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

Friday, March 22, 2019

We just finished week 25 (March 4th to 8th) and week 26 (March 18th to 22nd) in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Field Trip to Backus – Before March Break, we spent a day at Backus Heritage Conservation Area. It was snowy and cold but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the day (mostly outdoors). I was happy that the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful blue (that definitely made the cold more tolerable). While we were at Backus we learned many things about habitats and species at risk. We went on a hike in the woods, built habitats in the woods, played outdoor games, and explored the museum. We got to see a woodpecker perched up in a tree (out in the woods) which was spontaneous and incredible. I can’t believe it didn’t fly away with 27 people walking on the trail below.

March Break – During sharing circle, the students described one thing they experienced over March Break. Since we are focusing on descriptive writing, they described it in a way that ignited all of the senses. Using the five senses (plus emotions) is one way that writers create a picture in the audience’s mind when they are describing something. Students picked one thing to talk about and they described what they saw, heard, touched, smelled, and tasted. They also described the emotions they felt. Students were really excited to share something they did over March Break. It sounded like everyone had a safe and enjoyable week off.

Swimming – We had our 2nd swimming lesson on Friday, March 8th and our 3rd swimming lesson on Friday, March 22nd. Three down and five to go. The students are working hard to follow the lifeguard’s instructions and do the best they can.

Haiku Poetry – Our nature field trip to Backus and our current language focus on descriptive writing was a perfect combination to write some Haiku Poetry.  A Haiku is a traditional Japanese poem about nature. When writing a Haiku in English, most writers follow this form: first line has 5 syllables, second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. With only 17 syllables in the whole poem, it is a tiny poem that can make a big impact when written well.  The writer has to carefully choose words that will paint a picture in the reader’s mind. So far, the students have each written and illustrated at least one good copy of a Haiku poem about nature. The good copies are currently on display in the hallway at school and they look amazing.

Co-op Student – On Monday, March 4th, we had a co-op student start a placement in our class from Waterford District High School. Her name is Morgan and she will be working full days at Waterford Public School (until June) as part of her studies. She is also my neice (my sister’s daughter) which the students seem to find funny. The students were very welcoming of Morgan and they look forward to getting to know her better throughout the rest of the year.

Bucket Drumming Performance – On Thursday, March 21st, we walked to the Legion to perform at the Senior Citizen’s Spring Fling Luncheon. The students performed Gang of Rhythm and we showed the audience all of the items we were using to make music for our performance (drum sticks, bucket, shaker, floor).  We demonstrated how we use them during the performance and what parts of the bucket we use (rim, sides, top). The senior citizens were thrilled and very happy to see the performance. Everyone was so impressed with how well the students played together. We were glad that we were able to perform for them and bring some joy to the Senior Citizen’s lives.

Mart (Maths and Art) – One of the areas we focused on in maths was geometry and spatial sense. We cut an irregular shape (aka polygon) out of a small square and we made three different pieces of art with it. One piece of art was made by sliding the shape (aka translations), the second piece of art was made by turning the shape (aka rotations), and the third piece of art was made by flipping the shape (aka reflections). The students were amazed at how one shape can make a variety of designs just by the way you move it. We will be displaying our art work in the hall of the school for other students to see and learn about translations, rotations, and reflections.

Drum Dream Girl – We read a picture book called Drum Dream Girl. This reading allowed us to work on our reading comprehension skills like making connections and inferencing. It also allowed us to see how the author used descriptive writing to create a picture in the reader’s mind with her use of adjectives and imagery. The book takes place in 1932 in Cuba. It is a poetic narrative about a 10 year old girl “who dreamed of being a drummer in a time when that occupation was reserved for boys and men. She could not quell her natural impulse to drum. Hearing beats all around her, in the natural and human worlds, and in her own heartbeat, the girl must dream and drum in secret, until her father finally relents and has a teacher listen to her. Amazed at what he hears, the teacher takes her on as a pupil, eventually getting her her first gig as a drummer.”

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

Friday, March 1, 2019

We just finished week 24 in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Pink Shirt Day  – On Wednesday, Feb. 27th it was Pink Shirt Day across Canada. It’s a day to raise awareness of bullying and foster healthy self-esteem. Here is a picture of the students who wore pink in Portable Two:

Last Skate – On Wednesday, Feb. 27th we had our final skate at the Arena. Here are a few pictures of the fun:

First Swimming Lesson – We had our first swimming lesson (out of eight) on Friday, March 1st. We started the lesson by reviewing pool rules and expectations. Then, each student did a brief swim test to determine which group they would go in (beginner, intermediate, or advanced). Here is a picture of all of us in our swimming groups:

Descriptive Writing – We started descriptive writing this past week (writing to create a picture in the reader’s mind). The students brainstormed some creative topics to write about. We got our creative juices flowing by playing a little game called, “Describe the Mystery Food”. A blindfolded volunteer put a piece of mystery food in their mouth and described what they were tasting to the class (without naming it). Students listened carefully and jotted down the describing words (colour, texture, flavour, etc.). Then, they took turns guessing the mystery food based on the description. It was fun!

Maths – Part of our math learning focused on the Skate-a-thon results from each class at our school. We had to use our math skills to determine how much money each class raised at WPS.  We read the data (how many dollars and cents each class raised) on a chart and determined the order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.). The results are displayed on a bar graph in the hallway outside of the office for the whole school to read. Mrs. Butler’s class won again for the second year in a row.

Saying an Announcement over the PA System – We had to announce the Skate-a-thon results to our school. The school was waiting to find out how much money was raised in total and which class raised the most money from Waterford Public School. There were a lot of students that wanted to say the announcement over the PA system. Each student partnered up and wrote an announcement. Then, they auditioned in front of the class to see who could say it. Everyone did such a great job on their audition that everyone ended up getting a part. Most students had an individual part speaking directly over the PA system (for the whole school to hear). Some students provided sound effects in the background. Everyone did a great job and they were very excited to say an announcement over the PA system. It was a real team effort.

Old Town Hall Art Gallery – We took a trip to the Old Town Hall Art Gallery on Tuesday to see an art exhibit called, Homegrown: A Collaborative Exhibition of Norfolk County Artists. Here are some pictures of our time there:

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

 

 

Friday, February 22, 2019

We just finished week 22 (Feb. 11th to 15th) and week 23 (Feb. 18th to 22nd) in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Speeches  – The rest of the students said their speech in front of the class. The class enjoyed learning about the many different topics (Fiction and Non-Fiction). I am very proud of every student for their courage and hard work. Two students were chosen from our class to go to the gym speech competition. Congrats to Jack and Cam who said their speech in front of the school on Tuesday, Feb. 19th.

Chicopee Tube Park – On Thursday, Feb. 14th we went travelled to Kitchener to spend time at the Chicopee Tube Park. Here are a few pictures of the fun:

Valentine’s Day – We exchanged Valentines in the class on Friday, Feb. 15th. Each student designed their own Valentine’s mailbox and enjoyed delicious treats. Here are a few pictures:

Hedgehog Visit – Sophie said her speech on her Hedgehog, Prince. On the day that she said her speech, she brought her hedgehog in for everyone to see. Here are some pics of the little cutie:

Dog Visit – Madolyn said her speech on her dog, Ginger. On the day that she said her speech, her mom brought her dog in to meet the class. Here is a picture of Ginger posing with the class:

Grade Four Swimming – Students brought home a permission form for swimming lessons. We will have 8 swimming lessons (once a week) at the Annaleise Carr Aquatic Centre in Simcoe. They start on March 1st. The bus will leave each Friday at 10:30am and we will be in the pool from 11:00 to 11:50pm. Parents/Guests are welcome to come and watch from the viewing area at the pool. Students will need to bring their swimsuit and a towel. If they have a report card from previous swimming lessons, they need to bring it on the first day of swimming lessons. We are fortunate to only have to pay $20.00 for eight weeks of swimming lessons and bus rides there. Thanks to generous community sponsors, this affordable rate is possible.

Backus Field Trip – Students brought home a permission form for a field trip to Backus Heritage Conservation Area. It costs nothing to go on this field trip. We will be learning about Habitats and Species at Risk which is part of the Grade 4 Science Curriculum. Backus is a lot of fun and we are lucky to have the opportunity to learn in the great outdoors.

Maths – One thing that we have been focusing on in math class is counting by fractions past one whole (quarters, thirds, tenths, halves, etc.). We have also been using what we know about fractions to compare them. Here is one question that we explored in class and some of the student’s ideas:

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

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Good Morning,

I just wanted to let everyone know that the students who were supposed to say their speech today will say it tomorrow. I will announce who is moving on to the gym competition at the end of the day tomorrow.

Stay safe today. It’s nasty out there and it’s going to get worse.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at julie.pragnell@granderie.ca!

-Mrs. Pragnell

p.s. If you haven’t returned the Skate-a-thon consent form yet, please consider doing so. You don’t have to go to the Skate-a-thon to help. Ten students from our class have already returned their consent forms to help this important cause. Half of all proceeds go back to our school and the other half goes to help build the Waterford Skateboard Park (beside the Waterford Heritage and Agricultural Museum). Every little bit helps. If you have misplaced the consent form and you need another one, let me know. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Friday, February 8, 2019

We just finished week 21 in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Speeches  – Seven students mustered up the courage to say their speech in front of the class on Friday. I am very proud of them because I know how hard it is and they did it. WOOHOO!!! As we say in class, feel the fear and do it anyways!!! The class enjoyed learning about the many different topics. We heard Edith who spoke about The History of Women’s Rights, Cam who spoke about The HMCS Ojibwa (an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy), Caleb who spoke about Sheep, Austin who spoke about Ohsweken Speedway and his cousin Dylan Westbrook (who races cars at Ohsweken Speedway), Paityn who spoke about Monopoly, Emma who spoke about Life as a Twin, and Ivy who spoke about her Cats. I look forward to hearing the rest of the speeches this week (seven done and seventeen left to go).

Listening Journal – While students are listening to the speeches, they record some of what they are learning in a listening journal. A listening journal is a great way for students to keep focused and record their learning. It’s also a good way for me to know if they are actually listening to the speeches instead of going on mind trips (LoL). There is a lot that can be learned from their classmates and speeches are a good opportunity to learn something new.

Dribblin’ and Shootin’ – We played this game during gym class to practice our dribbling and shooting skills for basketball. It was team odd vs team even and they had to face off against another person to dribble down the court and shoot the ball in the net. They kept taking shots until one of them got it in. The student that got the ball in first, got a point for their team. The score was very close and the competition was tough. Team Even ended up winning. We will see who wins next week when we play again.

Math – Students continued to explore the tenths place and the decimal place (and how it relates to the ones place, tens place, hundreds place, and thousands place). We practiced counting by tenths this week with a hands on activity. We pretended to be the owners of a brand new candy company called, Handy Candy. Whole packs of Handy Candy contain ten pieces of candy so, one piece of candy is one tenth of a whole pack (0.1 or 1/10) and two pieces of candy is two tenths of a whole pack (0.2 or 2/10) ….. and so on. We had a big bin full of candy (pretend candy) and we had to determine how many whole boxes we needed to buy so that we could put the Handy Candy out in stores to sell. After determining how many boxes we would need to buy to pack up our handy candy, students investigated fractions of a whole by exploring the answers to these questions: If Mrs. Pragnell ate five pieces of the whole pack, what fraction of the whole pack did she eat?   (five tenths of the whole pack   or  one half of the whole pack)       AND      If Mrs. Pragnell ate two and a half pieces of the whole pack, what fraction of the whole pack did she eat?    (one quarter of the whole pack)

Research (Reading and Writing) – Students continued researching information for a report they are writing about a Physical Region in Canada. Students are researching one of six physical regions: Cordillera, Arctic, Appalachian, Interior Plains, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, or Canadian Shield. Students are using reliable sources to read, research, and write their non-fiction report. Some of the sub-topics include: Climate, Physical Features, Natural Resources, and Industries.

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

 

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

I can’t believe we have another day off. That being said, it is still very icy out there. There is so much ice on my car, sidewalk, and trees. It’s crazy.

I just wanted to update everyone about speeches. The students who were supposed to say their speech today (Thursday) will say it tomorrow instead. The rest of the schedule will stay the same.

It’s a good day for students to practice saying their speech (in between all of the other fun stuff they’re doing, of course).

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns. My email is: julie.pragnell@granderie.ca.

-Mrs. Pragnell

 

 

I had to make a couple of changes to the Feb. calendar so I am re-sending it. I just had to change some of the names for speeches as they were on the wrong date. Thanks, Mrs. Pragnell

Friday, February 1, 2019

We just finished week 20 in portable 2. Here is a glimpse of what we were up to:

Speech Writing Homework – Students just finished week 4 of our speech writing homework. During week 4, students were to write their speech on cue cards and practice saying it in front of an audience. Any audience that is available (stuffed animals, pets, mom, sister, dad, picture on the wall, mirror). We learned a lot about what it means to use our speaking skills to communicate with an audience this past week. For example, speaking at the right speed, volume, and with the right amount of expression. We also talked about using proper posture and the importance of looking up at your audience when you’re speaking to them. It’s okay to look down at your cue cards some of the time but there should be a balance between glancing at your cue cards and looking at your audience.

Exploring Kindergarten Mazes – We visited Mrs. Butler and Mrs. Horvath’s Kindergarten class this past week to explore a world of mazes. Here are some pictures of our time there:

Fiction Expository Writing and The Sharing Stage – The students seem to really enjoy writing Fiction Expository. Fiction Expository is writing that informs the audience about something that didn’t actually happen or things that don’t actually exist (even though parts might be true). This is such a creative class. Each student gets up on our sharing stage once a week to share their writing and they sure make the audience laugh with their creative ideas. The student’s confidence is growing each week as they get up on that sharing stage. It’s really impressive to see how far they have come since we started sharing. We watched two videos on Youtube to really hit the idea home of what fiction expository writing is. One video is called, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and the other video is called, The House Hippo.

Math – We learned how to round numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand. We also started learning how to count by fractions. These are math goals that are added to our “Working with Numbers” booklets that we work in everyday.

Health – Mme Kerwin taught the class about Netiquette, Cyber-bullying, and Password Safety this past week. A very important topic this day and age.

February Calendar – The February Calendar will come home on Monday, February 4th.

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