Tuesday, May 31, 2022

 It is literacy week, so we have a lot of fun things planned for us this week! Today, we did a teacher swap for a read-aloud, and it is also "Read My Shirt" spirit day. There were a lot of t-shirts to read! To keep the spirit of literacy week going, try this reading bingo game at home:

Today we: worked more on volume and capacity through the measurement of liters. We cut math short to do some prep work for our door decorating idea! Ask your kiddo for details, but we are keeping it secret for now. We will do more on math tomorrow to make up for our impromptu art project.

In science, we did an experiment called Solution to Recovery. Students were given eight different powders, such as baking powder and Epsom salts, and were tasked with mixing them with water and then trying to extract the powder after mixing using one of three methods: decanting, filtering, or evaporating. We have left the evaporating dishes out and will let them dry for 2 days before we make our final observations.

The day ended with P.E. and as always, Mr. Newton energized them with relay drills of badminton serving. It's that time of year and everyone is feeling that spring fever. The energy levels have just spiked! 

See everyone tomorrow for the first day of June and more science experiments!

Monday, May 30, 2022

 Today we: started with a workout from Hurley and Dylan. Literacy was pretty quiet all morning, and everyone was quickly revived by the rain and wind at recess. Just a gentle reminder to make sure your child had appropriate clothing for the weather, e.g. rainboots and a rain jacket, umbrella, etc. We do still go outside when it is raining out. 

In math, we began learning about volume by exploring what a liter is. We had a discussion about different things we would use liters to measure, how much of each size could we fit into a bigger sized container, and there was a great connection to fractions and decimals during this talk! Tomorrow we will do some practice questions on the things we learned today. 

After lunch we read City of Ember and then did a science experiment on mixing liquids. Students were given the task of mixing two different liquids together in two separate scenarios and record their observations. We were able to see how liquids can mix and separate depending on different factors (thickness, for example). When the experiment was done, I demonstrated the second experiment of layering 4 different liquids. Glycerin, water, oil, and isopropyl alcohol. Try it at home! Food coloring helps to really see the layers. 

We ended the day with a cleaning up and then voted on a theme for our Literacy Week door decorating ideas. It's a secret for now.... but we are excited! 

Hope you had a great Monday! 

Friday, May 27, 2022

 Today we: had a fire drill first thing in the morning! Our class did very well staying quiet and following protocol. We added new jobs to the end-of-day jobs, rotating the schedules for word work, literacy block, and who is leading the daily morning workout we have started to enjoy. 

After some silent reading, the kids headed to the gym for some badminton and football. After snack we did a quick round of silent ball before our Friday Free Time on Chromebooks. Many students finished up their fairytale newspaper article before getting to play Minecraft or math games. 

We finished the morning off with some Math lessons about area. We tied this into our multiplication and algebra units while using grid paper to make rectangles as arrays. With the weather so nice, the kids were antsy to get their work done and get outside to enjoy it. 

I hope everyone has the best weekend! 

Thursday, May 26, 2022

 Today we: did a morning workout led by Rehan. Push-up burpees, lunges, jumping jacks and high knee running had us all moving and waking up! 

Math was short today, we practiced adding perimeter on different polygons just to recap what we learned yesterday. Having more time was important because we had to do a science experiment for classroom chemistry. We made a homogeneous mixture using lemon juice and sugar. Taste testing was a real treat - the faces they made with the sour lemon juice was hilarious.

After lunch the class had music and P.E. back-to-back. We ended the day with social doing Random Readers for the history of the Interior Plains. 

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

 Hello families! 

The grade 5's had an amazing field trip yesterday; fun games, drawing, and of course walking through nature and getting some exercise in the sunny weather. A big thank you to Mr. Newton for stepping in while I was out of town. Check out some pictures they took on the trip:

Today we: began the day with our usual literacy activities. The class was looking somewhat blue this morning, so I took a 5 minute break to share some jokes to get some smiles out of them and brighten their spirits. 

In math we explored perimeter using blocks and string. Students created multiple shapes that had the same perimeter and discovered that adding the length of all sides was easy, but making shapes within the same perimeter was difficult. Grid paper was somewhat helpful, but the grid was not the same size as centimeters so we had to scale it down for the students who used it. 

After lunch, we read City of Ember before they went to Music. 

We had the Chromebooks for a half hour to finish up our newspaper articles and research some of the history makers of the Canadian Shield, like Pierre de La Verendrye and David Thompson, before heading to P.E. for more volleyball. 

We will be doing a science experiment tomorrow mixing solutions and taste testing! 

Thursday, May 19, 2022

 Today we: Did our housekeeping to pick new groups and helpers for next week. Our helpers next week will be Jennifer and Yoseff.

We had a presentation from Mr. Bauer at Nose Creek School at 9:15am. He helped answer everyone's curiosities and worries about going to Middle School next year for Grade 6. Be sure to ask your child what they learned from the presentation. 

We did some CAFE reading before snack time, and spent recess trying to hide from the wild and cold wind. Once we all warmed up, we spent the rest of the morning doing an exciting science experiment. We had 4 stations using different methods to separate solid mixtures. The water helped things float and sink, the air dryer used wind to blow lighter materials farther, the magnets helped separate metal objects, and the sieves filtered different sized particles. It was messy but it was a fantastic exploration. 

After lunch, we did our read aloud and then had our one hour of Chromebook time. Students with unfinished work had to complete it before they got "free" time. Those who had the free time were allowed to use Minecraft, prodigy, or free write. 

The day closed off with some volleyball in P.E. class. 

Don't forget that Tuesday, when we return from the long weekend, we are leaving for the Fish Creek Field Trip. Make sure your child has the appropriate clothing, food, and shoes for the trip, and that they are on time! If you have not signed the form, please get it to us before Tuesday, drop it off at the school or send it Tuesday with your child. 

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone! 

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

 Today we: spent some time in the morning discussing potential questions students might have for Nose Creek School. There will be an orientation presentation tomorrow at 9:30am, so we prepared a list of questions to ensure they feel comfortable going into grade six in middle school next year. 

After recess, Mr. Scout joined us for a lesson in math on choosing measurement units. We discussed many different options that we would measure using either millimeters, centimeters, and meters. Mr. Scout even asked for a volunteer to convert his height between all 3 and asked which measurement made the most sense to use. We did some table-group practice questions, and then we had prodigy time to do more decimal work. 

Those who haven't finished their Fairytale newspaper article took some time to get their teacher edit, print, draw a picture. 

After lunch we spent longer than usual to read our novel, City of Ember. We finally finished chapter two and began chapter three, and we learned about the two jobs Lina and Doon got on Assignment Day. Lina is loving her messenger job exploring the city, and Doon is investigating how the electricity works with the generator in their very dark and dying town. 

We took a Daily Physical Activity break and did some on-the-spot exercising. Then a breathing meditation and a gratitude circle to promote focus and security. Then we took turns reading the rest of the Canadian Shield chapter on history and wrote some notes down of the key points we learned. 

See you tomorrow for an exciting last day before the long weekend! Also: see below for a special message...

Attention Northern Lights Community,

Northern Lights School is creating a Loose Parts Creative Station for the Learning Commons.

Please consider donating the suggested items on the list to Northern Lights School. 

Please ensure the donated items are CLEAN and in a resealable bag.

Thank you for your support!