Jan 15, 2013

For spelling today we did a code breaker activity.  Using the key on their desk the kids broke the code.

For word work today we made the following words:

In language arts we used the lists of colour and describing words we made yesterday to make interesting animal sentences.  Here are a couple that we made:

1. A stinky pink pig.
2. A little brown owl.
3. A short green snake.
4. A big yellow camel.
5. A slow green turtle.

In Math we taked about capacity.  Capacity is the amount something can hold.  We compared the capacity of different containers by filling them up with dried pasta.  We found out that it can be tricky to figure out which container has a larger capacity when they are similar sizes but different shapes.  For example look at the picture below:

Most of the students thought that the baby food container would hold more noodles. But, after measuring, we found out that the plastic container actually had a larger capacity. Finally, we watched this fun little movie as a way to review:

Have a great night!

Jan 15, 2013

Check out the cloze sentences we made with our no excuse words today:

For word work we came up with y and eat words.

In LA we started working on word lists to help us make interesting sentences.  We made 2 lists on the website Wordle today.  We made a list of Colour Words and a list of Describing Words.  These will be printed out and glued in the kids' dictionaries so they can use them when they are writing.  Check them out:

In Math we talked about using different things to measure surface area.  For example;

How many index cards does it take to cover the surface of your desk?

29

How many index cards does it take to cover the surface of your chair?

10

Now we know that the desk has the greatest surface area and the chair has the least surface area.

Have a great night!

Jan 14, 2013

We started our No Excuse Word program today.  This weeks words are:

1. the
2. of
3. an
4. red
5. zero

These are the words we made today during word work:

In Math, we talked about the words longest, shortest and farthest.  We did two different activities to learn about the concept.  In the first we ordered different lengths of string.

In the second, we figured out which animal travelled the farthest distance using bendy pipe cleaners to measure.

In Science today we continued to talk about how we make secondary colours by combining primary colours.  We also learned how to make lighter and darker versions of the secondary colours using the primary colours.  A fun way to practice this is with the game Paint Splat.

Have a great night!

Jan 11, 2013

Tonight in your child's Kanga Pouch you will see the information on our No Excuse Words Spelling Program that we will be starting next week.  You can also find the information on our website by clicking here.

Here are the words we made today during Making Words.

In math we talked about the measuring using the words longer than, shorter than and exactly the same. We then used play-dough to make snakes that were longer, shorter and the same length as a pencil.

Have a great weekend!

Jan 10, 2013

First off, don't forget that there is school tomorrow.

We continued with sorting this morning.  Today we came up with words that had the ave and ole keys in them.

In Language Arts we started our Nursery Rhyme unit.  Today we worked with the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty.  After reading the rhyme together as a class we built a wall of words for Humpty Dumpty to sit on.

For art today we used what we are learning about colours in Science.  We know that each colour of the rainbow can be various different shades.  This can really be seen when you look at paint chips.  The students were each given a bag of paint chips.  After sorting them into colours, they had to organise them from the darkest shade to the lightest shade.  Check it out:

In Science, we talked about the Primary Colours:

1. Red
2. Blue
3. Yellow

and the Secondary Colours:

1. Green
2. Purple
3. Orange

We found out that you can use the primary colours to make the secondary colours:

We then got to do some painting :)

Have a great night!

Jan 9, 2013

Today we continued learning our new routines for the new year.  It's going to take a couple of weeks but they will get the hang of it.

For Word work today we did Making Words.  This is where the kids are given specific letters and they use them to spell words.  Here is a pic of some of them hard at work:

Here is a screenshot of the letters we used today and some of the words we made:

In Computers we played some fun colour games.  You can check them out here.

In Math we started the Measurement Unit.  The learning goals for this unit are:

1. Make comparisons between objects (longer, taller)
2. Order lengths of objects (shortest to tallest)
3. Compare the areas of objects by covering them with different materials.
4. Practice the language of measurement using words such as longer/shorter, as tall as, more/less, heavier/lighter.
5. Compare the capacities of containers by filling them with water and other materials.
6. Compare the masses of objects using scales and balances.

Here are some activities you can do at home.

1. Ask your child to compare different lengths at home and then make comparison statements.
2. Collect various small objects and have your child order them by length or height.
3. Cut a piece of string.  Have your child measure curved objects to see which is the longest.
4. Have your child use books to cover the kitchen table and then the coffee table.  Discuss which one has the greater area.
5. Gather different containers from the kitchen.  Have your child use counters to (pieces of cereal, beans, etc…) to compare the different volume of the containers.
6. At a sink, have your child pour water from one container to another to find two containers that contain approximately the same amount of water.
7. Collect different objects.  Have your child act as a balance scale, by holding one object in each hand and then deciding which is heavier.
8. Make a balance scale by attaching plastic bags to either side of a coat hanger.  Place an object in each bag and see which one is heavier.

Have a great night!

Jan 8, 2013

I hope everyone had a great vacation.  I had a great time with my family and even got to have a 13.5 hour drive home from Edmonton on Sunday with my daughter Emmi.  What a way to have Mommy and daughter time :)

With the new year we are starting a lot of new routines in our classroom.  To begin with we are starting a new homework routine.  I have sent home the information tonight on  a pink handout.

In class our phonics program has changed.  Every day we will be spending 20 minutes working with words.  Today we did sorting.  This is where we generate a list of words that have the same word families in them.  Check it out:

In science we talked about how you can have different shades of every colour.  We then talked about how you can make different shades with our crayons.  We figured out that to make a dark colour we need to put lots of pressure on our crayon and to make a light colour we need to put very little pressure on our crayon.

In LA today, we talked about it being a New Year.  We also shared some of our memories of fun things we did in 2012.  Here are a couple of things that the kids mentioned:

1. I went to Toronto.
2. I went to a hockey game.
3. I went to Grassland.
4. I went swimming.
5. I had a sleepover.

Have a great night!