Mr. Beatty's Digital Wonderland

Graduation Awards

mrbeatty — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:29:37 +0000

Some parents and students have asked some questions as to the criteria for the graduation awards. Here is a breakdown of the different grade 5 awards, and how students are chosen.

The Sandy Dunham Excellence in the Arts Award
-given to a student who has ability in drama, art music etc…
-has an interest beyond the regular class program
-encourages others in their artistic efforts
-is committed to extracurricular activities.

The Billy Park Sporting Attitude Award
-active participant in all athletic activities
-has a positive attitude
-encourages others regardless of age or skill
-accepts defeat graciously
-accepts winning without gloating
-plays for the enjoyment of the game, not for the score

Principal’s Award
-is a leader at the school
-stands out in all areas, academically, athletically and socially
-participates in all aspects of school life

Marta Lang Academic Achievement Award
-is able to achieve excellence in all areas of the grade 5 curriculum
-serves as a model for what level 4 work looks like
-exceeds expectations
-sets high standards for themselves

Susan Henderson Writer of the Year Award
-given to a writer who can capture an audience with an opening sentence
-someone who can carefully craft images, create interesting characters and develops interesting plots
-has developed their own writing voice

Susan Walsh Citizenship Award
-given to a helpful student
-shows a willingness to volunteer
-helps peers and teachers alike

I hope this answers some questions.

Science/IT Project

mrbeatty — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:11:41 +0000

Here is some information about the latest project the grade 5 class will be working on:

Photoshop Project

For this Computers and Technology Project you will be using the image editing software Photoshop Elements to create an informational poster about the Cell.

Your poster must take the form of a cross section diagram of the cell, showing the organelles we have discussed in class. You must label all organelles appropriately, and include a brief explanation of the function of the organelles.

Necessary Elements:

A Title: Your image should have a descriptive title.

Labels: Your image should include at least three structures, all labeled accurately. (hint: nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm)

Descriptions: Your image should include descriptions of the FUNCTIONS of the different organelles, that is, what do the organelles do. This can be in a list form at the bottom of the image, or included with the label.

Colour: Your image should be bright and colourful.

Here is the project with the rubric attached: Photoshop Project

Student Vote Today!

mrbeatty — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:29:58 +0000

Today the grade five students took a big step in learning about democracy by participating in the student vote. After reviewing the different platforms of the five parties running in Willowdale, the classroom was transformed into a polling station. In all 36 students and teachers cast their votes.

The Student Vote results will be on air on CBC television shortly after 9:00 on Thursday, after the official polls close. Tune in to see how our vote compared with the actual election!

Symbols of Canada Power Point Presentation

mrbeatty — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:03:58 +0000

Here is a copy of a handout I gave the students regarding a power point presentation they will be working on over the next few weeks.

Overview:
You are responsible for creating a power point presentation that will identify and examine three symbols of Canada. You should select these symbols from the Canada Heritage site:

http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/index_e.cfm

Selection:
You may select any three from the following symbols:
The Arms of Canada
The National Flag
The Royal Union Flag
The Beaver
The Maple Tree
The Maple Leaf
The Maple Leaf Tartan
National Colours – Red and White
Origin of the Name – Canada
Personal Flags and Standards
The Great Seal of Canada

Process
You will research your symbols during computer class time. Your final power point presentation will be a minimum of eleven slides long. The first slide will be a title page. It should include your name, and the three symbols you have chosen. The next nine slides should have details of your symbols (three slides each). The final slide should be a bibliography.
You should attempt to make your presentation visually interesting and appealing.

Slide Details
You should include a description or photograph of the symbol (where possible). Your details should include a brief history of the symbol, the date it was officially recognized as a national symbol, and interesting facts about the symbol.

Curriculum Night Monday @ 7:00 p.m.!

mrbeatty — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:32:09 +0000

Just a quick reminder that the annual Curriculum Night will take place on Monday October 3rd @ 7:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to come out ans see what your child has been working on so far, and get any questions answered.

I will include details in the agenda this week.

Math Quiz Monday!

mrbeatty — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:10:38 +0000

There will be a short math quiz on Monday. The topics include:
Place value
Expanded form
Base 10
Numbers represented with words
Comparing and ordering numbers (greater than, less than)

Have a great weekend!

It’s Not Easy Being Green

mrbeatty — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:35:10 +0000

As part of our look at persuasion, we are listening to and answering questions around “It’s Not Easy Being Green” from CBC radio’s Age of Persuasion show. It is targeted at an older age group, so I thought I would give people an opportunity to listen to the show and preview the questions at home.

The show can be found here: It’s Not Easy Being Green

Questions Related to “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Green Marketing”

1.What was the name of Rachel Carlson’s most famous book?
2.What chemical did she feel was hurting the ecology?
3.What year did Environment Canada begin?
4.What was depleting the Ozone Layer?
5.How many bottled water products failed to meet the same standards of London tap water?
6.In your own words, what is Greenwashing?
7.How did British Petroleum rebrand itself? Why?
8.Why did this fail?
9.What is the elephant in the room with green marketing?
10.What does this show have to do with the concept of persuasion? (consider the discussion around main idea, author’s purpose and viewpoint)

Student Vote Website Update

mrbeatty — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:20:08 +0000

Today the Student Vote program launched a special election site for Ontario students.

The site focuses on three key learning themes:
1. Major Election Issues
2. Party Leaders
3. Local Candidates

Highlights:
- Provincial party leaders respond through video to questions submitted by Ontario students
- Major election issues are debated through video by ‘experts’ such as politicians, Cabinet Ministers and lobby group leaders
- Connect directly with your local candidates through our ‘Candidate Connect’ application

Although this new site is most appropriate for secondary school students, elementary students can gain some insight into the election as well.

Student Vote Ontario Site

Student Vote Survey

mrbeatty — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:02:42 +0000

I have registered the Grade 5 class in the Student Vote program which is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works with educators to deliver experiential learning opportunities to help young Canadians understand and practice the responsibilities of their citizenship. I recieved an email from them today asking for assistance:

“In an effort to assess the outcomes of the Student Vote Program, we have designed an evaluation plan for the Ontario election program. The first component of the evaluation is the administration of a pre-survey among student participants.

The purpose of the survey is to find out more about how students participating in the Student Vote Program view politics, government and voting, and to learn more about their experience with the program. Students will be asked to complete a follow up survey after the program comes to an end. Each survey will take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete.

English
French

To complete the survey, you will need to provide your students with your school ID. Your school ID is 2,194.

Please note that all answers are confidential and anonymous. We can assure you that all personal information collected as a result of this survey is protected under the Privacy Act.

We sincerely thank you for assisting us with this undertaking.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our team.

Thanks,

The Student Vote team
www.studentvote.ca
www.facebook.com/studentvote
www.twitter.com/studentvote”

I think it would be more approporiate for students to complete these surveys with parental supervision, so, if you WANT to, you can do the survey with your child at a time convienent for you. IT IS NOT MANDATORY AT ALL. Please do not feel you NEED to complete this survey, it will not effect the programming in any way.

Mr. Beatty

Classroom Schedule

mrbeatty — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:14:47 +0000

Here is a copy of the daily schedule that we will follow this year. Please feel free to print it out and keep a copy at home.

timeTable2011