We have been concentrating on reading strategies in our language program.  We have discussed that reading is more that just reading the words on the page.  It is about thinking.  Ask your child what they should be doing as they are reading.  We discussed concepts, such as what they notice, wonder, see, think, and feel. 

We also discussed strategies to help understand difficult words, such as looking at the beginning, middle, and ending sounds of words, using pictures, and notice if the sentence makes sense.  Many children make the mistake of only looking at the beginning sounds of words.  For example, reading "house" instead of "home". 

The students have also started their reading groups.  During the small groups, students look at different reading strategies, think critically by making connections and wonderings, and retell the story in their own words.

In math, the students are currently working on 2 and 3 dimensional shapes and figures, as well as,  linear measurement.  Ask your child what is they need to remember when they measure different objects. In science, the students continue to work on identify different materials and their uses.

Your child should have brought home their patterning, addition, and energy units with their evaluations. 

The students continue to work on procedural writing. Not only are they learning to use transition words, but also ensure the procedure can be carried out by another. We dicuss the importance in choosing a topic that they are an "expert" in. Ask your child what it means to be an expert (know the topic, good at it, and can teach someone else). 

The students have been practicing their counting on and doubles strategy for addition. You can help your child by practicing their doubles or to give them a number and they have to count 5 more from that number. We will continue to do addition and subtraction in the new year. 

Our science unit on energy is coming to an end. We have been learning how to concerve energy and the difference between renewable and non renewable resources. Ask your child for some examples on renewable and non renewable resources. You can also ask them for tips to conserve energy at home. 

Hello everyone,

The students have been writing procedures and practicing using transition words.  They have started to make their own procedures.  Ask your child what procedure they wrote about.  This week in reading, the students have create story cubes.  They toss the cube and answer different story elements.  The six sides are: characters, setting, events, problem, solution, and connection.  You can ask your child to identify these story elements when reading at home.

In math, we have started our new unit on addition.  We are learning two different strategies for addition: counting on and doubles.  We will continue to look at these two strategies next week.  We have also discussed what a number sentence.  Ask your child what a number sentence is. 

The students also did their first presentation on their energy chains.  We discussed the importance in using a loud and clear voice, as well as, giving eye contact to the audience.  In art, we learned different lines.  Ask your child what their favourite type of line. 

Things that the students should have brought home:
class picture
data management unit
patterning unit
energy chains
Piet Mondrian paintings
daily and seasonal changes unit
doubles book

Last week, the students continue with their Language Program routine with spelling, poetry. letter to the star of the week and  our morning message, which the students learn about letter blends, vowel pairs and proof reading strategies.  The students have also been working on identifying key events in stories.

The students have completed their patterning unit, which should have went home with your child.  Their mark is on the title page.  They should have also brought home their Daily and Seasonal Cycles unit.  In Science, the students are working on different energy sources, such as electricity, us, wind, gasoline, etc.

Hello everyone,

Last week, the students continued to learn about procedural writing.  We discussed how each procedure should include transitional words.  Ask your child what transitional words are (First, next, then, after that, and finally).  We have made procedures on how to wash our hands and how to line up for a fire drill.  We will do a few more as a class and then they will try a few on their own before their "Expert " assignment. 

In reading, we have been looking at what to look for in a retell.  We started with the 5Ws.  Who was in the story? Where does the story take place? When does the story take place? What did the characters do? and Why did the characters do that? This will help students create a full retell with characters, setting, problem, and solution as the year goes on. 

In math, the students continue to practice patterning.  The students have learned about a pattern repeating three times, what a core is?, what a rule is? and what an attribute is?  The students will have a test on Thursday.  Ask your child if he/she can explain these terms to you.

In science, we have discussed the importance of the sun and how the sun is our primary source of energy.  We made energy chains to show how important the sun is.  Ask your child why the sun is so important.