Thoughts of the day- June 23

What did we do today?

• Today a couple more people presented their science PowerPoints.  One was on komodo dragons, wolves and the western lowland gorilla.
• In gym, we played capture the flag with room 4.
• We had daily 5 first thing in the morning to catch up on things such as presentations, social centers and top ten lists.
• This morning we started the Measurement Olympic Games, with our first event being the toy car race.  After that we did the paper ball shot put toss.  The teams competing are: Malaysia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Greece and Ethiopia.
• There was the grade 6 farewell this afternoon, and they all received the book, Oh The Places You Will Go, by Dr. Seuss.
• We also typed out the top ten reasons we like the portable on the computer.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Who will win the Measurement Olympic Games?
2. Which team will win the next event?  Will it be a team that hasn't won an event yet?

Thoughts of the day- June 22

What did we do today?

• In math, we finished our measurement scavenger hunt and our book analysis.  Tomorrow we start the Measurement Olympic Games!
• So that we will be prepared for the assembly Friday, we practiced our song with the grade 1/2s and the MCs.
• Today five people presented their animal presentations to the class.  They were about gorillas (two presentations), mandrils, flamingos, and the grey wolf.
• In social, the Alberta group had a test.  The Ukrainian group worked on finishing their centers.  
• This morning in LA, we started our top ten lists about being in the portable based on the ideas we brainstormed yesterday.
• We played another game of kickball with room 4 and we divided the classes to make it more fair.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Which team will win the Measurement Olympics?
2. Who will present tomorrow and what animals will they be?
3. Whose project will have the most information?
4. What teams will win in Rio?
5. How many questions will a certain student keep forgetting?
6. What Olympic game will be liked most?

Thoughts of the day- June 21

What did we do today?

• We had a Calgary Public Library presentation today and we learned about the summer reading program.  We also got cool monster origami bookmarks.  The lady from the library read us a poem from one of the books she brought and she showed us a variety of books we can find there. This summer there is a reading contest where we colour in bird ballots and there is a question contest as well.  With the question contest, we could win a $250 ToysRUs gift card and be the boss of the library for one day!
• Today in gym, we played against room 4 in a game of kickball.  We won (and had lots of fun!)
• In health, the grade 3s did a mirror activity that focused on positive self-image and the grade 4s finished their puberty lessons.
• This afternoon in social we continued our centers.  If we finished, we did a survey and crossword about Ukrainian food.
• In math, we continued our measurement scavenger hunt and we analyzed the weight of books.
• During music, we played a game of bingo with instruments and we practiced our song that we will sing on Friday.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What person guessed the most instruments right?
2. Will anybody in our class win the CPL contest?  What books would they buy?
3. Who will win the most measurement Olympic games?
4. What Olympic game will most of us like?

Thoughts of the day- June 20

What did we do today?

• Today in math, we had our last class time to finish our zoos.
• In science, it was also our last class to finish our animal presentations.  If we finished early, we got to try figurative language baseball.
• After computers, we read the book The Places You Will Go.  We then started to brainstorm what we have liked doing in the portable this year.
• We played kickball in gym.
• Right after recess, we went into the computer lab to finish our photos from our residency.  We put our finished pictures in Ms. Jones' dropbox and she is going to print them onto photo paper.
• In social, we continued working on our Ukraine centers.  Ms. Jones told us we will be tasting foods from all the countries we studied this year next week.  The Alberta group had some catch up time.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What is the length, width and height on a chapter book?
2. How many people have finished their science presentations?
3. Who will be first to present their science slideshow?

Agenda- June 20-24

Read 30 min

Calgary Public Library presentation Tues @ 9:30am-Summer Reading program

Grade 6 farewell Thurs @ 2pm

Fresh Air Friday celebration and Nose Hill picnic Fri @ 9:00am- please bring a drink and snack to enjoy on Nose Hill
Tasting foods from India, Tunisia and Ukraine changed to Tuesday lunch
Bring water guns, towel, extra clothes for water fight Tues morning

Forms to bring back:
Nature ground weeding forms 
Library Books!!!!!
Toy cars needed for math Thursday

Thoughts of the day- June 17

What did we do today?

• During Fresh Air Friday, we went on an insect hunt.  We had to collect three bugs, observe and write down notes about their appearance and behaviour.  Insects we found were: dragonflies, damselfly, crane fly, aphids, thread waisted wasp, red headed ant, bees, wasps, beetles, moths, mosquito, black flies, red ants, butterfly and a grasshopper.
• Insects have 6 legs, a head, a thorax and an abdomen.  We observed insects we didn't know existed until today.  We also observed that some insects have different coloured body sections.  The insects that have wings only have wings coming from the thorax section.
• We also learned there are two kinds of life cycles for insects.  Cockroaches, grasshoppers and dragonflies only go through three stages: egg, nymph and adult.  This is called an incomplete metamorphosis.  The other 90% go through the complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa and adult.
• Before the insect hunt, we had the choice of working on our zoos and 3D animals, our science presentations, social centers and our Library Olympic journal.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will we do any more science activities with bugs?
2. Will anyone see any of these bugs on the weekend?
3. What is the most common insect in Alberta?  To be found today?
4. How many species of insects are there?
5. Did anybody find a painted lady butterfly?
6. How many different types of ants are there?
7. Which insect family has the most species in it?
8. What was the biggest insect found?
9. What was the most colourful bug found?
10. What group found the most insects?

Thoughts of the day-June 16

What did we do today?

• This afternoon, the grade 1/2 had their assembly.  It was about Nose Hill and the animals they have learned about during Fresh Air Fridays.  One thing that we learned from them is that the little brown bats in Nose Hill are endangered due to the use of pesticides.
• Today in health, the grade 3s played time bingo.  The grade 4s learned about personal hygiene.
• After quiet reading, we continued working on our zoos.  We are very close to finishing.  We will also be learning about how to measure mass and length.
• In social, many of the groups are working on their last centers.
• During gym, which happened after 11, we played Capture the Flag.  Afterwards we had a catch up time to finish some work (aka smorgasbord).

What questions do we have after today?

1. How long will it take for the whole class to finish their zoos?
2. Will the person who has not returned their library book return it?
3. What kind of bugs will we find tomorrow?
4. Will any groups finish all four centers next social class?
5. Will Russia reclaim part of the Ukraine?
6. Will we see any of the animals from the assembly next Friday?

Thoughts of the day- June 15

What did we do today?

• In health, the grade 4s had another puberty lesson and the grade 3s finished their time charts and calculated their sleep.  Many of us are not getting enough sleep.
• Instead of having gym in the morning, we had it in the afternoon and because of the wind we played capture the flag instead of frisbee.
• Since the grade 6s were writing their PATs, today in math we got a double period to work on our zoos and keep the school quiet.
• Today in social, we were introduced to the government center and many of us are on our third centers.  In the Alberta group, we finished our definition word search and we learned about Father Lacombe.
• After recess, we continued our animal presentations.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How many more people will finish their PowerPoint presentations tomorrow?
2. How much more will the Alberta group learn about Father Lacombe?
3. What will be the zoo with the most buildings?
4. How did the grade 6s do today?
5. Will we have to write the PATs when we are in grade 6?

Thoughts of the day- June 14

What did we do today?

• Today the grade 4s continued to learn about puberty and the different changes for different genders.  The grade 3s talked about sleep and they charted their activities in a day.
• In science we continued to work on our animal presentations.
• This morning in math, we had a double period to work on our zoo structures.
• For gym we did frisbee golf with nine holes and we warmed up by playing pass.
• During music, we played wax museum and practiced our Fresh Air Friday song.
• In social we continued working on our social centers and looked up definitions for Alberta's past.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What will be the most commonly used 3D object and what size?
2. Which zoo will have the most interesting animals?
3. Will any of the health classes be really bad?
4. What have the group's named their restaurants/ gift shops?

Thoughts of the day- June 13

What did we do today?

• Today in math, we started to build 3D objects as buildings and as an animal for our zoos.
• In gym, we continued frisbees.  We practiced the forehand throw and worked on our backhand throws.  We also focused on passing and catching, and we earned points for completed passes.
• During LA we started and finished a journal about what character we would be if we were on Team Kyle from the book the Library Olympics.  Most of us thought we were a combination of two characters.
• After math, we went to the library to work on our science presentations and research.  During that time there was a power outage.
• We also found out there was a power outage during the Roughriders game and Ms. Jones' brother got a birthday cake from Gainer the mascot.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How many people started their animal presentations today?
2. How many people are researching gorillas and wolves?
3. What was the most popular combination of characters?
4. What will we do for the last day of school?
5. Who lost the most work due to the outage?
6. How tall will the tallest building be for math?
7. Which class will get all the their library books back first?  Ice cream is on the line!
8. How much money will be raised for the Environment Club tomorrow?

Agenda: June 13-17

Read 30 min
Treat day tomorrow- bring $1
Bring back library books
Grade 1/2 assembly tomorrow @ 2pm
Fresh Air Friday tomorrow
Summer Weeding Schedule
Next Friday is our Fresh Air Friday assembly and picnic

Thoughts of the day- June 8

What did we do today?

• In science, we worked on finishing our research on our animals.  A few of us have started our presentations.
• This afternoon in LA we continued to read the Library Olympics.  We found out that Mr. Peckleman has taken out all books from the library that had squirrels in them.  We also found out he is working with Mrs. Chiltington.
• The grade 4s had their first HS class and the grade 3s had a health class about healthy choices with regards to smoking and alcohol.
• In social we continued our Ukraine centers.
• This morning in gym, we did passing for five minutes then played a lacrosse/kickball/baseball game.
• In math we learned how to calculate the area of circles and irregular shapes.  Then we continued to work on our zoo designs.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will we finish the Library Olympics tomorrow?  How will it end?
2. How many blogs will we complete by the end of the year?
3. How big will the biggest building be in math?
4. Will Mr. Lemoncello give his library to the new trustees?
5. Will Marjory give back the book Flora and Ulysses?
6. What will the grade 3s do in health next class?
7. Will Kyle's plan work?  What will they have to do to find the books?

Thoughts of the day- June 7

What did we do today?

• With our buddies, we let the butterflies go in the Whispering Woods. Eleven flew away, two had broken wings and one died in the sugar water.  One was left in its chrysalis but it would not turn into a butterfly as the pupa was black.
• Today in music, we finished Beethoven Lives Upstairs and did a test to show our understanding.
• This afternoon in social, the Alberta group reviewed the regions for an upcoming test. The Ukraine group reviewed the centers and continued to work on them.
• In science, we continued our science research.  Ms. Jones wanted us to have four topics done by today.
• In the Library Olympics, more books have gone missing!  Mr. Lemoncello has suspended the Library Olympics and has given everyone a "go to college free" card.
• Today in gym we continued lacrosse and we played keep away and games for those who are more confident in their skills.
• First thing this morning, we worked on our zoo and most of us were calculating the perimeters of their animal exhibits.  To measure the perimeter of a circle, you need to use string!

Thoughts of the day- June 6

What did we do today?

• Today in art, we finished our symmetry bug art and we started our name aliens in cursive.  We wrote our name in cursive on one half of the paper and then we traced the other side.  Then we looked at it to find and create an alien within our names.
• In Library Olympics, Team Kyle had to do this challenge where they were the librarians and they had to find a book based on a cryptic clue.  We were also asked to decide which character we would be most like if we were in the story.
• In math, we continued our zoos, and we started to glue our final draft onto card stock.  Ms. Jones asked us start calculating the perimeter of each animal exhibit in meters.
• This afternoon, we researched more facts on our animals and we got a few more topics to research on.
• This morning in gym, we did passing in lacrosse and then we played games.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What will the League of Concerned Library Lovers do next?
2. Which name alien will be the cutest?
3. Will Mr. Lemoncello actually leave town?  Will he leave the library?
4. Which character will most of us relate to?

Agenda: June 6-10

Read 30 min
Bike to School Day Tues
Library books to be returned back to library
POW due Thurs
No school Fri day- PD day

Swimming report cards
Science homework- journals and building write ups
Grade 4- Ask an adult

Thoughts of the day- June 3

What did we do today?

• Today was sports day!  There was 11 stations to go through.  They were tug-o-war, croquet with soccer balls, water sponge relay, parachute volleyball, kickball, three legged race, feed the cowboy, survey, rest station, pick up marbles with your toes and wheelbarrow race.  The parachute volleyball was run by Ms. Jones and Ms. Pearson.  On the way, we all got a 15 min certificate for free time which we can use next week or the week after. :)
• The volleyball station was kind of hard because you really had to work with your teammates to make sure you could throw and catch with the parachute.  During the sponge race we had to hold the sponge using different parts of our bodies other than our hands, like between your elbows.  In the croquet game, you had to kick a ball under a stick balanced on chairs and you had to keep track of how many times you kicked the ball.  With the tug-o-war, we did team vs team, kids vs adults and individuals vs individuals.  A few kid teams beat the adults!
• In the wheelbarrow race, a lot of people fell over and a kinder held up a grade 2 student in one race!  One team picked up 150 marbles!

What questions do we have after today?

1. What was the most liked station?
2. What were some of the different ways people held the sponges?
3. How many of the stations will be at next year's sports day?
4. Which team will win it next year....it was a TIE this year!
5. Will we have another winter's sports day?
6. What student got the most free time certificates?
7. Which team in volleyball worked the best?
8. Did Mrs. Polski count the points right?
9. Which team in Feed the Cowboy got the most birdies?

Thoughts of the day- June 2

What did we do today?

• We started the day with the school rooftop photo.
• After we had the rooftop photo we had our math quiz.
• This afternoon, we started our social centers for the Ukraine.  We had the choice of egg art or comparing life in the city compared to the village.
• In science, we observed the butterflies.  Eight are now out of chrysalis and one was walking around the mesh enclosure and one was trying to fly.
• In LA we read some more of the Library Olympics and there were two more competitions.  We found out Marjory is going to take the book from the library.  We also finished the Fireworks song and we sang it after we were done looking for figurative language.
• Today in music we continued to watch the movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs.  We also had to answer comprehension questions about the movie.
• In gym we started passing and catching in lacrosse.  Most of us can pass two in a row.

Thoughts of the day- June 1

What did we do today?

• Today in gym we started lacrosse.  First we played a warm up game of blob tag, then we did relays with the lacrosse sticks.  After that we learned how to cradle the ball and played What Time Is It Mr. Wolf with the lacrosse sticks.  If you dropped the ball, you became part of the wolf pack.
• We had our last book Cafe today and we had cookies with pink lemonade. Yum!
• In LA we sang the song Fireworks while looking for examples of figurative language.  We also read some more Library Olympics.  The fifth competition had them guessing books from clues and the sixth one had them identifying book titles using clues from a parade of actors.
• In social, we were introduced to our new centers for the Ukraine.  We will be learning about beliefs, city life versus country life, egg art and a government timeline. The Alberta group continued to work on our presentations on the regions.
• Today in math we kept working on our zoos.  We are now working on our final drafts on cardstock paper.
• During science we continued our research on our animals.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will Team Kyle stay in the lead?
2. What will be the most popular social center?
3. Will Team Kyle win the next competition and what will the next one be?
4. Will there be any butterflies tomorrow?  There are now three!
5. How will our zoo plans turn out?
6. What unit is after lacrosse?

Thoughts of the day- May 31

What did we do today?

• In music, we practiced our Down To Earth and This Ol' Man Songs.  We also started to watch the movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs.
• In math, we continued planning our zoos.  Some groups are now at the point of putting their parts together to see if they are happy with the draft.
• We had buddies and we helped them type out information about themselves, such as their names and their likes.
• Today in science, we continued our research on our animals, in particular their diet, habitats, adaptations and predators.  We also checked in on our butterflies.  One has emerged from its chrysalis and was flapping its wings.
• This afternoon in social we finished packing for the Ukraine.  We coloured the flag, trident and coat of arms.  Tomorrow we will start our centers.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How long will it take for the other butterflies to emerge?
2. What will the centers be like?  Will there be anything about Crimea?
3. What will group will be the first to build up their zoo?
4. When will the butterflies start flying around their temporary home?
5. Will all the butterflies look different or all the same?
6. What building will have the largest surface area?

Thoughts of the day- May 30

What did we do today?

• In math, we continued planning for our zoos and we started to create our blueprints.
• Today we had a 35 question spelling test.  It was the same one we did in September and we are going to compare how much we have improved.
• This afternoon in art, we learned about symmetry.  We had to complete a half drawn grid shape before we created an insect with oil pastels.
• We had our fifth swimming lesson and tomorrow is our last day.
• In the Library Olympics, we found out Kyle is a good Pterodactyl flier and he won the competition by fueling up on fish, which he remembered reading in his research.  The League of Concerned Library Lovers is trying to get Marjory to take out one book from the library.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What book will Marjory take from the library, if she takes one?
2. Will Marjory join the League of Concerned Library Lovers?
3. Will we have to figure out the volume of the building in our zoo?
4. Will we know the book that she takes out, if she does?

Agenda: May 30-June 3

Read 30 min
Last day of swimming Tues- bring $2 if you want a vending machine item
CAFE Wed
Rooftop photo Thurs
Library Thurs
Math quiz Thurs (+,-, x, ÷)
Sports Day Fri -wear green/ blue 

Book orders due Tues
Practice words for music
Guided reading jobs due
Letter- Grade 4
Social center due

Thoughts of the day- May 27

What did we do today?

• In science, we went to check in on the caterpillars in chrysalis.  They have been put in a new home with netting and they are all hanging on the roof. They are now a golden brown colour and the wing pattern in starting to show.  One chrysalis is hanging by a thread.
• We continued our observations of the dandelions and what the function of each part is.  Some of us tried the milk in the stem and it is very bitter! That is a deterrent to animals so they don't eat them.  We had honeysuckle after to take the taste away.  We also saw a very long earthworm crawling in the grass.  We also learned the dandelion came from Greece.  People drink dandelion tea and in Europe, they are not seen as the weeds they are here.
• We went swimming! :)

Thoughts of the day- May 26

What did we do today?

• In math we started our zoo design groups and we started to plan our zoo. We will plan it in 2D first, then build it up with 3D objects.
• Today in music we sung a song called "This Ol' Man" in two parts.  Mrs. Lim also recorded us doing the song for our Fresh Air Friday assembly so we know what we look like.
• In science, we continued our animal research and we had the option of either using the computers or the books we pulled yesterday.
• In social, we mapped Ukraine and we learned a little bit about each city or sea.  We also learned a little bit of history about the Ukraine and Russia and how they were once one country.
• It was day three of swimming!

What questions do we have after today?

1. How black does the Black Sea get?
2. What will other people's zoos look like?
3. When will the civil unrest in Crimea end?

Thoughts of the day- May 25

What did we do today?

• In math we had a catch up period.  We finished our irregular shape animals, worked on our building permits and completed two Mathletics activities.
• Today in science, we started our research on an animal that we will be building a new habitat for.  We first had to locate books in the library before going on the computers.  The animals had to be one of the animals we did observations on at the zoo.
• This afternoon in social, we started to pack our suitcases for the Ukraine.  We looked at the Government of Canada travel advisories and its weather.  It was advised not to go to Crimea or the eastern part of the country.
• In LA, we finished our figurative language search.  After that we had to come up with three of our own (alliteration, onomatopoeia and a simile).
• We had our second swimming class today.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What will be our favourite country after we have studied them all?
2. Will the advisories for the Ukraine get worse or better while we study the Ukraine?
3. What will be the most important vaccination you would need before you travel there?

Agenda: May 24-27

Read 30 min
Swimming all week at 9:30 am
POW due Fri
Library Thurs 
Math quiz handed back
Book orders due Tues
CAFE on Wed

Homework:
Bean Journals
Permits (1-4) due Thurs

Running Club:  Please be ready to run from Dr. Coffin School to the walking bridge at Nose Hill next Wednesday, June 1st from 12:10 – 12:40. This will be a 2 km loop, if you are able to run more than 2 km (as many of you now are) we will continue to run once we get back to school. Thanks.

Thoughts of the day- May 18

What did we do today?

• This morning in math, we started cutting out animals from grid paper and we will so have to figure out the area and perimeter, which will be harder because we used different shapes.
• In science we continued to complete our study of dandelions by observing and drawing the leaves, stem and flower of the plant.
• Today we had the Privilege Day draw for being the teacher....five students were picked.
• We had the book fair in the afternoon and we were allowed to pick more than three books because we were the last group.
• In gym, we had Mr. O as a sub and we played a different game of dodgeball and we could be hit from anywhere in the gym.  If you were tagged, you could crawl to get a ball to get back into the game.
• During social, a few more groups finished their centers.  They are due on Tuesday.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What will tomorrow be like with 11 teachers?
2. Why do dandelions needs their root hairs?
3. If someone wins the butler, will they use them during the math quiz?
4. What will we learn about the Ukraine civil war?
5. Why are dandelions made to "invade" other native species?
6. What will the students who win want Mrs. Polski to do as their butler?

Thoughts of the day- May 16

What did we do today?

• In math we played a game with area, where we had to roll two dice to multiply.  We then put it on a grid.  Who ever filled the most space was the winner.  All of the area blocks had to touch the last one and we could not go over a block from the other team.
• We had a double science class to finish our lab observations and our bean journals.  If our bean plant is in the seeding or young plant phase, we were allowed to bring them home.
• This morning we had a sub for gym and we played more parachute games.  We played Jaws with two sharks and Cat and Mouse.
• In the Library Olympics, we heard what happened with the first two events and they have started the third.  Team Kyle has lost both so far.
• After Daily Five, we looked through a variety of books to find examples of figurative language and to draw a picture of each one.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will Team Kyle win any competitions today?  Does the color of medal you receive make an impact on your points?
2. What are some of the best books to find examples of figurative language in?
3. Who will be the last to take their bean home?

Agenda: May 16-20

Read 30 min
Recycle a Read Book Fair Wed
Rooftop photo Thurs
Privilege day tomorrow- bring privileges 
Math quiz Thurs- no spelling or POW
No school Fri or next Mon
Swimming starts Tues.  We leave at 9:00 am.  Bring your suit, towel, goggles, snack.

Homework:
Bean Journals due
Tunisia social centers due Tues

Thoughts of the day- May 13

What did we do today?

• For Fresh Air Friday, we tried to pull out a complete dandelion and make observations.  We had to draw pictures of the leaves, the stem, the flower, the tap root and the root hairs and guess the function of each part.  It was hard to get a full dandelion, and a student who will remain anonymous bent their trowel.
• We also did another bean journal.  This time, we had to state what stage our bean is at in its life cycle.  There was a seed, sprout, seedling, young plant, and adult plant.  We also took out the temperature of the greenhouse because no one's plant is growing in one anymore.  
• We had a spelling test about words with silent letters.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will anyone's bean grow a flower or bean pod before June?
2. What was the most common stage observed?
3. Why do dandelions need tap roots?

Thoughts of the day- May 12

What did we do today?

• Today we had buddies and we got to see butterfly larvae and we will be observing them grow into Painted Lady butterflies.
• In math, we finished building our 3D objects and continued to work on our permits. We even had marshmallows to build with and snack on.
• We stayed in the portable for science today to work on our lab write-ups on building a bridge, container and boat.  Our marks from this unit will come from these so we are adding things to get a better mark.
• In music, we started to learn a song that we will sing at the Fresh Air Friday celebration assembly.  We also went to check the animal museum in the learning commons, which was presented by our friends in Room 1 and 2.
• This morning in gym we had gym in our classrooms because the grade 6's were writing a test.  We played silent soccer.
• During the afternoon, we continued to work on our social centers.  Some of us finished today while others are close to being done.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What patterns and colours will the butterflies have after they come out of chrysalis?
2. What other songs will be sung by the other grade groups for our Fresh Air Friday celebration?
3. Will anyone else have to re-plant their beans between now and when we take them home?
4. Who will get Mrs. Polski as their butler?  Who will win be the teacher draws?
5. How much money will we earn for Fort McMurray through Privilege Day?
6. How big will the butterflies get?  How long does it take for the butterfly larvae to turn into adults?

Thoughts of the day- May 11

What did we do today?

• In math, we had to make 3D objects and count how many vertices, edges and faces they had.
• Today we had a Celtic fiddler and she played two songs from where Celtic music came from, Ireland and Scotland, and she played the regional music from four provinces in Canada.  They were from Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia and British Columbia.  Irish fiddling is has more melody but Scottish fiddling has more rhythm for marching.  Some of the tunes were made for bagpipes.
• This afternoon in science we tested our bridges with a cleaning bottle.  We also started the lab sheet, which will go towards our report card mark.  Ms. Jones wants more than two sentences and lots of details.
• In the Library Olympics, they are starting their first competition, which is a library cart race.  They have to put the books from their Dewey Decimal category on their carts before starting.
• This morning in gym, we continued with parachute games, including Unwrap the Present and Shark Attack.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What team will win the first competition and medal?
2. How many books will be dropped by the teams in total?  What if they drop any books?
3. Will Kyle drop out of the games? Will Andrew join?
4. What will the next competition be?
5. What will we learn about the Ukraine in social?

Thoughts of the day- May 10

What did we do today?

• Today in art, we put shaving cream and food colouring together and swirled it in a tin pan.  Then we created some cool and colourful trading cards Coming soon to a bulletin board near you!
• We continued to work on our permits in math.  We also identified different quadrilaterals and their features.  We were introduced to the third and fourth permits.  We also learned about a new shape called the trapezium.
• We had buddies today and we helped them move their photos from the network drive to a dropbox.  Then we did the same thing with our photos after the buddies went back to class.
• In science, it was the last day for building our bridges.  We will be testing them tomorrow.
• During gym we continued to play some parachute games and we added a new thing to the game Jaws.  We had lifeguards.
• Today in music, we listened to some celtic fiddling and attempted to do Irish dancing in preparation for tomorrow's performance.

We ran out of time, so no questions were discussed today....we were having too much fun in art!

Thoughts of the day- May 9

What did we do today?

• We had a guest speaker in the afternoon, who was an engineer from the Alberta Science Network.  He taught us a bit about material variety then he gave us a project where we had to make a structure that would hang 3 pencils and 3 marbles on a string.  We also had to make the structure that would hold the string.  We learned that it is better to build a building using rebar and cement because the metal rods can take tension (pull) while the cement can handle the push, so it makes the structure stronger.
• Today in math, we started our zoo re-design project.  But before we can start, we had to complete a permit showing our knowledge of geometric shapes to prove to the mayor we are the architects/ engineers for the job.
• In gym, we started our parachute unit by playing cat and mouse, jaws, mushroom and running under the parachute.
• In word work, all the words have a silent letter in them.  They are words we have been using in our snakes and ladders game.
• This is our last week for our Tunisian centers!  We continued to work on them and one group is finished.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Which group will win the snakes and ladders game?
2. Will everyone finish their social centers in time?
3. What will our new zoo designs look like?
4. What is the average number of beans we have planted to grow a bean plant?
5. Who will have the tallest bean plant by the end of the month?  How tall will it be?
6. Whose bean plant will grow the most leaves?

Agenda- May 9-13

Read 30 min
Celtic Fiddler Presentation Wed @9:00am
Fun lunch Thurs
Science test for Mrs. Lee's group Thurs
POW and spelling test Fri

Book fair donations
Privilege day money 

Thought of the day- May 6

What did we do today?

• Today for Fresh Air Friday, we had a scavenger hunt where we had to look for certain plants and tally them.  We had to look for coniferous trees, coniferous shrubs, deciduous trees, deciduous shrubs, opposite branches, alternate branches and berries.  We counted for half an hour.  Afterwards, we had to count them and make them into fractions.  The denominator was the number of shrubs and trees combined.  For each numerator, we counted the tallies for each group.  There were more deciduous trees is the Whispering Woods than coniferous.
• Coniferous are trees that have needles and deciduous are trees that have leaves, which they lose each fall.
• Half of us started the day with a math re-write of last week's quiz, while the others went to the library for book exchange and read.
• We had science and we continued our bridge building.  We are very close to being done!  To have your bridge qualify, it must be able to hold a full can of pop or a full bottle of paint.

What questions do we have after today?

1. What was the biggest fraction made?
2. How many deciduous trees are in the Whispering Woods?
3. What was the biggest denominator?
4. What will be our next unit in gym?
5. What will we do next Fresh Air Friday?
6. Who will win the silent letter snakes and ladders game?

Thoughts of the day- May 5

What did we do today?

• Today in math, we started measurement with a scavenger hunt where we had to measure things in cm and m.
• In gym, the kids from Sir Winston Churchill came to teach us.  We played blob tag at first, then moved on to gold rush and finished with four corners.
• After gym, we read The Library Olympics.  Charles convinced Kyle not to ask Andrew to switch.  We found out Andrew's great uncle twice removed likes birds a lot and Andrew and Marjory have a lot in common.
• During LA, we learned about idioms and we had to draw a picture of one and write a sentence using one.  Then we played snakes and ladders with silent letters.  We had to guess the word based on given clues.
• After lunch we had the volunteer tea.  We performed the song Shake the Papaya with room 4.
• Before the volunteer tea, we continued to work on our social centers.  By next week, we hope to be finished our Tunisia centers.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will everyone's beans be sprouted by the end of next week?
2. Will we learn more idioms next week?
3. Will Andrew be in the contest?  Will he become the fifth member of Kyle's team?
4. Will Andrew help Marjory?  Will Andrew distract Marjory?

Thoughts of the day- May 4

What did we do today?

• In science, Ms. Jones hoped we would be done building our bridges, but we need more time.
• This morning in math, we started our Shape and Space unit by brainstorming what we already know....there was a lot!  We talked about the metric and the imperial measurement units.  There was also a fire drill during that time.
• In the book The Library Olympics, Kyle Keeley is thinking about backing out of the games because he feels he will let his team down.  We have also met a new nemesis...Marjory.  She had memorized the Dewey Decimal system before she entered preschool.
• For gym, we used the mini golf equipment to create a driving range, where we practiced with our iron club.
• We talked about the Fort McMurray Fire and did some work on our centers for Tunisia in social.  We found out we were hotter than there today!
• During LA, we read a book called Two Bad Ants and we listened for different examples of figurative speech.  The most common one was personification.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How long will we spend on our new math unit?
2. Will Kyle quit the team?
3. Will Canada ever use the imperial unit system again?
4. Will Marjory join Team Kyle and what will Kyle talk to Andrew Peckleman about?

Thoughts of the day- May 3

What did we do today?

• With our little buddies, we helped them choose a picture they took during the photography residency and edit it.  Then we helped them put it onto their network drive.
• In science, all the groups started to plan and make their bridges to go over their waterproof containers.
• We got our math quiz results back and Ms. Jones in allowing us to re-write it on Friday if we want to improve our mark.  The average mark was 11/16, which is 69% or a 2.
• For music today, we practiced a new song and we used actions and feeling. 
• This afternoon, we had social and we continued our centers.
• In gym, we started to play mini-golf on the field.
• First thing this morning, we reviewed photosynthesis and completed a log and changed our greenhouses as needed.

What questions do we have after today?

1. If we are allowed to put our seedlings into the planters in the sun circle, how many will survive?
2. Will anyone else have to re-plant their bean?
3. Will we do something regarding our photography residency with our buddies next time?
4. When will we read the Library Olympics next?
5. What will the average score be after the re-write?
6. Will anyone not have a bean growing by the end of May?
7. Will anyone's bean plant be growing beans by the end of May?

Agenda: May 2-6

Read 30 min
Treat day tomorrow- bring 25¢
Wear a hat for Hats On Day/ Star Wars t-shirt
Volunteer tea Thurs afternoon at 2:00pm
Library Fri
Basket donations to be in Wed
Math quiz rewrite Fri
Guided reading task due Mon
Book Fair donations
Family Dance Fri @ 6:00pm

Fun Lunch forms due Thurs
Swimming forms due Fri
Book orders due Fri

Thoughts of the day- May 2

What did we do today?

• We had a field trip to the zoo today.  We had to find two animals in the zoo and write down their habitat, where you would find them, their size, and what they eat.  We also had to list observable characteristics, what their exhibit looked like and a sketch.  Some of the animals we visited were: penguins, meerkats, gorillas, mandrils, giraffes, flamingoes, lions, zebras, komodo dragons, snakes, otters, wolves, bears, ostriches, hippos, prairie dogs, owls and tortoises.
• After lunch we did a program on the metamorphosis of the northern leopard frogs.  We did a short silent play about their life cycle.  Out of 2000 eggs, only 2 will become adults.  The costumes were pretty cool!  The three super villains to frogs are garbage, human construction and a fungus brought to our wetlands by humans.  Three volunteers got to put their hands in the mystery box and guess what part of the frog they were.  They were bones, mucus on the skin and eggs.

What questions do you have after today?

1. What was the most common animal people went to see?
2. Will they be able to get the leopard frogs into the Canadian Wild exhibit?
3. Will the leopard frog become extinct or will their numbers improve?

Thoughts of the day- April 28

What did we do today?

• In photography, we learned how to take portrait pictures of people.  Hands should be in the photos!  We had a number of backgrounds set up in the library to take pictures of a partner.  We were asked to take our time as we took pictures of people head to toe, head to waist, a close up and a head shot with hands.
• Today in math we had a division session.  The grade 3's worked on a parrot division activity while the grade 4's practiced their long division skills for tomorrow's quiz.
• This afternoon in music, we had a test on reading notes and had a bonus crossword puzzle about playing the recorder.
• During science, we worked more on our containers and our bridge.  The second part of science focused on our plants.  We learned about photosynthesis and what the plants need to make their own food.  They need sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.  They produce sugar and oxygen as by-products.

Thoughts of the day- April 27

What did we do today?

• Today we had Bricks 4 Kids come to our class.  We had two builds, which were a windmill and an optical illusion.  We had to build these projects out of Lego, a motor and a Lego battery pack.  When we completed the windmill, we were challenged to change it into a ferris wheel.  We also had to change the optical illusion to go faster.  We did that by changing the gears, raised the gear box and placing the motor directly on the axle.  The windmills used pulleys while the optical illusion spun on gears.
• We switched centers with Room 4 in social.  Our new centers include climate, etiquette, music and arabic writing.
• In math, we did another review, this time with multiplication.
• Bricks 4 Kids was our science class today, but it started during our recess time, so Ms. Jones let us have recess in the afternoon.
• We read the Library Olympics today and Mr. Lemoncello is about to make a huge announcement.  Charles' mom went to talk to Mr. Lemoncello with backup and she is trying to shut down the library.
• Ms. Jones taught us gym today and we played a game called SPUD.
• Two more beans have sprouted! :)

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will Charles' mom be able to shut down the library?
2. What will some of the new teams be like?
3. Will Kyle's team win the Library Olympics (again)?
4. What will the announcement be?
5. Will we have Bricks 4 Kids again?

Thoughts of the day- April 26

What did we do today?

• In math we practiced our subtraction with regrouping skills for our quiz, which is coming up this Friday.
• This afternoon in music, we wrote a practice test sheet for naming music notes.  We will have a more thorough test on Thursday.
• Today we had CAFE!  Some of the books that were read were: The Maze of Bones from the 39 Clues series, Land of Stories, Dog Lost, The Magician's Elephant, The People of Spark, I Survived series, The Yellowhood, My Haunted House, Boundless and The Notebook of Doom.
• In science, some of us started to work on a bridge, while others tried to finish their containers.
• During LA, we did a scavenger hunt in books to find different types of figurative language.  These include: onomatopoeia, idiom, personification, alliteration, simile, metaphor and hyperbole.

What questions do we have after today?

1. We ran out of time...  :(

Agenda: April 26-29

Read 30 min
Guided reading homework due
Bricks 4 Kids in our class Wed
Photography Thurs
Flower basket forms due Thurs
Library Thurs
Math quiz Fri- no spelling or POW this week
Fresh Air Friday- we are going to Nose Hill
Math: practice sheets and review

Craft A-fair this Saturday
Family Dance forms and basket donations
Field trip forms due Fri
Family Dance forms due Fri
Book orders due May 6
Fun lunch forms
Swimming forms

Thoughts of the day- April 21

What did we do today?

• We had a catch up period to finish any unfinished work so that it would be ready for conferences tonight/tomorrow.
• This morning in gym, we played a game called Guardians of the Planet Earth.  There are three teams: one would guard the gold  and the other two would try to steal it.  If you were tagged, you went to jail and another of your teammates would have to save you.  The two would often collaborate to attack the guardians and get the gold.
• We started the day with math facts until Ms. Jones realized we had to find time to do our spelling test.  Oops!
• Today in our photography session we talked about the things we should have in pictures, such as light, shadow, shapes, lines, variety, patterns, point of view, symmetry/asymmetrical (balance) and negative and positive areas to enhance our photos.  Then we did a scavenger hunt where we had to take a picture of the certain compositions.  Afterwards, we downloaded them onto the computers.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How will our interviews go?
2. Will we learn how to take pictures outside?  If so, will we be good at it?
3. How much will our beans grow this weekend?

Thoughts of the day- April 20

What did we do today?

• For most of the day, we had shifts at the computers to finish our IRIS pages and spring break riddles.
• We started a new novel today! The Library Olympics.
• Today in math, we played some multiplication and division games.  We have a quiz next week.
• This afternoon in social, we continued working on our Tunisian centers and one group is already on center 5.
• In gym, we played Prisoner's Base tag outside where the goal of the game was for one team to get all the players from the other team in their jail by tagging them.  Both teams had good courage strategies: one tried to coral the other team in a certain area while the other would charge at them.
• Running club started today at lunch.
• We continued to work on our containers, another group was successful in creating a leak-proof box using duct tape.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How will Mr. Lemoncello react to the people against his library? (Charles)
2. Which book will we enjoy more?
3. What will Charles' mom do?  Will she lead a protest?
4. What states will be competing in the library olympics?
5. Will anyone replace Hailey now that she is moving?
6. Did any teams get disqualified?
7. Will Andrew Peckleman end up in the story somehow?

Thoughts of the day: April 19

What did we do today?

• We switched our desks around and we have a new horseshoe arrangement.
• We had buddies today and we helped them finish their IRIS pages, now we have to work on our own!
• Today was our last day of recorders and Mrs. Lim was hoping we would get all of our videos on IRIS.  One more person received their silver belt. 
• This afternoon in science, we continued to work on our container building. There were two groups that were successful with building a leak proof container.  They used a layer of plastic then a layer of tin foil.  The other group had multiple layers.
• More beans have sprouted!  Two seeds melted in the heat and one sprout shriveled. 
• In social, we continued our centers and most people are working on their third one of eight.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will all the containers be successful by the end of the week?
2. If we have any hot weather, will any more beans perish?
3. How tall will the biggest bean plant grow?  How small will the shortest be?

Agenda: April 18-22

Read 30 min
Photography residency Thurs
Spelling test Thursday
Library Thursday
Parent-Student-Teacher conferences Thurs & Fri
Book CAFE April 26th
No school April 22 or 25

Craft A-fair April 30th
Family Dance forms & basket donations
Flower basket form

Thoughts of the day- April 15

What did we do today?

• We went into the Whispering Woods to search for the different types of seeds.  These included pine cones, rose hip berries, fluffy seeds, winged seeds and grass seeds.  Pods seeds were more difficult to find.
• Before that, we did another observation log on our bean seeds.  There were two new questions which were: How tall was your sprout? and What does it need to grow?  We had to list six requirements, which are sun, water, nutrients, space, the right temperature and air (more specifically carbon dioxide).  A lot more beans sprouted this week!  We now have 11 sprouts growing.
• First thing, we did our spelling tests.
• We played a game outside called Habitat, where half of us were plants and the other half were habitats in the field.  We would decide on what we needed: food, water or shelter and we had to run and find the matching habitat.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will some of us have to redesign our greenhouses to help our beans germinate and grow?
2. Will the other half of the student's beans sprout next week?
3. Will our beans need all six requirements?
4. Will anyone's bean not sprout?

Thoughts of the day- April 14

What did we do today?

• In math, we played to sum it up and productive products to see who could come up with the biggest scores.
• We worked on putting our artifact pictures on to our IRIS page and started to comment on them.  These will be presented to you during parent-student-teacher conferences next week.
• This afternoon in music, we recorded ourselves playing our most impressive songs and we put those on our IRIS pages too.  We will have one more recorder music class as Mrs. Lim needs more time to mark us.
• Ms. Jones taught us gym today and we played a game called barricade dodgeball which had mats up as hiding spots.
• In science, we had a presentation and after we completed our presentation task, we played SPARKLE to practice our skip counting skills.
• We continued working on our centers for social, and Ms. Jones expected us to be done two after today.

What questions do we have after today?

1. How many bean sprouts will be observed and recorded tomorrow in our bean journals?
2. What group will finish their social centers first?
3. In science, will we have certain materials to build a bridge with?
4. What will our next science project be?
5. Will anyone else earn extra belts?

Thoughts of the day- April 13

What did we do today?

• For LA, we took pictures of artifacts that showed our citizenship, our personal development and character in learning.  We will be posting these on our IRIS pages.
• In science, we started to build our containers, which we will fill up with water to hold our boats.
• This morning in math we did a review of our addition, subtraction, multiplication and division through different card games.  Ms. Jones also took some students to play these games as well.  They were To Sum IT UP, What's the Difference, Productive Products and Division with a Twist.
• Today in gym, Mr. O subbed and we played prisoner's base dodgeball.
• In social, we worked on our Tunisian centers for the third day.
• Some of the sprouts are starting to grow leaves and some of us have had to change our greenhouses to accommodate them.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will the containers be successful in holding the boats and water?
2. Will anyone's boat hold any more weight than when first tested?
3. How many more belts will be earned tomorrow?
4. What will our parent's think of our IRIS pages?

Thoughts of the day- April 12

What did we do today?

• In health, we talked about strategies to help us cope with anxiety.  We also reflected on what and how we have learned this term (Jan-March).
• We had buddies and we helped them reflect on their journals and what they liked about a chosen assignment.
• This morning in writing, we typed our spring break riddles.
• After lunch, we started to plan our container building and brainstormed the materials we would need.
• In gym, we played Capture the Flag outside.
• Two people got their black belts, one got their silver and one received their gold belts for their recorders.
• Today in social, we were introduced to the fourth center, where we will map the natural resources, goods and services.
• Ten people can now see their beans breaking through the soil!

What questions do we have after today?

1. How will the containers turn out in science?
2. When we do our bean journals next time, how many people will be able to draw the plant?
3. Whose bean will be the last to sprout?
4. What will we do next with our buddies?
5. What will be the biggest difference seen with the beans in one night?

Thoughts of the day- April 11

What did we do today?

• In math, we practiced adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.  Then we played two games called To Sum It Up and What Is the Difference.  
• Today in art, we continued to work on our mosaic animals and plants.
• We had gym outside today and we played Poachers and Chimpanzees.  It was easier as we had more space to run.
• Four students were happy to see that their been seeds are now sprouts.
• In word work, our big word was two words: plant requirements.
• Today in writing, we did our last City of Ember journal.  We had to explain which we liked better, the book or the movie and we have to give two good reasons with details.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Will more people like the book or the movie?  What common reasons will there be for their decision?
2. How tall will the tallest bean be?
3. Will anybody's bean not sprout?
4. Has anyone picked the same animal or plant for their mosaic?
5. For our next read aloud, which one will we read: The Library Olympics or The Island of Dr. Libris?

Agenda: April 11-15

Read 30 min
Bring pop bottles, milk cartons, yogurt containers for science tomorrow
Fun lunch Thursday
Green team fundraiser forms due Thursday
Library Thursday
POW and spelling test Friday
School council meeting Tues at 7:00pm
Family dance letter
Craft-A-Fair notice
Parent-Student-Teacher sign up starts tomorrow for April 21 & 22
Number the Stars reading assignment due Mon

Thoughts of the day- April 8

What did we do today?

• We observed our plants in their respective greenhouses and filled in a log. We had to draw a diagram of our greenhouse, record the temperatures inside and outside the greenhouse, we had to draw what we saw and we had to write down what we saw and what changes we could do to help our plant grow.  We will be recording a log once a week.
• Today we learned about sun care and talked about UV rays and skin cancer.  We looked at a UV index and learned ways to protect ourselves at each level.  We checked the index number before we went out and it was at a low level.  Ways we can protect ourselves include: wear sunscreen, wear a hat, and wear sunglasses.  You can also use an umbrella, stay indoors, drink lots of water, and wear clothing that covers.
• We did our spelling test first thing this morning.
• We also played a game called sun tag.  If you got tagged by a sun, you got sun burned and you had to stand and sizzle like bacon.  The way you got back in the game was to be saved by sunscreen.  You had to tell them one way to protect yourself from the sun.

What questions do we have after today?

1. Whose bean will grow the tallest and will anyone's bean sprout next week?
2. Will more water help the bean grow or not?
3. Whose bean will sprout last?
4. How will we do on our spelling tests?
5. Is there a sunscreen with an SPF higher than 60?  Does it make more of a difference than SPF 30? 
6. Will we need to wear sunscreen tomorrow?