Next Monday we will be having a test on what we have learned in our patterning unit over the last few weeks. Specifically, the test will cover:
repeating patterns in which two or more attributes are changing
creating and extending repeating, growing and shrinking patterns
identifying patterns on numbers lines
identifying pattern rules
identifying patterns on hundreds charts
using tables to help solve patterning problems
identifying fact families for addition and subtraction
solving patterning word problems
We will be doing a "Check In" this week which we will take up together and students can study at home. The check in will be different from the test this time, but will cover the same information. Using Prodigy this week will also help to study! Good luck!
We will also be doing some EQAO questions to assess students this week as well. These questions are taken directly from old EQAO tests, and are a great way to practice!
The science unit that we are currently learning about at school is Strong and Stable Structures. As part of this unit, the children are being asked to do a simple research project at home over the next week. This will be in place of their regular homework assignment.
We have been researching a variety of famous structures around the world and where they can be found. For this assignment, the children will be asked to research one famous structure that they will present to the class. This research can be typed or written and placed on a large piece of bristle board. On the back of this letter are some questions that the children are asked to look for. They should have a mix of written work and pictures to show and present to the class.
I will not be assessing the actual project, however, I will be assessing the oral presentation. Below is a rubric that I will be using as a guide to assess the children on their oral presentation. The children will also be assessed on how they are as audience members. We will discuss oral presentations and what is expected here at school as well. The children are allowed to use cue cards if they choose to do so. Please sign and send the rubric back to school after you have read it.
Please have your child bring their poster to school on Monday, November 19th. We will begin presentations, a few at a time, that week.
Thank you!
Mr. Pouliot
Project : Research a Famous Structure
Find out more about a world famous structure. Your structure is _____________________.
Design a poster with drawings and descriptions to share what you find out.
1. Where can your structure be found?
2. What purpose was it built for?
3. What is it used for now?
4. What city and country can your structure be found in?
5. How big is your structure? What are its measurements?
6. Is there a reason why your structure is shaped the way it is?
7. When was your structure built?
8. What is your structure famous for?
9. Share some interesting facts about your structure.
10. Is there any other information that you would like to share with your audience?
Good Luck!
Below is a copy of the rubric that I will be using as a guide to assess the children on their “Famous Structure” presentation. They will also be assessed on how they are as audience members. The expectations from the curriculum that I will be addressing through the presentation are:
-choose a variety of appropriate words and phrases, including descriptive words and some technical vocabulary, and a few elements of style, to communicate their meaning accurately and engage the interest of their audience
-use a variety of appropriate visual aids (their poster and the pictures on their poster)
-identify some non-verbal cues, including facial expression, gestures, and eye contact, and use them in oral communications, appropriately, to help convey their meaning
-communicate orally in a clear, coherent manner, presenting ideas, opinions, and information in a logical sequence
The children are allowed to use cue cards if they choose to do so. Please send this rubric back to school after you have read and signed it.
I hope everybody had a fantastic Halloween! I am looking forward to seeing you all again next week at Parent Teacher Interviews. Again, I will try to keep this short as I communicate regularly via the website and Twitter. Please make sure to check out Twitter feed daily to see what is happening in our class.
Math
We have recently begun our Patterning Unit. We are looking at a variety of Geometrical and Numerical patterns. We are also answering a number of word problems in which the children have to determine the pattern rule in a given pattern to answer the question asked. The curriculum expectations that we are focusing on are the following:
- identify, extend, and create a repeating pattern involving two attributes using a variety of tools
– identify and describe, through investigation, number patterns involving addition, subtraction, and multiplication, represented on a number line, on a calendar, and on a hundreds chart
- extend repeating, growing, and shrinking number patterns
-create a number pattern involving addition or subtraction, given a pattern represented on a number line or a pattern rule expressed in words
-represent simple geometric patterns using a number sequence, a number line, or a bar graph
– demonstrate, through investigation, an understanding that a pattern results from repeating an action, repeating an operation, using a transformation, or making some other repeated change to an attribute
– determine, through investigation, the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction
– determine, the missing number in equations involving addition and subtraction of one- and two-digit numbers, using a variety of tools and strategies
– identify, through investigation, the properties of zero and one in multiplication
– identify, through investigation, and use the associative property of addition to facilitate computation with whole numbers
Our next strand in math will be Measurement. We will be looking at Time, Temperature and relationships between minutes, hours, days, weeks and years. Please have your child look at an analogue clock regularly to tell you the time. In Grade Three, they are expected to learn to read an analogue clock to the nearest 5 minutes.
Language
We have finished Recount writing and have moved onto Descriptive writing. So far, we have co-constructed a writing piece describing a scary bat. Here is the model we came up with:
Scary Bat
The scary bat looked creepy. It had itchy, brown, spiky fur all over its tiny body. Its teeth were dirty, white, sharp fangs that felt like sharp, broken glass poking through your skin. It smelled like wet, soggy, dirt and rotten bugs. It made screeching sounds like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. The bat was really scary.
The general structure I am looking for when writing descriptive writing is as follows:
Topic sentence - general statement about the object ("Our Pumpkin is cool.")
Detail sentence - tell how it looks (for all details, use lots of adjectives, and try to use linking words to make your sentences big Grade 3 sentences!)
Detail sentence - tell how it feels
Detail sentence - tell how it smells (if possible)
Detail sentence - tell how it sounds (if possible)
Detail sentence - tell how it tastes (if possible)
Concluding sentence - another general statement ("Our pumpkin is the best")
Next, we carved a pumpkin and made a list of describing words and phrases to describe it. we began writing a descriptive paragraph about the pumpkin, and revising it a few times to bump it up to our best writing. In class, we watched a video about “Austin’s Butterfly” which taught us that we can really improve our work with very specific, detailed feedback. We also learned that sometimes it takes many revisions to get to our best work. We will be practicing this in class to bump our pumpkin writing up. We will be doing some other fun describing activities and descriptive writing pieces during this unit as well.
Here is the video we watched about Austin’s Butterfly:
Extra writing practise at home is highly recommended. When writing sentences, I ask that the children focus on spelling, punctuation, capital letters where necessary, use of adjectives and creating simple and complex/compound sentences using linking words. An example of a complex/compound sentence would be: The fluffy black dog ate the large bone because he was very hungry. The word “because” would be the linking word. Instead of stopping at bone, the sentence was made longer by adding "because" and then the rest of the sentence. The children usually do write longer sentences, however, many times the linking word is missing and it becomes two sentences with no punctuation. For example: The dog ate the bone he was very hungry. For reading, the children will continue to independently read stories and answer questions in which they have to go back through the story to find the answers. They have to use details from the story to support their answers. In Grade Two, reading comprehension is typically assessed through oral assessment. As the students move on to Grade Three, to display comprehension and to prepare for EQAO, they are assessed through written responses. One thing the children often have trouble doing is writing enough detail from the text, and their own ideas to show that they understand. We have discussed this at school and will continue to work on this skill throughout the entire year.
Learning Skills
Our learning skills focus for this coming term will be Independent Work and Organization. I will send home more details of what is expected for each of the skills.
Wonder
We have continued to read the story Wonder. It is a great book so far. We have been using different reading strategies such as making inferences and visualization while we read. We have been discussing definitions to different vocabulary words that the author uses. We have also discussed character traits and the children had to list a number of character traits to describe one of the characters in the story.
Scientists in School
Scientists in School was a huge success and tied in perfectly to our science unit on Structures. We continue to look at structures and the importance of their stability and strength.
Homework
Thank you so much for ensuring that your child has completed homework as it reinforces what has been done at school and/or other learning skills that we may not be able to focus on at school. I have asked that it be completed by Friday. Please send me a note if it cannot be completed or more time is needed. We will continue to have a weekly Spelling Quiz every Friday. Please review the words with your child on a regular basis as these are words they are expected to know how to spell by the end of grade three. In math, our homework has focused on Khan Academy. Soon, I would like to blend the math homework so that some of it is completed in Khan Academy, and some of the slides that I was sending home before. Both are excellent, so I would like to ensure students are exposed to both. We will also be completing the slidedeck homework in a folder, so that it is easier for students and parents to track and keep organized. Thank you so much for your support. In a couple of weeks, the students are going to be asked to complete a project at home in lieu of their regular homework for that week. They will have to research one of the famous structures we have discussed at school and present it on a large piece of bristle board paper. They will then present it orally to the class. They will not be assessed for the actual research, however, they will be graded on the visual and oral piece. More information will follow.
Important Dates
November 1st:Progress Reports go home
November 7th: Parent Teacher Interviews – Please sign up through the link that will be sent home with the report cards.
November 11th: Remembrance Day Ceremony
November 16th: PD Day (no school)
November 29th: Picture Retake Day - Please make sure to let me know if your child will be getting retakes done.
Thank you for helping to make this a successful school year so far! I really enjoy working with you and your child. Please feel free to contact me at any time through your child’s agenda or by calling the school and leaving me a message. Thank you for all of your contributions to United Way and the annual food drive for the Kanata Food Cupboard.
