Dec. 3-6

Room 22 Weekly Update

Learning Intentions this week:

LA- I can write a thoughtful reflection about a reading.  I can use a picture prompt to plan, organize and write a story with detailed descriptions.

Math- I can multiply using a multiplication chart, arrays, groups, and decks of cards.  I can explain how addition and multiplication are related.

Social- I can review and recall facts about land regions in Canada and make informed hypotheses about people living in similar areas in other countries.

Science- I can state the different ways electricity is generated and if the type of electricity is natural or man-made.

Language Arts

In LA, we have begun working with words with a focus on spelling patterns.  Students were asked to create sentences using the words and hand them in on Monday to Mr. Kinsman.  We also practiced planning a story using a picture prompt.

Math

During math, students have been building fluency with multiplication facts from 1-9. Ask me to play multiplication war with you.

Science

This week we have been investigating electricity. We learned about how power is generated, and man-made vs. natural electricity. Here is our initial sorting process.

Next week

We will be tracking the amount of electricity we use in a day in preparation for out "electricity out" day.

Social

This week we finished viewing oral presentations on the seven land regions of Canada and started a review page in preparation for a quiz next week.

We have been discussing current events. Current events helps students understand the importance of people, events, and issues in the news; it stimulates students to explore and learn more about the news, and to pay attention to the news they see and hear outside  of our school.

We will be starting to work on analyzing cartoon pictures. Here is a sample of one of our activities.

1. Brainstorm- Look at the cartoon below. What do you think of when you see it? Write your ideas in keywords.

2. Discuss- What /Who is being shown? Is there a celebration? What kind of mood is being represented? Why? Which elements does the cartoonist use? What is the cartoonist's intention?  Do you like the cartoon? Give reasons. 

3. Write an analysis.

Coming Up

Twinkles the Elf continues to visit the school.  Word work due on Monday.  The Library Book Truck comes on Friday. And...

November 26-30

Room 22 has been learning to make an oral presentation this week at school in social studies.  Students have been taking turns being the presenter and the audience, while sharing the information we collected on the regions of Canada.  Next week we will a quiz on the regions on Wednesday or Thursday.  Please return to this blog to access review content next week.

On Friday, we joined up with our buddies to learn how to be North Pole Ninjas.  We read a book called North Pole Ninjas and decided to complete a secret mission to spread kind acts throughout the school.

 

Check out this video that the authors of the book created about the purpose of the book. 

North Pole Ninjas

If you'd like to challenge your child to complete kind missions at home or in the community here are a few ideas:

• Go for a walk and pick up any litter you find along the way. Make your streets sparkle!
• Bring a plate of treats to your local fire station. The firefighters work hard and will happily gobble them up.
• Sit and chat with a new friend at lunch. Make them feel happy.
• Greet each person you see all day with a smile. All smiles, all day.
• Shovel a neighbour's sidewalk.
• Read a book to someone.

In language arts, we are focusing on reading comprehension and using reading strategies to make sure we understand what we are reading.  Ask me about:

• making connections
• visualizing
• questioning
• inferring
• transforming

We are particularly focused on reflecting on our class novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone through writing.

 

November 19-23rd

Room 22 had a busy week, as we finished up units in science, social, and mathematics. We had a test in math on place value, addition and subtraction of numbers to the millions, rounding, and basic patterns.  We also had a test on Wetlands in science.  Students were provided with study guides, reviewed material in partners and as a whole class, directed to a review powerpoint on this blog, and then given the test.

The main purpose of these tests were multi-pronged.  First they give a snapshot of where each student is on that particular day.  They also highlight, class trends, if particular questions are difficult or easy for the class, allowing us to adjust our teaching.  Lastly, they provide the students with an opportunity to practice writing a test and learn how to review specific material.

Room 22, values these opportunities so that we can make changes as a class, understanding where we are, and where we are moving next.  As teachers, Mr. Kinsman and Mrs. Pierce, both believe in the learning process and hope these experiences help our class become advocates for their own learning, learn to revise and edit, and that making mistakes is helpful to us all. 

 Follow this link to a video on why making mistakes is necessary.

Mindset in Math

This video shows how the brain works and how we make connections when we learn.

How Your Brain Works

We enjoyed having time this week to reflect on our learning, individually, with a friend, with our parents, and with the class.  We have started writing new goals to help us focus on improving our learning. You will be able to view these goals at home soon on IRIS.

During discussions with parents, several asked about homework.  The CBE recommends no more than 20 minutes per night of assigned homework for division 2 students (gr. 4-6).  Students in our class are expected to read each evening and will be asked to write a reflection based on this reading.  They are also encouraged to play math games to strengthen their learning.  We also send home assignments that were incomplete in class, review and challenge questions to promote learning.  Please check the blog to access review and challenge questions with your child.  You can also access some great websites on the second page of this blog.

Enjoy these pictures of our students helping our buddies practice sharing their assignments for student led conferences.

Up-coming this week:

Social Presentations on Land Regions

Social Review and Final Test

Book Truck Visit on Friday- please return your books

Wetland Review

Click here for our Wetlands Review Powerpoint

Nov. 12-16th

November 12-16th

This has been a busy week at school.  We have spent time editing, revising, and reviewing in all subject areas.  We had a math test to help our teachers decide what to work on next, and we used the laptop computers to finish our research on the seven land regions of Canada and began making a slideshow. We also completed some artwork we started for Remembrance Day.

 

We also worked on our all about me artwork inspired by Mr. Hippe.  Students were asked to create an art piece that represented a passion for them.  The entire design needed to include elements of their passion.  Even Mrs. Pierce made one.

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In science, we started a new unit on electricity and magnetism.  We learned that atoms are the smallest units that make up everything in the world. When atoms join together they create molecules.  We found out that atoms have protons, neutrons, and a nucleus, and the electrons follow electrical currents.  Check out a video that we watched.

What are atoms for kids?

We started title pages to demonstrate our learning.

 
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Lastly, we had some fun in physical education merging our mathematical skills with our physical skills.  We learned to keep score and add up the bowling pins!

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Learning Intentions from the week included:

LA- I can write for a specific audience, using creativity and voice, while communicating my ideas.
Math- I can read and write numbers to one million, and complete addition and subtraction calculations.  I can round numbers to help me estimate and check if my calculations make sense.
Science- I can brainstorm ideas and make jot notes about a particular subject.
Social- I can connect real world ideas to information gathered in my classroom.  I can understand the importance of current events, by watching the news, reading a newspaper, and share this information with my class.
Art- I can thoughtfully design an art piece that communicates emotion, and is a clear representation.


Up-Coming next week:
Oral presentations will begin on the seven land regions.  Come prepared to share your learning.
Science test on Wetlands


 Reminders:

We still have some students who have not returned their school forms from September.
Some students are not handing in their homework or assignments.  Watch for emails that indicate if your child is missing any work.
Parent Teacher Conferences for our class are being held Wednesday and Thursday evening, due to Mr. Kinsman's schedule.  Please sign up through your CBE account.

Nov. 5-9

Nov. 5-9th

Learning intentions:
Language Arts- use writing to persuade an audience
Math- use number lines to benchmark numbers
Social Studies- collect information from a variety of sources and create a presentation to showcase your learning
-remember and promote peaceful activities as a reflection of Remembrance Day
Art- use oil pastels to create a portrait, focusing on lines and a focal point

This week in class, we created a persuasive ad to sell a haunted house.  We also started a new class novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  In math we learned to benchmark decimal and whole numbers.  During social, we contined to research the seven regions of Canada and began creating a digital representation.  We also reviewed the significance of Remembrance Day.

Oct. 29- Nov. 2

Learning Intentions:

Math- learn how to estimate (round numbers) by using place value

Language Arts- learn to start a piece of writing by grabbing the audience's attention, add details to writing and be descriptive

Science- learn to create detailed notes about a topic, give constructive feedback

Social- learn to compile information from a source and explain it in your own words

This week in class we had fun creating spider art for Halloween.  On Friday the whole school went outside to watch the play-off game in football.  Go Dinos Go!

Homework:
If you have not handed in your science wetland write-up please email it to slpierce@cbe.ab.ca this weekend.  Instructions and resources are on last week's post.

Here are some pics of us giving and receiving feedback from RM 14.