Published Poems with Illustrations

In Grades 5 and 6, we have been developing our writing skills as poets. 

We each picked a poem from our collection of drafts that we were the proudest to publish for others to read.

Many of us wrote using extended metaphors throughout the entire poem to describe external or internal conflicts. 

Enjoy reading the poems along with the accompanying beautiful illustrations!

Have a great weekend!

A Modern Adaptation of Romeo & Juliet: Mario & Aurora

The long-awaited film, A Modern Adaptation of Romeo & Juliet: Mario & Aurora by Grade 5/6 Entertainment has been released this week.

We are sure it will be a box-office success! 

 Sit back and enjoy the show.

Don't forget to watch the end credits and bloopers!

Coming soon...!

 Coming soon on Youtube...!

Filming now!

In Grades 5 and 6, we are in the middle of filming a modern-day adaptation of Romeo and Juliet! 

We each have a part as an actor as well as a role on the production team.  

We even worked together on the screenwriting as well!

Here is a sneak-peak of what it looks like on set. 

The film will be released on Youtube in about two weeks!

PYPX Sneak Peek

 

This week, we started meeting with our mentors. 

Take a look at our meetings in action!

Some of us have started to create VERY big pieces of artwork. 

Take a look at how excited we are!

Here is a sneak peek of our exhibition displays!

Next week, we will be developing our central ideas in our groups. 

Have a great weekend!

The Life of Steve Jobs Assembly

Today, we had our annual Grade 5/6 assembly! 

As a literacy component of our unit on how "technology impacts the world of work and leisure", we worked together to write a script about the life of Steve Jobs. 

For this project, we applied our research skills (media literacy) to use online platforms to find the information we were looking for. 

We also used our communication skills (literacy) to write for the school community as the audience. We did this by taking notes based on our research about Steve Jobs and rewriting the text in our own words. Each student was responsible to write a section of the script. 

If you were unable to make it, take a look at the video above!

Theatre Genres

This week, we have been exploring genres in theatre as a part of our year-long drama unit. 

First, we watched a video in which the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was edited in seven different genres. 

Afterwards, we discussed what watching the video made us notice and think. Instead of having an oral discussion, we used a visible thinking routine called Chalk Talk in which we had a silent discussion by writing and responding to each other on sticky notes. 

We responded to our classmates' opinions and ideas using symbols such as a star to agree, a question mark to ask for clarification, and an arrow for responding in other ways, such as connecting, paraphrasing, and disagreeing. 

Using this visible thinking routine enabled all learners to have an equal voice which especially empowered some of us who tend to be shy during oral discussions. 

 Later on, we found out about the three main genres of theater: tragedy, comedy, and tragicomedy. 

The elements of each genre can be seen below. 

In order to increase our understanding, we decided to recreate the story of the Three Little Pigs in the following genres: tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy-horror!

Below are the success criteria we built together as well as a detailed description of our project. 

We have been working in teams to film and edit our videos. 

Stay tuned to watch the completed projects!

We are also starting a new Unit of Inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme:  

How we Organise Ourselves. 

Above is a photo of our unit wall. 

What do you think this unit will be about? 

You might get a big hint on Monday!

Wonder Wall

Wondering and asking questions are the driving forces of inquiry! This year, we created a class Wonder Wall - a space for us to post our questions. 

This project was inspired by the song Wonderwall by the band Oasis!

We watched the music video and discussed the tools the band used to make their video impactful and memorable.


Take a look at how we channeled our inner rock stars!

This is what our Wonder Wall currently looks like in our classroom.

We will continue to add our wonderings throughout the year!

The Release of The Lion King DSK Movie

Big news! 

The Lion King movie featuring the Grade 3 and 4 classes of 2018 to 2019 has finally been released!

Sit back and enjoy the show!

Grade 3/4 Drama Assembly

On Wednesday, we collaborated with the Grade 3 class to lead a whole school assembly. 

This assembly was linked to our year-long unit on How we Express Ourselves with the central idea: Drama is a universal art form that allows us to express ideas and feelings. 

In order to create the scripts for our three plays, we worked together in groups to 'twist' fairy tales, changing the plot such as the settings and characters from the original story. 

In our performances, we focused on considering the space, our facial expressions, and body movements to effectively communicate on stage. 

Below are videos of the three plays, just in case you missed the live show! 

Goldifox and the Three Bunnies

Chinocchio

Dog in Roller Skates Part 1

Dog in Roller Skates Part 2

Drama: Twisted Fairy Tales

The Grade 3 and 4 classes have been working together on a year-long unit with the following central idea: Drama is a universal art form that allows us to express ideas and feelings. 

We have been improving our dramatic skills by considering our facial expressions, body movements, and space while on the stage. 

In groups, we practiced expressing ourselves by presenting twisted fairy tales in front of our classmates. 

Sit back and enjoy the show!

Spiderella

The Cheetah and the Sloth

Three Little Elephants

Flash Mob and Reading Celebration!

During the last week of school, we finished off our final unit of the year on 'How we express ourselves' by working with the Grade 3 students to prepare a flash mob. 

Our focus was to use dramatic tools to create an engaging performance. We came up with our own moves and improved the quality of our performance by responding to feedback given by our teachers and other students. 

Once we set ourselves up in front of Island Center Station, we were ready to rock and roll! 

Check out our cool moves!

During this eventful week, we also celebrate reaching our goal of reading 500 books by the end of the school year. Our final book count on the last day of school was 535 books!

On Wednesday, we celebrated this major accomplishment by hosting a water party. Students from other grades who contributed ten or more books to our book count were also invited. 

Here is our BEFORE photo. 

We were so excited to get started!

Ready...

set...

GO!!!!!

Here, we have our AFTER photo!

Message from Miss d'Amours to the Grade 4 Families:

I would just like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for such an amazing year. 

I truly enjoyed teaching this class and appreciate how supportive you have all been. 

It has been such a pleasure and privilege to watch the students develop in their learning and to see their personalities unfold. 

I know that all of the students are so proud of their learning, especially about their improved reading and writing skills, the creativity and passion they cultivated through Genius Hour projects, and the many risks they took in multiple subjects throughout the year. 

As a teacher, I was particularly touched by their attitude of approaching learning with a growth mindset as well as by the inclusive and caring nature of the children which visibly strengthened as the year progressed.

I cannot wait to hear about all of the amazing things your child will accomplish in the future. 

I hope that you will all have a fantastic summer!

Sincerely, 

Satya d'Amours