Happy Holidays!

Hello my dear students,

I wanted to wish you all a VERY happy holiday season.  Enjoy these two weeks with your families and take the time to talk to the people around you to remind yourself about how great they are. 

It will be strange not to see your faces for two weeks, or to hear about the stories of your lives.  Though I'm looking forward to this time to spend with my family, I'll be ready to see you all again on January 4th.  I'm so excited about our trip to Lake St. George!

I'll be checking the blog throughout the holidays, so if you have any questions about anything, post a comment and I'll get back to you.

HAVE FUN!!

-Ms. Lewis.

Prime Ministers of Canada Website

Hi Grade 5s,

Some of you have asked to find out more about the prime ministers you're creating your pop-up for.

Here's a great website that I used to get you started.  There's lots more information there, though.  Just click on the name of your prime minister, and find out more about their fascinating life.  Check out the "Anecdote" link  for interesting and funny stories about your prime minister!

See you tomorrow!



-Ms. Lewis.

Persuasive Strategies

Hi Grade 5s,

Today we talked about strategies that are used in persuasive writing and speaking.  They are:

Claim - States the argument or your main point
Example: Chocolate is an unhealthy snack.

Big Names - Experts and important people that support your side of the argument
Example: Avril Lavigne advertising for Canon cameras.

Logos - Using logic, numbers, facts, and data to support your argument
Example: A Snickers bar has 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar.  That's not very healthy.

Pathos - Appealing to your audience's emotions
Example: Your donation might just get this puppy off the street and into a good home.

Ethos - Making yourself seem trustworthy and believable
Example: I'm not just the president of the Hair Club For Men, I'm also a client!  I know how embarassing it is to be bald, because I used to be bald, too.

Kairos - Building a sense of urgency for your cause
Example: If you call in the next 5 minutes, we'll include a second ShamWOW for FREE!  You must call within the next 5 minutes to receive this amazing offer.

Research - Using studies and information to make your argument seem more convincing.  You can use words, graphs, tables, and illustrations.
Example: In a recent study, 9 out of 10 dentists found Sensodyne effective in the treatment and prevention of tooth sensitivity.

Your homework tonight is to use the example of a persuasive argument you found last night, and analyze it.  Which persuasive strategies did your example use?  Make a list of all the arguments, and put a check or an X depending on which strategies your example used.  For each strategy used, describe how it was used.

For example:

My example of a persuasive argument was the Koodo print ad I saw on the subway.  Here is my analysis of the ad:

Claim: The Koodo ad's claim or main point is that I should make them my cell phone service provider.

Big Names: X

Logos: The Koodo ad used logos to support their argument by showing unlimited texting costs only $5.  The ad uses numbers and facts.

Pathos: X

Ethos: X

Kairos: X

Research: X

You may post your homework assignments on the blog as a comment, if you like.

See you tomorrow!  Stay warm tonight :)

-Ms. Lewis.

Persuasive Writing Homework Assignment

Hi Grade 5s,

To get you to start thinking about how to write an effective persuasive writing piece, you have a homework assignment tonight.

Please find an example of a persuasive argument.  Write down where you saw it, what it is trying to persuade you to do, and how it is trying to persuade you.

For example:

I saw an example of a persuasive argument on the subway tonight.  The advertisement was for Koodo Mobile.  The ad was trying to persuade me to use them as my cell phone service provider.  They were trying to persuade me by telling me their unlimited texting plan is only $5. 

See you tomorrow!

-Ms. Lewis.

Olympic Torch Relay

Hi Grade 5s!

We had a great little chat with Ms. Engels on Friday, and she shared tons of information about the torch relay.  We're really lucky to have the torch coming to Toronto this month!

Here's a great website you can use to follow the passing of the torch:

http://www.thestar.com/staticcontent/720590

Now, as promised, here's your trivia question for a whopping 2 ticks!!!!

What is the most southern point in Ontario where the torch will be travelling?

See you tomorrow!

-Ms. Lewis.