Friday, April 9

 Hi parents,

We had a great Friday today, which was a perfect way to end an exceptional week.

Our spelling quiz was a big success.

After that, we watched the Zoboomafoo video that I posted on the blog yesterday, and the class learned a bit more about eggs. We talked about the types of animals that lay eggs, how these animals take care of their eggs, and what happens inside the egg before it hatches. 

The students started working on their "Hatching Chicks" booklets, and drew pictures of what happens within an egg over the first 4 days. Spoiler alert: here's what happens over 21 days:

We did some 'film studies' and watched the Pixar Short "Geri's Game". Its the one from the start of A Bug's Life, in which an elderly man plays chess against himself (it's on Disney Plus if you have it!)

The students responded to the writing prompt: "Geri's Game is about....." and "I thought Geri's Game was _________ because..."

I encourage everyone to try this activity at home with a movie of your choice! Watching and discussing movies is a great way to help kids build their comprehension skills. Talking about the events, settings, problems, and characters in movies will help students do the same while reading.

Have a nice weekend!

Zac

Arts Commons Virtual Field Trip Alert!

 On Monday, April 19^th, students in grade 1/2 at Lake Bonavista School will participate in an Arts Commons Virtual Arts Education Program, connecting with artist-in-residence Shirley Hill to learn about Blackfoot language and storytelling: https://artscommons.ca/learn-engage/school-programs/artist-in-residence/ This program enriches student learning within our Language Arts and Social Studies curriculum.

 

Thank you to our Lake Bonavista School Council for generously providing the funding for this experience.

Thursday, April 8

 Hi parents,

We had a good day today all around!

The students continued to work on their addition and subtraction in the morning, and had Music class. 

Ms. Rehill brought a bunch of fun building materials that the students used to build their own 'Titanic' during Explore and Play.

We learned about Ontario today as part of our "This Land is Our Land" project. We watched this video: Ontario Video

Then, the students drew pictures and wrote words to show their personal connection to Ontario. We found out that we all do have a personal connection to Ontario because it's where Ms. Rehill was born, and she's everyone's favourite teacher.

The students also got to see the Eggs for the first time today. Interestingly, they are all slightly different colours and shapes, and they don't look as clean and pristine as eggs you'd find at a grocery store. Not even 'organic' eggs.

The afternoon was filled with Daily 5, Work Period time, and Spelling Practice.

On that note - tomorrow is our spelling quiz. I have high hopes for this one based on what I've seen from the students this week in class!

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, April 7

*It looks like I accidentally saved this post as a draft instead of posting it. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused!*

Hi parents,

We had another awesome day today!

In the morning, the students created simple boats using tinfoil, and experimented to see if they would sink or float when loaded up with various objects. This activity is always a lot of fun and I wouldn't be surprised if the kids ask to try it out at home too. 

The students continued to work on their spring break journals during the morning work period.

The students got some exciting news today - our class, and several other classes, will get to observe a dozen eggs as they go through the incubation process and eventually hatch into chicks! Today, the students learned about the steps that an egg goes through before hatching. We talked about the importance of observing and handling the eggs respectfully and peacefully. We haven't actually got to see them yet though.

The students are still working on 2-digit addition and subtraction. It's a long process as you can probably tell. However, I think we're ready to start working some word problems into the mix, so that should keep things interesting for the rest of the week.

We didn't watch this video in class, but it could help the students to gain a more solid understanding of the concepts we discussed! Zoboomafoo 135 - Who's in the egg? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHcQr0daw5E

We ended our day with spelling practice and Daily 5.

Have a nice day!

Zac

Tuesday, April 6

 Hi parents,

I hope you all had an excellent Spring Break!

I think the students must've all really enjoyed their time off, because today they were in exceptionally good spirits and did an awesome job with every task they were presented with. I think today may have been one of our best days of the year!

In the morning, the students got right to work on their 2-digit addition and subtraction math - Ms. Rehill and I were both impressed by how well they all remembered it!

The students also had time to write about their Spring Breaks in their journals. A lot of students wrote more sentences for this prompt than for any other activity this year.

We did a really fun Easter Egg scavenger hunt activity this morning too. The students were given maps of the schoolyard and a nearby park. The maps showed where to find 8 hidden eggs, each decorated with a unique pattern. Students worked in pairs to locate each egg, and sketch the patterns to prove they had done so. The students were mostly independent during this activity, but we did walk to and from the other park as a full class.

In the afternoon, we brainstormed -ai words before the students practiced their new spelling words.

We practiced passing and dribbling using soccer balls in gym, and did Daily 5.

Have a nice evening!

Zac

Spelling Words (Week of April 4)

Spelling List A

Rain	Pain	Main	Paid
Mail	Raid	Wait	Nail

 

Spelling List B

Snail	Stain	Chain	Drain
Paint	Brain	Remain	Plain

 

Spelling List C

Mermaid	Mailbox	Raindrop	Ponytail
Railroad	Terrain	Failure	Rainbow

Please don't feel obligated to study these at all over the break.

But, if your child ever complains about being bored....

Friday, March 26

Hi parents,

We had a great day today that was filled with fun activities.

In the morning, the students used tissue paper to decorate hard-boiled eggs. Our original plan with to have the students peel off the tissue paper and see how the paper dyed the egg. However, they looked so nice covered in tissue paper that most students decided to just leave it on.

Some eggs were left behind :(

The students did a great job with this week's spelling quiz!

Then, we watched the movie "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs", which was awesome and actually quite funny. Mr. T delivered a breathtaking performance.

We did a 5-finger retell activity and talked about the characters, settings, and events in the movie.

At the end of the day, we did a Music / Art activity, in which the students listened to three ocean-themed songs and drew pictures of what the songs made them think of.

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!!

Zac

Thursday, March 25 (PJ Day Tomorrow!)

 Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today!

In the morning the students had Music class, math time, and work period. Ms. Rehill taught a very informative and fascinating lesson on the Titanic, as many students have started to show an interest in it lately. It's perfect timing because we're just starting to look into Boats and Buoyancy. 

We did Daily 5 and Spelling practice too, of course.

In the afternoon, we had a Lockdown drill. The students did a great job with this despite not knowing it was coming! As such, we have earned a Pajama Day for tomorrow! We will also be watching a movie, so feel free to send a special 'movie snack' with your child (we wish we could still share popcorn). 

Tomorrow is not all fun, however, as we still do have a spelling quiz. I think the students have gotten a lot of quality practice in this week so I'm optimistic about this one!

Have a nice night!

Zac

Wednesday, March 24

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today!

As usual, we started our day with addition and subtraction practice, then Ms. Rehill read more from Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business.  

Today the students learned about Manitoba as part of our "This Land is Our Land" project. We watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSAW6g0mJD8

We had some great class discussions afterwards. The students completed another page in their TLIOL booklets, in which they coloured in the Manitoba flag, and drew pictures of the provincial animal and plant, as well as pictures of the landscape and natural resources. 

We practiced Spelling and did Daily 5 in the afternoon (as usual). The students worked hard, listened well, and were a joy to teach today.

Have a nice evening!

Zac

Tuesday, March 23

 Hi parents,

We had a good day today!

We started our science exploration into Boats and Buoyancy today. We did an experiment in which we learned that an orange with its peel will float, but an orange without a peel sinks. The student tested a variety of other materials to see if they would float. 

We had Music class, and worked on 2-digit addition and subtraction. The blog probably sounds a bit like a broken record lately in terms of math, but that's just because these concepts require so much practice! Kids can usually pick up things like 2-D shapes and measurement in a couple weeks, but adding and subtracting take time and dedication. I'm really impressed by how hard the students have been working so far, and I am confident they are going to walk away with an exceptional understanding of these important, foundational topics.

We did Daily 5, Gym, and Spelling Practice in the afternoon.

Have a nice night!

Zac

Monday, March 22

 Hi parents,

We had a good Monday today!

In the morning, the students wrote to answer some comprehension questions about the Junie B. Jones novel we are reading now, "A Little Monkey Business". The class also worked on some math worksheets that featured both 2-digit addition and subtraction problems. These worksheets are kind of like the 'final boss' for addition and subtraction. Having to pay close attention to the + and - signs in each problem adds an extra layer of difficulty that can really throw students off - however, it is also the best way to ensure students have a true understanding of the differences between addition and subtraction!

Today, as part of our "This Land is Our Land" booklets, the students learned about Saskatchewan. 

The class also wrote in their journals about their weekends.

In the afternoon, we did Daily 5 and Spelling Practice. This week, our spelling words are focused on the 'ea' blend. I introduced the students to the catchy rhyme: "When two vowels go walking, (sometimes) the first one does the talking". This is also an equally catchy Jack Hartmann song:

We ended our day with a quick game of "Name the Song".

Have a nice day!

Zac