It is hard to believe that we are already into the last week of October! The fall is certainly flying by! This week will be another exciting and full week at Gulf Shore, as we celebrate Halloween. On Friday, students are permitted to wear their costumes to school. Everyone is reminded to keep in mind the weather and our school dress code rules when preparing their attire.

Here’s what’s happening inside our classroom this week…

Grade 5

French- This week we will continue our look at homophones, focusing on the group et/est/es/ai. Each evening students can complete a section of their worksheet to help them study these concepts in addition to our work together in class.

Again this year, we at Gulf Shore will take part in Learning Conferences. Our conferences will be held during the first week of November. This is an important event, as your child will present to you their work to date and will explain the goals they have set out for themselves in each subject area, as well as their overall goals as a student for the next few months. I will be present at each conference to guide your son/daughter and to answer any questions you may have. This week during our reading and writing blocks we will start to self-evaluate our work in these areas and at forming our goals. We will spend some time discussing the importance of forming “smart” goals that are specific to our needs as learners. We will also spend some time writing some spooky stories both individually and in groups and we will continue to practice reading with lots of fluency and expression.

Math-During our math time this week, we will move on to our first foundational outcomes of the year on fractions. Students now have a good understanding of decimal numbers and how they relate to fractions and this will be the spring board for their understanding of fractions and in particular equivalent fractions. We will also continue to practice our multiplication and division tables both in class and at home.

Science- In class this week, we will continue our study of pitch and volume, doing some experimenting around these concepts and how they relate to the sounds we hear.

Grade 7 Science

This week we will continue to explore weathering and erosion and its impact both here on Prince Edward Island and around the globe.

Grade 8 Science

This week we will have our evaluation on the density property of fluids and we will begin to explore buoyancy and pressure.

Have a fantastic week and a safe Halloween!

Madame Walker

Things are shaping up for another exciting and full week here at Gulf Shore 🙂

Here’s what’s happening inside our classroom this week…

Grade 5

French- This week we will finish up our dictée of “les mots difficiles.” Our quiz will be on Day 1 (Wednesday.) We will then start to study different homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently). The French language is full of these words, and we will take our time reviewing a different group each week for the next few weeks. We will start with the est/es/et group.

During our reading time this week we will continue to respond to our reading with lots of relevant detail, using examples from the text. We will also explore strategies for solving unknown words we may encounter when we are reading and will continue to work on improving our fluency and expression as we read out loud.

This week we will finish up our study of the “test” genre. We will continue to examine how to properly answer questions about what we’ve read or in subjects like science or math, with as much thought and detail as possible. We will also spend some time this week writing in our journals and incorporating our new vocabulary and spelling words into our written work.

Math-This week we will have a quiz on our work with decimals numbers to date and we will move on to exploring equivalent fractions. Students are also reminded to continue to practice their multiplication facts at home in order to improve their speed and accuracy when recalling these facts.

Science- This week we will continue to study pitch and volume.

Grade 7 Science

This week we will conclude our study of minerals and will begin to look at how erosion and weathering impacts our environment and shapes our landscape.

Grade 8 Science

This week will we finish our experiments on density and we will prepare for a quiz on this important property of fluids.

Have a great week!

Madame Walker

 

I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! We have so much to be thankful for here at Gulf Shore 🙂

On Wednesday evening, in the Science Lab, there will be a Home and School meeting.

On Friday, we will have our first “Walk to School” of the 2014-2015 school year. Don’t forget to dress for the weather 🙂

Here’s what’s happening inside our classroom this week…

Grade 5

French- This week we will finish up our review of the verbs être and avoir in the present tense and at forming different types of sentences. Next, we will be moving on to our first spelling list of the year. Each evening students should review a few of these words and fill in a section of their “tic-tac-ortho” (a worksheet that allows the students to practice writing and saying their words in a fun way) in preparation for their quiz. Here is a list of the words in case they get misplaced mots difficiles oct

This week during our reading blocks, we will continue to respond to what we’ve read in our “carnet de lecture.” Additionally, during our time together, we will be exploring the importance of practicing to read out loud, paying special attention to our pronunciation and fluency in French.

With our first published texts now behind us, we will begin to explore our first writing genre this year: “the test.” Together during our writing periods, we will look at how to properly answer questions about what we’ve read, in math, or science; supporting our answers with lots of examples and details.

Math-As we continue to explore fractions and decimal numbers, this week we will finish up representing decimal numbers in a variety of ways and will continue to compare decimal numbers; placing them on number lines and in ascending and descending order. We will also continue to practice our multiplication tables and will have a short quiz to assess our progress since the last quiz in this area.

Science- Last week we learned how the ear works to help us hear and recognize sounds. This week we will continue to discuss the ear and how animals hear sounds differently. We will also begin to explore sound pitch.

Grade 7 Science

With our study of plate tectonics now finished, we will begin to examine rocks and minerals. This week will we explore how we can classify minerals based on several different properties and will look at how minerals are useful in our everyday lives.

Grade 8 Science

This week we will continue to explore density and how it is used to identify substances. We will also look at how changes in temperature can impact a fluid’s density and will do some experimenting to find out how.

** On Thursday, October 16^th, both Grade 7 and 8 Science classes will be participating in the “Adopt a River” project, sponsored by the local watershed group. A notice with all the details on this event will be sent home today with your son/daughter ***

Have a marvelous week!

Madame Walker

Wow! What a wonderful last week it’s been! I want to send out my sincere thanks to everyone who helped make our “Fall Fair” a HUGE  success! It was truly a magical event and we are so blessed to be part of such a great school and community! Bravo!

This week will be a little less busy, as it is only a three day week for students. There will be no classes on Thursday, October 9^th and Friday, October 10^th, to allow teachers and staff to attend their annual conventions. Additionally, there will be no classes on Monday, October 13^th, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you all enjoy your extra long weekend!

Here’s what’s happening inside our classroom during this short week…

Grade 5

French- This week we will continue our review of the verbs être and avoir in the present tense and will spend some time going over different types of sentences. We have been practicing these concepts together in class and at home. There will be no formal worksheet this week, but students can certainly spend some time each evening reviewing these verbs and practicing using them in different types of sentences.

We have fully established our reading routines and are well into our “carnet de lecture.” I am very impressed with the students’ ability to write about what they are reading, not just retelling the story, but sharing their thoughts and ideas about what they have read. We will continue to examine how to take note of those ideas this week and will look at how to better develop our responses in our reading journal.

In writing, as we finish publishing our first texts, we continue to explore the connection between reading and writing and at how sentences are structured differently in French and English. Students will also spend some time this week creative writing, before we kick off our first genre study of the year.

Math-We continue to review our multiplication tables, in order to improve our speed. We will also continue to explore fractions and decimal numbers; representing decimal numbers in expanded notation, in word form and using place value charts.

Grade 7 Science

This week we will continue our review of tectonic plates, earthquakes, mountains and volcanoes. Students should take some time to go over their notes in preparation for our quiz on Tuesday.

Grade 8 Science

This week, we continue to explore the densities of different fluids and we will conduct some experiments of our own, as we discover this important physical property.

I hope you all have wonderful week and a joyous and safe Thanksgiving!

Madame Walker