Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is, there is no homework for this week! After a week of intensive EQAO preparation, the students deserve a break.

PLEASE NOTE: The last day of school this year is Thursday, June 25th.

News for May 29

News for May 29

This week the class worked hard in the science unit for soil and plants. They finished researching the plant or animal for their science projects and wrote the information on posters. Each child went outside and collected different kinds of soil samples. They added water and after on week we will check for small creatures in the soil. The class also learned about the important job that earthworms do in the soil.

In math, we finished the unit on 2D motion geometry by learning about how to move objects on a grid (up, down, left, right). EQAO students did an intensive review of key math concepts in preparation for next week.

In art, the students reviewed how to make a pencil sketch. They used this technique to sketch the plant or animal from their science projects. Then, they learned how to use special watercolour pencils to colour in the pictures and thin paintbrushes and water to "paint" the picture. These pictures were put on the science posters.

In music, the class studied the song, "Flower Duet" from the opera "Lakme" (1883) by the French composer Leo Delibes. The class watched a video of two soprano singers performing this song. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpT7pK9A61A

We also listened to several different versions of this song. One was pop/rock, another with guitars and no singing, one with a flute and cello and another with a cat and chicken singing the parts. This was to show how a good song can be played successfully in many different ways.
The children listened to a read aloud of the classic story, The Velveteen Rabbit (How Toys Become Real) (1922) by Margery Williams. Another version of the story can be viewed below:

Update from Ms. R

The writing challenge this week is to write a fiction story using the character and setting given by another student (for example, write a story about "a blue monkey in Hawaii"). Students writing the EQAO were given a math practice sheet.

News for May 22

News for May 22

This short week was a busy one. We had students attending the "Sound of Music", an all-day track and field meet and of course, our Spring Concert (see the photo where, on concert night, students created a huge cup stacking pyramid - 190 cups)!

In math, the children continued to learn about symmetry, and the movement of shapes in two dimensions (slide/translation, spin/rotation, flip/reflection). We also answered the question, "How many tissues did our class use this year?". First we estimated about 2, 100 (by assuming each box held 100 tissues). Then we counted the actual number which was 2, 298 tissues!

In writing, we learned a new way to help write complete answers to questions. APE means to A - answer the question, P - prove it (using information from text) and E - extend your understanding by connecting the ideas to information you already have in your brain.

In science, the bean plants really grew! Beautiful green leaves are starting to grow at the end of strong sturdy stems. The students started their research projects using encyclopedias to discover "fascinating facts".

The students painted the "glaze" on their mugs. Darryl told us that glaze is actually finely ground glass that melts at 800 degrees Celsius to make a shiny waterproof surface on the mug. The mugs now will be fired one more time before they are finally ready.

The class used their knowledge of "reflections/flips" to help them make symmetrical art. Can you recognize the names in the photo?

Helping plants grow

The children used computers today to help learn how healthy plants grow. Here is the activity:

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to practise singing the song we are performing at the Spring Concert, this Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 PM. There will also be a bake sale in the hall outside of the gym.
A sheet with the song lyrics and a math sheet on symmetry was also handed out on Friday.

News for May 15

News for May 15

This week was all about plants! The grass that the students sowed (planted) last week started to germinate (sprout). We looked at the leaves and the roots with magnifying glasses and under the micoscope. (Check out the photo of the "root hairs" of a grass plant under our microscope). The students also looked at the "hairs" on the surface of different kinds of leaves from the plants in our classroom. The class wondered what would happen if the grass was put in the dark so we put plants in a cupboard and in a sealed box. The grass still grew but was a pale yellow. After one day in the light, the grass turned green!
The children wondered what happens if the grass was cut. They noticed that drops of water formed on the cut edge (they looked like spheres under the microscope) but disappeared after about an hour. The students each tried to pull one grass plant out of the soil but noticed that the roots were very strong in "holding" the plant in the soil.
The class also observed bean seeds growing on wet paper towel in a clear plastic bag. They saw that the roots form first. These are the same white beans we used for making our beanbags and the baked beans served at our pioneer lunch!

In math we finished the unit on fractions and began the unit on "transformational geometry" by learning about symmetry.

The children began to create a "storyboard" for their beanbag movies. They also wrote the stories for the book version of their stories.

The book "My Light" by Molly Bang was read aloud twice to the class to encourage discussion of the idea that everything on earth can be connected to the energy of the sun. The class also watched two videos - one about soil and one about plants.

The students have been working hard to create the performance of the song, "People Got To Be Free" for the spring concert on May 21. The song was written and performed by the Rascals in 1968 and is about creating peace in the world and 40 years later the message is still an important one.

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a story in the homework writing journal. The challenge is to write a fiction story in a non-fiction setting. For example, a story about the lights going out (fiction) during the author's visit in the gym (non-fiction). Students writing the EQAO test also received a math review sheet.

Important Dates:

May 18 - Victoria Day Holiday - school closed
May 21 - Spring Concert (evening)
June 1 - 5 - EQAO testing week
June 24 - Last day of classes

News for May 8

News for May 8

This week was very busy for the students of Room 5.

On Monday Policewoman Marcie visited our class to talk about personal safety. On Tuesday, Darryl taught the class how to make mugs out of clay (these will be fired in a kiln and brought back in a few weeks to be painted). On Wednesday the grade threes were at a school track and field event all day. On Thursday the children's book author Rakhsana Khan came to our school to talk about being a writer and about her books.

In math, the students continued the unit on fractions. This week we concentrated on fractions of a set of objects. The children wrote about how to make an origami fraction book (we made these last week) and the stories and books are now on display in our hallway.

We finished the chapter book Pioneer Cat and the class discussed and then wrote about the "big idea" in the story. The class generated some very good ideas (The story is about survival/friendship/caring) and worked on using their own ideas and ideas from the story to back up their choices.

In music, we started to learn the song that we will be performing at the school concert on May 21st.

We began our new science unit on soil and plants. The students learned about what soil is, looked at soil with magnifying glasses (for example, stones, shells, leaves). The children each planted some grass seed and we are now waiting to see what happens next!

And finally, as the families will know by now, the students worked very hard to create painted and collaged artwork for Mother's Day.

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to complete the homework on fractions. Students writing the EQAO test also received a reading/writing activity.

The cornbread pancakes on Pioneer Day were a hit with the students! If you would like to try making your own, here is the recipe:

Pioneer Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk (not skim milk)
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup (pioneers did not have white sugar - you could use 2/3 cup sugar instead)
1 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

* Mix the cornmeal and milk together. Add the egg, oil and maple syrup then finally the flour, baking powder and salt.

Because we did not have an oven in the classroom, we cooked the batter in a frying pan with a little melted butter, as if they were pancakes.
If you would like to bake this like cornbread, pour the batter in a greased 9 X13 inch pan and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Serve with butter. Enjoy!