April 3-7, 2017

Our French digraph of focus this week was "eu." We learned more new comptines and I began telling a new oral story, "The Rat Princess." In Writer's Workshop, we compared a very simple story I wrote with my story plan (using the graphic organizer introduced last week). We found that there were many details in my plan that I had failed to include in my story. I showed the kids how to insert sentences (using a *) to add the missing details in their stories.

In reading, we broke down the steps of reading a long, unfamiliar word. We clapped syllables and counted sounds in long words we know already, to clarify the difference between a sound and a syllable. Then we looked at some invented words and tried to read them. I use invented words so that the kids need to rely only on the letter sounds to read them. I showed them how these words were easier to read if we went syllable by syllable, and that the way to identify each syllable is by the vowel(s), which is the heart of each syllable.

In our read alouds, we read with the puppet Le Compte Qui Raconte. The puppet modelled for the students how to retell a story they have just read.

The students also began identifying reading and writing goals for themselves, in consultation with me. With the year end in sight, the students are striving more than ever to improve and setting goals helps them get to their next level. The goals are recorded in a little green folder which they keep in their blue book bags.

We talked more about energy, specifically about how it comes from the sun in so many different ways. We brainstormed everything we know already about energy, and thought of some questions we have about energy. This went up on our new Energy Board.

And then we went to the Ontario Science Centre! What a fascinating day of discovery it was. Thanks so much to the parents who joined us and made the trip possible. The logistics and TTC travel went totally smoothly! Each parent had 4 kids who they supervised while checking out the exhibits. 

After lunch we had a 45 minute program with Liona, who talked about the different forms of energy (light, sound, movement, heat..). She had some cool demonstrations as well as hands-on activities for the kids that had them exploring the ways that energy changes form as well as some basics of electricity.

We followed up that visit by looking at the sources of energy on our Energy Board and discussing what form each source represented (light, heat, movement or sound). Then the kids worked in partners to think up and draw examples of energy transforming from one specific form to another (i.e. movement transforming to sound, etc.). We looked at all these examples together on the carpet.

In math, we had a week focused on symmetry. The kids completed symmetry puzzles, and then made symmetrical shapes by cutting out folded paper.

These math activities prepared them for the art project we began. I showed them how to draw the profile of a vase on a folded piece of paper to produce a symmetrical vase shape. Each student made several attempts at producing a vase form, and then chose their favourite one. 

We'll go back to these next week. Then we reviewed patterns (what makes a pattern?) and I suggested students chose 3 colours of construction paper strips for their vase decoration. The students decorated 10 strips each, which will be applied to their vase shape next week.