le 30 octobre

Bonjour

Today's letter was L. Have your child show you the sound and action as well as how to blend it with a vowel.

We read a non-fiction book about les chauve-souris (bats). What can your child recall?

We had some fun Halloween patterning centers, have a look below.

le 29 octobre

Bonjour

We played a fun strategy game today. Students worked in groups of 2. Each group uses 10 q-tips and one skeleton picture. Student laid the q tips along the skeleton's body. They then took turns taking one or two q-tips. The player who took the 10th q tip won. Some students realized that they needed to calculate their moves to be the winner. Try playing at home!

We also tried some challenging Halloween problem solving about the number of feet in a haunted house! Ask your child about it!

Photo orders due the 31st of Halloween
No school Friday

le 28 octobre

Hi Parents

*** Please ensure children have mitts, tuques and winter boots. It was a very chilly morning recess and there were a lot of frozen fingers and toes.***

Our new letter is J, please have your child show you the action and the sound.

Today students made up their own pattern in Math using objects, actions, drawings or sounds. We filmed each child presenting them and in the coming weeks will upload them into Iris. We'll keep you posted!

Mr Trevor has a blogger account: https://mtrevorphysed.blogspot.com/

He has also made a video about how to tie up your shoes! Definitely worth watching if tying shoes is still tricky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNvxidABqQA&feature=youtu.be

I am hoping you can speak with your child to encourage him/her to speak more French. Many of them are defaulting to speaking completely in English instead of using the words and sentence starters they do know. At this point, it is an expectation that they do the following only in French:
- ask to drink water (puis-je boire de l'eau?)
- go to the bathroom (puis-j'aller aux toilettes?)
- say "how do you say?" (comment dit-on?)
- ask for help (de l'aide s'il te plait)
- tell me what they did last night/yesterday (hier, je suis allée)

Thank you so much for your support with this, we want students to become proficient speakers and be comfortable taking risks in speaking and participating. In the skill progressions it goes listening to/understanding French -> Speaking French -> Reading in French -> Writing in French. It's so important as it's the foundation for all future skills. In the coming weeks will will start doing a daily self-assessment that will be coming home each night indicating how much French they spoke.

Important dates:
-Tomorrow: library - please return books. Late slips have been sent home with a few students
-Thursday: Halloween (please refer to Mme Brinson's weekly update for costume guidelines)
-Thursday: Photo orders due
-Thursday: volunteers still needed for Halloween centers from 10-11

le 25 octobre

Bonjour

A new favourite song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj7V-Dw4Hk4

Please read and return "Les couleurs de l'Halloween."

We met with our grade 4 buddies today and worked on our first Social Studies assignment. We are beginning to study: My World:My Home, School and Community.

Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how identity and self-esteem are enhanced by their sense of belonging in their world and how active members in a community contribute to the well-being, growth and vitality of their groups and communities. 

1.1.1 - value self and others as unique individuals in relation to their world:

• appreciate how belonging to groups and communities enriches an individual's identity
• appreciate multiple points of view, languages, cultures and experiences within their groups and communities
• demonstrate respect for their individual rights and the rights of others

recognize and respect how the needs of others may be different from their own


The complete program of studies can be found here: http://www.learnalberta.ca/ProgramOfStudy.aspx?lang=en&ProgramId=564423#596884

Bon weekend

le 24 octobre

Bonjour

Today students are bringing home a small book about Halloween to read to you in French. Please have them read it to you several times and return it to school by Monday.

Today's letter was G. Similar to C, there is a  G dur (hard) and a G doux (soft)

G dur: ga, go, gu
G doux: ge, gi, gy

Mme Emily came and did a beautiful chalk pastel project with the students. Ask them about it!

We are learning to represent numbers in a variety of ways: ten frames, number lines, drawing, dice dots, tallies, written out. Students are still working hard to identify their numbers for 10-20 in French both in an out of order. This is a great area for home practice.

Tomorrow we will have a lockdown practice. I have discussed it with the students and we have practiced what to do.

Friday: Family Dance, last day for Scholastics orders
Tuesday: Library (please return your books before then)

le 23 octobre

Bonjour

This song has consistently been, through 12 years of teaching, a hands-down student favourite. Enjoy C'est l'halloween!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYfmQ5eAQlg

In Math we did an open-ended problem solving question called "combien de pattes." We brainstormed a list of domestic animals and listed how many legs each had. I then told students that in my house there were 8 pattes (humans have les jambes, animals/bugs etc have pattes) and asked them which combination of animals I could have.

Students then tried the problem using either 8 or 14 pattes and worked independently or with me to come up with at least one solution. Try the problem at home with another number.

We do open-ended problem solving for many reasons: it pushes students to explore, communicate and prove their answers, it allows for multiple ways of thinking, many skills are practiced (counting, skip counting, addition...), it gives an opportunity to be creative and it teaches them persistence and grit in their work. Students who can consistently come up with multiple solutions that are both correct and are proven (ie today I told them I was not going to count the feet- their work needed to speak for itself) will earn 4s in Math.

Today's sound and action.

Volunteers needed!

Hello

I'm looking for a few volunteers on Halloween (it's a Thursday). We'll be doing math centers between 10-11:15. If you can join us please let me know.

Merci!
Jennifer

le 22 octobre

Bonjour

Today's letter was: d. Show your d action

de    da   di .  do .   du .     dy

ed .   od .   ad .   id .  yd .  ud

Coming home are: school photos, school t shirt and hoodie orders.

Friday: School dance and scholastics due.

le 21 octobre

Hi Parents

Today we learnt about the sound C. C is a bit of a tricky one because it makes two sounds, K and S (and SH when it's with a CH).  The rules are below, I don't expect students to remember them all at this point- great if they can!

C doux (soft C, s sound)= ça, ce, ci, cy (the ç changes a sound from hard to soft)
C dur (hard C, K sound)= ca, co, cu
Ch = sh (ie chat, chien, proche)

Our big learning goal in Math this week is to ensure every student can identify the numbers between 10-20 in French both in and out of order. We learned how to represent numbers with tally marks today. Ask your child to show you how.

Important dates:
Friday Oct 25 Scholastics Due, Halloween Dance

Volunteers Needed
I have planned some special Halloween Math games for Halloween. I'm looking for a few parents to join us Wednesday from 10-11:25.

Merci!

le 18 octobre

Bonjour

Nurse Jen came in to speak with us about hand washing and germs. We looked at pretend germs under a blacklight. Oh my! Ask your child about all the steps!

With Mme Zdrill, we learnt about Friendship.

We had a fire drill today and will have another to practice some skills that still need improvement. What is each child's responsibility during a drill?

Bon weekend,
Jen

le 17 octobre

Bonjour

Today Mme Lynn, an occupation therapist, came to present "My Mouth is a Volcano" about listening and interrupting (errupting!). Ask me about what I learned! A strategy the students learned was to bite down, breath your words in through your nose, breath them out through your mouth and breathe back in. Then you put your hand up to speak.

We read a non-fiction book about les araignées (spiders). How many facts can your child recall?

We watched a video about light and colours. We then used a prism in various spots in the classroom and on the school yard to separate light into colours.

We are also practicing our numbers between 10-20. They are a little tricky in French!

And finally we practiced the letter B. Ask your child to tell you the sound (careful: it's not BE, just a quick b-b-b) and show you the action.

le 16 octobre

Bonjour

We had a few really engaging tasks today!

Homework: Have your child read their little "J'aime l'école" book to you. A few times would be ideal. Please return it when you are done.

Math

Authentic Task: Jewellery design – how do jewelers plan, gather materials and make jewels?

We watched videos of jewelers designing their creations. Students noted that they were

-hard working

-tried several times

-took their time

-got help/feedback

Task: Using two colours, design a bracelet.

 Criteria:

-How many patterns can you make using only 2 colours? (Goal was at least 2)

-Can you count your beads?

Most children finished today- a few will finish up in the coming days.
(FYI- they do break sometimes. Sorry!)

Science: students had to match a colour swatch using red and black plastercine. What did they learn? Especially about adding in a darker colour?