Did You Know…? The summer equivalent of hibernation is ‘aestivation’.
The Grade 4 students continued to practice multiplying using models to multiply larger numbers. Most students are bring home some incomplete class work to complete as homework over the weekend:
The majority of students were able to complete their Book Talk today, thought we have 3 students still left to present on Monday. Thank you everyone for your hard work. It was interesting to see so many different books and authors. I think you gave a lot of your classmates some ideas about what they might like to read next!
We have some talented students in our class! Today was the Talent Show and it was a lot of fun getting to see our classmates (Safiya and Amira) and friends perform:
Did you know that Chloe was selected by the RMWB as a Words in Motion winner this year? You can view her published poem, “Chloe’s Words” in the book I’ve added to our classroom library or online at RMWB – Words in Motion Poetry. Congratulations Chloe!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Math:
Gr. 4 – pgs. 284-285 #1-5, 6, 10
Science:
Gr. 4 – Word Scramble Challenge
Eco-Week Water Bottle Challenge – ALL NEXT WEEK (April 18th-April 22nd)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Book Orders – April 28th
WBRSF – Saturday, 9:30 am-12:00 pm, Grand Ballroom, Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park
Spring Picture Day – April 27th
Thank you to everyone who dressed up for Multicultural Dress Up Day!You looked great!Chloe’s poem will be on display at the Public Library all this month.It will also appear on either a city transit bus or in one of the transit shelters.
Did You Know…? The Moon is shaped like an egg: it only looks round because the big end points towards Earth.
Good evening,
Both grades worked on Math Olympics today as part of our Day 4 routine. However, students were asked to correct their own work today and to set their own learning goals for the week. Students should still be reviewing their facts on a consistent basis at home. The more you practice, the better your Math fluency will be! Check out the “Multiplication Review” page for more ideas on how to review at home. The Grade 4 students and I continued to explore multiplying larger numbers today. Today we began using models to help us. Students were looking at using a diagram, base-ten blocks, or an array to help them to model larger multiplication questions. See our examples below:
Using Base-10 Blocks
Using an Array
We will continue to practice this skill tomorrow.
The Grade 6 students came to our class today to share some of the work that they have been doing with Destination Conservation. Next week, during Earth Week (April 18-22nd), they are going to be organizing a school-wide challenge. They shared with us that 80% of plastic water bottles go to landfills where they sit for thousands of years or are burned, which releases toxic gas. Only the other 20% actually gets recycled. They also shared this video with us (our Grade 4’s studied this video earlier this year during Waste in Our World):
The Grade 6 students are challenging the entire school to bring in and use their reusable water bottles. The class that brings in the most reusable bottles throughout the week will win a class set of reusable water bottles. I’m really excited to take part! Don’t forget to get your water bottles ready for Monday!
In Art today we continued to explore Japan as part of Multicultural Week. Today we learned about kimonos. We learned “kimono” was the Japanese word for clothing but in recent years, it refers specifically to traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos as we know them today came into being during the Heian period (794-1192). Typically, color combinations represented either seasonal colors or the political class to which one belonged. We designed our own kimonos today (see pictures below). If you want to learn more about the kimono you can visit the link below. Students were also able to make a bookmark today if they finished their own design. Extra bookmarks can be found below as well:
WBRSF – Saturday, 9:30 am-12:00 pm, Grand Ballroom, Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park
Spring Picture Day – April 27th
Some completed kimonos!Students were also using patterning.Lots of detailed work by some students.Also very colourful.They are so cute!Well done everyone!Students were asked to consider the seasons and nature in their designs.
Did You Know…? If you jangle a set of keys at a moth, it may fold its wings and fall to the ground – it’s mistaken the keys for a hunting bat’s clicks.
Short post tonight! Hope to see some of you at Multicultural Potluck!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Language Arts:
Book Talk – April 14th
Science:
Grade 4 – Completed Quiz (Wednesday)
Grade 5 – Left-Hand Pages (Wednesday)
Health:
FRIENDS – Home Activity 6A (Wednesday)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Multicultural Potluck – April 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm
Book Orders – April 28th
WBRSF – Saturday, 9:30 am-12:00 pm, Grand Ballroom, Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park
Did You Know…? The Hawaiians called fleas uku lele (jumping bugs). The instrument is named after the fast movement of the fingers when playing it.
Good evening,
The Grade 4 students and I continued to practice using estimation to solve larger multiplication questions today. As with last week, we are using multiples of 10 and 100 to help us estimate. Take the example below:
Sometimes when we are solving a word problem, we can get confused or be unsure of where to start. One strategy that I use to overcome this is to draw a picture. Take the example above. I drew 8 planes. Then I filled each plane with 22 people. Once I had drawn my picture, it was easy to see that what I had drawn was 8 groups of 22; so I would use multiplication to solve this problem. I need to solve 8 x 22 = ? However, the question also tells me to estimate. So, I know I can change the number 22 to a multiple of 10 that would be easier to work with. 22 is closer to 20 than 30, so I will round it down to 20. Now I can solve 8 x 20 = ? Using our strategy from last week, I can solve 8 x 2 = 16 first. Then, because 8 multiplied by 2 is 16, 8 multiplied by 2 tens would be 16 tens or 8 x 20 = 160! The planes can hold about 160 passengers. Don’t forget to use about in your answer! Remember, it is important to tell the reader that we estimated!
In Health today, we continued to look at developing Coping Step Plans. We began with a Mindfulness/breathing activity from our FRIENDS book. Then students were given the opportunity to begin developing their own Coping Step Plans. Check out my example below:
Students who did not finish their Coping Step Plans have been asked to complete them before our next Health class on Wednesday.
In Science today, the Grade 5 students worked on completing the final left-hand pages from their Electricity and Magnetism unit. They are working on the following:
These pages will also be due on Wednesday for students that did not complete them today in class. The Grade 4 students worked together to finish reviewing their unit on Wheels and Levers and to complete a small unit quiz. They will be finishing their left-hand pages on Wednesday. That means that no latter than next week, we will both be beginning new units. Chemistry and Light and Shadows, here we come!
This afternoon we worked on some Multicultural Art. We are going to be learning about Japan this week. Today we started with the following folktale:
Then we worked to build some origami frogs! These frogs were a little more challenging than our fish that we completed earlier this year. Want to make some more at home? Check out the video below:
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Language Arts:
Book Talk – April 14th
Math:
Grade 4 – pg. 284 #7, 8, Reflect
Grade 5 – Quiz (Tuesday)
Grade 5 – Review Sheets
Science:
Grade 4 – Completed Quiz (Wednesday)
Grade 5 – Left-Hand Pages (Wednesday)
Health:
FRIENDS – Home Activity 6A (Wednesday)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Multicultural Potluck – April 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm (RSVP by Friday!)
Book Orders – April 28th
WBRSF – Saturday, 9:30 am-12:00 pm, Grand Ballroom, Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park
The display case looks great! Come see the variety of Art that each class worked on today.Including our frogs.
Did You Know…? Spotted animals can have striped tails, but stripy animals can’t have spotty tails.
Good afternoon,
Today our Grade 4 students began to practice estimating products. This required us to use the strategy that we have been practicing to help us multiply by multiples of 10 and multiples of 100. Take a look at the following example:
If one video costs $15, then to find out how much six videos will cost we need to solve the multiplication sentence 6 x 15 = ?
However, the question says about. We know from our previous units that about means that we can estimate. So, let’s change 15 to a number that is easier to work with. We can round it up or down, because 15 is in the middle. However, since we are talking about money we should round up; that way we will have enough money to cover the cost of our purchase. If we round down, we may not bring enough money with us to the store. So, we will round 15 to a more compatible number – 20. Now we can solve 6 x 20 = ?
Using our strategy from Lesson #1, I can first solve 6 x 2 = ?
Since I know that 6 x 2 = 12, I can use a pattern and solve 6 x 20 = 120. So, six videos will cost about $120. We will continue to practice estimation on Monday.
In Language Arts today, we continued to look at poetry terms. Today we discussed alliteration.
Then we looked at some examples of alliterative poetry:
Students had the opportunity to write so of their own examples of alliterative poetry. Stay tuned for when we start to publish some of our poems in the upcoming weeks!
In French today we started to learn about school subjects:
Students then used their knowledge of time and their new knowledge of school subjects to create their ideal school schedule! Quel est votre sujet préféré? I think a lot of our schedules were filled with l’art, la musique, et l’ éducation physique, but hopefully some students still like our regular subjects!
In Science today we took our vehicles to Mrs. McNeil’s class to share our work with them. Students were asked to explain how they set up the motors and to demonstrate how their vehicles moved. Then, we decided to explore how air is a strong force that can move objects. We did our best to fly some kites! Lots of groups got their’s off the ground and up in the air, but not for very long! It was a little gusty and not too consistently windy. We’ll have to try again another day!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Language Arts:
Book Talk – April 14th
Alliterative Poems – Monday
Math:
Grade 4 – pg. 283-284 #1-5
Grade 5 – Quiz (Tuesday)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Multicultural Potluck – April 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm (RSVP by Friday!)
They got it up!After a few attempts…This group was trying hard.Run!
Did You Know…? In the West Indies, the expression ‘to go mango walk’ means to steal another person’s mangoes.
Good evening,
Today we had our second round of Math Olympics! Remember, we have Math Olympics every Day 4. It is important to keep practicing your multiplication facts at home so that your skills are sharp and ready to go! Remember, you can visit the “Multiplication Review” page (sidelinks) to get some ideas from me on how to practice at home. Congratulations to everyone who started Silver today. Bronze, keep studying! The Grade 4 students continued to explore multiplying by a multiple of 10 and 100 today. Tomorrow we move on to estimating products.
In Health today, we began to look at the letter “E” in FRIENDS. “E” stands for “explore solutions and coping step plans.” What does that mean? When we are worried or stressed there are things that we can do to cope. We can stop, breath, and focus on what is happening around us right now instead of focusing on what might happen. We can be mindful! We can also come up with a plan to tackle what is stressing us out. When you climb a tree you climb slowly, one branch at a time. When tackling something stressful, do the same thing! Do one small thing at a time. A coping step plan is breaking down something stressful into manageable steps. For example, if you are nervous about presenting in front of the the class, first practice in front of a mirror, then practice to your Mom or Dad, then practice in front of the whole family, then try a friend at school, then a group of friends. Each step will help you become more prepared and more confident about speaking to the class. Coping step plans are all about who you can ask for help and also about rewarding yourself. To achieve Step #2 you had to ask your family for help. Your family supports you. They are proud of you for trying. Now, reward yourself! Read a favourite book or go for a walk before starting the next step. Something that you enjoy! We will be writing our own coping step plans next week.
In Science today, the Grade 4 and 5 students completed their moving vehicles project! The Grade 4 students are required to make a vehicle or an object move using simple forces (eg. pushing, pulling, air, etc.). The Grade 5 students are required to make a vehicle move using electricity. So we combined forces! Grade 4 and 5 students worked together to construct vehicles that could do both. It was so great to see what everyone came up with!
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Language Arts:
Book Talk – April 14th
Math:
Grade 4 – pg. 280-281 #2, 4, 7, 11, 12
Grade 5 – Quiz (Tuesday)
Spirit Week – Friday – Pajama Day – collecting sunkist fruit snacks
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Multicultural Potluck – April 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm (RSVP by Friday!)
Here it goes! This group pulled their vehicle as well as used an electric motor.Some last minute adjustments to the motor.This group used a ramp.This group had some great decorations.It was wonderful to have some cross grade collaboration on this project.Everyone was very involved.Get ready!
Did You Know…? An ‘eavesdrop’ is the spot by a house where water falls off the roof, and also the spot to stand in to hear what’s going on inside.
Good afternoon,
The Grade 4 students began a new unit today – Multiplying and Dividing Larger Numbers. We will be using skills acquired in our Multiplication and Division Facts unit to help us throughout this unit, so please keep practicing those facts everyday at home! Today we examined patterns in multiplication. In our previous unit, we learned how to multiply by 10. Today we extended that knowledge to multiplying by 100, as well as multiplying by other multiples of 10 and 100. Check out an example of our work below:
We know how to solve 3 x 1, so we can use that knowledge to multiply by 10 and by 100. Can you see the pattern? The number of zeros! When multiplying by 10 we add 1 zero to the end of the number. When multiplying by 100 we add 2 zeros to the end of the number. This trick also works for finding multiples of 10 and 100. Think of it this way. If I am asked to find 2 x 40, I can solve the easier problem 2 x 4. Since I know 2 x 4 = 8, I can use the trick above to discover that 2 x 40 = 80. We will continue to practice these strategies tomorrow.
In Language Arts today students began with a review of imagery, similes, and personification:
Then students worked to write their own simile poems. You can view our template and exemplar below:
Students were asked to write at least 2 simile poems of their own. Unfinished work was brought home for homework. We will be typing and publishing some of our poetry in the upcoming weeks.
In Social Studies today, the Grade 4 students continued to look at the fossil record. Today we focused on the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the effects that the museum and Dinosaur Provincial Park have on Alberta. We began with a game of BINGO; Royal Tyrrell Museum BINGO! Students were asked to watch the following video for some facts about the Royal Tyrrell Museum:
Students who completed their BINGO card with all of the missing facts won the game! It was interesting to learn about the museum. Did you know that they have an economic impact on Alberta of about 40 000 000 each year? Or that they have 150 000 specimens in their collections? Since the museum was opened in 1985 they have had more than 12 000 000 visitors from 150 different countries. Woah! Next students began working on an activity called “Beastly Bones” from the Royal Tyrrell Museum. In it students have been asked to study the bones of a Gorgosaurus. Students have been asked to work like paleontologists to put the bones back together. Then students are comparing the Gorgosaurus bones to a human skeleton to see if they can identify and label some of the Gorgosaurus bones. We will continue with this activity on Friday.
In Grade 5, the students have begun a small project on Homesteaders. Students have been divided into families. Each family is moving to a Homestead. Today students received information about their family, their homestead, and the region their homestead is located in. Students worked together to see if they could infer from their information which region of Canada their homestead was located in. I am proud to say that every team correctly identified their region on their first try! Good work everyone. Next students are working together to plan how they will find food, water, shelter, jobs, and survive the climate of their region. I can’t wait to see what students come up with!
In Computer Class, students explored the following websites. The Grade 4 students were practicing multiplication and the Grade 5 students were working on their Homesteaders project:
Spirit Week – Thursday – Wacky Hair Day – collecting fruit cups
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Multicultural Potluck – April 12th, 5:00-7:00 pm (RSVP by Friday!)
We have some new published writing on the Writing Board!Our Grade 5 students were fortunate enough to take part in Junior Achievement yesterday.They learned about money management from a local business.Students learned through play…teamwork…and discussion!
Did You Know…? Kingfishers dive so fast that they can penetrate a layer of ice to catch a fish.
Good evening,
Today our Grade 4 students started with Unit Problem from our Multiplication and Division Facts unit. Students are being asked to consider how many different ways they could arrange a marching band. If there are 48 members, how many different ways could the band march and still march in even rows? What if 30 members must sit in even rows on a stage? Students will continue to work together to finish the problem tomorrow before we begin our next Multiplication and Division unit.
In Language Arts today we began looking at poetry. We started with this video:
Next we began discussing imagery. Imagery occurs when an author uses an object that is not really there, in order to create a comparison between one that is. This creates a more meaningful visual experience for the reader. To create strong images, students can use their sense of touch, taste, smell, sound, and orientation, or emotions. We looked closely today at two ways of creating imagery in a poem – similes and personification. Similes directly compare two different things, usually by employing the words “like”or “as.” For example, “He was as fast as a speeding bullet.” Personification is comparing two objects by giving a personal character to inanimate objects or abstract notions. For example, “The stars danced in the sky.” Stay tuned, we are going to be writing our own Simile Poems next.
In French today we reviewed what we have learned so far about telling time. Next we began rehearsing the following skit:
Students practiced this skit in pairs and then shared their rendition with the class. Small oral presentation such as this are a great way to get students to practice speaking French. We have 3 groups who will finish presenting tomorrow.
This afternoon we had some special guests visit our classroom – the Board of Trustees. The students used the Chromebooks to share their learning and understanding of computer programming with the Board. They were very impressed and loved seeing all of the hard work that students have put into Tynker and coding this year. Thank you everyone for being so polite and answering so many questions. You were wonderful!
Did You Know…? A ‘bobsled’ is so named because early racers bobbed their heads back and forth to gain speed (which didn’t work).
Good afternoon,
Today all of the Gr. 4-6 students participated in a Health and Wellness Day! The classes were divided into 6 groups and the groups rotated to different sessions. The sessions that we had today were on:
Teasing and Harassment (Mr. Rutledge and Mrs. Organ)
Cyberbullying (Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Shackleford)
Yoga (Mrs. Chaulk and Mrs. Harris)
Conflict Resolution (Mrs. Merrick and Mrs. Balfour)
Mindfulness (Ms. Barrington)
Dealing With Stress (Mrs. Holodniuk and Ms. McNeil)
I hope everyone learned something new today and had fun. Thank you for your excellent behaviour. Every group was very attentive during my sessions and it was appreciated.
This afternoon we had our Virtue of the Month Assembly. Our virtue this month is Peace. Congratulations to Sedrick, Risolat, Alex B., Rukaya, and Mounika on being our monthly award winners. Keep up the great work! Our class sang “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley along with the other Grade 5 classes today. They did a wonderful job! They sang loudly and got the rest of the school to join in.
We also did the following DPA activities today as part of our Assembly. We were hoping to encourage some peace and mindfulness through both:
Spring Break begins tomorrow! There is no school on Thursday or Friday this week. Take time to relax with your families and I will see you all on April 4th! We will be having a Spirit Week our first week back to help fund-raise our Breakfast Program.
Agenda:
Read 20 minutes
Language Arts:
Book Talk – April 14th
Health:
Home Activity 5A (FRIENDS)
Registration Forms – ASAP (They are now late!)
Grade 5/6 Floor Hockey – Wednesdays 3:00-4:00 pm
STEM Club – Mondays, Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
Grade 5/6 Basketball – Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00 pm
Yearbook Orders – $22 (March 31st)
On our way to the Lion King yesterday.It’s almost ready to begin!Happy Birthday Brayden!Today was Risolat’s last day…We have really loved having you and getting to know you… You are a great friend and very kind-hearted…Good luck in Toronto Risolat!
