Thoughts of the day- January 29

What did we do today?

• Today for Fresh Air Friday, we made and tested stools to sit outside in the snow with no snow pants.  The stool had to be waterproof and we only had newspaper, string, garbage bags, magazines, tape and cardboard to build it with.  To test it, someone had to sit on it for two minutes and we carried it back and forth between the two goal posts to see if it was portable and light.  Some stools started to fall apart.  It was hard BUT fun as it was challenging.  The next step will be to tweak any faults.  When they are done, we will be using them during our Fresh Air Friday work outside.

What questions do we have after today?

• What will end up being the most supportive structure- a box or a pillar?

Thoughts of the day- January 28

What did we do today?

• We had a math quiz today on fractions and decimals.
• In science, we had a catch up class to complete our experiment write ups about arch span and pillar placement.
• Guided reading groups started again.
• Ms. Jones read our story with Mrs. Gummo about Charlie Yuen and we got to edit it.
• In gymnastics we had to make a new sentence which included a jump to travel.
• In social, some of us got to taste Indian spices! Some of them were caraway, curry sauce, cumin, cinnamon and chili pepper.
• The last cup stacking class for our grade was today.
• We watched videos about the orchestra of Wales and played musical bingo.

What questions do we have after today?

• What are the newspaper for tomorrow?
• What will Lina and Doon's favourite books be?
• What will be our next club?
• What will people think of our Charlie Yuen story?

Thoughts of the day- January 27

What did we do today?

• We had CAFE today and some of the books recommended and shared were: The Red Pyramid, A Day to Remember, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Geronimo Stilton, Number the Stars, Bella's Gift, Magyk, Zac Powers, Bridge to Terabithia, The Alchemyst, Camp X, Wings of Fire, The Forbidden Forest, The Chronicles of Narnia, Vet in Harness, I Survived, and My Weird School.  We had hot chocolate while we shared our stories.
• In math, the grade 3's reviewed fractions while the grade 4's identified if a fraction was closer to 0, 1/2 or 1.
• Today in gymnastics, we started to make gymnastic sentence that had to include two balances, and two ways to travel.
• In science we finished the pillar experiment, where the four small pillars were stronger than the one large pillar in the center.
• In the City of Ember, Doon found a door and a lever that we think might be important to the Builder instructions.  Lina talked to her friend Lizzie about her discovery, but she didn't seem to care.
• This afternoon, the spice center was introduced.  One is curry sauce.

What questions do we have after today?

• I wonder if Doon will see another snail in the Pipeworks?  Was the door Doon found the door from the instructions?  Where does the door lead?
• What will happen next in the novel? Will Doon figure out more of the message?  Will Doon believe Lina?  Will they become friends again?  Is inside the door caved in?
• What books will be shared in CAFE next month?

Thoughts of the day- January 26

What did we do today?

• In science we started a new experiment where we tested to see if one large pillar would hold more than four smaller ones.
• We had computers today.  We looked at our goals on IRIS to see if they were accomplished and we played a grammar game.
• Today in social we started our new India centers.  In India, kids travel by a zip line swing, some take a crammed bus, a cart pulled by oxen, hike or army truck to school.
• In health, we looked at the characteristics of a good friend.
• In our gym class, we continued to work on the mats.  Some of us were able to do a monkey stand.
• We used fractions to make shapes in an activity called Puzzling Driveway in math.
• In music, we listened to Brazilian music and we had a sub.

What questions do we have after today?

• When will we have buddies as we missed today?
• What will Lina do with the message she pieced together?
• What is the coolest way the kids in India go to school?  
• What Brazilian music will the orchestra play next week?

Thoughts of the day- January 25

What did we do today?

• We started gymnastics in gym with just the mats.
• In art, we created an abstract piece based on an artist named Kandinsky.
• This morning in math, we continued to do our fraction sundaes, and converting them from fractions to decimals.  Then we ordered them from greatest to least.
• In the City of Ember. Lina started to piece together the instructions.  We also tried using our inferring skills.
• In word work, our big word was painstakingly.

What questions do we have after today?

• Will Lina figure out what the message says by the next chapter?
• Will anybody believe her?

Agenda- January 25-29

Read 30 min
Spirit day- wear black and white tomorrow
Fraction quiz Thurs- review sheet, Mathletics, Math3Underthe Sea  
CAFE Wed- bring book and sheet completed
Cup stacking club Thurs
POW and spelling test Fri
Field trip forms due Fri
Bring newspaper for Fresh Air Friday project tomorrow
No school Monday
Report cards go home today- sign envelope and return by next Friday

Thoughts of the day- January 22

What did we do today?

• We made solar art with sticks, stones, pine cones and leaves on sun sensitive paper.  We also sketched the nature ground and played games in the Whispering Woods, such as camouflage and the animal talk game.  We saw a baby red squirrel. 
• In the City of Ember, they found the instructions in the closet, but Poppy was chewing on them.  The next chapter is called The Message with Holes in It.  We also did a survey about coloured crayons and we made them into a bar graph, fractions, decimals and percentage.

What questions do we have after today?

• What will happen in the next chapter of Ember?
• I wonder if Lina will be able to decipher the message?
• What will the message say?
• Will Poppy swallow the message?

Thoughts of the day-January 21

What did we do today?

• We talked about our new social centers.  We will be looking into food, poverty, natural disasters, school, stories and climate.
• In science, we did an experiment to see if the span of an arch impacts how much weight it can hold.  
• Today in the City of Ember, they had the longest power outage in their history and Lina lost Poppy.  Doon found her and took her to his dad's shop.
• In music, we learned about Brazilian music for our upcoming field trip to the orchestra February 3rd.
• Ms. Jones taught us gym and we played prisoner's base using the volleyball nets.
• Lunch was FUN!
• In math, we looked at other people's fraction sundaes and wrote down the fractions of ice cream flavours.  We will use this to make fractions in the hundredths.

What questions do we have after today?

• Who will be the first to finish the social centers?
• In the City of Ember will they find the box?  What will the next chapter be about?  Will there be another blackout?  Will there be a blackout longer than seven minutes?  What are the instructions in the box?  Will Lina go back to Looper's store to buy more pencil crayons?

Thoughts of the day- January 19

What did we do today?

• We tested the beams in science to see which would work better across the Old Man River.  The box girder works the best.
• Today we finished our fraction sundaes and we will be writing out the fractions and decimals tomorrow.
• We started a story map about Charlie Yuen.
• In art we painted a silhouette of what we would see at night in the winter.
• In music, we re-wrote the lyrics to a song.
• We continued to look at the physical features of India.
• In gym, we changed our team in volleyball.

What questions do we have after today?

• What will the fractions be for the ice cream scoop sundaes?
• What will Doon do to the generator?
• What will be our first song with recorders?

Thoughts of the day- January 18

What did we do today?

·      We read the City of Ember and we learned that Doon is not liking his job as a pipeworks labourer.

·      In math, we started making fraction sundaes.

·      Today Karen Gummo told us more details about Charlie Yuen and we started to make a story map.

·      In gym, we played a prisoner’s base type game using the volleyball nets.

·      We continued to work on our winter landscapes using acrylic paint.

What questions do we have after today?

·      What will they find in the next chapter of Ember?  What will they not find?

·      Are there certain people who work on the generator?

·      Will Doon’s “worm” really be a worm?

·      What will be the most popular ice cream flavour in the math sundaes?

·      Is the City of Ember set in a post-apocalypse society?  If so, what caused it?  What is in the Unknown Regions?

·      What will everyone’s art look like when they are finished?

Agenda- January 18-22

Read 30 min
Fun lunch Thurs
Cup stacking club Thurs
Book CAFE Jan 27th
Fresh Air Friday tomorrow- be dressed for the weather
Field trip form
School Council letter

Thoughts of the day- January 15

What did we do today?

• We shared our observations from our surveys for the Whispering Woods and Nose Hill Park.
• Karen came and we went outside to re-create the Whispering Woods story. We all had to draw an animal noise out of a hat and then we spread out in the woods.  When she rang a bell, we had to make that noise and try to find another student who had the same noise.  Some of the calls were a crow, a magpie, a male chickadee, a frog, a cricket, the wind, the trees rustling and a bee.
• Karen also told us about a person called Charlie Yuen.  We will be retelling his story and we were asked to find some information about him and the Bow Valley Ranch for Monday.

What questions do we have after today?

• What place will we pick to build at?
• What kind of bird makes the "i-love-you" sounding call?
• Did Charlie cut his braid off?
• What facts will we find out about Charlie?

Thoughts of the day-January 14

What did we do today?

• We helped our little buddies do their Fresh Air Friday survey.
• In science, we built three prototypes of the types of beams we can use for a foot bridge.  We will be testing these out next week.
• Our class has been so good in music, that we earned free choice today, so we played Mafia and Get Out of that Chair.  Recorders start next week.
• Today in social we got a map of India and we had to label the physical features of the country.
• We played beach ball volleyball in gym.
• In language arts, we worked on finishing our winter break journals and Daily 5 activities.
• We practiced our fraction skills by going on Math3UndertheSea and The Fraction Cafe.
• Tomorrow we will be working with Karen outside for Fresh Air Friday.

Thoughts of the day- January 12

What we did today:

• In math we solved a fraction problem of the day about snowmen and then we played a fraction domino game where we had to match pictures with fractions.
• Karen Gummo started her storytelling residency with us today.  She told us a story about how the Blackfoot came to be and a story from the Whispering Woods.
• Today in the City of Ember, Lina almost got thrown in the prison room for causing mischief on the roof.  We also were given our City of Ember jobs.
• In science, we went over yesterday's experiment and learned that an arch is stronger than a square shaped support.

Any questions after today?

• What was Doon doing in the pipe works while Lina was delivering messages?
• Will the mayor find out Doon and Lina switched jobs?
• What other building projects will we have in science and what stories will Karen tell us on Friday?
• How much money will we make from Treat Day?
• What did the message to the mayor mean?

Agenda January 11-15

Read 30 min
Treat day tomorrow- bring 25¢
Spirit day tomorrow- wear purple and/or orange
Storytelling residency tomorrow
Walk to Nose Hill Wednesday afternoon
Fun Lunch forms and book orders due Thursday
POW due Fri
Spelling test Friday
Fresh Air Friday tomorrow- dress for weather
Find some information about Charlie Yuen, The Bow Vally Ranch and the railroad
Book CAFE on the 27th 

Thoughts of the day- January 8

What did we do today?

• We made ice bubbles by using pipe cleaners to make a wand and dish soap.  At the beginning, we made a hypothesis that it would work because the sun is low and of the temperature.  The bubbles could roll on the ground, so one group raced theirs.  One bubble had its bottom blow out, but it kept floating until it fell down after three minutes.  We did the experiment two times, the first one was more successful because it was colder.
• We did our first spelling test of 2016.  Some of us spelled antidisestablishmentarianism.
• We also read more from the City of Ember today.  Lina has a little sister and no parents and we know that she will be sending a message to the mayor because that is the name of the title.

What questions do we have after today?

• What message will Lina deliver to the mayor at the end of the chapter?
• Will we EVER get to Nose Hill?
• Are there still bubbles floating outside?  Will they stay frozen?

Thoughts of the day- January 7

What did we do today?

• We coloured and learned the national symbols and flag of India.
• In music we made a remix of the Pizza Hut song.
• We practiced our serving skill in volleyball.
• In science, we discussed what a fair test was, Ms. Jones was not fair and gave us different sized pencils to write a list in one minute.
• We learned how to change decimals into fractions in math.
• We continued to work on our winter break journals.

What questions do we have after today?

• What will happen next in the City of Ember?
• What songs will we play with our recorders?
• When will we actually start playing "real" games in volleyball?

Thoughts of the Day- January 5

What did we do today?

• In social we got a map of India, which we coloured red.  We also had to name and label all the countries around it.
• This afternoon in science, we talked about our Fresh Air Friday building.
• In music, we made different lyrics for the Pizza Hut song.  We also clapped different rhythms.
• Today in LA we did more writing about our winter break.
• We moved our desks today into a bus driver formation, which doesn't look like it to us!
• In gym we played a game of volleyball.
• This morning we continued our math review of how to represent a number.

Thoughts of the day January 4

What did we do today?

• In gym we started volleyball.
• We are starting to write about our winter holiday.
• We started India/ Alberta Rocky Mountain and Canadian Shield region by packing our suitcases.
• First thing we did this morning was share what we did on our break.
• In word work, our big word to spell was autographs.
• In math we reviewed our place value from before the break.

What questions do we have after today?

• Since Ms. Jones changed her mind on our next novel choice, what will it be?  When will we start it?
• What will we learn about for India?
• What will our next big word be for word work?

Agenda Jan 4-8

Read 30 min
POW due Fri
Practice spelling words
3-4 volunteers needed for walk to Nose Hill Park Fri (9:30-11:00)
Recorder forms due Monday
Fun lunch forms due Thursday
Book orders due Thursday
Bring mug for hot chocolate tomorrow
Treat day Tuesday