Ruth King Division 3

Hello!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Allergy season has definitely started.

In math this week we learned about equivalent fractions. They are fractions that represent the same amount of space, but are different numbers or pieces. So 1/2 is the same as 3/6 and 8/16. We learned that we can use multiplication and division to show equivalent fractions, and compare fractions using a common demoninator.

In language arts we worked more on similes and metaphors with I Am flip book poetry. Students compare themselves to other things,  and we make a little flip book.

We also started our novel study. Students chose one of 3 books to read: Island, Everest, or Dive. They are a 3 part novel series, which we will take 6 weeks to finish.

In science we started our look into the rock cycle by checking out different types of rocks. We spent the afternoon looking at about 50 different types of rocks,  and noticing the different characteristics.

We started our heritage books this week, researching our family’s country of origin. Students are looking at the type of government, unique foods, and interesting facts about the country their family originated from. We will be turning the information into a small booklet.

On Monday we counted up our money from the young entrepreneur fair, and subtracted the float, cost of materials, and possible donation, to see if we made a profit. Most students managed to make some money,  with the average being around $50 in profit. Most students donated about 5-10% to the class charity, the SPCA, while a couple others chose a different one.

Next week we are going to learn about decimals in math, haiku and cinquain poetry, finish our novel study and have a mini book club, learn about the rock cycle, and finish our heritage research. On thirsday we are having a dress rehearsal for the spring conert. On Friday we will be doing our track and field day, giving students a chance to try out different events. Should be a good week.

Have a good weekend and see you next week.

Hello!

We’re back, and as busy as ever! It was a little review this week, then got right into it.

In language arts we started by writing about our spring break.

We then started our poetry unit. We learned about some poetic devices, such as alliteration, hyperbole,  simile, and metaphor.  We will use these techniques for the next couple of weeks.

In math we reviewed our operations,  then jumped into fractions. We reviewed that fractions are pieces of a whole, and each piece must be equal. We then practiced drawing fractions through a Battleship game.

In science we started our inquiry project about the human body,  where students needed to think of something they’ve ever wondered about with the human body. They have been researching and making a presentation for next week.

In French we learned about difference preference: adore (love), aime (like), n’aime pas (dont like), and deteste (hate). We then started researching for our French All About Me project for next week.

Earlier in the week I sent home a small Setting Price worksheet, for students to tell me how much money they have spent, and how many products they have made. This is due next week, so we can set out final price.

I also sent home a family survey to be completed over the next couple of week. Students are to gather information about where their family comes from.

Some big projects up ahead for sure. Next week we will finalize our price for our Young entrepreneur project, learn how to put a fraction on a number line in math, present our human body presentations, and finish our French All About Me. Should be a good week.

Have a good long weekend, and see you next week.

Hello!

We had a pretty good week. We needed to start off with a conversation about appropriate expected behaviour, and it seemed to settle the class.

In math we started learning about money.  We practiced some menu math, tallying up orders from a fast food menu. We then used the Flipp app to plan out meal plans with a budget of $50. Students needed to find the price of food items for breakfast,  lunch,  and dinner.

We finished off our novel study booklets in language arts, decorating and gluing them together.

In social studies we finished up our government work with a review session and final test. Students were able to make a cheat sheet for the test, most used it well. We also worked on making our own candidates, with 8 campaign promises,  and a plan to pay for it all. They are pretty interesting. A couple of students are finishing up for next week.

In science we created giant human body cut outs for each organ system. I will add a picture next week.

We learned a new boardgame this week called Saboteur. Most of the students had a lot of fun with it.

Next week is our literacy week. There will be daily events, as well as home events for prizes.  In math we will play the Price is Right and learn how to use a balance sheet. In science we will learn how to make a Google slides presentation, which we will use for a couple of projects next term. We will also go over the final preparations for the young entrepreneur project, with expectations for what needs to be done during Spring break. We will hopefully earn our Boardgames day for Friday.

Have a good weekend, and see you next week.

Hello!

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. Even with the day off, we did a lot this week.

In math we learned more about perimeter, then learned to calculate the area of rectangles. Perimeter is adding up the lengths of all the sides. Area is multiplying the length by the width. We used this knowledge to design our own playground blueprints.

In language arts we wrote about our weekend, then worked on our synopsis of the novel study. Most students used the rubric well to add all the necessary information.  We also drew 6 pictures to try and retell the story in 6 events.

In science we learned about the nervous system, the parts of the brain, and tested our reflexes with a ruler drop. When we see external stimuli, our eyes send a message to the brain, the brain then sends a message down the brain stem, through the spinal cord, to the nerves to react. We then learned about the urinary system, which the students were thrilled with. Kidneys help filter blood to make urea with the waste, it is combined with water to make urine. It travels down the ureters to the bladder, then released through the urethra.

In social studies we first researched BC political parties and made posters. We then reviewed all the policies of each party as a class. After we learned about Center, Left,  and Right ideologies, discussing their view points on different topics such as money, crime, and society. Finally we took a survey discussing some specific events to help determine where we fit on the political spectrum. As this was a pretty big conversation, we also talked about how opinions can differ based on our own personal experiences, and how those opinions will usually change as we grow. We finished up having a discussion about how we are influenced, specifically how my opinions can influency students ideas, as well as how media companies influence all of our opinions, and the importance of asking questions from different viewpoints.

With our Young Entrepreneur project, we finalized our product ideas. Next week we will conduct some market research to help narrow down our focus.

Next week we have two field trips: curling on Tuesday, and museum on Thursday. We will learn how to solve perimeter or area when we are missing information in math, work more on our novel study, take a mini test on political parties in social studies, and review our human body organ systems for a final test. Its going to be a busy week.

Have a good weekend and see you next week.

Hello,

Another full week complete! Get those curling and museum permission forms in. I also sent out contracts for our Young Entrepreneur fair. Have a conversation with your child about the Young Entrepreneur fair, specifically about which product to make.

In math this week we focus on time and how to read a clock. We learned quarter after, half past, and quarter till. We learned the numbers for the minute hand represent groups of 5. Most students did well, though some still show confusion when the hour hand is closer to the next hour. Everyone improved though.

We finished off another 20 chapters from our novel study. Students have been working hard on trying to solve the clues to escape. Some students have solved the puzzle,  but missed the clues from the book  to help them understand their puzzle. So we will see what happens with our last 15 chapters next week.

In social studies we learned how Canadians vote. We learned about minority and majority governments, first past the post, and the history of voting rights in Canada. Students made a timeline showing off dates they felt were important.

In science we learned about the circulatory system. We discussed how we breath in oxygen, which travels to the alveolinin the lungs, and jumps into a red blood cells. It is then pumped from the heart to the body through arteries, where it reaches the cells, trades the O2 for CO2 using tiny blood vessels called capillaries,  then travels back to the heart through veins. Once there it goes back to the lungs to breathe out. The process confused some, but most seemed to get it after some examples.

In French we created our brochures showing off Le Carvival de Quebec. There are a couple still needing to be finished, so I will post a picture next week.

Next week we will learn about units of measurement in math, the skeletal and muscular system in science, finish off our novel study listening, and learn about the different federal parties. On Wednesday we have a walking trip to Spencer to view their band program. It will be our first short week of the year, with Friday bring a Pro D day.

Have a good weekend, amd see you next week.