Science and Social Studies Update

I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend and is all geared up for Halloween!!!

I wanted to give a quick update on what has been happening in Science and Social Studies.

In Science we continue to work on our rocks and minerals unit. Students have:

ü  reviewed the rock cycle - and how rocks come from deep within earth and 

then go through changes throughout time. 

ü  learned about igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks. 

The students also continue to enjoy bringing in rocks during Rock Talk to show to 

their classmates. It is such a fun way for students to demonstrate how they 

can describe the properties of rocks and minerals. 

This week we will begin looking at soil and how it is NOT just dirt! Students will learn that 

soil is really a combination of fine rock particles and humus. We were also invited to work 

with 1L on a buddy project on worms which ties in nicely with our introduction to soil. 

In Social Studies we will be finishing off our mapping unit with a quiz on 
the continents and oceans on Monday. 

Students will then be introduced to a child from each of the following countries:
Ukraine, India, Peru, Tunisia. These characters will be followed over the course of the
year to help the students as they learn about life in each of the countries.

Looking forward to a super week in 3FM!

Halloween

It's time to talk Halloween!

On the blog, we have a section called VIP (Very Important Papers). It is on the bottom right hand side of the blog. Under that heading you will find a document called Planning Party Days. If you click on that link, it will open up the document for you. This document breaks down our year and our students, assigning everyone one party food for one party day. Mrs. Ferguson and I will supply the drinks, plates and napkins each time. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's responsibilities, please contact me as soon as possible so that changes can be made.
Please note: Damion and Cheyenne have already arranged to switch items and holidays but the master sheet has not been changed yet.

Halloween will look a little different this year at RBES. When Mr. Henderson was going through the gym storage rooms he came across the supplies for the Toonie Carnival. Everything was in pretty rough shape so Mr. Henderson discarded them. During our October staff meeting we had a very long discussion about our options for Halloween. We decided to let go of the Toonie Carnival portion. This year:

- students will help decorate the halls (we are in charge of the foyer along with 4S) on October 24th in the afternoon.

- students will dress up for the entire day, not just the afternoon.

- students will participate in the traditional costume parade in the gym after lunch and then proceed back to our class for a party. Students will decide on what activity they want to do in the afternoon (special craft, games, movie, etc.) and we will enjoy our party food.

- students will have a regular assembly in the morning from 8:30 - 10:00. Parents are welcome to attend the beginning portion of the assembly.

Quick check in!

Our short week is FLYING by!!!

Yesterday, students completed the first digital SLA focusing on English Literacy. Tech issues and an overwhelmed website tried our patience throughout the morning. It took five periods to complete and all students made me proud with their patience and efforts. Period six was a fantastic break! I was able to play basketball with the students and watch them relax and have some fun! I must admit, I enjoy teaching gym once a week - it gives me a chance to see them and interact with them in a different environment.

The afternoon was filled with math, which was great! The students explored increasing patterns, wrote pattern rules and extended the patterns. We also took some time to review subtraction using Touch Math. Students definitely find subtraction more difficult because they are not used to counting back from numbers higher than 10. Instead of a ten second count down, have your child practice counting back from a higher number when getting ready to go into the vehicle, tie their shoes or clean up a small mess. Most students struggle to count down 13, 12, 11, 10, so any practice would be beneficial.

This morning we tackled our last digital SLA focusing on Numeracy. The tech issues have been fewer, which is appreciated by all. While the students were in music, I was able to sit down and write some specific feedback about our experience with the pilot SLA assessments. Mrs. Kloschinsky asked all grade three teachers to provide feedback so that she could pass it on to the powers that be. I have repeatedly told our students that this was the first time grade three students have written SLAs and that they are definitely not perfect. I have repeatedly thanked them for their efforts and patience. I am relieved that they are complete and that we can get back to a regular schedule.

A few important things to take note of:

- There is a family movie night happening on October 24th.
Doors open at 6pm
Movie starts at 6:30pm
Tickets are $5 per family
The movie playing is The Lego Movie
There will be a concession and a LEGO door prize.

Tickets are being sold in the morning between 8:15-8:45am and at lunch from noon - 1pm.
Funds raised will be put towards purchasing new Smartboards and other tech equipment for the school.

- Hot lunch orders for November are due by October 24th.

- Milk tickets are always available to purchase.


As always, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.

Take care,
Jolene Milson

Fab Fridays in 3FM

I don't usually get to spend Fridays in the classroom - but I did today! It was a busy day - that started with our Character Education Assembly. Congratulations goes out to Connor for receiving our first Student of the Week. He earned this by always being organized and ready to learn! Way to go Connor!

Next, we participated in Bus Safety - which was an awesome reminder about how we need to act in and outside of busses! Good job 3FM - you were an awesome audience for the presentation.

The students completed their spelling tests on spelling city - I have never seen so many students excited about a spelling test! The ease of our students in incorporating technology in the classroom is a blessing in today's world.

It was also our first day for hot lunch and milk - which was thoroughly enjoyed by all the students who ordered.  

This afternoon the students continued to work on their spider web art projects. A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Huber for her help in containing the chaos of oil pastels and her help with the students on their project. Help in the class is always so greatly appreciated by both myself, and Mrs. Milson.

I hope you all have a fabulous long-weekend. From my family to yours - Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Science and Social Update

I can't believe how fast the time is going! It's almost Thanksgiving already - 

before we know it, Halloween will be upon us and we will be digging out our winter gear! 

Science

In science we have been working hard on being geologists. We have been examining the rocks we collected, as well as performing a variety of tests on the rocks to investigate properties such as colour, shape, hardness, texture.  We will continue our investigations by exploring the rock cycle, 

how rocks are made and the 3 main different types of rocks. 

The students are genuinely excited to learn about rocks, as is evident by the number of students 

who choose to participate in our Rock Talks on Tuesday and Thursday. Rock Talk gives the
students a chance to present a rock to the class - giving descriptions of the properties, 

where it's from and if it has any special meaning to them. 

Check out some of our Rock Talkers below:

Social Studies

We have been working on a Mapping Unit. The students have been reviewing 

the cardinal directions, as well as working with maps.  

We have:

✔️learned what the key components of a map are: title, key, symbols, compass rose, scales

✔️created our own maps

✔️practiced reading different types of maps to get information

✔️ learned about latitude and longitude

Currently, we are studying the 7 continents and 4 oceans in preparation for our exploration of the following peoples/countries: India, Ukraine, Tunisia and Peru. 

In the spirit of the holiday; this year, I am thankful for...

...my amazing husband and my three beautiful daughters

...my parents and the time I get to spend with them 
...my time spent learning with your children

...being a part of the incredible RBES team

I hope you all have a great rest of the week and a fabulous Thanksgiving Weekend!!!

October already!!!

Language Arts News

Our first week of Words Their Way is behind us and I'm happy with how things went. Ten out of seventeen WTW Home books were returned on Friday. Students should have two complete sorts written in their books each week. The first one is done on Tuesday when they look at and read each word and then write it the appropriate column. The second one is completed on Wednesday and it is a blind sort and write. A parent reads the word to the child but doesn't show them the word. The student is expected to write the word with proper spelling in the appropriate category. 

Students completed their spelling tests online using the Spelling City website on Friday. This made it quick and easy for students to complete their personalized spelling test instead of me having to give five different spelling tests throughout the day. The words are read to the students individually and a sentence is read using the word. The students type the word into the space provided. I was very happy to see the level of mastery that students achieved with their words and that most students were able to extend their knowledge to spell three new words that follow the same spelling patterns. Way to go 3FM!

Starting this week, in addition to their Words Their Way words, students will write five Word Wall Words in their agenda. These words will be basic sight words. Please ensure that your child can read and spell these common words by the end of the week. Thank you for your support!

Our home reading program is up and running with many enthusiastic readers earning beads for their necklaces! I am super proud of their dedication to their reading skills!

I have been meeting with students for reading conferences during our read to self time each day. During this time, I listen to a student read and we discuss their strengths and areas that need some attention. I teach them a strategy or two that I want them to focus on during reading practice. The strategies focus on one or two of our CAFE reading areas: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding Vocabulary. It is during this time that we also adjust reading levels throughout the year. 

In writing, we have been focusing on building our stamina while writing in our journals. Students have also thoroughly enjoyed writing home on Fridays in their Back and Forth books. Daily, students are reminded of the proper writing conventions expected in all written work. Sentences need to start with a capital letter and end with proper punctuation. Proper names of people and places must be capitalized within a sentence. 

Math News

Our first month together was spent exploring and building on our general number sense. Through weekly graphs, How Many Ways and basic addition fact practice, I have been able to get a sense of where the students are at when it comes to their math skills. This insight helps me plan future activities and unit studies. This week we will start our patterning unit. Students will explore and extend increasing and decreasing patterns in a variety of ways. They will learn how to define the pattern rule in a given pattern and how to create their own patterns.

I would like to take a minute to explain one of the strategies that I have taught the students to help them with their basic math facts. When students are unable to quickly recall their basic addition and subtraction facts (up to 9+9 or 18-9), they often become quite frustrated. Touch Math is a fantastic strategy that works with all math operations. 

There are two things that you need to know to use this strategy:

1) where the spots are on each number

2) how to count on or back

Students quickly memorize the spots on the numbers one through nine (see chart above). 

From one to five, all spots are single touches, meaning that students touch them and count them once. Numbers six and eight contain double touch spots, meaning that you touch and count them each twice. Numbers seven and nine contain double touch spots and a single touch spot. 

Once students have memorized the spots, applying it to addition is simple.  

For example,

6 + 4 =

Students start by touching the bigger number and say it's name, "Six..."  While touching the spots on the four, the student counts on from 6, "7, 8, 9, 10."

After a little practice, students become very proficient, consistent and confident using this strategy. 

* If you have any questions about Touch Math, please do not hesitate to contact me at school at your earliest convenience. 

This week, we will look at using Touch Math to help us with subtraction. 

Art News

October's art projects will focus on the theme of Halloween using a variety of materials. We started the month off by creating a spider web using white glue. Students first followed a guided drawing lesson to create their web in pencil and then carefully traced their pencil lines with white glue. This Friday, we will use soft pastels to add some colour to our webs. 

A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Toogood and Mrs. Bennett for helping out during art!

Looking forward to another great week with the amazing students in 3FM!

Fantastic Friday

Everybody loves Fridays and there were plenty of reasons to love our day yesterday.

Students were very excited to bring in their home reading logs in the morning and collect the beads that they'd earned over the week reading at home. Read for Beads only takes place once a week - so don't forget to bring in your reading logs on Friday mornings so you can pick out your beads!

Although the weather was not overly cooperative, RBES spirit and support in the legacy of Terry Fox was strong as we all took to the streets to complete the Terry Fox Run/Walk as a school. Our 

students were very well-behaved and many were quite vocal about the fact that if Terry Fox chose 

to run rain or shine - that we could do it, too. Once we returned to the school, the Lions Park graciously donated apples, granola bars and a bottle of water to all of the students. 

Big thanks to all of the RBES parents who joined the walk and/or volunteered to help 

by being crossing guards. 

Way to go 3FM!!!

For the afternoon, we were lucky to have a guest in to work with the students on an art project. 

Big thanks to Mrs. Toogood from all of us in 3FM.

Here are a couple of pictures of our students working hard on their art assignments.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!!!

P.S. Don't forget to check your child's agenda for important due dates for 

hot lunch, milk tickets and the book orders.

Magical Monday!!!

Welcome back after what I hope was a fabulous long weekend for all! 

Today was a magical Monday - it sure seemed like the students were all rested up 

and ready to work today! Our day was full - starting with a Character Ed assembly, 

followed by music, reading and our Star Student presentation.

In Social Studies we are continuing to work on our mapping skills - and today we talked about the importance of symbols, keys, titles and labels on maps. The students were able to draw some symbols as well as try out their map reading skills to answer some questions. 

We will continue to study mapping skills - creating our own maps, learning about continents, oceans and where we are in the world. This will be very helpful when comparing our place in the world with India, Peru, Ukraine and Tunisia.

In Science, we will continue studying our rocks by testing their different properties - 

such as colour, hardness, lustre, etc.

Just a reminder that coming up on this Friday - we will be having our Terry Fox 

run. RBES has asked all of our students to try and bring in a "Toonie For Terry" -

 to try and support his legacy.

Our Rock Walk 

I just want to thank all of our awesome parents for their patience and understanding in regards to the filling out of our on-line permission forms. Next time - it will be so much easier!

I also want to give a huge shout out of thanks to the parents that were able to join us on the Rock Walk - your support and help is always greatly appreciated.

It turned out to be a fabulous day for our Rock Walk. I know that I had an awesome time - it was so nice to get a chance to talk with the students outside of the classroom. It's a treat to see the different sides of the students and get to know them a little better. It was also thrilling to see and hear their excitement over the rocks that they found.

Here is a little glimpse into our afternoon!

The students worked hard collecting their rocks as well as walking to and from the river. 

They should all sleep well tonight - I know that I will :)

Monday Afternoon

Wow. What a day! It was a great day in class with 3FM. We started off the day with a group activity in which the students were working on their cooperation skills. Many of our Social Studies and Science activities involve group work and thus, it is important that students be able to work together in a positive manner.

Their assignment was to create an animal and decide what it would look like, what it would eat, where and how it would live. At the end of the activity they had to come up and present their animal to the class - and explain how they made the decisions about their animals.

Let me tell you how impressed I was with how well they cooperated to create their animals.

Ask them what they created - they were sure excited to present their animals to the class.

In Science, we discussed the term properties. We played a game of I-Spy to help the students understand the concept that properties are like clues that tell us about something. Properties include things like shape, size, color, texture, how something is made and what it is made up of. The students were great at making predictions based on the information that they were given as clues. Here is an example that was used in class:

1. I spy something that is manufactured.

2. It is made from a tree.

3. The inside of this object is one of the softest minerals.

4. It is small and narrow.

5. It is used as a writing tool.

Answer - A pencil

As I'm sure all of you are very much aware - our first unit in Science is about Rocks and Minerals. Tomorrow we are going on the Rock Walk. I just want to take this time to say thank you so much for your patience in regards to the on-line permission forms. I know that it has been quite frustrating for some of you - and I appreciate your understanding as we have tried to work through some of the quirks in this new program.

Looking ahead...

This week we are launching our home reading program, Read for Beads! I have put together this new program in hopes of motivating all of my students to read a minimum of 20 minutes each day, including weekends. Students will earn one bead for every 100 minutes of reading to put on their necklace string. I wanted to reward students frequently to encourage consistent participation. 

Students also will earn larger rewards at 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 minutes. 

This week, students will bring their home reading bag on Monday (this will usually take place on Friday). In their home reading bag will be their home reading log booklet and some home reading books. Students aren't limited to reading only these books. They can choose good fit books from home, library books, etc. This week, on Thursday (because Friday is a PD day) students will return everything in the morning. We will take the time to reward reading minutes, switch out for new books and pack them into backpacks to come home. I'm hoping that coming home with new books on Fridays will motivate students to read on the weekend. If students need new books during the week because they have read everything, they can do a midweek switch. 

Also coming home tomorrow is A Parents Guide To Reading With Your Child. I wrote this document to help you and your child get the most out of reading together. Students in grade three still love being read to and still need to read with a parent each day. They are building their good reader strategies and often need adult reinforcement to use these strategies appropriately and consistently. Even students who are reading above their grade level benefit from reading with an adult. If you need any clarification about the information in the handout, feel free to contact me at school. 

Another exciting program that is starting soon is our Star Student program. This is your child's chance to shine! We ask that you assist them in completing their poster and gathering some important momentos, pictures, treasures, etc. 

This past week it was my turn to be the Star! Mrs Ferguson and I wanted to teach the kids a little about ourselves and also provide an example of what we are expecting. This is my display. I brought in photos as my keepsakes because there is nothing that I treasure more when it comes to material things. 

During their Star Student week, students will sit in our special Star Student desk!

Vanessa is our first Star Student and her week starts next week!

Our new individualized spelling program, Words Their Way, will start next week! There is so much to look forward to in 3FM!

What A Wonderful Wednesday!

Not even the overcast skies or chilly temperatures could dampen the mood in 3FM today! We had a fantastic day!

We added a few reading strategies to our CAFE board including Flip the Sound, Read Around the Word (using the beginning sound for the unknown word) and Pick a Good Fit Book. I have started one on one reading conferences with students. During this time, we reevaluate reading levels and determine what reading strategy to focus on. 

After our read aloud and read to self time, we had journal writing. A few students took turns in the Author's Chair to share their writing. 

In math, we focused our energy on the Partners of Ten and other addition facts. We completed an All the Facts You Ever Need to Know (up to 9+9) page by first attacking the plus zeros, then plus ones, followed by identifying our Partners of Ten. Students were then asked to complete the remaining questions using their personal math strategies. 

This afternoon I introduced the students to Romero Britto, a famous pop artist from Brazil. We watched a short video about him and looked at some of his pieces of art. The students loved it! 

Here are a few samples of his work!

After brainstorming what we had learned about Romero Britto...

we created our own cat drawing. The students had to use excellent listening skills to follow the guided drawing activity. They were focused on the drawing portion for 30 minutes! Awesome! After our drawings were complete, students started colouring in the different sections of the cat using bold colours and patterns. They aren't finished yet but they are soon to be masterpieces!

A quick reminder that the Rock Walk has been postponed until Tuesday in hopes of better weather. Please make sure that you complete the permission slip online. If you need assistance do not hesitate to come into the classroom after school with your PowerSchool login and password information and we can walk you through the process. 

Partners Of Ten

This week in math we are focusing on making ten.

Our goal is for each student  to master (memorize) the two numbers that go together to make ten.

Partners of Ten

1, 9

2, 8

3, 7

4, 6

5, 5

A quick and easy way to help your child master these facts is to use a deck of cards. Using A through 9 only (take out 10, J, Q, K), show your child a card and have them tell you the partner that goes with it. For example, show them a 6 and say, "Six and …" and wait for them to say four. If needed, have them write down the Partners of Ten on a piece of paper and they can refer to it as necessary. Perfect practice makes perfect. We want to avoid them calling out random numbers until they get it right. Spending 3-5 minutes playing this game each night will help students master these basic facts. For those who enjoy a little competition, they could time how long it takes to get through the deck one night and then try to beat their time the next night. 

Students enjoyed playing this game with their classmates in school today.

Introducing Ishanga!

Today I introduced the students to Ishanga. Ishanga is a four year old orphaned African Elephant that we sponser through the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

This is our fourth year sponsoring Ishanga as part of our Global Citizenship focus in Social Studies.  Over the years, we have watched her thrive in the nursery, being bossy with her fellow nursery orphans and greedy and impatient with milk feedings...this feisty spirit is responsible for giving her the fight to survive such tragedy. Now Ishanga lives in the Ithumba stockades in Tsavo East National Park where she is preparing to transition into the wild herds of Tsavo. 

You can look at a photo gallery of Ishanga using the link below: 

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphan_gallery.asp?Rhino=&N=241

I receive regular updates from the Keeper's that work directly with the elephants and will share these with the students. 

The story of Ishanga's rescue is a dramatic one. Ask your child to retell you the story. 

Sponsoring an elephant is not expensive ($50/year). A few past students have asked for an elephant sponsorship for birthday or Christmas gifts. If you want any information about this, feel free to

contact me. 

First Week

I am super excited to be joining the RBES staff and beyond thrilled to be teaching your children in 3FM. Although I only spent two afternoons with the students this week, they were two awesome days. We spent some time getting to know each other and talking about what we think a good learner does; what a good learning environment looks like and what a good teacher does. The students and I really emphasized the importance of respect for others - both in and outside of the classroom. We also enjoyed a discussion reviewing the idea of community and working together as a group. The analogy we discussed involved the idea that we are all individual music notes - and although we are all different, together we can be a beautiful song!

I also wanted to give an update on what we will be beginning to cover in Social Studies and Science. Throughout the year we will be studying four countries, Ukraine, India, Tunisia and Peru. We will be learning about these countries and comparing  the various aspects of life in these countries with our lives in Canada.

Our first unit in Science is Rocks and Minerals.  It's always a favorite of the students in which they get to explore rocks; learning about the types of rocks and classification of rocks through their different properties.  To kick start the unit we  will be taking the grade 3 classes on a walk to collect some rocks for their  investigations. I will also be asking the students to each bring in an egg carton - so if you have any on hand - please send them in with your child.

Thank you. 😄 I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

A Fantastic Friday To End The First Week!

Wow! What a great day!

Our class is filled with such amazing kids! I worked them pretty hard today...2 spelling tests, 2 math periods, a read aloud of Ernest to review our CAFE reading strategies, some journal writing and finally an art project! Phew! No wonder I'm tired!

How Many Ways went so well today! I'm proud of how the students are pushing themselves! I gave them 10 minutes to finish up their work with the number 9 today and they came up with fabulous math sentences! I asked them to each pick a favourite and share it with the class on the board. We went through each sentence and corrected any mistakes along the way. This is where really important spontaneous mini-lessons emerge. I can introduce students to multiplication after talking about a repeated addition sentence. We talk about multiplication being all about adding up equal groups. If you have 3+3+3=9, that is the same as 3 groups of 3, which can be written as 3x3=9.  The kids are always thrilled to witness the mystery behind multiplication unlocked for them! 

Here is our How Many Ways favourites from today!

We also did our first Weekly Graph activity today! We created our own graph about the types of indoor shoes that our classmates have. We then generated some data statements from the graph. The students were great at collecting information from the graph!

After so much work in the morning, we enjoyed an afternoon of art! A big thank you to Mrs. Toogood for helping us out this afternoon! The students enjoyed creating a decorative kite and writing their  "all about me" poems on it! They turned out fantastic!

Have a great weekend! See you Monday!

Wednesdays are wonderful in 3FM!

We had another fantastic day today!

I introduced three reading strategies today during three separate CAFE lessons. The students enjoyed the three books that I read to demonstrate each strategy. I ended up reading an extra book at snack time because this group just loves being read to! 

My New Teacher and Me was used to introduce our comprehension strategy, Check for Understanding. 

The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder was used to introduce our accuracy strategy, Cross Checking. 

The Troll was used to help introduce our expanding vocabulary strategy, Tune Into Interesting Words. 

We read Chicken Big during snack time just for the laughs! What a hilarious story about a coup full of crazy chickens!

The students really impressed me today in math! We definitely have some math wizards in our class! I introduced one of my favourite math activities called How Many Ways? Students brainstormed different ways to make the number 5 using math sentences. The results were outstanding! 

After our group brainstorm, I had the students complete this activity independently using the target number 7. Some students used manipulatives to assist them in generating math sentences.

We will do this activity frequently for the first few weeks of school to brush up on their number sense skills. For the remainder of the year, we will be doing this activity at least once a week for 15-30 minutes. It's amazing to watch their skills and confidence grow throughout the year!

Table two hard at work!

Table five hard at work!

I was so impressed with their behaviour and effort today that we ended the day with some extra playground time! 

What a great bunch!

What a great first day!

Team 3FM had a fantastic day!

We packed in a lot of information and a few interesting activities into our morning! We got to know each other a bit and went over expectations and procedures. One of the activities we did involved the paper heart that your child is holding in the photos below. Please ask your child what happened to the heart and what they learned from the activity. We also read one of my favourite books, The Empty Pot by Demi. Please ask your child to retell the story to you and discuss why you think I choose to read this book on the first day of school.

We sent home two notes today and many more important notes will be coming home over the next few days. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at your convenience.