Spelling List A (May 1 – 5)
Spelling List B (May 1 – 5)
Spelling List C (May 1 – 5)
Spelling meets math in this rare crossover event!!
Friday, April 28, 2023
Friday, April 28
Hi parents,
We had a great day today! Although saying goodbye to Mr. Ripka was not easy.
In the morning, students finished up the many work choices they'd started earlier in the week (it was an exceptionally busy one), and worked on long division problems. With our recent move into fractions, I really want to make sure nobody forgets the process of long division.
We did our spelling quiz, and had a sharing circle about favourite Mr. Ripka memories. We finished watching a magic school bus episode about erosion. We went outside and spent some time with our buddy class.
The class went to Music, and when we got back, we had our "Student Appreciation Event", which was basically a time for responsible work choices. Mr. Ripka also brought Star Wars Pod Racing to help the students understand what it was like to be their age in the early 2000's.
Have a nice weekend!
Zac
PS: Guess what:
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Thursday, April 27
Hi parents,
We had a great day today!
In the morning, the students had time to work on an exceptionally flexible writing prompt, which gave them the option to write about rocks, minerals, Alberta's history, or some other topic we've recently been learning about.
In math, we learned about writing and naming fractions, by using the ths suffix for the denominator. For example, saying tenths rather than tens, or even an obscure one like twenty-sevenths.
We had a kickball rematch and this time the purple team won. It's been awesome seeing the team spirit and positivity from both teams!
In the afternoon, we did Daily LA, read Ticket to Curlew, and got to attend the Kindergarten Concert Rehearsal, which was all about bees. It was an excellent performance. I bet tonight's will be even better.
Tomorrow we're celebrating "Student Appreciation Day"! The acronym SAD is especially fitting, as it is also Mr. Ripka's last day. :(
We'll make sure it's a good one though. It is a PJ Day and a Stuffy Day. Students have been asked to use their best judgment in bringing 1-2 stuffies that won't be too distracting.
Have a nice night!
Zac
PS: There is a giant Pysanky Egg display at Southcentre Mall until April 30! It's pretty cool and I think our class would especially appreciate seeing it since we just made eggs of our own.
Also, on the topic of local community events, Canyon Meadows Cinema is showing Star Wars: A New Hope in honour of May 4th, and the sequels in the following weeks!
https://www.canyonmeadowscinemas.ca/comingsoon.htm
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Wednesday, April 26
Hi parents,
We had a great day today! Total redemption from our previous two wild days.
In the morning, we learned about the rock cycle. The students created diagrams to show how rocks change from one type to another, and how steps are often skipped or repeated. It's a very chaotic cycle.
We learned more about fractions as well, and started to discuss 'equivalent' and 'not equivalent' fractions. This is a pretty difficult concept. It's tough for students to understand how '1/3 apples' is equivalent to '2/6' apples, even though the number of apples is different. We'll spend more time reviewing this tomorrow and probably into next week too.
In the afternoon, we went outside for gym and played field-point kickball. Basically it's regular kickball but you can only score points when your team is in the field. You get a point for a catch, or for getting the ball to the base before a runner. I like this version of kickball because it rewards kids more for their teamwork than just for kicking the ball really far.
We ended our day by reading Ticket to Curlew and completing some comprehension questions.
Have a nice day,
Zac
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Tuesday, April 25
Hi parents,
Sorry for the lack of blogs - Friday's just didn't post for some reason, and yesterday I had to take off right after school.
The last couple days have been pretty good for our class, although energy levels have been abnormally high.
We've started learning about fractions! It seemed to be a next logical step since the students have been getting so good at division.
We've officially finished the brochure project! I'm just in the process of looking over them, but so far, they've been fantastic.
Our math quiz on Friday went well too. Looking forward to sending those home later this week!
We've been doing Mission Impossible in gym, as the final portion of our gymnastics unit.
Yesterday I sent home field trip forms for our upcoming trip to Ann and Sandy Cross. Unfortunately, the online payment option is still unavailable (it has to be approved downtown). I really apologize for the inconvenience, and I will let you all know as soon as online payment opens up!
Tomorrow is PATTERN DAY!
Students are encouraged to wear pants, shirts, hats, shoes, and anything else with a cool pattern.
Have a nice night,
Zac
"LBS Pattern Day" c. 1994
Friday, April 21, 2023
Spelling Words! Week of April 23
Spelling List A (April 23 - 28
Spelling List B (April 23 – 28)
Spelling List C (April 23 – 28)
More opportunities to learn about and practice prefixes with these wonderful words.
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Thursday, April 20
Hi parents,
We had an awesome day today, but a very busy, and very tiring one.
The students spent the entire morning working on Pysanky Eggs, which turned out beautifully!
Some students were unable to take their eggs home today. This is because they didn't have a container in which to safely transport their eggs. Some of the containers were accidentally recycled. If your child did not bring home eggs today, please send them with any sort of insulated vessel tomorrow. Tupperware, a box, a yogurt container, etc. would all work fine.
This project was quite exhausting for everyone (most of all for our parent volunteers) and as a result, the students were noticeably "off" for the rest of the day. Emotions were running high and the class had a lot of trouble following expectations in gymnastics, lunch, and Music. We were supposed to have a math quiz at the end of the day, but we decided to put it off until tomorrow instead. Sorry for the inconvenience - I know a lot of students practiced hard and were ready to go, but I think they'll be even more ready tomorrow!
So that means there will be two quizzes tomorrow. A math quiz and a spelling quiz.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Wednesday, April 19
Hi parents,
We had a pretty good day today, until the last few minutes which were a bit loud and unruly due to a game of musical chairs.
In the morning Mr. Ripka and I gave the class a big pep talk and then the students did 30 minutes of silent work time on their brochures, and miraculously they were able to get a ton of work done. We're back on track for having good copies done by the end of the day on Friday. :)
Mr. Ripka demonstrated how to use wax and dye to create a Pysanky egg. We talked about the rules for tomorrow, as well as the techniques. The students seemed to understand that tomorrow morning will be a no-silliness type of morning, as we're dealing with (small) flames, hot wax, and dye.
Tomorrow - April 20
Please send three unboiled white eggs tomorrow if you haven't already done so. They work best if left out overnight beforehand.
In addition to our fun morning of artwork, we will also be having a math quiz tomorrow in the afternoon!
Have a nice night,
Zac
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Tuesday, April 18
Hi parents,
It was another busy day today! These days are just planning themselves because we've got so much on the go.
In the morning, we reviewed the life cycle of a rainbow trout. The students added more detail to the life cycles they created last week, and we discussed the ways the appearance and diet of a rainbow trout change over time. We learned how hard the life of a rainbow trout can be, as they swim upstream, dodging numerous predators and dangers, to go back to the place they were born and start the life cycle over again.
The students continued working on their brochures. They're going well but I'm a bit concerned that some students aren't budgeting their time very well. While they've all been doing a great job staying focused on the project, they may be dedicating too much time to things that probably should only take a few minutes, like drawing a patterned hat on a llama. But building time management skills is a big part of the Montessori philosophy, and I've let the students know that they may need to take their brochures home to finish over the weekend. But I'm hoping it won't come to that.
Thursday, April 20 -Pysanky Eggs & Math Quiz
Please remember to send three unboiled white eggs to school tomorrow, in a safe carrying vessel, for our Pysanky egg project, which we will do the following day. The eggs work best if left out for a day.
As well as being a day for Pysanky Eggs, we will also be having a math quiz on Thursday. The quiz will feature:
- 8 basic multiplication and division facts
- One addition problem and one subtraction problem (3 digit by 3 digit)
- Three division word problems (involving basic division facts)
The Grade 4 version of the quiz will feature only two word problems, and four long division problems.
A great way to study at home would just be to review skip-counting patterns.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Monday, April 17, 2023
Monday, April 17
Hi parents,
We had a great day today! April has been such a busy, but fun, month for our class and it looks like its going to continue that way.
We met with Ms. Sharon once again, and began another art project. This artwork focuses on cycles and patterns in nature. Our class in particular is going to be creating collaborative artwork to represent the cycle of day and night, using lots of interesting textures and mediums.
We talked about this week's spelling words, and the prefix 'Re-'. The students brainstormed other examples of words that have re- as a prefix. One interesting example was 'reread'.
The class continued to work on their brochures, and the hope is that they'll be all finished by this Friday. They're looking fantastic. For most students, this is the biggest research project they've done so far in their academic careers! I will post more pictures later in the week. :)
APRIL 20: Pysanky Eggs and Math Quiz
As you know, we are doing Pysanky Eggs on Thursday, April 20. If possible, please send your children to school with three white eggs on Wednesday, April 19. Please make sure these eggs are contained in a safe, well-cushioned container. We will also be using those containers to bring the finished products home.
Also, we will be having a math quiz in the afternoon. It will mostly be on division and multiplication, but there will also be a couple of addition and subtraction problems. We've been practicing the same types of problems every morning for the past month so I am confident the students will do great - but if you want to practice at home, please go ahead! I will post more details about the types of questions they will encounter tomorrow.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Friday, April 14, 2023
Spelling Words (Week of April 16)
Spelling List A (April 16 - 21)
Spelling List B (April 16 – 21)
Spelling List C (April 16 – 21)
This week our theme is "Re-" words. You may want to use this as an opportunity to talk about the five R's (they've added 2 more!) of taking care of the planet: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair (fix something rather than throwing it out) and Refuse (for example, if Mcdonalds tries to give you a massive stack of napkins, just take a couple instead.)
You may also want to talk about how Re- is a prefix that basically means 'to do an action over again'. Although sometimes the connection between the root word and the prefix is hard to place.
PRACTICE YOUR SPELLING OR THIS COULD BE YOU!
Friday, April 14
Hi parents,
We had a good but loud day today. In the morning, we had our spelling quiz (didn't get a chance to hand them out yet), and Mr. Ripka led a lesson about composting. After learning about animal life cycles yesterday, it seemed fitting that we learn about what happens when a living thing reaches the end of its life. The students created 'decomposition cycles' in their sketchbooks to illustrate what happens to an apple core when it's left out in nature, and how this process ultimately allows new plants, including apple trees, to grow.
We played "Classroom of Doom", and learned how to use Duolingo to learn French on the Ipads. Duolingo is a great app that is also child-friendly, and even just 5 minutes a day can help you become semi-fluent at a second language. I'm sure that getting into it at a young age makes it a lot easier too. Duolingo will be available to students in Room 4 as a choice during the "Listen to Reading" station of Daily LA, so I thought the students should have a proper lesson on it.
We ended our day by reading about halfway through chapter 5 in Ticket to Curlew.
Have a nice weekend!
Zac
PS: I am still looking or volunteers for the morning of Thursday, April 20, for Pysanky Eggs. Please email me at zalink@cbe.ab.ca if you are interested!
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Thursday, April 13
Hi parents,
We had a great day today! In the morning, we learned about animal life cycles. We talked about how life cycles are connected to the medicine wheel, and how humans, just like all life on earth, go through stages of life that are associated with different features, roles, and behaviours.
Then, we learned about another interesting life cycle - the life cycle of a rainbow trout! Incidentally, the exact same species of fish that we've been raising in a fish tank in our school's library. We watched this video about Rainbow Trout which is loaded with information. We visited the documentation board in the hallway, and the fish tank itself, and the students worked on their own depictions of rainbow trout life cycles. Turns out there are a couple more stages than you'd think.
We also continued working on our travel brochure projects, and I am super happy to report that just about everyone is now fully finished their research, and has moved on to their good copies ahead of schedule!
In the afternoon, we learned about the four sacred medicines of the medicine wheel (though we will learn a lot more about them in the coming days). We watched this video. The students passed around each of the medicines and made observations.
We ended our day by finishing chapter 4 of Ticket To Curlew. The students used various materials from around the classroom to build replicas of the house that Sam and Pa built.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED - THURSDAY, APRIL 20!
Some of the other Grade 3/4 classes decided to learn about and make their own Pysanky Eggs for Easter. Our class has decided to give it a try too, as its a great way to enhance our learning around Ukrainian culture! This a fairly difficult task and will likely take all morning, so if you are available to volunteer next Thursday, April 20, from 8:15 - 11:30, please let me know at zalink@cbe.ab.ca.
Thank you!
Zac
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Wednesday, April 12
Hi parents,
We had a great day today! In the morning, Mr. Ripka taught the students about plastic recycling. We learned about the seven kinds of recyclable plastics. Students got to see examples of each kind, learned how to locate the symbol that indicates whether or not something is recyclable, and where they should put the plastics that are.
We spent more time doing research for our social studies brochures. Most students are just about ready to start their good copies! I was talking to a grade 1/2 teacher and it made me realize what a huge jump this project is compared to the research projects students were doing in previous school years. This will undoubtedly be something they're proud of, when all is said and done.
We spent a bit more time reviewing division with remainders.
BLOG HOMEWORK: Solve the following word problem. (+2 table points)
I am at a restaurant with my 4 friends. We order two dozen chicken wings. We try to share them as evenly as possible. How many wings does each person get? How many wings are left over?
In the afternoon, we did Daily LA, learned a bit more about the Medicine Wheel, played kickball outside for gym, and ended our day by reading Ticket to Curlew. We are about halfway done Chapter 4 now.
Have a nice day!
Zac
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Tuesday, April 11
Hi parents,
We had a busy day today!
In the morning, the class learned about division problems with remainders. This was a trickier skill than I was expecting, and I think the class will definitely benefit from a couple more days of review. Maybe that math teacher on Youtube has a video that can I explain it better than I did.... it wouldn't be the first time he's one-upped me with division.
Edit: He does: Basic Division with Remainders
The students continued working on their research for their travel brochure projects. I'm really happy with how this project is coming along! Many students have finished the rough notes and are now working on editing. I'm hoping we can have the final good copies finished by the end of the next week.
In the afternoon, we had Music and Gym, and we read a bit more of Ticket to Curlew. The students created character lists to help them keep track of the book's many characters. They also wrote simple descriptions of each character.
Have a nice night!
Zac
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Spelling Words! Week of April 9
Spelling List A (April 7 - 14
Spelling List B (April 7 – 14)
Spelling List C (April 7 – 14)
The students did an awesome job with the sight words last week, so I thought we could do another round of them this week.
The words on List A roughly correspond with a Grade 3 literacy level, List B is aligned closest to Grade 4, and List C to Grade 5.
This is all very general though - students should always pick whichever list feels like it will be a good challenge level for them as an individual.
Good luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)