The Rideau Canal all aglow this past August. How many patterns can you find in this picture?
Hello families,
I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the glorious weather this past weekend. We took in the Cabbagetown Festival, which was great fun. Today, I went back with my son to see a pantomime of Peter Pan held at the tiny chapel at the Necropolis Cemetery. It's not every day you get to do that. Don't forget that the Riverdale Farm is always open. It's always a pleasure hanging out with farm animals in the city. Admission is free.
Here's what's cooking in Room 108 this week:
Language: I've started a three block literacy program that involves word study, reading, and writing. Fortunately for our class, our timetable allows us to spend the entire morning on language-based learning. I will speak more about this on Curriculum Night this coming Thursday evening.
Word Study: Our exploration of antonyms continues this week as students created a poem or short story based on opposite words. I have started informally testing students on grade-appropriate high-frequency words, just to help me get a picture of where students are at with their spelling. Students will be introduced to a variety of strategies to help them learn the correct spelling of words and how to test themselves.
Reading: All Primary students at Clairlea will be working on Retelling during Term 1. This week, we will be looking at various texts and "pretelling" by making predictions based on such things as book cover and title, illustrations, previous knowledge of author, and prior knowledge of genre. I will model this and we will engage in shared "pretelling" activities this week.
Writing: We will review basic punctuation and students will use in their writing.
Math: Students really enjoyed the hands-on activities in Patterning last week. Below, you'll see students involved in a barrier game. In this activity, one student creates a pattern, which the other student cannot see (a book is propped up between them). The student who created the design must carefully describe the steps needed to create this pattern so the other student will have the same pattern. This activity strengthens oral skills and targets math vocabulary. This week, students will continue working on repeating patterns and will start looking at growing and shrinking patterns. The overall emphasis is to have students comfortable with stating the pattern rule and identifying the core of the pattern (the initial part that is repeated).
Science: Miss Lowen will be working with the Grade 3s in Science. I will be working with the 2s from our class and Miss Molidina's room. Currently we are investigating the properties of air and water. Last week we made pop bottle terrariums which will lead into our study of the water cycle.
Social Studies: We are going to begin looking at geographical landforms by creating a picture dictionary of landforms. This will lead us to mapping in weeks to come.
Homework: Students will bring home their Friday Folder. Please ensure this comes back on Friday. This week, students will be asked to draw and describe (using words), repeating patterns at home, in nature, outside on city streets, and one other of their own choice. Altogether, they are responsible for four. Students will have four days to return homework, so this should be a manageable activity if not left until Thursday evening. Students will also begin a home reading notebook. They will jot down what they're reading and approximately how many pages per day. As well, they will respond to a prompt I will give them. Students in Grade 2 are asked to write 2-3 sentences. Students in Grade 3 are asked to write 4-5 sentences. Students in both grades are asked to draw a picture that connects to the book they are reading. This week, students are only asked to make one entry in their notebook.
Have a great week!
Erin Hawkins
