Tuesday, November 20, 2012

A new day, a new everything

Last week was a week of finishing; we finished our Program of Inquiry unit on Discovery, we finished our POI projects, we finished our maths treasure maps, we finished our explorer journals, we finished our maths unit on multiplication and we finished the week with a day of swimming.

As class activities goes it was mostly an uneventful week we spent most of it reviewing for our multiplication maths test and finishing off our POI projects and explorers journals. It was though, a week of self motivation and self control. The whole week was laid out to the students on Monday. Deadlines, goals and responsibilities and expectations were talked about. The students demonstrated a great work ethic all week and everyone worked hard over the week completing individual (studying for maths) and group tasks (POI project).

The week finished as you know with a day at Åby swimming pool. As always it was a great day with lots of playing around, diving off the diving board, and getting flushed down the toilet (the big red waterside). Sorry for the lack of photos but I didn't have any pockets in my board shorts (and my phone is not water proof) :)

This week we will be having a 'gentle start' into the new Inquiry unit as we have our Inquiry project to play and treasure maps to follow. Our new inquiry will look at cities and how they function.

Trans disciplinary Theme: How We Organize Ourselves

Central idea: Cities can have a variety of infrastructures to support its’ inhabitants.
Attitudes: cooperation
Profile: Balanced
Key concepts: causation, responsibility, and form
Related concepts: consequences and population
During this unit we will be trying to get out of the classroom and into the city as much as possible. If you have any good ideas or have any contacts with services that influence the makeup and balance of a city please let me know. A few ideas that we have had so far is to visit stadmuseet and I have been talking to Joel about making an installation project on the city's soundscape (sounds of the city). So even if you have the strangest idea please tell me as it just may be the one that we are looking for. 
In maths we have started our new unit on the concept of division. 


Pattern and function
Overall expectations


Phase 3
Learners will analyse patterns and identify rules for patterns, developing the understanding that functions describe the relationship or rules that uniquely associate members of one set with members of another set. They will understand the inverse relationship between multiplication and division, and the associative and commutative properties of multiplication. They will be able to use their understanding of pattern and function to represent and make sense of real-life situations and, where appropriate, to solve problems involving the four operations.

Learning outcomes When constructing meaning learners:
• understand that patterns can be
analysed and rules identified
• understand that  division is
repeated subtraction
• understand the inverse relationship
between multiplication and division

When transferring meaning into
symbols learners:
• describe the rule for a pattern in a
variety of ways
• represent rules for patterns using
words, symbols and tables
• identify a sequence of operations
relating one set of numbers to another
set.

Number
Overall expectations
Phase 3
Learners will develop the understanding that fractions and decimals are ways of representing whole-part relationships and will demonstrate this understanding by modelling equivalent fractions and decimal fractions to hundredths or beyond. They will be able to model, read, write, compare and order fractions, and use them in real-life situations. Learners will have automatic recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. They will select, use and describe a range of strategies to solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, using estimation strategies to check the reasonableness of their answers.

Learning outcomes When constructing meaning learners:
• use the language of fractions
 model division of
whole numbers
• use the language of division, for example, factor,
multiple, product, quotient, prime
numbers, composite number

When transferring meaning into
symbols learners:

• develop strategies for memorizing
addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division number facts
• describe mental and written
strategies for multiplication and
division.

When applying with understanding
learners:

• use mental and written strategies for
multiplication and division in real-life
situations
• select an efficient method for
solving a problem, for example,
mental estimation, mental or written
strategies, or by using a calculator
• select an efficient method for
solving a problem, for example,
mental estimation, mental or written
strategies, or by using a calculator




This might look like a large amount to cover in a short time but many of the goals and expectations overlap each other and others (such as problem solving) carry on throughout the school year.


In language we have started looking at Tall Tales. We started by having whole class group reading this week about one of the Legendary figures of American folklore Davy Crockett. We also have homework to write a Tall Tail about one of our parents and finally, we (even the EAL beginners) started to write a Tall Tales book using Story Bird. Story Bird is a great free program online and is worth a look at if you have not seen it before. You can also get your books printed into real books if you want to. You can see the website here

It was good to see the French and Australian rugby teams win on the weekend (sorry Sasha)








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