What a great week! I am so proud of the students as they are such an eager and hardworking group- way to go students! Our routines are set and we are off to a great start to a productive year.
I am so happy to hear that so many students are checking out this blog with their parents! I have decided to go the blog route as it eliminates lots of newsletters to be sent home and I am able to share everything in one location!
Keep checking throughout the week for tech/website updates and expect a weekly update at the end of each week. If you haven't yet downloaded WORD Q on your home computers, please do! It will greatly help your child in writing. Please email me at evita.massaro@tcdsb.org for the activation code.
Parents, please ensure the PINK office form is sent to school by Monday- thank you!
Curriculum night is Wednesday October 3rd at 7pm so please save the date as I am looking forward to meeting you all and reviewing the curriculum for the year.
I have started making phone calls after school to introduce myself to those who do not know me and to say hello to those I do know, so please don't get scared when you hear your child's teacher is calling- it's a positive call! :)
Week 3 updates:
- In Language, we have continued with the Daily 5 and have introduced READ TO OTHERS. The students have really enjoyed this station since they get to choose their partners and quietly read together. Students practice their fluency at this station and are able to 'check for understanding' with a partner. Students may choose to read using 'I read, you read' or 'choral reading' with their partner. I am truly impressed with the students as they are able to grab their books bins, find a partner, choose a book together (rock paper scissors comes in handy sometimes!), find a location and begin reading quietly for 30 minutes. Students check for understanding at the end of each page by asking their non reading partner to retell what has just been read. Ms. OB, our student teacher, and I have started conferencing with students during the Daily 5 to listen to them read and to set language goals to improve comprehension, fluency, etc. Parents, please encourage your child to read at home every night!!!
- In Math, we continue to work on Numeration. I am so proud of the students as they did AWESOME on their mid chapter quiz! The chapter test will be end of next week so please encourage your child to visit the various Math sites posted on Edmodo and on this blog, especially Nelson Math for extra practice. I will be holding a Math 'lunch & learn' this week for students who feel they need some more review so please discuss with your child how they are feeling about this chapter and the upcoming test.
Some useful links to prepare for the test:
http://www.adaptedmind.com/v.php?tagId=722 video on place value for the thousandths
http://www.adaptedmind.com/v.php?tagId=532 video on millions place value
http://www.adaptedmind.com/v.php?tagId=542 video on comparing whole numbers
Our focus again this year will be on 4 STEP PROBLEM SOLVING as problem solving can be challenging so please ensure your child reviews and often checks the 4 steps when working on homework which involves problem solving:
- In Media, students are working in groups on a current news presentation in the form of either PowerPoint or bristol board. Many of the students have been utilizing Edmodo's mini groups and planning with their group members! I strongly encourage the students to get as much planning done on Edmodo over the weekend so that they are ready to work with their group in person on Monday for a work period. Students- please read over the SUCCESS CRITERIA we created in class as your mark will be based on the completion of all aspects of the success criteria!
- The students continue to enjoy our computer station in our classroom and often have opportunities to work on Edmodo! Thank you very much again to my brother and friends of mine for their very generous donation! 3 working computers in a classroom is a dream! I am happy to report that the students now have their computer login & password so Computer Lab will begin on Monday! :)
- Our class TWITTER DOOR has been great fun so far! Every week, a new topic is posted for the students to 'tweet' about. I am looking forward to our parents 'tweets' on curriculum night :)
- For Religion (virtue- Hospitality), I shared with the students a video of my sister in law's charity work in Uganda thanks to donations from our school and other schools! The students were asked to respond by completing a 'what do I see, what am I thinking, what I am wondering' chart. I was really impressed with how passionate the students felt about poverty and inequalities! Many students connected the video to a book we read as a class called 'If the World Were a Village' that presents global demographics in a way that is easily understood by students.
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| Ms OB's Religion/Art lesson |
- In Social Studies & Science, our student teacher Ms OB has been teaching Economics and Biodiversity! The students are learning many new key words, which are constantly being added to our Word Walls. Ms OB showed the students an interesting & informative video clip on vertebrates! The students learned how to classify various animals to the different vertebrate categories- mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles. As part of our Biodiversity unit, the students will be going to the ZOO in early October! The students are also learning about trade and Canada's connections to the rest of the world.
MORE PICS:
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| Indoor recess= chess battle! |
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| Multiple Intelligence wall thanks to Ms. Martino! Students pics will be added to wall so check out on Curriculum Night! |
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| Student waiting for end of day bell & can't stop reading!!! |
- A big congratulations to our new student of the week- Dwight and to all Friday raffle winners :) You are ALL winners students!
That's all for this week!
Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Mrs. Massaro
