Tuesday 16 October 2012

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the wait on these pictures from last week! Here is the list of 'i' sound words to practise. Again, it really helps to cover up the end, then the beginning of the word so that you can focus on one sound at a time. Don't feel that these particular words need to be memorised, they are simply examples of high frequency words that contain these sounds. It's more important to associate the sound with the vowel so that we can recognise it in other new words.


These are the posters we made in our presentation groups!

Here we are in our counting centres. This group is using picture cards that have the number on the back and they are taking turns counting and saying the number in French.


This group is drawing a set to accompany a number up to 23. It turned into a cool mural!

This group is playing dominoes.

Finally, this group is asking "de plus que" and "de moins que" questions using counters.


Today we took advantage of the nice day to go outside for a science experiment! 
As part of our unit on daily and seasonal changes, we discussed the sun and temperature. In the morning, we discussed what the sun does for us (some of our ideas were that it gives us light, warmth, and helps the plants grow). We wrote about the sun in our journal and read a couple short books about sunny day activities. Outside this afternoon, we talked more about where the sun is, what it might feel like if we could touch it, and how it helps us. Ask your child what they wrote in their journal about le soleil!

Then, we looked at a giant thermometer. We learned how it works and how to read it. Our experiment today was to see how temperature can be altered by different materials. Before school, I put thermometers in 5 different boxes each containing a different material (e.g., cotton balls, aluminium foil, white fabric). Those boxes sat in the sun all day, and once outside, we made some predictions about which material would have kept the thermometer warmest, and which one would be the coldest. We then read each thermometer and put the boxes in order. Ask your child which material kept the thermometer warmer and which kept it cooler!

In the next 2 weeks as we continue talking about daily and seasonal changes, we will be discussing daytime and night activities as well as changes that occur in our own lives as a result of weather and seasons changing. These include changes in our recreational activities, the fresh produce we eat, and the clothes we wear. Feel free to have conversations about these changes, and more (e.g., changes to animals as the seasons change), at home. In addition, we will be doing a sorting activity using clothes next week. To help us with this, I would love if every student could bring ONE article of clothing that we can sort. It won't work if everyone brings something for fall weather, so dig deep and see if you have something left in the closet from summer or for winter. Please send this to school, clearly labelled, on Monday. We will bring them home again on the day of our sorting party (before the end of next week). Thanks!

Two more quick happy things! We are working on making good lines (one-by-one, hands to ourselves) and walking quietly through the halls. Today, we did an excellent job with this. Keep it up! Secondly, a HUGE Bravo to everyone for helping with the big clean up after our painting activity today. Wow, I saw people working together to clean paint off desks, chairs, even the floor! I saw people cleaning up areas where they weren't even working, and people picking up paint brushes that weren't theirs. Merci beaucoup!!