HELLO OCTOBER!!!
It hard to believe that we are already into the month of October. September just sailed by and it was extremely busy, productive, and lots of fun!! Classroom routines and patterns are now well established. The students are showing grit and determination, respecting and following routines, and being kind and caring classmates. As I said in my last blog post...... it is full steam ahead!
In English, we will be using the fall festivities of Thanksgiving and Halloween to encourage our young readers and writers. Reading comprehension activities will focus on the strategies of “Questioning” and “Fix-up Strategies”. “Fix-Up Strategies” are evolving into using what we know about texts and text structures to help us decode unknown words. Students can anticipate vocabulary they could encounter in stories based on a quick “look ahead” or prediction. This all helps them become smarter readers. Questioning helps us dig deeper into the story.
What is really going on in the story?
Why did the author create this problem?
What do we think will happen?
For nonfiction, questioning often guides our next steps: where do we find more information?
Questioning makes us re-read. Our brains like clarity and order, not confusion!
What is really going on in the story?
Why did the author create this problem?
What do we think will happen?
For nonfiction, questioning often guides our next steps: where do we find more information?
Questioning makes us re-read. Our brains like clarity and order, not confusion!
Naturally, we will be linking our Reading and Writing. We are continuing to work on Descriptive Writing until the middle of the month. As well, we will be working on narrowing our focus when writing our own descriptive paragraphs. This is called the writing trait of “ideas”. As always, we need to ensure we write using “juicy details” and that our sentences “sound sweet” so that we engage our readers.
We just finished a descriptive paragraph about a very special person.......Mom!!! The boys and girls did a great job webbing their ideas and making effective use of the graphic organizer The paragraphs will arrive home for you to read and enjoy.
Later in October, we will do a lighter study on Explanatory Writing.
We just finished a descriptive paragraph about a very special person.......Mom!!! The boys and girls did a great job webbing their ideas and making effective use of the graphic organizer The paragraphs will arrive home for you to read and enjoy.
Later in October, we will do a lighter study on Explanatory Writing.
In Math, we are exploring 2D shapes and their properties and we will begin a unit on Data Management later in the month. For 2D shapes, we are teaching the students to focus on the properties of the shape (number of sides, number of vertices, parallel sides) and use this information to categorize shapes. This is particularly important when you have 4 sided shapes. All these shapes can be easily organized and sorted into categories. It is not about memorizing the names of shapes: it is about understanding what makes a parallelogram a parallelogram and why it is different from trapezoid. We focus on the relationships. We also use unusual shapes (not the perfect shapes) so that the students are really forced to look at the shape and think carefully. It’s actually a lot of fun, too!
In Data Management, the big focus is on asking follow up questions based upon what you learned from your data. What are you wondering about now? Questions always generate more questions as you delve deeper and look for clarity. We talk about the MODE of the data which is essentially the “most popular” or “most favourite”. This is a critical piece of data as it often drives decisions.
For example, we often vote to choose an activity and in real life, we use the mode to determine the flavour of pizza to order! Mode is the first measure of central tendency that students learn in math. In later grades, they learn about the value of the median and the average of a data set.
In Science, we will be beginning on a unit about plants and the important role that plants play in our lives. Connections will be made to being responsible advocates of our environment. As well, some cool experiments will allow the children to have insight into how plants grow and live.
For example, we often vote to choose an activity and in real life, we use the mode to determine the flavour of pizza to order! Mode is the first measure of central tendency that students learn in math. In later grades, they learn about the value of the median and the average of a data set.
In Science, we will be beginning on a unit about plants and the important role that plants play in our lives. Connections will be made to being responsible advocates of our environment. As well, some cool experiments will allow the children to have insight into how plants grow and live.
Reminders:
1. Please remember to sign your child's agenda each night.
2. Please make reading an essential part of your child's nightly routine. Read with and to them. Discuss the story.
3. Home Learning Link goes home each Monday. It is due back on Friday. This week we are asking for it to be returned on Thursday due to the PD day on Friday.
4. Library is every Monday. Books must be returned in order to get a new book.
5. October Book Orders will go home on the 10th and are due on the 14th.
6. Please take advantage of the online learning opportunities (RAZ Readers, Prodigy, Dreambox) that are available to your child for free and highly recommended to support the learning that takes place here at school.
6. P.D. Day (no school for students) – Friday, October 6th.
I would like to thank you for your continued support. Wishing you and your family a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving weekend.
D. Milne
1. Please remember to sign your child's agenda each night.
2. Please make reading an essential part of your child's nightly routine. Read with and to them. Discuss the story.
3. Home Learning Link goes home each Monday. It is due back on Friday. This week we are asking for it to be returned on Thursday due to the PD day on Friday.
4. Library is every Monday. Books must be returned in order to get a new book.
5. October Book Orders will go home on the 10th and are due on the 14th.
6. Please take advantage of the online learning opportunities (RAZ Readers, Prodigy, Dreambox) that are available to your child for free and highly recommended to support the learning that takes place here at school.
6. P.D. Day (no school for students) – Friday, October 6th.
I would like to thank you for your continued support. Wishing you and your family a blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving weekend.
D. Milne
