Embedded Files
What Have We Been Up To?
Wow! Where did March go? Here are a few highlights from the month.
The Grade 3/4s participated in the Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month. To end the month, volunteer Jason Croswell from Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation visited our classroom to share his personal story and inspire students to get excited about agriculture.
The students have also been very busy in Math. The Grade 3s are wrapping up their Fraction Unit. They appeared to especially enjoy this hands-on unit. The Grade 4s are working hard to master division with remainders.
The Grade 4s have been busy finishing up their Habitat murals. This will lead nicely into our food chain lessons.
The Grade 3s have been learning about the Parts of Speech and recently learned about Adjectives. Students had the opportunity to write adjectives to describe each of their classmates.
Students are working towards building a "thinking classroom." They work collaboratively in groups of 3, to grapple with mathematical tasks that require both critical and creative thinking. These activities encourage applied thinking, problem solving and collaborative decision making. Students get the opportunity to observe and learn how others think.
Students have had the opportunity to learn about various Saskatchewan crops by identifying and sorting them.
In writing, students have been learning how to write Narratives. They are also increasing their writing stamina. Our writing classes have now been extended to 45 minutes!!! If you were to walk in, you would find students busy writing, revising & editing with classmates and conferencing with the teacher. And of course.....students sharing their writing with peers and/or the whole class.
When the weather allowed, we spent time outside for gym. An enjoyed activity was Hide & Seek Tag in the Outdoor Classroom.
We have had a great start to 2023! Some highlights from the month of January were...
School Skating with our School Family!
Working hard to memorize multiplication facts!
The Grade 4s working together to learn a variety of multiplication strategies!
Our Grade 7 Writing Buddies helping us copy our recipes.
Wow! December appeared to fly by. Students in Grade 3/4 were busy preparing for the Christmas Concert and tying up loose ends before the Christmas Break. Some highlights from this month were....
The Grade 7s helping us revise and edit our animal research projects.
Participating in our Annual Cookie Walk. A big thank you to Lindsay Vanpoucke and Miss Shyngera for helping us bake.
We also want to send a big thank you to the Chewka family for donating some supplies to the classroom.
At the end of December, there were many sad faces; as we had to say good-bye to Miss Shyngera, our teacher intern. We were so very fortunate to have her in our classroom these past four months. The good news is that she is officially a teacher now and will be subbing in the GoodSpirit School Division.
November at a glance...
In Social Studies the students learned about the traditional lifestyles of First Nations communities and people. Each group researched a different lifestyle component and created a presentation to teach their classmates about their topic. They also learned to build an igloo with mini marshmallows and glue. The students have demonstrated excellent teamwork and problem-solving skills.
The students sure have been busy developing their writing and research skills. In E.L.A and Science, students have been researching an animal of their choice. We are excited to see the final products.
The Grade 3s have been learning about a globe, map, and the 7 continents. While the Grade 4s have been busy exploring maps of Saskatchewan and further developing their understanding of Saskatchewan and the First Peoples.
The month of October appeared to fly by. Here are a few highlights. During Education Week, the Grade 3/4s were partnered up with the Grade 7s. Throughout the week we got together for Muffins and Mingling, partner reading, and pumpkin carving & decorating. This pumpkin carving was unique as we carved the side of the pumpkin. Scooped out most of the seeds and replanted them inside the pumpkin. Most of the pumpkins we carved were pumpkins that we grew last year. They were "Jack's" babies. Students then painted a face on the pumpkin. This was a great way to learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin; as well as decomposing.
The Grade 3s have been learning about Plant Growth and Development. Here they are examining how water travels through a stem. They also had a chance to open up some burrs to get a look at their seeds. The Grade 4s learned about Artificial and Natural light. Here they are preparing to do a light experiment.
September has been an exciting month! We have welcomed some new faces (and some familiar ones, too) to Grade 3. We would also like to extend a welcome to our student-teacher, Miss Shyngera. She will be with our Grade 3/4 class until the end of December. It has been wonderful watching the Grade 4s model classroom rules and routines. The students are demonstrating a strong classroom community. This school year is sure to be filled with lots of fun learning!
May Recap!
May Recap!
A few highlights from our month…
The students have been busy this month working on their Science Fair projects. After their completion, students presented them to their classmates. A great job was done by all!
With the weather finally cooperating, students took part in a schoolyard spring clean-up.
Partner reading appears to be a favourite activity to do right after lunch. It allows the students time to “wind-down” and prepare for the afternoon.
April Recap!
April Recap!
A few highlights from our month…
In art, students are working on self portraits in a folk art style. Skills being developed include achieving symmetry in sketching and technique for using oil pastels and gel sticks.
Students are eagerly working on their Science Fair Projects. Since this is a fairly new concept to the students, we have spent a significant amount of time: watching an actual science fair, discussing the criteria of the project and completing an experiment as a class. It is so great to see such collaboration and sharing of ideas.
A big thank you to Charlie Dancsok for bringing in his guitar and sharing some songs with the class.
March Recap!
March Recap!
Dividing with Base 10 Blocks
Fractions on a Number Line
A good book & a cookie make for a great day!
Multiplication Squares
St. Patrick's Day Graphic Activity
Outside Fun
Winter Seed Sowing
February Recap!
February Recap!
Students have been working very hard to reach their classroom goal: spend the afternoon outside snowshoeing, cross country skiing and having a wiener roast in the outdoor classroom. We spent some gym time practising putting on snowshoes and taking them for a “trial run”. This was so very exciting; as this was the first time for some students.
Grade 3/4 spent an afternoon participating in a nonfiction text feature scavenger hunt.
During the afternoon on Valentine’s Day, students played some Minute-to- Win-It Valentine games. It was nice to see the students enjoying this friendly competition.
January Recap!
January Recap!
We participated in the 10-Day Worldwide Classroom Mindfulness Challenge hosted by Trina Markusson. Each day we spent at least 10 minutes completing a mindfulness activity. Mindfulness teaches students to stay focused and be in the “present moment.” Mindfulness can help minimize anxiety, promote happiness, and relieve stress. It can also “train your brain” to take care of difficult emotions.
We also focused on the mental health focus: Growth Mindset. Students compared qualities of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. A few strategies that we focused on to foster a growth mindset: 1. Accept that “struggle” is a part of the learning process: see challenges as opportunities 2. Embrace the word “yet”, 3. Set achievable goals, 4. Stop seeking approval from others, 5. Persevere in spite of failure, and 6. Identify opportunities to celebrate the success of others.
More Gr. 3/4 Classroom Happenings
December Recap!
December Recap!
November Recap!
November Recap!
Students have been enjoying Creativity Challenges. The goal of creativity challenges is to help students think in different ways. When students are thinking “outside the box” it results in creative solutions. In a creativity challenge, students are presented with a problem that they have to solve, using their creativity. By implementing these challenges on a regular basis students are able to exercise their creative muscles.
Students begin each math class with a Math Talk. This is a 10 minute activity where students are presented with a problem or picture designed to elicit multiple strategies.The benefits of Math Talks: has a positive affect on students’ mental math abilities, improves number sense, promotes critical thinking, encourages students to think, communicate & discuss math concepts and respect and validate others’ thinking.
October Recap!
October Recap!
Throughout the month, the Grade 3/4s focused on GSSD’s mental health focus: Gratitude. Mrs. Ronn came into our classroom and we made Gratitude Jars, completed a writing activity; as well as participated in a gratitude mindful moment. We also took some time each week to record the things that we were most grateful for, on our Thanksgiving Pumpkin.
We have been busy developing our paragraph writing skills: including peer revising and editing; as well increasing our writing stamina.
Throughout the month, the Grade 3/4s focused on GSSD’s mental health focus: Gratitude. Mrs. Ronn came into our classroom and we made Gratitude Jars, completed a writing activity; as well as participated in a gratitude mindful moment. We also took some time each week to record the things that we were most grateful for, on our Thanksgiving Pumpkin.
September Recap!
September Recap!
Students have been learning the rules and routines of our classroom; as well as getting to know their new classmates. We are taking advantage of the beautiful weather and doing a lot of learning outside. A large portion of our outside learning has been harvesting our school garden.
June
June
Students have been busy developing their research skills.
E.L.A
In ELA, students are researching animals’: habitats, appearance, diet, and babies; as well as interesting facts. Students are learning to locate information and record information in their own words.
Social Studies
In Social Studies, students are researching and comparing facts about Saskatchewan and the Philippines.
Some facts about beavers!
Learning about animals!
Good Fun!
Eating healthy!
Outdoor fun!
Just some big smiles!
May
May
April was Safety Patrol Month. We would like to acknowledge the students in Grades 3 and 4 that help Macdonald School students cross safely at the end of the school day. Patrollers gain confidence, learn responsibility, and leadership. We appreciate their commitment and willingness to endure all types of weather.
Thank you: Abigail, Rebecca, Adrianna, Luxton, Delanie Harper, Harley, and Mark.
We had snow, sun, & rain in April, but we managed to enjoy it all!
Pizza Lunch!
What is Peace?
Earth Day!
Star Blanket Math!
April
April
One of our guided reading groups read about the history of hopscotch and how it is played all over the world. We took this opportunity to play a few games at recess.
A big thank you goes out to Alex Dancsok for making us some math manipulatives for our Fractions unit.
In Health we are learning about Healthy and Unhealthy Friendships. Students read the Giving Tree and then came up with character traits of a good friend.
Hopscotch Fun!
Friendship Trees!
Fraction Unit!
Math Games!
March
March
Art Class
Art Class
A Dragon’s Eye: Analogous Colours
Valentines Day!
Valentines Day!
Valentine’s Day party!!
Zoom Day!
Zoom Day!
Indigenous Story Telling Month Presentation: Building Relationships
Desk Pets!
Desk Pets!
Mrs. Davis saw a teacher on Tik Tok, using Desk Pets with her students. The idea intrigued her and she saw MANY possibilities on how they could be used to….so she decided to jump on the Desk Pet Train! It was her way of adding to her already established individual behaviour management system: The Caught Doing Good draw. She is also always trying to provide more engaging activities that appeal to ALL students. By using Desk Pets she has found creative ways to promote reading, writing, and math (while having a lot of fun doing it). Desk Pets also assist with organization and responsibility.
Emily Chopping interviewed grade 3/4 students about their Desk Pets. Here is what she learned:
The pet goes in your desk. You can't take it out during learning time, and if you do it goes to the pound.
If this happens, you need to buy it back with with your 'caught doing good' cards.
You can also buy homes, dishes and accessories for the pets.
Students can play with them during freedom friday and any other times they are done their work.
Students are learning about character traits through their pets personalities. They journal about these.
Scroll for a few more photos of the Grade 3/4 Class!
Page updated
Report abuse