Our Learning This Week...

- April 10, 2026

🌟 Classroom Update: A Week of Exploration and Discovery! 🌟

We had another exciting and busy week in our Grade 1/2 classroom! Students were engaged in a variety of hands-on activities across all subject areas. Here’s a look at what we’ve been learning:

📚 Literacy (Reading & Phonics)
This week, students reviewed the long vowel silent e spelling pattern. They practiced reading stories that included these words and worked on recognizing how the silent “e” changes the vowel sound. We also introduced word ladders for the first time! Students enjoyed the challenge of changing one letter at a time to create new words.

✏️ Writing
In writing, we began learning about procedural writing (also known as “How-To” writing). Students explored what procedural writing is, looked at examples, and discussed why clear, step-by-step instructions are important. They then began writing their own instructions for activities they know how to do—there were lots of creative and thoughtful ideas!

📏 Math
In math, we focused on the concept of distance and how to measure it. Students learned about standard measurement and practiced using rulers to measure objects in centimeters. They had a great time applying their skills by finding objects around the classroom that matched specific lengths—such as 5 cm, 10 cm, and 20 cm!

We also learned how to choose the most appropriate unit of measurement based on the object being measured. Students discussed how larger objects require larger units (for example, measuring a carpet using feet), while smaller objects are best measured with smaller units like centimeters (such as measuring a pencil). This helped students build a deeper understanding of why we use different units in different situations.

Video Link

To deepen our understanding, we read the story How Big Is a Foot? and discussed the importance of using the same unit when measuring in order to get an accurate result. This led into a conversation about standard versus non-standard units of measurement and why standard units were created. Students learned that when everyone uses the same unit, measurements are fair, consistent, and reliable.

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🔬 Science
Our science lessons were full of discovery as we explored light! Students went on a “light hunt” around the school, identifying both natural and man-made sources of light. We also conducted experiments to learn about the properties of light. Students discovered that:

Light travels in a straight line
Light bends when it passes through water
Light can be separated into colours to create a rainbow
Light can pass through some materials, but not others
Light can reflect off of surfaces

🌍 Social Studies
In Social Studies, we began learning about wants and needs. Students shared their ideas about the difference between the two and sorted pictures into each category. We then watched a video to deepen our understanding and continued our discussions as a class.

🤸 Gymnastics in Phys. Ed.

This week marked the start of our gymnastics unit! Students learned the importance of safety by doing a “top-to-toe check” at the beginning of each class (tucked-in shirts, tied-back hair, no jewelry, etc.). After warming up and stretching, students practiced different ways of moving on the mats, including animal walks and rolls like log rolls and pencil rolls. They also learned about balances and practiced balancing on one, two, and even three body parts!