Pacing

There are a lot of different learning activities on the go in our classroom right now so I thought this might be a good time to get you caught up.

Our class has recently become Big Buddies to Ms. Thomson's Kindergarten class. This came from a suggestion that was placed in our Class Meeting box and after much discussion, students agreed that they were ready to be the older buddies. They have taken on this responsibility wholeheartedly, even going to the library to borrow books specifically for reading to their little buddies.

In Social Studies, we have been working on Maps. The grade 3 students completed a map of Canada and the grade 4 students completed a map of the world. We will be having our map quiz next Tuesday. Students have written the words they need to learn to spell correctly in their planners. This week we began a unit to introduce the Pacific Northwest First Nations.

We are busy multiplying in math these days. Grade 3 students are currently working on some practice pages while the grade 4's learn to multiply two-digit by one-digit (with regrouping). Over the next few weeks, we will be working on memorizing multiplication facts or using strategies to find the products. Ask your child if they remember the 3's rhyme I taught them or can explain the trick for the 9's.

We are wrapping up our basketball unit this week in the gym. Students have become more proficient in their dribbling and passing skills. They are also enjoying extra practice shooting baskets. We will be trying to play half-court modified basketball on Friday.

February is Random Acts of Kindness month at Wolfe. Ms. Jamieson is decorating the office door with hearts that recognize students who are "caught" completing a random act of kindness. I have sent home a class list for those students who are making Valentine's for their classmates. Please remember to include everyone! We will have a simple party on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate.

Our reading groups have been exploring nonfiction books and learning to use text features to navigate (table of contents, headings, glossaries, etc). We are also learning to identify main ideas and supporting details in short texts.

Finally, in writing we have been learning about transition words. These are words which go at the beginning of the sentence (or in the middle) and help to move the story along in a sequential, organized manner. Today we talked about pacing - speeding up in parts of the story and slowing down to elaborate in other parts.

I realize with job action that some of you may be concerned that your child is falling behind. Over the next few weeks, I will be contacting any parents if I have concerns about a particular area of your child's learning. Thank you for your patience and continued support!