Today in Math the students continued to review Whole Numbers. Today we used our Mathletics accounts to do so. Did you know that you can complete practice work at home that is aligned with all of our units through students Mathletics? It is a great way to get in extra practice. I typically assign several activities to students throughout the unit that they can then complete at school during Math Centre time or at home. Check it out at home. 

We also watched "The BFG" today. We finished reading this book by Roald Dahl awhile ago, however, we hadn't had the opportunity to watch it yet. It was nice to be able to do so today. There were a lot of differences between the book and the movie (as there usually is), but we still enjoyed it a lot.

Congratulations to Teona and Aayan. There poems inspired by Canada's national parks were selected by the Regional Municipality as winners in the "Words in Motion" contest. Be on the lookout for Teona and Aayan's poems on Wood Buffalo transit buses and shelters in the near future. 

Have a great break! I'll see you all in March! 

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Tuesday, March 7th) 

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays, Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Teacher's Convention Break - Feb. 27th-March 3rd (return March 6th)

In Math today we continued our review of Whole Numbers. Today we were looking at rounding to the thousands and hundreds places, something our textbook calls benchmarking. Take the example below:

We can use a number line to help us to use benchmarks. When rounding to the thousands place, use the number in the thousands place as your start. 620 057 has a zero in the thousands place, so we are trying to see if it would be closer to 620 000 or 621 000. When placing 620 057 in its approximate position on the number line, you can easily see that it is closest to 620 000. So, 620 057 rounded to the closest thousand is 620 000 (remember, it is less than 500, which is the halfway mark for thousands). When rounding the the nearest hundred, use the number in the hundreds place as your start. 620 057 has a zero in the hundreds place, so we are trying to see if it would be closer to 620 000 or 620 100. When placing 620 057 in its approximate position on the number line, you can easily see that it is closest to 620 100 (remember, it is larger than 50, which is the halfway mark for hundreds). Again, students will be bringing home homework to help with this review.

In Science today students built series and parallel circuits. Specifically, we were testing to see what would happen when we wired bulbs in series or in parallel, or what would happen when we wired batteries in series or in parallel. What we discovered was that two bulbs in a series circuit provide double the resistance so the bulbs are dimmer that if there is only one bulb. Each bulb only gets half the amount of current. Also, if you disconnect one bulb in a series, all the bulbs go out. Next, we looked at wiring bulbs in a parallel circuit. What we discovered was that two bulbs in a parallel circuit provide the same amount of resistance as one bulb, so the brightness does not noticeably change. As each light bulb is part of its own circuit, if one light bulb goes out, the other bulbs are able to still work. Each bulb receives all of the current in the circuit. 

The same can be said for wiring batteries in series; the light bulbs will be brighter. This is because for each battery, the amount of current in the circuit increases (whereas before, for each lightbulb the amount of resistance in the circuit increased). If one battery fails, the entire circuit will fail as it is no longer a closed circuit. When wiring batteries in parallel, the bulb will not burn brighter, as the bulb only gets the amount of current of one battery. However, if one battery fails, the circuit will continue because there is another battery. Hence, this circuit typically lasts longer. 

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables
- Whole Numbers Practice (Pt. 3)

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Friday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Friday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Friday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday this week
Teacher's Convention Break - Feb. 27th-March 3rd (return March 6th) 

In Math today the students and I continued our review of Whole Numbers. Today we reviewed representing numbers in the standard form as well as representing numbers with words:

Students who took part in the review are bring home another practice sheet this evening. It has three questions on it that needs to be completed by tomorrow. Students who were at Destination Conservation today will be caught up tomorrow. 

As today was Pink Shirt Day, we also discussed bullying today. We looked at some words commonly associated with bullying and talked about some of the similarities and differences: 

Students took time to discuss the above, as well as some statistics on viewpoints on bullying that Albertans have. Many students were surprised to learn that "28% of adults in Alberta still believe that bullying is just a normal part of growing up." Many students strongly disagreed with the above, feeling that bullying should never be considered normal behaviour. Others felt that unfortunately right now, maybe it is normal behaviour, but they wanted to help change that so that it isn't normal for younger students coming up. So, students added goals to our "Goal Board" in our classroom: writing ways that they can stop bullying. 

In Social Studies today, students explored a resource called "Path of the Elders." This is an online game meant to educate students about the culture of the Mushkegowuk and Anishinaabe Cree First Nations, as well as providing them information about Treaty No. 9 and how it affected these groups. This game is a wonderful resource! Students are able to try canoeing/portaging, learning about traditional healing/medicines, learning hunting, trapping, and fur trading practices, as well as learning negotiating. The outcome of each game is influenced by the students choices: were they patient/polite to an Elder, were they firm and upfront with the factor at the trading post, etc. Students are encouraged to use this resource at home. We will also continue to use it alongside the work that we have already begun researching different First Nations groups.

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables
- Whole Numbers Practice (Pt. 2)

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Friday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Friday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Friday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday this week
Teacher's Convention Break - Feb. 27th-March 3rd (return March 6th)

In Math today, the students and I reviewed two concepts from our previous Whole Number unit. Today we reviewed using a place-value chart and representing numbers in expanded form:

Students and I practiced together. I've also sent home two questions for homework tonight that I would like students to complete and review by tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to review using the standard form and representing numbers with words. 

In Language Arts today we continued an activity we started last week. Students are using adjectives to uplift/encourage one another. We are going to be sharing the results tomorrow during Pink Shirt Day, so stay tuned for the results. 

In Social Studies today students began examining the clothing of First Nations groups native to their assigned regions of Canada. Students were asked:

- What clothing did Aboriginal people in this region wear?
- What materials are their clothing made of? 
- How did they make these clothes?
- Why would they wear clothes like these? 

As with last week, two of the questions above are ones that an archeologist might ask and two of the questions above are ones that an anthropologist might ask. Do you know which is which? Students will finish clothing this week before moving on to food, beliefs, shelter, and transportation. 

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables
- Whole Numbers Practice (Pt. 1)

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Wednesday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Wednesday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Pink Shirt Day - February 22nd-March 3rd (Teacher's Convention) 
Destination Conservation (CG Recyclers)- February 22nd (return permission forms)
Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday this week
Teacher's Convention Break - Feb. 27th-March 3rd (return March 6th)

Phew! What a busy week! Thank you to everyone who came to our 3 Way Conferences. It is always nice to get to touch base with everyone and to share what we have been learning, our growth, and the next steps with everyone. 

A quick summary of what I didn't blog about this week:

Science: Wow! We have been KILLING it in Science, lol! The students are working really hard during their experiments, getting them done in record time, and constantly impressing me with the respect that they treat the materials. This week we completed experiments on: short circuits and conductors/insulators. Next week we will move on to series/parallel circuits. In fact, we are almost ready to start working on our culminating project for this unit which is one of my favourites of the year. Stay tuned! 

Social Studies: We were able to complete our Biography Poems on some of the Black Loyalists as part of our History unit, and in honour of Black History Month. We are looking forward to moving on to our next topic, First Nations groups of Canada and how the regions/land impact their lives. Students are going to be working in groups, similar to when we studied the regions of Canada. Students were given their groupings today. We also discussed the difference between an archaeologist and an anthropologist yesterday, because students are going to need to be both during this topic. 

Language Arts: Students are still studying poetry. This week we focused on imagery. We discussed some of the ways that we have already been adding imagery to our writing (eg. using our 5 senses) and reviewed similes and metaphors. Students then took the time to write a Simile Poem in their Writer's Notebooks. We also reviewed nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and are looking forward to moving on to adverbs next week. 

"Hooray for Health" Healthy Cup: Did you know that we WON the Hooray for Health classroom activity challenge this year from Alberta Health Services and that we get to display the Healthy Cup in our room/school for the remainder of the year? I submitted our class for a variety of our classroom projects/activities: planning and making our own healthy Halloween snacks, Mission Possible and our Kindness Challenge, and students' Healthy Fundraiser projects at the end of our Patterns and Equations unit. We didn't win for one of these specific activities, but were recognized for our efforts to make healthy choices whenever possible that support healthy living, eating, and wellbeing. Students who attended the HASS Conference on our behalf this week were able to share with the other schools in attendance the other activities we work on such as our smoothies for Valentine's Day, our mindfulness activities, etc. A quick thank you note to ALL of our parents. Most of the activities above couldn't have been completed without your generosity and support. This is your win as well. Thanks you!  

Canada Games Activity Challenge - We have been completing team challenges each day in honour of the Canada Games' 50th and Canada's 150th anniversaries. Each activity is meant to promote physical literacy and we are working on movement skills like tossing, catching, jumping, etc. We're also having a lot of fun. Check parent emails for access to student accounts so that students can complete the challenges at home as well. 

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Wednesday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Wednesday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

NO SCHOOL MONDAY - Family Day
Pink Shirt Day - February 22nd
Destination Conservation (CG Recyclers)- February 22nd (return permission forms)
Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays, Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm) 
Teacher's Convention Break - Feb. 27th-March 3rd (return March 6th)

Agenda
Progress Reports - Sign/Return tomorrow

Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Friday- Classroom)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Friday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Friday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday due to PTIs
Parent Teacher Interviews (PTIs) - February 15th, 16th (Register Here)

Wonderful, wonderful day! Canada Games Activity Challenge Day 2 - we played a game called "Riverbank" and then built our own obstacle course. We handed out Valentine's after recess (I gave students some sparkly playdough; thanks for the cards). We learned more about opening and closing circuits as well as constructed our own switches. We had our smoothie challenge which resulted in a three-way tie between all the groups (thanks Mr. Thorne, Miss Gates, and Mrs. Manuel for judging). We watched Bill Nye the Science Guy to learn more about Electricity. Sorry for such a short post tonight! Busy week! 

Agenda
Progress Reports - Sign/Return tomorrow

Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Wednesday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Wednesday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday due to PTIs
Parent Teacher Interviews (PTIs) - February 15th, 16th (Register Here)

We started the Canada Games 150 Activity Challenge today! In celebration of Canada's 150th and the Canada Games' 50th anniversaries, they are challenging classes and students across Canada to get active. Today we completed our first team challenge (see the videos above). It was a lot of fun and some different DPA for us for a change. We tend to go outside or use GoNoodle to get moving during the day. It is going to be wonderful having something different to do each day! I emailed tech support asking for help setting up students individual accounts, so hopefully I'll get the problem solved soon so that students who are interested in participating at home (and earning more points) are able to do so. 

In Math today we continued to practice using our estimation strategies (front-end estimation, compatible numbers, and compensation) to help us to estimate the answers to multiplication problems. See the example below:

When we try and solve 6 x 240, we could use the fact 6 x 24 to help us but... that isn't really an easy (or compatible) fact to use. Instead, we can round 240 down to 200 (or use front-end estimation to change it to 200). Now we can solve 6 x 200. We can use the fact 6 x 12 to help us. Since we know 6 x 2 = 12, we know that 6 x 200 = 1200 (just add two zeroes, or move 2 place value places). Today was our last day reviewing this concept, though we will continue to use these skills throughout this unit. 

In Language Arts today, we continued to look at Poetry. Today we discussed imagery. Imagery is a literary technique that writers use to help the reader to get a clear picture/image in their head of what they are describing. Using your 5 senses (something we practice often) in writing is a good way to create imagery. Similes and metaphors are also examples of imagery. Remember, similes and metaphors are both comparisons to something that is NOT present, however, similes use the words like or as.

Eg. She was as fast as a cheetah.
      He was a tornado of pent up energy. 

These comparisons help you to get a clearer picture in your mind of how fast she is or how energetic he is. We will be using imagery to help us write some Simile Poems this week. The poetry notes that we will be drawing from in our upcoming classes can be found below or on the "Writing" page for students/parents who want to look/work ahead. 

​In Art today the students continued to work on their hidden Math tessellations that we began last week. Did you know that this project was inspired by Paul Klee? You can find out more in the slideshow below or by looking on our "Art" page. 

Agenda
Progress Reports - Sign/Return tomorrow

Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables
- Math Tests Signed and Returned - ASAP (Seth) 
- pg. 87 # 5, 6, 8, 10 

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Wednesday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (Wednesday) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Wednesday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Cancelled this week due to PTIs
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays (2:45-3:45 pm), Cancelled Thursday due to PTIs
Valentine's Family Dance - February 9th (6:00-9:00 pm)
Valentine's Classroom Celebration - February 14th
Parent Teacher Interviews (PTIs) - February 15th, 16th (Register Here) 

Please see the following from our principal, Mr. Thorne:

Dear parent of grades 4-6 students at Christina Gordon,

You should have received a survey from Alberta Education in the mail recently. Normally this Accountability Survey is sent to only grade four parents, but because of our smaller size, all grades 4-6 parents are asked to complete it.

I realize that many people simply discard surveys rather than take their valuable time to complete them, but this survey is particularly important and will be very helpful as we try to make Christina Gordon the best school it can be.

I would ask that you please take time to complete and return.

If you haven't received the survey by this Friday, Feb 10, or if you have received it and already discarded it, please email me and I will get another one for you from Alberta Education.

We are striving to get a 100% completion rate for this survey, and would ask you to please take a few minutes to complete and return.

Thank you,


Rick Thorne

Agenda
Language Arts:
- Read 20 minutes

Math:
- Practice 8x, 9x, 3x, 6x, 12x, 5x, 10x, 7x, or 11x tables
- Math Tests Signed and Returned - ASAP (Seth) 

Health:
- PEAK Basketball (Monday)
- FRIENDS Home Activity #8A (February 15th) 
 
Music:
- Recorders (Monday)

Science:
- Classroom Science Fair (March 9th)
- School Science Fair (March 15th) 

Hot Lunches - due February 20th (https://timberlea.hotlunches.net)
Tech & Trades Academy - Mondays (3:00-4:00 pm)
Grade 5/6 Guitar Club - Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
CG Recyclers - Day 1 (lunch recess) and Day 4 (lunch)
Girls Basketball - Mondays, Wednesdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Boys Basketball - Tuesdays, Thursdays (2:45-3:45 pm)
Valentine's Family Dance - February 9th (6:00-9:00 pm)
Valentine's Classroom Celebration - February 14th