The Buffalo and Archaeology

Why is the Buffalo Important to the Indigenous People?

- (It was) the only abundant resource in the prairies except for grass - LD

- You could make a lot of stuff out of it to survive - Hugh

They used every part of it for something, like the tongue for combs - MM

They respected it so much because if they waste it they will have to kill more buffalos then there won't be any. - SS

 What is an archaeologist?

- A person who studies extinct cultures - Viljo

- Studies the ancient ways of living - LD

- Studies old civilizations. They make predictions on who used it (artefacts like pots) - MM

- They look at very old culturey things like teepee tents - Hugh

- They dig up old artefacts from different cultures and predict which culture it was from and what it was used for. - Meredith

What did we learn about buffalo artefacts?

- We learned the fat and the tail and teeth. - Jaivivaan

- The tail was used for brushing to kill flies - Viljo

The teeth were used to make necklaces - MM

- The tongue was used to make combs - DA

- The fat was fuel for fires - Finnley

- They used the skull for ceremonies - Davyd

What did you enjoy about this activity?

- I enjoyed that we had partners and we were discussing and we agreed on the same thing - DA

I enjoyed the drawing and that everyone's was different - LD

I enjoyed the matching - Isar

I enjoyed drawing the picture of the buffalo - Finnley

I enjoyed how we gave feedback to others to help improve - MM

I enjoyed that we could see other people's ideas and see what they matched. - Viljo

I enjoyed the Gallery Walk. The buffalo it's so cool. We matched for everything. - Jaivivaan

Reminder: Space Test February 27

Students, this is a friendly reminder that you have a Science Assessment on Thursday, February 27. You will need to be able to: 

• Define Space vocabulary practiced in class (ex: Sun, Moon, Planet, Constellation, Galaxy, Solar System, Universe, Rotation, Revolution, etc.)
• Compare the lunar and solar (standard) calendars (explain similarities and differences between them)
• Identify common constellations (ex: Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion)
• Identify important stars (ex: North Star/Polaris)
• Explain how stars/constellations are used for navigation
• Compare different technologies for viewing space (ex: telescope, binoculars)

If you have any questions, please contact Ms Elder. If you're looking for ways to practice, review the material under "Classwork" -> "Science" on the Google Classroom.

Conflict Resolution

What is conflict resolution?

- Trying to stop a conflict from happening (in the first place) - Nollan

- Trying to stop a problem already happening happening or fix it - Felicia  

- Conflict means fight - Viljo

- Resolution means solve - Atticus

- We should think and solve problems - Jaivivaan

Why should we learn different ways to solve conflicts?

- Learning many can help you solve it in a different way. If first you tried to calm down then (telling them to) stop doing that (and it didn't work), you can tell the teacher or find another solution or play something else. - SS

- (Here's an) example of why. So let's say you only knew the strategy 'take turns' and somebody asked to play with your thing and then broke it, that wouldn't solve the conflict, but if you knew other strategies you could find one that works. - Milu

What did you enjoy about this activity?

- (By putting up posters) We get to give others ideas on how to help with their conflict and then they can feel better. - Felicia

- I enjoyed how we got to decorate our posters - MM

- I liked how we got to sort conflicts that can happen so that if they do happen we know what to do - Nollan

- I liked that we can help people solve conflicts - LD

- I liked that we got to stick them on the paper, the examples and how you could solve it. - DA

- I learned and I liked how we coloured the project. I learned how to solve more conflicts. In grade 3, I couldn't solve many problems but now I can. - SS

 

Reader's Theater

Over the past month, we have been practicing our reading fluency and expression through Reader's Theatres. Each Reader's Theatre is a fairy tale spoof. For example, we read Little Late Riding Hood, Spiderella, and Slurping Beauty. 

Each time, after practicing, Ms Elder asks one group to present for the class. We act with our voices by adding lots of expression, and sometimes voices or accents. :)

Here are some pictures of us rehearsing.

Multiplication Posters

In Math, we have started Multiplication. Multiplication means repeated addition. It is making groups and counting up the total. The two numbers you are multiplying are called the factors and the answer to a Multiplication equation is called the product. We can represent Multiplication by drawing pictures of groups or arrays. 

This week, Ms Elder put us into groups and assigned each group a times table. With our group members, we are responsible for making a poster that shows the strategies you can use to multiply by that number. We will also put patterns we see and a hundreds chart with the multiples highlighted. We will present our posters for the class next week. Here is an example we made together, with some tips to make a great poster: 

Here are some photographs of us hard at work:

Constellations and Galaxies

Sponge painting the galaxy

This week, in Science, we learned about constellations and galaxies. Constellations are groups of stars that make up a picture in the sky. They have imaginary lines between them. Two of the most important constellations for people in the Northern Hemisphere are Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper). They help people find which way is North because the Little Dipper has the North Star at the tip of its handle. The North Star is also called Polaris. 

We got to show our learning of constellations by making our own on a geoboard. Here are some pictures of our creations: 

Today, we learned that galaxies can have three different shapes: Spiral, Elliptical, or Irregular. Galaxies are made up of solar systems and billions of stars. We live in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Ms Elder decided that we should learn about galaxies in a creative way! Today, we painted canvases with our own galaxy! We got to choose the shape of our galaxy. We used sponges to do the painting, and splatter painting to make the stars. 

"I learned that there are different types of galaxies and all of the names of them." ~ Finnley

"I liked how we used sponges to paint a galaxy. It was interesting." ~ LD

"I learned some shapes of galaxies. I like the geoboard because I could make paper plane constellation on there." ~ Isar

"I liked how we splattered white paint on our art to create stars." ~ Fox

"I liked how we got to make our own galaxies using the splatter technique and sponges." ~ Nollan

"I loved the geoboard. I made a house constellation. It had a roof. It was beautiful." ~ Jaivivaan

"I liked the geoboard because you could make your own constellations and shapes." ~ DA

"I liked how we got to make the galaxies. It was very fun but also very tricky to make a spiral." ~ Felicia

"I learned how the words in a galaxy are interesting. The most I like is the Milky Way. And I liked the project because it was a colourful project. It was a lot of fun because you could splatter paint." ~ SS

"I liked the art we did today. It was really creative. We got to make a galaxy on the canvas." ~ MM

"I liked how we got to make constellations on geoboards." ~ Meredith

"I liked how we got to make our own galaxy because we got to pick if it was a spiral, elliptical, or irregular galaxy and we got to pick different colours." ~ Davyd

Splatter painting the stars

Space Flipbook

We started our new Science unit: Space! So far, we have learned about the sun, Earth in space, the moon, and the constellations. We've also made a list of all the Space vocabulary we need to know. 

As we learn about each topic, we are recording our learning in a flipbook. The flipbook is non-fiction because it is full of facts. We are even making a Glossary on the back page, which will have a list of the key words and their definitions (meanings). 

We are also learning Indigenous stories of the constellations from expert Elder Wilfred Buck.

We will be building in Science soon. Ms Elder has asked each of us to bring a shoebox by January 29.

Student Quotes:

"I like everything in Space because it's just so wonderous and the curiosity for me never ends." ~ Hugh

"I just love Space so much because there are so many interesting facts about it. You can explore new worlds that you can live on just like Earth." ~ Felicia

"I like Space because it's cool and interesting because some of the stars can be shining a lot and when you inside the Earth, there's not much shining but when you go outside the Earth it's a lot of shiny stuff." ~ SS

"I like Space because it's super interesting because there's a bunch of space in Space. It's like Art because there is art in constellations." ~ Viljo

"I like learning about Space because it's so interesting and we can learn about sun, moon, and planets." ~ DA

"I learned that Space. It makes my brain good. I love Space. I see my tablet the moon and astronauts and Mars." ~ Jaivivaan

"I learned that the sun has radiation and the constellations can look like something but also something else, like the turtle but the stars made a house." ~ LD

"I learned that the sun is a star and it's actually considered a small star. The stars seem smaller than it but they're just further away." ~ Finnley

"I learned different Indigenous stories for constellations. I didn't know Indigneous stroies before but now I know." ~ MM

"I learned that Space is a big vaccuum filled with beautiful things." ~ Hugh