Tuesday, September 1

 Hi parents,

We had another awesome day today. The students did a lot of work, especially for this early in the year, and I really wish I could share some of it but we've got to do the media clearance forms first...

This morning the students wrote Acrostic Poems using their names. They learned how to use bubble letters too. For each letter of their name, they wrote a word, or phrase, that connected to them in some way.

In math, we did a Math About me page, where the students found numbers relevant to their lives (for example, I am 34 years old, I have 2 siblings, I was born on the 25th day of, etc.) and then they wrote equations that corresponded with each number. For example, 30 + 4 = 34, I am 34 years old. I really enjoyed seeing how creative some of the responses were.

In the afternoon, we played Bench Dodgeball in Gym, did some quiet reading, and then practiced spelling again.

All in all we are off to a fantastic start to the year. I am really happy with how respectful and engaged the students have been. I feel like we'll do a lot of learning this year.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words (First Week of School) & Info About Spelling

 Hi parents,

Here are the spelling words we're working on this week. I've also included the annual blurb explaining how spelling works in my classroom.

Spelling List A (Aug 31 – Sep 4)

a	I	and	the	not
in	my	for	come	see

 

Spelling List B (Aug 31 – Sep 4)

out	want	must	saw	please
well	there	again	does	use

 

Spelling List C (Aug 31 – Sep 4)

about	light	been	took	walked
which	could	don’t	found	pulled

And here is the needlessly long explanation about spelling practice and spelling quizzes in Room 3. If your child was in my class last year you probably already know all this! 

My approach to spelling is meant to help students learn common patterns that will allow them to accurately spell familiar and unfamiliar words when writing, as well as those high-frequency 'need to know' words that may not follow common patterns. 

They will also develop their ability to work towards learning goals through regular practice and study, as well as some basic test-taking skills in a low-pressure, low-stakes environment.

 

Students will have the opportunity to choose ONE spelling list to focus on each week. In the classroom, we have talked about how to effectively choose a list that is a 'good challenge' - not so easy that it won't teach you any new spelling concepts, but also not so difficult that it's overwhelming.  

 

Most weeks, the spelling lists will focus on specific letter sounds, blends, or patterns, as they appear in words of different complexities. For example, the practice words last week were all intended to review short-vowel sounds, though the words on List A were simpler than those on List C. This approach lets me teach the whole class the same spelling concept, but give the students an opportunity to apply that concept at a level that works best for them.

The main goal of spelling practice is not to memorize words, but to learn a wide range of common spelling patterns, which will then allow students to attempt to spell unfamiliar words more accurately. For example, a student who learns to spell 'hot' and 'rob', would hopefully be able to spell the unfamiliar word 'rot' as well, even though that specific word was not on their spelling list. 

There will however be some weeks where we just focus in on high-frequency sight words (the, said, they, where, and, etc.), that you just need to know how to spell. There will not be a specific letter blend or vowel combination that these words share. We will address those early in the year. 

This year, I'm hoping to also use spelling lists as a means to introduce and intentionally practice new vocabulary words! I went to some interesting PD sessions on this and I'm excited to try it out.

  

At the end of each week, we will have a Spelling Quiz. These quizzes are meant to be low-pressure opportunities for students to showcase their learning, and experience what it is like to study for and take a test.  I do not use the marks in my report card grades! However, seeing how students perform helps me to teach better. If many students perform badly on a spelling quiz, it tells me that we need to spend more time on that concept. If an individual student has a tough time with a quiz, we might review that concept a bit more one-on-one.

Practicing for quizzes at home is completely optional. We will practice throughout the week in class. However, if you want to also practice at home, that can be a great way to boost your child's confidence and reinforce their learning. It's totally up to you. I will post the words each week on Friday.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

            Zac     

Monday, August 31 (First Day of School!)

 Hi parents,

Thank you for visiting the classroom blog! I will try to update it every day after school to give parents a summary of the day, as well as upcoming school events, forms, field trips, etc. Please do not feel obligated to read it every day, just know its here if you ever have questions about what we're doing in class. Having conversations about your child's day at school is actually a great way to help them consolidate new learning.

We had a fantastic first day back at school. I was really struck by how polite, respectful, and positive the students were. I think its going to be a great year.

Today wasn't the most exciting day ever - the first few days rarely are - because we spent a lot of time talking about classroom / school expectations, and re-establishing familiar routines. I felt bad for the Grade 4's who had to hear all this for the second time but I know its really helpful when the whole class is on the same page.

The students learned how we'll start each day, with work period and morning math. We worked on 'cubby labels' for art, so that tomorrow everyone will be able to have a dedicated cubby in which to store their personal school supplies, library books, etc. In writing, the students had the choice to either write about their summer breaks, or to write about something they didn't do this summer, but would've liked to do. 

In the afternoon we had some mindfulness time, and talked a bit about the value of mindfulness. Then we did some Quiet Reading. 

Finally, I introduced the class to 'spelling practice', which is another weekly routine we'll do throughout the year that will help students develop their spelling skills and expand their vocabularies. I will also post this week's spelling words on the Blog if anyone wants to practice at home. I know they're easy this week. I promise they will get harder. I want everyone to feel confident this first week, which is all about building new routines and reviewing familiar words.

We ended our day by reading a story from "Sideways Stories from Wayside School". Its something of a first day tradition. 

Have a nice night,

Zac

June 26, 2026 - The Last Day of School!

 Hi parents,

Today was a perfect way to wrap up another school year. We had lots of time for goodbyes and reflecting. The students were kind to each other and incredibly helpful in helping get the room tidied up for summer clearning.

I wanted to thank you all for a fantastic year. It was so sad to say goodbye the students today. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a great group of kids. For most of the year - and especially for the last couple months - work was my favourite place to be! 

Thank you all for your support and kindness this year, and I hope you all have an amazing summer! See you in the Fall!

Zac

These things were left behind in the classroom - I will hold on to them until next year, but you can also come by to pick them up on Monday or Tuesday next week.

Thursday, June 25

 Hi parents,

We had a great second last day of school. We did a lot of cleaning, reflecting, and doing favourite work choices. We also met up with our Buddies, and played Mario Kart in Gym.

Tomorrow, for the last day of school, we will be doing a PAJAMA DAY! Students are also allowed to bring a STUFFY, because they did such a good job bringing their stuff home today.

Have a nice night!

Zac

Tuesday, June 23

 Hi parents,

Today was a good day, but it was a bit all over the place, as we were rearranging our usual routines to account for the Grade 6 farewell.

The students worked on some year-end reflection pages, and took some pictures with their friends to remember the good times.

In Math, we talked about Line Graphs, and how we can analyze them to predict what 'story' they may be telling. For example, we went over a graph that showed a kid's screen time over the week, and predicted why it may have been so high on the weekend, and then very low during the week.

The Talent Show has been great so far - but we didn't get to everyone's talents today for various reasons, so it will continue on tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Sports Day, and based on what we saw today, there are a lot of mosquitos in the field right now. I highly recommend giving your child lots of mosquito spray, and maybe even longs sleeves and pants. We will be outside for quite a while tomorrow and it could definitely be unpleasant if they're not prepared.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Monday, June 22 (Talent Show Tomorrow!)

 Hi parents,

We had a good last Monday of the year. In the morning, we attended an Indigenous Peoples' Day Assembly. 

The students also wrote free verse poems about 'friendship', and reflected on the things they'd done this year with their friends.

In the afternoon, the Grade 4s had a chance to visit Grade 5 classrooms, and some Grade 2 students got to visit our room. 

Our classroom Talent Show is tomorrow, and Sports Day is this Wednesday!

Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words (Last Week of School!)

 Words Every Grade 3 Needs to Know (June 19 – 26)

with	they	would	walked	who
which	take	used	your	don’t

 

Words Every Grade 4 Needs to Know (June 19 – 26)

should	you’re / your	they’ve	their / there / they're	talking
Canada	build	because	Alberta	around

 

Words Every Grade 1 Needs to Know (in Paris) (June 19 – 26)

je	suis	chat	mange	avec
vais	toi	moi	un	c’est

Its tradition to end the year with one last review - good luck!

Friday, June 19

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today. We continued learning about line graphs, and went outside every hour to message and graph the lengths of our shadows, which mysteriously got shorter as they day went on.

The spelling quiz seemed to go well, but I'm still marking them.

We had a lot of work period time, and did a class library purge, where the students helped choose what books would be in our library next year.

We have a super busy week next week - Indigenous Peoples' Day, Sports Day, the Grade 6 Moving On ceremony.... should be a great way to wrap up our year.

And there will be spelling words.

Have a nice weekend,

Zac

Thursday, June 18

 Hi parents,

Today we had a really good day. It was "DJ Day" for last month's table prize winners, so we got to listen to a playlist they put together with song requests.

We did Spelling Sentences, with a focus on writing dialogue. This was kind of perfect because so many students are trying to use dialogue in their picture prompt stories, and now they've learned how to properly format it.

We did some cursive practice, and used Duolingo for French.

Throughout the day, we updated Line Graphs to keep track of the temperature. It was a boring day in terms of temperature, very little variation.

The Room 3 Talent Show is June 23! 

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, June 17

 Hi parents,

We had an awesome time at Fish Creek Library yesterday. The students loved exploring the many interactive activities, and listening to some really cool choose-you-own-adventure books. Apparently we were the only group that made it to the end of the adventure!

Today was a bit of a rough day for our class. I know we're almost at the end of the year but I'm hoping we can end on a high note with everyone trying their best! We did a lot of story writing today and watched an episode from Liberty's Kids that taught the class a bit about the American revolution. We talked about how at this point in Canada's history, 'Canada' didn't really exist - it was mostly just an extension of Britain - but then again, Canada didn't exist for most of its history, when you consider the indigenous history dating back thousands of years.... We had some interesting discussions.

The students did an awesome job on a tricky math task, which I will post here if anyone wants to try it at home. The task involved converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages.

The students have been taking home work from throughout the year steadily throughout the week in the hopes that it reduces the need to stuff backpacks full on the last day.

Room 3 Talent Show - June 23

We will be having our annual classroom Talent Show on June 23, for anyone who would like to participate. :) All talents are welcome, and performances can be done in person, or recorded and shared with me digitally! Please send me an email if your child would like to participate so I can roughly plan for how long we'll need.

Have a nice night!

Zac