Week 8

BREAKING NEWS:Please note that there will be NO SCHOOL on Friday, November 1st. 

In LITERACY we continued using adjectives to make our writing more interesting. We wrote detailed observations about Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride. Ms. McBride loved reading about how "funny" and "empathetic" she is, and Ms. Meier appreciated hearing that she is "silly" and "big hearted". 

We also practiced editing by looking for capitals, punctuation and misspelled sight words in our own writing. 

WRITING CHALLENGE: See if you can write about your family members using at least 10 adjectives! Bring it to school on Monday if you would like to share!

Our sight words for next week:

-little

-small

-warm

-cold

-round

In MATH we continued creating, describing, extending and comparing patterns with 4-5 elements using shapes. 

The "pattern rule" for this repeating pattern with 5 elements is A B C D E 

(or star, triangle, heart, square, circle!)

The pattern rule for this repeating pattern with 5 elements is A A B C C!

We also used our understanding of repeating patterns and pattern rules to identify simple errors in complex patterns, such as a missing or mixed-up element.

In SCIENCE we used the scientific method to explore insulation. We learned that insulation can keep things (like our houses, food or bodies) hot or cold by trapping air! We created an experiment to see which materials would be the best insulator for Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride's hands in a bucket of ice water. We recorded our materials (paper towels, tin foil, play dough, mittens and rubber gloves) in our notes and made predictions. We then performed the experiment as a group and wrote reflections about our results and how compared them to our predictions. 

In SOCIAL STUDIES we learned how important it is to exercise your democratic right to vote by electing our very own classroom Prime Ministers! We explored the role of the Canadian Prime Minister and brainstormed different qualities that a Prime Minister would need to have. We then voted for a class member who we thought embodied these qualities. Congratulations to our new classroom Prime Ministers, Gurman and Harnoor! We know that you will perform your roles with respect and empathy for all students!

We continued our inquiry on Calgary in the Past by focusing on Calgary's Indigenous Communities. We learned that people lived here before it was even called Calgary, and that the Niitsitapi, Stoney Nakoda and Tsuut'ina First Nations called this land home long before the arrival of European settlers. We learned the importance of The Acknowledgement of the Land in Treaty 7 Territory, and how it not only acknowledges the land itself, but also the Indigenous communities that call it home. 

We then read The Elders Are Watching by David Bouchard and reflected on the story by writing about the different ways we can show respect to our land. 

Thank you for growing with us!
-Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride

Week 7

In LITERACY we have been learning how to identify adjectives and use them in our writing. We learned that adjectives are words that describe a noun, and can often be an attribute or a 5 senses word. 

We focused on the value of EMPATHY in our writing by exploring what it means to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Sometimes we don't know exactly what a person is feeling because we haven't had the same experience, so it's important to try to understand by imagining their experience. 

In MATH we continued exploring patterns with 3-5 repeating elements. We learned that there are many different attributes (such as size, colour, and shape) that we can use to sort objects, or to create a pattern rule (such as A B C D or A A B B). We sorted animals and a variety of other manipulatives by attribute and then created repeating patterns based on our pattern rules. 

 

In SCIENCE we used the scientific method to explore how heat can change a potato. First we recorded observations about our raw potatoes, then we described the changes that occurred after an hour in a hot oven. Our potatoes had softened and become DELICIOUS! 

In SOCIAL STUDIES we continued our inquiry on Calgary in the Past by focusing on Calgary in the Present. We went on a digital field trip through Calgary and explored what technology, recreation, healthcare, and transportation are like in Calgary in 2019. We learned how lucky we are to have free and accessible healthcare and to be able to use the internet for research! 

Thank you for growing with us!
-Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride

Week 6

BREAKING NEWS:

Please remember there is no school on Friday, October 11th or Monday, October 14th. Enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend with your families! 😊

Congratulations to Ms. Meier and her newly adopted dog, Hudson! We have been with Ms. Meier through every step of the foster process, and it became very clear to her in the first few days that she would be his FURever person! The adoption is official and we can't wait to hear all her doggie stories and watch him learn new tricks throughout the year. 

In LITERACY we have been continuing to write compound sentences by using the word "and." We have also been revising and editing our work and our teachers' work to check for punctuation, capitals, sight words and clarity. 

Our sight words for next week are:
-away
-could
-friend
-favourite
-school

In MATH we have been exploring patterns with 3-5 repeating elements.We used color patterns to decorate fall leaf art and they turned out beautifully! We also learned what the word attribute means. We sorted different manipulatives by different attributes (colour, size, etc.), and used attributes to create repeating patterns. 

In SCIENCE we are continuing to develop our skills as meteorologists. We have been checking the daily temperature and filling in a thermometer by degrees celsius. We have also been exploring how weather changes affect people (like how we needed our warm coats, mittens and boots this week!), and animals (Ms. McBride's dog, PB, sure loves the snow!)

In SOCIAL STUDIES we continued our inquiry on Calgary in the Past on our Heritage Park Field Trip. We had an amazing time exploring Calgary's history. We learned about Calgary's First Peoples, the Blackfoot, and the early European Settlers. We visited a real trading post and made and tasted traditional Bannock. We played with toys and dressed in clothing from 100 years ago! Some of us even got thrown in the old jail! It was a cold day, but we learned so much and can't wait to continue our inquiry. 

  

Thank you again to our parent volunteers! We couldn't have done it without you 😊

Thank you for growing with us!
-Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride

Week 5

BREAKING NEWS:

We are very excited for our field trip to Heritage Park on Wednesday, October 9! Please sign and return your forms if you have not already done so. If you are able to volunteer, please let your child's teacher know as soon as possible.

Please remember to send your child with a lunch, water bottle, and weather appropriate clothing on Wednesday! Thank you!

In LITERACY we have been working hard to learn the value of EMPATHY and how important it is to understand other people's feelings. We have been discussing different scenarios and exploring how we could show empathy to familiar characters and each other through role play and writing. 

We have also been practicing our letter writing and beginning to experiment with writing compound sentences by using the word "and" (only 1 "and" per sentence!).

Our sight words next week are:
-want
-eleven
-tomorrow
-sixth
-cousin

In MATH we have been exploring ordinal numbers, meaning we can put numbers and objects in a sequence by first, second, third, etc. We have been ordering numbers we know, objects in pictures, and characters from familiar stories all week long! We are also learning how to use the correct ordinal number words when reading the date on our calendar!

In SCIENCE we learned how to be scientists by observing and participating in experiments with temperature. We know that good scientists are always safe and in control! We are also learning about the scientific method, and how it's important for scientists to always record their predictions and observations when conducting experiments. We know a good scientists always starts with a question. Our question was "How will hot and cold water change my crayon?" We made predictions and were amazed when the hot water melted the crayon into a flat puddle! We recorded our observations, and we are so excited to conduct more experiments with hot and cold.

In SOCIAL STUDIES we continued our inquiry on Calgary in the Past by focusing on Calgary in the Present. We watched videos, read books, and used our own experience to brainstorm the things the make Calgary a unique community, like the Calgary Tower, the Calgary Flames, and our very own community of Saddle Ridge. We reflected on our Calgarian identities by drawing pictures of the things that make us proud to be Calgarians

Thank you for growing with us!
-Ms. Meier and Ms. McBride