Catch-up blog entry... with photos!

Hello!

This past week was our first week of "regular school", without field trips or special events, that we have had in over a month!  It was great to have some large chunks of instructional time, and it gave the students the chance to start and finish their structures project.  They worked in groups to complete this project and their task was to build a play structure that was no larger than 30 cm x 30 cm, and that could support at least 500g of weight.  In the end, all of their structures supported at least 1kg of weight and I was very proud at how well all of the groups worked together for this project.  I have attached the photos of their structures to this blog, so you can ask your children which one they worked on!

Thank you to all of you who sent in paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, straws, popsicle sticks, etc. for our structures project!  The materials were much appreciated and we had more than enough to do what we wanted to do!

In math, the students did their module 3 geometry test on Friday, and we have started into module 4 which focuses on multiplication and division, and the grade 3s seem eager to enter into this unit, as I think it excites them to learn things that "older kids get to learn"! :)

Weeks 8 and 9!

These past few weeks have been VERY busy at Woodroffe Avenue P.S. and this week is no different! With our Swim to Survive Sessions at Dovercourt (the first one was a great success; number 2 is coming up tomorrow a.m.!), Halloween (and all the enthusiasm that came with that!) and our field trip to the Museum of Science and Technology this coming Thursday, the students of 3B have been full of excitement!

Here are a few quick updates...

In literacy, the students finished up their descriptive monster texts and had a lot of fun coming up with those as well as their creative illustrations.  This week (and next) we are taking a break from a formal writing project, and the students will be writing in their journals as part of the Daily 5 literacy block. 

In math, we have finished up module 2 (tests went home to be signed today), and have just started up module 3 which has a geometry focus, looking at shapes, angles, and solids.  This ties in well with our current science unit on structures!  Today, the students conducted a science experiment to see how many pennies could be supported on an "index card bridge", and then how varying the design of the bridge increased the total amount of pennies supported.  I found the experiment online (http://science.wonderhowto.com/how-to/build-simple-paper-bridge-as-science-experiment-424754/) and the students enjoyed making predictions and trying it out!   Thanks for all the boxes, paper towel rolls, etc. that have been sent in! We will be building a large structure as a class at some point with those materials, and the students will also be completing a smaller-scale structure project in groups at some point as well.  More info to come!

We played around with Boomwackers today, which are plastic tubes that are tuned to different note values.  You can do some pretty interesting things with them so I am hoping to borrow them again for another class at some point. If you have never heard of them, here is a really neat video of boomwackers in action (although these people have a lot more skill than we will likely ever have in grade 3!)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwhAZCIxdjs

Just a reminder...

Progress reports go home this Thursday (November 7th) and interviews are next Thursday and Friday (14th and 15th of November).

Thanks for reading!

Week 7!

A few updates from this week...

In literacy, we have started working on our descriptive text project on monsters!  Each student has to visualize what they want their monster to look like, and there aren't really any criteria for what theirs should look like - it is an open-ended creative task :)   This week we read a few different books with examples of descriptive texts about monsters, and looked at a few during shared reading as well.  I asked students to come to the front to underline nouns and adjectives in the text and it seems like they are starting to become more familiar with these concepts.  Students finished up their brainstorming sheet about what their monster looks like, what his personality is like, what he does, what he eats, and finally they had to think of a sentence to encourage people to buy their monster at "Le Monstrerie" store.  This week they will be using that brainstorming sheet to write their rough drafts and we will likely finish up the good copies and illustrations of their monsters next week. I am hoping to put it all together in a class book when it is finished.  

In math, we have been working on adding and subtracting two-digit numbers with carryovers and borrowing.  This concept has proven to be challenging for some students so it would be a good idea to practice it at home. We are about halfway through our second Module and will likely have our Module 2 test the week after this coming week. 

We started playing basketball during gym class, working first on basic drills (passing, dribbling, shooting...) and then did some short games.  

We will be starting our science unit on structures and stability this week.   We will also be working a bit more on our short skits for drama and then I will have the students present them in front of the class. 

Reminder:  Our first swimming day at Dovercourt is happening next Tuesday, October 29th. I am looking forward to it and the students are as well! 

Thanks to those who are following the blog!  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions...  alyssa.macmilan@ocdsb.ca  :)

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Weeks 5 and 6 !

My apologies for those of you who looked for a blog entry last week. I was away for the weekend and didn't get a chance, so I thought I would cover two weeks in one, this time!

Now that I am sending home the weekly Plan de Devoirs, there is a section on there for notes to parents, and I am not sure how many of you are regularly reading this blog so that might be a better way for me to get important messages out to you.  I will keep updating this blog though and it is nice for me to have as a memory too!  Thanks for your support with the Plan de Devoirs so far.  There is a note in this week's (sent home today) about our upcoming science unit on structures and stability.  We will be building a structure as the final project, so we are in need of materials for that (details in letter) - thanks in advance!! 

In literacy, the grade 3s have just finished a writing assignment about what they are thankful for, following the thanksgiving theme.  It was really neat to sit back and watch your children brainstorm different things that they are thankful for and then write a few sentences about their reasons for choosing each one.  Family made it onto many lists, so know that your children really are thankful for you even though they may not always express it!   We have also started reading the 3rd book in the Mademoiselle Charlotte series - the majority of the students really do seem to love these books.

The first module math test went quite well, and we are now into our second module, which focuses on number sense and numeration (adding and subtracting). We are reviewing the addition and subtraction of one and two digit numbers (up to 20) right now, and after thanksgiving we will be moving into addition and subtraction of two and three digit numbers.  

Last week we did an art activity that focused on primary and secondary colours, and it was a painting of different coloured fish.  Painting in the portable (without running water!) proved to be quite the challenge but seeing the students really enjoy the painting process made it worth it. 

We are now working on short skits to present in front of the class for the week after thanksgiving.  It is just a chance for the students to get some practice with the dramatic arts, and I think it will be fun for us all to watch the different groups present their skits. 

For those students who are on the cross-country team, the meet is happening this coming Wednesday morning (October 16th) so please send a water bottle that day! 

I hope you all enjoy a beautiful thanksgiving weekend! :) 

Week 4!

Can you believe that the first month of school is already wrapping up??

Thank you so much to all of the parents who came out for Meet the Teacher night last Tuesday. It was great to be able to meet those of you who I hadn't met yet, and thanks to all for coming out and showing support.

This week in literacy, students continued to work on their Daily 5, which included a piece of writing about a summer vacation memory.  This coming week's daily 5 words (included in the "Plan de Devoirs") are all high-frequency grade 3 words, beginning with the letter A.  We also did a vote on our next read aloud book, and the majority of the students wanted the second book in the series about "Mademoiselle Charlotte", so we have begun reading that together. 

We started playing handball in Phys. Ed. this week, with basic rules to begin and then I had the students create new rules once we had played for a little while. These rules were based on elements of the game that they felt could be improved (i.e. Boys cannot only pass to boys!), to help ensure fair play.    

On Thursday morning, we had our Terry Fox run which was a huge success!  The students loved it (and so did I!) and they were all very proud of their efforts. Pledge forms and donations can still be brought in all of this week.  Also, for those students who are on the cross-country team, permission forms for the big meet were sent home Friday.  The meet will take place on the morning of October 16th.

On Friday, I handed out a blue homework folder to every student so hopefully those folders made it home! :)  In it, you will find a "Plan de Devoirs" that outlines the homework for that week, as well as a booklet of math exercises, called "Rapido".  Please try to have your child do 4 of these per week (4 columns), and please keep track of how long it takes them to do each one.  As they become more familiar with the exercises, their times will decrease, and this will help improve their skill for future lessons as well as boost your child's confidence in math.  This week, there is also a Module 1 review sheet that should be completed.  Our first math test (Module 1) is coming up this Friday, October 4th, and we will also be reviewing in class.  The homework plan will be for each Friday-Friday. The blue folder will go home with your child on the Friday and will be expected to return back to school the following Friday so I can give them the new "Plan de Devoirs" for the following week.  Please let me know if you have any questions!  

A permission form also went home on Friday for the "Swim to Survive" program at Dovercourt Pool.  We will be going at the end of October and beginning of November for 3 swimming sessions. There is no cost to you and it will teach your child basic swimming skills in case they were ever to find themselves in a risky situation in the water. 

Like always, feel free to email me if you have any further questions! (alyssa.macmilan@ocdsb.ca) 

I hope you are enjoying this gorgeous weekend weather!  

Week 3!

Fall is in the air! :)

Last week during our literacy block, we started working on a mini writing project about summer holiday memories.  The graphic organizer we are using divides the writing process into a few different steps, and most of the students are done drawing their sketches and writing key words about the summer holiday memory they have chosen to focus on.  We will be continuing to work on this assignment this week.  We also started right into the Daily 5 last week as well (see "Week 2" for more information), and the students worked independently on their daily 5 assignments. One component of the Daily 5 is word study, and students will be given 10-12 words that they will focus on learning for the week. We will be doing a Dictée each Friday with these words as well.  

In Social Studies, we are working on mapping/globe skills, specifically discussing legends and symbols on maps, and some differences between rural and urban communities. 

In Math, we are still in Module 1 (it is a long one!) and we have been looking at base 10 numbers (i.e. How many Hundreds, Tens, and Units does the number 457 have? What about the number 38?), and we have also been continuing to look at patterns.  Tomorrow, we will be looking at patterns/skip counting in number grids bigger than 100 (i.e. Counting from 744 to 769 by 5s), and I am assuming that will be a challenging concept for some.  We will do as much practice as possible in class. The grids will be provided on the sheets of independent work.

We had a special "fitness week" last week at Woodroffe, in which different fitness instructors came to teach our students during the physical education blocks.  On Wednesday, we played Gaelic football (a mix between soccer and handball), on Thursday we danced (which was very fun for all the students as the instructor incorporated music from Star Wars!), and on Friday we played basketball.  The students really seemed to enjoy these 3 days of Phys. Ed. 

Thursday morning this week is the Terry Fox run, from 9-10 a.m.  Please encourage your child to come to school dressed in Woodroffe's school colours (blue and green)!  Pledge forms have gone home, and any child who brings back the form completely filled out will be entered into a draw to win a free bike! I believe the forms are due October 4th. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday) night is "Meet the Teacher" and it will be happening right here in portable 7 from 6:30-7:00 or 7:00-7:30.  Please choose the time that best suits your schedule.   If you are interested in purchasing a pack of newspaper compost bin liners that the grade 3s have worked hard to create, please bring some change with you.  I believe it will be $5 to purchase a pack of 10.  Again, these are being sold to fundraise for a clean water project in India.  

Hope to see you tomorrow night! :) 

Week 2!

Week 2 has come and gone! 

Just a quick reminder...

It would be much appreciated if you could please initial your child's agenda each night, even if nothing is written there. It is helpful for me to know that you are staying current with it so I can send a note in the agenda, if I need to communicate with you for any reason.  Thank you! 

Now, a few updates about what we have been up to in Portable 7! 

Last Friday, we were invited on to Madame Natalie's class to watch "La Mystérieuse Mademoiselle C" with her students, so this week we used that book as our read aloud. The vocabulary is a bit complex in some parts for many of the grade 3s, but they seem to be interested and getting the gist of the book because they were able to see the "big picture" when we watched the film.  The rich vocabulary of the book is helpful for the grade 3s to hear aloud, and we have discussed many new words together. 

Pascale (a resource teacher at our school) has been coming in for 30 minutes each morning during our literacy block and she has been helping me introduce the Daily Five literacy program. In French, this is "Les 5 au Quotidien", and the goal of it is for the grade 3s to eventually be able to work independently on 5 different literacy elements throughout the week (Reading to Self, Reading to Another Student, Word Study, Writing Activity, Listening to a Text), which gives me a chance to do guided reading with smaller groups of students based on reading levels.  This approach to literacy is new to me, but many teachers at Woodroffe are using it in their classrooms with great success. 

In math, we have been continuing practicing skip counting (backwards and forwards) by 2s, 5s, and 10s, using hundreds charts ("grilles de 100") as well as number lines ("droites numériques").  Some students are quickly grasping these concepts while others are finding them more challenging.  All students would benefit from extra practice of this at home, especially when it comes to finding the patterns ("Trouve la suite"), i.e. noticing that when we count by 5s starting at 4, we count 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29..., and there is a pattern in the "units digit" of 4, 9, 4, 9, 4, 9... 

The students also worked at creating self-portrait crafts, using different colours of construction paper for different parts of their faces, and yarn for their hair, and we reviewed french vocabulary for parts of the face.  Everyone seemed to enjoy working on this activity, and they are now displayed on our wall if you are ever interested in checking them out!  I will leave them up for Meet the Teacher night, on September 24th. More details to come about that night. 

Thank you to all who have sent in newspaper, and to those parent volunteers who came in on Thursday to help with our project!  On Thursday afternoon, we spent an hour folding newspaper into origami compost bin liners, and it was a big success. The grade 3s loved this activity, and we will be doing it again at some point soon, so please continue to send in newspaper if you have any lying around. After folding and refolding different newspapers, we discovered that the Ottawa Citizen seems to work best!  For those who missed the note that was sent home, we are creating these compost bin liners to sell in packets, as part of a fundaiser for a clean water project in India (through the organization "Sopar"). 

I hope you are all having another wonderful weekend!