Wednesday 18 December 2013

Hour of Code!

Well, if you've been following our blog posts, I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts lately.  Mrs. Wood and I have been running an after-school art club, and if I don't take the time at the end of the school day to whip up a post, all is lost! 

Things have been exciting in 5/6We the past couple of weeks.  With the encouragement of our divisional technology consultant, David Wall, our classroom community has enrolled itself as a participant in the #hourofcode movement.  As some of you may (or may not) know, December 9-15 was Computer Science Week, and many leaders and innovators in computing science put together an AMAZING educational resource for teachers to use to introduce their students to computer science and coding.

It is no secret that I am something of a techie, but except for a semester of learning "GO-TO" computer commands on the TURTLE LOGO program in a dusty middle-school basement, way back in the (ahem) early 1980s, I have not had any experience with programming.  What an experience it has been learning alongside our students!  We had two different sessions exploring the www.code.org website, learning the blockly programming language.  We have also participated in several "Unplugged" activities where students (and I) learned about computational thinking (designing and programing monsters), programming steps (My Robotic Friend), and binary language.  I am astounded at the willingness of our students to try new ways of thinking, and their dedication to problem solving.  They have demonstrated real perseverance!

Check out some of the photos below:



 



Decoding binary holiday messages written by our class!



via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/iFCGIDQH6U/

Thursday 14 November 2013

Genius Hour: exploring our Passion

It is an exciting time to be in 5/6We!  I am pleased to announce that we are trying out an innovative new project in our class that we have named "Genius Hour".  Based on the principles of Google's "20% Time", where employees are encouraged to learn about or work on their passion for 20% of their workday,  Genius Hour is a program where students get the opportunity to deviate from the prescribed curriculum to explore their passions.

As our classroom schedule makes it difficult to block off the 63 minutes a day (or 20% time) suggested, we are going to try to scaffold each Day 5 to support students in their passion projects.  In addition to being a day without Phys Ed or Music classes, we have both scheduled library and computer lab time to support the research necessary for the success of each project.  Throughout the past week, students have been reflecting on their likes and strengths, and I have already met with most to mold their interest into an "essential question", ready for exploration and research.  This weekend, students will be bringing home a passion project folder- explaining their topic, their essential question, and outlining their plan for completion.  Please review your child's plan with them, and remember that any feedback you can give your child is invaluable.

The project proposal's so far are very exciting, and include:

-How are hockey sticks designed?  What is the science involved?

-How can I modify a RC car to increase its speed?

-Why is it that only baseball pitchers need "Tommy John" surgery? 

-What tools can I use to create my own adventure-based video game?

-What are the steps involved in designing and sewing a top?


The true purpose of Genius Hour and Passion Projects is to allow students to develop the internal desire to learn, improve their digital literacy and presentation skills, practice research skills, and create a product or learn about something they find personally meaningful.  We are well on our way, and I am looking forward to seeing some amazing projects!

Here are some links to teacher blogs about why they use Genius Hour in their classrooms:

http://www.iteachithink.com/2012/08/a-letter-to-my-students-and-parents.html

http://psolarz.weebly.com/passion-projects.html

http://mravery.edublogs.org/2013/03/12/genius/




Thursday 31 October 2013

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Happy Hallowe'en!

Good morning!  It's hard to believe that October is wrapping up, and that with our first tri-conferences done, we are now well into our academic year! 

Students recently finished their first major assignment of the year, their Personal Identity Projects.  I am eager to begin reading students' work and getting to know each one of them on a different level.  One hiccup we ran into with this assignment is 19 of 29 students did not have their projects ready to submit on the due date (yesterday).  A one day extension has been granted to allow those students who forgot it at home to bring it in, serendipitously allowing those who had not yet completed it another evening to finish it up.  Any unfinished PIPs will be assessed "as is".  Student self-assessments and reflections later this week are intended to help identify how each one can manage their time more effectively to meet grade-level expectations.

Students have also been busy creating hemp-bracelets and key chains with Mrs. Wood to sell to our school community to raise funds for UNICEF.  We are proud of all the hard work they have done and are looking forward to making our yearly donation after Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, the students have agreed to provide their own individual snacks for their Halloween party this year.  Paper lunch bags will go home tomorrow, and students may fill it with any snacks they wish for our party.  Our party will begin Thursday afternoon with a whole school parade, followed by a movie in our classroom (title to be determined).  Thank you for your support.


Friday 18 October 2013

Tri-Conferences

A big thank you to all students and caregivers for making the time to attend our fall tri-conference session.  I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet with you to set personal and achievable goals for our first term together.



Monday 7 October 2013

October

Well, the grade six members of our class are back from a FANTASTIC three days spent at Camp Arnes.  Our students were very enthusiastic about all activities and received many compliments from camp staff about their good nature and positive behaviour.  When asked about their favourite camp moments, our class members' responses were varied, and answers ranged from "jumping off the zipline", to "having fun with our cabin group at lights out" to "the food- it was AMAZING".  Students have been eager to share their many amazing experiences with the rest of our class, and have many words of wisdom and advice for our grade five students' trip next fall.

Now that we are back, we are hitting the ground running!  We are wrapping our class study of Tuck Everlasting, we are also continuing work on Canadian Civil Rights and Responsibilities in Social Studies, starting our study of les nombres in French, and finishing up our work on understanding and writing word problems in Math.  By the time our tri-conference meetings take place near the end of the month, students will be able to identify their strengths and will be ready to set their academic and personal goals for the year ahead.  I look forward to meeting you all!














Monday 16 September 2013

Welcome to Grade 5/6 We (2013-14)


The following letter will be available at our Open House/Festival of Families on Wednesday.

I am very excited to welcome you and your child(ren) to our class this year.  This is my 14th year of teaching, and my 3rd year at Beaumont School.  I have varied interests that tend to find their way into the classroom, including science fiction (Star Trek and Firefly are favourites), geocaching, place-based learning, physical geography and educational technology.  I value professional development opportunities that help me engage and challenge students to be flexible thinkers and strong problem solvers. 

Teaching your child is a tremendous responsibility and I look forward to providing enriching learning experiences in the upcoming year.  However, I can’t do this without the help of you, our parents.  We are partners in the learning process.

Home and school communication is of the upmost importance.  Luckily, there are several ways we can keep in touch.  Check out the Ms. Welbergen’s Class refrigerator magnet to see how!  Feel free to also contact me via email, and I will do my best to respond before the end of the work day (however this is not always possible due to scheduling), or sign up for our Remind101 updates.  Students will also continue to use Agenda books in grade 5/6 but are to take responsibility for passing on any notes or written communication within them.  Meanwhile, all forms between the office, lunch program and the classroom are to be submitted into the classrooms “housekeeping” drawer, while forms for Music and Phys Ed are to be handed in directly to specialists, Mrs. Isaac and Mrs. Antel.

Our school year is shaping up to be a busy one, and to ensure continued success and progress, students are expected to come to class prepared and ready to do their best.  In addition to completing any incomplete classroom assignments, students are expected to work on their reading stamina by reading a minimum of 20 minutes each evening.  On occasion, project work will also be sent home, as will any remedial work necessary to solidify math facts or other rote learning (memorization).

I encourage my students to share their learning with you daily, so please ask them to speak with you and reflect about their day.  One way to initiate conversation is to check out your child’s (or the classroom’s) blog daily and to challenge your child to teach you what they have learned, or to write additional blog posts from home.  I am eager to hear about your conversations!

 

Looking forward to an exciting year ahead,

 

S. Welbergen

swelbergen@pembinatrails.ca

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Assessments are Beginning

Welcome back to all of our students and families!  Today marks the end of the "first week back" mark for teachers at Beaumont School and we are beginning our yearly Math and ELA assessments in support of Strong Beginnings later this month.

While results from Strong Beginnings are used to inform instruction and help me plan outcomes and strategies for the year, and are not shared with students and parents, I will be communicating with you if your child has not yet mastered their basic facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication and addition.  To be successful in grade 5 and 6 math, knowledge of these should already be automatic, however students should also be able to use identified strategies to help them solve any unknown facts.  If your child requires additional practice, links to supporting websites and apps will be posted both on Edmodo and here on our blog in the upcoming weeks.

Thank you for your support!

S. Welbergen

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Welcome!

Well, it is that time of year again; time to retire the flipflops, visit the barber shop (do kids still do that?), and practice earlier bedtimes... Back to School!

I had a fantastic summer.  My nephew Cameron came out for a great visit.  I drove him back home to Edmonton, where I got to attend a family reunion and visit with all my cousins (old and new), aunts, uncles and my grandma Myrt (I like to tell stories about her... ask me about her full name sometime).
I then returned home to head out to Wisconsin for a week of fun and relaxation.  In addition to some home renovations, a visit to Falcon Lake, and an epic day of geocaching (can you believe I found 285 geocaches in one very, very long day?), I also paid a second visit to Alberta for another family reunion!  It has been a crazy, good summer.  I hope that yours has been too!

I am really excited to get started with the new school year.  Mrs Wood and I have some amazing plans for the year ahead.  There will be lots of important information going home the first week of school in regards to some amazing ways I like our class to connect with home, family and the world!  We will be using some cool tools such as Kidblog, Blogger, Twitter and Remind 101.  They might sound intimidating, but they are awesome ways to communicate, celebrate and share our learning!

See you soon!