A week of Remembrance and Three Sisters Soup

This week in Language we did some Remembrance Day activities. As a class, we brainstormed ideas for a list of Remembrance Day vocabulary we would need to discuss and write about it. We read the booklet "Mon petit livre pour la paix" as a shared reading. The students then illustrated the pages. They also worked in groups to write thank you cards. We read them and put all the ideas into one card to be read at the assembly on Wednesday. We also read "Un roi maladroit" and completed questions on the story. 

In Math we continued to work in our centres on the graphing unit we started last week. We will be focusing on ways to organize information, such as using colour and making tables. This is very useful as organizing data is also cross-subject. The students need these skills in both Science and Social Studies. 

In Science, we finished our plant unit by looking at th life cycle of plants. The students are doing a bit of research on a plant to develop their inquiry skills. They are using books, iPads, and class computers for their research. We will do a short quiz next week to finish off the unit. 

In Social Studies, the students continued to work on their urban maps in their groups. They will be doing an independent project where they will make a rural map, following similar guidelines. 

In Visual Arts, we began working on "Art Trading Cards" of leaves. They are given small, baseball card sized paper to draw different types of leaves. We are working on drawing details and filling space appropriately. They are also to choose colours that stand out from background when they colour each card. Right now, our fall mixed media scenes are on display.

We also had a special visitor on Wednesday. Mme Anne came in to help us make Three Sisters Soup. We read the Mohawk legend of the Three Sisters which is about corn, squash and beans being grown together. This ties in with both our Science unit on plants and Social Studies where we will be looking at First Nations who lived in this area and how they helped early settlers. The students copied the ingredients into their writing booklets. We roasted the leftover pumpkin and seeds to eat along with the soup. 

Have a great weekend!

Back to Blogging...

I'm really glad to be able to get back to blogging. I've missed doing my weekly updates of what's going on! I'll do a brief update on where we are in most subjects and I've added a few photos from earlier this fall. 

In reading, we have been focusing on comprehension. In guided groups, the students are reading short paragraphs and answering questions by finding/underlining the information in the texts. In writing, we have looked at several genres of writing. Most have completed "Le message du jour" and " Les devinettes" and are now working on " Le schéma". We have also been practising weekly spelling lists and sentences. For our shared readings, we read short stories based on sounds/spelling patterns and complete comprehension questions. Every few weeks, we read a book from the "Le loup qui..." series and complete follow-up activities. This week it was "Le loup qui fêtait son anniversaire". 

Guided reading

Partner reading

Reading to self

Listening to reading

Literacy games

Guided writing

Cursive writing

Word work

In Math, we have finished up units on numerical and non-numerical patterning and representing numbers to 1000. This week we started a new unit on data management. We also have been doing activities on our number of the day and activities from all 5 math strands in "Les mathématiques pour tous les jours". 

Guided math

Group problem solving

Numeration activities

Math games

Playing Prodigy on the iPads 

Playing Prodigy on the computers

In Science, we are coming to the end of our unit on growth and change in plants. This week we learned about the food chain. 

In Social Studies, we have been learning about the types of communities in Ontario and started some mapping activities. This week we started a group enquiry project where the students will make their own maps of an urban community after a whole class lesson on what should be included and why. 

Student pennants

Our art wall showing their last art project on primary, secondary, and tertiary colours

Making applesauce

Have a great weekend!

Looking for a Bit of Help...Applesauce Anyone?

After picking many apples with my family today, I'm hoping to make applesauce with the class one day this week. I would like to do this either Tuesday or Wednesday first thing at the start of the school day. If there is a parent or two who would be available to help the students peel, slice, and chop apples in preparation of making the applesauce, please let me know. Having done it alone with the class last year, I would really appreciate an extra set of hands. I will have an apple peeler and slicer ready. 

A Crazy Week

It's been such a hectic week. When we first looked at reorganization early Monday morning, my class seemed to be okay with no changes required. Unfortunately with the loss of just a few more students by Tuesday afternoon, my class was then required to reorganize along with the other French Immersion classes. It is always very difficult for staff and students and it is something we try to avoid if at all possible. I was very sad to lose the 10 lovely grade two students who have been with me for the past two weeks. I'm sure they will have a great year with Mme Lavoie and I will continue to teach them art in her class for the remainder of the year. Mrs. Hilton will continue to be our English to Immersion teacher and Mrs. Bernert will continue to do health with the class. 

So it's been crazy trying to finish up work started as much as possible with the grade twos, while at the same time, not going too far ahead with the grade threes before the 10 other grade threes join us on Monday. At the same time, I was trying to get everything ready to send to Mme Lavoie and receive my new students. I didn't get as many photos taken as I would have liked of the variety of activities we did this week. 

In Language, we read the poem "Dans mon potager" as a shared reading. We focused on appropriate pauses, looking carefully at punctuation, and reading with expression. We read a short story "Lou et Trouloulou" which focused on the "ou" sound and then completed follow-up activities over several days. We will be focusing on writing complete sentences in reading response questions over the next little while. The students completed a flag about themselves, a school vocabulary crossword, and several readings/responses on safety. They also began our words/sentences of the week. Each week they will get a list of words on the first day and then a sentence to copy each following day, using those words. They also had some fun doing group story writing on chart paper. 

In Math, we continued with non-numerical patterns. The grade twos focused on accurately identifying which attributes change in a given pattern as well as creating their own patterns. The grade threes focused on identifying changing attributes in a pattern but also had to describe them in detail. I will be going over this again next week with our new students and we will begin looking at some numerical patterns as well. We also started doing our daily math. Each day, the students do several short questions from one of the five math curriculum strands at the start of our math period. It is a great way to review concepts regularly and to get them in a math frame of mind after recess. Prodigy Math has been set up for all the grade three students and I have input grade three level questions on patterning for them. For those who were in my class last year, logins/passwords remain the same. New students will also be given logins and passwords which they will also be able to use at home. 

I didn't continue in Science or Social Studies in anticipation of the changes in classes. In art, the class made the Lego figurine self-portraits that I did with Mme Lavoie's class. 

Sadly, I am going to have to take a an indefinite break from posting my blog. Our union will be escalating work to rule protocols as of Monday, September 21. Blogs, Newsletters, any outgoing classroom information, will no longer be possible. I will post the September Newsletter and other information outside of the classroom door as this is information that I have sent previously to the escalation. I continue to be available by phone during school hours, notes in agendas and quick drop-ins for questions/concerns just before or just after school. I hope for a quick resolution to the bargaining situation so that things can return to normal. 

Have a great weekend!