Gifts From Africa

Hello there,

Just a reminder that February is African Heritage Month. Clairlea will be abuzz with music, art, and activities related to the great continent of Africa and the Caribbean. Our class will be performing in the concert on Feb. 24th. More information to come. Talk to your child about the different countries you know about within Africa and the diaspora. Look at maps, YouTube music and get excited.

Erin Hawkins

This Week in Room 108

Healthy Living circa 1960

Hello there,

Just a quick post this week. I'm balancing report card writing with teaching, marking, and sorting out homework bags, so it's an extra busy time.

In Language, we're concluding our poetry unit this week with more shared poetry readings. Students will also write a list poem (those who haven't done so yet), and use fragments from newspapers to create surreal found poems. I hope to have poetry portfolios of at least four poems for each child in the class. We all work at different rates. We will also resume guided reading and begin designing posters for the Textile Museum. Students who were not on that trip will be given an alternative assignment.

We will begin morning journal writing this week. Please make sure your child arrives promptly.

In Math, we are consolidating what we've learned in geometry, measurement, and data management. Assessment should be most current and most consistent, so I'm checking in one last time before we move into the second term with all new math expectations.

Science: Grade 2s will continue looking at how we use and misuse water. I hope that we can make water wheels within the next couple of weeks to learn about water power. Grade 1s will be consolidating what they know about sun power.

Social Studies: We will begin looking at community maps that will lead to a community walk in the next couple of weeks. Stay posted.

Miss Wright is now teaching health to our class. We are reviewing healthy eating.

Homework will be in the homework bag, as will your child's new spelling words.

Please note in the homework handout that we are starting a daily morning message reader, who will also conduct our morning calendar routine. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Have a terrific week!

Erin Hawkins

Living in a Material World

We had a fun and educational visit to the Textile Museum today. The children were in fine form, asking great questions and participating with enthusiasm. They were also well behaved on the subway. Thanks to the parents who were able to join us. We couldn't do it without you. Please forgive the blurry quality of the photos. We weren't to use flash. This Week in Room 108 returns next week.

Erin Hawkins

Here's some mid-nineties drum 'n bass to listen to as you scroll through the pictures. Enjoy!

This Week in Room 108

Chinese New Year Dragon heading down Spadina last year.

Hello there,

Here's what we're working on this week:

Language (Reading/Writing): We're continuing with poetry. Last week, students learned about haiku and free verse. Most students completed their first haiku and many students wrote winter poems. Students had fun working with magnetic words to create free verse, later copied into their writing journals. This week, we're going to read poetry as part of shared and guided reading. Students will learn about list poems. I will try to take pictures of the published haiku of your children which line the walls outside our class.

Math: This week, we will continue with geometry (2-D and 3-D), with attention to the word"congruent." We will be moving into symmetry. We will also do more 3-part problem solving which students love and has so much learning value.

Science: We continue our investigation into energy and energy conservation. Students will begin designing their eco homes.

Social Studies: We will be combining Grade 1 (Communities) and Grade 2 (Celebrations and Traditions) to learn about the Chinese community in Toronto as we gear up for Chinese New Year.

Homework is listed in your child's homework bag today. Cheers!

Things we need SVP:

- small boxes of different sizes

- cardboard tubes from tp rolls or paper towel.

Have a great week,

Erin Hawkins

This Happy New Year Week in Room 108

Have you heard that Kyra's got Room 108 grooving to "Safety Dance?" It's become our unofficial theme song. Ah, the eighties. I think dancing doctors could be the solution to most health care issues. It would definitely make the wait more enjoyable.

Hello there and welcome back!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break. I'm looking forward to the new year. We have a lot of ground to cover, but hopefully our learning will always be relevant, interesting, and fun whenever possible.

Here's what we're working on this week:

Language: Reading - Students will be reading poems on the theme of winter. We will be looking at how poems are different from other texts (e.g. picture books). Students will be responding to poems using pictures and words.

Writing - Students will begin learning how to write poems, including free verse and haiku. We're also going back to procedural writing with a simple wrap-up writing activity based on a class activity.

Media Literacy (link to Social Studies and Science) - We will review diagrams and students will create a diagram of a windmill or solar panel as part of Energy Conservation in Science. We will also begin simple mapping for Social Studies.

Math: Measurement will continue over the next few weeks as we investigate temperature. We are also starting Geometry this week with 2-D shapes.

Homework

There will not be any spelling words this week in order to give ourselves a chance to get back into the swing of things with word study.

1. The red duotang that used to be filled with expressions is now being used for poetry. Students will read the two new poems that we've learned in class each week. Students should read these to a family member and reread over the week until they can read them confidently and with expression. They will fill in the missing words in the poetry response sheet. Please only respond to one poem. We will need the blank response sheets for future weeks. Students should also draw a small picture beside the poem of their choice. The picture can either illustrate the poem or be a picture showing how the poem made you feel.

2. Read a book a day from the class library and log it. Grade 2s will begin writing about what they are reading. There will be an additional duotang coming home with details.

3. Math 2-D shape hunt. Students will be bringing home a Home Math Journal. This week, they should do the following:

Grade 1s: Find 4 or more different 2-D shapes around your home. Draw the object and beside the picture, write down with the object is and what shape you see - e.g. cutting board, rectangle.

Grade 2s: Find 4 or more different 2-D shapes and 4 or more different 3-D shapes around your home. See explanation above.

Reminders

Please return the Textile Museum field trip form by this Friday. This time, it is just our class going, but we need adult volunteers. Please join us if you are able to.

We are needing small boxes of different shapes as we move into 3-D geometry. Please send them in. These will later be used to make models of eco homes - sort of the junky gift that keeps on giving.

Have a great week.

Erin Hawkins