Grade 4's Habitats

The students today learned about: Producers, Consumers and Decomposers.

Producers- are plants because they produce their own food.  Green plants use the energy from the sun to turn water and carbon dioxide from the air into the food they need.


Consumers are animals that consume or eat other living things to get the energy they need to survive.  There are three different types of consumers:  Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores.


Herbivores- are animals that eat only plants. An example is a white-tailed doe and fawn, moose, hares, hummingbirds, beavers, etc.


Carnivores- are animals that only eat other animals. An example is an eagle, lion, tiger, wolf, hawk, etc.


Omnivores- are animals that eat both plants and other animals.  An example is a raccoon, black bears, squirrels, pigs, etc.  Many humans are also considered omnivores.


Decomposers- are living things that feed off dead plants, animals and reduce their remains to minerals and gases again.  Examples are fungi like mushrooms, bacteria, worms, etc.

Reminder Grade 3's have an Urban and Rural Communities test tomorrow

Safety Village

The students today had a great time learning about bicycle and fire safety.  What a great experience it was for all of them.

Numeracy- Ways to Write numbers

The students learned the how to write numbers using standard forms with numerals and words, expanded form and place values.

The grade 3 students learned up to the hundreds. 

While, the grade 4 students learned up to the thousands.

Students can practice with place value by playing a fun game.  This is great practice for all!

REMINDER: MATH TEST TOMORROW.

Grade 3's- Urban and Rural Communities

Urban is having characteristics of a city or town.  Rural is having characteristics of a country or a farm.

We will continue our discussions on the difference and similarities between the two.  We will also be doing a fun activity that will help the students to distinguish what is Urban and what is Rural.

Points of View

Today we read the book "Who is Melvin Bubble", by Nick Bruel.   We used this book to identify the point of views from the different characters on who is Melvin Bubble.  The students enjoyed this story and were able to identify the different points of view by looking at pictures and listing to story during the read aloud.  Tomorrow, we will be using the same book to try and figure out the main idea of the story.

Mapping put to practice

The students have been making and using maps containing the necessary map elements i.e. title, symbols, legend, and compass rose.
They used what they have learned to create a map that was created of Stuart Scott's P.S. playground to recognize a wide range of features i.e. the playground, track, field, trees, bicycle rack, etc by representing them using different colours on the map.
Students were later asked to create directions that would lead their peers to a desired location of their job.  They did a great job- well done grade 3's!!

Practice test sent home

Students have been provided with a practice test that was sent home.  This is a great opportunity for students to practice what we have been learning on patterns. We will be taking the test up tomorrow, so please make sure you put in the work to get it completed.

Reminder

This a reminder to my students that I have assigned the following pages
as homework which is to to be completed for Mon, Oct 3, 2011.  They are as follow:

Grade 3's-  correction to previous homework along with lesson 3, 4 and 5.

Grade 4's-  correction to previous homework along with lesson 3 and 4.

This is great practise for our pending math test that will be on Wed Oct 5, 2011.

If you have any trouble, please make a note of it so that we can discuss it in class.

Grade 3's - Patterning and Algebra

I have been working with the grade 3 students on identifying, extending and creating a repeating pattern involving two attributes  (e.g. size, colour, position, number, etc).  They have been describing the pattern using the following rule:

The attributes that are changing are:    (list the attributes)  -   (how it is changing) 

For example, describe and extend the repeating pattern.

Answer:  The attributes that are changing in the above pattern are:

Shape-  circle and rectangle

Colour- white, white, black and black.

The students have also been extending repeating, growing and shrinking number patterns.  The pattern rule for numbers are:

• Repeating pattern:   The core of my pattern is ... 

    

For example:    7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 ...  

The core of my pattern is 7.

• Increasing or Decreasing Pattern:  My pattern starts at _(first number)  and goes  (up or down)  by  (amount).

For example:  5, 10, 15, 20, 25 . . .  

My pattern starts at 5 and goes up by 5.

The students have been given some math homework to practise the pattern rules.  Students are required to complete lesson 1 and 2 for tomorrow.  

Have fun!

Welcome to our class BLOG!

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students:

My name is Ms. Garcia and I am very pleased to be teaching and mentoring the student's in Mr Claus grade 3 and 4 classroom.  This site will be used for you to explore and become familiar with what we will be learning in our classroom.  You will find updates, games, links and information that will be useful for you to practise what we have been learning in class.  I will also use this site to send out weekly reminders, so please visit it regularly.

Sincerely,

Ms. Garcia

Number Sense and Numeration- Equivalent Fractions

Equivalent fractions are fractions that represent the same part of a whole or the same part of a set or object.  They have the same value.


Examples of equivalent fractions are:

1/2 is equivalent to 4/8.

1/3 is equivalent to 4/12.

You can practice matching equivalent fractions with Fraction Frenzy.  I also found a fun activity and game that will let you practice some more equivalent fractions.  I hope you enjoy them.

Understanding Matter

My grade 5 students began exploring the concept of matter.  Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.  We learned the three states of matter: solids, liquids and gases.

Solids - keep their shape unless they are broken.  They do not change their shape and have strength because they are held tightly by particles.  The particles do not flow (move) however, they can jiggle (vibrate) and they keep their volume.

Liquids - do not keep their shape. Instead, they take on the shape of any container.  For example, water takes on the shape of the glass or cup that it is in. The particles in a liquid can flow (move) because they are arranged closely together and keep their volume.

Gases - has no shape, however, they can fill the container that they occupy.  The particles are separate and they can flow (move) quickly and fit into a smaller volume.

We will continue exploring and investigating the differences between the physical changes (reversible) and chemical changes (non-reversible).  However, if you would like to challenge yourself, do so by playing this solids, liquids and gases game.  Good Luck!

Geometric Properties

We investigated angle measures in triangle and learned the following:

ACUTE TRIANGLE

All angles are less than 90 degrees.

RIGHT TRIANGLE

Has a right angle (90 degrees).

OBTUSE TRIANGLE


Has an angle more than 90 degrees.



Can you identify and classify triangles by angles?  Test yourself.   You can also challenge yourself with this game- Triangle Sort.

Understanding Life Systems

Today we began a new topic on the Human Organ System- the Respiratory System.   We learned that the respiratory systems primary function is to supply the blood with oxygen.  The blood delivers the oxygen to all parts of the body through breathing.   As we breath in, we are inhaling oxygen and as we breath out, we are exhaling carbon dioxide.  This process is known as respiration. You can view how the respiratory system works in this video.

You can practice the vocabulary that we learned today by playing Rags to Riches a Respiratory system game.

We will continue to discuss the Respiratory system and the Circulatory System tomorrow.

April is Earth month and April 22, 2011 is Earth Day!

Earth Day is a big celebration where we can pay tribute to our beautiful planet.  It is also a day when we can all bring awareness to some environmental issues that are occuring around the world.  I found some history on Earth day that I would like to share with all of you, just clicking on the following link:  http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement.  I also found some fun activities and games that you might enjoy.

For the next few days, we will be focusing on how we can make a difference in our homes, schools and communities to help keep our Earth beautiful.   I have attached a video that I hope will get you thinking.  Enjoy!

Welcome Parents

Thank you for visiting my blog!

I have created this blog as a way of inspiring my students to love learning.  As parents, you will find it beneficial as I will be posting regular updates on our lessons, along with some interesting links and resources that can be useful in helping with your child's learning.

Let's have fun learning together!

Welcome to our class blog!

Dear Students:

I am very excited to be in your classroom this term.  I will be working along side your teacher to ensure we have a very fun and exciting learning experience.   I am also looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you.

Please visit this Blog on a regular basis, as I will be providing you with valuable information regarding our lessons and discussions.  As well, I will be providing reminders on some important information and dates for homework, assignments, projects, tests and so forth.

I will also be using this Blog to post some fun and useful links that will help you practice what we have learned throughout the day.

Let's have a fantastic school year!