The Room 204 Interview Show

This week our guest was Ms. Robertson. She is the vice principal at our school.

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to visit the class blog with a parent and teach the adult about the activities we do in Room 204. Then the student is required to write about the lesson on the reflection sheet provided. There is also a math worksheet reviewing the linear measurement concepts covered this week. This homework is due on Friday, February 3rd.

***NOTE TO PARENTS***

A blue half-sheet form was sent home with each child on Friday. Please use these forms to sign up for a parent teacher interview. Please indicate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices as many parents like to choose the same time slots! I like to use this opportunity to talk about your child's learning, to show some of the work he/she has done and to discuss how your child's learning can be supported at home. The designated dates are the evening of Thursday, February 16th and the morning of Friday, February 17th. If these dates are not convenient, please contact me to arrange an alternate date and time.

Important Dates:

February 2 - Groundhog Day

February 8 - Kiwanis Festival music trip 

February 10 - Family Skate Night (organized by Parent Council)

February 14 - Valentine's Day

February 15 - Flag Day 

February 15 - Term 1 report cards go home

February 16 (evening) and February 17 (morning) - parent teacher interviews

February 17 - PA Day - no classes

February 20 - Family Day holiday

February 28 - Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday

March 13 to 17 - March Break holiday

News for January 27

He 

News for January 27

This week the students did the first interview for "The Room 204 Interview Show". On Wednesday, we interviewed Ms. Robertson, the vice principal at our school. You can view the video in a separate posting.

Each student wrote a survey question to learn more about the students in Room 204. Next the children went around the classroom and answered the questions. Then the children tallied their results, graphed the information and wrote about what they learned.

The class began a new math unit on linear measurement. They reviewed the use of non-standard and standard units to measure length and distance. We talked about the standard units centimetre, metre and kilometre and began to measure items using rulers.

The class continue to work on their glovetopus chapter books. They also started to create illustrations for their books. We learned more about real octopuses too, for students to use in their writing. Did you know that the octopus has 9 brains, a hard "beak" to crack open shellfish and blue-green blood?

Our class research projects on different countries around the world are almost finished. About half of the completed posters are now displayed in the hallway outside of our classroom.

The children created test sentences and made cue cards to practice the use of the trickiest homophones in the English language, "their, there, they're".  Here's a challenge: ______ with ______ friends over _______. Do you know the proper way to spell the words that go into the blanks?

In social studies, the class is talking more about traditions and celebrations. The students read and answered comprehension questions about the history of Groundhog Day (February 2) and how it is celebrated. Did you know that it is exactly halfway between the first day of winter and the first day of spring? It's not based on science, but the tradition is that if the groundhog comes our of its burrow and sees its shadow (that is, a sunny day), then it will go back into its home and winter will last another six weeks.

On Friday, the class celebrated Chinese New Year! It's the year 4715 according to their lunar calendar. The Chinese zodiac symbol makes the new year the year of the rooster. We read about the history of chopsticks ("quick sticks"). We cooked rice and stir-fried vegetables, ate oranges and introduced water chestnuts and baby corn to many of the students. Did you know that humans have been eating rice for over 5,000 years? The children helped to cook the food and wrote about this Chinese tradition in their journals. Did you know that oranges are a holiday food and oranges with leaves are considered to be good luck?

The children were challenged to work with a partner and find the best way to cover a sphere with paper. It's not easy to do! This activity was done to help the children make a connection between a globe and a flat map of the world. I drew a rough map of the world on an orange and peeled it in one piece to show what it would look like as a flat map.

The students attended an assembly in the gym on Thursday. Ms. Francesca organized a presentation from the people at "Right to Play". The children learned about how this organization works with children around the world and uses games to teach life skills and promote leadership. More information can be found at www.righttoplay.ca

Finally, the children learned the cursive letters "q, i, u, y" this week.

Books read aloud this week:

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (chapter book - finished)

Canada's Maple Leaf - The Story of Our Flag by Ann-Maureen Owens

Chopsticks- Amazing Chinese Inventions by Ying Chang Compestine

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a story in the homework writing journal. A "lucky" envelope was placed in the journal to help generate ideas for a story. A few ideas that the class discussed were: the envelope is "magic" or perhaps the envelope contains a message or a treasure map. There is also a math worksheet reviewing data management (graphing) concepts covered this week. This homework is due on Friday, January 27, 2017. 

Important Dates:

January 24-26 - Scholastic Book Fair

February 8 - Kiwanis Festival music trip (permission forms and $10 due on January 23)

February 10 - Family Skate Night (organized by Parent Council)

February 15 - Term 1 report cards go home

February 16 (evening) and February 17 (morning) - parent teacher interviews

February 17 - PA Day - no classes

February 20 - Family Day holiday

March 13 to 17 - March Break holiday

News for January 19

News for January 19

This four-day week had the students beginning to write chapter books, creating social studies research posters and making decorations for Chinese New Year!

In math, the children continued to answer daily survey questions and practise interpreting the results. Did you know that the children in Room 204 mostly wear velcro shoes? The class reviewed horizontal and vertical bar graphs, pictographs and learned about pie graphs (also called circle graphs). At the end of the week, the students began to draw their own bar graphs.

The students finished the good copies of their penguin stories, written as if the penguin was telling the story. The final versions were decorated with the origami penguins the children folded last week. These are now on display in the hall outside of our classroom.

The children each created a new stuffed character to star in the next writing project. A "glovetopus" (glove + octopus) was made by each child using a pair of gloves, stuffing and buttons for eyes.

The class began a new project...writing chapter books with a glovetopus as the main character! The students discussed how to plan for a three (or more) chapter book. They also learned that an author often needs to do research to help him/her with the details of a story. So they listened to a read aloud book containing facts about octopuses. (Did you know that an octopus has three hearts?) The children also started to create illustrations for their books.

Each student wrote a letter to me, outlining his/her goals for the rest of the school year. The children reflected on goals for writing, rules and routines and interacting with other students.

In social studies, most children have finished their country research and are now writing the information directly on their posters.

The class learned about the holiday and traditions of Chinese New Year (January 28). In preparation for our celebration next week the students used red "lucky" envelopes to create lanterns for decorations. Actually, folding and stapling the envelopes was a great way to review some geometry...

Finally, the children learned the cursive letters "d, c, g" this week.

Books read aloud this week:

Celebrating Chinese New Year by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

My Favourite Animal - Octopus by Victoria Marcos

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (chapter book)

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to teach an adult how to fold an origami paper penguin. After the lesson, each student is to write a reflection on how the lesson went. There is also a math worksheet reviewing concepts from our data management unit. This homework is due on THURSDAY, January 20th (since Friday is a P. A. Day).

***Note for parents***

Please have your child bring their lunch in a bag. Our new lunch routine requires the lunch bags to be piled into a large bin. Loose containers get separated and fall out of the bin easily. Also please send an extra pair of socks. If socks get wet, it's nice to have a dry pair to change into!

Important Dates:

January 20 - PA Day - no classes

February 8 - Kiwanis Festival music trip (permission forms and $10 due on January 23)

February 15 - Term 1 report cards go home

February 16 (evening) and February 17 (morning) - parent teacher interviews

February 17 - PA Day - no classes

February 20 - Family Day holiday

March 13 to 17 - March Break holiday

News for January 13

News for January 13

This week, the children settled back easily into their school routines. They reviewed past work and started new projects.

In math, the class reviewed telling time by creating their own analog clocks. The children reviewed the various features of the standard calendar and learned about different kinds of calendars. They also looked at several examples of perpetual (never-ending) calendars. These are calendars that tell the days and months but work independently from the current year. Finally, the students had a chance to create their own perpetual calendars that uses turning paper disks to show the date.

The class began a new math unit on data management. The children reviewed how to use and read tally marks and practiced reading bar graphs. Each day during this unit the students are asked to answer a survey question to learn more about our class. Did you know that most of the people in Room 204 like mango and most wear gloves instead of mittens outside? We can't learn this information from a book or the internet, so the only way to find out is to ask questions!

The students were challenged to count how many words are on our "Word Wall". There are 110 words! We are running out of room to post our spelling words, so each child created his/her own personal dictionary to record the words learned so far. The class reviewed these words all week and next week, the old Word Wall Words will be removed to make room for the new words we study.

In writing, the children imagined stories based on the penguin character in the Oliver Jeffers' picture book, "Lost and Found". In the book, the penguin doesn't talk. The challenge was to write a story from the point of view of the penguin.

As a connection to the new writing project, the children learned how to fold a paper origami penguin. These were used to help the students with their writing their stories as if they were the penguin telling the story. The paper penguins will also be used to decorate the good copies of the stories.

The class learned how to revise their writing and how revising is different from editing. (Editing is done with pencil and is done to correct mistakes. Revising is done with coloured pen and is used to add more words, like adjectives and adverbs, to make good writing even better.)

In social studies, the students began to research different countries around the world. Each child picked a country that he/she was interested in learning more about. That way, our class will learn more about 21 different countries! (As a class, we are researching Canada.) The children used research books and wikipedia to read and record various facts about the countries. The students also created flags to put on their country posters. As a class, the children learned how humans have grouped the countries of the world into seven different continents and then practised finding the different continents on maps and globes.

In science, the children followed up on the soil experiments they set up before the holidays. (Recall each student set up a layered cup of soil and buried a fresh green leaf from our potato plant to see what would happen to the leaf over time.) The students checked the soil in the cups with toothpicks and could not find the leaves. It was like they disappeared! Of course, the leaves were still there but the bacteria in the soil broke down the leaves and the leaves became part of the soil, making the soil richer in nutrients. This is the basic principal behind composting. 

Room 204 is starting our own TV show! The Room 204 Interview Show will have pairs of students interviewing adults in our school. The class generated questions to ask our guests and made a list of people they wanted to interview. Our first guest will be Mrs. Farrelly, the principal of our school. Look for the show in a blog posting next week!

Finally, the class began learning how to do cursive writing. After talking about why it's important to learn cursive (one needs to be able to read cursive, write a signature and cursive writing is a lot faster than printing). We began with the letter "a"...

Books read aloud this week:

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (chapter book)