We counted up the popsicle sticks collected yesterday at the Terry Fox Run. As a group, our classroom total was 171. Each popsicle stick represents 500 metres run. On Monday we have some Math to do with this number and the total number of popsicle sticks collected by the school. Last year we raised $2200 for the Terry Fox Foundation. This year, our very own Mr. Parsons has pledged to shave off his ample beard if the school makes $3000 this year. Donations will still be accepted until next Friday. In Math today, we used the Function Machine which can be found here: http://www.littlefishsw.co.uk/card/functionmachine.html While some students used math time today to finish up the work we did this week, some of the students worked on challenge Math activities that used the input/output strategy to figure out advanced number patterns. We put all the mapping work we have done in Social Studies into duo tangs today and learned about Alberta's shield. Reminders-
*Book orders are due on Monday *Coupon Books are still available *Fun Lunch and Fun Snack days are coming! Please log into Hot Lunches to register for this year and order. Ordering closes ten days before the event. https://ohs.hotlunches.net/admin/?sid=&un=0 Our first snack is on October 11.
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Today we met our new student teacher, Ms. Talion. She will officially begin working with the class on October 22 and stay until Winter Break. We are excited to welcome her to our class. Our warm up in math was the question: How many months old are you? Using a t-chart, kids needed to figure out the pattern. It really challenged some of the students because the question was not in the format we have been using so far. In addition, they could figure out how many months old they were on their last birthday but were challenged to add on the months since then. We moved from there to finding patterns in number lines. Students practiced figuring out the pattern in the given numbers and extending them forward in an increasing pattern and backwards in a decreasing pattern until the number line was complete. Those that finished quickly were given challenge number lines to work on. In Social Studies today we completed the map of Canada from yesterday and moved on to the map of Alberta. Our focus from now until Winter Break is the geography of Alberta and how it has influenced the people here to farm, mine, live and recreate in the province.
Reminders: *Terry Fox run tomorrow, rain or shine, please dress for the weather and bring a toonie *Book Order due October 1 *Send in coupon book orders if you would like to purchase one or many *Bring an old sock to use as a whiteboard eraser We watched a new Terry Fox Video this morning after music. Students had so many thoughts and feelings to share afterwards. We researched some statistics together and filled out a graphic organizer about Terry. Did you know that he ran for 143 days and covered 5,373 kilometers? So far, over $750 million has been raised in his name. Our run is on Thursday afternoon and there is a collection jar outside the office for donations.
In Social Studies we learned about where Alberta is on a map of Canada and that there are six natural regions in our province. We learned the significance of the 49th parallel and identified our neighbouring provinces and territories. Students learned how scientists know the earth is round and how maps can distort our perception of how large the continents are compared to one another. Discussing Wonder brought us around to the topics of fads today and we talked about Pet Rocks, Tamagotchi and Fidget Spinners. Links: Alberta Bound Paul Brant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EtMQeBOguA New Terry Fox video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BzyHYZgMz8&feature=youtu.be Reminders: *Book orders went home today, please return by October 1 if you would like to order a book *We are looking for old friendless socks to use as whiteboard erasers and to store our markers in. If you find some handing around your laundry bins, please send them in! It was wonderful to meet everyone on Thursday and Friday. The information you provided will certainly help me understand your child and how to best ensure their success this year. The class is quickly becoming a community of learners and I am impressed with how quickly they have learned the routines and expectations. September has flown by!
We continued to use number patterns to solve word problems in math. Students tackled some problems independently and challenged one another to discover the patterns they had created. In science we studied some famous optical illusions and learned how our eyes can play tricks on us. We used some red/green 3D glasses to try to trick our eyes on purpose. We tested aluminum foil to see if it is truly opaque. Here is the optical illusion site we used: https://www.optics4kids.org/illusions Reminders: *The Terry Fox Run is Thursday afternoon. We will run rain or shine so please dress for the weather. If needed, we will adjust the times accordingly. *A donation of a toonie is welcomed this week for the Terry Fox Foundation *Speaking of the weather, we are outside every day and some of the children are not well dressed for the temperature. Please help them choose appropriate jackets. *If you have a flashlight at home that you can spare, please send one in for your child to keep in their desk for some fun reading activities in October. *Parent council is still accepting orders for coupon books We took a look at a fancy kaleidoscope this morning and learned how mirrors are used to reflect the moving particles into a design pattern. Later in the afternoon, we used two (or more) mirrors to reflect light onto a target on the wall. Students could see that light travels in a straight line until it is blocked, absorbed or reflected. In Math we continued answering word problems using a t-chart to organize the information in the question and to find patterns in order to extend the chart. Here are some questions students can use a t-chart at home to answer:
There are 55 birds in the backyard on Monday. On Tuesday there are 50. On Wednesday there are 45. If the pattern continues the same way, how many birds will there be in the backyard on Saturday? A bracelet takes 45 minutes to make. How many bracelets can be made in 4 hours? Sarah collected 55 books to give as gifts. She wants to give each friend 6 books and she has 8 friends. Does she have enough books? Use a calculator: Students spend 180 days in school a year. How many days will you spend in school by the end of Grade 4? Some students found that Prodigy was giving them difficult math questions. I think this issue has been solved and there is an assignment students might want to explore this week. Reminders: -Choir forms went home this week. Please return by Friday. -Two white technology forms also went home. Students in Grade 4 do not need devices at school unless they choose to later in the year. -Meet the Teacher night is Thursday, September 20 and again on Friday Morning. There is no school for children on Friday. This time is for parents to share information about their children with the teacher. Students are not required to attend. In December, students will be sharing their work in Student Led Conferences. Today in Science we talked about natural and man-made sources of light. Students listed the sun, lightning, stars, fire and northern lights as natural sources and lamps, screens, and light bulbs as man-made. We talked about bio-luminescence and watched a short Ted talk about some of the ocean creatures that live in the deep and produce their own light. The video can be found here:
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments We talked about refraction and dispersion and how rain droplets in the air split white light to create rainbows. We will be using prisms to split light into a spectrum tomorrow! Students have Prodigy accounts and were given their log in information to take home today. Prodigy is a math website that encourages children to practice mathematical concepts in a game platform. We will be using it occasionally in class over the year but students are usually very engaged and eager to use it at home too. As a teacher, I can assign activities students are required to do before they go on to free exploration and the activities are directly related to our curriculum. As a parent, you can log in to check their progress. It was a chilly Outdoor Classroom Day but students learned some new games with Mrs. Schoenberger and managed to stay warm by running all over the field. The other activities we had planned will wait until next week when hopefully it warms up a little. Our Math warm up today was a game called Snappy's Challenge. It needed a little bit of alteration before we could play it so I will post it here next week once it is fixed up. Students really enjoyed Math Curse this week, a book by John Scieszka. They are busy finding patterns everywhere right now! Reminders: *I'm still missing some start-up forms, please return as soon as possible. We'd like to start using laptops soon and we require the Acceptable Use form signed before students log in for the first time *Some of the forms were returned to parents today as they require signatures *Send in a flashlight for your child to keep in their desk if you have an extra one at home *Return Coupon Book orders when you are ready Links: Here is a link to a strategy peg game website (like leapfrog) with a variety of shapes to challenge your child. https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-peg-solitaire In Math today we looked at number patterns in a hundred chart. Students identified many sequence patterns (eg-the rows increase by ones, the columns increase by tens) and addition patterns (eg- when you add the digits of the numbers in columns and diagonals, you find patterns too). Here is the link to the interactive 100 chart, see if you and your child can find more patterns. https://www.mathplayground.com/interactive_hundreds_chart.html We talked about pattern rules and created patterns on a hundreds chart. Here is a photo of the pattern rule "Start at 4 and skip count by 4 each time." Students practiced creating patterns from a given rule and looking at patterns and determining the rule. Our first problem solving/critical thinking game is Leapfrog, an independent game you have probably played many times. Several students in the class are already able to solve it quickly. We had our Learning Commons orientation today and students were given their library cards and checked out books. Each week students will have a specific day they exchange their books. Your child will soon know his/her day and it is posted in the classroom. In Science we talked about the garbage can, recycle bin, compost bin, paper towel bin and the refundable bin. Waste in Our World is a big part of our Science curriculum and we will be talking about and planning projects all about our environment. Reminders:
*We are still missing some forms, please return ASAP * If you have one at home you can spare, please send in a flashlight your child can keep in their desk for fun reading adventures We talked more about how our eyes work today and named the different parts of them. We talked about their colours and a little bit about the genetics behind how students have the eye colour they have. Students were interested in why and how their eyes have the white reflection of light in them. In Math, we transcribed visual patterns and broke them down into their repeating attributes. Students identified pattern cores and practiced extending patterns. Next up is number patterns. We continued reading our shared reading novel, Wonder. It is such a rich book with so many discussion points that it will take us quite awhile to read. Several children have seen the movie which enhances our conversations. The book is quite different in plot to the movie and students are enjoying hearing Auggie's thoughts from the novel. Reminders:
Please return brown folders with start-up forms Please return name homework We reviewed The Circle Of Courage today. Olympic Heights School adopted this model of citizenship last year. The Circle of Courage is based in four universal growth needs of all children: belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. The model integrates the historical child development practices of the Indigenous peoples. Today students worked in pairs and used discussion starter questions to guide them in a conversation that included all quadrants of the circle. After answering each question, each child put a corresponding bead on a ring. Here are the results: Reading time means reading independently or with a buddy wherever you like in the classroom. There are lots of different places to sit and different things to sit on! We started learning about how the eye works today in our first science unit called Light and Shadows. It was fun to watch one another's pupils dilate and constrict when we turned off and on the light.
Reminders: Please return the forms in the brown envelope and the name homework. Coupon book sale information went home today. |
Karen Cooper
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