Terry Fox Run

Despite the chilly weather, Hawkwood students participated in the Terry Fox Run today. Following the run, the class brainstormed character traits Terry Fox possessed and reflected on how he is a Canadian hero. Students used words and textures to make an art piece in the shape of a shoe.

Terry Fox art

This week students began research on wetland plants and animals. The goal was to find out what adaptations make them suited to this environment. Students applied their knowledge of place value to identify mystery numbers based on clues. They also compared numbers to determine which was greater. In Social Studies, the kids learned about the purpose of latitude and longitude and how to use it to identify specific locations. During French, students reviewed vocabulary and phrases around months and days. The Language Arts focus was using the five senses to describe a scene. We will continue with this work into next week.

Field Trip

The Grade 5's went on a field trip to Heritage Park this week to explore wetlands. Students had a great time pond dipping and looking closely at a variety of invertebrates. Using illustrated reference sheets, they were able to identify a number of the bugs. They also learned how Indigenous groups within Alberta and settlers used water sources and the impact water had on their way of life.  

In Social Studies this week the class learned about elements of mapping and how keys are used to identify different symbols found on maps. The focus of Math was around representing numbers to a million using place value blocks and words (writing numbers). Students researched what producers, consumers and decomposers are and created a food chain in Science. Check out "Curriculum Connections" to find out more about what your child is currently learning in class.

Team Building

To build community as the students settle into the classroom, they have engaged in a number of challenges. The students chose different classmates to experience working with a variety of people. One of the challenges involved working together to save a gummy worm from the water. The kids used paper clips to get a lifepreserver onto the worm. The other challenges required groups to build the largest tower they could using a variety of materials. So far one group was able to build an 80 cm tower using spaghetti, marshmallows and tape.

Next week we will continue to learn about living creatures in a wetland environment in preparation for the field trip to Heritage Park. In Math, the focus is on place value up to 1 000 000. Mapping skills such as learning about direction, longitute/latitude, symbols etc. is the focus of Social Studies. During Language Arts, students have been using their senses to describe their favourite activity or an event from their summer vacation.

     

Saving Fred

Marshmallow Challenge

                          

                                                                     

Welcome to Grade 5

Welcome to Grade 5! I hope you had a fantastic summer and are looking forward to a new school year. To ensure good communication this year, daily agenda messages will be posted on the blog as well as a list of important dates. Check back on a weekly basis to find out what's happening in your child's classroom. If you need to get in touch with me, please e-mail or call me. My e-mail is rmraude@cbe.ab.ca. I'm really looking forward to working with your child this year.