Pink Shirt Day

This morning our class completed the Accountability Pillar survey which is done by grade four students across Alberta. The survey asked us questions about our learning, teachers, peers and experience at school. We could answer the questions honestly and anonymously. Ask me about some of the questions and my thoughts on school!

In math today we continued multiplication by playing a card game. With a partner, we had to divide a deck of cards into 2 equal piles. Each person was given a pile that stayed face down. On the count of 3, each person had to flip over the top card of their pile. Then we had to multiply the numbers. We gave the cards the following values:
A = 1
2 - 10 = the same value as the number on the card
J, Q, K = 0
Whoever multiplied the numbers together correctly the fastest, got to keep that set of cards. If we tied we flipped again until someone answered first. Whoever had the most cards at the end of the game wins. This would be great game to play to practice multiplication facts and to get more confident with  answering multiplication questions quickly.

In science we have started talking about structures. We discussed what the words strong and weak mean to us, along with some examples. Then we looked at 6 different structures and while working with a partner, categorized them into strong or weak. We had to explain our reasoning by using specific characteristics of the buildings. We then used this activity to help us fill out a Frayer Model on strong structures. We will be continuing our work with building and structures in the upcoming weeks.

Today was Pink Shirt Day! Thank you to those students who wore pink shirts to take a stand against bullying. To go along with this special day, we read a reader's theatre script from the story the Lion and the Mouse. It is a fable about a mouse who is almost eaten by a lion but is let go. The lion becomes trapped in a net and the mouse sets him free by eating through the rope. We talked about the moral of this story and how it is linked to kindness. We also read a story called the Kindness Quilt which is about a classroom of students who are asked to draw pictures that demonstrate kindness. One student draws numerous pictures and decides to make a quilt square out of her pictures. Soon other students add their pictures next to hers and the quilt keeps growing and growing. We decided to make our own kindness quilt. Each of us were given 2 squares of paper. On one, we had to write something kind about another student in the classroom. We drew their name out of a bin so it would be completely random. On the other square, we had to draw a picture or symbol that showed kindness. Ms. Binks will be creating a quilt on our classroom door with our squares.

Reminders:
- Fun lunch is tomorrow! If you ordered, please make sure you still bring a snack
- Many students have left items behind in the classroom, that have now been taken to the lost and found. Please make sure you check the lost and found more any missing items.