By now, you should have received an automated phone call and/or email from our Principal, Mr. Schuyler. In it he states that I will be connecting with you to complete a survey later this week. If you have not received this message, this is what it said:
I know that many of you are working from home (while parenting) so I want to make sure you can complete the survey in a way that works best for you (it has to be completed by the end of the day on Thursday). There are two options available for you to complete the survey with me:
I can call you at a time that is convenient for you, ask you the questions over the phone, and write down your answers.
I can email you the survey questions and you can email back your answers.
Please respond to this post or email me to let me know if you would prefer option #1 or option #2.
We just finished week seventeen (Jan. 6 – Jan. 10), week eighteen (Jan. 13 – Jan. 17), week nineteen (Jan. 21 – Jan. 24), and week twenty (Jan. 27 – Jan. 31) in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
SPEECHES AND THE WRITING PROCESS – We have been writing our speeches during the month of January. Each year, students at Waterford Public School write a speech for the Royal Canadian Legion Speech Contest. It’s a great opportunity for students to work through the writing process and build their confidence as a public speaker. The date that your child will be saying their speech in front of the class is listed on the February Classroom Calendar of Events. In the competition, the grade 3s compete against students in grades 1 to 3 (primary) and the grade 4s compete against students in grades 4 to 6 (junior).
MONEY MONEY MONEY – During the month of January, we have been focusing on money. The grade 4s are learning to work with money amounts up to $100 and the grade 3s are learning to work with money amounts up to $10. Along with all of the work we have been doing in class to build our math muscles, there are two money card games that we’ve been playing to become more familiar with adding up money and develop our mental math skills. You just need one deck of cards to play either game. The first card game is called. Dimes. The second card game is called, Quarters. Ask your child and they can teach you how to play it. Oh and don’t forget …. if you want your child to practice math at home, your child has their online math prodigy account information in their agenda. They can log in and practice their math skills at home anytime.
READING – We continue to work on many skills during our reading lessons. One thing that we work at on a daily basis is communicating our understanding of a variety of texts and expressing personal opinions about it. For example, each child has a chapter book in their desk and they read a bit of it each day. After reading each chapter, they write a chapter reflection to demonstrate their understanding. After they finish the whole book, they write a book review. Writing the book review gives them a chance to practice summarizing what happened in the book and stating their opinions about the book. They are required to use evidence from the text to support their opinions which is something grade 3s and grade 4s need a lot of practice doing effectively. The students are working very hard and I’m so proud of them. Their hard work is paying off as they build their reading muscles (accuracy, fluency, and comprehension).
CONFIDENCE IS GROWING ON THE SHARING STAGE – The sharing stage is a place where we speak to an audience about what we’re reading and writing. Students usually get to use a microphone when they’re sharing but since speeches are coming up, the students have been sharing without a microphone. They will not be able to use a microphone during speeches so, they need some time to feel what it’s like to project their voice for all to hear. They are listening to my feedback and applying it. They each have important things to say and the audience needs to hear it. We are building the confidence to speak up and be proud of what we have to say!!
SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES – We are working on researching and writing scripts for episodes on our class youtube channel. The channel is called, The Canadian Kids News Network (CKNN). The youtube channel gives us an engaging way to share non-fiction information that we discover during social studies and science class. The first episodes produced by grade four students will stem from a strand in the Grade 4 Science curriculum, Rocks and Minerals. The first episodes produced by grade three students will stem from a strand in the Grade 3 Science curriculum, Soils in the Environment. We have not published anything on the youtube channel yet. That will take some time.
BUCKET DRUMMING ROUTINE – A song has been chosen for our official bucket drumming routine. The song is called, Zero by Imagine Dragons. It is from the movie soundtrack, Ralph Wrecks the Internet. We are currently in the process of choreographing the routine and getting a feel for the music. It will be a performance that combines all of the arts in our curriculum (dance, music, visual art, and drama). I’m excited for everyone to see it when we’re done.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – During gym, we have been focusing on basketball skills (passing, shooting, dribbling, footwork). Basketball is great exercise for the body and the brain!!!
MR. SHOOLER, MR. SKYLER, OR MR. SHYLER? – We have enjoyed getting to know our new principal, Mr. Schuyler. FYI: his last name is spelled Schuyler but it’s pronounced like this: Sky-ler. Here is a blurb that he posted on the Waterford Public School facebook page about himself:
RAZ-KIDS AND STORYBOARD THAT – This is just a friendly reminder that each student has free access to two online language programs called Raz-Kids and Storyboard That. Their login information can be found in their agendas.
HAPPY RETIREMENT MS. VAN DEN HURK– A teacher at our school retired on Friday, January 31st. Her name is Ms. Van Den Hurk and she has been teaching at WPS for may many years. Our class made her a book to thank her for everything she has done and honour her retirement. Here are two pictures of the class with Ms. V and the book we made her for her retirement:
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.
We just finished week fourteen (Dec. 2 – 6), week fifteen (Dec. 9 – 13), and week sixteen (Dec. 16 – 20) in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
Santa’s Toy Shop (A “Me to We” Event) – We got so many donations for Santa’s Toy Shop which helped to make Santa’s Toy Shop a huge success. After all of the sales were counted up, we were able to donate $300 to True North Aid. The toys that were leftover from Santa’s toy shop were donated to a local charity called, Power at Work (a team of people who help the people of Guatemala). Carol Lamb came to pick up the toys and she was extremely grateful. Carol said that the children of Guatemala will love the toys. I am so proud of the students for their hard work and dedication to this event.
New Principal – We were hit with the news that our principal, Mrs. Opersko was being transferred to another school (Langton) and she would start there on January 6, 2020. Waterford Public School will miss her very much. There were so many things that we loved about her. On the second last day of school, WPS presented her with a gift that the students made (it was a tree that was painted on a canvas and each student in the school made a leaf on the tree with their fingerprint). The students/staff also worked together to make a goodbye/thank you video and we showed it to her in the gym before she left. Here is a picture of Mrs. Opersko accepting the goodbye gift that the students at WPS made for her:
Ten Days Before Holidays – The students had a blast participating in the Ten Days Before Holidays. The picture below is the bulletin board that was created in the school to inform students about each day:
Holiday Chain Decorating – Each student in the school designed a link for their class chain and then each class hung their chain up in the school. We hung ours up in Mrs. Opersko’s office. Here are some pictures:
We are feeling sad because Mrs. Opersko is leaving!
Caring Cupboard Food Drive and Candy Gram Sales – There were so many donations made for the Caring Cupboard Food Drive (it was incredible). Mr. Hogg picked up all of the food and delivered it. All of the money that was made from Candy Gram sales was donated to the Waterford Caring Cupboard. A check was presented to them on the second last day of school. Here are some pictures:
Denise Jolicoeur accepted the $400 check on behalf of the Waterford Caring Cupboard.All of the food donations to the Waterford Caring Cupboard were overflowing around the Christmas Tree in the front foyer at WPS.
Holiday Hot Chocolate – Students thoroughly enjoyed the hot chocolate and marshmallows on day two of the Ten Days Before Holidays. It was BRING YOUR OWN MUG. Here are some pictures of us enjoying our hot chocolate in our pajamas:
Ornament Design – Each student designed their own ornament and hung it on our class Christmas tree. Here are some pictures:
Newcombe – Here are some pictures of our class playing Newcombe in the gym. Team Even Steven (blue) vs Team Odd Todd (red):
Turkey Dinner – Our class walked to the United Church on Wednesday, Dec. 18th to enjoy a delicious Turkey Dinner that was sponsored, cooked, and served by many volunteers. Our bellies were smiling and our hearts were grateful. Here are some pictures:
Christmas Carol Sing – Everyone squished into the gym for our Christmas Carol Sing. Minute to Win-It Games were also played in between songs (teachers vs students … I am sure the teachers won … LoL). Here are some pictures:
Mr. Hogg on guitar, Mrs. Butler on piano, and Kristin Vollick on harp.Students raising their hand so that they can get picked to play a Minute-to-Win-It game!
Thoughtfulness Thursday – As part of the Ten Days Before Holidays, we were encouraged to do a random act of kindness (a.k.a., Thoughtfulness Thursday). In honour of thoughtfulness Thursday, our class made books for our parents as Christmas gifts. We took some time to talk about how the greatest acts of kindness come from the heart and cost nothing. The students worked very hard on their books (5 Things I Love About _____). We hope that the books brought you some joy this Christmas.
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.
We just finished week eleven (Nov. 11 – Nov. 15), week twelve (Nov. 18 – 22), and week thirteen (Nov. 25 – Nov. 29) in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
REMEMBRANCE DAY POSTERS – The Legion collected our Remembrance Day Posters on November 11th for the Poster Contest. We were competing against students from Teeterville, Bloomsburg, St. Bernard’s, and Boston. The students did their best to design a poster that communicated a message of Remembrance to the audience. I am so proud of their hard work. Here is a picture of each poster:
The above poster is Sherese’s poster. She got 1st place for her poster in the black and white, primary division (grades 1 to 3). Congratulations to Sherese!
The above poster is Sloane’s poster. She got an honourable mention for her poster in the colour, primary division (grades 1 to 3). Congratulations to Sloane!The above poster is Margaret’s poster. She got 2nd place for her poster in the black and white, primary division (grades 1 to 3). Congratulations to Margaret!
The above poster is Bailey’s poster. She got 2nd place for her poster in the colour, junior division (grades 4 to 6). Congratulations to Bailey!
REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE – We walked to the cenotaph on November 11th to pay our respects at the Remembrance Day Service. Here are some pictures:
GRADE 3 SWIMMING – The grade threes travelled to the Annaleise Carr Aquatic Centre to participate in the Swim to Survive program on November 14th, 21st, and 28th. During this program they learned various swimming survival skills. For example, treading water (aka, surface support), front roll, side roll, and how to jump in safely. Each year, every grade three at Waterford Public School participates in this program. We believe that swimming is such an important survival skill and we want every child to learn how to swim. It is normal for some children to be reluctant but when they have the opportunity to attend swimming lessons with their classmates during the school day, it can provide the motivation to overcome their fears and get in the water. It is amazing how far a child can come in just three weeks. I am very proud of all of the grade threes for their hard work and courage during the Swim to Survive program. We are thankful for each parent’s support to make this program happen.
COMMUNITY CIRCLE/SHARING STAGE – Learning to communicate our thinking/ideas/news with an audience is an important part of learning. One way that we achieve this in portable two is through Community Circle and Sharing Stage. During Community Circle, students sit in a circle and take turns sharing about a topic. The Sharing Stage is a place where students can stand up and have their voice be heard about a variety of topics. I love seeing the student’s confidence bloom as the year progresses. Sharing your thinking/ideas/news with an audience isn’t easy for everyone but it’s a risk worth taking.
OUR CLASS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – We were inspired by the youtube channel called, Kids News Break and decided to create our own class youtube channel. This channel will give us an engaging way to share what we learn during social studies and science class. Students will be researching and writing their own scripts for episodes on our class youtube channel. They are very excited.
NAMING OUR CLASS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – The first step to creating our class youtube channel was to come up with a name. Each student came up with their favourite name and then we had a class vote. There were soooo many good ideas, it was hard to pick. Karsyn’s name (Kids News Network) got the most votes. We had to add Canadian to the title because there was another channel on youtube called Kids News Network so, the official name of our class youtube channel is, Canadian Kids News Network (CKNN). Congratulations to Karsyn on coming up with the winning name!
DESIGNING A LOGO FOR OUR CLASS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – The second step to creating our class youtube channel was to come up with a logo. Each student designed a logo and then we had a class vote. Yet again, there were soooo many good ideas, it was hard to pick. Blayne’s logo got the most votes. Congratulations to Blayne on coming up with the winning logo! Stay tuned, I will post the winning logo and more information about our class youtube channel later in December.
SANTA’S TOY SHOP – Our class is part of the Me to We Club at Waterford Public School which means we do a variety of things to give back to our community, our country, and the world. One thing that we are doing this Christmas to give back to our country is hosting an event called, Santa’s Toy Shop. Students from WPS are donating gently used toys, books, and stuffies to us. Then, we are selling them at Santa’s Toy Shop. Here is a flyer/poster that we wrote as a class to send home to families and post in the halls at WPS.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SANTA’S TOY SHOP – We’ve been busy writing announcements for Santa’s Toy Shop to spread the word about our event and get as much help as possible. We have rehearsed and said two announcements over the PA system which is a really neat experience for the students (most of them love it). Here is a pic of all of us in the office waiting to say an announcement over the PA system for the whole school to hear:
WORKING WITH NUMBERS – Over the last three weeks, students have been introduced to their Working with Numbers booklets. Inside the booklets are various tasks revolving around numbers (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, place value, number lines, quantity, representing numbers in a variety of ways, growing number patterns and shrinking number patterns). We work in these booklets for a bit each day for daily practice. After all, building our math muscles takes daily practice and dedication.
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.
This is just a friendly reminder that we have skating tomorrow at 9am. Please make sure your child brings their CSA approved helmet, skates, and a pair of mitts/gloves.
Sincerely Yours,
Mrs. Pragnell
p.s. Don’t forget about our Christmas Open House this Thursday, December 5th. There will be a Stop and Shop in the gym where you can stock up on all of your gifts for the season from 5:30pm to 7pm. The classrooms will be open from 6pm to 7pm so that students can enjoy some holiday fun!!! Our portable will be closed. Our class will be running Santa’s Toy Shop in Mrs. Guthrie’s room. Hope to see you there!!!
We just finished week nine (Oct. 28 – Nov. 1) and ten (Nov. 4 – Nov. 8) in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
HALLOWEEN – The students in portable two had so much fun dressing up for Halloween and going to the Halloween dance/games room. I loved their Halloween spirit!!! Thanks to the WPS Student Leadership Committee for running/setting up the dance/games room. Here are some pics of their amazing costumes:
READING AND WRITING – Our class read a non-fiction article called, No Cell Phones Allowed. It was about the cell phone ban in Ontario. The students answered questions about the text and wrote about whether they agreed with the ban or not (using information from the text to support their opinion).
READING WITH EMILY – Some of our goals for reading are to learn how to read fluently and accurately. One of the best ways to do this is to read out loud so, the students in our class take turns reading out loud to Emily. Emily is a woman from the Norfolk Association for Community Living and she comes in each Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:30 to listen to students read to her. Emily loves this experience and it brings her so much joy. Students from Mrs. Schipper’s class read out loud to Emily each Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:00 and students from our class read out loud to Emily each Tuesday from 10:00 to 10:30. It’s an opportunity to get involved, take a risk, help others, and improve our reading skills. I’m so proud of the students for having the courage to do this.
READING AND DIGITAL MEDIA – We read a TV news script from a youtube channel called, Kids News Break. The news script was for the episode entitled, Remembrance Day. The main idea of the script was to inform the audience about the History of Remembrance Day. After reading the news script, we watched the episode on youtube. This experience helped us to learn more about digital media and how it is used to communicate a message to the audience (video, audio, photographs, illustrations, music). Stay tuned because students will be writing their own scripts for an episode on our class youtube channel (student have been generating ideas on the name and logo of our youtube channel).
PRINT MEDIA – We worked on our Remembrance Day posters for the Legion poster contest. We used this opportunity to learn more about print media and how it is used to communicate a message to the audience. The theme of the poster contest was Remembrance and our task was to create an eye-catching poster that represented that theme. Some of the poster design techniques that we focused on were:
using a bold or dark color of lettering against a light background for readability
making sure our posters were not cluttered up with too many images and words because that can make it confusing for the audience and the message can be lost
choosing pictures for our poster that relate or speak to the theme and message, without being too tricky for the audience to understand
MATH – Some of our math learning goals included (note: mm is grade 4 only):
collecting data (measuring the height of each student in our class in cm, rounding that height to the nearest ten, and recording the heights on a chart)
estimating length/height/distance (mm, cm, m, km)
choosing which unit of measurement best suits the task (mm, cm, m, km). For example, if you need to measure the height of a large tree, would it make the most sense to use mm, m, cm, or km?
ordering objects based on linear measurements (mm, cm, m, km)
representing the same length/height using different units of measurement (cm, m)
measuring the length and width of squares and rectangles (mm, cm)
drawing squares and rectangles given the length and width (mm, cm)
solving problems using our knowledge of measurement (mm, cm, m)
understanding the relationship between different units of measurement. For example, 100 cm = 1m , 200cm = 2m , etc.
discussed how our measurement skills can help us when designing our poster for the Legion poster contest.
BUCKET DRUMMING – We continue to learn about the elements of music through bucket drumming and how the elements of music are used to create the mood of a piece. Some of the elements we have learned about so far include: TEMPO (fast or slow), PITCH (high or low), and VOLUME which is also known as DYNAMICS (loud or quiet).
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – In gym, we have been learning how to play Newcomb Ball (the beginner’s version of volleyball).
SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES – During Social Studies, we have been learning about mapping skills, Canada (Grade 4s), and Ontario (Grade 3s). Recently, one of our science units have been introduced. The grade 3s will focus on soils in the environment and the grade 4s will focus on rocks and minerals. Through inquiry-based learning, students will make connections between what we’ve learned in Social Studies to the Science concepts we are studying.
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.
We just finished week seven (Oct. 15 – Oct.18) and eight (Oct. 21 – Oct. 25) in portable two and here is a little glimpse (well maybe a long glimpse … LoL) of what we’ve been up to:
PUMPKIN CARVING – Every year, each student at Waterford Public School gets to carve a pumpkin for Pumpkinfest. All of the pumpkins are donated by a local farmer. Here are some pictures of our pumpkin carving adventure in the gym:
WALKING OUR JACK-O-LANTERNS TO THE PUMPKIN PYRAMID – Each year, we walk our jack-o-lanterns over to the pumpkin pyramid for display during Pumpkinfest. We are very thankful for the Waterford Lions and Lionesses who volunteer their time and work hard to make all of this happen. Here are some pictures of this event:
FLOAT IN THE PARADE – Waterford Public School had a float in the parade. The theme of our school float was, WE THE WILDCATS. Each class was asked to choose a subject that we learn about at school and paint a pumpkin that resembled it. Our class picked the subject, Social Studies. Canada was painted on our class pumpkin and the flag for each province and territory was sticking out the top of the pumpkin (see picture below). Every student in the school made a self portrait to go on the skirt of the float. I thought the students in portable two did such a fantastic job on their self-portraits. I was very proud of their hard work. Here are some pictures:
WALK FOR WENJACK – WPS participated in the Walk for Wenjack on Monday, October 21st. Chanie Wenjack was a student at a Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. At the age of 12, Chanie ran away from the school in hopes of being reunited with his family. Tragically, one week later, on October 22, 1966, Chanie was found next to the railroad tracks. He had succumbed to exposure and starvation. To honour the memory of Chanie and all of the Indigenous people affected by Canada’s Residential School System, Waterford Public School walked together to demonstrate our commitment to reconciliation. Each student walked about one km with their colour house. Here are a few pictures of the event:
LANGUAGE – Our class read the graphic novel, Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire to learn about Chanie Wenjack’s story. The students were really touched by this story and the music that Gord Downie wrote/sang to go with it. I was inspired by each student’s ideas as to how Chanie’s story can make a difference. This is the front cover of the graphic novel:
MATH – One of our learning goals for math: I can measure length using centimetres. The grade 4s have to take it to another level and be able to measure length using millimetres. We spent some time getting comfortable with our math tools (ruler and metre stick) and measured the length of many things using centimetres (grade 3 and 4) and millimetres (grade 4 only).
FIRST ROAR ASSEMBLY – We had our first ROAR assembly of the year. ROAR stands for “Recognizing pOsitive chAracter tRaits”. The ROAR assembly is a time where all classes from grades 3/4 to 8 meet in the gym to recognize students for their accomplishments. Each teacher takes time to go in front of the students in the gym and present ROAR certificates. I actually presented my whole class with a ROAR certificate and it’s hanging in our classroom. Here is a picture of it:
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
p.s. Halloween is coming!! Please read below to find out more detailed information about Halloween in Portable Two:
Some Notes From Mrs. Pragnell About Halloween in Portable Two
We love costumes in portable two!!! Students can come to school dressed in a costume or bring it in a bag and change into it at school. Please leave the weapons at home and do not bring any fake blood to school. The students from portable two are allowed to stay in their costumes all day if they wish!
Students are welcome to bring snacks and treats to share with other students in portable two. Just remember, the snacks and treats need to be store-bought and nut-free. Just in case you need to know, we have 23 students in portable two.
The students from portable two will be going to the gym from 11:15am to 12:10pm for a Halloween dance and games zone. Mr. Dumoulin’s grade 4 class and Mr. Brady’s grade 5 class will also be attending at this time. The WPS Student Leadership Committee is planning this fun event and the cost to participate is $1.00.
Donations of non-perishable food will be collected for the Waterford Caring Cupboard at the dance. Students are asked to bring some if they can.
A Snack Shack will operate during the Halloween dance where students may purchase items such as chips, pop, juice, and small candy treats. All items will each cost between fifty cents and one dollar. All proceeds will be used to support a charity to be determined.
Each student will receive a colour house point for wearing a costume to the Halloween dance. If students do not want to wear a costume, they can receive a colour house point for wearing black and orange.
There will be a costume contest at the dance where students can win for the scariest costume, most creative costume, funniest costume, or cutest costume. There will also be “dance challenges” for students to participate in.
We just finished week five (Sept. 30-Oct. 4) and six (Oct. 7-Oct. 11) in portable two and here is a bit of what’s been going on:
Orange Shirt Day on September 30th – WPS participated in Orange Shirt Day along with many other people across Canada. Orange Shirt Day is an event that started in 2013. It is an opportunity to create meaningful discussion about the effects of residential schools and the impact they have had on Indigenous communities. Our class read the Orange Shirt Story to learn about how Orange Shirt Day began. The story is written by residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad. In the story, her granny had bought her a new, bright orange shirt for her first day at residential school. After Phyllis arrived, her new shirt was taken away and her hair was cut off short. Forty years later, Phyllis remembers that the colour orange has always reminded her of how her feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared, and how she felt she was worth nothing. Phyllis’ experience is used to teach many students across Canada about residential schools and their assimilation practices.
Drama – One of the games that we like to play for drama to practice role play is called, Shazzam. It is played similar to rock, paper, scissors except you choose to play the role of a Wizard, Knight, or Giant. There are two opponents that face off against each other and on the count of three, they choose a role. Wizards wave their hands in the air and say, Shazzam. Giants stomp their feet on the floor and say, FEE FI FO FUM. Knights stick out their sword and say, En Garde. Wizards beat Knights. Knights beat Giants. Giants beat Wizards.
Math – One of our learning goals for math: I can clearly communicate my math thinking and ideas on paper. No matter what we’re learning in math, being able to effectively communicate our math thinking and ideas is a very important skill. When Mrs. Pragnell assigns an independent math task, it is up to the students to clearly communicate their math thinking and ideas on paper (using words, symbols, numbers, pictures, models, manipulatives, colour coding, charts, and/or labels). It’s also important to check over the work and ask, would this make sense to someone else?
Reading – One of our learning goals for reading: I can identify a variety of text features and explain how they help readers understand texts. We are discovering that there are so many different types of text features – titles, headings, labels, diagrams, bullet points, bold text, the list could go on and on! When a student is able to identify and use text features, they become readers who understand more of what they are reading.
Writing – One of our learning goals for writing: I can identify why I am writing (purpose). There are many reasons why writers write but we have learned that the three main reasons include: to persuade my audience, to inform my audience, OR to entertain my audience. When writers take the time to understand their purpose for writing it gives their writing focus and helps to stay on topic.
The Norfolk County Fair – On Wednesday, October 9th, we traveled to the Norfolk County Fair for a field trip. We learned about agriculture, toured the buildings, and searched for answers to the questions on our fair passports. One of the highlights was an agricultural presentation where we heard various farmers speak about their livestock and crops (e.g., apple farmer, dairy farmer, pig farmer, beef cattle farmer, chicken farmer). We also watched a dairy cow getting milked and a sheep being sheared. The students had a great time and learned a lot about agriculture. Here are a few pictures from the day:
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.
We just finished week four in portable two and here is a bit of what’s been going on:
Old Town Hall Art Gallery – We took our first trip of many to the Old Town Hall Art Gallery to observe and discuss the current art exhibit. Our goal during this trip was to look at each piece of artwork with a partner and take turns discussing what we see (colour?, line?, texture?, shape?). We also met the Artistic Director of the Old Town Hall, Claire Senko. We are so fortunate to have an Art Gallery within walking distance of our school. Here are some pictures of the event:
Language – One of the things we learned about during language was the variety of texts in our world. The students learned that when they hear a teacher talk about a variety of texts, it means the different types of things that we read or write (not the messages that people type on their cell phones). There are a variety of texts in our world and we can read them on a screen (aka, digital format) or on paper (aka, print format). By learning about the different types of texts in our world, we can better understand what we’re reading and writing. The tree diagram below helped us learn more about the different types of texts in our world:
Terry Fox Run – On Thursday, we celebrated a true Canadian hero, Terry Fox. Each student ran or walked over 2 km in honour of Terry and to raise money for cancer research. We read this non-fiction, informational, text to learn more about Terry Fox and why we run:
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.
The Pragnell Press 