Happy Birthday, Jesus!

The boys and girls in our class were in celebration mode all day today, and with good reason. We were celebrating Jesus' birthday today! Yes, it is a few days early, but we all agreed that an early birthday party was a fantastic idea. Dressed in pajamas, we sang an enthusiastic Happy Birthday to Jesus, blew out the candles, and enjoyed a delicious birthday cake together (thank you Mrs. M)!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Birdseed Ornaments

Our Snazzy Snack this month was not for us to eat, but for the birds! Our focus in Science has been the seasonal changes in Winter. We have learned that not all birds migrate south for the winter, and some birds, including bluejays, cardinals, and chickadees, stay throughout this chilly season!

This week we made beautiful bird feeder ornaments to decorate our trees and treat the birds! We gathered our ingredients:

We mixed 1/4 cup of warm water with a package of gelatin, and then stirred in a cup of bird seed. We mixed two different kinds of seeds together to make a really tasty treat for the birds!

Then we packed the mixture into a cookie cutter and poked a straw through one spot so we could tie a string through it later. It was very messy, which is probably why it was so much fun!

We waited a few days for the ornaments to dry, then threaded a piece of yarn through the hole left by the straw. Look at the beautiful snacks we made for the birds!

Happy munching, birds!

The Friendly Beasts

This past week we prepared for the birth of Christ by rehearsing and performing our Christmas Concert! The focus was A Traditional Christmas, and the students learned timeless carols, including Silent Night and Joy to the World, which were woven in between the Nativity Play. What a wonderful experience it was to focus on the true meaning of Christmas!

We performed The Friendly Beasts, a peaceful song about the animals present in the stable the night Jesus was born. The children sang about what each animal did to welcome Jesus into the world. The donkey carried Mary, His mother, to Bethlehem. The cow gave his manger for a bed and the sheep shared his wool for warmth. The doves cooed from the rafters, soothing Jesus to sleep. The children's performance was beautiful.

Here are some special moments from the concert:



Thank you to the parents who sought out supplies and created such precious costumes for the children to wear. Thank you to Mrs. Montgomery for taking the photos of our class performing during the concert, used in the video above.

This week marks the third week of Advent. Throughout Advent, we have been discussing how we are preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus, and students are encouraged to take time to pray and find ways to share kindness with others.

May your families be blessed with peace and joy throughout this Christmas season!

Addition: What's Your Strategy?

What's your strategy?

The students are well into addition to 12, and while the problems are fairly simple to solve, the challenge often comes when they are asked, "Well, how did you sove that? What's your strategy?".

Our Math curriculum aims to arm students with a bank of strategies they can draw upon to solve a problem. This enables students to develop a deeper, more meaningful understanding of addition, subtraction, and numeracy overall, and requires them to think about the problem.

Posted on our wall are strategies that can be used when solving addition problems. As we are introduced to a new strategy, it is posted on the wall. Here are the strategies we have worked with so far:

Posters courtesy of Step Into Second Grade

(1) Draw a Picture / Use Counters
This strategy is fairly straightforward. Students know that pictures do not need to be fancy and detailed, but do need to be neat and functional. Counters do not need to match the problem exactly (e.g. using real cats or dogs), but can be used to represent the problem (e.g. brown counters for cats and white for dogs).

Here is a student solving a challenging word problem using counters:

There are 10 marbles in a box. Some are yellow. Some are green.
There are two more green than yellow marbles.
How many yellow marbles were in the box?

(2) Doubles

Doubles are math facts that use the same number, such as 4+4 or 6+6. To help students remember their doubles to 12, we learned a catchy little song.

(3) Counting On

This strategy can also be called counting on from the bigger number. For this strategy, students put the bigger number "in their head", then count on. For example, when solving 2+7, students put the bigger number in their head, in this case it is 7, and then count on two more. Say, "7 (touch forehead) ..., 8, 9". Students are encouraged to touch their forehead when they put the bigger number in their head.

Using the counting on strategy for 2+7.
7 (touch forehead) ... 8, 9!

ZAP IT! Game

We have really enjoyed the game ZAP IT this week! Students play in small groups. Each group receives a cup of popsicle sticks. On the sticks are math facts (and for now, they are all addition problems with answers no bigger than 12). A few sticks in the cup say ZAP IT.

• Set the timer for 3 minutes.
• Take turns pulling a stick from the cup.
• Keep the sticks you get correct.
• If you pull the ZAP IT stick, put all of your sticks back.

Can you tell the addition strategy this
little one is using to solve his addition problem?

Students have been using their doubles and counting on strategies to help them!  Why not make this game at home? If you are interested and would like a set of popsicle sticks, I would be happy to send a pile home. Or just buy a box of popsicles and get licking!

Next up? Subtraction!

Building Snowmen ... Indoors!

How can you build a snowman indoors?


Make a bagel snowman!

 We have winter fever in our class, and Bagel Snowmen were the Snazzy Snack that we made and enjoyed!

Snazzy Snacks are simple "cooking" activities, layered with opportunities for language and math instruction (originally featured on Mrs. Bainbridge's blog). We make a snack each month. We enjoyed Applesauce in September and Monster Mash in October. Although we are a few days shy of November, we couldn't pass up the chance to build snowmen ... indoors!

First we gathered mini-bagels, cream cheese, chocolate chips, cheezies, and pretzel sticks. Next, students split their bagels in half and took turns spreading on some "snowy" cream cheese. Then, with just a few chocolate chips, pretzels and a cheezie, the bagels suddenly became snowmen! Finally, we munched!


We had a wonderful afternoon! Here are some highlights:

This free picture slideshow personalized with Smilebox

While this activity undoubtedly looks like lots of fun, there are many teachable moments and opportunities for learning. Thank you to those parents who kindly donated the ingredients for our Bagel Snowmen!

Dream Snow

Our playground and field are covered in snow, so it was fitting this week to read Eric Carle's book Dream Snow.

In the story, a farmer falls asleep and dreams that snow covers his farm animals. This book is very clever! Clear plastic sheets, with "snow" on them, can be lifted to reveal the animal underneath! The students loved this!

Inspired by a similar project on Mrs. Bainbridge's blog, we began creating our own version of Mr. Carle's book, but with a twist! Students were each going to write several clues about an animal of their choosing. An illustration of the animal would accompany the clues. Just like in Mr. Carle's book, a clear page with painted "snow" would cover the animal, so it would be lifted up to reveal the animal hidden under the snowbank!

Here is the criteria the students followed for the project:

Children got right to work writing clues for an animal of their choosing. They were very secretive about their animal, and worked nearly silently on their clues.

Students were challenged to write four clues, each beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period. As well, students were required to spell Word Wall Words correctly (weekly spelling words posted on the wall).

Once we completed our clues, we moved on to our illustrations. Students drew their animal, as secretly as possible, on a snowy landscape.

The very best part of the project was adding "snow" to a transparency placed over each student's illustration.

We all had a laugh when it wasn't just our animals getting covered in snow!

Because of their fantastic work, the hallway near our classroom is packed with curious students, reading the clues and peeking under the snowbanks! Well done, Grade One!

Now that the projects are complete, the students will self-assess their projects based upon the initial criteria provided. This is the time when they celebrate their work and find a way to improve as they grow as writers and illustrators.

We enjoyed some time on Friday afternoon making Christmas wreaths with our buddies! The students made so many wreaths that we will not only hang them here at school, but hope to have some hung at the Ardrossan Rec Complex! Be sure to visit there soon to see our artwork!

Our wreaths were inspired by this project,
shared on Small-Town Life.



A Blanket of Snow

Can snow be used to keep warm?

Currently in our Science unit we are focussing on the season of Winter. Today we were very engaged in an experiment to help us determine if snow could in fact keep something warm.

Under the guidance of our student teacher, we prepared for the experiment. We would use two cereal boxes, each with a thermometer inside, to see if snow can act as a blanket. We labelled them Box A and Box B.

Box A would be placed under a pile of snow. Here is our diagram:

Box B would be placed on top of the snow. Here is our diagram:

We each made a prediction about which box would be warmer at the end of the day. Then Ms. Gallinger bravely trudged out into the snowy courtyard to put Box A and Box B in place while the students looked on from the window.

Here are the boxes. Can you see the pile on the left? Box A is buried underneath and Box B is beside.

Then we left the boxes and went about our day. We wrote clues, complete with capital letters and periods, for a top secret writing project (watch for more on the blog!). We worked on ball control, rolling accuracy, and effort during our phys ed class.  Many students devoured the tacos served by our dedicated hot lunch volunteers. We practiced the adding strategy counting on from the bigger number by creating problems about dinosaurs. We even found time to rehearse our spectacular Christmas Concert piece! What a busy day!

Finally, it was time to check the boxes!

Ms. Gallinger checked the thermometers that were inside the boxes all day, and then displayed their temperatures on big thermometers so we all could see.


Box A, buried under snow, had a temperature of -4C. Box B, which sat on top of the snow, had a temperature of -15C. This means that Box A, the one buried under the snow, was actually warmer inside! Wow!

Ms. Gallinger explained that snow can act as a blanket, trapping heat underneath. Tomorrow we will explore how animals use snow to keep warm in the winter!

Great job, Ms. Gallinger!

Afternoon At The Rink

It is safe to say that there were likely many students who slept very well on Friday night.

Last Friday, we tied up our skates, snapped up our helmets, and pulled on our mittens! We joined the Grade Two and Three classes for a recreational skate at the spectacular, newly renovated Ardrossan Rec Complex. What a fantastic afternoon!

Part of our physical education curriculum calls for students to demonstrate basic skills in a variety of environments. In our case, we were going to participate in skating (a basic skill) at the arena (an alternative environment). The curriculum also outlines that children require opportunities to demonstrate effort while participating in various activities. Boy, did we see effort from everyone! We had several sweaty little skaters!

After dividing up the ice into areas for skating fast and skating slow, students were encouraged to participate at a level they were comfortable with. Many students in our class are hockey and ringette players, and they were wonderful at encouraging the new skaters in our class. The new skaters were very determined and positive, and all made a marked improvement by the end of our ice time! The afternoon was a tremendous success and an absolute blast!

Festive Christmas music filled the rink as the students glided round and around. Here are a few highlights from our skating afternoon:

(Unfortunately, my camera decided to start the weekend early and the battery ran out halfway through our skate. Apologies for only capturing some of our athletes.)

An enormous THANK YOU to all of the parents who spent the afternoon tying skates, joining us on the ice, and encouraging our budding athletes. The success of our afternoon is because of your support, time, and patience.

We will return to the rink for two more recreational skates in January and March. We can hardly wait!

Celebration Time! Evidence of Learning binders

We have almost been in Grade One together for three months now. Wowzers! Has it gone quickly! We are reading, writing, counting, and altogether learning up a storm. The students have come so far since our very first day together in September, and its time to celebrate all of our growth and accomplishments!

Today we spent some time compiling our Evidence of Learning binders. The work in this binder is a demonstration of what your child can do.

With each work sample, you will find a corresponding I CAN statement. An I CAN statement is a simple sentence describing the knowledge, skills or attitudes we are focussing on. Research has shown that using I CAN statements in the classroom helps children become more aware of, and therefore more accountable for, their learning. In our class, we use I CAN statements when introducing a unit, setting goals, completing tasks, and assessing work.




This green Table of Contents page describes each piece of work and
the I CAN statement(s) that accompanies that work sample.


Accompanying many pieces of work in this binder is a simple assessment. Most often, this is a self-assessment completed by your child. We frequently self-assess using coloured stoplights, which were previously described using our Monkey Bulletin Board. Green means I'm an expert. Yellow means I need a little help. Red means I am still learning and do my best with help.

Please visit this post and scroll down
for more on our "red yellow green" stoplight assessment system.

After looking through your child's work samples, please complete the cream-coloured Two Stars and a Wish page. When you come for your conference next week, please return the binder with the completed form. We will use both to guide our discussion.

Please watch for your child's Evidence of Learning binder to come home at the end of this week.
We have learned so much!

A Time to Remember

This year Remembrance Day falls during our November break. In order to help the children better understand it's significance, we spent time this week learning more about what Remembrance Day is all about and what it means for us today.

Earlier in the week, we read A Poppy is to Remember. This children's picture book provided us an appropriate starting place for our discussions. Together we wondered, "What does it really mean when we wear a poppy?".

Today we were blessed to have Mrs. LaForce, a treasured Educational Assistant at Holy Redeemer, come and spend some time with us. She helped us explore the significance of Remembrance Day by sharing with us the experiences of her son. Mrs. LaForce's son, Sam, is a veteran. The children learned that a veteran is someone who has served in the war.

Mrs. LaForce showed us a picture of her son when he was in Grade One like us. He always enjoyed being outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. From an early age, Sam wanted to serve his country and protect others.

Mrs. LaForce sharing her son's Grade 1 picture

As Sam grew older, his interest in serving in the army grew. After he graduated, he worked very hard at an army school in Quebec. Here he learned how to protect himself and others. Sam continued his training at the base in Wainwright. Shortly after his return to Alberta, Sam joined other Canadians and went to help the people of Afghanistan.

This is Sam in his dress uniform.



This is Sam before he left for Afghanistan.



Mrs. LaForce shared many very special items with our class. This helped us to get a better understanding of what peacekeepers do and the conditions they work in.

These are rations. Rations are packaged foods that are good to eat for years and years! Sam ate rations often. We were each able to taste a little bite of bread from one of the ration packs.

We were also able to see a shirt Sam wore in Afghanistan, his treasured regimental flag, and his beret.

Our visit with Mrs. LaForce helped us better understand what it means to be a peacekeeper and who we are honoring when we wear a poppy. Real people are out in the world working very hard to make it a better, safer place for us all. Mrs. LaForce left us with an important thought; pray. Pray for those who are working to make our world peaceful.

Thank you, Mrs. LaForce, for thoughtfully sharing your son's experiences with us.  It was a very meaningful visit. We will hopefully look at the poppy on our collars with a little more understanding and a lot more gratitude.



A Surprise Visitor

We always enjoy seeing Father Dan, and today was no different. This morning, as we were completing an activity, who should show up with his guitar in hand but Father Dan!

The children were beside themselves and piled onto the mat for a sing-a-long! Father Dan led us in several songs. He let us know that he is playing the music at the upcoming Saturday night 5pm mass. Today he played the songs we would hear if we were lucky enough to be at that mass.

One favourite was Awesome God. The chorus reminds us of God's greatness and His love for us. We are experts at the actions! Check us out!

Our God is an AWESOME God!

He reigns from heaven above,

With wisdom, power and love,

Our God is an AWESOME God!

Another favourite song was Sanctuary. Here is a little clip of the children singing along with Father Dan.

Lord prepare me,

To be a sanctuary,

Pure and holy,

Tried and true,

With thanksgiving,

I'll be a living,

Sanctuary for You.

Thank you, Father Dan, for taking the time to visit us and share your gift of music! The children love when you visit. These visits help connect our school with our church and are so important in the faith lives of our children.

Perhaps some of us will even see Father Dan at 5:00 mass this Saturday!

Happy Halloween!

We are not sure where the Grade One's were today! They were nowhere to be seen! Sitting in their desks today were Spiderman, Tinkerbell, an astronaut, a police officer, a bunny, a skeleton, a cowgirl (complete with horse) and Lego Man, just to name a few. Hopefully Mrs. Beliveau's students return tomorrow!

Every minute of our day today was packed with Halloween fun!

We began the day sharing our Halloween stories with eachother. We have spent the last week creating our own pattern writing based upon the book It Didn't Frighten Me, by Goss and Harste. The students did a wonderful job finishing the rhyming pattern to make it their own. They also followed a set of criteria to create strong illustrations (e.g. no white spaces, colour in the lines, use colours that make sense, use 5 of more colours, etc). The projects turned out so well that they will be placed in the children's Evidence of Learning binders for your perusal in a few short weeks.

Sharing their stories with eachother

After a a brief breath of fresh air after a surprising fire drill and a heart-pounding trip through the Haunted House, we tackled our Snazzy Snack  for this month. We made Monster Mash! We added green food dye to vanilla pudding, and after drawing a spooky monster face on a clear cup, filled the cup with the green goo and added cookie crumb hair.  Tomorrow we will write out the recipe together. (Unfortunately there were no pictures of the final monsters ... they were devoured to quickly!)

After lunch, we had a costume parade around the gym and then hit the dance floor! Thanks, Mr. Roman, for the awesome beats!



We enjoyed the last part of our day rotating through several centres. Students built goofy and scary creations with sparkly play dough, challenged eachother to several rounds of Pumpkin Concentration and Ghost Bowling, relaxed with some favourite Halloween stories, and tried to get a line playing Halloween BINGO.

Hopefully the real Grade One students are back in their desks tomorrow!