Wednesday, February 23

 Happy Pink Shirt Day!

We had a pretty good day today with some great conversations about kindness, bullying, and being a good friend. We talked about easy ways to show kindness (listening, smiling, saying hello, etc.), and larger acts of kindness, like standing up for someone who is getting picked on, or going out of your way to make a new friend.

The students designed their own Pink Shirt Day shirts, featuring kind words and examples of ways to help others.

This activity took up a lot of our time because the discussions were so meaningful.

We finished chapter 3 of The Secrets of Droon, and played the math game "Classroom of Doom".

We had a sharing circle (finally they're allowed again!!) and the students talked about times that someone had shown kindness to them during the day. It dawned on me yesterday that "Guest Reader" will finally be permitted once again too, and I can't wait to get that started up again. Stay tuned for more information about that in the near future.

Tomorrow is Beach Day! It is also pretty cold, as is usually the case for Beach Days at LBS, so please help your child choose something summery to wear tomorrow that will still keep them warm outside. Think turtle-neck Hawaiian shirt. 

Have a nice night,

Zac

 

Tuesday, February 22 (2/22/22)

 Hi parents,

Happy "Twos-day Tuesday"!

We had a great day back at school after what seemed to be an exceptionally fun long weekend.

In the morning, students worked on math problems, practiced the same spelling words from last week, and did some editing. It's actually amazing to see what a difference our focus on "COPS" has made in some students' writing - if you're practicing at home, all I can say is keep up the great work! Even just a sentence a day can make a huge difference.

Students wrote in their journals about the long weekend, focusing on capitals, organization, punctuation, and spelling. Then, we did a 2-themed math activity, in which the class had to see how many numbers they could make by using equations only involving the number two. They were able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. They even came up with some creative ways to get to odd numbers using only 2's.

In the afternoon, we did Daily LA, and then read Secrets of Droon. Unfortunately we didn't have time to finish the chapter.

We had 15 minutes of extra gym time today, which meant we had time to play some exciting games of Pillow Polo, 3 vs. 3. It was a lot of fun to watch.

We ended our day with an assembly about Pink Shirt Day, and really just kindness in general. Thank you to Rooms 10 and 11 for reminding us that Pink Shirt Day is tomorrow, and giving us some ideas about ways be can be kind all year round.

Have a nice night!

Zac

Wednesday, February 16

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today!

We did typical morning work period activities for a while, then went out for Gym with Ms. Brown. 

The students did an 'unscrambling' editing activity, in which they had to first unscramble a mixed up sentence, and then rewrite it correctly and neatly in their writing books. Many students worked so efficiently that they were able to finish multiple sentences!

We learned about 'rounding' today in math. The students did a quick activity in which they rounded a variety of prices to the nearest dollar. For example, $4.99 would round up to $5, or $10.10 would round down to $10. If you happen to have a flyer lying around, it might be fun to challenge your child to round the prices to the nearest dollar. Rounding is a tricky skill at first, but once students get it, it becomes the easiest thing ever (at least when you're just rounding to the nearest dollar - hundredths and thousandths can be complicated again).

In the afternoon, we did Daily LA, read the second chapter of Droon, and then did a late Valentines Day 'STEM Challenge', in which the students worked in table groups to create free-standing structures from paper hearts. They did an awesome job with this - there was so much creativity and teamwork!

Tomorrow marks the start of Teachers' Convention, so there is no school until next Tuesday!

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend. :)

Zac

Tuesday, February 15

 Hi parents,

We had a good day today!

In the morning, the students worked on math problems, editing, and spelling practice. We split into 'social studies buddies' and did some more reading about Iqaluit. Today, the focus was on Natural Resources and occupations. The students read about soapstone carving, hunting, and the wide range of plants and animals found around Iqaluit. They answered some comprehension questions too.

We read the first chapter of the second Droon book, and the class answered even more comprehension questions.

In the afternoon, we did Spelling Practice, Daily LA, and Music.

If it seems like we haven't been doing as much in class lately, it's just because our Morning Work period now features math problems, spelling practice, editing, and finishing work from earlier in the week. It takes almost 90 minutes! But the students have been using this time really effectively, and building a lot of independence too, and I feel like we're at our peak 'Montessori-est'. 

Remember that tomorrow is Fun Lunch! 

Our spelling quiz will be the following week.

RPG Maker VX on Sale!

Also, this has nothing to do with school at all, but for any aspiring young video game creators, RPG Maker VX is on sale via Steam for less than $5. This is probably the most user-friendly video game design software I have ever encountered, and a couple of years back, I was even using it with my Grade 1/2 students! There are great tutorials available on YouTube and I'd be happy to help too.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/521880/RPG_Maker_VX/

Have a nice night!

Zac

Monday, February 14

 Happy Valentines Day!

We had a great day today in Room 4. 

The addition of 'morning editing' to our Morning Work period has been a big success. It is awesome to see the students taking the time to practice neatness, spelling, and punctuation, without having to go back and redo previous writing tasks.

Today we did some Valentines themed writing instead of Weekend Journals. The students had four choices of what to write:

1. Write about someone you love.

2. What is the best way to show someone you care about them?

3. Which is better: flowers or chocolate? (we had a really compelling class discussion about this! I thought everyone would just say chocolate but there were quite a few on Team Flowers!)

4. Write a Valentines Day poem.

The students did a great job with this writing task, regardless of which prompt they chose.

We did some Valentines Day "Colour by Numbers, handed out Secret Valentines, and practiced spelling.

Students who were away today can collect their Valentines when they're back at school!

Have a nice night,

Zac

Friday, February 11

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today. The students had Music and Gym, and then after snack, we spent quite a bit of time working on "Secret Valentine" cards. Students made unique, personalized Valentines for one other person in the class, chosen at random. It was a great opportunity for students to practice kindness, and to see the best in one another. They wrote nice messages in the cards too.

Students who were absent today will have an opportunity to make Valentines on Monday morning. Nobody will be left card-less!

The spelling quiz went quite well today, and at the end of the day, the students received some masks and rapid tests, even though masks will no longer be required for students as of Monday! Students are of course still welcome to wear them, and we fully accept and respect everyone's choices. 

Have a nice weekend,

Zac

Spelling Words! (Week of Feb. 13)

 Spelling List A

New	Grew	Stew	Chew	Drew
Blue	Red	Where	Jump	Away

 

Spelling List B

View	Knew	Threw	Curfew	Jewel
Don’t	Right	Green	Their	Call

 

Spelling List C

Preview	Through	Outgrew	Askew	Pursue
Untrue	Statue	Choose	Avenue	Caribou

We'll probably work on these for the next two weeks due to Teachers Convention / Family Day.

Good luck!

Thursday, February 10

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today! 90's Thursday and Funky Feet Day were both a big hit. Thank you to everyone who helped their kids get dressed today - it was like going back in time. We also took an amazing class picture in front of a Fresh Prince backdrop, and I think there's a good chance it will be in the yearbook, so it might be worth buying a yearbook just for that.

In the morning, we talked about the flag of Nunavut, and discussed the significance of the colours and symbols. The students did a quick writing activity to review what they knew about the Inuit and Inukshuks.

We got to preview the second Secrets of Droon Book, which is called "The Journey to the Volcano Palace". The students will be doing another novel study in the coming days, and this time will be even better than the first one because we will always write in complete sentences and always use finger spaces. The class decorated the covers of their new novel study booklets.

We played a game called "90's or Not", in which the students worked in teams to examine a series of images and identify whether they were from the 90's, or not from the 90's. Topics included Pokemon, Backstreet Boys, Poo-Chi, Furbies, and a bunch of non-90s ones like Star Wars Episode 4, Taylor Swift, Jimi Hendrix, and LOL Dolls. It was a lot of fun. :)

In the afternoon, we got ready for our "Secret Valentine" activity, which we will be doing instead of handing out Valentines from home (because we are unfortunately not allowed to).  "Secret Valentine" is kind of like Secret Santa, in that each student will be assigned a classmate at random to create a Valentine for. Each student also filled out a questionnaire to indicate their favourite colour, animal, food, and activity, so that the person making their Valentine will be able to make it extra special for them. Students do not know who their Secret Valentine is yet - we'll be doing that part tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our spelling quiz - good luck!

Zac

Wednesday, February 9

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today!

Almost our whole day was focused on learning about Iqaluit and the Inuit people who live there.

In the morning, the students read through excerpts from our social studies textbooks and highlighted important information about the traditional ways of life of the Inuit. 

I added "Morning Editing" to our morning workload, to give students an opportunity for daily practice with increasing the legibility of their writing. Students are now responsible for identifying errors within a sentence, and rewriting the sentence properly. It only take about 5 minutes, but over the next few weeks, I'm sure there will be a notable difference in their writing!

In the afternoon, we went on an 'expedition' to learn more about Iqaluit. The students learned about igloos, shamans, stories, and more, as they travelled between stations. After that, they students learned how to use sandpaper to create beautiful miniature inukshuk statues. They were so mad at me for not letting them take them home today - they'll have to wait till Friday!

Tomorrow is Funky Feet Day . Students are encouraged to wear unusual and exciting shoes and socks. However, it is also 90's Thursday. I'd wanted to do a 90's themed spirit day for ages, and then I found out Ms. Greenhall's class was doing one tomorrow so we had to get in on it. For 90's Thursday, students can wear whatever 90's fashion they / their parents think is rad.

So it's two spirit days in one. Students are welcome to participate in both, or one, or none - it'll be a fun day regardless. :)

Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, February 8

 Hi parents,

We had a good day today. In the morning, the students worked on math problems, practiced spelling, and finished up work from yesterday. 

We finished reading the first "Secrets of Droon" book and the class answered comprehension questions about the final chapter. Then, they gave it a rating out of 5 stars, and wrote a book review. The objective of this review was to justify their rating using specific things from the book. This task proved to be a lot more difficult than anticipated - we had to talk extensively about why "I liked it because it was good because I liked it" is not really a valid reason to like a book.  

There has also been quite a lot of pushback against 'editing' for some reason, so we're going to have to keep focusing on it for a while. If you have time to practice at home, that could actually be super helpful.

Even just doing a 5 minute activity each day could make a huge difference. Here are a couple of ideas if you're interested!

1. Write a simple sentence with incorrect punctuation and capitalization, and possibly some sight words spelled incorrectly. Ask your child to identify the errors and rewrite the sentence correctly.

2. Ask your child to write 1-2 simple sentences about their school day (e.g "Today I learned about Iqaluit."), with a focus on finger spacing, neatness, and appropriate capitalization. 

I think we'll also start adding a quick 'editing' activity to our morning work period.

We learned the multiplication strategy of 'repeated addition'. For example, rewriting the equation 5 x 4 = 20 as 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20. The class did a few problems in their math books. Easy peasy. 

In the afternoon, we read about the Inuit people of Iqaluit, and their unique history living in Canada's north. 

Tomorrow is our Soapstone Carving art project! I hope our recent lessons help make this activity extra enjoyable and meaningful.

We ended our day with Music.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Monday, February 7

 Hi parents,

It was a pretty typical Monday in room 4. We did all of our usual Monday routines with a focus on doing it "nice" so nobody has to do it twice.

For journal writing, the students asked themselves a question, and then wrote a response to that question. Many students opted to use the question "what did you do on the weekend?", but a few of them got pretty creative with it. I was happy to see that a lot of students did some of their neatest, best organized writing of the whole year! 

We went over this week's spelling words, which once again feature the -ea blend. This week it's making a short e sound, like in the words 'Bear' and 'Bread'.

We did a book exchange at the library, and students had time to finish up their igloos from last week. They turned out pretty well!

In the afternoon, we had Daily LA, Gym, and more Work Period.

A couple of things to keep in mind for this week:

Wednesday, Feb 9: Inuit In-Class Field Trip

-Please send back forms if you haven't already!

Thursday, Feb 10: "90's Thursday / Funky Feet Day"

-Brainstorm some phat and / or fly ideas for 90's-inspired apparel 

Please also take the time to contribute to our school's Literacy Day Padlet if you haven't already!

 

Have a nice night,

Zac