Mrs. Garlow's Classroom Blog

Literacy

Our next units in literacy will be reading non-fiction/expository texts and writing informational texts.  To support your child with our writing unit, please brainstorm with them a potential topic of interest.  This particular topic should be something your child has a passion for or has a working knowledge on.  Listed below are some suggestions that may spark an idea:

• Extra-curricular activity they are involved in
• Battling Pokemon cards
• Caring for a pet
• A sport they enjoy watching
• Strategies or moves for a specific position played in a sport (e.g., goalie, defence, midfielder, forward, shortstop, outfielder, etc...)
• Skills, techniques or moves for martial arts/ dance/ a sport
• How to play a particular video game
• A board game they love to play
• Something they collect (e.g., gemstones, trading cards, etc.)
• A historical event
• A leader, athlete, role model, historical figure they admire

Math

In math, we will be wrapping up our unit on time and money.  Over the unit, students further developed their understanding of reading and measuring time and counting money.  Students conducted math investigations with their partner, counted money embedded in the real life context of determining how much money will be earned over time, participated in math congresses, conferred with a critical friend, and played games.

A study package will be coming home shortly to help prepare your child for their unit quiz on time and money.  Please keep an eye out for it.  Our next unit in math will be multiplication.

  

   

   


   

  

Visual Arts

In visual arts, students created nature mandalas using materials found in nature including elements of the 'Three Sisters' also known as the 'Three Sustainers'.  This culminating task integrated our units of Early Communities in Canada in Social Studies and Eco-Art in visual arts.  

 
   

   

  

Science

In science we are wrapping up our unit on Strong and Stable Structures.  Students have completed their preliminary sketches of a dream playground for Rick Hansen P.S.  Next week will be a busy week as the grade 3s will be unleashing their creativity to bring these ideas to life!  Below are some photographs documenting students investigating the existing structures at Ada Johnson park.  The children examined the materials, the strength of the materials, and structural supports.  They also reflected and discussed how they would improve the design to meet the needs of students at our school and causing minimal impact on the environment.

 

Mrs. Garlow's Classroom Blog

Thank You!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was able to make it to our Publishing Party this morning and to all those who supported their children in spirit.  The grade 3s were incredibly excited to share this moment with you.  It was a big moment that called for celebration!

The stories shared today went through the process of generating ideas, producing drafts, deep reflection about a particular moment in time to develop the heart of the story.  Students learned how to analyze characters from our novel study Stone Fox and dissected the craft moves of our mentor authors so they could apply these skills to their own narratives.  The grade 3s were given feedback and also conferred with their classmates.  Finally, they edited their stories and published them.

These narratives are true stories that were deeply impactful moments for your children.
Some were heartbreaking, some joyous, while others were frightening or traumatizing.  All centred on their voice and personal lived experiences.  

Thank you once again for all your continued support!

Mrs. Garlow's Classroom Blog

Literacy

Students have been busy working on publishing their true stories and it is looking incredible!  We will be hosting our first Publishing Party of the school year next Friday, January 24th in our classroom at 9:30 A.M. and would like to extend the invitation to all families including any relatives and siblings to join us.  

Math

We have started our unit on Time and Money this week.  This unit integrates the development of measuring time and calculating money through the context of unitizing 5 minute chunks.  This is critical to tell time with the analog clock.  The prioritizing of fives is supported by building a connection to coins, in particular pennies, nickels, and dimes.

Expectations that will be covered are:

Number Sense (Money)

• represent and describe the relationships between coins and bills up to $10 (e.g., “There are eight quarters in a toonie and ten dimes in a loonie.”);
• estimate, count, and represent (using the $ symbol) the value of a collection of coins and bills with a maximum value of $10;

Measurement (Time)

• read time using analogue clocks, to the nearest five minutes, and using digital clocks (e.g., 1:23 means twenty-three minutes after one o’clock), and represent time in 12-hour notation;
• solve problems involving the relationships between minutes and hours, hours and days, days and weeks, and weeks and years, using a variety of tools (e.g., clocks, calendars, calculators).

Social Studies

Students are working on their independent inquiry as a culminating task for our unit on Early Communities in Canada 1780-1850.  It is strongly advised that students visit the community library to sign out books and any resources such as DVDs.  Families may also access the links listed under the 'Resources' tab on the classroom blog for additional information.  While this is not an exhaustive list, it may help guide students with accessing information that is credible and to further support their research/inquiries.  Students will also have access to Epic books as well as some resources from our classroom library for their research project.

Science

Students have been working in their groups brainstorming various ideas on their dream playground for Rick Hansen P.S.  Students have chosen a specific role within their group (i.e., engineer, project manager, builder and architect) that utilizes their strengths.  By collaborating in groups, students experience the reality of the challenges and the possibilities of working with different people for a collective purpose.  The sharing of ideas and energy in the classroom is palpable.  Lots of creative minds at work here!