Goodbye December, Hello 2024!

Hello!

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing Winter Break. I'm really looking forward to the new year, and have a big announcement! For the first few months, Miss Anika Huvenaars will be joining us as an intern teacher. Miss Huvenaars is in her final practicum at the U of L, and will be teaching half-time in our classroom and will working closely with me and the rest of the grade 4 team.

Please see below for a quick video overview of the last month of 2023!

Please see below for our academic focuses in January:

Writing:

This month, we're returning to Opinion and Information. Students will work on developing a broad range of elaboration and organization strategies to enhance their pieces in each of these types of writing.

In our Word Study lessons, students will primarily focus on developing understandings of word meanings and expanding vocabulary.

Reading:

Students will explore different kinds of texts, focusing on the purposes and defining characteristics of each. Then, they will spend some time examining Cause and Effect in texts they are reading.

I'll also be continuing to check in with small groups and individual students throughout this time, reviewing and expanding summarizing and inferencing skills.

Math:

Students will review some of the skills covered before the break, and practice the collaborative skills necessary for our Thinking Tasks. Then, they'll work to classify shapes based on specific criteria, look at arithmetic and geometric sequences, and wrap up "level 2" of our math program by examining and developing good statistical problem solving questions.

Science:

We'll be taking a bit of a break from Science for the month of January. Science will return in February with Simple Machines.

Social:

In January, students will begin to explore the stories and histories which form the foundation for Alberta as a province. They will examine different ways of learning about the past, learn about the indigenous peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, and examine the people and events which led to the westward migration of European settlers.

Wellness:

In January, a large part of our wellness lessons will focus on gratitude - looking for the light in the darkness. We will be continuing our Kids in the Know lessons as well. For physical activity, students will explore throwing games, such as handball and a variety of dodgeball variations.

French:

Students will review vocabulary learned before the break. Then, they will continue to develop spoken language skills by growing in their ability to describe, people, objects, and feelings, as well ask and answer questions.

Art:

In January, students will utilize skills developed across many of the preceding projects (such as gradients, tints and shades, and implied texture) to create depth and texture in a Winter Scene.