Friday, May 17, 2019
We just finished week 34 (May 13th to May 17th) in Portable Two. It was my first week back since April 10th. I am feeling great and have recovered well. Thanks for your support during my time off. Here is a glimpse of what the students have been up to for the past six weeks:
Swimming – Students wrapped up their 8 weeks of swimming lessons at the Annaleise Carr Aquatic Centre. Each student received a report card at their last swimming lesson. I am very proud of the student’s hard work and bravery during swimming lessons. BIG THANKS goes out to all of our community sponsors who help to fund it.
Reading – The class read a chapter book together called, Tut Tut by Jon Scieszka. The book is just one of many in a series known as The Time Warp Trio. The Time Warp Trio consists of three friends (Sam, Fred, and Joe) who live in Brooklyn, New York. Joe receives a mysterious blue book from his magician uncle for his 10th birthday. The book transports the trio to a variety of places in history. For example, in the book we read called, Tut Tut the book transported them to Ancient Egypt. The only way the boys are able to return to present-day is to find The book within whatever time period they are in. While reading this book students did various activities to improve their comprehension strategies (e.g., making connections, making predictions, asking questions, making inferences, examining the elements of a story, and summarizing).
Writing – Reading Jon Scieszka’s book (Tut Tut) has provided inspiration for students to write their own stories starring themselves in a Time Warp Trio. Students planned out their story on a graphic organizer. This helped them to be sure they included all of the elements of a story so that it makes sense for the reader (Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution, Plot).
Early Societies – The students have been exploring Ancient Egypt as part of our social studies learning. There is so much to learn about the Ancient Egyptian culture like The Great Pyramids, The Social Structure, Mummification, The Nile River, Gods, Goddesses, The Afterlife, and Pharaohs. The students have been fascinated and really interested in learning about how their lives compare to the lives of Ancient Egyptians.
Track and Field – The track and field meet was on Tuesday, May 14th. Grade four students competed in the mandatory events: 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump, and ball throw. Grade four students had the choice to participate in the 800m, 1500m, high jump, and triple jump (they weren’t mandatory). We still have to train for high jump and run the 1500m race and that will happen this upcoming week. The grade fours were in the junior division for track and field where they competed against grade fives. The grade fours held their head high and did the best they could. I am very proud of them. Here is a picture of the junior boys running in the 800m race:
Maths – One of the things that students have been learning about in maths class is geometry. In grade four geometry, students learn about angles, three-dimensional figures (pyramids and prisms), two-dimensional shapes (triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, etc.), symmetry, and parallel lines. One of the video series that we watch to compliment our math learning is called, Math Antics. The creator of the video series provides excellent visuals and does a great job explaining things so that it makes sense for students with a variety of learning needs. The videos are free to watch and can be found at this website: http://www.mathantics.com.
Jump Rope For Heart – Our school raised $4800 dollars for Jump Rope For Heart this year. That is so fantastic. Here is a picture of the students participating in the event on Friday, May 17th. The weather was beautiful and the students had a lot of fun travelling from station to station with their colour house leaders:
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
The Pragnell Press 