October 7, 2015
French sounds homework came home today. You child has a duotang with a name tag on it, their name and grade/class is written in red. Inside, there is a variety of oral, reading, representing and written exercises. The story and word bank are for practicing reading out loud. Students should know what to do for the rest of the exercises, as we went through them thoroughly today. As with the spelling homework in English, the French sounds homework should be kept at home for two weeks (sent home usually on a Monday and brought back the following week on Friday). Please have your child return their duotang next Friday, October 16, 2015. When the duotang is returned to school, I will not be correcting everyone's work but I will check to see that it was done well and if there are any areas that are challenging. It may take your child up to two or three seating's to complete a page, and this is completely fine. There are less exercises than in English spelling so students can space out their work and take their time over the two weeks. Students have complimentary exercises to the sound unit to complete in class, these focus more on comprehension (this way, I can teach and assist them in French).
For students who do not have French speaking parents at home, their goal is to teach their parents the vocabulary words and sounds and parts of the story they are able to explain in English or in other ways. For students who do have French speaking parents/guardians at home, their goal is to impress parents with the words and sounds they know. One thing to be mindful of is that we do not often "translate" from French to English when there is a breakdown in understanding/comprehension and therefore asking your child to translate into English may cause stress and confusion. Instead we act/draw/explain in other words (in French). They should be able to identify the sound in most of the words in the word bank during the beginning of the unit and almost if not all of the words by the end. For the story, you may want to ask them to draw or act what is going on to check for comprehension (if you find they are having difficulty explaining when you ask). I know you may feel that if your child understands in French then they should be able to tell you in English, but verbal translation is not a skill we practice in class.
The purpose of the French sounds homework program is the same as the spelling program in English, except to target the language outcomes in French. If you have any questions, please do no hesitate to ask me.
French sounds homework came home today. You child has a duotang with a name tag on it, their name and grade/class is written in red. Inside, there is a variety of oral, reading, representing and written exercises. The story and word bank are for practicing reading out loud. Students should know what to do for the rest of the exercises, as we went through them thoroughly today. As with the spelling homework in English, the French sounds homework should be kept at home for two weeks (sent home usually on a Monday and brought back the following week on Friday). Please have your child return their duotang next Friday, October 16, 2015. When the duotang is returned to school, I will not be correcting everyone's work but I will check to see that it was done well and if there are any areas that are challenging. It may take your child up to two or three seating's to complete a page, and this is completely fine. There are less exercises than in English spelling so students can space out their work and take their time over the two weeks. Students have complimentary exercises to the sound unit to complete in class, these focus more on comprehension (this way, I can teach and assist them in French).
For students who do not have French speaking parents at home, their goal is to teach their parents the vocabulary words and sounds and parts of the story they are able to explain in English or in other ways. For students who do have French speaking parents/guardians at home, their goal is to impress parents with the words and sounds they know. One thing to be mindful of is that we do not often "translate" from French to English when there is a breakdown in understanding/comprehension and therefore asking your child to translate into English may cause stress and confusion. Instead we act/draw/explain in other words (in French). They should be able to identify the sound in most of the words in the word bank during the beginning of the unit and almost if not all of the words by the end. For the story, you may want to ask them to draw or act what is going on to check for comprehension (if you find they are having difficulty explaining when you ask). I know you may feel that if your child understands in French then they should be able to tell you in English, but verbal translation is not a skill we practice in class.
The purpose of the French sounds homework program is the same as the spelling program in English, except to target the language outcomes in French. If you have any questions, please do no hesitate to ask me.
September 30, 2015
Home Reading and the agenda
Students seem to be getting into the routine of changing their home reading books when needed. Just to clarify, books that have been practiced at home should be sent back to school in exchange for new books. You do not need to wait until both English and both French books have been practiced/completed to get new books. Your child can exchange any amount of books (up to 2 in each language) on any day. It is a good idea for students to read out loud in French so that they can hear themselves read.
I think it is important for students to write in their agendas everyday. Because I do not send homework everyday, they will write "home reading" or just "H.R.". Once they have written in their agendas, I will stamp the agenda with a special stamp that has a place for you to sign. The stamp is my "signature".
Home Reading and the agenda
Students seem to be getting into the routine of changing their home reading books when needed. Just to clarify, books that have been practiced at home should be sent back to school in exchange for new books. You do not need to wait until both English and both French books have been practiced/completed to get new books. Your child can exchange any amount of books (up to 2 in each language) on any day. It is a good idea for students to read out loud in French so that they can hear themselves read.
I think it is important for students to write in their agendas everyday. Because I do not send homework everyday, they will write "home reading" or just "H.R.". Once they have written in their agendas, I will stamp the agenda with a special stamp that has a place for you to sign. The stamp is my "signature".
September 28, 2015
Bi-weekly spelling (brought home on Monday, returned to school the following week on Friday).
Program outline and purpose
Today we will begin our spelling program. Your child will be bringing home a spelling duotang for at-home word study and practice. The purpose of this program is to :
1. Provide your child with meaningful and multiple use of words so they can develop their vocabulary and thus, their writing and reading accuracy and fluency.
2. Practice proper use of upper-case and lower-case letters, word spacing, letter size, neat and legible printing and proper punctuation (periods, exclamation marks, questions marks and commas).
3. Develop good study habits and take responsibility for learning.
The spelling duotang also has a coloured sticker on it, this is their spelling group. There is quite the range of ability in our class which is why we have different groups. Everyone is working on spelling words deemed at least "grade 3 level". Groups may change throughout the year based on student progress.
Process
In the duotang, there are 8 pages of activities. It would be ideal if your child completed one page per evening, with a few days "off". Over the two weeks (Monday-Friday of the following week) there are 11 evenings that your child will have the spelling work at home (so, 3 free nights if they do one page per night). If your child wants to do more activities than what is on one page in an evening, that is fine. However, it would be best if they were working on their spelling at least every other day. Please review your child's work with them for "quality control" (see #2 in program outline and purpose). When the duotang is returned to school, I will not be correcting everyone's work but I will check to see that it was done well.
The first page in the duotang is an example of how to sort words into different categories. It should stay at the front of the duotang for reference.
Half-way through the activities is a spelling and dictation test. This should be used as a tool to see what words next some extra attention in the following activities. Please test your child on 10 of their spelling words and all of the dictation (see "Spelling" tab on this website). This is just another activity to practice words and sentence writing. I suggest this be done on the weekend between the first and second week of the unit.
The point of the "Connection to Real-Life" activity is for students to search for their spelling words in other areas other than their spelling workbook (for example, in home reading or other books, on street signs, cereal boxes, t.v., in games, etc.).
We will not be having traditional spelling tests in class. I will be carefully examining your child's writing to see if they are correctly spelling and using the words studied.
Here are some strategies for doing a spelling test with your child at home:
1) Find a good place to sit and write, have a sharp pencil and an eraser ready.
2) Say the word once.
3) Say the word in a short, simple sentence.
4) Repeat the word alone.
Here are some strategies for doing dictation with your child at home:
1) Find a good place to sit and write, have a sharp pencil and an eraser ready.
2) Say the complete phrase once (see "Spelling" tab on this website for the dictation sentences.
3) Say the first 2-3 words of the phrase and continue in small chunks.
4) Repeat the complete phrase at the end and have your child follow to ensure he/she did not miss any words.
Bi-weekly spelling (brought home on Monday, returned to school the following week on Friday).
Program outline and purpose
Today we will begin our spelling program. Your child will be bringing home a spelling duotang for at-home word study and practice. The purpose of this program is to :
1. Provide your child with meaningful and multiple use of words so they can develop their vocabulary and thus, their writing and reading accuracy and fluency.
2. Practice proper use of upper-case and lower-case letters, word spacing, letter size, neat and legible printing and proper punctuation (periods, exclamation marks, questions marks and commas).
3. Develop good study habits and take responsibility for learning.
The spelling duotang also has a coloured sticker on it, this is their spelling group. There is quite the range of ability in our class which is why we have different groups. Everyone is working on spelling words deemed at least "grade 3 level". Groups may change throughout the year based on student progress.
Process
In the duotang, there are 8 pages of activities. It would be ideal if your child completed one page per evening, with a few days "off". Over the two weeks (Monday-Friday of the following week) there are 11 evenings that your child will have the spelling work at home (so, 3 free nights if they do one page per night). If your child wants to do more activities than what is on one page in an evening, that is fine. However, it would be best if they were working on their spelling at least every other day. Please review your child's work with them for "quality control" (see #2 in program outline and purpose). When the duotang is returned to school, I will not be correcting everyone's work but I will check to see that it was done well.
The first page in the duotang is an example of how to sort words into different categories. It should stay at the front of the duotang for reference.
Half-way through the activities is a spelling and dictation test. This should be used as a tool to see what words next some extra attention in the following activities. Please test your child on 10 of their spelling words and all of the dictation (see "Spelling" tab on this website). This is just another activity to practice words and sentence writing. I suggest this be done on the weekend between the first and second week of the unit.
The point of the "Connection to Real-Life" activity is for students to search for their spelling words in other areas other than their spelling workbook (for example, in home reading or other books, on street signs, cereal boxes, t.v., in games, etc.).
We will not be having traditional spelling tests in class. I will be carefully examining your child's writing to see if they are correctly spelling and using the words studied.
Here are some strategies for doing a spelling test with your child at home:
1) Find a good place to sit and write, have a sharp pencil and an eraser ready.
2) Say the word once.
3) Say the word in a short, simple sentence.
4) Repeat the word alone.
Here are some strategies for doing dictation with your child at home:
1) Find a good place to sit and write, have a sharp pencil and an eraser ready.
2) Say the complete phrase once (see "Spelling" tab on this website for the dictation sentences.
3) Say the first 2-3 words of the phrase and continue in small chunks.
4) Repeat the complete phrase at the end and have your child follow to ensure he/she did not miss any words.
September 21, 2015
Class Rules and Vote
Our class has been having some great discussions about why we come to school and why we have rules. Together, we are creating our own set of classroom beliefs and guidelines so that everyone who comes to school feels emotionally well, safe and can learn. We had a discussion about the pros and cons of bringing personal items to school and whether or not it should be allowed. After our discussion students voted (100%) that we should not bring personal belongings to school unless it is a special occasion. I was actually very surprised and impressed they all came to this conclusion so, I agreed to offer special days throughout the year. I will let you know when these days will occur. Until then, please ensure that all personal items stay at home (including but not limited to toys, games, make-up, etc.).
Home Reading
Will begin tomorrow! Students will learn how to use the literacy lab to choose books that are appropriate for their reading level. They will bring their books home in a ziplock bag. Inside, they have two pieces of paper; one is orange and one is green. Both have their first name and last initial, then their grade and class (3-4), then their reading level. The orange paper is their level in French (this will be a number) and the green paper is their level in English (this will be a letter). This is to help them remember what levelled books they should be choosing from the lab. The coloured papers are to stay in their home reading bags. When they change a level, I will give them a new coloured piece of paper with their new level on it. They will choose two books in English and two books in French. They are to bring them back to school whenever they are done reading them. Your child should be reading for a minimum of 10 minutes in both languages per day (so, 20 minutes total). This will be increased in a few weeks when we start tracking our home reading in the agendas (more info on that to follow).
Birthdays
We will be celebrating by doing an artistic activity. I will not be requesting special snacks this year. All August birthdays will be celebrated this month. All July birthdays will be celebrated in June. All others will be celebrated as close to the actual date as possible.
Class Rules and Vote
Our class has been having some great discussions about why we come to school and why we have rules. Together, we are creating our own set of classroom beliefs and guidelines so that everyone who comes to school feels emotionally well, safe and can learn. We had a discussion about the pros and cons of bringing personal items to school and whether or not it should be allowed. After our discussion students voted (100%) that we should not bring personal belongings to school unless it is a special occasion. I was actually very surprised and impressed they all came to this conclusion so, I agreed to offer special days throughout the year. I will let you know when these days will occur. Until then, please ensure that all personal items stay at home (including but not limited to toys, games, make-up, etc.).
Home Reading
Will begin tomorrow! Students will learn how to use the literacy lab to choose books that are appropriate for their reading level. They will bring their books home in a ziplock bag. Inside, they have two pieces of paper; one is orange and one is green. Both have their first name and last initial, then their grade and class (3-4), then their reading level. The orange paper is their level in French (this will be a number) and the green paper is their level in English (this will be a letter). This is to help them remember what levelled books they should be choosing from the lab. The coloured papers are to stay in their home reading bags. When they change a level, I will give them a new coloured piece of paper with their new level on it. They will choose two books in English and two books in French. They are to bring them back to school whenever they are done reading them. Your child should be reading for a minimum of 10 minutes in both languages per day (so, 20 minutes total). This will be increased in a few weeks when we start tracking our home reading in the agendas (more info on that to follow).
Birthdays
We will be celebrating by doing an artistic activity. I will not be requesting special snacks this year. All August birthdays will be celebrated this month. All July birthdays will be celebrated in June. All others will be celebrated as close to the actual date as possible.
September 12, 2015
Swimming Lessons!
In previous years, swimming lessons have been run in the fall. This year, they will be running in the Spring 2016. You will receive more information when we get closer to that time.
Swimming Lessons!
In previous years, swimming lessons have been run in the fall. This year, they will be running in the Spring 2016. You will receive more information when we get closer to that time.
September 9, 2015
Click below to view the 2015-2016 Grade 3 Room 4 Information Guide
Click below to view the 2015-2016 Grade 3 Room 4 Information Guide
2015-2016_info_guide.docx | |
File Size: | 297 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Click below to view the 2015-2016 Grade 3 Room 4 Class Schedule
class_schedule.xls | |
File Size: | 30 kb |
File Type: | xls |