More research!

This morning we didn't have guided reading or centers because Ms. Boyer and Mrs. Hamby wanted to show us the new centers we will be starting tomorrow. The new centers are all about the Acadians. We are sewing Acadian flags, building model lobster traps, and making maps of Acadia. These centers will take us a few weeks to complete and then we will get to bring our creations home.

After we learned about the new centers we had to get ready for our Clay for Kids glass art project that we will be doing tomorrow afternoon. We needed to decide what design we want to make and draw it on a small piece of paper so that we will be ready to make it out of glass tomorrow. Since our glass pieces will be going on the fence outside by the Whispering Woods our theme is nature. Some of us chose to make plants, some of us chose animals, and some of us chose other things from nature like rainbows, raindrops, and sunshines.

After recess we did word work and then our Treasure Math. Some of us are completely finished and have been promoted to the position of Vice-General! This means that we are able to give clues and helpful hints to people who are still working but we can't give them the answers and we can't certify their work.

After lunch we worked with Mrs. Hamby on our Nova Scotia research while Room 1 went with Ms. Boyer to watch the Acadian video. We are using books to find out facts about life in Nova Scotia. We have learned that some of the jobs in Nova Scotia are: fishing, logging, building, artistry, mining, and music.  We have also learned that lots of people live in small towns and villages that are next to the ocean. Tomorrow we will have a little bit of time to finish our research and then we will be starting a project to show what we have learned.  Stay tuned!

In gym we played games. First we played Squirrels in the Trees, and then we played Ups and Downs. Then we went to music. In music we did centers.

Tomorrow our helper is: Tessa

More Research!

This morning we did journals. The grade 1's had to write one or more paragraphs. The grade 2's had to write 2 or more paragraphs. Today we had lots of time (a total of 1.5 hours throughout the day) to get our journals finished because we are going to be doing some special centers this week so there won't be time to finish up journals during center time. If we didn't have our journals finished in time they have come home for homework.

After recess it was word work time for grade 1's and solo book time for grade 2's. Then we had math. We did treasure math. We had a few friends who finished all the levels!!!

This afternoon we stayed with Mrs. Hamby to do more research about Nova Scotia using books and Room 1 went to watch the Acadian movie with Ms. Boyer. Then we went to gym. We played two games. The first game was called Squirrels in the Trees and the second game was called Frogs Across the Pond. After gym we did journal finish up and journal sharing.

Tomorrow is treat day. Please remember to bring 25 cents. Also, Mr. P will be starting games club tomorrow at lunch for students in grades 1 and 2. If you want to participate please bring a game from home that you could play with a few friends. 

Our helper tomorrow is: Jasper

Human Impacts on Nose Hill

Today was Fresh Air Friday. We hiked all the way to the top of Nose Hill! We were investigating the human impacts on Nose Hill. We wanted to see if the impacts are the same on Nose Hill as they are in the Whispering Woods.  We noticed many of the same problems and also some new ones. We noticed pathways, litter, trampled grasses, and broken branches just like in Whispering Woods. But we also noticed old car parts, teepees, and broken signs.


Our main focus today was on human impacts and on our investigation skills. We used a rubric to self-assess our work and to decide what we want to improve next time. Most of us were happy with our work today because we did a good job following the plan and using our tools correctly (we got to use the binoculars today!). Next time, quite a few of us want to add more detail to our recording and make more connections between our investigations and the other work we have already done. Here is the rubric:

Have a great weekend!

Bonjour!

This morning we had guided reading and centers. During centers some of us worked to finish up our plasticine boat reflections from earlier in the week. If we were finished we were allowed to choose any of our three centers. After guided reading was finished we talked about another strategy to help us with story writing. It is called a story string. Ms. Boyer drew a picture of a story string but sometimes people make real story strings with beads to help them remember the parts of their story. The story string helps us to remember all of the different pieces that need to be included in a story. Ask me to explain the story string to you!

After recess we had word work. The grade 1's did some more practice with our words for the week and the grade 2's continued their study of contractions. Then, we did treasure math. Today we learned about level 10. In level 10 someone on board the ship tries to start a mutiny. We have to find the rope with exactly 91 beads so that we can tie them up below deck so the don't cause any more trouble.

After lunch we continued watching the video about the Acadian Peninsula. We took notes about jobs that Acadians would have done (farmers, fishers, blacksmiths, bakers, seamstresses), the landscape (trees, Atlantic ocean, peat bogs), animals (cod, lobster, starfish, seals, clams, scallops), houses (simple homes mostly made from wood), and we also learned some interesting facts. Did you know that the Acadians speak french? Did you know that they were expelled at one point?

Since the Acadians speak french we learned a little bit of french today. We learned to say:

"Bonjour, je m'appelle _________" That means "Hello, my name is_________"

"Comment ca va?" That means "How's it going?"

"Ca va bien." That means "It's going fine."

After that it was time to go for gym. We played catch and chase. We were going to play a new game too, but we were a bit too chatty and we ran out of time. Hopefully we will remember to stay a bit more focused next time so we can have more time.  When gym was finished we went to music. In music we are watching Peter and the Wolf. We had a matching activity that we had to do while we were watching.

Tomorrow is Fresh Air Friday. We will be going to Nosehill (as long as it isn't pouring rain!). Please make sure you are wearing your best hiking shoes and that you are dressed in layers that keep you prepared for changing temperatures and possible rain. Sometimes the temperature can change a lot as we walk up the hill and the forecast is calling for potential rain. Please also be sure to pack a snack and a small waterbottle. If possible, please leave extra things like books and toys at home so that your backpack isn't too heavy. We will be taking them with us and each student will be responsible for carrying their own supplies. 

Our helper on Monday is:

Learning about the Acadian

This morning we did story writing. We learned about the next step for getting ready to write our stories. This step is to record the pieces of our story in frames sort of like a comic strip.  Having the pieces of our story recorded like a comic will help us to remember all the pieces when we are writing out our stories.

Before recess some of our class had a meeting to solve some problems that have been happening during soccer at recess. There have been some arguments and upset students coming in so we thought it was important to make sure everyone understood the rules and knew how to play fairly. The group came up with some rules for the soccer game so that hopefully things will go more smoothly.

Here are the rules: 
1. If someone gets tripped to pushed the game stops and that student gets to have the ball. Everyone else takes ten steps back and the game re-starts
2.  If there is an argument about a goal or a tripping call there is a "hands-up" vote using the honor system. Once a decision has been made by the group there is no more discussion and the game re-starts. 
3.  If someone gets tripped or pushed when they are shooting at the net, that person gets a free kick. 

After recess we did our treasure math. We got to look at level 9 today. It is about the Ogre's pesky pets. Quite a few people are still working on the counting patterns in level 4, but they are getting close to being finished and will then be moving on to level 5: Locked Lagoon.

This afternoon we started learning about Acadia. Acadia is a place in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia where people speak french. We watched a video about the Acadians and took notes on an organizer. We tried to find information about the landscape, animals, jobs, houses, and transportation used by the Acadians long ago. We will finish the video tomorrow and then we will do some mroe research using books. Then we went to library. Many of us didn't bring back our books. Please return them as soon as possible. After library we had gym. We did some relay races. We had to do running and different movements.

We are still looking for 2 volunteers to join us at Nosehill this Friday. Please email Ms. Boyer if you can join us. 

Our helper tomorrow is: Levi

Clay for Kids

Today was an exciting, mixed up day. We started out normally with guided reading and centers but then, instead of story writing we worked on our science reflections from yesterday. Before we got to work Evelyn shared some boat research she did at home. She was wondering about the reasons why huge ships like cruise ships can float. She found out that they can float because they displace a lot of water so even though they are very heavy, they water they displace is even heavier! Evelyn also introduced us to the word buoyancy. Ask me to tell you what it means!

After recess things were even more mixed up. We did gym and music! In gym we played two new games. The first game was called catch and chase. The second game was called Ups and Downs. In music we practiced our patterns and smartboard game called poison patterns.

This afternoon we had Clay for Kids! We each got to make a piece of art that showed symbols of Canada. Some of us showed canadian geese, maple leafs, Rocky Mountains, hockey sticks, canoes, pine trees, inukshuks, beavers, and moose. It will take about three weeks for the clay to be fired and glazed.

Our helper tomorrow is: Isabel.
Remember our new category is favourite animal. When it is your turn please try to bring a picture, drawing, or stuffy of your animal and some facts about the animal.

We are hoping to go to Nosehill on Friday. We will need 2 volunteers in order to be able to go. If you are able to volunteer please contact Ms. Boyer. 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! This morning we worked on our journals. The grade 1's were working to have at least 1 hamburger paragraph and some grade 1's were pushing themselves to write two. The grade 2's were working to write 2 hamburger paragraphs and some grade 2's were pushing themselves to write 3 or 4!

After recess we did word work and solo book time. The grade 2's worked on reading by themselves and the grade 1's started practicing some new words. Our words this week are: by, words, but, not, sick, kick, brick, stick. Then we did treasure math.  Everyone is finished level 1, 2, and 3. Lots of people are on level 4 and 5. A few people are on level 6, and 7.

This afternoon we worked on a reflection about out plasticine boats. We looked at the results we found in our experiment before the break and then drew a picture of our best boat. Then we tried to answer the questions what did you do? and what did you learn?

In gym we did some fitness pyramids and played relay games. We did pyramids up to 5 for burpees and sit ups. Then we did running relays in pairs and as a whole class. We will be playing relay games for the next two weeks.

Tomorrow we will be having our clay for kids session from 1:00-3:00. If you are able to volunteer please let Ms. Boyer or Marie know. 

We have a new sharing category. It is favourite animal. For sharing please bring a picture or stuffy of your favourite animal plus a few facts. Also be ready to tell us why it is your favourite animal. 

Our helper tomorrow is: Dhvani