Pizza lunch on Monday January 19

Dear families,

I will be hosting a pizza lunch tomorrow-Monday for the students. Tomorrow will be our last production of the Elves and the Shoemaker and it has been a great run! The students have gained confidence and have enjoyed this whole process. Thank you parents for supporting this play and we hope you enjoyed the show.

January update

Dear Families,

I am looking forward to an exciting and successful 2015! The virtue for the month of January is Courage. Our class discussions will surround the topic of showing courage inside and outside of the classroom.

In Math, we are finishing up our unit on Addition and Subtraction (Chapter 4). There will be a math assessment on Friday January 16^th on all the taught concepts. Our next math unit will be Chapter 6.

In Language, the students will learn how to make inferences.  We will read different texts (fiction and non-fiction) and try to determine the author’s main message. The students will use their prior knowledge and clues from the text to make inferences. For spelling, this week’s focus is Lesson 16 and next week’s will be Lesson 17.  

In Science, we have started a new unit on Strong and stable structures. Some key vocabulary words are: stability, load, structure, strength, compression, tension. The students will be asked to design a strong and stable structure, how exciting! I cannot wait to see what the students come up with.  The structures must be able to withstand a compression or wind test. There will be a science project assigned next week and an outline will be sent home with the students.

Have a great two weeks everyone!

Important Reminders

-     For our weekly skating program, all students must wear a regulation helmet to participate.

We are skating tomorrow (Wednesday January 14^th) at 10:15 am. We anticipate an excellent fun-filled day with some sunshine and clean ice!

-          Please take a look at the January calendar for the pizza lunch schedule

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy New Year!

December Update

Dear Families,

The grade 3's have been working very hard researching their chosen pioneer village feature. We had a very exciting field trip at pioneer village and made some wonderful memories there. Thank you to all the parents who came out to support this excursion.  Below is a picture from inside the Blacksmith shop.

In Math, we are starting Chapter 4 which is addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers. The students will relate subtraction to addition, solve word problems, estimate sums and differences and add and subtract. Some examples are: 33+18, 59-37. The new vocabulary words for this unit are: fact family, sum, difference and regrouping.

 In Language, the students are pre writing, drafting, editing and publishing their pioneer paragraph for their projects. The writing component of the project will be completed at school. The success criteria for a strong paragraph includes: an indent, a topic sentence, 3-5 supporting details, a closing sentence and correct spelling and punctuation. We will also be writing some vibrant Christmas poems.

 In Religion, we will discuss the meaning of Advent as we anticipate the birth of Christ.  We light a candle each week of Advent to remember Jesus' unconditional love for us.

Important Reminders:

1. Our class visit to Pape Library will be on Thursday December 11th at 10:00 am. Students please bring your Toronto Library card if you wish to take out a book.
2. Pioneer projects (Diorama) due on December 16th
3. As the weather is getting colder and students bring more items to school, please ensure all clothing items are labelled.
4. Please take a look at the December calendar for the pizza lunch schedule.
5. Family Advent Mass: December 18th at 7:00 pm Have a great two weeks everyone!
6. Students should be practicing their lines for the play each night.

November 17th-December 1st Update

Dear Families,
The students in Room 310 have been busy this month! Thank you for subscribing to this blog to keep up to date on all of our activities.  
We have been fortunate to have a student teacher from OISE in our class. Ms. Amor has been observing and assisting with teaching students. She will be in our class until December 4^th. 

In Math, our new math unit is Measurement (Chapter 5). Students will learn how to estimate and measure in centimetres and metres. They will also explain how long a kilometre is and choose the best unit to measure various items in. We will also calculate perimeter, tell time and estimate and read temperature. 

In Language, the students are learning how to generate questions, brainstorm and organize their ideas for paragraph writing. The success criteria for a strong paragraph includes: an indent, a topic sentence, 3-5 supporting details, a closing sentence and correct spelling and punctuation. In spelling, our focus is lesson 11 this week and next week it will be lesson 12. We will also be determining important ideas when reading nonfiction texts. 

In Social studies, the students will learn about Pioneers (Early settlers in Upper Canada). We will discuss their customs and traditions and read about the features of a pioneer village. The students will be assigned a pioneer project next week-a project outline will be sent home.

Have a great two weeks everyone!

 Important Reminders
-School Mass this Friday at 9:00 am at Holy Name Church (our class is helping to prepare for the mass)
 -As the weather is getting colder and students bring more items to school, please ensure all clothing items are labelled.
-Please take a look at the November calendar for the pizza lunch schedule
 -Santa Picture order form (green sheet) is due November 24^th
 -Parents please sign agendas every evening to help ensure homework is complete such as the reading log and spelling pages
 -Our class trip to Pioneer Village will be on Monday December 8th!
-There will be a math assessment Wednesday December 3rd.
-Pape Library visit for project research on Thursday December 11th.
-Pioneer projects are due on December 16th-I can't wait to see all the marvelous dioramas!

October 27th- November 10th Update

 Dear Families,

In Math, the grade 3's will be learning about various types of graphs such as pictographs, bar graphs and circle graphs (Data Management). The focus of this unit is on creating and analyzing the various data displayed on graphs. In grade 3, students will learn about the vertical and horizontal axes. They will also learn how to use and justify various scales (2, 5, and 10).  There will be a math test on Monday November 10^th.

In Language, we will focus our writing on the topic of Halloween. Currently, the students are learning about the use of adjectives and verbs to help make writing more descriptive. They will spend this week developing a Halloween poem.  We are also continuing our unit on letter writing. In November, the students will be writing a sensory Peace poem as the virtue of the month will be Peacemaking.  

Important Reminders

-Please ensure all clothing items are labelled

-All spelling practice pages are due on Friday

- Scientist in the School visit on Monday November 3^rd (Forces causing Movement)

-Pioneer Village field trip will be on Monday December 8^th 

Just a note about Raz Kids: Students are encouraged to visit the site as part of our school’s literacy initiative. However, students do not need to be on the program for longer than 20 minutes/daily. Time spent on Raz Kids can be documented in your child’s weekly reading log. Thank you for helping reinforce the importance of reading and comprehension at home!

Have a great two weeks everyone!

Starry Night- A grade 3 perspective