Good afternoon!

What a busy, busy day! We started off by working on some Math. The Gr. 4 students are finishing up their unit and they have a Unit Test on Tuesday. In order to study for the test, they have some Unit Review Questions (“Show What You Know”) for homework, and their extra workbooks are due on Wednesday. These extra workbooks are great to study from. Look at the “Quick Reviews” at the top of each section. The Grade 5’s are getting close to starting a new unit as well. They will have their Unit Test either Thursday of next week, or the following Tuesday depending on how Monday and Tuesday progress. Today, the Grade 5’s worked at practicing their long division, and trying some different division strategies as well. We reviewed estimation, working with base 10 blocks, and introduced a new mental math strategy. This strategy is very similar to the break apart strategy that we used in Multiplication. It looks like this:

Eg.  240 / 5

        200 / 5     +     40 / 5

        40   +   8

         48

In Science today we conducted another experiment involving levers. We built a lever using a dowel, our shoulder, and some math books. We tied the books to one end of the dowel, and used our shoulder as the fulcrum. Students were asked to identify whether having the fulcrum positioned closer to the effort or to the load would be the most effecient method of carrying the books. We found out the closer the books were to our own shoulder, made it much easier to lift and much more comfortable to carry.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Math: Gr. 4 – Unit Test (Tues.)

                                                 – pgs. 116-117 #1-15

                                                 – Extra Workbook (Wed.)

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 106-107 #1-10

                          Science: Weather Watch Test signed and returned

                          Family Movie Night – tonight @ 7:00 pm

                          Math/Science Family Night – Feb. 13 @ 6:00-7:30 pm

                          Book Order – February 22nd

                          Classroom/School Science Fairs – March 4th and 7th

Good afternoon!

I have an appointment, so I have to make this quick today! Sorry everyone. However, I did promise I would post the following website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfy_kjkt4I

This is a video that we watched in French today. Students were challenged to pick out any words they understood, or that sounded similar to their English counterparts to help them. We also practiced saying some of the sentences together. It was a fun way for all of us to have a bit of a change to our French routine, and we will likely be having a video day about every 3 weeks.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow

                         Spelling Quiz – tomorrow

                         Read for 20 minutes

                         L.A. – Character poems (tomorrow)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pg. 115 #1-7

                                      Unit Test (Tues.)

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 42-42 (workbook)

                         Health: Home Activity #5 (pg. 43)

                         Science: Lever Experiment (pgs. 20-21)

                                           Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                                           School Science Fair – March 7th

                          Family Movie Night – tomorrow

                          No School Friday

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the lack of posts. I had a meeting at CPEC on Friday, and didn’t make it back in time for an update, and yesterday I was out sick. The students did a wonderful job with the TOC though, and she was very impressed with all of your behaviour.

Today the majority of our class was away sick! There seems to be something going around, that’s for sure. As a result, the students and I did some review activities today.

We did start an introduction to levers today, by having students consider the placement of the fulcrum, load, and effort on first, second, and third-class levers. Tomorrow students will have the opportunity to build some of these levers for themselves.

In Language Arts we constructed simile poems. We reviewed what a simile is (something we learned with our Grinch pictures), and students were challenged to come up with 7 traits about their topic, and to write 7 similes to go with their traits. An example would be this poem that I started about my cat:

Stortini

You are as energetic as a 5-year old who has just finished eating a mountain of candy.

You are as cunning as any supervillain.

You sneak through the house like a stealthy ninja on a midnight mission.

 

As you can see, students were able to have a lot of fun coming up with their own similes to use.

In Math, we introduced two new math centers today: the noisy game, and multiplication war. Students had a lot of fun playing both, and they all earned $4 math bucks for their participation today!

Homework: Multiplication Quiz – Thurs.

                         Spelling Quiz – Thurs.

                         Read for 20 minutes

                         L.A. – Character Poems (Thurs.)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – Unit Test (Tues.)

                         Health: Home Activity (pg. 43)

                         Family Movie Night – Jan. 31st

                         Class Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 5th

Note – Their is no school on Friday of this week, as it is PD Day. As a result, students do not have to complete a reading journal entry this week, UNLESS they have missed a week!

Hello everyone!

In Language Arts today we continued on with our character sketches from last week. Today students were asked to expand their sketches into a character poem. In order to do this we examined three different poems from:

http://www.poetry4kids.com/cat-Character.html

We examined how the poets conveyed information about their characters. Some of the poems conveyed information about the character’s personality (eg. silly, happy, confident, unsure, scared, nervous), while others offered some physical description. We practiced reading a poem and then describing the character that the poem was about. Then students worked the other way – they took their character description and created poems about them. Students were allowed to choose their own format, but many used the following template:

http://www.augusta.k12.va.us/cms/lib01/VA01000173/Centricity/Domain/906/Character_Poem.pdf

 In Science today we created two different drive systems: a wheel to wheel drive system, and a wheel to wheel drive system with a belt. Students were able to see how the driving wheel in a wheel to wheel system moves the other wheel in the opposite direction (eg. drive wheel is turning left, other wheel will turn right). However, a wheel to wheel system often has slippage, especially if the wheels are smooth like the cups we were using! So to increase the efficiency of our simple machine we added an elastic band to act as a belt. This caused our drive systems to work much more smoothly, but something strange happened. Now the drive wheel caused the other wheel to turn the same way! This can be remedied by putting a twist in the elastic band. Students discussed where they have seen these systems before (eg. tanks) and how the belt transfers the force from one wheel to the other, making it operate much more smoothly (this is also why they turn in the same direction).

In Social Studies today we started our discussion on the Canadian Shield. We discussed the Canadian Shield, and some of its dominate landforms. We also talked about why the Canadian Shield is often called the storehouse of Canada (all those natural resources). Then we looked at some of the works created by the group of seven (and some of their associates) around Lake Superior and Georgian Bay. Students were asked to identify some of the land features that we could see represented in the paintings. We also read a poem by Carmel Farahbakhsh, a Gr. 5 student from Nova Scotia. This poem, The Magic of the Canadian Shield, contains a lot of rich, visual descriptions. Next class we are going to look at the artwork one more time, and brainstorm our own descriptive words. Then students will be working in small groups to create their own Canadian Shield poem. Check out the presentation here:

http://prezi.com/vvgm7zrv-m_i/canadian-shield/

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (8x and 12x – tomorrow)

                         Spelling Quiz (tomorrow)

                         Reading Journal (tomorrow)

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Language Arts: Character Poems

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 108-109 #1-9

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 98-99 #1-12

                         Social: Forestry flipbook

                         Science: pg. 10 – Get in Position

                         French: Les Adjectifs (Self-portrait)

                         Class Science Fair (March 4th)

                         School Science Fair (March 7th)

January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,

A frost-mailed warrior striding a shadowy steed of snow.

– Edgar Fawcett

Good afternoon!

Today in Language Arts we continued to work in our writer’s notebook. We started our grammar/writing tips section. Today we wrote an entry about apostrophes. Students were reminded that:

1. An apostrophe is used to show that one or more letters have been left out of a word to form a contraction (eg. does not = doesn’t).
2. An apostrophe and s are used to form the plural of a letter, a number, a sign or a word discussed as a word (eg. Could the Grade 5’s come to the office).
3. The possessive form of a singular noun is usually made by adding an apostrophe and s (eg. Carter’s daughter…)
4. The possessive form of plural nouns ending in s is usually made by adding just an apostrophe (Eg. Joneses’ great-grandfather…)

We also completed entry #2 of our writing section. Students created a “Heart Map”. Students drew a heart in the middle of the page and wrote “I love…” on the inside. Then students were challenged to write as many things as they could in 15 minutes. Students did a great job! We will be using this page for inspiration later on.

In Social Studies today we completed the Boreal Forest region. Students created a Forestry flipbook, focusing on occupations and the importance of the Boreal Forest. Again, our flipbooks are a great way to summarize some of the concepts that we have been discussing throughout the unit. On to the Canadian Shield tomorrow!

We also had Literature Centers today. Center #4 is our Classroom Journals. We have 7 classroom journals. Students are asked to select a journal and write an entry. Our topics include: pets, a family vacation, a wish, your weekend, a hobby, a dream you had, a favorite sport, or a favorite memory. This is a great opportunity to share their writing with others, as the journals are available to be read during Silent Reading. You just have to go to the Classroom Library to find them.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz – Friday (8x and 12x)

Read for 20 minutes

Reading Journal (Friday)

Spelling Test (Friday)

Language Arts – Button Characters (tomorrow)

Social – Forestry Flipbook

Science – pg. 10 (Get in Position)

– Classroom Fair (March 4th)

– School Fair (March 7th)

Good afternoon!

We started off our morning with some reading comprehension. Students will be completing reading comprehension every Tuesday for the next couple of months. This gives students the opportunity to put into place some of the reading skills that we have learned this year (eg. comparing, predicting, etc.) and we are currently using a book that contains Grade 5 Social Studies content. Students are reading and responding to questions on the Geography of Canada, and how geography impacts lifestyle, community, and development in the different regions of Canada. This workbook also has creative writing responses, which students will be expanding upon in some of our writer’s notebook sessions, focusing on adding details, showing not telling, and continuing to practice good sentences, paragraphs and editing.

In Science today we completed an activity called “Small to Big”. We created paper and straw wheels similar to the wheels on our boxcar racers. We then slowly turned the axle and discussed the movement of the smaller circular face (the axle) in comparison to the larger circular face (the wheel). We will be expanding upon this activity, using our wheels again, tomorrow.

We also worked on some 6+1 Traits writing again today. As mentioned in previous entries, students are focusing on adding detail to their work. Students were asked to practice showing, not just telling in their writing. To do this we examined different sentences and discussed how they could be changed. For example:

Cassie was excited about PALS training.

vs.

Cassie jumped up and down at the thought of PALS training.

We will continue to work on this concept, and will be discussing other ways to add description to our writing. We also introduced the apostrophe today, and discussed how it is used to show possession. This will be the first grammar note added to our writer’s notebooks tomorrow!

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (Friday – 8x and 12x)

                         Read for 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal – Friday

                         Spelling Test – Friday

                         Language Arts: Decorate Writer’s Notebook (tomorrow!)

                                                         Button Characters (Thursday)

                         Science: Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                                           School Science Fair – March 7th

We also looked at the following website today in class. It has information on how to organize a Science Fair display, how to complete a Science Fair project, and some ideas that students can use. The link is:

http://spartasciencefair.weebly.com/project-examples.html

I hope you find it helpful in your planning!

Good evening!

Today in Science we made some boxcar racers. Students constructed boxes out of card stock and we attached wheels and axles to the boxes. We used plastic and paper straws, as well as more card stock for the wheels. Students put the plastic straw through their box, in order to create a smooth cylinder for the axle to rotate within. Then we placed the paper straw through the plastics straws, creating a freely rotating axle. We then attached wheels to our boxcars. Students were asked to answer the following question “What is the most efficient axle position?” By changing our tire positioning, we were able to determine that having the axle positioned in the middle of the wheel is ideal for creating a simple machine that works with the least amount of effort.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (Friday – 8x and 12x)

                         Read for 20 minutes

                         Spelling Test (Friday)

                         Reading Journal (Friday)

                         Language Arts: Decorate Writing Notebook

                                                         Button Characters

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 105-106 #1-8

                         Social: Lac la Biche timeline

                         Science: pg. 5 – Observations, Conclusion

                                           Classroom Fair – March 4th

                                           School Fair – March 7th

Weekly Spelling Words: championship, spinach, mocha, chaos, China, pinch, champ, panic, smash, inch

POW: Willa Wonka was giving a tour of his factory. In one room he had 7182 packs of gum. In another he had 5347 Wonka bars. How many more packs of gum is there than Wonka bars? Show your work.

Good afternoon!

What a busy day! I can’t believe it went by so quickly! The students and I started out the morning with Computers. We were working on our powerpoint assignments from last week. Students have two more classes to work on these assignments. Students also had the option of doing some research for the Science Fair. A great website to check out is:

www.wbrsf.ca

This website has lots of great information for parents, copies of the logbooks, and a links section that includes websites that students can look at when considering different types of projects they might choose. There is also a great Parents section, for anyone who has any questions or concerns about the Science Fair.

We also had the opportunity to watch some Irish Dancing during Music today. It was great to see some of the dances live, and Mrs. Swansburg really appreciated our class setting a good example, and their great attentive listening!

In Art today we read about Alex Janvier, a First Nations artist who uses line to often tell stories in his artwork. Many of his lines are flowing, like Alberta’s rivers, and contain hidden images that convey the story. We then started our own story telling project. Students were challenged to “Take a line for a walk”. It was great to see how creative students were at using the line to convey their story challenges, but also the details that many added in to add to the description of their stories. Well done everyone!

Homework: Read for 20 minutes

                         L.A.: Writing Notebooks – decorate cover (MONDAY)

                                    Button Characters

                         Social: Lac la Biche timeline (MONDAY)

                         Science: Wheel Examples – pg. 11 (MONDAY)

                                           Classroom Science Fair – March 4

                                           School Science Fair – March 5

Good afternoon!

Today we started our first poetry assignment of the year. We are going to be writing character poems. In order to begin the process, each student received a button. Then, in their Language Arts duotang, they brainstormed where their button might have come from and WHO might have worn this button. Students were challenged to write as many details about their character as they could think of. Next week we will be turning these character outlines into some character poems!

In Social Studies today we looked at the last natural resource in our study of the Boreal Forest. We talked about forestry. We discussed some of the products, jobs, etc. that come from logging in Alberta. Then students were split into two groups. One group was to draw from examples of citizens who were against some of the forestry practices in Alberta. The other group was to draw from examples of citizens who were in support of forestry in Alberta. Each group had to work together to come up with 10 reasons why they believed their side of the issue should be more strongly considered. We will be sharing these ideas next class before we move on to the Canadian Shield region.

We also had Literature Centers again today. One of our new centers is “I Have, Who Has”. This is a game that students are already familiar with, as we have played it throughout the school year in different subjects. Currently students are playing a version of the game that has them reviewing multiplication facts. Students choose from a pack of cards (the 25 card pack or the 40 card pack), and divide up the cards equally. Each card contains the following:

I have __________

Who has ________

In order to play the game, students must solve the cards. An example of how the game works is:

I have to start

Who has the product of 5 x 7 ?

Then all the students look throught their cards. The student with 35 (the correct product) gets to go next.

I have 35

Who has the product of 3 x 3 ?

The game continues until students get to the end card. It is a great review game, and we have used it several times already this year, once with homophone review, and again to review multiple meanings.

Students recieved their Science Fair logbooks today. We discussed what was contained in the logbooks as a class, but please take the time to discuss the requirements at home. Each student must complete a Science Fair project for our classroom fair on March 4th. Students need to keep detailed notes in the logbook of their experiments. Students can work in groups no larger than two, and they may work with students from another Gr. 4-6 classroom. If students are planning on doing any research involving animals or humans, they must obtain permission through the wbrsf council. This can be done by submitting one of the attached forms (in logbook) to me. It is recommended that students complete these forms (if applicable) as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions in regards to Science Fair. 

Homework: Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow (6x and 7x)

                         Reading Journal – tomorrow

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Spelling Quiz – tomorrow

                         Language Arts: Decorate Writing Notebook (Mon.)

                                                         Button Characters (Mon.)

                          Social: Lac la Biche timeline (Mon.)

                          Science: 2 wheel examples – pg. 11 (tomorrow)

                          Health: Activity 2A and 2B

                          Music: Evaluation forms

                          Classroom Science Fair: March 4th

                          School Science Fair: March 7th

Hello everyone!

Today we started an ongoing project in Language Arts – writing notebooks! Students organize their writing notebooks as if it were a published book. Today we created a title page, the dedication, the table of contents, and we did our first entry. Our entry today was called “Authority List”. Students create their list by answering the following sentence starter: “I know a lot about…”. Students then list as many things as they can think of. We will be using some of the ideas started in our “Authority List” on days when we are struggling to come up with an idea. It can be hard to know what to write about, and in the upcoming weeks we are going to fill our notebooks with lots of great ideas that we can easily pull out to create an entry of our own!

We are almost finished the Boreal Forest region of Alberta. Today we looked at natural resources. Specifically, we discussed the oil sands. Students were able to read about some of the products that can be created, and how to separate bitumen from sand. Tomorrow we will finishing a small reading comprehension activity on what we read today, and then we will be discussing other important natural resources from our region such as trees and forestry. Don’t forget to have your Lac la Biche timeline finished by Monday Gr. 4s and 5s!

In French today the Gr. 4s began an activity in which they must choose 5 adjectives (1 negative and 4 positive) to describe themselves. We are drawing self-portraits and are going to label our pictures with the descriptive words. So far students have chosen to use words like actif / active, brave, drole, timide, autoritaire, etc. We will post some pictures next week when we have completed the activity. The Gr. 5s learned some new vocabulary words and reviewed some of the words that we learned last class. We learned words like un blouson, un impe, and un chapeau. We also were able to discuss articles today. We reviewed the two sets of articles that our Grade 5s are already familiar with (le, la, les, l’, and un, une, des). We also discussed why we use different articles (eg. un can refer to the amount/quantity of something). The Gr. 5s will have a small review next class, and then they too will be completing a french related art project.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal (Friday)

                         Spelling Quiz (Friday)

                         Multiplication Quiz (Friday – 6x and 7x)

                         L.A.: Decorate writing notebook

                         Math: whole number worksheets (tomorrow)

                         Social: Lac la Biche timeline (Monday)

                         FRIENDS: Home Activity 2A and 2B

                         Music: Evaluation forms