This week is busy with many activities, including Halloween!

Monday, Oct. 29th

• Today the students watched a performance of science in the circus!

Tuesday, Oct. 30th

• School assembly recognizing students’ sports and learning
• Halloween Safety Talk
• Earthquake drill- we will drop, cover and hold at 1:30

Wednesday, Oct. 31st Hallowe’en!

• Morning walk to the Sagebrush Theatre to see a tap-dancing performance by Tapco
• Afternoon Halloween games organized by grade 6/7 students
• Food bank donations are accepted.

Hallowe’en Guidelines

• YES, wear a costume if you wish! It’s fun!
• NO masks or weapons please
• Your costume should be comfortable and safe!
  • You must be able to walk to and from the Sagebrush- leave a hat or accessory at school if you wish
  • Make-up is okay, but will it be itchy? Can you wear it all day comfortably?
  • Wigs are okay, but are you comfortable wearing it all day?
  • Please don’t scare anyone who doesn’t want to be terrified! Be kind. A little bit spooky is okay.
• NO please do NOT send candy to school in lunch and snack bags in the days following Hallowe’en. Eating candy does not usually support learning in the classroom.

This week:

• Our focus in French is the sound ‘en’ as in enveloppe
• We are working with Hallowe’en words
• We are learning about Alberta
• We learned about the importance of bison to First Nations in Alberta in the past
• We will be drawing and painting art cards later this week. You may wish to talk to your child about a possible theme for the card! A favourite animal or object, a birthday or Winter scene, an image for thank-you cards. Later in the fall, you may purchase a set of your child’s cards. This is a fundraising project as proceeds will go to the school. Cards usually arrive before Christmas.
  

  Working with words, Hallowe’en style!

  

What is the Daily 5? Teachers throw this jargon around because ‘Daily 5‘ is the lingo we use for a way of teaching language arts instruction that has become popular over the last decade.

When children participate in the following activities regularly, or daily if possible, their language development is supported:

1. Read to self.
2. Read to someone.
3. Listen to reading.
4. Write.
5. Work with words.

Are these ideas new? No! As an experienced teacher, I have included these activities in the classroom since the start of my career. What I find new, is that students are not necessarily doing the same activity at the same time as a peer. In our class, I call our activities ‘stations’. We structure our classroom this way 3-5 times a week, and include French and for grade 3s, English in our Daily 5 activities.

In more detail…

1. Read to self: Children have personal book bins filled with books that they choose. Most books should be at their reading level in order to increase fluency and promote success.
2. Read in a pair, or “buddy read.” Children take turns reading their books to each other, side by side. Sometimes they also read their own writing to a friend.
3. Listen to reading. The teacher or librarian reads a book to the class. Students focus on listening and comprehension of the story.
4. Work on writing. Children will have the opportunity to write in many formats including personal writing, stories, post cards, and lists as the year progresses.
5. Work with words. During this time, children focus on reading and writing individual words rather than sentences. We focus on beautifully legible printing, using lines on the page, spelling words like in a book, letter formation and building vocabulary. We use mini-whiteboards, fun sheets, word puzzles, alphabet letters and other fun tools to build skills.

Is that all?

No, we do more than daily 5. We have a journal-writing block about once a week, and will work on projects like story-writing this year. I also use a tried and true reading instruction method called guided reading during our Daily 5 time. During guided reading, I sit with a small group of students. We read a book that is at their instructional level. Each child takes a turn reading. We focus on applying sounds that we have learned in class to our reading. We focus on a new sound every week.

To support your child at home READ READ READ! Your child will benefit from reading the home reading books AND will benefit to listening to you read stories to him or her as well. Also, encourage your child to write. Invented spelling is great! It’s important for children to take risks and get their ideas down on paper. Then get your child to read what they have written for you. Lastly, if you enjoy songs, check out some songs on the songs tab of the blog.

 

It was great to see so many families at parent-teacher interviews! On Friday, I attended the Primary Teacher’s Conference in Vancouver, and have come back with many ideas on how I can enrich our learning in the classroom. Below are some concepts we are working on:

Math

In grades two and three, students continue adding and subtracting, but work with larger numbers. Our focus over the past two weeks has been counting by 5s on a 100s chart. Learning multiples of 5 can help us add and subtract large numbers.

While working in math, I have discovered that many students have difficulty saying numbers in French. When a student is working on solving a difficult problem or equation, trying to figure out how to say a number or wondering what number someone else said can take away from deep mathematical thinking. To support students, we have been doing more work with how to write and say numbers in French. You can support your child outside of school by quizzing your child in the car, or by singing along with Alain le Lait number songs– click the ‘songs’ tab at the top of my blog, and look for the numbers song. Once you play 1-20, you are prompted for subsequent songs with numbers going up to 100.

Rocks and Rings

This week we are learning and trying out the sport of curling with a guest from the Curling Club. If your child is interested in participating in the JamCan at the downtown curling rink, it only costs 15$ including lunch, and registration closes Oct. 26th. The JamCan will be on the week-end of Nov. 3/4.

Jam Can

Social Studies

We have been learning about Alberta and about the ‘Pieds Noirs’, the Blackfoot First Nations.

Language Arts

Stay tuned for a post on our ‘Daily 5.’ Our focus this week is the sound an as in maman.  It is like saying “aw” with your nose pinched. Try to spot the sound in home reading books. Keep up the home reading! Some students are now travelling in Saskatchewan. Bravo!

In our classroom, students build math skills at their own pace. My goal is to provide students with opportunities to:

• refine skills already learned to develop mastery
• be challenged in order to develop their mathematical thinking
• add and subtract numbers, working with larger numbers as they progress
• use tools such as number lines and 100s charts when needed
• use blocks, pictures and words to express number concepts
• work alone, in pairs, and in groups
• work at desks, stand, sit on carpets, in a group, and quietly on their own
• progress at their own rate with the sky as the limit!

You may also want to check out my archived post from September 2017 entitled : Yes, we write on windows! We still write on windows this year, and harness the learning power of using vertical, non-permanent surfaces to build a THINKING classroom!

October is starting out as a busy month!

Thank-you the many parents that helped with our salmon run field trip. Today, salmon activity and information booklets were sent home for your children to keep. In class, we shared our learning today. When you are in the school, have a look at our collaborative salmon art in the hallway. Four classes have worked to transform our hall! There are also some fun painted turkeys by our classroom door, and student self-portraits as part of a school rainbow near the office.

“Socktober”

Mme Lafleur’s grade 6 class is gathering warm socks, mittens, toques, scarves, and blankets for the homeless and those in need in our community. Please send in new or gently used adult sized items by October 18th.

Parent-teacher Interviews

I am looking forward to seeing many parents next Wednesday! My schedule is booked solid, so please be prompt. Whether or not you bring your child is up to you. Language and topics will be more frank with only adults present, and I will focus on the positive with language appropriate for a child if a student is present.

Book Fair

Mme Cauchon has organized a book fair in our library next week. We will preview books with the class on Monday, and students may bring money to purchase items on Tuesday morning. There will be no library that day, so students may keep books for 2 weeks. The book fair ends next Thursday at lunch.

Next week, the book fair will also be open for families:

• 12:30-7pm during parent-teacher interviews
• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings 8:15-8:30

Stay tuned to learn more about what we are doing in the classroom! Remember to mark your child’s October Show and Tell date on your calendar!