January Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! With the New Year upon us, I have planned some fun new experiences for the students.  As you know, in February, we will be snowshoeing in Gatineau Park for a field trip. We have a class set of snowshoes at St. Anne, so I am hoping to give the students an opportunity to practice before our adventure in February.

We will also be going to Swim to Survive starting February 19th, and Ms. Teevens will be returning to us for her practicum beginning February 19th until the week after the March Break.

Important Dates: January 25 - PD Day

Math:

 We are beginning our unit on Data Management.  These are the overall expectations for this unit:

1. Demonstrate an ability to organize objects into categories, by sorting and classifying objects using two or more attributes simultaneously .
2. Collect data by conducting a simple survey about themselves, their environment, issues in their school or community, or content from another subject;
3. Collect and organize data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including vertical and horizontal bar graphs), with appropriate titles and labels and with labels ordered appropriately along horizontal axes, as needed, using many-to-one correspondence (e.g., in a pictograph, one car sticker represents 3 cars; on a bar graph, one square represents 2 students) 
4. Read data presented in charts, tables, and graphs, then describe the data using comparative language, and describe the shape of the data.
5. Interpret and draw conclusions from data presented in charts, tables, and graphs;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of mode, and identify the mode in a set of data.

In this unit, students will be practicing sorting data using a Venn diagram, conducting surveys with classmates, and reading and interpreting data on bar graphs and pictographs.

Language:

Writing- We are starting our unit on Persuasive writing. When students write paragraphs, I am looking for an opening sentence, at least three examples, a detail for each example, and a closing sentence.  I also ask students to focus on writing conventions (using capital letters, using a personal dictionary or word wall for spelling, making sure sentences make sense).  For our Persuasive writing unit, I will continue to focus on these important aspects of a good paragraph and will introduce students to “persuasive” adjectives. Our final assessment for this unit will be to create and present a poster about their favourite book.

Reading - Our focus for Reading this month will be on finding the Main Idea in a passage as well as Making Inferences in what we read.  Students will continue to practice with short EQAO reading passages. We are also continuing to read the novel Wonder as a class.

Pen Pals - We are soon going to be communicating with a class Grade 3 class at St. Gregory. Students will be sending and receiving letters from their friends.  This is a meaningful way for students to practice the skill of friendly letter writing.

Science:

We are now beginning our unit on Natural Forces. Students are learning about natural forces such as gravity, magnetism, erosion, and friction.  We will be performing some simple experiments to show how these forces affect our lives.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about anything in the classroom or in this newsletter, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss with you.