Week of December 12, 2025
Looking Back:
Literacy:
There will not be a Friday Letter this week because our classroom has been buzzing with a very exciting project. The students have been crafting their own persuasive letters, and their finished work will be coming home next week. They cannot wait for you to read what they created.
We began our journey by brainstorming possible audiences. Students chose someone special they wanted to convince (mom, dad, teacher, Santa, elves, aunties etc.), which led to many lively conversations about who might be most likely to say yes. From there, they selected a topic they felt passionate about. Some students chose practical ideas, while others dreamed big, which made for wonderfully imaginative planning sessions.
To build strong arguments, students developed three or four reasons to support their idea. They then stretched their thinking by coming up with three counter reasons, imagining what someone might say in response and preparing thoughtful ways to address those concerns. This step sparked a lot of creative problem-solving and many smiles as students tried to outsmart their imaginary opponents.
On Wednesday, everyone brought their ideas together to create a detailed rough draft. By Friday, we turned those drafts into polished, good copies written on cheerful holiday paper. The students are very proud of their work, and there may even be a few surprises tucked into their persuasive requests.
Be prepared… you might find yourself convinced!
Novel:
We continued our conversations about perspective while reading our class novel, Ollie’s Odyssey. Each chapter switches between Ollie’s point of view and Billy’s, giving us a chance to see the story through different characters' eyes. As we read, we made predictions about what might happen next based on each character’s perspective and how they understood the events in the story.
Math:This week in math, we reviewed rounding and practiced rounding numbers to the nearest hundreds and thousands. We then began exploring money, starting with the values of each coin. To make it hands-on and fun, I set up 11 cups of coins around the classroom. Students worked with a partner to identify the coins, organize them from largest to smallest amounts, and then count the totals.
On day two, we discussed what money is and why it is important, connecting it to our financial literacy unit in Health. Students then completed a worksheet practicing counting coins. We graded it together in class before sending it home. If your child did not finish the page, it likely means they need a bit more practice with counting coins. Please continue to support this skill at home.
On Thursday, we focused on loonies and toonies. Students played a SCOOT game, moving around the classroom to look at different collections of coins, identify their values, and count them. This page was also sent home. While the images of the coins are not included, my highlighted grading will show areas where more learning is needed.
Next week, we will take the next step and practice adding the values of coins and bills together, building on the skills we practiced this week.
Social Studies:
This week, we continued our exploration of landmarks and what makes them special. Students brainstormed a variety of landmarks across Alberta, thinking about places they know or have recently learned about. They then created a page in their visual journals to showcase these landmarks, using drawings and notes to capture what makes each one unique. We are excited to continue this journey next week as we discover even more amazing landmarks across our province!
We had a fantastic week exploring rocks and minerals as part of our Earth Systems unit! We began by learning about geologists and their work, then explored the three main types of rocks. To make the rock cycle more hands-on, we used mini Starbursts to visualize how rocks change over time—ask your child to explain what they learned from this tasty experiment!
On Wednesday, students examined a variety of real rocks and compared them to our classroom rock poster to identify whether they were sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous. Thursday was all about geodes! Students created geode-inspired art and then started growing their own crystals using Borax and pipe cleaners to make a sparkling ornament.
It has been exciting to watch their crystals grow and to dive deeper into the layers of the Earth and the fascinating world of rocks and minerals.
A student asked me for the geode recipe. I don’t have an exact one, but here’s how you can make crystals at home:
You’ll need Borax, hot water, and food coloring (optional). Start by filling a jar with hot water, then slowly add Borax until it stops dissolving and the solution looks very cloudy. Add a few drops of food coloring if you like.
Next, take your pipe cleaner design and attach a hook so it can hang in the jar and be easily removed later. Place it in the solution and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Crystals will begin to form on your design.
We are almost to the last section of our Earth systems, which we will be focusing on and finalizing next week (Layers of the Earth).
Looking Ahead:
We are excited to celebrate with a little Winter Fun Day on Friday, December 19. We will be watching The Grinch and doing a fun science experiment with our buddies that connects to the theme. If you have any concerns about your child taking part in watching this movie, please let me know.
I will be bringing popcorn for the class to enjoy, and students are welcome to bring an additional holiday treat if they would like. It will be a joyful way to spend time together before the break!
On Thursday afternoon, in between our caroling time, students may also bring a board game or another type of game they would like to share with their classmates. It will be a wonderful way to enjoy time together before the break!
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