November 23rd to November 27th

It is hard to believe that we are near the end of November. Time is moving much too quickly!

Following the reading of the book, "The One And Only Ivan", the students completed two activities to bring closure to the story.  First, our class had a friendly debate if we felt zoos were a good place for animals.  Before any discussion, the question was written on a paper with a continuum.  The students placed their name along the continuum and wrote about their response.  After reading four articles on the topic and sharing our thoughts and opinions in class discussions, the students were able to move their name on the continuum if their opinion had changed.  Most students felt that zoos can be both positive and negative depending on the particular zoo and the situation of each animal.  We will explore this question further on our visit to the zoo on December 1st.

Next, the students had the opportunity to select a form of their own choosing to represent and celebrate the book.  We were impressed at the variety of work such as; a play showing the important parts of the story, a diorama representing the different settings and a stop-motion claymation video.  The students loved being able to collaborate with others and represent their learning in a way that suited their personal learning style.

We were incredibly excited to finally have the opportunity to meet with our grade one buddies. The students each selected a book to share with their buddy.  They practised reading the book out loud and came up with questions to ask their buddy following the reading. 

In Math, we completed the majority of our work on place value.  Next week, we will have a short assessment on the skills from this unit.

We had the opportunity to join the grade 5/6 class for a fantastic presentation by the organization, "Free The Children".  The students inspired by stories of children who had made difference in either their own community or in the larger global community.  You can learn more at:
http://www.freethechildren.com

November 16th to November 20th.

Thank you to all the families who came out for our conferences this week.  We are lucky to work with so many fantastic children.  It is nice to be able to share their accomplishments and growth with you.

We completed reading the book, "The One and Only Ivan".  It was such a beautiful story and prompted a great deal of meaningful discussions within our classroom.  In writing, we have been working on paragraphs inspired by the book, "The Best Part of Me".  We talked about what we most value and love about ourselves and why.

"My back helps me to be alive and send messages to my brain so I can think and function." L.R
"The best part of me is my hands.  They're useful for playing with when I can't fall asleep." E.H
"The best part of me is my brain.  I can remember all of the beautiful faces in my family and at school" L.T

The students continued with their research of their Canadian province or territory.  We have been working on how to search and find information on the internet and how to find websites that fit a variety of reading levels.  We have been discussing how to determine if a site and the information we read about is reliable.

Being an artist himself, Mr. Semmens always noticed and appreciated the art our class created.  We wanted to create a piece of art for Mr. Semmens.  We felt the birch trees in winter were a perfect fit.

November 9th to November 13th.

It was an incrediblely difficult week. Mr. Semmens was an amazing person who brought so much to our school.  He cared so much for others and went out of his way to support those around him.  Mr. Semmens is remembered with notes and pictures outside his office. It is wonderful to see the different memories; hanging a larger than life tinfoil dinosaur in kindergarten, teaching a class how to draw an apple and measuring how tall Mr. Semmens was compared to the grade 4 and 5's. Please feel welcome to come into the school and have your child share the wall with you. 

We read the book,"Invisable String" by Patricia Karst. It shared that we are connected to the hearts of the people we care about by an invisible string. The idea suggests that when we feel a tug at our heart, we are sending or receiving a message from a loved one. When we know we are connected, we can never feel alone. 

November 2nd to November 6th

Time is passing too quickly. It is hard to believe that we are already in the month of November!

Room 4 has become the "Green Team" for Rosemont School. The students worked to create a presentation focused on the new recycling program initiated by the CBE. They were very excited to share their presentations with the other classes. The students will be taking on a leadership role at the recycling centre in the lunchroom and outside at recess. Well done, room 4!

In math, we began looking at place value and assessing what background knowledge and understandings the students already have with these concepts.

Inline skating has been a great deal of fun. The students have been working on their speed and control. Please remember we have our final in-line skating Monday afternoon from 1:30 to 2:30.

We have almost finished with our first read aloud, "The One And Only Ivan".  Sharing this story has been such a wonderful experience. The insights and discussions have been fantastic. 

We read the story, "Our Canadian Flag, focused on the meaning and stories behind our flag.  The students were surprised to learn that Canada did not have our flag until 1964.  We began looking at the geography of Canada. The students worked in groups to create maps showing the provinces, territories and capital cities. We then brainstormed what we felt we should know and what we were interested in learning about the provinces such as; the climate, natural resources, landmarks and National parks.

Home Journal Questions:

1.  What year did Canada get our current Canadian flag?

2.  Ivans goal had been to leave the mall.  Why was it hard for him to leave when the time actually came?

3.  Solve the following math problem:

Mr.Williams ran a 7 km run.

The 1st km took him 5 minutes to run.

The 2nd km took him 1 minute longer (6 minutes).

Each km took him 1 minute longer than the last.

How long did it take him to run all 7 km?

Remember to check your work and ask yourself, "Does my answer make sense?"

Please remember that we have In-Line Skating on Monday from 1:30 to 2:30.  The Remembrance Day Assembly will be on Tuesday at 11:00 and there is no school on Wednesday.

Have a wonderful weekend.