Suggestions for Learning from home K-9

Hello, Ms. Bowen here,

I bet many of you are probably wondering what the plan going forward will be. As of right now, we are waiting for direction from the Calgary Board of Education and we will communicate that information as we get it. I imagine we will know a lot more after the break.

Be sure to take care of yourself and your family over the break and please check the CBE website regularly for updates.

Wishing you all the best and hope to see you soon...

Ms. Bowen

In the meantime, here is a message and link provided to us by the CBE for some online resources, activities, and parent resources that you can access until we know more...

"Children are naturally curious learners and there are opportunities at home to engage their learning. We have created a webpage that offers a variety of educational ideas to support literacy, numeracy and wellness at home for this week. The resources are meant as suggestions only. You may choose to use the links and activities as needed over the next few days as more long-term educational programming is considered."

https://cbe.ab.ca/programs/curriculum/learning-at-home/Pages/6-9.aspx

March 15th

Important Information from Ernest Morrow:
The purpose of teacher blogs is to inform students and their families of day-to-day learning and activities throughout the school year.  We will continue to communicate learning opportunities and will provide links to online learning resources through these blogs.  

Important information related to all school decisions will continue to be emailed to parents/guardians and can also be found on the CBE website (www.cbe.ab.ca).

This week we would have been finishing the Integers Unit in Math and the Planet Earth Unit in Science. Below you will find additional resources that students can access from home.

Math:

We continue to work on adding and subtracting integers pictorially, using integer tiles and number lines, and symbolically. These skills can then be applied to word problem solving.

In class we have been working on eight stations that will help students understand integer concepts and develop their integer skills.

Most students have completed some of these stations last week. Please feel free to work on those you have yet to complete or do extra practice if you feel this is needed. Stations 7 & 8 are a great way to reflect on your understanding and apply your skills.

Station 1: Use a number line: subtraction or addition
Station 2: Integer counters: subtraction using integer chips
Station 3: Row Game
Station 4: The Zero Principle
Station 5: Integer fact families practice
Station 6: Situations involving integers (word problem practice)
Station 7: Making up integer problems
Station 8: "Big Picture" Ideas about integers

Access khanacademy.org to learn more about adding and subtracting integers.

Integer Jeopardy might be a fun way to review key terms and concepts from this unit.

Science:

We are learning about Fossils and the Geologic Time Scale. Feel free to read about Fossils in the Fossils Presentation and watch the two videos on the last slide.

This is the final poster project about the Geologic Time Scale. Click this link for a description of the project requirements. 

March 13th

Announcements:

• 7-3 & 7-4 Field Trip to Military Museum Monday, March 16th is CANCELLED
• Badminton Tryouts are next week - the first one for grade 7 is Monday, March 16th, at 4:20pm
• Thursday, March 19th, is the last day of classes before Spring Break
• Classes will resume on April 6th

Math:

We continue to develop our integer skills. Students have learned several models to demonstrate addition and subtraction of integers including modeling with integer chips and the number line. 

*** Students who have missed class are encouraged to come to lunchtime tutorials on Monday and Wednesday in room 19 or to attend Mustang Drop-in Zone after school in the Learning Commons.

The Integers Unit Assessment will be on Thursday, March 19th

Science:

This week we finished landscape paintings, studied mountain forming principles, and learned about rocks and minerals and mineral identification.

Students did a great job of testing minerals and problem solving to determine which type of mineral they were testing. This was a challenging lab and they problem solved like emerging scientists.



Alberta Mountain Landscape painting was a big success!!!

Students reinforced their understanding of the folding and faulting that forms mountains by observing their images and painting the mountains with as much detail as possible.

Thanks to Ms. Baillargeon for her help with painting technique!!!

They did an amazing job!

The photos included here are a few examples.

March 5th

Announcements:

• March 16th 7-3 & 7-4 have a field trip to the Military Museum
• March 19th is the last day of classes before March Break

Math:

This week we began a new unit. We are studying Integers, a family of numbers that includes negative whole numbers, positive whole numbers and zero.



Students reviewed grade 6 concepts including comparing and ordering integers and placing integers on a number line.

They also did elevator math lesson 1 activities (teacher instructions) to begin understanding how to add and subtract integers.

We will continue to model integer addition and subtraction next week using integer tiles, number lines, and other models.

Science:

We are painting Alberta Rocky Mountain landscapes in water colour tomorrow. To prepare for this students learned how mountains are formed and why the Rocky Mountains are so far inland from the Pacific Plate and North American Plate. Watch the National Geographic video to learn more.

For Mountain Landscape ideas visit the Alberta Mountain Landscapes slideshow or Google Alberta Rocky Mountains and view images.

Virtual Rock Lab

Tuesday, March 3rd, we are using an online lab to learn more about the different types of rocks and the rock cycle.


You will record your learning in a google doc:

Types of Rock and the Rock Cycle

1. Open the doc
2. Make a copy for yourself called "Your Name_Types of Rock and the Rock Cycle"
3. Share the copy with Ms. Bowen using lebowen@educbe.ca
4. Answer all the questions (fill in the blanks as necessary)

The virtual lab is at:

https://archive.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/index.html

Napi and the Big Rock

We had a special guest in Science today teaching about the Scientific and Indigenous perspectives on how the Okotoks Erratic made its way from Jasper to Okotoks. 

Ms. Harbour's presentation was very infomative. Please take a look if you missed it or would like to revisit the lesson.

Tomorrow students will have more time drawing their comic strips. 

Click the links to:

• read the Napi and the Big Rock Legend
• view the Napi and the Big Rock worksheet

February 25

Announcements:

• Tomorrow (February 26th) is Pink Shirt Day
• Today students had a guest speaker from the Calgary Stampeders speaking about anti-bullying
• Tomorrow Ms. Harbour is our Science guest teaching the scientific and indigenous perspectives about the Okotoks Erratic

Math:

We are reviewing division techniques and concepts and applying these ideas to decimal division.

Students began the week learning about how they can use partial products and area models to show visual solutions to division problems.



Today they learned to apply these concepts to decimals.



Today they reviewed the sevens method using the same decimal division problem as above.


And then we reviewed long division. The only difference between whole number long division and this problem is that you have to move the decimal up to hold the place value.

For problems with decimal divisors the first step is to make the divisor a whole number. Watch this Khan Academy video to better understand Dividing Decimals using long division.