Land-Based Learning: Fall Equinox & The Sun

Today, we went outside to experiment with our shadows. At first, it failed because there were no shadows showing up. The sun was being blocked by the clouds. We came out again later. We worked in partners to trace each others' shadows. We did it at 9:45 am, 10:45 am, and 2:45 pm. 

At 9:45, our shadows were tall and skinny. At 10:45, they were shorter and closer to our actual size and shape. 

We know that shadows form when the sun is being blocked by an object. 

We are studying this because we learned about the Fall Equinox. The Fall Equinox is when we get the same amount of daytime and nighttime. It was on September 21. The Spring Equinox is March 21. Equinox comes from the latin words: "equal night". 

We know the sun is very important to all living things. It keeps us alive!

Soccer!

We have a residency in Gym right now. We have experts coming to teach us how to improve our soccer skills. Here are some pics of us learning.

Playing Knock-Out!

Scanning and Skimming

Scanning and Skimming

Research Skills!

Scanning and skimming are two different things. Scanning is where there is a pile of words and you are looking for one specific word. - HS

Skimming is like scanning but more deep. You're looking for a bigger thing, like a sentence of a paragraph. - Milu

Why would we need these skills?

In university and at work you might need to do research and stuff.  - Meredith

Sometimes reading takes too long and when you have a time limit you might not be able to read a whole thing. - Aroosha and Felicia

You might know some of the information already, so it's not helpful to re-read it. - Atticus

If you're reading something very big, you need to go faster so that you get all that information in an amount of time. - Meredith

Sometimes there's information in the book that you don't need. - Milu

Mindful Mondays

How did starting the morning with gratitude make you feel?

I felt calm and happy. - Fox

I felt focused. - Atticus

I felt good. - HS

How does this show care for the self?

When your mind feels calm and focused it can take negative emotions from your day. - Felicia

HOMEWORK: Prepare for Graphing Quiz

Students, this is a friendly reminder that you have a Graphing Assessment on Thursday, September 26. You will need to be able to: 

• Create a Bar Graph with a scale of 2:1 or higher to represent a set of data
• Accurately use the "Bar Graph Checklist" criteria used in class
• Read and interpret both Pictographs and Bar Graphs 

If you have any questions, please contact Ms Elder. If you're looking for ways to practice, here are some links to some online graphing games: 

https://www.turtlediary.com/game/bar-graph.html

https://www.splashlearn.com/math/bar-graphs-games

https://www.iknowit.com/lessons/b-reading-bar-graphs.html

Learning From the Land: Community Walk to Mohkinstsis

Today, we went on a BIG Community Walk. First, we walked to Mohkinstsis. Mohkinstsis means "elbow" in Blackfoot and Cree. Mohkinstsis is the meeting of the Elbow and Bow rivers. It is a sacred place to the Blackfoot people because in their creation story, it is known as the first place where people stepped onto the earth. Mohkinstsis became a landmark and a meeting place. It is also the symbol of reconciliation because the two rivers represent the Indigenous and Settler perspectives coming together and moving forward as one. Reconciliation means "becoming friends again." It means saying sorry and finding ways to make things right.

The first activity we did at the river was "Connecting to the River." We wrote/drew a story from a memory we have at the river. 

"One time, I came here with Mr Jackson and we are having fun and we go to St Patrick's park." ~ SS

"I went swimming in the Bow River and I went rafting in the Bow River with my cousins." ~ Viljo

"I went rafting in the Bow River and two little ducks came up to my raft asking for food." ~ Felicia

"I went on a hike in Bragg Creek which is a part of the Elbow River." ~ Milu

"The best beach ever was the Dubai beach and the best river was the Bow. It was a sunny day and we saw a lot of light reflecting in the river." ~ MM

"I take my hamster often there. He likes swimming in the Bow River." ~ Aroosha

"I went to the Bow River for my sixth birthday and it was one of the top three funnest birthday." ~ HS

"I have a special memory there that I went kayaking and I saw a beaver." ~ Nollan

Grade Four groups spread out with their adult to work on Task 1

Working on Task 1

Working on Task 1

Working on Task 1

Proud of our finished products!

Then, we got to have lunch and a play at the East Village playground. 

Task 2 was the "Who's Using the River?" Tally Chart. We tried to spot as many animals as we could using the river as their habitat.

Animal-watching

We walked back along the Elbow river. Ms Elder taught us the word: reciprocity. Reciprocity means to give back. We thanked the land for the beautiful day and all that it taught us by giving a plant a splash of water or putting the ladybugs on the trees so they don't get stepped on or giving a plant carbon dioxide with a breath.

HOMEWORK: Think of a personal story from the River

Students, this is a reminder that tomorrow we will go on a Community Walk to Mohkinstsis, the meeting place of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. 

Mohkinstsis is a very important place to local Indigenous cultures and it has become a symbol of reconciliation. 

Tomorrow, we will complete several tasks along the Bow and Elbow rivers that relate to our Science and Social Studies curricula. 

Your homework is to discuss with your family the following prompt to prepare for our activity: 

What is a memory you have that connects you to the river? 

It could be an activity that you like to do with your family (example: walking your dog along the river pathway, rafting the river, biking, etc) or it could be of a specific place like St. Patrick's Island splash area or the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. 

If you are new to Calgary and you have not spent any time on the river yet, we ask that you try to go out tonight so that every child has a personal connection to the river outside of school. 

Thanks, everyone, and please remember to dress for the weather tomorrow! We'll be on our walk from 10:45-2:30!

Famous Canadian Card: Autumn Peltier

This week, we have been talking about water.  We know that water is so important because:

• we need it to live
• we use water for cooking
• we use water for cleaning ourselves so we don't get sick
• we need it to keep plants alive...plants give us oxygen and we eat them
• it is used to generate electricity
• animals need it to survive
• water puts out fires
• we use water for transportation

We also know that in and around Calgary we have several issues related to water:

1) The water main pipe burst and needed repairs

2) We were in drought conditions this spring

3) There were many forest fires this summer that affected us through their smoke

Right now, the City of Calgary is under water restrictions because of the water main repairs. We brainstormed many ways we can conserve (save) water at home and took home a BINGO game.

Yesterday, Ms Elder read us a book called We Are Water Protectors. We researched Autumn Peltier who is a Famous Canadian. She is a water warrior. When she was 12, Autumn was supposed to give a ceremonial copper bowl to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She was supposed to keep quiet. Instead, Autumn used her voice and told him that she was disappointed in his decision to approve two pipelines. She believes everyone should have clean water and believes this should be a priority for the Canadian government. We know that many communities in Canada do not have clean water. 

Today, we took our research and created a Famous Canadian Card for Autumn Peltier. We will be creating and collecting many cards throughout the school year.

"We need water because it is really important and we need it to survive." ~ MM

"Water is important for transport and electricity. I felt good that I knew this." ~ Nollan

"I was really sad when I heard how many communities in Canada didn't have clean water." ~ Milu

"I felt really sad when many communities didn't have water. I felt really glad, as well, that Autumn Peltier helped Indigenous people so that they could have clean water. Water is important in every way." ~ Felicia

"I was glad that she standed up so that all of those communities wouldn't have polluted water." ~ Viljo

"I was glad that I knew about this." ~ LD

"I agree with Autumn Peltier that everyone should have clean water." ~ MM

"I'm sad that some of the mothers have to wash their babies with bottled water." ~ Nollan

Surveying and Graphing

In Math class, with Ms Elder, we have been learning about graphing. We have practiced reading bar graphs, and creating bar graphs. Ms Elder has taught us a checklist so we know all the things our bar graph needs to include. 

Our Bar Graphs need to include:

• Equal spaces between bars
• Equal spaces between numbers
• A title that describes the graph
• Subtitles for each axis
• A straight and labelled x axis
• A straight and labelled y axis
• Labels for each bar
• A scale increasing by 2 (or 4, or 5, or 10)
• Correct data to match the survey
• Bars of equal width

Today, we created our own survey question and we collected the data ourselves. Then, we made our own bar graph. Today's graph was marked for our report cards! Ms Elder has published our marks on PowerTeacher for our parents to see.

"I've gotten a lot better at graphing." ~ Nollan

"I like graphing a lot; it's one of my favourite Math subjects. I'm glad we could make our own." ~ Felicia

What Is My Footprint?

Today, Ms Elder introduced us to our Big Idea of the year. A Big Idea guides our work, like a theme, that we'll revisit throughout the school year. It connects with all subject areas and gives our work more purpose. 

Our Big Idea for this school year is: What Is My Footprint?

We brainstormed different meanings of the word footprint, like our "eco footprint" = how much electricity we use and our "carbon footprint" = how much waste we create. We can also use the word footprint to represent our "legacy."

We connected this to our work in Science. We are learning about Earth's spheres and ways we can protect our hydrosphere by conserving water.

Ms Elder showed us a video from an Indigenous Elder who talked about the importance of water. (Click here to watch the video).

Here are the key points from the video: 

Next, we completed a piece of artwork for our Big Idea poster in the classroom. We traced our own footprints and decorated them with an image of our own hopes for the future. We drew what we want our legacy to be.

"I enjoyed that we got to trace our own footprints." ~ Aroosha

"I enjoyed this because I like colouring." ~ Leo

"I liked it because it was really creative. I liked the designs that I did." ~ Felicia

"Maybe we did this activity to think about what the future will look like." ~ Aroosha

"This activity was about our legacy." ~ MM

"It was a fun activity and sometimes if you have bad feelings, you can look at that and remind you of your favourite thing and be happy." ~ SS

"I think it was because so that when we grow up, we can try to fulfill our legacy." ~ Felicia

"I liked how we had the freedom to create any design we wanted." ~ Milu

"I liked this activity because it was caring for nature and our earth." ~ MM

Pieces of Me

Pieces of Me

Did you miss these books? Search youtube to enjoy the read aloud at home. Let's be proud of who we are and engage in positive self-talk like the characters in these books!

Looking for more ideas and inspiration for your jar?

These are the items in Mrs. Jamroziak's jar!

I provided an example of something more concrete (the boat represents how important my husband is to me because he is in the navy) or something more abstract (the boat represents how I weather stormy seas and persevere through challenges). Students DO NOT have to have two reasons for each item. I was simply providing multiple examples.

This is a copy of the handout and email that was sent home regarding the homework assignment:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

We are excited to introduce a creative and engaging assignment for our Grade 4 students: the "Pieces of Me Vase.” This assignment aims to help students build a sense of community, explore their self-identity, and showcase their creativity. A part of this activity needs to be completed at home, while a second part will be completed at school.

 

Assignment Overview:

 

Due Date: September 16, 2024 - to bring jar/vase of items to school

 

Steps to Complete the Assignment:

 

1. Getting to Know Yourself:

Students will have already started a list of 5 - 10 qualities (character traits) and/or things that are important to them. If you feel you could help them add to this list (you see amazing qualities within them that they do not see themselves) please do so!

 

2. Representing Ideas:

   Students will choose objects to represent each item on their list. For instance, a bottle cap could symbolize a passion for recycling, or a toy boat could represent a love of being on/in the water or perseverance/determination through challenges. We are not just looking for favorite toys or items that show their hobbies, though these can definitely be included, abstract concepts are welcomed and encouraged.  

 

3. Gather and Create:

   Students will place 5 - 10 of their chosen objects into a clean, clear vase or jar. They will bring this jar to school.

 

At school, (do not do this at home) after Sept. 16, students will write a paragraph describing their selected items and how each represents them. Once they have finished, students will practice reading their paragraph aloud (they will be allowed to bring these paragraphs home to practice). They will present their vase and read their paragraph to our class.

 

What We Need From You:

- Ensure your child understands the instructions.

- Assist with their qualities/characteristics list and help with gathering items/materials by Sept. 16.

- (After it has been completed at school) Support them in practicing their presentation.

 

We are looking forward to seeing the creative ways each student represents themselves and sharing in their unique stories. Thank you for your support in making this assignment a success!

Earth's Spheres

Grade Fours this year have a new Science curriculum! The first thing that we're learning about is the different spheres on Earth. We learned four key words and what they mean. The lithosphere means the land/ground. The hydrosphere means the water. The biosphere is all living things, and the atmosphere is the layer of gasses that protect the Earth. Here are some examples of each: 

Ms Elder taught us how to make an Earth's spheres flipbook to help us remember them. Here are photos of us working: 

At the end, we labelled and decorated them to show what each sphere is made up of.

Next week, we will be diving deeper (get it?!) in the Hydrosphere. 

"I liked this because it was really creative." ~ Felicia

"I liked how we could cut and glue our own spheres." ~ Milu

"I liked that we could make a flip book using spheres." ~ Viljo

"I liked that it was so challenging. I was staying focused and I got mine perfect." ~ SS

"I liked how I got to learn about the four spheres." ~ Nollan 

"I wanted to keep my sphere to bring it home." ~ Meredith

Nature Art Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy

Today, we completed some nature art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. With Ms Brox's Class, we went to the top of the hill and left our creations on the grass for the community to enjoy. We know that over time, the items will spread by the wind, animals, and people walking by. This is an example of temporary art. 

We also know that these natural artifacts, like pinecones, will slowly decompose over time and their nutrients returned to the ground.

Here is our collection of creative artwork: 

"This was a really creative, inspirational way for us to express our feelings." ~ Hugh

"I liked how if you wanted something from the top of the hill, you could grab it and add it on." ~ Finnley

"I learned that nature can express your feelings through art." ~ Viljo

"I'm glad that I made mine in a way that animals can live in it." ~ Nollan

"I liked how we could create any shape or object with all of the nature items." ~ Milu

"It would be nice to see some plants grow at the top of the hill." ~ LD

"I liked it because it was creative and we could express our feelings." ~ Felicia

"Mine was the biggest art. If an ant finds the hole, it will make a giant house like a mansion." ~ SS

"I liked how everyone's art was different and unique and all expressing their feelings." ~ Fox

"I'm proud of everyone who remembered to bring their nature items and for all of the different designs you came up with." ~ Ms Elder