This week the students focused on geometry and the names and properties of flat, two-dimensional (2D) shapes. From learning the Greek origins of many of the shape names to creating art designs, the students are getting a deep understanding of these shapes in our world.
The children went on a "shape hunt" and realized that the easiest geometric shape to find in the classroom is the rectangle. They used elastics on geoboards to create polygon shapes and geodot paper to draw polygons.
The students learned about an ancient Chinese puzzle called Tangrams and how these are used to make various pictures. Using the seven tans, shaped like various polygons the student chorally read Grandfather Tang's Story and worked to recreate the animal characters using their tangram puzzles.
We began the Social Studies unit by learning how Canada is divided into 13 smaller parts (10 provinces and 3 territories). We also talked about important facts about Canada, for example, Prime Minister Stephen Harper lives and works in Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. Also Canada became a country 147 years ago, on July 1, 1867. The children also learned a song to help them remember not only the names of the province and territories but also the order of them across the country moving from the east coast of Canada to the west coast.
The students began a class research project about the school bell in the special cabinet in our school's office. We went down to the office and read on the bell that it was made by Meneely West foundry in Troy, New York in 1860. Seven years before Canada became a country! We wrote a letter to Mrs. Farrelly to ask for her help with this project and she lent us a book on the history of Davisville School.
The students made a video about their research posters about structures around the world.
The class finished all 26 letters of the alphabet by learning the letters m, n, x and z.
In the computer lab, the children began to learn keyboarding skills by trying the typing games on the site:
learninggamesforkids/keyboarding_games.html
The class visited their kindergarten learning buddies in Room 103 this week. They had a lot of fun helping the children learn about and understand numbers from 1-20.
The students used the "power polygon" shapes to help them create designs to show the art elements of line, colour and 2D shapes.
Finally, the children created posters to advertise our school's TOY DRIVE asking for donations of new, unwrapped toys to give to families in need.
Books read aloud this week:
A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna
Christian the Lion by John Rendall and Anthony Bourke
The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns
Tadao's Search for Circles by Marion Brooker
The Boy With Square Eyes by Julliet and Charles Snape
Grandfather Tang's Story - A fable told with tangrams by Ann Tompert
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