Saturday, 7 September 2019

September 3 - 6

Image result for welcome to our classroom blog
Hi parents and guardians! It was so nice to meet many of you during "Meet the Teacher Night" and on the first day of school! I look forward to working together this year to enhance your child's learning experience at RBES!


We had a fun filled first week in 4A! The students arrived on the first day of school, eager and excited to learn. They enjoyed working on a word search that included all of the names of the students in our class.



On the first day of school we spent a lot of time learning classroom routines and participating in activities to get to know each other better. 

The students enjoyed making their own Back to School "Fortune Tellers." This activity was a great conversation starter for the students to learn more about their classmates. They loved sharing their summer memories, as well as, their likes and dislikes using the fortune tellers.




The students participated in a collaborative "Back to School" activity to begin working cooperatively with different members of the class. They were divided into 6 groups of 4 and were given a questions based on one of six different topics (FUN, RULES, READING, FRIENDS, RESPECT and STUDENTS). Each group was asked to answer a question individually first (on their sticky note), all at the same time, and when all students in the group completed their answers, they stuck their notes on the sheet. Then they took turns reading their answers aloud to the group. They took their individual responses and combined the best parts of them to form the best possible answer, making improvements as they constructed the answer. This activity helped to reinforce the importance of working together.







The first day of school also included an interactive performance by Garth Prince in the gym. Many students from K-4 got to drum and dance a-long to his music.



This week we also spent some time setting up the students' accounts on the chrome books. 


The students began working on our first collaborate Google Slides activity. In this "All About Me Book" the students worked as a class to create a back to school Google Slides presentation, introducing each student. The students personalized their own slide with their strengths, what they want to improve this year, what makes them smile, and more! 



Curriculum Update

Language Arts

Home Reading - Laser City Read to Win

In Grade 4 the students continue to work on the necessary skills to grow further as readers. The best way to move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” is to practice on a daily basis. In addition to the reading done during class, the students will also participate in a home reading program. 

How does it work? 

I ask that your child reads at least 30 minutes each night. For every 30 minutes your child reads, they complete a line on their Reading Sheet. After they complete a Reading Sheet, they put it into the Entry Box in the classroom. At the end of the month, I will draw a Reading Sheet and award that student a Certificate that is good for 2 free games of laser tag. The contest then restarts for the next month.


We began our first read aloud entitled "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Fish in a Tree is a perfect book to read during the “back to school” season when everyone is dealing with the adjustments of a new school year. This book touches on many everyday challenges that kids (and adults) face, like dealing with “mean kids,” feeling different from your peers, and figuring out how to persevere when things are hard. The power of friendship, the role of teachers, and the need for grit are inspiring and practical messages.


Prior to reading the first chapter, I asked the students to predict what "Fish in a Tree" is going to be about. We had some very creative predictions!


"All About My Selfie" was our first writing activity of the year. The students were asked to focus on complete sentences while writing about themselves. We brainstormed a variety of topics that the students could write about such as family, friends, hobbies, sports, and favourite things.




Math

We began our patterning unit in math this week. The students worked on finding differences in addition sequences mentally, by using their fingers or by using a number line.


In addition to working through our Patterning Unit in Math, we are also focusing on mastery of basic facts. We will be using Xtra Math to practice the students' math facts. Xtra Math is a free web program that teaches addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts which are critical to success in mathematics. Using this program, students get immediate feedback and the problems are tailored to their specific needs. After a simple placement exam, fluency goals are achieved through timed practices where students are given 3 seconds to correctly answer each individual math fact. So the students work through the various math facts at their own pace.

Social Studies

Our first unit to explore in social studies is mapping. We began by brainstorming various landforms that are found on our earth. The students learned more by watching a great video entitled "Exploring Landforms and Bodies of Water for Kids." The students began working on a landform visual dictionary which included prairies/plains, mountains, lakes, and valleys.


Science

We began our Grade 4 recycle program this week. Students from all three classes have been placed on a team where they will be responsible for collecting recycling in the school for an entire month.


Art

In art this week the students were asked to think about nine different apps that they could put on an iPhone. Using Art Hub for Kids, the students drew and labeled 9 apps that represent their favorite things or activities they enjoy doing.



Have a great weekend everyone!

No comments:

Post a Comment

March 9th - 13th

March 9th - 13th Follow is an update our week in 4A: Brain Waves On Monday the Grade 4 students were given a Brain Waves presen...