April Newsletter

ACI 1 News Date: April 1st - April 26th
Special Note: Dear parents, Both ACI classes did an amazing job during the unit on Clouds.  They learned a lot of useful vocabulary about weather and learned how to identify how clouds are made and what each type can tell us about the weather. Their final Weather Report presentations turned out great and really showed off the knowledge they've gained. We also finished our math unit on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers. They learned how to solve problems using place value mats and the standard algorithm. In science, we learned about different types of structures and were able to identify how and where structures are used in the real world.	Science: Unit 8: Measurement Our next science unit of the year is focused on learning how to record different types of measurements. Week 1: Length, Height, and Distance * The students will become familiar standard and non-standard units and different measuring tools used to measure length, height, and distance. Week 2: Air and Weight * We will conduct an experiments to show how air takes of space and find if it has weight. Week 3: Temperature & Thermometers * We will learn about Celsius and Fahrenheit and how to use a thermometer to measure temperature. Week 4: Review Week * Our final week will be used to review this month's concepts through education games and activities.
Math Unit 8: Linear Measurement, Area, and Perimeter Our next unit in math will be focused on developing an understanding of linear measurement and area. They will estimate, measure, and compare lengths and perimeters using standard and non-standard units. They will also investigate area measurement by used non-standard units to cover a surface.	English Language Arts: Unit 8: All About Me The month of April will be spent reading All About Me, an instructional book about making an "All About Me" book. Week 1: Introduction Topic: Students will learn about different personalities and making personal profiles. Week 2: Planning and Book-Making Topic: Students will learn what an autobiography is and start making their own "All About Me" books. Week 3: More Book-Making Topic: Students will continue to work on different pages for their books and also learn how to make timelines of their lives. Week 4: Finishing Touches and Presentations Topic: The students will finish their books and present their books to the class.

Maple Bear News Weather Reports Part Two!

Hello Families!

        We practiced our presentations at home and in class and we're happy to show you our weather reports!

 Michelle's Weather Report!

 Susan's Weather Report!

 

Luke's Weather Report! 

Jenny's Weather Report!

 Joanna's Weather Report!

Stay tuned for more updates!  
Thank you for watching!

Maple Bear News Weather Reports

This past month, we've spent a lot of time learning about weather and weather terminology. As a wrap-up, groups of two made skits with an anchor and weather reporter. Each group chose their own location and made weather maps to use. They memorized their scripts and also had fun making a music video clip at the end! kkk!!!

Eileen and Esther

Leo and Sara

Julie and Benjamin

Sophia and Jared

Maple Bear News!

Recipe Presentations

The class did a really wonderful job on their recipe presentations and continue to improve their speaking skills. You guys are FANTASTIC! ^^

Sophia- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQm-btu-3TA&feature=youtu.be

Eileen- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEvD1XDEBkk&feature=youtu.be

Jared- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_oXlqxZgSk&feature=youtu.be

Sara- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KUg9ErQZfs&feature=youtu.be

Julie- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZMfqk4imAA&feature=youtu.be

Esther- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbIIi8wnizc&feature=youtu.be

Leo- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvLo8vCBN4o&feature=youtu.be

Benjamin- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA1sM01CjW0&feature=youtu.be

Magnificent March!

     Is it March already? = )  

  Time flies by when we're having fun!

ACI 1 Newsletter March 4th to March 29th, 2013
Hello Families!       We had a fantastic time in February! We had a great time learning about all the new and exciting units about inventions, 3D geometry and simple machines.       The students had a challenging and fun time building their catapults and testing them out was a great experience for them.           The students were surprised to discover all the different 3D shapes and simple machines they see in their everyday lives in their homes, shopping malls, schools and just walking outside.            This month we will begin learning about clouds. We will explore and learn about different types of weather and clouds, rainbows, day and night and conclude the month with a weather forecast presentation.      We look forward to a magnificent month of March!	ELA: Did you know that clouds appear white because they reflect the suns light? Week 1 – What are Clouds?      This week students will learn about different names and types of clouds, fun and interesting facts about them and an introduction to weather terminology. Week 2 – What’s the Weather?      This week students will learn about types of weather, what they see and feel in different seasons and about weather in different countries. Week 3 – Rainbows!      This week students will learn about rainbows,   conduct a rainbow experiment and learn about primary and secondary colours. Week 4 – Presentations      This week students will be able put the final touches on their presentations and present them during the week. During this week we will also have our  Weather Forecast Presentations!
Math       In math this month, we will be learning about addition and subtraction to 100.        The students will focus on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers, solving a variety of word and numbers problems and using different mathematical manipulatives to help them throughout the unit.	Science       Building on our knowledge of simple machines from last month, we will focus our attention on strong structures.  Week 1 – What are Strong Structures?    Students will learn about what a strong structure is, where they see them in their everyday lives and their various functions. Week 2 – Materials and Durability      Students will learn about the different types of materials used to make strong structures, how they are different in quality and how some materials are more durable than others. Week 3 – Strong Shapes      Students will learn about the different properties of 2D and 3D shapes and how they can affect the strength of structures. Week 4 – Arches and Domes       Students will learn about arches and domes and how they are unique and help support structures to be stronger and look more beautiful.

Fun with Honey!

February Newsletter!

ACI 1 Newsletter February 4th to March 1st, 2013
Hello Families!      January was a great month!  We kept very busy with preparing for our Recipe Presentations and tending to our Kidney Bean Plant Project.  Our Kidney Bean Plant Project was a fun experience!      The students were excited to tend to their plant everyday and had many questions about why some were growing more quickly than others, why some had to be replanted and what could be done to make them grow faster.  At the end of each week, the students continued to complete their Plant Diary using their observation skills to describe how it looked and what life stage their plant was in.  We were happy to see many of them in different life stages!      As a precursor to the students doing their recipe presentations we did a simple, short and fun cooking activity to help them prepare for their presentations. We had a great time making Honey Joys!      We could see all the students worked really hard on their recipe posters as many of them were decorated with stickers, markers, crayons and fantastic hand drawn pictures of ingredients and of the food itself.  We will be posting presentation videos and pictures of the students with their posters later in the week.      This month we will be focusing on Simple Machines in Science, 3D Geometry in Math and Inventions in ELA.  The students will also be giving a short presentation on an inventor and their invention at the end of the month.   We look forward to what’s to come this month!	ELA:  “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Week 1 – What Are Inventions?      We will learn about inventions, why they are important and why people are continually trying to invent things.  Students will also think about things they use in their daily lives and what it would be like if they didn’t have certain inventions, for example, the telephone or TV. Week 2 – The Evolution of Inventions      We will learn about what a timeline is and how to create one.  We will choose an invention and create a timeline together and track how it has changed and improved (or not improved?) over time since it was first invented.  Students will start thinking about an inventor for their Inventions Presentation. Week 3 – Famous Inventors and Their Inventions      This week students will learn about some famous inventors who changed our daily lives because of their invention.  We will also learn about creating a biography and timeline about an inventor.  Students will also choose an inventor for their presentation. Week 4 – New and Emerging Inventions      We will discuss the importance of why new inventions are still needed.  What inventions do we still need and/or want to have?  The students will also think like an inventor and think about the important things we need to consider before inventing something. During this week we will also have our Inventions Presentations!
Math      This month we turn our focus to learning about 3D Geometry.       We will learn about the different geometric properties of 3D shapes, what makes them unique from 2D shapes and the different movements they can make.  Students will also learn how to compare and classify the shapes by their properties.       We’ll also have a great time constructing 3D and 2D shapes using different craft materials!	Science Week 1 – What Are Simple Machines?      We will learn about what simple machines are, the most common six types used in our everyday lives and why they are useful. Week 2 – Where Can I Find Simple Machines?      We will look around our classroom and school to try to identify different simple machines, describe their properties and how they make our lives easier. Week 3 – Creating My Own Catapult!      We will learn about what a catapult is, how it works, how it can be useful and finally, we get to construct our very own mini catapult! Week 4 – Testing My Catapult! YAY!      Experimentation Time!  In this final week of our unit of Simple Machines, we will be able to test our catapult by making hypotheses and observations about how far it launch small things like beads and marshmallows into the air!