Connections to nature this spring have been very strong.  We have worked on creating, growing and changing in areas of science and literacy.

When we went to Grow Calgary, we saw the importance of plants to humans and their importance to the natural environment. We saw examples of plants being used as a source of food or shelter, and be aware of the role plants play in the environment; e.g., preventing erosion, maintaining oxygen.







It was a long hot day, and by the end we were absolutely exhausted.

Ready-Set-Go!

In science we also had to design and construct devices and vehicles that employ energy-storing or energy-consuming components that will cause motion.  We used elastic bands and balloons to move our cars forward.

We were able to identify steps to be used in constructing a device or vehicle, and work cooperatively with other students to construct the vehicle.

Room 14 did a water colour edition of their portraits.
They did a wonderful and creative job.

We had a lot of amazing performances at the 40th Anniversary of Colonel J Fred Scott School.  They opened the time capsule and we examined the photos and artifacts found within.  We had a delicious muffins for a special treat.  There were also commemorative bracelets, tattoos and pencils.

Room 12 did a fantastic job.  They followed the style of little known Modigliani to create these portraits.


The botany studies have been very hands on and we have used seeds, tubers, cuttings and bulbs to plant vegetables.  We have been busy last week hilling our potatoes.  





With the nice weather we spend more and more time outside.  It feels like summer is just around the corner.

It turns out room 14 has some avid skippers.

Artists are abound and all around...
One point perspective was another technique we used in our creative art class.

Connections all around us

The spring weather has brought out our best efforts in learning about plants and their needs.  We planted tubers, runners, and seeds that will grow into plants we love to eat.  Connections were made when we identified uses of plants and their structures and what function they served.                    









Working cooperatively in small groups for word work and word games also helped us feel connected to each other.









Poetry has been another focus in Room 12 and we have been writing haiku and experiencing nature.  Our connection to the land and the things we need to thrive here have been examined and we continue to work on creating connections in our learning.

 We are now working on pulleys.  We made our own pulleys.

This simple machine has no pulleys but rather wheels.

We learned about fractions in math and started to talk about decimals.


Let's talk about our celebration of learning.
We have been reading legends and made a diorama about it.  This was a real challenge for our class.  We used ComicLife to show our process making dioramas.  We used Word to make documents about our stories.  We have been working on our paragraph writing.

In gym we have been playing outdoor soccer games.
We have used Modigliani as an inspiration for our self portraits.  Here is a preview of a few of them.

Next week we are diving into decimals.  We had a great finish to our week at jump rope for heart.

This week has been very artistically inspired. We found ways to represent our learning about nature and the role it plays in the oral legends told by the Indigenous people.  Looking at others illustrations helped us create mood and accuracy in our settings.

Going outside to the naturalization area was a good idea, as we were able to really explore sketching what we were seeing in nature.

In math we have moved on to fractions, and will learning about decimals and how division is connected to fractions... keep watching.  

Botany has also been a new area, we will add our findings next week.  Please comment on the new format.

Cheers - Ms. Greaves

Welcome Back

Welcome Back!

We worked in our literacy journals, writing about our learning. We also told of our adventures when we are away last week.

We used Rube Works on the iPads to solve simple machine problems.

    

Practicing math facts with playing cards... we focused on addition and multiplication skills.

Making owls of peace seemed a great idea for practicing our sewing and running stitch.

We were inspired by the Peace Assembly that we went to.

Every student made the connections to peace and better treatment of ourselves and each other.

Working together connects us at school, at home and in our communities.

How will be connect our work to the real world? Let's see what we can do...

Inquiry continues in science as the students in room 12 and room 14 added wheels to their catapults.

Some students put the axle through the box. 

 Stability was the most important factor when trying to add a working wheel, and we had to use our experiments to find out how to use the axle and the wheel.

Some attempts were made with attaching the axle to the bottom of the box.

Wheel size and shape were very important in creating smooth movement.

This led to a discussion about how to use a gear, and how gears make work easier.  Pulleys and gears together can create new ways to do work with less effort being used.




We continue to explore simple machines and understand how we can solve environmental and personal problems using simple machines and devices that move.  

Dear parents and guardians,

What's up... hello viewers!  How are you doing?
It has been a mind blowing time in gymnastics.  We have used the climbers, ropes

We used the climbers to prove our skills. Getting to the top was very challenging.

and we used stations to rotate and practice our skills on balance beams.







Mission Impossible was our theme in Gym for the last week.

We have been making wheels and vehicles that move using the Lego.  Working in a group and using the Lego cooperatively was a challenge for our class.

It was fun to build a little speeder with wheels.

Some of our catapults were very successful... others needed some work.


We continue to work with simple machines such as pulleys, gears, wheels and levers.

Welcome back!
We have been busy in room 12 and 14 making catapults as we learn about simple machines and levers.  We have journaled our attempts at creating a working catapult with items from the Maker carts and recycled materials from home.  We will be working on our second prototypes on Monday and will be learning more about force, energy and effort.

   

And then on Friday...

We finally won the Golden Trash Can award for having the cleanest classroom!! Working together we can achieve anything!

Inquiring minds....

Hello,

We have had a very hands on last week learning about levers, wheels and pulleys.  Scientists in Schools came to our learning commons to work with us on simple machines, understanding how they work and what they are used for.  

 We also raced some cars and recorded which car went fastest, farthest and which one stopped first.

After hearing a story about a cat and dog who had very different ways of living we made living spaces that the two characters could share that would allow for a peaceful living situation using Lego.  Some of us had a chance to add a mechanical feature to the house using the Little Bits from the Maker carts and we look forward to creating more during our learning.

We found a great rap that helps us remember our multiples to make math come alive in our room.