It was a funny week this week; the older students went on a residential trip so we were here with the lower school on their schedule. We were able to continue our work and play with the little kids and breaks, and it was nice to be the biggest kids at the school for a while.

In maths we looked at Venn and Carroll diagrams. Students found they could easily compare two groups within a data set, and organize their data into categories. We were out of our seats and moving around quite a bit for math class, but it made for the mornings to be a lot of fun.

For English students really went to work on writing their play scripts. In small groups they have planned and written the rough draft of a small play script they will act out next week. For the final draft, we are using Google Doc collaboration to incorporate a bit of ICT into our lesson. There was a bit of a learning curve, but by the end of the week everyone was typing away with great ease.

Reading groups got more interesting with the creation of more groups to practice and perfect English phonics recognition and pronunciation. After last weeks Cambridge Testing, it was clear many students still struggle with reading fluency and comprehension. The goal is this focus on fluency will improve reading speed and word recognition to ensure students are understanding what they read better. The most proficient readers started a year 3 level novel study, so lot’s of variety all around!

In IPC we looked at consumers and producers, and wants and needs. We defined and identified the properties of a producer and tied in the variety of goods and services they produce. We also found out that we are all consumers in some capacity as we buy and use the goods and services of producers. We did a little internet research on some of the worlds’ biggest producers of common items – the answers were surprising! We also broke down the differences between wants and needs, and came to terms with the fact that most our favorite things are wants while those we take for granted are typically needs.

Lastly, this Friday we held a special assembly while the big kids were out. Unfortunately behaviors and attitudes have not been great these last few weeks. Many students, Mrs. Leah’s class included, are behaving very disrespectfully to teachers and one another. Basic school behaviors like not talking while the teacher is teaching, staying on task during class, not running in the classroom or halls, or playing nicely at breaks have gone to the way side. We reviewed the meaning of respect and how we can show respectful actions and attitudes while at school with group collaborative posters and role plays.

We will continue to review and practice respectful student behavior the rest of the term to ensure students understand how their behavior affects their peers and their own learning in a negative or positive manner.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Leah

We have completed the Cambridge Assessment week, and boy are we happy to be done with tests! These were REALLY challenging tests for all year levels, hopefully everyone can rest and relax this weekend and reflect on the experience. Test are a part of being a student and they just increase in number and complexity as we grow older, the more we practice the better prepared for the future Checkpoint exams, SATs, etc. Great job everyone, you showed me that you are keen and determined students – let’s keep that intent and focus in all our work as we finish this term!

In Maths we have been looking at graphs, specifically pictographs and bar graphs. Students were interpreting data, graphing the data accurately with appropriate titles, labels on the y-axis, and numerical units on the x-axis. We asked and answered questions using data sets, as well as corrected inaccurate graphs.

In English we continued to look at play scripts. Students wrote narratives from prompts and then rewrote them as mini-play scripts with character lists, stage directions, and dialogue. Next week students will work on their own play scripts giving them the ability to showcase their knowledge and have some creative fun.

Our Spelling tests were not so great this week; yes, students had a lot on their minds with the assessments, but we still had plenty of time to study using our Word Study in class! Let’s be sure everyone is using their class time wisely and completing their spelling word assignments. Also, as the spelling words are in the Word Study book and on the classroom wall, I would like to see less misspellings of the words in the assignments.

IPC saw us continue in Economics looking at goods and services. Students learned about money last week, and now they know that money can buy either of the two. We compared the two to identify the similarities and difference, discussed the different types of resources used to make goods, and how people use many goods and services regularly that they might not seem to pay for, but are actually funded by taxes. Our own building provided plenty of examples of both goods and services during our scavenger hunt!

Rest up, take care, and see everyone on Monday!

Mrs. Leah

Is it term 3 already?! I hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and fun two week break, I heard lot’s of stories on Monday about where everyone had gone and what they did. Everyone has been really excited and on their best behavior this week, it’s been wonderful getting back into our daily routines and starting new units of study.

As you may know, next week (week 2) we will be undergoing Cambridge Assessments. Year 3 is the first year that students are assessed under this system so it will be a new experience for many. This is the progression test, not the official checkpoint test. That means student scores and data will be used by the school and teachers to improve teaching and learning; year 3 and 4 scores are not officially reported. Please assure your student that there is nothing to be stressed about; appropriate accommodations will be made for everyone who needs language help to ensure everyone can successfully complete the assessment.

In Math and Reading we practiced taking the Cambridge Assessment using questions from a previous year’s test. Students are familiar with the question types, how to answer, and the content matter. Everyone showed me they had a good understanding of the content and I was absolutely blown away during writing practice! Students are determined to do their best and are showing off all they they have learned.

In English we started our unit on play scripts. We are going over the features or a play script and comparing and contracting play scripts with story narratives. Next week students will be developing their own mini-play scripts with their reading groups and will present them to the class the week after. Students also resumed Word Study and are working with their spelling words in class each day; I encourage students to study at home as well!

In IPC we began our unit on Economics titled ‘Young Entrepreneurs’. We will spend the next few weeks studying the basic themes of economics and familiarizing ourselves with the terminology. This week the focus was on money; the history of money, the defining features of money, how we use it, and what it looks like today. On Wednesday we designed our own currency and Friday during ICT we reworked this design digitally using the program AutoDraw. This is a fun drawing tool that has the option to use an AI feature that ‘guesses’ what is being drawn and offers selections of graphics to use instead.

Finally, for PSHE we started a unit on Well Being starting with healthy eating. Students tested their knowledge of the main food groups by sorting foods and then took some basic notes on the food groups. We will aim to understand what a healthy, balanced diet looks like and how we can meet our nutritional needs daily to think, move, and feel our best.

I didn’t get the chance to take many photos this week – so look forward to more next update!

Have a wonderful weekend and see everyone Monday!

Mrs. Leah

We made it! What a fun and happy last week of term, I wish everyone a wonderful two week break and hope we all come back refreshed and eager to learn.

In math we did a lot of review; we used the Cambridge Assessment questions from last year to explore the types of questions and practice our test taking skills. Students were very well versed in the math, it is just a matter of carefully reading all instructions and knowing where and how to answer.

In English we did the same; review of the grammar concepts and the main topics of the last two terms in preparation for the term 3 Cambridge assessments. We were able to revisit punctuation, speech marks, proper nouns, adjectives, adverbs, sentence types, and paragraph writing. We focused a bit on summary writing as well; students have been keeping an independent read log to be accountable for their in class reading. Upon review I could see many still struggled with the idea of retelling a story concisely in their own words. I sent all reading logs home as we will be doing novel study next term. I told everyone that if they completed their reading logs during spring break they could bring it in a get a small prize. 🙂

Also, I sent home word study journals, English notebooks, spelling test books, and IPC notebooks. Feel free to look over them and discard (hopefully recycle) when finished.

In IPC we finished our unit on matter. Monday we explored saturation by dissolving as mush soluble material as possible in water. We compared the amount of sugar and sat the same amount of liquid to observe and record our findings. On Wednesday we took a review quiz and checked out the science units related to our topic on EducationCity and then popped popcorn with and air popper to demonstrate the ability to use heat energy to change matter! The change was a chemical change of course since it was irreversible.

Friday was the big day; we enjoyed our pizza prize for fantastic class behavior and had the PTA dance party where everyone stuffed their faces with snacks, drank mocktails, and danced away! Thank you so much to the parents who helped plan, set up, bake, DJ, Host games, and clean up – we all really appreciate it.

I will send parents an email with how to log into some of our classroom used program for math and reading. I didn’t send any homework, just the optional completing the Reading Log, but feel free to practice your skills paper free during the break.

Everyone enjoy your break and see you in Term 3,

Mrs. Leah

What a fast and fun week; with a field trip on Wednesday and our normal routine was interrupted making the week seem so short. We had a lot of fun at the Busan Science Museum as we got to explore the exhibits, throw paper planes in the Children’s Museum, watch a show at the planetarium, and slide down the long slide! Thank you to the parents who volunteered to come along, I appreciate your time and attention to the students. We should have some pictures next week thanks to Mr. Green.

In English we have started to review some of the grammar concepts we’ve focused on including conjunctions, adverbs, and using speech in text. For reading we started to preview the reading comprehension type questions that will be on the Cambridge Assessments in term 3. We have been focusing on reading instructions thoroughly, using the accompanying text to its maximum potential, finding kep words in questions and text, and reviewing finding the subject and main idea of a paragraph. I included a short reading comprehension passage in the homework just to keep up the practice – it is about eating bugs. Mrs. Leah does not condone eating bugs, it’s for practice purposes only 😀

For math we finally finished our addition and subtraction review unit. Everyone is working very confidently with three digit numbers and able to make estimates to check their work against. We will also be practicing with the types of questions found on the Cambridge assessment all next week, but I think everyone will do just fine if they take their time and read instructions thoroughly.

In IPC on Monday we looked at dissolving solids into liquids. We investigated the differences between soluble and insoluble materials and experimented in class. We checked to see if the temperature of the liquid affected how quickly a material (sugar) would dissolve, and we trialed many different materials to determine if they were soluble or not. Wednesday we were in Busan, but we will do some more science next Monday!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and gets lots of rest and quality time with family. Take care,

Mrs. Leah

Has Spring sprung? It sure feels like it! The heater and the jackets are off, and there have been some amazing days! Everyone is feeling restless; sure glad Spring break is coming soon. We still have our field trip to the Busan Science museum next Wednesday, as well as end an en of term party!

In math we have been working with estimation for multi digit addition and subtraction, as well as complements of multiples of 100 and 1000. Year 4’s have been adding and subtracting mixed fractions with different denominators.

This week we wrapped up our English unit on writing letters by writing our own letters of complaint. We were able to write both traditional and email letters in our unit, but the final complaint was a formally structured email in response to a prompt with a problem to be addressed. It was very amusing reading such angry emails from year 3 and 4!

In IPC we had a lot of fun further messing with dairy products to explore the properties of matter and how they can change as well as using scientific methods to observe and measure changes. Monday we experimented with how quickly we could melt butter to change from a solid a liquid. Wednesday we used ice and energy to change liquid milk into ice cream! It was definitely everyone’s favorite day.

As we head into the weekend, I encourage everyone to take some time to play outside in the fair weather and recharge. I look forward to seeing you all back in class next week,

Mrs. Leah

Our term 2 class trip is approaching and the students have decided they would like a visit to the Busan Children’s Science Museum!

We just started out science unit ‘Shake It!’ in IPC where we are learning about the states of matter and chemical changes so I think we are all in a scientific state of mind.

When: Wednesday March 15th, departing the school at 9:10am and returning on or before 4:20pm.

Where: The Busan Children’s Science Museum

How Much: FREE

What to Bring: A pack lunch, 2 snacks (morning and afternoon), a water bottle, a jacket.

We have a few parent volunteers so this trip should be a lot of fun!

Please complete this permission form by Friday March 10th.

– Mrs. Leah

A wonky week with a happy day-off Wednesday made for a short but sweet schedule. The highlight of the week was definitely the butter in IPC:

In math we continued to work with three digit addition and subtraction using estimation to check our answers. Year 4s also started adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominators.

In English we looked at letters of complaint and how to address an issue clearly and intentfully. We also looked at different types of sentences and the punctuation they entail. While everyone is working diligently in their word study books for spelling, the test this Friday had some not so hot results. Is everyone studying their words at home? The activities we do in class should supplement home study, and pay attention to the weekly theme – remembering the vowel blends that make each week’s sound will help immensely. (ie, this week it was short oo, long oo and vowel teams that make an ‘oo’ sound… and yet, lots of spellings with mistaken ‘oo’ sound spellings.)

In IPC we are looking at three states of matter and how matter changes. By adding energy or pressure we can change matter. We shook up some creme milk to demonstrate this. The cream went through a physical change; the fat globules clumped together causing the liquid to be squeezed out of the solid mass. The solid is butter, and the liquid butter milk! It was lot’s of fun and very delicious. It takes about 15 minutes of vigirous shaking so we put on some music and it made for some very entertaining photos!

After shaking everyone scooped out their butter and strained it in cheese cloth. Then every tried the fruit of their labors on a bit of saltine cracker; seems like everyone enjoyed it very much.

In Digital Literacy we did a little web quest to review what we’ve learned about states of matter. Since we didn’t have school on Wednesday, we didn’t have a second day of IPC, so it was a good way to keep our knowledge fresh while honing our web navigation and research skills.

The field trip form will be coming out soon, so be sure to sign up! Special thanks to the parents who volunteered to come help!

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Leah

For our next field trip we are looking to go to the Busan Children’s Science Museum.

We will need 3-4 parent volunteers to help chaperone. Parents will accompany us on the bus to and from Busan.

The trip is slated to happen week 10 on Wednesday March 15th from 9am – 4:20pm. (Back in time for the second bus, but parent pick-up is also encouraged.)

If you are interested in assisting on the trip, please email Mrs. Leah by Friday March 3rd.

Thank you!

Mrs. Leah

Can anyone else believe that week 7 of this term is already gone? Winter seems to be dragging on, but somehow the time flies… we had a couple of nice days this week and I think everyone is ready for that springtime air!

In math we did some review with time telling as many students showed some difficulties on out Time Unit test. Telling the time is something that takes practice, so parents please continue to encourage and ask the time on analog clocks! Most of us carry digital devices now, but it will always be a useful skill to read a good old fashioned clock face.

In English we continue to look at format and informal letters and how to format them. We also focused on homophones (words that are spelled different and mean different things but sound the same) and synonyms (different words that mean the same things). Students had a lot of practice writing out word meanings and sentences during our tech free week, but I am really pleased at how determined students have been with their work – such nice hand writing and strong spelling shining through!

For IPC we started a science unit on the states of matter and using the scientific method. Monday we focused on three states of matter and became familiar with their properties. We used our bodies to wiggle around and mimic the molecular energy of each state! On Wednesday we looked at formulating questions and making observations to form hypothetizes. We studied the proprieties of various types of milks to determine which milk was which; it was really fun to watch students smell, touch, whisk, weigh, and make notes about their findings. We got a little silly at the end of our in class lab, but hopefully we can enjoy more experiments for this unit responsibly.

On Friday we took some time to crack open the computers and restage our devices for learning. With our inboxes emptied and desktops cleared we are ready to use our digital devices for learning come next Monday. After all the writing we’ve done in English, I am sure everyone is looking forward to the gamified fun of Education City for grammar and math practice!

Lastly, this week we said good bye to a dear friend and wished him well on his new adventure. Thank you for the gifts, snack, and memories 🙂

Remember next week there is no school on Wednesday and there will be information on our class field trip the next few weeks!

Mrs. Leah