February

Français: Students are working on further developing reading strategies, including self-correcting.  They are working on asking themselves "does it look right, sound right, and make sense?".   I continue to meeting with students individually and in small groups to concentrate on strategies they require.  We continue to work on non-fiction writing (opinion and fact based) by approaching the topic "should there be zoos?".  Students continue moving through the brainstorming phase, into planning and the writing of their rough draft, and finishing with some self-editing for conventions and ideas.  We continue to focus on a strong beginning and ending, dividing ideas into paragraphs, and expanding ideas by adding details and several examples. 

English Language Arts: In English we are working on some projects related to the story of Kai.  This is a very interesting unit for students as we explore the text together and students choose various ways to respond to the text through reading, writing, and speaking activities (ie. character interviews, photo albums, comic strips, book posters, maps, etc.).  We have also been discussing some elements of African heritage in order to support the text and have also explored some Black history in the US through stories such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriett Tubman, and Rosa Parks.

Math: In math we continue our unit on multiplication.  Students are becoming familiar with the different meanings of multiplication and are practicing multiplying by 0,1,2,5, and 10.

Science: We are continuing our unit on materials and structures.  We are exploring what shapes and materials make for solid structures.  Students are experimenting and testing shapes and materials of different structures to identify what works best, and are also connecting these ideas to real-world examples. 

Social Studies: We are discussing different types of terrain and bodies of water in Nova Scotia.  We are looking at examples of beaches, mountains, hills, cliffs, valleys, plains, oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, etc.

Health: We are discussing the fact that all friendships sometimes encounter difficulties (ie. disagreements) and how to handle these.  Students are working in groups to identify strategies to help work through conflict.

Visual Arts: We are investigating colour.  We are beginning by looking at primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, and what happens when mixing colours.  We are also working with warm and cool colours to create our own art.  We are also working on examples of African Heritage art, including a whole school craft of bracelets.

What can I practice at home?

-Practice self-correcting when reading

-Addition and Subtraction facts

-Multiplication meanings

-Discuss how to work through conflict with friends

-Discuss what materials and shapes are used in structures in your neighbourhood

-Discuss examples of types of terrain or bodies of water you have visited in Nova Scotia