There are no specific math/science tasks or homework assigned for students to complete over the Winter Break. Students' math and science duotangs should be in my classroom storage bins at school. If not, please return them on the first day of school in January!
If students are looking for academic challenges over the break, they are always encouraged to log into Prodigy to brush up on their math skills and understanding of concepts. Our current unit of study in math is addition/subtraction, and in the early New Year, we'll work through the Telling Time unit. Students are highly encouraged to review telling the time on both digital and analog clocks over the break in preparation! Our current unit of study in science is Light and Shadows. I have updated and added various science links for students to explore on the right side bar for this unit. These websites will prove to be very beneficial for students, as we continue our studies together in the New Year! I would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Whether you are spending time with family, or taking a trip to warmer climates, have a well-deserved safe and relaxing Winter Break! 4E and 4F students... I'll see you back in class at NCS on Monday, January 8, 2018. Don't forget to bring back your indoor shoes and agendas! - Mrs. Ross P.S. Parents and students... MANY thanks for all the cards, pictures, letters of appreciation, treats and gifts. I was truly touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity! You made me feel very special and valued.
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Math – 4E and 4F students explored addition skills and concepts in class this week. They reviewed how to add and regroup numbers, and most students are beginning to add numbers up to 10 000 independently. Students worked to solve word-based addition problems and also worked in Prodigy on various visual addition challenges. I think the most enjoyable activity in Math this week, was playing a card game called "Addition War". Students are encouraged to play this game at home with 2, 3 and 4 flipped cards! Here are some photos from the Addition War activity... Prodigy/Problem of the Week: Students are currently working in the Addition section of Prodigy. They are encouraged to log in to their personal accounts, explore the website and respond to challenges on a regular basis. There is no Problem of the Week assigned this week. Problem #7 is on its way in early January! Estimation Station – There were 120 grains of rice on a spoon in the Estimation Station jar this week. Congratulations to A.Z. in 4E who estimated closest to that number with 106. Well done, A.Z! We will look forward to your Estimation Station challenge in 2018! Science – We had a very exciting week in Science, as students finished up their pinhole camera project and were able to take them outside to experiment and put them to the test! Students enjoyed seeing the sun's refection in their box, and were also able to pick up on other bright reflections from outside. Below are some photos from the class we spent outside with our cameras (Monday). Students also brainstormed and reflected on the various sources of natural and human-made/artificial light this week. They worked collaboratively in groups to record their ideas and examples, and we also worked as a class to research and learn about light forms in our world. Next week, students will learn about bioluminescence and how light travels! Flex – In Flex, students continued to work on their Secret Acts of Kindness cards for their secret friend (see photo below - 4F students are brilliant artists!) and also spent some time independently reading each day. Students are reminded to bring their own book to class each and every day! Lost and Found: Nose Creek will be donating our lost and found items on December 20th. Please make sure you or your child check the lost and found (located in large bins right inside the front doors) before this date for any missing item... or items you may not know you're even missing! Locker Clean-Out: Grade 4 students will be cleaning out their lockers on Wednesday afternoon during Flex time. Students will be asked to take all personal items home over the break (i.e. indoor shoes, hats, lunch bags, agendas). NEW Kodiak Hoodies arrived today and are available for purchase on Monday. Check out the PE Blog for more information (hoodies are $30). Learning Commons: All library books are due back or need to be renewed before the break. Spirit of Giving: Many MANY thank you's to all the families who contributed to our school's Annual SPIRIT of Giving. We can’t wait to deliver the stockings to the Inn From The Cold next week, and are sure each and every one of our donations will be accepted with enthusiasm and pleasure. 4F students donated SO many items, that were were able to fill up two GIANT stockings. Way to go, 4F! Here is a photo of all the loot we collected for our assigned four and five year old boys... Miscellaneous - We have a very fun and busy week planned for the final week of school in 2017! Here are some details for you: Monday - Hot chocolate ($1) and caroling in the gym at lunch (begins at 12:25pm) Tuesday – Santa hat day & Rice Krispies ($1) and caroling in the gym at lunch (12:45pm) Wednesday – PJ Day (school appropriate), Christmas Cookies ($1-2) and caroling in the gym at lunch (12:45pm) Thursday – Dance and Activity Afternoon, Stocking Probability in the main foyer ($1) ** all proceeds go to the ChooseKind Project and Inn from the Cold. Thursday is our last day of school before Winter Break. A reminder that school will resume for students on Monday January 8th! And one last item... we can't forget "JINGLES"! Our very friendly Kindness Elf provided much fun, excitement and entertainment for 4F students this week. 4F were keen to accept and complete his daily kindness challenges, and a few students have asked him to stay for the remainder of the year! Ha! I'm sure Jingles will have to make his way back to the North Pole at some point, but until then... we'll continue to share and spread his acts of kindness. Here are the daily photos of our little elf friend, "Jingles"... Please let me know if you have any questions about the upcoming week at Nose Creek. It is sure to be a busy one, but also very exciting for each one of our Kodiaks!
Take care and enjoy the weekend before the break! - Mrs. Ross P.S. One last photo for you (I promise!)... if you weren't able to make it, the students sang beautifully at the Winter Concert in the main gym today. I was proud of their performance, behaviour and attitudes, and am looking forward to seeing them up on the big stage again in the future. Bravo, 4F! Math – We continued on with our studies in the Algebra unit this week, as students completed two tasks which had them solving one-step equations in both addition and subtraction. Students also worked together in small groups to solve several algebra-based word problems, and worked hard to incorporate the "W.I.N." acronym (words, illustrations, numbers) to their answers. 4E and 4F students also enjoyed a period of Prodigy time this week, and are currently working in the addition section of the program. During the next two weeks, students will focus on addition and subtraction of numbers up to 10 000 (including decimal numbers). Prodigy/Problem of the Week: Students are always encouraged to log into Prodigy at home in their spare time to brush up on their math skills and understanding of concepts. The Problem of the Week posted below is also a wonderful challenge for students to tackle in addition to Prodigy. This will be the last Problem of the Week posted until 2018. Good luck, 4E and 4F students!
Estimation Station – Due to our Ski/Snowboard Day and PD Day this week, Estimation Station was cancelled and will resume next week. Thank you in advance to K.T. from 4E for preparing us with next week's challenge! Science – We wrapped up our Light Safety research online this week and were excited to begin our Pinhole Camera project! Students got messy in our double period of Science yesterday (see photos below), and are looking forward to putting the cameras to the test outside. A BIG thank-you to our Grade 6 buddies and Ms. Williams for helping us construct the cameras! 4E and 4F students are reminded to "dress for the weather" on Monday as we'll be spending time outside making observations and conclusions with our pinhole cameras. Fingers crossed for continued sunshine! Flex – We spent our Flex time working on our homeroom's Secret Acts of Kindness cards this week. Students will hand these cards out to their secret friends during the last week of school prior to Winter Break!
Miscellaneous – Students had a wonderful time at the Ski/Snowboarding field trip at COP this past Monday (see photos posted below). It was a beautiful day to spend outside, as the sun was shining and the temperature wasn't too chilly! I was hoping to take more pictures during the trip, but ended up spending most of the day skiing myself! 4F Homeroom - 4F homeroom students have been asked to collect items for "The Spirit of Giving" challenge at Nose Creek School. As a homeroom class, we are hoping to collect various items to fill a large stocking for a family in need in Calgary this holiday season. We will work together as a class to bring in the items from home to fill our stocking up until Friday, December 15. At this time, the stockings will be collected and delivered to the Inn From the Cold. The two individuals that we have been assigned to collect for are 4 and 5 year old boys. These boys would love new socks, mitts, games, toys, books, hygiene items or any other items that you deem appropriate. 4F students and I will have more conversations about the items needed during Flex class next week! One last reminder that 4F students will be performing at Friday's Winter Concert! The concert will begin at 9:30am in the large gymnasium and all families are welcome to attend. Enjoy your weekend... only 9 more days of school until Winter Break begins! - Mrs. Ross @mrskalross: We are ready to hit the slopes today! #skiday2017 #gradefourkodiaks @NCKodiaks12/4/2017 Math – Students began the Variable and Equations (algebra) unit in Math this week. They have been focusing on learning how to solve one-step addition/subtraction equations involving a symbol to represent an unknown number. Students are also learning how to express a given problem as an equation in which a symbol is used to represent an unknown number. 4E and 4F students enjoyed using manipulatives to represent and solve several numerical and word problems in class (both individually and in small/larger groups). I am pleased with how the students are learning to work together to overcome mathematical challenges and will continue to encourage this collaborative learning in our upcoming algebra lessons! 4E and 4F students really seemed to like the "Hoo's There" coordinate graphing challenge I tossed into Math this week! They were keen to locate and connect the number points on the graph, which created a lovely hidden picture of an owl! Please see the photo posted below. No homework is assigned this weekend in Math, however, students should take a look through their duotang to ensure they have completed all assigned tasks to date! Prodigy/Problem of the Week: Students are always encouraged to log into Prodigy at home to brush up on their math skills and understanding of concepts. The Problem of the Week posted below is also a wonderful challenge for students to tackle in addition to Prodigy. Thank you and a job well done to all my students who submitted answers for last week's Problem of the Week! I have posted this week's Problem of the Week below. Good luck!
Estimation Station – There were 128 pieces of red construction paper in the jar this week. Congratulations to K.T. in 4E who estimated right on that number! Incredible! Science – Students wrapped up their Laser Mazes group task for the Light and Shadows Unit earlier this week. They received their grading rubrics for this task today, as well as the Waste and Our World take-home test, and parents should be reviewing/signing all grades on a regular basis (as indicated in students' agendas). 4E and 4F students also completed a reading comprehension and vocabulary activity entitled, "The Magic of Rainbows" in Science this week. Through this reading, students were able to understand and comprehend the seven colors that make up rainbows and also the two things that are required to produce rainbows (water and light). Here are the key vocabulary terms studied in class this week: reflection, separate, arcs, vibrates, spectrum, visible, transparent, translucent and opaque. Students also enjoyed the "Light Energy Scavenger Hunt" I set up in our classroom! Students worked in pairs to read and solve 18 questions about light energy, and then had to locate the fact card with photo, which provided the correct answer to the question. Here is a sample of two of the facts students learned in class... Flex – 4F students continued on with our Silverwing novel study this week. They began to independently plan and develop an artistic representation of one event from the novel to date. We are hoping to finish these artistic tasks in the coming Flex classes, and I'll post photos when the work is finished. Until then... here is a sneak peek! Miscellaneous – The grade four Ski Day field trip is on Tuesday! Please be sure to have your child at school by 8:00am. This is when we will take attendance and begin to depart the school by bus. If you foresee any difficulties with this, please send me an e-mail or note in your child's agenda, as we will not be able to wait for late students on this day! We are keeping fingers crossed for warm weather, but be sure to send your child to school with appropriate clothing/winter gear as our day will mainly be spent outside. On this day, please ONLY send your child to school with a lunch/water bottle in their backpack (and any necessary medication). Agendas are not needed at school that day, and all other personal items should be kept at home. This is always an exciting trip for the kids. I can't wait to see their faces light up with wonder as we drive up to the ski hills on the bus! I will be sure to send some photos your way from this trip!
I really enjoyed watching my 4F class rehearse for the Winter Assembly today (see photo below)... it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Wishing your family a season of gladness, a season of cheer, and to top it all off - a wonderful year! Take care and I hope December is a good one for you! - Mrs. Ross |
Mrs. Ross[email protected] Archives
June 2018
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