November 25th - 29th

It was another awesome week in grade 3 and the students did a great job dealing with our BLUE days and lack of getting fresh air due to the crisp, cold weather!

In math this week we did some review of 3 digit addition with regrouping.  Students have been working on demonstrating an understanding of adding 3 digit numbers up to 1000 concretely, pictorially as well as symbolically by using personal strategies. We have also worked on solving problems in contexts that involve addition of 3-digit numbers. As well, students have been working on their estimating skills and solving one step addition equations that involve a symbol (x) to represent an unknown number.

Here is our Math Discussion about X representing the unknown number:

Question: What do you think the 'X' in this question means?

JV – "I think that the 'X' means that there is a number missing"

DB – "It’s a number you don’t know or what you call an unknown number"

Question:  X + 7 + 10

GT - "I think X is 3 because I know that 3 +7 = 10."

CL – "I got 3 too because I took 1 away from the 3 and added it to the 7 which made it 2 + 8 and I know that's equal to 10."

Question:  5 + X = 10

KB – "I made 10 with my fingers and took away 5 and then I had 5 left."

Question:  20 = 10 + X

SH – "X = 10. It’s the same thing but it's just backwards. It's really like saying 10 + something = 20 and I know that 10 + 10 is 20."

Question:  100 = X + 60

KG – "I think the X is 40 because I know that 6 + 4 is 10 so then that means 40 + 60 = 100."

Question: 12 = X + 6

EV - "X = 12 because I know that 6 + 6 is 12 so I just read it backwards."

In science we have been looking closely at Minerals. So far we have discussed:



What is a Mineral?

Minerals are defined as solid, inorganic, naturally occurring substances. They have a definite chemical formula and general structure - like Grandma's special cookie recipe!



What is the difference between a Rock and a Mineral?

Each mineral has a specific chemical structure which is the same throughout the entire mineral - it has a specific recipe that is always the same. Rocks are composed of a variety of different minerals and are not consistent throughout their structure - meaning each rock can have a different version of the cookie recipe and the recipe is not always consistent...maybe we were out of butter so we used margarine instead!






Over the past few weeks the students have been working really hard on developing and practicing their oral stories about the Hoodoos. We have just started recording our these stories using iMovie and a green screen! Stay tuned for the sharing of their awesome work!

We continue to discuss and work on understanding Character Traits in both the stories we are reading as a large group and independently. This week students listened to the story Me...Jane and shared their opinions about the type of character they thought Jane was. Ask your child to tell you how they described Jane's character.

This week for gym class we started to learn about the awesome game of Ringette! We talked about player equipment, some of the sports unique rules as well as the similarities and differences between ringette and hockey. So far we worked on our stick handling skills, partner and lead passing skills as well as the flip shot. Next week we will talk a little bit about the history of the game as well as continue to develop our skills, ending our week with some game play.
To learn more about Ringette you can check it out here: Ringette Canada

On Friday your child was given a green paper with information regarding tickets for our upcoming Christmas Concerts. If you would like tickets, please fill out the form and return it as soon as possible!   Thank you :)

Upcoming Important Dates and Reminders

• Dec 17 – Christmas Concert (K-2 performance times @ 1:00pm and 6:00pm)
• Dec 18 – Christmas Concert (Gr 3-6 performance times @ 1:00pm - 6:00pm) 
• Dec 19 – Last Day of School before Break 
• Dec 19 – Report Cards go home 
• Dec 20 – No School (PD)
• Dec 21 – Jan 5 – Winter Break 
• Jan 6 – No School (PD) 
• Jan 7 – School Begins

Nov. 18th – 22nd

This week in grade three…

Thank you for attending conferences. They were great opportunities to share your child’s learning with you!

To continue to develop reading comprehension, this week we focused on looking at character traits. We discussed different character traits and also talked about some of our own traits. Then students identified characters in a story and explained what traits they had based on things they said or the way they thought and acted. The students worked to include character traits and explanations as to how they know in their reading response journals.

For word work, students looked at what prefixes are as well as different prefixes and their meanings. We focused on –mis, -un, and –dis. Students also worked on words with the –ai and –ay digraphs. They were given sentences and had to determine the missing word which contained one of the long-a sounding digraphs.

The students continued to work hard on their oral story telling. They practiced recording their own creative stories of how the hoodoos were formed with a partner on an iPad. They then used the criteria established last week to give themselves and one another feedback in the form of a star and a wish. Their feedback has become very specific and helpful. Some of the feedback included “I like how you used expression” and “I wish that you would look at the camera more.”

After having refined their number sense, students worked on applying this understanding to solve three-digit addition questions, involving regrouping. This week, students focused on using the strategies of manipulatives and visuals to demonstrate their understanding of regrouping, starting with ones and then moving on to the tens. Students will continue to learn different strategies to demonstrate their understanding of the addition process before identifying the strategy that works best for them.

The grade threes continued to look at rocks and how they are formed. Last week they learned how igneous rocks are formed and this week, they learned how sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are formed. They also looked at pictures of different examples of each type of rock. They collected information using jot notes and then shared their understanding in their own words.

Students learned and practiced volleyball skills including bumping, volleying, and serving.

The students enjoyed a mid-week Sibbald U! They had a great time at their various courses and sharing what they had done with each other.

Upcoming Dates

-Nov 27/28 > Scientists in Schools – Kinder

-Nov 28 > Spirit Day > Cozy Stuffy Day > Thank you to the grade twos for organizing this!

-Nov 29 > Sibbald U #5

-Dec 2-13 > Stuff a Sock > Thank you to the grade ones for organizing this special initiative!

-Dec 6 > Sibbald U #6

-Dec 17 > Christmas Concert (K-2)

-Dec 18 > Christmas Concert (Gr 3-6)

-Dec 19 > Last Day of School before Winter Break

-Dec 19 > Report Cards go home

-Dec 20 > No School (PD)

-Dec 21 – Jan 5 > Winter Break > Have a wonderful break, everyone!

-Jan 6 > No School (PD)

-Jan 7 > School resumes

November 11th - 15th

A huge thank you to our amazing Grade Three students for doing such a beautiful job reading the poem In Flanders Field during our Remembrance Day assembly last week. We were so proud of the way they showed respect and honored those who served and continue to serve for our country.

It was another busy week in Room 10 and 11 😊 Please check out what we've been up to...

Writing

During our daily reading and writing times we continue to work on learning new strategies to further develop our skills and stamina. This week all classes did a school wide writing assessment where students had a choice from 3-4 different picture prompts to write a story about.  After choosing the picture they wanted to write about, students were given 10 minutes of talk time with a partner to look at the prompt and discuss. Next, students and teachers co-created criteria together about what were important things to consider when writing a story. Before starting their writing students had 10 minutes to pre-plan prior to writing. Ask your child to tell you about the wonderful story they wrote!

    

Oral Storytelling

We have been having lots of fun continuing our work with our oral storytelling. This week we created our storyboards for our creative stories about how the Hoodoos were formed. We related oral stories to written stories and talked about the similarities and differences between them. Students noticed that they have similar structures (beginning, middle, end, characters, setting, problem, solution) but have a different method of being shared. As students finished up their drawings, we began to create our 'What's Important About...' criteria for oral storytelling. The students came up with many great ideas for what oral storytelling should 'sound' like...

• have an exciting beginning that introduces the setting and characters
• build up to the problem in the middle
• share the solution to the problem in the end
• add Juicy Words (describing words) to help the story come to life
• use expression to make it exciting to listen to
• make sure you add pauses so you don't go too fast
• add a dramatic stop if you can

Math

We continue to work on developing our number sense and talking about how we apply it to our strategies to help us solve problems.  Students work towards building fluency and flexibility with understanding numbers and how they can manipulate them. 

Math game ideas for home:

• Math Dice Games 
• Dice Game - Tenzi

Science

We have started to look closely at the 'story of rocks' by learning about the Rock Cycle. So far we have talked about the different kinds of rocks - Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic. This week the students practiced their jot note skills while watching a video about how Igneous rocks are formed. 

Social

We have now completed our residency with Elder Shirley. Students enjoyed learning about traditional Blackfoot ways from her as well as learning about different types of dancing. 

We will continue to talk about the importance of looking at and understanding things from different perspectives as we move on to look closely at life in four diverse communities around our world. Students will work on inquiring about how geographic, social, cultural and linguistic factors affect quality of life in different communities in the world, enriching their awareness and appreciation of how people live in other places.

Upcoming Important Dates and Reminders

• Nov 21(evening) and 22 (morning) – Parent Teacher Conferences 
• Nov 21 – No School for Kindergarten only 
• Dec 17 – Christmas Concert (K-2) 
• Dec 18 – Christmas Concert (Gr 3-6) Dec 19 – Last Day of School before Break 
• Dec 19 – Report Cards go home 
• Dec 20 – No School (PD)
• Dec 21 – Jan 5 – Winter Break 
• Jan 6 – No School (PD) 
• Jan 7 – School Begins

Oct. 28 - Oct.31

In grade three this week…

To further develop their reading comprehension, students focused on the strategy of “making text to world” connections. They worked hard to connect what they read to things happening in the world or to people who are making a difference in the world. We started by reading the story Anything is Possible by Giulia Belloni. Students discussed prominent people in the world, including the Wright brothers, Greta Thunberg, and Bianca Andreescu. The students discussed how these people, like the characters in the book, worked hard and persevered.

The students looked at images of the “Big Rock” in Okotoks and made guesses as to how the rock got there. Some students used their prior scientific knowledge and thought that the movement of the plate tectonics or a rock slide had resulted in the location of the “Big Rock”. Other students guessed that perhaps people moved it there, piece by piece. Following this, students heard the Blackfoot Story of Napi. This Blackfoot story explains how the rock got there. We looked closer at the Blackfoot story and discussed the importance of oral story telling in the Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Students identified how important it is for stories to be told from one generation to the next. To first start practicing telling their own oral stories, students used picture books. They told the stories through the pictures, rather than reading any words. Then, to help the students orally retell the Story of Napi, they drew important parts and details of the story in sequential order. They decided that the beginning should include the characters and setting, the middle should include the problem, and the ending should include the solution. After working on their drawings, students worked hard to orally retell the Story of Napi, using their pictures as a plan to follow. If your child hasn’t shared the story already, ask them to retell it to you this weekend.

Just like stories follow a pattern, students identified that many other things in life follow patterns as well. Students thought about patterns that they know of including time, seasons, days of the week, numbers, life cycle, and water. Then, they looked closer at number patterns. Students worked on patterns going forwards and backwards by 3s, 4s, 5s, 10s, 25s, and 100s. Counting up or down by 25s seemed to be the most challenging so students practiced numbers following this particular pattern a bit more and showed growth throughout the week. 

Students shared their prior knowledge about rocks, especially when discussing how the “Big Rock” in Okotoks came to be. This coming week, we will investigate the scientific reason as to how that rock came to its current location. We will then look closely at the rock cycle.

Through looking at the “Big Rock” in Okotoks, students have started to discover our similarities and differences through Indigenous and Western perspectives. They are recognizing that our needs are connected by commonalities and there are relationships between our differences.

In PE, students worked on their fitness by participating in a variety of stations. Some of the stations were sit ups, skipping, running, and wall sits. Ask your child which station was their favourite.

To celebrate Halloween, students created zentangles by drawing a variety of patterns. They were excited to bring these home to share with you!

Reminders

-If you choose to order Scholastic, please order by Nov. 7

-The Remembrance Day Assembly is on Nov. 8 at 10:30 am. Families are invited to attend.

Upcoming Dates

-Nov 4-7 > Gr 4-6 Swimming

-Nov 8 > Remembrance Day Assembly

-Nov 11 > No School > Remembrance Day

-Nov 13 > Photo Retakes

-Nov 13 > Elder Shirley

-Nov 15 > Elder Shirley

-Nov 21-22 > Parent Teacher Conferences
-Nov 21 > No School for Kinder only