February 3rd to February 7th

In English Language Arts, the students have been engaged in experimenting with words and figurative language as they write a variety of poems. First, we looked at similes and the students wrote poems about themselves. The students showed wonderful creativity in representing themselves with ideas such as:

I am as artistic as Vincent Van Gogh, letting my brush glide across the page.

My legs are as long as the tallest tree trunk, still growing to this day.

I am as emotional as stormy clouds, crying when someone is mad at me.

My imagination is like a tornado, always spinning ideas.

Do you recognize your child in any of the similes?

Next, we learned about metaphors and wrote poems about our families, capturing the qualities of the people and animals we love. The students had a great time thinking about how they could best represent everyone with a variety of unique ideas such as:

My family is a strong tree, with roots binding us together.

My mom is a wooden spoon, mixing all kinds of foods to make delicious meals.

My family is a colourful garden, helping each other grow.

My mom is a butterfly, always fun and taking us on adventures.

Do you see yourself, your family or any of your family members in any of the metaphors?

Next week, we will be learning about personification and creating poems to represent a favourite or important place. The students will be putting their poems together to create a personal book of poetry, creating illustrations to represent their poems.

Learning Outcomes:

I can investigate figurative language used in imaginative ways.

I can examine how a variety of poetic structures contribute to the creative expression of ideas.

I can experiment with creating verse and free verse.

I can vary my word choice to appeal to an audience.

Questions to ask your child:

How are similes different from metaphors? Can you share an example?

What are some of the similes and metaphors you included in your poem?

What poem are you most proud of so far?

Comments

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.

June 9th to June 13th

This week, we were so excited to have the opportunity to learn a little about Canada's National Summer Sport with our lacrosse residency with Coach Dan from Elev8 Lacrosse . We then learned and practiced some of the basics including how to hold the stick, pick up and cradle the ball as well as tossing and catching the ball. We then moved onto passing, catching, aiming the ball and scoring. The students had a fantastic time playing games on our final day, showcasing their skills and their teamwork. A huge thank you to Andrew Sibbald Parent Council for providing this opportunity. Learning Outcomes: I can perform elements of movement when receiving, sending, and retaining an object using various parts of the body and equipment. I can recognize the presence and influence of diverse Aboriginal peoples as inherent to Alberta’s culture and identity.

June 2nd to June 6th

Over the past few weeks the students have been learning all about the early days of our province. They looked at texts, learning about the Fur Trade, Voyageurs and the development of Forts along the rivers and how this brought change to the West. The students read and discussed the development of the North West Mounted Police and the extension of the railway. We learned how the government encouraged European immigration to Western Canada. We examined a variety of advertising posters, discussing the audience they were targeting, the accuracy of the posters and why people would want to leave their country and call Canada home. Our trip to Heritage Park was a fantastic culmination of our learning. The students had opportunities to get a glimpse of what life used to be like in our province. They were able to visit tipis, a blacksmith shop and a Fort where they could examine examine animal pelts. They were able to explore trains and a variety of buildings from a soddie to an early farmhouse...

Mrs. Pols' Fantastic Fours

Search This Blog