Open House:
Education Week Open House is this coming Thursday night! Our children have been working so hard on beautiful published stories! I can't wait for you to see them. We will also have our pottery on display! Stop by our classroom from 5:30-7pm to see all the great things we've been learning.
Home Reading:
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Shannon Curry for all of her hard work in our classroom this year. She spends hours each week reading with your children and practicing the home reading books. Our home reading program will be coming to an end at the end of May. We will have big prizes for the top girl and boy who have read the most books or chapters over the course of the year. Don't forget that kids can include anything they read on raz-kids and if they are reading a book with many pages or a chapter, they can mark each chapter to count as one book. Thank you so much for your support with this over the year. The reading of all the children has improved so much since September and the home reading program is a great way to complement and practice all the things we learn in school.
Music Monday:
On Monday at noon our entire school will join with hundreds across Canada to sing a song at the same time. We are singing the song co-written by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and will also be performing it from space on Monday. What a great experience! FYI Lunch will be a little later...... second break will begin at 1:15 instead of 1:04.
The Curriculum This Month:
Reading: We will continue to work on reading fluency and begin practicing Reader's Theatre. Reader's Theatre allows kids to read a part in play at their own level and to work on reading with expression and intonation as they take on the role of their character in the play. We will design props and practice in teams. This is always a favourite..... and great for children at any reading level because I design the parts to challenge kids at all stages. This is also a great time for us to practice our oral presentation skills as well!
Media Literacy: We will begin a new unit this month. Many students are already familiar with various forms of media and how it affects their lives. We will be examining media messages in our everyday environment, interpreting their meanings and thinking critically about those messages. We may have a couple of activities that will need a little support from home.
Science: Grade ones have started learning about energy! We are exploring how our families use energy, how people waste energy and learning to describe how the everyday lives of people and other living things would be affected if electrical energy were unavailable. Remember the blackout of 2003? I believe that was the year! We'll be doing all kinds of little experiments and learning about how the sun gives energy to all creatures on the earth.
Social Studies: The grade twos continue to work diligently on their country research projects with Mrs. Swayze. We are very excited to see the fruits of their labour when they are complete. Students will also have the opportunity to present to the class and share their project with other classes!
Math: We are finishing up a mini-unit on probability. The children have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the likelihood of various outcomes by playing all kinds of games with spinner and dice. We will begin learning about 3D Geometry next week! We will be introducing the concepts of multiplication and division to the grade twos toward the end of the month.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
April Showers...... or Snow????
APRIL!
I hope the new month brings the sunshine and warmth we've been waiting for!
First of all.... thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support at home practicing with the children for their storytelling presentations. I was so proud of the results. Each and every child stepped out of their comfort zone and did their very best to present to the class. This was an excellent opportunity to practice public speaking while also working on showing understanding and retention of content in reading. Its an important skill and it was a great activity.
Second, I forgot to include the Annual Spaghetti Dinner on the calendar that I sent home today. Please mark it on your own. Friday, March 12th. If you have not already purchased your tickets, please consider doing so.... its a wonderful cause that really benefits our school. And you get a delicious dinner as well!
The Curriculum This Month......
Reading: We will continue as always to read books at our level in guided reading groups, partners and independently. Our focus continues to be reading fluently with expression in our voice. I am really encouraging kids to read their own writing aloud to the class. We've been enjoying fractured fairy tales and the kids have written some great and very silly stories that have made us all giggle. It takes courage to read aloud in front of your peers, and every child has made the effort to share.
Writing: We will begin working on the Writing Process. The kids will work on various steps in writing from pre-writing, drafting, editing and finally to publishing their own storybooks. This is always a really fun process for the kids. We spend time editing and writing together one-on-one and the kids are always very proud to produce a published book that they have completed.
Math: We have been working away at our fractions unit.... thanks again for the fruit contributions.... the fruit salad was delicious and we had fun sharing. In the next week or so, we will begin units on telling time and reading a thermometer. This is a big unit that is a really important life skill. It would be such a huge support to both your child and myself if you could work with your child at home on these concepts. Grade ones focus will be on telling time to the hour and half hour and grade twos will focus on time to the quarter hour and beyond. They need to learn about words like "quarter after, or quarter past, and quarter to..." Here are websites that you look up at home to provide some additional practice to help your child succeed in this area, there are games you can play together online:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/willy/willy.html
http://www.kidsolr.com/earlychildhood/page4.html
http://resources.oswego.org/games/BangOnTime/clockwordres.html
http://www.primarygames.com/time/start.htm
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/tick-tock-clock-game.php
Social Studies:
Grade ones are learning about mapping skills. We have explored the earth and how it rotates around the sun. We have learned about the equator and the polar regions. The children will be exploring cardinal directions through a series of fun games and also practicing how to label and correctly read a basic map.
Grade twos are finishing their exploration of different animals and will embark on a fun research project. This is the big one..... their first real "big kid" independent school project. Each child will choose a country in the world to learn more about. They will create a poster with information about their country and then present it to the class! There are some really important research skills and visual presentation skills learned throughout this unit. The students are always very proud of the finished products.... and I can assure you that the grade ones and I will most certainly be sneaking next door for a peak at each project!
SMAKDAB POTTERY! Important news! We have just received confirmation that Smakdab pottery studio is coming to James Hillier School to do a wonderful pottery activity with our class. To save the cost of a bus booking, they are coming here and working in our gym. Please see the note that comes home with your child tonight. We apologise for the last minute update, but we do need each child's money in by this Friday. Thanks so much in advance.
I hope the new month brings the sunshine and warmth we've been waiting for!
First of all.... thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support at home practicing with the children for their storytelling presentations. I was so proud of the results. Each and every child stepped out of their comfort zone and did their very best to present to the class. This was an excellent opportunity to practice public speaking while also working on showing understanding and retention of content in reading. Its an important skill and it was a great activity.
Second, I forgot to include the Annual Spaghetti Dinner on the calendar that I sent home today. Please mark it on your own. Friday, March 12th. If you have not already purchased your tickets, please consider doing so.... its a wonderful cause that really benefits our school. And you get a delicious dinner as well!
The Curriculum This Month......
Reading: We will continue as always to read books at our level in guided reading groups, partners and independently. Our focus continues to be reading fluently with expression in our voice. I am really encouraging kids to read their own writing aloud to the class. We've been enjoying fractured fairy tales and the kids have written some great and very silly stories that have made us all giggle. It takes courage to read aloud in front of your peers, and every child has made the effort to share.
Writing: We will begin working on the Writing Process. The kids will work on various steps in writing from pre-writing, drafting, editing and finally to publishing their own storybooks. This is always a really fun process for the kids. We spend time editing and writing together one-on-one and the kids are always very proud to produce a published book that they have completed.
Math: We have been working away at our fractions unit.... thanks again for the fruit contributions.... the fruit salad was delicious and we had fun sharing. In the next week or so, we will begin units on telling time and reading a thermometer. This is a big unit that is a really important life skill. It would be such a huge support to both your child and myself if you could work with your child at home on these concepts. Grade ones focus will be on telling time to the hour and half hour and grade twos will focus on time to the quarter hour and beyond. They need to learn about words like "quarter after, or quarter past, and quarter to..." Here are websites that you look up at home to provide some additional practice to help your child succeed in this area, there are games you can play together online:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/willy/willy.html
http://www.kidsolr.com/earlychildhood/page4.html
http://resources.oswego.org/games/BangOnTime/clockwordres.html
http://www.primarygames.com/time/start.htm
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/tick-tock-clock-game.php
Social Studies:
Grade ones are learning about mapping skills. We have explored the earth and how it rotates around the sun. We have learned about the equator and the polar regions. The children will be exploring cardinal directions through a series of fun games and also practicing how to label and correctly read a basic map.
Grade twos are finishing their exploration of different animals and will embark on a fun research project. This is the big one..... their first real "big kid" independent school project. Each child will choose a country in the world to learn more about. They will create a poster with information about their country and then present it to the class! There are some really important research skills and visual presentation skills learned throughout this unit. The students are always very proud of the finished products.... and I can assure you that the grade ones and I will most certainly be sneaking next door for a peak at each project!
SMAKDAB POTTERY! Important news! We have just received confirmation that Smakdab pottery studio is coming to James Hillier School to do a wonderful pottery activity with our class. To save the cost of a bus booking, they are coming here and working in our gym. Please see the note that comes home with your child tonight. We apologise for the last minute update, but we do need each child's money in by this Friday. Thanks so much in advance.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
March
Storytelling Presentations: First of all, let me just say that I am so extremely proud of the children in this class. They have risen above their fears and worked very hard to present stories to the class. We had quite a few children who were very nervous, but they were courageous and did their very best. So far the storytelling has been wonderful. Thank you parents and guardians for your support and effort at home with these presentations. I know that your time is extremely valuable and the time it takes to practice this stuff is well worth it. I will be sending the rubrics with marks on them home this week. We have one more day to go and after Wednesday's presentations we will be picking the kids who will present in the assembly on Friday.
The Curriculum This Month......
Reading: We continue to focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the texts that we read through a series of reading comprehension activities. We are also working hard to improve our overall reading skills. We will focus on using higher order thinking (thinking outside the box) to explore the various points of view of different characters in the literature. For example..... what about looking at the story of the three little pigs from the point of view of the wolf? What about looking at what Goldilocks was thinking when she broke into a home and fell asleep in a stranger's bed? We'll have lots of fun writing our own versions of some of the children's favourite stories.
Writing: I am encouraging the children to step up their writing and to take the time to carefully review what they have written to be sure it meets criteria listed below:
1) Reasoning- does your writing include many well developed ideas?
(grade twos have worked on writing paragraphs with supporting details)
2) Communication- is YOUR voice clear in the story.
3) Organization- does your story have a clear beginning, middle and end?
4) Conventions- are you using capitals, periods, finger spaces between words, other punctuation when appropriate?
Math: We have been working on a number sense unit and the grade ones have been learning about place value and how to effectively solve word problems.
The grade ones and I have developed these criteria to solve a word problem effectively:
Problem: Sam has 5 muffins. He want to eat some for breakfast and some for lunch. How many could Sam eat at each meal?
How to solve the problem:
1. Read carefully
2. Circle key words or numbers.
3. Draw a picture ( ie. a circle that says breakfast and one that says lunch and then draw the muffins in each circle).
4. Do the math.
5. Write a complete sentence.
Grade twos have been working with me in small group to learn how to solve double digit addition and subtraction problems. They are working on borrowing from the tens column and carrying numbers in addition. Every single grade two has done an exceptional job with this fun new math! They are all thrilled to be doing some more challenging computations.
Science: Mrs. Swayze has been exploring life cycles with the grade twos!
Grade ones are working on a life systems unit where we look at each of the senses. We have practiced using a microscope to investigate how unique various objects can look when they are magnified. We have also been isolating each sense so that it becomes more acute. For instance, we closed our eyes when tasting various fun foods that our student teacher brought in! The kids have been having a riot...... and we're learning lots too!
Art: We are going to have a little fun mixing music with art this month! We will listen to piece of music and try to create artistic pieces that depict the mood of the music we heard. This is going to be a unique challenge..... I can't wait to see the finished products!
Computers: This year our school has mini netbook laptops rather than a computer lab. There is a main port with wheels that helps us to keep the computers portable from class to class. We have recently been spending more time getting aquainted with these computers. As of now, we've been reading our raz-kids online books regularly, and some of us are still getting to know how to log on with our own usernames and passwords and then how to access the internet. While this comes easier to some kids, it can also be a big challenge for others. As we become more comfortable with the technology, we will be using them for various other activities that help to supplement the learning we do in class.
March Break is March 11-15th. Have a safe and happy holiday. My family and I are hitting Splash Lagoon in Erie for a couple of days! I'm not sure if it's myself or my son who loves the waterslides more! lol
The Curriculum This Month......
Reading: We continue to focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the texts that we read through a series of reading comprehension activities. We are also working hard to improve our overall reading skills. We will focus on using higher order thinking (thinking outside the box) to explore the various points of view of different characters in the literature. For example..... what about looking at the story of the three little pigs from the point of view of the wolf? What about looking at what Goldilocks was thinking when she broke into a home and fell asleep in a stranger's bed? We'll have lots of fun writing our own versions of some of the children's favourite stories.
Writing: I am encouraging the children to step up their writing and to take the time to carefully review what they have written to be sure it meets criteria listed below:
1) Reasoning- does your writing include many well developed ideas?
(grade twos have worked on writing paragraphs with supporting details)
2) Communication- is YOUR voice clear in the story.
3) Organization- does your story have a clear beginning, middle and end?
4) Conventions- are you using capitals, periods, finger spaces between words, other punctuation when appropriate?
Math: We have been working on a number sense unit and the grade ones have been learning about place value and how to effectively solve word problems.
The grade ones and I have developed these criteria to solve a word problem effectively:
Problem: Sam has 5 muffins. He want to eat some for breakfast and some for lunch. How many could Sam eat at each meal?
How to solve the problem:
1. Read carefully
2. Circle key words or numbers.
3. Draw a picture ( ie. a circle that says breakfast and one that says lunch and then draw the muffins in each circle).
4. Do the math.
5. Write a complete sentence.
Grade twos have been working with me in small group to learn how to solve double digit addition and subtraction problems. They are working on borrowing from the tens column and carrying numbers in addition. Every single grade two has done an exceptional job with this fun new math! They are all thrilled to be doing some more challenging computations.
Science: Mrs. Swayze has been exploring life cycles with the grade twos!
Grade ones are working on a life systems unit where we look at each of the senses. We have practiced using a microscope to investigate how unique various objects can look when they are magnified. We have also been isolating each sense so that it becomes more acute. For instance, we closed our eyes when tasting various fun foods that our student teacher brought in! The kids have been having a riot...... and we're learning lots too!
Art: We are going to have a little fun mixing music with art this month! We will listen to piece of music and try to create artistic pieces that depict the mood of the music we heard. This is going to be a unique challenge..... I can't wait to see the finished products!
Computers: This year our school has mini netbook laptops rather than a computer lab. There is a main port with wheels that helps us to keep the computers portable from class to class. We have recently been spending more time getting aquainted with these computers. As of now, we've been reading our raz-kids online books regularly, and some of us are still getting to know how to log on with our own usernames and passwords and then how to access the internet. While this comes easier to some kids, it can also be a big challenge for others. As we become more comfortable with the technology, we will be using them for various other activities that help to supplement the learning we do in class.
March Break is March 11-15th. Have a safe and happy holiday. My family and I are hitting Splash Lagoon in Erie for a couple of days! I'm not sure if it's myself or my son who loves the waterslides more! lol
Thursday, 7 February 2013
February
Happy February!
A Few Notes......
Reports cards came home on Monday, if you have not had a chance to sign and return the slips on the last page, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks so much. I attach each slip to the school copy of the report and file it in the your child's Ontario student record.
Hershey kisses are on sale from student council. Your child can buy them for 25 cents each and send them to friends in the school. They will be delivered to each class on Valentine's day. This is a great opportunity to reinforce money counting skills. You can sit down with your child to count out change for the number of people they might wish to buy for. This is certainly not mandatory, just a fun activity that our student council is running!
Valentine's Day: We will be having a class party on Feb 14th. If your child would like to share a peanut free snack with the class, they can certainly do so. We will also be exchanging valentines. I do ask that if you decide to send your child with valentines, they include one for everyone so that no one feels left out. Students are coming home tonight with a list of the children in their class (they can use it as a checklist if they make valentines at home). There should be 23 kids on your list. Remember.... we have three Sam's! :)
100th Day of School: I can't believe its here already! On Feb 12th we will celebrate the 100th day. We will be doing all kinds of fun activities with the number 100. We are asking that each child bring 100 objects of some sort to share with the class. This is an amazing opportunity to practise counting by 2's 5's or 10's with your child. This is a skill that they really need to have by the end of grade one. If your child is in grade two, ask them to practise counting by 3's or 4's! On the 100th day, we will incorportate the number 100 into everything we do.... even exercises around the class!
The Curriculum This Month........
Reading: We have been focusing on reading comprehension. It's really important for kids to be able to meaningfully engage in the texts they read at home and school. The kids are learning various strategies to help them as they read. You can encourage your child to do some of these things at home as you work on home reading together: Stop and think about what you have read after a couple of pages, ask yourself questions like "what am I learning, does this connect to anything in my life, do I like this character, does anything surprise me about what I have read????" I remind children to "play a movie in their mind" and visualize what they are reading. This helps them to remember what they have read and also helps the story to come to life! It also takes practise to be able to effectively re-tell a story. Children need to learn to pick important and key parts of the story, rather than to tell every detail from what they have read.
Writing: The grade ones have been working on creative writing. We have spent a lot of time practising when to place a period in between sentences. I have set the bar high and they have really impressed me. I have noticed a profound improvement in the writing of all the children in grade one since the new year began. They should be very proud of themselves! The grade twos and I have enjoyed small writing circles where we have been learning about the components of writing an effective paragraph (topic sentence, supporting details etc). We have written some very silly paragraphs... and had a lot of fun doing it!
Oral/Visual Communication: Both grade ones and twos will be coming home with a special assignment in the next couple weeks. They are to pick a favourite book, practise reading it and then re-tell the story to the class. I will send more information on how you can support your child at home soon!
Math: We have been diligently working at a unit on money. The grade twos will need to be able to add coins up to one dollar. Please support your child by asking them to help you count change at home. This is such a huge life skill that often takes a lot of practise. We will setting up a "play store" at store that gives children more meaningful and fun ways to practise counting coins and even giving change. You can also do this at your home..... pick a few items to "sell" and have your child assign a cost and create a price tag. Grade ones may only want to "buy" things for under a quarter. Give your child some change and have them count the coins to purchase the item! We will also begin a unit on addition and subtraction. The grade twos will be learning about double digit addition and subtraction with re-grouping. This takes lots of practise! As you see the activities coming home you can work with your child to design additional questions that will support their learning. Grade ones will expand their knowledge of basic addition and subtraction to more complex questions with higher numbers. It's okay to use a ruler or counters to help add and subtract numbers. Mental math is also an important skill to have, you can work with your child to memorize adding doubles ( i.e. 4+4=8 or 6+6=12) etc
Science: The grade ones just completed a wonderful unit on Structures. We designed and built playground structures for our school playground and even tested them with mini Lego people! The kids had a blast creating them. We even had a pretend Parent Council meeting where each child got be their parent, and one child played "Mr. Ouellette." Each student had to display their structure and try to convince Parent Council to buy it for our playground. They needed to tell why it was fun, how it worked and if it would be safe for children to play on. I was very impressed with the designs! Our next unit we will explore the five senses and how they help us.
The grade two students will begin a fun unit on animals. They will explore adaptations that animals have to help them survive and explore various characteristics on different classifications of animals.
Sorry this was posted a little late this month... busy week!
Have a wonderful Valentine's and Family Day with the special people in your life.
P.S. We have one February calendar still remaining in our classroom. One of the children must have dropped it when they carried it from their mailbox to their backpack. If you are missing yours, please let me know and I can tape it to the inside of your child's agenda. :)
A Few Notes......
Reports cards came home on Monday, if you have not had a chance to sign and return the slips on the last page, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks so much. I attach each slip to the school copy of the report and file it in the your child's Ontario student record.
Hershey kisses are on sale from student council. Your child can buy them for 25 cents each and send them to friends in the school. They will be delivered to each class on Valentine's day. This is a great opportunity to reinforce money counting skills. You can sit down with your child to count out change for the number of people they might wish to buy for. This is certainly not mandatory, just a fun activity that our student council is running!
Valentine's Day: We will be having a class party on Feb 14th. If your child would like to share a peanut free snack with the class, they can certainly do so. We will also be exchanging valentines. I do ask that if you decide to send your child with valentines, they include one for everyone so that no one feels left out. Students are coming home tonight with a list of the children in their class (they can use it as a checklist if they make valentines at home). There should be 23 kids on your list. Remember.... we have three Sam's! :)
100th Day of School: I can't believe its here already! On Feb 12th we will celebrate the 100th day. We will be doing all kinds of fun activities with the number 100. We are asking that each child bring 100 objects of some sort to share with the class. This is an amazing opportunity to practise counting by 2's 5's or 10's with your child. This is a skill that they really need to have by the end of grade one. If your child is in grade two, ask them to practise counting by 3's or 4's! On the 100th day, we will incorportate the number 100 into everything we do.... even exercises around the class!
The Curriculum This Month........
Reading: We have been focusing on reading comprehension. It's really important for kids to be able to meaningfully engage in the texts they read at home and school. The kids are learning various strategies to help them as they read. You can encourage your child to do some of these things at home as you work on home reading together: Stop and think about what you have read after a couple of pages, ask yourself questions like "what am I learning, does this connect to anything in my life, do I like this character, does anything surprise me about what I have read????" I remind children to "play a movie in their mind" and visualize what they are reading. This helps them to remember what they have read and also helps the story to come to life! It also takes practise to be able to effectively re-tell a story. Children need to learn to pick important and key parts of the story, rather than to tell every detail from what they have read.
Writing: The grade ones have been working on creative writing. We have spent a lot of time practising when to place a period in between sentences. I have set the bar high and they have really impressed me. I have noticed a profound improvement in the writing of all the children in grade one since the new year began. They should be very proud of themselves! The grade twos and I have enjoyed small writing circles where we have been learning about the components of writing an effective paragraph (topic sentence, supporting details etc). We have written some very silly paragraphs... and had a lot of fun doing it!
Oral/Visual Communication: Both grade ones and twos will be coming home with a special assignment in the next couple weeks. They are to pick a favourite book, practise reading it and then re-tell the story to the class. I will send more information on how you can support your child at home soon!
Math: We have been diligently working at a unit on money. The grade twos will need to be able to add coins up to one dollar. Please support your child by asking them to help you count change at home. This is such a huge life skill that often takes a lot of practise. We will setting up a "play store" at store that gives children more meaningful and fun ways to practise counting coins and even giving change. You can also do this at your home..... pick a few items to "sell" and have your child assign a cost and create a price tag. Grade ones may only want to "buy" things for under a quarter. Give your child some change and have them count the coins to purchase the item! We will also begin a unit on addition and subtraction. The grade twos will be learning about double digit addition and subtraction with re-grouping. This takes lots of practise! As you see the activities coming home you can work with your child to design additional questions that will support their learning. Grade ones will expand their knowledge of basic addition and subtraction to more complex questions with higher numbers. It's okay to use a ruler or counters to help add and subtract numbers. Mental math is also an important skill to have, you can work with your child to memorize adding doubles ( i.e. 4+4=8 or 6+6=12) etc
Science: The grade ones just completed a wonderful unit on Structures. We designed and built playground structures for our school playground and even tested them with mini Lego people! The kids had a blast creating them. We even had a pretend Parent Council meeting where each child got be their parent, and one child played "Mr. Ouellette." Each student had to display their structure and try to convince Parent Council to buy it for our playground. They needed to tell why it was fun, how it worked and if it would be safe for children to play on. I was very impressed with the designs! Our next unit we will explore the five senses and how they help us.
The grade two students will begin a fun unit on animals. They will explore adaptations that animals have to help them survive and explore various characteristics on different classifications of animals.
Sorry this was posted a little late this month... busy week!
Have a wonderful Valentine's and Family Day with the special people in your life.
P.S. We have one February calendar still remaining in our classroom. One of the children must have dropped it when they carried it from their mailbox to their backpack. If you are missing yours, please let me know and I can tape it to the inside of your child's agenda. :)
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Report Cards
Report cards go home on Feb 4th. A few things that might help you understand them.....
Math marks are assigned to each strand of the math curriculum. So a student may show different strengths and needs in each area.
Reading marks are based upon the students independent reading level, their reading response activities, conferences with me, activities during guided reading groups etc. I look at various different components of reading when I assign a mark to each child. I look at whether or not the child reads fluently at a particular level, whether they understand what they read etc. We have made lots of progress throughout the year. I am very proud of the kids in my class!!!
Learning Skills are an essential component of being successful in school. They should provide you with a good understanding of how your child is doing in terms of responsibility, organization etc. Part of being responsible is doing your home reading activities and bringing the folder back to school.
Thank you so much for your continued support at home. If you ever want to speak with me to ask questions about your child's progress, I am always available to meet with you in person or contact you on the phone. Just send a note in the agenda and we can set up a time.
Stay warm...... it's freezing outside!
Mrs. P. Sawdyk Coverdale
Math marks are assigned to each strand of the math curriculum. So a student may show different strengths and needs in each area.
Reading marks are based upon the students independent reading level, their reading response activities, conferences with me, activities during guided reading groups etc. I look at various different components of reading when I assign a mark to each child. I look at whether or not the child reads fluently at a particular level, whether they understand what they read etc. We have made lots of progress throughout the year. I am very proud of the kids in my class!!!
Learning Skills are an essential component of being successful in school. They should provide you with a good understanding of how your child is doing in terms of responsibility, organization etc. Part of being responsible is doing your home reading activities and bringing the folder back to school.
Thank you so much for your continued support at home. If you ever want to speak with me to ask questions about your child's progress, I am always available to meet with you in person or contact you on the phone. Just send a note in the agenda and we can set up a time.
Stay warm...... it's freezing outside!
Mrs. P. Sawdyk Coverdale
Friday, 4 January 2013
Happy New Year!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back! I hope that you and your family enjoyed a wonderful and restful holiday. Our family enjoyed lots of time with friends and family. My sister flew in from Calgary and stayed at our home for several days so we were busy entertaining. My son, Alexander was thrilled to try out his new sled and enjoyed a few moonlit sleigh rides while my husband and I pulled him around our neighbourhood.
It's the new year and school will be busier than ever. The expectations increase as each month passes and I will be encouraging and challenging each child to do their very best. As always, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support at home. The home reading program is an key part of learning to develop word solving skills, understanding of books and most importantly, developing a love of reading! Your child will bring home a list of word study glued into their agenda on Monday. These are a list of homophones (words that sound the same, but mean different things: eg. new and knew or to, too and two). Please take a few moments to help your child practise and understand these words. We will have a grade one and grade two list this week and we will be working at using these words in the correct context this week.
The Curriculum This Month.......
Reading and Writing: We are beginning a unit on reading comprehension. Children will focus on learning how to make connections to the literature they read and have read aloud to them. There are three types of connections that we will explore- here are the fancy terms...... and yes, the kids will actually learn to use these words too......... ( Text to self connections, text to world connections and text to text connections). When you read with your child this month you can help to support them by engaging in active discussions that promote making connections. For example, here are some questions you can casually ask as you read:
1) Does this character remind you of anyone you know? Does this place remind you of somewhere we have been before? ( Text to self connection)
2) Does this story remind you of another story we have read together? Or a video game? Or a movie we have seen together? ( Text to text connection)
3) Does this part of the story remind you of something you have seen or an issue you know about? (eg The girl in this story comes from the same country as the child that we support through World Vision. Life in that country is very different than our own here in Canada etc) (Text to world connection)
I will also be spending more time assessing each child's reading growth and celebrating with them as they look at where they were a couple of months ago and where they are now. We will sit down and set personal goals together that will help them to further improve reading and understanding of books at their level. It's important for me to keep each child challenged and to meet them where they are at in terms of reading skills. Our guided reading groups continue to be a great tool for me to work with small groups and focus on specific skills for reading instruction.
Math: During the busy December days, we were only able to finish up our linear measurement units, so we will begin our 2D geometry in Jan. I am re-posting the information about those units below:
Grade One Math: We will begin a geometry unit that explores the attributes of 2D shapes (circles, triangles, squares etc). Children will to sort and classify shapes by things such as colour, size, texture, number of vertices etc.
Grade Two Math: The grade twos will begin to explore various 2D polygons (triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons and octagons) and they will learn how to classify them according to their geometric properties ( number of vertices, straight edges etc).
Grade One Science: We will begin to explore various structures. Students will learn that structures surround us everywhere and that a structure is not only an object itself, but also the supporting framework that holds an object together. They will also explore how the materials and structure of an object determine its purpose and how the choices of materials for objects can have a direct impact on our environment. Children will have an opportunity to build and create their own structures! Keep your eyes peeled for a note home about recycled objects that you can send in to support us during this unit.
Grade Two Science: This month, Mrs. Swayze will be working with the grade twos on a movement unit. They will be learning about simple machines that help to make work easier such as the lever, inclined plane, pulley, wheel and axle etc.
Art: We will be exploring art in architecture and examining various structures like the CN tower, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal etc. We will also have a look at comics and how cartoon characters are created. Students will be encouraged to identify and document things they like about their artwork and also areas that they can improve upon.
***Physical Education, Drama, Dance and Health are taught by Mrs. Elmy who is filling in for Mrs. Sabatino. Any questions about the curriculum in those areas can be directed to her. Mrs. Sabatino will be returning shortly before March Break from her Maternity Leave. She is excited to see the kids again and looks forward to her return at James Hillier.
Welcome back! I hope that you and your family enjoyed a wonderful and restful holiday. Our family enjoyed lots of time with friends and family. My sister flew in from Calgary and stayed at our home for several days so we were busy entertaining. My son, Alexander was thrilled to try out his new sled and enjoyed a few moonlit sleigh rides while my husband and I pulled him around our neighbourhood.
It's the new year and school will be busier than ever. The expectations increase as each month passes and I will be encouraging and challenging each child to do their very best. As always, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support at home. The home reading program is an key part of learning to develop word solving skills, understanding of books and most importantly, developing a love of reading! Your child will bring home a list of word study glued into their agenda on Monday. These are a list of homophones (words that sound the same, but mean different things: eg. new and knew or to, too and two). Please take a few moments to help your child practise and understand these words. We will have a grade one and grade two list this week and we will be working at using these words in the correct context this week.
The Curriculum This Month.......
Reading and Writing: We are beginning a unit on reading comprehension. Children will focus on learning how to make connections to the literature they read and have read aloud to them. There are three types of connections that we will explore- here are the fancy terms...... and yes, the kids will actually learn to use these words too......... ( Text to self connections, text to world connections and text to text connections). When you read with your child this month you can help to support them by engaging in active discussions that promote making connections. For example, here are some questions you can casually ask as you read:
1) Does this character remind you of anyone you know? Does this place remind you of somewhere we have been before? ( Text to self connection)
2) Does this story remind you of another story we have read together? Or a video game? Or a movie we have seen together? ( Text to text connection)
3) Does this part of the story remind you of something you have seen or an issue you know about? (eg The girl in this story comes from the same country as the child that we support through World Vision. Life in that country is very different than our own here in Canada etc) (Text to world connection)
I will also be spending more time assessing each child's reading growth and celebrating with them as they look at where they were a couple of months ago and where they are now. We will sit down and set personal goals together that will help them to further improve reading and understanding of books at their level. It's important for me to keep each child challenged and to meet them where they are at in terms of reading skills. Our guided reading groups continue to be a great tool for me to work with small groups and focus on specific skills for reading instruction.
Math: During the busy December days, we were only able to finish up our linear measurement units, so we will begin our 2D geometry in Jan. I am re-posting the information about those units below:
Grade One Math: We will begin a geometry unit that explores the attributes of 2D shapes (circles, triangles, squares etc). Children will to sort and classify shapes by things such as colour, size, texture, number of vertices etc.
Grade Two Math: The grade twos will begin to explore various 2D polygons (triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons and octagons) and they will learn how to classify them according to their geometric properties ( number of vertices, straight edges etc).
Grade One Science: We will begin to explore various structures. Students will learn that structures surround us everywhere and that a structure is not only an object itself, but also the supporting framework that holds an object together. They will also explore how the materials and structure of an object determine its purpose and how the choices of materials for objects can have a direct impact on our environment. Children will have an opportunity to build and create their own structures! Keep your eyes peeled for a note home about recycled objects that you can send in to support us during this unit.
Grade Two Science: This month, Mrs. Swayze will be working with the grade twos on a movement unit. They will be learning about simple machines that help to make work easier such as the lever, inclined plane, pulley, wheel and axle etc.
Art: We will be exploring art in architecture and examining various structures like the CN tower, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal etc. We will also have a look at comics and how cartoon characters are created. Students will be encouraged to identify and document things they like about their artwork and also areas that they can improve upon.
***Physical Education, Drama, Dance and Health are taught by Mrs. Elmy who is filling in for Mrs. Sabatino. Any questions about the curriculum in those areas can be directed to her. Mrs. Sabatino will be returning shortly before March Break from her Maternity Leave. She is excited to see the kids again and looks forward to her return at James Hillier.
Friday, 7 December 2012
December continued.....
Some important spirit days that we've just received information about.......
Please add these to your calendars at home:
Thurs. Dec. 13th Subway Day and Spirit Day: Wear Christmas Ribbons and Bows
Fri. Dec 14th: Wear Red and Green Day
Mon. Dec. 17th- Pajama Day has now been changed to this day!
Tues. Dec. 18th: Wear a Santa Hat day
** These are optional spirit days.... just a fun way that our school is celebrating the holidays!
NOTE: December 10-21 Mrs. Neeb's class will be collecting loose change for World Vision as they did last year. The winning class that collects the most will receive a pizza party in the new year! The money goes towards helping children in developing countries around the world with sustainable resources, farm tools, food, clothing, medical care etc.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Grade Two Social Studies and Science: Grade twos are learning about traditions and celebrations around the world. It's always fun to see how other cultures celebrate the holiday season. Mrs. Swayze has asked that children bring in old toys that they don't want anymore for the next science unit. The class will be studying movement and will be taking apart old toys to see how they move and what makes them work!
Please add these to your calendars at home:
Thurs. Dec. 13th Subway Day and Spirit Day: Wear Christmas Ribbons and Bows
Fri. Dec 14th: Wear Red and Green Day
Mon. Dec. 17th- Pajama Day has now been changed to this day!
Tues. Dec. 18th: Wear a Santa Hat day
** These are optional spirit days.... just a fun way that our school is celebrating the holidays!
NOTE: December 10-21 Mrs. Neeb's class will be collecting loose change for World Vision as they did last year. The winning class that collects the most will receive a pizza party in the new year! The money goes towards helping children in developing countries around the world with sustainable resources, farm tools, food, clothing, medical care etc.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Grade Two Social Studies and Science: Grade twos are learning about traditions and celebrations around the world. It's always fun to see how other cultures celebrate the holiday season. Mrs. Swayze has asked that children bring in old toys that they don't want anymore for the next science unit. The class will be studying movement and will be taking apart old toys to see how they move and what makes them work!
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