Dear Parents,
The Unit of Inquiry “A World of Trade” is going well and the students are excited with the arrival of the new Year 6 currency and the task of earning money for the trade fair.
Reflections – 17th – 21st November
The children completed the competition to design the Year 6 currency (ie. the BARGO) which will be used in our current unit of inquiry. The children’s high-quality designs caused the teachers to decide to have more than one winning design. In fact we chose several, and these will all be used for the new currency. Students began keeping a ledger of the money they earned to spend later at the trade fair. They also learned that we don’t only earn money, but we spend money. So each class has determined ways in which money can be taxed (such as a noise taxes for noisy students, bad manners tax etc). Students can earn money for working well, good behaviour etc. and their ledger keeps a record of their credits and debits.
Last week was disrupted due to sports events on Thursday and Friday and Mr Barrett’s absence at a conference. The students managed to complete a lot of quality work related to trading and also revised lots of maths skills.
Weekly News: 24th - 28th November
Unit of Inquiry
This week we will be investigating fair trading and how the world economy can affect different people and countries. Fair trading will be an important issue in our own trade fair. We will also select our groups for the trade fair. There will be 3 or 4 students in each group. For the Trade Fair it is important to note the following:
1. Each student can spend no more than €10 on materials for the fair. (This means each group will have €30-€40 altogether); and
2. Goods sold at the fair will be paid for by all students using our year 6 currency (the Bargo). No real money will be used. Students will not be paid back for the money they spend to buy the materials for the fair.
Mathematics
This week we will continue to focus on multiplication in our number groups. We will practise multiplying various two and three-digit numbers using whole numbers (eg. 48 X 78) and start to multiply using decimals. It is important for students to develop a sound knowledge of decimals before they enter Year 7. And decimals, of course, is the basis of most systems of measurement and currency throughout the world. It is very important that your child is fluent with all timestables. We will continue with regular tables practice. We will also do some revision testing of work covered so far this term.
English
Our major focus continues to be on persuasive texts, particularly the structure of such texts and the language companies use to convince consumers that they ‘need and/or desire’ certain products. Reading groups will continue to work hard at improving reading and comprehension skills in relation to non-fiction texts about trading.
What can I do to help?
• Don’t forget to check the class blogs to find links to sites that will support your child in their class work. There are two new sites to help with spelling to make homework more fun.
• Look at the homework tasks for the week to make sure your child knows what to do. Please make sure all homework is neat and well set out. Remember, work that is not neat and signed by a parent or guardian will not be marked.
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
• Holiday – 1st December
• Christmas Fair – 6th December, 2008 at SDIS. Don’t forget to bring in goods for the baskets (which can be left in in Reception)
• Toys etc. for the Student Council collection should be left in the classroom
• Junior School Concert, Celebrations Around the World – 17th December, 2008
• End of Term 1 – 19th December (classes finish at 12:00pm)
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
Monday, November 24, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Newsletter - Term 1 (Week 11)
Dear Parents,
We are fast approaching Christmas break and we have many exciting events just around the corner, including the Christmas Fair and the Junior School Concert (see dates below). The next month promises to be a busy month, both in and out of the classroom. Help support your child by asking them about what they are doing in class and encourage them to share their learning with you.
Reflections – 10th – 14th November
Following on from our work on barter in previous weeks, the children learned more about money and how it has developed and progressed over time. The children also competed in a competition to design the Year 6 currency (ie. the BARGO) which will be used in our current unit of inquiry. The children had lots of fun and generally submitted high-quality designs, with the winners having their designs printed off and distributed to Years 3-6 for use at the end of our unit. The children also began work on creating a ‘country profile’ poster for a randomly assigned country, outlining certain facts about their country including its political system, currency, main exports, trading partners, etc. Using MS Excel, we also graphed the survey results of an earlier homework task where we found out which countries the majority of our clothing, food and electrical products come from.
Weekly News: 17th — 21st November
Unit of Inquiry
This week we will continue to investigate the trading relationship between various countries, namely what products these countries export and who their main trading partners are. The children will be presenting their findings in the form of a poster. We will also begin to use the BARGO in class as part of our miniature economy. Throughout the week and in the weeks ahead, the children will earn BARGOS to use during our final assessment. But BEWARE, as well as earning BARGOS, the children will also be taxed each week, ie. income tax, noise pollution tax, etc.
Mathematics
This week we continue to focus on multiplication in our number groups. We will practise multiplying various two and three-digit numbers using whole numbers (eg. 45 X 7) using a variety of methods (both mental and written). In order to support our multiplication work in class, the children have been told to practise their timestables up to 10 as part of their homework. It is very important that your child practise their timestables if they can’t recall these basic number facts. The children will also begin using a ‘Ledger’ to record various financial data, eg. debit, credit , balance, etc. in preparation for our summative assessment. These calculations will mainly involve the addition and subtraction of numbers up to 2-decimal points.
English
Our major focus continues to be on persuasive texts, particularly the structure of such texts and the language companies use to convince consumers that they ‘need and/or desire’ certain products. We will also use our research skills to complete our ‘country profile’ posters and to write about the major industries and exports of different countries from around the world. Meanwhile, our reading groups will continue to work hard at improving the children’s reading and comprehension skills in relation to non-fiction texts.
What can I do to help?
· Don’t forget to check the class blogs to find links to sites that will support your child in their class work. Look for the A World of Trade link in the Unit of Inquiry menu box to find great websites and information for you and your child.
· Use the class blogs as part of your child’s reading homework. There are many great links to interesting websites and articles on our World of Trade page. Why not ask your child to read a particular article and report back to you the main facts from their reading!
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
· Holiday – 1st December
· Christmas Fair – 6th December, 2008 at SDIS
· Junior School Concert, Celebrations Around the World – 17th December, 2008
· End of Term 1 – 19th December (classes finish at 12:00pm)
· The first UOI reports were sent home last week. Could you please return the UOI reports to school as soon as possible (complete with your signature and any comments you have made). As indicated in the letter attached to the UOI report from Mr Thompson, this is one of the changes to our reporting procedures for 2008/09. We hope you found the new UOI report informative. Please feel free to pass on any feedback you may have.
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
We are fast approaching Christmas break and we have many exciting events just around the corner, including the Christmas Fair and the Junior School Concert (see dates below). The next month promises to be a busy month, both in and out of the classroom. Help support your child by asking them about what they are doing in class and encourage them to share their learning with you.
Reflections – 10th – 14th November
Following on from our work on barter in previous weeks, the children learned more about money and how it has developed and progressed over time. The children also competed in a competition to design the Year 6 currency (ie. the BARGO) which will be used in our current unit of inquiry. The children had lots of fun and generally submitted high-quality designs, with the winners having their designs printed off and distributed to Years 3-6 for use at the end of our unit. The children also began work on creating a ‘country profile’ poster for a randomly assigned country, outlining certain facts about their country including its political system, currency, main exports, trading partners, etc. Using MS Excel, we also graphed the survey results of an earlier homework task where we found out which countries the majority of our clothing, food and electrical products come from.
Weekly News: 17th — 21st November
Unit of Inquiry
This week we will continue to investigate the trading relationship between various countries, namely what products these countries export and who their main trading partners are. The children will be presenting their findings in the form of a poster. We will also begin to use the BARGO in class as part of our miniature economy. Throughout the week and in the weeks ahead, the children will earn BARGOS to use during our final assessment. But BEWARE, as well as earning BARGOS, the children will also be taxed each week, ie. income tax, noise pollution tax, etc.
Mathematics
This week we continue to focus on multiplication in our number groups. We will practise multiplying various two and three-digit numbers using whole numbers (eg. 45 X 7) using a variety of methods (both mental and written). In order to support our multiplication work in class, the children have been told to practise their timestables up to 10 as part of their homework. It is very important that your child practise their timestables if they can’t recall these basic number facts. The children will also begin using a ‘Ledger’ to record various financial data, eg. debit, credit , balance, etc. in preparation for our summative assessment. These calculations will mainly involve the addition and subtraction of numbers up to 2-decimal points.
English
Our major focus continues to be on persuasive texts, particularly the structure of such texts and the language companies use to convince consumers that they ‘need and/or desire’ certain products. We will also use our research skills to complete our ‘country profile’ posters and to write about the major industries and exports of different countries from around the world. Meanwhile, our reading groups will continue to work hard at improving the children’s reading and comprehension skills in relation to non-fiction texts.
What can I do to help?
· Don’t forget to check the class blogs to find links to sites that will support your child in their class work. Look for the A World of Trade link in the Unit of Inquiry menu box to find great websites and information for you and your child.
· Use the class blogs as part of your child’s reading homework. There are many great links to interesting websites and articles on our World of Trade page. Why not ask your child to read a particular article and report back to you the main facts from their reading!
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
· Holiday – 1st December
· Christmas Fair – 6th December, 2008 at SDIS
· Junior School Concert, Celebrations Around the World – 17th December, 2008
· End of Term 1 – 19th December (classes finish at 12:00pm)
· The first UOI reports were sent home last week. Could you please return the UOI reports to school as soon as possible (complete with your signature and any comments you have made). As indicated in the letter attached to the UOI report from Mr Thompson, this is one of the changes to our reporting procedures for 2008/09. We hope you found the new UOI report informative. Please feel free to pass on any feedback you may have.
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Newsletter - Term 1 (Week 10)
Dear Parents,
The new Unit of Inquiry, “A World of Trade”, has started off at a great pace with the events of last week and will continue this week. This week students will be focussing on the history of money as part of the new Unit.
Reflections: 3rd – 7th November
Last week the children started work on the new Unit of Inquiry with an investigation of bartering. We looked at the Trobriand Islands (near Papua New Guinea) where the traditional communities still travel from island to island to barter goods. Interestingly, a major force behind bartering was to maintain a stable and friendly relationship between the communities through the practice of bartering as well as bartering goods. Students enjoyed their bartering immensely as we role-played being islanders with basic goods to trades, such as bags of vegetables, kula shells, knives etc. Last Friday we had an exciting afternoon with a small bartering fair where students traded items brought in from home. Some students traded services as well as goods and issued “credit notes” to their customers. Teachers will make sure students carry out the services promised on the credit notes.
Weekly News: 10th - 14th November
Unit of Inquiry
This week students will investigate the history of trading and money and design a new currency. The best currency design will be the one used for the currency at the trade fair to be held at the end of the unit. Students will also complete their evaluation of the bartering activities from last week.
Mathematics
Teachers have been impressed with the results of the addition and subtraction tests held last week. Students are progressing well in Maths. Let us all hope it continues. This week the students will start multiplication. We will continue doing “problems of the day/brain teasers” to challenge the students to look at different ways to solve all sorts of problems. Students will also start investigating decimals, as used in currency transactions and elsewhere.
English
Students will focus on the language of commerce. We will be reading texts, fiction and non-fiction, which relate to different aspects of trading. In reading groups we will continue our reading and comprehension skills.
What can I do to help?
The new Unit of Inquiry, “A World of Trade”, has started off at a great pace with the events of last week and will continue this week. This week students will be focussing on the history of money as part of the new Unit.
Reflections: 3rd – 7th November
Last week the children started work on the new Unit of Inquiry with an investigation of bartering. We looked at the Trobriand Islands (near Papua New Guinea) where the traditional communities still travel from island to island to barter goods. Interestingly, a major force behind bartering was to maintain a stable and friendly relationship between the communities through the practice of bartering as well as bartering goods. Students enjoyed their bartering immensely as we role-played being islanders with basic goods to trades, such as bags of vegetables, kula shells, knives etc. Last Friday we had an exciting afternoon with a small bartering fair where students traded items brought in from home. Some students traded services as well as goods and issued “credit notes” to their customers. Teachers will make sure students carry out the services promised on the credit notes.
Weekly News: 10th - 14th November
Unit of Inquiry
This week students will investigate the history of trading and money and design a new currency. The best currency design will be the one used for the currency at the trade fair to be held at the end of the unit. Students will also complete their evaluation of the bartering activities from last week.
Mathematics
Teachers have been impressed with the results of the addition and subtraction tests held last week. Students are progressing well in Maths. Let us all hope it continues. This week the students will start multiplication. We will continue doing “problems of the day/brain teasers” to challenge the students to look at different ways to solve all sorts of problems. Students will also start investigating decimals, as used in currency transactions and elsewhere.
English
Students will focus on the language of commerce. We will be reading texts, fiction and non-fiction, which relate to different aspects of trading. In reading groups we will continue our reading and comprehension skills.
What can I do to help?
- Make sure your child is doing the required homework each night. If for any reason your child is unable to complete their homework, please write a note to the teacher in the class diary.
- The library has reported that some students are not borrowing many books. Please check that your child is doing regular reading at home. Students are allowed to borrow from the library any day, not only during special library lessons.
Upcoming Events, Reminders and Blog News:
- Keep checking the class blog for important information about our unit of inquiry and what’s happening at school. New stuff is always being added to the blog. Check out the new Library blog and Library Netvibes links. Netvibes will be used a lot by students during the Exhibition.
- PTA Meeting Tuesday November 11
- Public Holiday December 1
- Christmas Fair December 6
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Trobriand Islands Role Play Activity
On Tuesday, 4 November the children participated in a role-play activity in class. During the activity the children took on the role of a typical islander living in the Trobriand Islands (actual island communities in Papua New Guinea). Each student in the role-play had certain items they could barter with, eg. fish, hammocks, vegetables, etc. It was a fun activity that required the children to negotiate and make trades based upon their wants and needs. Some children were very tough at bargaining and were reluctant to part with their goods. Others found it very difficult to make trades as some of the goods they had to trade were not very popular, eg. brussel sprouts!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Newsletter - Term 1 (Week 9)
Dear Parents,
Welcome back after a well deserved rest. We hope you all had a great mid-term break and are ready to start where we left off, with lots of hard work and fun! We start our second unit of inquiry this week , A World of Trade, which promises to be another busy unit.
Reflections: 20th - 24th October
The children well and truly earned a week’s rest following the last week of our first unit of inquiry Vote for Me. Lots of children, parents and teachers assembled for the Year 6 Election Day on Thursday, 23rd October and were treated to a lot of persuasive and passionate speeches from the 10 party leaders, all vying for the votes of the electorate (photos of the day can be found on the class blog). Congratulations to all the children who worked so hard on their campaigns. Well done! Thank you also to the parents who attended the elections and supported the children throughout the unit. The hard work now begins for the winning political parties The Improvers and The Smartie Party who must now turn their attention to following through with their election promises. Stay tuned!
Weekly News: 3rd —7th November
Unit of Inquiry
We now begin work on our second unit of inquiry A World of Trade. The central idea to this unit is that people trade to gain what they need and desire.
The unit will see the children inquire into:
· the reasons why trade has evolve
· the ways in which trading makes people interdependent
· issues of fairness in trading.
The four teacher questions that will guide our inquiry are:
1. Why do people trade?
2. How does trade influence people’s lives?
3. How can we be responsible consumers?
4. What has value?
During the first week of our unit we will begin familiarising the students with the central idea and the main concepts of the unit. We will start with a role play activity based on a community in Papua New Guinea that still relies on barter as the main source of trade, examining the advantages and disadvantages of bartering as a form of trade. At the end of the week we will be asking the children to bring in any items from home that they would like to trade as part of our own Trading Day. It is important to note that whatever the children decide to bring in to school on this day must be something they (and their parents) are willing to part with permanently! Alternatively, children may decide to offer a service that they could use in trade negotiations.
Mathematics
This week the children will revise and complete work on mental and written strategies for subtraction. On Wednesday, during maths groups, the children will be tested on their knowledge and understanding of both mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction. We will also revise data handling concepts covered so far in the year, such as graphing, recording and interpreting data. As money will be a major focus throughout our current unit, we will also begin to revise and introduce basic money concepts this week and in the weeks ahead. A big focus will be on adding, subtracting and multiplying amounts of money (up to 2‑decimal points).
English
During our second unit we will continue to consolidate and develop persuasive writing and speaking skills. However, the main focus throughout the unit will be on convincing others to purchase particular products and services (from the point of view of advertisers and suppliers). We will once again resume our reading groups this week and will focus on the history of trading, particularly in early history where barter and more traditional forms of trade existed. We will continue to revise and focus on using correct grammar and punctuation in our written work this week, particularly in relation to full stops and capital letters (especially in the case of proper nouns).
What can I do to help?
· Don’t forget to check the class blogs to find links to sites that will support your child in their class work. Look for the A World of Trade link in the Unit of Inquiry menu box to find great websites and information for you and your child.
· Make sure your child is doing the required homework each night. Remember the recommended amount of homework is 40 minutes plus leisure reading - children do need time to rest and play. If your child is unable to do the required homework, please notify your child’s teacher in your child’s student diary. As was the case before mid-term break, those students who have clearly rushed their work and not completed their homework to an acceptable standard will not have their work marked.
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
· Tomorrow (Tuesday, 4 November) is school photo day for Year 6. Please make sure that your child has their full school uniform on this day. For those students that have PE on Tuesday, children will need to make sure that they change into their full school uniform during break time. Year 6G will have their photos taken during period 6 while Year 6B will have their photos taken during period 7.
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
Welcome back after a well deserved rest. We hope you all had a great mid-term break and are ready to start where we left off, with lots of hard work and fun! We start our second unit of inquiry this week , A World of Trade, which promises to be another busy unit.
Reflections: 20th - 24th October
The children well and truly earned a week’s rest following the last week of our first unit of inquiry Vote for Me. Lots of children, parents and teachers assembled for the Year 6 Election Day on Thursday, 23rd October and were treated to a lot of persuasive and passionate speeches from the 10 party leaders, all vying for the votes of the electorate (photos of the day can be found on the class blog). Congratulations to all the children who worked so hard on their campaigns. Well done! Thank you also to the parents who attended the elections and supported the children throughout the unit. The hard work now begins for the winning political parties The Improvers and The Smartie Party who must now turn their attention to following through with their election promises. Stay tuned!
Weekly News: 3rd —7th November
Unit of Inquiry
We now begin work on our second unit of inquiry A World of Trade. The central idea to this unit is that people trade to gain what they need and desire.
The unit will see the children inquire into:
· the reasons why trade has evolve
· the ways in which trading makes people interdependent
· issues of fairness in trading.
The four teacher questions that will guide our inquiry are:
1. Why do people trade?
2. How does trade influence people’s lives?
3. How can we be responsible consumers?
4. What has value?
During the first week of our unit we will begin familiarising the students with the central idea and the main concepts of the unit. We will start with a role play activity based on a community in Papua New Guinea that still relies on barter as the main source of trade, examining the advantages and disadvantages of bartering as a form of trade. At the end of the week we will be asking the children to bring in any items from home that they would like to trade as part of our own Trading Day. It is important to note that whatever the children decide to bring in to school on this day must be something they (and their parents) are willing to part with permanently! Alternatively, children may decide to offer a service that they could use in trade negotiations.
Mathematics
This week the children will revise and complete work on mental and written strategies for subtraction. On Wednesday, during maths groups, the children will be tested on their knowledge and understanding of both mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction. We will also revise data handling concepts covered so far in the year, such as graphing, recording and interpreting data. As money will be a major focus throughout our current unit, we will also begin to revise and introduce basic money concepts this week and in the weeks ahead. A big focus will be on adding, subtracting and multiplying amounts of money (up to 2‑decimal points).
English
During our second unit we will continue to consolidate and develop persuasive writing and speaking skills. However, the main focus throughout the unit will be on convincing others to purchase particular products and services (from the point of view of advertisers and suppliers). We will once again resume our reading groups this week and will focus on the history of trading, particularly in early history where barter and more traditional forms of trade existed. We will continue to revise and focus on using correct grammar and punctuation in our written work this week, particularly in relation to full stops and capital letters (especially in the case of proper nouns).
What can I do to help?
· Don’t forget to check the class blogs to find links to sites that will support your child in their class work. Look for the A World of Trade link in the Unit of Inquiry menu box to find great websites and information for you and your child.
· Make sure your child is doing the required homework each night. Remember the recommended amount of homework is 40 minutes plus leisure reading - children do need time to rest and play. If your child is unable to do the required homework, please notify your child’s teacher in your child’s student diary. As was the case before mid-term break, those students who have clearly rushed their work and not completed their homework to an acceptable standard will not have their work marked.
Upcoming Events and Reminders:
· Tomorrow (Tuesday, 4 November) is school photo day for Year 6. Please make sure that your child has their full school uniform on this day. For those students that have PE on Tuesday, children will need to make sure that they change into their full school uniform during break time. Year 6G will have their photos taken during period 6 while Year 6B will have their photos taken during period 7.
With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira
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