In grade three this week...
We had a wonderful first week in grade three! Students
became acquainted and reacquainted with one another, got a feel for their new
classroom and the routines, and got to know us, their teachers.
The students explored the books new to them in our classroom
library. Then they had a chance to pick out some books and practice their
quiet, independent reading. The students enjoyed finding spaces that work best
for them to read in the classroom, such as the carpet with pillows, library
chairs, or at tables. Students were also able to request some books that they
would like to see in our library. Next week, students will be able to choose
their own books from the learning commons which they are welcome to bring home
to read with you!
We shared a number of read alouds this week to set the tone
for our classroom. These books focused on building a compassionate, empathetic,
thoughtful, and kind community. They also focused on ideas, creativity, collaboration,
and design. At the end of the week, we even had a student ask for a book that
she found to be read during snack because she thought that it went along with “the
theme of the books we have been reading.” This book was called The Peace Book
and shared different meanings of peace. Ask your child to tell you one book
they enjoyed listening to this week.
To get to know the students better, they shared an All About
Me page. This work gave us more information about the students, such as some of
their favourite things, friends, and family. They chose how to share their
information. The choices were through using a web, list, pictures with labels,
or sentences. Ask your child which way they represented their information.
Students played different math games using cards. To start,
they used cards to find the greatest number and also to determine the
difference. Another game that the students played was using cards to make ten.
For this game, students made three rows of five cards. They then found two
cards to add together to make ten. It was great to see students finding
different ways to find the appropriate sum. It was also exciting to see the
problem solving that surfaced from this task. For example, some students asked
if they could add three numbers together to make ten or if they could add as
well as subtract a number of cards to make ten. Ask your child to show you how
to play this game!
Because our Twitter name is @designerthr33s and our blog is designerthr33s.blogspot.com,
our class had a discussion about the significance of these names. We talked
about the meaning of the word “design”. Students determined that to them,
design means “creating something from an idea or ideas.” We then discussed how
this year, students would be designing many things! To start off, this week,
students designed a book bin name tag after creating a class list of criteria.
Students decided that their designs should include their name (that should be
big and pop out), colours, details, border/frame, and pictures. They then used
this list of criteria to complete their design. Ask your child what they
included in their book bin name tag and why.
Students explored the work of Wassily Kandinsky. They
determined that this artist’s work includes lines, shapes, and colours. It is
also abstract. One student explained that abstract art is so fun because there
aren’t any rules! Students then used their own ideas to create a piece of
artwork modelled after Kandinsky. They also worked on giving one another feedback
by asking each other, “What have I done well?” and “What can I work on?” They
used the ideas of their peers to make their work even better!
In P.E., students played a variety of cooperative games,
such as line tag, cat tag, and number tag while also reviewing important ways
to stay safe in the gym.
Reminders
-A Coco Brooks pizza form was sent home on Friday. If you
would like to order pizza for the Welcome Back Picnic on Thursday, Sept. 19th,
please return the form by the end of the day on Monday, Sept. 16th.
-If you have not yet returned the forms that were sent home
in the brown envelopes on Monday, please do so as soon as you can.
Upcoming Dates
Sept 10 – School Council 7:00 pm
Sept 17 – Gr 5/6 Winsport Field trip
Sept 19 – Welcome Back Picnic
Sept 19 – Conferences 3:30 – 7:00
Sept 20 – Conferences 8:00 – 12:00
Sept 27 – Terry Fox Run
Sept 30 – Orange Shirt Day
