Happy Spring!
I hope you are enjoying the more Spring-like temperatures and the sunshine! Time seems to be moving in fast-forward as March Break becomes a distant memory, and the end of the school year is coming into focus.
CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
We have been very busy in 214!
Writing: Students continue to work on their writing skills through all parts of the writing process; from planning to revisions and publishing. They have been working to add voice to their writing by exploring points of view and narrative perspectives. They have written stories in French inspired by the books Une Histoire à Quatre Voix, by Anthony Browne, and Deux Fourmis, by Chris Van Allsburg. In English they've been working on A Day in the Life of a Shoe. They will be putting their new skills and creativity to work as we move into persuasive writing in the coming weeks.
Reading: Students are finishing up their assignments for French book clubs (due Tuesday!) where they are creating a comic using a digital platform called PIXTON to represent an important section from their book. They are also looking forward to beginning their next English book club. We will be diving into the world of fantasy, and we will hopefully sneak in one more book club following that, before the year is out. Students continue to develop their inferring skills. A great way to support their progress is to talk with them about the books they are reading (independently or for school). Move beyond "What's your book about?" and into why and how questions. Ask about how the author makes the book interesting or engaging, or why they like certain characters and don't like others. Encourage answers that are in complete sentences and use a reason or example from the book. These conversations develop student confidence in talking about and supporting their ideas.
Science: You may have also heard a lot of talk around the home about the human body systems. Students have replaced me as science teachers this week, sharing their body system expertise with their classmates through presentations, hand-on activities, models, and quizzes. So far, the groups have demonstrated outstanding creativity and subject knowledge, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm! Ask them what kind of cool things they've been doing! Taking a look at conservation of energy and resources will be our final topic of inquiry for the year once we've completed our body systems presentations.
Math: We have wrapped up learning about coordinate grids and transformations, and are jumping right into measuring and constructing angles and triangles before doing a deep dive into fractional amounts (including decimals, percentages, probability). If you are looking for ways to support your child at home, engage in life activities that involve using fractions of numbers, such as baking, building, shopping, gardening, and so on.
Social Studies: We will be wrapping up the year by learning about the role government plays in our lives, including decisions relating to such things as the environment. We will integrate this with our Science learning and consider how governments make decisions around energy and resources. Additionally, as the provincial election approaches, students will be learning about how our governments are structured at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, as well as the importance of being informed and engaged citizens. Try including your child in discussions about governments, party platforms, and how adults make decisions about voting.
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