goal, she became so filled with the joy of teaching she spoke the final words,"Khaos, you’re no longer welcome in our class. And with those final words Khaos vanished into the air and with him all the silliness, disruptiveness and rudeness that had arrived with him at Braeburn. Principals, teachers and parents from around the world would’ve been proud that day as the students got back to their desks and began to do their work like never before. They stayed in for recesses and worked through lunch and stayed after school to make up for their lost learning. All of the students had their best report cards ever and all the parents were extremely proud of their children. As for Khaos, he tried to return from time to time throughout the year but the students would not allow him in. They’d hold up their hands in the secret sign and say, “No, Khaos is not welcome in out class.”