Ms.Moleski'sClass

Hi Everyone,

LearnAlberta.ca is a very useful website managed by Alberta Ed. and paid for by our tax dollars. GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH! I’d really like our kids to get the Alberta Advantage by learning-through-play on some of the great activities reached through this site. Use the link on our blog and search for activities by grade level, subject and topic.

Our login:  LA07                    (0 is zero, not a letter)

Password:  9353

Here are the sites I’d like my class to use :

Cargo Captain – multi digit subtraction up to 1000.  Watch the demo movie, play around with the cargo then take the assessment test. How did you do? Gr. 3′s are expected to subtract numbers up to 1000 and I expect kids to get some practise at home.

Chocomatic – chocolate bars help kids how to multiply and divide using arrays by building and wrapping custom chocolate bars. Kids practise area and perimeter, too, if they want. Again, important grade 3 math which can be practised and reinforced at home. Tell me about your best chocolate bar!

Bookflix – read along with books at your reading level or a wee bit harder. There are author study videos, illustrating lessons, reading lessons. Graphics and sound are quite good. It’s a good change up from a book (although, never give up books), it’s a place to find something to read when you are stuck, it’s GREAT to help improve English language skills, build vocabulary, improve pronunciation, and increase reading comprehension. What book did you like best?

Kids and parents, please go to this site and recommend some good games and activities to me. Remember, you paid for it. Might as well use it!

More news: the loon is back on 3rd Lake. Can you see where she built her nest? Watch for bears when you go looking for the loon family on Vermillion Lakes road. Let me know what you find!

Love from Ms. Moleski

ps – the provincial test coming up is Writing a short story. Get a good sleep, don’t get distracted by other things in your life, come to school on time and don’t worry about it. Okay? Just try your best and don’t worry. That’s the rule of it! It will be fun. There will be a picture to write about and that’s it. Nothing sneaky will happen.

It will really help if you bring a snack like: apple slices, cheese and crackers, a juice box. No junk food during the test. It will just crank you up and make it hard to relax.

xo

me

pps – Simon likes to be petted. Simon LOVES to be petted – even more than he likes to play and eat!

Judging by the size of the puddles in our playground, maybe it should be called “April Bath!” Kids are getting wet feet (and more) so if you would like to send an extra pair of socks to school until our playground dries up, please do. Kids can keep them in their lockers.

MATH ALERT!

We have started times tables in math. Kids need to memorize skip counting by 3′s up to 33. These are also the products of our times tables. Here are some ideas for you to practise at home:

* play patty-cakes and you skip count from 0 to 33

* go for a walk and skip count by 3′s

* jumping jacks or skip rope skip counting

* write out the numbers in order using different colours

* make a connect the dots pictures using only the multiples of 3 (skip count). Say the numbers in order as you connect them

When you combine some action with the times tables, it helps transfer information into long-term memory storage in the brain.

We will be having math drills this week to practise our 3x math facts.

When you master it forwards, skip count backwards!

Next week, it’s 4′s!

I have added a new math link (Explorer from the Learn Alberta site). Please try it out and let me know if it’s a good one. You may need a login name and password to enter into Learn Alberta. Hold your cursor over the link on this blog and what you need should pop up. Learn Alberta is a great site for all grades and subjects. It is also an excellent on-line reference centre for research. Have a look!

I have also added a Science link. Wonderville.ca has connections to Alberta Science curriculum games, videos and activities at all grade levels. It’s a great site for kids and parents, if you are travelling for extended periods of time, if you want to keep up with what your kids are learning, or if you child needs something to do on a rainy day. Let me know what you think of this site, also.

TTFN,

Ms. Moleski

It’s almost spring break! We are all looking forward to a good rest after a very busy second term. The interviews were very successful – lots of talking about our great kids. Report cards went home March 21. Did you see it? Check your child’s backpack, locker or desk. Or ask me!
And check out the new photos on our Art page!
See you in April.
Have a wonderful and restful 2 week holiday with your family.
Love from, Ms. Moleski

Wow! It’s been a month since I have updated this blog. Quite a bit has happened in the last month including Parent Teacher Kid Meetings. It was so nice to see you all there! All lot of talking (and listening) happened – report cards will follow soon.

Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Hopefully it brought a little more love (and a bit more sweets) into everyone’s life. Here are some photos of our Valentines Zoo animals. Do you see something you recognize?

 
A Little Love! on PhotoPeach

Just this week we had our Science in Motion program. What a fun-filled and fantastic lesson we had! Would you like to see what we did and read about what we thought? Go to our Science page RIGHT NOW! 

‘Bye for now!

3rd Ski Day on PhotoPeach

Thank you to Mr. Woytuck and the Parents for organizing our Grade 3 Ski Day. Just look at these photos and see what a success it has been so far!
Only one day left . . .
2nd Ski Day Part 1 on PhotoPeach

2nd Ski Day Part 1 on PhotoPeach

Please check your original letter and schedule to find out when the LAST ski day REALLY is – I thought it was the 9th, but I could well be mistaken! I will let the kids know for sure at school. Enjoy the next slide show!
2nd Ski Day Part 2 on PhotoPeach

Our Grade 3 Rock Trade show was a great success. We showed off our rock collections and traded information and ideas about rocks. We had many student and adult customers for most of the afternoon. Check out our Science page to see what we thought.

Check out the Math page for information about our current Math units: Telling Time and Counting Money. There are some new photos for you to see there as well as an outline of the learning goals. We will be having Math assessments next week on these units. Hmmmm . . . can you tell report cards are on their way?

Ski Day! on PhotoPeach

What do Grade 3′s Think of Ski Day?

Angus:

Powder Day!!

My day was outrageous! My group did Black diamonds and double Black Diamonds. I felt like I was skiing on a cloud. We did that for a while. It was such a blast!

Madi:

When I was on a double Black Diamond run, the snow was so deep! It was stupendous but hard. I still had fun.

Adi:

Fantastically, I was skiing so fast that it was like I was in a car! My instructor is a good ski leader. He does jumps and backwards skiing.  We went on the bunny hill and turned left and right. We went on the Magic Carpet.

Devan:

Devan’s Ski Day

Today was the best ski day I ever had! Surprisingly, we went on the North American! Alex did a face plant and then he rolled on to his head and then fell over. Suprisingly, there was so much snow that when it looked like you were going to go on a mogul, you went right through it.

Kenzie:

Stupendous Skiing

Today was marvellous! Iwent skiing in level six.  Normally, I went on North American.  It was very tricky.  Clearly, it was double Black Diamond.  Amazingly, there was so much powdery snow that it felt as if we were skiing on a cloud.  The reason I like skiing is because it feels like you have really long feet that are slippery and go really fast down the hill!  Usually, I go skiing with my ski-crazy family.  This ski day was one the best ski days I’ve ever ever had.  During skiing down the big hill, my brain swirledwith questions like “I wonder what Katie is doing?” and ” I wonder what lift we will do next?” and lots of thoughts like that.  I can’t believe I actually made it down.  Obviously, my instructor’s name is Jordan. Well, I think it is.  It was the best day, yet.  

Hoshino:

I was excited to go skiing. When I skied the hill, it was fun but when I went into the deep snow I got stuck in it! I thought that I can’t get out by myself. Actually, I did it by myself! I skied with Madi, Tanzin, and Megan. I wanted to ski with my mom, but she did not know where I was. It was wonderful skiing. 

Katie:

Skiing in the Morning

My morning was absolutely astonishing!  Both of the Gr. 3 classes went skiing up at Mt. Norquay.  It was my very first time going skiing.  Quinn, Adi, Jason and I were all in one group. We learned how to turn from side to side, how to do a stop and we also got to go on the Margic Carpet.  I had a lot of fun!

Ava:

A Dead Awesome Day

Today was the first day of ski lessons with the class. It was amazing. Norquay had so much powder, it was brilliant! There were huge moguls and one big ditch. It was stupendous.  My instructor was Gordon.  He was a lot of fun.  And that was my dead awesome day.

Alex:

The Great Ski Team

Amazingly, we went skiing today.  We had so much fun. I did a face plant in the snow and it was so cold! But it was great.

What a terrific first ski day we had in Grade 3. Mount Norquay was just perfect for our adventure. Parents had the students ready with equipment, snacks, warm clothes and big smiles on their faces. Some of us were excited, some nervous and all were wondering how it would turn out! Well, it couldn’t have been better. Just take a look for yourself!

Well, that was a busy week back at school! I am amazed by the amount of work we got down! Some parents may be surprised that kids brought Math or Language Arts homework home on Friday (kids were not surprised . . . ). I will not usually send stuff home for the weekend in Grade Three, however, I did not want to carry these assignments over into next week. We have been working on this stuff for long enough and we have “bigger fish to fry”. (That is a metaphor, I think!).  Next week we will be finishing up our holiday stories, starting our autobiography project, moving onto to making change up to $20 (please practise that at home a little every night using either real money or ixl.math) and telling time. We will also start a new keyboarding program that will be our primary program. It’s called Typing Pal and there is a link to it on this page. This link will become “live” on Monday – kids will receive their passwords and will start working on their speed and accuracy. The program tracks words per minute and errors. When a student reaches the standard (pass) he or she will be allowed to move onto the next lesson. There is a pre-test, and then a test after each unit. Kids are encouraged to work on this program at home and they will be allowed to progress at their own rate. If they pass a lesson at home, they won’t have to re-do it at school unless they want to increase there wpm (words per minute rate). It’s a really good program. Dance Mat will still be available as a change-up, but it’s not my preferred program because it doesn’t require a minimum standard to progress. However, the games are great! I hope kids will use both programs.

Coming home: a letter about our downhill ski program! Watch for it in your kids backpack early next week. We will need parent volunteers (not a bad gig, eh?) and permission forms signed.

Has anyone seen Lorna?

See you Monday!

Love, Ms. Moleski