Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Wednesday May 31, 2023

 We did some non-fiction reading and writing today. Ask your child about jackals…they should be a fountain of knowledge after our activities!

See note below regarding the carnival in June:

Volunteer for the Woodlands Year End Carnival on Thursday, June 22 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. In order for this event to be a success we need volunteers to man stalls and games etc.

To sign up as a volunteer, please use the link below. 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e48afa82da5fac16-woodlands/135376776#/

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Tuesday May 30, 2023

Since Mrs. Switzer left our school to prepare for the birth of her baby, we have been lucky to have a new teacher, Mr. Camden, teach us PE.  Mr. Camden has been excited to hold gym classes outside in this beautiful weather!  While we miss our lovely Mrs. Switzer, we are also happy to have more time to learn outdoor games and spend time in the fresh air.  

We looked at the long 'e' vowel sound represented in a number of ways today.  Ask your child if they can tell you some words from the '-ee', '-ea' and '-e' categories!


Friday, May 26, 2023

Friday May 26, 2023

We read 3 books by Doreen Cronin in our latest author study.  Diary of a Worm, Diary of a Spider and Diary of a Fly gave us lots of funny facts and ideas about life as a little critter.  Ask your child which one they loved the most and if they can tell you something interesting about that particular creature!

There are no classes for students on Monday, so we will see everyone back at Woodlands on Tuesday May 30th.

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Thursday May 25, 2023

We had a great observation session with the duckling eggs today.  We candled eggs #1, 2, 3 and 4 to check out their development.  We saw moving embryos, lots of veins and dark blobs that we know are part of the sac within the egg.  So exciting!  We sketched and wrote about our observations and all came up with an "I wonder" statement...

"I wonder if the eggs will hatch before Day 28?"

"I wonder if any eggs are duds?"

"I wonder what colour the ducklings will be?"

We are on Day 14 today...half way there!


Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Wednesday May 24, 2023

We have been looking at some vowel combinations in our reading program. Today we focused on a long ‘a’ sound produced by -ay, -ai, and -a. Ask your child if they can tell you some of the words we practiced (eg. snail, play, baby…) and see if you can help them spot them in books or signs around them.

Measurement centres!








Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Tuesday May 23, 2023

Today's math lesson was around measurement.  Students used non-standard units (paper clips, for example) to compare length, and had fun estimating weight and volume using balance scales and a variety of containers.   Measurement is a very fun, hands-on unit in Grade One math!


Friday, May 19, 2023

Friday May 19, 2023

It was wonderful to get outside with the class again for a prolonged morning recess after three days of indoor recesses!  

Enjoy your long weekend, and I look forward to seeing the students back at school on Tuesday May 23rd.

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Thursday May 18, 2023

Room 4 loves their story time. I read a story to them every day, from every genre and it is definitely my favourite part of the day. We have completed a number of author studies, enjoyed non fiction material and are now enjoying our first chapter book read aloud, Stuart Little by E.B. White. This book was written many years ago and only has occasional sketches for illustrations so is very different from what we have read throughout the year. The students are really enjoying it!  Ask your student about Stuart’s challenges as a mouse in a human family!


Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Wednesday May 17, 2023

We observed some informational videos and charts today to see where our eggs should be on Day 6...we plan to candle them on Friday to check their progress and we are excited to see if all eggs are viable!

Our class is creating a Duck Life Cycle bulletin board to document our learning.  Today's task was to make a 3-D egg, paint it with natural colours and then create a nest for it using paper, colouring markers and sticks.  They are so cute!  Ask your child what the important things are to remember in caring for eggs...whether it's a mother duck or an incubator, it's pretty much the same!







Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Tuesday May 16, 2023

We are on Day 5 (officially, starting from the first day we set up our incubator) of our duckling watch.  We discussed the duck life cycle today and know that Day 28 is the big day for potential hatching!  We don't have much to look at at the moment as the eggs need to stay safe inside the incubator, but we are hoping to get a chance to safely 'candle' an egg or two to check out the embryos inside.  Ask your child if they can tell you something interesting about ducks...perhaps about their webbed feet, oily feathers or how their bill is shaped perfectly for filtering out mud!

Monday, May 15, 2023

Monday May 15th, 2023

Did you hear the news?  We are hatching ducklings in Grade One!

We have 7 eggs in our incubator that will stay toasty warm for the next few weeks.  We are hoping that we will have 7 little cuties in our classroom by the middle of June!  Ask your child if they can tell you anything they learned from our Duck Facts video today...

We had our whole school photo taken today, and forms went home with students that can be filled out and returned if you would like to order a copy.


Friday, May 12, 2023

Friday May 12, 2023

Our final walk into Fish Creek Park yesterday was absolutely the best one yet.  We sat in a 'sit spot' to observe the landscape and sketch as many living and non-living things in our viewpoint.  Students were excited to see rose hips, buffalo beans and poplar trees (they are becoming great horticulturalists).



Students went home with their pots of newly-planted sunflowers for their Mother's Day gifts...some seeds have proven to be very late to sprout, so we actually put two more seeds into the pots that have no signs of success yet.  Your child knows that plants need water and sunlight once they get home!  Once the plants are well established you can transfer them into a new planter or into the garden if you wish.  Enjoy, and happy mother's day to all!

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Wednesday May 10, 2023




Finally the thunder held off long enough for us to venture deeper into Fish Creek Park to complete another page in our Walk Along booklet. Today we used 4 senses (no taste, of course!) to record our observations of plants, animals and the environment.  We managed to survive a bit of rain and look forward to our last walk tomorrow. 

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Tuesday May 9, 2023

Well, we made it across the crosswalk to Fish Creek Park before we heard the first rumble of thunder.  We had to make a Plan B quickly, as we didn't want to be caught out in something like yesterday's storm!  We paid a quick visit to our Pet Tree before heading back inside for the last 15 minutes of the day.  Hoping for better weather tomorrow!  Rain is one thing, but lightning is another.

After watching the students let go of umbrellas, poke each other (mostly accidentally), struggle to hold onto umbrellas in the wind, and manage umbrellas that get whipped inside out  (and hold their science clipboards and pencils) we are going to leave umbrellas in the school for our Walk Alongs.  I recommend a rain coat with a hood if you have one instead.  Thank you for understanding.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Monday May 8, 2023

We managed to beat the rain today for the first expedition of our week-long Walk Along to Fish Creek Park!  We spotted many kinds of trees, lots of new growth, some critters and most excitingly, dried up crab apples still dangling from the trees!  We stopped to sketch and label a crab apple tree and enjoyed observing living and non-living things.  Ask your child how the thunder sounded when we heard the first rumble!




We plan to go ahead and venture out each day as planned, unless the rain is really coming down.  Coats with hoods are preferable to umbrellas so we can keep our hands free for writing!


Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Tuesday May 2, 2023

We have been practicing 'doubles' in math.  Quick computation skills like knowing doubles and the friends of ten are helping us count more proficiently.  A fun, quick way to practice doubles is to roll a die and say it's double as quickly as you can...to make an extra challenge, roll the die, add 1, then double it.  Tricky!

I will be away for the next couple of days on a trip to the Kentucky Derby (!), so Mrs. Madsen, who the kids know well, will be our guest teacher.  There won't be a blog for the next few days.  Don't forget that Friday is a non-instructional day!

Monday, May 1, 2023

Monday May 1, 2023

Ms Stacy, our area physiotherapist, visited our classroom today to show us some activities to strengthen our core, use our muscles, and calm our bodies for those times we need movement breaks.  Ask your child if they can demonstrate the side plank! (it's tricky!)

We are using our workshop time to create examples of homes, clothes and transportation from long ago.  The students are able to articulate their understanding of how these things have changed over time through their creations.  





We could use a boost to our box supply...if you have any empty cereal box-sized cardboard lying around, feel free to send it in for our little builders.

Note:  this Friday is a Professional Development day.  No classes for students!


Wednesday June 28, 2023

180 'school days' ago, we started our journey in Grade One together...and now it all wraps up tomorrow with our last day of school! ...