News for December 9

News for December 9, 2016

In writing this week, the children started to learn about poems. The class learned how to write concrete (shape) poems, list poems, and acrostic poems. We read books written in rhyme and the lyrics of songs and the children wrote rhyming poems and new lyrics to an old song.

The class created "Holiday Songbooks". There is a tradition of singing seasonal songs at this time of year and there is a rich history of the popular songs that are played and sung. The class created folders to hold the words to the songs (also known as lyrics) so they could read and understand the words and use the lyrics to singalong to the recorded version of the songs. We also talked about when the songs were created and figured out how long ago the song was written. Did you know that the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" was written in 1780? That means when we sing that song we are singing words that were written 236 years ago!

In math, the students continued the money unit by practising making change. In grade 2, the students are expected to be able to make change from amounts paid of $1.00 or less. In grade 3, the students are expect to be able to make change from amounts paid of $10.00 or less. The standard method is to start at the value to be paid and count up and end at the amount paid. For example, if a pencil costs 78 cents and you pay with $1.00, the change is 79,80 (two pennies), 90,100 (two dimes). So the change is 22 cents. The students could also simply subtract 100-78=22.

In science, the class began to talk about liquids and solids. We also discussed what happens to water molecules as the temperature of the water changes. Basically, in solids the molecules are in a fixed position. In liquid water, the molecules have more space between them and can "flow" and in hot water, the molecules have more energy and there are larger spaces between molecules (gas/steam/water vapour). The children began an experiment dissolving borax crystals into room temperature water. Some of the crystals dissolved but not all of them. When the crystals were stirred into hot water ALL the crystals disappeared (because there was more space between the molecules). The students placed twisted pipe cleaners in the hot water/borax solution and left them over the weekend to see what happens...

The children asked to learn more about making sculptures. So, one way is to use wire. The children experimented with wire and plastic beads to make small hanging sculptures that now hang in the hall outside of our classroom.

The students learned about snow this week. We read aloud books about how snowflakes are formed into hexagon shapes because of the shape of water molecules. Did you know that the water crystals of a snowflake need to form on something? So every snowflake has a speck of dirt in the centre of it. The class also learned the true story of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, the first person to photograph snow to show how beautiful each snowflake is. (He also took these photographs over 100 years ago!) The children also experimented with different kinds of paper to fold and cut paper snowflakes. They also learned how to fold a hexagon shape (more difficult as it requires folding paper into thirds) to cut a more "correct" hexagon paper snowflake.

Finally, Mrs. Upfold, Ryland's grandmother, came to our class on Thursday to discuss the Christmas traditions in their family. She read holiday books, showed decorations and shared family photos. Finally, she taught the children how to decorate holiday cookies with icing. What a sweet way to end her visit with us. Thank you so much for coming to our class Mrs. Upfold!

Books read aloud this week

The Bookshop Dog by Cynthia Ryland

My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton

Flyaway by Lesley Barnes

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Snow Crystals - Photographs by Wilson A. Bentley

The Story of Snow - The Science of Winter's Wonder by Mark Cassino

A Fly Went By by Mike McClintock