Thank goodness for an extra day...it was GREAT!!!

We celebrated February 29th by having the GREATEST DAY!

The highlight of our day was our afternoon of science centres! The students partnered up and rotated through 7 different stations where they had the opportunity to explore sound waves, vibrations, pitch and how sound travels through solids, liquids and gas.

After making observations at each centre, we came together as a group and came up with our 

top three key learnings:

1. The faster the vibration, the higher the pitch. The slower the vibration, the lower the pitch.
2. If you stop the vibration, the sound stops too.
3. Sound travels quickest through solids because the atoms in solids are the closest together, compared to liquids and gas.

...and that was February!

Where to begin...

Skating

The students had a blast on ice again this month! It is amazing watching their skills and confidence grow over the two weeks on ice! Thank you very much to all of the parents that came out to help tie skates, supervise on the ice and help out off ice! We honestly couldn't do this without you!

Valentine's Day

The students enjoyed creating their own unique valentines holders! Thank you to Amberley's family for donating the paper bags for us to use! Passing out their valentines is always an exciting class event! We enjoyed yummy homemade treats brought in by Kayden and Jacob, thank you! We finished off our day with Jump Rope for Heart during our gym period.

Pink Shirt Day

The students and I discussed the story behind the "Pink Shirt Day" and how it was all started by the kindness and brave actions of two people. I also shared a powerful video with the students. I introduced them to Lizzie Velasquez. Lizzie was born with an extremely rare condition where she is unable to gain weight. She has been subject to bullying her entire life. In high school, she saw a youtube video of herself called, The Ugliest Woman on Earth. It had over 4 million views. The comments that people made on the video were absolutely shattering. She discusses what she decided to do with all of the negative that was being said about her. She is a fantastic speaker.  You can watch Lizzie's Ted Talk by following this link: Lizzie Velasquez Ted Talk. The students and I discussed the power of "liking" a video on YouTube or leaving harsh words in the comments. Social media will be a part of their lives and they need to realize the impact and power of their words and actions when they use social media. As always, I was proud of their ability to empathize with Lizzie and their caring words when we were talking. 

PJ Day

As a conclusion to the focus on bullying during weekly assemblies, Mrs. Kloschinsky had all of the students dress up in pjs to watch The Ant Bully during Friday's assembly. 

Considering all of the fun that we packed into February, I am proud to say that we packed in way more learning!

Numeracy

In math, we have been working on multiplication. We've investigated multiplication in a variety of ways. We have looked at arrays, equal groups, repeated addition and skip counting and how they all relate to the concept of multiplication. This week we are going to apply these concepts to some problem solving situations.

Literacy

In writing, we have continued our focus on sentence writing using varied sentence starters and specific verbs. We finished up our varied sentence starter study with How-ing, Where and Who sentences. See the examples below:

How-ing

Splashing, the orca torpedoed after the sealion.

Breaching, the orcas were leaping for joy!

Where

Into the sparkling blue salt water the dolphin dove.

Beside the coral reef the Risso Dolphin searched for its next meal.

The students and I brainstormed a list of verbs that would be suitable for a bear. I asked the students to think of three things: how does a bear move, eat and make noise. We wrote all of our specific verbs on our Specific Verb Dictionary page (see below).

The next step in this process is to start switching up our sentence starters as we write. Using our new bear verbs, we are putting together a paragraph about bears. I guided the students through an example using the following picture for inspiration.

 

We came up with the following sentences for our paragraph.

Students were then asked to choose a picture of their own to write about. I reminded them that we aren't writing a story yet...just a paragraph that covers the events just before and after the photo. Once they chose their photo, I partnered them up and had them come up with the 5 things that will be happening in their paragraph. For example in our class paragraph:

• the grizzly was waiting for the salmon to spawn
• the salmon started jumping
• the grizzly caught a fish (* this is what the picture is showing)
• the bear went to the shore
• the bear ate the fish

Next, students have started putting their sentences together using the handout as a reminder to vary their sentence starters. We will be finishing this up this week. I will be printing out their pictures with lines to copy their paragraphs onto. We will share this class book with you ASAP.

Word study is an important component in literacy. Words Their Way and Word Wall Words are two methods of word study. During short weeks or weeks that we have several interruptions to our day, WTW and WWW are not as effective. There are many other activities that are very effective and more time efficient. Making Words has been our activity of choice up until this week. Students have greatly improved their skills in stretching out words into their sounds! This week we tried Using Words You Know. This activity gives students five different familiar words to use to help them figure out how to spell trickier words with similar spelling patterns. This is a fantastic strategy to practice for both reading and writing! The students enjoyed this activity. We will be doing it again this week.

Science

In science we have been working on our Hearing and Sound unit. The students and I are really enjoying it! We have investigated the following concepts:

• sound is the result of vibration
• the larger the vibration, the louder the sound
• sound travels in waves
• pitch is how low or high a sound is
• the faster the vibration, the higher the pitch
• decibels are used to measure the loudness or softness of sound
• you can see vibrations (using a tuning fork - moving water or salt)
• you can feel vibrations (using a tuning fork and speakers)
• how the human ear senses and interprets sound vibrations
• loud sounds pose a danger to the ear

This week we will continue our study of hearing and sound by investigating the following concepts:

• certain sounds have characteristics that cause them to be interpreted as pleasant or unpleasant
• the role that sound plays in communication
• pitch is the result of differences in vibration rates and predict how a change in the rate will affect the sound
• demonstrate a variety of ways of producing sound
• identifying examples that show that sound can travel through a variety of materials (solids, liquids and air) and that sound travels in all directions.
• comparing the range of hearing in humans to that in other animals

Last week students brought home their instrument assignments. Assignments are due on March 7th. The presentation of the instruments to the class will conclude this unit in science.

PHEW!!! If you made it all the way to the end with me, thank you! That was a long one! February has been a busy month that, unfortunately for my family, has been plagued by a brutal flu/cold bug. Thank you for your patience for the blog update. 

Here's hoping that March is filled with healthy days for all of us!

Take care!

Peacock Art!

I've been meaning to take some photos and post pictures of our last art project! The students completed a guided drawing of a peacock and then used oil pastels in a guided colouring activity. They turned out fantastic!

Skating Fun and Reading Buddies!

Today was a busy day! The students all had a blast at the arena on their skates!

This afternoon we spent our last period with Mrs. Nutall's grade one class! The grade threes enjoyed reading with the grade ones!

What a great way to start the week!

Looking back and looking ahead!

Last week was short but action packed!

Numeracy

• Students investigated the concept of difference with subtraction. They often only look at subtraction as "taking away" a few from many and seeing how many are left over but need to also understand subtraction as the difference between two numbers. What's the difference between 9 and 4? How many more is 9 compared to 4? 
• Once the students were easily able to calculate the difference between two numbers we practiced this skill in a problem solving context. This was quite challenging for students at first. We looked at some strategies to help simplify things for them: draw a picture, look for key words to help you figure out if you have to add or subtract, write down the main information, etc. Students enjoyed developing these skills and were very proud when they could solve problems independently.
• We also took a bit of time to look at larger numbers and review some place value concepts. We looked at numbers in the thousands instead of just three digit numbers. All of the students found this very easy!

Literacy

• We started reading the book Frindle this week! The students are loving it! Ask them about the main character, Nick Allen. Ask them if they would ever want Mrs. Granger as a teacher.
• We also continued working on writing sentences with varied sentence starters. The students are really getting the hang of it! We worked on WHAT, WHEN and HOW -LY sentences. Look at the pictures below for examples!
  
  
  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

Social Studies

• Students wrapped up and presented their slideshows on a celebration in India! They did an absolutely fantastic job! We all learned so much about eight different celebrations!
• Students have a new respect for the work that goes into presentations! They all learned that research takes time, patience and persistence. Team work also takes time, cooperation, patience and compromise. 
• We all can't wait to do a similar activity in our next country of study!

This week also brought some special events! The students loved the play that we were able to see! It was a touching story about how it is ok to be different!

We also had beautiful weather for a winter walk!

Looking ahead to this week!

Numeracy

• Students are going to be excited to start looking at arrays and multiplication!
• We will also be doing some of Kim Sutton's Drills to Thrill!

Literacy

• Due to skating using up more than our half hour of gym time, something has to give. That "something" will be WTW. We will still have WWW.
• We will continue working on our JoAnne Moore varied sentence starters, focusing on HOW - ING, WHERE and WHO sentences. 
• We will also be continuing our study of Frindle!

Social Studies

• We are going to wrap up our study of India this week!

IMPORTANT DATES!

1. Monday - Thursday SKATING
2. Tuesday LIBRARY
3. Friday VALENTINE'S DAY, JUMP ROPE FOR HEART, FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT

For more information on any of the above, please visit http://rbes.blackgold.ca/calendar/activities/ or email me.

Teacher's Convention - What Do Teachers Do?

I think I had my best convention ever this year! I was able to attend, sometimes by squeezing into a standing room only room, six AMAZING sessions!

1) 5 Ways To Calm Kids by Donna Freeman

• In this session, Donna discussed the rise in anxiety and stress in children over the past few years. As an educator, I have witnessed this sad change in my students. Before we can expect students to engage in a learning environment, we need to give them the tools to settle their minds so that they can focus on the lesson or task at hand. 
• The 5 ways were: breathe, connect, affirm, stretch, visualize
• A few of the key points that Donna brought up that resonated with me was about the power of negative and positive thoughts. When students have negative thoughts, their stress, anxiety, fear and anger increases. When students have positive thoughts, they get a feeling of warmth, connection, happiness and peace. Because of this, she encourages teachers to have students say positive affirmations instead of just setting goals. At student led conferences, which are coming up in March, instead of setting goals with your child, we are going to write positive affirmations to keep on their desks! I can't wait!
• One last thing that Donna touched on was the effect of stretching on the brain. When we do stretches or yoga poses it stimulates the vestibular system and makes our brains work better. She also mentioned the use of forward folding postures in yoga (ragdoll or child's pose) to calm children who are really struggling.
• Here's a video that Donna recommended that we watch that shows the happiest little girl doing positive affirmations about her life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg 

2) Chair Yoga for the Classroom by Donna Freeman

• I enjoyed the first session with Donna so much that I followed her to her next session!
• Donna ran us through an entire one hour yoga class using nothing but a chair. This way we can do yoga in our classroom whenever we want! It was QUITE the workout! Mrs. Kuntz and I were sure feeling it the next day!
• Here's a quick video of two variations of ragdoll pose (the second variation is in a chair). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNJbUutruuI

3) Play On Words - Primary Literacy Games by Jane Felling

• Jane is a retired Blackgold Teacher who is a co-creator of the extremely popular Box Cars and One Eyed Jacks resources. She has created a ton of games for students to play to engage them in literacy and numeracy. Using dice, cards, dominoes, letter tiles, etc. students end up having so much fun that they forget that they're learning!
• I attend at least one Box Cars session each year at convention to remind me just how much fun it is to play and learn!
• Here's a quick video of the popular game Sight Words Stackers! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyX62ohi8k0

4) Helping Boys Learn: 6 Secrets to Success by Dr. Edmond Dixon

• Dr. Dixon shared with us the 6 key secrets to success for boys in school: movement, game, humour, challenge, mastery and meaning
• He has completed many research projects in neuroscience and shared his most important findings with us. (a) The brain physically changes in response to experiences. (b) The strength of the neural pathways = how well we retain and retrieve information. (c) Good teaching = strong neural pathways. (d) Neural connections require engagement.
• Dr. Dixon touched on some examples of teaching strategies or methods that would help us implement the 6 keys to success for boys in school.
• One exciting moment for me during this session was during the discussion about focusing on MEANING. "What is this info good for? What am I good for?" Dr. Dixon discussed the benefit of boys MASTERing a topic and teaching it to others. When he said these words, I smiled from ear to ear! We just finished a peer teaching project in social studies when the students researched a holiday or celebration in India and put together a presentation to share with the class. All of the students worked very hard on the project and did a fantastic job! When we finished the presentations, many of the students asked if we would do another research project soon! They loved it!
• Here's a quick video of Dr. Dixon discussing the 6 secrets to boys success. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_dGr1_hag0

5) Math Fact Fluency- Every Teacher's Responsibility by Kim Sutton

• This session was so entertaining! Kim Sutton has won numerous awards for her influence on numeracy instruction. She believes in LEARNING DRILLS TO THRILL! 
• Kim's math drill involve songs and dances to help students learn their basic facts. She had a room full of over 300 teachers singing and dancing first thing on Friday morning! 
• My words won't do her justice! Here's a video of Kim in action teaching about data collection and tally marks!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgL8AP4mAtQ&list=PLSCxyOP57eMaKM4UH-5ZaqCR9t8m2DUMi&index=3

6) Sacred Groves: A Spirit Lifting Journey into Some of the Planets Best Wilderness Locations by Brian Keating

• Brian Keating is my favourite keynote speaker that comes to convention every couple of years! His sessions feed my soul.
• Brian started his presentation with an inspiring quote from Albert Einstein.
• Brian's presentations allow you the opportunity to "arm chair travel" to the amazing places that he has been! He has been blessed with countless blessings with the animal kingdom!
• I am hoping to travel with Brian this year in November to Churchill, Manitoba to spend a day with the Polar Bears. It has been a dream of mine for years and something I will be crossing off my bucket list for my 40th birthday! My fingers are crossed that we are able to book ourselves on his tour!
• Here's a video of one of Brian's many adventures! Enjoy! Penguin Love
• For more amazing videos, check out his website http://www.goingwild.org/

Another fun part of Teacher's Convention each year is visiting the booths filled with teaching resources and educational opportunities! I was able to nab A TON of FREE BOOKS for our classroom! I felt like the lady in the Ikea commercial, "Start the car! Start the car!" I truly hit the jackpot!

The last thing that I love about going to convention each year, is the time that I get to spend with my colleagues! Teaching can be quite a lonely job. We each get caught up in our day to day life with the students and we often don't take the time to head to the staff room for recess snacks or lunch...instead we tend to stay in our classrooms marking student work or prepping materials for the next class. Being in the portable adds even more isolation at times for me. Sharing a meal, swapping stories and ideas, making jokes and having a good laugh, is one of the best parts of convention. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing teachers at RBES! 

I hope you've enjoyed your journey into Teacher's Convention! I better jump into bed and get some sleep! I'm super excited to try out some new things with the students this week!