Week at a Glance

Students put their knowledge of angles and turned it into art! Students had to use the various  types of angles such as acute, right, obtuse and straight to create an  original art piece. 

On Wednesday we had some special guests from Work Wild.  Students had the opportunity to learn all about the forestry industry. From learning about the roles of a forester and tree planters to sustainable forestry practices, it was a great hands on learning experience. 

Students are participating in a fun experiment to determine if tomato seeds that have spent time on the space station germinate at the same rate as tomato seeds that haven't . This is a great tie in with our science unit that focuses on living things, specifically plants and their functions.

In math we have started our algebra unit. Students headed outside to use items from nature to  make algebraic equations  for each other.

In math students have been learning about angles and polygons. We headed to the barnyard where students were challenged to find examples of acute, right and obtuse angles. They also looked to find examples of quadrilaterals  in the different buildings and objects. 

The grade 4 students teamed up with the grade 3 and 6's to create a collaborative poster that highlighted the seven sacred teachings. At our monthly school assembly, students have been learning about the seven sacred teachings. These teachings originated from the Anishinaabe people and have been adopted by many Indigenous peoples as guiding principals that focus on respect for all living things and respect for eachother. 

Thursday was moving day for our baby chicks that aren't so little anymore. The grade 2 and 4 class worked together to carry each of the chicks to the outdoor brooder pen. Everyone took a few turns carrying the chicks and they were moved quickly, with no escapees! The students are enjoying watching the chicks grow. 

Students put their knowledge to the test as they designed a their very own farm but there was one caveat.... for each animal pen or building  they had to figure out the area and perimeter  of that space. It was a fun activity that challenged how students they could use measurement in the real world.

The grade 4 students were busy baking this week for the volunteer tea. They made honey cakes for our very important volunteers and it was a great opportunity to practice using a different  unit of measurement. They also played a very important role during the volunteer event and served  refreshments to all of our guests.  They did a great job!

Tuesday, April 23rd was world book day. We chose to celebrate it as a class and students did a great job of dressing up like a favourite book character. We had almost all of the Babysitter Club characters, Jack from the Titanic, the girl from Murmel, Murmel, Murmel and Lica from the Baily School Kids. Students also gave a short book review of one of their favourite books to the rest of the class. 

On Tuesday students enjoyed an in school field trip and made bee houses. This was a great hands on activity and students did a great job putting these together with just a screwdriver. 

In science students were learning about how scientists sort all organisms into different groups by their appearance, habitat and their structures.  We then went outside to sort living things such as classifying the animals in our barnyard by appearance (fur or feathers) and by habitat. We also went for a walk through the trees where we were students sorted the different plants such as trees, bushes and grasses. 

On Thursday the grade 4's went on a nature hike with Mrs.Klatt. They  had the opportunity to learn about beaver dams and then got to explore an area with three  beaver damns. Mrs. Klatt build on our science lesson of sorting organisms by pointing out the different trees  and their distinguishing features that grow in our area. 

With Earth Day approaching we have been discussing what we can do to help take care of the Earth. We came up with some simple things we can do to make a difference including picking up trash. Students did a great job cleaning up the barnyard and around the school grounds. 

On Monday, we had a special presentation from a representative from Agriculture for Life. Aside from learning about the most common crops grown in Alberta  and Canada (students were surprised how common legumes were), we also learned all about pig farming, and the process involved from getting a piglet to market. 

In Math we have moved onto measurement. Students had fun taking their rulers and measuring tapes to the barnyard to measure various items, and then they had to ensure they were recording it in the proper units. It was a great example of hands on learning!

The grade 4 class went on a nature hike with Mrs. Klatt on Thursday.  It was a great opportunity for them to compare the changes in the environment from the last time they went on a hike in the fall. This time everything was much more wet! While most of the students came back wet and muddy, everyone declared that they had the best time! 

Our class took some time to visit the new arrivals to the New Humble Barnyard.  We checked in on our laying hens and our new broiler chicks. as well as the lambs that were born before spring break.  The students love watching these animals grow.

Our monthly charter lesson for April is focused on seeds and plants.  Students are developing their own plant and must determine what the characteristics are of their plant, where it grows and what it needs to survive. First we looked at a variety of different seeds and students predicted what they were. Then we discussed the germination process. From there, students got creative and drew their seed and plant. We will continue working on this project for the month as students learn more about plant life cycles in science.

The theme of Ag fun day was life cycles and farm safety. Mikayla Morden explained to students the role food nutrition  plays in animals, specifically ruminant animals. and Cheri Day  taught students about the life cycle of a chicken. Students also had a review of farm safety  and  used playdough to learn about the life cycle of crops  and pigs. Ag fun day is always such a highlight for students and they come away knowing so much about agriculture. 

Learning about the moons cycles has never been so tasty.  Students used Oreo cookies  to recreate the phases of the moon as this is part of our science unit. Students are also observing the moon daily to track it as it moves through its phases. 

In math we have been learning all about fractions. We took our learning outside to the barnyard to demonstrate how fractions can be used in everyday life.  Not only did we use duck and chicken eggs as one of our fraction examples but different colors of chickens, wood vs steel fences and  picnic benches just to name a few! Students learned that fractions are all around us!

Students have been busy for the past few weeks working hard on their science fair projects and their hard work was evident! Everyone did an amazing job, and it was great to see the different projects and watch the students explain their projects to the judges and fellow students . 

The grade 4's buddied up with the the kindergarten class to help them identify things around the barnyard that started with different letters of the alphabet.  Each group had the entire alphabet and some groups were able to find a word for each letter. It was a fun activity for everyone and it was neat to see the grade 4's as they stepped up to be leaders and helped the kindergarteners. 

In science students have been learning about our solar system.  We have been discussing planets we can see without binoculars , how to locate them in our sky and safe ways to view the sun.  In pairs, students made pin hole projectors so they could safely view the sun.  

Students enjoyed watching a virtual farm equipment tour through Ag for Life. They got a behind the scenes look at farm equipment such as tractors, combines and balers just to name a few! We were also introduced to a new term, precision agriculture.  As a class we discussed how this is a benefit to farmers with increasing production, saving  time and more effective management of fertilizers. 

This week the grade 4s have been busy learning about the Metis people and the role they played in the fur trade. We learned about who they are, their culture and traditions. Students then took their learning one step further and made their own Metis pointilisim art.

The grade 4, 5 and 6 class went skiing to Rabbit Hill on Wednesday.  It was incredible to see the determination and progress made by all the students. The best part was all the smiles  throughout the day!

The grade 4 class created their very own Ted Harrison inspired art work. Before we got to creating, students examined a variety of Harrisons art work and we noticed the differences in northern landscapes, versus the prairie  landscape we live in. We also discussed what features made his art work stand out. Students mentioned the colours and simplicity of the landscapes. 

Students have been keeping a close eye on our plants and have been noticing that while some lean towards the light, other plants are having a hard time standing up.  So students gave them a helping hand and we staked some of our plants. We also used this as an opportunity to discuss what might be causing our plants to go leggy and how we  help our plant stems get strong. 

The grade 4 class went skating with the kinders class  on Thursday and showed incredible leadership skills as they helped some of the kindergarteners in and around the rink . 

This week we connected with nature and went on a walk to identify the birds that live in the trees by our school. With the help of Merlin Bird ID app we were able to identify and track the birds we saw.  We discussed  why one would want to track the wildlife that live in the area and how changes in the number of animals could disrupt the ecosystem. 

The lambs are expected to give birth during spring break, so we headed to the barnyard to observe the lambs  and see if there was any tell tale signs of their upcoming births. The students were lucky enough to witness the unborn lambs kick and very visibly be moving around  in Blanche. The class thought It was a really cool experience. 

Are magnets used on a farm? If so, how?  This was the question posed to the class as we identify real world applications  in a farm setting. The students learning about Hardware disease and how cow magnets can be used to prevent it. The students were in awe of the fact that the magnet just stays in the cows  stomach  for its whole life. 

In Language Arts we have started our poetry unit and have been studying Haiku poems. Our class headed outside to sit in nature and observe the sights and sounds around us to get some inspiration. Then the students were tasked with writing  their own Haiku     poem.

On Wednesday we celebrated Valentine's Day with lacing up our skates and joining the other grades for a skate on the rink. Students had  a great time and it was fun to see all of the grades enjoying  the ice.

In Language Arts students are learning how to clearly write their opinions with reasons and explanations to back up their opinion. All the students have big feelings about our barnyard animals so it made perfect sense to have them chose an animal in the barnyard and write a paragraph on why is it their favourite animal.  

On Monday we headed outside to play in the snow! Students were challenged with creating a snow sculpture. While many students made snowman, some students made snow chickens, ducks, sheep and a dog.  The next day we took the kinders outside with us, to show off our creations. However there wasn't much left, which meant we got to reimagine and build something new with the kindergarten class.

As part of our monthly charter lesson, we are growing some beans and flowers. This ties in with our science unit on living systems as we learn about the needs of a plant. Before we planted our seeds, students spent time researching the germination time for the seeds and had to make a prediction  on when the seeds would start sprouting. They also researched soil amendments and why they would be added. Students are also keeping a plant journal to track  our seeds from sprouts to maturity. 

Ag Fun Day

 Agriculture 

Students spent the last day before the break enjoying a Christmas on the Farm themed Ag fun day. Some of the stations that students had the opportunity to visit included learning how to make beeswax candles, learning all about Christmas Trees, where milk comes from, learning all about tracking Caribou and a visit from Santa!

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Environment 

We have been blessed with such amazing and unseasonal weather  so we have been doing out best to get outside and enjoy it!

Egg Drop Experiment

STEM

In science we expanded on our learning of gravity, but also in addition to the concept of force and Newton's Laws of Motion. Students were challenged with creating a contraption that protects an egg from breaking. We took our creations to the playground and dropped them from the highest slide, and none of the eggs broke! the students did a great job using materials to protect their eggs from breaking. 

Christmas Tree Ornaments
Environment

Together with the grade 6 class, the grade 4's headed outside to collect items from nature  to make Christmas Tree ornaments. Students used twigs, spruce tree pieces, pinecones and string to craft beautiful tree ornaments. It was a great lesson for students how we can use items from the world around us to make something instead of buying it.  

Skip Counting in the Barnyard  
                Agriculture

We took our math practice to the barnyard where we practiced skip counting with our animals. We counted chicken wings,  sheep legs, animal tails, duck feet, fences and anything else we could think of. Students were then challenged with creating multiplication equations with this information. 

Christmas Art
  Environment

We joined the grade 5 class in creating a fun Christmas art project. Students had their first opportunity to use a dichotomous key in art on Friday! They were able to head outside into nature and find fallen tree branches to use as a model for their holiday art project. We headed inside and discussed how to use a dichotomous key to determine what type of tree branch they found before spending the rest of the time enjoying Christmas carols and exploring our creative side by using our natural model to create a Christmas art project!

Egg Science 
Agriculture

This month we have been learning all about chickens for our monthly charter lesson, so it was natural to do some experimenting with eggs.  First we collected a goose egg and a chicken egg to compare and contrast the two eggs.  Students experimented with how to tell the difference between a hard boiled egg and a raw egg and the buoyancy of a fresh vs old egg.  

Stayed tuned for our monthly lesson to see more!

Earth Rangers
        Environment

Students were treated to an exciting presentation by Earth Rangers. They got an up close look at some exotic creatures. and learned how they could help protect these animals. 

Rounding with our broiler chickens
Agriculture

The grade 4 class has been learning about rounding and estimating in math  class.  We looked at the labels from our broiler chickens  that were recently butchered and used them as a real life example on how we can we use rounding to estimate a cost. Students had to rounded the cost per kilogram and weight to determine to find the estimated total. Many were surprised  at how close their estimated calculation came to the actual price. 

Its all in the details 
Environment

We took our learning outside to get some inspiration  as we are practicing including details in our writing.  Students used their five senses to describe our outdoor landscape.

The role of Agriculture during the War
Agriculture

We spent our week focusing on Remembrance Day and the sacrifices that were made by those who fought and continue to serve so we could be free.  Students also earned how agriculture played a critical role in supporting both the military but also civilians during both WW1 and WW2. Many people planted victory gardens to supplement their food supplies and ease the strain on the food supply chain. 

Taking care of our flying friends
Environment

We spent some time outdoors checking up on the bird feeders we made out of recycled materials a few weeks ago.  Together we analyzed the design and made adjustments to some of our bird feeders to allow for better access to the food and refilled the others.

Predator and Prey
Agriculture

The grade 4 students played a fun game of predator and prey while learning all about the animals in our farmyard.  This gave students a better understanding  of why we need to make sure our animals have good cages to protect them from  prey .  Peaches the cat helped drive home this message to students  later in the week as staff found that Peaches had caught a baby weasel. 

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt 
Environment

On Halloween our class went on a scavenger hunt for treats. Special cards were hidden  around the outside of the school and playground area and students had to match a picture to a letter. They sorted their letters and used them to crack the code to find the hidden treats!

Rural vs. Urban
Agriculture

In Language Arts we have been learning about comparing and contrasting what we read. We decided to take our knowledge and apply it to Rural life vs. Urban life. Students used a Venn Diagram to compare the two and find compare how they were similar and contrast  their differences. 

Paws, Hooves, Feet
Agriculture 

Who walks here? As a class we discussed the animals (wild and domesticated) that we share our land with. We imagined and then drew what their prints might look like. Then we headed to the barnyard to get a closer look at the farm animals hooves, paws and feet and discussed their similarities and differences.  

Agriculture 

The whole school enjoyed a talk from Masterfeeds who discussed why it is important to add certain nutrients and vitamins to our farm animals diets.  

Agriculture 

We were visiting our barnyard friends this week and helped load animal feed into the shed.  In science we have been learning about different types of packaging so it was great for students to see what is used to package animal feed. As a class we discussed the materials that the feed bags are made from and why.

 Leaves!
        Environmental 

Students went on a nature walk to find some leaves. We examined the leaves and looked for unique features.  In art we are using these leaves as inspiration for a mixed media project using oil pastels, water colours and salt.

In Science students are learning all about the different types of waste in our world and different ways to manage that waste. Together we made our own composter from a pop bottle. Students put different fruits and vegetables within the layers of pop bottle and we predicted how long each food item would take to decompse. We will be checking our composter each week to check its progress. 

Students went on a walk with Mrs. Bessler and investigated the different crops grown around our school. Together we examined a sheaf of wheat and and broke it open to find the wheat kernel. Students discussed common uses of wheat and we all agreed that using flour to make pizza was our favourite use of wheat.

  The steers have arrived!!!
Agriculture 

We spent some extra time in the barnyard this week checking out the newest additions... steers! 

             Recycle Crew
                    Environmental 

The grade 4 class has taken over the recycling duties for the entire school.  Every week a group of grade 4 students will sort and collect all of they recyclable paper products and bottles and juice boxes. This is a great exercise and tie in with our science curriculum on Waste as we have a hand-ons look at how much waste we can keep out of  our the landfills and instead recycle!