Blog Archives - mrsbarker.ca

Fractured Fairy Tales

3/24/2017

We’ve been learning about fairy tales and fractured fairy tales in 2B for the past month. Fractured fairy tales are based on classic fairy tales, but the setting, characters, problem, solution, or some other element of the story are changed. The students had great fun reading a variety of fractured fairy tales, and wrote their own fractured fairy tale books. Take a look at the videos in this post, and check out each student's fractured fairy tale using the link to their blog on the right. You can even practice writing your own fractured fairy tale using the game linked below!

Flat Stanleys are En Route

3/24/2017

Flat Stanley is a character who has been flattened by a falling bulletin board. We've been reading about him in our class, and the students have each created their own Flat Stanley that they have sent to a special location in Canada. Your Canadian contact will receive a package containing everything they need to complete their Flat Stanley booklet, but they can also check this page or use the link at the top of this website if they need some ideas. We are hoping to have the Flat Stanleys and booklets mailed back by mid-May so that the students can present to the rest of the class on the Canadian destination, but you can email me if your chosen recipient needs more time for some reason.

Steps for Your Canadian Contact

Step One

Collect some artifacts from your Canadian community to paste into your Flat Stanley booklet. These can be photos featuring Flat Stanley, postcards, brochures, and anything else from your community.

Click for Examples

Step Two

Paste the items and photos into the booklet that you received in your Flat Stanley package. Please include some writing (no more than 2-5 sentences on a page) to explain the artifacts on the pages. See the slideshow below for some examples.

Step Three

Please mail your completed booklet and Flat Stanley back to Cait Barker at Millgrove School. We are hoping to have the books back at Millgrove School by mid-May, but feel free to email cbarker@psd70.ab.ca if you need more time or have any concerns.

The Water Cycle & Water's Importance

3/18/2017

We had a week with lots of Science learning as we focused on how all living things need and contain water, the water cycle, the threat of pollution to accessing clean water, and a review of our learning so far. You can watch the students' videos about the water cycle (like Riley's above) on their blogs using the links to our class blogs on the right

Louie the Leprechaun

3/18/2017

There was a great deal of excitement this week over St. Patrick’s Day, and we had our suspicions in 2B that Louie the Leprechaun would pay a visit to our classroom before we got there on Thursday morning. We wrote letters to Louie, but we wrote them with the opposite of our desires because we know that leprechauns never do what you ask them to. The students cleverly begged Louie “not to give us all presents,” to make the classroom like a “tornado” had been there, and to please destroy all of our possessions. Sadly, Louie still caused some damaged and seemed to enjoy scattering classroom items, leaving a backwards note, and turning everything upside down. He even left a puzzle for us to solve with chocolates! Let’s hope that next year Louie isn’t quite so sneaky at Millgrove School!

"Seussical Jr." Play Reviews

3/18/2017

We were privileged to visit Horizon Stage to watch a musical production of “Seussical Jr.” There were plenty of fun jokes, interesting characters, and catchy songs. You can read our play reviews below!

March Book Madness

3/11/2017

You may have heard of March Madness, but 2B is taking part in a book tournament called March Book Madness over the next month. There is a bracket of 16 entertaining and interesting picture books, and we have enjoyed reading the selections. After the Sweet Sixteen round, only eight of the original group are left. So far, "Snappsy," "Ivan the Remarkable True Story," "My Teacher is Monster," and "Blizzard" have been quite popular in our classroom. We’ll keep you posted on which books make it to the next round of March Book Madness!

Looking at Work Across Canada

3/11/2017

Our focus in Social Studies continues to be on life in three communities within Canada: an Inuit, an Acadian, and a Prairie community. We are about to start a unit that focuses specifically on the economic characteristics of these communities. Children will learn about:

The natural resources and wildlife in each area
How the people care for the environment and protect their natural resources
Jobs that involve making goods and jobs that provide a service

Children will be better able to understand the concepts in this unit if they can make connections with familiar content through you. Here are some ways you can be involved:

Discuss natural resources such as forests, plants, animals, soil, minerals, and water
Help your child become aware of where some of the items in daily life come from (e.g., ice cream from milk cows; wooden table from trees; bread from wheat)
Point out any environmental choices your family has made, such as recycling, not wasting water, reusing (handing down) clothing, composting
Discuss the work of various family members: do they involve making goods (manufacturing) or providing a service

Also, you can:

Think of other occupations and discuss which category they fall into
Look through the yellow pages or want ads in the newspaper to find examples of jobs that involve goods or services
Ask your child about what he or she wants to do when he or she grows up

Rainbow Connection

3/11/2017

Our school is lucky to be participating again in the PSD Rainbow Connection program sponsored by Parkland School Division, Spruce Grove Save-on-Foods, and Alberta Health Services. During the program students will be encouraged to eat more vegetables and fruit through education, taste testing, and tracking. Each student has their own booklet to collect stickers or initial when they eat a vegetable or fruit, and we are now having weekly samples of vegetables or fruit delivered to our classroom (this week we got to try out tangerines!). You can click here to read more about the program from the Spruce Grove Examiner.

Play Parkland Skating

3/4/2017

We had an awesome time this past week at the Tri-Leisure Centre as we played some games on the field, ate lunch accompanied by the viewing of a shinny hockey game, and got a skating lesson from our great instructor Christine. Thanks so much to all the parents who helped tie and untie skates, and even a couple who got on the ice to help the students! We couldn't have made it out on the ice without your help, so we really appreciate you!

Toy Shopping

3/4/2017

Jack needs some new toys to update his playroom, and given the students growing skills with two-digit addition and subtraction, they were given a mission this week to make a selection of toys for him with a budget of $100. All the students stayed within the budget, but their selections and adding strategies were varied and impressive. We look forward to planing more shopping trips with our math skills!