Week of March 20, 2026
Looking Back:
Literacy:
Phonics:
This week in phonics, we practiced changing the middle and ending sounds in words during our warm-ups to build flexibility when reading.
In our lessons, we focused on vowel-consonant-e (VCE) words (such as make and ride) and extended this learning by adding prefixes and suffixes (affixes). This helped students break longer words into smaller, meaningful parts.
As a result, students are improving their ability to decode unfamiliar words and are strengthening their spelling by understanding how words are built.
Writing:
Your child has a “secret picture” in their backpack!
At conferences, you will receive a writing sample describing their Creep or Junkyard friend from Ollie’s Odyssey. At home, try drawing the character based on your child’s description, then compare it to their original picture. Students are very excited to see your drawings!
This piece shows our writing process, from drafting to using speech-to-text, to editing. It will give you a snapshot of your child’s progress in writing and editing skills.
Reading:
Over the past few weeks, students have been reading one-on-one with me. During this time, I have been assessing several key skills, including decoding (reading words), fluency, and comprehension.
Students also practiced summarizing using the 5-finger strategy (somebody, wanted, but, so, then), answered both literal and inferential questions, and worked on using descriptive language (adjectives).
I will be sharing your child’s progress in these areas during conferences.
Math (Ms. Tran):
This week in math, students continued learning about measurement by combining their skills in
metric units, measuring, and conversions. Students applied their understanding by creating an
Alberta landscape watercolour art piece.
As part of this activity, students measured and converted different lengths while planning their
artwork. They also learned art techniques for creating landscapes, focusing on foreground,
middle ground, and background to add depth to their work. This allowed them to practice using
measurement in a creative and meaningful way.
Through this project, students strengthened their ability to work with metric units while making
connections between math and art.
In science this week, students continued working on their Leprechaun traps using their
knowledge of Rube Goldberg machines and simple machines. They focused on creating chain
reactions where energy transfers from one object to another to complete a task.
Students spent time building, testing, and improving their designs. They demonstrated creativity
and problem-solving skills as they worked to make their traps more effective. It has been
exciting to see their ideas come to life through this hands-on project
We hope you had a chance to talk with your child about at least one simple machine. We are just beginning this unit, and their understanding will continue to grow over the next several weeks.
Last week, we focused on the screw, and this week we are learning about inclined planes.
In social studies this week, students continued their exploration of natural resources. We
connected our learning to our recent visit from an Elder, discussing sustainability and Indigenous
ways of caring for the land. Students learned about the importance of respecting nature and
thinking about future generations.
Students also participated in a “Million-Year Timeline Walk” to better understand how fossil
fuels are formed and why non-renewable resources take such a long time to develop.
Towards the end of the week, students applied their learning by connecting natural resources to
Alberta’s physical regions and treaties. They used loose parts to design their own Alberta maps,
showing where different resources can be found. This activity helped students deepen their
understanding of how geography and natural resources are connected.
Looking Ahead:
MTS Reminders - Tuesday March 17 | |
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