Week Two in Portable Two

Friday, September 14, 2018

We just finished week two in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:

Music and Art – We have continued to work on composing our bucket drumming performance to the song, Gang of Rhythm by Walk off the Earth. We really want to add in a part where we use our own hand-made shakers. The students have been asked to collect small Pringles containers (the 68g size). We will design the outside of them and put something inside to “shake it up” during our performance.

Math and Drama – Jo Boaler has been teaching us about what it means to be mathematical and that math is so much more than calculating. Who is Jo Boaler? Jo Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford. One thing she is teaching us is the importance of explaining our math thinking to others. This helps us to make sense of what we’re doing and determine whether we are on the right track or not. One thing that we do in class to practice this concept is, Math Court with Judge Julie. In math court, students act as lawyers to state their case and explain their thinking. Judge Julie and the members of the jury may question them and ask them to provide evidence. It’s a fun way to work on this essential skill.

Social Studies – We have started to learn about Canada (the land, water, provinces, and territories) and doing our part to take care of it. One thing our class is doing to take care of our land is setting up and taking care of the compost at our school. Our class will be in charge of all the composting at Waterford Public School. So far, we are learning about what can be composted and what can’t be. The class is pumped to take on this job for the whole school.

Language – We have been busy writing and reading in our back to school activity booklets. Some of what the students have been sharing is their favourite books, their favourite songs, what they did in the summer, and what they do in their spare time.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email me at julie.pragnell@granderie.ca OR call me at school: 519-443-8942.

-Mrs. Julie Pragnell