After reading the book, we talked about how many mittens would be need for trois personnes, deux chiens, ou quatre oiseaux. We used cubes as counters when necessary. On a number line, the children took turns skip counting odd and even numbers with the pointer. Each student also rolled a large dice, told us what the number was (in French), and explained whether the number was odd or even. Finally, we selected an assortment of boxes from our collection of recyclable material. We looked on the boxes to see how many items the packages contained, and we decided together whether there had been an odd or even number of cookies, bags of popcorn, granola bars, eggs, or light bulbs, etc. in each box. Storybooks are excellent tools for fostering a link between literature and mathematical ideas.
In our learning groups this week, we have been using Stuart J. Murphy’s book, Missing Mittens, to introduce and reinforce several math and language concepts. In the story, Farmer Bill and his barnyard animals are each missing one mitten. We discussed the difference between an even and an odd number, and why the animals need to have an even number of mittens for their even number of hands or feet. The book’s illustrations have many important clues about why the animals always have an odd number of mittens and about who has been stealing their mittens. (A silly goat is the thief!) The students were excellent at anticipating the story’s rhyming text and at predicting what would happen next
After reading the book, we talked about how many mittens would be need for trois personnes, deux chiens, ou quatre oiseaux. We used cubes as counters when necessary. On a number line, the children took turns skip counting odd and even numbers with the pointer. Each student also rolled a large dice, told us what the number was (in French), and explained whether the number was odd or even. Finally, we selected an assortment of boxes from our collection of recyclable material. We looked on the boxes to see how many items the packages contained, and we decided together whether there had been an odd or even number of cookies, bags of popcorn, granola bars, eggs, or light bulbs, etc. in each box. Storybooks are excellent tools for fostering a link between literature and mathematical ideas.
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In our learning groups, we have been discussing the upcoming Winter Olympics. During the Opening Ceremonies on Friday, all the athletes will parade into the stadium carrying their countries’ flags. The children sifted through a set of 10 flag cards. How many countries could we identify? Many students quickly recognized the Canadian and American flags. Several other children suggested locations where they have seen flags flown, such as in front of our school, in the gym, and at arenas.
We used this set of flag cards to think and speak like mathematicians. The children pointed out many interesting details. Most of the flags had two or three colours. Many flags had shapes such as triangles, stars, crosses, and stripes. Although running in different directions, the flags of France, Italy, and Germany all have three bars of various colours. We practised counting and sorting in French. How many of the flags have red? Blue? Green? White? The children made many clever observations and connections! Bonjour !
The fun never ends in our classroom! Whether we are inside or out, we are always having fun! This morning "Les sages hiboux" started outside hiking along the forest trails. Today the snow was so fluffy - great snow for skiing! Again, we talked about if we could make a snowball and why. "It's not sticky snow!", said one child. "It's too cold!", said another. "But we can make snow angels!" a few of them cried gleefully! They played in the little forest off the trail and found a small low in a tree. We discussed the importance of not disturbing it and leaving nature how we found it. You never know if the birds will come back next year to lay some more eggs. Next, we returned to class for some literacy practice. This week we are working on the letter "Qq". We looked at the letter and how it is pronounced in French, along with its sound. Then we read a poem with "q", learned some words that begin with "q", and then later this week we will practice printing "Qq". Big play takes up most of the middle block and during this time the children are engaged in many activities. I've posted a few of them in action - cars and ramps, and Monopoly play. The last block of the day, our "Etoile de la semaine" presented his poster to "Les prédateurs" group and the children drew a picture of him in action, along with a short sentence. These pictures will be bound together to create a booklet for our "Star of the Week" to bring home. Upcoming Events: Unfortunately, not enough families reviewed the blog this weekend and missed Friday's message regarding dressing up for the 100th day of school today. Sorry for not allowing you more time to get this message. We will try again for this coming Tuesday, February 13th. Please dress your child up as a 100 year old person. Thank you for those children who did come to school as little old people. Now they get to do it again next week too! Here are a few ideas how you can make your child age a few years (e.g., glasses, cane, bun in hair, vest & tie, pearls, cardigan, housecoat). Secondly, if you can, please work with your child and count out 100 items that he/she can bring to school (e.g., 100 paper clips, Cheerios, raisins, beans, elastics, Smarties, etc...). This is a great way to see how 100 items take up space in different ways. Merci ! Wednesday, February 14th is Valentine's Day. Please dress your child in red, pink, white, and/or black. We will be creating Valentine's bags and if you wish your child to participate in the exchange of Valentines, please have them print: "Mon ami" in the "To:" area and their name in the "From:" area. This will make the distribution of Valentine's card so much easier. Merci ! Friday, February 16th is Winter Carnaval Day! Please dress your child for the weather (as you always do). Warm thick socks and mittens are such a must to keep our fingers and toes warm! This is a school wide activity and a great way for the children to work with their school community. Merci ! Have a wonderful night! Bonne nuit ! Bonjour !
WOW 100 days of school!!!!! On Tuesday, February 6th, we will be celebrating our 100th day of school! Please dress your child up as a 100 year old little person. It will be so much fun! Bon weekend ! Bonjour !
Journal writing is a great way to inspire children to talk about their feelings. So often children think about wanting to be bigger or older, so today we read a book, "Si petit", which is about a little boy who wishes he were bigger. However, in the end he is happy to be little because he can do things that only little boys can. Our journal sentence starter was, <<J'aime être petit(e) parce que je peux.....>>, here the children were to continue writing about why they like to be little. We discussed the difference between fictional and non-fictional ideas, and they could decide which avenue to take. The idea is not to have perfect spelling, but to experiment with writing (inventive spelling) by trying our best to get down our ideas. Some children may write squiggly lines, others may use random letters, some may sound out the words and write down some of the letters that they hear, and others may look to the words on the walls around the classroom. These are all great emergent writing skills to be appreciated and applauded for. Oh, and of course, we start with a picture to help us get our ideas flowing! My main focus with the JK's is for them to develop pictures will a lot of detail (e.g., background, foreground, people with clothing (not a stick person), facial expressions, colour, etc...), because as the saying goes, "a picture tells a million words". Every day of the week we focus on emergent writing in some way (e.g., journal writing, letter printing, Star of the Week pictures, book study). There progress has been amazing! Have a wonderful weekend! Both learning groups have spent lots of time outside in recent days. A slippery trail that winds down a small slope in the forest continues to be a favourite destination during walks. The children are patient turn-takers and safe sliders, being mindful of others around them and always willing to help each other back up the hill. The sliders remind me of little lugers, and we will talk more about the upcoming winter Olympics in coming weeks. The students took many of the photos included. Enjoy!
This fresh air and exercise prepare our brains and bodies for optimal learning, and Mother Nature continues to be a great teacher. The deer have been very active on the milder days, and we continue to see footprints and other signs of animal activity in the snow. We have had conversations about Groundhog Day and the impending emergence of this furry rodent from hibernation. We have talked about shadows and what is required to make a shadow (light). We notice that our own shadows on the ground are very long in the early morning when the sun is still low in the sky. In the classroom, we have read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts about groundhogs, the history of Groundhog Day, and the fun that comes from putting our faith in the prediction of a rodent weather forecaster. In other February news, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 14th. If your child wishes to bring Valentine cards to school, we have 30 students in our class. Please do not address your child’s cards with specific student names. Feel free to leave the “To” part blank or just address the cards to “Mon Ami.” Encouraging your child to sign his or her own name provides a great opportunity to practise printing for an authentic purpose. |
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