September 3rd-6th

It was definitely a busy first week of school. Here are some of our accomplishments and what is to come. Scroll down too for some pictures of this weeks fun. 

Language Arts - We kicked off our Daily 5 this week by learning about the first 2 of 3 ways to read a book and building stamina when reading on our own. We also introduced 2 new strategies for building comprehension that you can use with your child when home reading at night. The first is to "Check for Understanding" by having your child explain what they have read so far in the story. If they are unclear of what they just read they can use the 2nd strategy to "Back up and Re-read". 

I just finished reading some of the writing they did in their journals today and I have to say, it is quite different from what I was reading last year in grade 4 but definitely far more entertaining! I loved not just hearing about the colour of their houses but also about dead fish, what each of you drive and how annoying they think their siblings are. I loved it. 

New spelling words were sent home today. There are 6 words in total listed on the side of this blog as well. I made them little spelling books today because our agenda's were not up to par so we sent them back. I told the kids they can practice their words and such in there too if they would like. Then we will add new words to the next clean page. Please keep this in their yellow take home folders so they have them each day but can still practice them at home. Don't forget that your child can go on spelling city to practice their words in a fun way. The link is on the side here under Language Arts. 

Math - The class has been practicing counting to 50 using number lines and charts. We have also been learning strategies to count by 2's, 5's and 10's forward and backwards. This is something you can practice at home with your child too. For instance, you can ask your child, if they count by 2's will they say 25? Or start at 46 and count by 10's to 96, etc. Next week we are going to move on to odd and even numbers, counting to 100 and telling time.

Science - Science has started with a study of hot and cold temperatures. The class has been comparing what is hot to what is cold. We also did a little experiment where they had to put one hand in hot water at the same time as the other was in ice water then move it to lukewarm water. This lead to a discussion of why the lukewarm water felt different for each hand and about body temperature. We have also been learning how to read a thermometer and how to write temperatures in number forms. 

Next week we are going to build our own thermometers, compare temperatures around different parts of the school and further hone our thermometer reading skills. 

Here are some pictures from the Tour of Alberta event.