Nov. 30th Update

Winter Electives

Winter Electives forms are due next Friday, December 7th. Most families have returned these forms. Please let me know if you have any questions, or need a new form. I strongly encourage all students in my class to participate in this event! We need many volunteers! If you are able to help out please let me know ASAP! Thank you!

Skate Exchange

Skate Exchange/Sale On Thursday, December 13th from 3:45-6:00 pm, our school will be holding our second Skate Exchange/Sale. Please have a look through your home for old skates that you are no longer using and consider sending them in for this event. This event is a great way to buy or sell skates at reasonable prices! If you have any skates to sell, please send them in with your child by Tuesday, December 11th with the following information attached to the laces or taped firmly to the skates: Name of Student Classroom Teacher’s Name Size Asking Price If your skates are sold, the money will be given to your child via their classroom teacher the next day. If the skates are not sold, they will be returned to your child the next day. If you need skates, please be sure to come!

Winter Concert

Our primary Winter Concert is scheduled for December 13th beginning at 6:30pm (students need to be in our classroom at 6:15). All details about this exciting night were sent out through email today. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you are not on our school-wide email list.

Traditions in a Box

The Grade 2 students have a homework assignment for social studies. The instructions were sent home in a package yesterday. The assignment is due next week. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Math

Next week in math we will be working on using mental math strategies for addition. We will play games, and solve problems and puzzles to practise our skills. We will be working on:

Memorizing the "ten's facts" 9+1, 8+2, 7+3, 6+4, 5+5

Memorizing the "doubles facts" 2+2=4, 3+3=6, 4+4=8, 5+5=10, 6+6=12, 7+7=14, 8+8=16, 9+9=18

Memorizing the "near doubles facts" e.g. 4+3, 5+6, 7+8...

Having a solid foundation with mental math skills will support us when we work on adding and subtracting larger numbers this month! 

Poetry

Here is our poem from this week. 

Students shared their experiences with trying new foods, and eating brussel sprouts! We looked at some of the contractions in the poem, and thought about the author's message. After each poem study students complete a series of response questions to demonstrate their understanding of the poem. 

We are working on:

-answering the questions fully by beginning with part of the question 

Question: "Why do you think the author chose the title "Leafy Marbles in My Mouth" for this poem?"

Answer: "I think the speaker chose this title because.."

-using details from the text, and our own ideas to support our answers

Question: "Why do you think the author chose the title "Leafy Marbles in My Mouth" for this poem?"

Answer: "I think the speaker chose this title because eating brussel sprouts is like eating leafy marbles. I know this because in the text it says, that they are green and round, and they look like little lettuce heads. This title helps me visualize what brussel sprouts look like.”

-beginning our sentences with a capital letter, and ending with punctuation

Math Update Nov. 26th

Math Test Coming

Over the past couple of weeks we have been learning about linear measurement. On Friday, November 30^th we will have a linear measurement test. A note went home with students today outlining the learning goals for the test, including a few practise questions based on the knowledge and understanding expectations. 

Today we worked through a measurement problem. Students were challenged to apply their knowledge about measurement, as well as other strands in math to solve the problem. Here are some examples of math posters students created. 

Grade 2 Problem

Grade 3 Problem

Nov. 26 Spelling Words

You're Invited into our Classroom!

You’re invited into our Classroom!

In social studies we are learning about how traditions and celebrations change over time, and the experiences and challenges that newcomers to Canada faced during the nineteenth century. As we explore these topics we are curious, and grateful for any information from parents, and other family members. We would love to have you into our classroom if you would like to:

• Share about a special tradition or celebration, and how it has changed over time.
•  
• Share about an experience being a newcomer (anytime, not just in the 1800s) to Canada. When and how did your family come here? How did they get here, and what were the challenges they faced?

We are happy to welcome you into our classroom, or watch a short video, read a letter, or look at pictures that you have sent in. Any contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this with me please do not hesitate to contact me!

Thank you for your support.

November 19th Spelling Words and Class Celebration

Our class recently earned 12 class points! As a reward the students voted to wear pj’s and bring a stuffy to school tomorrow. 

Here are the spelling words for this week: 

Nov. 16th Learning Update

Student Led Conferences Next Week

Student-led conferences are taking place next Thursday evening, and Friday morning. Most families in our class have signed up using Edsby but there are a still families not yet on my schedule. If you have not yet booked a time please contact me. As these meetings are "student led" it is important that your child comes with you! Please let me know if you have any questions. 

YRDSB Survey

A note went home from our school board earlier this week encouraging all families to complete  a survey. Each note had a special code to use. Please let me know if you have any questions about this. I encouraged all families to participate in this important survey. 

Movie Night

The November tradition of movie night continues this year. It is scheduled for November 29th. The event is free but families must RSVP to attend. Communication has been sent out through our school's email system. If you have questions about this please contact me!

Social Studies

We have started our new learning in social studies! A note went home today explaining some of the big ideas that we will be exploring in class over the next couple of weeks. Students are asked to contribute to our class timeline. All details are provided in the note home. Please let me know if you have any questions.

As we explore how traditions and celebrations change over time, and the experiences and challenges that newcomers to Canada faced during the nineteenth century we are grateful for any information from parents, and other family members.

Please contact me if:

• If you would like to share about a special tradition or celebration, and how it has changed over time.
• If you or a family member has an experience from being a newcomer (anytime, not just in the 1800s) to Canada that you would like to share.

We are happy to welcome you into our classroom, or watch a short video, read a letter, or look at pictures that you have sent in. Any contributions are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this with me please do not hesitate to contact me!

Math

We are learning about linear measurement in math. Students are gaining experience with using non standard units (like snap cubes, chain links, markers), and standard units (centimetres, and metres) to estimate and measure length, width, height, and perimeter. Today we took advantage of the perfect packing snow and went outside for math! Students built structures and then we estimated, and measured the height of different structures. It was lots of fun!

Literacy

Here is our poem of the week. It matched the windy day we had on Thursday and students were able to make many connections. We also continued to discuss how personification is used throughout this poem.



Students have been working very hard on their personal narrative projects. Here is a chart explaining the success criteria for writing a great personal narrative. We will spend another couple of weeks writing, and then we will move into editing and publishing!

Week of Nov. 12 Spelling Words

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are now for sale on School Cash Online. They will be sold throughout the month of November! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Pumpkin Experiment

Last week we filled our class pumpkin with a variety of different items. Then we went and planted it into one of the school gardens. We are excited to dig it up again at the beginning of May to see what happened! 

Place Value Test Nov.12th

Place Value Assessment

Dear Families,

As we are nearing the end of our place value unit in math, we will be having a test on Monday, November 12^th, 2018. Below are the curriculum expectations being assessed.

Grade Two Expectations	Grade Three Expectations
• read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 100 • demonstrate an understanding of magnitude by counting forward to 200 and backwards from 50, using multiples of various numbers as starting points	• read, represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 1000 demonstrate an understanding of magnitude by counting forward and backwards by various numbers and from various starting point

Attached to this note are a few examples of some of the work that your child has been doing in math recently. Please know that there are many other opportunities for students to show their learning in class (e.g., activities, math posters, math talk) that are not included here.

Ways to Prepare for the Test:

·         practise representing (showing) numbers by drawing base ten blocks, writing the place value name, writing the number words (e.g., seventy-three), and expanded form How many different ways can you use base ten blocks to show 45?

·         create and solve place value riddles

·         use two or three digits to create a variety of different numbers and then order them from least to greatest, or greatest to least - Grade 2 example: 3, 4, 9, Can make 34, 49, 43 (order greatest to least: 49, 43, 34) Grade 3 example: 7, 4, 3,   Can make 743, 347, 473 (order greatest to least: 743, 473, 347)

·         practise drawing a number-line and placing numbers on it

·         practise rounding numbers to the nearest ten, and hundred

·         practise playing “Guess my Number” one player writes down a number, other player asks questions to help figure it out) “Is your number less than?, greater than?, Does your number have ______ tens? Does your number have ____ ones?

Spelling Words week of Nov. 5th