June Video

Well, the end of the year is here. I can't believe how fast the year flies by. I have really enjoyed your children this year-thanks for sharing them with me! I have been blessed with many hugs, smiles, lovely notes and gifts. Thank-you!

Enjoy the video!

Online Art Gallery

Here is a quick shot of the bird collages we made. The kids were so creative! It might be difficult to see the detail in each picture.

Another Big Reader!

9l is the latest person in our classroom to reach 100 nights of home reading. I know he read some really good books.

100 Nights and Butterflies!

25p is the latest person in our class to reach 100 nights of reading. Way to go 25p!

Our butterflies have all hatched and the butterfly home is a flutter of activity. Every day when I come into the classroom off the playground, there is a crowd of kids around the butterfly home. Now they are busy watching the butterflies drink the sugar water that I put in the habitat. We will release the butterflies on Thursday afternoon, weather permitting. I'll post pictures.

Keep On Reading! Another 100 Nights!

Yay for 23l!He finished his 100 nights of reading this week. He really got hooked on the Jeff Kinney books in the last little while.

Pupas Inside the Chrysalis'!

Well most of our larvae have formed a chrysalis and we are getting anxious for the butterflies to come out!  Mrs. Hosie taped the lids that the chrysalis' are stuck to up onto the top of the butterfly home. It is easy to see them in there.

The Latest News

19g is the latest student to reach 100 nights of reading. I'm proud of her for working so hard.

We have really been working hard on using all of the reading comprehension strategies we have talked about this year. Visualizing, making predictions and connections and asking questions are all comprehension strategies we have reviewed in the past few weeks. As we read and view information about the various animals groups we are learning about, the students are really putting their comprehension skills to good use. It is wonderful to hear them question their reading and ask questions which leads to new learning. Reading non-fiction brings in a different set of skills than fiction. A good reader does much more than learn new information. It is wonderful to hear the kids talk about their predictions, connections and questions. Things are really coming together in the comprehension department!

We had a lot of fun last week making 3D objects such as cubes, rectangular prisms pyramids and  triangular prisms out of straws and play doh. 

Butterfly Larvae

I hope you have already heard all about the butterfly larvae. It arrived on Wednesday and we immediately got to work setting up the individual little homes filled with nutrient. The larvae are in the plastic homes now and will stay there until they form the chrysalis. I've put together a short video of the kids getting the larvae homes set up. Once the chrysalis' are formed, I will transfer them to the butterfly habitat. More pictures to follow!

Library Trip

We had a great time at the library. For some students it was their first time at the public library. We are very lucky to have such a great library so close to our neighbourhood. Please take advantage of it this summer and maintain the reading achievement your child has made this year. We will be visiting the library again in June as our school library actually closes a couple of week before school ends. If your child does not yet have a library time, please visit the library so they can take books out next time we go.

Next week we have an exciting week! We will be hatching butterflies.  The teeny, tiny butterfly larvae will arrive mid-week. Once it arrives we need to drop everything and get our larvae set up in their individual homes. Please ask your child all about it and keep watching the blog for pictures. It will be an exciting month! This is part of our unit on animal life cycles. There is really nothing better than seeing it live!

Poetry

Here is a sample of the "Two Word" poems that we wrote last week.

Spelling this week will be focussing on words that have or and ar in them. I use the key words "or" and "car"when kids are spelling words with or and ar.

Social Studies

We are once again working on Social Studies. Our unit on citizenship and decision making is always interesting and provides lots of conversation. Today we discussed saving, spending and budgets! I would like you to view the following video link with your child and talk about it with your child. We have discussed wants and needs and how some people like to save and some don't!  The kids knew what their tendencies were already. Here is the link-the login info is     regina     brainpop

brainpop junior

Spelling-April 13

Comedy Hour!

We had lots of fun on April 1 with our jokes. We talked about timing, speaking up, using volume and expression and catching your audience's eye.  Here's a quick video of the kids telling their jokes. Enjoy!

One Last Snow Day!

We had so much fun rolling huge snowballs and making our snowmen. We went across the street to the park where there was a ton of untouched snow just ready for snowmen! The kids had so much fun! Enjoy the pictures!

Science Experiments, 100 Nights and A Bit of Fun!

Congratulations to 22r who has completed her 100 nights of at home reading. Good for you! I am so proud of you!






We have started a science unit on air and water. We have learned that the air is pressing down on earth (air pressure) and that hot air rises. We did two experiments that demonstrate these concepts in a simple manner. The air pressure experiment stays set up in the classroom for awhile so we can see changes in air pressure. The first picture is of our home made barometer. This shows air pressure changes in a simple way. Air presses down on the straw and the straw goes up and down.

 In this experiment we placed a balloon over a bottle. We put the bottle in a bowl of very hot water. We watched the balloon slowly rise up-hot air rises!

 

Spelling- March 16-20

This week's spelling focus is on compound words.

Don't forget the special nutrition buffet on Thursday. You do not have to send a regular lunch-just send the 30 (or more depending on what it is) sample servings of the food group that your child was assigned. Please be sure your containers are labelled and the food is ready to go. I do not have time to cut items up, peel etc. Students should also bring a plate, utensils and a water bottle. I always look forward to this as the kids always say afterwards, "That was the best lunch ever!"

Spelling March 9-13

This week we are learning about contractions. We practice the words on the list as well as other contractions. It is hoped that the students can transfer their knowledge to many other contractions.

We've Been Busy!

Yes we have been busy! Three students this week reached 100 nights of reading. Congratulations to them for working so hard. Not only is their reading really improving, but when students  read with a parent they build vocabulary because they discuss words and concepts that they wouldn't if they were reading alone. Keep up the great learning 6z, 2c and 3t!

Our math classes this past week or so have been very loud and busy. We have been working with the balance scales exploring different units and finding out the masses of different objects. 

A Big Thank-You and 100 Nights of Reading!

First of all thank-you for spoiling me during Teacher's Appreciation Week! I enjoyed the letters, cards, special treats and gifts. I do enjoy my job and look forward to coming to work each day but it is always nice to feel appreciated so thank-you.

We had such an nice time at our Family Math Games Day. It was nice to see moms, dads, grandparents and aunties. I had many parents comment on how they could better understand their child's math thinking and progress after playing some of the games. I loved how that no matter how many games I put out, Checkers is always the favourite. I do know that research has shown that children who play games such as Checkers and Chess do better in math. Problem solving, planning ahead, being able to see various possibilities etc are all skills that can be applied to all areas of life. So go ahead and get out those Checkerboards and Chess boards!

A big congratulations to 26r who completed 100 nights of reading before the February break. She is a good reader and really enjoys reading.

100 th Day!

Monday was the 100th day of school. We celebrated by doing a variety of stations that covered different areas of the curriculum. We wrote silly poems, made lists, counted 100 items and designed, exercised and just had fun! This week we will be reading our poems out loud to the class.