Sunday, June 26, 2016

Grade 3 - last entry

All students work is to be sent home before the last day of school.

If you have any questions, please contact me at extension 113.

I have truly enjoyed teaching Social Studies to Grade 3 students this school year. Thank you for all your support at home and for following this blog.

This blog will be re-purposed for the following school year.

Have a wonderful summer break.

Grade 2 - last entry

All the students work are to be sent home before the last day of school. There is a little activity booklet called "Viens à ma fête" which most students have not finished. It is encouraged that students  use the readings and activities in this booklet to consolidate their learning and practice reading over the summer.

If you have any questions, please contact me at extension 113.

I have truly enjoyed teaching Social Studies to Grade 2 students this school year. Thank you for all your support at home and for following this blog.

This blog will be re-purposed for the following school year.

Have a wonderful summer break.

Grade 1 - last entry

Before the end of the school year, student duotangs are to be sent home.

If the three page assessment arrive home this week, you do not have to return the rubric. Instead, if you have questions about this assessment, first read the previous blog entry on how the work has been assessed. If you still have questions, contact me directly at extension 113. The mark on the rubric is not the final mark on the report card. The final mark has been determined using the triangulation of assessment which combines student work, observation and conversation to assess student achievement.

I have truly enjoyed teaching Social Studies to Grade 1 students this school year. Thank you for all your support at home and for following this blog.

This blog will be re-purposed for the following school year.

Have a wonderful summer break.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Grade 1 - assessment sent home

2 pieces of student work are to be sent home this week and next week with one rubric attached.

Please send the signed rubric back. The student work can stay home.

First page is the rubric that describes what they achieved through the mapping activities and action plan making.

Connaissance et compréhension : knowledge and understanding - content learned in class.
Habileté de la pensée : thinking - how they found, organized and planned information and worked  with it. Through the inquiry walk around the school, students were to use their observation and what they knew about our school community to make a plan to improve the environment around our school.
Mise en application : application - how they used their knowledge of simple maps and natural/built features of our community to make their plan
Communication : use of learned vocabulary, clarity of communication
For further information about how student achievement is broken down, please take a look at the page 32-33 of the Ontario Social Studies curriculum document found online at:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/sshg18curr2013.pdf

Reminder : level three means that your child is meeting the Ontario standard set by the curriculum document.

Second sheet is a map dictation. There were 6 questions in total to test students' knowledge of simple maps.

1. Draw a tree across from / in front of the store.
2. Draw a school next to the park.
3. Draw a police station near the park.
4. Draw another tree next to the store.
5. Write a sentence with "loin de" (far from)
6. Write a sentence with "à côté de" (next to)

Students had to correctly comprehend the instructions and use the symbols shown in the legend provided.

Third sheet is the action plan that students created individually. They had to choose what they wanted and why, where they would want it and why. They were asked to use a star sticker to indicate where they wanted what they chose on the simple map and illustrate what they chose next to the map.

Expectations included: use their knowledge of what is around our school and what students want in our school environment. Explain their choice of natural/built feature and of the place clearly and using learned vocabulary.

If you have any questions about this assessment, please call ext. 113 or send an agenda note.

Thank you.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Grade 3 - end of the year

Students' oral presentation marks (3B & 2/3A) have been sent out (except a couple of students who need conference with me). Please sign and return as soon as possible.

For the rest of the school year, students will be focusing on different life aspects of the first pioneers in Upper Canada and how they interacted with the First Nations. A field trip to Black Creek Pioneer Village has been planned to consolidate their learning later in the month of June.

Grade 2 - Reminder and the end of year task.

Students have been talking about traditions and celebrations and how they change over time.

Some students still have not brought back their signed family tree rubric and the homework on their important celebration. Please send them back as soon as possible.

Many students are having difficult noticing differences between how their celebrations were celebrated in the past (by their parents or grandparents) and how they celebrate it now. It would be helpful to discuss with your child(ren) how immigrating to another country, speaking different languages, having different groceries and having new technologies have changed the way we celebrate different celebrations.

Students will be working on an interactive booklet where they will explain different aspects of their important celebration based on the homework they have completed at home.

Grade 1 - final project.

Students have recently toured around the school building to notice natural and built features around it. Now we are making a plan on what we want to have around our school, where we want to have it specifically and explain our choices using a map of the school.

This task is for students to notice the interrelationship between natural and built features in their community. Some questions you could ask:

1. What are some of the good things about the natural features in our neighbourhood? How could we make them better?
2. What are some ways in which people have had an impact on the natural features in the community?
3. What happens when we clear up many trees to build a big mall?
4. Why is there a big park right next to our school?
5. Why do we need new schools in our neighbourhood?

Try making a simple map of your neighbourhood with your child and discuss why they have the services they have available in the area.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Grade 2 - final project about a celebration

Students will be making a little interactive booklet on their most important celebration.

A paper copy of the following message will be sent out this week, along with a homework sheet.

----
Dear family,

In social studies, students have started looking at different celebrations and traditions in different families in our community.

On the homework sheet named “Les traditions et les célébrations chez moi!,” there are questions that students will have to complete with the help of their family members. Have your child(ren) explain the questions written in French. Should there be any difficulty, please visit my primary social studies blog (link below) for the English translation. Students must complete the work themselves through an interview with a family member who can help answer these questions about family celebrations and traditions. This work to be returned by 24th of May.


Thank you for your support.

-----

The following is the translation for the homework sheet.

A tradition is a belief, a custom, a habit or a practice that is passed on from parents to their children. The parents show these traditions orally or by doing it.

A celebration is a festival, feast or party that honours a person (e.g. Mothers day), a religious ceremony (e.g. Easter) or a special moment that happens during the course of the year (e.g. Canada Day).

1. What is your family's most important celebration?

2. What is the date of this celebration?
Does its date change every year? Circle yes no

3. For this celebration
We do / We eat / We wear / We meet

4. Why do you celebrate this celebration?

5. Did your grandparents and parents celebrate it (in the past) in the same way as you do? What are some of the similarities and differences?

6. What are some of your family's traditions?
(example / going out for dinner on Saturdays, spend a week every year at a cottage, going camping winter every winter, take a family picture every year, etc.)

Signature of the adult who helped.

Any questions, please send me an agenda note or call ext. 113.

Thank you very much for your support.

Mr. Jung



Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Grade 3 - performance task

Students have learned about two main indigenous groups that lived in Upper Canada - the Wendat and the Anishinabe.

Now they are working on a mini project in the format of their choice to compare our lives and the lives of one of these indigenous community in Upper Canada.

The project is to be presented mid-May and the marking rubric will be sent home to be signed and returned.

Grade 1 - mapping skills

We have so far worked on natural and built features of our communities.

Students will now be working on basic mapping skills.

Click here for the vocabulary list.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Grade 2 - Comparing our families

We have been working on a Venn diagram to compare our family structure, origin and celebrations.

We are creating our family trees. Some students still have not brought in their photos and the worksheet to record all the names of their family members. Please  make sure that your child(ren) know(s) the full name of each member. Students are also encouraged to bring in the names written in the original language in addition to the names written with the Roman Alphabet.

Through this activity, students will be further compare the structure of their families and start discussing the countries of personal and familial significance.

Some ideas to support at home:
1. Locate the countries of personal and familial significance on the map.
2. Share the family albums and photos, especially those that depict the family traditions and celebrations to discuss how these practices have changed over time.
3. Discuss different family structures and origins of their friends and cousins and how these differences make each family unique.
4. Discuss local celebrations and how diversity in Canada brings many different people together to different celebrations.

Grade 1 - natural and built features in our community.

Students will learn to describe how people make use of natural and built features of, and human services in, the local community to meet their needs, and what might happen if these features/services did not exist.

Some discussion ideas at home.
1. What is made by the nature and by people around you? Why do we need them and how do we use them?
2. What happens if we don't have garbage bins / safety fences / natural parks, etc.?
3. What can we do to make our community a better place? What more natural and built features do we need around us to make it better?

For the vocabulary list of this unit, please click here.

Thank you for your support.

Grade 3 - First quiz handed out

The first quiz has been handed out. (3B and 3/2A) Please review, sign the rubric and return as soon as you can.

Students are looking at the lives of the Wendat people and this coming week, we will be starting with those of the Anishinabe people to eventually be able to compare how they were similar and different.

After, we will start looking at how the Pioneers lived in Upper Canada and how the Indigenous people and the colonists influenced each other.

Some websites to explore
http://www.huron-wendat.qc.ca/
http://www.projects.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/pioneer/home_fr.htm


Thank  you for your support.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Grade 3 - use of Plickers letter sent home for 3B.

Grade 1 - our needs and services in our community.

We have been discussing what we need to live in our community and what kind of services are available to meet those needs.

Some activity and discussion ideas at home:

1. When you visit different places  in the community, ask your child if s/he knows how to say the place in French (supermarket, gas station, park, places of worship, etc.)

2. Ask why we need these places.

3. When you need to visit a place in our community, tell your child your need and ask him/her where you need to go. Do you know how to say it in French?

4. Ask what places your child would like to see more in our community and why. What is missing in our community and why do you think it is not near where we live?

5. Discuss different occupations in our community and ask why we need them.


Thank you for your support.

Grade 3 - quiz 1

Late March - Early April

We have been learning about different communities that lived in what is Ontario now between 1780-1850.

To study for this quiz, students could use the following resources in their Social Studies duotang.

Printed copies of the presentation we studied in class.
A sheet of multiple choice questions we used to practice in class.
A map of different indigenous groups in Upper Canada and their languages.
A unit vocabulary sheet

Thank you for your support.

Grade 2 - Mini-quiz

Late March - Early April

Students will have a mini assessment on identifying and describing different types of families using the vocabulary that we have discussed so far in term 2.

Students would benefit from reviewing the following post
http://jungrdps.blogspot.ca/2016/03/grade-2-different-types-of-family.html

or the handout with the same texts with images that was given out to be kept in their Social Studies duotang.

Thank you for your support.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Grade 3 - Introduction to the unit: Indigenous People of Upper Canada and Early Settlers

We are learning to identify and describe different communities that existed in Upper-Canada (now part of southern Ontario) in the early 19th century.

We will be looking at two major indigenous groups (the Wendats and the Anishinabe) and then move on to discussing the early settlers from Europe and USA.

Students will receive a paper copy of a PowerPoint presentation that we used in class to introduce this unit. The link to the PowerPoint presentation is here, however, you can only access to this file only while logged onto your child's yrdsb Google Apps account. Contact your child's homeroom teacher for this information if your child does not have it yet.

Grade 2 - Family Tree handout help

Here is the English translation of the handout in case there is any confusion or difficulty understanding the sheet. Your child should be able to explain it to you and conduct an interview with you to fill it in himself/herself.

Where do I come from?                                                                DUE : 29th of March 2016

1. My complete name
2. Brother(s) or stepbrother(s)
3. Sisters or stepsister(s)
4. My (step)mother’s name
Her family is from…
5. The (step)father of my (step)mother
6. The (step)mother of my (step)mother
7. My (step)father’s name
His family is from…
8. The (step)father of my (step)father
9. The (step)mother of my (step)father
10. Other family members that I want to include in my tree

Signature of the adult who helped


Thank you for your support.


Grade 2 - Family Tree Project Letter

This letter is to be sent out on the 10th and 11th of March.

Dear families,

We will be making a family tree in class. Your child will need to bring in pictures of different family members and/or extended family members. We just need a picture of the head of the person. The head should not be much bigger than about 1 1/2 inch (about passport size), otherwise the people will not fit on the poster, especially when there are many people in your family. Please, do not cut up the pictures, but be prepared that your child will cut it up at school, so send a copy of the picture if you don't want it to be destroyed. Your child should know these people. If you have too many just send in the favorite ones. You might want to label the back of the picture if your child cannot remember the names of the persons. Please put all the pictures in an envelope with your child's name on it and send it in with your child. If you do not have a photograph of your family member, your child can draw a picture of that person. Students will not be penalized for not bringing pictures in.

Also, please take time to complete the handout “D’où est-ce que je viens?” with your child, where students are asked to record the names and the origin of their family members and/or extended family members.

The due date for the pictures and the handout is 29th of March for every grade 2 student. Please DO NOT MAKE A FAMILY TREE! The children will be making it in class.

If you have any question about this project, please contact me (ext. 113). Thank you for your support.



Mr. Jung