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!