January!

In math, we have continued work from before Christmas and have added arrays to our multiplication toolbox. Ask me what an array is and how it can be used to find out the answer to a multiplication. We are now able to show multiplication sentences in many ways (see below). This gives us a much deeper understanding of what multiplication means, rather than simply knowing a memorized fact.

We used the criteria to make our own 'Multiplication Monster.' Its eyes are an array. Give me a multiplication and ask me to follow through the criteria and find my answer in multiple ways.

Next week we are using shapes to give us our numbers to multiply with. Your child will need to know what a polygon, quadrilateral, triangle, parallelogram, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, rectangle and square are. You can practice naming these shapes at home.

In social studies, your child has chosen a country that they are interested in researching. Ask them what country they have chosen and which continent it is in. We thought it was important to find out about different counties as it tends to be that when we don't know about something that we have negative thoughts. (This also relates to our read aloud). We talked about being respectful of things that were unfamiliar to us. We agreed that so long as a country's traditions and culture did not hurt anyone then we should respect their beliefs even if we did not believe it or want to do it ourselves. This was an important discussion to have prior to researching. It would be great if you could continue this discussion at home.

We also had a good discussion about digital citizenship and what to do if we see an image or words we do not like on our screens. With technology being so accessible to children, these are important discussions. Long gone are the days when there was only one computer at home and it was housed in a very public area. At school, we do have a lot of filters that block inappropriate content and students always work with computer screens visible to teachers but it is still important to learn how to monitor our own behavior.

It was very interesting to watch a few videos about traditional dances and see food from the different countries.

One of the students in the class brought in two very detailed cardboard creations. The pictures do not do them justice! The class was very impressed. Children have the best imaginations! We watched a video about Cain's cardboard arcade. If you have the chance, Google it and see it for yourself.
The first creation is a movie theatre, complete with adverts and main film! The second is a concession truck. See what you can build at home with just a few pieces of cardboard.