Stories to Enjoy

We had a long assembly this morning. Students were recognised for being knowledgeable. Congratulations to Braeden for being selected by his class mates as being a knowledgeable student and to Maria for being selected for being knowledgeable in French. Congratulations Maria and Braeden. Kappa hosted this morning's house game. Each house was represented by  a team of students. This team had to participate in a relay race that included hopping, scoring a soccer goal, and crab walking. It was very exciting to watch this race and houses cheered their team on exuberantly. We heard that Zeta remains in the lead for the house game despite Kappa winning 200 000 Kappa points - thanks to Mr. Monaghan's excellent crab walking this morning.

Instead  of heading back to class, we visited Ms. Chin's grade 6 class, who were presenting their summative projects for their inquiry unit on government. Grade 4 students visited group displays and asked questions of the grade 6s. The grade 6s then presented their persuasive speeches accompanied by slide shows. We all enjoyed their presentations. Grade 4s then completed a secret ballot to vote for the group they was most persuasive.

Back in class it was time for French.

In language, we wrote our list 15 spelling test. Tests are coming home today. We continued working on using our senses to be descriptive in our writing. Today we spent time generating synonyms for given words  like walk (trot, skip, trudge, etc.) and appreciated the different imagery the words caused in our minds.

In math, students worked on reviewing data management concepts. They are bringing home the package we worked on in class today.

In arithmetic, students wrote a test.

We ended the day reading to our SK Reading Buddies. Each grade 4 student is bringing home a copy of the a book we made with the final story everyone wrote for their inquiry unit. We took our books to our reading buddy time, and grade 4s read their own and their friends' stories to their reading buddies. Look out for this book coming home today.

Students attended gym today.

 Homework & Reminders:

• Sign spelling tests
• Study MMS for Monday's test
• Report Cards are coming home today
• Parent-Teacher Conference appointment times are coming home today
• Look out for a letter about Tennis and Squash After-School Program

 

Streetsville Library

The grade 3s and 4s visited Streetsville Library today. Librarian Sandy read snippets from many different genres for the SJA students. She left us wanting to know what happens next with each excerpt she read. After her reading, students had the opportunity to explore the library and take out books.

 

Back in class we dedicated a big block of time to a math lesson where we used a table to solve a complex word problem. We practiced this strategy a couple as a class and then students worked independently to show that they can successfully use this strategy on their own. There will be a question like this on Monday's test.

In arithmetic, students worked on review work.

In language, students worked on writing a descriptive paragraph with a focus on using their senses. We reread E. B. White's "The Pond", and discussed the imagery created n our minds, and the sentences that appealed to our senses of sight, touch, and hearing. Students then used the writing process to brainstorm ideas of topics that they are familiar with and would be comfortable writing about. They chose one of these topics to focus on and listed sensory inspired ideas. They used these ideas to write a paragraph beginning with a topic sentence, followed by developing sentences. We did not have time to complete spelling today, due to our library trip and extra long math strategy lesson.

 

Homework & Reminders

• Review list 15 spelling words for tomorrow's test
• MMS - Study for Monday's test
• Arithmetic p. 85 & 96

Conducting a Survey

We learned how to conduct a survey in math today. We followed these steps. Check how many of these steps your child can remember:

1. Choose a topic

2. Compose a question

3. Generate 4 possible answers/options to your question

4. Predict the most and the least expected answer to your question

5. Create a chart to collect your data (in tally marks)

6. Conduct the survey

7. Create a bar graph to show your results

8. Make statements about your results and compare them to your prediction

Later in the day, we used Microsoft Excel to create pictographs of data. It was frustrating at first, but after a few tries, everyone felt very comfortable with the steps required. Ask your child to explain to you how to create pictographs in Excel.

In arithmetic, students learned to add and subtract mixed numbers. They understand that a fraction is a smaller place value than the ones place because it is part of a whole and should be added and subtracted first when solving these problems.

In language, students continued working on their list 15 spelling words. We continued writing using our senses to create imagery in our minds. Students listened to each other's writing and were inspired by ideas of their classmates. We read E. B. White's "The Pond" to appreciate the way a master writer uses senses to create imagery in the reader's mind.

In our inquiry time, we reflected on our favourite part of the storytelling unit. Students drew and wrote about a part of this unit that was their favourite. They also reflected on how they were inquirers during this unit. We also spent time working on our IB Portfolios and organising our storage binders.

 Homework & Reminders

• Review list 15 spelling words
• MMS p. 86 & 87
• Arithmetic p. 83 & 84
• Remember your library card (if applicable for you) for tomorrow's trip to Streetsville Library

Author Cecile Marie Visits SJA

We began our day with a math lesson. We learned about and practiced drawing bar graphs. Ask your child what 6 components should be included in a bar graph. Once we completed drawing bar graphs on grid paper, we used Microsoft Excel to construct bar graphs. Students had fun making their bars different colours.

 

In arithmetic, students learned how to read mixed numbers, and how to write mixed numbers for pictures that represent mixed numbers.

As part of our Storytelling inquiry unit, Author Cecile Marie visited our school today. She told students what she did to become an author and why she did it. Students had the opportunity to ask her questions about being an author and purchase her book.

 

In language, students practiced working with list 15 spelling words. We also practiced using our senses of observation with a focus on the 5 senses to make our writing more interesting.

Students attended art and gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Review list 15 words
• MMS p. 84 & 84
• Arithmetic p. 81 & 82
• Remember to return your trip form if you haven't already
• Tomorrow is Casual Day. You can earn extra points for your house if  you wear a soccer jersey.

Pictographs

As usual, we began our school day with a math lesson. Today we focused on drawing pictographs. Students had to consider the range of the data and decide on appropriate correspondence for the symbol in their key. Typically, we let the symbol represent 1, 2, 4, 5, or 10 at the grade 4 level. They had to remember to include an axis, symbols, labels, and a title in their pictograph.

In arithmetic, students subtracted fractions where there is a common denominator. Ask your child what it means when we say that fractions have common denominators.

In our inquiry time, we took time to reflect on our learning during our Communities unit. Students reflected on how they showed the attributes of an inquirer. They then took time to select work samples to include in their IB portfolios. Students also worked on their report card comments for term 1. Report cards are coming home on Friday.

In language, students worked on list 15 spelling words. They also wrote a language test.

Students were treated to a fire safety presentation by the Mississauga Fire Department today. We all learned something new. Your child is bringing home a brochure with information about home smoke detectors.

 

Look out for after-care programs letter and Scholastic order forms also coming home today.

Tomorrow we are being treated to an author visit. Cecile Marie will be talking to us about writing. Students will have an opportunity to purchase an autographed copy of her book. The cost is $10. Half of all purchases will be donated back towards the St. Jude's library.

 Homework & Reminders

• Review list 15 spelling words
• MMS p. 82 & 83
• Arithmetic p. 79 & 80
• After-School Programs letter
• Scholastic orders - due Friday
• $10 to purchase Cecile Marie's book tomorrow
• Return trip forms for our library visit this Thursday

Run-About

Grade 4s began their day with a spelling test. These tests are coming home today. We spent class time working on our Polar Expressions entry form, where students completed the "About the Author" section. We finished up our language review and students are ready for their language test on Monday. Language books are coming home for those who would like to review over the weekend.

In our inquiry unit, students have completed all parts of their story project. Next week, we will compile a class book of stories.

In math, we learned about reading data from circle graphs. Ask your child if a circle graphs tell the numbers that are represented. Students practiced using fractions to describe sectors in a circle graph.

In arithmetic, students learned to add fractions where there is a common denominator.

Students attended French, art, and gym class today.

 Homework  & Reminders:

• Sign spelling tests
• Email me you Community Prezi or print out a copy for me - we are working on our portfolios next week.
• MMS p. 80 & 81
• Arithmetic p. 77 & 78
• Trip letters are coming home today
• Language books are coming home. Use them to prepare for Monday's language test

Carter treated Mr. Fluffy to a Run-About Ball. Everybody enjoyed watching him. It caused a bit of excited running around in the classroom.

Pictographs and Bar Graphs

Our day began with a lesson on pictographs and bar graphs in math. Students studied examples of these graphs and their components. Ask your child what needs to be included in a bar graph and a pictograph. Students read data from these graphs and answered questions about them. They know how to give a higher level answer by finding the differences in graphs.

In arithmetic, students worked on review work.

In language, students completed their work on list 14 spelling words. They also completed review exercises on letter writing, capitalization rules, quotation marks, and underlining. Students will be writing a language test on Monday, Nov. 25. Language books will come home tomorrow.

The rest of our class time was spent on our summative project for our storytelling unit. The finish line is now in sight. Everybody has typed up the good copy of their story and given it one more edit. Many students were illustrating their stories today. This is an activity that most are enjoying. We have wonderful artists in our class. Some students are still working on their About the Author write up and their story dedication.

Students attended French and gym class today.

 

Homework and Reminders

·         Review list 14 words for tomorrow's spelling test

·         MMS p. 78 & 79

·         Arithmetic p. 75 & 76

·         Return the Polar Expressions Form if you haven't already

·         Language test on Monday, November 25

Data Management

In math we began a new unit on data management. We reviewed concepts that were covered in grade 3 and began our first lesson on reading data in tables.  Students examined information in tables and answered questions relating to the information. We discussed a grade 4 level answer compared to a grade 3 or 1 level answer. Students know that it is important to compare the information in tables when prompted to say what the table tells them. This often involves subtracting to find the difference between values in a table.

In arithmetic, students learned to estimate the quotient when the divisor ends in a 1, 2, 3, or 4.

In language, students worked on their list 14 spelling words and spent time reviewing capitalization rules and commas.

In our storytelling unit, students continued working on the good copy of their story. Students were typing, illustrating, and editing their good copy. Others were writing the About the Author segment or working on their dedication.

Students attended French, art, and gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Review list  14 spelling words in preparation for Friday’s spelling test
• MMS p. 76 & 77
• Arithmetic p. 73 & 74
• Return the completed Polar Expressions form if you haven’t already
• Return Parent-Teacher Conference request forms if you haven’t already
• Sign and return all tests coming home today
• Some students who spent extra class time typing their story good copy are bringing home their spelling and language class work as they did not have time to get done in class. (Spelling p. 58 & 59, Language p. 62 & 63)Do as much as you can at home, but don’t stress if you don’t get done.

 

Hamlet

Students began their day writing a unit test to show what they understand about multiplication and division.

In language, students continued working on list 14 spelling words. They also wrote a friendly letter to show what they understand about letter writing.

We spent the rest of our class time working on our story telling unit. Students are at various stages of the writing process: writing a revised second copy, editing, typing a good copy, writing about the author, and illustrating a good copy.

Mr. Fluffy spent some time with students during lunch time today. Everyone was thrilled at the opportunity to hold him.

 

We ended the day with a sneak preview of the grade 5-8 dress rehearsal of Hamlet. We all enjoyed the performance. Please invite family and friends to this evening's performance at 7 pm. It is free.

Students are bringing home a Polar Expressions Writing Competition entry form. Students need only complete their personal information and sign the form. We will complete the rest of the form at school. Students will select one of their writing pieces from the storytelling unit to submit to the competition. Students are also bringing home a letter regarding Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please look for these letters in your child's agenda.

Students attended gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Review list 14 spelling words
• Complete and return Polar Expressions Competition form
• Parent-Teacher Conference letters are coming home today - Conferences take place on Dec. 5

Remainders as Fractions

      Today we started off with the math makes sense review of multiplication and division. Everyone managed to finish. The students attended french and art after that.

      The students finished writing their stories during storytelling. Some of the kids even finished their typed copy.

      They did a page of language, which was review; a new list of spelling, and agendas. In arithmetic they learned about how you can use remainders as fractions.

 by Rachel P.

Students are bringing home a multiplication and division review package that they worked on today. Spelling was list 14 words: Spell words in which the final consonant of the base word is doubled when ed, er or ing is added: beginning, humming, dropped, sitting, slipping, joggers, grabbing, bobbing, tripped, padded, skimming, scrubbing, winners, outfitted, wrapped, clapping, dragging, chatting, quitter, trimmer

Homework & Reminders:

• Review list 14 spelling words
• MMS - Study for tomorrow's unit test on multiplication and division
• Arithmetic p. 71 & 72
• Come and support our middle school as the perform Shakespeare's Hamlet

Postcards

We began our day with our list 13 spelling test. Students are bringing these tests home today. Please take time to review it with your child. Also in language, students learned the purpose of writing postcards. The showed their understanding by writing and addressing two postcards. Students wrote a quiz showing what they have learned about letter writing so far.

Math was the next order of the day. The MMS textbook suggested short division as another strategy for division. One day is not enough time to master short division. It is suggested that students use long division as they have been practicing in their arithmetic books to solve division problems where short division is called for.

In arithmetic, students wrote a quiz. There is no arithmetic class work or homework assigned for this weekend.

As a treat and conclusion to our novel study of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory we watched the new movie version starring Johnny Depp. Students noticed many similarities but also differences between the book and the movie.

We ended the day reading with our SK reading buddies.

 Homework & Reminders

• Sign spelling test
• MMS p. 74 & 75

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Revising

As usual we began our day with math. We solved division problems where the dividend was a bigger number. Students were expected to solve the problem using pictures. We used Base Ten Block pictures to show our work.

In arithmetic, students learned how to do long division where the divisor is a 2-digit number.

In our inquiry unit on story writing, students continued working on their final project for this unit. Some are still writing the first draft of their story. Some are revising some of the big ideas of their stories. Those who took the easy way out in solving the problem in their story were challenged to come up with a better ending. Some students are editing their second draft. Others have begun typing up the good copy of their story.

In language, students finished up working on list 13 spelling words. In language, students learned the correct way to address envelopes when sending letters.

Students attended French, art, and gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Review list 13 spelling words for tomorrow's spelling test
• MMS p. 72 & 73, Unit test on Tues, Nov. 19
• Arithmetic p. 69 & 70
• Photo orders and payments are due Mon, Nov. 18
• Author Cecile Marie is visiting our school on Nov. 26 at 10 am. Families are welcome to join
• Hamlet performance on Nov 19, at 7 pm by grade 5-8 students - all are welcome

Writing a First Draft

We began our day with math. We solved division problems where there is a remainder. We used pictures as a strategy to solve problems. We also used multiplication facts and skip counting to solve problems. Students understand that there are times when it is better to draw a picture than to write a division fact.

In arithmetic, students worked on revision.

In language, we continued working on letter writing. Today we read about the reasons for writing a thank-you note and we read examples of poor and excellent thank-you notes. Students contributed to a T-Chart comparing the form of a friendly letter to that of a thank-you note. Students practiced writing thank-notes in the correct form. They also worked on their list 13 spelling words.

In our inquiry unit, we reviewed the expectations for their summative storytelling project. Students are on track to complete this task on time. Students worked on using yesterday's brainstorm and story web organiser to write a first draft of their story.

Students attended French and gym class today.

Homework and Reminders

• Review list 13 spelling words
• MMS p. 70 & 71, Unit test on Nov. 19
• Arithmetic p. 67 & 68
• Photo orders and payment due Nov. 18
• Grade 5  and up perform Hamlet on Tues, Nov. 19 at 7 pm
• Author visit on Nov. 26 at 10 am ($10 buys a signed book) - families welcome

Mr. Fluffy!

There was a wonderful surprise waiting in the classroom for the grade 4 students - a hamster for a class pet. We are giving our hamster a week to get used to us, our noise and smells before we handle him. Students voted on a name, and our pet is now called Mr. Fluffy. Next week, students will have turns feeding him and cleaning his cage.

 

Math began our week. We worked on dividing by numbers 1 to 9. We practiced drawing arrays to solve division problems. Students wrote all the related facts for a given multiplication or division fact.

In arithmetic, we learned how to find the fraction of a group. For example, 1/4 of 20. Students know that the denominator tells them how many groups to make and the numerator tells them how many groups to count.

In our inquiry unit, students were given the final project for the unit. They are writing a fictional story on a genre and topic of their choice. Today they decided on their topic and genre. They provided evidence of planning by recording their brainstorm and by completing a story web graphic organiser to organise their brainstorm.

In language, we continued learning about the correct form for letter writing. Students also worked on list 13 spelling words.

Students attended French, gym, and art today.

Homework and Reminders:

• Review list 13 spelling words
• MMS p. 68 & 69, Test on Nov. 19
• Arithmetic p. 65 & 66
• December lunch order forms are coming home today
• Photo payments are due Nov. 18

Remembrance Day Assembly

We began the division part of our math unit this morning. We used arrays to divide a number of objects into rows with equal numbers of objects. The students understand that division is equal sharing. They then worked to write division facts for arrays and draw arrays for given division facts. Students wrote fact families, and use these facts to solve other problems, including word problems.

Next up was our Remembrance Day Assembly. We watched video clips that helped us understand why we take the time to think of our country and the soldiers that gave their lives. The grade 4s sang John McCrae's "In Flanders Field" in their most beautiful voices. All St. Jude's students then wrote a postcard to a soldier or veteran, sharing their thoughts with them. We ended the assembly with a moment of silence.

Back in class, we worked on language. Students wrote their list 11 spelling test. Tests are coming home today. We also finished our review of capitalization rules and began looking at letter writing. To show what they already know about letter writing, students wrote a friendly letter to a friend telling them what we have been doing and learning at school.

Students finished up working on their fractured fairy tale with their partner. We are looking forward to sharing these tales with the class soon. Children did a good job of doing a fair share of the work.

 

 

Students attended gym class today.

We are excited to announce that St. Jude's Academy is going to be hosting an author visit for SJA students and their families!  Cecile Marie, a children's book author, will be visiting us on November 26th at 10am to share her stories, answer questions and sell her latest books.  Parents and family members are welcome and encouraged to join us for this fun event.  Cecile Marie's books will be for sale at the end of her talk for $10.  Half of the proceeds of the sale of her books on that day, will be donated to SJA for the purchase of books for our own school library.  Purchasing her books is optional and not a requirement of attending the author talk.   We look forward to seeing SJA grade 3 families out on the 26th!

Homework & Reminders

• Sign spelling tests
• MMS p. 66 & 67
• Tomorrow is a PD Day for teachers - no school for students
• Monday is Remembrance Day - there is no school

Productive Pupils

I am proud of my grade 4s. I was late to school this morning because of an appointment. They children knew what to do. The got together with their partner and began working on their fractured fairy tales. When I checked on their progress, I discovered that all had completed their brainstorm and story web. Some had even begun writing the first draft of their tale. Not a moment of time was wasted. Well done everyone!

In language, students worked on completing their list 11 spelling words review. They also worked on reviewing and practicing capitalization rules.

In math we had a strategy lesson. The children are always happy when we have strategy lessons, because they know they have no math homework that day. We used different strategies to solve tricky word problems. Acting out, drawing a picture, and making charts were strategies we used today.

In arithmetic, we did review work on fractions and multiplying 3-digit factors.

Look out for photos and after care statements coming home today.

Students attended French, art, and gym class today.

Homework and Reminders:

• Review list 11 spelling words for tomorrow's spelling test
• Language p. 50 & 51 (If you did not get done in class)
• Arithmetic p. 61 & 62
• School pictures are coming home today
• Some children are bringing child-care statements home today
• Wear a poppy for tomorrow's Remembrance Day Assembly
• Friday is a PD Day for teachers - no school for students
• Monday is Remembrance Day - no school

Fairy Tales

Today's math lesson was about strategies for multiplying a 2-digit factor by a 1-digit factor. Thanks to our arithmetic practice, students were very comfortable with this work. We took time to show this multiplication as an array using Base Ten Blocks.

In arithmetic, we learned about fractions. Students named the digits in a fraction, and took time to understand what the numerator and denominator represent. They wrote fractions to represent given figures, and drew figures to represent given fractions.

In language, students continued with their work on list 11 spelling words. We also continued with capitalization rules. Today's rules were:

• initials
• title of a person when it comes before a name

In our storytelling unit, students used the story webs they made yesterday to write a friendship story. They tried to begin the story with hook  such as a dialogue tag to draw the reader in. When students completed their stories they asked a buddy to proofread their work and then made the appropriate changes.

We did not have French today as Mme. Blanco was away. We used this time to continue with our storytelling unit. Students brainstormed the attributes of a fairy tale and came up with an impressive list. They then listened to Mrs. Haag's version of "The Three Little Pigs". We then read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka. Students appreciated how the story came across differently depending on whose perspective it was told from. We then had a class discussion about the plot of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and followed up this tale with another perspective "Giant and the Beanstalk". We will use what we learned today in tomorrow's story telling unit. Ask your child if they have thought which fairy tale they want to work on tomorrow.

Students who had memorised the "Remember" poem recited the poem to the class. Our class is planning a small last minute presentation for our school's Remembrance Day assembly this Thursday. Students are asked to have wear a poppy on that day. Bring an extra poppy if you can.

We ended the day with a chapter from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Students attended gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Review list 11 spelling words
• MMS p. 64 & 65
• Language p. 48 & 49 (if you did not get done in class)
• Arithmetic p. 61 & 62
• Friday is a PD Day for teachers - there is no school for students
• Wear a poppy on Thursday

Estimating Products

We used estimating to find products in math today. Students used rounding to estimate. They also used the patterns for multiplying by multiples of 10 after rounding numbers. They worked with word problems, clearly showing their thinking.

In arithmetic, students have begun working on multiplying a 3-digit factor by a 3-digit factor. We discussed how important it is to keep digits in their place-value column, and to draw a line through regrouping/carrying numbers when they are done with them.

In language, students worked on list 11 spelling words. This week's selling test will be on Thursday, as Friday is a PD Day. We continued learning about capitalization rules. Today students capitalized:

• words in a title
• proper nouns
• times to capitalise words such as Mother, Grandfather
• names referring to God and the Bible

In our storytelling unit, we enjoyed a book called Art's Supplies by Chris Tougas. We enjoyed the humour and they way the book made us think. There were many puns for us to analyse and think closely about. Students worked with a partner to write interesting examples of dialogue. We reviewed the elements and genres of storytelling, and some of the skills we have been working on. Students were then challenged to write a friendship story using everything we have learned so far. We read an example of a friendship story and discussed what was lacking. The story we read did not have much of a problem. Students worked on a story web organiser for their friendship story.

Students attended French, gym, and art class today.

Homework & Reminders:

·         Review list 11 spelling words - test is on Thursday

·         MMS p. 62 & 63

·         Language p. 46 & 47

·         Arithmetic p. 59 & 60

·         Friday is a PD Day for teachers - there is no school for students

Novel in a Day

Sorry for the late post on our Friday.

Students began the day writing their list 10 spelling test. This test along with MMS, language, and arithmetic tests went home with students. Please take the time to review the tests with your child, sign them, and return them to school on Monday.

In language, we began a new unit on capitalization rules. Some of the rules were new to students, but others they are already familiar with. Students practiced capitalising:

• the first word of every sentence and direct quotation
• the word I
• the days of week
• the months of the year
• the first word in a line of poetry
• holidays and special days

In math, we used patterns to multiply by 1, 10, 100, and 1000. Students used a calculator at first to help them see the patterns. Once they were familiar with the patterns, they worked without calculators to multiply. Most students used class time to complete their textbook exercises and homework.

In our story telling unit, students participated in an activity called Novel in a Day, which Ms. Tackaberry taught the teachers on one of our Professional Development Days. We read a mystery novel called The Ninth Nugget. Each student had the job of reading and summarising one of the book's chapters. It was strange reading only one chapter, not knowing what had happened before or after a chapter. Each student then shared what happened in their chapter, and all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The book is now on our class bookshelf for those who would like to read it in its entirety.

Before we ended the day reading with our SK reading buddies, we headed to the kitchen to try our pumpkin pie. Some students loved the pie and had more than one piece, others didn't care for it much and in to the garbage it went, others didn't try it at all. I guess pumpkin pie isn't for everybody, but it was fun making it.

Students attended French and gym class today.

Homework & Reminders

• Sign, review, and return all tests coming home today
• MMS p. 60 & 61 (for those who did not get done in class)
• Scholastic order forms are coming home today for those who would like to order - cheques and order forms are due on Thursday
• Remember that our parking lot repaving is due to begin on Monday morning - please allow extra time to find parking on the street or drop your child off at the front of the building Kiss and Ride style
• Monday is the last day for the candy drive
• Friday, Nov. 8 is a PD Day for teachers. There is no school for students
• Monday, Nov. 11 is Remembrance Day - there is no school