June 21, 2017

Dear Parents,

Happy Summer Solstice! 

Today we:

- worked all morning on our Canada 150 Art project 

In the afternoon we:

- played Math games
- had Library
- went outside for DPA

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- Field Trip form and money
- Yearbook form and money

June 15th, 2017

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we had our yearly fire drill
- we worked on our "Guess Who" game (please ask your child about this) for writing
- we had French

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in the probability terms of "likely, unlikely and even" chances
- we worked in our JUMP Math books on this concept
- we had our first lesson in Force (Grade 3) and Light and Sound (Grade 4)

Homework:
- permission slip and money for Crawford Lake trip
- read for 20 minutes
- Yearbook forms are due

June 14th, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- began our day with Mr. Stoddart and our Canada 150 Art project
- we then went to our Book Swap
- we read to self with our new books
- we went to French

After lunch:

- we did Math problem solving. The focus was probability
- we did Computer Math
- we had Library
- we had Gym

Homework:
- Crawford Lake permission form and money
- read for 20 minutes

June 13, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then worked on Descriptive Writing by looking at the descriptive language in the book "I Know Here"
- we then played a game called "Guess Who?" and "Guess What?" where I used descriptive language to describe something or someone and students had to guess who or what I was talking about. 
- students went to French

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in Probability Outcomes
- we practiced this concept using 3 different spinner and spinning 24 times to see our results. We discussed our results and then practiced this concept in our JUMP math books.
- we had a discussion about PRIDE month at the TDSB
- we practiced our dramas from yesterday

Homework:
- permission slip to Crawford Lake and money
- read for 20 minutes

June 12, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we did a response to Thursday's "Music with Radmila" (Radmila played one song in two different styles -- classical and a popular style)
- we then read the book "I know here" by Laura Crozak
- we went to French

After lunch:

- we began a new unit in Math: Probability
- we learned about Outcomes
- we practiced this concept in our JUMP math books
- we then worked on a drama as our culminating activity for Paddle to the Sea

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes

June 8, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did our POW test (which was marked and handed back)
- we worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then had Gym
- we had French

After lunch we:

- had our Math test
- had Activity Time
- had Music with Radmila (an assistant at our school who played for us two versions of the same song)
- had DPA

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- NO SCHOOL TOMORROW

June 7, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- began our day with Art with Mr. Stoddart
- our self-portraits are coming along nicely as well as the other artistic bits that we are putting together for our Canada 150 celebration
- we continued our art all morning until French time

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in Problem Solving using decimals and fractions
- once we were done we had Activity Time
- we then read our last 3 chapters of "Paddle to the Sea" 
- tomorrow we will be working on our final activity as a way to finish Paddle to the Sea
- please ask your child where in the world Paddle ended up
- we ended our our with DPA

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week (due tomorrow)
- Math test on decimals and fractions tomorrow (Thursday)

June 6th, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we read the book "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig
- we did a reading response using the RACE format as a way to answer our question about why Brian felt invisible
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- had a math lesson on adding and subtracting decimals and fractions
- we worked in our JUMP math workbooks on this concept
- we went to the Library
- we had Gym

Homework:
- Poem of the Week (due Thursday)
- Read for 20 minutes
- Math test on Decimals and Fractions on Thursday

June 5, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- worked on the Poem of the Week 
- we practiced Read to Self while I conferenced with students individually
- we then worked on our Journals 
- we then went to French

After lunch we:

- did a Math review (5 minutes)
- we then worked on adding and subtracting fractions and decimals
- we read another chapter of Paddle to the Sea in which Paddle went over Niagara Falls! I asked students to imagine what Paddle was feeling as he went over the falls.

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week

June 2, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- had our POW test
- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we worked on writing. Today we brainstormed the following topic: "What bothers me..."
- went to French

After lunch we:

- had math games while I did Guided math
- read two chapters of Paddle to the Sea and discussed the book as part of our Social Studies unit on Ontario and Canada

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes

June 1, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we worked on writing in our Journals
- went to French

In the afternoon we:

- had math problem solving using fractions
- we did the Math Congress to go over our answers
- worked on computer math
- had DPA at the end of the day

Homework:
- POW
- read for 20 minutes

May 31, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did our Art project with Mr. Stoddart for Canada's 150 celebration
- we had Gym
- we went to French

In the afternoon we:

- finished up our James and the Giant Peach art with Ms. Xavier's class
- we then read and discussed two chapters of "Paddle to the Sea" 

Homework:
- POW
- read for 20 minutes

May 30, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced individually with students
- worked on our writing further and looked at Level 4 examples
- reflected on our growth in writing and reading this past year
- went to French

After lunch we:

- did a five question review of concepts we have learned this year
- we then worked on turning fractions into decimals
- we had Library
- we had Gym

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- POW

May 29, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- began our day with Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then worked on our Journal writing in which I modeled writing what I did on the weekend while using the Hamburger Paragraph

- we then went to French.

After lunch we:

- learned how to make fractions decimals
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/
- we then worked on this concept in our JUMP Math books
- we read another chapter of "Paddle to the Sea" and talked about shipping using freighters. We then discussed currents in lakes and oceans, the garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific and then watched a quick video about the Garbage Gyre.
- we ended our day outside for DPA

Homework:
- reading for 20 minutes

May 12, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- did our POW test
- worked on Reading to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on our Passion Projects
- went to French

After lunch we:

- had a math lesson (Grade 4s Fractions while Grade 3s did Time)
- we worked on our Passion Projects
- we had DPA

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes

May 11, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- worked on our Mother's Day top secret art and writing project
- we did Read to Self
- we had Jump Rope for Heart

After lunch we:

- Grade 3s and 4s had a lesson in time (review)
- Grade 4s had an extra lesson in fractions
- we then continued work on our Mother's Day project

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week
- EQAO homework for Grade 3s

May 8, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- read to self while Ms. Jensen conferenced with students
- read a chapter from James and the Giant Peach while we ate snack
- worked on our Passion Projects
- went to French

After lunch we:

- continued our study of adding and subtracting money amounts
- worked in our JUMP math books
- had Library
- had Gym

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- POW will be handed out tomorrow

May 3rd, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- started our day with Mark Stoddart and our Canada 150 Art project
- we worked on several questions that explore our backgrounds and who we are (what countries are we from, what is our favourite food, who inspires us, what places do we want to visit, what do we want to be when we grow up?)
- we then researched the flags of each of our countries
- after recess we had Gym
- we came back in and had snack and read several chapters of James and the Giant Peach
- we had French

After lunch we:

- had our math quiz on money 
- we then worked on our times tables and division
- we had our assembly on the Character Trait of Cooperation
- we listened to one more chapter of Paddle to the Sea as part of our study of Ontario and Canada

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week
- EQAO work for Grade 3s

May 2nd, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- read to self while I conferenced with students
- worked on Malala and took up our reading response questions
- went to French

After lunch we:

- did Math problem solving and then played math games
- we read one more chapter from "Paddle to the Sea" and talked about an important industry in Canada -- the sawmill, which was featured in the story.
- we then worked on our Passion Projects

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- EQAO work for Grade 3s
- Poem of the Week

May 1, 2017

Happy May!

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- worked on our new Poem of the Week 
- we read to self while I conferenced individually with students about their reading (please ask what they are focusing on C, A, F, or E). 
- we then read a Biography of Malala 
- we then saw two videos related to Malala and worked on reading comprehension questions around her life
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulxZXHn_W-E
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIqOhxQ0-H8

After recess, we:
- had a lesson on money and adding money amounts, making sure that the decimals align. 
- we worked in our JUMP Math books on this concept and I went around conferencing with students about their math understanding
- we had Library 
- we ended our day with Gym

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week
- EQAO work for Grade 3s

April 27, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- then worked on our Passion Projects
- had French

After lunch we:

- played Math Games
- did Social Studies (Paddle to the Sea)
- we learned about Log Drivers and watched the NFB animation called the Log Driver's Waltz (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsZZ2s3xv8)
- did DPA

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week (due tomorrow)
- Grade 3 EQAO homework (due tomorrow)

April 26, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- began our day with an Art Project with Mr. Mark Stoddart
- students had to identify media symbols and the messages within them (e.g.: Toblerone)
- we then did Gym
- we had French

After lunch we:

- had Math games on the computer
- we had our Vow of Silence for Child Soldiers
- we went outside for DPA

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- EQAO homework for Grade 3s
- Poem of the Week
- Passion Project letter

April 25, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- practiced our Poem of the Week
- we did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on Passion Projects
- went to French

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in math on Money
- we worked in our JUMP math books
- had an art lesson on Paper Mache related to our Read Aloud on James and the Giant Peach (we are collaborating with Ms. Xavier's class on this project)
- we then had DPA outside

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week
- a plant from our trip to TUSC was sent home tonight (enjoy!)
- Passion Project letter

April 24, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- worked on our Poem of the Week
- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on our Passion Projects
- went to French

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in our next unit: Money!
- worked in our JUMP math books
- had Library
- had Gym

Homework:
- Reading for 20 minutes
- POW

April 21, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- had our POW test
- we went down to the Gym to do Eco Games for Earth Day
- we worked on our Passion Projects
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- played math games
- Please ask your child about the special "Cootie Catcher" (math game)
- we read another chapter of "Paddle to the Sea" and worked on animal tracks and how animals chase one another
- went outside for DPA

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes

April 20, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students about Passion Projects
- worked on our Passion Projects
- went to French

In the afternoon we:

- continued our Passion Projects
- went to Yoga
- had a party for Hella, our CYW student who is finishing her placement

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- POW 
- discuss Passion Project at home

April 18, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- began with the POW
- we worked on our spelling pre-test for the POW
- we did Read to Self while I did Guided Reading with a group of students
- we worked on our Passion Projects (please ask your child what they are focussing on)
- we then went to French

After lunch we:

- had a discussion about the Federal Government and if they have the right to tell small businesses when they can open and when they should close. This was based on an article in the Star. Please ask your child "what side of the fence" they are on.
- we then reviewed Division and worked in our JUMP Math workbooks on this concept
- after recess we worked on our unique "Mixed Up Chameleon" artwork as part of our focus on integration, Autism Speaks and Pink Shirt Day. 
- we then tidied up for home

Homework
- POW
- Read for 20 minutes

April 12, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- had a classroom meeting
- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on a new project! We have begun "Passion Projects." I showed the students this video as a way to introduce them to the idea of studying their passion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFQUtHsWhc
- we then went to French

After lunch we:

- had our Pink Day Dance. Our class ran the dance for the afternoon. 

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- POW

April 6, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- began our day reviewing the Poem of the Week (Canada's Provinces and Territories)
- we then moved on to Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we worked on a piece of writing related to the talent show
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- did Math Problem Solving
- went to Yoga
- we went to the Library
- we had GYM at the end of the day

Homework:
- POW
- read for 20 minutes

April 5, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then read two chapters from "James and the Giant Peach"
- we then did the 100 metre dash for GYM
- we wrote in our journals about our unique talent based on yesterday's puzzle piece about Autism
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- had our AMAZING talent show!! This was my first experience at NMPPS and it was an amazing extravaganza! Congratulations to all those who participated, and especially students from Room 201 (Tajmim, Orion, Wahida, and Claire).

Homework:
- POW
- Read for 20 minutes

Monday, April 3, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- did our POW pre-test (about Canada and the provinces and territories)
- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then had Gym in which we continued to learn about volleyball
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- learned about Autism for World Autism Day which is celebrated this week at Nelson Mandela Park PS
- we then moved on to division and multiplication (Grade 3) and Long Division (Grade 4)
- we then continued this work after recess and then finished our Great Canadian Mail Race postcards

Homework:
- POW
- Read for 20 minutes

March 31, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- had our POW test
- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- had a lesson and then worked on a Friendly Letter (more details to come)
- went to French

After lunch we:

- had our Math quiz
- worked on computer math for the rest of the afternoon 

Students were awarded 703 points on Class Dojo, hence our reward of "Computer Time." For the month of April we will challenge ourselves to get 1000 points! If you haven't already, please sign up for our Class Dojo account to see your child's progress and pictures of their learning.

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes

March 30, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on our art portfolio's
- had a visit from a professional storyteller

After lunch we:

- had a lesson in multiplication and division
- we worked in our JUMP math books on this concept
- there will be a quiz tomorrow
- we had Library
- we then had DPA

Homework:
- POW test tomorrow
- math quiz on division tomorrow

March 28, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- had our TUSC workshop in the morning (it was great!!)
- please ask your child what plants or habitats they learned about

In the afternoon we:

- learned about division in math
- worked in our JUMP math books
- talked about our next focus of study in Social Studies: Grade 4 is Canada while Grade 3 is Ontario
- had DPA

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- EQAO homework (Grade 3)
- Poem of the Week

March 23, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self
- we then finished our Viola Desmond responses from yesterday
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- did Math Problem Solving
- did Math Facts (multiplication)
- had Library
- had Gym

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- POW

March 21st, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- started our day with a video and discussion about World Down Syndrome Day: https://youtu.be/kNMJaXuFuWQ
- we then did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we then worked on a Journal entry
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- continued work on our 3D art from yesterday
- we then went to a play called "Birds of a Feather" (put on by Roseneath Theatre http://app.roseneath.ca/)
- we then had Gym outside

Homework:
- reading for 20 minutes
- POW 

March 20th, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- began our day by reflecting on the March Break and what we did during our week away
- worked on our newest Poem of the Week (by John Updike)
- did Read to Self while I did Guided Reading
- we had Gym (we began to learn volleyball)
- we had French

After lunch we:

- had a new lesson in rounding to the nearest 10s digit
- we worked in our notebooks on this concept
- we worked on a 3D hand art piece after recess

Homework:
- read for 20 minutes
- POW 

March 9, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- discussed "Sanctuary Cities" and the state of refugees and immigrants in the United States
- we then did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we worked on writing (Adventure Story, James and the Giant Peach Brochure, Peaceful Warrior Shield)

After lunch we:

- had Yoga
- went to Library

Homework:
- POW (due tomorrow)
- read for 20 minutes

March 8th, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- we worked on writing (Adventure Stories, James and the Giant Peach reading response, mapping activity, Peaceful Warrior shield activity)
- we went to French

After our pizza lunch lunch we:

- watched a movie as part of our Class Dojo reward for February
- went on the Women's March!!
- continued our movie

Homework:
- Grammar POW
- Read for 20 minutes

March 7, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- worked on Read to Self while I conferenced with students
- worked on our Adventure Stories if we were not done
- went to French

After lunch we:

- continued work on our mapping project
- worked on a Peaceful Warrior shield for Yoga class

Homework:
- Grammar POW
- Read for 20 minutes
- Women's March TOMORROW (wear white)
- Pizza Lunch (for a reward for the Eco drive)

March 6, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did our Grammar POW by looking at articles and prepositions
- we did Read to Self
- we read two chapters of James and the Giant Peach
- we had Gym
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- learned about coordinates, the compass rose, a legend and a bird's eye view of a map
- we brainstormed the necessary things that a town needs (power source, water source, safety, hospitals, etc). 
- in a group of two, we worked on a map of a fictional town
- we then debriefed and set success criteria for the mapping exercise
- we continued working on our maps.
- tomorrow we will work on an individual map of a made-up town

City Map

Homework:
- POW
- read for 20 minutes
- Women's March on March 8th at 1:20 pm -- PLEASE WEAR WHITE!!!

March 2, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self
- worked on a survey for our Class Dojo reward
- planned our Bake Sale for tomorrow
- worked on finishing up our Adventure Story (or if we were done, work on a "James and the Giant Peach" reading response brochure)
- went to French

After lunch we:

- worked on math by identifying faces and vertices of 3D shapes
- we went to Yoga
- we went to Library
- we came back and made "Bear Poo" using our new Good Food kitchen cart (a travelling kitchen cart)

Homework:
- Grammar POW
- Math 
- Bake for the bake sale!!! 

March 1, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self 
- had a final workshop on "James and the Giant Peach"
- went to French

After lunch:

- did Math Problem Solving
- worked on Chrome Books 
- wrapped up our Social Studies centers

Homework:
- Read to Self
- POW 
- Bake Sale Friday (please bake!!)

February 28, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did Read to Self
- worked on our Bake Sale posters (Bake Sale is this Friday)
- worked on our writing
- went to French

After lunch we:

- went to see the play "James and the Giant Peach"

Homework:
- Grammar POW
- Read for 20 minutes
- Please bake for Friday's Bake Sale

February 27, 2016

Dear parents,

Today we:

- started with the Grammar Poem of the Week focussing on conjunctions and run-on sentences
- Read to Self while I conferenced with the Grade 3s on their EQAO homework from last week (we went over the answers)
- Gym (basketball and dodge, then Octopus!!)
- French

After lunch we:

- continued our work on Geometry by looking at the faces of the shapes, vertices, and number of edges of 3D shapes
- we worked on our Bake Sale posters and announcements for Friday's Bake Sale (all proceeds will go to the Quebec Mosque tragedy)

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- Poem of the Week
- James and the Giant Peach play (tomorrow) -- BRING A LUNCH!!!
- Bake Sale on Friday

February 24, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we:

- did our POW with a focus on Grammar
- we then went to the Gym for a soccer workshop (photos were posted to ClassDojo)
- we then did Read to Self
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- had a pre-James and the Giant Peach workshop 
- we then went to Ms. Xavier's class to practice our song for the Spring Concert
- we then played Math Games to end our day

Homework:
- Read for 20 minutes
- James and Giant Peach play on Tuesday (don't forget your form!)

February 23, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we:

- had a discussion about internet safety and the use of Roblox. Please check in with your child about this. A note is coming home regarding the safety around it. 
- we then moved on to Read to Self
- yesterday we read about Wilma Rudolph. We answered the following question: "What character trait does Wilma Rudolph exhibit? Use evidence from the text and your own ideas to support your answer." We used the RACE format to answer this question. Today we examined several examples of responses. 
- we went to French

After lunch we:

- worked on 3-D Geometry and had a worksheet on this concept. 
- we went to Yoga and discussed "Peaceful Warriors." Please ask your child about this. 
- we went to Library
- we finished our day with Gym

Homework:
- POW
- Reading for 20 minutes

February 14, 2017

Hello parents,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today we began our day with the POW and Read to Self. We then moved into working on our play for Charlotte's Web. Students are now ready to present to the class. We will be doing presentations tomorrow. We then went to French.

After lunch we had our Valentine's Exchange and class party. We then went to Library and had Gym. 

Homework:
POW (due Thursday)
Read for 20 minutes
Practice your times tables!

February 13, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with the Poem of the Week. We reviewed it and then went through the rhyming scheme. We then moved on to Read to Self. After recess we worked on our Adventure Stories and then we worked on our Charlotte's Web play that we are working on with Ms. Xavier's class. We then went to French.

After lunch we reviewed our times tables. I challenged students to remember the 3, 6 and 9 times tables, and then challenged them with a bonus: the 4, 7 and 8 times tables. While they were working on this I conferenced with students about math vocabulary and reviewed key concepts with them. We then worked on Social Studies centers by using Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids to research different roles during their chosen period. We ended the day by beginning a new read aloud: Wilma Unlimited. 

Homework:
Read for 20 minutes
POW
Valentine's Day is tomorrow -- cards for every child are welcome

February 9, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with the POW and reciting it. We also practiced our spelling words. We then moved on to Read to Self. After recess we worked on Adventure stories and then went to French. 

After lunch we learned a new way to multiply the 3, 6 and 9 times table. We already know our 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 times tables and are in the process of memorizing our 3, 6, and 9 times tables. At home, please focus on the 4, 7 and 8 times tables please! We then went to yoga. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers by writing a review of the ROM visit (what we learned, what exhibit we loved) and we did a Venn Diagram comparing Ancient Europe to Ancient Islam (what was the same, different) if we were in Grade 4. 

Homework:
Read for 20 minutes
POW test Friday

February 8, 2017

Today was our trip to the ROM.

February 7, 2016

Dear Parents,

Today we began our day with Guided Reading and read to self. We then moved on to a lesson in the Adventure story writing and working collaboratively on the Success Criteria. We then went to French.

After lunch we had a lesson in angles (acute, right angle and obtuse) and how to properly use a protractor. I then did Guided Math groups to see how they were using the protractor and if they were using it correctly. After recess, we had Library and then Gym.

Homework:
Read for 20 minutes
POW
ROM Trip tomorrow!!!

February 6, 2017

Hello parents! 

Today we began our day by reciting the Poem of the Week, "Every Time I Climb A Tree." We then set off to do our Pre-test. Please help your child study the spelling words. We then moved on to Read to Self. After recess, we worked on our Adventure Stories. We then went to French.

After lunch, we finished our Class Dojo reward of watching a movie. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers and then math if we were done. We ended the day with DPA. 

Homework:
Poem of the Week
Read for 20 minutes
ROM form 
ROM trip is this Wednesday

February 2, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we began our day with Read to Self while I conferenced with students. We then moved on to Reading Response. We looked at several student-written examples and graded them as a class looking for the use of RACE and whether the response made sense. 

Please see the following answer:

This is an example of a Level 3 response.

After lunch we had a quick review of what we learned on Monday and Tuesday about Geometry (attributes of figures and angles). We then worked on two worksheets to solidify this concept. We then went to Yoga. After recess, and as a reward for getting to 550 points for our Class Dojo, we watched an episode from Netflix. 

Homework:
POW (Test tomorrow)
Read for 20 minutes
Bring back permission form

February 1, 2017

Dear parents,

Welcome to February!

Today we began our day with the Poem of the Week. We read it in three different silly voices as a way to make it fun. We then moved on to Read to Self while I conferenced individually with students.  We then worked on our Reading Responses. Using the format RACE, we worked on creating a response to a text about Rosa Parks. The first questions we jointly constructed while the second question we worked on in partners. I did Guided Writing at this point with several students about how we craft reading responses. 

Reading Response anchor chart. 

We then went to French.

After lunch we did Problem Solving. We then worked on Computer math using the Google Chromebooks. We did the Math Congress to go over our answers and give them a grade. After recess we had Library with Ms. Jean and presented their dioramas to the class. 

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
POW

January 31, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with a discussion about the situation that happened in Quebec and we observed a moment of silence as a school. Flags are at half mast to show our solidarity with our Muslim community. We also had a discussion about the violence that happened in Regent Park last night as many of our students live where that happened. Please debrief with your child. 

We then did Read to Self while I conferenced with students. After recess we went jointly constructed a level 3 answer to yesterday's reading response. We then went over a level 3 and level 4 answer to the questions we did yesterday. Students then learned of a format in which to answer a Reading Response question: RACE. 

After lunch we reviewed yesterday's math concepts about polygons. We then had a lesson on angles (acute, obtuse and right angles). We then worked in our math books on these concepts. After recess we had Library and then Gym.

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
POW

January 30, 2016

Dear parents,

Today we began our day in a new way: with an Appreciation Activity! Each student was tasked with writing something nice to every other student in the class. The result was a beautiful paper filled with lovely sentiments about each other (e.g.: you are funny, kind, etc). Please ask your child about this. We then moved on to Read to Self. After recess we worked on a Reading Response using information from the text and our own ideas to support our answers. I will be looking over their answers tonight and discussing this with the students tomorrow. We then went to French.

After lunch we started our new unit on Geometry. We learned what the word Polygon means (poly = many and gon = sides) and how we can classify different shapes (by size, colour, number of sides, number of angles, etc). We then did some examples together and then students were sent off to work on this concept. At 1:20 we went and had a workshop by the National Ballet of Canada. On Friday we will be seeing a short performance done by the ballet at 12:45 at Daniels Spectrum theatre. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers. 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes
Math pages 120-121 (Grade 3) and 148-149 (Grade 4)

January 26, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we worked on Read to Self while I did Guided Reading in small groups. We then went to Gym after recess and then to French. 

After lunch we worked on our Times Tables and then went to Yoga. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers. 

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
POW (due tomorrow)

January 25th, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with Read to Self. We had our Greenwood volunteers here to help out with this. I did Guided Reading with a small group of students and then we all had snack. We moved on to a Reading Response after recess to the "Little Hummingbird." This will accompany our art. We then went to French.

After lunch we worked on problem solving in math. We then worked on Math Games using the computer when we were finished. Nearing the end of the period, we held the Math Congress to discuss our answers to the problem we solved. After recess we had our Sharing Assembly and then Daily Physical Activity outside. 

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
Poem of the Week

January 24, 2017

Dear Parents,

Today we began our day with the traits of a good squire. This is part of our learning about Medieval Times. Please ask you child what they must do to become a squire! We then did Read to Self while I did Guided Reading with a small group of students. After recess I modeled the story mountain and we went through several examples of how the story mountain will help us outline our Adventure Stories. Students then set to work on doing their story mountain outline. We then went to French.

After lunch we reviewed yesterday's concept of a Survey. I asked why do we do surveys? What questions might you survey people about? How do you collect the data? How do you present the data? We then went back to our work from yesterday and corrected it, looking specifically at the bar graph and whether we followed the success criteria for the bar graph (x and y axis, labels, title, data is correct). We then created our own survey and students began to survey each other. After recess we had Library and then we had Gym where we continued our learning about hockey. 

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
Poem of the Week (due Friday)

January 19, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with Read to Self. I conferenced in small groups with students. We decided that our POW could wait until after first recess. We then worked on our Adventure story plot mountains. French was the last item of the morning.

After lunch we had an art lesson with Ms. Xavier about positive and negative space in art. We focussed on the book "The Little Hummingbird" which we read yesterday and its beautiful Haida artwork. We looked at the author's website here: http://mny.ca/en/. We then went to Yoga. After recess we worked on our own Haida inspired artwork. At the end of the day I handed back all student's math tests. Please ask your child about this. 

Have a lovely long weekend!!!

Homework:
Reading for 20 minutes
PA Day tomorrow (no school)

January 18, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with a small story about a hummingbird called, "The Little Hummingbird." Here is the story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFOBtD7atng. It is a wonderful story about teamwork. We will talk further about it tomorrow and relate it to our Adventure stories as well as this month's Character Education trait. We then did Read to Self while I conferenced with students. After recess we had Gym in which we learned the dance The Stroll. Everyone did a great job! We then went to French.

After lunch we did math problem solving. We then worked on Prodigy using the laptops. After recess we worked on our Castles (Grade 4) and learning pioneer hunting methods (Grade 3). 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes
PA Day on Friday (no school)

January 17, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with a discussion around our Adventure Stories and the characters we are creating. We focussed on the story mountain and how our Adventure Story needs to follow this model. 

We read a story called "Amazing Grace" and then applied the story to the story mountain. We then worked on the sidekick as part of our writing time. After this, we went to French.

After lunch we worked on our Castles (Grade 4) and our Log Cabins (Grade 3) and measured and figured out the perimeter and the area for our structure. After recess we went to Library to continue our dioramas. 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes

January 16, 2017

Hello parents!

Today we had a lovely day, beginning with the Poem of the Week. We practiced this and then moved on to Read to Self while I conferenced with students individually. We then worked on our Adventure writing after recess. We looked at the hero we created and discussed their character traits. We then discussed the villain in their story and worked on creating a picture of the villain. This is leading us up to writing our own Adventure stories! We then went to French. 

After lunch we did Math games as we did not get a chance to do so on Friday. We then had Library and Gym. In Gym we learned the dance, "The Stroll." Please ask your child about this. 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes

January 13, 2017

Hello parents!

Today we began our day with the Poem of the Week test. We then moved on to Read to Self when we were done while I conferenced with students. After recess we discussed what an Adventure story was. We learned that it has a hero, a hero's helper, a villain and a quest. I asked student's to think about the hero of a story that they would like to write and asked them to draw and label their hero. Please ask your child about this. We then had French.

After lunch we had our Perimeter and Area test. We then worked on our Social Studies structures. 

Homework:
Read for 20 minutes

January 12, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we had another full and busy day!

We began our day with the POW and spelling words. We then moved on to Read to Self while I did Guided Reading with small groups about Determining Importance. After recess, we went through several examples of student writing and decided what level we thought their work was worth (level 1, 2, 3 or 4) and why. We then set off to do our own Journal writing while focusing on the Success Criteria (opening statement, details, closing statement). We then went to French.

After lunch we had a lesson in Perimeter and Area. We then worked on this concept. We then gathered again on the carpet to check in with our progress by going through several examples of Area and Perimeter. We then continued to work on this concept. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers. 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes
Math test on Perimeter and Area tomorrow (Friday)

January 11, 2017

Dear parents,

Today we began our day with a recap of yesterday's lesson on the First Nations announcement and Residential schools. We reviewed what it was like to be in a Residential school and why we now have the announcement acknowledging whose territory we are on. We then also recapped our lesson on Determining Importance (see yesterday's blog post) and in Guided Reading we applied this concept to "Charlotte's Web." We continued with Read to Self while I did Guided Reading in small groups. After recess we went to the Gym to continue our hockey skills. We practiced stick handling and passing. Students are becoming quite good at this skill! We then went to French.

After lunch, we had a lesson in problem solving. We had to draw an organized list to help us with our math question. We then went on to Prodigy. At the end of the period we reconvened for the math congress and went through the answer together and how students solved it. After recess we worked on our Social Studies centers. Grade 3s worked on building and painting their log cabins while the Grade 4s continued with their catapult challenge measuring how far their object flew. Students also learned about the role of the Monk during Medieval times. We then finished our day with the book Shin-chi's Canoe, which is about Residential Schools. 

Homework:
POW
Read for 20 minutes
Quiz on Perimeter and Area (Friday)

January 10, 2017

Hello parents!

Today we began our day with an article on the acknowledgement of the First Nations territories that we are on. We looked at determining importance and what were important facts in the story. We also had a long conversation about Residential schools and the impact of those schools. We used the following chart to help us determine what was important and what wasn't:

We then answered questions about the article in small groups. We then went to French. 

After lunch, we had a lesson in Perimeter and Area. We then reviewed yesterday's work (and corrected any mistakes we made) and finished other work in our JUMP math books. We will have a test on Friday on Perimeter and Area. We then went to Library and worked on our Ecosystem diorama. Finally, we read the book "Shi-Shi-Etko" about Residential schools to finish our day. 

Homework:

POW

Read for 20 minutes

Math Test Friday

January 9, 2017

Happy New Year parents!

As part of our focus on the new year, we worked on a New Year's resolution craft and activity. To inspire us, we watched Kid President give a few words of encouragement: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o
We also worked on our POW for the week. After recess, we worked on our Journal writing and I'm excited to hear what students did over the holiday! We then went to French.

After lunch we had a math lesson on Perimeter. We then practiced this concept and continued with our New Year's resolution craft if we were done. After recess we had Library and then Gym. 

Homework:
- POW
- Reading for 20 minutes
- Math perimeter work if not done