Hi Parents ~ I usually post an update once a week on Mondays to keep you in the loop of what is going on in our class and lessons. Important Dates and Reminders are at the bottom.
Homework
- I generally do not assign homework besides reading 20-30 minutes each night. I have found that families are very busy these days between work, sports, music, and other commitments. There may be the odd occasion when your child brings home work that needs to be finished or completed at home. Enjoy your family time together around the dinner table or cosy up with a book at bed time. I encourage families to read with their child as well as allowing for independent reading. Reading with your child allows for a great opportunity to talk about the story, characters, setting, etc. and check for comprehension as well as just enjoying a good book together.
Spelling
- Lesson 2 is looking at words with the hard 'g' sound, as in angle, and a soft sound, as in magical, and the hard 'c' sound, as in carbon, and the soft sound, as in recipe.
Reading Studio
- We started a reading log at school today where students will keep track of the books they read (and abandoned) as well as the genres they are reading, if they enjoyed the book, and if it was a just right book. Students also wrote down a goal for how many books they think they can complete in a year. On Wednesday we will start to talk about the different genres. This week we will learn about fantasy and realistic fiction.
- In our lesson today we were introduced to the '6 Traits of Writing': ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation. We will be having lessons throughout the year on these traits for us to practise and grow as writers. Today we talked about how writers write about what they know. Students chose a topic they know a lot about and started to write! This week will look at making decisions as writers and how good planning makes good writing.
Gym
- We will continue to play a variety of team-building games in gym (outside). There will be a notice going home this week about the Lochside Trail. We do not have gym on Wednesdays and instead will go for a walk on the Lochside Trail or to Outerbridge Park first thing in the morning. Let me know if you'd be interested in joining us. We'll go most Wednesdays, leaving Lochside around 8:50am and returning around 9:20am.
Numeracy
- This week we are continuing to learn about growth mindset in math using the youcubed program. We watch a short video, discuss the topic, and have a follow-up activity. Here are some key concepts we will explore:
- We can all learn math. Self-belief is really important.
- Math learning is best when we make connections between pictures and numbers.
- Math is not about speed. We should pause for reflection and to make sense of math.
- Patterns are everywhere and very important in math.
- Mistakes grow your brain!
GAFE (Google Apps for Education) and FreshGrade
- Our district began using GAFE last year with staff and some middle/secondary students. This year they have opened up GAFE to Grade 4/5 students. I will be sending home permission forms for both GAFE and FreshGrade this week. Here is how I see using GAFE and FreshGrade. Please see me if you have any questions.
- GAFE: Using Google Docs and Slides for presentations and word processing. Documents in GAFE save every 6 seconds so there is no need for USB sticks that often get lost. Students can log on at home and continue to work on their projects. GAFE also have a lot of tools to support our learning.
- FreshGrade: To open up communication between student learning throughout the year instead of waiting for the report card at the end of each term (I will still be providing a paper report card each term). This electronic portfolio is a way to make learning visible by posting video, photo, audio, and notes in a secure site for each student and family. There is a video here to watch about FreshGrade (This video was created by a school in the US, but FreshGrade is a Canadian product started in Kelowna).
Important Dates and/or Reminders:
- Wednesday, September 21st is our student photo day.
- Please return all notices ASAP.
- If you haven't yet, please email me with your child's name in the subject line so I can create an email list for our class.