Exploring Grade 4 with Mrs. Colhoun

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 astronauts and space exploration. They are learning how to research using a variety of sources, including Epic Books , which offers both informational texts and videos. 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. Our focus is on gathering information in three key areas: General facts History Importance (Why it matters) Students are using prompting questions to guide their research and help them stay focused on key ideas. As we move forward, students will begin crafting clear sentences using transition words (e.g., first, next, also, finally) to organize their thinking. They will then use their research to create a Google Slides presentation to share their learning. It h...

🍀 St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge! 🐍 We had some festive fun in our classroom this week with a St. Patrick’s Day STEM challenge! Students were given a very important mission: help 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! 🍀

This week, our class had an exciting opportunity to work with Trickster Theatre as we explored the province of New Brunswick through drama and movement. Students learned how to work together using bamboo poles as part of the performance, practicing coordination, timing, and teamwork. As part of the process, students helped create the title of our show, “Fundy Fight,” inspired by the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy and the stories we explored about the province. It was wonderful to watch students collaborate, share ideas, and bring their learning to life on stage. Everyone did a fantastic job creating and performing, showing creativity, confidence, and teamwork throughout the week. Thank you to everyone who was able to come out and support the show on Thursday night . The students were so proud to share their hard work with you! 🎭

Our classroom has been full of meaningful collaboration and exciting new learning this week! Students participated in a collaborative jigsaw activity to explore how Canada’s natural and cultural heritage is protected. In small expert groups, students read and discussed how governments, conservation groups, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities work alongside Parks Canada. They learned about important initiatives such as culture camps, science camps, land management, and the preservation of significant cultural and natural sites. Students then shared their expertise with new groups, which led to thoughtful conversations and deeper understanding. They practised important communication skills by explaining their ideas clearly, slowing down, repeating key points when needed, and ensuring their group members understood. It was wonderful to see students supporting one another and building confidence as both learners and leaders. We also had an exciting in-school field trip to laun...

Today 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 muc...

This short week, students have been working on adding and subtracting money amounts , with a focus on regrouping (borrowing and carrying) when needed. They practiced lining up dollars and cents carefully and using strategies they already know to solve money problems accurately. To support accuracy, students also learned how to round money amounts to check whether their answers were reasonable . This helps them pause, reflect, and build confidence in their final solutions. As part of our ongoing work in math, we are continuing to strengthen problem-solving skills by identifying key words in questions that help students decide whether a problem requires addition or subtraction . After the break, we will continue building on these skills and applying them to more real-world money problems.