St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: Student Led Conference

St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: Student Led Conference: "…this practice is the biggest breakthrough in communicating about student achievement in the last century. When students are w...

Art Expressions!

Our class has been busy exploring the use of positive (anything black) and negative (stained glass) space as a component of visual arts. Their pieces turned out beautifully and the pictures don't capture how bright they truly are. The centre symbols represent the 'gifts' we are blessed with as Catholic students and educators.

Dove = Peace

Cross = Faith

Heart = Love

Circle of Friends =Community

Leaf/Plant = Our Earth 

Bar Graphs

Here are a few 'polished' single bar graphs. We are now working hard to create double bar graphs. Stay tuned...

Social Studies - Map of Canada

Students are currently learning the map of Canada. Each student has their own map for practice and reference. They need to be familiar with the names, locations, and capital cities for each province and territory.  Below are a few links to help support their learning at home.

Interactive Map of Canada

Interactive Map Quiz

interactive map Puzzle

TVO Kids - Map Game

Book Cover Assignment

Miss Lee has been working with the class on the Conventions of  Book Covers for Media Literacy. Student have been comparing various books and their covers. They have discovered that book covers all contain similar information (conventions).
They are:
- a title
- a picture
- author's name
- illustrator (when needed)
- Book Series Title (optional)
- Subtitle (optional)
- Seal stickers or award symbols (optional).

In class student began their assignment  'Make and Old Cover New!' Students were asked to select a book from a stack of 'old covers' and brainstorm to create a new, refreshing, eye-catching cover.  Students are expected to arrive on Monday with their book covers completed and coloured.

Take a look how this popular book's cover has changed over the years.

Scholastic Book Orders - December

There will be a Scholastic Book order on Tuesday December 11th. If you would like to make a 'custom' order for Christmas. Please let me know via email (lauraplante@mytools2go.ca) and I will make the necessary arrangements.  If I place the order on Tuesday evening there is a good chance the books will arrive by Friday or Monday at the latest.

Tales From The Tank! - Student Edition #2

We spent some time in the Learning PIT last week sharpening our researching skills online. Student were asked to locate sites that provided valuable information about Platy's.

Did you know  that.....

 

1. 1 platy fish means that you need 1 galon of water.

 

2. Sometimes you can not have one adult platy fish with a baby platy fish because the adult might attack the baby platy fish.

 

3. If you do not want baby platy fish then do not get a male and feamale.

 

4. If you are looking to get a platy fish you should read on line how to take care of them.

 

5. You should start of with one platy fish to see how good you take care of them.

 

There are some tips of how to take care of platy fish.

1.Did you know you can only  put one platy per 1 gallon of water?

 

2.A platy is also a tropical kind of  fish.

 

3. When you see a clear baby platy fish it will get it's couler in 4 week's.

 

4. Did you know that a platy's life plane is 2-3  years?

 

5. Did you know that platy's are 2 inches long, that's 5 cm.

1.Baby platy fish's colour comes 3 to 4 weeks.

2.Our black fish is a balloon belly fish.

3.Our 10 gallon fish tank is enough room for 6 fish

4.Platy fish can have more than 2 colour`s on their body`s

5.Platy fish like to swim around in the water or through the opsticles.Mostly through the opsticles.

Numeracy PALS - Session Two

The winter session of Numeracy PALS is set to begin on Monday January 6th, 2014. Numeracy PALS will focus on core numeracy skills in additon, subtraction and multiplication.  Several students participated in our fall session and experienced a great deal of success and achievement.  This program comes highly recommended for students who struggle with subtraction and multiplication skills. If you are interested in having your child attend please ask via agenda for a registration form. If you have received a registration form already and have not returned it please be aware that there are a limited number of spaces available.

Welcome Miss. Lee

Grade 4P welcomes Miss. Lee. She will be working and teaching in our classroom for the next 3 weeks. Also, this week is our last week for the school's cereal drive. Thank you for your support thus far. The campaign has been very successful.  Lastly, if you have not submitted your notification slip for our Christmas Night (Thursday December 5th) please do so as it will help ensure that the evening runs smoothly.

Numeracy

For our current strand (Geometry), and our upcoming strand on Data Management students will have a reduced amount of at home practice for Numeracy. This is because much of the unit involves making decisions and solving problems together as a class as well as comparing, discussing and studying each other's opinions. As we continue through to the Christmas Break it is imperative that students begin studying their multiplication facts.
The Grade 4 curriculum states that students must multiply up to 9 X 9. Speed and automaticity....(formerly know as memorization )...with multiplication facts only increases a student's chance for success in many areas of  numeracy.  There are many websites and app's designed to improve skills in multiplication however, not all of these sites measure or monitor a student's success rate. It is always a good idea to practice multiplication facts out loud and with a partner.

Sound Assignment

For Science, we have been learning about the human ear and how we hear sound. Students read about it in their text books and we also watched a Bill Nye (the Science guy) video on Tuesday. For class everyone needs to prepare (and perform) a short 'Bill Nye' type report about how humans hear sounds. Presentations will begin next week. Simple costumes and props are encouraged as we will be recording some star perfromances.  Students know that memorization is not required but strong knowledge of content is encouraged. Many are co-writing a script however, each individual student needs to know the steps involved. Below is a condensed version of how we hear sound however, students know where to look in their science text books for a more detailed description.

How we hear sound...

• outer ear funnels sound towards our ear canal
• sound waves (vibrations) push against your ear drum
• vibrations continue through the 3 (tiny) bones of the middle ear
• vibrations reach the cochlea (inner ear) and move through liquid and tiny hairs
• nerve ending transmit the vibrations from the cochlea to the brain

Tales from The Tank - Student Edition #1

Here are a few summaries of how we ended up naming our 'baby' fish. For now, the blog entries are pre-read but not edited. As the student become comfortable with posting I will increase their expectations and develop a blog editing team.

Naming The Fish!
Today we named the baby fish.In order to do it we all battled in rock,paper,scissers.
Atomaticly Nicholas moved on to the finals,the last two who were versing was Owen vs Evan.
Evan moved on to Nicholas,and Nicholas won!!!!! So Nicholas chose the name Cho!

Naming The Fish!
There is four fish in our classroom tank Ben Liam and Cho.Nick won with the name Cho for the baby we did rock paper sicors games to see who won for the baby . Evan made it into the finals to.

Naming The Fish!

In mrs.plants grade 4 class there are 4 fish, we named them Noel,Liam,Ben and well the babys name we picked by putting our ideas of names on a piece of paper each,and we played rock,paper,scisors tp pick and it all came down to Justin Timberlake and Cho. It was Owen and Nick battling and....NICK WON!

The babys name is Cho!

Naming The Fish! 
We have a sheet we named our fish. We did a draw and rock, paper, scissors. Who ever won gos to 2 round. But there are 4 rounds and the fish is named Cho.

The Tank!

We have the opportunity to view and help manage a living habitat! Once the fish get acclimatized, we'll slowly add more 'living' components like plants and a moss ball. Stay tuned...

Quadrilateral Kingdom - Final Geometry Assignment

There will be no formal 'test' for our Geometry strand of Math. Rather, student are busy (over the next 3 days) creating castles fit for a King and Queen (King Square and Queen Rhombus). Below is a copy of their in class assignment. Although you cannot physically help them complete the assignment you CAN  help them consider options and strategies for success by reading over the assignment requirements together.

Quadrilateral Kingdom - Grade 4 Geometry Assignment

A very wealthy king, King Square, has asked you to design a new castle for him and his queen, Queen Rhombus.  He wants his castle to have very clean lines, specific angles, and certain shapes.  He has hired you because you have succeeded in Mrs. Plante’s math class.  Your castle design may be drawn from above (bird’s eye view)  or from the front.  The design of your castle can be any shape, but it must include the following specifications:

★ You must include a minimum of the following shapes: 2 trapezoids, 2 parallelograms, 4 rectangles, 4 squares, 2 rhombuses and 2 kites.
★ You must measure and label a minimum of 3 acute angles, 4 right angles, and 3 obtuse angles (colour coding the angles may be helpful)
★ You must include 3 sets of congruent shapes
★ You must label 5 pairs of parallel sides

Your castle can include other shapes besides what has been listed above, but must include all of what is listed.  Be sure to label everything.  To add to the design element of your castle. Colours can be used for outlining, and shading.

TumbleCloudJr - Database

The Windsor Public Library has made the TumbleBookCloud Junior (grades 3-6) database available for all valid cardholders. Below is a detailed description from their website. If you have a reluctant reader at home this 'digital' access may spark their interest. Check it out!

About TumbleBookCloud Junio

TumbleBookCloud Junior is an online collection of ebooks and read-along chapter books, non-fiction books, graphic novels, educational videos, and audio books! This database is a great option for adventurous young readers who wish to read beyond the picture book collection in the TumbleBookLibrary. It is designed specifically for kids in grades three to six.The reading experience on the TumbleBookCloud Junior is not only educationally sound but fun and customizable! TumbleBooks' one-of-a-kind Read-Along format combines the flexibility of an ebook with full-length professional narration and sentence-by-sentence highlighting so kids can follow along. Moreover, readers have the freedom to adjust the text size, line width and spacing, font style and colour, and the background colour on all of our ebooks. This level of customization adds an invaluable level of accessibility to our books. Plus, all of our books allow readers to highlight portions of a book and add notes, which makes for a great way to interact with the text!With over 500 titles, reading chapter books has never been easier. TumbleBookCloud Junior is simple to use! It can be used on any computer or mobile device thanks to Cloud Computing. Every account comes with its own direct link to simplify logging in, as well as a desktop icon. In addition, users can now set up their own secondary login with the MyCloud feature so they can save and retrieve their favourites anytime, anywhere.Also, don't forget to also check TumbleBookLibrary, our collection of animated, talking picture books for elementary age students.

Please follow the link below to access the database. You will need a valid WPL card and password to access the information. 

TumbleBookCloud Junior - (Grades 3-6)

St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: RBC Sports Day in Canada Kick-off at St Gabriel WO...

St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: RBC Sports Day in Canada Kick-off at St Gabriel WO...: S t G a b r i e l is proud to be a part of the [Link]RBC Sports Day in Canada Kick-off! Join us from 10:45 - 11:45 on Friday, No...

St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: Fill the Cupboard Cereal Drive

St. Gabriel Catholic Elementary School News and Events: Fill the Cupboard Cereal Drive: As we begin our Advent journey, please consider to support the St Gabriel 'Cereal Drive' to fill some needy cupboards.  Often we are...

Friends For Life

For several weeks now our class has been working through the Friends For Life program. Miss Huyge visits us each week and together we discuss how our thoughts influence our actions. We also talk about how that connection can help us deal with our anxieties. Below are some pictures of our class practicing some common relaxation stretches.

Windsor Public Library Books Due Back!

Any books that were checked out on are class visit to the Windsor Public Library are due back on November 20th. Please note that late fees will be in effect after that date. I will be going to the Budimir Library on Tuesday November 19th. If you child wishes to return their book through me then it needs to be at school by Tuesday.

Tales from the Tank!

Our classroom fish tank is up and running! From this point on...students will be in charge of writing any blog posts about our fish tank. They will always be titled "Tales from the Tank". Our building is now WIRELESS so we have the opportunity to write, edit and post blogs directly from our classroom using our school Chrome Books and Ipad's. Our classroom blog will be a great way to introduce students to responsible use of 'social media'.

Geometry

By the end of grade 4 in Geometry students will:

• identify quadrilaterals and three-dimensional figures and classify them by their geometric properties.
• compare the angles found in quadrilaterals to benchmark angles (right, acute, obtuse)
• construct 3 dimensional figures using 2 dimensional shapes (example using squares to construct a cube)

Right now we are using Venn Diagrams to classify and sort a variety of quadrilaterals. Students need to be able to identify all of them and must know their distinguishing features to sort successfully. 

When comparing and sorting these quadrilaterals we are focusing on their side lengths, types of angles, pairs of parallel lines, and diagonal lengths. Students are also encourage to look at 'opposites' when considering attributes.  For example, some quadrilaterals will have 'opposite' side lengths equal, or 'opposite' angles that are the same.

We are working in partners today to sort quadrilaterals. Please check back for picture posts soon.

Book Fair and Cookie Dough Orders

We have been scheduled to visit our Scholastic Book Fair tomorrow morning. Students who are considering making a purchase can bring their money tomorrow. There will be other opportunities to visit the Book Fair in the next few days aswell.

Cookie Dough orders will arrive tomorrow. Please make arrangements to pick-up them up!

Tales from the Tank

A special thanks goes out to PetSmart for their "pets in the classroom grant". We were successful candidates and as a result have acquired a 10 gallon tank. Once the tank is fully functioning, it will be an excellent example of a living habitat (Science). We are currently waiting for the water in our tank to stabilize. I found out last night that our Ph level is too high :( So we'll try a water change today and see how things are the following day. Hopefully we'll have fish by Friday.  

Wild Times in 4P

We had a very busy Tuesday filled with some pretty fantastic real-world experiences.

In the morning we sat and listened to two young men who shared their stories about life in the Canadian Military. Ask your child why soldiers need to keep their heads and faces shaved. If they can give you the 'traditional' reason and the 'modern day' reason then they were REALLY paying attention!

In the afternoon we were visited by Mr. Bottos a well known local teacher and entomologist. They say a picture is worth 1000 words: 

The 'Bug Man' shared a large variety of preserved insects from around the world. We also had a chance to interact with some live specimens including a beetle, tarantula and a boa constrictor! Yikes.

Measuring Angles

By the end of grade 4 students need to successfully identify and measure angles.
They need to be able to identify an angle as being acute, right, or obtuse. Further they also need to measure different angles using a protractor.  Using a protractor correctly requires precision and patience. Some are experiencing difficulty and need extra practice.

Here is a link that offers practice with a protractor.
http://www.mathplayground.com/measuringangles.html

For some more challenging practice...
http://www.mathplayground.com/alienangles.html

Some cues and tips we use during class are:
1. Make sure you are using a flat surface.
2. Line up the baseline of your protractor with the baseline of your angle.
3. Use your eyes to determine what type of angle you are looking at (acute, right, obtuse)
4. Then use your protractor to measure the angle in degrees.

Remember:
Right angles will always be 90 degrees.
Acute angles will always be between 1 and 89 degrees
Obtuse angles will always be between 91 and 179 degrees

Remembrance Day Ceremony

Our class along with Mr. Cowan's 4/5 students are responsible for the school's Remembrance Day ceremony.  Our ceremony will be on Monday November 11th at approximately 10:30am in the gym. Please join us if your schedule permits.

Agenda reminder

Just a reminder that I usually check student agenda's each Friday. For communication during the week it is each child's responsibility to bring me their agenda if there is a note or appointment notice. I generally ask each morning just after the bell if there are any 'agenda notes'.

Making Angles

For numeracy, students have moved into the Geometry strand. We began today by learning about three types of angles. Take a look at the following pictures with your children and see if they can point out right angles, greater than right (obtuse) angles, and smaller than right angles (acute).

Budimir Visit

Our trip to the library yesterday was a huge success. It was a beautiful walk and an even more beautiful day. Each student received a 'temporary' library card. To validate the card, parents simply need to pop into
ANY WINDSOR PUBLIC LIBRARY with proof of address. Each card comes with a convenient key tag. If students wish to keep their key tags at school, I will keep them in a safe place until our next visit.

Cross Country

A huge shout out to our 'record setting' cross country runners! We were the only class that had 15 happy participants. In 11 years I've never has such an enthusiastic group of runners. Congratulations!

Classroom Library

While some were working out on the course others were working in our classroom. Cheers to both for their great efforts! Take a look at our book crew.

 This morning they sorted ALL of our classroom books. We now have a new co-created classroom library. Way to go Grade 4. I couldn't have done it with out you!

Properties of Light

In science today, students were asked to design a poster that shows how the properties of light can be used to keep children and adults safe on Halloween! Stay tuned for some pictures...

Patterning and Algebra review

Students are currently preparing for our Patterning and Algebra assessment (test) on October 30th.
Students have been practicing:
1. Identifying what the pattern is and determining  the pattern rule.
2. Creating their own pattern according to their own pattern rule.
3. Showing a pattern using  a T-chart
4. Solving addition and subtraction equations.

In review, student can complete the following questions in their text.
page 25 # 2, 3, 5, 6.

Students can also review the algebra questions on page 22 (heart equation) and page 23 1 and 3.

Students have been preparing and seem to have a good grasp of both patterns and equations. I am confident that all cross country athletes will be prepared to write. If you have concerns, please let me know through your child's agenda.

WPL Visit

We are set to walk over to the Budimir Library on Wednesday October 30th. Students will receive a permission form on Monday. Any available parents are welcome to accompany us to the library. Please meet outside the school for 12:45 on Wednesday and we'll leave from there. I am anticipating a 20-25 minute walk. The library is a wonderful community resource that offers way more than books!

Follow the link below to see their latest launch 'HOOPLA'.

HOOPLA

Patterning and Algebra

Students can expect a patterning and algebra assessment (test) next week, most likely the 30th. I have decided to postpone the multiplication portion of algebra until our unit on Multiplication and Division. Students continue to work through addition and subtraction equations with some difficulty. Here are a few helpful tips if you find your child experiencing difficulty.

Equations show that 'things are equal'. What is on the left side of the equation is always equal to what is on the right side of the equation. The symbol that separates the 'left side' from the 'right side' is always an "=" sign. I often refer to equations as a fill in the blank number puzzles where they (as the detective) need to figure out which number is needed to 'fill in the blank'.

To help recognize the possibilities in an equation we practice number patterns. The number patterns build the blocks for equations.  Here is an example for the number 12(+) and 7(-)

0 + 9 = 9                   7 - 0 = 7
1 + 8 = 9                   7 - 1 = 6
2 + 7 = 9                   7 - 2 = 5
3 + 6 = 9                   7 - 3 = 4
4 + 5 = 9                   7 - 4 = 3
5 + 4 = 9                   7 - 5 = 2
6 + 3 = 9                   7 - 6 = 1
7 + 2 = 9
8 + 1 = 9
9 + 0 = 9

* students are always encouraged to think beyond using 0's to create equations*

There are several examples of equations in your child's MMS textbook.

Here is a fun challenge for your child. Test it out! Speed and accuracy are excellent tools for solving addition and subtraction equations.

Algebra Practice Addition

Waste Free Wednesday

We are 1/2 way through the lesson and are doing a great job of reducing our lunch and snack waste. Great Job!

Library Visit Change of Date - IMPORTANT

To accommodate our cross-country runners we have moved our first library visit to Wednesday October 30th.

Thank you.

Looking for Flashlights

As we continue to investigate the properties of light we will be conducting a few experiments where flash lights are required. If you have a spare laying around we'd love to borrow it. Please label before sending and ensure that it is in working condition. We'll need them for a few weeks and they will be stored in my classroom closet.

Thank you.

Ronald McDonald House

Some of the grade 5 students are selling bracelets and donating ALL proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House for people in our community who have been in need of this valuable resource. I donated/purchased each student a bracelet in support of their kind efforts. I have asked each student to try and match my 50 cent donation by bringing in 50 cents of their own.

Budimir Library Visit

On Tuesday October 29th our class will be taking our first trip to the Budimir Library.  We will be walking and I am looking for few volunteers to help walk us over. We'll be leaving the school at 12:45 and be returning for approximately 2:30.  If you can make the walk please let me know via agenda.
Thank you.

Waste Free Wednesday!

LET'S GET WASTE-FREE!

This week (October 21-27) has been designated Waste Reduction Week in Canada. On Wednesday, all Canadians are encouraged to pack a WASTE-FREE LUNCH as a way to help reduce our ecological footprint. 

All students are asked to try to pack a lunch on Wednesday only using re-usable containers. Our goal is to throw away as little garbage and food waste as possible. Our regular classroom garbage bag will be replaced with a clear one so we can see how successful we are! 

I'll post a picture on Wednesday for all to see.

Altar Servers Meeting

There will be a meeting at Corpus Christi Parish tomorrow Saturday Oct. 19th at 12:30 for any children interested in becoming altar servers. 

Extra Patterning Practice

Follow the link for some extra patterning practice :) Have fun!

Patterns and rules

Homework Help! - Patterning

Students worked with patterns today. We spent time trying to figure out what the 'pattern rule' was for a variety of different patterns. Although this is not a new concept, many students have forgotten from last year. 

Below are some helpful tips to consider when trying to determine the 'pattern rule'.

Step One: Look at the pattern and ask yourself - Is it Growing, Shrinking, or Repeating?

                 If it is growing : Ask yourself... Is it growing because of addition or multiplication?

                 Hint (if it is growing because of multiplication the terms will grow to higher numbers                          faster).

                 If it is shrinking: Ask yourself...Is it shrinking because of subtraction?

                 If it is repeating: Ask yourself ...What is the core?

Step Two: Once you have determined the type of pattern (growing, shrinking, repeating) you need to figure                     out how much your patterns numbers are growing from term to term.

                  

                  Hint: ( for help, use a 'bridge' between your terms )

Step Three: Once you have determined how your terms are changing you need to write the pattern rule.

                     A pattern rule always begins with the starting term in your pattern.

                    

                     Example:  Rule: Start at 7. Add 4 to each term.

                                       Pattern: 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31

Numeracy - Patterning & Algebra (Patterns in Numbers)

Students can expect to get their math tests back later on in the week as there a still a few students who need to write.  Our next strand is Patterning and Algebra. The student recognize this strand as Patterns in Numbers.

The Expectations for this strand are
...By the end of grade 4 students will:

• describe (the pattern rule), extend and create a variety (growing and shrinking) of numeric patterns.
• make predictions related to the patterns (...the next 5 terms in this pattern will be...)
• demonstrate and understanding of equality of pairs of expressions using addition, subtraction and multiplication.

Student MUST refresh their multiplication facts to be successful with understanding equality of pairs using multiplication

Example: 

5x4 = 10x2

  20 = 20

It is expected that by the end of grade 3 student know their multiplication facts up to 8 x 8. If your child is not currently proficient to this level then nightly practice is recommended. 

Temporary Library Card Application

Your children will have temporary library card application forms in their agenda's this weekend. I am in the process of scheduling library visits throughout the year. In order for your children to be able to check out library books during our visits they will need to complete the temporary application form and return it to school.  I will collect and deliver all of the application forms to the library. When we visit (I am hoping for Tuesday Oct. 29th), their temporary cards will be at the library waiting for them.  I will also be looking for volunteers to assist us with our walk to the library. Stay tuned for more information.

If your child already has their own personal permanent library card then please disregard all of the above information. You do not need to complete the form and can recycle it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Shadows!

Today we investigated the idea that light always travels in a straight line. Our 'real life' examples were our own shadows!

Can you guess who belongs to these shadows?

Word Problem Anchor Charts

Here are 2 word problems from today. Questions 11,12,13 should resemble this format.

Show What You Know Review Answers

We were side-tracked today with pictures and didn't get as far as I would have liked to with our math review. To save time, I've posted the answers to the assigned questions for tonight. In class, we'll discuss our solutions but will do it briefly as many are application based.

1. One thousand forty-nine

3. 6526 - Thousand: 7000, Hundred: 6500, Tens: 6430

5. Answers will vary depending on strategy (front end estimation or rounding)
a) 700 + 200 = 900
b) 300 - 200 = 100
c) 200 + 400 = 600
d) 600 - 200 = 400
e) 300 + 600 = 900
 f) 900 - 500 = 400

7. 2000 is an estimate.
 I know because if I add exactly the answer will be different.
There will not be 0's in the ones or tens column.
 That is how I know 2000 is an estimated number.

8.
a) 1333
b) 800
c) 502
d) 8554

Cookie Dough Sales

Thank you for supporting our Fall Fundraiser. I have successfully helped 3 students sell some cookie dough at school. If your child is having trouble selling cookie dough, but would still like a chance at our class incentives please let me know via agenda and I will do my best to help them.  We all benefit from fundraising and I am more than happy to help out!

Math Test Thursday Oct 10th

Each Math Test is broken down into 3 sections:
Part A: Evidence of Application
Part B: Evidence of Understanding Concepts
Part C: Evidence of Problem Solving
*students are assessed for Communication in every section*

To help understand the types of questions for each section please refer to the Show What You Know pages in your child's workbook for Unit 2.

Q # 3-6, 8, 9, 11 &12 provide evidence of Application (Part A)
Q # 1,2,7 and 10 provide evidence of understanding concepts (Part B)
Q # 13 provides evidence of Problem Solving (Part C)

When we practice solving a word problem in class this is what we do.

1) Look for 'operation' word clues (sum, difference, how many more, how much further...)
2) Think about the problem they are asking you to solve. What is the question?
3) Look for the numbers in the problem (list them) and think about what operation should be tried.
4) Provide evidence of math (show and complete your calculations to the best of your ability)
5) Think about how you can prove that your answer is correct (using words, estimating, check by +).
6) Think about a closing sentence that answers the question directly.

More time should be spent preparing for Part B and Part C as they present the biggest challenges. Students can prepare by re-visiting and reviewing how they solved the challenging word problems from different lesson from the unit.

Checking with addition

For the past few days we have been working on solving subtraction questions. There are a few 'tips' that we have been repeating while we practice. If your child is experiencing difficulty with borrowing they may need extra assistance at home. Some options might be to begin with 2 digit numbers and work your way up from there. If they are truly struggling, please let me know via agenda.

#1) The largest number in the question is ALWAYS the number you subtract from.
(-"it goes first", or "it goes on top")

#2) look for words or phrases like 'difference', 'subtract', 'how many more', 'what is the difference between' ...they are all word clues that tell you to subtract.

Also students learned today that they could check the accuracy of their subtraction by using addition as a 'helper'. For example: 10 -3 = 7, to check with addition we add 7 + 3 = 10 if all the numbers are the same then they have subtracted properly.

Here's a second example using 3-digits.

      654 - 132 = 522, to check with addition, 522 + 132 = 654. Again all of the numbers are the same! 

*this strategy is also helpful in demonstrating the relationship between adding and subtracting*

Friends For Life

The Grade 4 students are beginning a 10 week Friends For Life program. Each week (on Thursday afternoon) our class will be visited by a WECDSB Child and Youth Worker who will lead us through a variety of strategies aimed at reducing anxiety. Below is a simple description of the program.

The Friends For Life program is an evidence-based, school-based, anxiety prevention and resiliency program. The goal of the FFL program is to reach as many students as possible and provide them with life skills that will strengthen resiliency and reduce the risk of developing an anxiety problem.

If you have any questions please let me know through your child's agenda.

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Guided Reading / Independent Seat Work

Each day for approximately 40 minutes during Literacy students participate in Guided Reading. During this valuable time your child is doing one of two things: Guided Reading or Independent Seat Work. Please read a quick description for both terms.

Guided Reading  Guided reading is an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with a small group of students who demonstrate similar reading behaviors and can all read similar levels of texts. The text is easy enough for students to read with a teacher's guidance and skillful support. The text offers challenges and opportunities for problem solving and rich understanding, but is easy enough for students to read with some fluency. The teacher chooses selections that help students expand their strategies.

Independent Seat Work - With the class, I often refer to this chunk of time as (O.Y.O) or On Your Own Time. Students who are not actively participating in Guided Reading use this time to work on different learning tasks independently. The strategies are always introduced to the class as a whole group and based on our monthly Literacy focus. It is an opportunity to practice vocabulary, grammar, word study, guided reading tasks, reading comprehension strategies, media literacy and oral communication among other things. Students are responsible for completing their tasks with in the given time frame independently.

*Students are responsible for their learning during this time as I am always working with a group of readers*

students know it is their job to :

1) work respectfully
2) produce high quality work independently

Cookie Dough Sales - Classroom Incentives

As you all know as a school we are selling "English Bay" cookie dough for our Fall Fundraiser. We are blessed to have a dedicated and supportive school community and look forward to your support. In class we decided on two special incentives to help boost and support sales.

#1 HALLOWEEN CLASS PARTY - 100% Participation - For this goal, each student needs to sell at least one order of cookie dough. I've encouraged students to 'think outside the box' to achieve this goal. If there are no family members in a position to purchase cookie dough then I know a few (STAFF MEMBERS and FAMILY FRIENDS) who may be willing to buy from your child. The class knows that this is an option and can speak to me if they would like to try this avenue.

#2 TRADE-IN TICKETS - Participating students will earn a 'trade - in' ticket for each unit of dough sold. They will have an opportunity to select from a pre-determined list of trade-in options. The trade - in options include but are not limited too:

- NO HOMEWORK PASS
- EXTRA INDEPENDENT READING TIME
- MYSTERY TREAT
-LUNCH WITH MR. MARENCHIN
-CHOICE OF  GYM WARM-UP GAME
-MYSTERY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

* please note that some 'options' may require more than one unit sold to be redeemed*

Happy Selling!

Lost and Found

The 'lost and found' for our classroom is located in a green laundry bin at the primary entry doors.  With 27 students and a small coat closet I have to be diligent in keeping it neat and organized. If your child leaves behind a coat, sweatshirt or other personal items they are placed in the lost and found each night. If you find that you are missing items please send me a note via agenda and I will remind your child to take a look in the lost and found. Also, if you know your child is forgetful it may be helpful to put a 'name label' on valuable items to avoid confusion.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Urgent - Numeracy PALS

A pink note went home today in regards to a special after school program.  "Numeracy PALS" is an excellent opportunity for students to master and refine their basic numeracy skills. If you refer to the advertised information re: Numeracy PALS 3 (on the back) these basic skills include Subtracting with Regrouping and Subtracting with Regrouping using 0. If you know that your child really struggles with this concept and other basic numeracy skills then I encourage you to please take advantage of this free program.  There are limited spots available. If you are interested please fill in the necessary information and return it to school soon.

WPL -deadline

Just a quick reminder that all Windsor Public Library bookmark contest entries are due to school by Friday. I will be submitting them after school. The entries collected so far look great! 

3 and 4-digit addition

For Math tonight, students have some options in regards to what they will be practicing.

Students who finished their Math worksheets during class time will be working on questions from page 47, and 50 (as per their agenda's).

Students who did not complete the Math worksheet in class will finish the worksheet first and then move on to the extra questions. 

*Students are only asked to practice for 20-30 minutes*

If they cannot complete all of the questions during that time it is okay as we will still be practicing 3 and 4-digit addition tomorrow. 

Estimating Sums

In Math we have been working on estimating.  Estimating is a valuable life skill that is used in the 'real world' all the time. It is important that students learn to estimate. In class we have learned two ways to create estimates. When a question asks...."ABOUT how much?", it is an estimation question. When a questions asks "Estimate for the SUM", it is an estimation question.

1. Front End Estimation
2. Estimate by Rounding

Examples and explanations of both strategies can be found on page 39/40 of the text. We worked on some questions today but many have a very difficult time using either of the strategies to estimate. When working on tonight's homework. I need to see 'evidence' of rounding. Below is an example of what that might look like.

Question: 456 + 723 = ? 

Front End Estimating

400 + 700 = 1100
My estimate is 1100.

or

Estimate by Rounding

500 + 700 = 1200
My estimate is 1200.

*both methods (front end and rounding) of estimating are acceptable.

Story Maps

We are learning about the 'characterisitics' (features) of Narratives. On Thursday we spent time realizing that a Narrative always has the following 3 characterisitcs:

Setting:
Characters:
Plot: (the problem and solution)

This weekend students are asked to read any Narrative (fictional story book) and list the following:

This is an example:

Title: The Very Cranky Bear

Setting: Bear's Cave

Characters: Bear, Lion, Sheep, Moose and Zebra.

Plot:
The problem is that bear wants to sleep and the other animals wake him up with their game.
The solution is that sheep uses his wool to make bear a comfy pillow so that he can fall back asleep.


*Students can even record the information they gather in the their agenda's. It's not intended to be overly detailed. We will be working on story maps this week.

September Scholastic Order

Thank you for supporting our Scholastic Book orders this month. I was able to purchase 2 book series  for the classroom. Take a look.