RECYLING

We need rocks and minerals to produce items that are used in our daily lives.  But in the process of getting these minerals, we damage the environment and destroy habitats. We can reduce our effect on the environment by recycling many items that contain minerals. 

Read about recycling here 

More information here 

Learning more about minerals: My Birthstone

Answer these questions:  

What is your birthstone?  

Does it have any special meanings?  

What colour is it? 

Where is it found in the world?  

Any other interesting fact? 

January Birthstone - Garnet

Garnet is the January birthstone. Garnet is said to give the wearer victory, chastity, truth and fidelity. Garnet's use in jewelry began with the ancient Egyptians and possibly even earlier. This blood red gemstone is perfect to brighten up the day during winter.

The garnet gemstone comes in variety of colors, not just red. The most sought after color of garnet is the tsavorite variety which is a gorgeous bright green. Rhodolite garnet is also prized for its bright red color with fiery flashes. Hessonite garnet is orange-brown. Mandarin garnet is the rarest garnet and is bright orange. You find garnets in places like the United States, Russia, Kenya, Tanzania.

February Birthstone - Amethyst

Amethyst is the February birthstone. This gemstone is thought to impart clarity of mind, health, luck and wit to its wearers. In ancient times it was a symbol of peace.

Amethyst is actually a variety of quartz. It is a popular stone and is the most valuable stone of all the quartz varieties. Large, almost gigantic crystals of amethyst can be found in Brazil. Amethyst is purple because of small amounts of iron in the quartz. When exposed to heat amethyst will turn yellow.

Amethyst was thought, in ancient times, to be an antidote against drunkenness as the Greek word amethystos means not drunken. They had many wine goblets carved from amethyst for that reason. Amethyst was also thought to be a symbol of understanding.

March Birthstone - Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the March birthstone. It is a light blue like the colors of the Mediterranean sea. The aquamarine is said to give courage, victory and confidence. Aquamarine is said to be mermaid treasure and has the power to keep sailors safe.

Aquamarine is from the Latin phrase "water of the sea" due to the blue to blue-green color. Aquamarine can be found in Brazil, Zambia, Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and other countries.

April Birthstone - Diamond

The diamond is April's birthstone. Since ancient times, diamonds have been treasured for their brilliance and fire. Diamonds are also the symbol of love. Romans called this month April as it means to open, like the opening of buds on plants in spring.

Diamonds are of course the most wanted gemstone, but there is more to a diamond that its brilliance. Diamonds are the hardest natural substance and only a diamond can cut another diamond.

Diamonds can occur in any color though yellow and brown are the most common. There are even black diamonds, though they are really dark brown from so many inclusions in the diamond. Fancy colored diamonds are rare due to their intense, bright color. The rarest colored diamond is the blue diamond.

You find diamonds all over the world, especially South Africa and Canada 

May Birthstone - Emerald

Emerald is the May birthstone. The emerald is a green that brings to mind the colors of spring. Emerald is said to represent hope, success and rebirth.

The emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl. The green color is due to chromium and iron impurities. Emerald has a perfect six-sided crystal structure. Emerald can be scratched easily and should not be worn every day as a ring or bracelet.

Emeralds from Colombia are the best in the world. The deep green color reflects the jungles in which it is found. The Colombian emerald industry has on average 60% of the emerald market.

June Birthstone - Pearl

Pearl is the June birthstone. Pearls are formed when an irritant, such as a piece of sand, enters an oyster. The oyster coats the piece of sand over and over and a pearl is formed. An arabic legend states that pearls are formed when dew drops fall into the ocean. Pearls have been associated with Venus, which was named after the Roman goddess of love.

The iridescence shimmer shown by some pearls is due to the overlapping of layers laid down by the oyster. Pearls are usually white but can be tinted cream, pink, yellow, green, blue, brown, purple or black. Black pearls commonly called Black Tahitian Pearls are expensive due to their rarity.

There are two kinds of pearls, freshwater and saltwater. Freshwater pearls are formed by freshwater mussels. Most freshwater pearls today are farmed from mussels in China. Saltwater pearls are formed by oysters in the ocean, usually in protected oyster farms in lagoons. Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian are the three main kinds of saltwater pearls.

July Birthstone - Ruby

Ruby is the July birthstone. The ruby is a lovely red gemstone and has been a favorite since ancient times. The ruby is said to be a gem of passion and promotes balance in love. The ruby has also been said to promote health and courage.

The gemstone ruby is a variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is actually rare and one of the most precious and valuable gemstones. Rubies are the second hardest gemstone, after diamonds. Ruby is said to represent the sun.

The most popular ruby color is deep vivid red to slightly purple red. The best source for rubies is Burma. Burmese rubies are very well known for their pigeon blood color. Thailand is also well known for its dark red rubies.

August Birthstone - Peridot

Peridot is the August birthstone. This green gemstone is believed to help with nightmares, bring prosperity, fertility and healing. Peridot was once called the "gem of the sun" in ancient times.

Peridot is actually a variety of the mineral olivine. This gem is hard enough to be suitable for every day wear. Good quality peridot looks like a delicious green apple. The best peridot comes from Italy and has a rich olive color. Peridot from America is a light yellow green color. If you went into space you could mine peridot from meteorites as some have been found with peridot crystals.

Peridot is a unique gem in that it is formed in volcanic fire. Peridot comes in only one color, green. This is unusual as most gemstones come in at least a few colors. 

Peridot olivine is mined in Egypt, in the US; Australia, Brazil, China, Kenya, Mexico,  Myanmar (Burma), Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.

September Birthstone - Sapphire

Sapphire is the September birthstone. Sapphire is well known for its blue color but sapphire can actually come in many colors besides blue. Sapphire is derived from sappheiros the Greek word for blue. This gemstone does produce some of the most beautiful blue colors.

A gem quality sapphire is rarer than diamonds. Sometimes sapphires are found with a star light phenomenon called asterism.

Sapphire is well known as a blue color but the padparadscha sapphire, a pink orange color, is actually the rarest color and most sought after by gem collectors. The padparadscha sapphire is found in Sri Lanka. The royal blue sapphire is found in Kancha Thailand and the cornflower blue sapphire is found in Montana. White sapphires have been used as diamond substitutes.

October Birthstone - Opal

Opal is the October birthstone. The word opal is derived from the Latin word opalus meaning precious stone. Ancient kings treasured opal for its beauty and fiery colors. Opal is said to be a symbol of hope and beauty.

Opal is the most colorful of all gemstones due to the myriad of colors that are displayed. No two opals are alike. Precious opal is rare and is prized as a gemstone.

It is a common myth that if you wear opal and it is not your birthstone, it will bring you bad luck. Another myth is that opal jewelry must not be soaked in water or it will lose its fiery shimmery luster.

 Australia mines over 90% of the world's supply of opal. 

November Birthstone - Citrine

Citrine is the November birthstone. Citrine is a yellow variety of quartz. The name citrine is from the French word citron which means lemon. Citrine looks very similar to topaz but is actually a softer gem and has less brilliance. In ancient times it was thought that citrine protected the wearer against evil words and thoughts.

Citrine can be yellow, gold, orange brown. Citrine can be next to amethyst and form crystals. The bi-colored quartz is called ametrine. Natural, not enhanced, citrine is rarer than amethyst. Amethyst and smoky quartz can both be enhanced by heat to turn a yellow color.

It is found in many places all over the world. 

December Birthstone - Blue Topaz

Blue topaz is the December birthstone. Blue topaz is one of the most popular gemstones due to its stunningly clear blue color. There are different varieties of the blue topaz such as sky blue, swiss blue and london blue. Greeks in ancient times thought topaz had the power to increase strength and make one invisible. Blue topaz was thought to do that as well as cool tempers and restore sanity.

Topaz is a common gem and has been used in jewelry for centuries. Gem quality topaz is quite durable with a hardness of 8. It is suitable for every day wear.

It is found in Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Italy, Japan and several other places around the world. 

PROBABILITY Games

here is a site to practice probability  http://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/math/hspmath/ca/common/itools_int_9780153616334_/probability.htmlhttp://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/math/hspmath/ca/common/itools_int_9780153616334_/probability.html

BIG BECKY - tunneling machine

the drill head of Big Becky, tunnel boring machine. The drill head has disc cutters made of special tool steel that cut through the different types of rock in Niagara (shale, sandstone, limestone)

Big Becky, tunnel boring machine used in Niagara Falls. 

The Niagara Escarpment is made up of different types of rock. The rock at the very top is dolomite and is very hard.  Underneath it is shale which is very soft. Do you see how the rock underneath is wearing away faster? When they were digging the new tunnel, the tunnel boring machine had to deal with the different hardness levels of each type of rock. 

Exploring Rocks and Minerals

ROCKS AND MINERALS

This website is loaded with information. 
Try and get as far as the first quiz on ROCK TYPES. Record your mark. 
FIRST:  Fill in the blanks on your worksheet and use it to help you with the quiz.  


Ready, set, go. 
Click HERE     http://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/


More fun here:  
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/rockssoils.html

And check out a neat volcano video here 

MATH - Translations, Reflections and Rotations

Here is a quick but fun game where you can practice recognizing TRANSLATION, ROTATION AND REFLECTION. 

Remember:  

                  TRANSLATION is like a SLIDE...
                   ROTATION  is like a TURN and 
.                  REFLECTION  is like a FLIP 

good luck.   click here 

3D GEOMETRY

 This is a site where you can see different prisms and pyramids with their matching 'net' and watch it fold into the shape. 
http://www.learner.org/interactives/geometry/3d_prisms.html


Click herehttp://www.learner.org/interactives/geometry/3d_prisms.html

The Roman Empire

Here is a map of the Roman Empire when it was at its strongest around 117 C.E.  Look at the map and answer these questions using FULL SENTENCES on the sheet of paper.

1. Was Greece part of the Roman Empire?
2. Was Egypt part of the Roman Empire?
3. The Roman empire is surrounded by which very large sea?

The Roman Empire 117 C.E. 

This site will show you how it started in the city-state of Rome and then how it developed and expanded to its height.  Click here  

Here is a world map to show you Europe and Africa, where the Roman empire was located.





More pictures of Ancient Rome from around the world:

an amphitheatre built by the Romans in Spain in 2 C.E., that's over 2000 years ago.

This is the remains of a very, very long wall that stretched across most of England.  It is called Hadrians Wall and was used for protection (it was much taller before!)  

The theatre of Aspendus was built in 161-180 AD by the architect Xenon during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. It had an estimated capacity of 15'000 to 20'000 visitors. It is found in eastern Europe (Turkey). 

Ancient Rome

This site lets you pretend to be an archaeologist.  You are looking for Roman artifacts in England.  Why England? It's because the Roman Empire extended far away from Rome, its capital: To England in the north and to Africa in the south.  

Have fun.  

Click here 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/romans/

Pictures of Ancient GREECE

the Parthenon:   one of Greece's many temple ruins.








The Erectheum temple built on the Acropolis was for three separate gods: king Erectheus, Athena (goddess of Athens), and Poseidon, (god of the sea).


Arena for Greek theatre


Spartan soldiers


coin


drinking cup



Vase showing soldiers fighting

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Houses  http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/dailylife/challenge/cha_set.html


Gods and goddesses  http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/gods/challenge/cha_set.html

May 15th: Ancient Egypt

Today, this website on Ancient Egypt has several different topics. Please visit and read at least 3 different topics ( NOT including the one on jigsaws and the word search).

Keep track of which ones you visited on your sheet of paper and write 3 things that you learned from each topic. 

 The one about hieroglyphs (ancient Egyptian writing) is interesting and you can write your name!

The topic on pyramids lets you look at the real pyramids.

The topic on Egyptian number systems lets you do some Egyptian math.

"Making a Mummy" takes you through the process step by step.

They are ALL interesting!

Keep track of which ones you visited on your sheet of paper and write 3 things that you learned from each topic. 

Click here to learn more about Ancient Egypt.  

MONEY game

Practise putting decimals in order from smallest to largest.  Keep track of your score.  Remember, you will lose points if you make mistakes so don't just guess.

Here's the link :  Click here

EGYPT watch out for the mummy

Look for artifacts in an Egyptian tomb.  But watch out for that pesky mummy!

Click here

THURSDAY: Questions for today's Social Studies

   

Title:  Social Organization: 

Questions:

Look at the picture then write down the people from top to bottom in the correct order: 
Your choices are 
serfs (peasants), lords and church leaders, knights, king

Who was the most powerful?  Who had the least power? 




Now go to page 142 in your MANY GIFTS textbook. Read the page then answer these questions on your lined piece of paper: 

Here is the title for this part: 

The Manor Court

Answer using full sentences. 

1. Name a crime that would have been brought to the manor court. 

2. What type of punishments would the lord of the manor give to those people he found guilty? 

3. Fill in the blank:  Being locked in the stocks was a form of _________ _____________. 

Go to page 143.  Read the page then answer these questions.

Here is the title for this part: 

Time Out from Work

Answer using full sentences.

4. Make a list of all the activities people in medieval ages enjoyed when they were not working. 

5. Who invited the peasants to a great feast such as those held at Christmas or Easter? 

6. What made these occasions special? 

BITSTRIPS for School

Thursday, MAY 1st

Hi there class.  Today you will explore a fun site that lets you create comic strips.  I think you will have fun.  Here is the log in information:  

Go to this link :  bitstrips for schools 

Your Password is comic890

then hit GO. 

Please set your password as Grade4. 

Your first job is to find your avatar and edit it to look more like you. 

Your second job is to play around with the features and create a comic strip like mine. You will find it near the bottom of the bitstrip page. Check it out.  

The goal of your comic strip is to teach others about why smoking is a very BAD idea! 

GEARS - a REVIEW

There are different types of gears that are used.

SPUR GEAR:  There are usually two gears with teeth that rotate in opposing directions; these are the most simple kinds of gears; ex. a can opener

IDLE GEAR:  If you want two spur gears to turn in the SAME direction, and idle gear is placed in between the two spur gears

CROWN GEAR:  looks like a crown; the teeth are facing upwards and the bottom is flat; it allows things to rotate at different speeds; works with bevel gears mostly; ex. Used in car steering systems

BEVEL GEAR:  two wheels that the teeth bend slightly inwards at an angle which changes the direction of rotation;  ex. A hand drill

WORM GEAR:  is one circular gear with teeth and a screw-like tube as the other gear; higher possibility of slipping and not a good grasp between gears while rotating, but they are good for holding something in a position; ex. Tuning pegs on a guitar

RACK AND PINION GEAR: a single gear (the pinion) makes contact with a grooved plate (the rack) that either moves, or stays in one place depending on the desired output; it creates a more straight line of movement instead of a circular/rotational one; ex. Used to make tanks move

-Rack and pinion, spur, and idle gears travel within one plane (flat), while crown, bevel, and worm gears work within two planes (at angles).

We use gears in our lives just like we use pulleys.  Here are some examples:

BIKES: The chain on your bike grabs onto the teeth on the gears, then it propels the bike forward using the pedals to input the energy needed.

ENGINES: all car/truck engines need gears inside to help the parts within move

CLOCKS/WATCHES: have gears inside that create the movement of the hands on the clock

CAN OPENERS: use gears to turn a sharp metal piece to pierce and cut through the metal lid of a can

PIPE WRENCH:  uses rack and pinion gears to widen or narrow the opening

CONVEYORS/ESCALATORS: the gears rotate and turn to allow the surface to move; found in airports as moving sidewalks, or for luggage; found in malls as the moving stairs to get you to a different floor; at the grocery store to move your groceries from the cash to where you bag them. 

Gears control the direction and speed of moving parts.    Gears can increase, or decrease speed, and if needed, can reverse the direction of rotation. They help to make single parts of a unit work together as a whole to produce a desired outcome. 

Many gears working together is called a GEAR TRAIN and when used together, they are used to control direction and movement.

Important Facts on Gears:

1) The speed of the gear depends on the size and where it is placed.  The rotation speed (how fast it moves) depends on how large the gear is AND on how many teeth it has. The less teeth it has, the faster it is able to complete one full rotation. So speed can be changed by altering the size and number teeth on the gears.

2) The first gear turns differently than the next gear that is attached. If gear one turns counterclockwise, gear two will turn clockwise.  Gear three if added will turn the same as gear one. So gears can be used to control and change the direction of movement.

3) Gears work with other gears and with pulleys within a system to allow all moving parts to work correctly.

4) A gear system requires mechanical input to make it work (man power, electric, or chemical)

POETRY QUIZ

Answer the following in your WRITER"S NOTEBOOK.  Use complete sentences where possible. 

1.  Give an example of ALLITERATION. 

2. Identify the following as either a METAPHOR or a SIMILE

• a. The baby girl was as pretty as a peach.  
• b. I am so thirsty, my throat is as dry as a bone. 
• c. My teacher is a dragon.
• d. Books are keys to your imaginations
• e. Sammy knows so many words, he is a walking dictionary! 
• f. My grandmother is as sweet as pie. 

3.  Write one example EACH of a simile and a metaphor. 

4.  What is onomatopoeia?  Give an example. 

5.  What shape does a DIAMANTE poem have?  

6. What is the rhyming scheme?  (e.g. ABAB)

God alone may lead my spirit

Far away from want and fear

For the Lord is my true shepherd

And I know the Lord is near

IDIOMS

Look over these websites and find an idiom that you would like to illustrate.  Write it down in the WRITER'S NOTEBOOK and then sketch your picture.  





http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/languages/words/idioms/




http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary-games/idioms/more-idioms-game.html



http://www.english-idioms.com/articles/files/idiom-quiz-kids.html

PULLEYS

Go to this website to help you fill in the worksheet. 
http://scienceforkids.kidipede.com/physics/machines/pulley.htm


Learn about simple and compound machines while you explore the House and Tool Shed! 

http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/index.shtml



This video shows us how pulleys are used at NASA with the Space Shuttle. 
http://www.neok12.com/video/Simple-Machines/zX56004f445662567a447c45.htm

TUESDAY grammar

click here for NOUNS and VERBS

click here for THEY THEIR THEY"RE


click here for more NOUNS and VERBS




http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/   do some exploring.

Tuesday MARCH 25th LITERACY practise

Hey there, Grade 4! 
 "Conventions" is one of the writing traits.  It involves knowing where to put the periods, commas, apostrophes, question marks, etc.  This game will help you practice!  

1. Click here  FOR PUNCTUATION

Here are more games to help you improve your literacy. 

2. Click here for NOUNS, ADJECTIVES ETC. 
3. Click here for SUFFIXES and PREFIXES


4. Click here for more practice with "How to" writing. 

SOUND - Doppler Effect

The Doppler effect can be observed for any type of wave - water wave, sound wave, light wave, etc. 

We are most familiar with the Doppler effect because of our experiences with sound waves. 

Think about a police car or emergency vehicle was traveling towards you on the highway. As the car approached with its siren blasting, the pitch of the siren sound (a measure of the siren's frequency) was high; and then suddenly after the car passed by, the pitch of the siren sound was low. That was the Doppler effect - an apparent shift in frequency for a sound wave produced by a moving source.

The siren keeps on making the same sound all the time but YOU hear a different pitch (high pitch then a low pitch) as the siren moves past you.  

Look at the picture to help you understand why this happens.  Do you see how the wavelengths are different depending where you are standing?  

Reading Comprehension Activities

Practice inferring - please do all three exercises. 


1. Lesson One:  
http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/makinginferencel.cfm

2. Lesson Two: 
http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/h/inferchar.cfm

3. Lesson Three: 
http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/o/inferencep.cfm









This website will help you practice many different reading comprehension strategies, such as visualizing, summarizing, and inferring.  

Start with the 'MAGNIFYING GLASS' icon which will take you to the INFERRING practice page. 

Click here to log in.  REMEMBER to write down your account name for next time. 

How loud is TOO loud?

Play this game to learn about which sounds are dangerous to your hearing.

click here

Sound Definitions

Fill in the blanks on your sheet. 

Sound definitions:

Decibels (dB) -  a measure of how much energy a sound carries 

[how strong it is].  A conversation is 60 dB, 

a noisy restaurant is 70 dB and a rock concert is 120 dB.

Infrasound - a sound below what humans can hear.  

Scientists have discovered that elephants communicate using low sounds 

that humans can’t hear.  Their low rumblings produce very long sound 

waves that travel far across forests and grasslands.

Ultrasound - a sound above what humans can hear.  

These very high sounds are used by bats, porpoises and some kinds of 

insects to communicate.  

FRIDAY - MATH PRACTISE

Click here to practise math multiplication facts

http://www.mathsisfun.com/timestable.html


http://www.aplusmath.com/Games/matho/Matho.html

word families: matching game

practise your reading/spelling.  Easy game.  Click here.

CLOCKS time measurement

Practice telling time:  

GAME #1  click here


More practice  Click here


 http://www.teachingtime.co.uk/

MATH-O

Giraffe Races:  for reading CLOCKS  click here

Word problems - addition   click here


Try this one:  click here for bingo


Angles - estimating angles.  click here


Cat around the world - think through problems step by step  click here 

Bob the snail   click here

Math games for Geometry

http://www.eduplace.com/kids/mw/swfs/robopacker_grade3.html

ROBO PACKER

Explore Science

This website has a variety of different levels and subjects all related to science.  Have fun exploring!  

Click HERE  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml

Winter Olympics - Canadian Athletes

Listen to French Canadian athletes talk about their hopes for the Winter Olympics. Watch how they train for their sport.

Justine Dufour-Lapointes :  free style skiing

Mikael Kingsbury:  free style skiing - moguls

Charles Hamelin: speed skating - short track

Healthy Living websites

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids.php

Here is a site where you can learn more about healthy food choices.