Here is a video of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Update from Ms. R
Well, the warm weather has definitely arrived! Please remember that your child is outside for over one and a half hours each day. Therefore, to protect them from the sun, they need to come to school with:
* a hat
* a water bottle
* sunscreen
The homework for this week is to teach an adult learner how to play the math game "PIG". The children discovered the probabilities of rolling certain numbers and how that can influence the strategies used to win the game. The students must also complete an activity reflection sheet based on this activity. This homework is due on Thursday, May 31 (recall Friday, June 1 is a P.A. Day).
Note: Friday, June 22 at 9:00 AM is our 100+ Books Party! Families are welcome to join us!
* a hat
* a water bottle
* sunscreen
The homework for this week is to teach an adult learner how to play the math game "PIG". The children discovered the probabilities of rolling certain numbers and how that can influence the strategies used to win the game. The students must also complete an activity reflection sheet based on this activity. This homework is due on Thursday, May 31 (recall Friday, June 1 is a P.A. Day).
Note: Friday, June 22 at 9:00 AM is our 100+ Books Party! Families are welcome to join us!
News for May 24
News for May 24
This week the grade 3 students worked hard to review for the EQAO test next week. The test will be in six parts, one part in the morning and one part in the afternoon, each day for 3 days. All of the grade 3's in the school will write the test in Room 5. The Room 5 grade 4 students will go to Room 4
(Ms. Kam) during the testing periods.
The caterpillars are growing! Most of them have tripled in size.Many have gone into the next stage, which is the chrysalis. These are now hanging from the ceiling in our butterfly house. The children wrote their observations, drew diagrams and thought about what was happening inside the chrysalis, as the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside the chrysalis. They each wrote he/her hypothesis down to compare later with research information.
In math, the class continued the unit on probability. They learned the game "PIG" which uses two dice and the goal is to roll the dice, tally the amount of points and the first person to get to 100 (or over) is the winner. But, if a "1" is rolled you loose your turn and if "1+1" is rolled you lose all your points so far. Then the children analyzed the possible outcomes when rolling two dice (there are 36 different outcomes) and figured out the possibility of rolling a "1" (11 out of 36) and the possibility of rolling "1+1" (1 out of 36). During out computer time the students visited this site to play probability games:
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/probability-games.html
We finished reading the biography of Jim Henson, the inventor of the muppets. As a complement to this story the children watched a documentary (a movie version of a biography) of Kevin Clash, the artist who is the voice and puppeteer of the famous Elmo muppet. It was clear from both stories that these men each had a dream from when they were young and worked very hard to make their dreams come true.
As part of the pioneer unit, students learned about planting seeds. They learned about what plants need to grow in their environment. In the field of a farm, the pioneers could not rely on every seed to grow. The probability of a seed growing to maturity was about 1 in 4. They used a poem to help them remember:
"One for wind, one for crow, one to rot and one to grow."
The class learned how to dye wool. Traditionally, pioneers would use fruit and vegetables to colour their wool, but we used Kool-aid. The students also learned how the pioneers used vinegar, salt or urine to "fix" the colour so that it would not wash out. The children will use this dyed wool in a variety of future projects in our pioneer unit.
The students also learned about how to design experiments to prove that water, air, warmth and light are needed for a plant to grow. So, the students had some beans with water, some in the fridge (no warmth), some with too much water (no air) and some in a sealed metal tin (no light). By the end of the week the seeds had begun to germinate (sprout).
The students began planning our 100+ Books Party (Friday, June 22 at 9:00 AM - families are welcome to attend!) They each chose a book from the books read aloud this year. They all began to write a book report based on the chosen book.
This week the grade 3 students worked hard to review for the EQAO test next week. The test will be in six parts, one part in the morning and one part in the afternoon, each day for 3 days. All of the grade 3's in the school will write the test in Room 5. The Room 5 grade 4 students will go to Room 4
(Ms. Kam) during the testing periods.
The caterpillars are growing! Most of them have tripled in size.Many have gone into the next stage, which is the chrysalis. These are now hanging from the ceiling in our butterfly house. The children wrote their observations, drew diagrams and thought about what was happening inside the chrysalis, as the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside the chrysalis. They each wrote he/her hypothesis down to compare later with research information.
In math, the class continued the unit on probability. They learned the game "PIG" which uses two dice and the goal is to roll the dice, tally the amount of points and the first person to get to 100 (or over) is the winner. But, if a "1" is rolled you loose your turn and if "1+1" is rolled you lose all your points so far. Then the children analyzed the possible outcomes when rolling two dice (there are 36 different outcomes) and figured out the possibility of rolling a "1" (11 out of 36) and the possibility of rolling "1+1" (1 out of 36). During out computer time the students visited this site to play probability games:
http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/probability-games.html
We finished reading the biography of Jim Henson, the inventor of the muppets. As a complement to this story the children watched a documentary (a movie version of a biography) of Kevin Clash, the artist who is the voice and puppeteer of the famous Elmo muppet. It was clear from both stories that these men each had a dream from when they were young and worked very hard to make their dreams come true.
As part of the pioneer unit, students learned about planting seeds. They learned about what plants need to grow in their environment. In the field of a farm, the pioneers could not rely on every seed to grow. The probability of a seed growing to maturity was about 1 in 4. They used a poem to help them remember:
"One for wind, one for crow, one to rot and one to grow."
The class learned how to dye wool. Traditionally, pioneers would use fruit and vegetables to colour their wool, but we used Kool-aid. The students also learned how the pioneers used vinegar, salt or urine to "fix" the colour so that it would not wash out. The children will use this dyed wool in a variety of future projects in our pioneer unit.
The students also learned about how to design experiments to prove that water, air, warmth and light are needed for a plant to grow. So, the students had some beans with water, some in the fridge (no warmth), some with too much water (no air) and some in a sealed metal tin (no light). By the end of the week the seeds had begun to germinate (sprout).
The students began planning our 100+ Books Party (Friday, June 22 at 9:00 AM - families are welcome to attend!) They each chose a book from the books read aloud this year. They all began to write a book report based on the chosen book.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Update from Ms. R
The photos and video are now posted.
The homework for this weekend is to write a fiction or non-fiction story in the homework writing journal. This homework is due on Friday, May 25th.
I would like to wish all the families of Room 5 a happy and safe Victoria Day long weekend!
The homework for this weekend is to write a fiction or non-fiction story in the homework writing journal. This homework is due on Friday, May 25th.
I would like to wish all the families of Room 5 a happy and safe Victoria Day long weekend!
News for May 18
News for May 25
This week we welcomed 25 Painted Lady caterpillars to our class! We also said good bye to Ms. Stark, our third and final student teacher for the year. We wish her the best of luck in her teaching career. We will miss her.
In science we started our new unit by learning about the characteristics of insects (for example, insects have 6 legs). The students also had a chance to observe, record and draw what the caterpillars look like (colours, texture, length). The science name for Painted Lady caterpillars/butterflies, is Vanessa cardui. The class also learned one of the important principles of science which is to report on and draw exactly what they see, not what they think they should see.
In math, students investigated and practiced using the vocabulary of probability (certain, likely, equally likely, unlikely and impossible). The children flipped coins, spun spinners and used what they know to discuss how to determine the probability of all the possible outcomes.
As a follow-up to the book we read recently, "The Banjo of Destiny", the children learned about the history and the parts of the banjo. They also got a chance to hold and play the banjo. At the end of the week, we had a "special musical guest" who came and played the banjo in our class...one of our former student teachers, Ms. Fletcher! She came and played the banjo and sang songs along with the children. As a connection to our reading the biography of Jim Henson, we sang Kermit the frog's famous song, "It's Not Easy Being Green". We also sang "The Lazy Song" and of course, the song we sang at the Winter Concert, "Firework".
A video of our visit with Ms. Fletcher can be found below:
The students wrote a review of the quality of the instructions they used last week to make a balancing acrobat toy. Then they created a poster that included a good copy of this writing and a photo of each student balancing his/her acrobat. Recall the purpose of this lesson was to have the students reflect on the process of making a toy instead of buying one. This is a link to our pioneer unit. These posters are now on display in the hallway.
Ms. Stark taught the students how to sketch with charcoal. Using burnt willow vine charcoal the class went outside to sketch trees. These sketches are now on display in the hallway outside our classroom.
The class also had a chance to practice the sport of Speed Stacking (cup stacking). This is a great activity for children to increase their eye-hand coordination.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Update from Ms. R
Happy Mother's Day to all the Room 5 families!
The homework for this week is to complete the math worksheet on area and perimeter. This worksheet was sent home on Friday. Homework is due on Friday, May 18th.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, June 12 our class will have a visit from Scientists in the Schools. The program requires TWO PARENT VOLUNTEERS. If you would like to volunteer that afternoon, please let Ms. R know. Thank you.
Important Dates
May 17-25 - Book Fair
May 21 - Victoria Day - no classes
May 23 - ABC or Anything But the Car Day
June 1 - P. A. Day - no classes
June 6 - Spring Concert (new date) 6:45 - 8:00 - note our class performed at the winter concert and therefore will not be performing at the spring concert. However, members of the primary and junior choirs will be performing at the spring concert.
June 12 (PM) - Scientists in the Schools - TWO PARENT VOLUNTEERS are needed. Please contact Ms. R if you would like to join us on this fun-filled afternoon.
June 28 - Last day of classes
News for May 11
News for May 11
This week, the students had a special day on Tuesday. The grade 3 students went to Black Creek Pioneer Village and the grade 4 students stayed in Room 5 and had a Medieval Day with me. They learned about the legend of King Arthur, made marshmallow-launching catapults and created stained glass-like art. They learned about Robin Hood and archery, labyrinths and mazes and made their own butter to spread on bread for a snack! Then they went to the computer lab to try out electronic mazes, archery and a Robin Hood game.
http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/english/games/sports/archery/archery.html
http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/the-legend-of-robinhood
http://www.prongo.com/maze/index.html
They also saw the Daffy Duck version of Robin Hood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS5R6ztNTqc
In math, the children finished up the measurement unit on area and perimeter. They discovered that shapes can have the same perimeter but different areas or the same areas but different perimeters! Finally each child measured the area and perimeter of their hand. On Friday, we began the unit on probability by doing a class math experiment where the students predicted the colour and number of cubes in a sealed box.
The class worked on reading assessments this week in prepartation for the final reading assessment scores that are required by the school board this time of year. As well, the grade 3's have accelerated their preparation for the EQAO test at the end of the month.
The students worked hard to make gifts for Mother's Day. They created beads out of polymer clay (Fimo) and used these to make necklaces. Ms. Stark showed the children how to make large flowers out of tissue paper. The students were all excited to give their gifts to their mothers!
In our guided reading groups, the children each read instructions on how to make a pioneer style toy and discussed why pioneer children made toys and what materials were available to them. At the end of the week, the students tested how clear the instructions were by making their own balancing acrobat toys. A video of the results can be found about the text of this posting.
The class worked with Ms. Stark to review how to create a complete and well-designed invitation. The students decided which kind of party they would like to have and made an appropriate invitation, that provided not only the required information, but would also want someone to attend the party.
Books read aloud this week:
The Way to Start the Day by Bryd Baylor
The Party by Barbara Reid
The Black Book of Colour by Menena Cottin
This week, the students had a special day on Tuesday. The grade 3 students went to Black Creek Pioneer Village and the grade 4 students stayed in Room 5 and had a Medieval Day with me. They learned about the legend of King Arthur, made marshmallow-launching catapults and created stained glass-like art. They learned about Robin Hood and archery, labyrinths and mazes and made their own butter to spread on bread for a snack! Then they went to the computer lab to try out electronic mazes, archery and a Robin Hood game.
http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/english/games/sports/archery/archery.html
http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/the-legend-of-robinhood
http://www.prongo.com/maze/index.html
They also saw the Daffy Duck version of Robin Hood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS5R6ztNTqc
In math, the children finished up the measurement unit on area and perimeter. They discovered that shapes can have the same perimeter but different areas or the same areas but different perimeters! Finally each child measured the area and perimeter of their hand. On Friday, we began the unit on probability by doing a class math experiment where the students predicted the colour and number of cubes in a sealed box.
The class worked on reading assessments this week in prepartation for the final reading assessment scores that are required by the school board this time of year. As well, the grade 3's have accelerated their preparation for the EQAO test at the end of the month.
The students worked hard to make gifts for Mother's Day. They created beads out of polymer clay (Fimo) and used these to make necklaces. Ms. Stark showed the children how to make large flowers out of tissue paper. The students were all excited to give their gifts to their mothers!
In our guided reading groups, the children each read instructions on how to make a pioneer style toy and discussed why pioneer children made toys and what materials were available to them. At the end of the week, the students tested how clear the instructions were by making their own balancing acrobat toys. A video of the results can be found about the text of this posting.
The class worked with Ms. Stark to review how to create a complete and well-designed invitation. The students decided which kind of party they would like to have and made an appropriate invitation, that provided not only the required information, but would also want someone to attend the party.
Books read aloud this week:
The Way to Start the Day by Bryd Baylor
The Party by Barbara Reid
The Black Book of Colour by Menena Cottin
Sunday, May 6, 2012
News for May 4
There were a lot of special activities this week! On Monday, the whole school braved the cold to participate in a school-wide Track and Field meet. In the afternoon, our class learned we had won "cookie medals" for collecting the most pennies in last week's Penny Challenge fundraiser. On Tuesday afternoon, our class met with a visiting artist. The children looked at the work of French artist Fernand Leger and used his work as inspiration to create colourful paper sculptures. On Friday morning, the class presented the school assembly on cooperation (more information at the end of this posting). On Friday afternoon, the children participated in Jump Rope for Heart, by skipping with all the students outside on the playground.
We welcomed our new student teacher, Ms. Stark to our class this week. Ms. Stark is a student at Queen's University.
In math, the students wrote the final unit test on fractions. The children are now learning about the measurement concepts of perimeter (measured in linear units) and area (measured in square units).
The class began the new social studies unit on Pioneers. The children did partner reading (where one child reads part of the passage and the partner summarizes what was read) of a non-fiction story called "A Pioneer Child's Day".
Ms. Stark led the class in our science summative activity on sound. She presented the concept of making sounds without instruments. Using plastic bins, staplers and paper bags the students experimented with all the different ways to make sounds. Finally they had a chance to perform together. The students also watched professional artists perform "Stomp" where they danced and made music using garbage cans and lids.
http://www.stomponline.com/index-us.php
Books read aloud this week:
Banjo of Destiny (chapter book) by Cary Fagan
More Than Anything Else (a story of young Booker T. Washington) by Marie Bradby
Our class was responsible for the school-wide recognition assembly that was held in the gym this Friday. The students worked very hard on putting together a play about cooperation based on a story called "The Two Greedy Children". A video of the play can be found at the end of this posting.
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