Dear Parents,

Today, the students started off with Music in the morning. After DPA, we worked on our introduction to our new topic of fractions. I used a rubix cube online: https://ruwix.com/online-puzzle-simulators/ to model various fractions such as asking the students (in relation to one side of the rubix cube), what fraction is white of the cubes of this side? For example, if two cubes were white out of nine cubes on the side, it would be 2/9. We talked about the numerator, denominator, and how the middle line is called the vinculum. We discussed how showing fractions means splitting a whole into EQUAL parts (and that a fraction does not work if it is not split into equal parts). We discussed how in a proper fraction, the numerator is smaller than the denominator, unless it is representing 1 whole: e.g. 9/9 = 1 whole. The students have the textbook pages 176-177 #1-9 to finish for homework if they did not finish it in class. It requires them to write various fractions for diagrams or to look at diagrams and write the corresponding fractions.

In the afternoon, we did a lesson on Indigenous myths and talked about how stories in general follow the format of a story mountain. The start is the introduction and origin of the characters, setting, and answers the 5W’s and how. Then, as the story builds, it builds up to the climax which is the large problem or most exciting part of the story. Then, the solution or how it is resolved (or not) is reached in the falling action before we reach the ending of the story. We read the story of “The Raven Story” and labeled each part and which part of the story mountain each part matched. We will be writing our own myths and legends as well. We also discussed how legends and stories have a couple main purposes 1. to discuss the origin story of something/how it was created/made or 2. to teach a lesson (a moral). We are working on identifying the morals of stories that are sometimes not explicit, but need to be inferred beyond the literal text of the story.

At the very end of the day, we worked on Aboriginal Dot Artwork. Students are tasked with making pictures of animals, nature, or resources out of various dots of different colours, patterns, and sizes. They are looking very cool already!

Students also got new spelling words this week, their next spelling test is next Thursday, February 13th.

Sincerely,

Ms. Wilks