Weekly Blog

May 7 - 11

The past couple of weeks have been full of great learning. We are finishing our non-fiction books, and will work on creating our index and glossary as a class next week! We will also begin to present our books and show how much great work went in to creating these!

To also continue our study on animals, we looked at the six different groups of animals. These are:

• mammals (Les Mammiferes)
• amphibians (Les Amphibiens)
• birds (Les Oiseaux)
• reptiles (Les Reptiles)
• insects (Les Insects)
• fish (Les Poissons)

We examined the different characteristics of each animals group, and how they are different or the same. We then drew examples of each one to solidify our knowledge. In keeping these characteristics in mind, we continued and finished up working on our animal shelter. It is ready for animals to arrive any day now!

In Social Studies, we continued to examine global communities by creating a community of our own outside! Students used natural materials to build an area of the world (e.g., antarctic, Mexico, Japan) and explained what they built, why they built it and what they used. Students loved getting outside and creating classroom connections! (See Pictures Below)

April 9 - 20

What a great couple weeks of learning! We began our non-fiction books on our animals, first creating our tables of contents and introductions, and have now started our information pages! After discussing the elements of a non-fiction book (e.g., labels, informative pictures, text, large titles), it is so great to see the students transferring this knowledge into their own writing. I can't wait to see the finished product! It has given us such enthusiasm to write and learn more about animals. This is also tying into our Animal Investigations in Science and planning our Animal Shelter. Students began planning their area in the shelter, focusing on what the animal needs (e.g., their habitat), and sorting the animals in the shelter into different exhibits, and keeping them away from their predators (this was all thought of by them)! So many great Science connections!

In Social Studies, we identified the different continents and oceans on a map, and students had the opportunity to create and label their own! We took our knowledge of the continents, and transferred this knowledge to learning about people around the world. We began watching a series of videos called La Ou Je Dors (translated to "here where I sleep"), that highlights a specific child from a different area in the world, and where they live, what they like to do, their dreams and their hobbies. We watched two videos this week. We then compared the two children, and the two different areas of the world, examining how where they live may affect their hobbies, their shelter, the access to food, heat etc. I can't wait to have even more great conversations the more we get into this series!

March 19 - 23

This week, we started a new Learning Goal for French Exploration ("I can say as many French words as I can." '"I can answer my partner's questions in French.") As I am really wanting students to practice and become more confident speaking in French, we started conversation cards. These conversation cards are simply questions that one partner asks another. The expectation, is that the partner responding, responds in French. This was a hit with the students! I heard so much French, and there was so much effort being put into their oral language. To add in a writing component, students were then to write down their responses after they responded to them orally. We also had a few mini lessons on using the question to respond in full sentences, both orally and in writing.

Example:

Question: Quel est ton chanson favorit? (What is your favourite song?)

Answer: Mon chanson favorit est Uptown Funk. (My favourite song is Uptown Funk)

In Science, we continued our Animal Investigation. Students are getting very excited to build our shelter, but know we need to research the animals, to get a better idea of their needs before we start to build! We will finish up our research packages next week, and start to plan our shelter!

February 26 - March 2

This week, after many students conferenced with me after their Writer's Workshop, and presented their writing during Author's Chair, we began a new Learning Goal for our writing. Since we have written many retells, recounts, and stories in French, it is now time to move on to some different forms to broaden the ways are able to show our learning in writing. As a class, we brainstormed different forms of writing (poems, letters, non-fiction, information books). We then dug deeper into information books ("All About Books") since we are starting a unit on Animals, students have the option to write an information book about animals, or something else of their choosing. We will continue to brainstorm different ways of writing, and expectations along with those different forms, so students have many options to choose! Our goals for term 2 will be to write in a variety of forms.

In Social Studies we continued to investigate and create slide shows or posters to represent our thinking and information from our investigation on different celebrations! Presentations will start next week!

In Science we talked about different ways we could show learning about animals in our "Shelter" we are going to create. Here is what we have come up with so far:

• information cards in front of each cage for each animal
• sorting the animals into categories so people know where to look (e.g., mammals, reptiles etc)
• contracts for customers to sign if they want to adopt an animal

This will be a great inquiry to tie in both Science and the French language and we can't wait to get started!

January 29-February 9

What a great couple weeks of learning! We continued with our Celebration Investigations, and introduced a new way of presenting; Power Point presentations! We added this way of presenting to our options for presenting our final products! In order to get to this point, we finished our research plans, then started our Presentation Plans (of how we are going to present the research from our research plans). Students have been extremely excited throughout this investigation, and I can't wait to celebrate different celebrations from different cultures with them!

In French, we continued with Work on Writing, and creating our own version of our favourite comic books or stories in FRENCH! I have begun Writing Conferences with the students, and they have been sharing their work during Author's Chair.

In Science, we are wrapping up our Science unit by looking deeper into changes of states. We looked at what two states are involved in Freezing, Melting, Condensation and Evaporation. We then recorded our findings. We also asked a challenging question: what change in state may be dangerous? Students came up with really great responses:

"Freezing can be dangerous because when you are driving, the water can freeze on the roads."

"Evaporation can be dangerous because the steam from a pot [that's boiling] can burn your hand."

"Melting can be dangerous because if there is a popsicle on the ground that is melting, it could make someone slip."

January 15-19

What another great week of learning. After the 'buzz' of our Multicultural Fair, in French Language, students wrote a reflection about their learning answering the three following questions:

• What did I learn?
• What did I like?
• What could I improve for next time?

We discussed the importance of reflection and looking back at our learning, and how important this process is. We also began looking deeper at Traditions and Celebrations, by first distinguishing between the two terms. In groups, we brainstormed our own Traditions and our own Celebrations, then then shared as a class. We then took those celebrations we celebrate, and chose one to further investigate. This investigation will continue next week!

In Science, we put on our chemist hats and mixed some liquids! The materials we used were mustard, oil, cranberry juice and syrup. Students then wanted to make a book about their observations, and how each liquid interacted differently with each other. It was such a neat learning experience!

December 18-22

This week we wrapped up some learning before the break (no pun intended!). We worked on a little "surprise" in French for loved-ones at home, and continued on our work for our Multicultural Fair.

We hope everyone has a great holiday, and a wonderful New Year! Can't wait to see everyone back in January!

December 4 - 8

This week we continued our Country Investigations by creating artifacts, posters, and information to put on our booths for the Multicultural Fair. Students have done a wonderful job making their plans come to life! Together, we learned that an information booth should not have simply one element of design (e.g., all posters). We should include many ways to show information (e.g., clay, artifacts, posters) so it is captivating to our audiences' eyes! Keeping this in mind, we added a new Learning Goal (see picture below). We will continue to work on our booths next week.

In French language we finished sharing our books in Author's Chair. I am so proud of the student's French Writing! If students were finished their books, they were to start something new. This could be whatever writing piece they wish. Our new Learning Goal this week for French Exploration was to re-read our work, to make sure we understand what we wrote, to make sure we have uppercase letters and punctuation where needed, and to make sure our letters are formed properly using ground letters, grass letters, or sky letters (see picture). We will continue to work on this goal next week!

In Science, we examined the process of Melting and Freezing. We took an ice cube, and passed it around in a circle, first with our hands open, and then with our hands close. We examined the size of the ice cube after each "test", and made the observation that the ice cube melted much faster when our hands were closed (adding more head to the ice). We also discussed the temperatures of when Melting and Freezing occur, and discussed how zero degrees is the "magic number." USUALLY if the temperature is above zero, matter will melt, and if the temperature is below zero, matter will freeze. We will continue to investigate melting and freezing points next week!

November 20-23

This week during Exploration, most of us finished working on our stories! I am so impressed with the work that has gone in to these, and the grit the students are demonstrating by going back to their story, adding details, and continuing to follow the learning goal. I will conference with them next week about their stars and next steps for writing, then after their conferences, the books will go in our classroom library for everyone to read and enjoy! We also prepared for our student-lead conferences! They were so excited to show you their personal best work, and fill you in on all of the wonderful learning we have been doing!

In Science, we explored the properties of liquids and solids, and the differences between the two. To continue the investigation from last week outside (looking for liquids and solids in our environment), we went outside to collect the solids we wrote down from the previous investigation, and brought them back into our classroom. With that, we experimented with jars, the solids, and water (liquids). We came to the conclusion that liquids take the shape of the container they are poured into, where as solids do not. Solids have a consistent shape. We continued the experiment, then filled out a chart (template below). We noticed a pattern! When an object doesn't take shape of a container, it is always a solid, and when it does take shape of the container, it is always a liquid! Students also had two main wonderings; "Is snow a liquid or a solid?" and "Are clouds a liquid or a solid?" We will continue investigating these properties next week, while tying in these student wonderings, and further investigate how they might change in different temperatures!

In Social Studies we completed our research, and are now on the step of planning our 'booths' for our classroom Multicultural Fair! We will begin to tie French Exploration into this fair as well, and re-arrange our classroom so we are able to fit all booths from our amazing different countries! Students (and I!) are so excited to take our research to the next level!

I also just wanted to thank parents for attending the student-lead conferences this week. It is great to see such amazing parent support!

November 6 - 10

This week was a great week of Investigation in Science! On Monday, the red class went outside to further investigate ground water, and "how exactly the water gets underground" (questions that were asked after the "Wonder Squares" last week). In order to find more information about this, we filled up jars and from earlier, researched what was "under ground" (e.g., leaves, dirt, twigs, roots) so we knew what to use to fill our jars. When we got outside, we used tools (e.g., spoons) to fill our jars, and brought them back into the classroom. There, we filled them with water to see if the water just sits on top, or goes to the bottom. We found out that the water goes right to the bottom! Students then applied their knowledge and made the conclusion that ground water is from the rain, and it leaks through all of the other 'things' that are underground to the bottom! We also discussed the properties of water, and how it is more dense than the other objects, which is why it sinks. So much amazing learning came form this.

On Wednesday, the blue class went outside to research something a little bit different. In their "wonder squares" from a couple of weeks ago, they were very interested in moss, and how moss is formed and where it grows. We then went outside this Wednesday to investigate further, and to take note of where it was growing, what it was growing on, and why we think grows in those areas. The observations were incredible! Students noticed that the moss was only growing in shady places, was only growing on trees, rocks, and sometimes the ground, and did not have any roots! When we got back into the classroom, we now applied our observations to the Water Cycle. I asked them, "how do you think the growth of moss is affected by the water cycle?" They then concluded that because moss grows in a shady area, there is no sun. If there is no sun, water is not able to evaporate without heat, therefore, moss is able to grow! We consolidated our knowledge with an organizer.

In French Exploration, we continued planning our stories with our plans, and many students began writing their individual stories.

As a school, we also came together for Remembrance Day, and had a class discussion about the reasons we celebrate remembrance day. There were many great conversations, and these conversations inspired the wreath we made to present at the assembly. The Primary Choir also did a wonderful job with their performance at the assembly!

We will also continue to Investigate our Countries next week, and start to plan for our class Multicultural Fair!

October 23-27

Due to popular student demand (from both classes), we continued our Writer's Workshop this week. Once students were finished, they signed up to have a writing conference with me. During our Writing Conference, we looked at the students' star (something they did really well) and wish (a goal for next time), from last Writer's Workshop to see if their 'wish' was met. It was amazing to see how hard students worked on their Writing Wish, and the products that came out of this week's Writer's Workshop. They are hanging proudly on our Personal Best Work Wall! Many of our next steps were to use the question words (from document shared last week) to help expand and develop our ideas.

In Social Studies we continued our investigation on our countries of origin, reminding the students to narrow their search to the information we need. A few mini-lessons were done on how to properly research and focus on the information we need to find. Next week we will sort our information in graphic organizers to gain better insight on the information we have, and still need!

In Science, we continued our discussion on water with a Knowledge Building Circle. Through our Knowledge Building Circle, we talked about what we already know about water (e.g., water cycle, characteristics, where it flows, body of water) and what we still want to know and where we, as a class, want to go next (e.g., why it is so important, why we don't have a lot of fresh water, why we have to conserve water)!

During outdoor learning, the red class did not have a chance to go out this week, as I was away on Monday (will make it up next week!), but the other class loved the idea of the "Wonder Squares." Students were to go outside and choose a spot where they wanted to look deeper. They were to only look in that "square" and ask questions about what they saw. My main goal for this activity was to develop students' ability to question and wonder about things they observe. Not only did students ask questions, they observed, questioned and brought their questions back into the classroom! One group discovered moss in their Wonder Square, and many questions came from this. "How does moss form?" "Why is it wet?" "Why does it not grow tall?" It is now my job to incorporate these questions into the curriculum, which will tie in nicely with water and the water cycle! We will continue to investigate moss through a 'water' lens next week!!

October 10-13

Even though this was a short week, we still had an amazing, productive week of learning. Continuing our Learning Goal for Exploration this week, we continued to create purposeful French writing, asking ourselves the five question words (e.g., who, what, where, when, why), and the linking words that accent each question word. Students did a great job of exploring different ways to expand their sentences and make them purposeful! (Some pictures below).

During our Air and Water Investigation, I read the book called "One Well." Both classes seemed to be very intrigued with "recycled water" and how the water cycle works. We decided to dive deeper in our understanding! We continued to gather more information on the cycle (e.g., reading books available to us in the classroom) and examine the stages. One student asked "which water cycle stage comes first?" This began a great discussion and a great review from last year about cycles. During our outdoor learning, we decided to observe the water cycle right in front of our eyes! (This was the one time I was actually thankful for rainy weather!) We looked at the clouds, and made the observation of how grey they were. We then continued to investigate and came to the conclusion that the more grey the clouds are, the more water particles, which makes it harder for light to pass through! Another student then wanted to go examine the water levels in the creek from our last observation. We went to the ravine, and noticed the water levels have risen! We then had a great conversation of how the water cycle affects water levels. Another student had another wondering by saying "I wonder how sticks float in the water!" Next week, we will dive deeper into understanding the water cycle and investigate objects that sink and float (to answer the one student wondering).

In Social Studies, we had a conversation of how we can deeper investigate our Family Trees, and the countries we come from. We co-created the idea to have a mini Multicultural fair in our class! Students chose one country on their family tree to deeper investigate, and we began research on that country by investigating the flag of that country, languages in that country, different celebrations in that country, and now they meet their basic needs (e.g., where they get water and how they eat - ties perfectly into our Water investigation!). I can't wait to continue to research!

**Note: I have added our weekly schedule under the tab to my name on the menu tool bar**

September 26-29

This week, we started Atelier des Auteurs ("Writer's Workshop"), where we continue the learning goal we had during Exploration (e.g., "I will write about myself and my family"). This also ties in to our learning goal for "investigation," so I was hoping to get some great connections! We practiced with this learning goal last week, and put our skills and strategies into action this week! Students were to choose a writing paper, and create a piece of writing about themselves and their families, using the writing checklist, and using our new adjectives. Students really worked hard to use their strategies, and use tools provided for them in the writing corner (e.g., word wall, vocabulary cards, sentence starters, personal word walls etc).

We continued a lot of our great learning from last week through this week! For investigation, we continued to look at our family trees, and further investigated the countries where we are from. We got some books out from the library to help with our investigations. We will continue to "dig deeper" next week, into our heritage and our countries.

Our outdoor learning this week consisted of narrowing down our observations of Air and Water to our five senses. Students also recorded some other questions or wonders they had about air and water, and we will investigate these next week. Below are some pictures of our outdoor learning!

September 18-22

What a great week of learning this was! For our "Investigation" time, we began the discussion about our families, and our family history. Our learning goal was "I will investigate the history of my family." ( As soon as I showed the students the history of my family and my family tree, they were immediately THRILLED to show me theirs. They started their family trees by investigating the countries on the map provided, and recording these countries on their trees. Thank you for your help to fill in the rest of these! Next week, we will continue to investigate our heritage, and explain why this is so important for ourselves and our families.

During French Exploration, we began studying many different adjectives, and using them in our writing. We also co-created a Writing Checklist, so students are aware of the expectation while writing in French! Our learning goals during Exploration were: "I will use the writing checklist" and "I will write about myself using adjectives." There was so much great French vocabulary coming out this week! Next week we will begin Writer's Workshop, and continue to incorporate our new adjectives in our writing.

We also began exploring outside! Our big idea for our Outside Exploration was Air and Water (our first Science Unit). The students had so many great observations about the creek behind our school and the air that was making the trees move. Some of our observations were:

"Trees remind me of air because it gives us oxygen"

"Remember that trees make us breathe, so that is air!"

"The water never stops moving."

"Do you know that fish use water to breathe?"

"Where is the water coming from?"

"Where does the river end?"

"There is a small waterfall here."

"I realize that air is everywhere."

"Air is invisible."

I can't wait to see how our learning this week will continue to grow next week!

September 5 - September 8

What a great first week! It was so good to see students and families again for another great year of learning! I feel so thankful to be teaching these kids again, and can't wait for what this year has in store! We started off our week by exploring our classroom. The students noticed that the classroom was bare, did not have anything on the walls, no classroom jobs, schedule cards, or learning area signs! This is because I think it is so important to co-create our learning space. It is not just MY classroom, but the STUDENT'S classroom as well! We began by recording what we already have, and what we might need. We began co-creating the things we may need in our classroom (e.g., class expectations, classroom jobs, schedule cards, signs for learning areas etc). It was great to see the students take responsibility for their own learning space!

As much as I was planning on easing back into French this week, the students were wanting to continue where we left off in Grade 1! They were so inspired to write, so we began our routine of Exploration in the morning. Instead of coming and sitting on the carpet, students are to come into the room and go to an Exploration (e..g, read to self, read to someone, work on writing, investigation area, agenda writing). Almost all students were so eager to read and write. I was amazed at how much they remembered, and the excitement they were portraying! Next week we will continue with following expectations during Exploration.

Here are some pictures of our first week!

Can't wait to see what next week has to bring!