November has been a busy month so far and time has been flying by quickly. Our class started a new math unit a few weeks ago which we are currently still working on. In addition, the month of November has some very special days which we have been focusing on in Religion class.
Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the Parent-Teacher Interviews last night. It was wonderful to meet you all and discuss your child's progress. If you were unable to attend the interview, I would love the opportunity to speak or meet with you. I will contact you to set up a time next week.
Here are a few reminders before I share what the class has been working on.
1. As the weather gets colder, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately. A warm jacket, boots, as well as a hat, scarf, and mitts are strongly encouraged. Just a reminder that students are not permitted on the field on wet or snowy days without boots and snow pants.
2. Students are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch along with at least two healthy snacks. We have some hungry friends in our class this year and they seem to eating their snacks at lunch therefore they have nothing to eat in the afternoon. The school does provide fruit each week for our class snack bins however once the fruit is gone, we have nothing left. Please ask your child if he/she has enough food to last the day. Sharing food is not encouraged for safely reasons. Thank you.
Language
Our focus in reading has been on retell. Students are learning to retell (or recount) a story using evidence from the text. Retelling events that occur that the beginning of the text, in the middle of the text, and at the end is our goal. Students are also learning the importance of a sequence of events.
In writing, the class is focusing on recounts. Students have been learning to recount events in their own lives (e.g., their weekend, Thanksgiving, Halloween) through incorporating various elements of recount writing such as including a sequence of events, sequence words, past tense verbs, etc. Below is a picture of our Success Criteria for Recount Writing.
Just before Halloween we also touched on verbs and adjectives. To help students understand what an adjective is, I brought in a pumpkin and asked students to describe it using one word answers. We focused on how the pumpkin looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes. This activity will help us when we focus on descriptive writing in a few weeks.
Math
Our new focus in math has been on Number Sense and Numeration, specifically place value. The students have been learning to represent numbers in various ways such as standard form, expanded form, written form, and using base ten materials. In addition, students are learning how to compare and order numbers from least to greatest as well as greatest to least.
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| This picture shows different ways to represent numbers. |
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| This picture outlines the steps students can take in order to compare two or more numbers. |
The class also learned how compose and decompose numbers.
Science
The grade two students have learned alot about animals over the last few weeks. The boys and girls learned the difference between various animals and how they can classify them into the following various groups: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and insects. We have also learned how animals grow, specifically looking into the life cycle of frogs, butterflies, and chickens. The video below is one we've watched in class which provides some simple facts about each animal type.
The grade three students have learned about the parts of a plant and flower as well as each of their functions. They have also learned about the life cycle of a plant, beginning with a seed. The video below demonstrates the life cycle of a flowering plant.
Religion
Our focus in November has been on All Saints Day which took place on November 1st. The class learned about what a saint is, why they are important, and why we celebrate All Saints Day. Remembrance Day has been a major focus this month as well. Much of our discussions and activities involved determining what peace means.
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| Our religious read alouds. |
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| Our poppy mosaic made from construction paper. |
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| After reading "The Peace Book," students brainstormed what peace meant to them and wrote their thoughts on a dove. |
Art
We have been learning about primary and secondary colours as well as the difference between warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (green, blue, purple). The class learned about the artist, Ted Harrison, who draws and paints many pictures of the Yukon. He uses warm and cool colours to depict the land and sky. Please enjoy our masterpieces!
Have a great weekend!
