Social Studies - Canada's Political Boundaries

Image referenced from : Free US and World Maps.com

Today we were identifying the political boundaries within Canada, and a few students ran out of time before they were able to finish colouring their map. This is the map we were using in class to help see a colourful representation of the boundaries, and it was requested that I place the map on the blog as a reference by the students who needed to finish.

For more information, Natural Resources Canada has an excellent selection of maps to explore.

Internet Safety Introduction

Today we started talking about Internet Safety in preparation for when we start using the Netbooks. Although this video is produced in the United Stated, it carries an effective message to for students. Referring to the internet as a large city, this video helps students understand the importance of staying safe, and it highlights some important points that should be committed to memory. Internet safety will be a regular topic throughout the year.

Book Orders Due Wednesday

A reminder: book orders are due Wednesday, September 14th. Part of the morning routine includes the students coming into the class and placing their communication folders on their desk with any contents taken out and placed on top. This helps facilitate efficient and effective communication. The orders will be submitted to Scholastic on Friday.

Lunch orders are due Friday, the 16th. The order forms were sent home on Monday so please contact me if you did not receive the order form or have misplaced it. No late orders can be accepted.

Thanks.

Mr. Carr

Math Game Website

Hi Everyone,

Here is a link to some straight forward math games. Some of the instructions may take a second look to understand the game, but for the most part, the games look effective for general practice.

http://resources.oswego.org/games/

Our First Week of School

"During our first week of school, we met our new teacher, Mr. Carr, and we met the students in our class for this year. It was also nice to see some of our previous teachers. By sharing responsibilities in our table groups, we made literacy posters for literacy day by making large acrostic poems. This week we had two awesome music classes. We learned a new song about Canada, and one about Africa."

The above paragraph is a shared writing lesson where the whole class worked together to come up with the information. As well, they worked together to add details and combine ideas in each sentence. We didn't get as far as we expected since we had to practice a fire drill, but this is a good start. If in the future you ever wanted to filter the posts to see only the shared writing, under the heading on the left "Filter Posts", click on the word "shared" and only the shared writing pieces will appear.

This was an excellent first week of establishing roles, routines and procedures. In Math we explored different ways of representing numbers to 1000. If you would like more information on this, write a number on a piece of paper, and your child should be able to represent this number in a variety of ways.

In Language Arts, we have begun learning procedure for the Daily 5 -a system to help facilitate individualized classroom activity. As well, we have been writing in our journals, and reviewing/practicing the recount form of writing.

Exploration is the theme that runs through the grade four Social Studies Curriculum; and accordingly, we have started to explore the provinces and territories of Canada.

Thank you to the students for making this first week successful, and have a great weekend. Please check the communication folder for new correspondence, and Book Orders are due on Wednesday, September 14.



Mr.Carr

First Day of School Notices

I thought it may be appropriate to list the notices that were sent home today.

Welcome to My Class Postcard
Guide for Healthy Eating
Island Views and News
Student Threat/Rick Assessment
School District 8 Important Dates
IVS Family Fun Day
Nutrition at Island View

The following notices have a portion that needs to be returned to the school:

Department of Education Policy 311
Media Release Form (Permission for your child to be photographed by media)
Island View School Student Information Sheet

There were a few sheets left in the classroom after dismissal, so if you are missing any of this information, please have your child pick up a copy tomorrow.

Thanks,
Mr. Carr

First Day of School

We had a successful entry into grade four. And after a few activities, I think I know everyone by first name in the class. Safety, respect, and trying your hardest will be the cornerstone of our classroom community, and here are a few "I will" statements, or codes, that our class came up with:

I will try my best.
I will learn.
I will be responsible.
I will respect others.
I will care for others.
I will share.
I will be trustworthy.
I will be safe.

Have a great day!
Mr. Carr