June 28
Hello everyone. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank all parents and students for the great year we have had. It would not have been possible without all the support parents have given. It would not have been possible without all the great students in our class and at St. Pius. I feel it has been a privilige to have had the opportunity to work with your children. I am touched and feel extremely blessed. Have a safe, restful and fun summer!!
Denis Fortier
June 25
There will be a field trip for the grade four class on Wednesday June 27. We are going to Spyhill Landfill. Please remember to bring permission slips in tomorrow.
June 15
Hello everyone there is a math assignment to complete for Monday and there is also a test on plants on Monday.
June 13
Students should complete ELA spelling this evening. If possible do the rest of the booklet. We will correct lesson 15 tomorrow and whatever other lessons are completed.
June 11
There is a math test tomorrow. Please refer to the study guide below.
June 8
There will be a math test on Tuesday June 12. The test will cover the following concepts.
Students must be able to demonstrate, explain or calculate the following concepts.
*Compare angles to right angles.
*Identify right angles.
*Recognize the following line segments: vertical, intersecting (sécantes), perpendicular, horizontal.
*Identify the line of symmetry (axe de symétrie)
*Identify quadrilaterals such as, parallelogram, losanges, trapèzes, etc. (P. 179)
*Identify a solid by looking at its development.
*Make solids using patterns.
*Estimate and calculate perimeter.
*Estimate and calculate area using units and square centimeters.
*Find the circomference by measuring around an object.
*solve a variety of problems.
June 7
Hello everyone there is some work to complete by tomorrow in maths. P. 196 in Interactions as well as the reflecting and discussing part of the the Mice at Center Ice assignment.
June 5
Hello everyone there is no homework to complete this evening. Tomorrow our class will attend the mayor's environmental expo. This is a big event and there has been months of preparation for it. Students MUST be on their best behaviour for the entire day. It is important that students understand that they are going not just as spectators but as exhibitors, and most importantly as representatives of our school.
Things to bring
Questions about the environment.
An understanding of what an ecological footprint is.
A pencil, clipboard and some paper to write on.
A green lunch, with a water bottle and a backpack.
Dayplan
9:00 leave the school on the bus and head downtown to City Hall.
9:30 Set up our display area.
9:35 Small groups of students with a parent volunteer will browse the displays.
10:30 Meet at our class display.
10:45 Attend a workshop.
11:45 Return to display and then have lunch.
12:30 Attend a workshop.
1:00 Attend a workshop.
2:00 Meet at our class' display and prepare to return to school.
It is imperative that students remain with their groups.
There will be a rotating group of students that will stay back at the main display with me. These students will help manage our display booth.
June 1
There is no homework due for Monday.
May 30
Hello everyone there are a couple of assignments due for tomorrow. They are:
Maths Interactions; P. 184, #1-5
Ela spelling; Unit 12-13
Music: C scale on the recorder and #9 and #12
May 29
Hello everyone there is no homework to complete this evening however students do have 2 social studies assignments which will be due soon. The first is a travel brochure on the Calgary Stampede and the second is an informational booklet on ranching in Alberta. Students have received the documents required to do this work and they are due on Friday.
Mayor's Environmental Expo
This evening you will receive 2 permission forms concerning the mayor's environmental expo. The first is a standard field trip permission form and the second is a media release form. Please read over them, sign them and return them to school.
Please speak to your son or daughter about our participation in the Mayor's Expo. We have been working on a project for the last month or so. The project is related to our science unit "Waste in Our World" Students have completed projects and we will be exhibiting our work downtown next Wednesday, June 6. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me or call me at school at 220-9556.
May 28
Hello everyone there is some work to complete for tomorrow in maths. Students must complete p. 188 - 189 in Interactions.
May 25
There is no homework due for Monday.
May 24
Hello everyone there is a math assignment to complete for tomorrow. Page 178, 179 # 1-5. For the table students need to only do 3 flags. If students have extra time they could view the website below on ranching in Alberta. (last link in the list)
May 22
Hello everyone there is no homework to complete for tomorrow but there will be a religion test tomorrow. Please see the study guide below.
May 17
There is no homework due for tomorrow however we are going on a field trip to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. There is rain forecast for tomorrow so please dress accordingly. Make SURE to wear sensible shoes.
Things to bring:
1. Dress in layers. Bring a water resistant coat. Shoes that could stand to get wet.
2. Bring a "green" lunch. Pack in, pack out is the policy.
3. Come to school with sunscreen and mosquito repellent already applied.
4. Clipboard and pencil.
Everything students bring must fit into their backpacks. No extra items.
Expectations for behaviour
1. Remain with your group at all times.
2. Keep up with the group.
3. Remember that you are in an ecologically sensitive area. Stay on the trails and leave everything where and how you found it.
4. Follow instructions at all times.
5. Keep your hands and your feet to yourself.
6. If you are asked to join another group for any reason, do so immediately and cheerfully.
May 16
Hello everyone. Spelling unit 11 is due tomorrow. Also, please do not forget about the field trip on Friday. There will be some information regarding the trip tomorrow.
May 14
There will be a math test tomorrow. Please refer to the study guide below. The test is on division.
-invent a problem based on a division equation.
-be able to divide using a number line.
-be able to write the inverse operation. If 21 divided by 7 equals 3. Then, 3X7=21.
-solve a variety of problems involving division.
-estimate quotients.
-define the terms quotient, dividend, divisor.
-do long division with and without remainders.
-solve divisions using a number line.
There will be a religion test next Tuesday, May 22. Students should know or be able to explain the following topics.
-the river in which Jesus was Baptized.
-what is a Jewish "church" called?
-in the Lord's prayer what does "trespasses" mean.
-who baptized Jesus?
-name three miracles performed by Jesus.
-describe Jesus' first miracle.
-fill in the blanks for several prayers; The Confiteor, Act of Contrition, Come Holy Spirit.
-describe the meaning of the days; Ash Wed, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Triduum, Holy Week, Ascension, Pentecost.
-understand temptation.
-recognize that Jesus went through and overcame temptation.
be able to describe Jesus' temptations.
-understand the meaning of death in the Christian tradition.
-know the stations of the cross. (agenda, 2nd last page)
-define "Alleluia"
-Study the crossword puzzle, BLM 25
-Describe the promises Jesus made to his disciples.
-Describe and name some of the symbols for the Holy Spirit.
-Be able to tell the or write the story of the Pentecost in their own words.
Hello everyone. I would like to request that all students bring a 2 two litre pop bottles to school for a science activity. Our class will be making mini composters as part of our science unit on waste. If you have extra bottles perhaps you could bring a couple of extras in case there are some people who are unable to bring them.
May 10
Hello everyone. Our class has been busy working on and finishing projects. Viking projects are due tomorrow but I told students I would still accept them on Monday. I will give students some time to complete these assignments tomorrow. We have also been working on our Mayor's Environmental Expo project. All students have a mini project to do regarding this project.
I have been recording students' public service announcements and it has been a challenge but I am generally quite pleased with the results. Students must PRACTICE their speeches. I have the camera set up on a tripod but many students have difficulty reading their speeches. One way to practice at home might be to say it in front of several people or maybe record them and then listen for mistakes. It is important to emphasize certain parts and to vary the patterns in your speech.
May 4
Water Conservation Study
We have been studying natural resources in social studies. part of this study is for students to study their personal water consumption. Today in social studies class I explained an assignment students must complete this weekend or early next week. Please have your son or daughter follow the instructions below to gather the data we need for this inquiry.
1. Use the chart to gather the data.
2. Figure out how much water you use in the shower by following these steps.
*get a bucket, a stopwatch or timer and a large measuring cup.
*Run the water in the shower at the setting you usually use.
*Put the bucket under the water and use the stopwatch or timer to measure ten seconds worth of water.
*You should now have a bucket with 10 seconds worth of water in it. You must measure this water in litres and millitres. Carefully use the measuring cup and figure out how much water was in the bucket.
*Multiply this number by 6 to get the amount of water you use per minute.
*Take a shower and time how long a shower you took. Multiply this number by the number of litres per minute to get a total of how much water your shower uses per minute.
3. Perform the same test above with your kitchen faucet to find the rate of water flow in your kitchen faucet.
4. Check to see what kind of toilet your home has. Then figure out how many times per day you flush the toilet.
5. Fill in the data sheet and bring it to school on Monday.
May 2
There is an important meeting this evening. It is the Annual General Meeting of the parent council. Please see the newsletter for more information.
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. P. 152 in Interactions. This assignment is on finding averages. I told students that you calculate average by adding a list of numbers then dividing by how many numbers there were. The assignment on page 152 is a little more complicated than simply finding the averages. Students must reflect and think about the questions that are asked.
May 1
Hello everyone there will be a math quiz tomorrow on long division. Students must be able to divide a three digit number by a single digit number with a remainder and then use multiplication to verify the answer.
April 30
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. Page 150-151 in Interactions. Students must the five step problem solving method for numbers 4, 5, 6. There is also a French language arts assignment due. It is from an assignment students had last week. Questions Grammaticales; p. 18.
April 20
Hello everyone there is no homework due for Monday. However students who wish to do so could certainly work on their Viking projects.
April 18
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. Pages 142-143 in Interactions.
April 17
Hello everyone there is a social studies assignment due tomorrow. The homework is approximately 3 questions which will finish off the lesson we were doing today.
Today in Ela students received outlines for assignments that go with a story we read last week in Cornerstones. The story was called Vikings Ho. Students are asked to select projects and complete them. Each project will be worth 25 points. Students have the freedom to do 2 or 3 of the projects. Once they have completed them I will grade them and combine the points to make a mark over 60. (I know I said 50 in class but I have changed my mind.) This will allow students to determine how many points they can receive. If they do 2 perfect projects the most they can expect is 50/60, which is 83 %. However if they do 3 out of 4 projects or all 4 of the projects they will have a better chance of getting 100%.
The Projects
Design a Movie Poster (must include the following elements)
-Title
-The date the movie would appear in theatres.
-Graphics to illustrate a scene or scenes from the movie.
-Stars' appearing in the movie.
-the director's name.
-The studio that made the movie.
-A short synopsis of the movie.
-Movie rating, G, PG, R etc.
-Must be completed on 11"X 22" paper. (Available from M. Fortier)
Storyboard (11"X 22" )
-Make a storyboard of the story by following the directions on page 114.
-Must be coloured.
-Good drawings (no stick figures)
-No spelling mistakes
Cartoon story (11"X 22" )
-Make a 2 page cartoon strip depicting Viking life.
-Research Viking life and invent/write a piece of historical fiction. A story that could have happened but that you made up. It must be completely different from the story we read in class.
Design a Viking ship (11"X 22" )
-Final copy must be on grid paper.
-Label parts of the boat.
-Give a step by step description of the construction.
-10 interesting facts about Viking ships.
These projects are due May 1. I will give some class time to do some of this work but I will expect some of it to be completed at home. I will not accept any of the work until May 1. I will also give students rubrics for evaluation as soon as possible.
April 4
There is no homework due tomorrow. Students should spend time reading in French this evening.
April 3
Hello everyone there will be a math test tomorrow. This test will cover the concepts in the multiplication unit we have completed. Students should understand or be able to explain the concepts outlined below. Where possible I will put the page numbers of the lessons where each concept was taught.
*Recall basic multiplication facts, up to 9x9.
*Solve a variety of problems involving the multiplication.
*Be able to use the 5 step problem solving method.
*Recognize situations where numbers are multiplied. (p. 114-115)
*Form groups then add the groups together to find products and totals. (p. 116-117)
*Form rectangles using a specific number of squares. (p. 118)
*Multiply be tens and hundreds.
*Multiply 3 digit numbers by single digit numbers then check the answer by using division.
*Represent multiplication using base ten material.
Students should also make sure they have completed ELA spelling unit 9.
Students should also write the rough draft of a story on water shortage. This should be a fictional story about a place that has little or no water. Students must make sure their story has a beginning, a middle and an end. I am expecting at least one page and a maximum of three pages for the story. One page is equal to a sheet of looseleaf or lined paper, double spaced and double sided.
March 30
Hello everyone there is some work due Monday in maths and social studies.
Maths: Interactions, p. 128-129, 5 steps for number 2, 4, 6
Social Studies assignment in duotang. This is the first lesson in our study of the prairie region.
Also, in ELA students read a story called Vikings Ho! This story is about a girl who travels back in time to the Viking settlement at L'anse aux Meadows. This story is also a springboard for a mini study on Vikings. Next week students will receive assignments on the Vikings and the impact they had on Canadian history. In the meantime students are invited to peruse the websites below on Vikings.
March 29
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. Pages 126-127.
March 23
Hello everyone there is some work due for Monday. Students should complete p. 124-125 in Interactions. Also, students should complete Ela spelling unit 8 and there will also be a short quiz based on a science article we read in class today. Students who were absent today may do the quiz on Tuesday.
March 22
Hello everyone there is some work due tomorrow. Students must complete spelling unit 7 and French grammar pages 8, 9, 10.
Students should also read and practice times tables.
March 21
Hello everyone there is some work due tomorrow. Students should complete Interactions p. 121. This assignment focuses on estimation to find certain products. Students must remember to round off properly and they should also remember the rule for multiplying numbers by multiples of ten.
Students also have a religion assignment to complete. They must illustrate the three temptations of Jesus.
Some students have been struggling with the ELA assignment where they are asked to pretend they are Alexander Mackenzie and they must write a letter to his sister in Scotland to recount his adventures. Students should make sure to refer to the rubric for guidance in the content area. I am asking for 5 historical facts described in the letter. Students must go to the links at the bottom of this page to get ideas for the five historical facts.
March 20
Hello everyone students should work on their Public service announcements this evening as well as their Alexander Mackenzie letter. Please refer to the rubric for the Alex Mackenzie letter as well as the links at the bottom of this page for ideas.
March 14
Hello everyone there is some homework due for tomorrow. Students must finish the ELA assignment for the story "A Dog Came Too". This does not include the Alex Mackenzie letter however it would be a good idea for students to start working on this assignment. It is due Monday at the end of the day.
Student Led Conference
Tomorrow afternoon and all day Friday there will be student led conferences. Below is a description of what will take place.
1. Students and parents will come into the room and go to their son or daughter's desk. On each desk there will be the student's portfolio along with a booklet.
2. Students will go through the portfolio and share samples of work from this year.
3. Afterward students will complete the activities in the booklet by going from station to station and doing the activities. If one of the stations is too busy, simply skip it and go to the next one. The activities do not need to be completed in any specific order.
4. During this time I will conduct interviews with parents and students who wished to have individual time with me.
5. When I am not doing individual interviews I will be available to answer questions or discuss any matters that may come up.
6. When all the activities are complete or when the hour is up you may leave.
Expectations for Student Behaviour
Students are asked to conduct themselves as though they were in class. Students should maintain a quiet and respectful tone of voice at all times so as not to disturb others. Students should refrain from running in the hallways.
March 12
Hello everyone there is some homework due for Monday in French language arts. Students have a verb conjugation assignment to complete. Pages 1-8, this work was assigned last week and students have had ample time to complete it in class. Many students are already finished this work.
Report cards
Report cards went home today please view and sign and return the envelope only.
Public Service Announcements
Students have a writing assignment to complete in the coming weeks. They must prepare a speech which will be used as a public service announcement (PSA) in our school. This assignment is part of our social studies and science programs. The goal of the PSA is to convince people to use natural resources wisely, participate in recycling projects and to be concerned about the environment. I talked to students about using an outline in order to organize their speeches. We worked on a generic outline that everyone could use to come up with their ideas but I stopped short of developing it completely because I want students to come up with their own original ideas.
I would like to ask parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers or anyone else to help students come up with ideas for the speech. This is the first time doing this type of speech and I think students are finding it challenging. I would like to have this work complete, written and recorded by April 5.
PSA Outline
I. Introduction
a) State your name, age & grade and the school you attend.
b) I'm here today to talk to you about....
c)
II. Main message
a)
b)
c)
d)
III. Conclusion
a)
b)
c)
March 8
Hello everyone there is a homework assignment due tomorrow in French language arts. Phrases de dictée. Also there was not enough time to correct the conjugation activities so if you did not have enough time to complete them last night please get them finished by tomorrow.
Thanks to Megan who found 2 other very good verb conjugation tools on the internet. Please go to the bottom of this page and click on the links to see them.
There are still 5 people who have not handed in their PT interview forms. I will try to send our the confirmations tomorrow. Also, please check back next week for a description of the portfolio evening.
March 7
Hello everyone there is some French grammar homework to complete this evening. Students must complete activity 17-26. Please see the link at the bottom of this page. This link will lead you to a verb conjugating tool.
Many students are struggling with this verb study. As you are doing your French reading try to take note of when the passage takes place. Is it in the past, present or future. Try to identify the verbs and their tenses. Try to note if the verb is conjugated using the first person singular, second person etc. When you write your phrases de dictée pay attention to conjugating the verbs correctly. You must put into practice what you learn in the exercises.
Parent teacher interview forms.
Please speak to your son or daughter about these forms. I have received 10 out of 23 so far. Please check back for updates as to what will take place during this round of parent teacher interviews.
March 6
Hello, everyone I would like students to spend time learning their multiplication facts. Students are required to be able to recall facts up to 81 by the end of grade 4. I have noticed that many students are struggling with this. Please look at some of the activities I have attached at the bottom of this page. Old fashioned flash cards also work well. One strategy could be to memorize one set per evening. If students spend 15 to 20 minutes practicing in the evening it will make the task much easier.
Behaviour on the busses
Our school has received a number of complaints recently about unruly behaviour on the bus. Please speak to your son or daughter about this matter.
Portfolio evening.
On Thursday March 15 and Friday March 16 we will be holding our portfolio meetings. Please ask your son or daughter for the sign-up sheet I gave out this morning. These interviews are on a first come first serve basis. Please return the sheet asap to book your preferred time.
March 5
Important Announcement for Parents
There will be a District Family Life Parent Information Evening on Thursday, March 15, 2007 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul Centre, 124 – 24 Avenue N.E. (near the Tuxedo Source for Sports, just off Center street)
Due to Parent teacher interviews there will be an additional evening session on Thursday March 29, from 7:00 to 8:30 at St. Paul Center. 124-24 ave NE
This Information evening provides parents with the opportunity to review the mandated Family Life Human Sexuality curriculum and supporting resources. Opportunity for discussion and questions will also be provided.
*There is some homework due tomorrow in maths. P. 116-118 in Interactions.
*Please be on the lookout tomorrow afternoon for the student led conference information. Bookings are on a first come first serve basis, please send back the completed form asap to book your time.
March 2
Hello everyone there is some work due for Monday in French language arts. Students should complete the assignment described below as well as the following: Phrases de dictée and activity 14, 15, 16 in their French duotang.
I spoke to to the class today about certain behaviours that have been bothering me lately. I have noticed students excluding others, teasing and just not being nice to each other. Picking on other people's quirks and making others feel bad. There is not any one particular person doing these things. I feel all students in the class have engaged in these types of behaviours at one time or another. I see this as being an overall trend. However that does not make it any less disturbing. Obviously, I deal with overt behaviours whenever they come up, usually by mediating discussion between parties. It is the more subtle behaviours that I am worried about, a look, or a push or tone of voice.
Please encourage your son or daughter to be accepting of ALL members of the community and to treat others as Jesus would.
Hello everyone, I would just like to take the opportunity to apologize to students and parents about the posting below. I made the posting at lunchtime and then after I changed the homework assignment I forgot to go back and change the posting. So, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
March 1
Hello everyone there is some French language arts work due for tomorrow. P. 81-82; activity 4-5 and p. 83 Activity 6-7. This work is located in students French grammar duo tang.
Tomorrow morning we will begin a science unit called Waste in Our World. We will kick off this unit of study by attending a workshop put on by Clean Calgary Association. (the workshop will be held in our class) This dynamic presentation will cover:
*types of waste produced by human activity.
*alternative methods of disposal (reuse, recycling and composting)
*waste reduction
*the impacts of different types of packaging
*making informed consumer choices
*taking action as individuals and groups to reduce waste
Benefits of this Workshop
*Students will gain a greater understanding of the topic "waste" through hands-on age appropriate activities.
*7 of the 12 Waste in our World learner expectations are directly addressed in the workshop.
*This workshop gives students a behind the scenes look at how The City of Calgary deals with waste on a daily basis.
*Students will be encouraged to assess their own waste practices and challenged to make lifestyle changes to reduce their waste at home and in school.
By the end of the workshop students will have:
*identified and classified wastes that result from human activity.
*identified current methods of waste disposal in Calgary.
*discussed alternative methods of disposal, including the advantages and disadvantages.
*identified ways in which materials can be reused and recycled.
*identified ways in which materials can be reused and recycled.
*identified materials and processes that may decrease the amount of waste produced.
*compared different kinds of packaging and discussed the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.
*identified actions that individuals and groups can take to minimize the production of waste.
February 27
Hello everyone. Students should prepare for the études sociales test on Thursday.
Also, tomorrow afternoon we have outdoor activities planned as part of the carnival. Students should come dressed appropriately. That means; winter boots, mitts, toques, winter jacket, snow pants, maybe even a sweater. It is easier to take off layers if it is getting too warm as opposed to being cold and not having anything else to wear.
February 26
Hello everyone. Students should begin reviewing the material for our social studies test on Thursday. Follow the study guide and steps below. This is a chapter test on chapter 3 of Notre Alberta. The chapter focuses on the foothills region (les contreforts) of Alberta.
How to study for the test: Follow these steps
1. Re-read chapter 3 in the textbook, including all the "pause" questions.
2. Review all handouts and materials that went with this chapter.
3. Make vocabulary lists of important words (i.e. crossword puzzle)
4. Ask questions during class study time.
5. As you are reviewing think back to classroom discussions. Try to remember the discussions.
Some things you need to know for the test...
-what is a renewable and non-renewable resource.
-find the foothills region on a map.
-describe geographical features which make up the foothills regions (ie forests, rolling hills rivers, etc)
-Understand and explain the role of dams and reservoirs.
-Understand the role rivers and lakes played in Alberta's development.
-Explain the differences between conifers and deciduous trees (feuilles caduques)
-Name some trees that are native to the foothills region.
-describe the altitude at which some types of trees grow.
-Name some things animals need in order to survive.
-Name changes to the region that are caused by people.
-Understand that those changes impact wildlife populations.
-Understand, define and give examples for adaptation and espèces menacées (threatened species)
-Identify human caused reasons for the decline of caribou populations. (p. 44 web)
-Describe the lunar calendar used by First Nations People.
-Give examples of renewable and non-renewable resources.
-Give reasons for why ranching has been successful in the foothills region. (p. 49)
NB. Page 50-55 will not be on the test
February 22
Hello everyone there is some homework due tomorrow. Students should finish a religion assignment they did this morning. There will be a dictée tomorrow and phrases de dictée are due. For the sentences I would like students to choose five words then for each word write a sentence in the past tense and either the present tense or the future tense. For example.
Nous étudions les contreforts en études sociales.
Nous avons étudié les contreforts en études sociales.
We will continue this pattern for at least the next several weeks to practice conjugating verbs in the past, present and future tenses.
February 21
Hello everyone there is no homework due tomorrow however there will be a math assignment due Friday in Interactions. P. 114-115. Students also have a science test on simple machines on Monday and an Étude Sociales test next Wednesday. Please see the science study guide below. I will post the social studies study guide later.
Students must be able to do the following
-Name, draw and identify uses for the 6 simple machines.
-Name, draw and show an example of each type of lever.
-Know the scientific definition of work.
-Know how work is measured.
-Know the three ways machines change the force.
-Know the differences and similarities between wheels and levers.
-Name 3-4 different uses for rollers.
I will be away tomorrow morning attending a workshop. I have made expectations for behaviour clear to students.
February 20
Hello everyone there will be a religion test tomorrow. Students must know the following items.
Where was Jesus born? (Bethlehem)
Describe who was around for Jesus' birth.
What does the feast of the Epiphany celebrate?
List three things that you learned about the present day Holy Land.
List one way your parents show love for you.
List one way you show love for your parents.
Name the 2 people that were excited about seeing Baby Jesus presented at the Temple.
Why were these 2 people excited about seeing Baby Jesus?
Why did Jesus stay behind in the Temple when he was 12 years old?
Write a paragraph about what life was like to Jesus when he was a boy growing up in Nazareth. Include information on at least 3 of the following topics. Meals, school, clothing, the marketplace, jobs, games and homes.
The priority for tomorrow is to study for the religion test. It would be a good idea for students to complete lesson 3.4 in Social studies. There will be a test next week in social studies and science. Report cards are coming up, which is the reason for all the tests.
February 14
Hello everyone, there will not be any homework due Tuesday February 20. Have a good break.
February 13
There is no homework due tomorrow. Tomorrow is Valentine's day, however we will not be doing any class activities (ie party, etc) Students are free to bring Valentines and I will allow everyone to distribute them 5 minutes before the morning recess.
ELA poems
I read many students' poems today in class. It was clear that many students took on this assignment with a lot of enthusiasm. I think that is great. However I felt many of the poems needed work. Many of the elements required in the rubric were missing from the poems. I do not feel that students have a complete grasp of alliteration and similes. I suggested to many students that their poems needed work and I encouraged them to try again. Either by starting over completely or by working with what they already had. If your son or daughter is struggling with this assignment please suggest that they start with one of the ideas below and then brainstorm with them to come up with ideas. The poem should sound nice but it should also be saying something. Do not forget to check the rubric for the evaluation criteria
Dictée words
February 22
hydrographie
renouvelable
caractéristique
contreforts
Nakodas
réduire
décharge
cartographier
Autochtone
artificiel
March 1
plissement
réservoir
conifère
chinook
adaptation
gaspillage
pétrole
charbon
élevage
région
March 8
randonné
climat
faune
pemmican
minéraux
ressource
menacer
épinette
mélèze
arpenteur
February 12, 2007
Students have an ELA assignment due tomorrow. Students should complete the activities on the sheets and then write a poem about animals. Students are expected to use rhyme, alliteration and similes in their poems. This assignment is based on 3 poems students read in class. Students are not allowed to take the Cornerstones books home so here are the poems they read. They are all written by X.J. Kennedy. Students have had class time to work on this assignment. They should not be starting from scratch.
The Earthworm
Said an earthworm to me, "Beg your pardon,
May I bore a few holes in your garden?
It may seem to you odd
that I'd chew through a clod,
but I don't want our planet to harden"
The Shark
Said the mom of the baby blue shark,
"Try that beach at the national park,
You'll have wonderful fun
Making everyone run-
Just be sure dear, you're home before dark."
The Whales off Wales
With walloping tails, the whales off Wales
Whack waves to wicked whitecaps.
And while they snore on their watery floor,
They wear wet woolen nightcaps.
The whales! The whales off Wales,
They're always spouting fountains.
And as they glide through the tilting tide,
They move like melting mountains.
Here are a few ideas to help get you started.
Seven saucy squirrels...
Leaping lizards living large...
Cool cats chilling on the curb...
Daring dogs diving into the water...
Hilarious hamsters hanging around...
Bumbling baboons beating on drums...
Playful ponies...
Tricky tarantulas...
Freaky frogs frolicking...
Chuckling chimps...
February 9, 2007
Hello, everyone there will be a math test on Monday. Please refer to the study guide below. Students must understand, perform the tasks or explain the concepts below.
*Add and subtract 4 digit whole numbers. (without a calculator)
*Check their answer by using the opposite operation.
*Round off numbers in order to estimate sums and differences.
*Explain the process they used to estimate.
*Solve a variety of problems involving addition and subtraction using the five step method.
*Add and ubtract decimal numbers (money)
*Mentally calculate sums and differences.
February 8, 2007
Hello everyone there is no homework this evening for the grade four class. I was very pleased with the way the science activity worked out today. It took awhile and a fair bit of manual dexterity but everyone was able to complete the motorized can. The can is powered by the stored energy in the elastic on the inside of the can. Some students had to be coaxed to be a little patient and to start over if they did not succeed the first time. Some students showed a great deal of persistence. Other students had to be reminded to study the instructions more closely. I helped most students with the more difficult task of winding the wire around the stick but most students were able to complete the activity more or less on their own and except for one student (who cut her hand) everyone got through unscathed. Have a look at the photos below.
February 7, 2007
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. P. 98-99 is due. Students must use the 5 step problem solving method to complete the problems.
*In social studies we have been discussing natural resources and how they are used. Students are asked to poll 5 adults on the types of work they do. I would like each student to have 5 jobs and 5 adults. If you do not have time to talk to anyone that is okay as long as each student has 5 different jobs.
*Also, please discuss the link between jobs and natural resources with your son or daughter. Perhaps you could discuss how natural resources impact your employment. This is a key idea in the grade four program.
*Tomorrow afternoon we will be doing an activity in science. I have asked all students to bring two pop cans which are in good condition to school tomorrow for the activity. Please, have your grade four student rinse the can out before tomorrow afternoon.
*As well, if you have any of the following items handy we could use them for the activity:
round toothpicks, plastic beads with a hole through them, bamboo skewers.
February 6, 2007
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. P. 96-97. Also, please do the social studies collage assignment.
February 5
Hello everyone there is a social studies assignment due tomorrow based on the lesson students did today in class. Students will need their handouts and textbooks to complete the lesson.
There is also an assignment to make a collage. The collage must show images of renewable resources and non-renewable resources. Students must use MS Word to create the collage.
It is okay if you cannot do the collage for tomorrow. Also, if you email me the collage please be mindful of the size of the document. All the pictures will make the file very large and my email box is limited in capacity. So, if you could save it on a disc or a cd and then bring it to school we could print it out here. You may not want to print it at home because it will likely be a fair bit of ink. Our laser printer will print them out nicely.
Here are some general instructions.
Open a blank MS Word document and choose landscape in the page setup.
On one side of the document insert a text box and type Renewable Resources. In another text box type non renewable resources.
Use Google to find images of Alberta natural resources. When you find a picture you like right clisk on it and copy the image, then paste it into your word document. Change the layout to "tight" so you can move the pictures around. When each section is covered you are finished.
Tip: You can nudge images into place when you use the tight layout by pressing the control key and using the arrow keys to put the picture wherever you want it.
February 2,
Hello everyone there is some work due Monday in maths. Students must complete the problems on page 92, 93. #1-9. Students must use the 5 step problem solving method for 1-7.
A good source of French reading material is the social studies text book. Notre Alberta.
January 31
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due tomorrow. P. 90 and 91. Please look at the step by step instructions below to complete this work. There is a French grammar test, scroll down to see the study guide.
1. Use 2 methods to find the total of the sales.
The first method is the traditional addition in columns method. (you must refer to the table on page 90.)
The second method requires the use of base ten material. Students may draw the material. A large cube represents thousands, a square represents hundreds, a stick represents tens and a small cube represents ones.
2. What are the possible sales for these months. January must be a bigger number than 780. Students look at the brown square and see a question mark between the 7 and the 4. What numbers can go in that space and still have a number that is bigger than 780. (3 possibilities) Do the other numbers the same way.
3. Mentally calculate the number of pieces used to make the gadgets.
4. What were the 2 months that had the most sales. How do you know.
5. What was the total of the sales for the 3 lowest months.
6. Estimate (by rounding off) the number of gadgets sold in July, Aug, and Sept. Explain how you did it.
7. Predict how many gadgets will be sold in January, February, and March of next year. Explain.
8. What can a gadget be. Draw a gadget and explain its use. Invent a probnlem to go with the gadget.
January 30
There is some work to complete for tomorrow. Les Contreforts, French reading comprehension assignment is due.
January 30
There will be a grammar test on Thursday Feb 1. The test will be on pronouns. Students must know understand or be able to explain the following concepts. Students should also be especially aware of the "J'apprends" boxes on their exercise sheets. The study guide below is in French, if any parents have specific questions about the guide please do not hesitate to email me.
*Attention aux boites; "Japprends"
*la différence entre c'est et s'est.
*La différence entre ou et où.
*Nommer des pronoms de la première personne du sigulier ou pluriel etc.
*Le vocabulaire; première personne du pluriel, deuxième personne etc.
*Identifier les pronoms personels dans une phrase.
*Dire quel nom le pronom personel remplace.
*Dire à quelle personne sont certains pronoms.
*Remplacer des noms par le bon pronom.
*Identifier les pronoms démonstratifs.
*remplacer des mots par le bon pronom démonstratif.
January 29
Hello there is some work due for tomorrow in maths. Students should complete page 88-89 in Interactions. Students had 45 minutes to work on this assignment in class. This assignment involves the use of an addition strategy. Students must do the work using the strategy. Here is a short description:
278+99= Instead of adding in columns students are required to calculate mentally. They add 1 to 99 and get 100. Next think, 278+100=378; subtract 1 from the answer and you have calculated 278+99 mentally. The correct answer is 277. This is an important skill to develop and it takes practice. Please speak to your son or daughter and see if they can do the calculations mentally.
I also told students to be aware of assignments that should be completed this week. The Holy land travel brochure and the endangered species button. There will be computer time tomorrow afternoon and on Thursday.
I have been speaking to students lately about the value of time. I am trying to impress upon students the importance of finishing tasks in a timely manner to avoid spending a lot of time on school work outside of school. I much prefer that students work at school where I can monitor their work and they can get help if needed.
January 27
Hello everyone there is some work due for Monday. Students should finish the grammar exercises up to and including p. 73. Students should also complete the Ela assignment on Endangered species. If possible they should do the button at home on MS Word. Follow the instructions below. I do not expect the button by Monday so students may finish it next week but it will have to be completed by the end of next week and I will not likely give class time to finish. This means students will have to finish it on the classroom computers during work time or else at lunch recess.
January 25
Hello everyone students have a maths assignment due tomorrow. P. 86-87 and they must use the five step problem solving method for questions 2, 3, and 4. Students also must complete phrases de dictée and a paragraph entitled "Ce que je sais sur les contreforts"
For next week...
*I have extended the due date for the Holy Lands Travel Brochure.
*Students must design and make a button to create awareness about an endangered animal. Please see the instructions below.
How to make a button in MS Word
1. Open a blank MS word document.
2. Save the document. "Endangered animal button" would be a good name.
3. Look at the bottom of the MS Word page and find autoshapes.
4. Click on autoshapes and choose a shape for your button.
5. Click on the page and your shape will appear on the page.
6. Double click on the shape to format it. You may add fill colour and line colour. You can also decide on the line style and many other things. You must experiment a bit to discover all that you can do.
7. Come up with a catchy slogan for your button.
8. Open Internet explorer and go to http://www.pics4learning.com/ This is a free website and has pictures available for free use. There are no copyright issues. (the link is also at the bottom of this page)
9. When you have found a picture you like right click on it and choose copy.
10. Go back to MS Word and right click anywhere on the page and click paste.
11. The image will appear somewhere on the page. Double click on it to format it. Choose the layout tab and change it to "tight" this will allow you to click and drag the image and to re-size the image.
12. Place the image on your button and then save it to a floppy or email me your document.
13. Print it in colour then paste it to a stiffer piece of paper. Wear your button around the school to create awareness of your animal's plight.
January 24
Hello everyone there is some homework to do this evening in ELA. Students must finish Part I-VI from the article below Canadian Endangered Species. I have scanned the pages to allow students to refer to the article because they are not allowed to take the Cornerstones books home. I will be removing the scans tomorrow.
Études Sociales reading and notetaking for pages 42, 43, 44, and 45. This was actually due today but it seems there was some confusion as about half the class did not do their notes.
There will also be a dictée tomorrow.
Here are the scans. (Hopefully they are in order) Also, sorry they are so big. I should have made them smaller. Be patient as it may take awhile for the images to load.
January 23
Hello everyone. Students had the opportunity to participate in a lacrosse clinic this morning. They learned basic skills such as passing and catching the ball. Tomorrow they will have the chance to play a game.
There is some work to do this evening in grammaire. Activity 8-9 are due tomorrow. Students must pay close attention to the "J'apprend" boxes. Students must also read p. 42, 43, 44 and 45 in Notre Alberta. Students must write some notes.
January 22
Hello everyone. Students had a productive morning with the artist in residence. They worked on papier mâchée animals. I would like students to spend some time this evening reading in the social studies textbook. We have been having some difficulty digesting the material in this book. I will likely begin assigning reading and note taking to improve reading comprehension. For this evening I would like students to read pages 38, 39, 40, and 41. I would like students to attempt to write notes on what they read. We have done 1 lesson on note taking and students have received a handout on how to do it. I will summarize the information below.
Here is how to make notes
First, read the material. Then, think about the most important ideas. Use the guide below to write point form notes. Do not get discouraged by this assignment. At least read the material so that when we study it in class you will at least have an idea of what it is talking about.
Point Form Notes
Use chapter and section headings.
Under each heading record only keywords or main ideas.
Do not write in full sentences. Use a dash - to start new ideas.
Use abbreviations.
In point form notes, only the key facts and ideas are noted along with a few drawings. In point form notes it is harder to see the links between ideas. The connections aren't as clear.
January 19
There is no homework this weekend.
January 18
Hello everyone there is a fair bit of work to do for tomorrow. Students spent most of the days working on these assignments.
*Phrases de dictée and a paragraph about the Rocky Mountains.
*Interactions page 84 and 85.
*Ela spelling lesson 4
*Study for the Études Sociales Quiz (study guide below)
January 17
Hello everyone there will be a dictée tomorrow. Scroll down for the words. Please remember that French sentences are due Friday. There will also be a quiz on Friday in Social Studies. Please refer to the study guide below.
Students should know, understand and be able to demonstrate the following ideas/concepts.
*Explain the importance of protecting certain natural zones.
*Know who Mary Schaffer was and what she did.
*Explain why there are so many French place names in the Rockies.
*Understand the importance of the tourism industry.
*Give suggestions for how the National Park system can welcome visitors and still preserve the environment.
*Understand the impact humans an animal habitats.
*Give suggestions for ways to protect grizzly bears.
January 16
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete for tomorrow. Interactions p. 77 1-12 (not number 10).
Students should also try to spend some time on the website below on the Holy Land. Students have been assigned a travel brochure for the Holy Land. I would like students to use MS Publisher for this assignment. They may use the instructions below to get started. The intent is that this assignment is completed at school. This does not mean that students cannot work on it at home though. We discussed in class this morning the types of information found in travel brochures. If anyone has old travel brochures that they could share please send them to school so we can look at them.
**The travel brochure is due next Friday, January 26
How to use MS Publisher to create your travel brochure for the Holy Land
1. Open MS Publisher.
2. When Publisher opens it offers you a choice of projects to make.
3. Click on Publications for print. Look at the list and choose Brochures.
4. This will open a list of different brochures. These are called templates. Choose whichever template appeals to you most.
5. After you have chosen your template a window will open detailing your personal information. Simply close this window because you will be changing all the information anyway.
6. At this point you should have the template of a brochure in front of you on the screen. There are some pre-arranged text boxes and information in this template. You will remove these by highlighting the section, right clicking and choosing cut. You will then insert text boxes to write your information.
15 janvier
Hello everyone there is some work due tomorrow in grammar, activity 6-7.; The simple machines reading commprehension assignment; and an ELA assignment called Our Hamsters Life.
12 janvier
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete this weekend. Students are asked to complete activity 3, 4, 5 in their grammar duotangs and a reading comprehension activity on simple machines.
If there is time students could also work on their health assignments by doing the activity below.
Aujourd'hui dans la salle d'ordinateur nous allons commencer à faire la recherche pour nos projets d'hygiène. Le but pour cette période est de trouver de l'information sur nos sujets de recherche.
Matériel: Crayon, papiers brouillons.
Instructions:
Sur cette page trouve la section des liens. Le dernier lien t'apporteras à la page de resource que nous allons utiliser aujourd'hui. Trouve le lien et clique dessus.
Une fois rendu à la page "Ivy's Search Engine Resources for Kids" descend utilise les boites pour rechercher ton information.
Lis l'information et écris des bonnes questions de recherche basées sur ce que tu as lu. Sois certain de prendre en note le site où tu as trouvé ton information.
Écris des notes pour répondre aux questions.
January 10
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students are required to write science notes for the following questions. Students are required to read page 143 in their science duotangs and write 5 questions and answers in point form.
11. Qu'est ce que la machine change?
12. Comment la machine change la force?
13. Comment les machines changent le travail?
14. Comment les machines ne changent pas le travail?
15. Qu'est ce qu'un levier?
16. Est-ce que la machine change la force?
17. De quoi est composé un levier?
18. Qu'est ce qu'un point d'appui, force motrice, force résistante.
Students must also complete Activity 1 and 2 in their grammar duotangs.
Do not forget there is a dictée tomorrow. (Scroll down to see the words)
January 9
Hello, everyone there is some homework to complete this evening. Students are asked to write a paragraph in French to describe their Christmas holidays. We will gradually be making a shift from writing sentences to paragraphs. Students will still have to do their phrases de dictée but will also have to complete paragraphs every week. These will be evaluated every week. I will make the rubric available to students tomorrow or the day after. The paragraph is due on Friday along with this week's phrases de dictée.
Yesterday, students did a lesson on note taking. We learned about different types of notes and we learned that the texts we read suggest questions. As we were reading a text in science class we wrote the questions that came to mind. This evening students are asked to write notes that answer the questions. These will become their study notes for future lessons.
1. Qu'est ce qu'un travail?
2. Est-il possible de mesurer le travail?
3. Quelles unités utilisent-on pour mesurer le travail?
4. Pourquoi utilise-t-on le point entre Newton et Mètre?
5. Qui est Newton?
6. Qu'est ce qu'un joule?
7. Quelles unités les scientifiques préfèrent-ils?
8. Comment sait-on s'il y a un travail?
9. Quelles forces doit-on surmonter pour accomplir un travail?
10. Qu'est qu'une machine.
Students may answer the questions in point form. I gave specific instructions on how the notes should look.
January 8,
Hello everyone. I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun Christmas break. There is no homework to complete for tomorrow however we have had a very procuctive first day back anyway. I handed back the sled dog research assignment to all students who had finished it before the holidays. For the others please make sure you get that work into me as soon as possible. Although I do not take points off for late assignments it is best to get that work completed as soon as possible so it does not drag out. Please ask your daughter or son about her or his grade. I did not send the marked work home because I wanted to put it directly into the folders. If you have any questions about the mark or would like more information please email me. Students also received grammar test results from December 5.
Research projects and reading assignments/tasks
Today in Health class students received new research topics based on nutrition. Please talk to your child about what aspect of nutrition they will be researching. In English Language Arts today I presented a series of four books called, Tools for Learning. Each of the four books is loaded with student friendly ideas and tips on how to do research. The lesson we did was on how to take good notes. Afterward students applied what they had learned by reading a science text and writing questions. Keep reading for a summary of the lesson.
IMPORTANT: The texts we read suggest questions.
**Christmas Holiday Notice**
Students are required to bring home their gym strips, shoes, water bottles and any personal effects which do not fit into their desks. These items may be brought home on the last day of school.
December 22
Hello everyone. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I would also like to thank all parents and students for the wonderful gifts. It truly makes me feel appreciated and it really made my day. So THANK YOU!!
There is no homework over the Christmas holidays however students should still spend 15 minutes per day reading. Either in French or in English. After the holidays we will go back to 15 minutes of French reading per day.
The only homework for this evening is the sled dog assignment. Students will have to hand in their phrases de dictee tomorrow because I did not have enough time to correct them.
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete for tomorrow. Students must finish their phrases de dictee and there will also be a dictee tomorrow. The sled dog assignment and science projects are due on Friday.
December 18
Students must have their material to complete the sled dog assignment tomorrow. A parent volunteer and I will assist students in completing their research and question and answer booklet. This assignment is due Friday.
December 15
Hello everyone there is a math assignment to complete this weekend. Students must complete page 66-67 in Interactions. Students must refer to an Alberta Populations website listed at the bottom of this page for question 8, 9, 10.
Ela spelling unit 3 (actually due today, Dec. 15)
Ela sled dog research assignment. Students must have the answers to their research questions by Monday. If possible they should bring whatever graphics or drawings they wish to include in their projects. On Tuesday a parent volunteer will be here to assist students in editing their research. I will be checking my email this Sunday if any students wish to email me questions regarding any of these assignments.
December 14
Hello everyone there is some French language arts homework to do this evening. Students must finish their phrases de dictée as well as finish the first part of a reading assignment called "La Crèche de St. François d'Assise."
Dictée words for Thursday, January 11
bac
les racines
des aiguilles
des guirlandes
une nappe
le réveillon
des huîtres
le saumon
la dinde
des betteraves
18 janvier
déguster
une saucisse
une pâtisserie
une légende
des légumes
fidèle
un cadeau
débarquer
la capitale
Allemagne
25 janvier
le roi
mage
un jouet
une allumette
une pantoufle
un tablier
un repas
une fillette
la monnaie
une flamme
1 février
un poêle
éteindre
soudain
magnifique
une chandelle
le ciel
froid
faim
peur
Dieu
December 13
Hello everyone students have some homework to do this evening in English Language Arts. Students should spend some time finding and writing the answers to the research questions we formulated in English Language arts class today. Students were required to browse the information contained in the links and write questions which could be answered by key pieces of information in the web pages.
The next task is to find answers to their questions. Students may write the answers to the questions in point form.
December 12
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students are required to complete page 64, 65 in Interactions. This is a challenging assignment. It requires the use of base ten material. I am aware that most students will not have this at home. We will complete this assignment tomorrow in class, however students should still make an attempt to do the work. Students have had ample opportunity to work with this material. This assignment will not be marked.
I also advised students that they should be working on their science projects and that if anyone needs help they should see me as soon as possible.
I went through the ELA research assignment on sled dogs today during ELA. I told students I would post additional information on that page this evening. (maybe tomorrow evening). I have not yet selected a due date for this assignment yet. But students should not hesitate to begin reading the material on the webpages and writing notes and research questions.
December 9
Hello everyone students should spend some time this weekend working on their science projects. I have revised the expectations and have decided to allow students time to make observations and record their data at school. Students should come to school with their sundials already made. I will allow time in the morning just before recess and students may make an observation at lunch time and then I will provide time a little later in the afternoon.
Students should also check out the Ela assignment on sled dogs that I will present on Monday. Students may begin researching by clicking on the links. Please report any bad links. The link to this Ela assignment is at the bottom of this page.
December 7
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students must complete their phrases de dictées this evening due tomorrow. Students must also write a paragraph in French to explain how the rocky mountains and glaciers were formed. If students wish to do this on the computer and email it to me they may do so. Finally, students spent a good part of this morning working on an Advent calendar. Students are expected to finish this work at home. There will not be any more class time to work on this. For students who are unable to finish it I will provide an alternate calendar for them to write their Advent promises on.
St. Vincent de Paul
Thank you to all parents and students who donated food for this project. Our class has now completed this project so no more items are needed. Thank you!!
Science Projects
Hello I would just like to update all parents about science projects that students are presently working on. Students have been assigned ONE of two science projects. These assignments are related to the light and shadow study we have been doing in class. These projects will finish off our unit of study. Students were given detailed instructions on how to complete the assignments, expectations for the final product as well details regarding evaluation. Once again I urge all students to be extremely mindful of the criteria for evaluation. Students will not receive any class time to complete this work and I would expect the completed assignments by December 22.
December 5
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete this evening in English Language Arts. Students must complete part I, II, III, IV and V in their Ela Cornerstones duotang. This assignment is based on an article we read in class called Animals Make Good Friends. Students had about 40 minutes to work on this assignment in class today during ELA.
St. Vincent de Paul
Many classes have finished gathering their food for this project. Unfortunately our class still has some items to gather. If you are able to send any of the items on the list below in the next couple of days please feel free to do so. Many thanks!!
cookies
foil wrap
2 cans fruit cocktail
4 boxes of jello powder
2 cartons of apple juice
2 pkgs of chicken noodle soup
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 box of tea bags
2 cans of corn
2 cans of peas
December 4
Hello everyone there will be a grammar test tomorrow. Studying for the test is the homework for this evening. Also, I will be away tomorrow morning. Students will work on a math assignment, do their grammar test and work on a social studies assignment. I will be back in the afternoon.
December 1
Hello everyone there will be a grammar test on Tueday. Students should refer to the study guide below to prepare for the test. The test is on nouns. During the course of our study on nouns students learned various things, for example, the difference between common nouns and proper nouns, how to change nouns from the masculin form to the feminin form and how to form the plural of certain nouns.
I also taught students some terminology. For example in French endings of words are called terminaisons, This is important because different endings have different rules. In order to prepare for the test students must refer to the boxes called "J'apprends" it is in these boxes that the rules are explained and exceptions must be noted by students to ensure success. Students completed the exercises on pages 31-46 to practice these concepts. I reinforced the concepts by explaining the rules in simpler language and by having students cross reference words in their dictionaries. Grade 4 students understand that the French dictionary is their best friend. It is the first place they should look if they encounter difficulty.
Study guide (Refer to your grammaire duotang)
P. 31: Noms communs et noms propres.
-Les noms communs désignent les choses. On l'écrit avec une minuscule. ex. table, chaise, livre.
-Les noms propres désignent une seule personne ou un groupe. On l'écrit avec une majuscule ex. Pierre, Canada, Calgary.
Possible test items: Pick out nouns out of a text, identify masculine nouns and feminine nouns.
p. 33 Le Genre du Nom (gender, masculine and feminine nouns)
Refer to J'apprends on pages 33, 34, 35, 36, 38
In French the feminine of most nouns is formed by adding an E at the end of the word. For example Louis-Louise, un cousin-une cousine. Pay close attention to the exercises on pages 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38. Many of these words are exceptions and you will have to memorize them.
Possible test questions: Crossword puzzle where you have to write the feminin form of the noun, Rewriting a sentence and changing the masculine to the feminine or vice versa, Multiple choice questions where you have to choose the correct answer, fill in the blanks.
Forming the plural
Most nouns in French take an "S" to form the plural. However there are certain exceptions to this rule. Pay attention to the activities on pages 40, 41, 42.
**Try the challenge board activity below on nouns. You must scroll down to the activity section. It is the last activity on the list.
November 30
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete this evening. Students must complete page 63 in their Interactions text book. This lesson focuses on the relationship between decades, centuries and milleniums. This lesson also reviews base ten material. Base ten material is used to represent large numbers and helps students conceptualize larger numbers. In some of the questions students are asked to represent numbers using this material. In those questions students should draw the large cube to represent thousands, a 10x10 square to represent 100s and a line of ten squares to represent 10s, a small cube is used to represent ones.
In this lesson students are also asked to write numbers in expanded form. For example the number 1867 could be written as 1000+800+60+7
Some useful vocabulary
millénaire: millenium
siècle: century
décennie: decade
valeur de position: Place value.
There was also supposed to be a grammar test on Monday however I do not feel students are prepared enough so I have decided to postpone the test until Tuesday.
Nov. 29
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students must complete their phrases de dictées. The new word lists are below. Students also must complete spelling lesson 2 in spelling. There is also a dictée tomorrow. Please scroll down and pay attention to the dates.
Nov. 28
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students have a French grammar assignment due for tomorrow. There will be a test on this material on Monday Dec. 4. I will post a study guide tomorrow. Students also must complete their phrases de dictée for Thursday because there is no school on Friday. Students also must answer the following science questions. These questions are related to the "glasses" students made in class today. The glasses have different coloured lenses to allow students to view objects through the coloured lenses.
Science questions
1. Qu'est ce qui arrive quand tu as recouvert une moitié de ta visionneuse avec la couleur ___________ et l'autre avec la couleur ____________?
2. À travers quelle couleur pouvais-tu voir le mieux?
3. Quelle couleur ferait les meilleurs lunettes de soleil?
4. Pourquoi est-ce qu'on porte des lunettes de soleil?
November 28
Mots de dictée pour jeudi le 7 décembre
la veillée
une histoire
une bûche
un gâteau
une cheminée
un feuillage
le ruban
la crèche
une naissance
une coutume
Mots de dictée pour jeudi le 14 décembre
ancien
une mangeoire
le foin
un âne
le cierge
lumineux
une église
une figurine
immense
un santon
jeudi le 21 décembre
Alsace
le houx
le gui
le lièvre
le romarin
la couronne
le sang
la paille
l'apparition
sapin
November 27
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening. Students must complete a religion assignment called, A Time of Waiting. This assignment is to kick off our discussion of Advent. Several students were absent today. They may participate in this assignment by answering the questions below then completing the handout tomorrow.
I also took some time to explain Venn diagrams to students that had some difficulty with the math assignment. For those students that did not complete the work it will be marked tomorrow. So please complete it in order to avoid an incomplete homework assignment.
Report cards went home today. I spoke to students about the information that goes into report cards. I explained the mark system and how the effort marks are given.
Backpacks
Please insure your son or daughter's backpack is not too heavy for them to carry. If it seems too heavy to you it probably is. It is a good idea to have them empty it nightly and sort through materials which are not needed. I will NOT be checking backpacks to see if they are too heavy.
Religion assignment
1. Make a list of different things you can wait for.
2. How does waiting make you feel?
3. What do you think about when you are waiting?
4. What different kind of things can you learn about yourself when you are waiting?
5. How is waiting a positive experience?
6. How is waiting a difficult experience?
November 24
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete this weekend. Please see the itemized list below.
1. French Language arts: Reading comprehension assignment in French duotang. This assignment is called Gérald écrit à Benjamin. There is a letter then comprehension activities to do. (due Monday)
2. Maths: Interactions page 60-61-62; Venn diagrams.
3. Ela Cornerstones: My Olympic Tabby Cat, assignment on the poem we read in class on Wednesday. Due Monday.
November 23
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete for tomorrow. Students must do their phrases de dictée. The words are below. (Nov. 30 list)
Students will also be given computer time tomorrow to complete 2 social studies assignments we began earlier this week. This work is expected to be completed at the end of the computer period tomorrow. Students will have from 2:30 to 3:10 to work on their poster and letter.
November 22
Hello everyone students have some English Language arts homework to complete this evening. This work is related to a poem we read together in class. The poem was about a cat. The poet compares the cat to an Olympic athlete. You may read the poem below. Students are asked to write about a cat they may know, have seen or simply imagined. Not owning a cat is NOT an acceptable reason not to do this assignment. Write a paragraph to answer the questions below:
-What games does your cat play? (Descriptive writing of 2 games, 5-10 sentences)
-What is the funniest thing your cat has ever done. (3-5 sentences)
-Tell a story about a cat. (one page max)
If students wish to type this assignment then email it to me they may do so.
November 21
Hello everyone students have some homework to complete for tomorrow. P. 49 in Interactions. #1-10, students must use the 5 step problem solving method for all the problems except #3, 4, and 7. This assignment was actually due today (Tuesday) however we did not have enough time to correct it today.
Students also must complete the rough drafts for 2 social studies assignments. Please read the descriptions of the assignments below. Feel free to discuss the lesson and in class activity regarding this assignment with your son or daughter.
Assignment 1
Students must make/design a promotional poster for a travelling paleontological museum. Students may see the Learn Alberta website at the link below for an exciting poster making activity. Please follow the instructions carefully to access the link.
Assignment 2
Students must write a letter to the founder of the museum explaining why the museum should be named after George M. Dawson. Students must write a formal letter and state at least 3 reasons why the museum should be named after Dawson. Students may use the introduction below to help them get started on the letter.
21 novembre, 2006
Chers Monsieurs:
Nous avons entendu dire que vous planifiez un musée à bord un autobus. Les expositions de ce musée traiteront les sujets et thèmes suivants. L'histoire préhistorique d'Alberta, les dinosaurs, les fossiles et la paléontologie. C'est aussi planifier d'exposer les contributions de George M. Dawson. J'aimerais suggèrer que le musée porte le nom de M. Dawson ...
November 16
Hello everyone students have some grammar homework to complete this weekend. P. 34, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, and 43 are due Monday. Students should use a French dictionary to complete this work. Students should understand the difference between a French dictionary and a French/English dicitionary.
November 15
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete for tomorrow. Spelling lesson 1. Phrases de dictée, as well as the actual dictée. I decided that students did not have to finish the social studies assignment because we did not have enough time to work on it today.
November 14
Hello everyone there will be a math test tomorrow. Please scroll down to see the study guide. Phrases de dictée are due on Thursday as well as spelling unit 1. Students also have a social studies assignment due on Thursday. I will give some class time for students to work on the social studies assignment tomorrow.
St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers
Our school is participating in this program once again this year. Each class has been assigned a family for whom they are to gather items to put into the food hampers. Your son or daughter has chosen an item from the list to donate. I would like to respectfully request that the items are sent to school some time in the next few weeks. Please check your son or daughter's agenda for the item to bring. Thank you for sharing and caring this holiday season.
November 13
Students have page 46 in maths to complete for tomorrow. Students had about 40 minutes to work on this assignment. Students also had a word scramble assignment to do in Religion, due tomorrow.
November 13
Hello everyone there will be a math test on Wednesday Nov. 15. Students should know, be able to demonstrate, or understand the following concepts.
*Recognize that a fraction is a part of a whole. (p34 Interactions)
*Recognize hundredths as decimal numbers.
*Represent decimal numbers on a grid of a hundred.
*Represent decimal numbers or fractions on a number line. (NLVM has good practice activities for this)
*Represent decimal numbers using a ruler. (p. 38-39 Interactions)
*Compare distances using decimal numbers.
*Solve a variety of problems involving decimal numbers.
*Understand the relationship between MM, CM, DM, and M.
*Order decimal fractions from smallest to biggest and biggest to smallest. (Use a number line to understand this better.)
I will be available on Tuesday, November 14 (day 6) at lunchtime to help any students who may have difficulty with any of these concepts.
November 10
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete this weekend. Students must finish page 42 and 43 in Interactions. Students also have a grammar assignment due for Monday in their new grammaire duotangs. Activity 1, 2, and 3 are due Monday. Also, please remember to complete spelling unit 1 by November 16.
November 9
Hello everyone students have phrases de dictées due for tomorrow. Students had about 40 minutes to work on this assignment this afternoon.
November 8
Hello everyone students must complete a math assignment for tomorrow. The assignment is on page 40 in Interactions. Please do not forget about the dictée tomorrow.
November 7
Hello everyone students must complete page 38 and 39 only in Interactions. Students were given ample opportunity to ask questions and complete the work on these pages. I would like to refer all parents and students to the link at the bottom of this page. The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is an excellent web site that allows students to do math activities with manipulatives. There are activities for K-12. There is no other homework besides the maths.
November 6
Hello everyone there is some work to do this evening in math. Students are required to complete p. 38 #1 in their Interactions book. This lesson was on representing decimal numbers. The lesson uses the relationships between meters, decimeters, centimeters and millimeters to make students use decimal numbers. In this lesson students are required to write conversions between units. One of the questions might be, what is 38 cm in meters. The correct answer is 0,38 M. With practice they will come to understand that 10/100 is equal to 1/10. 0,1 is equal to 0,10.
Although students only have to complete #1 they have been warned that the rest of this lesson and the lesson on page 40 will all be due on Wednesday. I encouraged them to do as much of the work as possible this evening but that if they did not understand something this evening they would have a chance to ask question about the work on page 38-39 tomorrow.
I also distributed some ELA material. The material is spelling lessons. This work was placed in duotangs marked ELA - Spelling. These lessons will be due on the following dates. I wrote this information on the board and told students to write it in their agendas in the calendar sections. The due dates are as follows.
Lesson 1-Nov. 16
Lesson 2-Dec. 1
Lesson 3-Dec 15
Lesson 4-Jan 19
Lesson 5-Feb 1
Lesson 6-Feb 23
Lesson 7-March 2
Lesson 8-March 15
Lesson 9-March 30
Lesson 10-April 20
Lesson 11-April 27
Lesson 12-May 4
Lesson 13-May 18
Lesson 14-June 1
Lesson 15-June 8
Lesson 16-June 15
Lesson 17-June 22
November 3
* Hello everyone there will be some homework to do this weekend. Students should study for their social studies test on Monday. Please scroll down to see the study guide.
*I would like students to think of some ideas for a fourth "gallery" from the "Dig this" website activity we did yesterday (Thursday). The link to the activity is at the bottom of this page.
*I would like students to each think of 3 questions they would ask Bishop Henry. A reminder to students, please reflect on the quality of the questions. You do not want to ask questions that we could easily find the answers to such as "how old are you" etc.
*Finally, I am looking for information regarding French tutors. If you know anyone who might be available please email me.
Oh yes, one more thing... Go Riders!!!
November 2
Hello everyone there is some homework due tomorrow. Students must finish their phrases de dictée. Students also have a social studies assignment related to an activity we did in class today. We will also have our French test tomorrow. We were unable to do it today because we had a presentation this morning.
November 1
Hello everyone there is some homework due for tomorrow. Students need to complete a math assignment in Interactions. Page 36 #1-5. Most students have nearly completed this assignment. There is also a French spelling test tomorrow. Please scroll down to see the words.
I would like students to interview parents for the health assignment on stress. I would like everyone to have their information and the rough draft of their assignment by Friday. If it is typed by Friday that would be great. Just email me student work completed at home and I will insert the assignments into their folders on our H drive.
Phrases de dictée is due on Friday.
October 31
Students received the details surrounding the stress assignment in health. Students are asked to do a short interview with their parents or 2 other adults then write an article (IN FRENCH) about the interview. They may use the friendship article we did in ELA in September as a model. Then I asked that students draw or photograph the people engaged in some sort of stress reducing activity such as jogging, playing cards or whatever it is you do to relieve stress. (positive examples only please)
This assignment is due Friday. If students type their work at home please email it to me at school and I will save it into their folders as soon as I receive it.
October 31
There will be a test on Monday November 6 in Études Sociales. Students must know, explain or be able to demonstrate the following concepts.
-Name the 6 regions of Alberta, label them and colour them.
-Explain what is Pangaea.
-Tell creation stories.
-Explain why fossils are important in our study of Alberta.
-Explain what a paleontologist is and describe the work they do.
-Explain who was Jean L'Heureux.
-Who was Joseph Tyrell and what did he contribute to Alberta.
-Who first discovered fossils in Alberta.
-Explain First Nations beliefs relative to fossils.
-Explain the difference between perspective and point of view.
October 31
Hello everyone there is no homework this evening for most students. However there are some students who still have not completed their Bible story assignments and comic strip assignments from last week. I told these students that I expected the work tomorrow.
October 31
There will be a test on Thursday November 2 in French Language Arts. The test is on the novel we have been reading, Jonas le Requin Rose. Students should know or be able to demonstrate the following concepts.
-Vrai our faux. Il faut savoir des faits variés du roman.
-Relire les notes et travaux. Relire le roman. (this is a suggestion only)
-Qui a dit cela? Savoir quel personnage a dit quels paroles.
-Pouvoir faire une courte bande dessinée du roman ou d'une scène dans le roman.
-Résumer l'histoire dans tes propres mots.
-Savoir qui est l'auteur et illustrateur.
-Pouvoir étiquetter les parties d'un requin.
-Pouvoir expliquer pourquoi Jonas est devenu rose.
-Pouvoir écrire une phrase complète avec les mots du roman. (phrases de dicté)
-Mettre en ordre chronologique les évènements majeurs du roman.
Mots de dictée pour jeudi le 9 nov.
déprimé
marmonner
vague
connaître
nouvelle
ventouse
longtemps
voyage
personne
Éternelle
Mots de dicté pour le 16 nov.
corail
coquillage
cherchant
laisser
goulûment
poisson
heureusement
fidèle
compter
caractère
Mots pour le 23 nov
noirâtre
fleur
nourriture
vraiment
accumuler
gentil
maquerau
coupable
filtre
compagne
Mots pour le 30 nov
monstre
nageoire
rémoras
distinguer
beaucoup
l'esprit
unique
plaisir
ami
pieuvre
October 29
Hello everyone there was no homework due this weekend. Happy Halloween!!
October 26
Hello everyone there is some homework due tomorrow. Students must finish their phrases de dictée. Please see the words listed below. This week students must pay attention to capitalization and punctuation as well as plurals and singulars. They are also asked to identify nouns by putting a box around them, verbs by underlining them and adjectives by circling them. Students, please remember that a verb is an action word, a noun names a person, place or thing and adjectives describe nouns. If students are not certain of a word they may use their dictionaries to look them up.
Dictée words for Thursday November 2
montagne
accrocher
espèce
peine
mystérieux
direction
Jonas
atoll
baleine
goût
October 25
Hello everyone there is a dictée tomorrow. Please scroll down to see the words for tomorrow's test. I would like to remind students one more time that there are 2 assignments due Friday. Études Sociales and Bible stories.
October 24
Hello everyone. I have decided to give students an extension on their Bible stories. This assignment is now due for Friday. There is no homework due for tomorrow but there are 2 assignments due for Friday. Bible stories and Social studies comic strips. There will also be a health assignment due sometime next week.
October 23
Hello everyone. Today students started a new unit in maths. W are currently exploring fractions and decimal numbers. We started out this work by looking at how we write fractions. Students should be able to tell you what the top number is and what the bottom number is called. We discussed vocabulary for common fractions such as one half, one quarter and one third. Most students knew this vocabulary already. You may wish to review this with your child. Finally, students named some fractions then I called students to the board to draw examples of the fractions we had named.
There is no homework due tomorrow however we did not check our work in Jonas le Requin Rose so that will be done tomorrow. I advised students that if they were not finished this work that it should be finished by tomorrow.
Students have a Bible story that is due on Wednesday. Students were supposed to take a story that they knew and re -write it on a sheet of paper. Then they were supposed to decorate it the way they learned Monks used to decorate their manuscripts. The criteria for this assignment was discussed this morning in class however students were not given an official rubric yet.
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this weekend in French langauage arts. Students should complete the assignments in their Jonas le Requin Rose duotang by Monday. The assignments are pages A19-A26. Students need only complete these pages. Next week I will assign projects that go along with Jonas le Requin Rose. There will also be a test either late next week or the following week.
Some assignments coming up:
Next week students have a Religion assignment due for Wednesday. They are to select a Bible story and write it in their own words.
There is a Social Studies assignment due for next Friday. Students must draw and write a comic strip depicting the adventures of Jean L'Heureux. Please see below for a link to a website which details his story.
Students will be given a health assignment next week where they will interview an adult on the topic of stress. We will brainstorm the questions next week. More to come.
Phrases de dictées are due tomorrow. The focus for this week is the same as last week. Punctuation and capitalization and plurals and singulars. For students who are feeling ambitious I would like them to identify the nouns, verbs and adjectives in their sentences. For example they could put a square around verbs, underline nouns and circle adjectives. I will not be marking that though.
There will be a test in maths tomorrow on division. Students must know, understand, or be able to demonostrate the following concepts.
-Share objects equally.
-Invent a division word problem from an equation.
-Write division equations.
-Be able to use a table like the one opn page 15 of Interactions.
-Divide sums of money into equal parts.
-Make equal groups of people. For example making teams.
-Write reciprocal equations. 9X8=72 so 72 divided by 9=8. (Sorry I cannot make the division symbol on this computer.
-Use the 5 step problem solving method to solve a variety of division problems.
October 19
Mots de dictée pour le 26 octobre
quitter
moral
profond
gaieté
ancêtre
minuscule
merveille
délicieux
appétit
succulent
October 14
Please see below for details regarding homework due tomorrow.
October 13
Hello everyone. There is some homework due for Tuesday in English language arts. Students must complete an assignment related to the short story called the Southpaw. This is mainly a comprehension assignment but there is also another component. Students are asked to watch a news broadcast and observe how much time is spent discussing women's sports. They are also asked to look at the sports section of a newspaper and measure how much space is devoted to men's sports and how much space is used to cover men's sports.
Students also have a math assignment due on Tuesday. This is a problem solving exercise in Interactions. I decided to use this opportunity to explain the 5 step problem solving method I expect students to use. Please look below for an explanation of the 5 step method.
Students must complete page 27 #1-12. Students are only required to do the questions which involve division. In class we read the problems and I tried to make sure all students understood the questions. As a group we identified which problems did not involve division, (there are 2). Finally, this assignment is due Tuesday. I will be in the classroom at lunchtime on Monday if anyone needs help.
Five step Method
I use this method when teaching problem solving to students. I feel it helps to organize the problem and figure out which strategy will work best. Students also receive credit for each individual step. The process is the important part. That is what I am marking.
Step 1; Ce qu'on cherche (What are we looking for)
In this step students must identify the question in the problem. They must write a sentence to explain in their own words what the problem is.
Step 2; Ta démarche (How will you solve the problem)
In this step students must state what they will do to solve the problem. For example, I will multiply 9 by 8 to get the answer.
Step 3; Phrase maths (The math equation)
In this step students write the equation then solve it. They must show their work
Step 4; La réponse (The answer)
In this step students write a sentence to give their answer. The answer must be directly linked to the first step. This is why the sentence is so important.
Step 5; Vérification (Students check their answer)
In this step students must check their answer. Sometimes I omit this step depending on whether or not it is possible. Usually if the problem involves an operation such as division or multiplication it is possible.
October 12
Hello everyone. Today students received math packages of problems to complete at home. I am planning to give 12 math problems per month. The problems are in English. Please encourage your son or daughter to try to complete 1 problem per night two or three nights per week. Students are free to ask me for help. The purpose of the problems is to give students some extra practice solving problems. The problems are due at the end of each month.
Phrases de Dictée are due tomorrow.
Students who need extra help
I will be in the classroom from 12:15 to 1:00 on days 2, 4, and 6. I will be available to help students with assignments during this time. Students who have outstanding incomplete homework assignments will be required to stay in on those days.
Incomplete Homework Assignments
When students have not completed a particular assignment or if they have forgotten it at home they are required to fill out a "devoir incomplet" slip. On the slip they are asked to write which assignment it was, the date and the reason why it was incomplete. Afterward students must stay in at lunchtime on day 2, 4, or 6 to complete it. Once I have verified that the work is complete I put a C on the incomplete and it gets stapled into their agenda. Please do not remove the incomplete slips. Please initial them so I can see that you are aware that an assignment was either missing or incomplete.
October 11
Please have a look at the second activity in the activities section down below. The second activity called Light is new. I just created it so if you have time play the game.
October 11
Hello everyone there will be some homework to do this evening. Students should study their French spelling words. Scroll down the page to see the words. Students also have an assignment due for Jonas le Requin Rose. Students must complete the pages in their duotangs up to and including page A18. Students had class time yesterday and today to work on this assignment.
I also gave students next week's spelling words. These words are all from the novel Jonas le Requin Rose. The spelling test will be next Thursday October 19. Phrases de dictée are due this Friday, October 13. For this week's sentences I will look for capitalization and punctuation andcorrect spelling of plurals and singulars. Our class did a lesson today on the plurals and singular. Students learned that nouns take an "s" when it is plural. Students also learned that you must add "ent" to the end of the verb when the subject is plural (the subject is the person performing the action). I did not give students any additional exercise besides the practice we did on the board as a class. I will give additional exercises if needed after I correct and mark students' sentences.
Spelling words for October 19
imbécile
geule
avaler
harpon
transpercer
domaine
dévorer
solitude
l'univers
sagesse
October 10
Hello everyone. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. There is some homework to do this evening for tomorrow. Students are expected to review the material in their science duotangs for our quiz on light tomorrow. Students may also refer to the study guide below. Students should start by re-reading all their notes and papers. Then they should make sure to understand the concepts we have learned so far. Students must also complete the 15 minutes of reading in French.
There is a French language arts assignment due for Thursday. The assignment is in the French language arts duotang and has to do with Jonas le Requin Rose. There will also be a spelling test on Thursday. If you scroll down this page you will see the words.
October 5
Hello everyone there is some math homework due for Tuesday. Students are expected to complete pages 20 and 21 in the Interactions textbook. This lesson focuses on making the link between multiplication and division. Students are asked to create "patios" on graph paper with a certain number of tiles. Each square on the graph paper represents one tile in the patio. Students are given a set number of tiles then are asked to represent and solve an equation.
There will be a science quiz on Wednesday October 12. Students are expected to know/be able to explain the following concepts.
*Understand that light is a form of energy.
*Identify different sources of light and be able to name the sun as our main source of light.
*Name the different coulours of the spectrum
*Darker coulors absorb light
*Lighter colours reflect light
*Define the terms "opaque", "translucide" and "transparent"
*Explain what refraction is and give an example
*Understand that it is harmful to look directly at the sun without any eye protection
Students should refer to the material in their science duotangs for the information. They may also explore the light websites listed below.
October 4
Hello everyone there is a math assignment due for tomorrow. Students should complete the lesson on pages 16 and 17 in Interactions. The focus of this lesson is on making equal parts. The lesson starts out using tokens and students are asked to divide the tokens equally among students. The lesson then uses money and students are asked to divide various sums of money.
vocabulary
regularité.......pattern
équitablement.........equally
fanions..........flag
somme.........sum (the answer to an addition question)
Journal de lecture
This morning I reminded students of the 15 minutes of French reading goal I talked about at the interviews. I decided to make a little reading log to keep track of students' reading. I am asking that students spend 15 minutes reading aloud in French during the week. If it is impossible to do it during the week then you could do 1 or 2 sessions on the weekend and I will count it as completed. I am also planning to reward students for their effort by giving a bonus of $5.00 in classroom currency per completed 15 minute session.
I would like to take this opportunity to let parents and students know that the intent is to read in French regularly for short periods of time. I do not want students to spend 45 minutes reading and then expect it to count as 3 sessions. That is not the intent. Some students asked if they read more than the 15 minutes would they receive more money. Once again that is not the intent. I would like to stress quality over quantity. Doing 15 minutes of quality reading is better than doing 60 minutes of non-quality reading. Optimally there would be few distractions while the reading is taking place. Encourage your son or daughter to sound out the words they do not know and be certain to ask many questions. Such as WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and Why questions. Also please make sure the book or reading material is not too easy or too hard. I will not verify all the books, however if I see titles that seem a little easy I may ask students to see the book or I may ask questions to see if the student has understood the content.
Finally, I understand that people are busy in the evenings. I ask simply that students do what they can and are honest about what they did. Please, please, please do not just sign your child's reading log without making sure they actually did the work. If you can only do 2 evenings per week then that is acceptable.
October 3
Hello everyone there is some homework to complete for tomorrow. Students are asked to complete the rough draft of an English language arts story we started in class. The topic of the story is "an enchanted forest". During class we brainstormed ideas for this story. I also explained the writing process to students. We discussed how to write a story, for example how all stories should have a beginning, a middle and an end. How there should be a conflict or a problem in the story and how the problem gets resolved. Most students seemed to be fairly familiar with the process and the lesson went well. I am asking that students finish the rough draft. Afterward if they are feeling ambitious they may type it in MS WORD and email it to me as an attachment. I will save it in their writing folders on our school's H drive. I plan to teach students how to do revisions on their saved documents at a later date.
Phrases de dictée
I plan to start doing dictation in French language arts next week. Our first dictée will be on Thursday October 12. I will give students the words for the following weeks dictée on Thursdays right after the test. I plan to give students 10 words per week. Students are also required to keep a notebook called "phrases de dictée`s". In this notebook students are expected to write sentences with the words. These sentences will be marked weekly. Each week the focus of the marks will change. I will notify students in advance what I am looking for in their sentences. This week I am looking for proper sentence structure. Specifically, capitalization and punctuation. I plan to use this exercise as a tool to help teach and practice grammatical concepts. The words for this week are from our novel study. In class today we wrote 6 of the 10 sentences. The last 4 sentences are due tomorrow. Each sentence will be worth 2 points.
marsouin
requinot
dégradant
sillage
poseur
grotte
malin
capture
gambader
surdoué
October 2
Hello everyone. Students will have a Religion quiz tomorrow. Students are not expected to memorize the prayers. They simply should practice the cloze activity I gave on Friday. They should cover their papers then try to recite it. Then judge how well they know each prayer. The quiz will be a cloze activity similar to the one they did in class.
September 30, 2006
Cross Conservation Area Field Trip
Our field trip was a great success. The weather was beautiful and all the fall colours were wonderful to behold. Students learned a lot about land use and I feel the trip was well worth the effort.
A big thank you to all of our parent volunteers who came on the trip. It would have been impossible to have this experience without them. So THANK YOU!!
There will be some homework this weekend. Students have a math assignment due for Monday on page 15. This assignment centers around making tables to record information. Students are required to make 4 different tables. On Thursday I gave students some tips for how to make neat looking tables. This includes using a ruler and marking out the boundaries of the tables as well as respecting page margins. Students use a notebook with graph paper in them so I told them to use the squares to their advantage. I also told students they could experiment with making tables in MS Word. Please see the instructions below.
Students are also expected to complete the cloze activity in Religion. There will be a quiz on the prayers on Tuesday.
Instructions to make a table in MS WORD
1. Click on "table" in the tool bar. When the menu opens you should select "Insert" then click on table when the side menu opens.
2. On the insert table menu specify the number of columns and rows you will need. Then click okay.
3. Your table will appear in your document. Be certain to save your work as soon as you start because if something happens you will lose ALL your work.
4. To type letters and numbers in the table use the mouse to insert the cursor.
5. Experiment with different size fonts and other things. The more you experiment the more you will learn.
6. Print your table, cut it out and paste it neatly into your math notebook. If you do not have a printer you may email it to me as an attachment and I will print it at school.
September 28, 2006
Hello everyone:
Tomorrow is our field trip to Cross Conservation Area. Please read the following guidelines in order to prepare yourself for the trip.
Weather in the foothills is variable and can change throughout the day. Conditions range from cold and snowy to warm and sunny, and the area is typically windy. Please be sure to wear warm windproof clothing. Do not expect weather conditions to be the same as at school.
Items to bring
Wear or carry the following
§ Hat
§ Put on sunscreen in the morning before leaving home
§ Hand sanitizer
§ Long pants (no shorts)
§ T shirt
§ Long sleeved shirt
§ Jacket
§ Sturdy footwear (no sandals, flip flops etc.)
§ Backpack
§ Extra socks
§ Water
§ Garbage free conserver lunch
§ Plastic bag with newspapers inside taped shut (to sit on)
Special Considerations
Students should understand that the outdoors is full of homes for animals and plants. They should behave as though they are visitors. Take nothing and leave the area as you find it. Students will be expected to carry any garbage they produce out with them. There are no garbage cans on the trail.
If you have any other questions please refer to the Cross Conservation Area website (www.crossconservationarea.org the link is below) or email me. I will check my email this evening in case anyone has any questions.
Sincerely
Denis Fortier
September 27
Hello everyone there will be some homework to complete this evening in maths. Students are asked to complete p. 14 #3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 in Interactions. In this assignment students are asked to invent division problems. Afterward they must represent the problem by drawing the division equation. This assignment stems from the lesson we did this morning on division. Students practiced dividing numbers using tokens to represent the problems. The Interactions book uses dog treats as an example. Students had abou 10 minutes to work on this assignment. Tomorrow we will finish the lesson and correct today's assignment.
September 26
Hello everyone there will be some homework to do this evening. As part of our preparation for our field trip on Friday students are asked to describe 3 of Alberta's bio regions. Please encourage your son or daughter to tell you about the regions we looked at this afternoon. Students should be able to tell you about the regions and what types of plants and animals inhabit the area. They may refer to the website below describing Alberta's special places.
September 25
Hello everyone there will be some homework to do this evening. Today students were asked to create a journal. All students took out a green notebook and I explained that this notebook would be their "journal général" A few subjects ask for journal entries so rather than make one for religion, ELA, FLA and health I asked students to combine them into one journal. I also gave specific instructions for how journal entries are to be marked.
Students are asked to write the subject of the journal entry, the title of the journal entry and the date. Students are also expected to indent paragraphs, use complete sentences and skip lines.
This evening students are asked to describe a time when they were angry and the reaction they had. In ELA students are asked to respond to the story "The Moccassin Goalie". They are to state whether or not they think the following statements are fair or not and why.
"Girls do not play hockey"
"Petou is too small"
"Danny can't skate"
Students are also asked to return their consent forms for Friday's field trip. If they return them tomorrow they will earn $20.00 in classroom money.
September 21
Hello everyone there will be some homework over the weekend in Religion. Students should complete the 3 review handouts on prayer.
Have a look at the link below (the very last one) this link will take you to a search directory on Yahooligans. Have a look at some of the websites on light and optics.
Try the activities below in the Quia activities box at the bottom of this page.
September 20
Hello everyone tomorrow is picture day and parent teacher interviews.
September 19
Hello everyone there will be some homework this evening in maths. Students must complete pages D1, D2, D3, D4. Some students have already completed this assignment in class.
Hello everyone. Today in Études Sociales class I introduced the topic for this year. In grade 4 students study Alberta. As part of this introduction our class discussed the field trip our class will be taking on Sept 29 to Cross Conservation Area. (Please click on the link below to view the Cross Conservation website.)
During the class we discussed where everyday items come from. We started with food. We traced the journey pancakes would have from where the grain was grown all the way to the breakfast table. Students discussed and we talked about the various ingredients and where they come from, we talked about packaging and the impact that packaging has on the land.
After the discussion I assigned students an everyday object. I then instructed them to trace it back to its beginnings. Some items on the list were; jeans, glass, a bed, paper, clocks, a pen, hockey stick, etc.
I told students to write a descriptive paragraph about their objects and where they came from. I also asked students to go home and have a look at the websites I bookmarked in the links section below. I would also like to ask that parents assist their son or daughter with the task of doing additional searches on the internet if the websites below do not meet their needs. I discourage students from simply typing something on Google and pressing search because it will bring up all kinds of information which may not be relevant to the task.
Exploring the websites below and perhaps starting to explain the origins of their object is the only homework this evening. Please check back a couple of times over the course of the evening because when I get home I will try to research this a bit more.
I have posted some links to interesting science websites below. If you have time have a look and do some of the activities.
Friday, September 15
Hello everyone there will be some homework this weekend in Interactions. Students should complete pages 4-5. This assignment is on clocks. Students also must complete pages A8, A9, A10 in their French language arts duotang.
Wednesday, September 13
Hello everyone there will be some homework to do this evening in maths. Students must complete page 7 in their Interactions textbook. Numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. This is a data management activity. Students must gather data on things that people do regularly, such as how often they smile, how many times in a given time period someone swallows, how many times per day family members use the telephone, or how many times someone asks a question in a day. These are the examples in the textbook. I encourage students to be creative and find other things they can report on. Question 6 asks students to pick one thing they will observe and the time period in which the observations will take place. Number 7 asks students to make a prediction for each member of the family. Finally number 8 asks students to make a pictogram or bar graph to display their data.
Tuesday, September 12
Hello everyone. There is no homework due tomorrow however students are expected to complete the good copy of their friendship articles by Friday. Tomorrow we will go to the computer lab and we will start typing the articles. I will also teach a lesson on how to put a picture in their document. All students are required to have pictures of the friends they interviewed. I am currently in the process of setting up student folders on the school's H drive. Students will save their documents there. If anyone would like to email me the pictures or typed rough drafts please feel free to do so by clicking on the link above.
On September 29 we will be going on a field trip to Cross Conservation area, just south of the city. The field trip will last the whole day. Students will take part in a program called Keepers of the Land. This ties in nicely with Social Studies. I would like to have about 5 parent volunteers to accompany us on the trip. If you can come please send me an email.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Hello everyone. There is no homework this evening. Please ask your son or daughter for the letter explaining the procedure for parent teacher interviews on Sept. 21 and 22. Students also have a fund raising pkg. Please have a look and read through that paperwork.
Thank you to all parents and students who submitted paperwork. Thank you as well to everyone who sent me an email. If you have not already done so please send me an email and put your name in the subject header then I will have everyone's email on file.
Friday, September 8
Hello everyone there will be some homework this weekend in English Language arts. Students must write the rough draft of an article on friendship. This assignment stems from an article we read in class called Best Friends. The writer interviews a pair of best friends and writes a magazine article on frindship. Please follow the instructions below.
1. Find a pair of best friends to interview. It can be people from our class or you can choose to interview adults. Perhaps your mom or dad and their best friend.
2. Interview the friends SEPARATELY. Do not interview them both at the same time. Use the following four questions and add 2 of your own or use the optional questions.
-How did you meet each other?
-What things do you like to do together?
-Do you ever have fights?
-How do you make up?
optional questions
-How often do you go to each other's house?
-What do you have in common?
-What kind of things do you share?
-What is the best thing about being friends with this person.
3. Use the information you collected to write the rough draft of your article on friendship.
4. Take a few pictures of the friends. Preferably with a digital camera.
Things to consider
If you wish to type your interview this weekend you could email me your document and pictures. I will put them into a folder for you on our H drive.
Hello everyone. There will be more paperwork sent home this weekend. The forms are:
Annual Student Acceptable Use Policy for Internet Use (orange sheet)
-this form must be filled out yearly and I must have it before students are allowed to use the internet.
Annual Volunteer Acceptable Use Policy For Network Use ( dark green sheet)
-this form is to allow for volunteers to use computers in our school
Volunteer Registration Form (white, 3 pages)
-this form must be completed if you intend to volunteer at our school. The last sheet concerning confidentiality is especially important.
Field Trip Annual Consent Form. (white, 1 sheet)
-this form must be completed yearly. It gives permission for your child to attend field trips. This form should not be confused with other field trip consent forms.
Field Trip Consent Form for our school Mass on September 20 (light green)
-this form must be filled in and returned prior to our Mass at St. Pius X Church.
I will complete the paperwork required for the field trip on September 29 and I will send out consent forms as soon as possible.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Wednesday, September 6
Hello everyone. Students have had a productive second day of school. We continued to work on routines and getting organized. I introduced the first theme for French Language arts, as well as the first unit in science.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite all parents to our "Meet the teacher" bbq tomorrow afternoon starting at 5:30 PM. I will be available to discuss any questions you may have. I will also give a brief overview of how the classroom will run this year. In the meantime please have a look at the link at the bottom of this page. This link will take you to the Alberta Education webpage containing curriculum handbooks and curriculum summaries for parents.
Tuesday September 5
Hello. Well the first day of school has come and gone. Our class had a very enjoyable day. Students started the day by sorting all their materials. They chose desks and had the opportunity to visit with their classmates. After recess we discussed expectations for behaviour, I described the token economy (there will be more information about it on Thursday).
In the afternoon students had some time for silent reading then we went through the agenda. At the end of the day students played a guessing game. All in all it was quite enjoyable and I really enjoyed meeting all of our new grade fours.
There is no homework this evening for students but there is some paperwork to fill out, a newsletter to read and students are expected to go through the agenda with their parents.
Hello and welcome to another school year at St. Pius X. I look forward to being your son or daughter's grade 4 teacher. Please find a supply list below.
École St. Pius X School
Grade 4 Supply List 2006-2007
· 1 set of markers
· 1 set of 24 pencil crayons. (please sharpen before school)
· 24 HB pencils
· 1 red pen
· 1 blue pen
· 1 scotch tape
· 1 highlighter
· 1 white eraser
· 1 pencil case or box (must be small enough to fit in desk)
· 1 pencil sharpener
· 1 large glue stick (UHU brand is best)
· 1 bottle of white glue
· scissors
· 1 metric 30 CM ruler, (try to get a flexible one.)
· 12 duo tangs, (Students will require more duotangs later in the year)
· 2 X 200 sheets of looseleaf
· 100 sheets of 8 ½ by 11 white paper
· 1 clipboard
· 12 Hilroy 40 page scribblers (sold in pkgs of 4)
· 2 coiled exercise books with squares.
· 1 French English dictionary
· 1 container of wet wipes
· 1 large box of facial tissue
· outdoor shoes
· indoor shoes
· gym strip (shorts and t-shirt)
· drawstring bag for gym clothes
· soprano recorder for music.
· ten large Ziploc bags
All items need to be individually labeled.
On the first day of school I will greet students and then we will go over the supplies as a class. Any extra supplies will be stored and distributed as they are needed.
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