Week of Jan 26-29

Learning Intentions:

•  I can find and represent halves.
• I can identify if parts are equal.
• I can make and name unit fractions.
• I can compare fractions.
• I can build one whole.
• I can identify the numerator and denominator. 

In Math this week, students started a unit on Fractions. Grade 2 students are learning to recognize and read fractions including halves, thirds, fourths, fifths and sixths. Grade 1 is learning about halves and dividing things into equal parts.

And, when the numerator and denominator are equal, students can identify that it makes a whole. A variety of engaging videos, interactive games and lessons were used to help them understand how numbers can be divided or shared. Fractions are important for kids because they help form the foundational understanding of numbers, ratios and division.

Learning Intentions:

• I understand that communities can be our school, our neighbourhood and our city.
• I can describe that communities have members that play different roles.
• I understand that we need both helpers and leaders in communities.
• I understand that in a team everyone has a job to do.
• I understand that working together helps us solve problems in communities.

·       In Social Studies this week, we explored the unit called “Working Together”. Topics in this unit included: communities, roles and responsibilities, leaders and helpers, teams, and why we need rules. We learned about how we belong to more than one community (For example: TRS, Montgomery, Calgary). Students recognized that whether they are in our classroom, playground or lunchroom… rules help keep us safe. During our cup stacking activity, students assumed the roles of leaders and helpers. Working in groups of 4 to 5 students, the leader needed to guide their teams to work together and get the task done.

SPELLING WORDS

(Sorry that I didn't get this out on Thursday!)

Supporting Student Learning at Home
Math: Students can use food or playdough to divide things into equal parts

Literacy: Help sort words with the “bossy R” in words with ar, ir, er, or and ur. When you are reading together, point out words with these letter combinations. 

Please remind students not to bring toys or treasures from home to school. They can easily get lost or damaged.

Your child’s minds and bodies are growing rapidly at this age. Please try to pack enough food for lunch, a morning snack and an afternoon snack.

Week of January 19-23

 Learning Intentions:

• I can write a sentence with a capital letter and a period.
• I can reread my writing to make sure it makes sense.
• I can retell a story using pictures and words.
• I can talk about a character and describe their actions and feelings.
• I can make connections between a story and my own life.

This week, students have been building their literacy skills through journal writing and literacy centres. In their journals, students are practising writing clear sentences using capital letters, periods, and descriptive words. They are learning to read their writing to themselves before sharing it to check for meaning, capitals, and punctuation. The students enjoyed literacy centres based on the story “Sneezy the Snowman.” They had multiple opportunities to revisit and deepen their understanding of the text. Through activities such as mini-book retellings, word work, character analysis, rhyming, and making connections, students explored story elements, vocabulary, and sounds in meaningful ways. Students considered Sneezy’s actions and feelings, identified rhyming words, and connected events in the story to their own experiences. These centres support comprehension, early writing, phonics, and oral language development in an engaging, hands-on format.

Learning Intentions:

• I can estimate how many objects there are and explain my thinking.
• I use clues to help me make a good estimate.
• I can compare numbers and say which is greater than, less than, or equal to. (Gr 2)
• I can add and subtract 1 and 2 to find a new number.
• I can collect and compare groups to see which has more, less or the same.
• I can talk about my math thinking using math words.

In Math, students strengthened their number sense through estimating, comparing, and reasoning about numbers. They participated in several Esti-Mystery activities, using clues and logical thinking to estimate the correct number of objects shown. They played the Dozen Domino Dilemma Game to compare quantities and discuss which sets were greater than, less than, or equal. Grade 1 students worked on exploring adding and subtracting by 1 and 2, while Grade 2 students played the Collect and Compare Game to represent numbers, compare quantities, and justify their thinking. These activities help students build strong foundational number sense and mathematical communication skills.

Students had a great visit, and learned alot, with Blackfoot Elder Sandra. This was our second visit with Sandra. It was nice to hear the Blackfoot language being spoken and sung. Students enjoyed some songs and dancing. We hope to visit again with her soon!

At Home Extension:
Literacy:
Have your child draw and write about a favourite story or character. Ask them to write one or two sentences using capital letters, punctuation, and at least one descriptive word. Then read their writing aloud to check if it makes sense.

 Math:
Throughout the day (or evening), invite your child into quick math conversations, such as “Which has more?” “How many do you think?”, or “What if we had one more or one less?” These simple discussions help build number sense and confidence in explaining math thinking, using everyday situations.

Spelling:
At the end of the week, students will take home spelling words to study for the following week. Please support your child and help them practice the words. One idea is to do “Rainbow Words.” Write each spelling word several times using different colours.

 This Week in Pictures

Have an amazing weekend!