Fall is Here

 

For Science we have been going on nature walks around the school yard to observe the variety of living and non-living things and discuss what those living things need to survive. Most recently, we have been looking for signs of fall. Students found many signs of fall and drew and labelled diagrams of what they saw.

In Science we are always asking questions or inquiring. We are wondering why leaves fall, why leaves have veins, if the needles will fall off of this tree, why wasps don't come out when it's cold, why bees die when they lose their stingers... The list goes on!

You're performing in a play?

Yes! The students have all decided that they would like to put on a play. We have been reading a variety of fairy tales for inspiration. We know that our story will have both good and evil characters and the good characters will have to defeat the evil ones! A team of writers helped to draft the storyline last week and now, with input from all students, we are continuing to modify the story as new characters or plot twists are created. Our next (BIG) job is to write lines for each character.

If you are available during the school day, stay tuned to find out when we are ready to perform....

I am running for Terry Fox!

Today was our annual Terry Fox run here at Ballantrae. Before the run, we watched a short video of Terry Fox running his Marathon of Hope and looked at a book about Terry Fox. Students had a lot of questions, including: Did this really happen? Is this a true story? Why did they take his leg off? How did he die? How far did he make it?

Following lunch recess, students met with up with their Reading Buddies for the big run. Each student wore a sticker, "I am running for _________", on which they wrote the name of someone who they were running for today. (e.g. Terry Fox, my auntie, my uncle, (Great) Grandpa, (Great) Grandma, or the name of a friend)

Thank you to everyone who donated a "Twoonie for Terry".

Media Literacy

Yes, we can read books, but we can also read signs, websites, food packaging and more! Part of the language curriculum is Media Literacy which, today, included reading a book about street signs and then hunting around the school for signs. We found signs to help us know where things are and also to teach us about rules at our school.

Fun in the Gym

Right now we have gym class on Days 4 and 5, just before lunch. Students are learning how to be safe in the gym, how to use a variety of equipment and also how to take turns. As well, they are learning the importance of a warm-up. Students have been divided into 4 colour teams. They have been rotating through different centres with their team. Last gym class students explored what they could do with basketballs, scooters, hockey equipment and balance beams. Fun was had by all!

On Days 1, 2 and 3 students will not be in the gym, but they will be participating in Daily Physical Activity (DPA) in the classroom, hallway or school yard with Mr. Horvath or Mrs. Stewart.

You're Hired!

Maybe you have heard that every student in the class has a job that will change each week. Students have decided what jobs need to be done and how many people should do each job. They wrote the name of each job and a description too to display in the classroom. Everything from figuring out which zipper bag was not handed in to taking pictures of the students working is up there. Ask your child what his/her job is for this week. As new ideas arise, we will modify our job board to make sure everything is taken care of!

What letters do you see???

Today, iPads in hand, students went on a hunt in and around the school for letters of the alphabet. After reading The City ABC Book we were inspired to start our own Ballantrae P.S. ABC Book. This gave us a chance to become a little more familiar with our school setting, including the courtyard area in the centre of the school.

We are learning how to use the iPads to take pictures. We have learned that they can act as magnifying glasses when we are scientists. They can help us to look closely and carefully at our environment... which will help us to use specific and descriptive language when we write.

Why is one glue stick heavier than the other? They are both the same size!

On our "I wonder..." board, students have begun to ask questions about anything and everything they are exploring or reading about in the classroom. Today, while exploring the mass of some familiar objects, we were puzzled by the fact that this balance scale would not balance even though the glue sticks were the same size. We are going to have to enlist the help of more students tomorrow to solve this problem!

First Day Jitters

It was easy to relate to this story today as we all had some jitters on the first day of school. Students were asked how they were feeling this morning before school. They talked to each other about it and then wrote down their ideas. Students used my example and also words on the word wall to help with their writing. Sometimes it was best to copy out a word (e.g. "because") and sometimes it was best to sound out a word (e.g. "class"). I think everyone had a great day and tomorrow I hope to hear that everyone was excited when they woke up rather than scared or nervous:)