Explore In Grade Four With Mrs. Pols

Posts

March 30th to April 2nd

Our classroom has been exploring the beauty of seasonal change through Indigenous calendars, using literature, art, and discussion to guide our learning. This work has helped students better understand how the land, animals, and people are deeply connected throughout the year. To support our learning, we read When the Trees Crackle with Cold , a story that explores the changing months and the natural signs that mark each season. This helps us begin to see time not just by dates on a calendar, but by what we observe in the natural world around us. We also read This Is How I Know , which explores the seasons in the Great Lakes region of Canada. This book encouraged students to think about how people notice seasonal changes through everyday experiences — the feel of the air, the movement of animals, and the transformation of the land. Together, these stories helped students understand that the land teaches us, and that careful observation helps us learn. In February, we learned about the ...

March 16th to March 20th

🍀 St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge! 🐍 We had some festive fun in our classroom this week with a St. Patrick’s Day STEM challenge! After reading a legend about St. Patrick's day, students were given a very important mission: H elp rid Ireland of snakes! Using only a limited set of materials, students worked in small groups to design and build a tool that could lift or carry pipe cleaner “snakes” out of Ireland —without using their hands directly. This activity encouraged students to: Think creatively and problem-solve Work collaboratively with their peers Test, adjust, and improve their designs There were many innovative solutions, and it was great to see students experimenting, learning from mistakes, and celebrating their successes together. A fun and hands-on way to bring a little STEM (and a little luck!) into our learning! 🍀

March 9th to 13th

Our Grade 4 scientists have been exploring how national parks help protect the plants and animals that live there. As part of our science unit, we learned about the important work done by Parks Canada and how parks are carefully managed to keep ecosystems healthy. One of the big ideas we explored was the “trickle effect.” Students learned that even small human actions can have a much bigger impact over time. For example, something that seems simple like leaving food behind, littering, or walking off the trail, can start a chain reaction in nature. Animals may begin relying on human food instead of finding their own, plants can be damaged when people wander off paths, and litter can harm wildlife. What starts as one small action can trickle outward and create many problems for the living things that depend on the park. To show their understanding, students became environmental journalists with a creative twist. Each student selected a human action that can harm a park and wrote a ne...

March 2nd to March 6th

This week our class had an exciting experience working with Trickster Theatre . Through their unique theatre process, we helped create a performance based on the theme “A Journey Across Canada.” Each class explored a different part of the country, and our class travelled to the province of Quebec . Our story focused on the famous winter celebration called Carnaval de Québec , one of the largest winter festivals in the world. The Trickster artists guided us through a fun acting process. We began by creating movement patterns together as actors . After that, we built a story and added dialogue to bring our ideas to life. One of the most creative parts of the experience was using everyday objects as theatre props . Instead of traditional stage props, we used folding tables and transformed them through movement and imagination. The tables became maple trees for maple syrup tapping, stands for ice sculpting, snowy hills for skiing, and more activities you might see during Carnaval . By f...

February 23rd to February 27th

This week we kicked off our new science unit with an exciting in-class science program called Cosmic Connections , and it truly was an out-of-this-world experience! This engaging program helped students explore the universe and learn how space connects to our everyday lives. The students investigated planets, constellations, the Moon, and other objects we see in the sky. One of the highlights was the Virtual Reality experience , where students were able to “travel” into space and explore in a way that felt both exciting and real. Anything felt possible as students visited planets, observed constellations, and imagined what it would be like to explore beyond Earth. Along with the VR experience, students participated in hands-on activities that helped them understand how objects in space connect to seasons, plants, animals, and daily life on Earth . Students were especially fascinated by how the North Star (Polaris) can help people find direction, and how constellations like Orion ...

February 17th to February 20th

T oday was truly a Canadian morning! Our Grade 4 students spent time with their Grade 2 buddies to watch Canada’s exciting win against Finland. The room was full of cheers, smiles, and shared excitement as students celebrated together. After the game, both classes had the opportunity to share narrative writing they had been working on. It was wonderful to see students proudly read their stories and listen to their buddies’ ideas. These moments help build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and foster a deeper sense of community between our buddy classes. In math, students have been working on adding and subtracting decimal numbers to the hundredths and thousandths. They are learning to carefully align decimal points, use regrouping strategies, and verify their answers for accuracy using rounding—important skills that support their overall number sense. It was a special day filled with Canadian pride, meaningful connections, and learning. Buddies and hockey—it doesn’t get much ...