News for October 20

News for October 20

This week the class learned about two-digit adding and subtracting (without regrouping), ironing fabric and using sewing machines plus flags and maps of their research countries. We even celebrated Diwali!

In math, the children used their strategies for adding and subtracting and applied them to the addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers and how to set up the numbers vertically with a horizontal line as the “equal sign”. They reviewed the concepts of place value and used place value blocks to help them understand that, for example, 42 means 2 ones and 4 groups of ten (2+40=42). We also, more formally, learned about math word problems and what is required to provide a complete answer to “show your work” or explain how he/she got the answer to the question.

All of the children’s first books of the year are now completed! The students had to do a lot of work to finish each book. They wrote the stories, created illustrations and the front and back covers. These are now in a hanging file bin and are available for all the students to read during independent reading times. (It’s wonderful to see the face of a student author watching another student reading the book that the author made…).

In social studies, we talked about flags and how the colours and design of the flag “say” the name of a country without using any words. The students then made flags of their countries to put on their research posters. The children also coloured in maps of their research countries to put on their posters and learned the meaning of the word “population” to talk about how many people live in a country.

The children learned how to use alphabet stencils to create consistent, bold lettering. Each child used the stencils to draw a title on their individual country research posters.

In reading, the small guided reading groups all focused on recalling the story elements in a book (characters, setting, problem, solution). Our read aloud time featured the shared reading experience of reading a chapter book aloud to the whole class. The chapter book, “My Father’s Dragon” has 10 chapters, so the students must retain the information in the story for an extended period of time. This requires children to use various receptive reading strategies to make meaning from the text. Since chapter books do not have a lot of pictures, the children must make pictures in their minds, using the words from the story to help them remember information and make sense of the story.

The class learned about the Hindu holiday of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, this week. We were very lucky to have two parents come to our class to talk about the most popular festival of Hinduism. The students saw a video about the story behind the holiday, coloured pictures of diyas (oil lamps) and learned how to create paper lanterns. We also had a chance to try some traditional food. I was particularly taken with the beautiful traditional clothes that the parent volunteers were wearing. Did you know that a sari is made out of 6 metres of fabric?

The students attended an assembly this week to see a presentation about school bus safety. This information is important to know for school trips, but also for next year, when most of our students will be using school busses to go to our new, temporary school location at The Vaughn Academy, while the new school is being built.

Finally, the class finished the week by creating colourful designs on a second piece of white fabric, ironing flat their two pieces of fabric, sewing the two pieces of fabric together on a sewing machine and stuffing the fabric bags with polyester stuffing. Did you know that clothes and other sewn items are always sewn inside out? Did you know that polyester stuffing is really just super-thin plastic threads?

Books read aloud this week:

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (chapter book)

The Directory of Flags - A Guide to Flags Around the World by Charlotte Greig

Pocket World Atlas by Philip Steele