We finished up a three week bike unit a few days ago.  Every morning over half the school got on their bikes and rode around the neighbourhood and paths along the river.  What a great start to the day!  On our last day, the students biked about 11 km to a nearby park.  Since the bikes were parked at the school for several days, I incorporated them into an art lesson.  I gave each student seven different-sized pieces of paper, a pencil, and an eraser.  They had to sketch different parts of their bike, but it had to be a "zoomed in" view.  After the drawings were complete, the students arranged them on a piece of black construction paper.  

Here are a few pictures:

A Month To Go

It's still business like usual in Canada.  Our last day of school is one month from today - June 27th!  

My Grade 4s started learning about fractions last week.  Here are couple activities we did.

For the whole and half activity, I had my students use Jot Thoughts (a Kagan strategy).  I challenged them to create as many fractions that were equal to one whole in one minute.  Then I repeated the process with 1/2 fractions.

Underneath each flap is a picture showing the fraction.

An Oldie, But A Goodie

Don't you love when you can pull out a classic lesson that you know will be a hit with your students?

My fourth graders loved making their Area Robots.  Every year I tweak the activity a little bit.  This time around, I provided the students with a typed question and answer form to attach beside their robot. Here are a couple finished pieces.

I just about forgot to mention the big TpT Sale coming up.  Everything in my store is 15% off during the site-wide sale.  Happy Shopping!!

Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

If you're from southern Alberta, then you've heard of Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.  If you haven't had the chance to visit this part of Canada, then you gotta go. Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a place where First Nations people hunted buffalo.  It's the oldest and most preserved buffalo jump and has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As part of our First Nations News Broadcast activity, my Grade 4 students had to create a model of Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump.  I gave them only one class to complete it.  Here are a couple of their creations: