Good afternoon!

As always, our Friday was extremely busy. We started out by completing our Spelling Quiz, and our “Mad Minutes”. Today was the 4th week that we have been working on our current “Mad Minutes” sheet. Starting after the break we will be getting a new sheet with some new problems! We have some students down to one minute already. Remember, it is NOT a competition.You are working towards improving your multiplication skills, not comparing yourself to others.

In computers today we once again used our Mathletics accounts. Mathletics is a great way for students to get some extra math practice. It features fun games, as well as the “Live Mathletics” option, but it also has lessons and quizzes that students can use. The lessons are aligned to both the Canadian standards, as well as the Alberta curriculum, so if you are looking for some extra math practice, be sure to use your account at home as well. All students have an account and password to Mathletics. You can find the website at:

http://www.mathletics.ca/

I am able to check the students results, and to assign lessons/review within the program. I can also add extension activities to a student’s account where necessary.

In Art today we continued to work on our two previously mentioned projects: the zentangle hearts, and our multimedia piece. They are both coming along nicely. When we return from the break we will be moving on from line to start a new unit on texture.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal (Monday, March 4th)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 140-141 #1-5

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 133-134 #1-6

                         Class Science Fair (March 4th!!)

                         School Science Fair (March 7th)

Good afternoon!

We had a great day today. In Math, our Gr. 5 students have been examining rectangles that have the same perimeter but different area. This can be challenging to learn, and students often struggle at finding all the rectangles. A good problem solving strategy that we have been practicing is to make a graph/table.

Eg.

Paul had 16 m of fencing to put around his square flower garden.

a)      What are the side lengths of Paul’s garden? How do you know?

b)      What is the area of his garden?

Step 1: Create a graph/table.               

Rectangle #	Length (m)	Width (m)	Perimeter (m)	Area (m2)
1	1	7	16	7
2	2	6	16	12
3	3	5	16	15
4	4	4	16	16
5	5	3	16	15
6	6	2	16	12
7	7	1	16	7

a)      Paul’s garden is 4 m by 4 m, because this is the only square that you can make if you have a perimeter of 16 m.

b)      The area of Paul’s garden is 16 m². 

Using a table can help students to assure that they find all of the rectangles for a given perimeter. Today, we started looking at rectangles with the same area but different perimeters. This is a much easier skill to learn, as students can use multiplication to find the rectangles.

Eg.

Draw all the possible rectangles with an area of 8 cm².

Step 1: Create a graph/table.

Rectangle #	Length (cm)	Width (cm)	Perimeter (cm)	Area (cm2)
1	1	8	18	8
2	2	4	12	8
3	4	2	12	8
4	8	1	18	8

 

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The Gr. 4 students continued to work on telling time. Today we discussed minutes again. We reminded students that there are 5 minutes between the numbers on the clock, and that these numbers can be used to calculate the exact time.

Eg. The clock below reads 3:53.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Multiplication Quiz – tomorrow

                         Spelling Test – tomorrow

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 140-141 #1-5

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 133-134 #1-6

                         Class Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 5th

                         Book Order – tomorrow

Hello again! 

What a great day! We started off our morning with a classroom meeting. We were able to discuss some upcoming activities in our class. One is a gallery walk. Students have been asking to do this for some time. On Friday, they are allowed to bring a piece of artwork (from school, home, etc.) and share it with their classmates if they want. Students do NOT have to bring a piece, it is optional. We also introduced 3 new math centers today. Our current math centers are:

• Multiplication War (card game)
• Multiplication Bingo
• Powerful Products
• The Noisy Game (using multiplication tables)
• Division Go Fish (card game)
• Division Bingo
• Who Can Fill the Page? (perimeter activity)

In Science today the Gr. 4 students were working on a learning log activity. This involves students recalling the activities that we have completed and asks them to share what they know about the topic. They were completing learning logs for wheels and axles, levers, and pulleys today. The Gr. 5 students got to complete their first electricity experiment. They connected the two terminals of a D-cell battery, and felt the heat that was generated. Without a load (eg. light bulb), enough electrons move through the wire to create friction with the materials in the wire, causing it to heat up. Then we had a great demonstration. We burned some steel wool. We connected some steel wool to a 9V battery, causing the wool to burn. Again, because there is no load to cause resistance, enough electrons pass through to cause the wire and steel wool to heat up (due to friction). The steel wool is consequently burned as it heats up.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Spelling Test – Friday

                         Multiplication Quiz – Friday

                         Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 7th

                         Book Order – February 22nd

Note – Please do not forget that there is no school next week, due to teacher’s convention.

Good afternoon!

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. We got started right away today, and had a very productive day. We did discuss homework completion in class today. Many students in our class have been coming to school with homework unfinished. This has really started to become a problem for our class, and how we are able to progress through the work. Homework should be completed every night. Please check the website or the agenda for homework everyday. There are some students that went home with notes in their agendas today about missing homework.

In Math today the Gr. 4 students worked on being able to solve problems involving elapsed time. What we mean by that, is that students are able to determine the length of time for an activity, depending on when it started and when it ended. There are some homework questions assigned, to further practice this skill. The Gr. 5 students continue to explore rectangles with the same perimeters, but different areas. They also learned a new game that involves solving for perimeter, that will be added to our math centers starting tomorrow.

In Science today, the Gr. 5 student’s have finished discussing the safety around electricity. Tomorrow we will begin our study of simple circuits, and be working through a few experiments! The Gr. 4 students were able to experiment with a pulley today. We used a pulley to pull a water bottle up to the ceiling of our classroom. Students found the pulley much easier to use because it changes the direction that you need to apply the effort, and it allows you to move objects over a greater distance if needed. We will review pulleys tomorrow, and then we will move on to the inclined plane!

We had a small presentation today from some members of the RCMP and the Oil Barons, regarding drug addiction. Members of the hockey team travelled to East Hastings in Vancouver, and shared some of their experiences and what they saw with the students. It was nice to see the team reaching out into the community, and I know we all learned a lot.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (Friday)

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Spelling Quiz (Friday)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pg. 137 #1-7

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 129-130 #1-8

                         Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 7th

                         Book Order – February 22nd

Good afternoon!

As usual we had a very busy, but a very fun Friday. We started off our day by going to computers. Students used the time to work on their Mathletics account. This is a great program that allows students to work through extra lessons, tests, and to compete against other students across Canada. Check it out at home, all the students have their own accounts and passwords!

In Art today we continued to work on our Zentangle project. They are coming along beautifully. Check out some of our work below. Students will have off and on next week to work on it, and then it will be assigned for homework, so use your WORD time wisely Gr. 4’s and 5’s! We also started a multimedia project today that introduced students to the concept of multimedia, but also challenged them to use what we have learned this year about line and shape. Students cut shapes out of paper, and then use the shapes to inspire the lines throughout their work. Lines should be big, small, thick, thin, and they can even overlap! Students should also use a variety of mediums from pencil crayons, crayons, markers, pastels, paper, etc. Check out some of the projects that students started today. They are coming along nicely.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 134-135 #1-8

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 129-130 #1-8

                         Social: Creative Journal (Tuesday)

                         Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 7th

                         Book Orders – February 22nd

P.S. Don’t forget that there is no school on Monday, due to Family Day. Have a great long weekend!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We had a busy, but very productive day today. The Gr. 4 students got to continue practicing telling time today. Today we discussed the movement of the minute hand a little more. Students were reminded that each time it has moved to a new number, 5 minutes has gone by. They have some homework questions to continue practicing this. The Gr. 5 students started discussing area and perimeter. Today we discussed rectangles that have the same perimeter but different areas. It is really important that students understand that just because 2 rectangles have the same perimeter, does not mean that they have  the same area.

Eg. Find as many rectangles as you can with a perimeter of 10 cm.

Rectangle	Width (cm)	Length (cm)	Perimeter (cm)	Area (cm2)
1	1	4	10	4
2	2	3	10	6
3	3	2	10	6
4	4	1	10	4

As you can see, even though all 4 rectangles have the same perimeter (10 cm), they do not have the same area. Grade 5’s also have some homework to continue practicing this concept.

In Language Arts today we worked on our Term 2 Writing Prompt. Students were given a picture prompt to use to write a story. They have 10 minutes to discuss the picture and plan their story on the planning page. They then have 60 minutes to write a story. The story must include the picture, and it should be an example of their best work. Students who need the time, are given an extra 30 minutes, which will be given on Tuesday. We do these prompts 3 times a year, in order for teachers to better understand some of the strengths and weaknesses of their classes.

For Valentine’s today we had a delicious buffet! Thanks to everyone who contributed, we really appreciate it. We exchanged Valentine’s and we also played some “Minute to Win It” games. The first game we played, had students attempting to suck as many counters as they could, from their desk to a box, using just a straw – no hands at all! We used 20 counters, and we only had 3 students who were able to complete the challenge in under 60 seconds. Our second activity is called “Backflip”. Students balance a pencil on the back of their hand and they must flip the pencil off and catch it. Students who are successful attempt to complete the task with 2 pencils, then 3, then 4, etc. Our record today was 5 pencils! Well done! Our last task had students using spaghetti to pick up washers. Students were each given a piece of spaghetti. They had to retrieve a washer from their desk, using only the spaghetti (held in their mouths). Again, no hands were allowed. The record for this challenge was 6 washers! It was fun and exciting, and we have a few more challenges that you could see in the upcoming weeks!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered at Family Math/Science Night. It was your energy and commitment that made the event such a success, and I was very proud to be the teacher of such responsible, caring, fun, energetic, and amazing students.

Homework: Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journals (tomorrow)

                         Spelling Test (tomorrow)

                         Multiplication Quiz (tomorrow)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 134-135 #1-8

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 129-130 #1-8

                         Computers: Powerpoint Assignments (tomorrow)

                         Social: Creative Journal (Tuesday)

                         Class Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Science Fair – March 7th

                         Book Order – February 22nd

Bonjour tout le monde!

What a great day! We started off our morning by working in our writer’s notebooks. We began, as always, with a small grammar lesson. Today we reviewed capitalization. We focused on three main reasons that you should you a capital:

• Beginning of a sentence.

             Eg. “Today we are going to the movies”.

• Capitalize the day of the week and the month when we write the date.

             Eg. “Today is Wednesday, February 13, 2013″.

• Capitalize proper nouns.

             Eg. “My name is Miss Barrington”.

             “I am from Fort McMurray”.

             “I am not a batman, I am the Batman”.

Then we had our first free writing session. Students are given 10 minutes to write on the topic of their choice. They can write in whatever format they choose (eg. paragraphs, poems, comics, thought webs, etc.) but they MUST write for the entire 10 minutes. Students did a great job, and many students said that it was fun! We will be continuing to write in this manner for the next few weeks, but afterwards we will be developing our initial entries into complete, publishable copies that we can share with the class. We will be doing this by practicing our editing skills.

In Social Studies today students continued to discuss the Canadian Shield region. We have been discussing Samuel Hearne and his expeditions to the Coppermine River. Today we read a journal entry that Samuel Hearne wrote during his second expedition. It related to us some of the hardships that Hearne endured on this failed expedition. Students are now working on completing a Creative Journal entry where they pretend to have accompanied Samuel Hearne on his journey. They are writing a journal entry describing their day. These journals will be due on Monday.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz – Friday

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal – Friday

                         Spelling Quiz – Friday

                         Computers: Powerpoint Assignment (Friday)

                         Social: Creative Journal (Monday)

                         Math and Science Night @ 6:00 pm TONIGHT

                         Class Fair – March 4th

                         School Fair – March 7th

                         Book Orders – February 22nd

 

Good afternoon!

Another busy day. We started off our day by doing a simile challenge. Students listed to a song, and were challenged to pick out as many similes as they could. There was 38 altogether! You will remember that we did this activity earlier in the year, when we did “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”. Today was a review, to keep the concept fresh in students’ minds. We will be completing this challenge again, as well as adding to it as we learn new poetic devices.

In Math today, the Gr. 4 students worked on telling time! We looked at the analog clock, and discussed concepts such as: hour hand, minute hand, 60 minutes in an hour, etc. and students were challenged to tell time. We did this by giving each group a practice clock and I held up a time for them to model on their clocks. Each group did extremely well. They also have some homework questions to practice the skills that they learned today. The Grade 5 students added to their growing list of problem solving strategies. Today we worked on a strategy that we have not discussed since September – making a chart. Students were presented with a measurement problem, and used a chart to help them model the correct answer. Charts can help students discover patterns that may be useful in solving the problem, or make the work more efficient.

In Science today the Gr. 4 students completed our last lever experiment. They practiced moving the fulcrum of a first class lever, to balance the lever (similar to how you would balance a scale). They had to move the fulcrum, they could not change the weight on either end. They did very well, and we reviewed the concept that moving the fulcrum closer to the load gives you a mechanical advantage. The Gr. 5 students began discussing safety issues surrounding electricity. They are trying to discern why particular situations are unsafe, and tomorrow we will review and discuss when electricity is safe to use in experiments (eg. in class) and what types of electricity are UNSAFE to experiment with.

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (Friday)

                         Spelling Quiz (Friday)

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal (Friday)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 130-131 #1-10

                                      Gr. 5 – pg. 127 #1-2

                         Computers: Powerpoint Assignment (Friday)

                         Health: 6A and 6B in FRIENDS (tomorrow)

                         Science: Gr. 4 – find an example of a lever at home

                         Family Science/Math Night – tomorrow @ 6:00 pm

                         Classroom Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Fair – March 7th

                         Book Orders – February 22nd

Bonjour! Nous avons passé une bonne journée.

Both grades were able to start their new math unit today. We are working on measurement. The Gr. 4’s started out by looking at calendars. We discussed the use of calendars, but also, the correct way of writing the date. In math this year, students are encouraged to use the metric form of writing the date. For example, today’s date would be 2013 02 11, or simply 13 02 11. Students will continue to practice this. The Gr. 5’s are looking at the following units of measurement: mm, cm, and m. We discussed referents that could be used for these units (the thickness of a nickle, the width of our pinky, the width of a door), but we also looked at the relationship between these 3 units. We discovered that a millimeter is 1 tenth of a centimeter, that there are 100 cm in a m, and that there are 1000 mm in a m! Here are some examples:

Eg.

400 cm = 4 m

400 cm = 40 000 mm

We did have some difficulty working backwards (eg. from m to cm, or cm to mm) and will continue to look at this concept tomorrow.

In French today, the Gr. 4 students started to discuss their birthdays! Well… there are some things that we have to learn before we can just tell someone our birthday. Today we looked at the days off the week. Students practiced (lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche) and we learned that in French, you do not capitalize the days of the week! You also do not capitalize the month. We will be reviewing le sept jours de la semaine, et les mois next class. We will also be reviewing the numbers that we learned earlier this year. After all, we need those number in order to give a correct date! For example, today’s date would be lundi le onze février.  This is all a part of our “C’est Moi!” unit. We have discussed our personality traits, how to introduce ourselves, and are now looking at age and birthdays. Next we will cover our likes and dislikes, and our physical traits.

The Gr. 5 students are continuing to look at clothing. Today they discussed: Qu’est-ce que tu portes quand…? We discussed the weather, and how weather can affect our clothing choices. For example: Il fait du soleil! Je porte des lunnettes de soleil, un t-shirt, et un short. Next class, students will be using magazine images to be able to answer the following question: Qu’est-ce qu’il/elle porte?

Homework: Multiplication Quiz (Friday)

                         Read 20 minutes

                         Reading Journal (Friday)

                         Spelling Test (Friday)

                         Math: Gr. 4 – pgs. 126-127 #1-9

                                      Gr. 5 – pgs. 124-12 #1-16

                         Computers: Powerpoint Assignment (Friday)

                         Health: FRIENDS 6A and 6B (Wednesday)

                         Family Science Night – Wed. @ 6:00 pm

                         Class Science Fair – March 4th

                         School Fair – March 7th

                         Book Order – February 22nd

Spelling Words: chocolates, coaches, catches, school, choose, chose, teach, latch, echo, ache

P.S. Want to sing-along to the days of the week? Check out the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVHzu60QVKI

Au revoir!

Thought I would add some pictures of the finished “Take a Line for a Walk” art project. They turned out wonderful. There are so many amazing stories that you can see by walking along with your lines. If you want your artwork added to the board, don’t forget to bring back your finished project!