My apologies for not posting a blog last week. I realized that I had completely forgotten to do one when I logged onto this site just now.

For the past two weeks, we have been focusing on r-controlled vowels - ar, er, ir, or, and ur. The students have been reading texts that include many words with these vowels and we have been working on sounding out and spelling words containing these vowels.

I introduced symmetry this week in Math. The students have learned the terms symmetrical and a-symmetrical and we have been identifying shapes using these terms as well as making shapes with our bodies that are symmetrical and a-symmetrical.

We also did some work with data collection and graphing in Math. We used our "Math Carpet" (looks like a hundred chart) to collect data on various topics. The students were each given a block and were asked to place it in the column of their choice. For example, the question was "Which is your favourite sport?". Three choices were decided upon - soccer, baseball, and hockey. Once all the blocks were placed, two "data analysts" had a chance to tell us three things they each learned from the data collected.

In Social Studies, we have started to discuss the concepts of Past and Present. We sorted pictures of clothing, telephones, homes, vehicles, etc., and discussed how these items have changed over time. Please watch for a note coming home on Monday regarding a small homework assignment.

Monday was Earth Day. We recognized it by reading the book The Earth Book by Todd Parr and coming up with a long list of actions we can take to look after our planet. Each student wrote three promises they have for the Earth with regards to what they will do to care for it.

We completed our study of the 5 Senses by making a "Feeling Hand" that had objects representing the textures rough, smooth, bumpy, hard, and soft.

We are very excited to be welcoming duck eggs to ours and Mrs. Burch's classroom next week. We will be monitoring these eggs in an incubator until they are born and will then get to enjoy the ducklings for a few days before they are returned to a farm!

We enjoyed the great Spring weather this week and took advantage of the warmer temperatures to get outside a couple of times.

On Tuesday, our class and Mrs. Burch's class went on a community walk to the nearby "Pirate Park". On our ways there and back we stopped to look at some of the features of a neighbourhood. These included street signs, traffic signs, community mailboxes, crosswalks, etc. At the park, we had the students find their own spot to do a 2-minute sensory activity. We had them stand quietly to use their hearing, sight, smell, and sense of touch to explore the area around them. Afterward, they shared what they had observed in the silence. It was wonderful to experience 48 Grade 1 students being calm and observant in this environment! :) They also had a bit of time to play at this community playground.

This week in Math, we have been learning about 3D objects and have been starting to identify them in our classroom and school. Next week, the students will get to build some of these objects using toothpicks and marshmallows. We will begin to learn about faces, sides, and vertices.

The students have been working on completing a booklet about Spring. We have been discussing the clothing we wear, the activities people take part in during this season, as well as changes that are occurring in nature. We went for a walk around the field of our school on Wednesday to observe signs of Spring and were able to see leaf buds, new green grass, insects, mud, and snow that was melting.

We have also been focusing on the senses of taste and smell this week and did two activities to test these senses. Next week, we will focus on sight and hearing.

Looking ahead...

A friendly reminder that next Friday is a Professional Development Day and there will be NO school for students.

 I hope everyone enjoyed a good Spring Break. Let's hope that the true Spring shows its lovely face soon! :)

This week we focused on "Bossy e" and learned that a silent e at the end of one syllable words makes the vowel say its name. We have also been working with compound words to identify the two words that make up the compound word (examples: popcorn, firefly) and have started to find this type of word in various texts we read.

In Math, we spent some time reviewing 2-dimensional shapes in preparation for learning about 3D shapes (objects) next week. 

As Spring has "officially" begun, we started work on a Spring booklet where the students will write and draw about different aspects of the season such as; changes that occur for animals and plants, activities people take part in, clothing we wear, and the weather.

We also began learning about the five senses. We will be doing a smelling and a tasting activity next week. Please watch for a note coming home on Monday regarding the tasting activity. 

Today, we met up with our Buddies and heard a story about an eclipse. We also did an art activity to show what an eclipse looks like and came up with questions we have about solar eclipses. As per directions from the CBE, we will be keeping the students inside on Monday between 11:50 and 2pm due to the solar eclipse taking place that day.

As long as the forecast holds, Mrs. Burch and I plan to take the students for a community walk on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday to observe signs of Spring as well as elements of a neighbourhood - part of our Social Studies focus on communities. Please ensure your child has suitable walking shoes or boots on all three days. Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who came for a Parent-Teacher Conference over the past two days. I always enjoy having this opportunity to speak with you about your child and their progress at school.

Our week began with a messy classroom as we arrived back to school to find that the leprechauns had visited and had been up to some mischief. Unfortunately, none of the traps were successful in catching a leprechaun but the chocolate coins the leprechauns left behind seemed to keep everyone from being disappointed! :)

This week's words focused on the blend "wh". We worked with when, why, where, what, and who.

As part of our learning about different types of communities, the students created their own paper-art urban communities. These art pieces included roads, high-rise buildings, homes, vehicles, as well as some vegetation.

We also learned about another of the Seven Grandfather Teachings this week - Wisdom. Wisdom is represented by the beaver and is explained as being smart and having good judgment. We watched a video of beavers in Algonquin Park in Ontario using their intelligence to fell trees and build lodges and dams.

A friendly reminder that we return to school on Tuesday, April 2nd. 

For those students who returned their Home Reading book bags yesterday, new books will be given on Tuesday. If your child did not return their books this week, please have them bring them back on Tuesday to receive new ones.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Spring Break and a Happy Easter!

The students had a great time tapping into their imaginations and creativity to create leprechaun traps on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you very much for generously supplying materials for this project! Today, our Grade 4 buddies came for a visit and the Grade 1s had to explain how they designed their traps to catch a leprechaun. We will have to wait until Monday morning to see the results! :)

The traps will get sent home at conferences as this will be the easiest way to ensure they make it home in one piece. I also have a lot of student artwork to send home next week. Can you please have your child bring in a shopping bag for this purpose? Thank you. Once again, I will keep the art until I meet with you at conferences and give it to you then. If you are not booking a conference, please let me know and I can send home everything with your child.

This week, the students were given a photograph of a double rainbow in a field and were asked to write about 4 things they would love to find at the end of the rainbows. Some children got right to work, knowing exactly what they'd want while others were surprisingly challenged to come up with ideas!

In Math, we continue to look at reverse and equivalent equations. An example of this is, the reverse equation of 3+4 is 4+3. Equivalent equations can use any operation. An example of this would be 5+3 = 10-2. We also did a number talk where the students were challenged to think of as many equations as they could that would give the answer 11. Below is a photo of the SmartBoard with equations students wrote. Number/Math Talks are fantastic for eliciting diverse thinking. The students benefit from sharing with and listening to their classmates share multiple ways to reach the same answer.

This week in Word Work, we focused on words ending in "ng" and talked about how the sound of the vowel preceding "ng" changes from its short or long sound when it combines with these two letters. Every day, the students practiced reading sentences containing the following words; rang, sang, stung, swing, and long.

Next week:

Parent-Teacher Conferences can be booked starting next Saturday, March 16. Please see our MTS website for more information.

Conferences will be held from 4 - 8pm Thursday, March 21 and 8am - 12pm Friday, March 22. I hope to meet with all of you to share your child's progress. 

The Book Fair will be held in the library during these same times. We will be viewing the Book Fair offerings on Tuesday and the children will have a chance to purchase on Wednesday.

Spring Break is March 25 - April 1. Students return to school on Tuesday, April 2.

We have been keenly observing the eagle live cam from Big Bear Valley in Southern California again this week. The three eggs have not hatched yet but we are hoping to see eaglets soon!

This week, in Social Studies we began to learn about maps and parts of a map. We did a tour of our school to locate landmarks on our school's map (each student had a map to reference). We learned how to orient the map and looked at symbols on the map that represented doorways, stairs, and large furniture pieces i.e. the reception desk in the office. We learned about a compass rose and the names of the four cardinal directions. The students also created their own maps using a template on which they needed to include specific symbols.

Our focus words this week all ended in double consonants. They were: pass, tell, sniff, buzz, and still.

We read the book Some Things Are Scary and then had a discussion about some of the things that scare us. Each student created a page for a class book based on this story. I will share the class book with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences.

In Math, we did three different addition "store" problems. The students had to figure out how to spend set amounts of money at a shape store, a pet store, and a candy store by choosing a variety of items. They were asked to find as many different combinations of items as possible. Here is an example of one of the "stores" that Mrs. Webber created and shared with us.

Thank you to those of you who sent a box in with your child for next week's Leprechaun trap building project. I hope you all received the green note I sent home on Thursday with a list of suggested items you may wish to send in for communal use next week. Please let me know if you have any questions about this project. This is always an exciting creative project that elicits many imaginative writing and storytelling opportunities. Thank you for your support. :)

Please return Home Reading by Monday. This is the day I have set for exchanging reading materials and do not usually have time on other days to do so. I appreciate your cooperation.

Parent-Teacher Conferences can be booked starting next Saturday, March 16. Please see our MTS website for more information.

Conferences will be held from 4 - 8pm Thursday, March 21 and 8am - 12pm Friday, March 22. I hope to meet with all of you to share your child's progress. The Book Fair will be held in the library during these times.

Spring Break is March 25 - April 1. Students return to school on Tuesday, April 2.

This week we focused on consonant blends with the letter "l". Our focus words were: black, clap, slip, glad, and flat.

In Math, we learned about fact families and how addition and subtraction equations are connected. We practiced listening carefully for key vocabulary in word problems to determine which operation is needed to achieve the correct answer.

In Science, we learned how to take jot notes about Polar Bears to complete a fact page that included information about a Polar bear's habitat, food, life cycle, appearance, and adaptations.

In Social Studies, we began to discuss what defines a community and we learned about three main communities: urban, suburban, and rural.

On Pink Shirt Day, we read the book The Invisible Boy and discussed how being kind and caring towards others can make a person feel a sense of belonging. The students designed their own paper pink shirts and wrote one thing they can do and/or already do to show kindness to others at school.

Recently, we have started to observe a male and female eagle who are tending their nest with three eggs in Big Bear Valley, California. The students are excited to witness the hatching of the eggs. At this point, there hasn't been any indication that they will start to hatch soon but we're checking in daily. If you are interested in doing the same, here is the link to the live cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-L2nfGcuE

The students will be building leprechaun traps beginning the week of March 11th. Please have your child bring in one shoe box or cereal box next week, if possible for this project.

Please remember that Home Reading books are exchanged every Monday. If you prefer to have your child keep their books over the weekend, this is fine but please ensure they bring them back on Monday to receive new ones. Thanks, as always, for your support with Home Reading.