Upstander

 Friday is fancy sock day!

Ask your child if they are an upstander - this is a new word we learned today while completing Pink Shirt day activities.  An upstander would intervene when someone was being bullied.   

Four Upstanding Options

1. Be a buddy

2. Interrupt the bully giving the victim a reason to walk away

3. Speak Out - use your words so others will look

4.  Tell someone - trying to keep others safe

I introduced the reading strategy of determining importance with a little game.  We imagined that we were going to spend a year on a deserted island to win a fortune.  The island has nothing but sand and palm trees.  We were allowed to bring 15 items with us.  We all made a list of 15 items and then we had to cut 5 items out and only take 10!  We justified what we were keeping and why they were important.  Tomorrow we will cut 5 more items and justify what we were taking - this will help little readers to see that thinking through the text they will be able to take away important information. 

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What/What/How

 Pink Shirt Day tomorrow -

Following a recipe is a great application of instructional writing.  Today we looked at my favorite recipe website which has very clear WHAT/WHAT/HOW using pictures, words and video.  We had a look at several recipes and then began planning our own piece of writing.

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Instructional Text

 Wednesday February 24 is Pink Shirt Day.  We will all be wearing pink and completing some activities around anti-bullying.  

We spent some time today looking at the important features of instructional text.  When we write instructions we get to be the boss and order people to do exactly what we want them to do!  We discovered instructional text is written from the second person point of view where the writer is talking to the reader and telling them what to do.  We then looked at the transition words used in instructional writing: first, second, third, then, afterward, later and so on.  These are the words that tell the reader to move from one step to the next.  Finally, we looked at action words that writers could use to signal their reader to do something.  We brainstormed topics we could write about and then talked with a partner about what we thought we would try and write.  Tomorrow we will plan our instructional writing.

Grade 3 were drawing a picture of the basic needs their home provides for them in preparation for our look at habitats.  Some great ideas were put forth!

Grade 4 were preparing their experiment with spinning white light.  We hit a few snags and had to problem solve.  Like all good scientists.

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Regrouping practise

 Grade 4's were challenged in math today to use four and five digit numbers to practise regrouping.  They were making their own numbers and working at their own pace.  Ask your little learner if they met the challenge.  Grade 3's were using spinners to create three digit numbers to practise their regrouping.  Most of them finished.  Ask your little learner if they created and finished their 8 questions.

We took a step back with our procedural writing today and we all wrote a quick set of directions for an alien friend teaching them how to brush their teeth.  I then took the writing and used my toothbrush and toothpaste to follow the directions.  Not very successful.  What we learned is the what - what - how steps in writing and that we must be very clear on our intention.

Read 20/10 and record it on your tracking sheet

Ms. Frizzle

 We had a busy first day back, good thing everyone was rested up from their extra long weekend.

Grade 3 had a look at the life cycle of an ant curtesy of Magic School Bus Ants in Your Pants.  While they were drawing and labeling the grade 4 viewed Magic School Bus Bright Light.  Good science block if you like Ms. Frizzle!

We have stepped into the world of instructional writing.  Since we are all experts on the subject of ourselves we started planning a story today about How To Be Me.  The intent of the writing is to write a set of procedures which include equipment required, tips and activities.  We are in the planning phase of our writing.

Read 20/10 and record it on your tracking sheet

A World of Kindness

 

We started off by making a word web about kindness - thinking about a connection, the picture the word puts in our head and feelings connected to the word.  After reading 'A World of Kindness' and 'Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed' we went back to the web and added how our thinking had stretched.  Since it is almost Valentine's Day we wanted to spread some kindness so once again we made little cards for the residents at Chartwell Harbours Retirement Home.

Good Listeners

 We are working on being good listeners to help create community in our classroom and having a safe environment for everyone to share their feelings and opinions.  We are using sharing circles to discuss various topics and today we looked at kindness. We started with the story 'Little Bear's Vision' an Aboriginal story that focuses on respect, talking nicely and taking responsibility for our actions with our friends.  We have all done some writing about the lessons that Little Bear learns and we will continue tomorrow with other acts of kindness.

Last week we looked at characters in story and the various traits they may have.  This week we will focus on setting and how good readers can determine the place, time and environment of a story.  We used the book 'Trombone Shorty' to begin our work today.  Ask your little learner about where the story took place.

Read 20/10 and record it!

Valentine's Day Cards

 Valentine's Day Cards - due to COVID restrictions we will have you keep Valentine's cards at home this year.  We will not be passing them out at school and gushing over their cuteness.  Sorry about that.  I know we are all getting tired of COVID restrictions.

Report cards are now available online.  As always, if you have a question, feel free to call me or drop me an email.  

Just a heads up that next week is Teacher's Convention so there is no school Thursday and Friday.

Please send your little reader's reading record to school on Friday and we will total up the minutes we read as a class this week.

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Henry's Freedom Box

 Our mentor text this week is 'Henry's Freedom Box' by Ellen Levine.  We will be looking at the traits of characters as well as what good readers do when approaching new text.  Henry provided us with a history lesson; he was a real person and he was a slave that used the underground railroad.  Ask your little learner how they felt listening to the story of Henry's life.

Grade 3's continue to work on different ways to show multiplication and grade 4's are using decimals to express money.  Our work around our basic facts continues.

On Monday we will begin jump rope for heart which will run for the entire month of February. Students will be doing skipping and hula hooping in phys ed when they are with their classroom teacher to promote this. (They will be doing lacrosse when with Mr. Sadowsky) If they choose to fundraise this year, all donations will be made online. Due to COVID we can't accept cash or cheques. A parent letter will be coming home today or Monday which explains how they register online so they can collect donations through their account. We will collect donations from Feb 1st to Feb 28th. All prizes for collecting donations this year will be gift cards due to COVID and a list of prizes can be found on the website when they register. Anyone who raises a minimum of $20.00 will also be added to a draw for a bonus prize through our school. We have about 13 prizes to give away which include soccer balls, basketballs, skipping ropes and 1 mini hockey set which includes a mini net, 2 mini sticks and a mini ball.

Thank you in advance for all of your support to help a great cause. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Sadowsky. grsadowsky@cbe.ab.ca

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