Saturday, April 23, 2016
The Room 204 Interview Show!
On the last show of this school year, our guest was Ms. Gray. She is a teacher at our school.
Update from Ms. R
The homework for this week is to write a story (fiction or non-fiction) in the homework writing journal that has something to do with the earth (in honour of Earth Day last Friday). There is also a worksheet reviewing fraction concepts. This homework is due on Friday, April 29th.
NOTE TO PARENTS
The weather is unpredictable these days! Please make sure your child comes to school dressed for the weather. If the temperature is 15C or lower, your child needs to wear a sweater or jacket. As the weather gets warmer please make sure your child comes to school with:
1. a water bottle
2. a hat
3. sunscreen
The children are outside for two 15-minute recesses and one 30-minute lunch recess each school day. The sun's rays are very strong! Hats and sunscreen help to protect your child's skin.
Important Dates:
May 5 - Family Math Night (evening) - Blue flyers were sent home on Friday. Come and join the fun learning about math with your children!
May 8 - Mother's Day
May 23 - Victoria Day - no classes
June 1 to 8 - EQAO standardized testing - grade 3 students only - please do not schedule appointments for grade 3 students during this time
June 10 - P. A. Day - no classes
June 14 - Field trip to the Bata Shoe Museum and University of Toronto Imaging Facility (details to come)
June 15 - Primary Concert (evening) - MARK THIS DATE - You don't want to miss your child's performance!
June 29 - Last day of classes for the school year.
Sept. 6 - First day of classes for the 2016-2017 school year.
News for April 22
In math this week we ended the unit on multiplication and division by relating the two concepts. For example the "fact family", numbers 12, 3, 4, are related by multiplication ( 3x4=12 and 4x3=12) and division (12 divided by 3 = 4 and 12 divided by 4 = 3). The class started applying what they know about division to the understanding of the concept of fractions. Fractions are equal pieces of a whole or equal groups of a set of objects. We use ordinal numbers to describe fractions (for example thirds, eighths) and the children were introduced to the standard written format for fractions (for example, 1/4 or one fourth or one quarter).
On Friday, the students had the final assessment of the Touch Math strategy for our research project with Ms. Gray. All the the students improved both their speed and accuracy of solving two- and three-digit addition and subtraction questions. The students will analyze their personal performances next week.
To wind up our Sock Monkey unit, each child read a sock monkey book written by another student in our class and wrote the student author a letter. In the letter, the reader wrote about his/her favourite part of the book (and why), suggestions for making the book even better (and why) and wrote a question about the story for the author to answer. The student author then wrote a reply to the question and stapled the letter to the back cover of the book.
The class started to talk about fairy tales. We listed the titles of the fairy tales that we know and it was a very long list! We also listed the things that fairy tales have in common that make them different from other fiction stories. Aside from the classic beginning "Once upon a time.." and ending "...and they all lived happily ever after", the children noted that often animals act like humans, there are fictional evil characters (e.g., trolls) and good characters (e.g., fairy godmothers) and things happen in groups of three. Each student began to plan and write their own version of a fairy tale.
We began a new social studies unit, "Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada 1780-1850" by discussing what it was like for humans to live over 200 years ago. (We are also linking this with our science unit on plants and soil.) There were none of the electric/electronic based machines we have now, nor were there any modern communication or transportation machines. If people needed something, they either had to grow it or make it themselves. One thing people had to do was to make their own clothing. The children started a project using wool from New Brunswick. They dyed the wool from a natural off-white colour using Kook-aid drink mix (for ease and safety). Then each student made a loom from cardboard cut from a recycled cardboard box. Each child wound the vertical "warp" threads around the loom and learned how to weave over and under the threads (a classic AB repeat pattern) making the "weft" to create cloth. These looms will make a small piece of fabric suitable for a bookmark, when completed.
In science, the students transplanted their bean plants to larger containers to give the plants more room to grow. The children also took these plants home this week. The class then focused on seeds, the plant cycle and how seeds from various plants are the same and how they are different. The children looked at tomato seeds and strawberry seeds and compared them to the navy bean seeds they planted. The size, colour, shape and where they are found, are all so different! The students also did an experiment using one of the leaves from our classroom amaryllis plant. After looking are the cut edges of the leaf, each student squished the leaf under tissue with a rolling pin to crush the plant cells and release the green chlorophyll. The class learned chlorophyll is essential for the plant to use light to create food. The students read about photosynthesis and how plants take in carbon dioxide and water, combine these with the sun's energy to make its food and release oxygen into the air. We discussed that humans and animals need plants and trees for food and for the oxygen that they need to breathe. (Less important is the fact that humans like the beauty of plants and trees and use them to decorate the inside and outside of their homes.)
The whole school celebrated Earth Day on Friday. The class went to an assembly in the gym and learned some startling facts about human consumption. Did you know that 27,000 trees are cut down each day just to make toilet paper? In class, the children learned about the environmental artist, Andy Goldsworthy (who creates art outside using only natural materials that he finds). On Friday afternoon, the students went outside to creat their own nature art, inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. Photos of this art can be found in a separate posting.
The children also learned about the sport of "Speed Stacking" this week. The class watched a video and began to practice using official Speed Stacking cups. This activity helps children improve their eye/hand coordination.
We had our last Room 204 Interview Show for this school year. This week our guest was Ms. Gray. She is a teacher at our school. This video may be seen in a separate posting.
Books read aloud this week:
Pippi Longstocking (chapter book) by Astrid Lindgren
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Update from Ms. R
This week, the homework is to write a reflection on having the 100 Books Party. The students now realize how much work goes into organizing an event like this! There is also a math worksheet reviewing division concepts (as related to multiplication) learned this week. This homework is due on Friday, April 22nd.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Thanks so much to all the families for providing snacks for our party this week. Thank you also to all the parents that took the time to drop by and see all the great work the students do in Room 204. The party was a great success! There were over 250 people that came through Room 204 to see the books the children made and reported on. We made a video of the students presenting all the math work that they did using the 100 books plus some photos and videos of the actual event. This video can be seen in a separate posting.
Getting the carpet to put back in our room after the party.
The navy bean plants now have the cotyledons (first leaves) and secondary leaves.
News for April 14
During this four-day week the children prepared for the 100 Books event on Friday. They wrote, did math and made lots of other preparations for this event. A video of our celebration can be seen in a separate posting.
In math, the children took the 100 books that we have read aloud together so far this year and did math activities to learn more about the books. Working in groups, the children figured out how many books were written by female versus male authors (and graphed it), how many books were softcover versus hardcover (and graphed it), how many books were fiction, non-fiction or near-fiction (and graphed it). We also worked together as a class to estimate and then measure how long the 100 books were laid out horizontally end-to-end, how tall they were when piled vertically and how much they weighed. Finally, the students estimated and then counted how many pages were read aloud altogether. The children made signs and finished making over 250 bookmarks to give to guests as a "thank you" for coming to our party. The results of all this work can be seen in our 100 Books Party video that can be seen in a separate posting.
At the end of the week, the students learned how division is related to multiplication. They learned how to "deal" or allocated sequentially, objects into equal groups. They also learned how to write division math equations.
In our Touch Math research project, the students reviewed strategies to increase the speed and accuracy of solving two- and three-digit subtraction questions and did a timed practice every day.
In writing, the children edited (corrected mistakes) and revised (added words to make good writing even better) their stories written from the penguin character's point of view from the Oliver Jeffers book, Lost and Found. The students wrote good copies of their stories and these are now on display in the hallway outside of our classroom.
In science, the navy bean plants are growing well, now that they are in soil. The plants have the two cotyledons (first leaves) which are really the two halves of the original bean seed. The plant stem and leaves are very green from the chlorophyll pigment developed by exposure to the sun. We did an experiment where we put a germinated seed in soil with water in the dark in a sealed box. When we took out the plant on Thursday, it was white and light yellow in colour and growing low at the surface of the soil! This experiment proved that the plant needs the sun to activate the green chlorophyll colour. We also noticed that the plants "bend" toward the light coming from the classroom window. The ability of plants to "know" where the sun is called phototropism. The students learned about how some people think that talking nicely or singing songs to their plants help them grow better. Each day, the students are responsible for writing down their observations of their plants and to water them.
Books read aloud this week:
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren (chapter book)
Sunday, April 10, 2016
The Room 204 Interview Show!
This week our guest was Mr. Bremner. He works in the office at our school.
Update from Ms. R
The homework for this week is to complete the reading comprehension activity and do the multiplication review worksheet. This homework is due on Thursday, April 14th (since Friday is a PA Day).
NOTE TO PARENTS:
On Thursday, April 14th from 9:00 to 11:30 am it's our 100 BOOKS PARTY! Please join us to celebrate the reading and writing activities of the students in Room 204.
We need SNACKS for our party! We will have over 250 people come through our class and we need lots of food for our guests. Cookies, chips, crackers and cut-up fruit are good choices. The food needs to be nut-free and easy to eat with your fingers. This is the only time of year that I request food from the parents and I appreciate everyone helping to make our party a success.
Important dates:
April 14 - 9:00 to 11:30 am it's our 100 BOOKS PARTY! Please join us to celebrate the reading and writing activities of the students in Room 204.
April 15 - PA Day - no classes
May 5 - Family Math Night - more information to follow
May 23 - Victoria Day - no classes
The students made bookmarks to give our party guests next week to thank
them for coming to our celebration.
The children each planted two of his/her germinated bean plants in soil.
News for April 8
News for April 8
This week the class continued to prepare for our big party next week. The students learned how to fold a little book out of paper and used these to create invitations to our 100 Books Party. These were made for the families of each student and for the other classes and staff invited to our celebration. The children started to make bookmarks to give to each of our guests as a thank you for coming to our celebration. Each bookmark has a sentence written on it, reminding everyone to read and a candy on the back to remind them that reading is "sweet". The class made 125 by Friday and we need 125 more...
In math, the students began to study the multiplication times tables from 0 to 10. We focused first on the "easy" ones to remember. When a numbers is multiplied by "0" the product is always zero. When a number is multiplied by "1" the answer is the original number. When a number is multiplied by "2", it's also an addition double fact or skip counting by 2's. When a number is multiplied by "5", it's skip counting by 5's. When a number is multiplied by "10", it's skip counting by ten's. The other multiplication facts are trickier. The students learned the communicative law of multiplication. That means that the order of the numbers in a multiplication sentence does not matter, the product will always be the same. For example, 6x8=48 OR 8x6=48. The students also did a daily 3-minute practice of two- and three-digit addition using the Touch Math strategy. Over half the class can now do 10 questions in less than three minutes!
The students finished their book reports and sock monkey books in order to be ready for the display at our party.
The children began a new writing challenge. We reread the Oliver Jeffers book, "Lost and Found" and we realized that the penguin character never speaks. So the challenge is to write a story from the point of view of the penguin. The students also learned how to fold an origami penguin to help them understand how to "be" the penguin when they write their stories and give the penguin a "voice".
In science, the students wrote down their observations of the changes happening with their bean seeds. Most beans almost doubled in size and grew long, white roots. Some even began to change green. Each child took two of their germinated beans and planted them in soil to see how they would grow in soil. We discussed how the sun is important to every living thing in our world and how almost everything on earth has a connection to the sun. The children read a non-fiction article about seeds and how they are designed in different ways to move away from the parent plant so they don't compete for water/air/soil/sun. Did you know that a coconut is actually a seed and can float?
In art, the children learned more about the artist Pablo Picasso. We looked at photos of his work with recycled materials and his drawings of faces. The students used both these ideas to creat faces using materials around the classroom.
*Click on the image to see the whole photo.
Books read aloud this week:
OOOH! Picasso by Mil Neipold and Jeanyves Verdu
The Boy Who Bit Picasso by Antony Penrose (This was our 100th book!)
Picasso and the Girl With the Ponytail by Laurence Anholt
Plant a Seed by Janet Brick
My Light - The Story of the Sun and our World by Molly Bang
Pippi Longstocking (chapter book) by Astrid Lindgren
Sunday, April 3, 2016
The Room 204 Interview Show!
This week our guest was Ms. Konjhodzic. She is the music teacher at our school.
Update from Ms. R
The homework for this week is to write a fiction story in the homework writing journal that has something to do with plants. Some ideas we shared were: the setting could be on a vegetable farm, the main character could be a tree with magic powers. There is also a math worksheet reviewing our introduction to multiplication activities. This homework is due on Friday, April 8th.
PLEASE NOTE:
1) Our weekly library visits are now on MONDAYS. Please help your child to remember to return his/her library book.
2) The 11th annual 100 Books Party is on Thursday, April 14 from 9:00 to 11:30 am. Families are encouraged to join us in Room 204 to celebrate reading and writing. Even if you are only able to come for a short time, the students love sharing their work and really appreciate any efforts to celebrate with us.
News for April 1
Well, another four-day week had the students working hard all week.
In math, the class did some activities to introduce them to the concept of multiplication. Multiplication is important because it helps to add equal groups, or repeated numbers, quickly. For example, 2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2=16 OR 8 X 2 =16. The students also learned how to look at "arrays" or arrangements of objects into rows and columns creating rectangles or squares. At this stage, students are asked to read the equation 3 X 4 = 12 as "three groups of four equals twelve" to help their understanding of what is happening. (Later, the same equations can be read as "three times four equals twelve".) The children discovered all the multiplication facts up to six (using dice) and practiced solving word problems featuring multiplication.
For the next two weeks, our guided reading groups will be book club groups. The students looked at six different books and decided which one they would like to read. They now are reading the books and will start to meet as groups next week to discuss the books and to answer comprehension and extension questions.
The class did a short practice each day of our "touch math" strategy for increasing the speed of answering multi-digit addition questions. (Next week we will focus on subtraction.)
In science, the children begun to look at plants more closely. As a class, over the last few months, we have been discussing plants everyday as we watch our amaryllis, paper whites and pussy willow plants grow and change. The children worked in groups to write down what they already know about plants and what questions they have to help construct what they want to know about plants. The students learned the difference between a drawing (art) and a diagram (an information picture usually with words and arrows). The children drew a diagram of a plant and labelled the different parts of the plant. On Friday, the class examined navy beans with magnifying glasses, drew diagrams of them and described how they look. They learned the Latin or science name for a navy bean is Phaseolus vulgaris. Did you know that these white beans are called "navy beans" because they were served at meals often in the US Navy? Then each child set up an experiment to see if/when the beans will turn into plants. Right now, the seeds do not look anything like plants! The beans are small, smooth, hard, off-white, dry seeds. We will see next week what happens when just water is added.
On Thursday, the last day of March, the class calendar pattern ended with a number that was over one billion! Using the doubling patterns that were in the King's Chessboard and other books, the students realized the power of doubling numbers each day in March. The first day was 1, then 2, then 4,8,16 and so on. But on the last day it was 1,067,741,824. The growing pattern went from one to over one billion in just 30 days!
On Friday, the class began to learn about the famous artist Pablo Picasso. We are looking at how he made some of his art using ordinary things or recycled materials. We looked at how he constructed faces too. Next week, the students will begin to make art inspired by Picasso's work.
Books read aloud this week:
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore
My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil by Hanoch Piven
Faces by Zoe Miller and David Goodman
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