Parent Teacher Conferences

Important Information and Dates
Monday, March 19th - (last weeks) daily math questions due
Wednesday, March 21st - Literature Circle Jobs due
Wednesday, March 21st - Figurative Language VJ due
Wednesday, March 21st - Athenian Residents VJ due.

Please do not forget to sign up for parent-teacher conferences next Thursday. 

Drama auditions!

Interested in Drama? Want to be in a play?! 

We will be holding auditions for speaking parts for the Division 2 play.

Please let your students know there will be a meeting on Thursday at lunch (place to be determined....) for students to try out for parts.  I've added the script below if they want to practice (and add expression!) and Ms. Betty will also print off some paper copies and have them in Room 13 if they want to come by.

We will meet with students interested in other aspects such as props, lighting etc. after Spring Break.

AUDITION SCRIPT:

Captain ABC: I'm Captain Alpha Bravo Charlie.... And once again our hero has been plunged into the alien terrain of yet another hostile wordy planet.   He has now descended into the terrible tunnels of planet “School”. How will he escape? He must navigate these strange alien tunnels without understanding the language. Is this a cursed chamber or the portal to his home planet that he so desperately seeks?  He cannot tell! He must eliminate each word. Zap! Zap! Zap! Each alien communication is eliminated one by one. Captain ABC moves through these alien tunnels easily zapping them out of the way. Is this a portal? Where does it go? Our hero stops short, his zapper at the ready. He cannot determine whether the words say “This way home” or “This way to certain destruction”. He must rely on his courage alone. He reaches out and presses the button to open the portal. What will it be? Will our hero make it home?

Creating switches for circuits

Important Dates and Information 
Literature Circles due on Wednesday.
Athenian Residents VJ due on March 21st.
Figurative Language VJ due on March 21st.

Classroom Learning
In science, we learned how to create a switch to operate a circuit! Using a piece of cardboard, push pins, and a paper clip, students constructed a switch. By allowing the paper clip to swing left and right, students could open and close the circuit to turn the light bulb off and on.

Short Circuits and Ted Harrison

Important Dates and Information 
Math - Daily questions - Due Monday, March 12th 

Classroom Learning
Today in Science students worked with switches, discovering short circuits, how they work and the potential impact they could have on daily life. 

Students also paired up and critiqued each other on their Ted Harrison art. They then self-assessed where they felt they fell on the Bulls Eye Rubric, reflecting on what they did well, where they could improve, and how.   

Healthy Hearts

Important Dates and Information 
Emily Carr Art - due Friday, March 9th
Settler Farm Math assignment - due Friday, March 9th.
Math - Daily questions - Due Monday, March 12th 

Classroom Learning
In health today, we learned about the parts of the heart and how to keep our heart and body healthy with a good diet and physical activity. The heart is responsible for pumping oxygen into our blood, and pumping blood around our body. When we exercise, our heart beat increases as our heart has to work harder to pump the blood. Our heart also has to work harder if it is sick from things like tobacco. We learned that tobacco contains nicotine, and it can affect our body very badly, such as our heart, lungs, brain, skin, and eyes. We learned that too much smoking builds up a black tar on the lungs and can cause a lot of diseases in our body. Below is a picture we looked at of a healthy lung vs a smoker's lung.  

At home, discuss with your child what they learned about the heart today, and the importance of having good physical health. 

picture found from:

   Healthy Lung                  Smokers Lung

Closed and Open Circuits

Important Dates and Information 
Fractions and Decimal Quiz - Thursday, March 8th
Emily Carr Art - due Friday, March 9th
Settler Farm Math assignment - due Friday, March 9th.

**THE WEEKLY MATH GAME WILL BE SENT HOME TOMORROW** 

Classroom Learning
In science, we worked more with circuits today. Students worked with materials to create a closed circuit and then found different ways to interrupt the flow of electricity in order to create an open circuit. Students then drew labelled diagrams in their visual journal, and responded to questions regarding their observations and learning. 
At home, ask your child to explain to you the difference between an open and a closed circuit. 

Blackfoot singing and drumming, figurative language and poetry

Important Dates and Information 
Fractions and Decimal Quiz - Thursday, March 8th
Emily Carr Art - due Friday, March 9th
Settler Farm Math assignment - due Friday, March 9th.

Classroom Learning
Today we had the wonderful opportunity to listen to a guest, Darcy, who gifted our school with a song. We had the opportunity to learn more about his Blackfoot culture, the importance of oral story telling, and song. In a small group setting, he spoke to us about his drums, and how he makes his sticks. Each student received the opportunity to play on a traditional Blackfoot drum.

Today in Language Arts, we started looking at how Figurative language is used in song lyrics. First we listened to two songs, identifying comparisons, exaggerations, and human features given to inanimate objects. Following this, we looked more closely at definitions and examples of similes, hyperboles, and personification. Students were then provided a copy of the song lyrics, and using a colour code, identified where they found examples of the above Figurative language. We discussed how song lyrics are a type of poetry, and how figurative language is found throughout.