Week in Review: September 19 - 23

It was another busy and productive week in grade four.  The kids continue to surprise and amaze everyday with their great behaviour and willingness to tackle new material - most definitely a treat for any teacher!  Our group received the nicest compliment from a school guest who remarked that ours was one of the best classes he had ever had the opportunity to talk with - the kids were pretty pumped up with the compliment! Anyway this past week was filled with cross country running practices, bus safety sessions, new technology projects, and further exploration into the wonders of rotting food (decomposition)...sorry Mr. Unger!

In Math the kids continued to explore addition with 4 and 5 digit numbers involving regrouping, and they set up their digital notebooks where they have been solving daily number problems.  With the use of this daily practise and continued re-enforcing of concepts, students' accuracy and fluency with understanding the principles of regrouping in solving addition equations continues to show growth.  In terms of subtraction of larger multi-digit numbers involving regrouping we continue to shake off the summer rust and reinforce the idea of "borrowing from neighbours when you don't have enough".                                               
Remember these simple subtraction rules as they will help you decide if you need to regroup or not.  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In Language Arts we continued to work on characteristics and parts of speech using our weekly spelling words.  In understanding how parts of speech such as prefixes, suffixes, and vowel and consonant blends work it is easier to decipher unknown words when reading.  This week we also continued our exploration of story writing and worked through several sessions of building story ideas using different writing prompts before having everyone take their first shot at composing a creative story.  This focus on generating and expanding on story ideas through the use of descriptive language will continue throughout the month of October.

With our home reading program continue to aim for at least fifteen minutes per night.  This extra practise at home is an easy way to help your child develop their reading fluency and comprehension.  Students will be bringing our home reading folders this coming week which will allow me to better track their minutes read and subsequently be able to more accurately tally our class totals in relation to our class reading goals and participation in the Oilers/Oil Kings Home Reading program.

Remember the monthly target for students in grade four is 400 minutes per month, or roughly 15 min./ night.




In Science we are continuing our study of waste and our world and the students this week began taking a closer look at the role of decomposers within ecosystems. Decomposers such as bacteria, molds, fungi, moss and worms play an important role in returning important nutrients to the Earth so that they can be "reused" by other living organisms (consumers).  This week we began tracking the rates of decomposition for various food products, cheese, strawberries, cantaloupe, parsley, pickles, apples, and yogurt.  We are hoping to see some very "furry" specimens in next few weeks - sure hope the janitors don't mind!



In Social Studies we continue to "tour" the province of Alberta, exploring the six different geographic regions within its borders.  The six different geographic regions include the Canadian Shield, Boreal Forest, Parkland region, Grassland region, Foothills region and Rocky Mountain region.  Each region will be studied independently and then compared and contrasted against other regions to help students recognize the diversity in landscapes within the province.

We have had some good discussion this week as we begin to explore each of the regions in the interest of deciding which the six regions they would prefer to visit if they were not from Alberta and were only visiting for a few days.
For fun ask your child which of the six regions they might prefer to visit and why, could lead to an interesting future vacation!

In Health we have been talking about the topic of "conflict" and mindfulness, specifically what are some things that can negatively impact our emotions and how can and should we respond. In talking to the kids they mentioned that things like the the negative actions and words of others; people not listen to them; and having to do things they did not like to do as being some things that can cause them to feel upset, frustrated or even angry.  


Reminder to those students who are participating in the Bole Cross Country Meet meet on October 1st at Leduc Estates School or the LDAA Cross Country Meet meet on October 3rd in Beaumont, the deadline to submit permission forms and entry fees is this weekend, Sunday, September 25th.


Important Upcoming Dates
Thursday, September 29 - Math Quiz: Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping
Friday, September 30 - Fall Waste Walk Fieldtrip (AM)  Permission form is on Powerschool.
Saturday, October 1 - Bole Classic X-Country Running Meet @ Leduc Estates School
Monday, October 3 - LDAA X-Country Running Meet @ 4 Seasons Park, Beaumont
Wednesday, October 5 - Early Dismissal @ 2:15PM

It was a great week...thank you!

Mr. Henderson