Assessments and IXL

As always with a new school year, we never hit the ground running as quickly as we like.  A big part of a teacher's responsibility is to get to know your child educationally.  To do this we assess students' abilities and knowledge in reading, spelling, writing and mathematics.  It has been a busy couple  of weeks but we are getting there!  Once all the assessments are finished, the students will be put into small working groups, so that for at least some of their learning, they will learn at the same pace and level with others.

In math we are continuing our work with place value, which is a critical for number. Understanding number is far more than knowing how to count and write numbers.  It is recognizing patterns in numbers, and understanding that our number system is based on the value of 10.  Knowing the strategies behind math, at this stage of their development is more important than knowing or memorizing answers. In our math activities, our focus is getting students to understand the strategies and many ways to think about numbers.

Today, as part of our weekly math olympics, one activity had the students working together to use base 10 number blocks to make large 5 digit numbers.  Watch the videos below to see students working to build understanding together.

To help them get a better sense of days, months and years, I have inserted a calendar in their reading record book.  They will be marking off the days.  It is important students bring  their reading record book and calendar to school daily.  

In language this week the students were learning about adding voice to stories, or adding dialogue as a literary device.  They understand that adding dialogue to text makes the reading more enjoyable and interesting for readers.  Of course with dialogue comes the proper use of speech or quotation marks.  Voice is one of the Six Traits of Writing, the writing program we use in our classroom.  Last week our focus was writing conventions; punctuation, letter size, line and word spacing, and upper/lower case.  See the story below of one of the students--Bouncey Ball Fell in the Toilet.--There is never a dull moment in grade 3!

This week in our unit of inquiry the students have been investigating the kind of learners and thinkers they are.  Most identified that they learn in a variety of ways.  This week they learned broadly about De Bono's Thinking Hats, and will do more self awareness about this next week.

I have signed up all students in IXL, an online math support program.  The students know how to use it.  Their user names and passwords are on the outside cover of their reading record book.  It is intended that IXL be used to support areas in math particularly where they struggle.  If parents have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I hope to see many of you this evening at the campout.

Please note the parent-teacher-student meetings on Friday, September 21st.  

All the best,

Mr. Shawn