Week in Review: February 20 - 24

And it's another month in the books with more exciting learning and school events having taken place.   This week was filled with fun of descriptive writing, science experiments, and the wonderful world of long division...which was more wonderful for some than others!  This week some of you may have noticed some Math homework focusing on division - at present we have two very diverse groups in class, one for whom the concept has clicked and another where we are still developing that "ah ha" moment and are working to reinforce the concept, especially in relation to long division.  In order to provide some extra practice and allow the kids extra time to hone their skills I will be sending home homework packs for the next couple weeks.  The packs are NOT due the next day and are typically meant to be completed over a few days, Please check the agendas and check with your child as there's nothing better than finding homework the day it's due and then having your child scramble to try and complete it on time.  Additionally, much like the earlier multiplication documents (which are still available to everyone), I have shared a Google document with all the students highlighting links to online resources which they can use at home to practice and build their fluency with division.


In class this week...

In Math you may have heard that we have shifted our focus to long division and are now working hard to develop fluency and confidence with the division of larger numbers.  In past weeks we had focused on numbers that were easily divided as basic multiplication facts; with the newer concepts the quotients are not as recognizable.  Here are a couple quick clips explaining the concept of long division - helpful for reviewing at home when the concepts may seem a tad blurry and hard to explain:

Introduction to Long Division

Long Division Example




In Language Arts we continued working with descriptive language and the building of mental visualizations based off our writing.  In getting the students to address descriptors such as size, shape, colour, sounds, smells, textures, moods, time, and perspective in their writing, they will be better able to generate writing that is not only descriptive but also more interesting to the reading audience.

This last week we also continued our novel study of James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.  Check in your son or daughter about Jame's latest adventures and test their recall of the story events - great strategy for developing comprehension and getting them to pay close attention to details while they are reading.

This upcoming week will mark the start of our poetry unit. Over the next few weeks and into March the students will be studying several different forms of poetry.  Through our work in class the kids will be composing examples of all the different styles including haikus, cinquains, word art, limericks, acrostics, and couplets.  Thus we have found numerous poets who didn't know it(s).our cinquain poetry and all had the opportunity to compose several poems before choosing their favourite to compose and illustrate for display.  Again the students were given free range as to their topics and once again the students' creativity did not disappoint with poems paying homage to everything from chocolate and candy to unicorns and tanks!  This coming week we will tap into our Irish sides and begin working with limericks.

In Science the fun of Building Movable Devices continues with the students having had the opportunity to see how the mechanical advantage of wheels and axles and gravity can be used to reduce surface friction and the amount of effort needed to create motion.  This coming week we will working further with wheels and axles and designing a variety of moving objects that use wind power to generate motion.  Next week's Science homework will be to take home their current wheeled vehicle and fine tune them so that they can be used successfully in two different experiments.  Stay tuned to see what contraptions were created!

In Health this week we continued our discussion on Pink Shirt Day, bullying and the various forms in which this can take place.  During class discussions everyone was familiar with the physical and verbal forms of bullying but were less aware of social/emotional bullying and cyber-bullying.  Social/emotional bullying is behaviours that include gossiping, note passing, and excluding people from activities; whereas cyber-bullying is bullying behaviour that involves the use of technology, including things such as text messages, social media, email, blog posts, message boards etc.  This week has been eye opening, for instance when we researched the topic pf social/emotional bullying we were surprised to find that girls were 43% more likely to engage in social/emotional bullying than were boys.  When asked to explain the percentage the girls cited girl drama as being the main reason behind the higher rate, to which I then asked, "Okay, so how do we change that number?"  

This coming week we continue on with the discussion of interpersonal relationships and will be focusing on the idea of Random Acts of Kindness, and the spreading of kindness without the need for reward or recognition.

Upcoming events

Wednesday, March 1st - Early Dismissal @ 2:30PM
Wednesday, March 1st - School spirit day: Colour Day - all grade four students wear BLUE
Friday, March 3rd - PD Day: No School
Wednesday, March 8th - Alberta Recycling Corporation "Recyclers" Presentation
Friday, March 10 - Saturday, March 11 - Grade 3/4 Girls Floor Hockey Tournament in 
               Devon (for those girls on the team.  Tournament fee payable online)
Friday. March 17th - In-class Lego Science Fieldtrip (fee payable online on Powerschool)
Friday, March 17th - School spirit day: Dress in Green
Friday, March 17th - St. Patrick's party (information to follow)

Week in Review: January 30 - February 3

Reflecting back on the week the word I would choose to best describe it would be efficient.  Everyone used their time to their best advantage, and the amount of time spent having to back track and repeat directions was minimal - consequently it was a very productive week, even with the one day off in the middle!  It is great to see everyone practicing what we always "preach" in class, that ability to hunker down and get the work done when we are suppose to.  We work hard and we play hard, which is always a great combination!

Curriculum wise this week...

In Math we continue to build that fluency and accuracy with multi-digit multiplication.  This week we had several more students gain mastery of the instructed concept and were excited to tackle some of the more challenging extension question - 5-6 digits.  Our unit quiz on this concept is scheduled for next week.  Continue to use the Google doc sites to practice and reinforce the needed skills.

In Language Arts we continue to talk about the development of expressive writing and reading as a meaning of generating mental imagery.  In talking to the students about their writing we talk about how their stories can and should give the reader specific information - what do things look like?  What size, shape, colour?  What are things made of?  Where would you find these things? How can you use them?  How do they make you feel? Is there anything in the background?  Any sounds you might be able to hear?  What else does the reader need to know?  
Our creative writing continues to improve and with continued focus on our audience and expanding our ideas it'll only better.

In Science we wrapped up the last few activities in our Wheels and Levers: Simple Machines unit, and then set about prepping and reviewing for the unit exam.  If the first batch of test scores is any indication, everyone took some time to review their study guides as most are doing quite well on the exam.  Our next unit commencing next week, Building Machines that Move, builds upon the knowledge gained in this unit.  Again there will be a mix of pencil/paper tasks and hands-on construction projects.

In Health this week we had the opportunity to use some of the new physical literacy equipment that arrived at the school.  The equipment was a lot of fun and it allowed us to get even more creative in how we can incorporate physical activity into all subjects areas versus simply getting active in phys. ed class.  By getting the students up and moving during math class, for example, we not only give everyone a bit of a mental break but also get the benefits of increased energy, greater focus, and typically increased positive emotions - which are all good things when we transition back into the curricular activities.

Our Class Events Calendar

Tuesday, February 7 - Math Unit Quiz: Multi-digit Multiplication

Wednesday, February 8 - Winter Carnival Day

Wednesday, February 8 - WHPS Ski Club trip @ Rabbit Hill Snow Resort

Thursday, February 9 - Teacher Conference: No School

Friday, February 10 -  Teacher Conference: No School

Monday, February 20 - Family Day: No School

Wednesday, February 22 - PINK SHIRT Day: Anti-Bullying Awareness Day

Friday, February 24 - WHPS Ski Club trip @ Rabbit Hill Snow Resort

Week in Review: January 23 - 27

And just like that January is a blur in the books and it's full steam ahead and into February.  Reflecting back on the month we had, we hit the ground running after the break and the momentum never seemed to stop.  Our week's were jam packed with events, activities, guest speakers, assemblies, and lots of collaborative opportunities to reinforce and expand everyone's learning of concepts!  For myself I was able to attend a few extra days of professional development outside the division and attended the Ever Active School's Shaping the Future 2017 conference.  The conference brought together teachers, administrators, school trustees, and health and wellness professionals from around Canada and the United States.  Many of the sessions I attended provided me with new ideas and strategies on how to better tie physical literacy and student leadership development into not only our classroom instruction, but also the entire West Haven school community as well. Watch some fun ideas popping up around the school during the next few weeks!

Curriculum wise this last week...

In Math we continued to build accuracy and fluency with multi-digit multiplication.  It is great to see that many students have gained fluency to the point of mastery, which has allowed me the luxury of "sending these folks on" to more challenging assignments designed to expand their zones of proximal development - i.e. keep them thinking, learning and challenged versus feeling like their bored.  With those folks still building that level of fluency we have begun working in a smaller focus group which provides more focused guidance and reinforcement.  

We will be having a short sub-unit quiz on multi-digit multiplication on February 7th, after which our focus in Math will shift to the inverse function of multiplication -> division.  By the end of February the hope is to have the full unit test covering both multiplication and division concepts.

In Language Arts we continued working with our novel study, Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, and using the text as a way of studying expressive language, parts of language, character development, and of course reading fluency and comprehension. It has been fun watching the kids work through the adventures with James, and seeing them actively drawing information from the story and then applying it to their assignments successfully.

In Science we are nearing the end of our Simple Machines unit and wrapped up another machine last week, levers.  With the unit I will be sending home a study guide next week to allow student so better prepare for the final unit exam.  The study guide will basically provide the information they need to know.  

With the unit test it was originally scheduled for Wednesday, February 1st but in consideration of the fact I was away last week, and next week we miss another instructional day with the January 31st PD day, I will be shifting the Simple Machines unit exam to Friday, February 3rd to allow for further material review and at-home studying.

In Health this last week we continued our study of the MindUp curriculum and discussed ways that we can regulate our emotions and maintain our focus and attention in class.  We also revisited our earlier discussions on friendships skills and what it means to be a friend to someone.  We discussed how friends are people who build others up and strengthen them through their comments and actions, whether they are with that person or not.

In School News...our school's Winter Carnival Day is fast approaching and will be held on Wednesday, February 8th at the school. During our Winter Carnival day students will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of Canadian winter outdoor and indoor activities promoting physical activity, team building, cooperation and leadership skills, including some traditional games from our French Canadian and Inuit cultures.
 
In designing the day's events we would, if at all possible, appreciate some donations to make our planned activities a success. If you are able, please send to school with your child any of the following materials.   Listed below are some of the items we are in need of. 

• Large Appliance boxes (stove, refrigerator)
• 4 L  empty milk jugs and lids *** rinsed with soapy water
• Empty tissue boxes
• Shoe boxes
• **We also need strong and sturdy sleds we could borrow for dog sled races

Our Class Events Calendar

Tuesday, January 31 - PD Day: No School

Wednesday, February 1 - Wacky Hair Theme Day

Wednesday, February 1 - Early Dismissal @ 2:30

Friday, February 3 - Science Unit Exam: Simple Machines

Tuesday, February 7 - Math Unit Quiz: Multi-digit Multiplication

Wednesday, February 8 - Winter Carnival Day

Wednesday, February 8 - WHPS Ski Club trip @ Rabbit Hill Snow Resort

Thursday, February 9 - Teacher Conference: No School

Friday, February 10 -  Teacher Conference: No School

Monday, February 20 - Family Day: No School

Friday, February 24 - WHPS Ski Club trip @ Rabbit Hill Snow Resort

Week in Review: January 9 - 13

Welcome to back the wonderful world of grade four...it is amazing how fast time flies when you are having fun, as I hope everyone was over the Christmas break.  I managed to get in a few of the important "S" events over the break - some snowboarding, skating, several suppers, and even some sleeping!   In listening to the kids this week it is clear that the break was busy for them, and a lot of fun was had for many of you.  Our week this week has been nothing short of great - everyone hit the ground running and we had virtually no change in learning pace as is sometimes the case after longer breaks.  We introduced new concepts and covered further ground with existing topics - all in all a productive start to the new year! 

And now the curricular news...

In Math we will continue with multiplication and are now working with the concept of multiple digit times multiple digit, i.e. 23 x 36 or 367 x 59.  These types of equations will draw on the students' knowledge of not only multiplication facts but also place value and the regrouping of facts.  Please encourage your child to take advantage of the shared Google docs containing links to "Double digit multiplication" sites where they can continue to practice their skills and gain increased fluency and accuracy with problems.

In Language Arts the focus will has again shifted towards active word attack strategies and using word features to decode unknown vocabulary and assist with phonetic spelling patterns.  Currently we are working our way through James and the Giant Peach and we have been applying our strategies in deciphering unknown words within the novel but chunking the unknown words into pieces including prefixes and suffixes. In working with prefixes and suffixes the students will begin expanding their own working vocabularies and better recognize spelling patterns within words which can assist them in reading and understanding the words.  

The weekly spelling words will continue to be introduced each Monday, used throughout the week in various activities and then tested on the Friday - continue to use the Spelling City website to assist with spelling practice.

In Science we are continuing to explore Simple Machines and have begun working with levers.  This week we worked on identifying the various parts of the lever - the fulcrum, the load, and the effort/force.  In working with these three parts we discussed how their location on the lever bar would help determine what class the lever is.  With our study of levers we will be looking at: Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 levers.

In Social Studies we are continuing our study of the First Nations Cree people of Alberta.  Lesson activities are now beginning the transition into European settlers arriving in Alberta. Our class discussion topics this week are now looking at the Hudsons Bay Company and the impact of European hunters/traders on Native lifestyles within Alberta.  With the arrival of trading posts Native life was changed and their roles within the province were also changed.

In Music, Mrs. Ausman is excited to announce that it's "recorder time"!  Students who have recorders are asked to please bring them to school on Monday as recorder lessons kick off next week.  Those students who had placed orders for a recorder will have them delivered to them next week in music class.

Important Upcoming Dates/Events

Thursday, January 19 - Library: Book Exchange

Friday, January 20 - Spelling Test: List #18

Thursday, January 25 - School Bake Sale:  50 cents per item

Thursday, January 26 - WHPS Ski Club Trip to Rabbit Hill (forms/fees available online)

Tuesday, January 31 - PD Day: School

Week in Review: December 19 - 23

This has been a fantastic week - despite the numerous challenges to our daily routines and schedule we managed to have a very productive week!  This week we completed three writing assignments, a social studies project, a math unit quiz, an art project, 2 Science experiments plus we threw in some Christmas concert practices, two full concert performances, and our class Christmas party!

At this time I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and trust that everyone will have some time to relax and be with family over the break while enjoying the start of a New Year!

In terms of classroom activities and curriculum here's a quick run down on what we were up to this week...

In Math this week we concentrated hard and continued to build on our fluency and accuracy with basic multiplication facts.  We held a unit quiz to assess everyone's understanding of basic multiplication and everyone did really well.  Our class average on the exam was roughly 89%, with a large number of students scoring in the 90-95% range!  Upon our return in January we will be taking the next step and beginning to look at multiple digit X multiple digit equations, ie. 472 X 39  or   593  X  863.

In Language Arts we continued on with our routine language activities, and shifted our writing focus this week  to all about Elves!  Building on our role as elves in our Christmas concert we played around with an online elf name generator and all gave ourselves elf names to use in our various writing assignments.  With one task we wrote about what our daily routines would be; in another we wrote about what we did for work for Santa; and with another we wrote about how Santa got his elves.

This month's home reading Laser City winner is Jenna!  
Congratulations on your win and congratulations for continuing to read at home in the evenings.

In Social Studies we continued to work with the topics of Native pictographs and petroglyphs.  Our study of Writing on Stone provincial park here in Southern Alberta lead us to the creation of our native "picture" tales (see above). Using our "hides" we created adventure tales using both English and native picture symbols.  Our study of the people of Alberta and how they influenced our province's development will continue into the new year as we expand into the fur trade and the arrival of European settlers.

 Events News

Christmas Concert 
What a fantastic night!  The kids are hard work definitely played off as they managed to perform two fantastic shows!  Throughout the entire rehearsal process our class has received rave reviews for how hard they work and how well they listen and sing - which only affirms everything I see on a day to day basis in class.  

Super work Singing Elves!

Wolverine Ski Club
Our first Wolverine ski club field trip to Rabbit Hill was held on Thursday, December 22nd...and from all student accounts it was a great kick off event for our school's ski/snowboard club!

For those students who are interested the next club trip to Rabbit Hill is Scheduled for Wednesday, January 11th.  The required permission forms and fee information is available now on-line.  The required forms and fees must be received no later than January 6th in order to be eligible to attend the trip.  If you missed the first trip you are still most definitely welcome to attend any or all of the remaining trips - the more, the merrier!

Upcoming Events

Friday, January 6 - Deadline to submit payment and permission slips for 2nd Ski Club trip
Monday, January 9 - First day back to classes
Wednesday, January 11 - Early dismissal at 2:30PM
Wednesday, January 11 - Wolverine Ski Club trip to Rabbit Hill (3:30PM -9:00PM)
Thursday, January 12 - Library: Book Exchange
Thursday, January 12 - Bake Sale: 50 cents/item


That's everything for this week, thank you and have a great holiday break!

Week in Review: December 12 - 16

Oh the weather outside is frightful but the learning inside is delightful...and since we have only have five days before winter break...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  Well it doesn't necessarily have to snow but some slightly less deep-freeze like temperatures might be nice.  

Despite the seven consecutive days of indoor recesses (cabin fever anyone?) we have managed to channel all our energy into our work - it has been a great surprise watching the kids keep right on working when the recess bell goes off.  Everyone is so focused and pushing hard for the holiday break because everyone is wanting to finish off their work so that they can move onto the next task that's waiting for them.  There's definitely some competition to get to the newest activities but the great part about differentiating everything is that there is always something for everyone to be working on regardless of how quickly you complete your assignments. 

In looking back at last week we continued to push forward and built further on our existing base of knowledge.  

In Math we continued to work with multiple digit multiplication and further refined our skills at identifying the important information in word problems in preparation for next week's sub-unit quiz on single digit multiplication.  In being able to identify key words or phrases students are better able to make decisions regarding what number operation(s) they need to use in order to solve the problem and also identify if there are multiple steps that need to be followed in order reach the correct product.  

In Language Arts this week we continued to work with our weekly spelling words, this week focusing on vocabulary skills and being able to recognize and use the words in context.  We are also continued to work with phonetic recognition, and the identification of initial and ending letter sounds.  

Students also continued to work with their students blogs.  We definitely have some avid bloggers who love to post their work for their classmates constructive suggestions.  All the class has the opportunity to comment on their classmates entries and make constructive comments that assist the author's in further improving their writing.  


Some example blogging comments might include, "I really the way you....perhaps you could add even more description by....."; "The part about.....was awesome, maybe next time you can more detail about.....to paint an even clearer picture of what is happening."

In Science this week it was all about pulleys and gears, and being able to identify how they work, their specific parts, and ultimately how they are used in daily life to make work easier. In discussing gears with he class the key points for them to remember were that different types of gears (spur, bevel, and combination gears) are used in many devices, including wind-up toys, bicycles, cars and non-digital clocks. Students learned about various types of gears and how gears are used to change the speed, torque and direction of a power source.

Social Studies this week continued to build on our knowledge of the original Native people who settled within the region that eventually became Alberta.  This week we discussed the Native people's connection to the land and how "nature" influenced the nomadic lifestyle of the Native people.  We also discussed the role of storytelling within the Native culture as a means of educating, celebrating, and entertaining Native people.  Through discussion of "Writing on Stone Provincial Park" we discovered the wonders of pictographs and petroglyphs - not sure of the difference? Ask your child - they should be able to tell you difference.  Next week everyone will get a chance to generate their own Native tale and create accompanying pictographs using traditional Native symbols.  

Important Classroom News

Tues. Dec. 20th - Multiplication Quiz - The quiz will be focused solely on the recall of single digit multiplication.  Please have your child access their Google Docs accounts so that they can practice with the multiple practice sites within the "Multiplication Links" document.  

Wed. Dec. 21st - Christmas Concert - with our concert there is no required costume or outfit.  Students are encouraged to dress nicely for the event though.  The doors to school will not be open until 6:30PM, with the show beginning at 7:00PM.  

When you arrive at the school students are to put their boots on their usual boot rack and then only students are to come down to the classroom.  After the entire performance is finished parents may pick up the kids at the classroom.

Thurs. Dec 22 - WHPS SKI CLUB: Rabbit Hill field trip -  For those students participating in the West Haven Downhill Ski Club, we will be leaving for Rabbit Hill right after school at 3:30PM.  We will be returning to the school at roughly 9:00PM.  If bringing you own ski/snowboard equipment it can be stored in the classroom for the day.

 The forms and payment info for the next trip in January will be posted after the completion of the December trip.

Fri. Dec 23rd - Christmas Party/Last day of Classes   - December 23rd marks the final day of classes before the holiday break.  We will be having our class Xmas party that day.  If you are one of the families providing treats for the class please send them with your child first thing in the morning.  

Mon. Jan. 9th - First day back to school after Christmas Break

Some Classroom News...

Good afternoon everyone,

Just some quick points of information that I wanted to ensure everyone received as some are time sensitive.

1) WHPS SKI CLUB -  For those students who are wanting to participate in the West Haven Downhill Ski Club, the required permission form and fee payment are currently available online and are DUE THIS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16.  I know numerous students expressed an interest, so if your child is planning on attending the after school field trip on Thursday, December 22nd to Rabbit Hill please have everything needed submitted prior to Friday's deadline.  

The forms and payment info for the next trip in January will be posted after the completion of the December trip.

2) MULTIPLICATION QUIZ - we will be having a math unit quiz on Tuesday, December 20th.  The quiz will be focused solely on the recall of single digit multiplication.  Please have your child access their Google Docs accounts so that they can practice with the multiple practice sites within the "Multiplication Links" document.  

3) CHRISTMAS CONCERT INFORMATION - with our concert there is no required costume or outfit.  Students are encouraged to dress nicely for the event though.  With the concert on Wednesday, December 21st the doors to school will not be open until 6:30PM, with the show beginning at 7:00PM.  

When you arrive at the school students are to put their boots on their usual boot rack and then only students are to come down to the classroom.  After the entire performance is finished parents may pick up the kids at the classroom.

4) LAST DAY OF CLASSES - December 23rd marks the final day of classes before the holiday break.  We will be having our class Xmas party that day.  If you are one of the families providing treats for the class please send them with your child first thing in the morning.  

Regular classes will resume on January 9th.