The month of February was a short but very busy month here at JPII. Between finishing units, beginning new ones, and practicing for the school musical, February went by quickly.
March is going to be equally busy as March Break is just over one week away. There are a few reminders that I would like to share before discussing the curriculum focuses for the months of February and March.
1. Wednesday March 8th is the last Swim to Survive lesson for the Grade 3 students.
2. Please have your child bring their drama costume to school by this Friday. The school will be holding a dress rehersal during the day.
3. Our school's drama production "Musicville" has two evening shows: Monday March 6th and Tuesday March 7th. All drama students must attend. All other students are encouraged to participate in the evening shows. Students must arrive at school for 5:30 pm in order to change into their costume and get ready for the production. The musical will start at 6:30 pm and end around 8:00 pm or so.
4. The Grade 3 students have new homework for the next few months. To assist the students in preparation for EQAO this spring, the new homework packages contain previous EQAO reading, writing, and math test questions. I will be going over the homework with the students and give them feedback. We are also preparing for EQAO in class by discussing terminology, expectations, and continuing with more practice questions throughout our units of study.
Classroom Updates!
Language
We have started new units in both reading and writing. Our new reading comprehension strategy is Making Inferences. Inferring is when readers use clues in the text and their own background knowledge to make sense of the text. Authors do not always explain the characters and events in detail therefore readers need to be able to read between the lines.
Our new writing form is persuasive which we started to discuss in media literacy. The goal of persuasive writing is to convince the reader of an opinion or belief. The author could be trying to convince to do something, to change the reader's mind, or to make someone believe in something.
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| I read a non-fiction text to the class about whether or not students should choose their own bedtimes. The text listed the pros and cons of each argument. |
Math
Our focus in math is on addition and subtraction. The goal for our grade 2 students is to add and subtract two-digit numbers using a variety of strategies. The goal for our grade 3 students is to add and subtract three-digit numbers using a variety of strategies. In addition, both grades are focusing on mental math and learning to explain their thinking.
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| The problem above was given to the class to solve. Students were able to solve the problem using three different strategies using mental math only. |
Science
Our focus in science is on forces and simple machines. The class is learning that simple machines help make work easier for people to do. The simple machines that we will be focusing on are: inclined plane, screw, pulley, wheel & axle, lever, and wedge. We will be learning how each simple machine works, various examples of each machine, and how they help make things easier for humans.
Religion
In Religion, we are continuing to learn about the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Communion. Our focus will be on sin and forgiveness as well as God's grace. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday which marked the first day of Lent. Lent will be our main focus in religion up until Easter. The students will be learning about the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Art
The class has been enjoying a mixture of music and drama as we have been preparing for our school musical. We will be continuing to learn about elements of drama during the months of March and April.
Physical Education
In gym class, we have been working on moving objects in space as well as exploring movements patterns while using equipment.
