We have launched our new Science Unit: Plants! Yesterday we recorded our wonderings about Plants and thought about which wonderings we were interested in exploring further. Students worked hard on recording their three top wonderings and designed an informative Plants title page in their Science notebooks. Some students had a little bit of time to begin researching some of their inquiry questions. For example, one question the students were excited to find out was, 'Is coral a plant?'. Today we watched a short video clip about Plants and started our first Plant Experiment. The Grade 3 classes at St. Cecilia are participating in the Tomatosphere project. We planted two groups of tomato seeds. One group of seeds went to space and one group did not. We will observe and record the date of germination and submit our data. At this point we do not know which seeds went to space. The students recorded their hypothesis on whether or not they think the seeds from space will grow or not, in their Science notebooks. We are excited to see what happens!! When our tomato plants are ready, we will plant them in the St. Cecilia garden bed. To learn more about the Tomatosphere project, click the link below! Tomatosphere Project Info
The students really enjoyed recording messages, writing Mom a letter, planting seeds to give the 'Gift of Thyme' and making special cards. I hope all of you wonderful moms are enjoying your special day today with your amazing children!!
Wow, time if flying and it is hard to believe we are now approaching the last two months of the school year! The students have been so busy learning and creating and are very excited to show off their learning during Education Week.
During Science, the students built purposeful stable structures and were able to test them today with Mrs. Smith's class hamster Birch. We also tested each structure to see if they could withstand the force of wind. Great job 3D!! The students are also very excited to start presenting their Structures Google Presentations next week. We will not have any more class time to finish the Google Slides so if any more work needs to be done, they will need to finish up the final touches at home (In their Science Hapara folder in their Google Drive).
In Math we have finished our unit on Mapping and Transformational Geometry and have been learning more about Area and Perimeter as well as measurement (cm, m, and benchmark measurements (the width of a pinky finger is about 1 cm). Along with this unit, we continue to work on Number Sense (adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers), multiplication up to the 7 times tables and division). We are also adding and making change for money amounts up to $10.00. Please continue to practice number sense at home through the use of card and dice games, calling out facts, flashcards, Dreambox, Mathletics, Prodigy, etc.).
In Language we have been reading Fables and the learning about the features of Fables. We have also been writing Narrative stories, reading stories with the theme of HOPE and continuing to practice reading response questions and answers. The students have been looking at examples of level 1, 2, 3, and 4 responses and then 'bumping up' their own responses. It has been a great opportunity to share, learn and grow in their learning.
Next week, on Monday we will be sending an EQAO practice package home. This package is intended for practice as you see fit as a family. The practice package is meant to work on in chunks, leading up to EQAO which begins May 25th (1st block). In addition, please keep the package at home as it is not to be returned to school (at home use only). Scoring guides will be sent out through Hapara and will be located in the Language Hapara folder. I will push out those documents early in the week. The scoring guides can be reviewed after the students answer the questions and then used to help 'bump up' responses and answers.
I am looking forward to seeing some of you during our Open House on Thursday morning!
Science Update: Next week, the students are invited to bring in materials from home as we will be in the beginning stages of building a purposeful structure for Mrs. Smith's hamster Birch. The students may work with a partner or create and build their structure independently. The structure will need to have a purpose (e.g., maze for Birch, playground for Birch, elevator for Birch, etc.) and will need to be a stable structure that can hold a load (a little heavier than Birch e.g, the weight of a small bean bag). The structure will also need to withstand a force such as wind, pushing motion or pulling motion and remain stable (not falling over). Click on the link below to see examples of materials...this list can also be found in each students' Google Drive Science folder. Science Structure Project - Material Ideas In the next week and a half the students will also be writing a short Science Quiz pertaining to our Structures Unit. Click on the link below for the Review Sheet...this review sheet can also be found in each students' Google Drive Science folder. Structures Review Sheet
We have been so busy in Grade 3 that February as come and gone so quickly! Before we know it, it will soon be Spring. It is amazing how quickly the time passes. Over the last few weeks, Mother Nature has really given us a blast of Canadian Winter temperatures and snowfalls.
In Math, the students have been busy learning all about Polygons, Quadrilaterals and learning how to describe and compare 2D figures. We are learning to describe 2D figures by their vertices (how many), by their sides (how many, length) and their angles (how many, right angles, acute angles (smaller than a right angle), obtuse angles (larger than a right angle). We are also learning about 3D shapes and learning how to describe them by their angles, edges and vertices. In addition to Geometry, the students will also continue to practice adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers. Number Sense is always an important math strand to practice regularly at home through Dreambox, Prodigy, Mathletics and various card games, math practice sheets etc. If you find that your child finishes their homework for the week quickly, these are additional ideas for continued practice.
In Language, the students have been working on Question Answer Responses (QAR). We are thinking about thick (vs thin) questions using our QMatrix and recording Before Reading (BR), During Reading (DR) and After Reading (AR) questions. We are then looking at our questions and asking ourselves if these questions can be found 'right there on the page', 'searching questions' which answers are found throughout the book or if these questions are 'think about it questions' that might not be in the text. We also continue to think about the Author's Message in the stories we read. In writing, we are beginning Narrative Writing and using the Shape Go Map to help plan our writing (Beginning - Problem, Characters, Setting and Middle - 4 Events, End - Solution). Another focus has been looking at the theme of Hope in the stories we read. We are asking ourselves why hope is important? How do the characters bring hope to others? How can we bring hope to others? Why is it important to persevere and have a growth mindset? How do the characters demonstrate GRIT, resilience?
Some of the books we read this past week were 'No Shoes Petra' and 'Brave Irene'. Ask your child about the Author's Message in these stories.
Our Science Unit on Stable Structures continues and over the next few weeks, the students will be creating a Google Slides presentation by choosing and researching on man-made structure and one structure found in nature and then sharing it out with their classmates. We will also be looking at how forces such as wind act on structures. Sometimes forces such as wind can be helpful (windmills) and sometimes they can be harmful (wind storms can be destructive).
In Religion, we continue our Lenten Journey and will be learning about Holy Week. We have written our Lenten Promises and have been looking for kindness in our world. The students have been learning that when we experience and witness kindness we are getting a visit from Jesus. Be sure to scroll through our Twitter Feed on the Blog to see some of the beautiful recounts of "I had a visit from Jesus when..."
Reminder: Our next and final skating excursion to Minto is this Wednesday at 10:00 am. Thank you to all of our wonderful and helpful volunteers. You have all been amazing and I know the children have thoroughly enjoyed each skating trip.
I wish everyone a wonderful start to the month of March!
We are aiming to hand out classroom Valentine's Day cards this Friday. We are also still waiting to see if the weather will cooperate for our Winter Play Day on Friday. Stay tuned!
If your child wishes to participate in our Valentine's Day Card exchange, please ensure that a card is sent for each child in the class. We have 19 students in our Grade 3 class.
Class List of Names:
Erina
Aliya
Rebecca
Avni
Miranda
Sophia
Dylan
Daniel
Moses
Quinton
Reid
Matthew M.
Matthew N.
Elly
Noah
Joshua
Averie Hanushan
Adam
Happy Valentine's Day!!
Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend and a fun Family Day,
We have launched our new Science Unit: Plants! Yesterday we recorded our 
Next week, on Monday we will be sending an EQAO practice package home. This package is intended for practice as you see fit as a family. The practice package is meant to work on in chunks, leading up to EQAO which begins May 25th (1st block). In addition, please keep the package at home as it is not to be returned to school (at home use only). Scoring guides will be sent out through Hapara and will be located in the Language Hapara folder. I will push out those documents early in the week. The scoring guides can be reviewed after the students answer the questions and then used to help 'bump up' responses and answers. 
In Language, the students have been working on Question Answer Responses (QAR). We are thinking about thick (vs thin) questions using our QMatrix and recording Before Reading (BR), During Reading (DR) and After Reading (AR) questions. We are then looking at our questions and asking ourselves if these questions can be found 'right there on the page', 'searching questions' which answers are found throughout the book or if these questions are 'think about it questions' that might not be in the text. We also continue to think about the Author's Message in the stories we read. In writing, we are beginning Narrative Writing and using the Shape Go Map to help plan our writing (Beginning - Problem, Characters, Setting and Middle - 4 Events, End - Solution). 
Another focus has been looking at the theme of Hope in the stories we read. We are asking ourselves why hope is important? How do the characters bring hope to others? How can we bring hope to others? Why is it important to persevere and have a growth mindset? How do the characters demonstrate GRIT, resilience?
