Friday, October 27, 2017
Friday, October 20, 2017
UN Day!
UN Day, one of the most memorable events of the school year is tomorrow. We hope to see all families enjoying the festivities!
In the lead up to this special day we have been discussing what it means to be a global citizen. We decided it means we are share concerns about others, other countries in need during natural disasters, and to be concerned about global issues such as the environment, which affects us all. One action we want to take is to use as little electricity in our class as possible. It means the students want to use natural lighting when possible. It is great to see such commitment to being a global citizen right in our classroom.
Despite the shortened week at school, the boys and girls have jumped right into learning with both feet. This week in language, we wrote idioms, worked on how to form proper questions when researching, so we find the information we are looking for. We also inquired about the writing process; prewriting, writing, revising, editing and publishing. Cursive remains a challenge for some, but we are making progress. It is a great fine motor skill for some as well. In math this week we have continued our learning to tell time for many. We also have been busy identifying addition and subtraction strategies. In our Unit of Inquiry we have been considering the vast time line of the earth, and how the rotation of the earth, the revolution of the earth around the sun, and the revolution of the moon around the earth time connects to our system of time. We deposed of many myths and solidified new thinking this week, which is exciting to see. We got a lot done in 3 days!
In the lead up to this special day we have been discussing what it means to be a global citizen. We decided it means we are share concerns about others, other countries in need during natural disasters, and to be concerned about global issues such as the environment, which affects us all. One action we want to take is to use as little electricity in our class as possible. It means the students want to use natural lighting when possible. It is great to see such commitment to being a global citizen right in our classroom.
Despite the shortened week at school, the boys and girls have jumped right into learning with both feet. This week in language, we wrote idioms, worked on how to form proper questions when researching, so we find the information we are looking for. We also inquired about the writing process; prewriting, writing, revising, editing and publishing. Cursive remains a challenge for some, but we are making progress. It is a great fine motor skill for some as well. In math this week we have continued our learning to tell time for many. We also have been busy identifying addition and subtraction strategies. In our Unit of Inquiry we have been considering the vast time line of the earth, and how the rotation of the earth, the revolution of the earth around the sun, and the revolution of the moon around the earth time connects to our system of time. We deposed of many myths and solidified new thinking this week, which is exciting to see. We got a lot done in 3 days!
Friday, October 6, 2017
Investigating and Reporting
Hello 3P parents;
This week has been very busy. The kids have been working on many math and language projects associated with the Unit of Inquiry, How We Organize Ourselves. One highlight this week was to put the events of the earth into perspective, such as when the continents merged, and when dinosaurs, mammals, insects and humans emerged. We are plotting the various events on a large earth timeline. It is wonderful to see little light bulbs going on when they make connections and have "ahaaaaa" moments.
In language have been learning about the features of reports, such as including charts, pictures, labelled diagrams, fact boxes etc, with our writing. As a practice, the children created a report about a subject of their choice. After the break they will write a report about a specific subject related to our central idea for our Unit of Inquiry. They continue to read aloud in their reading groups, do book reports and to work on their spelling. This week we began our new cursive writing program. While it will be new to some, others will benefit from practice.
In math this week we have been doing problem solving, including learning to make calculations, including identifying which number operation is best to use. We have learned that multiplication is "repeated addition." For example, we have been calculating how many seconds in a day and a week. Some students have calculated many seconds they have been alive. Learning to tell time is a process for many.
UN day is the first Saturday after we return, (October 21st). It promises to be one of the best days on the calendar. Be sure to sign up for the UN Parade here. Also remember that there is no school on the Monday and Tuesday following the break. Teachers have professional development those days, but there is no school for students.
Finally, a heartfelt thank-you to students and parents for the kind teacher's day gifts. If you are travelling over the fall break, I wish you safe travels. If you are staying at home in Tashkent, I wish you a relaxing time with your families.
Mr. Shawn
This week has been very busy. The kids have been working on many math and language projects associated with the Unit of Inquiry, How We Organize Ourselves. One highlight this week was to put the events of the earth into perspective, such as when the continents merged, and when dinosaurs, mammals, insects and humans emerged. We are plotting the various events on a large earth timeline. It is wonderful to see little light bulbs going on when they make connections and have "ahaaaaa" moments.
In language have been learning about the features of reports, such as including charts, pictures, labelled diagrams, fact boxes etc, with our writing. As a practice, the children created a report about a subject of their choice. After the break they will write a report about a specific subject related to our central idea for our Unit of Inquiry. They continue to read aloud in their reading groups, do book reports and to work on their spelling. This week we began our new cursive writing program. While it will be new to some, others will benefit from practice.
In math this week we have been doing problem solving, including learning to make calculations, including identifying which number operation is best to use. We have learned that multiplication is "repeated addition." For example, we have been calculating how many seconds in a day and a week. Some students have calculated many seconds they have been alive. Learning to tell time is a process for many.
UN day is the first Saturday after we return, (October 21st). It promises to be one of the best days on the calendar. Be sure to sign up for the UN Parade here. Also remember that there is no school on the Monday and Tuesday following the break. Teachers have professional development those days, but there is no school for students.
Finally, a heartfelt thank-you to students and parents for the kind teacher's day gifts. If you are travelling over the fall break, I wish you safe travels. If you are staying at home in Tashkent, I wish you a relaxing time with your families.
Mr. Shawn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)