Meet the Teacher Night!
Mrs. Farley - Grade 3, Room 312
Thank you to all of you for showing your support by either attending Meet the Teacher Night or, if you were unable to make it tonight, by reading this handout.
I look forward to meeting parents and family members this evening, as well as sharing with you what we have been and will be doing in our classroom this year. Because it is such a busy evening, we will not have time to discuss your child’s progress but I am more than happy to arrange another time to meet or talk with you. You may write a note in your child’s agenda or leave a message for me at school and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Here is some information about our classroom procedures and programming that I hope you will find helpful. Again, if you have any questions, please contact me.
1. Rotary Teachers
SUBJECT
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TEACHER
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Social Studies
|
Mrs. Field
|
Art
|
Ms. Caughey
|
Music
|
Mr. Alexander
|
2. Our Learning Community
Since the first day of school, our class has been working hard to develop a safe and inclusive learning community where students feel valued and important. We explored our Rights and Responsibilities to assist in building this positive learning environment and these have become our classroom pledge (as can be seen on the anchor chart on our wall).
3. Agendas
We will continue to use the agendas as a means of communication and organization. I check them on a daily basis, and encourage students to get them signed at home each night.
4. Homework
In Grade 3, a main focus is on your child’s growing ability to read, and at-home reading is a vital part of this development. Reading will also assist with his/her writing, vocabulary, and communication skills, and so we ask that you try to read with your child every night, and remind him/her to record it in his/her reading log.
Library books, including a levelled reader and an additional book, will start being sent home each Day 4 (our library day), but there will be other open library times where your child can exchange his/her books.
As we continue in the school year, there will be other homework to help develop and reinforce your child’s knowledge and understanding, and to develop responsibility in your child. Starting soon, a small amount of math homework (to review what we are doing in class) will be sent home on Wednesdays and will need to be returned by Friday.
5. Grades
The letter your child receives corresponds to the level of their work, based on standards from the Ministry of Education.
Level/Letter Grade
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What it Means
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1 or D
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A few simple ideas, rarely accurate, with major errors/omissions
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2 or C
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Sometimes accurate, use of appropriate strategies, with several errors or omissions
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3 or B
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Clearly and precisely, consistently, general understanding, appropriate and logical, with few errors or omission, usually accurate
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4 or A
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Using complex ideas, clearly and precisely, confidently, thorough understanding, appropriate and logical, practically no errors or omissions, almost always accurate
|
6. Curriculum and Topics of Study
Literacy:
We will be covering a variety of topics in Literacy this year, including:
- Reading: reading comprehension, fluency and expression strategies, vocabulary study, decoding strategies, point of view, analyzing text features, critical thinking
- Writing: the writing process, writing ‘traits’ (e.g., organization of ideas, word choice), forms of writing (e.g., fables, letter writing, persuasive speeches, personal narratives, non-fiction reports, creative writing), punctuation and grammar
- Media: identifying target audience, creating media forms (e.g., brochures, commercials), analyzing media forms
- Oral Communication: strategies for effective listening and speaking, presentation strategies, listening comprehension (e.g., listening to videos or stories read aloud)
Science
Term 1
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Term 2
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Strong and Stable Structures
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Soils in the Environment
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Forces Causing Movement
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Growth and Changes in Plants
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The Arts
- Drama: Dramatic performances of poetry, role playing, dramatic performances of stories and non-fiction texts
Math:
We will be covering a variety of topics in Math this year, including:
- Number Sense and Numeration: counting, concepts involving money, comparing and ordering numbers, place value, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, fractions
- Measurement: estimating, measuring, and recording length, perimeter, area, mass, capacity, telling time to five-minute intervals, and temperature
- Geometry: identification, classification, and descriptions of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures
- Patterning and Algebra: numeric and geometric repeating patterns, equity between pairs of expressions
- Data Management and Probability: collecting and organizing data, using graphs and charts to display data, reading and interpreting data, predicting and investigation of the frequency of outcomes
*Please keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive list. This is just to give families a few ideas about some of the exciting topics we will be studying this year.
For detailed information about the Grade 3 expectations in all curriculum areas, please visit the curriculum website at www.edu.gov.ca.
7. EQAO
EQAO is essentially just a big test. It will happen at the end of May, and Grade 3 students all across Ontario will be completing the test around this time. The test measures a student’s abilities in reading, writing, and mathematics. Students will be preparing for EQAO over the course of the year. Our class will be preparing in many ways such as test questions that mimic the format of EQAO tests. The vocabulary used in the EQAO test questions will be used in our own classroom so that students are familiar with the questioning style. Students will also have opportunities to complete practice EQAO tests and receive feedback for improvement.
8. Gifted Testing
Gifted testing occurs in the winter and takes a few hours to complete. Students are not able to study and prepare for the test. Students who demonstrate the necessary skills will be notified after the test has been administered and scored.
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I am very excited about the year ahead and look forward to working
with you and your child. Again, please feel free to contact me anytime you have a
question or concern about your child’s progress.
Thank you,
Mrs. Jen Farley
905-841-6225 ext. 312
jennifer.farley@yrdsb.ca
