February 9th, 2023
Hello families,
This week we completed our Color Monster Writing Workshop. Students also created their own Color Monster art to accompany their writing. Students have shown growth in editing for spelling and representing their ideas in an organized way!
In Word Work students completed a digraph sort and we learned about the digraph "NG" and "QU". We know ALOT of Animated Literacy actions now!
Here are some Daily L.A. work choices students took part in this week.
In Mathematics we began math stations! Much like Daily L.A., math stations are rotated and each group gets the opportunity to practice their math skills in a variety of ways. The stations include:
- Math with Ms. Greenhall
- Math games
- Math with technology
- Math with Montessori materials
- Fact fluency
I have created Prodigy accounts for each student in the class. This is a math based adventure app. Please let me know if you would like me to send your child's login information for them to play at home! Headphones are greatly appreciated as this station can be quite distracting for other students in the room!
We also learned about the Montessori Stamp Game, a material that is used throughout our program for solving all operations. It is a more efficient material to solve for bigger sums compared to other materials we have learned about so far. Here is an online version if you are interested in your child teaching you it at home!
We then incorporated the stamp game as a tool to solve for more difficult number bonds.
On Thursday we joined Mrs. Green's grade 1/2 class to learn and play some new math and literacy games. It was great playing with friends from another class!
In Science we continued to learn about liquids, specifically water in our world and the role humans play to help preserve it. We are working towards the following curricular outcomes:
- I can recognize water is a component of many materials and living things
- I can recognize the human responsibilities for maintaining clean water and identify actions to ensure water is safe for all living things
- I can identify the needs of living things including their habitat
We watched "A Whale's Tale", a very powerful short about ocean pollution, and discussed if we think humans are good to water. Students had some great justifications for their answers and it was clear the answer is not just a "yes" or a "no".
We then began learning about oil in the oceans, hypothesizing what would happen when water and oil are mixed together.
Each table group then got their own mini "ocean" and were tasked with getting the oil out of the ocean. This was quite a challenge!
After realizing oil is not easily removed from water, we learned about oil's biggest rival, soap! Students also made the connection of why we use soap to wash our hands and not just water.
We read Dear Earth ...From Your Friends in Room 5, by Erin Dealy. This book not only illustrated ways to keep our Earth clean and happy, but also introduced letter writing to students. We will be learning about letters next week as we write Valentines!
Before we visited the Learning Commons aquarium this week, we took part in a thinking routine where students compared photos from a week apart.
When we visited the aquarium, we saw that the critters have grown a lot! Students sketched and labeled them as they look very different from their first sketches.
Our class decided that the animals in the aquarium must be fish. I gave them a clue that they are an indigenous species to Alberta. Some guesses included goldfish, pike, walleye, and rainbow trout!
Tea Time Tuesday was another success! Students were so respectful and patient as I set up and served the tea this week. I am impressed with how well students took care of their mugs from start to finish, and prepared their own drink if they brought something different.
At the end of the week we attended a celebration of learning assembly hosted by the grade 5/6s. It was set up as stations which was really cool for students to move around! The theme was "Old Enough to Make a Change".
We also spent some time with our big buddies on Friday. Buddies is always a great time to practice academic and social skills through modelling, mentorship, collaboration and sportsmanship. Students really seem to love this time together.
Have a great weekend,
Ms. Greenhall
Upcoming Dates
- Every Tuesday - Tea Time
- Home Reading and Library Books - Students can exchange as needed
- Mondays at Lunch - Card Club (All grades)
- Wednesdays at Lunch - Grade 1/2 Dance Club
- Tuesday February 14th - Valentines Day
- Wednesday February 15th - 100th Day of School and Family Dance
- February 16th- 17th- Teacher's Convention: No School
- Monday February 20th - Family Day: No School
- Wednesday February 22 - Pink Shirt Day
Literacy Volunteering
We are looking for parents interested in volunteering as a literacy volunteer on a more regular basis. Please send me an email and I can send some information your way!
Valentines Day
As a school we will not be doing an individual Valentine exchange. Instead each class will be taking part in activities focusing on spreading kindness. For Valentine’s day in Room 8 we will be participating in Buddy Valentines and a small community initiative for a local seniors home. These will occur during school time and do not require preparation at home.
*Please note treats can not be shared at school, but you are welcome to send a special treat with your child the day of!*
100th Day of School
We made it o 100 days! To celebrate we will be doing all things 100 this day. Students are invited to dress in theme if they wish!
Listen to Reading
A reminder that our listening to reading" station is through the app EPIC. Please note that sometimes the app does may not work outside of school hours for some reason.
Our class code is: ypq1713
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Scholastic Book Flyers
Looking to shop for books online through Scholastic year round? I have set up a scholastic account for our class! Happy reading!
Class Code: RC358893
