Nov 29, 2012

We have been talking about the Elf in the Shelf in Class this week.  If you are not sure what this is check out the story below:

We learned the letter Xx today.

We pretended that we were taking pictures with our x-ray camera.

In LA we worked on rhyming words and spelling on our own.  A great way to do this is with the song "Down by the Bay".  Check out the book we made (I wish it was in colour but the colour scanner is on the fritz):

In Art today we made snowman profiles.  I'm really proud of the kids as they listened to the directions really well and took their time.  The final products turned out great:

Have a great weekend!!!!

Nov 28, 2012

Today we learned the letter Yy.
We pretended that we were eating yogurt.

We had our Choose most often lunch today.  Check us out:

In math we worked on creating addition stories.  Here is one I told in class:

One day four long neck dinosaurs were eating leaves off of a tree 

and three were drinking water from the lake.  

The long necks who were drinking water got hungry, 

so they started to eat some leaves too.

How many dinosaurs are now eating leaves.

Why not try to create some addition stories of your own.

Have a great night!!!

Nov 27, 2012

Tomorrow is our Choose Most often Rainbow lunch provided by our Apple School's Coordinator Mrs. Zielke and through a grant from Hellmann’s.  Our menu will be:

All you have to send is a snack for recess and a Choose Most Often drink, either white milk or water.

We are excited to provide this lunch to students and to educate them on choose most often foods.

We learned to the vowel team oo today.
It can make 2 different sounds, think of the word book and the word boot.
To remember the sounds we pretend we are "oo" "OO" birds.

In science we began learning about the season of Summer.  We know that Summer is the warmest season because the earth is tilted towards the sun.  We also know that it is a great season to go to the beach.

In Math today, we made number trains with our unifix cubes.  Here is an example of the 8 trains we made.

Have a great night!!!

Nov 26, 2012

Today we started the Addition and Subtraction to 12 Unit.  The learning goals for this unit are:

1. Learn more about the meaning of numbers.
2. Recognise that addition involves joining groups and that subtraction involves taking one group away from another.
3. Use counters and other real-life materials to help solve simple number problems.
4. Practice using addition and subtraction to write and solve number problems.
5. Describe the thinking involved in solving simple number problems.
6. Use mental-math strategies to add and subtract.

Here are some activities you can do at home.

1.  Use objects in your house to practice adding and subtracting.
2. Share story problems using objects at home. (6 stuffed animals are playing in the bedroom.  My sister brings 5 more.  How many are there all together?)
3. Play addition and subtraction games on line (see website).
4. Talk about addition and subtraction in everyday life.

In Science today we talked about how newborn babies are born in the Spring.  Here is the Powerpoint we went over together:

Have a great night!

Nov 22, 2012

Today we learned the letter Vv.
We pretended that we were driving a van.

In LA we read the poem Shapes Of Stone:

We each finished the sentence prompt My inukshuk is______ like my_________. and then made our own inukshuks.  Check out a couple examples below.

This afternoon we had our school wide success assembly.  Our class was recognised for working hard at using our reading strategies to help us read.  Good Job 1E!

Have a great weekend!!!!

Nov 21, 2012

Today we learned the ng consonant blend.
We pretended that we were weightlifters lifting weight.

We also played a fun game online to practice ng words.  Click here to try it at home.

We then practiced the ing word family.

We made words like; ping, ring, string and ding.

In LA we worked together to complete the sentence prompt: In the snow I like to.....

Here are some of the things the class said:

1. go snowboarding.
2. go sledding.
3. build a snowman.
4. go skiing.
5. build a snow castle.

In Math, we had our numbers 1-20 unit test.  Look for the results to come home soon.

Have a great night!

Nov 19, 2012

First off, If you haven't had a chance to sign up for Student led Conferences yet please do so by clicking here.  It's a great chance for your child to share their learning with you and the students are really excited about it.

In Religion today, we talked about our school's patron saint, St. Anne.  St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Grandmother of Jesus.  In Hebrew Anne means grace.  God gave her special gifts and graces to be the mother of the Mother of Jesus.  The Feast of St. Anne is on July 26.  






In Math we reviewed numbers 1-20.  We focussed on representing numbers in different ways and number words.  Tomorrow we will have a little test to finish off the unit.

Have a great night!

Nov 15, 2012

Reports cards come home tonight.  Don't forget to sign up for student led conferences by clicking here.

Today we learned the letter Ww.
We pretended that we were blowing in our hand.

In Language Arts we completed our seasonal story wheels.  They are all up on the bulletin board and waiting for you to check out during Student-Led Conferences next week, but here is a sneak peek.

In Science we started talking about Spring.  We learned the following:

1. The plants start to grow..
2. The leaves start to bloom on the trees, they go from buds to leaves.
3. The bugs start to come out.
4. The snow melts.

Have a great weekend!

Nov 14, 2012

Student-Led Conferences are coming up next week.  Please click here to find out more.

Today we learned the letter Zz.
We pretended that we were buzzing like bees.

We also learned the vowel team "ee" and the consonant vowel team "or".

When you put them together you can pretend that you are a donkey.

In Math today we talked about ordinal numbers.  Ordinal numbers tell order or position.  We learned that they can be written as words (first, second, third...) or as numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...)  Here is a game you can play online to review.

Have a great night!

Nov 13, 2012

We started our day with science today.  We talked about what different animals do in the winter.  Check out the PowerPoint we watched to learn more.

We also watched the following video clip of a Bear sleeping during the winter.  You will notice that the bear moves around a lot and even wakes up.  This is because bears will actually wake up if the weather gets warmer or they hear a loud sound.  Makes you think about getting close to a bear den in the winter!

In Math today we talked about number lines.  Here is what we learned:

We also learned about the words greater than, more than, less than and equal.  We practiced describing different groups of numbers using this language.  Why not try to answer the questions below with your child at home.

Have a great night!!!

Nov 8, 2012

Today we learned the vowel team: ie
When we reviewed this vowel team we pretended that we were saluting

We had our Rememberance Day Liturgy today.  The students have been practicing one of the songs we sang all week in Music; "Just One Candle".  Here is a video version of the song:

Please take the time on Sunday to have a moment of silence to celebrate our veterans and currently serving soldiers.  These soldiers perform selfless acts for us in our time of need and deserve to be not only remembered but celebrated.  Here is a great video that I enjoy watching with the students every year.

Finally, in Science we began talking about the season of Winter.  Some things that happen in the winter are:

1. The snow falls.
2. It get's cold
3. Animals hibernate.

Have a great long weekend!

Nov 7, 2012

Tomorrow we will be having our Remembrance Day Liturgy at 10:30.  Please feel free to join us.   Also, we are asking all of the students to wear red.

We learned another vowel team today: oa
Some words with this vowel team in them are:goat, float, boat and soap

Here is a little Starfall Story to review:

In Language Arts today we read the story "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat".  Using some of the words in the story we talked about nouns, action words and describing words.  We then sorted them:

In Math we talked about estimation.  We learned that estimation means to make a guess.  Click on the image below for some fun estimation games.

Have a great night!

Nov 6, 2012

This morning we learned the letter Jj.
We pretended that we were jiggling like jam.

We also learned two new word families: ob and ub

We made words like: job, rob, tub and knub

In Science we continued to learn about the season of Fall.  Today we talked about birds migrating.  Migration is when animals leave a colder climate to go to a warmer climate.  We also learned that when geese migrate they fly in a V formation.  This is because, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front of him, resulting in less wind resistance. The birds take turns being in the front, then they go to the back when they get tired.

In Math today we learned about the concept of subitizing.  Subitizing is the ability to look at a familiar arrangement of objects and know how many without counting.  Here is a little video that parents can watch at home to learn more about subitizing.

Nov 5, 2012

Well I hope everyone enjoyed the extra hour of sleep yesterday, I sure did!

We started today with 2 new routines.  The first is reviewing 10 sight words and 10 keys everyday until we show mastery.  We are doing this with the help of online flashcards.  Here are this weeks words and keys.


The second new routine is checking the weather every day and recording it.  We will be using the Weather Network online to do this.  Don't be surprised if your child wants to check it in the morning before coming to school.

In Religion today we read the scripture Mark 10: 13:16.

The Little Children and Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Here is a little modern day video version.

In math today we talked about different ways to represent numbers in groups.  Here are some examples:

In Science we started to focus on the season of Fall, otherwise known as Autumn.  We learned a couple things that happen in Fall:

1. Evergreen trees do not change colour, they stay green.
2. Squirrels collect acorns to store for the winter.
3. The leaves on the trees change colours and then fall off.

Have a great night!

Nov 2, 2012

Today we learned our first vowel team, ai.
we pretended that we couldn';t hear.

We also learned the vowel rule "When two vowels are walking, the first vowel does the talking."  Here is a fun video that demonstrates this rule:

In Science today we read the story Sky Tree by Thomas Locker.  It is a great book that uses  beautiful artwork to depict a tree as it changes through the seasons.

In Math we talked about conservation of number.  This is the concept that a number doesn't change just because you move it, or because you demonstrate it in another way.  Here is a great little video that demonstrates this concept.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to set your clocks back Saturday night!

Nov 1, 2012

Well I hope everyone had a great time trick or treating last night.  The kids sure seemed like they did!  We decided to make a book all about our costumes.  Check it out:

After, we learned a new letter: Bb
When we practiced this letter we pretended that we were swinging a baseball bat.

We also learned two new word families: ab, ib

We made words like tab, Abbi, bib, and rib.

In Art today we talked about the artist Piet Mondrian.  He was born in the Netherlands in 1872. He was influenced by many artistic styles and even helped found an artistic movement called De Stijl. He died in 1944, have created about 250 paintings in his lifetime.

This afternoon we started our first science unit; Seasonal Changes.  The learning goals for this unit are:

Finally, don't forget we DO have school tomorrow.  Have a great night!