Thoughts of the day- September 30

What did we do today?

• We used crayons as rocks and went through the rock cycle.  This included melting, cooling, crushing into sediment, mush with plasticine and using heat and pressure to mix two sedimentary rocks to make a metamorphic rock.
• It was the Terry Fox Run!  Our class completed 136 laps and we have raised $299 so far!
• Grade 3's started their first SLA assessment today.
• We are starting our stories about our pet rocks.

What questions do we have after today?

• What will some of the stories be like for our pet rocks?
• What will we see with our SLA's tomorrow?
• How much money will the school raise for cancer research by Friday?

Thoughts of the day-September 29

What did we do today?

• We made our pet rocks today using materials like wire, googly eyes and string.
• The grade 3's did a practice SLA today while the grade 4's were working on their math journals and passport covers.
• We went over what we need to know before we travel to our first location.
• In music we got our music journals and we listened to a song called "Entry of the Gladiators".  We wrote about what it sounded like.

What questions do we have after today?

• I wonder what everyone will write about in their rock story?

Agenda for September 28-October 2

Read 30 min
Bring money for Terry Fox Run 
Terry Fox Run Wed morning
Spelling test Fri
SLA letter
POW due Fri
Conferences Wed night- bring in parent viewpoint
School picture form
Parent letter
Word work homework due Fri

Thoughts of the day- September 28

What did we do today?

• Listen to reading was added to our Daily 5.  We can use either Raz-Kids or Tumblebooks.
• In science, we made a rock cycle.  A volcano erupts and spits out magma, then the magma cools down and hardens and become an igneous rock.  The igneous erodes into sediment and through deposition and cementation the sediment hardens into layers becoming a sedimentary rock.  The sedimentary rock with heat and pressure turns to a metamorphic rock, which can melt back into magma.
• Tomorrow we are going to make pet rocks and write a story about them. 

What questions do we have after today?

• How much money are we going to raise for Terry Fox tomorrow?
• How long does it take for a rock to go through the entire rock cycle?
• I wonder what kinds of rocks people will bring tomorrow?  What will they look like?
• Has the big rock in Okotoks gone through the rock cycle?  Where is it in the rock cycle?  What type of rock is it?

Thoughts of the day- September 22

What did we do today?

• In social studies, some of us will be traveling to Peru as others will be traveling Alberta.  We also started to make a passport.  The last three groups shared their facts about transportation, clothing and the government in Canada.
• We learned how each of the three types of rocks are made.  
• We met with our little buddies today and read a book to them.

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• What will our next experiment be for our rocks study?
• In social, what other things will we be making?
• How did I do on my spelling?

Thoughts of the day- September 21

What did we do today?

• We made rock krispies to learn how rocks are made.  Metamorphic rocks are made of minerals (Skittles, M & Ms and gummy bears), sedimentary and igneous rocks (rice krispies), pressure and heat.  They were AMAZING!
• Our POD was tricky today because instead of adding to the highest number it always added to the original number.
• We shared a few more facts in social about families, food and weather.
• We started Daily 5 today.

What questions do we have about our learning after today?

• What facts will we learn tomorrow in social?
• I wonder what we are going to do for the igneous and sedimentary rocks?
• I wonder if our POD will be harder tomorrow?
• When will we start multiplication and division PODs?

Agenda- September 21-24

Read 30 min
Spelling test tomorrow
Book Fair is Thurs and Fri.
Parent conferences are this Thurs and Fri
No school Fri
POW due Thurs

Thoughts of the day- September 18

What we did today:

• We collected leaves, sticks, mushrooms, rocks and pinecones from Barrett Park and the Whispering Woods.  We recorded them through tracing, print making, rubbings and drawing, as well as wrote about where we found it and our observations of each one.  Each one is different.
• In Barrett Park we saw a bunny, leaves on the ground and a whole bunch of twigs, 3 pear trees, and one had four pears on it.  There was also spiders, an interesting mushroom by the pine trees and a stick that looked like a pitchfork.

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• I wonder if those pears will last?
• Why did one of the pear trees have pears?
• I wonder if Barrett Park will get smaller?

Thoughts of the day- September 17

What did we do today?

• We sketched a picture of either the nature ground or Nose Hill Park.  We will then use Van Gogh techniques to make our artwork.
• Our final day of read around was in Room 4.  Ms. Pearson read us Stanley's Party.  We also had library.
• In Ivan, we were introduced to Ruby, a baby elephant.
• In math, we made a pattern tree and we took off one row every minute.  Then we answered questions about the pattern.  The grade 4's worked on mathletics, do increasing and decreasing patterns.

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• I wonder how the Van Gogh will look like after they are done?
• What will happen to Ruby, the baby elephant?
• I wonder if Ivan is going to start liking Ruby more?

Thoughts of the day- September 16

What did we do today?

• We brought rocks from home and studied them.  There are three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic.
• Today's read around was with Mrs. Lim and Ms. Cowdy.  They read us Everybody Needs a Rock.
• We shared our research about Canada in social studies. We read our posters out to the class.
• In gym we played Dr. Dodgeball after a cooperation relay.  
• We changed our POD, it was a bit tricky!
• We chose our first spelling words today.  The big word was volcanoes.
• Happy birthday Jambo!  He would have been 46 years old!

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• I wonder if the Jersey Zoo celebrated Jambo's birthday?
• What is our next book in the read aloud?
• How many different rocks are there?
• How many colours can a geode be? In one rock?
• Why are there only three types of rocks?

Thoughts of the day- September 15

What did we do today?

• We studied two more rocks, and classified them by their properties.  We had to do a streak test to see if it left any marks on the paper.
• In LA, we started word work.  We had to make up words using the letters a,e,o,o,c,l,n,s and v.
• Mr. Pedenko read us the book Rules of the Wild in the class read around today.  He thought we were wonderful!  (as we are!)

What questions do we have of our learning today?

• I wonder what the big word is for word work?
• What kind of rocks are people going to bring tomorrow?
• What book will Ms. Cowdy read us tomorrow?

Thoughts of the day- September 14

What did we do today?

• We went to room 7 for the school read around and Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Lee read Click Clack Moo.
• We saw the real story of Jambo.  A boy fell into a gorilla cage and Jambo the silverback gorilla comforted him until he was rescued, and then he led the other gorillas away.
• Started some research about Canada.  We are looking into government, services, transportation, traditions, housing, landforms, food, clothing, weather, families and languages.
• In science, we found out what lustre is.

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• Why did Jambo protect the boy?
• What country/ region will we learn about first?

Agenda September 14-18

Read 30 min
Bring rocks Wed
Who I Am due Wed
Library Thurs
Welcome back BBQ Thurs
POW due Friday
Book orders due Sept 21
Spelling test next Tuesday

Thoughts of the day- September 11

What did we do today?

• We went to Nose Hill Park and explored to find different types of rocks through a rock scavenger hunt.  We had to find a rock smaller than a marble, a rock bigger than an apple, a smooth rock, a rough and jagged rock, a glassy rock, a rock that was one colour and a rock that was two colours.  
• It took us over 1 000 steps to get there!
• On the way we saw grasshoppers, spiders, a purple rock that might be amethyst, a cat, lots of wasps, beetles and lots of ants.  There was huge goats beard on the hill, a gopher, some dogs and different kinds of grasses.

What questions about our learning do we have after today?

• How many insects are in Nose Hill Park?
• What will we do next Friday?
• Will we have a project to do with the rocks we found?

Thoughts of the day- September 10

What did we do today?

• We used our inner artist and practiced our Van Gogh techniques- swirls, sideways strokes, circles and curves.
• We had our first library exchange today.
• We went to Mrs. Hamby's class today and she read us "If I Only Had A Green Nose".  We also read more Ivan and found out he can draw a beetle.  We also found out another elephant is coming and learned story of Jambo.

What questions do we have about our learning today?

• Is the new animal in the story going to be an elephant or a new gorilla?
• Is the big top mall going to close down?  What is going to happen to Julia's mom?
• What is the true story of Jambo?  We will find out Monday?
• How far is the walk to Nose Hill Park?  How many steps?  Our guesses are: 2 500, 2 020, and  5 000.

Thoughts of the day- September 9

What did we do today?

• We started a read around in the school.  We went to Ms. Boyer's room and she read the book "Beekle".  It was about imaginary friends.
• We were rock detectives and studied different types of rocks.  There were unique rocks and we got to use magnifying glasses and magnets.  
• We learned about the countries we are going to study this year and mapped out countries that we do know.

What questions do we have about what we learned today?

• I wonder what happens in the Ukraine?
• Who will we visit tomorrow for the read around?
• What rocks will we find at Nose Hill Park on Friday?
• How many different types of rocks are there?
• What will tomorrow's POD question be?

Thoughts of the day- September 8

What did we do today?

• We started our new science unit on rocks and minerals.  We also started social.
• Our first music class was today- we played games like 'Who has the button?"
• We had our first POD today (problem of the day).  We had to figure out a word problem by adding then subtracting.
• Read even more Ivan!

A question we have after our learning today?

• Where will our social and science units take us?  Will we learn about the minerals? What types are there? Who will get the rights to the North Pole?  How much oil is there?  

Agenda- September 8-11

Read 30 min
Rocks web (5 facts) due Wednesday
Hitmen raffle Wednesday
Welcome back BBQ form-due Mon
Welcome back package forms-demographic, fees
We are going to Nose Hill Park Friday- wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring 2 snacks, water bottle, hat, sunscreen

Thoughts of the day-September 4

What did we do today?

• It was Fresh Air Friday! We went outside and did an alphabet scavenger hunt. We also did a five senses sheet about the Whispering Woods.  It wasn't as cold as the field.  Some of us need to bring better clothing next week because they got cold.  We should have gloves, a good jacket, a hat or something that covers your ears (toque, earmuffs), a scarf and boots.  We got to work with a buddy from Room 4.  We saw a bunny, grasses, vegetation, a garter snake, beetles, bird's nest, a mouse, mushrooms, large weeds, Canadian Thistles, grasshoppers and wild blue flax.  When we closed our eyes we heard the wind, voices,  loud, rustling footsteps, sticks cracking, leaves crinkling, bugs chirping and trees moving in the wind.

What questions do we have about what we did today?

•  What is Fresh Air Fridays going to be like in the winter time? June?
• What is happening next week on Friday?

Thoughts of the day- September 3

What did we do today?

• We did mad minutes to show Ms. Jones what we know and what we need to learn.
• Read more from The One and Only Ivan.
• We had an assembly and we sang our school song.  There are important forms to bring home!
• We wrote about our summer breaks.

What is one question we have after today:

• Will Ivan's plan work?

Thoughts of the day-September 2

What did we do today?

• Started the book The One and Only Ivan.  He is an artistic gorilla!
• We did a spelling test today to show Ms. Jones what words we need help with.
• We had draw ourselves by tracing our hands and feet and drawing our heads.

What questions do we have after today?

• How did I do on my math scavenger hunt and spelling test?
• What are the Unthinkables?
• What countries are we going to learn about?

Agenda for September 2-4

Read 30 min

Welcome back package due Friday
Welcome back assembly Thursday @ 10:00am

Fresh Air Fridays start this Friday- dress for the weather 
Hitmen tickets draw
Handbook letter