lass Rep: Is there anyone willing to step in and shadow Claire for the next few weeks? She’s signed on as Communications lead for HPAS and would like to offer our Class Rep position to another eager parent. Please speak to either Claire or me if you’re interested! Thanks in advance. Language Reading As students listen to read alouds, they are encouraged to think about the characteristics of simple fictional stories (Curriculum 2.1, Understanding Text Forms) 1) characters 2) setting 3) problem 4) solution. We read Boo Hoo Bird (it emphasizes the character traits Kindness & Caring, Teamwork and Empathy) and talked about the problem and solution. Ask your son or daughter to retell this story or better yet, as you read simple fictions at home talk about these four main components (especially problem and solution). Writing Students are working on creating their own Winter Stories Using Knowledge of Form and Style (Curriculum 2.1). First: we used a graphic organizer to help us plan our ideas during pre-writing (Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution). Then: we had a modelled/shared writing lesson as the students helped write a story using Kelly’s sample planner. Now: the students are writing their stories using their planners. This will take some time and that’s OK! Students will check in with me as they write and have the chance to revise their work. Next week: we’ll buddy up and edit each other’s work (Capitals/Lower Case Letters, Punctuation, Spelling, Spacing & Legibility, Content: does it make sense?). Finally: students will revise their work and get it ready for publishing. Daily 5 Students continue to rotate through the centres, choosing 2 each morning from Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing, Word Work, but we’ve been cutting them short and setting aside some time to learn new Word Work Games. *PARENTS* This is your chance to come in and volunteer with a literacy focus! THIS PROGRAM ONLY WORKS WITH YOUR SUPPORT. You can volunteer for a regular time slot, once a week, once a month or simply whenever you have the time in your schedule. Each month we’ll ask for your availability and then create a calendar for volunteers. Starting in term 2 (February), parents will be invited to come in each morning between 9:00 - 10:00 to run two, 20 minute Word Work Game groups. The students will already know the games and their rules, all you have to do is supervise and support them with the game play (we’re doing some shared writing and creating a rule book so you’ll be familiar with all the expectations!). So far we’ve learned how to play Jenga, Build-a-Word and Sight Word Uno. Please ask your son or daughter about the ‘how to’ writing we’ve shared and stay tuned for more info re: a starting date! If you want to volunteer in the class, please check with Marlene to see if you have an up to date Police Reference for this school year. You can reach out to Jess, our trip/volunteers rep, if you need more info about the process. Thanks! Math Mental Math On Tuesday, students brought home two mental math sheets to show you their progress. These are from math-aids.com and are samples of sheets we’ve been working on throughout the year. They are quick, 10 minute, 7 minute, 5 minute drills that support students’ memorization of addition facts from 1-20. You can continue to practice at home by filling in the ones students missed on their sheets, or by printing your own from math-aids.com (Addition tab on left, ‘Zero to Twenty’ OR ‘Adding Doubles’, set the limits as you see fit.) *Reminder* Please visit this amazing site to read more about Counting On, Doubles, Doubles Plus One, Making Ten, Making Multiples of Ten and Front End Addition (which we call Partial Sums)! We're using these strategies and encouraging the students to explain their thinking, to show their work and really demonstrate an understanding of the strategies. Measurement We took a short break from Patterning and Geometry this week to talk about the seasons (we finally had a drop in temperature and there’s some snow!) and how they help us measure time. Grade 1s will: name the months of the year, in order; relate temperature to experiences of the seasons. Grade 2s will: relate days to weeks, and months to years; explain how changes in temperature affect everyday experiences. Math Folders Students have red math folders to keep their class work in (after we’ve done a lesson and have a follow up activity), but also to go to for extension and review activities. Every few weeks or so students are given a new package of work to add to the folder and to complete at their own pace. We spent some time this week catching up and doing some review. Other
Grade 7/8 Fundraiser: We had a visit from two senior students from Anastasia's class today and they told us about their Toy and Book Sale. Happening January 28th, HPAS students will have the chance to visit the sale to buy gently used items and support the senior class in their fundraising for their end of the year trip... but they need your help! If you have any gently used toys or books that you and your children are willing to donate, please send them in ASAP! The senior class will be collecting and sorting items in the next two weeks. Thanks for your support.
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In our Room 108 Classroom Community, we foster an engaging, respectful and caring environment. I aim to balance a consistent program with flexible responsiveness to students' individual needs. Archives
November 2017
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