Group B Dragon Stories

Good Afternoon Families of 51B,

I have encouraged the students to try to work on or finish their dragon stories at home this weekend.  For those students that have not memorized their log-in and passwords, I have sent a copy of this information home with them.  The main focus is on adding details about the characters, the setting, the main problem and how it was resolved.  It is helpful if they ask themselves questions who, what, where, when, how and why about what they have written so far.  This story is the one that they are going to be turing into a puppet show next week and presenting to you on Thursday night.  We begin making background scenes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon with our "artist-in-residence" and also begin making our little stick puppets at the beginning of the week.  We have a lot of work to do to prepare all of this for presentation on Literacy Night.  If they could have their stories finished and also edited by you over the weekend, then we can move forward on Monday from there and put our energies into the rest of the presentation.  The students can log into their g-mail account, where they can then access the drive where their story is located.

Thank you!

Ms. Klein

THIS WEEK AT SCHOOL.....

Hello Families,

This short week went by really fast with the students being excited about so many things.  They are excited about the artist in residence coming to join us next week to help us design our backdrop scenes for our puppet theatre plays.  The puppet plays will be performed for you next week when you visit our classroom for Literacy Night with your child.

They were also thrilled to work on decorating their puppet theatre boxes this week.  They had access to fabric and coloured paper scraps, ribbon, gauze, tiny recyclable items, wooden sticks, wool, pompoms, netting, pipe cleaner, sequins, beads and buttons, and many other small items to spark their imagination and stir their creativity.  Group A has been working on them for about the past 2 weeks, while Group B did a blitz on them yesterday.  If you would like to contribute anything for the cause, any items would be used well and greatly appreciated.

In science, the students were thrilled to bring in their homemade insulating devices to test them in the classroom.  Thank you for working on this with your child.  The students put a handful of ice in them and, over the course of the day, made observations and recorded them by examining the ice/water in their devices and taking the temperature of the melted water.  They all did a fantastic job on their creations – well done Grade 1 & 2s!  Ask your child what they have learned from their experiment on insulating devices.

Measurement was a continued focus this week, with both groups eager about exploring measurement further.  Group A practicing using different units of measurement outdoors on the compound, measuring and comparing the 4-square boxes and other lines around the playground.  As part of Group B’s exploration of measurement they were excited began a scavenger hunt, searching for things to compare in metric and non-standard measurements.

Bridges were the focus of social studies this week, as the students continue to learn about the community of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and all its infamous bridges.  Students began their exploration of bridges with a story, “Twenty-One Elephants”, followed by a discussion on bridges and notice of an upcoming project where they will be building their own bridge.  If you happen upon a bridge in Calgary this weekend, you can discuss with your child how they think the bridge was built and how old it is.  There is one being taken down this weekend that crosses over to St. George’s Island, one of the bridges connecting the city to the zoo.  The Grade 1 and 2’s also designed a “Me Flag” with accompanied writing about how the symbols on their personal flag reflect themselves.

Remind your child to study for their Monday spelling test.

Have a super weekend!

Ms. K & Mrs. M

Spelling May 23 - 26

Grade 1 spelling

May 23 - 26

no

bell

could

people

tell

fell

sell

well

Grade 2 spelling

May 23 - 26

still

learn

should

Canada

world

hush

slush

dash

wash

wish

dish

money

coin

bill

cents

dollars

TWAS May 19th

Hello Everyone,

We hope you're off to a wonderful start on this lovely long weekend!!

Our short week was fun and full.

The highlight was definitely our wonderful Leighton Art experience.  The weather could not have been more beautiful, and we were so proud of the children.  They were engaged, thoughtful and very respectful of the museum and its history.  Each art creation is so unique and interesting.  Echo Hill was really special, but ask your child to share their favourite part of the day.

Drum fit started this week; a quick google will give you an idea about what it looks like, but the children should be able to treat you to a home performance, if you happen to have an exercise ball and a couple of wooden spoons.

In math and Language Arts we are continuing to work on curriculum outcomes, and extension challenges:  mental math strategies, problem solving, story writing and the construction of strong sentences are skills that never tire of practice . . .

51 B is further developing coding skills with Ms. Handlesman, while A works on coding in math stations.

In science this week we continued to look at insulation, to assist in the design of the home inquiry insulator project (one or two of the children have expressed concern about their family's ability to assist in this project; please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions/concerns.  Please be advised, though, that this is not meant to be a huge undertaking.  Any type of insulating device, big/small, complex/simple, will be a great learning experience for the children).  Ask your child about the "lard/blubber glove" and plasticine insulation experiment.  We also looked at body temperature, why it changes, what that means, how the body works to regulate itself and why our 'normal' temperature is what it is.

We did not have time for the children to write their own TWAS this week, so as a challenge lets see how many things they can add to this blog about our week :)

Have a wonderful few days,

All the best,

Ms. M and Ms. K

TWAS

Hello Families!

In Math, both groups continued their investigation of measurement, investigating non-standard measurement, comparing different objects in the classroom and learning more about the calendar as part of measurement.  Group A joined Ms. Thomas’ class to learn about creating and presenting sound patterns through a variety of symbols and visual languages.  They also continued their math rotation centers and also began exploring measurement with a ruler.  Group B will explore that next week.

Group B went to the Learning Commons 3 mornings this week to learn more about coding while playing in partners with the “Dash & Dot” robots.  I think this was the most thrilling thing for them this week, even surpassing kick ball.  No…wait!  The most exhilarating thing was being introduced to “DJ” our new school robot.  He is really cool and can do all sorts of things.  Ask your child about “DJ”.  Next week, Group B will be visiting Ms. Handelsman again to learn more about coding on the keyboard.  Group A will be visiting “Dash & Dot” next week.

Room 51 children carried on this week with various aspects of their writing, challenging themselves to do their best as per Grade 1 and 2 writing expectations.  They were challenged to write a detailed character description of the protagonist in their story which, next week, another peer will read and then interpret into a drawing of that character.  This will indicate to the students how well they described their character.  Students also continue to develop these stories, either through additional writing or in the construction of their puppet theatre, particularly the setting.

We continued our exploration of hot and cold with discussion and writing activities about insulation and conductors, as well as insulators.  The students also continued their group and pair discussions on how temperature affects their lives, including how to dress for the weather and temperature safety indoors and out.  They had to record the outcome of their discussions in writing and in pictures in their science inquiry journals.

In social studies, students learned about the Ukrainian tradition of dancing and had a yummy surprise one afternoon.  Mrs. MacArthur cooked up a batch of perogies for the students to sample.  We also began exploring other traditional forms of dancing such as Irish dancing.  Parents, you are more than welcome to come visit our classroom and share aspects of your cultural dance forms (or even dance for us!).  The kids would love it!

In gym, Room 51, was outdoors learning new skills, getting some great exercise and having a blast playing kick ball in the beautiful weather we have been experiencing.  Music, with Mrs. McBride, consisted of the students learning “so” “me” hand signs in addition to, singing and playing “Bell Horses”.  Ask your child to show you the hand signs.

By now you should have seen the letter to you about building a “thermos” with your child.  The due date for their projects is May 23^rd.  Today we have sent home a planning and investigating sheet (“Insulating Device”) that your child is required to complete along with their project.  Please take the time to build and experiment with your child.  They are very excited about this project.

PLEASE NOTE: 

CBC Calgary Reads Big Book Sale

May 12, 2017 to May 14, 201

Last year, more than 100,000 gently used books were sorted and sold as part of the annual CBC Calgary Reads Book Sale. With the help of generous Calgarians and hard-working volunteers, the CBC Calgary Big Book Sale is looking to top that number for this year's sale. Shop for books and make a point to stop in for one of the special events during the three-day sale as well. Last year, there was an author reading, a Jazz and Books Night and a children's story tent. 

Time:
Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, visit:
calgaryreads.com

http://www.avenuecalgary.com/Calendar/index.php/name/CBC-Calgary-Reads-Big-Book-Sale/event/11498/

Spelling May 15 - 19

Grade 1 Spelling

May 15 - 19

write

go

see

number

men

hen

pen

ten

Grade 2 Spelling

letter

mother

ball

rich

study

much

such

patch

search

march

starch

repeat

subtract

divide

group

six

Spelling: May 8 - 12

Grade 1 Spelling

May 8 - 12

has

look

two

more

red

bed

fed

sled

Grade 2 Spelling

May 8 - 12

away

animal

house

point

spot

desk

mask

task

ask

tusk

disk

events

able

equal

pair

multiply

Happy Friday Families!

What an exciting week for Room 51 this week with lots of festive activities taking place.  Monday was made much more interesting by “Music Monday”, the world’s largest single event dedicated to raising awareness for music education.  Each year, hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and music makers participate in a simultaneous nationwide concert performance of an original song written by a Canadian artist.  Students participated by gathering together in the gym to sing the many special songs they have been practicing in music the past few weeks.

On Wednesday we all wore hats for “Mental Health Day”.  Each May, Albertans are invited to wear a hat to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health. Participating schools will relax their hat rules and encourage students and teachers to build understanding by wearing hats to school. Students will also participate in a coordinated lesson on understanding mental health and the importance of removing the stigma associated with mental illnesses.  Students watched a few kid videos about what mental health means and how we can help others that may be suffering.  This was followed up by questions and discussion with the student.

Of course, and long time coming, “Arbor Day” was held yesterday, on May 4^th – yes – “May the 4^th Be With You”.  Arbor Day celebrates the importance of our trees and green spaces. It's an annual event held in the United States, Canada and in many other countries that all share a common vision of greener communities.  It is the longest running civic greening project in Calgary and is celebrated on the first Thursday in May. On this day, each grade 1 student in Calgary's schools receives a tree seedling to take home and plant on private property.  Students had the opportunity to visit all of the other classrooms to view student tree projects and ask them about their research and presentations.  In the afternoon we had a special assembly with many special guests from all over Calgary, including musicians and the choir from the local Catholic school.  Our students also performed, special “tree songs” that they learned in music class.  Following, the entire school met out on the front lawn for the tree planting ceremony, golden shovels included.  Your child should be busy planting this weekend as seedlings (Gr. 1’s) and beans were sent home with all of the students with planting and care instructions for the seedlings.

In Math, both classes continued their investigation of measurement with some outdoor fun measuring how far they could jump with non-standard measuring tools such as their visual journals and their feet.  Ask your child to show you how tall they are using their popsicle stick measurement tool.  Group A also worked as a group on some word math problems, while Group B continued solving some measurement problems on the topic of calendars.

As we near the end of the year, the students continue to work on all of the fine details that push their writing beyond the basics, such as presentation, punctuation, purpose, descriptive words and cohesiveness. Those that are working on their puppet theatre, from their written story, continue to figure out how to make their scenes match their setting.

We continued our exploration of hot and cold with discussion and writing activities about sources of heat and hot and cold safety.  Ask your child what they have learned.  In social studies, students learned about the different aspects of the Alberta and Saskatchewan flags and began creating their own personal flag, after they artfully coloured their other 2 provincial flag templates.

NOTE:  It has come to our attention that many students have not been keeping up with home reading.  Please help us by reminding your child in the morning to switch their home reading book as soon as they get into the classroom.

REMINDER - spring photos are due Monday May 8^th.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!! - Don't put away your snow shovels yet - or so I've heard.