Remembrance Day

Hello,

We have been completing some patterning review questions in our Math notebooks, yesterday and today. The students can use this work to help them study for tomorrow's test.

In Religion, we had a great discussion about Remembrance Day yesterday, discussing the concepts of peace, sacrifice and giving thanks. We watched some videos to spur discussion about the importance of Remembrance Day. Today, we attended the school's Remembrance Day ceremony. The students showed great respect to our veterans.

Bell Commercial - Poppy

Bell Commercial - Calling Grandpa

A Pittance of Time

Ask your child about the messages in these videos. I was very impressed with their responses and overall level of understanding.

In Language, we finished our discussion about the "Neighbourhood Niggles" persuasive texts. Now, we are taking the feedback from our peers and typing a second draft of our seasonal persuasive paragraph - winter vs. summer - in Google slides, which can easily be shared with the entire class.

After finishing our Remembrance Day art and pastel Fall art, we put our work up on display in the hallway.

Have a good day. I look forward to seeing all of the parents who signed up for interviews, in the gym this afternoon and evening!

Mr. Skinner

Peer Editing and Discussing Persuasive Texts

Hello,

This morning we worked with partners to edit our persuasive texts about summer and winter. Each group read the two pieces they had written, came to a consensus regarding the level of the text, and discussed suggestions for improvement.

https://twitter.com/MrSkinnerocsb/status/663736601957265408

https://twitter.com/MrSkinnerocsb/status/663736929343643648


Next, we read more "Neighbourhood Niggles", a series of texts about issues that arise in a neighbourhood. As a group, we discussed which sides of the various arguments we agreed with and what made the texts effective when it came to persuading someone.

In Math, the students worked on the white boards to create and answer patterning questions with a partner, and continued to hone their math skills on Dreambox, while I discussed strategies for solving patterning questions with various students, to help them prepare for our next evaluation task, which will take place on Thursday.

Daily reading and preparing for Thursday's Patterning Math test should be the focus for homework activities this week.

Finally, in Science, we continued to work on our paper skyscrapers. The students are reminded to bring in cardboard, to help provide extra stability to their structure.

There will be students bringing poppies to the classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday. The students are invited to bring money to make a donation.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Cupcakes and Best Wishes

Hello,

This afternoon, the students presented their information about their chosen saints. The students found some very interesting information.

Next, we read a variety of persuasive texts, to look at common characteristics, and we wished a classmate the best at her new school.

We are sad to see this student go, but we were also very appreciative of the cupcakes she brought in and shared with the class.

In the morning, the students took some time to finish their saint research and they completed some more patterning work, including a problem solving question that asked how many handshakes would take place between seven people. The students also continued to work on their fall pastel art.

Finally, we finished the last of the monster description presentations and had a very spirited game of bench ball, where the girls and boys battled to a tie after three games. Luckily, with everyone winning, we could all celebrate with the cupcakes in the afternoon!

There is no homework, but the students are encouraged to continue to work on their math and reading skills, on Raz Kids and Dreambox, or using other tools of their choice.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Fall Pastel Art

Hello,

Today we continued to work on patterning in Math, as I challenged the students with a problem involving subtraction, but by amounts increasing by three each time. The students made great progress, but some will need a little bit of time tomorrow to finish solving the problem.

In Art, we created Fall scenes with pastels. I will post some of the work tomorrow, once most of the students have finished their work. They have created a beautiful collection of reds, yellows and oranges.

In Religion, we continued to work on our saint presentations. Most groups made great progress and are ready to present their information on Friday. A few students will be getting a few details online tonight, to finish their work.

In Language, we continued to present our monster descriptions and give and receive feedback. I did some editing with students and then we shared the work with the class, so they could see the steps we need to take to successfully complete the editing process. Tomorrow, we will be doing some peer editing, using sticky notes, with our summer vs. winter persuasive paragraphs that we wrote earlier in the week.

We also started to read a collection of persuasive pieces, relating to solving issues in a neighbourhood, which we will continue to read tomorrow.

For homework, the students need to return their progress report forms and envelopes, complete their saint presentations and continue to work on Dreambox and Raz Kids, for a total of 30 - 40 minutes.

Thanks to everyone who returned the progress report forms and signed up for interviews, by following the process online. I look forward to meeting with you.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Progress Reports

Hello,

The students are bringing home their progress reports today. Please review them with your children and follow the instructions included in the envelope to sign up for interviews next week.

This morning we solved a patterning question involving using toothpicks to make triangles. The first triangle used three toothpicks and every triangle after that one required two toothpicks. The students had to draw the design for four, five and six triangles and find the number of toothpicks needed to build 10 triangles.

Next, we went to the gym to continue to work on our volleyball skills, volleying in groups of three.

In Language, the students presented their monsters and received feedback from their peers and teacher with regard to how they could improve their work. Next, we looked at the short answer questions for the "Underwater Apartment" to examine the differences between the levelled responses. We discussed the kinds of detail we could include to improve our answers.

Finally, in Religion, we began to research a saint of our choice to present to the class on Friday.

The students are using http://www.loyolapress.com/saints-stories-for-kids.htm to answer the following questions:

The saint's name
Where they are from?
When they lived?
Why are they a saint?
Is anything named after them?
Are there any connections you can make to their experiences?
Why did you choose this saint?

We are working on this presentation in Google Drive, so the students can collaborate on this task.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Pattern Problem Solving

Hello,

This morning we continued to work on developing our understanding of patterns. We answered a variety of questions on the white boards, reviewing concepts we have examined throughout the unit.

Then, in pairs, we solved the following problems in our Math Enquiry books:

Mr. Skinner is buying bags of marshmallows at the Super Store. For every 3 bags he buys, he gets 1 for free. How many bags will he need to buy to get 4 free bags?

Calya walked her dog every third day in October. She started this job on October 5th. On which days of the month did she walk her dog? How many total days did she walk her dog?

In Language, we discussed how we could improve Level 3 writing to Level 4 writing, using the examples we looked at yesterday, that compared winter and summer. Then we discussed how we could use Bump It Up Walls to improve the quality of our writing. Next, we examined the multiple choice questions for the "Underwater Apartment" reading selection that the students read last week. Tomorrow, we will discuss the short answer questions they completed for this selection.

In the afternoon, we had outdoor gym, where the students had a choice to play running games or work on their gross motor skills on the play structure.

Finally, we went to the learning commons to read and to exchange our books.

The proofs for the school photos will be coming home today with the students. The order forms need to be returned by November 9, 2015.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Comparing seasons

Hello,

This morning we started the day by talking about our Halloween weekends. The students had some interesting and scary stories to share.

Next, worked in pairs to solve the following problem:

Jackson wants to collect more Pokemon cards. He already has 34 cards and he buys six more each week. How many weeks does it take Jackson to collect a total of 88 cards? Please show your work.

Once we discussed and solved the problem. The students completed a worksheet that involved making patterns with squares. Any student who did not finish the double-sided sheet should complete it for homework.

In Language, we began to examine persuasive writing techniques. We talked about how the writer needs to include an introduction, three main points, with reasons or examples, and a conclusion.

Today, we wrote about whether we prefer summer or winter. Once the students completed the task, they were shown some examples I created with a group of Grade 3 teachers. The students were asked to identify the leveled work, from level 1 to level 4. Ask your child to identify the correct level and explain the reasons why.

LEVEL -

I prefer winter to summer because it is more fun. First, I live close to a community centre and I can play hockey on the outdoor rink everyday during the winter. Second, I go skiing with my family each weekend during the winter and we get great exercise on the hill. Lastly, you can get hurt during the summer from sunburns and bug bites. I prefer winter.

LEVEL -

I prefer summer because there’s more fun things to do and you won’t get cold. If you stay out in the cold too long you might get frostbite and get hurt, so winter is no fun.

LEVEL -

I prefer summer because I don’t like the cold.

LEVEL -

I prefer winter because it brings our community together. In Ottawa, we can meet up with our friends and get exercise skating on the Rideau Canal. We can even take a break from skating to share a delicious Beaver Tail as a snack. Another winter activity that brings us together is cheering on the Ottawa Senators. Each winter, we can go to the Canadian Tire Centre to cheer on our hockey heroes. Finally, we can enjoy  the beauty of nature together, by going on nature walks, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. With so many fun things to do in winter, it’s easy to see why we prefer the chilly days to the summer’s heat in Ottawa.

In the afternoon, we continued to work on our paper pillars for our construction projects. Then we talked about All Saints Day and explored information about some of the saints we know. Finally, in Art, we finished up our work on our Remembrance Day pieces.

Don't forget to bring in your popcorn orders.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner