Math Test & Daffodils!

I just wanted to update everyone, incase there were any questions about the upcoming math test this Friday. The math test is on 4-digit addition with carrying (aka. regrouping). (Example: 8,432 + 3,456). The students have all shown a good understanding of the carrying strategy but should do a little bit of practicing at home. They should continue to check that they have carried (and shown this by placing the 1 above the correct column) and that they have added CORRECTLY. The main reason why students get answers wrong during our math lesson is that they have made simple adding mistakes. Checking answers and practicing flash cards will help them prepare and do well on the math test!

And DAFFODILS!

On a totally separate note, our class planted daffodils in a school garden on Friday. Each student got to plant a bulb and label it with their name. We analyzed the inside of a daffodil bulb and discussed what plants need to grow. The students dug a hole approximately 8 inches deep and made sure to plant the bulb with the roots down so that the plant will grow correctly. They had a great time and took care in finding a spot to put their bulb. We're looking forward to tracking their growth this spring! Here are a few pictures!

Science Quiz

Hello all!

We have been learning about light in science the past couple weeks and we have a quiz coming up on Thursday. The quizzes aren't long and are made up of matching, multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false questions. There will be a short quiz at the end of each chapter we do! I will try to update the blog and review what the quiz is covering each time so that there aren't any questions about what should be studied! To study for a quiz it's best if the students know the vocabulary in their science dictionary (located in the duotang), and go over the "review" section of the text book chapter.

Our first quiz is on natural and artificial light which is chapter 4 in our textbook and goes with the corresponding duotang pages. Students should know the differences between the two and be able to give examples of both. It will consist of:

7 questions - given light sources that need to be labelled natural or artificial
1 question - multiple choice
5 questions - true or false
1 question - sentence answer

Halloween!

Tomorrow is Halloween so we will be celebrating at McMillan! I just wanted to give a few reminders about our Halloween expectations! Here at the school our celebrations don't start until after lunch, so students are asked to bring their costume in a bag and will be given time after lunch to change before the events start! At 1:20 we will be doing our annual costume parade through the hallways, heading to the gym where we will dance the MONSTER MASH! Parents are welcome to attend this event and join in! There will be an extra surprise for everyone too! After the monster mash, we will be heading back to our classroom to have some snacks and small class party where the kids can play board games or do activity sheets until the end of the day.

Please remember that replica weapons and scary masks should not be brought to school!

I hope everyone has a very safe and happy Halloween!!

Milton Randall DRUMMING!

Today was such an eventful day for our whole school - especially the grade 4's and 5's! Milton Randall, a percussionist, came and did a Afro-Brazilian Drum Experience! Our class spent some time with him throughout the entire day, practicing a series of drums, chants and dances. He was quite the character and taught the students how to "talk" with the drums! They had a fantastic time learning and then, at the end of the day, they got to present their skills to the entire school!

If you'd like to learn a little more about the musician, Milton Randall, check out this website


And here's a YouTube video of another school taking part in the performance! This video will show essentially what we all got to do today!

You Tube Video


Keep your eyes posted on the McMillan televisions and the year-end slideshow for some pictures! Mr. Bird was snapping them all day!

Have a great weekend!

Salish Weaving!!!

Today we had such a wonderful presentation in class! We had a First Nations presenter come in and teach us all about Salish weaving! The kids had a blast and were really engaged and on-task, working all day on their beautiful creations! The students learned about the variety of materials used in weaving and learned about different patterns and what each pattern means. Then, they got to try their hand at weaving and make their own piece. Students paired up, two to a loom, and worked hard all day on their weaving. Hopefully they are all very proud of what they did, because they looked great! I snapped a few pictures at lunch; I may have missed some since a few students were already done and had their pieces of the looms already. Maybe a few kids can spot theirs!

Place Value Test on Friday

As most of you may know, we have our first math test on Friday - Place Value! The entire class has been showing a good understanding of the concepts so far and should hopefully be very successful on the test! Here are a few things to study!

Students should know how to give me the numbers in standard form

Example: 3,456

They should also know how to represent a number in expanded form

Example: 3000 + 400 + 50 + 6

Another form we have been practicing in class is word form

Example: Three thousand four hundred fifty-six

*For word form there are a few things to remember! We don't use the word "and" when writing out the numbers and spelling does not count! (as long as I can tell what they are trying to write)

Finally, the students may need to represent number in picture form using base ten block drawings

Example: You can view a video and some images of base ten blocks here: http://www.mathatube.com/base-ten-block-understanding.html

Good luck & happy studying!

What can YOU do to achieve this goal?

Today was our final "Post-it note" question - What can you do to achieve your goals? The students thought back to the goal they set on Tuesday and wrote on a Post-it note, sharing a way that they could work towards their goal. I've shared some below!