Explore In Grade Four With Mrs. Pols

Our students had an amazing time participating in the Calgary Flames Foundation Classroom Crew program! Over several days, trained instructors visited our school to teach students the skills and rules of ball hockey and flag football in a fun, active, and inclusive environment. Students had the opportunity to practice teamwork, communication, sportsmanship, and leadership while learning new games and improving their physical literacy skills. The instructors kept students engaged through exciting drills, games, and activities that encouraged everyone to participate and stay active. One of the highlights of the program was seeing students build confidence as they tried new skills and worked together as teammates. The Classroom Crew created a positive environment where students felt encouraged to challenge themselves, support others, and enjoy being active. This experience connected to our Physical Education curriculum by helping students develop movement skills, cooperation, fair play, a...

Our Grade 4 students had a fantastic day exploring the past during our visit to Heritage Park Historical Village! Students stepped back in time as they explored historical buildings, learned about life in early Canada, and experienced what communities may have looked like many years ago. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the fort and learning about the fur trade in Canada. Students discovered how important the fur trade was in shaping early Canadian history and how it connected First Nations peoples and European traders. They especially enjoyed the hands-on experience of touching and examining different animal pelts that were commonly traded during this time. Students also had the opportunity to visit the Indigenous encampment and learn more about Indigenous ways of life, traditions, and the important role Indigenous peoples played in Canadian history. This experience helped students deepen their understanding of the diverse cultures and communities that have shaped Canada...

Our class has started an exciting new literacy unit, and we have begun reading Love That Dog , a novel written in verse by Sharon Creech . This unique story is told through poems written by a young boy, which has given us a great opportunity to explore poetry in a meaningful and engaging way. As we read, students are being introduced to a variety of poems that the main character encounters. We are taking time to think deeply about these poems by creating visual representations and discussing what they might mean. This helps us build our understanding of how poetry can express thoughts and feelings in creative ways. Inspired by the book, students have also started writing their own poems. We began by focusing on similes, using comparisons to describe ourselves in interesting and imaginative ways. For example, students are thinking about how they are “like” something else and explaining why. These poems will become part of each student’s own personal poetry book, which we will continue t...

This week in math, we have been exploring factors, multiples, and prime and composite numbers. Students are building their understanding of how numbers are connected and how we can break them apart or group them in different ways. A strong understanding of multiplication facts really supports this learning, so continuing to practice these at home makes a big difference. Quick recall helps students work more efficiently and confidently with these concepts. To keep things engaging, we used a variety of games to reinforce learning. Students especially enjoyed working in partnership to solve challenges, create their own factor lists, and test whether numbers were prime or composite.  In addition to our math learning, students were busy preparing for our Volunteer Tea. They worked to create thoughtful pieces of art to show appreciation for the many volunteers who support our school. It has been wonderful to see their creativity shine as they carefully design and complete their work....

This week in Social Studies, we began exploring the  fur trade and its role in the development of Canada . Students worked on building their background knowledge and understanding of why the fur trade was so important in early Canadian history. To bring this learning to life, we participated in a  hands-on simulation  where students took on the roles of European traders and Indigenous peoples. Through trading furs for different goods, they experienced how trade works in a real-world context. Students quickly began to understand that trade involves: needs vs. wants supply and demand making choices based on what is available It was a fun and engaging way to deepen their understanding, and there were some great conversations and problem-solving happening throughout the activity!

This week, our class launched an exciting new inquiry project all about   space!   🚀 Students began by choosing a personal topic of interest—anything from planets and black holes to constellations and solar systems. They are learning how to research using a variety of sources, including  Epic Books , which offers both informational texts and videos. They also had the opportunity to utilize the internet, learning how to determine if a website is credible. This is a shift from our previous research tasks, where materials were pre-selected, and students are doing a great job navigating these new resources more independently. In addition, we learned about how to cite a source any why this is an important step in research as it shows where we found our information, gives credit to the author and shows that our research is trustworthy. Our focus is on gathering information in three key areas: General facts History Importance, why it matters Students are using prompting questio...