Google Doc for the Party

Hello,

We were working right until the end of the day, filming our commercials, so we didn't have time to decide who was bringing what for the party on Monday.

Everyone is encouraged to bring board games to play. You do not have to bring treats, but if you want to bring nut free items, please add your name and your item to the Google Doc listed below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o9gI-x1OoVbnzRB4PcrncG4mHhehobA13ZspyQ8kEFU/edit?usp=sharing

By clicking on the link, you will be able to view the doc. If you want to add an item, your child will need to sign into their account.

Thanks.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Planning a Party!

Hello,

I am currently typing this blog post during lunch recess, in my classroom. A total of eight students asked me if they could stay in to do some self-directed learning activities. Three students are exploring online Math programs, three students are making presentations on Google Slides and two students are using the knowledge they have gained in Science to build block structures. It is so great to see the students so interested in exploring various learning opportunities and I will definitely miss these times with the students.

We had a wonderful morning, playing handball in the gym, completing our reading group conferences and starting to write a final narrative about a treasure map in Language. We also finished our work on congruent shapes in Math, I also collected the completed forms for "Swim to Survive" and the concussion protocol. If everyone could send in these forms, as soon as possible, it would be much appreciated.

This afternoon, we will finish our work on our healthy eating commercials and plan our party for Monday afternoon. The students are welcome to bring in nut-free treats to share, as well as board games for collaborative play. It should be a lot of fun!

Some students have mentioned they are planning on bringing in gifts for me on Monday. It is a very kind gesture, but there is no need to send in any gifts for me. The real gift is getting to do a job that I love and making a positive impact on the students.

Thanks so much for all of your support throughout this year and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Sidney, the Grade 3 Mouse

Hello,

This week, I have been reading "Sidney, the Grade 3 Mouse" to the students and they have really enjoyed the story. I am very pleased with the insightful responses they have given to the questions I have asked and the meaningful personal connections they have made to the story. They wanted me to finish the story today, but I wanted to leave them in suspense and read the thrilling conclusion tomorrow.

Not only am I looking forward to reading the rest of the story, but I am also eagerly anticipating our group discussions on this week's assigned narrative readings. All students should make sure they have read their text, so they can share their thinking and examples with their reading groups tomorrow.

We have concluded the initial performances of our healthy eating commercials and the audience member and I have given constructive feedback to the groups. Now, they are making changes to their scripts and getting ready to record their performances on iMovie.

In Math, we have been exploring right angles, equilateral shapes, quadrilaterals and congruent shapes. Our big point of discussion today was, "Why can all squares be classified as rectangles, but not all rectangles can be classified as squares." It was a wonderful discussion that led to greater understanding. If the angles activity sheet has not yet been completed, it should be brought home to be finished for homework.

Finally, in Science, we talked about how the concepts of our two units - structures and forces - connect together in the real world and discussed the jobs that require people to know about these concepts and how the skills and knowledge they have gained could be put to good use.

Two information forms are coming home today as well. One from the school about the concussion protocol program and one from me about the upcoming "Swim to Survive" sessions, which will start next Friday, for our class. Please sign and return these forms. Thanks so much.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Wednesday is PJ Day!

Hello,

This morning, we practised our healthy eating commercials and examined right angles in Math. The students should complete the introduction to angles activity sheet for homework and continue to read this week's selected narrative for our group discussions later this week.

A reminder that tomorrow is PJ day. Students are welcome to bring stuffies and $1.00 to buy bookmarks as well.

Click on the link below for more information:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pHPBStdArIJLkMdUm1M0Q8vsgP7mh6SXstzHjZfBJ2A/edit?usp=sharing

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Great Group Work!

Hello,

Today, we did some wonderful work in groups.

First, the students finished their graphing activities, then we worked together to discuss and organize levelled responses to "The Board" narrative we read. Our final group activity was working with our drama groups to finalize our plans for our healthy eating commercials. We finished the scripts and practised, and now we will be performing and filming the commercials tomorrow.

We also did some quality individual work today as well.

In Math, the students worked on exploring sides and vertices and started to look at angles as well.

In Language, the students worked on writing "The Ticket" narrative and started to read their next assigned narrative stories for our reading group discussions at the end of the week.

Finally, in Religion, we continued to answer questions about ourselves for our "All About Me" websites.

The students are encouraged to continue reading their newly assigned narrative story, so they are ready to share their thinking about the book by the end of the week.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Enjoy the long weekend!

Hello,

I hope everyone enjoys the extra day off this weekend! Hopefully you have some exciting plans!

This morning, we finished our conferences with the three narrative reading groups and the students continued to work on their writing of "The Ticket" narrative story.

In Math, we finished our tally charts, surveys and bar graphs, and some students worked on their activity sheets on sides and vertices.

This afternoon, we worked on our "All About Me" websites for Religion and continued to practise our healthy eating commercials for Health and Drama.

I am not sure if you received a notification of yesterday's post, as I did not receive an e-mail. I am going to see if there is a problem. Hopefully, this post is delivered as scheduled.

Have a good weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Getting to Meet Mr. S!

Hello,

This afternoon, the students were very excited to get to meet Mr. S. They made a very good first impression on him.

In Math, we worked on our final surveys, tally charts and bar graphs with our partners.

In Language, we read a narrative called "Goooaaalll!" as a class, with the students providing some great predictions and insights. Next, I worked with each of the three groupings, asking them questions about their selected narratives. As I was working with the groups, the students were writing their narratives called "The Ticket."

Finally, in Drama, we worked on our healthy eating commercials and in the gym, we worked on the basic skills for playing handball. We will start playing handball next week!

A reminder that Friday is a PD Day, and that the new pizza orders need to be sent in by tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Static Electricity

Hello,

This morning I read a narrative called "The Fire Zenith" to the class. We discussed the problem in the story, how it was solved, and how dialogue was used to help tell the story.

Next, the students had an opportunity to read the narratives I gave them last week, and answer questions about their stories, as I moved around the room. The students should have their selected narrative read by the end of Language class tomorrow. They are encouraged to bring the books home and do some reading tonight.

In Math, we discussed different ways to collect data, and scales we can use for our graphs. We began to work on a final survey, tally chart and bar graph, which we will complete with a partner tomorrow. We also started to discuss sides and vertices, which will be part of the Geometry unit we are starting this week.

This afternoon, we watched a variety of commercials aimed at developing healthy eating habits. We discussed the products being advertised and the intended messages. The students will now be working in groups to create an advertisement for the health benefits of an existing product, an imaginary product, or a campaign encouraging overall healthy eating habits.

Finally, in Science, we discussed the research the students did on natural forces and then we used balloons to explore the concept of static electricity.

That's everything for our day, but I also wanted to let you know that there is a note coming home today, with all of the students, regarding some staffing changes.

I have been appointed as the vice-principal at St. Stephen School in Stittsville, effective February 2, 2016. I am very excited for this new leadership opportunity, but it unfortunately means that I will not be finishing the year as your child's Grade 3 teacher.

I will be replaced by Mr. St. Louis, who is currently a .25 permanent teacher at St. Anne. He will be taking over as the full-time permanent teacher for the class when I leave on February 2nd. The students will get the chance to meet Mr. St. Louis this week, and he and I have been meeting to ensure a smooth transition.

I will miss all of your children a great deal. I will enjoy each day of these last two weeks with them. Thanks so much for all of your support this year.

Mr. Skinner

Healthy Eating Activities

Hello,

Here are a few games about healthy eating habits to explore. Please work on the first three games on the first link.

http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Kids/Kids-Games-Activities.aspx

Then you can try out the second link.

www.nourishinteractive.com/kids

Don't forget that you need to have your research on natural forces and your predictions for your narrative stories completed by the end of the day as well.

Have fun and work hard.

Mr. Skinner

Working with the Grade One Students

Hello,

This morning, we researched more about natural forces for Science. The students are learning lots about Hurricane Hazel.

Next, we finished our predictions about the new narrative stories we are reading, and continued to plan and practice our drama performances of situations where we have to solve problems in positive ways. The students are encouraged to read their selected narratives at home tonight.

We were going to start a new graphing activity in Math, but we were interrupted by a very successful lockdown practice, so we will wait until tomorrow to work on this activity.

Finally, we were very lucky to have the opportunity to work with Mrs. Truchon's Grade One students this afternoon. We used the Tellagami app on the iPads to help the students tell some interesting information about themselves for their "All About Me" websites. It was a wonderful leadership opportunity for the members of our class and the students really enjoyed it.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

New Narrative Books to read!

Hello,

This morning, we continued to work on our basketball skills in the gym, then we finished our work on our bar graphs about our favourite subjects in Math.

Next, some students finished answering their short answer questions about "The Board," while others received a new narrative book to read. Three books were distributed to members of the class, "The Gran Plan", "Swimming Lessons" and "Rag Doll Rescue". Each student was asked to make a prediction about the problem that would occur in the story, how it would be solved, and then explain the thinking behind their predictions. The student are welcome to read their stories tonight, or they can read another book of their choice.

This afternoon, we had a liturgy to celebrate the Epiphany with all of the Grade 3 students, then we used the chromebooks to research natural forces, and how we can protect ourselves against them, for Science.

Finally, in Drama, we performed some skits about how to positively solve conflicts between siblings and/or friends in a positive way.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Natural Forces

Hello,

In Science, we examined the power of natural forces, such as storms, today, and also looked at ways we can protect ourselves from various forces. We talked about protective equipment we wear when playing sports to avoid injuries, caused by forces.

In Religion, we talked about changes that can happen within a family, the importance of cherishing memories and also welcoming new additions with open arms to our families.

In Math, we corrected our work on bar graphs and had some great discussions about scale and accuracy in graphs.

In Language, we worked on the narrative called, "The Board", answering multiple choice questions, and short answer questions, while including examples from the text to prove and illustrate our points.

If any students are not finished their holiday narrative first drafts, they should be completed on Google Drive tonight. Otherwise, students should be reading for at least 20 minutes tonight.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

Healthy Eating Habits

Hello,

Today, we corrected and self-evaluated our work on the four short answer Math questions that we started on Wednesday.

In Language, we finished our narrative first drafts and started to read a story called "The Board." The students answered multiple choice and short answer questions about this text.

During our Health and Religion discussions, we talked about the importance of eating balanced and healthy meals and focused on taking proper care of our teeth. We connected our discussions about food to some of the special traditions our families have, which often involve getting together and eating delicious meals.

Finally, in Science, we discussed some of the magnetic items students found in their homes last night and we worked on our basketball skills in the gym, practising our dribbling, passing and shooting.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Skinner

Exploring Forces

Hello,

This morning, I attended a leadership workshop, while the students finished their Math work from the last few days on tally charts, pictographs and bar graphs.

In Language, the students finished their rough drafts for their holiday narratives.

This afternoon, upon my return, we explored forces in Science, discussing how friction impacts the movement of objects and how forces can change the movement of objects. Tonight, the students are asked to find at least five examples of magnetic force (magnets) used in their homes.

It seems that quite a few students are away sick today. I hope everyone rests up tonight and feels better in the morning.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Working With the Eco Club

Hello,

This afternoon, we had a wonderful opportunity to work with the Eco Club, making displays as reminders of which items belonged in which recycle bins. We also went over the importance of shutting off electronic devices and lights, so that we are not wasting electricity.

We also spent some time outside on this beautiful Winter day, sliding, building forts and playing tag for physical education.

This morning, we began to write our rough drafts for our holiday narratives on Google Drive, then during Math, we took what we have learned about pictographs, tally charts and bar graphs to solve the following problems:

The students are encouraged to read for 20-30 minutes tonight, and to discuss the above problems, and the strategies they used to solve them, with their parents.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Happy New Year!

Hello,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! It was great to see many of you at the movie theatre!

We have had a great start to the new year. In Language, we reviewed the characteristics of a narrative and an example of a narrative text through a slide presentation I shared with the students on Google Drive.

Next, we completed outlines of narratives the students will be writing about a holiday-based event. We will start to work on our rough drafts tomorrow.

In Math, we have been exploring bar graphs and double bar graphs (dividing totals by boy and girl responses).

In Religion, we are reading and discussing the Fully Alive family life unit that discusses feelings and our unique talents. We talked about how people react differently to situations and how to best solve problems that occur.

Finally, in Science, we have started to look at the effects of friction on moving objects, testing the movement of blocks on a variety of surfaces.

I have not assigned any homework over the first two days, as the students are working hard in class and I am easing them back into our routines. As always it is a good idea to be doing daily reading and math practice, using our programs (Raz Kids and Dreambox) or other options of your choice.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner