Week 27 and Week 28 in Portable 2

Friday, April 6, 2019

We just finished week 27 (March 25th to 29th) and week 28 (April 1st to 5th) in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Tessellations on Display – Part of our math focus has been on geometry and spatial sense so, we learned about tessellations. A tessellation is a surface that is covered with flat shapes so that there are no overlaps or gaps. Tessellations are a great way to improve spatial sense and visual art skills. Each student made their own polygon (a flat shape with three sides or more) and they used it to make their own unique tessellation by sliding the shape in different directions (up, down, right, left). Here is a picture of our tessellations on display in the hall of the school:

Haiku Poetry on Display –  We have received a lot of compliments on the Haiku poetry we wrote. Here is a picture of our Haiku poetry on display (I am so proud of the students for listening to my feedback and improving their Haikus to make them even more descriptive for the reader):

Swimming – We had our 4th swimming lesson on Friday, March 29th and our 5th swimming lesson on Friday, April 5th. Five down and three to go. The swimming program that the lifeguards use at the Annaleise Carr Aquatic Centre has changed. They used to teach from a program called, Red Cross Swim by Canadian Red Cross. This year, they are teaching from a program called, Swim for Life by The Lifesaving Society.

Maths – One of the math expectations in grade 4 is adding up money amounts to one hundred dollars. To study this concept, we have transported ourselves to another city known as “Zed City” (where all items for purchase start with a “Z”). We have been purchasing items from the Zed City snack bar like zapples and zananas. We have also been purchasing items from the Zed City clothing store like zants and zorts. We even purchased items from the Zed City sports store like a zoccerball and a zaseball. Our experiences in Zed City have allowed us to learn about the different addition strategies we can use when adding money amounts from zero to one hundred dollars (e.g., friendly numbers, breaking into place value, and the standard algorithm).

Descriptive Paragraph Writing – Part of our learning in language revolves around writing effective descriptive paragraphs (writing to create a picture in the reader’s mind). One way to do this is to focus on the five senses plus emotion. The students are generating ideas, writing descriptive paragraphs, and taking the time to read their paragraphs to the class on the sharing stage. I am so impressed with how far the students have come with descriptive writing. They are really pushing their boundaries and using a variety of descriptive words. I really enjoy listening to their ideas because their creativity amazes me.

Welcome Ms. Danielle Hunte – I sent a letter home earlier this week to inform everyone that I will be having a minor medical procedure done on Wednesday, April 10th. No need to worry, I am healthy and I will be back after four weeks off to recover. We will have a supply teacher in our classroom while I am off from April 10th to May 10th. Her name is Ms. Hunte and we will be working together to make sure everything is taken care of. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and support during this 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