Friday, June 11

 Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today!

In the morning, we had the spelling quiz, which unfortunately did not go as well as I was hoping. Maybe the -ed ending words were too much for June...But that's okay! The students made a valiant effort and that's what our spelling quizzes are all about. I appreciate inventive spelling as much as I appreciate correct spelling.

We watched a great Arthur episode called "Lost!", in which Arthur gets lost downtown. It was a great episode to learn from because it focused on different types of communities and helpers in our communities, which are both big parts of the social studies curriculum. 

The students had the choice to either write in their journals about a time that they felt lost, or what they would do if they ever did get lost.

In math, we learned about skip-counting by 5's. The students did an awesome job with this one! Usually skip-counting by 5's is the tricky one, especially when starting from numbers other than 5, but everyone seemed to get it pretty quickly.

At the end of the day, we did a virtual theme park visit, and watched some roller coaster / ride POV videos from some fun rides at Disneyland. The students had a blast.

Thank you to everyone who sent back their pink community project forms! If you haven't completed yours with your child yet, please do so this weekend and send it back on Monday. :)

I also sent home some yearbook consent forms with anyone who has not currently completed the form. Please send those back, signed, on Monday as well, so your child's face does not get covered by an emoji.

Have a nice weekend!

Zac

Thursday, June 10

 Hi parents,

We had yet another good day today that was full of learning.

In the morning, the students did another drama lesson during music time. Then, we learned about skip counting by 10's. I've noticed that having access to a 100's chart makes a huge difference for lots of Grade 1s, so if you're practicing at home, consider using a chart like this one:

We have started to create actions for our class's special acknowledgment of the land. The students have had a lot of fun contributing to this process.

We watched an episode of Arthur in which DW meets the president. The students did a quick writing activity about what they would do or say if they got to meet the prime minister of Canada.

In the afternoon, we discussed 'goods and services', and we also learned about brochures. If you've already taken a look at the pink homework form I sent home today, then you will understand why! If not, here's what it says:

We also watched the Pixar short film "Lou", and had a good discussion about kindness, bullying, and saying sorry (all of which are relevant to the movie).

Have a nice night!

Zac

Wednesday, June 9

 Hi parents,

We had another good day today!

In the morning, we started a new topic in math - skip counting. Skip counting is an important skill for students to learn as it lays the foundations for a strong understanding of multiplication and division in later grades. Unfortunately, it can also be quite a difficult concept to learn, especially for grade 1 students who may still be familiarizing themselves with counting by 1's. As with most math, the best way to learn it is simply by practicing a little bit each day. Here are some videos that may help!

Counting by 2's Scratch Garden

Counting By 5s - Scratch Garden

Counting by 10's - Jack Hartmann

Skip Counting Workout (2s, 5s, 10s)

Students who already have a strong understanding of skip-counting were challenged to try skip counting by 2's, but starting from odd numbers. You can also challenge your child to count by 5's and 10's, starting from odd numbers, or to count backwards by 2's, 5's, or 10s. Skip-counting by other numbers can be a good challenge too. There are a whole bunch of ways to adjust skip-counting practice to be easier or more difficult, and everyone can benefit from some extra practice.

The students tested their boats today, and tried to find how much weight their boat could carry without sinking or flipping over. 

In the afternoon, the class made a wonderful first impression on our school's new principal, Ms. Rooke, who came for a quick visit today. We finished working on our 2-D Shape Community projects. With the boat project and the shape community project finished, our classroom should become drastically less messy.

Have a nice evening,

Zac

Tuesday, June 8

 Hi parents,

Today was a pretty good day for our class! I don't have much to write though, because a lot of it was just a continuation of what we started yesterday.

In the morning, we had a special Drama lesson instead of Music, and then the students worked on their 2-D shape communities from yesterday. They're coming along nicely and some students are already finished.

We got to attend a virtual assembly by Room 4 and 5 that focused on indigenous history and values. We also did Daily 5 and spelling practice.

As the year winds down, our Morning Math focus has shifted back to basic facts and counting.

Remember, the Room 6 Talent Show is on June 23 - thank you to everyone who has already emailed about participating! You can submit talent show videos to the assignment posted on Google Classroom, or your child can perform 'live' if they'd rather.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Monday, June 7

 Hi parents, 

We had a pretty good day today! 

In the morning, the students wrote in their weekend journals, and then we switched things up a bit and did Daily 5.

The students spent some time going over their lines for a class movie we're putting together for our Year-end assembly! The movie is called "What is Summer For?" and it's going to be awesome. Each student has a line, so it's a great collaborative way to bring the class together. Plus, when it's finished, I'll upload it to the Google Classroom, so you can all enjoy it as well. :)

In the afternoon, the students worked on a fun social studies / math activity, in which they worked in partners to construct urban, rural, and suburban communities using 2D shapes. 

We read more Junie B. Jones and practiced the script again too.

Have a nice evening,

Zac

Spelling Words (Week of June 6)

 Spelling List A

Jumped	Pumped	Bumped	Lumped
Camped	Looked	Helped	Landed

 

Spelling List B

Walked	Talked	Biked	Loved
Backed	Packed	Loaded	Burped

 

Spelling List C

Wrecked	Hurried	Guarded	Crushed
Checked	Studied	Learned	Cured

These words are no joke! But being able to quickly identify the -ed ending is a hugely helpful skill when reading, and knowing when to use it will help kids with their writing as well.

Good luck!!

Friday, June 4

 Happy Friday!

We had a pretty good day today, although it was not super interesting because most of it was work period time. 

In the morning, we had the spelling quiz. The students had more time to work on their beach writing from yesterday, and also their "Urban, Rural & Suburban Community" page. The students seem pretty good with urban and rural communities, but a bit confused regarding suburban ones. 

We sat in a circle and had a meaningful talk about Orange Shirt Day. We talked about the meaning of 'indigenous', and 'first nations'. We talked about how important it is to be able to 'be themselves' at school, and the rights of children. The students shared things that they are thankful for at school.

We did a guided drawing video that taught the class how to draw themselves as 'graduates' - because that's what they'll all be at the end of the month!

Upcoming Dates: 

Room 6 Talent Show - June 23

The third annual "Room 6 Talent Show" will take place on Wednesday, June 23. The Talent Show is a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents and hobbies for their classmates and teachers. 

Participation in the Talent Show is completely optional, and students may choose to present their talent 'live', or to record a video at home and submit it through Google Classroom. 

Talents do not need to be performance-based either - if a student is passionate about art, for example, they could bring one of their favourite drawings to share with the class.

Unfortunately, due to Covid protocols, parents are not permitted to attend the show as we've done in previous years. However, I will put together a video of the live performances and share it on Google Classroom!

If your child would like to participate in the Talent Show, please send me an email at zalink@cbe.ab.ca some time before Friday, June 18. This will give me a better idea of how long the show will run and what equipment we'll need (We do have access to a piano, in case anyone was wondering). I'll also create an assignment on Google Classroom for any video submissions.

Stay tuned for next week's spelling words, and have a wonderful weekend.

Zac

Thursday, June 3 (Orange Shirt Day TOMORROW!)

 Hi parents,

Today was a bit of a crazy day, but I think the class had a ton of fun. Unfortunately the listening skills were at an all time low - I think there were about 10 people in Listening Club today! I decided to be nice and let them free from the club early - twice - but ironically, both times I told them they could go play, they were talking over me and didn't hear it. So that was kind of funny but also a bit sad.

In the morning, the students had Music class, and then we did a writing activity in which students wrote lists of things they might see at the beach. 

After that, we reviewed urban, rural, and suburban communities, and started working on another worksheet around those concepts but didn't get to finish it.

In the afternoon, we had our Beach Party, which was a blast for the kids. A student brought enough squirt guns for the whole class, so everyone got in on the fun! Plus, we had the water fight on the playground, which added a new dynamic of hiding to the already incredibly fun activity.

At the end of the day, students did a thorough clean-up, and practiced spelling.

Tomorrow is our spelling quiz! Tomorrow is also Orange Shirt Day!

If your child does not have an orange shirt, please encourage them to wear one of their favourite shirts. As Elder Shirley explained, it's not wearing orange that matters - it's about being grateful that we all have the freedom to wear whatever we like, and that we all get to express ourselves at school. It's also about remembering and honouring the indigenous students who did not get to enjoy that freedom, and taking positive steps to ensure no children ever have to go through it again. 

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, June 2

Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today in spite of the school not having air conditioning.

Most of our morning was dedicated to boat building, which the students seemed to really enjoy! First, they built the 'hull' of their boat by taping two bottles together. Then, then added a 'deck' on top of the bottles using scrap paper. Finally, they used 3-D Shape Nets to add structures on top of their decks. I was a bit nervous about this step because cutting out and folding shapes can be difficult for younger students, but with enough masking tape, it all worked out! 

Tomorrow we're going to attempt to paint the boats... I'm equally nervous about that step.

The students did a fun math activity called "The 3D Shape Awards", in which they gave 'awards' to a variety of shapes based on their qualities. The categories were: Most Fun, Most Useful, Most Boring, and Most Dangerous. The class had to explain which shape was the winner of each category, and why. 

There were some awesome discussions that came from this activity because there were no 'right' or 'wrong' answers. For example, some students thought that 'spheres' were the most fun shape, because they're so crucial in ball-based games. Other students thought 'cones' were the most fun, because they're crucial in ice cream-based activities. If you're looking for something interesting to talk about tonight at dinner, look no further.

Tomorrow is beach day! Unfortunately we are not able to actually go to the beach, but students are encouraged to wear summery clothes, bring stuffies, and maybe even bring small squirt guns (no super soakers!) 

On Friday, we will be having Orange Shirt Day. 

Have a nice night!

Zac

Tuesday, June 1

 Hi parents,

Well, somehow we've officially made it to June - honestly of all years, I would've expected this one to really drag on, but it actually seemed to go by really fast. Does anyone else feel like that?

We had a great day today. The students had Music in the morning, and wrote about their 'happy places'. We learned about three different types of communities: Rural, Urban, and Suburban. We talked about the characteristics of each of these communities, and thought of a few examples too. The students drew pictures and wrote sentences to show their understanding of these concepts (but I think it could probably use some review tomorrow!)

Some students who finished early got to experiment with 3-D shape nets. I thought it might be helpful for students to practice cutting out and gluing shapes together, because that will be a big part of our boat building project. On that note - we'll probably start building the boats tomorrow, so please send in bottles / cans if you haven't already! 

In the afternoon, we did Daily 5, practiced spelling, went to gym, and had a fire drill. 

Upcoming Dates:

Thursday, June 3: Beach Day!

The class earned 20 helping hearts for good behaviour during lunch, so they've won a special celebration day. Typically this would be a PJ Day, but since it's supposed to be 32 degrees on Thursday, we thought it would be better if they wore light, summery vacation clothes. Students can also bring a stuffy to school if they like.

Friday, June 4: Orange Shirt Day

We will be having another Orange Shirt Day this Friday in light of the recent tragic news around the Residential School in Kamloops. The focus of this day will be honouring diversity and supporting indigenous culture in Canada. We will focus on the positive steps we can take moving forward, rather than on the tragic events of the past, and talking about Residential Schools at an age-appropriate level (just as we did for our earlier Orange Shirt Day).

Wednesday, June 23: Talent Show!

Please see the previous post for more information.

Have a nice evening!

Zac

Room 6 Talent Show 2021

The third annual "Room 6 Talent Show" will take place on Wednesday, June 23. The Talent Show is a fun opportunity for students to showcase their talents and hobbies for their classmates and teachers. 

Participation in the Talent Show is completely optional, and students may choose to present their talent 'live', or to record a video at home and submit it through Google Classroom. 

Talents do not need to be performance-based either - if a student is passionate about art, for example, they could bring one of their favourite drawings to share with the class.

Unfortunately, due to Covid protocols, parents are not permitted to attend the show as we've done in previous years. However, I will put together a video of the live performances and share it on Google Classroom!

If your child would like to participate in the Talent Show, please send me an email at zalink@cbe.ab.ca some time before Friday, June 18. This will give me a better idea of how long the show will run and what equipment we'll need (We do have access to a piano, in case anyone was wondering). I'll also create an assignment on Google Classroom for any video submissions.

Have a nice day,

Zac