Every Wednesday afternoon is Wonder Wednesday where we will explore a question from the website Wonderopolis. I post the question, then students have to create questions before knowing any of the answers. Once we have a set of questions, we read an article to see if we can answer any of the questions we created. We are working towards creating our own individual inquiry question where we will create questions and then research.
On Wednesday, our class travelled back to pioneer times at the Langley Centennial Museum. We learned what life was like as a pioneer child 100 years ago. When asked whether they would prefer to live during pioneer times or present times, most of us said now because the pioneer children had a lot of chores and responsibilities. A few of actually would prefer pioneer times because of the chores they were able to do. We had an opportunity to make butter, chop wood, milk a cow, iron, go to school (a favourite activity), deposit money in the bank and go to the General Store. Click here for more pictures from Mrs. Bainbridge. Lucky us, Mrs. Swerdan came to our room to read us one of the Langley Book Of the Year stories. She read That Is Not A Good Idea. Ask us to tell you about it. It was fun to listen to. We have also read The Day The Crayons Quit and If Kids Ruled the World. So far it is hard to pick a favourite because they are all good.
Once a week, for now, we rotate through Math stations to practise and expand the concepts we are learning in class. This is what is looks like in our room... Students practising place value by matching sets of cards. Looking at a picture that has a lot of math stories in it to create a math question. Then students have to show their thinking through diagrams, a number sentence and conclude with a word sentence with the answer. Practising our basic math facts using one of several apps on our iPads.
On Thursday Ms. Aune from LEPS (Langley Environmental Partners) was back in our classroom to talk about Household Hazardous Products in our home and environment. We learned about the four hazards symbols and identified the dangers that they pose to us and the environment. We looked for these symbols on products that many of us have around our homes. Ms. Aune showed us some chemical free alternatives that are better for the environment and smell good too. She made a cleaner for us to use in the classroom. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it out.
2 cups water 1 cup water 1/2 tsp dish soap 1/2 tsp essential oil Our class has been at the ice rink once a week learning many new skating skills. For some of us it's simply trying to stay upright, others are trying to get that gliding feeling as we learn to move across the ice, and for the others it's improving on skating skills we already have. No matter the skill level, we are having fun!
Our Grade Three students were asked to interview someone they knew from an older generation about their own Grade Three experience. The oldest person interviewed was Olivea's Gran who attended Grade Three in 1932. Some of the things the students learned about Grade Three in the past was that students would walk to school (sometimes for quiet a distance), math was called Arithmetic, and there was a class called Hygiene. We learned that we still have many of the same subjects as our grandparents had, but that today we have iPads and other technology to show our work instead of only paper and pencils. In the Spring our class will have the opportunity to see and participate in a real pioneer classroom. Our class had a wonderful trip to the Planetarium last week. The students were able to learn about our Solar System in a unique and hands on way. We started our day in the large theatre where we left earth and toured some of our neighbouring planets. Did you know over 1000 Earths could fit inside Jupiter! We also had a chance to see Earth from the perspective of astronauts on the International Space Station. This was an amazing tour and a highlight of our day! We also had a live presentation where we learned more about the International Space Station and how astronauts live and work there. Thank you Sierra and Makayala for being helpful volunteers! I wonder what spinach tastes like in space? Khloe and Jacob F. also did an excellent job volunteering when we had some fun learning about some physical characteristics about Earth, the moon and the planets. We even lived on Jabob's nose! After creating their very own Solar System headband, we headed home. Thank you Division 7 for a memorable field trip and thank you parents for all of your help! The Grade Twos this week shared and presented all kinds of interesting family traditions and heirlooms that have been passed down from many generations. This is one of my favourite projects of the year because all of us get to learn so many new facts about who we are and what influences our families have passed on to us. I have video taped each child's presentation. You can see their videos on the Kidblog tab. It was obvious to see how much love went into this project. It was really fun to see how many connections some of the students were making with each others presentations. It was especially exciting to see Brodie's face light up when Khloe was sharing the ceramic plate with a Scottish thistle painted on it, and he made the connection that the stuffy he brought in represented a Scottish thistle too! Who knew they both had a Scottish heritage in common. Have a look at the photos below to see a 110 year old telescope, a song book from 1911, family photos sharing some fun family traditions and some very special stuffies. We enjoyed another wonderful year celebrating Hallowe'en at West Langley Elementary. Our students had a lot of fun with their family and friends at the annual Hallowe'en Carnival. The games, goodies, cake walk and haunted house were enjoyed by each and every student in our class. What a wonderful school tradition! The students also had a lot of fun carving their own pumpkin. We lite the freshly carved jack-o-lanterns and enjoyed a Hallowe'en story together. Thank you Division 7 for coming to school in costume and prepared to have a fun filled day! "Super Mom" had a great time too! I hope everyone had a fun and safe Hallowe'en!
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