Team 3C: October 26th Update

Phew! Another busy week filled with fun and learning in 3C!

LITERACY

We didn't finish The Trouble With Chickens today because we had three students missing and I didn't want them to miss the conclusion of this story. Next week, we will start reading the first book in the Dinosaur Cove series during Read Alouds.

We finished up our final week focusing on IDEAS in writing and the students have done so well! This week we focused on staying on topic when planning our writing and when writing. The students were masters at catching details that didn't belong in letters and paragraphs because they didn't stay on topic. It was neat to see the students shake their heads at the mistakes that they were catching in the examples. They'd say, "What was he thinking? You can't just mention your birthdate when you're in the middle of explaining where you live! That doesn't make sense!" YES! They've got it! Next week, we will switch our focus to ORGANIZATION.

NUMERACY

This week in math we learned how to write a number in words. Students have the number words on their portable word walls so spelling counts. Students have to first be able to read the number properly and then write down the words accurately. We also practiced writing numbers in all of the ways that we have learned so far: expanded form (numerals only and numerals and words), drawing the base ten blocks and using a place value chart. We will continue to practice these skills next week to gain a consistent level of mastery.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week, we reviewed the names and locations of the seven continents and learned about the five oceans. The five oceans include: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. We also took a closer look at North America. We talked about how there are 23 independent countries in North America. The three main countries are Canada, Mexico and the USA. Next week we are going to take a closer look at Canada and the other continents.

ART

The students were excited to bring home their Rock Monsters today! We took two days to create these masterpieces and the students were so proud of their finished products!

To see close up photos of each Rock Monster click here!

TAKE ME OUTSIDE DAY

What a wonderful afternoon we had! The students all enjoyed an almost 4km walk down to the river valley in search of wildlife! We watched a couple of inspiring videos to get us in the "wildlife watcher" frame of mind. We took a few lessons from my favourite Canadian naturalist, Brian Keating! We talked about the two videos and how Brian Keating acted in the videos. Was he loud? Did he run around? Did he walk slowly and quietly? How does he manage such amazing wildlife encounters?

Here are the links to the videos that we watched:

As we headed out for our walk, I had a surprise for the students waiting for us in the car! My dog Tali was going to join us for our walk! They were super excited to meet her and she was the perfect front of our line that the students couldn't pass. Once we reached the river valley, we were treated to a squirrel sighting! The kids were so happy to see this little guy hanging out in the tree!

At first, we struggled to walk quietly and calmly through the trails. After another chat about behaviour, I asked the students, "Would Brian Keating want to be walking with us right now? How would he feel about how we are walking through the trails looking for wildlife?" This seemed to be the reminder that they needed. They were calm and quiet! Mother Nature rewarded them for their efforts and treated us to an adorable chipmunk sighting...and then another! Two chipmunks were busy eating some yellowish berries from the bushes! The kids whispered and beamed as they were amazed by their agility on the tiny branches!