Then we sketched and made observations about another artifact.
Extra note:
Please ask your child if their indoor shoes still fit as they are growing!
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Evergreen Grade Two |
Today was our third day observing the Buffalo Kit artifacts. We looked closely at the drum and did a "thinking routine" where we made observations about it's colour, shape and lines. As well, we asked questions about it such as: * How old is it? * Why is it open on one side? What is it made of? Then we sketched and made observations about another artifact. In Social Studies we finished our ABCs of Acadia. Our last letter is: Z is for Zealous. We learned that zealous means to be filled with energy and passion and that Acadians are very zealous about their culture.
Extra note: Please ask your child if their indoor shoes still fit as they are growing!
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Today we experimented with creating a design for a boat made out of plasticine. We chose an object to put in it (load). Then we made a prediction for how much load our boat could hold. Many chose to use small blocks or counters. Most boats held more load than predicted. We also tested whether a magnet can work through water to move a boat and discovered that ... yes it can!
In the morning we read a variety of books with a partner focusing on reading for facts, asking questions and making inferences for what we thought the author was communicating. We will continue to switch partners and books to keep practicing the skill of inferring which is like 'reading between the lines' to understand the author's purpose or message. Today we looked closely at the artifacts in the Buffalo kit thinking about:
* what it was made from * how was it made * the artifact's purpose * who might have used it We also made observations about the colors, textures, shape, size and sketched one artifact as a scientist using labels. In math we began another game of Bunko and totaled our scores for round one. We learned about estimating our scores to the nearest 10 and counting by 10s to estimate. Then we used a variety of strategies to calculate the exact amount. Some strategies were using mental math, blocks, counting beads and adding ones then tens with regrouping. Today was our first day to explore the Buffalo Kit which came from Fort Calgary. Before looking, feeling and smelling the artifacts we brainstormed questions. We wondered if:
- all the artifacts were from a buffalo - cows and oxen are part of the Buffalo family - Buffalo are vegetarians When we observed the artifacts we noticed that some were made of bone and fur. We thought some objects looked like a shield, plate, spoon, doll and tool. Some items smelled like meat and smoke. Important note: With the rainy / snowy wet weather, students are reminded to dress for the weather with rain boots, jacket and possibly an umbrella. Extra clothes, especially pants or socks, are a great idea if any clothes get wet. Unfortunately, there are limited number of extra clothes at the office. Any donations (especially pants) would be appreciated! This afternoon we created and tested a design for a boat made out of tin foil. We discovered that a flat bottom was balanced and able to hold a load. We also noticed that the higher the sides, than the more stable and the greater load it could carry.
We watched the Grade 3 Musical Rock and Roll near the end of the day. The Grade 3 students did a fantastic entertaining us and sharing some of the history of music throughout the years. Soon our study of the Acadians is finishing up as we will be learning about the First Nations people and Pioneers on the Prairies. Today we continued our deportation diaries. Many have finished a first draft and are giving and receiving feedback to / from their peers. We also continued with our ABCs of Acadia work and did the letter W is for wigwam which were the traditional homes of the Mi'kmaq First Nations people in the Acadian area.
Our mystery word letters this week are: eeio mnnrtv. Our words of the week are: cycle, recycle, unicycle, bicycle, tricycle. We have been learning the meaning of uni, bi, tri as prefixes. We have also been discussing different types of cycles within our days, weeks, months, seasons and years. Did you know that this Saturday April 22nd is Earth Day? We have been talking about how everyday at Evergreen we work hard to care for our Earth by recycling and composting. Today we began making up our own math problems and solving them. Some problems included ideas from our weekend such as:
I found 28 Easter eggs and my sister found 29 eggs. How many eggs did we find altogether? If 72 Easter eggs were found and 36 were eaten, how are left? The Easter bunny hid 100 eggs. My sister found 21. My brother found 35. I found 33. How many eggs are left to be found? The students were challenged to find math problems around their lives at home? If you have problems that we can solve, please send them in! Today we were very fortunate to have Richard the Magician entertain and teach us about the 'science' behind some magic tricks. He used magnets for most of his tricks and explained how they worked. He taught us that magnets can attract to 4 types of metals: nickel, steel, iron and cobalt. We made many different hypothesis' for how the tricks worked. He also explained that magnets are used for: holding, sorting and moving different objects. At the very end he really surprised us by putting a long pin through a balloon which didn't pop at first. Then afterwards, he made it pop and inside a dove appeared! So exciting!
Today we set a new goal and strategies to include in IRIS. Students were very thoughtful about what was important to them and wrote a variety of strategies. Many students also added a new artifact.
Some strategies to improve our writing include: * write more by adding more details * check for upper case letters and punctuation * sound out words slowly and use WORDS book * write a journal or stories at home Some strategies to improve our reading include: * practice at school and home * ask a friend, adult or sister / brother what words mean or how to say (pronounce) them * try to use more expression * practice using RazKids Some strategies to improve our math include: * practice adding faster * use doubles and add on * use a computer or iPad to practice adding and subtracting The website www.abcya.com has many literacy and math interactive games to help practice skills. The mystery word letters this week are: aei gmmnst. Last week's mystery word was SHERWOOD for our new principal, Mrs. Sherwood. We were happy when she visited our class last Friday. This morning, we wrote in our journals focusing on using descriptive vocabulary as well as thinking about proper punctuation and capitalization while writing. In gym we learned new skipping skills. In math we are continuing with our puzzlers to help us be flexible thinking about different combinations of numbers. As well we are practicing our basic addition facts for quick mastery. Using doubles and adding on has been a helpful strategy.
In the afternoon, we worked on our ABCs of Acadia - S is for sabots which are wooden shoes. Many students asked if they would be uncomfortable to wear! In Science, we experimented with the 'dancing raisins' again by changing the liquid and used 7-Up. We noticed similar results with bubbles forming on the raisins. There were so many bubbles that they made the raisins float to the surface and then when some of the bubbles popped the raisins sunk. Up, down, up down!! Important reminders: 1) No school this Friday April 14 and Monday April 17th. |
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