September 16th to September 20th

In our first weeks of school, the students have been engaged with our first whole class read aloud, A Wolf Called Wander. It is a wonderful book based on the true story of wild wolf who made an extraordinary journey of more than 1 600 kilometers. The book connects beautifully to our first topic in Science where students are learning about animals and how they sense and respond to their environments to support their growth and survival. As we read, the students listened for evidence from the text that showed how wolves grew and survived, recording their ideas on a web.

Next, we learned about the different ways that wolves communicate. We watched videos of wolves communicating through howling, recording our scientific observations. Then, we looked at the different sensory organs of animals, learning how the skin, eyes, ears, nose and tongue help animals to grow and survive. The students worked to read and identify important information on the sensory organs of wolves within a non-fiction text.

We then connected our learning about wolves to art. The students utilized ink pen and watercolour pencil crayons to create their own wolves. They were so proud of their final pieces.

Learning Outcomes:

I can relate sensory organs of animals to their survival.

I can relate the external structures of animals to their functions.

I can compare external structures of animals in relation to function.

Questions to discuss with your child:

What are the sensory organs of animals?

Can you describe some of the sensory organs of wolves and how they help the animal to grow and survive?

What is something else you would like to learn about how wolves grow and survive?

If you were to choose another animal to learn more about, what animal would you choose?

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June 16th to June 20th

It is heard to believe that this was our final week week of the school year. The time has definitely flown past. Despite how close we are to the end of the year, the students have been working incredibly hard his week. We finished up our work in angles in math and the students completed their social studies research on The North West Mounted Police and early settlement in Alberta. Then, they worked to represent their learning in a Google Slideshow. This was a perfect connection to our Western Heritage Day where we enjoyed a pancake breakfast and afternoon of Western themes games with our buddies. We were also incredibly to learn about hoop dancing through a fantastic performance by Jay Genaille.

May 26th to May 30th

The start of our week was full with our final preparations for our Celebration of Learning. The students put the final touches on their food trucks and worked to fold and tape their two dimensional net into their three dimensional truck. The students were so excited to see their trucks come to life. For many, this final step was challenging as they worked to carefully cut and fold their trucks. We then did some work with three dimensional shapes including cubes, cylinders and cones as the students added toppers to their trucks. Students then had the opportunity to create a digital version of their food truck using Canva. They learned that by thinking carefully through their logo elements and describing them with a good amount of detail, they were able to create a digital logo that very closely resembled their hand drawn work. We may have some future graphic designers on our hands! Our Makerspace challenge this week was also connected to our trucks. Students were asked collaborate with ...

May 12th to May 15th

This week, the students continued with their work on their food trucks. The students have been so excited and engaged with this project, many sharing that it is their favourite part of the day. The students worked to apply their understanding of area by designing the interior floor plan of their truck. First, we looked at what items would be necessary to drive, prepare their menu items, store supplies and run their business. Some students needed deep fryers, others grills and some needed ice cream machines. Next, we the students planned out the interiors and designed their floor plans. Students were challenged to design their plans to scale with 1 square cm on the grid paper equivalent to 1 dm in real life. This challenge brought about wonderful critical thinking as the students measured and planned, imagining the amount of space needed to travel within their workspace or how much space was needed in the front of their truck so they would have enough space to sit and reach the gas pedd...

Mrs. Pols' Fantastic Fours

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