Our Inspirations (class blog)

Screen Time Check-In

5/25/2023

For your blog post this week, I have a bit of a challenge for you. Can you track the amount of time that you spend on screens (computer, tv, ipad, phone, etc.) from Sunday to Thursday. Once you’ve done this I’d like you to reflect on it.
Did you know that the maximum amount of screen time that is healthy is 2 hours per day? What do you notice about your screen time usage? Are you using more or less than the average? What can we do to make sure that we’re using our time in ways that are healthy?
For your blog post this week, please write down five alternate ways that students could choose to use their time as opposed to being on screens.

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Adventures in Wonderland

5/18/2023

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Photo by Meghan Hessler on Unsplash

Welcome, aspiring young writers, to the whimsical realm of Wonderland, where the extraordinary becomes possible. In this blog post prompt, we invite you to embark on a writing journey inspired by Alice in Wonderland, discovering the profound connection between hard work and kindness. As grade fives, you have the power to unleash your creativity and share your thoughts on how Alice's adventures can teach us about the importance of putting in effort and spreading kindness in our own lives.

Today you have two separate prompts to choose from … pick wisely!

Choice 1:
In Alice's enchanting journey, she encountered countless challenges that required unwavering determination and hard work. From her encounter with the talking caterpillar to her pursuit of the White Rabbit, Alice never shied away from putting in the necessary effort to achieve her goals. Reflect on your own experiences where hard work has played a crucial role. Did you face a difficult math problem that took time and effort to solve? Or perhaps you practiced tirelessly for a sports competition? Share how your dedication and perseverance paid off, teaching you valuable lessons about the rewards of hard work and the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles.

Choice 2:
Kindness is another magical ingredient that flows through the pages of Alice in Wonderland. Despite the peculiarities of the characters she encountered, Alice consistently displayed kindness and compassion. The Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and even the Queen of Hearts all benefited from her empathetic nature. Think about moments in your own life where acts of kindness made a difference. Did you help a friend who was struggling? Did you stand up against bullying and show support to someone in need? Explore how kindness can create a ripple effect, brightening not only the lives of others but also your own. Share your insights on the power of kindness and how it can transform the world around us, one small act at a time.

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My Best Vacation!

5/11/2023

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Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

This coming weekend is May Long Weekend, a time when some people go away on their first outdoor vacation of the year. Some people camp, some go to cottages and some go out into their garden to begin planting and preparing for the upcoming summer season. Your task this week is going to ask you to dive into your memories and think back to an amazing vacation you’ve had with your family. Perhaps you went on a big trip somewhere amazing, perhaps it was at home and you all did something that really sticks out in your mind. Use your descriptive writing skills to help you write a paragraph about your favourite vacation. If you cannot think of a vacation that you’ve ever been on, you can describe your dream vacation.
For example:
The birds are chirping and the sun feels warm as it shines through the top of my tent. I roll over in my sleeping bag and begin to wake up. As I get out of the tent, my family also wakes up with me. We head out of the tent and begin to make a fire. As the sweet smell of camp smoke reaches my nostrils, I begin to prepare the coffee. The sun gets warmer as the fog burns off of the lake. It’s another beautiful day and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my family.

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If I Could Not Fail, I would ...

5/4/2023

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Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

I want to congratulate you on the effort you’ve put into learning over the past two weeks. I’ve seen some amazing effort on the part of each of you! I have been incredibly proud of the dedication and effort that you put into your daily routines, the excitement and engagement I’ve seen as you take on difficult math problems, as well as your efforts and excitement with your inAnimate Alice! Thanks so much for being so great! As we think about inspiration, iteration and ideas of pushing ourselves forwards let’s continue that idea for your blog post. I want you to think to yourself, what would you try if you could not fail? What would you try that was different, what would you be, how much further could you go if you knew that you couldn’t fail? Is fear of failure or rejection stopping you from accomplishing something you’ve always wanted to do? Shoot for the stars and this week, tell us,

“What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

If I could not fail as your grade five teacher, I would create a classroom environment where kindness is celebrated and encouraged. We would have daily conversations about the importance of kindness and participate in activities that promote it, such as random acts of kindness challenges. I would also provide opportunities for us to practice kindness outside of the classroom, such as volunteering or doing kind acts to help the earth. By doing this, I hope to inspire you to become kinder individuals who can make a positive impact in your communities and the world. Remember, kindness is contagious and can start with just one person!

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Kindness is COOL!

4/27/2023

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Photo by Randalyn Hill on Unsplash

We have been talking a lot about kindness, problem solving and being the best humans we can be. For your homework this week, we have a story challenge. Can you write a story that showcases the message of kindness and that being kind is cool. As an example, here’s one I’ve created:

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a cool cat named Duke. He was the most popular feline in town and always had the latest gadgets and coolest threads. One day, while strolling down the street, he saw a group of mice struggling to carry a giant piece of cheese. Without hesitation, Duke offered to lend a paw and helped them carry the cheese to their home. The mice were overjoyed and threw a party to celebrate their new friend. Duke had so much fun that he realized being kind was the coolest thing of all, and he started a trend of kindness throughout the kingdom. From then on, everyone wanted to be like Duke, and the kingdom was filled with kindness and laughter. The end.

Looking forward to hearing your stories!

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Creating Something Delicious!

4/20/2023

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Photo by Scott Eckersley on Unsplash

I’m hungry! For this week, we’re going to focus on writing descriptions and thinking specifically about describing food! This website has a list of over 100 words to describe how food can look, taste, smell, feel in your mouth, and even sound! For your blog post this week, you have a two part challenge.

Part 1: Choose a food that you wish to describe and then pick 5 words from this list that would go well with it.
Part 2: Write a menu entry as if you owned a restaurant and were going to try to get people to choose this item.

For example:
Part 1- Grilled Cheese: Gooey, crispy, sticky, mouth-watering, zesty
Part 2 - Menu: 4 Cheese Grilled Cheese: Two thick slices of rye bread, crisped up to perfection with a blend of 4 mouth-watering cheeses, melted until gooey and sticky. Served with zesty ketchup and golden french fries.

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Dear Future Generations

4/13/2023

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In honour of Earth Week this coming week, and to think about the incredible documentary we watched this week, please watch the video above. I’ve used this video in the past as a way to showcase the incredible power of poetry and of people. Every single time I watch this video, I am struck by the power of his words.
As you watch one man’s ‘apology’ to future generations, for the damage being done today, think about how you can help? Although some of the points he makes refer to American politicians, I think the message he has to share is universal. As you watch, think about his message.
Do you agree? For your blog post, in the comments, reflect on the following questions. If you want to respond to the ideas or what you’ll do in poetic form there are a million bonus points in it for you!

Is it too late to make a positive impact on the environment, or can we make a change?
What changes would you make to build a positive future for the generations to follow us?
List 3 things you will do this week that will create a better world for future generations!

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Sharing Characters!

4/6/2023

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Photo by Yulia Matvienko on Unsplash

First off, I need to say how impressed I was with your stories last week! Incredible work on using rough drafts, good copies and putting in so much detail in each of your stories and characters. For this week, I’d like us to take it further by using characters from our friends' stories, taking their personality traits and having them interact in a story with your character. Your story can take place anywhere but I would like you to have a focus on setting, and conversation. So make sure that you are using quotation marks appropriately. If you’re feeling stuck about how to use quotation marks, check out this resource.
To summarize your task once again, please choose at least one other character from one of your classmate’s stories. Read their profile and their flaws / faults. Once you feel like you know that character, create a story that includes their character and yours and have a conflict come between them. They can work against each other or together to solve a problem. Be creative but make sure you focus on conversation and setting.

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Creating Our Own Characters!

3/29/2023

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Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

As we have been reading our novels over the past few weeks, we have spent some time looking at characters and their characteristics and I hope that you’re starting to notice that each character has their own story, background, things they like and don’t, and their own personality. These characters are written that way by the author.
Today it’s your turn, you get to develop a character that you will use in a few future blog posts. For your post this week:
Create your own character that you will use in a story one day. For this character, they must have:

a name
a favourite food
3 personality traits (e.g. funny or humble)
a flaw (something that can create conflict - always getting angry at sunshine)
how would they react in a difficult situation (e.g. they didn’t do their homework)

Write down all of these things in your post below. When you’ve done that, write a paragraph from their perspective as they start their first day of grade 5. I’m so excited to see the characters that you create!

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World Water Day!

3/23/2023

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Photo by mrjn Photography on Unsplash

This week we had such a neat opportunity to learn from The Water Brothers, who have an amazing program on TVO that showcases worldwide as well as local issues with water. They showcased why water is important, some of the problems with water and some solutions that we can focus on to help the future. For your blog post this week, I want each of us to make some promises, set some goals and actually do something.
Here’s the challenge: For your post

Research on the dive deeper section of the water brothers website
Set 1 goal for yourself with regards to water. Be specific about what goal you are working towards and when you want to achieve it by.
Write about one thing that you’ve done to consume less water this week.

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<<Previous

Screen Time Check-In

Adventures in Wonderland

My Best Vacation!

If I Could Not Fail, I would ...

Kindness is COOL!

Creating Something Delicious!

Dear Future Generations

Sharing Characters!

Creating Our Own Characters!

World Water Day!

Mr. Steltman's Class

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