Thursday, September 12

 Hi parents,

Today the class wrote the third parts of their mini autobiographies, which focused on their hopes,  dreams, and plans for the future. Many even wrote about how they want to change the world. We'll spend some time editing, and then start on the good copies next week! Hopefully they'll be up and on display by next Thursday. :)

In math, we continued learning about Place Value and large numbers. We talked about the Montessori Place Value chart, and how the colours were intentionally chosen to highlight the patterns in number formation.

In the afternoon, we addressed the final Daily LA station - creative writing. We had a good discussion about the vast number of possibilities this station holds, as students are able to write anything, as long as it involves putting words on a page. Some ideas included stories, comics, letters, poems, research notes, and diagrams.

We ended our day with Music.

Remember that tomorrow is our spelling quiz, and have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, September 11

 Hi parents,

Thanks to everyone who helped with the Blog Homework! It really means a lot that people are staying caught up with the blog. I hope its somewhat interesting.

Today we did a lot of work with representing numbers. The students have gotten a lot of practice using the Stamp Game and Golden Beads materials.

We also introduced the "Ten Thousands" and "Hundred Thousands" blocks, which are absolutely massive, and help students build perspective of just how big those numbers are.

Students wrote the second parts of their mini autobiographies. This was focused on sharing impactful moments where they discovered a passion or hobby that they've continued working at over the years.

In the afternoon, we made custom "Math Bosses" for our math game "Classroom of Doom". This activity was by student request. I'm hoping it helps them get more excited about the game.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, September 10

 Hi parents,

We had another good day today. I've got to be honest, I'm struggling with keeping up with the rate at which this class is finishing their work. They're really blasting through things, especially in math.

We started a fairly big writing task today, called "My Story", where the students are basically writing an autobiography. Today we focused on 'early years'. Students wrote about when they were born, and also about an important memory / event that occurred early in their lives. They included things like discovering a passion or meeting a close friend, as well as funny anecdotes that have stuck with them over the years.

In math, we continued talked about "Expanded Form", and how a number like '124' can also be written as "100 + 20 + 4". The students completed a cut and glue number matching activity, and then used the Montessori materials to represent some numbers.

In the afternoon, the students learned how to access Epic! as another way of doing "Listen to Reading" during Daily LA.

We played Bench Dodgeball in gym, and ended our day with a whole class math game called Classroom of Doom.

Have a nice day,

Zac

Monday, September 9

 Hi parents,

We started our first full week of school off on a good note today.

In the morning, we had a sharing circle to talk about our weekends, and then moved on to Morning Math. The class is currently reviewing 2-digit by 2-digit addition and subtraction problems, and the concept of 'regrouping'. We've been doing daily check-ins with the Golden Beads to help students visualize what actually happens when you 'carry the one' for an addition problem. We've also been reviewing skip-counting.

Blog Homework (Optional:  +1 table point if completed)

Fill in the blanks:

24, _____, 44, 54, _____, ______, _____, 94, _____, _______, ______

For writing, we built on the Jot Note skills we started last week, and the students wrote jot notes about themselves. They mostly focused on general information like age, hair colour, favourite stuff, etc. We're going to go a bit deeper over the next few days and focus on some of the life events and stories that shaped us. And then we're going to try to do the same for Terry Fox, and write his story. I hope it all comes together!

In the afternoon, we talked about this week's spelling words and the students chose their new lists to practice. The "Listen to Reading" Daily LA station was introduced, and the class learned how they can access Storyline Online during future Daily LA sessions to listen to celebrities read stories aloud.

We ended the day with Music.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words (Week of Sep. 6)

Spelling List A (Sep. 6 – 13)

all	will	spill	hills	hall
calling	mall	walls	ball	mill

 

Spelling List B (Sep. 6 – 13)

skills	thrilling	pillow	still	gills
small	stall	taller	called	fallen

 

Spelling List C (Sep. 6 – 13)

recall	overalls	falling	wallet	swallow
gorilla	vanilla	illness	willow	shrill

The theme this week is -all and -ill. Please help your child choose a list that is a good challenge for them!

Good luck!

Friday, September 6

 Hi parents,

We had another pretty good day today. Our first spelling quiz was a big success! The words this week were mostly a review of Grade 2 and 3 spelling concepts, so its reassuring to know that the students seem to have a good handle on those. Next week's words will be a little bit harder. I'll post them right after this. 

In Gym, we played kickball with the same teams and rules as last time. When we got back to class, the Grade 3s did some math assessments while the Grade 4's played math games.

We ended our day by meeting our Buddies in Ms. Adamson's class and doing some reading / literacy games.

Stay tuned for next week's spelling words, and have a nice weekend!

Zac

One of many gems from this week!

Thursday, September 5

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today. The class is quickly becoming familiar with our main routines and expectations, and I'm really pleased with the general willingness to engage in work. 

This morning, we talked about 'jot notes', and how to take effective ones when reading or listening to a book. We talked about finding the quickest and shortest way to record important info without being too brief to the point where the note is meaningless. For example, writing just a date with no context.

In math, we're continuing to work on number sense and build a stronger understanding of the patterns that help students comprehend large numbers. Today we brought out the 'Stamp Game' material, which is similar to the golden beads but slightly more abstract, as it represents 'tens' and 'hundreds' using coloured tiles rather than actual quantities.

In the afternoon, we did more Literacy Games practice, and at this point I think most students have had an opportunity to play at least 4-5 of the games we'll be using throughout the year during Daily LA.

We had Music, used the parachute in gym, and practiced spelling. Our first quiz is tomorrow. I think the class is more than ready, but if you want to go over the words at home, that's never a bad idea.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, September 4

 Hi parents,

We had another great day today. In the morning, the class learned about the concept of 'regrouping' using the Golden Beads. The Golden Beads are the bread and butter of Montessori math materials. I cannot think of a better way to help students build number sense. Today, the students worked in groups to represent some 3 and 4-digit numbers. We also talked about how you can exchange between place values (regrouping), to allow for easier subtraction. 

For Gym, we went outside and learned how to play Field-point Kickball. It's basically the same as regular kickball, but you only can score points when you're in the field. Any play that would normally result in an 'out' instead just results in a point for the fielding team. This version of kickball is awesome because it allows everyone to kick and run all the bases, while placing a bigger emphasis on the importance of teamwork in the field, an aspect of kickball that is often overshadowed by 'who can kick the farthest'.

In the afternoon, we played Literacy Games, in preparation for independent Daily LA. This part of the day was loud but fun. After recess, the class was absolutely silent as we worked on hundreds charts. 

Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, September 3

 Hi parents,

We had a great third day of school today. In the morning the class wrote in their journals, either about their weekends, or about their favourite games in gym. We generally start each week with a personal response journal entry.

In math, we reviewed the concept of representing numbers using hundreds, tens, and ones. We talked about place value too, and some of the patterns that we notice as numbers get bigger. For example, 10 is ten ones, 100 is ten tens, 1000 is 10 hundreds,  etc.

In Grade 3 and 4, we work with numbers up to a million. This can seem really daunting to students, but once they build a good understanding of the patterns, it's not so bad. 

We are reading a book called "Sideways Stories from Wayside School". It is a classic. I remember my teacher reading it aloud when I was in Grade 3, and I always like giving my class the same experience. So far the students seem to love it.

In the afternoon, we had our first Music class. We used the Parachute in gym and played some cooperative games. We practiced spelling at the end of the day.

Thanks for checking the Blog! It will get more interesting once we've built more routines. Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words! (August 30 - Sep. 6)

Below, you will the spelling words that students in Room 3 will be working on next week, and also a needlessly long explanation about spelling practice. If your child was in my class last year and you know all this, feel free to skip to the bottom.

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. 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 will talk 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. 

Each week, the spelling lists will focus on specific letter sounds, blends, or patterns, as they appear in words of different complexities. For example, the words this week are all intended to review short-vowel sounds, though the words on List A are 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 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.

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!

Spelling List A (August 30 – Sep. 6)

hat	dot	pen	not	big
map	rug	vet	gum	him

 

Spelling List B (August 30 – Sep. 6)

flat	trip	drums	frog	must
will	land	golf	nest	bend

 

Spelling List C (August 30 – Sep. 6)

cannot	standing	event	ill	upset
extra	frosty	antlers	sticks	number

Friday, August 30

 Hi families,

Thank you for visiting the blog! The classroom blog is a great way to stay caught up with what we're doing in class, as well as upcoming events, field trips, volunteer opportunities, etc. I will do my best to update every day with a brief summary of the day's highlights. 

So far, we've had a wonderful start to the year. 

We've spent a lot of time going over classroom expectations and building routines, such as "Morning Math", and Daily LA. The students have completed writing and art work meant to help me and their classmates get to know them better. We did a journal writing task where students shared about their interests and things we have in common, as well as an art project where we made personalized hexagons and put them up like a big Catan board on the blackboard. 

 For Morning Math (math practice completed independently by students first thing each morning), we've focused on reviewing addition and subtraction, as well as multiplication and division for Grade 4s, or Grade 3's who are looking for a challenge.

My first impressions are incredibly positive. The students have been so kind to me and one another, and we haven't had any issues with clean-ups, noise, or work completion. In fact, they finished all the work so quickly today that I had to borrow an extra task from Ms. G next door. 

Today we had our first spelling lesson, which I will describe in detail in the next post.

It's going to be a great year. Please check back soon and have a nice weekend!

Zac