Goodbyes

If you missed it, our Remembrance Day assembly was a great opportunity to pause and remember the contributions of Canadian men and women (past and present) to stand up for freedom.

Our social studies presentations on culture were amazing. I was blown away by the detail that students put into their presentations (everything from waffles cooked on the spot to colourful aprons). Thank you for the support you gave at home. I believe that this type of "homework" is such a valuable experience for students and a wonderful opportunity for you to participate in their learning! We are taking a break with Social Studies until next week when we will begin a shorter unit on Mapping the World.

In Math, we are learning about place value. Students have learned four different ways to represent numbers:

• Standard form 7 215
• Picture form
• Word form: seven thousand two hundred fifteen
• Expanded form (numerals & words or just numerals) 
• 7 thousands + 2 hundreds + 1 ten + 5 ones
• 7000 + 200 + 10 + 5

We have also been learning to compare numbers. One of the key concepts that students need to understand is that the place of the digit determines the size of the number. So we discussed why a four-digit number is always bigger than a three-digit number. Another way that students demonstrated their understanding of this was by placing digits in the following equation that would make the statement mathematically correct:

? 2 < 4 ?

Last week students were finishing up an imaginative story assignment. They were asked to create a story (character and setting) which demonstrates the techniques we have focused on in writing this year. One of lessons was about word choice. Students worked collaboratively to brainstorm "triple scoop" words to replace "single scoop" words. Here are some examples:

Hot:     Sweltering, melting, scorching, roasting, sizzling
Cold:   Freezing, chilled to the bone, chilly, frozen, icy, damp, shivering, numb
Wet:    Soaking, drenched, shivering, dripping 
  
This week we are working on writing assignment from our fact pocket. The topic is "Connecting to ME". Students brainstormed characteristics about themselves using four categories provided (what I look like on the outside, who I am on the inside, what I like/can do, and a surprising fact about me). Last night I read through some of the finished pieces and noticed how much the writing has improved. I will try and post some samples for you to enjoy!

Our current reading comprehension focus is Making Connections and Visualizing. We are learning that we are thinking while we are reading. When we read a text, it may remind us of something that has happened in our lives (text-to-self), something in another book (text-to-text), or something in the real world (text-to-world). Authentic connections help us to better understand text. Visualizing is like watching a movie or making a picture in your mind. It's like a visual connection!

Mrs. Prosser is busy wrapping up her units as her final day with us is next Thursday afternoon. Students will be completing a final activity for their science unit on weather by researching an extreme weather event to understand how weather impacts living things. They will then create a diorama (in a shoebox) to depict their weather event. If you have any extra shoeboxes around, please send them to school on Thursday.

We are all looking forward to the symphony tomorrow. Today, Mrs. Prosser showed students a video put together by the VSO to get the students excited for our field trip!  It should be a lot of fun and great cultural experience.