I can't believe that it is already the end of 2016! It has been wonderful getting to know each one of the students and teaching them in the last four months.
The only homework for the break is to continue at least 15 minutes of daily reading and log it on the reading log in the red binder. I have sent some math puzzle sheets. Students can choose to use them if they wish to practice some addition and substraction.
Here are some ideas to continue supporting your child over the break.
1. Write picture journal entries to practice rich sentence writing skills.
2. Write interesting sentences using the words from the dictations.
3. Practice basic operation skills learned in grade 1 and 2. Students should be comfortable doing addition and subtraction of single and two-digit numbers as we will start dealing with three-digit numbers.
We continued with our math centres (les ateliers de mathématiques) to continue practicing rounding and number sense through fun small group activities.
During the month of November, we started and finished our new unit on patterning. Related photos will be shared in our December post.
2. Science, Drama and Literacy
We have worked on our integrated project where we completed a play script with our knowledge on structures and creativity to put together a puppet show. We also learned about performing with an audience and reflected on our learning through peer evaluation. The evaluation will be sent home shortly.
Students designing their puppets for three different houses of the three little pigs using their scientific knowledge on stable and solid structures.
Students having fun practicing their puppet show.
As a wrap-up of the science unit on structures, we also tried the famous marshmallow challenge. Students were observed to use their knowledge to build a structure with limited materials to attain a goal while showing their collaboration skills.
3. Health and Literacy
For the bullying prevention week, we started a series of integrated projects with this theme. The introductory activity included learning who is involved (the bully-or bullies, the bullied, the bystanders, the upstanders) by creating a possible bullying scene through shapes. Then, we wrote an explanatory sentences to make connections between the situation and the shapes and their placement and colours. We shared a lot of insightful discussions on this serious topic throughout this activity. The evaluation for this series of activities will be sent home shortly.
Draw a triangle, a square and a circle as you wish and wherever you wish. Who's the bully? Who's the bullied? Who's the bystander? Why?
4. In Visual Arts...
We have created our first winter art. We continue to explore using different materials and lines to make arts.
Attach shredded pieces of paper on a blank white sheet of paper with water.
When the sheet is dry, peel them off and voilà!
And then we drew branches, cardinals and snow.
It decorated our class bulletin board for several weeks. It will also be displayed in the gym for the winter concert for everyone to appreciate.
5. Misc.
- Thank you for all your participation in our fundraising activities and donations!
- We have had a couple of incidents of wet socks! Please send extra clothing to keep at school in a Zip-loc for your child's well-being just in case!
- Here are our winter concert songs. Please arrive by 6:30 PM (Nov 14th) at the latest if your child is participating. More detailed instructions will be sent out through Remind App.
Our class song. We are performing with Mme. Mancini's 2/3 class.
The whole school song for the finalé.
Thank you for your continued support and interest.
I
would like to thank you all for coming to the interview night. It was a
pleasure meeting you all.
Just
a little note to let you know what is happening on in our Grade 3 classroom. I
have had a great three months learning with your child and we only have 3 weeks
left before the winter break. Here are a few updates for the month of December:
Housekeeping:
Cold
weather: With the arrival of the winter weather, please
ensure that your child comes to school
in the appropriate clothing for the weather. It is also important for your
child to keep a change of clothes at school.
Curriculum
Corner:
þMath
In Math, we will be finishing our
patterning unit in the beginning of December and start our next unit – Data Management.
þScience
In Science, we will start to learn about
the forces we come across on a daily basis (muscular, magnetic, natural, etc.)
and their effects, as well as the impact of natural forces on society and the
environment.
þLiteracy
In Literacy,we will continue to work on making connections and
predictions using different parts of speech to use interesting and detailed sentences.
Soon we will start our Paragraph Writing unit.We will be focusing on using the writing process
to plan, organize and revise our writing.In reading, we are working on asking questions while we read to deepen our
reading comprehension and to help us find important ideas. We are continuing to
use our prior knowledge and ideas from the text to help us explain our thinking
before, during and after reading.
þHealth
In Health,we will continue to work on our unit on bullying
prevention through art and literature identifying characteristics of healthy
and unhealthy relationships. We will start discussions on safety and fictional
violence.
Mark your calendars for these dates:
Friday, December 9, 2016 Pyjama Day
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 – Primary
Winter Concert ”L’hiver en fête”
Wednesday, December 21, 2016 –
Holiday Sweater Day
December 24, 2016 - January 6, 2017
- Winter Break
Monday January 9, 2017 - Back to
School!
Our holiday food and toy drive continues until
December 12, 2016. Thank you for your donation.
If
you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to use the Remind
App to contact me. To reach the rotary teachers, please use the following
extensions.
Mme.
Sewell (social studies) – ext. 121
M.
Mittelstaedt (physical education and dance) – ext. 214
Mme.
Birse (music) – ext. 202
Thank you in advance for your support and
cooperation.
The dictation resource we are using contains all the new and old essential vocabulary for Grade 3 students. Each list has a phonics or grammar theme. If there is other words on the list (mots étudiés au 1er cycle), those are the words that they have already learned in Grade 1 & 2. Students are encouraged to review these words as well.
This program is to help students learn essential words and learn the correct spelling for their writing while learning important aspects of the language (gender and number agreement, for example). Students will demonstrate their responsibility and initiative throughout this weekly process.
Here is how the weekly dictation will happen from now on.
1. On the first school day of the week, students will receive a list of words along with a couple of sheets that will facilitate studying for the dictation. Students are encouraged to use these tools to get ready. It is expected that the sentence writing will be completed by Friday. The completion of the other activities will reflect the student's responsibility, organization of learning and initiative.
2. For support at home, I will try to post the list and the link to a pre-made translated list in English on Google Translate where parents and students can access to listen to the pronunciation and clarify the meaning.
3. Students are encouraged to take an active role in their learning by using different resources to prepare for their dictation including asking the teacher and classmates about the pronunciation and meaning when in doubt, looking up a dictionary, and using the practice sheets sent with the list.
4. The last school day of the week, students will have a dictation.
5. I will try to send home the corrected dictations the following school day. Please sign and return.
* note : we will be discontinuing the Comprehension Orale.
Thank you for your support and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send me a message via Remind App.
If you have not received a hard copy of the November newsletter, please click here to read it on our grade 3 team blog.
1. In Visual Arts..
We are learning to use different lines and patterns to make arts. Visual arts assessments will be sent home in their art porfolio before the first term report card.
This is the leaf art that we did for fall. Students traced leaf templates and added different lines and contrasting colours. What an artistic bunch of kids!
We also did this turtle line art using a variety of lines, patterns and colouring tools.
For Halloween, we created a spooky scene using colorfully stained coffee filters. I will post a picture of all the completed works soon for everyone's appreciation!
2. In Science..
We continue to learn about different structures and how they are solid and stable.
Through this simple experiment, students learned that triangular forms can help the same material become more solid and how they are useful in making different structures.
Another simple experiment where students tried to locate the centre of gravity using a ruler with and without an eraser attached on one side. Students then made connections between this experiment and different structures and reflected on its importance on the stability of a structure.
Science unit test is to happen during the month of November.
3. In Math...
We are still working hard on our number sense and numeration unit. We have done ordering numbers, exploring 1000 and its value, and rounding through collaborative problem-solving activities and math centres.
We have collectively created a 1000 chart and discussed how number patterns do not change in bigger numbers. This activity allowed students to visually notice the value of 1000 compared to smaller numbers they had been used to before Grade 3.
Students have also created individual number line manipulatives with which they have been practicing a number of concepts by playing games with them. They love them!
Some math centre activities where students practice math concepts through different games and hands-on activities. While students participate in 5 different activities in small groups, one group stays with the teacher for a guided math mini-lesson that allows students to have more small group attention and individualized assistance in math.
4. In Literacy...
We are working hard on writing enriched sentences using different questions and types of words. We will be also working on making connections and predictions.
5. Important reminder - reading log
Many students are not using their daily reading log in their red binder. Daily reading is a critical part of improving students' literacy skills. Students will be reminded more frequently to use them. The expectation is at least 15 minutes of reading in French every single day and record it on their log in addition to reading their guided reading book which they will start bringing home shortly (guided reading books should not be recorded in their log). Students can bring their finished school library books to exchange any day of the week. Day 5 is our class' weekly library visit during.
6. Assessments
Our weekly dictation is always on Friday. If a holiday falls on a Friday, it will happen a day before. Corrected dictation will be sent home the following school day, usually Monday or Tuesday, along with another list for the next dictation. Dictation is to learn and practice essential vocabulary for grade 1-3 French immersion students, which will help improve the quality of their writing. Students will be "recycling" these words throughout the school year through the word studies centre within our daily 5 guided reading program to practice.
Our weekly Compréhension Orale is always on the same day as dictation. Students listen to a short text and draw their understanding in a form of a picture. Students are to identify and use different listening strategies during this activity.
Please don't forget to review, sign and return any assessment sent home.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to message me via Remind App or call ext. 127.
Dictée #1 & Compréhension Orale 2 will be sent home on Monday, 24th. Please sign and return.
Dictée #1
Please note that this will not be reflected directly in students' report card grade for French as it has more to do with students' learning skills and work habits. These words are essential words for grade 3 students to understand, write and use correctly and practicing them will help students' future writing activities. Please encourage students to keep practicing them throughout the year.
Compréhension Orale #2
In this quick listening activity, students listen to a passage and use simple drawings to show their comprehension of a short text.
Students are encouraged to read the feedback given on the back to help themselves for the next time,
Some suggestions given include:
- Review certain vocabulary
- Take note while listening (they listen to the same text 3 times).
- Listen for the key words.
So far, it has been identified that students have particular difficulties with directional & place words (gauche, droite, supérieur, sur etc.)
Using feedback to improve future work will help students develop very important learning skills such as initiative and organization!
A fun way to practice for this weekly activity would be writing a simple descriptive paragraph of 5-6 sentences and read it to their friends over the phone or via Skype and having the listener draw what s/he understands. After, they can bring their work to school to compare. As we've been working on adjectives, encourage them to include a lot of descriptive adjectives in their writing.
First math unit (number sense and numeration) quiz will be sent home on Monday 24th.
Please go over the quiz with your child and use the evaluation rubric for which area of achievement s/he should work more on. As homework, students were asked to correct their mistakes or add more with a colour pencil.
You will notice that there is no points given to each question. Their work is assessed more holistically in four different areas of achievement (Knowledge and Understanding / Thinking / Communication / Application) using an assessment rubric following the ministry guidelines.
Some mistake are circled. If there is no circles but they achieved lower than it seems, some possible reasons are:
a. They did not use math vocabulary learned in class to explain their thinking.
b. They showed only one aspect of the number pattern.
c. Their explanation is not clear.
Here are some tips to better understand the evaluation rubric (la grille d'évaluation). Click on the image to view it bigger.
If you have any questions about this assessment, please feel free to send me a message or give me a call at Ext. 127. I will be happy to further explain how this assessment was done.
Please note that Level 3 means students are meeting the Ministry expectations.
An upcoming math quiz has been scheduled on October 20th. (Thursday - it was previously posted as 18th! My apologies.)
We have been learning to count from 1 to 1000 using a variety of tools.
We have been learning to communicate our problem solving using math vocabulary.
To succeed in this quiz, students are expected to:
1. Use 100 chart and number lines to show their skip-counting by 2, 5, and 10 forward and backward with in the range given (from # to # - à partir de # jusqu'à #).
2. Find out the number before and after the series of numbers and explain how they found them.
3. Explain the number pattern using math vocabulary (by how much the numbers are increasing and descreasing, what type of number - odd or even- appears in the pattern, how the 100's, 10's and units change)
4. Represent a three-digit number in a variety of ways, using words, decomposition, place value chart, and drawing.
5. Apply their knowledge to solve a word problem involving skip-counting
How to study for this quiz:
- Follow the next steps given on the feedback rubric (green slip of paper now kept in their math binder).
- Use the skip-counting games to practice (links on the first blog post).
- Try math workbook questions again.
- Make up your own questions.
- Review math vocabulary sheet - in their math binder.
Thank you for reading and your support. Any questions, I'm only a text message away!
Every Monday, a list of essential vocabulary will be sent home. These words will be tested on the following Friday. The dictation will be given in a format of fill-in-the-blank so that students practice the vocabulary in context and in a form of writing while practicing their attentive listening skills as they follow along the text at the same time as the teacher's read-aloud.
Click here for the list 1 of the vocabulary and its rough translation for parents. Click on the speaker icon for the pronunciation. Here are some corrections:
date - date tomber pile - happens at a perfect timing tour - tower or tour son - his her or its sorte - sort or kind
The dictation words will be "recycled" throughout the school year for mastery!
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a Remind App message for clarification.
Thank you for your support.
We had a great beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. Here are some snapshots of what we have done.
1. Our Classroom Agreement
Here is our classroom agreement. On the first day of school, we created what we agree to do during this school year together and signed it to show our commitment. It roughly translates as follows:
Our Class, Our Agreement
1. Respect yourself, others and their property and personal space, and the environment.
2. Help each other when asked and work as a team.
3. Put forth your best effort to complete all work.
4. Make positive choices when you work and play.
Celebrate successes.
2. Terry Fox Activities
For literacy, we are leaning to write in French in a variety of forms and for a variety of purposes
and audiences, using knowledge of vocabulary and stylistic elements to communicate clearly and
effectively, and to use the stages of the writing process – including pre-writing, producing
drafts, revising, editing, and publishing – to develop and organize content, clarify ideas and
expression, correct errors, and present their written work effectively.
As part of our poetry unit, we have a couple of Terry Fox poems before our annual Terry Fox Run around our school. We also learned a song about him and his perseverance by Gregg LeRock.
We identified adjectives in the poems and came up with our own ideas to describe what Terry Fox did and his character, and then discussed how these adjectives can turn into nouns.
Gentil > Gentillesse
Positif > Positivité
Persévérant > Persévérance
Héroïque > Héroïsme
etc.
And then we used the writing process with drafts and revisions to write our own poem using these words and a template to praise Terry and his achievement on a shoe shaped sheet that decorated our classroom door for the whole month of September, reminding students of the importance of perseverance.
3. Visit from Rick Hansen Foundation
A speaker from Rick Hansen Foundation spoke to us about accessibility and inclusion. Learn more about Rick Hansen, his foundation, and his trip around the world on a wheelchair at http://www.rickhansen.com/ Great chance to talk about and reinforce the importance of perseverance and always doing our best.
4. In Science...
We are learning about structure, solidity and stability. We started this unit by taking a walk around the school field and observe structures around us. Students were particularly intrigued by the exercise machines and playground equipment on the other side of the fence.
After learning some fundamental concepts and definitions, we jumped into our first science experiment where we built a structure with different materials that can support most weight. Students found it very challenging, however, they enjoyed it a lot and showed lots of collaboration.
We followed the scientific method to carry out this experiment which consists of
1. Problem 2. Hypothesis 3. Experiment 4. Conclusion
Students first tried with a weak material - straws
Some creativity here!
Some students remembered that the best base to support a structure usually takes a triangular shape as we saw in some examples including the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa.
4. In Math...
We have been working very hard on our number sense and numeration unit learning to count from 1 to 1000 in a variety of ways, using different tools. We are using 100 chart and number lines to practice skip-counting forward and backward, noticing different number patterns.
Students tried to figure out how many beads and buttons they were given as a group by collaboratively deciding on a strategy to do it in the most efficient way. This group decided on counting by 5 and then grouped them into 10's.
Another group decided to count by 10 and some students explained how they used skip-counting by 2 to make each group of 10.
We made connections to the real word and discussed how useful skip-counting is in many different everyday situations. We also talked about why counting by 7 or 9 is not a good idea.
5. Assessment sent home on the 7th of October
I have sent two assessments. Here is some explanation of what this is about.
A. Compréhension Orale
In this activity, students were to practice their attentive listening skills to listen to the teacher's sentences and draw what they understood on a piece of paper. They were supposed to draw:
A red car on the left side with two people inside.
A blue bicycle in the middle with no person on it.
A black motorcycle with a man wearing a black helmet and a red jacket.
These ideas were presented in a form of a paragraph. We will be doing this type of activity regularly to practice listening. For many students, figuring out left and right was a challenge!
B. Math feedback rubric
Combined with in-class observations, I have put together a feedback rubric to show where students are in their learning. This has no grade because it is to suggest next steps for success in an upcoming quiz that WILL be graded for reporting.
Our focus as a class is to communicate our thinking. When asked to describe the number pattern, students are encouraged to use their math vocabulary and the concepts we learned in class. Click here for the vocabulary list and (rough) English translation. Click on the speaker icon to hear the pronunciation, long click to play it slowly (long click only available on a computer).
Here are some French skip-counting games online that can be used to practice at home.
Please note that this blog is not to be used as a parent-teacher communication tool. Any comment or e-mail sent through this blog will not be read or answered. Please use the Remind App or call extension 127 to communicate with me.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more updates!
