Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!!  School begins on January 3.

Today we struggled through a couple of holiday logic puzzles.  Work with me over the break to see how many different solutions we can share in the New Year!

Only 1 more day until Winter Break!!!

Please join us tonight for our Winter Art Celebration.  Drop in to the gym between 6:00 - 7:15 to view many pieces of student art.  Also stop by the Learning Commons to purchase items from the Bake Sale.

Today we created and performed our own versions of The 12 Days of Christmas.  We came up with some unique and interesting items for each day.  We then performed our song to the class.

In math we calculated how many presents were actually given during the 12 Days of Christmas.  Ask me to show you the strategy I used to figure out the answer.

Tomorrow is our Winter Celebration.  Please join us between 6:00 - 7:15 to view works of art from all students.  Parent Council is also hosting a bake sale.

Today in language arts we were introduced to summarizing.  Ask me what makes a good summary and what makes a summary not good.

Friday is PJ day and also our Fun Lunch Day.  If you did not order a lunch, please remember to bring one on Friday.

Please Note:

-Carol Singing – we are inviting any interested students or adults to enjoy singing in the gym from 8:45-9:00 Mon-Fri

-Winter Celebration – Thurs, Dec 15^th  – Drop-in to the school from 6:00-7:15 pm to view student work, visit Council’s bake sale and sing songs – All family members are Welcome!

Today we typed up our written description of the felting art we completed on Friday.  We were encouraged to create a meaningful title for our work.

We began to explore time in math.  We brainstormed why time is important to us, how we use time everyday and how we can measure time.  Please ask me why I think telling time is taught in math.

Thanks to those who were prepared to write our addition test today.  The blog has lots of opportunities to extend your learning at home.

We read chapter 10 in Matilda.  Our class came up with a list of 10 vocabulary words they identified from the chapter that they were not familiar with the meanings.
We also finished our triple scoop word list of descriptive language.

We are really excited to welcome our Artist in Residence tomorrow.  We will be learning about and creating felting masterpieces.  These will be on display at our Winter Celebration next week.

Please work with your children this week and weekend as we will begin to understand how to tell time on an analog clock!!

**** There will be an addition test tomorrow afternoon ****

Here is a worksheet to practice solving addition word problems.


A notice came home regarding the Greenview Kids program being run in partnership with the City of Calgary and Calgary AfterSchool.

Today in science we began looking at the ear.  We learned the ear had 3 parts:  the outer, middle and inner ear.  Ask me what the three bones that make up the middle ear are called.

What an eventful day!!

The boiler at Thorncliffe School was out of commission today, therefore those students who attended school were bussed to Colonel Sanders School for the morning.  Thanks to all the staff and students at Colonel Sanders who accommodated our school during this time.  A special thanks to Ms. Farrish for including our grade 3 students, and Mrs. Powell and Mrs. Khatu for taking our grade 4's.

Ask me what activities we helped with in each of our classes.

***Please remember to dress for the weather***

Today we had an indoor recess all day.  When the temperature with wind chill is -20 or colder, students are to come directly indoors to their classrooms.  There will be notices on the outside of the entrance doors saying, "Today is a blue day" indicating they are to come in.
If you arrive late for school, you must enter through the main doors by the office.

Reminder that there will be an addition test on Thursday of this week.  You will find some additional work sheets attached for your review.


Today in math we worked on a sequencing and addition problem.  Ask me to show you how I created my pearl bracelet using the information given to us in class.


Thanks to all who attended conferences last week.  We almost had 100% participation among parents in our class.

*** Important ***

As per the Winter Celebration Questionnaire that was sent home with your student, we began to sketch an art idea and create a writing piece to go with it.  We have an artist in residence coming next week to teach us about felting.  Your student is encouraged to ask you about symbols and traditions that are meaningful to you and your family during the winter.  Students will then represent these symbols on their felting art.

In math, we continued to add numbers in preparation for our addition test next week.

In literacy we played with words given in a random word generator to create interesting sentences.  Ask me to create a sentence with the following three words:

-hammered

-mouse

-bumpy

Here is a link to the website Writing Exercises

A new Fun Lunch event has been scheduled!!

We read chapters 8-9 in Matilda today.  Ask me some of the ways Roald Dahl used voice to add emotion and points of view to his characters.  We also made connections between the text and our own experiences.

We visited the book fair today.  The Book Fair will remain open during conferences this Thursday evening and Friday morning.

We worked in groups in math to use our addition and reasoning skills to solve a challenge.  We will show you how we worked through this challenge at conferences.

****We will be having a math assessment on Thursday, December 8.  This assessment will be on addition.  You will tested adding numbers with and without regrouping.****

Please remember to book a conference.  Students are to attend with you.  Spots are available Thursday after school or Friday morning until 12:00

There will be no school on Friday, December 2 due to conferences.

In Language we learned to give our characters emotion in our writing.  We composed a paragraph that we read to the class.  They had to guess the emotion our characters were dealing with.

We solved a number problem with the numbers 1-8.  We tested our perseverance and patience as we attempted this challenge.  See if you can help me figure it out.

*** No library book exchange this week.  Our class will attend the book fair tomorrow morning.  ***

We created pieces of writing today with a focus on "voice."  Voice is giving more emotion, point of view and opinions to a character.
Ask me to add voice to this sentence.  The Toronto Maple Leafs are Canada's greatest hockey team.

We continued to add 2 and 3 digit numbers.  We also attempted to create a video demonstrating which algorithm we use to solve addition equations.

***** No School Friday / PD Day for Staff *****

In Language Arts this morning we read chapter 7 in 'Matilda'  Ask me how I know Matilda is a math prodigy.  We also began to create our Book Club Website.  We learned how to create new pages, insert images on our website and add text boxes.

We have been continuing to work towards treating our classmates with respect.  We played an 'Excuse Me Tag' in the gym today.

Ask me to share my Research Web I am creating in Social.

Today is the first day we will have a student voice component of our blog.  Thank you Sylvie and Devin for collecting evidence of your learning this week.
       This week in math we did bar graphs and surveys and tally charts.  In science we finished our iMovie and showed them to the class.  In art we made First Nations Art.  We used oil pastels to create pictures of the ocean and feathers.

         

Sorry for the computer / internet issues, hopefully this blog post is sent today.

Yesterday your child brought home their results from their unit test in Science.


In math, we have been looking at several different algorithms to solve addition equations.  We have explored representing the numbers with base -10 and also expanded form.  I have sent a link of an example of each algorithm to your child's gmail account.


In social, we continued researching First Nations and their way of life in Alberta.
Here is a link to some additional information from 2learn.ca
2learn.ca

Important Information

CBE Impacted Schools Survey Now Available:

Parent Conference Booking Information:

Scholastic Book Fair will be held beginning next Tuesday.

Tomorrow is Subway Fun Lunch Day!!

For those who didn't order a sub, please don't forget to pack your lunch

Today in literacy, we read the chapter titled The Platinum - Blonde Man from 'Matilda'  Ask me to explain how Matilda pranked her dad.  This is the third prank she pulled.  Have me explain all the pranks we have read about.

We completed our assessment of our iMovie science presentation.  We also completed a peer evaluation regarding how well we worked together as a group.  Some of us then had the chance to share our movies with the class.

In math, our learning task was analyzing data.  We had to analyze and interpret data collected about the TV viewing habits of grade 4 students.  I should be able to explain to you how I used this data to come up with several questions.  Ask me my interpretations of the tally chart we were presented.

In literacy today we used our dictionary skills to find and define some new vocabulary we will come across in the next few chapters of 'Matilda.'  We now understand what the words chastened, infuriated and asinine mean.  Have me tell you a sentence using one of the words.

We are really close to finishing our public service announcement in science.  We will be presenting them in class tomorrow, and are really excited to have them finished in time for conferences.

**Reminder that Friday is our Subway Fun Lunch**

This is the first week we will be having students' contribute their learning to the blog every Friday.  Congrats to Sylvie and Devin who will be updating the blog this week.

In literacy we worked on sentence structure.  We created (SV), (SSV) and (SVV) sentences.  Ask me the difference between them and have me give examples to you.

This afternoon we created a bar graph using the data we collected from our surveys.  I had the choice of creating either a horizontal or vertical bar graph.  Some of the 'math talk' I need to know are the meaning of:
- scale
- label
- axis
Ask me to graph the following data.

**** Science Unit Test Tomorrow****

Today in Language Arts we learned about the simile.  Ask me what a simile is and how I can use them to enhance my writing.  We created numerous sentences.  Attached is a copy of some I created.

Tomorrow is our Remembrance Day Assembly.  We will be meeting in the gym at 10:45.

We created a strong survey question to ask our peers in math.  I was able to choose my topic and I included 3-5 appropriate responses the students could choose.  I will use the data collected to create a bar graph next week.

No School Friday in observance of Remembrance Day

**Class photos were today.  If you have not returned your picture orders, due so immediately!!**

Class photos and picture retakes will be tomorrow morning.

Thank you grade 3's for all your hard work completing SLA's this week.

Reminder there is a Waste in Our World unit test on Thursday afternoon.

We read chapter 2-3 of our read aloud book.  We had to define 6 new words.  Ask me what the words compassionate and lyrical mean.

We will be researching individuals important to the history of Alberta.  We will be researching from a textbook and the internet.  Stay tuned for additional information as we continue our research.

We continued to work on throwing and catching skills in Phys. Ed.  - Today we participated in a relay game involving throwing, catching and teamwork.

Waste in Our World Unit Final will be Thursday afternoon.  I was able to bring my science journal home to help me study.  I can review the links that were emailed to me to help me review.  Please visit previous posts to review other materials.  Please make sure my journal comes back to school.

Here is an example of some of the questions we will be responsible for answering.

We learned what makes a good survey question in math.  Questions should be specific, avoid yes/no questions, avoid none/all responses.

We had an hour to compose a written response to a visual writing prompt.  We were able to share our ideas with our peers, plan our writing using a template, compete our assignment and self-assess based on what we did well and need to continue to work on.  Ask me what I wrote about.

***Fee Notice came home today ***
**Reminder - If you are dropping off your child at school AFTER 9:00 am please bring or direct your child to the front door of the school. 

Thank you for working together to keep students safe at Thorncliffe! **

This morning in Language Arts we researched the author Roald Dahl.  We compiled our research on a Google Document in our Drive.  Ask me to log onto my account from any home computer, tablet or smartphone with internet connectivity to see my progress so far.

We were introduced to Graphing as our next focus in math.  We will learn how to craft strong survey questions and collect data using tally marks.  We will then represent our data in both horizontal and vertical bar graphs and picture graphs.  Graphing is a skill we will continue to develop and use as we make connections with other curricular areas such as science.

In Health we began to study Zones of Regulation.  These are a series of strategies to aid individuals with identifying and implementing self-regulation strategies.

We will be doing a class novel study on Road Dahl's book Matilda.  We learned about making predictions.  We studied the novel cover and made a prediction about what we thought the book might be about.  We then read the synopsis on the back cover and were able to modify our predictions.

















We learned about Natural Resources and Conservation in science.  Ask me what resources are renewable, non-renewable and inexhaustible.  Our Waste in Our World unit is coming to an end.  We will have our Unit Test on all materials covered on Thursday, November 10th.

Photo proofs came home today.  Be sure to check your child's backpack.  Order deadline for photos is November 8, 2016.

In literacy today, many of us wrote about Halloween.  We continue to work on writing in complete sentences, using appropriate capitalization and punctuation.  Thank you to the students who take the risk during our writing assignments to orally share their work with the rest of class.  This helps us to edit our work for errors we may have missed.

We began to explore French words for various items around the class.  Feel free to ask me if I remember how to say pencil, desk and eraser.

Grade 3 students began the Numeracy component of their SLA's today.  Grade 4's had the opportunity to explore the math game Prodigy.  Ask me to show you Prodigy.

We also made a connection to a Global Calgary news piece on the new bylaws that began today that encourage businesses in Calgary to divert much of their garbage from our landfills.
Here is a link to the story.
 Recycling

Subway Fun Lunch is Friday, November 18^th

               -last day to order Saturday, November 12^th

An Important Notice Came Home Today!!

In literacy, we wrote a persuasive piece on what our favorite treat is to receive on Halloween and why it should be everyone else's favorite.

We played Ghost Bowling during Physical Education.  Thank-you Mrs. Clark for setting up the gym!

In art this afternoon, we explored the concept of creating a silhouette.  Here are a couple of examples of some student art.  Ask me how our art uses various layers, colors and textures.


Have a fun and safe Halloween!!

Today in math we worked on the following patterning problems.  Ask me the many ways I was able to solve the problems.



We enjoyed the Grade 5/6 learning assembly this morning.  We made many connections to the part about Hero's.  We continue to work on showing respect for ourselves, others and the environment.


Monday is Halloween!!
We are permitted to wear costumes in the afternoon.  Remember - No masks or accessories or violent themes.  Please do not send treats as we have several allergies in our class.

There will be no blog posting on Monday.  Thorncliffe School is undergoing a server upgrade, and we will not have access to internet, etc. on this day.

Many of us completed our storyboard for our science iMovie.  We had the opportunity today to begin creating our presentation.
Here is a link for some additional resources from EcoKids
EcoKids

We also learned some of the components that make a successful persuasive argument.  Ask me about 'Ethos' and how using it in our presentation can be effective

Remember to continue to review for our upcoming spelling / definition test

Next Fun Lunch News

We completed making our own patterns in math.  We created increasing or decreasing patterns.  We extended them for 3 terms, and asked a question about our patterns for the rest of class to solve.



We learned how to import pictures, add text screens and record voice overs on iMovie.  We continued to storyboard our ideas in order to make the movie production flow smoother.

We played Doctor Dodgeball in Phys. Ed today

In language arts we began to 'Storyboard' our ideas for ours upcoming PSA.  We were able to decide if we want to complete our PSA individually, in partners or in groups of 3.

This afternoon, we had a fire drill.  The school was able to evacuate today in exactly 1 minute.  Great job today!!

In French, we were looking at articles of clothing.  Ask me how to say pants and dress in French.

Today in science, we were given some Waste in Our World vocabulary words that we need to know.  We will have to spell them correctly,  know their meaning, and give an example of each.
We will be tested on these words Monday!!

Today we visited Epcor Centre for our National Geographic field trip.  Charlie is a wildlife photographer from England.  He shared photos and stories of the many families he lived with along the rainforest in Peru and Brazil.  Charlie shared photos of animals some of us have never heard about, such as otters, vultures and the ocelot.

Please read the following notice from the office:

*Please read the Weekly Update on our Thorncliffe School webpage click on the link below

http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b235/

Attention Grade 3 parents.  Thorncliffe School is a participating school in the Alberta Learning Student Learning Assessment (SLA) pilot.  Please visit the link below for more information.

SLA Parent Letter

Our Nat. Geo Live field trip is Monday morning.  All students need to bring a lunch, as the bus will arrive back at the school between 12:15 and 12:30.

We sorted the garbage we collected.  Yesterdays results were as follows:
Plastic - 177 pieces
Paper - 21 pieces
Food - 7 pieces
Trash - 50 pieces  Ask me to show you how we found out the total amount.

Have a great weekend.  See you Monday!!

In language arts today, we worked in groups and researched what nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives are.  We learned the relationships between them.  Ask me how these are related.

We looked awesome for our school photos today.

We rehearsed the following French phrase:  Bonjour et bienvenue je m'appelle _____________, comment ca va?  Ask me to repeat the phrase and give some French responses to How are you?

We continued to explore patterning.  We played with blocks and manipulatives to solve several challenges.  Ask me to define what the core and term of a pattern are.




**REMINDER - Upcoming field trip Monday, October 24 (all students will be eating at school this day as we will arrive back around 12:30)

****Tomorrow is Picture Day ****

A notice came home regarding a community engagement event being held at Corpus Christi School members of the communities of Thorncliffe and Greenview.

We continued to study patterns in math.  We looked at Circular Number patterns.  We drew patterns formed by skip counting by various numbers.  Ask me to skip count to 50 by 3's and 4's.

In science, we began to collect evidence of trash and waste around our school yard.  We will be collecting evidence daily so we can use the results in our public service announcement.

Here is a link to some supplemental Waste in Our World websites and activities.

Field Trip Forms are now due - Thanks to those who can volunteer, your forms will be coming home shortly.

**Reminder that photo day is this Thursday**

Today we explored the program iMovie.  We learned how to make a title slide, import photos and insert transitions into our movie.  We will have the opportunity to use iMovie in science as we will be creating an action plan for our Waste in our World unit.

We are beginning to look at number patterns in math.  We searched for patterns on a 100 chart.  Ask me to show you some of the patterns we found.

In Language Arts, we were introduced to fiction story planners.  These planners aid us with developing characters, setting and plot.  Here is an example of a picture prompt we used for our story.  Ask me what name I gave to the character.

Today in math, we learned how to play the dice game "30"  Ask me to show you how to play.  Some of us also explored many ways we could make 30.  Your challenge this weekend is to see how many ways you can make 30.

In science we watched a video on air pollution.  We discussed some of the ways pollution is made, how we contribute to pollution every day, and some of the alternatives to reduce pollution.

We are excited to write our greater than (>), less than (<) and equal (=) test in math tomorrow afternoon.  We will also be tested on rounding numbers to the nearest 10's, 100's and 1000's.

Tomorrow is our first Fun Lunch of the year!!  Please remember to bring a lunch if you did not order a pizza on-line.

In Art today, we created our compass rose out of magazine pictures.  Here are some examples.

We watched a tutorial on how to use Google Drive.  I am able to access my work saved on my Drive from any device at home.  I should have now memorized my Gmail address and passwords.

In math, we learned how to round numbers to the nearest tens, hundreds and thousands.  Here are some additional worksheets I can choose to complete for additional practice.

In Social, we learned how to describe getting around a map using directional language.  Ask me how to get from school to my house using this directional language.

Reminder that fun lunch happens this Friday!!

Field Trip forms came home today.  We will be attending "I Bought a Rainforest," a presentation through National Geographic Live.  The trip will take place on the morning of October 24.  Volunteers are required for this trip.  If you have security clearance, and are able to attend, please return the bottom section of the form your child brought home.

Most of us have now finished creating Our Story.  We researched how early First Nations communicated through petroglyphs and pictographs.  Here are some examples of the pictographs created using Google Draw.

Today in Math, we used our detective skills on a place value challenge.  We had to use our knowledge of all the concepts we studied in place value to complete various challenges.

In Social, we learned about the Compass Rose and Cardinal Directions.  Ask me where Alberta is in relation to other provinces in Canada.  **Make sure I answer in complete sentences using directional language***