Tuesday 18 December 2012

Visit to Westdale

Both 6Wo and 6We, along with students from Westgrove School, had the pleasure of visiting Westdale School this morning to watch their various bands perform.   Mr. Boch led three tunes with his full Symphonic Band, three holiday tunes with his grade nine students, and two tunes with the jazz band.   They were fantastic! 

After the performance, our students had the opportunity to ask questions of both Mr. Boch and of the band members.  It was great to hear about the different instruments on display, and about the organization of the Westdale band program.  Being a "band geek" myself (during my youth I played French Horn with the Army Cadet program for 7 years) I really enjoyed hearing the new tunes each of the bands had prepared for us.  

Besides the fabulous music, my personal favourite moment of the morning was when Mr. Boch asked the audience, "Have you ever heard of the blues?", to which one of our students responded, "Do you mean the hockey team?".   I had a good chuckle, and realized that maybe it was time to whip out some of my B.B. King, Etta James, George Thorogood and John Lee Hooker tunes!

Thanks Mr. Boch, students and Westdale School!





Monday 17 December 2012

Busy Winter Days!

The students of 6We have been incredibly busy this month!  Always, at this time of year especially, it feels as if there is so much to do and so little time!  So, as pictures are worth a thousand words, take a look at the photos of us and our learning below.  We welcome your comments!


















Wednesday 5 December 2012

Among the Hidden

Today we finished our read aloud of the novel, Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix.  The students were astonished throughout the story to think that families could be limited in the number of children they could have.  This lead to several discussions about human rights around the world, including population laws in China.  Students also made the connection to our new penpals from Uganda who wrote and asked us why we (generally) have small families here in Canada, and told us about the many difficulties they face in their communities due to government and social restrictions.  The students of 6We will be happy to learn that this book is just the first in a series of seven Shadow Children novels.




Monday 3 December 2012

Democratic Electoral Vote

"Today we did a vote for an extra class in a favourite subject.  In the end, the results were 11 for Art, 2 for Social Studies, and we had 4 spoiled ballots.  We learned that this type of voting is fair, clear and encourages participation."  - Luc and Urooj

"Today we had Kindergarten buddies.  My buddy and I went to the compter lab and played on Starfall." -Jade

"Today in Kindergarten buddies, my buddy and I played 7-Up.  I actually ended up teaching Urooj how to play" - Holly

"My Kindergarten buddy had to teach me how to play 7-Up as I forgot how!"- Cylas 

Thursday 22 November 2012

Math Quiz and other thoughts

This week was an interesting one in 6We.  Students recently had their first real "test" of their knowledge in Math with a quiz on Factors and Factorization.  Needless to say, there were a lot of nerves going into it, as students wondered what to expect.  As their teacher, I always wonder what to expect too.  I ask myself many questions - did I explain the concepts clearly?- did they have enough practice?- do they know how to study? 

After the quizzes were returned there were lots of crestfallen faces, and a few proud and content ones.  Although there were very strict guidelines about sharing of their marks- students are not allowed to ask how someone did, but are free to share in a respectful manner without bragging or put-downs- it was obvious to all students that there was a wide range of achievement. Students were given the opportunity to immediately investigate their responses, check their notes and begin corrections.  There were still a lot of tears, and exclamations of frustration.  As students began to research what it is they don't yet know or what it is they struggle with, those exclamations were replaced by cries of "oh" and "I get it now". 

Students were assigned quiz corrections as homework and were told there would be a quiz rewrite two days later.  When they arrived to class and were given the same quiz, and told they could use their original quiz and corrections to complete the re-write, the students were immediately buzzing with excitement.  Those students that neglected to do the corrections as assigned, or who left them at home, were a little less so.

Both Mrs Wood and I have worked extensively with the class the past few days around the concept of "ownership of learning" or constructivism.  Students have begun to see that the responsibility of learning lies with the learner, and that they have the tools and the power to understand what they don't yet know.  Students have begun to realize that while "mom wants me to ask for extra help", that they too have the power to ask.

Unsuprisingly, the results of the quiz rewrites were terrific.  Those students who neglected to do or bring their corrections have an additional day to do so, so they may too complete their re-write.  Will all future quizzes and tests in grade 6 be conducted the same way?  Probably not, but the students of 6We now realize the purpose of tests aren't to see what they don't know, but are there to encourage them to take charge and that they are responsible for, and capable of, their own achievement.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Winter's here!

Well, it looks as if I am having a bit of trouble trying to achieve my goal of blogging every day...  No worries, though, I'll keep at it.  I realize now that it's just going to take a little practice and a few small changes in my daily routine to make it work!

Now that the winter weather has officially arrived, I'd like to remind students to dress appropriately for the cold weather.  Toques and mittens are a must, and we've had a number of students arrive at school without proper footwear.  Wet, cold socks make learning difficult!

Thursday 8 November 2012

Creature Feature

The past few days, 6We has been busy designing and building creatures in science class.  Mrs Wood has assigned each student a habitat to investigate and students have designed creatures adapted specifically for each one.  Despite a apocalyptic paint spill, the process has been moving smoothly.  Take a look at some their creations, in various stages of "evolution", below.

Friday 2 November 2012

Kid Blogs!

I am excited to share that our class has been busy learning how to create and maintain their own blogs! 

Blogging is an authentic form of writing, where students post writing that is relevant to their lives and audience.  Students are also learning how to leave helpful and insightful comments, typing, editing, and valuable digital citizenship skills.

Come visit, read, and comment!

http://kidblog.org/MsWelbergensClass2012/

Thursday 1 November 2012

Halloween!

Halloween is always a busy day at school. The school parade, as always, was entertaining. It was great to see all the inventive and fun costumes! Thanks to Mrs Ferguson for organizing delicious snacks for our party, and thanks to all students who brought board games to play. After a busy night of tricks and treats, I hope everyone is well rested for the day! :P

Monday 29 October 2012

Kidblogs

Today was another busy day in 6We! Students have been busy preparing to "sell" their bracelets and keychains for UNICEF this week. This is in addition to finishing up their All About Me autobiographies and following the many current event stories, namely stories about the BC earthquake and Hurricane Sandy.

Students also were introduced to two new websites today. The first, Artsonia, is an online art gallery, where I can upload photos of the students' artwork. The fantastic thing is, family and friends can comment on their work, and can even order "swag" with images of their artwork. Be sure to check it out! The second website we explored today was Kidblog. Students now have individual blogs whee they can share their thoughts and learning. All blog posts and comments are moderated and will only be posted once I review them and once students have made appropriate edits. I can't wait to read each student's entries!

Friday 26 October 2012

Tri-Conferences

I'd like to send out a huge thank you to all of you who came out to our first Tri-Conferences of the 2012-13 school year.  Students are always excited to share their learning with you, and I appreciate the time to help review their strengths and to set goals for their learning together.

As we move on into the school year, I'd like to remind students and families to keep their goals in mind and to remember that while going to school is their routine, their job, learning is their choice and their responsibility.  I make it my goal to deliver the content in the most engaging way possible and to give each student multiple ways to explore and acquire their knowledge and to make meaning of it.

In order to be as successful as possible, and to be best prepared for the years of schooling ahead, I encourage students to read daily (at home-not just at school!), have their basic facts down-pat (memorize, memorize, memorize), and to be flexible in their thinking; explore alternate ways to solve problems, ask questions, be open to feedback and don't settle for good enough!

I am so proud of our students' accomplishments, their love of learning and their care and concern for one another.  This will be the best year yet!

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Ms Geelen's Visit

Today I got to do Kindergarten Gym supervision.  I played hockey with them and we kept switching out the goalies. It was really fun.  At first, it was just me and Alyssa, because nobody else wanted to play, then a bunch of Kindergartners joined and our teams were so uneven! It was really fun though. - Holly

Today we are working on our collages.  Mine is looking really good.  - Noel

Today Mrs Geelen, the woman who teaches us about Respect and Being Kind to Others, came for a visit.  She showed us a book about filling other people's buckets.  I thought it was interesting that you can fill somebody's bucket by complimenting them.  It would be nice if everyone had a full bucket all of the time.  - Emily


6We has been a busy place as of late. Students have been busy finishing projects in preparation for our Tri-conferences on Thursday and Friday. Students are also looking forward to finishing the vegetation classification and Art project that they started while at camp.  Unfortunately, we might not finish before our conference appointments tomorrow.  I will be sure to post pictures as soon as they are completed!

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Busy Days

Like some other inspiring local educators and their blogs (radissonsrockinroom18.blogspot.com and 200awesomedays.blogspot.com), I am going to try my best to blog about our classroom happenings each and every day. This is going to be quite the challenge for me, and I hope the students can help me out with some great ideas and soundbites. Wish me luck!

Today was a busy one, with students finishing up their All About Me projects, both Music and Phys Ed classes scheduled, indoor recesses spent making hemp bracelets for UNICEF and grade 6 intramurals at lunch.

Some reminders to students today are to get their blogging permission forms in ASAP, and that book orders are due Thursday. Thanks!

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Welcome to Ms Welbergen's Class Blog!

Well, after a lengthy deliberation, I have decided to cancel our Weebly classroom account and create a new classroom blog here on Blogger.  Blogger has been a well-used website host for many teachers around Winnipeg and the globe.  However, up until recently, Pembina Trails School Division had restricted access to Blogger to specific requested blogs, making it difficult to make the transition.  I am happy to say that we can now add our blog to it!

Look to our blog for updates about classroom activities, events and even homework reminders.  We still will be using and accessing our Edmodo account for assignments and extension activities.

Happy Blogging!