Olympics and Mapping

Schlegel's Trip

We really enjoyed our time at Schlegel's gym. It happened to occur right in the middle of the Olympic hockey games so excitement ran pretty high. We learned from Elfi Schlegel herself a little bit about her time in the Olympics (1980) and got to pose with the Olympic torch she carried when she ran four years ago. Students moved in small groups through the gym using equipment to strengthen core muscles. They really impressed me with their ability to try what might seem a daunting task, like climbing a knotted rope to the ceiling and ringing the bell at the top. Yikes! Although I had a small moment of worrying about the weather not cooperating (darn those incessant snow storms this winter) we got there safely and had a great time. 

Our next Social studies unit is mapping. Here is a link to the curriculum requirements of this unit if you are interested (page 81 in the pdf) :   Ministry curriculum  . We began our discussion about maps by learning about Harriet Tubman for Black History Month. We discussed the underground railroad and how she had to follow the 'North Star' to freedom. Using a world map, we then discussed how 'Slaves' had to escape to freedom and where the Northern free states are located. Sounds complicated for Grade Two but we used books like 'Henry's Freedom Box' to help explain. 
                                                               
The students have shown a great deal of interest in this topic. They have asked intelligent questions along the way and are quite engaged in the fact that "history really happened". If your child is interested, please help them to locate many of the great resources available on our school Book Flix program. There are great e books on there about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jackie Robinson and Harriett Tubman just to name a few. After this month we will be moving into creating maps and learning to read symbols e.g., understanding the compass rose. 

Inservices: I have been out of the classroom for a few in-services this week which is always a bit hard for the children and I. The good news is I have learned lots of great math and language ideas to implement in my classroom. I do always try to get great supply teachers to help provide seamless instruction. I know one of the retired teachers that comes in for me does magic tricks...hmmm, I might have to brush up on my magic skills to compete :)

Have a great week. I noticed that on Mineral Spring Road in Ancaster the sap buckets are out on the maple trees. Maybe the trees think 'Spring' is coming, even though it sure doesn't feel like it!

Reports, Schlegels trip, Olympics and fun!

Report Cards
Report cards will be coming home on February 24th. Although there will be no formal interviews with this reporting period, I will be touching base with a few of you to communicate prior to the reports coming home. 

Schlegel's Trip: Looking forward to our upcoming visit on February 21st (Friday). Here is their link if you would like to read more about them http://www.schlegelsgym.com/

Olympics
We have been watching the Olympics on our Smartboard when we can. This week we did a fun writing activity that involved creating our own Olympic events. Wow, one student thought there should be an 'Olympic maze event on skates' while another thought 'Olympic pinata whacking' might be a good sport. Very creative!
We even got to see some real Olympic medals up close. Ms Lane, one of the teachers at our school brought in her Grandfather's medals and personal mementos to show us. It was really interesting to hear that the daily diet for athletes back then included eating copious amounts of 'honey sandwiches'. 

Winter 'carnavale': was very successful once again at Florence Meares. All the Tribes enjoyed a good outdoor carnival with lots of good hot chocolate, face painting, games and an appearance from 'Bonhomme'. 

Healthy Eating unit:
We have enjoyed learning how to create healthy snacks and how to determine if a packaged food is in fact healthy for us. We tried some simple recipes that students can make on their own. A favourite one was 'frozen banana popsicles'. We took advantage of the cold Canadian weather, freezing popsicles by hanging them outside our classroom window in a bag. Sometimes it is an advantage to have a second floor classroom. If you would like to try this at home, here is the secret...

               Frozen Banana Popsicles
1) Take a banana and peel it- (no need to cut it up)
2) Place it in tinfoil and wrap it around the banana fairly tightly. 
3) Place it in the freezer overnight (or hang it out the window as we did!)
4)For a real treat, dip it in dark chocolate...yum!
And there you have it...frozen bananas that do not go brown. 
 Note: Should you ever have to soothe a baby who is teething...frozen bananas work every time!
                                        See, I'm just full of random knowledge!

Olympics, Dancemat typing, trip update

Quick update:
Olympic Spirit day: On Friday, February 7th the primary students may wear their Canada shirts or red and white clothing to celebrate the beginning of the Olympics in Sochi. We will try to livestream some of the opening ceremonies. Can't wait!

Dancemat typing: Today we spent some time on our keyboarding skills. Students really enjoyed using 'Dancemat' typing. I posted a link on our 'website' tab but you can also click here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Remember, to look on 'library links' in the Florence Meares P.S. library website for more keyboarding activities. Mr. Cann has posted quite a few good ones under 'homework helpers'. 

Schlegel's trip notes went home today. If you were absent due to the weather you will get yours tomorrow. 

Valentine note: I sent a Valentine friend list home today. This will assist you should your child want to write out their Valentines in the next few days. 

Winter, Upcoming trip, Polygons

Winter
It seems to be the topic of every conversation these days. Isn't this polar vortex causing some cold weather?! I have never used my 4 wheel drive as much as this year or my snow shovel! So, for persuasive writing we decided to write about whether "We like winter because..." or "We don't like winter because....". Surprisingly most students like winter. Although, when it was announced today that there would be another indoor recess...the usual sound of 'hooray' seemed a bit muted. 

This student likes winter for the following reasons:

This student does not like winter and has made some good points too!

Upcoming trip:
We will be going to Schlegel's gymnastic centre in Oakville on February 21st. This is a morning trip and will involve learning a full gymnastic program with small groups at the Schlegel Centre. There is usually a really great opportunity to talk to former Olympian Elfi Schlegel (1980, National Team) which will get us excited for the upcoming Olympics in Sochi! We do not need volunteers for this trip as it is held in the gymnastic centre and run by trained gymnastic athletes. However, it is a nice opportunity to watch your child as there is a viewing area with seats. You are welcome to meet us there (there is even a Tim Horton's quite close to the centre). Please let me know if this interests you so I can let the facility know for seats. 

Polygons for Math:
We have been learning about 'Polygons' for 2 dimensional geometry. We have learned that they are 'closed shapes' and always have 'straight sides'. We did a sorting activity booklet that helped us determine the properties of the following shapes:
                                      Triangle
                                 Quadrilateral
                                     Pentagon
                                     Hexagon
                                     Octagon

I have written a previous post about the expectations for geometry and will provide a link for you, should you want to read more information. Geometry information

                               Have a great week! 
Don't forget timeline projects are due this week and that Friday is a P.A. day. The homework tab on this blog is always updated so please check that for more information.                 
                                   Stay warm!

 A special link to a musician who changed the world...Pete Seeger
(When I was in grade 3 we had to sing this song in an assembly. I never really understood it then but it makes me a little bit teary now). 
                      Where have all the flowers gone?

Healthy eating, Reader's Workshop, What's new?!

Healthy Eating
We have been looking at labels on commercial foods and treats that we have been eating. Thanks for sending in those nutrition labels. We created a venn diagram using sorting hoops to decide if this was a 'healthy food' (eat regularly), or a 'treat food' (eat once in a while). We discussed some tricky items like high sodium (salt) or high sugar and what over processed foods with chemicals might mean for our body. 

A fun activity involved going through a list of fruits and vegetables that we have tried or eat regularly.There were many vegetables and fruits that students didn't know what it was or perhaps they know it as a different name. So, for anyone that is brave enough to try, I have been bringing some items in to taste. Last week was this ugly root vegetable. Do you know what it is?

Well, ask you child, despite what it looks like most of them loved it and ate all of it (Hint...it tastes just like celery!). 

I promised  to provide a link for the game 'Pyramid Blast off'. I took some time to show the students what to do and how to get their rocket to the planet. Take a minute some time this week to help your child put in all the foods they have eaten in a day. Discuss what might be added to your child's food to make it healthier. Most of all, have fun with the program. It is located on my websites tab or you can click here: 
                    PYRAMID BLAST OFF GAME 

Reader's Workshop
We are taking a critical look at narrative stories and how they are constructed. To apply this knowledge, we will be having fun acting out scripts of 'known' stories using skills we have developed while reading aloud. Students will be working on their dramatic retells while integrating reading and furthering their fluency development. Also, it is a lot of fun! (This week we are working on 'The Three Little Pigs' and next week we will be able to pick our own play).

What's New?
Knitting club was well attended this Tuesday. We have made some knitting spools using toilet paper rolls and popsicle sticks for those that didn't buy one. The students have really done well with learning this and are very busy during read aloud time (when I allow them to do their knitting). Did you know Jacques Plainte was a hockey player that knit? 


Read Aloud: We are reading a little known Roald Dahl book entitled 'Danny the Champion of the World'. The story is a heartwarming adventure story that centres around 'pheasant poaching' in the woods. I do actually have a stuffed pheasant (doesn't every teacher?) and will bring that in for students that may have never seen one. 

Miss Hannam: We are lucky to have a volunteer this month in our classroom. Here is the lovely part.. I taught Miss Hannam when she was in Grade One and now she is finishing teacher's college. I guess that is the cycle of life for a teacher. However, I can't help being super proud of her and am honoured that she is joining us for a month or so! 

Trip: We are working on planning a trip for February...details to follow when everything is confirmed

Have a great week and stay warm! 

Happy 2014!

2014
I'm looking forward to welcoming the students back to school after their holidays. There are lots of things planned for our return. I hope everyone had a great holiday and survived that brutal ice storm we had just before Christmas. It was a little scary out my way. I did have part of a tree come down on the hydro cable leading to my house. 

It took two days before help arrived but I'm grateful that they removed it before the line snapped. I had no power for 2 days but I just slept by the wood stove and pretended to be a pioneer. Of course using this mug from one of my students really helped to cheer me up! 

Healthy Eating/Nutrition focus
In January, many people set goals for themselves and begin New Year's resolutions. This seems like a great time to talk to the students about 'healthy living' as part of our upcoming health unit. A big focus will be on thinking about 'balanced meals', 'portion sizes', 'reading labels' and understanding what they mean towards our overall wellness. To make it fun, I will be demonstrating how to make a healthy snack and students will get an opportunity to try it if they would like. (Of course I am aware of all student allergies and will be mindful of that). My goal is to have students be able to consider their food choices in a more informed way.  The students may ask you questions about food as we are going along. I hope that you can support this focus by limiting junk food during this time. Of course, I will be presenting a balanced approach so it shouldn't get too militant. The occasional treat is fine... that's the good part about being a child :)

I will be posting more information soon about upcoming units and trips. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.  

Elf on the Shelf at the Library

Check out the adventures of our 'Elf on the Shelf'
        Click here:  Take me to the elf