Mrs. Pols' Fantastic Fours

This week, our focus in writing has been on procedural writing where the students worked to think through and write clear, detailed instructions. We introduced this style of writing by having the students collaborate with a partner to write the steps required to make a jam sandwich. Partners then shared their writing while I completed the steps. They quickly learned how it was important be be clear and specific. Writing, "smear jam all over the bread" gave a very different result than "spread the jam evenly on the top of one slice of bread". As I did the steps exactly as the students had written, we had quite the mess when the jam was smothered all over the bread! The students did a fantastic job collaborating with their partners. We then introduced the skill of adding sequencing words such as first, next, then and finally to help to write their ideas in a logical order. Next week, the students will continue to work on procedural writing connected to Halloween. Next...

This week, we had a wonderful first walking trip to Fish Creek. We lucked out with the weather and had a crisp yet beautiful morning to explore the park. We began by finding a spot that we felt connected and using our senses to draw a view of the landscape in front of us. Next, we found a plant that we were drawn to and practised looking closely as we made a sketch of the details of the plant. We then went on a short walk, looking for animals and evidence of animals. We found a variety of signs including scat, a birds nest, pieces of animal fur, feathers, a beaver dam and trees that had been taken down by beavers. The students were surprised at the amount of evidence of animals so close to home. Learning Outcomes: I can demonstrate respect when interacting with plants and animals in local environments. I can look for evidence of animals (footprints, fur, trails, etc.) Questions to ask your child: What signs of animals did you notice on the trip? What did you choose to sketch?

This week, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to take part in Seed Survivor's mobile classroom presentation. The program's goal is to educate students about plants and the importance of agriculture. The students had the chance to explore a variety of multi-media and virtual reality games on plants and agriculture. They investigated a variety of sands, soils and clays, learning how they impact plant growth. Students also learned about some of the different uses of plants and animals. The students were surprised to learn that a byproduct of corn can be found in diapers. We were most excited to have the opportunity to plan our own sunflower microgreens to bring home. The students learned to place their greens in a sunny location and give them a tablespoon of water each day. After two weeks, they should have sunflower microgreens to enjoy! Learning Outcomes: I can understand that plants can detect sensory stimuli, such as light, temperature, and touch, which help them grow a...

It is hard to believe that it is already October. Time is flying by! This week we continued our work in  Science learning about animals and how they sense and respond to their environments to support their growth and survival. First, the students researched the different sensory organs of wolves. They then partnered with a classmate, selected one sensory organ and worked together to create a Google Slide to represent their learning. The students enjoyed experimenting with different features including adding text boxes, photographs and changing backgrounds and fonts. We then pieced the slides together to create small group slide shows that were shared with the larger group. The students are excited to extend these skills as they begin their own slide shows next week. We connected out learning in Science to English Language Arts and Literature as we learned about writing paragraphs that include a topic and concluding sentence. The students then took the information they learned durin...