This morning we did some spooky Halloween math involving number clues and place value. Most of us found this an easy peasy review! One thing that we had troubles with was an activity based around rounding numbers to the nearest 10s or 100s. We worked through these steps:
For rounding to the nearest 10:
a) Figure out which tens the number appears between. For example 84 comes between 80 and 90. Using a hundreds chart really helps with this!
b) Look at the digit in the ones place. If it is 1-4 you round down. If it is 5-9 you round up. So for 84 we would round down to 80.
Even if I have a number in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands etc I should only focus on the digits in the tens and ones place. For example if I have 5434 I would start my steps focusing on the 34. 34 comes between 30 and 40. Since there is a 4 in the ones place I round down to 30. Once I'm done these steps I can add back in my thousands and hundreds digits to realize that rounding 5434 to the nearest ten would be 5430.
For rounding to the nearest 100:
a) Figure out what hundreds the number appears between. For example, 745 comes between 700 and 800.
b) Look at the digits in the tens and the ones place. If it is 1-49 you round down and if it is 50-99 you round up. For 745 I would look at the 45 and round down to 700.
Again if I have a number in the thousands I would focus first on hundreds place. For example with 3886 I would focus on the 886. 886 comes between 800 and 900. Then I can focus on the numbers in the tens and ones place. For 86 I would round up to 900. So to round 3886 to the nearest hundred I would do 3900.
Try practicing these questions and bring your answer in tomorrow!!
1) Round to the nearest 10:
- 56
- 732
- 1749
2) Round to the nearest 100:
- 78
- 622
- 7877
We began to work on writing scary stories. We first had to plan our setting, characters, obstacle our hero would face, attempts made to solve the problem and the beginning, middle and end. Once we completed our plans we began to write. In case we were stuck with ideas, there were story cubes that were made for each section of our plan. We could roll the cube and get an idea to keep the writing process going. We will continue to work on our stories tomorrow.
To wrap up our discussion around Halloween and Day of the dead, we began watching the movie the Book of Life this afternoon. It was interesting to see the different interpretations of the day of the dead and we compared it to what we learned in the Halloween Tree as well as how we celebrate Halloween.
Reminders:
- We have library tomorrow! Please bring back your books
- Numerous items were sent home today including math and spelling tests. Please review with your child. Questions from the test would be great review especially if your child did not complete or pass the assignment.
Monday, 31 October 2016
Friday, 28 October 2016
Black and Orange Day Monday
This morning we had our spelling test on homophones. It is important that we continue to practice the correct meanings of these words (especially their, there and they're) so we can spell them correctly in our writing. Ms. Binks will start to review our journal entries for the correct use of homophones. Next week our spelling words will be contractions.
In math today we started to talk about borrowing/regrouping. This concept was a little tricky for some of us, especially if there is a zero in the bigger number. Here is a link to a step by step video we watched to help explain the concept. We will continue to work on borrowing next week before having our subtraction review.
Multi-Digit subtraction
Try this subtraction question over the weekend and bring in your answer on Monday:
5231 - 987 = ?
We had our science review test on our unit of hearing and sound today. We will be starting to focus on the diverse communities of India, Peru, Tunisia and Ukraine next week.
Reminders:
- Black and Orange day is on Monday. Wear your best black and orange outfit! Ms. Binks will!
- November calendars sent home today
- Picture retake day is November 14
In math today we started to talk about borrowing/regrouping. This concept was a little tricky for some of us, especially if there is a zero in the bigger number. Here is a link to a step by step video we watched to help explain the concept. We will continue to work on borrowing next week before having our subtraction review.
Multi-Digit subtraction
Try this subtraction question over the weekend and bring in your answer on Monday:
5231 - 987 = ?
We had our science review test on our unit of hearing and sound today. We will be starting to focus on the diverse communities of India, Peru, Tunisia and Ukraine next week.
Reminders:
- Black and Orange day is on Monday. Wear your best black and orange outfit! Ms. Binks will!
- November calendars sent home today
- Picture retake day is November 14
Thursday, 27 October 2016
Tests tomorrow!
Today we met someone special who will be spending time in our classroom starting in November. We will be having a student teacher and her name is Mrs. Ball. Today she came to meet us and see the school. She will be going back to her university until November and then she will be in our class for 5 weeks. Yesterday we made some predictions about her. Some of our thoughts were:
- she will be nice
- she will have short spiky hair
- she lives with her parents
- she will be helpful
- she plays hockey
Some things we learned about her today were:
- she is 29
- she is married
- she lives with her husband in Kensington
- she has a sister
We also wrote her letters telling her 3 interesting facts about ourselves and asking questions we were curious about.
We continued working on subtraction and subtraction strategies today. We reviewed the traditional algorithm, using adding to help us subtract, working left to right, using a tally mark chart and drawing base ten blocks. We reviewed the golden rule of subtraction: the bigger number always goes first! We talked about how important it is that we continue to work on our basic addition and subtraction skills to make sure we can work through more complicated questions. We will continue subtraction next week.
We have our spelling test tomorrow on our homophone words! Make sure you practice how to use the words properly and the definition of the word. Here are the words again:
1) there
2) their
3) they're
4) to
5) too
6) two
7) where
8) wear
9) were
10) some
11) sum
We were able to watch a band performance this afternoon from G.P. Vanier junior high. They were dressed up in costumers and played spooky music. One of our favorite songs was called "Ghosts in the Graveyard". We loved it when someone in the band let out a loud shrieking scream at the end.
Tomorrow we will also be having a science review test on things we learned in our hearing and sound unit. Some things that we reviewed today that you will need to know for the test include:
- the parts of the ear (outer ear, ear canal, ear drum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea, auditory nerve)
- conductors - Something to help guide sound. The sound will be louder and more clear. Some examples include: wood, metal, glass and tin foil
- absorbers - Help to make sounds softer and quieter. Some examples include fabric, cotton balls, styrofoam and stuffing
- amplifiers - Helps to funnel sound or carry sound so it is stronger and travels easily. Some examples include a megaphone and hearing aid
- sound waves
- decibels - Measures how loud or quiet a sound is)
- pitch - the highness and lowness of a sound. The higher the pitch the closer sound waves will be together
- animal and human sounds examples
- why humans and animals make sounds (to communicate and to survive)
- what you learned from soundproofing
- the part of the body that helps us to talk (vocal cords)
Good luck studying!!
Reminders:
- Tonight is the Halloween dance from 6-8! Have fun!
- Spelling test tomorrow
- Science test tomorrow
- Black and orange day is Monday
- Please bring in an artifact to share about your family
- she will be nice
- she will have short spiky hair
- she lives with her parents
- she will be helpful
- she plays hockey
Some things we learned about her today were:
- she is 29
- she is married
- she lives with her husband in Kensington
- she has a sister
We also wrote her letters telling her 3 interesting facts about ourselves and asking questions we were curious about.
We continued working on subtraction and subtraction strategies today. We reviewed the traditional algorithm, using adding to help us subtract, working left to right, using a tally mark chart and drawing base ten blocks. We reviewed the golden rule of subtraction: the bigger number always goes first! We talked about how important it is that we continue to work on our basic addition and subtraction skills to make sure we can work through more complicated questions. We will continue subtraction next week.
We have our spelling test tomorrow on our homophone words! Make sure you practice how to use the words properly and the definition of the word. Here are the words again:
1) there
2) their
3) they're
4) to
5) too
6) two
7) where
8) wear
9) were
10) some
11) sum
We were able to watch a band performance this afternoon from G.P. Vanier junior high. They were dressed up in costumers and played spooky music. One of our favorite songs was called "Ghosts in the Graveyard". We loved it when someone in the band let out a loud shrieking scream at the end.
Tomorrow we will also be having a science review test on things we learned in our hearing and sound unit. Some things that we reviewed today that you will need to know for the test include:
- the parts of the ear (outer ear, ear canal, ear drum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea, auditory nerve)
- conductors - Something to help guide sound. The sound will be louder and more clear. Some examples include: wood, metal, glass and tin foil
- absorbers - Help to make sounds softer and quieter. Some examples include fabric, cotton balls, styrofoam and stuffing
- amplifiers - Helps to funnel sound or carry sound so it is stronger and travels easily. Some examples include a megaphone and hearing aid
- sound waves
- decibels - Measures how loud or quiet a sound is)
- pitch - the highness and lowness of a sound. The higher the pitch the closer sound waves will be together
- animal and human sounds examples
- why humans and animals make sounds (to communicate and to survive)
- what you learned from soundproofing
- the part of the body that helps us to talk (vocal cords)
Good luck studying!!
Reminders:
- Tonight is the Halloween dance from 6-8! Have fun!
- Spelling test tomorrow
- Science test tomorrow
- Black and orange day is Monday
- Please bring in an artifact to share about your family
Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Contractions
This morning in science we talked about how and why people and animals talk. We brainstormed different sounds humans make. Some of our ideas included:
- talking
- yelling
- whispering
- burping
- clapping
- sneezing
- coughing
We learned that in humans, air travels from the lungs through the trachea (windpipe) and up to the larynx which houses our vocal cords. Our vocal cords vibrate which then allows us to talk. Depending on whether we are making a high or low sound, our vocal cords will either be short or stretch out to change the vibrations. When we lose our voice, it is because our vocal cords are swollen and cannot vibrate.
We also talked about how animals can make sounds using their vocal cords as well as other parts of their body. We discussed two very important reasons why people and animals make sounds:
1) to communicate
2) to help them survive
We had a few students bring in items to share that showed their family culture. These are the items we saw and talked about:
- wooden shoes from Holland
- a messenger bag from WWII
- family coat of arms from England
- a picture of the family cabin
- a stuffed animal sheep from Scotland
- a Chinese red envelope
- a recipe
Please try and bring in something that represents your family culture. It can be a photograph, story, recipe, song, item etc
If you have any questions please let Ms. Binks know. Items that were shared today were sent home!
In Daily 5 today we started a new concept: contractions. We learned that contractions are types of words where there were originally two words that got pushed together. While they were getting pushed some letters flew away and were replaced with an apostrophe. We learned that the first word always stays intact. Here are some examples of contractions:
she is = she's
I am = I'm
you are = you're
they are = they're
I would = I'd
can not = can't
We had a review today in addition. Ms. Binks wrote 9 different addition questions and we had to choose 3 that were "just right" and 1 that was a challenge. We then had to solve 2 word problems and explain our thinking about if a problem Ms. Binks solved was correct. We will start to review subtraction tomorrow.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch is Thursday
- School dance is Thursday
- Black and orange day is Monday
- talking
- yelling
- whispering
- burping
- clapping
- sneezing
- coughing
We learned that in humans, air travels from the lungs through the trachea (windpipe) and up to the larynx which houses our vocal cords. Our vocal cords vibrate which then allows us to talk. Depending on whether we are making a high or low sound, our vocal cords will either be short or stretch out to change the vibrations. When we lose our voice, it is because our vocal cords are swollen and cannot vibrate.
We also talked about how animals can make sounds using their vocal cords as well as other parts of their body. We discussed two very important reasons why people and animals make sounds:
1) to communicate
2) to help them survive
We had a few students bring in items to share that showed their family culture. These are the items we saw and talked about:
- wooden shoes from Holland
- a messenger bag from WWII
- family coat of arms from England
- a picture of the family cabin
- a stuffed animal sheep from Scotland
- a Chinese red envelope
- a recipe
Please try and bring in something that represents your family culture. It can be a photograph, story, recipe, song, item etc
If you have any questions please let Ms. Binks know. Items that were shared today were sent home!
In Daily 5 today we started a new concept: contractions. We learned that contractions are types of words where there were originally two words that got pushed together. While they were getting pushed some letters flew away and were replaced with an apostrophe. We learned that the first word always stays intact. Here are some examples of contractions:
she is = she's
I am = I'm
you are = you're
they are = they're
I would = I'd
can not = can't
We had a review today in addition. Ms. Binks wrote 9 different addition questions and we had to choose 3 that were "just right" and 1 that was a challenge. We then had to solve 2 word problems and explain our thinking about if a problem Ms. Binks solved was correct. We will start to review subtraction tomorrow.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch is Thursday
- School dance is Thursday
- Black and orange day is Monday
Monday, 24 October 2016
Spelling Words
In math today, we continued to work on our addition skills. We learned 2 new strategies to help us when we are solving addition questions. The first was to make a tally mark chart. We would create a place value chart and then use tallies to mark down the number of 1000s, 100s, 10s and 1s for each of the numbers in our question. For example with 2134 + 1451 we would:
a) Use tallies to show the number 2134 in our chart
b) Add onto our tallies to show the number 1451
c) Count up the tallies in each section of our chart to find our answer
a) Use tallies to show the number 2134 in our chart
b) Add onto our tallies to show the number 1451
c) Count up the tallies in each section of our chart to find our answer
So our answer would be 3585
The one thing we need to keep in mind is regrouping. If we have 10 or more tallies in any section of our chart we will need to regroup. To do this we would circle the ten tallies and put one new tally in the proper section of the chart and then cross out our group of ten. For example if I had ten tallies in my hundreds section I would circle those ten and because 10 hundreds makes 1000 I would add a tally in my thousands section and then cross of the tallies in my hundreds section. For example:
1234 + 1978
So the answer would be 3212.
The other strategy we learned was drawing base ten blocks. Again we would start by drawing out the blocks that would make up one number and then add on the blocks that make up the other number and then count them up.
We also talked about word problems today and how there will be key words that should give us an "ah ha" moment that tell us we need to add. Some of the key words for addition include:
- total
-sum
- altogether
- combined
- plus
We will be having a review quiz tomorrow to show what we know about addition.
We were given 11 spelling words today that relate to homophones. We will be having a test on Friday. Please make sure you practice not only how to spell the word but how to use the word properly in a sentence! There are example sentences in brackets next to our spelling words.
1) their (Their house is red.)
2) there (Please go sit over there.)
3) they're (They're going to the hockey game tonight.) Remember this means "they are"
4) where (Where are you going on vacation?)
5) wear (I like to wear a scarf when it is cold.)
6) were (What were you going to do outside?)
7) to (I like to sleep in on the weekend.)
8) two (She ate two pieces of pizza for dinner.)
9) too (I love Harry Potter too!)
10) some (Some of us are going to play at recess.)
11) sum (What is the sum of 2 + 2?)
In science, we did a reflection on our instruments we built on Friday. We had to think about any changes we would have made as well as how we could have improved the sound of our music and make our instrument realistic. We will be given a chance to perform tomorrow and then some instruments will be coming home.
We talked today about the artifacts we were asked to bring in that represent our family's culture. We talked about how culture is the beliefs, customs, art, language, food, dress etc of a group of people. Ms. Binks would like us to think about our family history and the places our family came from. For example if we weren't born in Canada, or our parents were born somewhere else, or their parents were born somewhere else or their parents somewhere else... do we have items from that country we could bring in and talk about. Some examples of artifacts that have been brought in include:
- A Chinese red envelope
- Shoes from the Netherlands
- A recipe from Scotland
If there is no family history or traditions tied to another country, please feel free to bring in something that is special to your family and your family culture. If you have any questions please let Ms. Binks know. Any items that have been brought in, or will be brought in are going to be kept locked up and safe. Please try and bring in your items tomorrow or throughout the rest of the week.
Reminders:
- We have library tomorrow. Please make sure you bring back your books!
- Fun lunch Thursday
- School dance is Thursday night
Makerspace
Today we had our Pillars of Care assembly. 4 students from each class were chosen who showed behavior from each of the pillars:
- care for learning
- care for self
- care for others
- care for place
The students who won awards from our class were Madison, Rowan, Abby and Kyla. We have decided that we will start to nominate students in the class we feel should win the awards next time on Monday. We will write out who we think should win and why and Ms. Binks will review the nominations.
The grade 4s participated in Makerspace today. This is something new that we are doing at Beddington Heights. Makerspace involves activities focused on what we are learning about in our classroom but we get to work together and create and build things. Since we are focusing on hearing and sound, we were able to plan and build instruments today. We were put in groups and were able to create a band. In our band we needed to have:
- at least one string instrument
- something that shows vibration
- something you can play loudly and softly
- a wind instrument
- at least three objects that make a different sound when tapped or banged
- a instrument that plays different tones (notes)
- a percussion instrument
Before we built our instruments we had to plan out what materials we needed and how we would ensure our instrument would make sound. Lots of us talked about the science stations we completed and the importance of vibrations. We will continue to work with our instruments on Monday.
Reminders:
- Library on Tuesday
- Parent council dance is on Thursday
- Pizza fun lunch is on Thursday
- care for learning
- care for self
- care for others
- care for place
The students who won awards from our class were Madison, Rowan, Abby and Kyla. We have decided that we will start to nominate students in the class we feel should win the awards next time on Monday. We will write out who we think should win and why and Ms. Binks will review the nominations.
The grade 4s participated in Makerspace today. This is something new that we are doing at Beddington Heights. Makerspace involves activities focused on what we are learning about in our classroom but we get to work together and create and build things. Since we are focusing on hearing and sound, we were able to plan and build instruments today. We were put in groups and were able to create a band. In our band we needed to have:
- at least one string instrument
- something that shows vibration
- something you can play loudly and softly
- a wind instrument
- at least three objects that make a different sound when tapped or banged
- a instrument that plays different tones (notes)
- a percussion instrument
Before we built our instruments we had to plan out what materials we needed and how we would ensure our instrument would make sound. Lots of us talked about the science stations we completed and the importance of vibrations. We will continue to work with our instruments on Monday.
Reminders:
- Library on Tuesday
- Parent council dance is on Thursday
- Pizza fun lunch is on Thursday
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Pillars of care assembly tomorrow
We finished our Daily 5 rotation today with activities focused on homophones. On Monday, Ms. Binks will give us 10 spelling words that are all homophones and we will be tested on them next Friday.
We had phys ed this morning. We went outside on the compound to learn how to play the new games that were painted on the concrete. Only students in grade 4, 5 and 6 learned the games so it is expected that we be leaders in the school and teach the younger kids how to play. Ask me to explain my favourite game!
We continued to review addition today by choosing a strategy to work through the following math problems that we created together:
1) 9898 + 50000 =
2) 8765 + 9879 =
3) 9999 + 186 =
4) 56999 + 99999 =
5) 8888 + 7777 =
6) 1111 + 3505 =
Use either traditional algorithm or left to right to answer these 3 questions:
a) 6432 + 2921 =
b) 8709 + 1111 =
c) 5487 + 2321 =
Bring your answers to school tomorrow!
To practice our basic addition facts we played an online game called Jetski Addition. Here is the link if you would like to play at home:
We continued our art project around Day of the Dead today. We watched a short video that showed how colorful and celebratory Day of the Dead is. We learned how it is a celebration because people believe that death is a continuation of life. Offerings of sweets and baked goods are offered to the spirits of those who have passed away. You will often see bright colors, hearts and flowers on the skeletons. Below are some examples of our art work so far:
Reminders:
- It is early dismissal tomorrow. School is out at 11:00. Please make sure you still pack a snack
- Our Pillars of Care award assembly is tomorrow morning from 8:15 - 9:00
- Grade 4s are participating in Maker Space tomorrow
Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Dia de los Muertos Art
This week we started looking at different celebrations around Halloween. We watched a movie called The Halloween Tree which was about 4 friends who magically travelled around the world and through time to learn about the meaning of Halloween. We learned that in ancient Egypt, people would put out offerings outside of their homes for the ghosts of their ancestors. The ghosts would move from house to house. We noted how this is similar to trick or treating. Egyptians also ate special meals with their ancestors who may have been deceased for years! We also learned interesting facts about mummies. The kids in the movie also went to Mexico and participated in Dia de los Muertos which means the Day of the Dead. This is a celebration that honours people who have lost their lives. In the movie we saw lots of children dressed up like skeletons and eating skeleton candy. We also learned about the meaning behind where witches and monsters come from. Today we started an art project based on the Dia de los Muertos skeletons. We are going to be using only paper to create bright and colorful skeletons. We should be finishing this art project tomorrow.
Today we reviewed addition using 2 strategies: traditional algorithm and left to right.
For traditional algorithm you need to stack numbers on top of each other. You need to make sure that the digits that are worth the same (for example ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) are stacked. With traditional algorithm you always start right to left or start with the ones and move left. You can use your basic addition skills to help you! For example: 5311 + 2068 you would do:
5311
2068
+______
7379
For left to right you need to make sure you know the value of each digit. You can then move left to right with your adding. It is a little more work but can often be more helpful with adding, especially when we are regrouping or carrying over. For example for 5311 + 2068 you would do:
5000 + 2000 = 7000
300 + 0 = 300
10 + 60 = 70
1 + 8 = 9
7000 + 300 + 70 + 9 = 7379
Students took their basic addition sheets home today. Please make sure that you are reviewing basic facts at home with either games or questions to make sure that students continue to increase accuracy and speed. Ms. Binks will post some good websites and games later on.
We watched a video on an animal today with a special skill that relates to hearing and sound. This animal is small, has large ears and uses echo location to help it see and locate food and predators. It has wings that are made out of thin, bony fingers and stretched out skin. It can be seen at night. It hears higher frequencies of sounds than humans. Do you know what animal this is?
Reminders:
- Friday is early dismissal
- We are having our Pillars of Care assembly on Friday from 8:15 - 9:00. Some students are receiving awards
- There were 2 forms sent home today with information about the Halloween Dance and Casino volunteers
- We have had some students at school with lice. All students received an important information sheet about lice. It was sent home with the youngest student or only student who attends BHS.
Today we reviewed addition using 2 strategies: traditional algorithm and left to right.
For traditional algorithm you need to stack numbers on top of each other. You need to make sure that the digits that are worth the same (for example ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) are stacked. With traditional algorithm you always start right to left or start with the ones and move left. You can use your basic addition skills to help you! For example: 5311 + 2068 you would do:
5311
2068
+______
7379
For left to right you need to make sure you know the value of each digit. You can then move left to right with your adding. It is a little more work but can often be more helpful with adding, especially when we are regrouping or carrying over. For example for 5311 + 2068 you would do:
5000 + 2000 = 7000
300 + 0 = 300
10 + 60 = 70
1 + 8 = 9
7000 + 300 + 70 + 9 = 7379
Students took their basic addition sheets home today. Please make sure that you are reviewing basic facts at home with either games or questions to make sure that students continue to increase accuracy and speed. Ms. Binks will post some good websites and games later on.
We watched a video on an animal today with a special skill that relates to hearing and sound. This animal is small, has large ears and uses echo location to help it see and locate food and predators. It has wings that are made out of thin, bony fingers and stretched out skin. It can be seen at night. It hears higher frequencies of sounds than humans. Do you know what animal this is?
Reminders:
- Friday is early dismissal
- We are having our Pillars of Care assembly on Friday from 8:15 - 9:00. Some students are receiving awards
- There were 2 forms sent home today with information about the Halloween Dance and Casino volunteers
- We have had some students at school with lice. All students received an important information sheet about lice. It was sent home with the youngest student or only student who attends BHS.
Monday, 17 October 2016
Picture Day Tomorrow!
This morning we completed our number clues and presented them to the class. We created our own 4 digit number and wrote 5 clues to have others guess what it was. A lot of us had a hard time coming up with clues that made our number easy to figure out. Try and figure out this number:
I am a 4 digit number.
I start with 6.
I have a 1 in the tens spot.
I am an odd number.
I am smaller than 6419 but bigger than 6415.
What number am I?
If you figure out the number bring your answer to school and show Ms. Binks tomorrow!
We tested our soundproofing devices today! Our most successful group had the sound of the alarm clock go from 96 decibels to 67 decibels. We started to have a discussion about how some of the materials groups used were actually conductors and would help carry the vibrations of sound waves instead of stop them. We also were turned into air, liquid and solid particles to gain a better understanding on which of these states of matter would be the best conductors. We will be completing reflections on our work around soundproofing tomorrow.
Reminders:
- It is picture day tomorrow! Make sure you are prepped and ready with your best smile!
- Fun lunch orders are due tomorrow
- Book orders are due tomorrow
- We have library tomorrow. Please make sure that you have your books returned!
I am a 4 digit number.
I start with 6.
I have a 1 in the tens spot.
I am an odd number.
I am smaller than 6419 but bigger than 6415.
What number am I?
If you figure out the number bring your answer to school and show Ms. Binks tomorrow!
We tested our soundproofing devices today! Our most successful group had the sound of the alarm clock go from 96 decibels to 67 decibels. We started to have a discussion about how some of the materials groups used were actually conductors and would help carry the vibrations of sound waves instead of stop them. We also were turned into air, liquid and solid particles to gain a better understanding on which of these states of matter would be the best conductors. We will be completing reflections on our work around soundproofing tomorrow.
Reminders:
- It is picture day tomorrow! Make sure you are prepped and ready with your best smile!
- Fun lunch orders are due tomorrow
- Book orders are due tomorrow
- We have library tomorrow. Please make sure that you have your books returned!
Friday, 14 October 2016
Soundproofing
This morning we had our evacuation practice. Everything went well except for the cold weather! Please make sure that you are dressing appropriately for the cold and wet weather.
Today we worked with our partners to create our blueprints for our soundproofing device. We learned that sound is measured in decibels and that the higher the number the louder the sound. Ms. Binks used a program to measure the sound decibels her alarm clock makes when it is ringing. She measured 96 decibels! We kept this in mind as we started to build our devices. Lots of us used boxes, styrofoam, fabric, cotton balls and tin foil to try and decrease the sound. We will be testing our devices on Monday and Ms. Binks will measure the sound decibel of the alarm clock while it is in our device to see who is the most successful.
In math today we had a quiz on ordering and comparing numbers. We reviewed the terms:
- greater than
- less than
- equal
- least
- greatest
- standard form
- expanded form
- word form
- place value chart
We will be getting our quizzes back next week. We will start learning about addition and subtraction next week.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders are due Tuesday
- Book orders are due Tuesday
- Picture day is Tuesday
- Library is on Tuesday. Please try and return your books on Monday
Today we worked with our partners to create our blueprints for our soundproofing device. We learned that sound is measured in decibels and that the higher the number the louder the sound. Ms. Binks used a program to measure the sound decibels her alarm clock makes when it is ringing. She measured 96 decibels! We kept this in mind as we started to build our devices. Lots of us used boxes, styrofoam, fabric, cotton balls and tin foil to try and decrease the sound. We will be testing our devices on Monday and Ms. Binks will measure the sound decibel of the alarm clock while it is in our device to see who is the most successful.
In math today we had a quiz on ordering and comparing numbers. We reviewed the terms:
- greater than
- less than
- equal
- least
- greatest
- standard form
- expanded form
- word form
- place value chart
We will be getting our quizzes back next week. We will start learning about addition and subtraction next week.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders are due Tuesday
- Book orders are due Tuesday
- Picture day is Tuesday
- Library is on Tuesday. Please try and return your books on Monday
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Evacuation Tomorrow
This morning we finished up our stations in science. We had to make sure that all of our questions we answered showed a deep understanding. Ms. Binks had us ask ourselves if we were a 1, 2, 3 or 4.
1 - our sheets were empty, we used the phrase "I don't know" or yes and no
2 - we had a few words written down, there is a basic explanation, we didn't explain the why
3 - we used sentences, we used some science terms, we started to explain the why, we started to explain our thinking
4 - we used sentences, we used science terms, we explained the why and the how, we explained a deep understanding and had connections
We were given partners and started brainstorming how to soundproof Ms. Binks's annoying alarm clock. It kept going off throughout the day to show us how loud the bells are. Tomorrow we will begin to create blueprints of what our soundproofing devices will look like. We are hoping that more students bring in items from home so we can also start building our designs tomorrow.
In math today we worked on ordering numbers. When you order numbers, you write a list of numbers either from least to greatest (smallest to biggest) or greatest to least (biggest to smallest). We talked about how when you order numbers it is similar to comparing numbers because you work left to right and figure out the value of the digits in a number. Ask me to order these numbers both ways:
5432, 1176, 2689, 8990, 3210, 7777, 9042, 4478
We had buddies today. We were very excited to read our books. Lots of us have started to take out "buddy books" from the library with our buddies in mind.
Tomorrow we will be having an evacuation practice to St. Bede's School. We will be leaving the school and walking to St. Bede's around 9:00 in the morning. We practice this just in case we need to leave the school for a fire drill or other safety reasons and need to be outside the building for a long period of time. A notice was sent home with students today with more information.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders are due Tuesday
- Book orders are due Tuesday
- Picture day is on Tuesday
1 - our sheets were empty, we used the phrase "I don't know" or yes and no
2 - we had a few words written down, there is a basic explanation, we didn't explain the why
3 - we used sentences, we used some science terms, we started to explain the why, we started to explain our thinking
4 - we used sentences, we used science terms, we explained the why and the how, we explained a deep understanding and had connections
We were given partners and started brainstorming how to soundproof Ms. Binks's annoying alarm clock. It kept going off throughout the day to show us how loud the bells are. Tomorrow we will begin to create blueprints of what our soundproofing devices will look like. We are hoping that more students bring in items from home so we can also start building our designs tomorrow.
In math today we worked on ordering numbers. When you order numbers, you write a list of numbers either from least to greatest (smallest to biggest) or greatest to least (biggest to smallest). We talked about how when you order numbers it is similar to comparing numbers because you work left to right and figure out the value of the digits in a number. Ask me to order these numbers both ways:
5432, 1176, 2689, 8990, 3210, 7777, 9042, 4478
We had buddies today. We were very excited to read our books. Lots of us have started to take out "buddy books" from the library with our buddies in mind.
Tomorrow we will be having an evacuation practice to St. Bede's School. We will be leaving the school and walking to St. Bede's around 9:00 in the morning. We practice this just in case we need to leave the school for a fire drill or other safety reasons and need to be outside the building for a long period of time. A notice was sent home with students today with more information.
Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders are due Tuesday
- Book orders are due Tuesday
- Picture day is on Tuesday
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Number Alligators
This morning we continued our science stations. Some of the activities we completed included:
- making sound waves using slinkys
- listening to the difference in pitch in bottles filled with water at different levels
- creating something to help amplify a whisper
- testing materials with tuning forks to see which are conductors and which are amplifiers
- blindfolding a partner and testing their hearing by shaking a container around their head
We have been completing these stations to build our knowledge of how important our hearing is as well as to build an understanding of how sound travels and how it can be muffled.
Tomorrow Ms. Binks would like to start building sound proofing devices for her annoying alarm clock, however we have no materials! Please bring in whatever you can from home. We discussed the following materials:
- cardboard
- newspaper
- cotton balls
- bubble wrap
- plastic containers
- bottles/cans
- fabric
- boxes
- paper
- wood
Today was our last day of swimming. Most of us were disappointed that it is over since we had so much fun! Please make sure that your swimming gear stays at home tomorrow!
In math we continued our quick review of comparing numbers. Ms. Binks showed us this cheesy song to help us remember about number alligators: Number Alligators
She is hoping it gets stuck in our heads...like it has for her. We will review ordering numbers tomorrow as well as odd and even numbers. There will be a review quiz on Friday.
We continued Daily 5 today. The students who worked with Ms. Binks reviewed short and long vowel sounds. A great activity to do at home would be to sort spelling words that fit into each of the short vowel or long vowel sound categories. You can even use flyers or magazines and find pictures or words that do the same. Please make sure you are reviewing spelling words at home.
Reminders:
- Please bring materials for science tomorrow
- Fun lunch orders are due Oct. 18
- Picture day is Oct. 18
- Book orders were sent home today. They are due back by Oct. 18. Just a reminder that there is now an option available for parents to pay online!
- making sound waves using slinkys
- listening to the difference in pitch in bottles filled with water at different levels
- creating something to help amplify a whisper
- testing materials with tuning forks to see which are conductors and which are amplifiers
- blindfolding a partner and testing their hearing by shaking a container around their head
We have been completing these stations to build our knowledge of how important our hearing is as well as to build an understanding of how sound travels and how it can be muffled.
Tomorrow Ms. Binks would like to start building sound proofing devices for her annoying alarm clock, however we have no materials! Please bring in whatever you can from home. We discussed the following materials:
- cardboard
- newspaper
- cotton balls
- bubble wrap
- plastic containers
- bottles/cans
- fabric
- boxes
- paper
- wood
Today was our last day of swimming. Most of us were disappointed that it is over since we had so much fun! Please make sure that your swimming gear stays at home tomorrow!
In math we continued our quick review of comparing numbers. Ms. Binks showed us this cheesy song to help us remember about number alligators: Number Alligators
She is hoping it gets stuck in our heads...like it has for her. We will review ordering numbers tomorrow as well as odd and even numbers. There will be a review quiz on Friday.
We continued Daily 5 today. The students who worked with Ms. Binks reviewed short and long vowel sounds. A great activity to do at home would be to sort spelling words that fit into each of the short vowel or long vowel sound categories. You can even use flyers or magazines and find pictures or words that do the same. Please make sure you are reviewing spelling words at home.
Reminders:
- Please bring materials for science tomorrow
- Fun lunch orders are due Oct. 18
- Picture day is Oct. 18
- Book orders were sent home today. They are due back by Oct. 18. Just a reminder that there is now an option available for parents to pay online!
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Last Day of Swimming Tomorrow
This morning we started our Daily 5. Students were assigned to one of the following five activities:
1) Spelling (students complete task cards based on their individual spelling words)
2) Free write (students write stories, poems, journal entries etc)
3) Word Work (students complete tasks based on parts of speech. This week is focusing on homophones)
4) Work with teacher (students work with Ms. Binks on spelling and reading skills)
5) Reading comprehension (students read a picture book and answer questions about what they read)
We will cycle through our daily 5 and change the activities every week.
In math we reviewed the terms:
- greater than
- less than
- equal to
We discussed how when we are comparing numbers we need to ask if a number is bigger, smaller or the same as another number. We then use the symbols <, > and = to show our understandings. When comparing numbers you always start left to right and figure out the value of the digit.
For example if comparing 2345 and 6531 we start on the left and look at the digit in the thousands place. Since 2000 is smaller than 6000 we would write: 2345 < 6531
These would be great skills to practice at home. We will continue our review on comparing and ordering numbers this week.
In science this afternoon we started stations based on hearing and sound. The stations focused on how sound can travel through air, water and solids as well as these three terms: amplify, absorb, conduct.
We brainstormed definitions for these terms and came up with the following:
amplify: making the sound bigger or stronger so it easily travels
absorb: making the sound softer/quiet. The sound does not travel easily
conduct: something that helps guide sound. The sound will be louder and clearer.
We will continue to work through the stations for the rest of the week. Ms. Binks is hoping to start our soundproofing project on Thursday so please remember to bring in building materials.
Reminders:
- Tomorrow is our last day of swimming. Make sure you bring your swimsuit!
- A notice went home about picture day. Picture day is on Tuesday October 18
- Fun lunch orders are due on Tuesday
1) Spelling (students complete task cards based on their individual spelling words)
2) Free write (students write stories, poems, journal entries etc)
3) Word Work (students complete tasks based on parts of speech. This week is focusing on homophones)
4) Work with teacher (students work with Ms. Binks on spelling and reading skills)
5) Reading comprehension (students read a picture book and answer questions about what they read)
We will cycle through our daily 5 and change the activities every week.
In math we reviewed the terms:
- greater than
- less than
- equal to
We discussed how when we are comparing numbers we need to ask if a number is bigger, smaller or the same as another number. We then use the symbols <, > and = to show our understandings. When comparing numbers you always start left to right and figure out the value of the digit.
For example if comparing 2345 and 6531 we start on the left and look at the digit in the thousands place. Since 2000 is smaller than 6000 we would write: 2345 < 6531
These would be great skills to practice at home. We will continue our review on comparing and ordering numbers this week.
In science this afternoon we started stations based on hearing and sound. The stations focused on how sound can travel through air, water and solids as well as these three terms: amplify, absorb, conduct.
We brainstormed definitions for these terms and came up with the following:
amplify: making the sound bigger or stronger so it easily travels
absorb: making the sound softer/quiet. The sound does not travel easily
conduct: something that helps guide sound. The sound will be louder and clearer.
We will continue to work through the stations for the rest of the week. Ms. Binks is hoping to start our soundproofing project on Thursday so please remember to bring in building materials.
Reminders:
- Tomorrow is our last day of swimming. Make sure you bring your swimsuit!
- A notice went home about picture day. Picture day is on Tuesday October 18
- Fun lunch orders are due on Tuesday
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Happy Thanksgiving!!
This morning we were given this story starter:
There once was a turkey. He was the happiest of turkeys until...Thanksgiving came!
We had to create our own turkey stories to keep this idea going. Some of our story ideas included:
- Turkeys falling off the Empire State Building
- A virtual turkey that can come back to life
- A turkey having 4 daughters, 4 sons, 3 baby girls, 3 baby boys and a wife
- A sad story about a turkey
- Turkeys cooking fish
- A turkey has a best friend that is a horse
- Turkey eating men
- Lily, Luna and Jack chasing Timmy the turkey
- A turkey going on a 100 kilometer walk with George Washington
We had buddies this afternoon with the kindergarten class. We had to introduce ourselves and find out three things about our buddies. Some new facts we discovered were:
- My buddy's favourite color is green
- My buddy likes pink and can't sound things out
- Her favourite colors are pink and purple
- Her last name is Alexandra and my middle name is the same
- My buddy's favourite animal is the lion
- My buddy told me he is in swimmer 10
It was great to be in a leadership role and so many of us commented on how cute the kindergarten students are. Some other things we like about our buddies are:
- That you get to teach them new stuff
- That all of them are different
- They look up to you
- They are silent so you can read the book
- They can help you choose books
- For every Thursday you are the teacher
We started art projects around what we are thankful and grateful for to help celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend. Students brought home their artwork.
Some things that we are thankful for include:
- math
- KFC
- a house
- a car
- my family
- science
- my mom and dad
- Subway
- pork, pork steak, steak and beef
- video games...lots and lots of video games!
Ms. Binks has a very annoying alarm clock at home. She is going to bring it into the classroom and has given us the challenge to create a way to soundproof it. We will begin constructing our soundproof items next week but we need some materials. Below is a list of materials we could use in our soundproof construction. If you have any of these items at home, please bring them to school next week on Tuesday or Wednesday. We will start construction on Thursday.
- tin foil
- yarn
- popsicle sticks
- cotton balls
- styrofoam
- plastic wrap
- qtips
- tape
- paper
- boxes
- toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- bottles
- cans
- containers
- cardboard
- bags
Reminders:
- There is no school tomorrow or Monday
- We will have swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make sure you have your swimming items with you when you come back from the long weekend
- Fun lunch orders are due by Tuesday October 18.
There once was a turkey. He was the happiest of turkeys until...Thanksgiving came!
We had to create our own turkey stories to keep this idea going. Some of our story ideas included:
- Turkeys falling off the Empire State Building
- A virtual turkey that can come back to life
- A turkey having 4 daughters, 4 sons, 3 baby girls, 3 baby boys and a wife
- A sad story about a turkey
- Turkeys cooking fish
- A turkey has a best friend that is a horse
- Turkey eating men
- Lily, Luna and Jack chasing Timmy the turkey
- A turkey going on a 100 kilometer walk with George Washington
We had buddies this afternoon with the kindergarten class. We had to introduce ourselves and find out three things about our buddies. Some new facts we discovered were:
- My buddy's favourite color is green
- My buddy likes pink and can't sound things out
- Her favourite colors are pink and purple
- Her last name is Alexandra and my middle name is the same
- My buddy's favourite animal is the lion
- My buddy told me he is in swimmer 10
It was great to be in a leadership role and so many of us commented on how cute the kindergarten students are. Some other things we like about our buddies are:
- That you get to teach them new stuff
- That all of them are different
- They look up to you
- They are silent so you can read the book
- They can help you choose books
- For every Thursday you are the teacher
We started art projects around what we are thankful and grateful for to help celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend. Students brought home their artwork.
Some things that we are thankful for include:
- math
- KFC
- a house
- a car
- my family
- science
- my mom and dad
- Subway
- pork, pork steak, steak and beef
- video games...lots and lots of video games!
Ms. Binks has a very annoying alarm clock at home. She is going to bring it into the classroom and has given us the challenge to create a way to soundproof it. We will begin constructing our soundproof items next week but we need some materials. Below is a list of materials we could use in our soundproof construction. If you have any of these items at home, please bring them to school next week on Tuesday or Wednesday. We will start construction on Thursday.
- tin foil
- yarn
- popsicle sticks
- cotton balls
- styrofoam
- plastic wrap
- qtips
- tape
- paper
- boxes
- toilet paper or paper towel rolls
- bottles
- cans
- containers
- cardboard
- bags
Reminders:
- There is no school tomorrow or Monday
- We will have swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please make sure you have your swimming items with you when you come back from the long weekend
- Fun lunch orders are due by Tuesday October 18.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
What's In My Bag?
Today we worked on becoming detectives! Each of us were given a paper bag with a picture of something inside. We were able to look at our own picture but had to make sure no one else saw. We then had to write 5 great clues to help other students guess what was inside our bag. We had a discussion about the difference between good questions and great questions.
Good questions may:
- give something away
- say where you could find the item
- be super easy or super hard
- say where it belongs
- be vague
Great questions:
- say the category
- use the 5 senses (looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels)
- make you think
- make sense
- include details
Once all of our clues were written down, we went around the room and read the clues and wrote down our guesses about what could be inside the different bags. Tomorrow we will finish our guesses and do some self-assessment by reflecting on how well we wrote our clues and completed the task. We will also reveal what is inside everyones bag. This activity is helping to develop our descriptive writing as well as questioning skills. We are hoping that by strengthening our ability to write and ask great questions we will be able to begin an inquiry project in science around sound.
We had library today. There are still quite a few students who did not return their books. Please make sure that they are returned to the classroom every Monday.
This afternoon we needed to have a class meeting about behaviour. We have students within the class who have chosen to ignore classroom rules and expectations, take items that do not belong to them, talk and treat others disrespectfully. We talked about how this behavior needs to stop and has caused some students to lose trust with Ms. Binks and their classmates. Please have a discussion with your child about their behavior in the classroom so that we can have a much better day tomorrow! To those students who continually demonstrate respect and responsibility...thank you!
Reminders:
- Fun lunch forms were sent home today. They are due back Tuesday October 18.
- We have swimming tomorrow! Don't forget your swimming gear
- No school on Friday or Monday
Good questions may:
- give something away
- say where you could find the item
- be super easy or super hard
- say where it belongs
- be vague
Great questions:
- say the category
- use the 5 senses (looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels)
- make you think
- make sense
- include details
Once all of our clues were written down, we went around the room and read the clues and wrote down our guesses about what could be inside the different bags. Tomorrow we will finish our guesses and do some self-assessment by reflecting on how well we wrote our clues and completed the task. We will also reveal what is inside everyones bag. This activity is helping to develop our descriptive writing as well as questioning skills. We are hoping that by strengthening our ability to write and ask great questions we will be able to begin an inquiry project in science around sound.
We had library today. There are still quite a few students who did not return their books. Please make sure that they are returned to the classroom every Monday.
This afternoon we needed to have a class meeting about behaviour. We have students within the class who have chosen to ignore classroom rules and expectations, take items that do not belong to them, talk and treat others disrespectfully. We talked about how this behavior needs to stop and has caused some students to lose trust with Ms. Binks and their classmates. Please have a discussion with your child about their behavior in the classroom so that we can have a much better day tomorrow! To those students who continually demonstrate respect and responsibility...thank you!
Reminders:
- Fun lunch forms were sent home today. They are due back Tuesday October 18.
- We have swimming tomorrow! Don't forget your swimming gear
- No school on Friday or Monday
Monday, 3 October 2016
First Day of Swimming today!
This morning we wrote about our feelings about the first day of swimming. Here are some things we wrote about:
- I am feeling scared and uncomfortable
- I felt really really excited because I always have great times when I'm swimming
- What level we are on and why or why not you wanted to be on that level
- Meeting the new teacher
- I felt so excited and nervous because I didn't know what my instructor was going to be like
In math we played a game called "I have, who has". We each were given a 2 digit, 3 digit or 4 digit number and had to find another student with a similar number based on clues of numbers in the thousands, hundreds, tens and ones place. This could be a game that can be created and played at home.
After our game we worked on place value by having to figure out a number based on pictures of base ten blocks. We also had to write down a number in expanded and standard form. Some things we found easy and tricky about this task were:
- Something that was easy was adding up all the ten blocks
- It was a little tricky getting to the hundreds when you have had more than ten ten blocks
- It was easy counting out the blocks and then writing standard form
- I found expanded form easy
- Writing out the digits and then expanded form was easy
- I used tally marks on the place value chart
- I found it hard when there were more than ten tens because I had to regroup
Today was our first day of swimming!! We are leaving the pool during our normal lunch time so it is important that students have a snack that they can eat at recess. Please remember to bring a separate bag for your swimsuit and towel. If you have longer hair please bring a hair tie. Backpacks will be left at school. Don't forget to pack everything you need!!
Here are some of our thoughts about our time at the pool as well as some things we learned:
- My favourite thing was jumping in the water
- I love diving
- I like how they use kid words like the Spiderman and Superman
- Knee diving was fun
- Kneel diving into the deep end was great
- Showering was my favourite thing because I was so cold afterwards
- Diving under the water
- Jumping up and down and watching my friends do stuff
This afternoon we went on a sound tour to listen to outside sounds. We walked around the schoolyard and listened to the world around us. Some sounds we heard included:
- a car alarm
- birds chirping
- rocks being kicked
- the clanging of metal on the playground
- a basketball on the compound
- a dog barking
We got our spelling test of our "No excuse words" back today. The test is out of 96. Ms. Binks highlighted all of the incorrect words and will be using these words as our personal spelling words. We will begin working in groups to build our knowledge of these words in our reading and writing. Some of us wrote all of the words correctly so Ms. Binks will be using words from grades 5-7 to help us build our vocabulary. Please review the spelling test. Incorrect words would be great words to practice at home with your child.
REMINDERS:
- We have swimming the rest of the week! Don't forget your bathing suit!
- There is no school on Friday or Monday for students (Happy Thanksgiving!)
- We have library tomorrow! Don't forget to bring back your books!
- I am feeling scared and uncomfortable
- I felt really really excited because I always have great times when I'm swimming
- What level we are on and why or why not you wanted to be on that level
- Meeting the new teacher
- I felt so excited and nervous because I didn't know what my instructor was going to be like
In math we played a game called "I have, who has". We each were given a 2 digit, 3 digit or 4 digit number and had to find another student with a similar number based on clues of numbers in the thousands, hundreds, tens and ones place. This could be a game that can be created and played at home.
After our game we worked on place value by having to figure out a number based on pictures of base ten blocks. We also had to write down a number in expanded and standard form. Some things we found easy and tricky about this task were:
- Something that was easy was adding up all the ten blocks
- It was a little tricky getting to the hundreds when you have had more than ten ten blocks
- It was easy counting out the blocks and then writing standard form
- I found expanded form easy
- Writing out the digits and then expanded form was easy
- I used tally marks on the place value chart
- I found it hard when there were more than ten tens because I had to regroup
Today was our first day of swimming!! We are leaving the pool during our normal lunch time so it is important that students have a snack that they can eat at recess. Please remember to bring a separate bag for your swimsuit and towel. If you have longer hair please bring a hair tie. Backpacks will be left at school. Don't forget to pack everything you need!!
Here are some of our thoughts about our time at the pool as well as some things we learned:
- My favourite thing was jumping in the water
- I love diving
- I like how they use kid words like the Spiderman and Superman
- Knee diving was fun
- Kneel diving into the deep end was great
- Showering was my favourite thing because I was so cold afterwards
- Diving under the water
- Jumping up and down and watching my friends do stuff
This afternoon we went on a sound tour to listen to outside sounds. We walked around the schoolyard and listened to the world around us. Some sounds we heard included:
- a car alarm
- birds chirping
- rocks being kicked
- the clanging of metal on the playground
- a basketball on the compound
- a dog barking
We got our spelling test of our "No excuse words" back today. The test is out of 96. Ms. Binks highlighted all of the incorrect words and will be using these words as our personal spelling words. We will begin working in groups to build our knowledge of these words in our reading and writing. Some of us wrote all of the words correctly so Ms. Binks will be using words from grades 5-7 to help us build our vocabulary. Please review the spelling test. Incorrect words would be great words to practice at home with your child.
REMINDERS:
- We have swimming the rest of the week! Don't forget your bathing suit!
- There is no school on Friday or Monday for students (Happy Thanksgiving!)
- We have library tomorrow! Don't forget to bring back your books!
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