Welcome to Grade 6/7 @ Elma!
Mrs. Kelly - Room 5
A Note from Mrs. Kelly!
I am thankful to be able to start sending our newsletters, to keep you up-to-date with what is going on in Room 5. I would like to thank you for your patience and support during the first few months of school.
As you are aware, we are apart of the Next Generation Learning (NGL), which means each student has been given an iPad for academic/learning purposes. We have been spending a lot of time getting to know how these devices work. Students have learned how to use the accessibility features such as, having the device read text to them, using the microphone to dictate their writing, using spell check and auto correct to ensure what they have written makes sense.
Your child has set up a Google Drive and Google Classroom. Google Drive is the main location used to store all their work, photos, etc... it is our classroom portfolio. Please ask them to give you a tour of their Google Drive and show how they use it to organize all their information and work. We have been using Google Classroom to collaborate as a class and as a place to submit most assignments. My calendar, as well as, each Google Classroom's calendar should be synced with their iPad calendar, allowing them to know when assignments are due and our daily schedule.
Below please find an outline and helpful resources relating to our studies in Grade 6/7, as well as, my contact information.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Kelly
Elma Township Public School
Teacher-Grade 6/7
Math
IXL
Open Ended Questions
Building a Foundation
The Power of YET!
Always Learning!
Writing:
Persuasive Letters-wrote a letter to persuade Mr. Haber to let us install a "Buddy Bench" or two on our playground at Elma.
Descriptive Writing-in Art we created abstract Ink Blot monsters and have creatively written about our creatures. We are working towards creating a book for the primary grades of our collection of monsters. Students are working on animating their characters digitally and linking their stories and images through augmented reality to bring their creations to life. CLICK HERE to learn more about the app AURASMA and augmented reality.
Ink Blot Monster inspiration from Stefan G. Bucher. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Reading Comprehension Skills:
Authors Purpose, Theme, Questioning, Predicting, Inferring, Visualizing, and Summarizing.
Gregor the Overlander
We are currently exploring the Physical Patterns in Geography. Landforms, Climate, Rivers, Oceans, Vegetation and the impacts natural forces and human activity has on these. In Science, we are exploring Biodiversity and Ecosystems. Starting with how we classify living things. Students are currently conducting research on bacteria that lead to certain diseases and how some bacteria is used to help prevent and fight disease. Through both units, students will start to see the importance of balance to maintain diversity and the impact that our carbon footprints have on the overall health of our planet.
Physical Education & Health
We started our year in physical education with soccer and cooperative games. We are currently exploring the importance of overall health, both physically and mentally. Students are encouraged to bring a change of clothes for gym as they are sweating and need clothing that is easy to move around in during our fitness circuits. On November 19, our class will participate in the Rocks and Rings Curling program at Elma.
In addition to the above, Grade 6 students have been participating in a program with Officer DeKoning from Listowel OPP. He has covered topics, on the Youth Criminal Justice Act, healthy peer relationships, cyberbullying and inappropriate use of technology. Upcoming lessons will address mental health issues, as well as, drug and alcohol abuse. In Grade 7, we are exploring how to become good digital citizens and use our technology responsibly. In an attempt to help students learn the importance of "Think Before You Click", all students in our classroom have been asked to download the app ReThink. CLICK HERE to learn more about this app.
Mrs. Jennifer Kelly
~Eleanor Roosevelt
Email: jennkell@ed.amdsb.ca
Website: http://www.avonmaitlandschools.ca/elma/
Phone: 519-356-2241
Twitter: @MrsKelly_Edu