Wednesday, 27 November 2013

7A FRENCH IMMERSION ENGLISH - Week of November 25-29, 2013

This post does NOT apply to the students in 6/7 E-1...this post ONLY applies to the French Immersion Students in 7A.


Week of  November 25 - 29, 2013


Students are using their SCHEMA to set the stage for our Narrative Unit. Each year, they will build upon previous learning / skills to grow and develop their Reading and Writing abilities.

Tasks in class:


  • -Pre-Assessment (Aesop's Fable - choice between 2; students answered specific questions, using the text to support their answers) **This is not an assessment for Reporting purposes. This is to inform my teaching :)



  • -Venn Diagram for Fiction /  Non-Fiction (students worked in groups and then shared results with whole class to create personal notes) Here is what 7A discussed / developed:


Fiction - make believe, imagination/creativity, fable/fairytale, dialogue, plot, characters, mythology, moral/lesson, magic, mystery/suspense,themed, narrative.

Non-Fiction - authentic(past, present,future), labels, diagrams, photos, captions, factual, quotes, purpose:to inform, evidence, real people, table of contents, index, glossary, current events, research, bibliography,(Examples-textbooks, biographies, diaries, documentary, news)

Both - setting(time, place), captions, subtitles, titles, historical fiction, illustrations, prologue, epilogue, series /volumes


  • - Students read the short story Fear.... by Budge Wilson - Using prior knowledge about NARRATIVES, groups will chart the basic elements of a Narrative, using information from the text to identify these elements


(notes on Elements of Narrative to follow next week)





Math Shortcuts - Multiplying by 10's, 100's and 1000's

6 / 7 E-1

There are very simple SHORTCUTS for multiplying any number by 10, 100, or 1,000:

To multiply any number by 10, just tag ONE zero on the end.
To multiply any number by 100, just tag TWO zeros on the end.
To multiply any number by 1,000, just tag THREE zeros on the end.
10 × 481 = 4,810                                100 × 47 = 4,700                                1000 × 578 = 578,000
Note especially what happens when the number you multiply already ends in a zero or zeros. The rule works the same; you still have to tag the zero or zeros.
10 × 800 = 8000                                  100 × 6,600 = 660,000                     1000 × 40 = 40,000

1. Multiply.
a.  10 × 315 = _______                    3,560 × 10 = _______                    35 × 100 = _______
 b. 100 × 6,200 = _______             10 × 1,200 = _______                     100 × 130 = _______
 c. 1,000 × 250 = _______             38 × 1,000 = _______                    10 × 5,000 = _______

SHORTCUT for multiplying by 20 or 200     (You can probably guess this one!)
What is 20 × 14?                                Imagine the problem without the zero.
Then it becomes 2 × 14 = 28.       Then, just tag a zero to the 28 you got, so it becomes 280.
20 × 14 = 280.
What is 200 × 31?                             Imagine the problem without the zeros.
Then it becomes 2 × 31 = 62.       Then, just tag two zeros to the result you got, so you get 6,200. 
200 × 31 = 6,200.

2. Now try it! Multiply by 20 and 200.

a.    20 × 8 = _______                     4 × 20 =_______                              20 × 5 = _______
 b. 200 × 7 = ________                  5 × 200 = ________                        11 × 200 = ________
 c. 20 × 12 = _______                     35 × 20 = _______                           200 × 9 = _______
 d. 20 × 16 = _________               42 × 200 = ________                      54 × 20 = _________
 Why does the shortcut work?
It is based on the fact that you can multiply in any order.
When multiplying by 20, we can change the 20 into 10 × 2.
For example:
20 × 14 = 10 × 2 × 14
In that problem, first multiply 2 × 14 = 28. Then the problem becomes 10 × 28, which we know is 280.
20 × 14  = 10 ×  2 × 14
                = 10 × 28
                = 280
That's it!
 Let's try the same with 200. For example,
200 × 31 = 100 × 2 × 31
In that problem, first multiply 2 × 31 = 62. The problem now becomes 100 × 62, which is 6,200:
100 × 2 × 31
                                = 100 × 62
                                = 6,200
3. Try it yourself! Fill in.

a.      20 × 7                                           b.      20 × 5                                          c.      200 × 8                                         d.      200 × 25
= ______ × 2 × 7                              = ______ × 2 × 5                              = ______ × 2 × 8                              = ______ × 2 × 25
= 10 × ______                                   = 10 × ______                                   = ________                                       = 100 × ______
= ________                                       = ________                                       = 100 × ______                                 = ________

4. Word problem:
Mark was told he needed four truckloads of gravel to cover his driveway.  One truckload costs 5 × $20 plus $30 for the delivery. How much will  it cost him to cover the driveway with gravel? SHOW YOUR WORK



SHORTCUT for multiplying by whole tens , whole hundreds and whole thousands
The same principle works if you multiply by whole tens (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, or 90): simply multiply 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, and then tag a zero to the end result.
Similarly, if you multiply by some whole hundred, FIRST multiply without those two
zeros, and then tag the two zeros to the end result.

50 × 8 = 400  90 × 11 = 990 300 × 8 = 2,400 12 × 800 = 9,600

5. Multiply.

40 × 3 = ______                                                8 × 20 = ______                                                70 × 6 = _______                                 50 × 11 = ______
80 × 9 = _______                             30 × 15 = _______                           60 × 11 = _______                               12 × 40 = _______
2000 × 9 = _____                              7 × 400 = ______                             700 × 6 = ______                                 600 × 11 = ______
200 × 12 = ______                           15 × 300 = ______                           3 × 1100 = ______                               8 × 900 = ______
11 × 120 = ______                           8 × 300 = ______                            8 x 4000 = ______                                5 x 1000 = ______

It even works this way:
To multiply 40 × 70, simply multiply 4 × 7, and tag two zeros to the result: 
40 × 70 = 2,800
 To multiply 600 × 40, simply multiply 6 × 4, and tag three zeros to the result:
600 × 40 = 24,000
 To multiply 700 × 800, simply multiply 7 × 8, and tag four zeros to the result.
700 × 800 = 560,000

6. Multiply.
20 × 90 = _________                        70 × 300 = ________                                   60 × 80 = ________
30 × 900 = ________                        400 × 50 = ________                                    200 × 200 = ________
 80 × 800 = ________                       200 × 500 = ________                                 100 × 100 = _______
40 × 30 = ________                          800 × 300 = ________                                 90 × 1100 = ________
 Application.
Write a number sentence for each question.

7. One hour has ______ minutes. 
    How many minutes are in 12 hours?

    How many minutes are in 24 hours?

8. One hour has ______ minutes, and one minute has ______ seconds.

      How many seconds are there in one hour?

9. Ed earns $30 per hour.

      a. How much will he earn in a 8-hour workday?

      b. How much will he earn in a 40-hour workweek?

      c. How many days will he need to work in order to earn more than $1,000?



10. Find the missing factor. Think “backwards”! How many zeros do you need?

_______ × 3 = 360                            _______ × 50 = 450                       40 × _______ = 320                        5 × ________= 600
 ________ × 40 = 400                      ________ × 2 = 180                       _______ × 30 = 4,800                       _______ × 200 = 1,800
 40 × ________ = 2,000                 6 × _________= 4,200                   ______ × 800 = 56,000                     _______ × 20 = 12,000


Week of November 25 - 29, 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013                    6 / 7 E-1

Language:  All students are working on going back to the basics in Grammar. The work they are completing is differentiated according to their IEP. Please refer to your child's IEP for specifics, as to Grade Level, Expectations and Overall Learning Goals.
Last week and this week:
Nouns - proper and common; back to the basics for spelling rules (plural nouns)
Pronouns - using the correct pronoun (singular, plural and possessive) to ensure sentences make sense
Adverbs / Adjectives - using describing words correctly and expanding vocabulary
Next week:
Verbs - using present and past tense correctly
Putting it all together to create sentences that are complete (Does it look right? Sound right? Make sense?)
We will have a progress test by the end of next week, to consolidate this first portion of grammar.
Math:  Multiplying by mulitples of 10, 100 and 1000
Please see attached "Shortcuts" page.
Please refer to your student's IEP. Depending on specific programming, some students will be moving on to learning about decimals. Others will be working on refining their number skills, including memorizing basic multiplication facts.
As November comes to a close, we will be looking at TIME - specifically the passage of time. We will begin with a review of reading an ANALOG clock, then working at counting by minutes and hours, to both show and read the passage of time. This will take us to the end of December, prior to the Winter Holidays.
History / Social Studies: This is the only subject separated by Grade 6 and Grade 7.
Grade 6: We are following a Curriculum entitled, "What In The World?" This incorporates current events and mapping skills. Presently, we are reading about and discussing the recent civil war in Syria. Please take the opportunity to search the news, past and present, to support your child's learning at home.
Grade 7: Chapter 2 in our text - We will be learning about the Church Organization in New France (the Bishop, the Clergy and Lay Organizations) and the Heirarchy of the people (specifically, who was at the bottom and why?). We will be relating this latter topic to our government today and comparing to other forms of government the students may be familiar with (from cultural perspective).


At home help: These are skills that all students need to refine.
1.   counting up when adding AND counting down when subtracting
Reasoning: rather than recounting over and over again, take the largest number and count up/down to the answer.
This is a concept that should be revisited for a short period of every tutoring session until student is doing this independently without reminders. It is a skill that needs to become “automatic”.
2. memorizing math facts
Reasoning: students are required to use basic multiplication and subtraction to help solve Math problems. Start small (1's, 2's, 5's and 10's). Students are allowed to use calculators at school for more difficult problems, but are encouraged to learn and become proficient in multiplication to 12. (i.e. up to 12x12) Don't get discouraged…this will take time.
3.   in all problems, explaining in clear math language how problem is solved
Reasoning: the math curriculum expects that students are able to explain their work. It is very important for students to do this, first with modeling, then together, then on their own, so that they can begin to apply their knowledge to similar problems with greater independence.
4.. telling time using an analogue clock – passage of time (eg…it is 11:27, in 1 ½ hours  we need to leave for the store…what time do we need to leave?) *vary the times and situations…practice a small amount each session
Reasoning: this is a life skill
5.. counting money and counting change accurately (best if hands-on with real money)
Reasoning: this is a life skill
6. concepts of: doubles, doubles plus one
Reasoning: necessary for completing simple addition and subtraction problems without recounting over and over (applying the concepts of previous knowledge, ie. Counting by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s…)
Trying to do all of these things at once will be overwhelming and will not result in retention between practice times or reinforcement of concepts. Rather, choose one or two and allow student to have practical experiences that can be applied to every day situations.

Websites you may want to explore:
http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html              (Math and English)
http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames.html             (English)
https://sites.google.com/site/easygrammar4kids/          (ADVANCED - English)

There are several books you may wish to purchase. For example, Complete English Smart (for the grade level on your child's IEP), etc.