The Earth's Crust

Les trois petits cochons - Videos

Owl Artwork

Today we will be creating some artwork to accompany our amazing writing about owls. To start, you will get a piece of Styrofoam to etch out an owl. Take a looks at some similar pieces of artwork to get an idea of what we will be working on.

Our pictures will obviously look slightly different but what are some things you notice about the templates?

Here's a link to a google search I did for "Clip Art" owls.  Simple designs will work best. Be sure to draw out your sample on paper first. If you want, you can go to the library at lunch and print off something you can trace on.

Predator vs Prey - A Simulation

Bald Eagle Stealing Rabbit from Fox (in Midair) from Kevin Ebi on Vimeo.

What is a predator? An organism that hunts other organisms for food.
What is a prey? An organism that is hunted by other organisms for food.

Today we are going to play a game to help us look at the predator/prey relationship. Please pay close attention as I explain the rules, so that I do not have to re-­explain things once we get outside. Be safe, have fun but don't get goofy!

The game starts with one student as a "fox" and the other students all as "rabbits." 

We play tag until the fox "catches" a rabbit.

If the fox catches a rabbit, it means they have eaten.

• The fox survives, and stays a fox 
• The rabbit is dead, and the energy it had becomes energy for the fox, therefore, it becomes a fox 

We then start a new round, repeating multiple times.

If a fox does not catch a rabbit, it means they have not eaten.

• The fox dies, its body decomposes into the soil, which gives nutrients to the grass, which is eaten by the bunny, providing the bunny with energy, it becomes a bunny 

We will play around 10 rounds, recording the number of foxes and rabbits at the end of each round.  Each round a fox may only catch one bunny. (Once a fox catches a bunny, it is to return to "Father Time")

We will need to create a tally to mark the number of foxes and rabbits after each interval. You will do this in your notebook.

After we have our information, let's think about what type of graph would be represent our information? What intervals would we use? What do good graphs have?

Here is a list of suggestions from another teacher's classroom that will give us some ideas of what to include.

Common Suggestions on Graphs:

• Make main title underline different (more dominant) than axis
• titles)
• Do not crowd titles against edge of paper
• Use pen for titles
• Main title should have larger font than axes titles
• Title should be specific, not general (e.g., “Flow Rate of
• Household Fluids”, not “Flow Rate Graph”)
• Underline titles
• Each main word of a title should have an upper case letter
• Spelling of title should be correct
• Don’t stop axis on a number, extend one square beyond last
• number
• Axis font should not be too big
• Include tick marks with axes beside all numbers
• Do not need to write all numbers along axes, write a number on
• every second line
• Be sure to list units (correct units) with axes
• Spacing on axis needs to be uniform
• Do not extend underlines too far from words
• Legends should have a box around them
• Leave space between the information in an information box and
• the outline
• Only use one colour for bars when you only have one set of data
• Keep spacing consistent
• Try to fill large empty paces with something
• Use the space you have on the page
• Need to use graph paper
• Pencil crayon or pen should be used for lines, not highlighter or
• marker
• In a legend, represent the data appropriately, i.e., do not draw a
• box in blue to represent a blue line on a line graph, draw a blue
• line to represent a blue line
• Use a ruler for ALL straight lines

Remembrance Day - Learning More About Our History

Today you will be learning more about World War I by watching a video and reading an article. After you learn more, you will do some writing to share your thoughts and feelings with others about Remembrance Day through a poem. We are doing this because Remembrance Day is November 11th and because this is very significant part of our country's history, it t is important to take time to reflect and learn.

Students will read and watch a video to learn more about Remembrance Day

Students will write a poem and create a piece of art to display for others to reflect upon

To start, let's look at some examples of the poems from past students.  You will be following the same pattern.

“I am . . .”

Poems of Remembrance - Shared Writing by Room 4 

I am a surviving fighter

I wonder if there will ever be an end

I hear the whistling wind

I see destruction among the field of peaceful poppies

I want to see my family again

I am a strong solider

I am frightened and haunted by the past

I wonder if my family is safe

I hear the soldiers shuffling in the gravel

I see my little brother crying

I want the war to stop

I am a child

I am a symbol of the fallen

I wonder why there are so many of me

I hear the survivor’s tears thud like raindrops on the ground

I see the sun rising in the distance

I want people to stop digging holes in front of me

I am a cross

I am a guardian

I wonder if my child will come back from the war

I hear the news on the radio

I see people gathered, waiting for the soldiers’ arrival

I want them to be home, safe and sound

I am a caring mother and I am a protective father

I am proudly worn on the hearts of many

I wonder if everyone knows what I’m for

I hear hopeful songs from the children

I see that there is a chance for us all

I want people to wear me with honour and respect

I am a poppy

After reading over the poems, do you notice a pattern? We will be writing poems just like these.  It can be about the same topics or one that you choose. 

Before we write, let's watch a video to build our prior knowledge. 

What are some of the images you saw that you might want to incorporate into your poem?  Turn and talk with the neighbour next to you.

Now you will read an article to get some more information. This article specifically talks about World War I but you may want to use some of these words in your poem. As you read through it, highlight words that you may want to use. If time, answer the questions as a class and fill in the crossword.


It is now time to write your own poem.  This morning you built your prior knowledge and now you will use these ideas to begin writing.  In your blue note books, write down the following:


                                          ______________________________________   (the line is for your title)

I am

I wonder

I hear

I see

I want

I am



Use this format to write your own poem. 

Be sure to re-read each line of the poem multiple times.  Compare it to the other sample poems.  Can you be more descriptive? Can you use more juicy words? Are you sharing a message that is respectful to people affected by war?

Once you feel like you have finished, please read it over with a few students, then to an adult so they can check for spelling and grammar.  Next you will work on your good copy.  These will be displayed on our bulletin board in the hallway. Good copies will be on large cue cards.

Period 6

Finally we will create some artwork to go with our poems. These will only use the colours RED, BLACK, GREY and WHITE.  Take a look at the samples below.  Notice that there are three perspectives - close up, middle ground and background.  We are drawing using different perspectives because we are writing about war from different perspectives.  These pictures will go along with our writing. They will be made on smaller cue cards. Be sure to draw on the side without lines.

Using the paper provided, create a picture that would fit well with your topic or within the theme of Remembrance Day,  Be sure to be respectful.  Though war is violent and sometimes deadly, this is not what we will depict on the pictures.  Instead we want to think of pictures that can respectfully represent a message of Remembrance.  

Check out these samples.  Ms. Kurtz also has samples that she can show you.

Please hand in your finished pieces to your teachers.  If it is not done, it is for homework.  We want to have these displayed by Tuesday so it coincides with Remembrance Day.

A Day in the Life of Owl

This should work :)

Do You Know How to "Floss"?

Do you know how to "dab"? What about "floss"? How would you teach someone to do this or something else that you are good at? Today we will continue to brainstorm ideas for our "How-to" Writing so we can build on our ideas and get excited about our writing topics! It will also be great to share with other what we are good at and we will build community by learning about our classmates.