News for February 5

This three-day week, the students concentrated on 3D or three-dimensional geometry, learned how to revise their writing and reflected on the collage art they created last week.

Math -   The children continued to learn about 3D or three-dimensional figures. They learned the three main parts of the figures: faces, vertices and edges and how to count these accurately. They learned the names of common figures and how to identify them. The two major groups of polyhedrons are prisms and pyramids. Did you know that the rectangular prism is the most common 3D figure that humans make?

Using toothpicks (edges) and small spheres of plasticine (vertices), the students experimented and created their own 3D "skeletons". The class also learned about the icosahedron (20 faces), using a HUGE 3D skeleton model and how to count its. edges and vertices. Did you know that the more faces that a 3D figure has, the more the figure looks like a sphere?

Writing/Math -    The children wrote a reflection about the 3D skeletons that they made. First they identified the correct names of the prisms or pyramids, then they counted the faces, edges and vertices. Next they reflected on what was hard and what was easy about this project and why. Finally they wrote about what they would like to make next using toothpicks and plasticine.

Writing/Art -   The class finished their 2D symmetry collage art and then wrote reflections on how this art project was both a math activity and an art activity. These artworks and reflections are now on display on the bulletin board in our classroom.

Writing -   The students learned about how to revise their writing. After editing their work (correcting mistakes using pencil), the children should revise their writing (using coloured pencil) to make each sentence even better by adding more words to give the reader more information. For example, the sentence "I saw a cat." is correct, but by adding more words, "I saw a grey and white cat climb up a maple tree to chase a little squirrel.", the writer provides more details about the cat and what it was doing. Adding details makes writing more interesting to read.

The children are still working on their glovetopus chapter books and are expected to edit and revise their writing. Some children have already finished their books and are working on creating illustrations for their books.

Reading -   The class continued to listen to the adventures of Pippi Longstocking during our read aloud time. Listening to books read aloud helps children to practice their reading comprehension strategies of visualization and asking questions to help understand what is going on in the story, especially since chapter books contain few to no illustrations.

*** Due to time constraints, the Room 222 Interview was not filmed this week. Hopefully, we will be able to film two episodes next week.

Books read aloud this week:

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (chapter book - continued)