August News

Hello Parents

 Welcome to our class blog where I will try to keep you updated every few weeks on what is happening in the grade 3/4 classroom. The students are off to a great start and are readjusting to school life after the summer holidays. We've all enjoyed learning about each other through our personality bags and other conversations over the last several days. We look forward to growing and learning together over the course of the year.

 Reading 
This week we have talked about how good readers:

• choose just right books
• are always thinking
• read every day
• use "clues" to solve mystery words
• infer the meaning of unknown words

Students have been busy practicing these skills during reading workshop time and hopefully at home as well. Over the next few weeks we will be talking about additional reading skills such as making connections, questioning, monitoring for understanding, determining importance, synthesizing and using these skills as we read our just right books.

Writing

We have just launched our writer's workshop and students are busy collecting ideas and jotting notes into their very valuable seed books. We will use these seed ideas to  produce some powerful narratives in the near future. We have started to make entries in our writer's notebook and next week we will start the drafting process.

Math

The grade four students are working on a data unit where we will learn about the following:

• Why we collect data?
• How to interpret and use various graphs and data tables.
• The purpose of various types of graphs.
• Understanding data language and vocabulary.
• How to create and design their own survey and interpret the results.

Students have also been reviewing their adding and subtraction skills to improve their speed.

Social Studies

We have started the year off with developing an understanding for our school's Essential Student Learning Results(ESLR's), which the students are evaluated on throughout the year. Please ask your child to talk about how they can be Academically Prepared, Socially Responsible and Personally Fulfilled. This week we will begin our mapping unit as we focus on the essential question, (How do maps help us understand locations?)

Thank you for all your help  in assisting your child settling into school mode, setting up homework routines and expectations. I am looking forward to a wonderful year together with both you and your child.

Until next time,

Theresa

Please enjoy our first day pictures.

Back To School

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