Mrs. Phelan

This week in grade four:  We finished our winter art this week! We also created a clowder of festive cats.  In Science we talked about the importance of water in the world. We brainstormed different bodies of water and then created a mind map to show our understanding of the plants and animals that live in each body.  Coming Up:  Have a wonderful, restive Winter Break! See you back on January 5, 2026!  We postponed our winter community walk due to weather this week. I'd love to take the class in January so be prepared to be outside with snow pants on the first week.   We're going to be starting Time in January and Winter Break would be a great time to brush up on Grade Three skills by working on telling time on an analog clock.  Finish Up Friday  Algebra Lesson 2: complete and return 

  This week in grade four:  We're working on a new art project! Today we painted a winter background using white and blue for depth. We'll be adding to this background next week!  In Literacy we are talking about how good readers make connections! We learned about text to self, text to text and text to world connections. We practiced by listening to 2 excellent picture books.  In math we are working on Algebra and this week we balanced equations and learned about how to solve for an unknown variable by using preservation of equality. We are getting quite a workout with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Coming Up:  We have one more week of Spotlight Reader Presentations!  Thursday, December 18 is Pajama Day at MTS. Wear your coziest pajamas!  I am planning on taking the class for a community walk on Wednesday, December 17 or December 18 depending on the weather. We will be marking winter solstice by visiting our sit spots and doing som...

This week in Grade Four:  We are learning about the Elements of Art and working on our artistry and technique in this project. Today we made a graphic organizer and will be learning about each element.  In math we have started Algebra and started this week with Order of Operations. We learned that we work from left to right in an equation and complete the multiplication and division first. Then we go back and complete the addition and subtraction. Some Grade Fours would really benefit from extra practice with their operations at home!  Looking Forward We have Spotlight Reader Presentations all this week! Check your child's backpack for the rubric after their presentation.  Thursday, December 11 is Red and Green Day at MTS!  Finish Up Friday!  Multiplication Search and 3 digit Addition and Subtraction - complete and return 

  This week in grade four:  We've been working identifying arithmetic and geometric sequences. Arithmetic sequences increase or decrease by the same number each time and geometric sequences use multiplication. We learned a partner game to practice extending both types of patterns. We'll be completing an assessment of this unit early this week and I will send it home as soon as possible.  In Science we started Earth Systems and are learning about the four spheres which include the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. We can define each sphere, give examples and tell how they are all connected.  Coming Up:  We have Spotlight Reader Presentations all next week. Finish Up:  There is no Finish Up this week!  Thank you for attending Parent Teacher Conferences! Stay warm and have a wonderful weekend! 

 This week in Grade Four:  We had Buddies twice this week. Yesterday we helped our Buddies find a book in the library and today we worked to create a collaborative art project. We used strips of paper to make a 3 dimensional paper sculpture together.  We are learning about early settlements in Canada. We learned about New France and are going to research Montreal, Port Royal, Montreal and  Trois-Rivières. Coming Up:  We have Spotlight Reader Presentations all next week!  The Book Fair is coming! Our class will be previewing the Book Fair on Tuesday and then purchasing on Wednesday.  Parent Teacher Conferences are next week on Thursday, November 27 from 3:30 to 7:30 and Friday, November 28 from 8:00 to 12:00. Please book a conference online. Bookings open tomorrow.  Students are bringing home their Writing Offices so you can read their writing before conferences. Feel free to write a note to your child right in their journal. Please return on Monda...

  This week in Grade Four:  We finished our name art! It's inspired by graffiti artists and students worked with pencil crayons, sharpies and paint to create their masterpieces! We also completed a writing assignment using our notes from our Name Research.  We talked about hazard symbols in Science and are done our first unit. Students will be bringing their Science Notebooks home to review the important vocabulary in this unit. We will be having an assessment next Thursday, November 20. Please return your child's notebook to school before next Friday.  We're working on arithmetic sequences in math! We can identify increasing and decreasing patterns and write rules to express how they change. We also looked at patterns that grow in different ways including the Fibonacci Sequence.  Coming Up:  We are excited to welcome a Student Teacher to our classroom. She is a first year education student at St. Mary's University and will be working with us for the next 3...