Weekly Update: September 23rd - 27th

Happy Friday!

Here is a look at one of the tasks we did this week: Terry Fox Research

Learning Intentions: 

• Independently read and demonstrate comprehension of texts that vary in length or complexity.
• Make connections between a text and personal feelings, experiences, or background knowledge.
• Share important information from a text in a logical order using own words.
• Synthesize a variety of information when creating summaries of texts.

Students were assigned two websites about Terry Fox on our Google Classroom.  They were then asked to read and watch through the different information and write a few points about Terry Fox’s early life, the Marathon of Hope, Terry’s belief’s and inspirations and any other interesting facts.  Students needed to use their technology skills,  as well as their reading and summarizing skills to successfully complete this task.  

Learning more about Terry Fox helped motivate us during the Terry Fox Run! We got a letter or tally mark for each lap we ran. Our class ran a total of 207 laps!

This week we also participated in an online event from the Calgary Public Library. They shared brand new book recommendations and many students were interested in a few books from the list. You can access the recommendation list here. 

Reminders:

• Tuesday is Orange Shirt Day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Ms. Mostaghel 😁

Weekly Update: September 16th - 20th

Happy Friday!

Here is a look at one of the tasks we did this week: Mountaintop Writing

Learning Intentions: 

• Sharing perspectives on a topic in a clear and focused manner.
• Developing creative expression through a range of sentence beginnings, lengths, and types.
• Sequencing sections of writing in a logical order.
• Revising written texts for accuracy, clarity, or appeal by adding, removing, or changing words or sentences.

Mountaintop writing is a monthly activity where students are tasked with writing a personal narrative completely independently! It starts with the teachers reading a story connected to the topic and the students listening carefully.  Then, the topic is shared and students brainstorm of ideas through listening to each other and sharing their perspectives.  Afterwards, students are given time to answer the topic through their writing and pictures connected to the topic.  Students are reminded of including proper conventions and the importance of reading and revising their work. These pieces are proudly displayed in our classrooms.

At the end of the year, students put all the Mountaintop writing pages together in a book to celebrate how their writing has evolved over the year.   

For September's Mountaintop Writing, we read 'Leaf Man' by Lois Ehlert and students wrote about their favourite activities that they do in each season. Check out our writing below!

 Reminders:

We are going for a Community Walk on Tuesday afternoon to ensure we know the route to our evacuation site- Foundations for the Future Charter School - and to observe signs of Fall (weather permitting). Please ensure your child is dressed for the weather and has appropriate outdoor shoes. 

If you weren't able to stop by the Open House last night, here are the two Curriculum Documents that help give parents an idea of what will be covered throughout the school year.

Grade 3 at a Glance

Grade 4 at a Glance

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Ms. Mostaghel 😁

Weekly Update: September 9th - 13th

Happy Friday!

Here is a look at one of the tasks we did this week - Mastery Comics!

Learning Intentions: 

• Create written texts for a variety of audiences and purposes.
• Create written texts using a variety of forms and structures.
• Use organizational tools to support the creation of written texts.
• Include dialogue, punctuation and other literary devices to enhance written expression.
• Demonstrate understanding of the Circle of Courage and provide examples of each domain.

In Grade 3/4 we have been reviewing the four parts of the Circle of Courage: Belonging, Generosity, Independence and Mastery. We have read stories connected to each domain, and completed an activity to deepen our understanding. When looking at Belonging, students drew pictures of what Belonging looks like. After reading 'The Rainbow Fish,' students created their own skits that demonstrated Generosity. When discussing Independence, students wrote a list of things that they can do all by themselves. For Mastery, we tasked students with creating a comic that shows a character mastering a certain skill. Some students created comics of animals learning different skills, or characters learning to play different games or sports. Students worked carefully on their pictures and ensured they were incorporating dialogue and onomatopoeia (sound effect words) within their comics. Take a look at some of the comics below!

 

We will continue to discuss the Circle of Courage next week as we come up with a list of classroom expectations that we will have for one another connected to each domain.

Another fun activity from the week was our Number Line Challenges! Students had to write down a number within a specific range and then work together as a group to line themselves up from the smallest number to the biggest number without talking! Yesterday students created a number line using numbers from 1 - 100 000 and they did it without making any mistakes! They also did a wonderful job at reading their numbers aloud. Take a look at our number line below!

Reminders:

• A lot of students are asking the office for extra snacks or food during the day. Please check in with your child to see if they need to bring more food to school.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Ms. Mostaghel 😁

Weekly Update: September 3rd - 6th

Happy Friday!

Here is a look at one of the tasks we did this week - Fill the Stairs!

Learning Intentions: 

• Identifying the place value of each digit in a natural number
• Determining the value of each digit in a natural number
• Comparing and ordering natural numbers
• Solving problems that involve place value
• Working and collaborating with peers

Fill the Stairs is a super fun game that tasks students with filling their staircase with 2-digit numbers in ascending order. Each round, someone rolls two 10-sided dice in order to make a 2-digit number. Everyone has to find a spot on their staircase for their number. The staircase needs to go from the smallest numbers to the largest numbers, so if a student could not place their number, they had to put it underneath their staircase. The first person to fill their staircase won! We played a round as a class, and then students played in small groups. Even Mr. Buchanan joined in on the fun for a round!

If you would like to play the game at home, the staircase can be easily drawn on paper or a whiteboard. Alternatively, here is the link where you can access the game board and suggestions on questions you can ask your child while playing.

Important Note:

We want to remind families that every day, students should be bringing a snack and lunch with them to school. Students have been eating their lunches during snack time, which results in them having nothing to eat during lunch. Please check in with your child to ensure they know what they should be eating during snack time and during lunch time. Additionally, some students have been asking the office for an extra snack. You may want to ask your child if they require extra snacks for the afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend!
-Ms. Mostaghel 😁