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.
