A couple quick housekeeping notes for everyone:
Library - We now have brand new carpet in our library! Books should be sorted, put back and the library open for circulation next week.
Scholastic - January orders are due by Tuesday, January 21st, please.
Curriculum/Homework Notes:
We are on to the next step in our reading journey! Students should have come home with a booklet for the complex sounds in French (in blue duotang). Please practise these sounds together at home as often as you are able. You can sign the tracking sheet for this too! We will be studying each of the complex sounds more intensively in our weekly centers, but it is important for the students to have exposure to them so that they can decode effectively. Practice makes perfect!
I am currently doing formal reading assessments with all the children to determine their appropriate reading level. You many notice a jump in the level of the little books coming home. Please aim to read and exchange the little books every 1 or 2 days. It will likely take me most of the month to read with everyone. Once finished, I will send home a detailed assessment to share with you. Your continued support at home is appreciated.
Sneak a Peek!
Our inspiration for the month of January will be WINTER!
We read "La vie secrete des bonshommes de neige" by Caralyn Buehner.
As a follow-up activity, rhe children enjoyed writing about what a snowman should NOT do!
In Math, with Ms. Kirby the students had fun creating and then measuring paper snowmen. They sure look great on the bulletin board at the end of the hall.
In Visual Arts, we tried creating snowflakes. We started by learning how snowflakes are formed, and looked at many examples of real snowflakes captured with macro photography. We also tried a new technique using watercolour paints on wet paper. We then used salt to make a cool crystalline effect on our paper. I love how every snowflakes and finished product turned out differently!
We are looking more closely at words with complex sounds. Here are some 'OU' words we came up with together. You can review the 'OU' sound at home by playing the "tic-tac-mots" and roll a word activities sent home on the green sheet.
We are learning the following strategies and tricks for decoding. Always put your finger under the word. Look at the first letter and get your mouth ready to make it's sound. Slide the first letter sound into the next sound you see.
A fun little comptine using winter activities and a repetitive structure. The children are also using
the complex sounds ette, in, and eau.
The children are designing their own snowman and will work on a descriptive writing task. They will use sentence starter prompts, and words posted in the classroom to describe their snowman in four sentences or more.
In Science, we have been exploring the question "Where do animals go in winter ?"
We enjoyed some beautiful weather earlier in the week to go on a nature walk to see if we could see any signs of animals in the forest. This lead to a great discussion about what animals do in winter. Ask your child to share some of their thoughts with you at home.
That's all for now! Hope everyone stays bundled up and warm this weekend.
As always, and particularly in the current climate, your support is greatly appreciated.
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