Blog Number 2:  

First a picture of our Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving art!

  In Science we are almost finished our unit on forces. We will do a project in class, on forces of nature. Students need to bring pictures of the force of nature that they chose. They also will need to know enough about their force to tell how it happens, what kind of damage it causes, where it happens and any other interesting information. They can tell about a particular event such as Hurricane Isaac. It will be done during class, not at home, so that I can evaluate how well the students work on their posters.

 Students can prepare for a test by reviewing what forces do, knowing the 5 forces we covered and being able to tell a little about each. We are also answering problem questions that ask what forces are used in a particular situation: Example: A baseball player hits a run to first base and slides in and touches the base. (Muscular force hits the ball, the ball will now be pushed in the opposite direction, it will fly in an arc falling to the ground because of gravity where it might be caught and stopped by another player. Muscular force will be used to run to first base and friction will slow the player down as he/she slides to first.)

 Here are some pictures as we explored the force of magnetism.

In Math we are working on patterning which a very important topic. We are looking at number patterns and patterns in geometric shapes. A number pattern could look like this: 13,18,23,28, ___,____,____ . Students need to figure out the pattern and then continue it. They may use a number line, tape measure or hundred chart to help if they find it difficult to simply add or subtract. We will work with calculators next week. A trickier question would be to choose the correct answer from 4 choices.  This sample is taken right from last year's EQAO test.

 Look at the growing pattern below.
3, ___, ___, ___, 19

The pattern goes up by the same
number each time.
What are the missing numbers?
0 4, 5, 6
0 6, 9, 12
0 7, 11, 15
0 8, 13, 18

When we look at geometric patterns we talk about attributes that can be changed. The size, shape, colour or position of a shape can be changed. Patterns are described and continued.


 




















































Next week we will do activities on awareness of bullying. Our school is focusing on the upstander. That is the person who sees something happening and is proactive rather than passive. This person may speak up and tell someone to stop their negative behaviour or they may tell an adult what is happening to another student. We have already talked about bullying and inappropriate behaviour but next week it will be a focus. We will use picture books and role play to learn how to handle situations where one or more people are not treating someone else with respect.

We will also stress the difference between bullying and peer conflicts. We will learn if it is tattling or telling.

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Please continue to read every night with your child. If they are an independent reader, taking some time to ask questions will help your child voice their ideas. If your child needs help, they can read aloud for you and answer questions.
                                                  
We are working on the features of non-fiction: main topic, subtopics, captions, glossary, index, text boxes etc... and how they help us as readers. We are going to begin making connections with non-fiction also. Which facts do you connect with? Does this make you think of something else? How do you feel about this information? What questions do you still have?

Finally, here he group collection of the Thanksgiving and Hallowe'e art nthat we posted. Enjoy!