We have a little change of plan. This morning, we got caught up in creating an easy way to add large numbers during our mental math time. The students did a terrific job of teaching me how to add and regroup numbers. This went really well, so we are going to run with further practice in large number addition and subtraction and building a strategy we can use (an algorithm) to get a correct answer consistently. We will push our 3D geometry test off one week, to March 7.
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We had a wonderful hand drumming workshop with Mrs Hardwick last week. All of the students had the opportunity to use both shakers and drums while singing traditional Ojibwe songs. You will also notice that there are animals and medicine bags on the medicine wheel. Ask us about the medicine wheel and everything we put onto it. We learned about which animals and medicines sit in which door of the wheel and why.
This week, we will be learning about the characteristics of prisms and pyramids. We will be thinking about how they are similar and different and will learn to describe the number of faces (les faces), edges (les arêtes) and vertices, or corners (les sommets). We will build prisms and pyramids using shapes that connect together, and we will also look at nets. Students will be taking photos of prisms and pyramids around them. They will be asked to bring examples of prisms and pyramids to class (either digitally, on showbie, or as actual objects). Here's a game to play at home (I've also put this button on the math page). This game comes from TFO. We are viewing videos about prisms and pyramids this week from a program called "C'est Wow". There will be a math test on Tuesday March 1st.
Our learning goals for this unit are: -I can move an object around on a grid and describe it's path using transformations (rotations, reflections and translations). -I can locate objects on a grid using coordinates (e.g.. A2 or B4, think Battleship or Bingo) -I can describe prisms and pyramids using specific characteristics (type and number of faces, edges and vertices) and I can explain the differences between them. -I can name a prism or pyramid by identifying the polygon that is its base. -I can build prisms and pyramids as solids, skeletons or nets using different concrete materials. (toothpicks and marshmallows make skeletons, paper or polyhedrons make nets, cubes or polyhedrons make solids) -I can explain why pyramids are strong. Our next step in math is to explore addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will be doing lots of problem solving and mental math, as we identify strategies that we can use to determine correct solutions quickly and consistently. What an exciting day for the Grade 3FI scientists! Students worked in pairs to create an object that could move, using one or more forces. Here are some photos of the inventors at work, building, testing and reflecting on their inventions. Our Social Studies Inquiry: La vie au Canada entre 1780 et 1850
In this inquiry, we aimed to compare ways of life among some specific groups in Canada around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and to describe some of the changes between that era and the present day. Using the inquiry process, we started out by identifying some key aspects of daily life and chose 5 topics together: homes, food, transportation, clothing and communities. We then determined a question we wanted to answer for each of these topics, and began our research. Since we have an excellent resource in the classroom, we used only that book to find information to answer the question for two different groups of people: one First Nations people (Wendat, Anishnabe or Algonquin) and one group of colonists (Loyalists, European immigrants). We answered each question on a different paper - writing lists, or sentences, or paragraphs - in our own words. We worked on a different topic each day for several days. Once our information was complete, we assembled our project into a poster format and added a title. Our final step was to draw some conclusions, using comparison sentences. We wrote a set of sentences or a paragraph about the aspects of life that still exist today, and the things that are no longer part of our daily lives. This project also allowed us to practice some of the language structures we’ve been working on in French, including the use of “et, ou, mais” to connect ideas in sentences. The best thing about this inquiry is that we were able to choose our own questions to explore, and we worked on our own to find information in a challenging French text. We started out with a bit of help, since the Grade 4/5 students were working buddies with us on our first day of the inquiry, but we took it from there all on our own. In the end, we all discovered different things, but we all have a better understanding of what life was like at this time in Canada’s history. We can see how some of the objects and habits that are part of the Canadian identity originated, and we also learned a lot about the influences and impact that our First Nations peoples have had on the Canada we live in today. In the end, some of us didn’t finish exploring all five topics. Some of us wanted to dig a little deeper into was important learning too, as we need to understand how to manage our time, and how to use a text to find information. During Term 2, our inquiry will be about Living and Working in Ontario as we focus on land use. This past week, we wrote paragraphs about collaboration. Collaboration is a key learning skill and it is the focus of February's habit. Habit 4 is "Think Win-Win". In this habit, we strive to work together so that everyone benefits. This habit teaches students the importance of interdependence. In science and social studies, we think about interdependence on a much bigger scale. As we finish our study of Canada in 1780-1850, we are talking about how First Nations peoples, settlers and the land were interdependent. Similarly, when we studied plants earlier this term, students learned how plants, the earth and other living things are interdependent. In this slideshow, you can see some examples of students collaborating in a construction workshop at Dynamic Earth. In the coming weeks, you will see other examples of Learning Skills featured here in blog posts, to help us to recognize our learning skills at work.
Yesterday, we reviewed the book report criteria in class. I've attached an electronic file of the assignment for your convenience. The book report needs to be at school no later than Jan 26, for sharing. Here are some examples we created together in class. This is an example of a main character description, which we wrote together as a class. When we discussed character traits, we decided that "nice" and "kind" we're not specific enough. Students often use our virtues as reference points for character traits. This is an example of how we would describe the setting of a book. More details could be added like the name of the town and the country where the book takes place. We also constructed a diorama together and discussed the details that would be important to add.
Welcome back! I hope you all had a peaceful and restful holiday. We are back to work with energy and enthusiasm, which is a good thing since January is going to be a very busy month in our classroom. On Tuesday, you will be getting field trip forms home for three field trips this month. We are going to get off to a running start in January by getting out into the community.
1. The Art Gallery of Sudbury (Jan 11, 9:30-11:30) 2. Dynamic Earth (Jan 20, 10:00 - 1:30) 3. Sudbury Theatre Centre (Jan 27, 9:30 - 11:30 ish) I will be looking for two volunteers to join us on each field trip, so check your calendar and let me know if you'd like to come along - there will be space on the field trip form to offer your help. Thanks in advance...it's wonderful to have extra hands and eyes when we go out. This month, we will also be working on a couple of projects (information will be coming home soon). Please hold on to a shoebox or other small box, if you have one at home, as students will be making a diorama book report. We will also be using found materials for a science project. In math, we have begun our unit on 2D Geometry. For related activities, check out Chapter 7 in Nelson Math online (on the math page). The Virtue of the Month for January is Peace. Remember that the school newsletter and calendar are both available on the school website. Newsletters are no longer being sent home in paper format. Click on this link to go directly to our school webpage: There will be a short math test on Thursday to bring our Data Management and Probability unit to a conclusion. So far, we have used data to create pictographs and bar graphs. We have developed survey questions, conducted surveys and organized our results in bar graphs. We have interpreted graphs and described them using comparative statements and we have focused on using scales greater than one to represent data. We've also explored mode (grade 3) and median (grade 4) using human graphs. We've created simple games which involve probability. We acted as "toy testers" and determined the fairness and effectiveness of games created by our classmates.
This week's test will let us do some problem solving, applying our knowledge. The photo below is the note that we put into our notebooks on Monday. In order to practice these concepts, students are encouraged to try activities from Chapter 3 of Nelson Math (go to my math page and use the Nelson Math button for your grade). Another great place to go is MathFrog. The activities in Grade 4 provide excellent refreshers and additional practice for these concepts. Click on the button to go directly to Math Frog's Data Management and Probability activities page. |
About the AuthorMme Sarmatiuk teaches Grade 3 French Immersion in Sudbury, Ontario. She is also the President of NOMA, the Northern Ontario Mathematics Association. Archives
July 2016
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