Explore In Grade Four With Mrs. Pols

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

This week in Grade Four, we wrapped up our work inspired by the book The Barnabus Project . What began as a story about unique and unusual creatures quickly turned into a creative and scientific adventure of our own. Students began by designing their very own original critter. They carefully thought about what their creature would look like and how its body parts would help it survive. From sharp teeth designed for tearing food, to large eyes for spotting danger, to strong legs for climbing or escaping predators, students explored how structure and function work together. Using what we’ve been learning in Science about animal adaptations, they wrote detailed descriptive paragraphs explaining how their critter’s physical features supported its survival in its environment. We then stepped into the role of scientists. Instead of simply describing our critters, students wrote field notes as if they were observing them in their natural habitats. They carefully recorded behaviours, movemen...

In Science, our Grade 4 class has begun learning about the Earth’s spheres and how they are all connected. We are discovering that changes in one part of Earth can cause changes in many other parts as well! To begin our learning, we watched the video How the Wolves Changed the Water . This video helped us see how one animal can have a big impact on the land, plants, water, and even rivers. We talked about how wolves affected the biosphere , geosphere , and hydrosphere , and how everything worked together as a system. This helped us understand that Earth’s spheres do not work alone—they are connected. Next, we shifted our thinking to humans and discussed how people can also impact Earth’s spheres. We shared ideas about how human actions can change the land, air, water, plants, and animals. This led us into conversations about climate change and how changes in temperature can affect living things and environments around the world. To deepen our understanding, we began reading the ...