Merry Christmas!

This week is Christmas week and a shortened week so we had to rush through many things.

This week for science we did chapter 6 "Shaping Earth's Surface". We talked about glaciers and the different ways that the surface shape of the earth can be changed. We also did the corresponding workbook pages for this lesson.

For reading Class A read "Pat Cummings" and Class B read "Grass Sandals". Both did the corresponding workbook pages.

We finished making Christmas cards and wrote greeting messages in them. The kids were encouraged to write how they feel about the person they were giving the card to.

We listened to the song "Grown Up Christmas List" in class. New vocabulary was not given out this week due to the holidays.

I apologize to Class B for Thursday. I had an emergency and explained it to the kids afterwards.

INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS

Livia was extremely helpful this week with the moving of the classroom. She was attentive in class as usual and very sweet.

Belinda made an exquisite Christmas card! She definitely has a talent for art! Belinda reads well and seems very interested in the story that we read.

Jay was attentive in class this week. He seems to enjoy the Science topic and participated much in our classroom discussions. He just needs to push himself a bit more.

Ryan has been great in class. Everything taught in class he can digest so quickly! Only one thing that needs to be improved on - to stay on subject during discussions !

Sydney is great when it's time to do work, however sometimes she can rush through work so fast that she misses a great deal of detail.

Brian is just excellent. He is a good reader and pays attention extremely well. However, he needs to improve his writing neatness!!!

Richard made a great Christmas card! He can concentrate when he wants to and he can offer some great insights during classroom discussions. However, many times he is too busy acting goofy in class!!

Tiger is eager to learn and has a really good habit of asking questions. However, many times he'll ask a questions BEFORE he even tries to understand it himself. I encourage students to try first then ask for help.


HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

Week 16 Transformers

This week we had a vocabulary and Chapter 5 Science Test. Both classes all did quite well!
We reviewed together in class and did review questions in the text book and workbook.
The kids received new vocabulary as well, which we went over in class and made sentences with them. We also read the famous Christmas poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

I went through several worksheets practicing 'reading in context'. It seems that the kids are not too skilled at 'reading between the lines' 0r figuring out new vocabulary using clues from a story. I will be practicing more of this with the students.

We learned a new song this week called "Together Again" - by Janet Jackson. This song talks about how when people die and go to heaven we will miss them but one day we will see them and be together again.

We also made Christmas cards!


Individual Comments:

Report cards were passed out this week (exception of Sydney and Tiger - files were broken on my computer so I will give it to them next week). Individual progress is summarized on the report cards. If there are any questions please feel free to contact me at school!

Week 15 Transformers Class

This week for reading we read “Will Her Native Language Disappear?” This story talks about endangered languages and how we should preserve them in order to keep cultures in tact. Then the students did the corresponding reading comprehension and grammar books.

For Science we started chapter 5 – focusing on rock formations and the different rock types. There are only 2 lessons in this chapter so next week we will have a review and then a test for the chapter.

For creative writing this week we wrote on the topic of “What do you think about Tree House?” The students wrote on their feelings about the class work, the other students, the teachers, the building itself, the food, and special events and fun day. I emphasize during creative writing that story structure is very important in order to make the story flow smoothly. We then had public speaking practice during class.

I gave out new vocabulary words and also taught a new song called “Black Coffee”- by All Saints.

For fun day we went to Daan Park for group games! This is important for the students to socialize with others and learn to work as a team!

Individual Comments:

CLASS A:

Jay is still the slowest in the class to finish his work. It’s not that he doesn’t know the materials, but he is not as concentrated as he should be. He would zone out a lot of times in class. Jay makes good sentences and his grammar is improving.

Ryan’s work is consistent and I have no worries for him. His work ethic is improving tremendously and is learning not to interrupt others. I love how Ryan will make an effort to improve on his weaknesses. He concentrates very well in class as well.

Livia makes careless errors when she doesn’t look at the story details. She concentrates well and does her work fast, but she shouldn’t be making these simple errors. Livia continues to make excellent and intriguing sentences.

Belinda works hard and is very concentrated in class. However, she continues to make careless errors so I hope she can learn to check her work twice before handing it in.

CLASS B:

Richard had been acting silly in class all week. However, when he did calm down and concentrate, he did great work. If he doesn’t goof around in class, he wouldn’t be the last person to finish. His writing has improved drastically and got the top mark in creative writing! His public speaking skills are very good as well.

Sydney’s work is consistent; however, sometimes she would make careless mistakes. The answer would be right in the book and she wouldn’t be able to find it. She needs to pay attention to details more. For public speaking, Sydney went in front of the class for the first time! She did good, but just needs to practice her posture and making eye contact.

Tiger was acting silly in class this week. I had to mention to him many times to stop being goofy. However, his work is consistent. He still forgets to write bigger even though I’ve reminded him a couple times. For public speaking Tiger made good eye contact but he needs to read properly and not take it as a joke!

Brian is doing great in class. I have no worries for him. He just needs to improve on his writing neatness and also stop making careless errors! He concentrates well in class and provides thoughtful answers.

Week 14 Class

This week was review and exam week!

For vocabulary we had an exam for all the vocabulary words to date. Most students did quite well on the test. A few did not do so well; it is important to be reviewing the words on a regular basis.
New vocabulary words were also given out this week.

We had a reading comprehension exam this week as well. Many students did not do too well. For this exam, there is not a way to study for it at home. This is basically testing how well the student pays attention to details and how he/she can understand a story even if he/she does not understand some of the words. There is a skill to develop - to look for clues in the story to be able to choose the best answer to the question.

There was a Science exam this week as well. Chapter 4 focused on organ systems, adaptations, camouflage, instincts, inherited behavior....The exam included a lot of long answer questions that requires the students to do some critical thinking.

A new song was introduced this week: "Circus" - by Britney Spears.
The students seem to really enjoy this song. They should practice at home, especially the chorus!


INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS:
Class A:

Ryan did great on his exams this week! 100%!!! I can see that he is also improving on his work ethics and classroom etiquette. Ryan is able to write much nicer now and take his time to check his work. He raises his hand a lot more and interrupts others a lot less. I'm proud of him!

Jay loves to participate in class and seems to know most of the answers. I am happy that he is engaging in the material and is able to think on the spot. However, I hope Jay can be more motivated to do written work (as he is always very slow in doing it).

Belinda is a joy to teach because she is always paying attention. She participates a lot but should ask more questions if she is confused. One thing to improve on is writing proper sentences. She would make many grammar mistakes in her writing. We will improve on that a lot more in class.

Livia didn't do too well on the reading comprehension exam. I know she can do better. She should read more carefully and ask questions if she's confused. She did well on the vocabulary test though! Livia can also read louder and speak up a bit more during class participation time.

CLASS B:

Richard didn't do his exam corrections for homework. The reading comprehension exam is not based on a text book. It is testing the student's reading skills on the spot. I believe Richard can do better next time if he learns to look for clues in the story and multiple choice questions. The take home reader homework was not done as well as I hoped. However, Richard is improving on his reading and his much much better with the songs!

Sydney did well on the vocabulary test but not so well on the reading comprehension. Often times, she will do her work really fast and perhaps miss the important details. She also lied about not knowing how to do her take home reader homework (she just didn't do it, not that she didn't know how).

Brian should write nicer! He gives good responses but sometimes it's hard to read his writing! Brian did well on his vocabulary test but could do better on the reading exam. The take home reader homework was not done very well. Please spend more time on it!

Tiger needs to think about questions more carefully first before saying he doesn't know the answer. Often times he does know the answer but is not reading the question properly. Tiger is a very good worker as he is always on task. He loves to participate and is a very good writer!