March Newsletter
Math We will be wrapping up our Multiplication and Division Unit. I encourage you to please continue practising these skills at home with your child as they are very important to know as they move on in Math. The Multiplication and Division Strategies that we worked on in class are the following: Multiplication Strategies: Grouping, Repeated Addition, Skip Counting and Arrays. Division Strategies: Equal Grouping, Repeated Subtraction, Skip Counting Backwards and Arrays Please continue to have your child work on memorization of the times tables up to seven. Next we will be covering fractions and then our 2-D and 3-D Geometry Units. The expectations for Geometry are as follows: – use a reference tool to identify right angles and to describe angles as greater than, equal to, or less than a right angle – compare various angles, using concrete materials and pictorial representations, and describe angles as bigger than, smaller than, or about the same as other angles – identify and compare various polygons and sort them by their geometric properties – solve problems requiring the greatest or least number of two-dimensional shapes needed to compose a larger shape in a variety of ways - explain the relationships between different types of quadrilaterals – identify and describe the two-dimensional shapes that can be found in a three-dimensional figure – compare and sort prisms and pyramids by geometric properties – describe and name prisms and pyramids by the shape of their base – construct rectangular prisms and describe geometric properties of the prisms – identify congruent two-dimensional shapes by manipulating and matching concrete materials – complete and describe designs and pictures of images that have a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line of symmetry – describe movement from one location to another using a grid map– identify flips, slides, and turns, through investigation using concrete materials and physical motion, and name flips, slides, and turns as reflections, translations, and rotations Language We are almost finished our Persuasive Writing unit and will be moving on to Narrative Writing. The children are also learning to self-edit and reflect on their written pieces. This means following the checklists for various pieces of writing and ensuring that all features are included in their own piece. If they discover that they are missing something, they are encouraged to add it into their final copy before it is corrected by the teacher. When your child reads at home, please continue to ask him/her to retell the story with as much detail as possible, ensuring that they include the features of a Narrative text: characters, setting, problem, sequence of events, and the solution. Ask them questions about the story to see if they are actually understanding what is taking place. Often children can read lots of words, but this does not always mean that they are comprehending what they are reading. This term we will continue to read a variety of texts. The children are expected to answer comprehension questions, while making sure that they use enough detail from the story and their own thoughts to display comprehension of what was read. A major focus this term will be the Main Idea of a text. I often ask the children why the author wrote the story. Was there a purpose or a lesson to be learned? Science In Science, we will continue to explore Structures. Religion As you know, the Lenten Season will soon be upon us and this is a very special time for Catholics. We will be talking a lot about Jesus, His life, His death and His resurrection. Your child may come home with a lot of questions. Please try to have regular conversations with your child about Jesus’ journey. The children all wrote down something that they would like to do over the forty days of Lent. Please ask them what this was and encourage them to keep their promise. Important Dates for March Monday, March 9th - Planetarium Presentation Tuesday, March 10th - Walk Safe Presentations Monday, March 16th-Friday, March 20th: March Break! Thank you all for your support so far this year! Mrs. Tonon February Newsletter
Math We have started our Multiplication, Division and Fractions unit. The curriculum expectations that we will be looking at are: – relate multiplication of one-digit numbers and division by one-digit divisors to real life situations, using a variety of tools and strategies (e.g., place objects in equal groups, use arrays, write repeated addition or subtraction sentences) (Sample problem: Give a real-life example of when you might need to know that 3 groups of 2 is 3 x 2.); – multiply to 7 x 7 and divide to 49 ÷ 7, using a variety of mental strategies (e.g., doubles, doubles plus another set, skip counting). – divide whole objects and sets of objects into equal parts, and identify the parts using fractional names (e.g., one half; three thirds; two fourths or two quarters), without using numbers in standard fractional notation Please work on memorization of the times tables up to seven at home with your child while we work on developing a knowledge for the strategies at school. Language We are working on Persuasive Writing. The children have been writing persuasive paragraphs. We will be discussing the features of Narrative Writing next (characters, problem, setting, sequence of events and a solution). The children have been reading and answering questions on what they have read to display their understanding of the story. When your child reads at home, please ask them to retell the story with as much detail as possible, and ensuring that they include the features of Narrative writing listed above. Ask them questions about the story to see if they are actually understanding what is taking place. Often children can read lots of words, but this does not always mean that they are comprehending what they are reading. A big part of the grade on their report card for "reading" will be based on how they answer comprehension questions in writing. Please note that if their reading grade is lower than expected, in most cases, is not because they cannot read or comprehend at grade level. In Grade 3, they are learning how to display their comprehension in writing, using details from the text and their own thinking, and a large portion of the grade depends on how they are doing with regard to this. I will be sending home some of their work for you to see soon. Science We are now exploring Strong and Stable Structures. Stay tuned for an upcoming project. Learning Skills The learning skills focus for this term is Organizational and Independent Working skills. Some of the expectations for each are listed below. Organization: -devises and follows a plan and process for completing work and tasks -establishes priorities and manages to complete tasks and achieve goals -identifies, gathers, evaluates, and uses information, technology, and resources to complete tasks -comes to school prepared for the day -can quickly find the tools needed to begin his/her work promptly and due to these work habits is able to produce and complete all required assignments Independent Work: -uses time efficiently when completing an assignment by staying focused on the task at hand -completes work on his/her own, using available resources such as anchor charts, checklists and teacher feedback -shows an understanding of the concepts studied and applies them in different contexts -works well without supervision, demonstrating learning skills that help him/her to solve problems independently -listens well and is not distracted by surroundings -independently monitors, assesses, and revises plans to complete tasks and meet goals -uses class time appropriately to complete tasks -follows instructions with minimal supervision Valentine’s Day We will celebrate Valentine’s Day here at school on Thursday, February 13th. Again, I will bring in treats that are nut free. If you would like to send in treats that day, please ensure that they are store bought and have a nut free label. If you do not want your child to have treats, please let me know in advance. We will hand out Valentine’s Day cards. If your child would like to participate, please have them make a card for all of the children in the class. Thanks! Important Dates for February Thursday, February 13th: Report Cards go home Friday, February 14th: Valentine's Day - PD day - No School Monday, February 17th: Family Day - No School Friday, February 20th: Gatineau Park Snowshoeing Wednesday, February 26th: Ash Wednesday - Beginning of the Lenten Season Thank you for your support this year so far! Please remember to check the blog misstonon.weebly.com weekly for updates. Happy Valentine’s Day! January Newsletter Dear Parents, Happy New Year! With the New Year upon us, I have planned some fun new experiences for the students. In February, we will be snowshoeing in Gatineau Park for a field trip. We have a class set of snowshoes at St. Anne, so I am hoping to give the students an opportunity to practice before our adventure in February. Important Dates: January 24 - PD Day Math -We are beginning our unit on Data Management. These are the overall expectations for this unit: -Demonstrate an ability to organize objects into categories, by sorting and classifying objects using two or more attributes simultaneously .-Collect data by conducting a simple survey about themselves, their environment, issues in their school or community, or content from another subject; -Collect and organize data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including vertical and horizontal bar graphs), with appropriate titles and labels and with labels ordered appropriately along horizontal axes, as needed, using many-to-one correspondence (e.g., in a pictograph, one car sticker represents 3 cars; on a bar graph, one square represents 2 students) -Read data presented in charts, tables, and graphs, then describe the data using comparative language, and describe the shape of the data. -Interpret and draw conclusions from data presented in charts, tables, and graphs; -Demonstrate an understanding of mode, and identify the mode in a set of data. In this unit, students will be practicing sorting data using a Venn diagram, conducting surveys with classmates, and reading and interpreting data on bar graphs and pictographs. Homework - Students are asked to continue reading every night for 20 minutes. Weekly Spelling Words and homework will continue to come home on Mondays. This is due every Friday. Language Writing- We are starting our unit on Persuasive writing. When students write paragraphs, I am looking for an opening sentence, at least three examples, a detail for each example, and a closing sentence. I also ask students to focus on writing conventions (using capital letters, using a personal dictionary or word wall for spelling, making sure sentences make sense). For our Persuasive writing unit, I will continue to focus on these important aspects of a good paragraph and will introduce students to “persuasive” adjectives. Reading - Our focus for Reading this month will be on finding the Main Idea in a passage as well as Making Inferences in what we read. Students will continue to practice with short EQAO reading passages. Science - We completed our Forces unit in December. We are now beginning our unit on Strong and Stable Structures. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about anything in the classroom or in this newsletter, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss with you. Thank you, Mrs. Tonon December Newsletter
Math We will soon be wrapping up our Patterning Unit in Math and will then move on to Measurement. The expectations that we will focus on are: – read time using analogue clocks, to the nearest five minutes, and using digital clocks – estimate, read and record positive temperatures to the nearest degree Celsius – identify benchmarks for freezing, cold, cool, warm, hot, and boiling temperatures as they relate to water and for cold, cool, warm, and hot temperatures as they relate to air Please ask your child regularly to tell you what time it is using an analogue clock. Ask him/her questions such as: “How many minutes have passed since 2:00?” and “How many minutes will it take to get to 3:00?”. Language We have been loving descriptive writing! We had a great time describing our monsters, stuffies and our Crack-Ups (Pop Rocks). Our next project will be to create a Missing Dog Poster. The children will create an actual poster with large print and bright colours. They will describe their missing dog using the features that are important when writing a descriptive piece of writing. I will eventually be sending their descriptive writing home. The next style of writing that we will focus on is Persuasive Writing. Science We have completed our Forces unit in Science as of today! Religion We will be entering the season of Advent this week. We will have weekly Advent Liturgies in the gym with the rest of the school. We will be talking a lot about the birth of Christ in class and reading Bible stories along with other Christmas stories. Angel Tree We will be kicking off our annual Angel Tree Campaign this week. If you would like your child to pick an angel from the tree in order to purchase a gift for a child in need, please give your child permission in his/her agenda or fill out the permission form on the email that will be sent out with regard to the Angel Tree Campaign. Christmas Concert On December 20th, from 9:30 to 10:30 is the primary Christmas concert. The children have been busy preparing something special for you. They are very excited! Please have them wear PJs on the day of the concert. Christmas Party On the last day of school in the afternoon, before the holidays and after the Christmas concert, we will be having a small Christmas party in the classroom. They can wear their PJs and bring some board games if they would like. If you would like to send any type of treat in with your child, please make sure it is nut-free and store bought as we do have children with allergies in the class. I will be providing treats as well. Important Dates for December Friday, December 20th – Primary Christmas Concert 9:30- 10:30AM/ Junior Christmas Concert 10:50 – 11:50AM Christmas Party! Monday, December 23rd - Friday, January 3rd: Christmas Holidays! November Newsletter 3E
Math We are still working on our Number Sense unit in math and will next be moving on to Patterning. We will be looking at a variety of Geometrical and Numerical patterns. We will also be answering a number of word problems in which the children have to determine the pattern rule in a given pattern to answer the question asked. The curriculum expectations that we are focusing on are the following:
Language We have finished Recount writing and have moved onto Descriptive writing. We began describing a monster that we drew. Extra writing practise at home is highly recommended. When writing sentences, I ask that the children focus on spelling, punctuation, capital letters where necessary, use of adjectives and creating simple and complex/compound sentences using linking words. An example of a complex/compound sentence would be: The fluffy black dog ate the large bone because he was very hungry. The word “because” would be the linking word. Instead of stopping at bone, the sentence was made longer by adding "because" and then the rest of the sentence. The children usually do write longer sentences, however, many times the linking word is missing and it becomes two sentences with no punctuation. For example: The dog ate the bone he was very hungry. For reading, the children will continue to independently read stories and answer questions in which they have to go back through the story to find the answers. They have to use details from the story to support their answers. In Grade Two, reading comprehension is typically assessed through oral assessment. As the students move on to Grade Three, to display comprehension and to prepare for EQAO, they are assessed through written responses. One thing the children often have trouble doing is writing enough detail from the text, and their own ideas to show that they understand. We have discussed this at school and will continue to work on this skill throughout the entire year. Learning Skills Our learning skills focus for this coming term will be Independent Work and Organization. I will send home more details of what is expected for each of the skills. Science We continue to investigate Forces and how they act upon objects. We will have a formal test at the end of the unit. A review will be sent home with enough time for your child to study. Homework Homework is shared by the beginning of every week on your child’s Google Drive. Instructions to get there are on the Homework page of the website. Thank you so much for ensuring that your child has completed it as it reinforces what has been done at school and/or other learning skills that we may not be able to focus on at school. I have asked that it be completed by Friday. Please send me a note if it cannot be completed or more time is needed. We will continue to have a weekly Word Wall Word Quiz every Friday. Please review the words with your child on a regular basis as these are words they are expected to know how to spell by the end of grade three. Important Dates November 5th: Parent Teacher Interviews – Please sign up through the link that was emailed last week. I really want to talk to all of you about your wonderful children! November 11th: Remembrance Day Liturgy November 14th: Humane Society Presentations for Grade 3 November 15th: PD Day (no school) November 28th: Picture Retake Day - Please make sure to let me know if your child will be getting retakes done. Looking forward to another wonderful month with these amazing kids! Mrs. Tonon _________________________________________________________________________ October Newsletter
Dear Parents, It’s hard to believe that it is already the beginning of October! September flew by so quickly. We have had a great start to the school year. We have a wonderful group of children in our class and I am looking forward to a great year of learning and fun! Learning Skills For the Progress Report, which goes home in early November, the two learning skills that we will focus on are Collaboration and Responsibility. The expectations for these skills will be discussed in class. Below are the expectations that these skills entail. If you could talk about them with your child and have your tell you how they feel they are doing, that would be most helpful. These expectations will be sent home, discussed in class and will also be visible in the classroom. Collaboration: -I do my job and help others. -I volunteer to do different jobs in the class. -I use kind words. -I listen to others when they share ideas, even if I don’t agree. -I invite others to be part of my group. -I play fairly and let everyone have a turn. -I include others during play. -I mind my own concerns when things don’t involve me. -I don’t tattle. -I keep my hands, feet and body to myself. -I try to solve problems that arise, and use my words to do so. -I ask for help if I can’t solve a problem. Responsibility: -I line up quietly when the bell rings. -I do not take or touch things that do not belong to me unless I have asked to use them. -I take care of my things and the class. -I keep my space clean and organized. -I admit when I have done something wrong. -I stay on task even when the teacher isn’t looking. -I do what I am supposed to do when I am supposed to do it. -I look at what everybody else is doing if I am unsure of the given direction or task. -I speak politely to my classmates and teachers. -I know what to do when I need help. -I come to class prepared with everything I need for the day. -I complete and submit homework assignments on time. -I am respectful when there is a guest teacher. Math The strand in Math that we have been covering through September and that we will continue into October is Number Sense and Numeration. The expectations for this strand are the following: -represent, compare and order whole numbers to 1000 using a variety of tools -read and print words, whole numbers to 100 -read, identify and represent the value of a digit in a number according to its position in the number -compose and decompose 3-digit numbers into hundreds, tens and ones -skip counting -adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers I have been observing the kids in class to see how they are doing and will continue to assess their number sense knowledge through observations and "check-ins". Because number sense is such an important part of Mathematics, we will continue to touch on it throughout the whole year, even if it is not our main focus at the time. One of the expectations for grade three in number sense is: “read and print in words, whole numbers to 100”. Please have your child practise reading and printing these numbers at home. Language Our focus right now in writing is Recount writing. The kids have really enjoyed writing about special memories. We have begun to discuss paragraph writing and will continue to do so this term. We have also practised writing simple and complex sentences that make sense using proper grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation. For reading, we will be focusing on strategies that help us to better comprehend what we are reading such as making connections, inferences and predictions to texts that are read in class. A big focus for reading this year is displaying comprehension through answers to questions about the text, in writing. The children will learn to ensure that they have given enough detail from the text, and enough of their own ideas, to support their answers and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of what the given text is about. Religion We continue to participate in discussions and activities in regard to Samaritans on the Digital Road - This program is done throughout the board at every grade level, to engage students in learning about participating in the digital world in a proactive, responsible and compassionate manner. Science We have begun with our Forces unit. The students will participate in activities and experiments about what forces are and what they can make an object do. I will have a test at the end of the unit. A review will be sent home! Learning Commons Our class will be going to the learning commons every Thursday afternoon, however, we will only exchange our books every two weeks. I ask that the children please return their books on the Monday before book exchange so that we can ensure all books are brought back to the learning commons on time and that the children are able to take out new books. If they would like to keep the books that they have for more than two weeks, they can renew them, however, they should return them to do so. Gym Our class has gym time on Tuesday and Friday. Please make sure your child has both an indoor and outdoor pair of shoes that they can run in on these days. Homework All the necessary information (e.g., passwords, email addresses) have been sent home already. The homework has been shared with your child electronically. Please follow the procedure on the Homework page of the classroom website if you choose to have your child work on their homework online. We had our first WWW test and will continue to do them weekly, on Fridays, unless otherwise noted. Important Dates Friday, October 4th – Thanksgiving Mass Friday, October 11th – PD Day (No School) Monday, October 14th – Thanksgiving Day (No school) Wednesday, October 22nd – Picture Day! Friday, October 25th – Halloween Family Fun Night Thursday, October 31st - Halloween! I want to thank you all for your class donations of Kleenex, baby wipes, Ziplock bags, spoons and any other donations that have been made to the class. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and please continue to peek at our class website daily as I am usually very active with the Twitter feed. Thank you for a great start to a great year! Mrs. Tonon |
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