Mrs. Stringers Blog

In literacy this week, we took are 'dash facts' about our animal and learned how to turn them into a paragraph or report about animals.  We talked about 'hooking our reader' with an interesting beginning and adding voice and reaction into our fact writing to keep the reader interested.  We also created a list of 'fancy fact starters' so that each fact is presented differently.  In word work this week, we focused on 'Bossy R' words, that make the vowel in front of them make the long sound.  On Thursday, we used our letter tiles to build words with 'Bossy R's' in them.   In math this week, we began talking about time.  We learned about the different parts of a clock, the hour hand and the minute hand.  We learned that each number represents 5 minutes on the clock and how hours and minutes are related.  On Friday, we did our 1st clothes line math activity, using our skills reading analog clocks to put the different times in order. In Science thi...

  Happy Lunar New Year!   In Literacy this week, we began looking at non-fiction writing.  We discussed the different types of non-fiction writing and the purposes behind them.  Then we looked at non-fiction text features, things like glossaries, indexes, captions, maps and titles.  Next, the grade 3's completed a scavenger hunt looking for these features in their non-fiction books.  On Thursday, we began researching our favourite animal using Dash Facts, looking through books and websites to find answers to our big ideas or questions. In Math this week, we continued our work with subtraction of 3-digit numbers.  We focused on using our skills to solve word problems and questions that require double regrouping with zeros.  We also played a game, using a spinner to create a target number and then creating a problem that gets them closest to the target number.  We also looked at a 'quick image', to get our math brains working, and had a gr...

In Literacy this week, we began with some self-reflection. We read a book called the Bad Seed and talked about how we can learn to grow and change.  Then we created a ME Tree, writing about the people who support us, the things we are grateful for and what we love.  Later in the week, we reviewed what syllables are and how many syllables are in each word.  We used this knowledge and skills to write a Haiku poem about the Birch Trees we created in art.  In word work this week, we completed a quick quiz on some high frequency words we need to know in our writing. In math this week, we continued our study of subtraction.  This week, we reviewed subtraction with 2-digit numbers and began learning about subtracting larger 3-digit numbers.  We used base ten blocks and a place value chart to learn why it is important to regroup numbers to allow for subtraction.  On Friday, we played a game called 'subtraction stacks' to practice our basic fact fluency. In Soc...

 Happy Last Full Week until holidays!! This week in literacy, we continued our work on Event stories.  Each student chose a different event in their life to write about.  This week we focused on 'stretching out a key moment' in their stories and creating a 'satisfying ending'.  In word work, we focused on the 2 different sounds 'oo' make in words.  We completed our first closed word sort with a partner, using the 'oo' words. In math this week, we continued with our data management unit.  This week, we continued to look closer at line plot graphs, analyzing them and creating some of our own using first and second hand data.  We also began talking about measurement and worked on a measurement project, measuring different body parts and comparing them to our classmates by creating line and bar graphs. In Social Studies this week, we continued with our study of Peru. This week we talked about the economy in Peru, including the difference between llamas and...

 Happy Second Week in December!! In Literacy this week, we began writing our second type of personal narrative- an Event story .  An event story is like a 'Walking' story, yet it is about an event in the student's life including a beginning, middle and an ending.  This week our mini lesson focused on adding transition words, such as, then, next, finally, after to our writing to move the events along.  The grade 3's planned, drafted, and then revised their writing of a favourite or memorable event in their life.  In word work, we finished our review of long vowels with long U and built words with our letter tiles.  We built words that followed the 'u -e' pattern and the 'ue 'spelling patterns that create the long U sound. In math this week, we focused on a different strand in math, statistics and data management.  We focused on collecting first-hand data, the parts of a bar graph and a line plot graph.  We looked at different examples of bar graphs...

 In Literacy this week, we discussed another strategy of how to make our writing more interesting.  We focused on using our 5 senses and senses words to paint pictures in our readers minds as we write.  We practised this skill by planning, drafting and revising a 'walking story' about our favourite season.  In word work, we focused on the long o sound and learned 3 spelling patterns using that sound. In math this week, we began looking at addition.  We reviewed what it means and some examples and non-examples of what addition is.  Then we worked on adding 2 -digit by 2- digit numbers and then transferred our skills to adding 3-digit numbers with regrouping.  We also talked about 2 different strategies, stacking and breaking apart. On Thursday, we worked on word problems that involve addition to practice our skills more. In science this week, we continued our study of Rocks & Minerals.  This week, we focused on how rocks can break down into s...

  In Literacy this week, we focused on a new 'walking story' topic about our favourite toy.  On Wednesday, we drafted our plan using our 'organizational drawers' to keep track of our ideas and make sure they are organized when we are writing.  The grade 3's did a wonderful job planning their ideas and then drafting them into sentences to make their story.  We focused on using our 3 scoop words to increase our vocabulary as well.  In word work this week, we reviewed long I sounds, focusing on the patterns i-e, igh and ie. In math this week, we concluded our unit on patterns and skip counting.  The students in room 6 completed a Show what you know quiz on patterns. In Science this week, we continued our work with Rocks and Minerals.  This week we focused on the rock cycle and the 3 different kinds of rocks.  We cut apart starburst into many different sediments and then used heat and pressure to turn them into a metamorphic rock and then into an igne...