Math – Students wrapped up the Patterning unit this week by completing several individual/small group activities and challenges - both in class and online in Prodigy. (See the pictures posted below of students' counters/toothpick patterns. There were some really clever ones!) I am pleased with students' work to date, as most have mastered the various skills and concepts included in this unit. 4E and 4F students completed a short Patterning Assessment on Thursday/Friday this week, which I will evaluate and return to students in the coming days. Next up: Algebra! 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. Students would benefit greatly from completing the problem at home and submitting it to me for review and feedback.
Estimation Station – A shout out to M.S. in 4F for an amazing estimate this week! We will look forward to another Estimation Station challenge in class next week. Science – Students finished up the Waste and Our World unit on Monday, as we dumped out our mini landfills to make our final observations and conclusions about the biodegradability of various waste items. The take-home unit test was also due for 4E and 4F students on Monday, and I have been busy reviewing and evaluating students' understanding. All in all, this was an absolutely fantastic unit! I am certain the many discussions and topics covered will stick and continue to develop for students in the future. 4E and 4F students began our new unit on “Light and Shadows” on Tuesday. In this unit, students will learn about light by studying its use and effect on various things within the environment. We watched Bill Nye's “Light and Color” video, which introduced some of the key vocabulary and concepts we will be studying in the coming weeks. Through the video, students learned how we see and perceive colours, and also how white light contains the spectrum of colors. An example described in the video was, the reason we see a carrot is orange is because when light hits the carrot all colours are absorbed except orange which is reflected to our eyes. Students also learned that white reflects all colours, and black absorbs all colours and converts the energy to heat. Students received a glossary of the key vocabulary for our new unit which should be reviewed at home regularly. The glossary is currently stored in students' duotangs. Throughout the unit, I will also be posting various websites for students to explore at home... stay tuned to this blog! Be sure to check out the "Laser Mazes" photos from Thursday/Friday's Light and Shadows introductory task (posted below). 4E and 4F students absolutely loved this challenge, and are already beginning to understand and articulate the following terms: transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, and refraction. Here is a link which outlines the task: Laser Mazes...This is the rubric that students were evaluated on for the Laser Mazes task: Flex – 4F students finished up their snowmen sketches on Monday. The snowmen sketches are now nicely decorating one of our classroom bulletin boards! Many students continue to draw and follow the directions they learned in the video for this snowman activity in their free time, which shows me they enjoyed it! We will look forward to more guided drawing activities in Flex in the future.
We also dove back into the Silverwing novel study during Flex time this week. I believe we are coming up on the halfway point of the novel now and students seem to be keen to listen to the story each day and discuss their predictions and understanding of events. Miscellaneous – 4E and 4F students have been asked to bring in a standard-sized shoebox for an upcoming independent Science project. The shoeboxes need to be in my classroom by this coming Friday, December 1... please and thank you! If students ordered a book or any other item at the Book Fair last week, please see Ms. Bennett in the Learning Commons as your item has most likely arrived and waiting to be picked up! Students are reminded to return or renew any overdue library books to Ms. Bennett in the Learning Commons. I have a long list of students in 4F with overdue books and will check in with you early next week to ensure they are returned/renewed! Ski/Snowboard Day is on December 5th for all grade four students. Students need to ensure they dress for the weather that day and have everything they need to keep warm - snow pants and jacket, warm clothes/layers, thick socks, insulated gloves/mitts, hat, etc. Ski/Snowboard Day will be a very exciting time for everyone! I hope you are enjoying this chinook as much as I am... see you next week, 4E and 4F students! - Mrs. Ross
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June 2018
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