Grade 3 Math Store

In Ms. Kenwell's class, students were provided the opportunity to apply their knowledge of money and number sense (e.g., addition, subtraction). A "store" was set up in their class in which students had to record the total of the items they bought and the change they would receive. This is another example of using real life experiences to support students' understanding of math concepts. 

Growth Mindset in Mathematics

Research has shown that students' attitude towards math is a significant factor in their achievement in this area. To address this, we provide students with some positive messages about math. You can see an example of some of these messages posted in a classroom below.

Learning Fractions

As educators, our job is to find the best ways to teach our students. Some students learn well with paper and pencil tasks while others learn best through real life experiences. In Ms. Caceres's class, the students are learning fractions through cooking. They are making treats using fraction measurements. This is helping them to understand that a fraction is a part of a whole. Below are some treats in which they used their knowledge of fractions to create. Yummy!

Poetry in Ms. Fitzgerald's Class

Presently, Ms. Fitzgerald's grade 8 students are reading and learning poetry. They have been investigating how poetry can communicate a feeling, thought, and belief. The students have selected an emotion/feeling, and the students created a poem to explain that feeling. I am proud of the creativity that our students have demonstrated through this task. Take a look below at a wonderful poem. Great work.

Doubt

Doubt is like dark rainy clouds

Like being locked in a freezer

Foul like garbage burning my nose

Doubt is like a bitter cup of coffee,

And feels like a thunder storm destroying all that's positive

Doubt sounds like someone telling you that you will never be successful,

And moves like a thief in the night creeping its way into your thoughts

Doubt is like thorns pricking your finders keeping you away from what you love

Doubt is what blocks my path to success, but eventually I will break the barrier

and reach my goal

Because I know the sky is the limit

Doubt is full of bad thoughts, memories, and is what weakens self-confidence

but that is all part of life

Life is full of ups and downs but that doesn't mean you should give up

"Life is like a bumpy road, but you can always change direction"

More Report Writing at Boxwood

Before we have students write using a particular writing form (e.g., narrative, essay), we work with them to read and analyse that particular writing form. Before they engage in writing, we want students to understand the different elements of that text and the purpose of it. For instance, an essay is used to convince someone of a particular point of view while a novel is designed to entertain the reader. Our grade 3/4 and 4/5 class are working on writing reports. Now they are at the stage of analysing what a report is and what needs to be included in a report.

Right now our grade 4/5 class is using a resource that breaks down the elements of a report.

1. With the teacher, students read the example of a report. In this case, they read a report about Space
    Telescopes.

2. They read the same text, but this time they looked at the structure of a report (e.g., General Statements, Description, Evaluation/Conclusion

3. They looked at how different language is used in a report (e.g., nouns, adjectives, verbs...)

I can't wait to see them use what they have learned to create their own report.

Report Writing at Boxwood

While fiction text is enjoyable and educational, non-fiction text is an important type of text for students to study. One type of non-fiction text is a report. A report is an informational text made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable and scrutinized form. Reports are often conveyed in writing, speech, television, or film. Ms. Romanese's grade 3/4 class is presently reading and learning to write a report. As a class, they are reading reports to understand the different elements within it (e.g., technical vocabulary, facts, no opinions...). I can't wait to see the reports that these students write!

Grade 2 Procedural Writing

A procedure is an established way of doing something. Whenever you read how-to guides or follow step-by-step instructions, you're using procedural writing. Using procedural writing helps you accomplish a goal; it gives instructions for completing both common and complex goals.

Some topics that lend themselves to procedural writing include:

• Directions: driving directions to the airport
• Recipes: how to bake chocolate chip cookies
• Technology Manuals: how to use your cell phone
• Science Projects: how to make a paperclip float

Ms. Sen's Grade 2 and Ms. Fatima's Grade 2/3 class have been working hard on this form of writing. They have learned the elements and purpose of procedural writing, they have developed success criteria, and brainstormed ideas of topics that they can write a procedure about. It is great to see this focused and organized instruction in our school.