Mme Varughese's Grade 1/2 Blog

 We had a very full and exciting week!  On Monday, we worked on measuring pumpkins and testing their buoyancy! We made predictions about how tall our pumpkins would be as well as which pumpkins we thought would float or sink.  On Tuesday, we went to the coulee! We practiced measuring items in nature using various numbers. We then met with Elder Saa'kokoto where we sang a song and learned some new words in Blackfoot. We also met with our artist in residence,  Karen, who taught us about land-based art! We also harvested our seeds out of the pumpkins!  On Wednesday, we counted our seeds! This was a challenge to find effective grouping strategies to help us count our many seeds. We also made some remembrance day art! On Thursday, we practiced our sketching skills by deeply noticing shapes and details of pumpkins! We also had flashlight stories with Mr. Tomczyk!  On Friday, we explored describing pumpkins using all 5 senses in our writing! We started off by doin...

 In math, we have been working on counting and identifying numbers to 100! Students did a challenge of trying to fill in missing numbers in their 100s chart, as well as counting in their counting collections.  In PE this week, we have been working on locomotor skills of skipping and galloping as forms of moving through various tag games. We also spotted some interesting seasonal changes and temperature by noticing that the frost on the playground was only in areas where the playground equipment was casting shadows! The frost was so fun to spot in shapes of the equipment!  In health, we talked about the 'green zone' for our zones of regulation. Being ready to learn, calm, confident, and happy.  In social studies, we working on writing about our senses in relation to urban and rural communities!  We are continuing to practice our sounds in FLA, and speaking in french using structured phrases and prompts. We are practicing identifying vowel sounds in our daily mess...

 On Friday we went to the coulee! We had so much fun on our colour hunt, practicing counting through collecting objects in nature, finding signs of fall in our journals and reflecting on senses of seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling.  In math, we practiced collecting and counting objects in french.  In science, we have been looking at insects and labeling them.  In FLA, we have been working on Daily 5, where students cycle through reading to self, reading to others, word work, working on writing, and listening to reading.  In PE,  we have been working on locomotor skills with skipping and ball handling. They are practicing communicating well together and taking turns.  In art, we explored print making by using fall leaves to create prints!  

 This week in art, we completed our beautiful pieces on leaf patterns!  In math, we look at number and practiced counting in various ways to 50. We also played a fun sorting and ordering game with our leaves looking at how we can sort them from smallest to biggest, by shape, and colour!  In science, we talked about ants and practiced labeling the parts of the insect!  This week in french, we wrote about what we are thankful for and used our patterning skills to create a beautiful journal entry.  In social studies,  we talked about rural communities and added to our mural to contrast urban vs. rural!  Looking ahead.... October 13th is picture day! Bring your best smiles!  Next Friday, October 15th, we are excited to go on a trip to the coulee! Be sure to dress warm that day and be ready for a great day in nature.