Dear families,
I hope you're having a terrific weekend!
Last week we finished our learning about the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The children made torches and did a little parade around the school (Mr. Currie put a photo of this on the LKS Twitter feed!), which they loved! We did three Venn diagrams together after watching clips of the sports on the Smartboard: luge/skeleton/bobsled; hockey/figure skating; and skiing/snowboarding. The kids did some Olympic-themed numeracy activities; they compared numbers and circled the higher ones; they rolled dice and coloured matching totals; they did "skating equations." in which they added two numbers up and colour a skater according to a legend of different sums (i.e. sum of 4, colour blue); the children played again at the 6 different numeracy and literacy centres they played last week; and they completed a dot-to-dot numbers 1-30 skating picture.
The children also watched several Paralympians on the Smartboard - downhill skiers, snowboarders, cross-country skiers and sledge hockey players. WE talked about the importance of not giving up when something is difficult, and always trying your best. We also talked about respecting others and difference, and what the Olympic athletes can teach us. Also on the Smartboard, the kids read winter sport-themed sight words, letter sounds, and numbers, and we watched "The Science of the Winter Olympic Games," which explained in simple terms the physics behind all the amazing gravity-defying feats the athletes do (such as jumps). As a culminating activity, the children completed the sentence "My favourite Olympic sport is _________ because _________" and drew a matching picture. Our hall bulletin board has a lot of the kids' learning on it and they will take their Olympic folders home next week. Well done!
We also squeezed a little science lesson in our learning. The children came up with four different ideas (HYPOTHESES) about how to make play clay for our Olympic medals using different combinations and amounts of flour, water, corn starch, salt and white glue. They mixed the four different recipes and told us their OBSERVATIONS ("It didn't stick together;" It's fluffy;" "I don't think i could make it into a ball," for example). Later, I mixed up two other recipes and the kids mixed them with their hands and we decided that flour, salt and water works best (our CONCLUSION). Finally, they made balls with the clay, flattened them, put decorative lines across them with a ruler, put a hole in them with a pencil and we're letting them dry for the weekend. Next week we'll paint them gold, silver or bronze (the kids' choice). Hopefully the medals will look like the Pyeong Chang ones!
Our student teacher Miss. Patel visited again on Friday. Her Practicum will be from March 19-April 25.
The children had front row seats to a terrific school-wide Huddle Up Assembly with the Argos and the Grey Cup! They also completed their February calendar and "This is me in February." The words of the week were SAY and WITH. The homework fore this weekend is to complete the mini read-and-write WITH booklet. The new March words and March Homework Bingo wa sent home on Friday.
Thank you so much to Evelyn's mom who was our Mystery Reader!
Spring is beginning to make an appearance at school! Crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths are poking their leaves out of the soil, and some insects are coming out of the ground. Hibernating and burrowing animals are waking up, and with that in mind, we will do a little inquiry on MICE next week! Lots of wonderful books with mice as main characters, and lots of learning and fun next week, the last week before March Break.
That's the news from Room 166! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
Week of February 19-23
Dear families,
It's been another busy week in Room 166! We've been cheering Canada on in the Olympics and learning about various winter Olympic sports! They have played in various centres and have watched footage of the Opening Ceremonies and moguls, ice dancing (Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir!), downhill racing, and snowboarding.
The children wrote their names beside the country they were cheering for, and we have been keeping track each day of the medal count for those countries.
In Numeracy, the children:
- counted and graphed winter Olympic sports
- added up Olympic sports
- Rolled and counted dice to match the sport
- followed instructions/sequencing to draw the Olympic rings correctly
- added and coloured a snowboarder (i.e. 4+2=6, colour sums of 6 green)
- added and coloured an ice skater (same idea) according to the equation/sum
In Literacy the children:
- read and coloured an Olympic booklet with their Reading Buddies
- helped me complete a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Skiing and Snowboarding
- did an "Olympic Medal Match," matching the word to the sport
- reviewed colour words with Winter Olympic pictures
- did an activity called "Bobsled Raceway," reinforcing phonemes and sound blends
- matched upper and lower case letters in an "Olympic race"
In Art, the children are painting Olympic Rings on a big puzzle (thank you to Alex's family who donated those puzzle papers!!!) They learned that each ring represents one continent: North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Eurasia.
In Phys. Ed., the gym was available this week and the children played various jumping games with "Olympic rings" (aka hoola hoops), did a bean bag toss, hopped on two legs, crawled through a tunnel and added up bean bags. Please ensure your child wears running shoes at school so s/he can participate in gym activities.
Thank you for bringing in paper towel rolls to make Olympic "torches."
Next week we will continue with our Olympic Inquiry and will start learning about the Paralympics.
The Sight Words of the week are UP and FROM.
We are having fun keeping Zero the Zebra up, since between school day 100 and 111, every day has been Zero Day!
At the Sharing Assembly, the children did a great job singing "Skinnamarinky," a song about love and family, to celebrate Valentine's Day and Family Day. Mila and Anjali were celebrated for demonstrating FAIRNESS. Anjali was away so she will receive her certificate at next month's Sharing Assembly.
The Mystery Reader this week was Kate's mom! Thank you as well to Maya's mom and Anilee's mom who volunteered for pizza lunch!
The March Scholastic order is due on March 2. Please send your order in by then to ensure receiving your books before the March Break. Thank you!
Monday is "wear blue to school" day at LKS!
I have sent home a letter regarding the Development of Children's Writing. It is really amazing to watch children progress from drawing shapes, to pictures, to letter shapes, to actual letters, to groups of letters, to sight words, to beginning sounds, to using finger spaces, to actual sentences. Each step is very important in your child's development. Please celebrate your child's ability to write phonetically; to sound out words like we do in class.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
It's been another busy week in Room 166! We've been cheering Canada on in the Olympics and learning about various winter Olympic sports! They have played in various centres and have watched footage of the Opening Ceremonies and moguls, ice dancing (Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir!), downhill racing, and snowboarding.
The children wrote their names beside the country they were cheering for, and we have been keeping track each day of the medal count for those countries.
In Numeracy, the children:
- counted and graphed winter Olympic sports
- added up Olympic sports
- Rolled and counted dice to match the sport
- followed instructions/sequencing to draw the Olympic rings correctly
- added and coloured a snowboarder (i.e. 4+2=6, colour sums of 6 green)
- added and coloured an ice skater (same idea) according to the equation/sum
In Literacy the children:
- read and coloured an Olympic booklet with their Reading Buddies
- helped me complete a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Skiing and Snowboarding
- did an "Olympic Medal Match," matching the word to the sport
- reviewed colour words with Winter Olympic pictures
- did an activity called "Bobsled Raceway," reinforcing phonemes and sound blends
- matched upper and lower case letters in an "Olympic race"
In Art, the children are painting Olympic Rings on a big puzzle (thank you to Alex's family who donated those puzzle papers!!!) They learned that each ring represents one continent: North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Eurasia.
In Phys. Ed., the gym was available this week and the children played various jumping games with "Olympic rings" (aka hoola hoops), did a bean bag toss, hopped on two legs, crawled through a tunnel and added up bean bags. Please ensure your child wears running shoes at school so s/he can participate in gym activities.
Thank you for bringing in paper towel rolls to make Olympic "torches."
Next week we will continue with our Olympic Inquiry and will start learning about the Paralympics.
The Sight Words of the week are UP and FROM.
We are having fun keeping Zero the Zebra up, since between school day 100 and 111, every day has been Zero Day!
At the Sharing Assembly, the children did a great job singing "Skinnamarinky," a song about love and family, to celebrate Valentine's Day and Family Day. Mila and Anjali were celebrated for demonstrating FAIRNESS. Anjali was away so she will receive her certificate at next month's Sharing Assembly.
The Mystery Reader this week was Kate's mom! Thank you as well to Maya's mom and Anilee's mom who volunteered for pizza lunch!
The March Scholastic order is due on March 2. Please send your order in by then to ensure receiving your books before the March Break. Thank you!
Monday is "wear blue to school" day at LKS!
I have sent home a letter regarding the Development of Children's Writing. It is really amazing to watch children progress from drawing shapes, to pictures, to letter shapes, to actual letters, to groups of letters, to sight words, to beginning sounds, to using finger spaces, to actual sentences. Each step is very important in your child's development. Please celebrate your child's ability to write phonetically; to sound out words like we do in class.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Friday, February 16, 2018
Week of February 12-16
Dear families,
I hope you are having a very nice Family Day weekend! Spring weather is in the air!
I am VERY happy to be back at school! Thank you so much for your good wishes. Here is a recap of all the activities the children did over the past two weeks:
100th Day of School:
- counting to 100 by 1s, 5s and 10s
- putting the numbers in the correct order
- hall bulletin board display of each of the 100 items the children counted and brought in - great job!!!
- "count to 100 by 10s" centres with cube-a-links, buttons, dinosaurs, lids, disks, sea shells, stickers, snacks
- build a structure using 100 plastic cups
- "100 Ways to Celebrate" booklet
- "If I had $100.00 I would _______" writing
- "100 Days ago I didn't know _______ but now I do!" writing
- dab 100 "gumballs"
- decorate a hat with 100 dots
Reading Buddies:
- how to make paper snowflakes
Valentine's Day:
- symmetry heart (both sides the same)
- counting red and pink smarties
- counting cinnamon hearts
- bingo
- writing Valentine cards
- Song - "Skinnamarinky"
- "I love mt family because..."
- match Valentine words with pictures
- draw and write four red things
- make glitter lips
- sensory bin
January Calendar and "This is me in January"
Duffelbag Theatre visit - the kids LOVED it!
Huddle Up LKS-wide activity: "I feel happy when..."
Popcorn Words:
- WE, FIND, NOT, HELP, SNOW, FAMILY, BY, CAME, SEE, WENT, FOR
Planetarium Visit:
"This is me in the Planetarium" drawing and writing
Cosmic Kids Yoga:
- Alice in Wonderland
- Thought Bubbles
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt
- Zen Den - mindfulness
Groundhog Day:
- all about groundhogs
- sequencing activity ("if...then...")
- survey of which children thought the groundhog would see its shadow
- signs of Spring
Welcome to student teacher Miss. Patel who visited our class and will start her practicum with us next month.
Good luck to Miles who starts his new school on Monday! We will miss you!
It was a pleasure meeting with you this week and discussing your child's progress. Mrs. Mosun and I are very proud of the children and they continue to make excellent progress academically and socially. Keep up the excellent work!
I hope you have a lovely weekend with your family. See you on Tuesday!
I hope you are having a very nice Family Day weekend! Spring weather is in the air!
I am VERY happy to be back at school! Thank you so much for your good wishes. Here is a recap of all the activities the children did over the past two weeks:
100th Day of School:
- counting to 100 by 1s, 5s and 10s
- putting the numbers in the correct order
- hall bulletin board display of each of the 100 items the children counted and brought in - great job!!!
- "count to 100 by 10s" centres with cube-a-links, buttons, dinosaurs, lids, disks, sea shells, stickers, snacks
- build a structure using 100 plastic cups
- "100 Ways to Celebrate" booklet
- "If I had $100.00 I would _______" writing
- "100 Days ago I didn't know _______ but now I do!" writing
- dab 100 "gumballs"
- decorate a hat with 100 dots
Reading Buddies:
- how to make paper snowflakes
Valentine's Day:
- symmetry heart (both sides the same)
- counting red and pink smarties
- counting cinnamon hearts
- bingo
- writing Valentine cards
- Song - "Skinnamarinky"
- "I love mt family because..."
- match Valentine words with pictures
- draw and write four red things
- make glitter lips
- sensory bin
January Calendar and "This is me in January"
Duffelbag Theatre visit - the kids LOVED it!
Huddle Up LKS-wide activity: "I feel happy when..."
Popcorn Words:
- WE, FIND, NOT, HELP, SNOW, FAMILY, BY, CAME, SEE, WENT, FOR
Planetarium Visit:
"This is me in the Planetarium" drawing and writing
Cosmic Kids Yoga:
- Alice in Wonderland
- Thought Bubbles
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt
- Zen Den - mindfulness
Groundhog Day:
- all about groundhogs
- sequencing activity ("if...then...")
- survey of which children thought the groundhog would see its shadow
- signs of Spring
Welcome to student teacher Miss. Patel who visited our class and will start her practicum with us next month.
Good luck to Miles who starts his new school on Monday! We will miss you!
It was a pleasure meeting with you this week and discussing your child's progress. Mrs. Mosun and I are very proud of the children and they continue to make excellent progress academically and socially. Keep up the excellent work!
I hope you have a lovely weekend with your family. See you on Tuesday!
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Week of January 22-26
Dear families,
This week in Numeracy we learned about the attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes. For the SKs, this was a review. First, the children helped create an attribute chart the four basic 2-D shapes: square, circle, rectangle and triangle. Then they explored and made 2-D and 3-D shapes at 5 different centres. We also talked about how 2-D shapes can turn into 3-D shapes, and cut a spiral from a circle to demonstrate this concept. With our Reading Buddies, the children cut and folded 6 flat pieces of paper and turned them into beautiful 3-D snowflakes. The children also counted and graphed 2-D shapes, and "read" the room by finding as many real world 2-D and 3-D shapes as they could, for example:
Cubes: Bubbles the Beta fish's tank, dice
Spheres: balls, marbles, fish food
Cylinders: markers, marble works tube, pencils, cups
Triangular Prism: Groovy Girls tent
Cone: top of a pencil
Rectangular Prism: tables, books
In Art, the children turned 2-D shapes into a 3-D object, three spheres of snow called a snowman. They did this using two sponges, and it was interesting to observe the children's thought processes and explanations about what they made. The children also made and wrote about a large 3-D scene using 2-D shapes that they had cut, coloured and glued, adding details. They are on display in our classroom. The children learned a poem about 3-D shapes. Finally, we returned to our original attribute chart and the children shared their new learning.
In Dramatic Play, the children having a wonderful time playing in the popular "Starbucks" centre! They are also being introduced to Canadian coins and bills and their values, as well as gift cards. One child asked, "Has this gift card expired?!?"
In DPA, the children did several Cosmic Kids Yoga sessions, including "Cloud Shapes," "Betsy the Banana" and "Minecraft Yoga." Cloud Shapes is an excellent one for teaching relaxation and self-regulation techniques. Try these at home! Unfortunately the gym was being used by the House League groups but the kids were excited to play on the bikes and scooters again now that the sleds and shovels have been put away!
The children also had a visit from a children's author in the Library, and were treated to a magic show by Lucas' sister Mia and her friend Chloe.
The Scholastic Order is due on Monday, and includes Valentines Day and 100th Day of School books. Thank you for supporting Scholastic.
At today's Sharing Assembly, Jackson, Lucas and Yara received certificates for Teamwork. The children sang a song called "Getting Dressed." Well done! In our classroom, the children did dot-to-dot alpha and numeric mittens, then coloured them in to match their real mittens.
In Science, the children watched some interesting videos by astronaut Chris Hadfield about how to brush your teeth, wash your hair, and do other daily activities in outer space.
On February 9, some Toronto Maple Leaf players and the mascot will be visiting LKS! Wear blue and white to support the Leafs!
The ROM will be bringing its portable planetarium again to LKS! More info to follow!
In the Computer Lab, the kids did Bookflix activities with Mrs. Mosun. Bookflix is a free TDSB program that you can access at home.
The 100th Day of School is fast-approaching! Next week and the following week we will be doing a lot of numeracy activities related to the number 100! Please assist your child with bringing in 100 small items (that can fit into a zip-lock bag). They are due by February 9th and will be displayed on the hall bulletin board. I have sent home a hundreds chart to assist your child. When they bring them in, they will get a "100" sticker and will write about what they counted. We will also practise counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
Thank you to Rielle's mom who was our Mystery Reader, Yara's mom who helped with Friday's pizza lunch, and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Mosun who reorganized our room! It loos amazing!!!
That's the news for this week. I hope you have a terrific weekend!
This week in Numeracy we learned about the attributes of 2-D and 3-D shapes. For the SKs, this was a review. First, the children helped create an attribute chart the four basic 2-D shapes: square, circle, rectangle and triangle. Then they explored and made 2-D and 3-D shapes at 5 different centres. We also talked about how 2-D shapes can turn into 3-D shapes, and cut a spiral from a circle to demonstrate this concept. With our Reading Buddies, the children cut and folded 6 flat pieces of paper and turned them into beautiful 3-D snowflakes. The children also counted and graphed 2-D shapes, and "read" the room by finding as many real world 2-D and 3-D shapes as they could, for example:
Cubes: Bubbles the Beta fish's tank, dice
Spheres: balls, marbles, fish food
Cylinders: markers, marble works tube, pencils, cups
Triangular Prism: Groovy Girls tent
Cone: top of a pencil
Rectangular Prism: tables, books
In Art, the children turned 2-D shapes into a 3-D object, three spheres of snow called a snowman. They did this using two sponges, and it was interesting to observe the children's thought processes and explanations about what they made. The children also made and wrote about a large 3-D scene using 2-D shapes that they had cut, coloured and glued, adding details. They are on display in our classroom. The children learned a poem about 3-D shapes. Finally, we returned to our original attribute chart and the children shared their new learning.
In Dramatic Play, the children having a wonderful time playing in the popular "Starbucks" centre! They are also being introduced to Canadian coins and bills and their values, as well as gift cards. One child asked, "Has this gift card expired?!?"
In DPA, the children did several Cosmic Kids Yoga sessions, including "Cloud Shapes," "Betsy the Banana" and "Minecraft Yoga." Cloud Shapes is an excellent one for teaching relaxation and self-regulation techniques. Try these at home! Unfortunately the gym was being used by the House League groups but the kids were excited to play on the bikes and scooters again now that the sleds and shovels have been put away!
The children also had a visit from a children's author in the Library, and were treated to a magic show by Lucas' sister Mia and her friend Chloe.
The Scholastic Order is due on Monday, and includes Valentines Day and 100th Day of School books. Thank you for supporting Scholastic.
At today's Sharing Assembly, Jackson, Lucas and Yara received certificates for Teamwork. The children sang a song called "Getting Dressed." Well done! In our classroom, the children did dot-to-dot alpha and numeric mittens, then coloured them in to match their real mittens.
In Science, the children watched some interesting videos by astronaut Chris Hadfield about how to brush your teeth, wash your hair, and do other daily activities in outer space.
On February 9, some Toronto Maple Leaf players and the mascot will be visiting LKS! Wear blue and white to support the Leafs!
The ROM will be bringing its portable planetarium again to LKS! More info to follow!
In the Computer Lab, the kids did Bookflix activities with Mrs. Mosun. Bookflix is a free TDSB program that you can access at home.
The 100th Day of School is fast-approaching! Next week and the following week we will be doing a lot of numeracy activities related to the number 100! Please assist your child with bringing in 100 small items (that can fit into a zip-lock bag). They are due by February 9th and will be displayed on the hall bulletin board. I have sent home a hundreds chart to assist your child. When they bring them in, they will get a "100" sticker and will write about what they counted. We will also practise counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
Thank you to Rielle's mom who was our Mystery Reader, Yara's mom who helped with Friday's pizza lunch, and a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Mosun who reorganized our room! It loos amazing!!!
That's the news for this week. I hope you have a terrific weekend!
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