You Create Your Own Experience!

Fall is here and as you can see, our students did a great job creating some art work for the Halloween Dance last Tuesday, sponsored by the PAC. This was a much anticipated event and many boys and girls from Division 4 went to dance the evening away and have fun showing off their Halloween costumes.

In Math, we worked on subtracting 3-digit and 4-digit numbers (with borrowing) and we will have a Math quiz this coming Tuesday, October 29. Also, we started learning the multiplication facts 1-10 by using simple drills and rhythmic games, which help to memorize these basic facts that will be so important to know as students move on to higher grades. We started this week by learning the doubles. 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 etc. Please make sure to review these facts at home and remind your child that we will have a Quick Quiz about the multiplication facts EVERY Monday. I will test five facts each time. We will also use card games to reinforce this learning goal and I will send some information home about this within the next few days.

In Social Studies, we started our unit on mapping and we will be looking at a map of Canada and identify provinces, major cities and other geographical landmarks.

The interim report has been sent home last week and if you have not done already, please make sure to return the slip at the bottom of the report to the school, so that I know that you had a chance to discuss it with your child.

In our weekly classroom meeting we explored the idea of "You create your own experience" and how this applies to our students' experiences as learners, friends and family members. This concept helps kids to gain a better understanding of their responsibilities as a learner and citizen, take charge, accept consequences, gain self esteem and rely less readily on others.

Last but not least, I want to share a blast from the past! It has been three years since I made apple sauce... then with my Grade 6 students, whose little buddies were Ms. Walker's Grade 1 kids. Recognize two of these lovely kids?? Time sure flies when you are having fun!







Apple Day With Our Little Buddies

This week's highlight was definitely Apple Day on Thursday, when we joined our Little Buddies in Division 8 once again to help them learn about apples, draw apples, count seeds, chart different colours of apples, and prepare apples for apple sauce. Everyone enjoyed seeing their little buddy again and being a friend and mentor to our younger students, and I could not have been more proud of the boys and girls of Division 4. Well done everyone; the apple sauce turned out very well and together with the vanilla ice cream we enjoyed a yummy treat at the end of the day!

 On Thursday, we also participated in a province wide Shake Out Drill as part of our earthquake preparedness program. All of the students of Division 4 took this important drill very seriously and were able to follow instruction and evacuate the building in a timely manner. Good job everyone!
In Math, we are moving on to a new unit that reviews adding and subtracting of 3-digit and 4-digit numbers. I am planning to give a second quiz on Tuesday, October 29th. Please remind your son or daughter to review their notes and assignments prior to the quiz. I will also add some links to online resources and math games, which might be helpful to your child as well as you in support of their learning. Please check back frequently as I will be posting more great links on this blog that will help with homework and practice at home!



The students of Division 4 wrote a Turkey Diary this week, in which they reflected on a turkey's experiences in the days following Thanksgiving. There were some pretty humorous and insightful writing pieces, and I thought you might enjoy an excerpt of Fraser's Diary of a Turkey:
DAY 1 - Saturday, October 12
I am so scared. Today is the day the farmer picks his best turkey. I am trying to look my worst. Oh, oh, here comes the farmer... Oh no! He picked...ME!!!! No, no ,no this can't happen! HELP!! SOS! SAAVE MEEE!
DAY 2 - Sunday, October 13
Ewwww, these dirty dishes smell! Sitting on the counter is not pleasant. I am tight to the cutting board and the farmer is going to be here any minute with his carving knife. Wait a minute.... almost got it... I'm free! Have to run and hide!
DAY 3 - ...
DAY 4 - ...
Day 5 - Thursday, October 16
I feel bad for the farmer. No turkey on Thanksgiving! I 'm going to bring him a chicken instead. I found the fattest chicken. (...) I dropped the chicken on the porch and watched as he opened the door. He took the chicken and said, "Thanks, mystery person!'.



Not bad for a grade 4 student, isn't it?

 



Happy Thanksgiving!



Wishing you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving weekend with all of the gifts that this beautiful season has in store for you. After a busy week at school, I enjoy this gorgeous crisp weather this weekend, and I hope you got outside to burn off those turkey dinners as well:)
What a great week it has been for Division 4! We are really starting to get into our routines and our students are becoming more familiar with the new expectations in grade 4. Please look out for the interim report card, which will be sent home by the end of this coming week. It will provide families with a quick glimpse of their child's assessment with regards to work habits, behaviour and effort.
This week, our students completed their short essays about their name, which they wrote based on the interviews they conducted with family members. We also created some cool name art, which can be admired on the bulletin board outside of our classroom.

 

In Math, we wrote our first quiz on Thursday and all of the students did very well, demonstrating their learning of our first unit on large numbers to 10,000 and estimating sums and differences. I can tell that many of them studied prior to the quiz and that they are starting to develop some strong study skills, which will benefit them throughout their school years.
In Science, we continued to learn about weather and we started a Weather Watcher activity, which includes a daily weather report that students complete independently each morning. Our boys and girls have demonstrated some interest in world geography and we have already explored the location of our continent and some countries. I love geography and am pleased to see some interest in this exciting topic. Next week, I hope to begin a Social Studies unit on mapping. Let's keep going and continue this exciting learning journey together!

 

 



Starry Night

This week we started our Science unit on weather and were inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting Starry Night to learn how weather conditions can be reflected in art work. We took the opportunity to learn more about Van Gogh about an innovative Impressionist artist, who was misunderstood by the society of his times. Our Division 4 students enthusiastically created their interpretation of Starry Night and drew some beautiful oil pastel pictures. Here are three neat facts about Vincent Van Gogh:

He did over 2000 paintings and drawings in 10 years but he only ever sold one!

Most people think that he cut his whole ear off but it was just the lobe!

His famous painting The Starry Night has all the stars in the correct spot in the sky!

In Math, we started a unit on rounding large numbers (100s and 1000s) and estimating sums and differences. Mental math, guessing the solutions, is a very important skill that will help students to develop a strong number sense and quickly estimate answers. This learning outcome will be a focus of our Math Program this year. Our first math quiz is scheduled for the end of this week, probably Thursday or Friday, and students are reminded to review their notes at home. Practice sheets will be sent home one day prior to the quiz.

I am very impressed with the reading practices of most of our students. Keep it up and do not forget to submit the Home Reading sheets that have been sent home! In Language Arts, we read one of my favourite children's books Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. We started some research on our names and students have interviewed their parents about their names. I hope this sparked some fun conversations and I am looking forward to the kid's "name essays" next week. As always, new spelling words are sent home on Monday and we will have a quiz on Friday. Some kids are working on ten words, others are tested on twenty words.

Keep reading, keep running and keep smiling!