November 16

During guided reading we continue to work on using several vocabulary strategies as well as re-telling the main events of the story.  Each student will be getting a book mark with all  the vocabulary strategies listed so they may be referred to during independent reading times.

In writer's workshop we have been talking about how writer's get ideas.  We created a brain pocked which is divided into 3 sections: memories, facts and imagination.  Each student listed several different topics under each heading that can be referred to during writing time.  Today we also talked about climbing stories.  We learned that most fiction stories are organized this way.  The story starts with a setting and characters and it builds or climbs to a problem which is eventually solved.  We are currently using story maps to help us organize our ideas.  

In math we continue to work on related facts (connecting adding and subtracting).  I have started a teaching math using Math Daily 3.  This is a very hands on way of teaching/learning math.  Each math time (approximately 45mins- 1 hour per day) is organized as follows.  1. Mini lesson on skill being taught. 2. Students choose a job from Math Daily 3 (math with someone, math by myself and math writing) and then we work on a word problem.  Today our word problem was.  What numbers can you make that are below 100 and there is a 6 in the tens place?  How do you know when you have them all?  Please post at least one answer on the blog and how do you know that is one of the correct answers.

Have a great evening.

November 14

Today was another amazingly productive day in Room 73.  This morning during guided reading we talked about the comprehension strategy which involves giving a re-tell of the information that has been read.  We also reviewed what we need to do when we encounter unfamiliar words.  Remember to re-read, read ahead and look at the pictures and captions.

During writer's workshop we continued to work on our personal and expository narratives.  We will be working on this for the next few days before we move onto fiction story writing.

In math we have started talking about Related Facts.  Please post the answer to the following question:  What are all the related facts of 5+4=9.  Also, we learned a new game called Subtraction War.  Here are the instructions.  Please have your child practice this game at home.  You can challenge your child by flipping over 4 cards and subtracting double digit numbers.

Subtraction “War”

What You Need:

·       ·  Deck of cards 

What You Do:

1.   Shuffle the deck of cards and deal them face down, giving each player an equal number of cards until the deck runs out. Each player keeps his cards in a stack. Assign picture cards, such as jacks, queens, and kings, a value of 10. Give aces a value of 1.

2.  Each player turns two cards face up, reads the number sentence and supplies the answer. For example, if your child draws a 5 and a 4, he says 5 - 4 = 1. If you draw a 7 and an 2, then your number sentence is 7-2 = 5. Because your result is larger, you win the four cards and you put them at the bottom of your pile.

3.  If each of you has a number sentence with the same answer, then it's war! At this point, you'll reverse the math "operation" and do an addition problem. Each player puts four cards face down and turns up two of them. The player with the sum wins all eight cards.

During inquiry we learned how to add music to our slideshow.  I would like to thank Tyson for helping learn to add animations to our slideshow.  This is the coolest thing ever.

The kids were really excited today because....... I may have just overwhelmed them with my amazing gymnastics ability.  I showed off my best cartwheel and roundoff.  The kids went crazy.  

Landmark Cinemas and Coco Brooks Pizza Fundraiser forms went home today.

Have a wonderful evening.

November 10

Our class showed a great deal of respect during the Remembrance Day ceremony today.  Earlier on in the day, Mrs. Tuli came by to say hi and I was telling her how amazing this class is.  I feel like the luckiest teacher in the world.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me.

Here is the instructions for the math game we learned today during Math with Someone.  I have asked the kids to teach their parents how to play this game sometime before Monday.

Close Call: An Addition Game

Give this fun addition game a try! Challenge your child to create sums as close to 100 as he can, without going over. This requires him to evaluate all possible sums, based on the numbers he is given. He'll learn common patterns in addition as he works out the best plays. Try talking through the game with your child, asking him what he's thinking as he selects cards, and making discoveries together!
What You Need:

·       Deck of cards

What You Do:

1.     Remove 10s and face cards from the deck. Shuffle the deck and deal each player 6 cards.

2.    Each player selects four of their cards and creates two 2-digit numbers from them. The goal is to create two numbers that have a sum as close to 100 as possible, without going over.

3.    After players have made their selections, they place their cards face up in front of them, arranging them so other players can see which two numbers they have created.

4. The player with the numbers closest to 100, without going over, wins a point. In the case of a tie, a point is awarded to each team.

5.    Shuffle the cards before dealing another round.

6.    Play continues for 5 rounds. The player with the most points after the last round wins the game.

Challenge

·       To make the game more challenging, deal 8 cards to each player, let them choose 6, create 3- digit numbers, and set the goal to 1,000.

Today we finished up our inquiry projects.  Many of the students are interested in adding music to their slideshow.  I will be teaching the class how to do this on Monday before we start our presentations.

Next week in Math we will be practicing our subtraction and connecting it to addition.  During guided reading we will be focusing on story re-tells.  Please practice this skill at home.  In writing we will continue to work on writing personal and expository narratives.  

Gena wants me to write "We really love our teacher and we think she is awesome."  This brings a small tear to my eye.  I am so blessed!!!

November 9

We had another wonderful day.  This morning we reviewed our Comprehension Strategy Re-read or read ahead.  Our next strategy will be to look at the pictures, graphs, charts and captions.  After this strategy we will move on to looking at the word to see if there is part of the word that we already know.  This is a great strategy especially for compound words and words that contain prefixes and suffixes.

Today during Writer's Workshop we talked about expository writing.  We learned that this is a type of writing that is designed to inform readers.  It contains facts and no opinions.  During writing time today the students could choose one of three jobs: edit their soldier story, write a personal narrative or try an expository piece.

Today in math we talked about Math writing and in the middle of this we had another lockdown practice.  As usual we did amazing.  When the lockdown was over after about 20 minutes we continued on with our math writing in our journals.  This job currently involves "number of the day"  Students choose one of the posted numbers, write it in their journal and represent it in as many different ways as possible.

We ended the day with our inquiry project.  Tomorrow is our last day and then we will be presenting next week.  The week after that we will be getting together with Mrs. Thomas' grade 3 class to finish up our science unit on sound.

Remembrance Day service is tomorrow beginning around 10:35.

Have a wonderful evening.

November 8

Thank you Hope for bringing a scrabble game for us to use during Daily 5.  Today we talked about 2 comprehension strategies:  Re-read or read ahead and look at the pictures, illustrations, charts for clues to unfamiliar words.  We learned today that we still need more strategies because these 2 strategies do not work every time.  

During writer's workshop we made a couple of charts to be posted in the classroom.  We talked about being a good editor using the acronym COPS.  Please ask your child what each letter stands for.  We also made a chart listing all of the things that good writing needs.  Please ask your child about this.

After lunch we talked about Math Daily 3 and practiced working effectively on Math by Myself.  We played the game Race to 100 or 1000 again.  Please please practice this game at home.  Your child will be able to teach your family how to play.

We ended the day working on our inquiry projects.  Thursday is the last day and then we will be presenting next week.

Book orders were sent home today and are due Monday November 14.  If you do not pay online please send a cheque made out to Scholastic Canada.  Please do not send cash.

November 7

Happy Monday Funday! (Thanks Elise for this intro)  We had an absolutely fabulous day.

This morning during Daily 5 the class was very excited about bananagrams.  I am still looking for a game of scrabble if anyone is willing to donate.

Tomorrow during Guided reading we will be talking about several different comprehension strategies that can be used at school and home.  This strategy is called Read again or read on.  This purpose of this strategy is to help students use the clues in sentences to help figure our new vocabulary words.  We will be working on this all of this week.

Today during writer's workshop we talked about different genres.  We are currently working on personal narrative from the perspective of a soldier.  Tomorrow we will be talking about what "good" writing looks like.  Please post your answers on this blog.  We will also be talking about how to use an editor's checklist to help improve our writing.

We had a "Peace Talk" this afternoon.  We talked about making sure everyone is included and we discussed how important it is to talk directly to the person you are having a problem with.  We do not speak with others about another person.

After lunch we had math.  We played a game called Last Man Standing.  The idea of this game was to identify numbers that are greater than or less than a specific number that I called out.  We also played a new game called Race to 100 (or 1000).  I have introduced to the class a new way of organizing our math time.  It is called Math Daily 3.  During this time students will eventually choose one of the following 3 jobs: math writing, math by myself and math with someone, after a 10-15 minute mini lesson.  Problem solving will also be integrated into daily work.  We will be talking more about this later this week.

We ended the day working on our inquiry projects.  I hope to have to completed by the end of the week so we can move on.

November 4

Happy Friday families.

This morning many of us enjoyed a tasty treat from edible arrangements.  They sure looked yummy.

We started our day with 2 rounds of Daily 5.  Many of the students are spending time using the computers for listening to reading.  They are able to log on to Raz Kids and follow along with a variety of stories.  Today we talked about when reading how important it is that you talk about the books you read.  The students can now use a comprehension spinner during read to someone. While one student reads and the other listens they will then choose an appropriate time to stop and spin the spinner.  The listener then asks the reader one of several different questions.  Here are a few examples.  Please feel free to use these questions at home when reading with your child.

1. Does the story remind you of something?
2. What will happen next?
3. What's happened so far?
4. What does the author tell you about the characters.

We also have a new activity for word work.  Yay Bananagrams!  I taught the kids one way to play and they had many ideas of their own.  This made me so happy.  If there any families who would be willing to donate their scrabble game to us for word work during Daily 5 that would be greatly appreciated.

During writer's workshop we started writing our stories from the perspective of a soldier at war.  I was so amazed at how well the students did.  Thank you to Hope and Lana for sharing their stories.  

Today we spent our daily physical activity time outside.  I thought this would be a good day to enjoy the sunshine before the snow falls.

Monday Tone Chime club starts at lunch.

No School next Friday.

Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S.  Your kids are amazing :)