Working Hard

January has been a busy month already.  Students are continuing to work hard in the afternoons.

In health, we reviewed the 4 food groups and have been discussing how to use Canada's Food Guide.  Grade 3 students have looked into the differences between processed and unprocessed foods, while students in grade 4 are learning about serving sizes.  Did you know you can use common items such as, hockey pucks, baseballs, golf balls and erasers to help figure out how much a serving size is.

 Our students in grade 3 are still working on building structures out of straw and trying to make them strong enough to hold a book.  It is much more challenging than they thought it would be.  

Grade 4 students have discovered how to build a pulley and how it can help move a load. 

We have also started to learn about the elements of Drama.  We have discussed what makes a theatre drama unique or different from TV shows or movies we usually watch. 

A reminder that there is no school Monday, January 30th, as it is a PD Day.  

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year! I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed some family time together.   It was a cold, but wonderful day to return back to school.  I was happy to welcome everyone back to school.  

Today, we got right into our next science units.  Grade 3 students are exploring Strong and Stable Structures and Grade 4 students are exploring Pulleys and Gears.  Students had a chance to discuss and share what they know about each topic.

This week, we will also begin discussing and learning about Healthy Eating.   In the gym, we will learn how to play badminton and continue with cooperative games.  We will also be beginning our new drama unit in the upcoming weeks.  

A Look Back at December

 December was such a busy month!  Here is a peak at some of the learning that happened in our classroom.

Hour of Code

We were introduced to the basics of computer programming by participating in the Hour of Code.  We also took on a role as leaders, by working with Mme Pat's kindergarten class to teach them how to code as well.  We will be working more with her class as the year continues.

Christmas STEAM Challenges

 

Full STEAM Ahead!

Science
Technology
Engineering
Arts
Mathematics

In our class, we have been integrating STEAM as a regular part of our activities.  In simple terms, STEAM is a way to prepare students for future careers that require them to use multiple strategies to solve problems.  STEAM in our classroom is always open-ended, hands on, and student-led. 

A big THANK YOU to all the families who have been sending in materials!!!

Take a look at what we have been doing:

 

Secret Artists

On Friday, we worked hard on a beautiful art piece.  They turned out so well, that we have decided to keep them as a surprise for parents.  Here is a sneak peak at what we worked on.  Well done boys and girls!

 

Science in the Classroom

In our classroom, students have been working hard on their science experiments.  

The students in grade 3 have been experimenting with forces using playdough, coins, dropping balls, and magnets.  They will continue their experiments this week by working with balloons, ramps and toy cars.

Students in grade 4 are just about finished learning about the properties of light.  This week they will begin their experiments to learn more about the properties of sound. 

 

Remembrance Day

Our class created some beautiful art work for the Remembrance Day ceremony.  It was displayed in gym to share with our school.

We also read The Cello of Mr O.  Mr O. lives in a war-torn village and would play his cello to bring hope and peace to the people.  We talked about how he shared his gift of music to spread Peace to the people who were left in his village.  The class drew pictures of Mr O as well as a scene they thought was meaningful or important.  We used paper bags as our medium.  Ask your child why the paper bag is symbolic.

This month, we are recognizing students who are demonstrating peace in the school, classroom and friends.  I will be looking for peaceful actions in our classroom.