News for November 27

*** Please click or tap on the photos to see the full picture. 

News for November 27

This was a very full week for the children. From geometry, to researching structures around the world, to learning and writing about octopuses, to acting in plays they worked hard and had a lot of fun too!

The class learned about Venn Diagrams and how to use them to compare things. The standard Venn Diagram uses two overlapping circles, creating three spaces. For example, if you compare home and school (as the students did this week ), in the left space you would write things found or done at home but not at school. For example, at home you take a bath, eat dinner and have a bed. In the right hand space you would write things found or done at school and not at home. For example, at school we have recess, a principal and a large gym. In the middle, are things found or done at home AND school. For example, at home and school we eat lunch, read books and play with friends. Did you know that the Venn Diagram is named after the English mathematician John Venn (1834-1923) who first wrote about using it in 1880? That's 135 years ago and we still use this strategy to compare things. 

In math, the students finished the unit on two-dimensional (2D or flat) geometry shapes and began to look at three-dimensional (3D) figures. The children used Venn Diagrams to sort 2D shapes by different attributes (for example, if the shape has right angles or parallel lines). The class also reviewed the concept of congruency. For shapes to be congruent, they must be the same size and the same shape. Later in the week, we reviewed the basic concepts of 3D geometry, with all 3D geometric figures having vertices, edges and faces. 

In writing, the students wrote their first book reports of the year. First they chose one of the five Martha the dog books we read aloud last week. Then they answered a series of questions about the book (for example, "Who was your favourite character? Why?"). 

In our guided reading time, I worked with small groups of children to start doing the research on the structure that they chose last week. Using hard copy encyclopedias and wikipedia on the ipads, the children began to fill out their graphic organizers. These worksheets have questions to guide their research such as, "Where in the world is the structure located?" and "When was the structure built?"

The children continued to rehearse and prepare their Reader's Theatre plays in their groups. This week they collected props and made simple costumes. We managed to film two of the three plays and the audience practised giving constructive criticism (for example, what was done well and what could be done to improve). These videos will be posted next week when the final play is filmed. 

The students sewed the button eyes on their glovetopuses with a needle and thread. Now they have begun to write their first chapter book of the year, using their octopus/glovetopus as the main character. They still have to do all the stages of writing (plan, rough copy, edit, revise, good copy) but they are learning how to divide the story into smaller chunks to create separate chapters.

With the first snowfall happening this week, the children learned about the man Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley who was the first person to take photographs of snow. He dedicated his life to learning about the science and the beauty of the ice crystals that make snowflakes. Did you know that fully-formed snowflakes are in the shape of a hexagon? Aha! Math is everywhere...

The class went to the library to listen to one of the Davisville kindergarten staff members, Ms. Moaven, read aloud a story she wrote in English and in Farsi, called, Who Do You Love the Most?. This story was published in a book in the fall. She read the story aloud and answered questions from the students.

Finally, after reading the book Octopus's Garden, the class listened to the classic Beatles song (and even heard Ringo Starr talk briefly about how the song became a book).

Books read aloud this week:

On the Job With an Architect: Builder of the World by Jake Miller
Everyday Structures From A to Z by Bobbie Kalman

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Octopus's Garden by Ringo Starr

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a book review. Each student can use any book that s/he has recently read. Then answer the questions on both sides of the book review sheet. There is also a 3D geometry math review worksheet. This homework is due on Friday, December 4th.

***Please note: To view full-size pictures please click or tap on the photo. I've recently moved to using the Blogger app for ipad and for some reason most of the photos are cut off on the right hand side. Your child may be in the photo but may only be seen in the full picture. 

Notes:

1) Our class was checked for head lice (pediculosis) this week. This is one of several checks made during the school year.

2) It is COLD outside! Please make sure your child arrives at school with all the gear needed for playing at recess. Recall the students are outside for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon plus 30 minutes at lunchtime. A warm coat, hat/hood, scarf and mittens are all necessary with snow pants needed when there is snow or the temperature is below zero.

3) At the staff meeting this week, our principal Mrs. Farrelly, outilined two safety issues of concern to parents. She has asked that:

                   * ALL parents sign in at the office and get a visitor badge whenever visiting the school.

                   * She has also asked that parents do not allow children to walk through or be dropped 

                      off in the school parking lot. 

Our family of glovetopuses!

Our new science project...growing an amaryllis flower!

Update from Ms. R

The homework this week is a combined math and language activity. Each student is to teach an adult about the Chinese game of tangram puzzles. How the student does this is up to the individual student, but included in the package is a half sheet with sample tangram puzzles and rules about how to play the "missing piece" game. The child is then to complete the teaching reflection sheet in order to report on how the lesson went. This homework is due on Friday, November 27th.

Note:

Starting sometime next week there will be changes regarding when children have lunch and where they eat their lunches. Our class will still eat lunch from 11:35-12:00, BUT they will now eat lunch on the third floor in the "yoga room". These changes were necessary because of the crowding and supervision issues in the lunch rooms.

Important Dates:

December 10 - report cards go home

December 18 - last day of school for 2015

December 19 to January 3 - Winter Break

January 4 - first day of school for  2016

News for November 20

News for November 20

This week the students were very busy as usual! The students even managed to start sewing the next character in their fiction writing...the glovetopus!

In math, the class continued with the geometry unit by learning about angles. For grade two and three, the students need to know how to recognize a right angle (where a horizontal line meets a vertical line) and if an angle is bigger or smaller than a right angle. However, the students were introduced to the proper math words. An acute angle is smaller than a right angle and an obtuse angle is bigger than a right angle. The students made an angle measuring device from strips of cardstock paper and a paper fastener (or brad).

The students explored the Chinese game called tangrams all week. Tangrams are a set of seven polygons pieces (called tans) that are assembled to make pictures. The students looked at the attributes of each of the shapes and learned the word "congruent" that is used to describe objects that have the same size and the same shape. The class practiced solving tangram puzzles as quickly as possible. This helps the students develop an understanding of the relationships between the different polygons as well as helping their visual memory match shapes on the paper with actual polygon pieces. The children then designed their own tangrams and worked to solve the student-designed puzzles. These puzzles are now part of a new class book and is now in our classroom library. Every student can solve a tangram puzzle in less than 30 seconds and the best time was 11 seconds! The children also used the tangrams to follow along a tangrams story during read aloud time. The children then wrote a reflection on learning about and using tangrams in their writing journals.

The class began a week-long read aloud project by listening to and discussing a series of five books. These books were published separately, but each is like a chapter in a chapter book. The characters and setting are bascially the same in each book, so we could focus each day on comprehension strategies and making connections to the other stories in the series.

In our guided reading groups, we read the ebook What is Colour? to learn more about this element of design. The children read about complementary colours (colours that are opposite on the colour wheel) and warm colours (yellow, orange, red) and cool colours (blue, green, purple). 

In science, the students began the unit on structures. They experiments with different types of building materials, to determine the attributes of materials that make a strong and stable structure. The verdict? Materials with flat sides, that are cubes or rectangular prisms and that are able to connect (for example blocks, snap cubes) make stronger more stable structures than thin, rounded or soft materials (for example, golf tees, pom poms, tissue paper). We also touched on the beginning of using the scientific method for experiments (purpose, materials, method, observations, conclusions).

The students also experimented with making paper stronger. Using sheets of copy paper, they folded, stacked and rolled the paper to make structures that will hold a heavy load. As a group, we discovered that four pieces of paper folded in half and rolled into cylinders held 18 dictionaries! When more weight was added the paper collapsed, demonstrating that there is a limit to a structure's strength and stability.

The students have begun the second set of Readers Theatre plays this week. This time the children are in three groups and performing three different plays. This week the students read through the scripts, decided which parts they were going to play and began to rehearse the plays.

The class began to explore the QWERTY typewriter keyboard using ipad mini computers. In future, the children will be learning about the "home row" keys and how to type efficiently.

Finally, the class looked at famous structures around the world and each child chose a structure to research next week as a part of our science unit. 

Books read aloud this week:

Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh

Martha Calling by Susan Meddaugh

Martha Blah Blah by Susan Meddaugh

Martha Walks the Dog by Susan Meddaugh

Martha and Skits by Susan Meddaugh

Iggy Peck Architect by Anne Beatty

Three Pigs, One Wolf and Seven Magic Shapes by Marilyn Burns

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to write a fiction story in the homework writing journal with the title, "A World of my Own", based on a read aloud book the students heard and discussed this week. Please make sure your child remembers the details of the "editing promise" taped to the front of the journal. Many stories are handed in that have not been edited by the students to find/correct mistakes before I read the work. Also there is a math worksheet reviewing two-dimensional (2D) geometry concepts. This homework is due on  Friday, November 20th.

Note to parents

1. Please have your child bring "indoor shoes" to school. The students are tracking in mud and sand into the classroom and we had lots of sand on our new rug this week...plus ants! No kidding!

2. Please write your child's name on ALL his/her belongings that they bring to school. Almost daily we have issues of lost water bottles, sweaters etc. 

3. Report cards will go home on December 10th. I will send home an interview sign up sheet the week before that date. Please let me know if you would like an interview before that time.

4. Lindsay Wotherspoon, our class parent, still needs some parent emails to add to her group email list. If you would like to be a part of these mailings, please contact her at lindsaywotherspoon@gmail.com. Lindsay is also responsible for the Scholastic Book Club orders for our class. The monthly book club is a fundraising activity and club orders provide some money to buy books for our classroom library. The current book club flyers were sent home with children on Friday.

News for November 12

News for November 13

This four-day week, the children focused on learning about and preparing for, observing Remembrance Day on Wednesday. The children practised folding paper cranes (while reviewing 2D geometry concepts embedded in the process) which were then used to create a wreath that was taken to the primary Remembrance Day assembly. We discussed what peace means and the students then wrote 33 words about peace (based on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month or 11+11+11=33). Our class was asked to perform the song they learned about Remebrance Day using words and American Sign Language at the primary assembly. Finally, the children made a video of the students each reading his/her peace message along with the poppies that they painted. This video can be seen below:

In math, the class began the unit on 2D (two-dimensional) geometry by discussing what they already knew about flat geometric shapes (or polygons). They learned the basic attributes of a 2D shape: number of sides, number of vertices and number of angles. They learned that the number of each of these attributes are always the same for any given shape. They went on a "shape hunt" in the classroom and discovered that in places made by humans, the most common geometric shape is the rectangle. For example, a triangle has 3 sides, 3 vertices and 3 angles. After reading the book, The Greedy Triangle, the class learned that the more sides/vertices/angles a polygon has, the more it looks like a circle. We even used a long length of string with the ends tied together, to demonstrate this. The students used elastic bands and geoboards to create different kinds of 2D shapes. They used geodot paper to draw the shapes that they created on their geoboards. We also discussed the various Greek origins of the geometric names. For example, geo (earth) + metry (measurement) and poly- (many) + gon (angle).

The students are almost finished their pillow projects. What a lot of work! The children not only created a pillow, but they each wrote a "how-to" non-fiction story on the steps required to make a pillow and a fiction story using his/her pillow somehow in the story. These finished projects will be put on the bulletin board in the hallway outside of our classroom next week.

The class began using a set of ipad minis for guided reading time. We read a book together as a class and on another day the students worked with a partner to read another book. This week we focused on books about two of the elements of art, shape and line.

In art, the students continue to work in their art journals independently and in response to various art challenges that I give them. This week, I photocopied the photographs of the children with their pillows and they cut and glued (collaged) it into their journals and created a design or scene around their photos. Also, after receiving a Starburst candy, why throw out the wrapper when it can be taped into their journal and made and decortated into something else...a present? A building? A car?

Books read aloud this week:

***Please note that many students enjoy using drawing instruction books by the artist, Ed Emberley. We have several in our classroom but there are many titles available on-line and in the public library.

A World of Your Own by Laura Carlin

The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns

What is a Line? (ebook) by Susan Markowitz Meredith

What is a Shape? (ebook) by Tea Benduhn

A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemanga

Update from Ms. R

The homework for this week is to complete the worksheet comparing Canada Day and Remembrance Day. There is also a math worksheet reviewing subtraction with regrouping and extending patterns with two or more attributes changing. This homework is due on Friday, November 13th (or on Thursday, if Friday remains a PA Day).

Notes:

1. Mrs. Farrelly has asked that teachers do not schedule parent interviews until we know when the Progress Reports are to be sent home. I will send home a schedule for interviews when the date for reports going home has been made public.

2. The scheduled PA Day, Friday, November 13th, may be postponed to a later date.

3. Our class parent, Lindsay Wotherspoon, has generously volunteered to send out emails to all parents of children in our class when necessary. She currently has 13 parents on her list. If you would like to be included on the email distribution, please contact her directly at lindsaywotherspoon@gmail.com.

News for November 6

News for November 6

Our week began with the students sewing together their decorated pieces of fabric using a sewing machine. Then they each stuffed their pillows with polyester stuffing and sewed the pillow closed with a needle and thread. These pillows will be used in the classroom during the year to make chairs more comfortable to sit in and the carpet more comfortable to sit on during read aloud times. 

The class began a big writing project this week about the pillows that they made. They are creating displays that will include a procedural writing (non-fiction) piece about how to make a pillow, from beginning to end. The children learned some key words to help with this writing: first, next, then, finally. The other writing piece for the project is a fiction story that has the pillow as a character, setting or object in the story. The students each had his/her photo taken with the finished pillow to add to their finished pillow project poster.

We talked a lot about Remembrance Day this week, both the history of this day and how it is observed in Canada. The children learned a song using American Sign Language that reminds us that on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month (November) we remember those that fought to make Canada a free country. We discussed the symbols of peace (for example, the poppy and paper crane) and are using these symbols as part of our monthly calendar pattern. Did you know that the circular peace sign was designed in 1965 and uses the semaphore flag code for N and D standing for nuclear disarmament?

In our guided reading group time, groups read and discussed the fairy tale, "The Shoemaker and the Elves". We talked about how fairy tales were used to teach moral lessons in times long ago when many people did not go to formal school and could not read or write. The children also made a connection to the story because they were sewing things this week just like the shoemaker and elves in the story.

In math, the students learned about ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd...) versus cardinal numbers (1, 2,3...) and how to use these numbers to describe the position of things. The children also practiced extending patterns with two or more attributes changing (for example, colour, size and position). They also practiced addition and subtraction with regrouping (grade 2 - two digit; grade 3 - three digit).

In art, the students first finished their journal covers on thick paper using sharpie markers and watercolour pencils. Next they folded in half different kinds of papers (plain, coloured, squared, tracing and even paper made out of bananas!) to create the pages for their journals. Then they used a needle and thread to sew the pages to the journal cover (and added beads for decoration). Finally, they used a variety of drawing instruction books to practice their drawing skills in their new handmade art journals.

On Friday, the students attended the annual Bus Safety Presentation, consisting of watching a video and actually going on a bus to practice safe bus procedures and evacuation. 

What a busy week! We even had time to watch a video of Pete Townshend (the guitarist for the band, The Who) demonstrate his "windmill" guitar-strumming technique. This is the inspiration for one of the ways the students physically practice their word wall (spelling) words each week.

Books read aloud this week:

Sadako's Cranes by Judith Loske

The First Drawing by Mordecai Gerstein

What Does Peace Feel Like? by V. Radunsky

The Peace Book by Todd Parr

Where Poppies Grow by Linda Granfield

The Book With No Pictures by B. J.Novak