News for March 29

News for March 29

This week the class learned about symmetry in math, how to use quotation marks when writing and created art using their cursive names.

In math, the children had lots of opportunities to practise adding and subtracting two-digit numbers with regrouping. They also applied these skills to solving word problems. Later in the week, the students talked about symmetry and lines of symmetry. They learned how to identify symmetrical shapes and designs, how to draw lines of symmetry, how to complete the other half of a symmetrical design and drew their own symmetrical pictures. They also learned how to use "mirras" or pieces of red plastic that show a reflection (like a mirror), but is also transparent.

In writing the children reviewed the standard five stages of writing: plan, rough copy, edit, revise and publish. The class learned the difference between editing and revising. Editing is finding and correcting mistakes in pencil, like capitals and periods, missing words and misspelled word wall words. Revising is making good writing even better by adding more words to sentences to give the reader more information using coloured pen. Each child began writing a fiction story based on the "flat" character of themselves that they made last week.

The class continued to chorally read and discuss the chapter book, "Flat Stanley". They are practising how to read with expression and we have been focusing on interpreting the story by "reading between the lines" and discussing what the reader knows about what is happening in the story, even though the text might not say so directly.

Later in the week the class learned about quotation marks and practised how to use them correctly when writing "spoken words" in their sentences and stories.

In social studies, the children worked very hard to complete their country research posters, create titles for the display, rehearse the song and film a video about it all! The posters are now on display in the hall outside of our classroom. Here is the video:

The children learned how to play the pencil-and-paper game, "Snowman". (This is a more age appropriate version of the old fashioned game known as "Hangman"). The children worked in partners to guess a word by suggesting letters and if that letter is in the word, it is written in the appropriate place, but if the letter is not in the target word, a part of the snowman is drawn.

The children have been asking me to teach them how to write capital letters in cursive. So, the class had a chance to practise writing these this week. On Friday, the students wrote their first names in cursive, then again backwards to make a symmetrical design. They began to colour in these designs and think about what the shapes remind them of...

The Room 222 Interview Show will return next week with episode 7.

Books read aloud this week:

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown (chapter book - read chorally)