Week Beginning 17th JanuaryWith the school closure on Monday and the online learning day on Tuesday, this week has been unusual! Thank you for your support and flexibility. The children have done an excellent job of transitioning from home learning to school. Well done, G3B!
Writing We have looked at ways to begin our reports with facts, questions and descriptions. We read examples of writers who successfully hooked their readers in, and we had a go at writing our own lead sentences and introduction paragraphs. Maths We have been applying our multiplication fluency skills to problem solving and reasoning tasks. Science This week, we planned and carried out in investigation to see how much water a sponge could absorb. We then learned the difference between opinions and evidence, and talked about why it is important to collect data to support our claims. Reading This week we have been 'talking to our texts' and thinking about ways to respond to the work we are reading. Next Friday we have our science field trip. More details to come! ________________________________________________________________________________________________________Happy New Year!Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful break. It was great to be back in class, and the children all returned ready to learn!
Writing We reviewed text structures and had a go at using them in our writing before writing the first draft of our information reports. This time, we are typing them so we can make edits next week. Maths We came to the end of our chapter on the times tables, and we reviewed the skills we covered last term before carrying out the end of unit test on Friday. Reading In reading we have been thinking about how we select the non-fiction books we want to read by considering our interests. We then carried out cross-text synthesis by comparing two books on the same topic and identifying similarities and differences between the information presented in them. Science We began the year with our new topic: Weather and Water. This week we considered why, after a rain, some areas of a playground are wet while others are not. We carried out an investigation and learned that different materials either absorb water or water formed beads on their surfaces. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________Week Beginning December 6th
Maths
This week we have been identifying patterns in the multiplication table and looking at different multiplication properties (see the image below). We played a game applying our knowledge of the multiplication tables, and began thinking about how to use multiplication facts to help us with division. Writing
We have been applying our new-found paraphrasing skills to note-taking for our own research reports. We used books and websites to find facts and information, organizing our notes into the subtopics we chose when creating contents pages for our informational texts. Reading We looked at how readers can learn from information texts with different text structures- the way a text is written or built, and searched for 'signal words' which help us identify the text structure. Science This week we wrapped up our 'motion and matter' unit with the end of unit test. Please see your child's iPad for a photo of their grade. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________Week Beginning November 29thMaths
Continuing with our unit about the multiplication tables, we have been looking at the 6,7,8 and 9 times tables. We have been learning how they are repeated addition, how we can use skip counting, and how we can use arrays and area models to show how unknown times tables contain known times tables facts which we can use, for example: 9x9 = 10 x 9 - 1 x 9. Writing In writing we have been looking at ways non fiction writers organize their texts. We created a contents page and saw how it is like a map for our non fiction work. We also learned that the order sometimes makes a big difference, for example if we are writing about a moment in history or a person's life, and sometimes the order is simply up to the writer. We also learned that we can't copy someone else's words and use them as our own- that is plagiarism. Instead, we need to paraphrase. Reading Readers teach each other what they have learned by identifying the main idea and supporting details of our texts, then using gestures and a 'teaching voice' to share what we have learned from our reading. We have also been keeping track of our thoughts as we read so we can tackle texts with increasing complexity. Science This week in science we designed tops, and learned about systems which spin on an axis. We then learned about what engineers do. We were given an engineering problem: how to design a cart which would roll, and stop at the end of a table without falling off. We then applied what we have learned so far about how to change the motion of a system to design our carts, build prototypes, test them out and finally evaluate and redesign them. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________Week Beginning November 22ndThis week in homeroom:
Maths We completed our unit on subtraction within 10,000 and carried out the end of unit assessments. Your child has taken a photo of their grade on their iPad so please have a look! We then started the next unit, looking at the multiplication tables. We are beginning to understand different ways of looking at multiplication including memorizing them for speedy recall, understanding them in terms of repeated addition, groups of quantities, and we are looking at how we can use known multiplication facts to work out others. Writing Using mentor texts, we have been analysing the features of non fiction texts such as subheadings, facts, quotes, expert words and information as anecdotes. We are using different methods to generate ideas for a text we would like to write, and understanding that, as writers, we are experts on a subject and are writing with the purpose of teaching our readers. Reading We have been continuing our November assessments whilst working on comprehension and inferential skills related to informational texts. Science This week we planned and carried out an investigation related to the motion of a system. We learned what a variable is, and that to conduct a fair test we need to change one variable whilst keeping everything else the same. Groups identified the variable they wanted to change and thought about what they would need to do to measure the outcome of their experiment. They made predictions based on the knowledge they have acquired so far about motion and forces, then tested these out. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Arisa
Emma B Guilhermina Jaden Kina Mahana Mateus Mia |
Oliver
Osuke Saya Seiga Seo Sophie Taishi Timothy |
Welcome to third grade! I hope you have all had a wonderful summer break, and are as excited about the new school year as I am. I am writing to introduce myself, and give you a bit of information about the new school year.
My name is Callie Wood, and this is my third year at UST. Prior to moving to Japan I taught in the UK for 8 years across elementary school, but mostly in the equivalent of G2 and G3. I’ll give you a bit more information about my background and experience at the meet the teacher session next week!
This year, G3B’s classroom is on the 6th floor. Class begins at 8:30 promptly so please send your child into school no later than 8:25 to give them time to make their way up the stairs and get themselves oriented and ready for the school day. Students that arrive after 8:30 will be marked as late.
School Essentials
*please label all items with your child's name
Classroom equipment
In G3, children will not be sharing pencils, erasers and rulers. Please supply your child with a pencil case which contains:
iPads
All elementary students from G3 are required to have iPads with Bluetooth keyboards to use in the classroom. Logitech keyboards seem to be the most popular and easy to use. Please provide your children with an iPad no more than two years old to ensure compatibility with school apps and devices. Children can keep them at school (to ensure safety) or bring them home every day. We recommend that you invest in a durable/shockproof case to prevent any damage. Students must bring their iPads to school on the first day.
PE Uniforms
G3B students will need to wear their P.E. uniform to school every Tuesday and Friday.
I am looking forward to meeting the new class on Monday, and to meeting you all at the meet the teacher morning on Saturday, September 4th. I will be sending an email out confirming the time and zoom details for the meeting soon.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
My name is Callie Wood, and this is my third year at UST. Prior to moving to Japan I taught in the UK for 8 years across elementary school, but mostly in the equivalent of G2 and G3. I’ll give you a bit more information about my background and experience at the meet the teacher session next week!
This year, G3B’s classroom is on the 6th floor. Class begins at 8:30 promptly so please send your child into school no later than 8:25 to give them time to make their way up the stairs and get themselves oriented and ready for the school day. Students that arrive after 8:30 will be marked as late.
School Essentials
*please label all items with your child's name
- water bottle with a strap
- lunch box with utensils (or just utensils if you use lunch delivery)
- indoor shoes (no slippers or crocs, please)
- comfortable school shoes (since children play and do PE outside a lot, school shoes must be appropriate for sports; toes should be covered and the shoe should hug the foot securely to avoid injuries. Sandals, crocs, flip-flops are not allowed.). If your children do not know how to tie their shoe laces, please have them wear velcro shoes.
- sun hat
- mosquito spray
Classroom equipment
In G3, children will not be sharing pencils, erasers and rulers. Please supply your child with a pencil case which contains:
- Pencils (HB please!)
- Erasers
- highlighters
- 30cm ruler
iPads
All elementary students from G3 are required to have iPads with Bluetooth keyboards to use in the classroom. Logitech keyboards seem to be the most popular and easy to use. Please provide your children with an iPad no more than two years old to ensure compatibility with school apps and devices. Children can keep them at school (to ensure safety) or bring them home every day. We recommend that you invest in a durable/shockproof case to prevent any damage. Students must bring their iPads to school on the first day.
PE Uniforms
G3B students will need to wear their P.E. uniform to school every Tuesday and Friday.
I am looking forward to meeting the new class on Monday, and to meeting you all at the meet the teacher morning on Saturday, September 4th. I will be sending an email out confirming the time and zoom details for the meeting soon.
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Previous posts
2020-2021 School Year
20th June 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
Writing - the children breathed a well earned sign of relief when they finished their final unit of writing this week (don't worry, there will be plenty more activities for them over the next week and a half!). They have been planning, drafting and editing persuasive letters to convince people to do various different things and it has been wonderful to watch them use everything they have learned throughout the year to compose some fantastic writing! I have really let them work totally independently this time and the results have really impressed me. I am confident that a very strong group of writers are making their way up to Grade 4!
Maths - another subject in which we finished our last official unit (although there is one last BIG assessment to prepare for next week!). So in the last month children have covered time, bar graphs, line plots, angles and polygons - which is very impressive! All that's left is for us to prepare for our end of the year test, which will feature a little bit of everything! To help revise, next week's homework will feature some reminders of the key facts from each unit to look over.
Social Studies - the class have been learning about environmental disasters and how we can deal with them (the Exxon Valdez spill and air pollution in Los Angeles amongst others). We discussed environmental issues closer to home and discussed different ways these things can be avoided in the future. Finally the children took a short assessment to share what they learned!
Spelling Bee - the finals of the Spelling Bee were held today and the victorious student from the G2 and G3 bracket was....Ian from G3A. Well done to Sayu and Daniel for representing G3B so well (they knew ALL of the spellings and it had to go to a tie breaker using the G4-6 words!)
Summer Reading Challenge - I sent an email this afternoon regarding the UST summer reading challenge. I highly recommend that children take part in this as a way of giving their free reading time some structure. It is, of course, completely optional, but there is the chance of winning prizes!
End of Year Concert - please keep an eye on your emails regarding the Concert, as there are dress codes to adhere to and song lyrics to memorize for many! Any chance the children get to practice will be very appreciated by the school and especially Ms Erin!
That is all for this week - we are very close to the finish line this year, with only one more full week of school and the last three days after that! If you have any questions or concerns about your child's transition to Grade 4 or how to keep them busy over the summer - please let me know!
Until next week....
Take care!
Mr Morris
Writing - the children breathed a well earned sign of relief when they finished their final unit of writing this week (don't worry, there will be plenty more activities for them over the next week and a half!). They have been planning, drafting and editing persuasive letters to convince people to do various different things and it has been wonderful to watch them use everything they have learned throughout the year to compose some fantastic writing! I have really let them work totally independently this time and the results have really impressed me. I am confident that a very strong group of writers are making their way up to Grade 4!
Maths - another subject in which we finished our last official unit (although there is one last BIG assessment to prepare for next week!). So in the last month children have covered time, bar graphs, line plots, angles and polygons - which is very impressive! All that's left is for us to prepare for our end of the year test, which will feature a little bit of everything! To help revise, next week's homework will feature some reminders of the key facts from each unit to look over.
Social Studies - the class have been learning about environmental disasters and how we can deal with them (the Exxon Valdez spill and air pollution in Los Angeles amongst others). We discussed environmental issues closer to home and discussed different ways these things can be avoided in the future. Finally the children took a short assessment to share what they learned!
Spelling Bee - the finals of the Spelling Bee were held today and the victorious student from the G2 and G3 bracket was....Ian from G3A. Well done to Sayu and Daniel for representing G3B so well (they knew ALL of the spellings and it had to go to a tie breaker using the G4-6 words!)
Summer Reading Challenge - I sent an email this afternoon regarding the UST summer reading challenge. I highly recommend that children take part in this as a way of giving their free reading time some structure. It is, of course, completely optional, but there is the chance of winning prizes!
End of Year Concert - please keep an eye on your emails regarding the Concert, as there are dress codes to adhere to and song lyrics to memorize for many! Any chance the children get to practice will be very appreciated by the school and especially Ms Erin!
That is all for this week - we are very close to the finish line this year, with only one more full week of school and the last three days after that! If you have any questions or concerns about your child's transition to Grade 4 or how to keep them busy over the summer - please let me know!
Until next week....
Take care!
Mr Morris
11th June 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
Please enjoy this week's update below.
Writing - the children began to prepare and write their final persuasive letters. They have been tasked with persuading someone to give them something (it could be asking you for a brand new games console or asking the Prime Minister to create a National Pizza Day!) and they have until next week to show how much of our persuasive writing unit they have absorbed. This will be our final writing unit of the year, so it is really important they show their best independent skills!
Math - the children completed their unit on Bar Graphs and Line Plots (shortly after beginning it!) and all showed a good understanding of this. I have encouraged them to spend their free time drawing bar graphs if they choose (I always used to really enjoy these as a child, especially when there was colour!), so maybe some home surveys could be in order over the summer to see the family's most regularly consumed drink?
Social Studies - this week we learned more about the state and federal governments and completed our assessment on this. We also started our next unit on Protecting the Environment. Children will be thinking about ways we can encourage the world to be more responsible and how these things can impact us.
Spelling Bee Results - after our in class test, we found our two candidates for this years spelling bee and they are Daniel and Sayu!!
Science Fair - we had some great experiments to observe for the Science fair and it was a joy to start watching them. No doubt we will continue to observe them as we move through the next week - but it was wonderful to see the collaboration between children and parents. I hope next year we can have a mixture of entertaining videos and real life Science Fair projects!
Please enjoy your weekend!
Mr Morris
Please enjoy this week's update below.
Writing - the children began to prepare and write their final persuasive letters. They have been tasked with persuading someone to give them something (it could be asking you for a brand new games console or asking the Prime Minister to create a National Pizza Day!) and they have until next week to show how much of our persuasive writing unit they have absorbed. This will be our final writing unit of the year, so it is really important they show their best independent skills!
Math - the children completed their unit on Bar Graphs and Line Plots (shortly after beginning it!) and all showed a good understanding of this. I have encouraged them to spend their free time drawing bar graphs if they choose (I always used to really enjoy these as a child, especially when there was colour!), so maybe some home surveys could be in order over the summer to see the family's most regularly consumed drink?
Social Studies - this week we learned more about the state and federal governments and completed our assessment on this. We also started our next unit on Protecting the Environment. Children will be thinking about ways we can encourage the world to be more responsible and how these things can impact us.
Spelling Bee Results - after our in class test, we found our two candidates for this years spelling bee and they are Daniel and Sayu!!
Science Fair - we had some great experiments to observe for the Science fair and it was a joy to start watching them. No doubt we will continue to observe them as we move through the next week - but it was wonderful to see the collaboration between children and parents. I hope next year we can have a mixture of entertaining videos and real life Science Fair projects!
Please enjoy your weekend!
Mr Morris
4th June 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3b!
This week has been pretty action-packed including a trip to the zoo, students departing for the year and lots of fantastic writing!
Read on to find out more.
Zoorasia Trip: As a tie up to our Science Unit on animals and their behaviours, the students visited Zoorasia on Friday. The zoo is a wonderful (and huge) destination and while we saw so much interesting behaviour, we did not quite have time to see all of the animals. There was a lot of walking and I'm sure the children returned home exhausted on Thursday afternoon! This will be our last field trip of the year.
Maths: In Math, the class finished their unit on Time, but hopefully will not stop practicing this. In many cases children have become much more capable of reading the time and working out elapsed time, however it is a skill that should be practiced regularly. Any opportunities you can find to let the children practice will be helpful, as it is unlikely they will have formal learning in this subject again until later in Grade 4. Like money, it is a an area I believe children can always be working on.
Moving on, we began our next (short) unit on Line Plots and Bar Graphs which will see children both collecting and interpreting data. I always find this unit a lot of fun and so far the children seem to agree. Rulers are absolutely essential for this activity, so please remind your children to always pack them!
Writing: The class finished writing their persuasive letters to the class's chairs this week and I am pleased to say that after editing and revising their work, the chairs are happy to come back! This has been a wonderful unit so far and the children have really excelled in it, utilising lots of new grammar and also using the things we have been practicing all year. There will be one more piece of formally assessed writing and then I can pretty confidently say everyone will be ready for Grade 4!
Social Studies: This week we have been learning about local governments (mostly focusing on U.S examples) and how the different departments of public officials help their citizens.
Science Fair: Remember - next Wednesday, we will be expecting to see children's videos for the Science Fair to be uploaded to Flipgrid. If anyone is experiencing any problems with this, please follow the instructions below:
Here are the directions for signing your child into flipgrid.
In order to upload video clips:
Finally, I announce that our beloved classmate, Mahinatea has departed for the rest of term. Don't worry - she will be back to rejoin school next year, but we were all very sad to see her leave. Fingers crossed we will see Tea on Zoom and maybe at the concert if things work out well!
That's all from me for this week, so please go and enjoy yourselves!
Have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
This week has been pretty action-packed including a trip to the zoo, students departing for the year and lots of fantastic writing!
Read on to find out more.
Zoorasia Trip: As a tie up to our Science Unit on animals and their behaviours, the students visited Zoorasia on Friday. The zoo is a wonderful (and huge) destination and while we saw so much interesting behaviour, we did not quite have time to see all of the animals. There was a lot of walking and I'm sure the children returned home exhausted on Thursday afternoon! This will be our last field trip of the year.
Maths: In Math, the class finished their unit on Time, but hopefully will not stop practicing this. In many cases children have become much more capable of reading the time and working out elapsed time, however it is a skill that should be practiced regularly. Any opportunities you can find to let the children practice will be helpful, as it is unlikely they will have formal learning in this subject again until later in Grade 4. Like money, it is a an area I believe children can always be working on.
Moving on, we began our next (short) unit on Line Plots and Bar Graphs which will see children both collecting and interpreting data. I always find this unit a lot of fun and so far the children seem to agree. Rulers are absolutely essential for this activity, so please remind your children to always pack them!
Writing: The class finished writing their persuasive letters to the class's chairs this week and I am pleased to say that after editing and revising their work, the chairs are happy to come back! This has been a wonderful unit so far and the children have really excelled in it, utilising lots of new grammar and also using the things we have been practicing all year. There will be one more piece of formally assessed writing and then I can pretty confidently say everyone will be ready for Grade 4!
Social Studies: This week we have been learning about local governments (mostly focusing on U.S examples) and how the different departments of public officials help their citizens.
Science Fair: Remember - next Wednesday, we will be expecting to see children's videos for the Science Fair to be uploaded to Flipgrid. If anyone is experiencing any problems with this, please follow the instructions below:
Here are the directions for signing your child into flipgrid.
- Go to: https://flipgrid.com/244aaf2a
- Enter in: FirstnameLastname where firstname and lastname are replaced with your child's name and surname (for example, if I were a student, my login would be AndyMorris)
In order to upload video clips:
- Click record a response
- There should be an options button, next to the flip option.
- Click options and select upload a clip.
- There is a 500 MB limit per clip, but students can upload multiple clips to flipgrid and put them together.
- Alternatively, if the video is quite long, flipgrid recommends using https://convert-video-online.com/ to convert the video to a smaller size, and then upload.
Finally, I announce that our beloved classmate, Mahinatea has departed for the rest of term. Don't worry - she will be back to rejoin school next year, but we were all very sad to see her leave. Fingers crossed we will see Tea on Zoom and maybe at the concert if things work out well!
That's all from me for this week, so please go and enjoy yourselves!
Have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
28th May 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3b!
The week started so sunny and promising that I really thought we would be enjoying the sights of Zoorasia on Thursday. Sadly, the rain dampened our chances (if not our spirits) and we have had to postpone until next week. The good news is, we managed to really focus on our classwork and made some great strides towards the end of term - read on to find out more!
Maths
This week we carried on with time and moved onto Elapsed Time (the time that passes between the start and end of something). Some of the children have struggled a little with this concept, but on Thursday we had the chance to work on it in a bit more detail and it seems to be sinking in more. Let's say we wanted to find how much time had elapsed from 9:43am and 12:22pm.
Social Studies
We returned to Social Studies this week (bye bye Science!) by looking at different public services (education, police, health care, transport, parks and fire fighting). We learned about what these do, how we pay for them with taxes and also voted for which we thought was the most important. I'm delighted to say that Grade 3B believe education is the most important public service!
Writing
This week we learned a few new persuasive devices. First of all, we discussed rhetorical questions (questions that require no answer) and why wouldn't we??? Ahem, excuse that poor attempt at humour! Rhetorical questions are a great way to get your reader's attention and make them think about what you want.
In addition to this, we learned how to use some familiar words and phrases in different ways to help us improve the flow of our writing and link our paragraphs together. Words and phrases like, "First of all", "Secondly", "Furthermore" etc. help the reader understand the order of importance and link all the sentences and paragraphs together more clearly. They also help us orient ourselves within the context of the letter.
After this, we began to write letters to the chairs of G3B, hopefully persuading them to stay! More than one child has told me that they feel very proud of what they have written so far, which I am delighted to hear from our final writing unit. It has been a fantastic year for writing and I am absolutely confident that the whole class is moving on from me ready to write in Grade 4!
Reading
As we are reaching the end of the year, I have begun children's final reading assessments. These will be the last level check we do and I am pleased to report that they are going wonderfully so far. As soon as I know your child's level, I will inform both them and you to help them continue to choose appropriate books!
Other News
That is all for this week - please have a wonderful weekend!
The week started so sunny and promising that I really thought we would be enjoying the sights of Zoorasia on Thursday. Sadly, the rain dampened our chances (if not our spirits) and we have had to postpone until next week. The good news is, we managed to really focus on our classwork and made some great strides towards the end of term - read on to find out more!
Maths
This week we carried on with time and moved onto Elapsed Time (the time that passes between the start and end of something). Some of the children have struggled a little with this concept, but on Thursday we had the chance to work on it in a bit more detail and it seems to be sinking in more. Let's say we wanted to find how much time had elapsed from 9:43am and 12:22pm.
- Draw a timeline and write the start time (9:43am) and the end time (12:22pm) at either end of it.
- Work out how many minutes there are between the start time (9:43am) and the next O'clock (10:00). We can work this out by subtracting the minutes in the start time from 60. 60 - 43 = 17. So there are 17 minutes between 9:43 and 10:00.
- Then find the nearest O'clock to the end time, in this case 12:00pm.
- Work out how many minutes there are between the end time and the nearest O'Clock - 12:00pm to 12:22pm is 22 minutes
- Then work out how many hours you can skip between 10:00am and 12:00pm (2 hours)
- Finally add all your minutes and hours together: 2 hours and 39 minutes!
Social Studies
We returned to Social Studies this week (bye bye Science!) by looking at different public services (education, police, health care, transport, parks and fire fighting). We learned about what these do, how we pay for them with taxes and also voted for which we thought was the most important. I'm delighted to say that Grade 3B believe education is the most important public service!
Writing
This week we learned a few new persuasive devices. First of all, we discussed rhetorical questions (questions that require no answer) and why wouldn't we??? Ahem, excuse that poor attempt at humour! Rhetorical questions are a great way to get your reader's attention and make them think about what you want.
In addition to this, we learned how to use some familiar words and phrases in different ways to help us improve the flow of our writing and link our paragraphs together. Words and phrases like, "First of all", "Secondly", "Furthermore" etc. help the reader understand the order of importance and link all the sentences and paragraphs together more clearly. They also help us orient ourselves within the context of the letter.
After this, we began to write letters to the chairs of G3B, hopefully persuading them to stay! More than one child has told me that they feel very proud of what they have written so far, which I am delighted to hear from our final writing unit. It has been a fantastic year for writing and I am absolutely confident that the whole class is moving on from me ready to write in Grade 4!
Reading
As we are reaching the end of the year, I have begun children's final reading assessments. These will be the last level check we do and I am pleased to report that they are going wonderfully so far. As soon as I know your child's level, I will inform both them and you to help them continue to choose appropriate books!
Other News
- The class have been fantastic in looking after our injured classmate, Olivia, who is currently on crutches. I must particularly single out Emma Inglis, who has acted as an assistant to Olivia all week and really showed the value of friendship! Please remind your children that we need to be extra careful in the classroom and to respect Olivia and her crutches at all times!
- Sarah has emerged as the class's new entertainment guru and has been regaling us with improvised songs and theatre throughout the week. I would recommend getting her autograph now before she get signed up by a major label or agency!
- In the Science Fair, your children should be at the stage where they are carrying out their experiments and recording them this week (editing will come later), so please offer what support you can to our budding professors!
- The bugs and piercing sunlight have descended upon us (with the exception of Thursday!), so if I can recommend that children attend school in light clothing, with bug spray and also with sun lotion for the remainder of term.
- Japanese teachers have informed me that some of the children are changing their name on Seesaw, which makes it very difficult for the teachers to organise their classes. Therefore children must just input their actual first name and last name on their Seesaw accounts e.g. Andrew Morris
That is all for this week - please have a wonderful weekend!
21st May 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3b!
We started two new units this week while unfortunately spending a lot of time indoors hiding from the rain!
That's it for this week - if you have any queries about anything mentioned, please do not hesitate to ask!
Mr Morris
We started two new units this week while unfortunately spending a lot of time indoors hiding from the rain!
- Maths - we completed our unit on Area and Perimeter this week and while it is important to remember to add the right units to our answers, on the whole children did very well! Next up, we will be studying time, so as previously mentioned any chances to read clocks will be very helpful. This week we have already talked about the language of "to" (as in 1:55 is 5 minutes to 2) and "past" (as in 8:10 is ten minutes past 8). We will also look at converting hours to minutes (e.g. 1 hr 30 mins = 90 mins or 240 mins = 3 hrs)
- Writing - Our new unit is all about persuasion and we began this week by reading "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Dewalt. In the book, a child's crayons "quit" and send him letters explaining why. The next day in class, the children came back from lunch only to find out that their chairs had quit (see pictures below!). While the class managed to persuade them to come back temporarily, they are going to have to work hard to prepare the chairs to stay for good, so we are learning all the persuasive techniques we can! We got off to a great start by learning some new grammar - modal verbs and adverbs. These all describe the likelihood or possibility of things, for example: will, might, could, should (verbs) and unlikely, possibly, definitely (verbs). These will help the children express their ideas and make strong arguments! We also had a game of "Would You Rather..." before writing paragraphs about a choice (e.g. would you rather have a never ending block of chocolate or a never ending packet of chips?). Next week, we will be learning even more!
- Science - we learned about the human skeleton and continued to discuss our science fair projects in class. We will be moving on to our Social Studies Units from next week.
- Reading - our focus book this week was "The Great Kapok Tree" and the children learned about the value of the Amazon Rainforest, but also about the idea of dream sequences in stories and how they can affect whether it is a fiction story or a realistic fiction. We will be assessing reading in class in the coming month, so I am optimistic that the extra preparation we are doing now will really pay off!
- Science Fair - Many of these have been signed off by yourselves and me, so it will be great to start seeing them in action! Children need to continue working on these next week, particularly their hypothesis (what they think will happen). Please check your children's Science Fair Pack to make sure they are not falling behind as this is a project they are asked to complete in their own time.
- Field Trip - Next week we have our field trip to Zoorasia on Thursday 27th of May. At the moment, this all still stands (weather permitting). On the day children need to wear a UST P.E t-shirt, comfortable trousers and bug spray and bring a packed lunch and a water bottle. Depending on weather, sunscreen and hats may also be advised.
That's it for this week - if you have any queries about anything mentioned, please do not hesitate to ask!
Mr Morris
14th May 2021
Good afternoon parents of G3b!
It has been a week of mixed weather and hard work, but we still managed to make time for an impromptu squatting endurance test in front of the school and to have many laughs as ever! There are a lot of exciting things going on between here and the end of term, so please read on to keep yourself up to date!
That's all for this week folks - have a great weekend!
It has been a week of mixed weather and hard work, but we still managed to make time for an impromptu squatting endurance test in front of the school and to have many laughs as ever! There are a lot of exciting things going on between here and the end of term, so please read on to keep yourself up to date!
- Science Fair - You will all have received an email regarding this and your children should have brought home their Science Fair Pack. This week, the children should be focusing on picking an area of Science they want to focus on and using the Science Buddies website to find inspiration for an investigation. Once they have done this, they need to check it with you and get it signed off - it would be wonderful if this was something you could set aside a bit of time this weekend for.
- Science Trips - as you know, the trip to Shinagawa Aquarium that was scheduled for next week has been cancelled due to the State of Emergency. At this stage, the trip to Zoorasia is still planned, so if you are yet to send in payment, it will now just be 700 Yen.
- Writing - this week the children have been writing personal narratives about Golden Week for their final narrative assessment. They have independently planned, drafted and revised their work and this will make up the major share of their grade for Narrative Writing.
- Reading - We read a book called "One Green Apple" which focuses on a child who has moved to a new school, but is unable to speak the same language as he peers. We used this text as the basis for our week's lessons where we discussed "Social Problems".
- Maths (Area and Perimeter) - as we approach the end of this unit, the children have been learning about perimeter (the total length of a shape or figure) and solving problems involving both perimeter and area. The main things that children need to remember are: 1) write the correct unit of measurement (cm, m, in, or ft and add a squared symbol when working out area) 2) area = length x width (the formula for area) 3) perimeter is the total length around the outside of a shape. Some of the children have forgotten a few of these things in recent lessons, so reminders would be helpful to them!
- Spelling Bee - This year's Spelling Bee is coming and any children that have decided to take part will need to be practicing the 100 spelling words for their Grade group. I have added the lists to this weeks photo slideshow for any children who want to take part.
That's all for this week folks - have a great weekend!
A short, but Golden Week for UST!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
Unsurprisingly, the three days of this week have flown by and here we are once again at the end of a week! From tomorrow we will be having a week away from school and hopefully some opportunities to enjoy the outdoor and time with our families.
This week we have continued with our work on Area and Perimeter, edited and revised our narratives in Writing and learned about animal adaptations in Science. All of these subjects will be continuing after Golden Week...
Useful Information
Field Trips - As circumstances are still unclear regarding the State of Emergency and admission to zoos and aquariums, I am still not confident to advise whether or not our field trips will be occurring next month. As such, I am holding off on selecting parent helpers for the time being. Please watch this space and naturally if things are unable to occur, all money will be returned.
Homework - over Golden Week I will be sending some activities for children to complete. I anticipate people having to spend quite a bit of time indoors over this break, so hopefully these will help keep your children busy.
First of all, there are a collection of maths activities relating to time - none of these are particularly arduous (a video, some ipad games and a short collection of activities for their math book), but they will really help familiarise children with analog time as we move into that unit next.
In addition to this, children will be bringing home their journals to take notes of any interesting activities that they take part in during Golden Week - this will be in preparation for their next piece of narrative writing.
Finally, there will be reading for Science which will be located on Seesaw, alongside all the other activities.
I will not be checking my emails over Golden Week, so if there are any issues with the homework we will deal with them when we return next week (as it is due on Friday) - however, I do not anticipate any of these tasks being too challenging for the class!
That's all from me - stay safe and have a great Golden Week!
Unsurprisingly, the three days of this week have flown by and here we are once again at the end of a week! From tomorrow we will be having a week away from school and hopefully some opportunities to enjoy the outdoor and time with our families.
This week we have continued with our work on Area and Perimeter, edited and revised our narratives in Writing and learned about animal adaptations in Science. All of these subjects will be continuing after Golden Week...
Useful Information
Field Trips - As circumstances are still unclear regarding the State of Emergency and admission to zoos and aquariums, I am still not confident to advise whether or not our field trips will be occurring next month. As such, I am holding off on selecting parent helpers for the time being. Please watch this space and naturally if things are unable to occur, all money will be returned.
Homework - over Golden Week I will be sending some activities for children to complete. I anticipate people having to spend quite a bit of time indoors over this break, so hopefully these will help keep your children busy.
First of all, there are a collection of maths activities relating to time - none of these are particularly arduous (a video, some ipad games and a short collection of activities for their math book), but they will really help familiarise children with analog time as we move into that unit next.
In addition to this, children will be bringing home their journals to take notes of any interesting activities that they take part in during Golden Week - this will be in preparation for their next piece of narrative writing.
Finally, there will be reading for Science which will be located on Seesaw, alongside all the other activities.
I will not be checking my emails over Golden Week, so if there are any issues with the homework we will deal with them when we return next week (as it is due on Friday) - however, I do not anticipate any of these tasks being too challenging for the class!
That's all from me - stay safe and have a great Golden Week!
The long and short of it!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
The blistering sun has returned this week and it has been wonderful to spend some time enjoying the sun outside with the class. Naturally, as it is getting warmer, we need to think about appropriate attire for the remaining months of term. I would strongly recommend considering the following from this week onwards:
Here is what we have been up to in class this week!
Just a note before I sign off! Thank you so much to those that have sent in requests to support the upcoming field trip and also sent in payment for each trip. At the moment if I could ask everyone else to hold on before sending any more money or requests in for two reasons. First of all, there have been some changes to our booking which mean we need to request an extra 300 Yen. Secondly and more importantly, we are aware that some public places are being asked to close as a result of the State of Emergency. In light of this, I do not want to confirm anything until and will keep monitoring the situation and updating you all.
That's it for this week, just a reminder that Golden Week starts next Thursday the 29th April and the school will be closed until the following Thursday 6th May. Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun!
Mr Morris
The blistering sun has returned this week and it has been wonderful to spend some time enjoying the sun outside with the class. Naturally, as it is getting warmer, we need to think about appropriate attire for the remaining months of term. I would strongly recommend considering the following from this week onwards:
- Sunscreen
- Peaked caps
- Insect spray
- Light clothes (summer uniform)
Here is what we have been up to in class this week!
- Reading - the class is learning about social struggles in both fiction and non-fiction stories. We thought back to “Poppy” and how the villainous Owl used fear to oppress the family of mice and also read “Baseball Saved Us” to see how people can face social struggles and overcome them through sheer will. This unit of reading gives builds on our biographies unit in showing children that sometimes life can be very challenging, but that choosing to do the right thing is worth the struggle!
- Writing - this week the class spent time writing personal narratives which they developed and planned last week. Next week I’m looking forward to the children sharing their personal stories with the class and welcoming feedback and advice on how to improve them!
- Math - we learned more about Area this week and learned about square inches and centimeters. We discussed the perimeter of shapes with uneven or irregular sides and learned that the whole of the British Isles coastline is 31,000 km and that one whole “lap” of the world is only 40,000km! Mind blowing!
- Science - the children continued to observe seeds and plants and learn about how they grow and completed an assessment about the life cycles and distribution of plants. As we move on in this unit the children will be learning about animals habitats, life cycles and also exploring finger prints!
Just a note before I sign off! Thank you so much to those that have sent in requests to support the upcoming field trip and also sent in payment for each trip. At the moment if I could ask everyone else to hold on before sending any more money or requests in for two reasons. First of all, there have been some changes to our booking which mean we need to request an extra 300 Yen. Secondly and more importantly, we are aware that some public places are being asked to close as a result of the State of Emergency. In light of this, I do not want to confirm anything until and will keep monitoring the situation and updating you all.
That's it for this week, just a reminder that Golden Week starts next Thursday the 29th April and the school will be closed until the following Thursday 6th May. Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun!
Mr Morris
Return of!
Good afternoon Parents G3B,
This week the class were fully settled back into lessons and we were delighted to return to our after school activities! As we move through term 3, the children will notice that my expectations of them are very high in terms of classroom behaviour, effort and understanding across all the subjects. I always want children to be ready to progress to the next grade and while this can be challenging, it is important we build up as much momentum as possible as we move towards the summer break!
Updates:
It has been another fun week of learning - I will be doing my best to upload pictures of your children's grades for writing, math and science this week, so please keep an eye on Seesaw!
Have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
This week the class were fully settled back into lessons and we were delighted to return to our after school activities! As we move through term 3, the children will notice that my expectations of them are very high in terms of classroom behaviour, effort and understanding across all the subjects. I always want children to be ready to progress to the next grade and while this can be challenging, it is important we build up as much momentum as possible as we move towards the summer break!
Updates:
- Writing - the class polished their narrative paragraphs and began making plans for new narrative essays which we will begin next week. We also took some time to learn some exciting new conjunctions (words that join the clauses in a sentence) and tenses (past and present perfect) to help us improve our writing. I will be looking for examples of this grammar in their narrative essays.
- Maths - the children completed their unit on measurement and came through their assessments with flying colours! Next up - we will be looking at Area and Perimeter which we started on Friday afternoon. If children get the chance to measure (in footsteps) a local field of your garden to find out the perimeter (the length all the way around), that would be a great activity to solidify their understanding!
- Science - we continued to observe seeds and also learned about how they get dispersed in order to spread. Finally, we completed our end of unit quiz to see how much we learned about seeds!
- Eco Patrol - the class did a great job helping to clear waste and tidy the front of our school on Tuesday alongside Grade 3A!
It has been another fun week of learning - I will be doing my best to upload pictures of your children's grades for writing, math and science this week, so please keep an eye on Seesaw!
Have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
First Week Back!
Welcome back Grade 3B!
Everyone has returned rested and bright and ready for our final term together! We hit the ground running this week and got started with many new topics and even more excitingly for the children...NEW SEATS!
Updates:
A big thank you for attending Parent Teacher Conferences this week. It is a shame that there has been hardly any opportunity to meet in person this year, but I hope that we can somehow resolve that before the end of the term.
As ever, I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Mr Morris
Everyone has returned rested and bright and ready for our final term together! We hit the ground running this week and got started with many new topics and even more excitingly for the children...NEW SEATS!
Updates:
- Writing - this week we began our writing unit on narratives which give the children the chance to share events that they have been involved in. We discussed the importance of adding interesting details to a narrative so if your children have any questions about the weather on a certain day or what food they ate, don't be alarmed! This is one of my favorite writing units as it gives all the children a chance to share some of their life experiences and also write about what they know.
- Maths - we continued with measurement this week and the children worked on converting between liters and milliliters, then started to put what they have learned into practice using bar models to solve measurement word problems. If there are any opportunities to give children simple measurement problems at home (for example: I have 1 liter of orange juice - how much will each person get if I share it between 4 people?) this will really help. Real life experience is one of the best ways for children to understand and learn why they are learning!
- Science - the return of Science this term as we began our work on Structures of Life in which we learned about seeds, where they come from and even planted some seeds of our own!
- Reading - we focused on reading more biographies and also completing some Raz-kids assessment this week.
A big thank you for attending Parent Teacher Conferences this week. It is a shame that there has been hardly any opportunity to meet in person this year, but I hope that we can somehow resolve that before the end of the term.
As ever, I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Mr Morris
SB21!
The end of term is finally upon us! For some reason, I feel this part of the year always flies by - can you believe we are already one quarter (or fourth) of the way through 2021? The cherry blossoms have started to show which has warmed our spirits during recess this week!
Updates:
So, that's it for another term! I am very hopeful that things will be returning to normal more and more over the summer term and the children can get back to doing more of the things they remember from pre-pandemic times as we move towards Golden Week and beyond.
It has been a term of hard work and effort from all of the class and I have seen real progress and development from every one of them. They definitely deserve a break, so I wish you all a delightful and fun packed Spring Break!
See you all really soon!
Mr Morris
Updates:
- Writing - this week the children spent time publishing their research reports and we should be ready to print them soon! Look out for some examples of your child's work being emailed over the next week.
- Maths - we started a new unit on measurement of mass and volume this week, the children had the chance to predict how much things weigh, work out the most appropriate unit of measurement to measure different things and also managed to get the desks wet while exploring volume on Friday! It would be great for the children to have the chance to see kilograms and grams on packets or liter and milliliters on cartons of milk or bottles of shampoo etc.
- Reading - we wrapped up our biography unit this week and the children showed some great understanding of the likes of Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Dr. Seuss, Helen Keller and Martin Luther King Jnr amongst others! Some of the children have chosen to keep reading biographies and there are many to choose from on Razkids if they are still interested!
- Social Studies - the class had their budget party on Thursday after week's of preparation and it was a great success! The children had to decide what they really could afford and what they really wanted and did a wonderful job of sharing, decorating the classroom and even managed something I never thought possible - ping pong in a classroom! I have sent any excess budget with the children this afternoon, so remember to ask them for the 500 Yen!
- Report cards will be sent this evening and children will also have a copy of their Goals for next term to look at over the mid-term break. As part of the PTCs will involve children sharing their goals, it would be great if they could spend some time preparing these, but it would also be useful if they didn't share the Goals with you just yet, so if you could give them some "private time" to do this, that would be really helpful.
- ECAs - after the first week of Summer Term, ECAs will be resuming, so please keep an eye on your emails for notification of the new clubs and activities that will be starting.
So, that's it for another term! I am very hopeful that things will be returning to normal more and more over the summer term and the children can get back to doing more of the things they remember from pre-pandemic times as we move towards Golden Week and beyond.
It has been a term of hard work and effort from all of the class and I have seen real progress and development from every one of them. They definitely deserve a break, so I wish you all a delightful and fun packed Spring Break!
See you all really soon!
Mr Morris
One more week to go!
After last week's riveting Japanese Culture Day, this week was a quieter one, but still involved lots of hard work! As we near the end of term, we are finishing off many of our units.
- In writing, the children spent time using all of their research to write their research reports. By the end of the week, they had drafted, revised and edited their factual writing.
- In math, we came to the end of our fractions unit - the children have worked very hard to understand this and even though there have been challenges - they have all made good progress!
- In reading - we continued to look at biographies and focused on how the world our subject grew up in changed the context of their lives and provided challenges and struggles (particularly Amelia Earhart, Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Ruby Bridges)
- In Social Studies - we continued to work on our end of term party and also learned about global trade
Next week, we will be having our end of term party which will involve some shopping in the morning followed by a lunch, movie and games in class. Thank you all for sending in the money for the children's budget!
Report cards will also be sent out next week via email, so please keep an eye on your inbox for these!
We had a bittersweet end to the week, as Coach Adam let the class know that after 7 fantastic years at UST, he will be moving on. There were tears aplenty, but G3B put the emotion to work and made Adam a card to wish him well. G3B thanks Adam for his amazing and inspiring teaching over the years and we wish him well!
Finally, the photos for Japanese Culture Day are here! There are an awful lot of them, so be prepared!
Have a great weekend,
Mr Morris
Sweet Sakura - what a day!
Happy Friday!
After months of the planning from the Japanese Teachers and the PTA, Japanese Culture Day arrived today and what fun we all had! I expect some tired children to be joining you at home this evening after a day packed full of events ranging from ninja and karate visitors, kite-making, mochi pounding, fake food design and of course the children's magnificent presentations! Last year we were unfortunate to miss out on this wonderful celebration of the nation we live in and I was thrilled to be taking part in my first Japanese Culture Day! Thank you so much to the members of the PTA and the Japanese Team!! Arigato!!
Elsewhere, we were been getting on with the following earlier in the week:
Mr Morris
*Japanese Culture Day photos will be in next week's Update :-)
After months of the planning from the Japanese Teachers and the PTA, Japanese Culture Day arrived today and what fun we all had! I expect some tired children to be joining you at home this evening after a day packed full of events ranging from ninja and karate visitors, kite-making, mochi pounding, fake food design and of course the children's magnificent presentations! Last year we were unfortunate to miss out on this wonderful celebration of the nation we live in and I was thrilled to be taking part in my first Japanese Culture Day! Thank you so much to the members of the PTA and the Japanese Team!! Arigato!!
Elsewhere, we were been getting on with the following earlier in the week:
- Social Studies - we discussed budgeting for our class party and started to make plans for what we would purchase for the event. The class split into different teams, each taking on a role in the party (food and cutlery, music and films, games, drinks and snacks, decorations) and even visited our local Hanamasa during recess on Thursday to explore prices. We learned more about how businesses budget and use their profits during our lessons.
- Math - this week we compared fractions and learned about equivalent fractions (e.g. 1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 = 4/8). Understanding that you can have half of one thing (like a pizza) or half of a group things (like students in a classroom) is a really important concept to grasp and I am certain that the time we have spent utilising bar models really helps the children understand fractions.
- Writing - the children spent a lot of time researching their chosen topics online and beginning to form the plans of their reports which they will begin writing next week.
- Reading - this week we began reading biographies and dug deeply into the idea of struggles and influence in the life of the "subject" of a biography. As a class we read about Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges and the children all brought home biographies to read as you have probably noticed.
Mr Morris
*Japanese Culture Day photos will be in next week's Update :-)
Good evening parents of G3B!
Another lovely week has flown by and the children have been working their hardest as we pass the half-way point of the year! Read on to find out a little about what we've been up to...
Maths
This week we started fractions in class. We have been introduced to the numerator and the denominator and what they show us. The children have been learning how to use bar models and number lines to show and read fractions and needless to say we have spent a lot of time talking about pizza to give a real life representation of what fractions are. If you ever want to support your children's understanding of fractions, round food (cut into equal parts) is the way forward!
Writing
We began looking at examples of Research Reports this week and discussing plans for researching our own. The children will be researching a subject of their choice and writing a 5 (or more!) paragraph report on it. I really want to encourage the children to find something they are interested in, but do not know everything about, so they can have some fun finding out about the subject, but also learn the value of using real facts and sources. As I emailed last night, children may do a bit of research at home, so it would be great if you could help them avoid useless information and questionable websites!
Social Studies
The children have been learning about the economy this week and took part in a market game where some were sellers and some buyers. We discussed how and why sellers may change their prices and also how the economy can change when items are scarce. Finally, we talked about the moral decisions involved in buying goods and services and how we sometimes have to make difficult decisions because we don't always have enough money for what we need.
This is going to be a reality for the children soon, as at the end of term the children will be planning the budget for our end of term class party. This is something that we tie in with the Social Studies curriculum and the children will begin planning their party next week. Keep an eye on your emails to find out a little bit more about this field trip/excursion!
Reading
In reading we finished off our unit on mystery stories. The children have learned so much about the exciting genre of mysteries and also about characters and how they function in a story.
I am also delighted to say that we completed our reading assessments and everyone in the class moved up a level! Well done G3B!
World Book Day
The children really made the effort with their World Book Day costumes and spent time explaining all about why they chose them. Understandably, they were all very excited to be sharing their costumes and parading about the school all day! I'm sure you will enjoy the pictures below.
That's all for this week. Next week we have Japanese Culture Day on Friday and will carry on with all of our exciting new units of work!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr Morris
Another lovely week has flown by and the children have been working their hardest as we pass the half-way point of the year! Read on to find out a little about what we've been up to...
Maths
This week we started fractions in class. We have been introduced to the numerator and the denominator and what they show us. The children have been learning how to use bar models and number lines to show and read fractions and needless to say we have spent a lot of time talking about pizza to give a real life representation of what fractions are. If you ever want to support your children's understanding of fractions, round food (cut into equal parts) is the way forward!
Writing
We began looking at examples of Research Reports this week and discussing plans for researching our own. The children will be researching a subject of their choice and writing a 5 (or more!) paragraph report on it. I really want to encourage the children to find something they are interested in, but do not know everything about, so they can have some fun finding out about the subject, but also learn the value of using real facts and sources. As I emailed last night, children may do a bit of research at home, so it would be great if you could help them avoid useless information and questionable websites!
Social Studies
The children have been learning about the economy this week and took part in a market game where some were sellers and some buyers. We discussed how and why sellers may change their prices and also how the economy can change when items are scarce. Finally, we talked about the moral decisions involved in buying goods and services and how we sometimes have to make difficult decisions because we don't always have enough money for what we need.
This is going to be a reality for the children soon, as at the end of term the children will be planning the budget for our end of term class party. This is something that we tie in with the Social Studies curriculum and the children will begin planning their party next week. Keep an eye on your emails to find out a little bit more about this field trip/excursion!
Reading
In reading we finished off our unit on mystery stories. The children have learned so much about the exciting genre of mysteries and also about characters and how they function in a story.
I am also delighted to say that we completed our reading assessments and everyone in the class moved up a level! Well done G3B!
World Book Day
The children really made the effort with their World Book Day costumes and spent time explaining all about why they chose them. Understandably, they were all very excited to be sharing their costumes and parading about the school all day! I'm sure you will enjoy the pictures below.
That's all for this week. Next week we have Japanese Culture Day on Friday and will carry on with all of our exciting new units of work!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr Morris
A Short Week!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
We had a very short week of school after our return from mid-term break and have spent most of the days of school concluding and revising topics from the first half of term.
Friday concluded with a whole school assembly via Zoom and squad of the month is.....
Next week we will finally begin our unit on fractions, research writing and continue our new Social Studies unit!
Heiwa no Mori
We had a wonderful and productive day at Heiwa no Mori on Wednesday that was a truly memorable and exciting way to kick off the second half of our term. The weather was glorious and the children worked in teams to experience the full assault course while stopping after each obstacle to discuss and note down the forces that were at work while they were using them. For example, one section involved the children carefully pulling themselves across a section of water, while balancing on a (fairly precarious) raft. This gave them the chance to physically experience elements of their last two Science units and we discussed why the raft floats, why we wouldn't float if we fell in, using the force of a pull to move ourselves along and how the pull of the rope that was attached to the raft stopped it from floating away, but could also cause us to tip over at the other side when it pulled back against us!
Needless to say, alongside the Science the children had a lot of fun and worked together to tackle the more challenging obstacles. This was the first time we had visited Heiwa no Mori for a trip during term time and I think the excellent experience means we will definitely do it again!
World Book Day
Next week (on Friday 5th March) UST will be celebrating World Book Day. An email went out yesterday, but just as a reminder please remember that children will be asked to dress in a costume relating to a character from a book. Ideally this should be a book involving travel or adventure, but as all books transport us in some way or another - please let your child dress as the character they choose!
That's all for this week - have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
We had a very short week of school after our return from mid-term break and have spent most of the days of school concluding and revising topics from the first half of term.
Friday concluded with a whole school assembly via Zoom and squad of the month is.....
Next week we will finally begin our unit on fractions, research writing and continue our new Social Studies unit!
Heiwa no Mori
We had a wonderful and productive day at Heiwa no Mori on Wednesday that was a truly memorable and exciting way to kick off the second half of our term. The weather was glorious and the children worked in teams to experience the full assault course while stopping after each obstacle to discuss and note down the forces that were at work while they were using them. For example, one section involved the children carefully pulling themselves across a section of water, while balancing on a (fairly precarious) raft. This gave them the chance to physically experience elements of their last two Science units and we discussed why the raft floats, why we wouldn't float if we fell in, using the force of a pull to move ourselves along and how the pull of the rope that was attached to the raft stopped it from floating away, but could also cause us to tip over at the other side when it pulled back against us!
Needless to say, alongside the Science the children had a lot of fun and worked together to tackle the more challenging obstacles. This was the first time we had visited Heiwa no Mori for a trip during term time and I think the excellent experience means we will definitely do it again!
World Book Day
Next week (on Friday 5th March) UST will be celebrating World Book Day. An email went out yesterday, but just as a reminder please remember that children will be asked to dress in a costume relating to a character from a book. Ideally this should be a book involving travel or adventure, but as all books transport us in some way or another - please let your child dress as the character they choose!
That's all for this week - have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
The Middle of the Year Already!
Striding on through the year, we arrive at Mid-Term Break: A brief hiatus from our studies and a chance to reflect.
Amazingly, at this time last year, UST students were on the Ski Trip. Little did we know that we were about to begin our first period of "lockdown". I don't know if any of us thought this situation would go on so long and I think it is important to take stock and congratulate the children for how well they have responded to what has been the most challenging year for planet Earth in recent memory. Undoubtedly, this period of time will be well documented in the history books and we have all experienced it together. It is almost easy to forget that we are still living through a pandemic with the children's hard work and positive attitudes to change!
I hope you can all take the time to enjoy your families over the coming 4 days.
Read on for some updates on the coming term and information about what we have been up to for the last week...
Writing
This week, having completed their first fiction stories, the children were given 4 days to plan, draft, write, revise and publish a story for their final assessment. We have a class of great writers in G3B and it is always one of my favourite units because I love to see what the children's imaginations will conjure up!
Maths
Another unit has come to its end this week as the students completed their final assessments on using bar models to work out word problems. This can be a challenging unit and we may revisit some elements of it after the mid term break to make sure the children are ready to move on to the next unit.
Next week we will begin fractions and I think the use of bar models throughout the last 2 units will be incredibly helpful with this. *Please see the letter attached to the slideshow for an introduction to the Fractions unit and ways you can help or practice with your children at home
Science
We came to the end of our science unit on Motion and Matter this week and the children had a chance to experiment with some mixtures in class and also complete their end of unit test.
Next Week
Despite it only being a short week, there are some important dates to make note of! On Wednesday we will be going on our field trip to Heiwano Mori! Please send your child with the following things on the day:
World Book Day 2021 Please read the poster below to learn about World Book Day!
Amazingly, at this time last year, UST students were on the Ski Trip. Little did we know that we were about to begin our first period of "lockdown". I don't know if any of us thought this situation would go on so long and I think it is important to take stock and congratulate the children for how well they have responded to what has been the most challenging year for planet Earth in recent memory. Undoubtedly, this period of time will be well documented in the history books and we have all experienced it together. It is almost easy to forget that we are still living through a pandemic with the children's hard work and positive attitudes to change!
I hope you can all take the time to enjoy your families over the coming 4 days.
Read on for some updates on the coming term and information about what we have been up to for the last week...
Writing
This week, having completed their first fiction stories, the children were given 4 days to plan, draft, write, revise and publish a story for their final assessment. We have a class of great writers in G3B and it is always one of my favourite units because I love to see what the children's imaginations will conjure up!
Maths
Another unit has come to its end this week as the students completed their final assessments on using bar models to work out word problems. This can be a challenging unit and we may revisit some elements of it after the mid term break to make sure the children are ready to move on to the next unit.
Next week we will begin fractions and I think the use of bar models throughout the last 2 units will be incredibly helpful with this. *Please see the letter attached to the slideshow for an introduction to the Fractions unit and ways you can help or practice with your children at home
Science
We came to the end of our science unit on Motion and Matter this week and the children had a chance to experiment with some mixtures in class and also complete their end of unit test.
Next Week
Despite it only being a short week, there are some important dates to make note of! On Wednesday we will be going on our field trip to Heiwano Mori! Please send your child with the following things on the day:
- UST t-shirt and comfortable clothes
- A waterproof/rain jacket
- A change of clothes and shoes (there are some water features at the park that are great fun, but there's a good chance children will get wet!)
- An easy to eat packed lunch and a large snack (we are not allowed to eat in the park, so must have snack time before we go in and lunch slightly later than normal at around 1/1:15pm)
World Book Day 2021 Please read the poster below to learn about World Book Day!
St Valentine's is upon us!
Good afternoon and Happy Valentine's Weekend parents of G3b!
Writing
The children wrote their first fiction stories this week and we have had some incredible tales! The children's imagination's have been fantastic and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of their work. They had the chance to complete some feedback for each other on Friday and will revise and edit their pieces on Monday before moving on to planning, writing and revising a new story next week!
If you have the chance to discuss story ideas with your children this weekend, that would be incredibly beneficial. We focused a lot on the importance of the problem in a story (like the missing grandma in "Little Red Riding Hood" or the dinosaurs escaping in "Jurassic Park") and had some fun thinking of the most difficult problems we could and then working out a clever and satisfying way to overcome them!
Maths
We looked at division this week and used bar models to help us - in many ways this is a lot like using multiplication and the bar models tend to look the same, but the missing information is different. For example we may know the total amount and how many groups we have, but need to work out how much goes in each group. Or we may know the total and what goes in each group, but not know the amount of groups. Again we used lots of practical tools to help us visualise the problems.
We began looking at word problems that involve each of the four operations too and how we can use bar models to solve them. Next week we will start preparing for our end of unit test on bar models!
Reading
This week the class (having completed their non-fiction posters) started to look at mystery novels to learn more about character motivations. We explored clues in stories and how author's share a little hint towards the solution of a mystery sometimes. I have told the class many times that one of my favourite book series is Sherlock Holmes (I read one every morning with my first cup of coffee!) and these feature many clever clues and hints throughout. I would love to share some with the children, but they do tend to feature a lot of murders so maybe I will recommend they wait until they are a little older!
Science
We completed our focus on forces and magnets this week (but we will be having a brief look at mixtures next week before completing our unit). The class started the week by building carts once more and trying to perform various "tricks" with them. Using what they have learned during this term, they were able to use a cart to pick up a magnet, pick up ten paper clips and attempt to design a braking system using magnets.
During our science quiz this week I found that some children are still struggling a little with the concept of balanced forces (when something is still) and unbalanced forces (when something is moving) and units of force. We took some time to recap it and also discussed the importance of scientific methods in conducting a "fair test". There can be so much to take in during our science lessons that at times it can be very handy to just revise the big ideas that we've learned. Next week we will be completing an end of unit assessment which will form the majority of the student's grade for science this term. In light of this, it would be very helpful for the children to take some time to go over key learnings from this unit:
- forces are balanced when they are equal and an object is not moving
- forces are unbalanced when one is stronger than the other and an object is moving
- magnetic force attracts steel and iron
- magnetic poles attract when they are opposite (N to S)
- magnetic poles repel when they are the same (S to S, N to N)
- gravity is a force that pulls objects down
- tables, chairs and anything that an object appears to "rest on" are pushing up with an equal amount of force to the pull of gravity
- friction is what happens when two surfaces touch and stop or slow the movement
- smooth surfaces have less friction
- rough surfaces have more friction
For Valentine's day, the children have been decorating cards for each other all week and had the chance to share them today. They also came in, decked out in red and carrying toy animals to celebrate the day! While the final figures are unconfirmed, I am happy to tell you that we raised a lot of money for Friends of the Animals (our chosen charity) so thank you!
Also, I am pleased to say the class met their Dojo points target once again and so enjoyed Golden Time for the second week in a row! They managed to score 355 points this week, so I am sure they can manage to repeat this achievement and earn 350 points next week too!
That's all for this week - have a great weekend!
Mr Morris
A Pinch and a Punch...
Good afternoon parents of G3B! It's been another wonderful week in the third grade, read on to see all the exciting things we've been up to!
Writing
We learned some new sentence types this week to help us improve our creative writing. The children practiced them in their writing notebooks and composed sentences they can eventually use in their stories. Here are some examples:
"2A Sentences" - these feature 2 adjectives before a noun and then 2 adjectives before a second noun, for example:
The towering, lumbering giant towered over the puny, cowardly dwarf.
"Personification of Weather" - where we give the the weather a human trait or emotion to create an mood, for example:
The wind roared through the sky. (scary mood)
Rain wept down the window pane. (sad mood)
"3 -ed" - use three related adjectives that end in "-ed", for example:
Terrified, shocked and exhausted, she collapsed into her bed.
"Emotion word, (comma)" - using a description of a character's emotion at the start of a sentence:
Desperate, he fled from the old house.
The children also spent quite a lot of time planning using their "Story Mountains" and have all got a great plan ready to start writing a great story next week!
Maths
This week we continued to look at bar models to help us with multiplication and also had our second week of short quizzes on number facts and multiplication. I am already seeing progress!
Science
This week the class took what they learned from constructing wheel and axle systems, how forces interact and building ramps to design their own carts with a list of constraints. Firstly, they had to do this in a classroom, they had limited equipment and only 20 mins to complete the cart. Each group worked wonderfully and found out the secret, that wheels and axles need a bearing that allows the axle to rotate freely to work.
They also explored how far they could get their carts to roll when released from a ramp and how they could tweak their designs to improve them!
Reading
The children have (for the most part) completed their non-fiction presentations and will be presenting them next week in class. The children have had a lot of ownership with this activity and seem to have enjoyed learning about all sorts of different facts!
Golden Time
The children succeeded in their goal to score 300 dojo points and so enjoyed 30 minutes of Golden Time today (see pictures below). They achieved this with great teamwork, effort, impressing Mr Guy in Art and Mr Finn in P.E alongside a multitude of other examples that show their responsibility, kindness and commitment to making the classroom a great place to be!
Now the children have achieved this, I am upping the bar so that next week's aim will be 350 dojo points as a class! I will continue to raise the aims so that our class room becomes a better and better place to be!
Setsubun
The children were briefly visited by two noisy and very grumpy Oni this week (on Tuesday) and were only very briefly terrified by the appearance of these two monsters. Rumours that Mr Hassey and Mr Morris were mysteriously absent at the time these creatures were on the third floor are still being investigated, but a surveillance photograph of the two Oni has been included for you to peruse. If anyone can give any more information as to the whereabouts of these beasts (who are still at large), please email the UST office.
That's all for this week! Have a great weekend!
Writing
We learned some new sentence types this week to help us improve our creative writing. The children practiced them in their writing notebooks and composed sentences they can eventually use in their stories. Here are some examples:
"2A Sentences" - these feature 2 adjectives before a noun and then 2 adjectives before a second noun, for example:
The towering, lumbering giant towered over the puny, cowardly dwarf.
"Personification of Weather" - where we give the the weather a human trait or emotion to create an mood, for example:
The wind roared through the sky. (scary mood)
Rain wept down the window pane. (sad mood)
"3 -ed" - use three related adjectives that end in "-ed", for example:
Terrified, shocked and exhausted, she collapsed into her bed.
"Emotion word, (comma)" - using a description of a character's emotion at the start of a sentence:
Desperate, he fled from the old house.
The children also spent quite a lot of time planning using their "Story Mountains" and have all got a great plan ready to start writing a great story next week!
Maths
This week we continued to look at bar models to help us with multiplication and also had our second week of short quizzes on number facts and multiplication. I am already seeing progress!
Science
This week the class took what they learned from constructing wheel and axle systems, how forces interact and building ramps to design their own carts with a list of constraints. Firstly, they had to do this in a classroom, they had limited equipment and only 20 mins to complete the cart. Each group worked wonderfully and found out the secret, that wheels and axles need a bearing that allows the axle to rotate freely to work.
They also explored how far they could get their carts to roll when released from a ramp and how they could tweak their designs to improve them!
Reading
The children have (for the most part) completed their non-fiction presentations and will be presenting them next week in class. The children have had a lot of ownership with this activity and seem to have enjoyed learning about all sorts of different facts!
Golden Time
The children succeeded in their goal to score 300 dojo points and so enjoyed 30 minutes of Golden Time today (see pictures below). They achieved this with great teamwork, effort, impressing Mr Guy in Art and Mr Finn in P.E alongside a multitude of other examples that show their responsibility, kindness and commitment to making the classroom a great place to be!
Now the children have achieved this, I am upping the bar so that next week's aim will be 350 dojo points as a class! I will continue to raise the aims so that our class room becomes a better and better place to be!
Setsubun
The children were briefly visited by two noisy and very grumpy Oni this week (on Tuesday) and were only very briefly terrified by the appearance of these two monsters. Rumours that Mr Hassey and Mr Morris were mysteriously absent at the time these creatures were on the third floor are still being investigated, but a surveillance photograph of the two Oni has been included for you to peruse. If anyone can give any more information as to the whereabouts of these beasts (who are still at large), please email the UST office.
That's all for this week! Have a great weekend!
Slam-done-k!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
It has been another riveting week in Grade 3 which ended with a memorable Poetry Slam! Read on to find out more about what's been going on...
Writing
Naturally the children continued with poetry this week, but we also began work on the other element of Creative Writing: stories!
In my experience children love writing stories, but at times finding inspiration can be challenging when in the third grade. To remedy this, we took the whole grade to the park on Monday so they could take black and white photos of anything "creepy" they could find. We will be focusing on suspense and scary stories this year (however this really is just a starting place and the children will be free to write in whatever genre they choose).
After taking pictures and thinking of what ideas we could generate we began the process of understanding how stories work.
We looked at a "Story Mountain" - which is a visual tool used to help structure an idea. The stories start with an introduction that sets up the world and the main characters, then a build up which gives the main character something to do or somewhere to go and hints at the most important part of the story: the Problem! The problem is where things get interesting (I'll come back to this in a moment) and the main character has an obstacle or challenge that stops them from getting what they want. This problem is overcome during the resolution and finally life returns to normal in the ending. Even the longest works of fiction can be fit into this structure (although it can be tricky) and it can be a fun game to try and fit your favourite movies or books into it.
This week we spent time coming up with problems and resolutions for all manner of wacky ideas. The children would start with a character who wanted to do something (maybe go to the shop and buy bread) and then come up with a problem that could stop them. Finally, we had to come up with a satisfying resolution that showed how the character overcame their problem.
Next week children will use their own story mountains to plan their own stories so any discussion of ideas over the weekend would be helpful!
Maths
This week began with an assessment for multiplication on Monday and then we began our next area of maths - using Bar Models to help us with real world problems. I have attached a useful "letter to parents" to give you information on what this chapter includes.
In class the children built their own bar models to represent a word problem and practiced their teamwork. These skills are very useful and while bar models are different to the maths that many of us grew up with, when used effectively they really do help!
On Friday we began a new weekly quiz to help pupils continue to embed their number facts. These will focus on three different areas (addition facts, multiplication facts and division facts) so there will be challenge for everyone. Each week, children will work on a sheet with 120 questions and will have 5 minutes to complete them. While this may seem fairly overwhelming at first, the plan is to improve their instant recall of useful facts (like their times tables) to help them speed up their processing. Number bonds are an incredibly useful skill to have and I have noticed that some of the children's mental arithmetic can be a little slow.
I am confident that practicing these skills every week, with the intention of improving on their score or their time, will really help to improve it. Also, children who have secured number bonds and multiplication will be challenged by memorizing their division facts (e.g. 144 / 12 = 12 or 81 / 9 = 9).
Reading
Children are continuing to work on non-fiction projects and will hopefully be ready to start drawing and writing their presentation posters by next week. The children are researching a range of different subjects and I can't wait to learn some new facts from them!
Science
In Science this week, children continued to learn about forces and systems - this time using plastic disks and shafts to explore spinning tops (these were the same tools we used to make wheels and axles last week). The class explored how to make the best spinning top, using the amount of time it would spin before it fell as a criteria.
The class also completed their second Science quiz of the term and showed that they had really learned a lot from their investigations!
Poetry Slam
Of course, the main event this week was the school Poetry Slam, which took place on Friday afternoon with the whole of Grade 3. We all went up to the fifth floor and watch the children performing, before the judges (Mr Ivan, Ms Natasha and Colleen from the P.T.A) picked their winner(s): Daniel Charlton and Mahinatea Liufau of G3B!!
The day before the whole class had performed their poems and voted on who they thought had the best poem, nominating Daniel and Mahinatea. As previously mentioned, I was very impressed with the quality of poems this year - the children have a real knack for rhythm!
Next week (if my editing skills are up to it!), I will send each pupil a Seesaw link to their performance in class so you can see how they did. I apologise in advance for the cinematography and sound levels, but I hope they can give you some insight into how your children did!
Golden Time
Starting from next week the class will be trialing Golden Time on a Friday afternoon. British parents may be familiar with this idea, but simply put the class will have the chance to earn 30 minutes of time during the last lesson on Friday (after P.E). During this time they will have the choice to take part in free activities, like games, bringing in toys, drawing, colouring and anything that entertains them. In order to do this, they must reach a target of Dojo points as a class, with a sliding scale of minutes depending on how many points they earn, e.g: 250 pts = 30 mins, 200 pts = 25 mins etc. If the class does not manage to reach its target, we will spend the time constructively, by discussing ways they can earn more Dojo points (e.g. showing responsibility or working well as a team) so that the following week they are ready to meet the challenge. This will foster a group mentality and also will give the children the chance to develop important social skills.
Naturally children that make regrettable behavioural choices during the week may find that they lose some of their Golden Time, for example spending 5 minutes reflecting with the class teacher on their decision. This will be a good opportunity for them to discuss and grow and also gives a more tangible goal for their collection of Dojo Points throughout the week.
If anyone has any more questions or confusion about this concept, please feel free to email me during the week.
That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend and I will see all the children next week!
Mr Morris
It has been another riveting week in Grade 3 which ended with a memorable Poetry Slam! Read on to find out more about what's been going on...
Writing
Naturally the children continued with poetry this week, but we also began work on the other element of Creative Writing: stories!
In my experience children love writing stories, but at times finding inspiration can be challenging when in the third grade. To remedy this, we took the whole grade to the park on Monday so they could take black and white photos of anything "creepy" they could find. We will be focusing on suspense and scary stories this year (however this really is just a starting place and the children will be free to write in whatever genre they choose).
After taking pictures and thinking of what ideas we could generate we began the process of understanding how stories work.
We looked at a "Story Mountain" - which is a visual tool used to help structure an idea. The stories start with an introduction that sets up the world and the main characters, then a build up which gives the main character something to do or somewhere to go and hints at the most important part of the story: the Problem! The problem is where things get interesting (I'll come back to this in a moment) and the main character has an obstacle or challenge that stops them from getting what they want. This problem is overcome during the resolution and finally life returns to normal in the ending. Even the longest works of fiction can be fit into this structure (although it can be tricky) and it can be a fun game to try and fit your favourite movies or books into it.
This week we spent time coming up with problems and resolutions for all manner of wacky ideas. The children would start with a character who wanted to do something (maybe go to the shop and buy bread) and then come up with a problem that could stop them. Finally, we had to come up with a satisfying resolution that showed how the character overcame their problem.
Next week children will use their own story mountains to plan their own stories so any discussion of ideas over the weekend would be helpful!
Maths
This week began with an assessment for multiplication on Monday and then we began our next area of maths - using Bar Models to help us with real world problems. I have attached a useful "letter to parents" to give you information on what this chapter includes.
In class the children built their own bar models to represent a word problem and practiced their teamwork. These skills are very useful and while bar models are different to the maths that many of us grew up with, when used effectively they really do help!
On Friday we began a new weekly quiz to help pupils continue to embed their number facts. These will focus on three different areas (addition facts, multiplication facts and division facts) so there will be challenge for everyone. Each week, children will work on a sheet with 120 questions and will have 5 minutes to complete them. While this may seem fairly overwhelming at first, the plan is to improve their instant recall of useful facts (like their times tables) to help them speed up their processing. Number bonds are an incredibly useful skill to have and I have noticed that some of the children's mental arithmetic can be a little slow.
I am confident that practicing these skills every week, with the intention of improving on their score or their time, will really help to improve it. Also, children who have secured number bonds and multiplication will be challenged by memorizing their division facts (e.g. 144 / 12 = 12 or 81 / 9 = 9).
Reading
Children are continuing to work on non-fiction projects and will hopefully be ready to start drawing and writing their presentation posters by next week. The children are researching a range of different subjects and I can't wait to learn some new facts from them!
Science
In Science this week, children continued to learn about forces and systems - this time using plastic disks and shafts to explore spinning tops (these were the same tools we used to make wheels and axles last week). The class explored how to make the best spinning top, using the amount of time it would spin before it fell as a criteria.
The class also completed their second Science quiz of the term and showed that they had really learned a lot from their investigations!
Poetry Slam
Of course, the main event this week was the school Poetry Slam, which took place on Friday afternoon with the whole of Grade 3. We all went up to the fifth floor and watch the children performing, before the judges (Mr Ivan, Ms Natasha and Colleen from the P.T.A) picked their winner(s): Daniel Charlton and Mahinatea Liufau of G3B!!
The day before the whole class had performed their poems and voted on who they thought had the best poem, nominating Daniel and Mahinatea. As previously mentioned, I was very impressed with the quality of poems this year - the children have a real knack for rhythm!
Next week (if my editing skills are up to it!), I will send each pupil a Seesaw link to their performance in class so you can see how they did. I apologise in advance for the cinematography and sound levels, but I hope they can give you some insight into how your children did!
Golden Time
Starting from next week the class will be trialing Golden Time on a Friday afternoon. British parents may be familiar with this idea, but simply put the class will have the chance to earn 30 minutes of time during the last lesson on Friday (after P.E). During this time they will have the choice to take part in free activities, like games, bringing in toys, drawing, colouring and anything that entertains them. In order to do this, they must reach a target of Dojo points as a class, with a sliding scale of minutes depending on how many points they earn, e.g: 250 pts = 30 mins, 200 pts = 25 mins etc. If the class does not manage to reach its target, we will spend the time constructively, by discussing ways they can earn more Dojo points (e.g. showing responsibility or working well as a team) so that the following week they are ready to meet the challenge. This will foster a group mentality and also will give the children the chance to develop important social skills.
Naturally children that make regrettable behavioural choices during the week may find that they lose some of their Golden Time, for example spending 5 minutes reflecting with the class teacher on their decision. This will be a good opportunity for them to discuss and grow and also gives a more tangible goal for their collection of Dojo Points throughout the week.
If anyone has any more questions or confusion about this concept, please feel free to email me during the week.
That's all for now! Have a wonderful weekend and I will see all the children next week!
Mr Morris
Slam-uary!
Good afternoon!
I hope this weekly update finds you all well! We've had a very busy week this week, please read on to find out more!
Writing
This week we had a great time working in groups to generate, find music for and then recite poems in front of the class. I am really impressed with the children's grasps of rhythm and beat and we were treated to some very entertaining performances. What was really encouraging was how independently and efficiently the children worked in groups to write and practice their poems.
We also continued work with our individual poems, which the children will be preparing to recite next week.
This weekend, if you could be an audience for your child to help them practice their poem (to music) it would be tremendously helpful. If you can give them some constructive feedback as to how they can improve, that too would be really useful.
Finally, we had the chance to have children recite some impromptu poems (funny ones, rhyming ones and Haiku) to get the chance to enter our poetry raffle and win a prize. This was completely optional and I am always impressed at how many children dedicate their free time to do this task.
Poetry Slam
Just a reminder that next week is the Poetry Slam and two children from the class will be chosen to perform their poems in front of the grade. The whole class will be performing their poems in the class next week, with musical accompaniment, but as we will be beginning our story writing unit next week, all of the practicing will need to take place as homework.
On the day, we ask that children do their best to come in dressed like a "poet". A black t-shirt with a beret and some sunglasses would be an appropriate look - goatees are optional!
Maths
We spent more time work on challenging multiplication problems this week and the children had the opportunity to work on their perseverance. We discussed how sometimes maths (and many other things in life) is very challenging, but we need to use what we know to break a problem down into manageable parts.
This week, some of the class were given the role of "expert" to help the rest of their group solve a series of problems. In this role, the child is only allowed to ask questions (rather than just tell the rest of the group the answer) and this really helps their ability to understand a maths problem more deeply. Sometimes we can work out the answer, but it is hard to coach a peer in answering the question themself.
I firmly believe that children need a fully rounded understanding of maths and that just memorizing tables (as useful as this can be!) and other rote methods is only part of the process. Being able to explain to others and approach problems in different ways is vital as a skill in maths and also in other areas in life. Sometimes you just need to try five different things before you find the system that works!
Science
Speaking of systems (nice segue eh?), this week we made three different systems in science, as we continue to explore how forces work. First we used plastic discs and shafts to make a basic wheel and axle system and rolled them down ramps (made from cardboard and clothes pins) to see how they rolled. We then played with different arrangements of wheels and axles (multiple axles, different size wheels) to see what effect it would have. We learned that different sized wheels would make a wheel and axle roll in a curved path, towards the smaller wheel as it takes less time for a small wheel to complete one full rotation than a bigger wheel. This explains why cars don't have odd sized wheels on the same axle! We continued to explore this idea by used paper drinking cups to design our own system that would roll straight. Two cups being fastened together with the large circle on the ends made a successfully straight-rolling system!
Finally, we looked at "Twirly Birds". These fantastic contraptions are made from paper and paper clips and taught the class how gravity, air and surface area can cause something to twirl through the air! After testing the initial design the students then held their own investigations by altering different variables (for example cutting one of the wings shorter) and then recorded their predictions and results. Next week, I will be sending some homework that gives the children the chance to test their twirly birds outdoors! It would be incredibly useful for this activity if the children have access to a printer and some paper clips - if this is likely to cause an issue please let me know and I will see if I can print some extras!
PE
Just a word from Coaches Adam and Finn about the children's levels of commitment during recent PE lessons. While it is not all children, it seems a large enough portion of the class were disengaged on Friday that the basketball lesson was cut short. Obviously this is a big disappointment for myself and Coaches Adam and Finn, so it would be really helpful if we could give the children some encouragement to take their PE lessons as seriously as other subjects and model good listening.
I can't wait for the poetry slam next week! Have a great weekend and stay out of the rain!
I hope this weekly update finds you all well! We've had a very busy week this week, please read on to find out more!
Writing
This week we had a great time working in groups to generate, find music for and then recite poems in front of the class. I am really impressed with the children's grasps of rhythm and beat and we were treated to some very entertaining performances. What was really encouraging was how independently and efficiently the children worked in groups to write and practice their poems.
We also continued work with our individual poems, which the children will be preparing to recite next week.
This weekend, if you could be an audience for your child to help them practice their poem (to music) it would be tremendously helpful. If you can give them some constructive feedback as to how they can improve, that too would be really useful.
Finally, we had the chance to have children recite some impromptu poems (funny ones, rhyming ones and Haiku) to get the chance to enter our poetry raffle and win a prize. This was completely optional and I am always impressed at how many children dedicate their free time to do this task.
Poetry Slam
Just a reminder that next week is the Poetry Slam and two children from the class will be chosen to perform their poems in front of the grade. The whole class will be performing their poems in the class next week, with musical accompaniment, but as we will be beginning our story writing unit next week, all of the practicing will need to take place as homework.
On the day, we ask that children do their best to come in dressed like a "poet". A black t-shirt with a beret and some sunglasses would be an appropriate look - goatees are optional!
Maths
We spent more time work on challenging multiplication problems this week and the children had the opportunity to work on their perseverance. We discussed how sometimes maths (and many other things in life) is very challenging, but we need to use what we know to break a problem down into manageable parts.
This week, some of the class were given the role of "expert" to help the rest of their group solve a series of problems. In this role, the child is only allowed to ask questions (rather than just tell the rest of the group the answer) and this really helps their ability to understand a maths problem more deeply. Sometimes we can work out the answer, but it is hard to coach a peer in answering the question themself.
I firmly believe that children need a fully rounded understanding of maths and that just memorizing tables (as useful as this can be!) and other rote methods is only part of the process. Being able to explain to others and approach problems in different ways is vital as a skill in maths and also in other areas in life. Sometimes you just need to try five different things before you find the system that works!
Science
Speaking of systems (nice segue eh?), this week we made three different systems in science, as we continue to explore how forces work. First we used plastic discs and shafts to make a basic wheel and axle system and rolled them down ramps (made from cardboard and clothes pins) to see how they rolled. We then played with different arrangements of wheels and axles (multiple axles, different size wheels) to see what effect it would have. We learned that different sized wheels would make a wheel and axle roll in a curved path, towards the smaller wheel as it takes less time for a small wheel to complete one full rotation than a bigger wheel. This explains why cars don't have odd sized wheels on the same axle! We continued to explore this idea by used paper drinking cups to design our own system that would roll straight. Two cups being fastened together with the large circle on the ends made a successfully straight-rolling system!
Finally, we looked at "Twirly Birds". These fantastic contraptions are made from paper and paper clips and taught the class how gravity, air and surface area can cause something to twirl through the air! After testing the initial design the students then held their own investigations by altering different variables (for example cutting one of the wings shorter) and then recorded their predictions and results. Next week, I will be sending some homework that gives the children the chance to test their twirly birds outdoors! It would be incredibly useful for this activity if the children have access to a printer and some paper clips - if this is likely to cause an issue please let me know and I will see if I can print some extras!
PE
Just a word from Coaches Adam and Finn about the children's levels of commitment during recent PE lessons. While it is not all children, it seems a large enough portion of the class were disengaged on Friday that the basketball lesson was cut short. Obviously this is a big disappointment for myself and Coaches Adam and Finn, so it would be really helpful if we could give the children some encouragement to take their PE lessons as seriously as other subjects and model good listening.
I can't wait for the poetry slam next week! Have a great weekend and stay out of the rain!
|
There once was a teacher from Hampshire....
Good afternoon parents of Grade 3B!
While the nation may find itself in a State of Emergency, we here in G3B are in a state of poetic urgency! Can you tell we have been trying to make up rhymes all week?
Science
This week in Science the class started to learn about forces and had the chance to play with magnets! The children experimented with what magnets can do and felt how they repel and attract. They also observed a neat trick that makes a paper clip appear to float! This was achieved using the force of gravity, magnetism and the pulling power of a piece of string.
It would be wonderful if the children could remember the following things from this week:
A force are either a push or a pull
Opposite magnetic poles attract
The same magnetic poles repel
We can tell force is unbalanced when something is in motion (moving)
We can tell forces are balanced when there is no motion
Gravity pulls things (even us!) down
Writing (poetry)
This week the class focused on rhymes and rhythm in their writing and also spent some time generating ideas for their very first poem of the year!
Mrs Erin supported us in her music lesson about the difference between rhythm and beat and we were visited by a very special guest, Mr Samm Bennett who shared some of his songs with us (via Zoom) and gave us some wonderful tips for writing songs and poems.
This year we are adding a musical element to our poetry recital, so when the children have finished composing poems, they will need to practice them with an instrumental track. To help with this Mr L very kindly found the following website which is full of royalty-free music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music (just be sure to support your children when searching for songs as it is a public website and one or two of the song titles have inappropriate titles). If you don't want to try this website, there are many sources of instrumental music on youtube.
Over the weekend it would be wonderful if children could read and recite some poetry to get into the mood for performing poems over the coming weeks. The following website has many poems and tips for writing poetry on it: https://www.poetry4kids.com/
Maths
The children continued to multiply numbers this week, moving onto multiplying 3 digit by 1 digit numbers (e.g. 345 x 5) and seeing how we can use the column method to do this, even when regrouping into different columns! I think the children are re-assured by the method they have been taught, as they really only need to know tables from 1 to 9 in order to use this approach. However, when regrouping children must always remember to finish what they start without getting distracted, as it can be very easy to make a mistake if you stop half way through!
As ever, it is vitally important that children are practicing their times tables as much as possible. The occasional pop-quiz can help to keep them on their toes! I recommend making sure they are secure with 2s, 5s, and 10s first (which they really should be by the end of the second grade) and then move on to 3s, 4s and 6s before practicing their 7s, 8s and 9s.
Reading
We are currently reading non-fiction books in class and researching on a topic of our choice which will eventually lead to a project and a poster on a chosen subject. The children worked on summarising and making notes from non-fiction texts this week!
We also finally finished the first Harry Potter novel this week and will be starting "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer this week.
Pecha Kucha
Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to the Pecha Kucha presentations over the last weekend. Again, I must apologise for the mix up, but the response form yourselves and the children was really appreciated and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what the children got up to over the break. It's lovely to see children get to experience when out of school and truly heartwarming to be invited into that part of their world. I learned about many new destinations in Japan, wonderful family traditions and even some family's tastes in Christmas watching (though personally I say "Die Hard" is the best Christmas movie!)
Reminders
Hand Towels: please make sure your children bring a hand towel to school - with all the extra handwashing going in class it will save a lot of paper towels and also be a lot more gentle on their hands.
Mask changes: as mentioned last week, please remember to pack a spare mask for your children to change into halfway through the day.
Reading Records: there was some confusion as to whether children needed to complete reading records or not last week, but I can confirm it is an ongoing expectation that children complete reading 5 times a week for at least 25 minutes each time (even if this is not mentioned on Seesaw).
Please have a great weekend and remember to try to avoid any unnecessary mingling!
Mr Morris
While the nation may find itself in a State of Emergency, we here in G3B are in a state of poetic urgency! Can you tell we have been trying to make up rhymes all week?
Science
This week in Science the class started to learn about forces and had the chance to play with magnets! The children experimented with what magnets can do and felt how they repel and attract. They also observed a neat trick that makes a paper clip appear to float! This was achieved using the force of gravity, magnetism and the pulling power of a piece of string.
It would be wonderful if the children could remember the following things from this week:
A force are either a push or a pull
Opposite magnetic poles attract
The same magnetic poles repel
We can tell force is unbalanced when something is in motion (moving)
We can tell forces are balanced when there is no motion
Gravity pulls things (even us!) down
Writing (poetry)
This week the class focused on rhymes and rhythm in their writing and also spent some time generating ideas for their very first poem of the year!
Mrs Erin supported us in her music lesson about the difference between rhythm and beat and we were visited by a very special guest, Mr Samm Bennett who shared some of his songs with us (via Zoom) and gave us some wonderful tips for writing songs and poems.
This year we are adding a musical element to our poetry recital, so when the children have finished composing poems, they will need to practice them with an instrumental track. To help with this Mr L very kindly found the following website which is full of royalty-free music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music (just be sure to support your children when searching for songs as it is a public website and one or two of the song titles have inappropriate titles). If you don't want to try this website, there are many sources of instrumental music on youtube.
Over the weekend it would be wonderful if children could read and recite some poetry to get into the mood for performing poems over the coming weeks. The following website has many poems and tips for writing poetry on it: https://www.poetry4kids.com/
Maths
The children continued to multiply numbers this week, moving onto multiplying 3 digit by 1 digit numbers (e.g. 345 x 5) and seeing how we can use the column method to do this, even when regrouping into different columns! I think the children are re-assured by the method they have been taught, as they really only need to know tables from 1 to 9 in order to use this approach. However, when regrouping children must always remember to finish what they start without getting distracted, as it can be very easy to make a mistake if you stop half way through!
As ever, it is vitally important that children are practicing their times tables as much as possible. The occasional pop-quiz can help to keep them on their toes! I recommend making sure they are secure with 2s, 5s, and 10s first (which they really should be by the end of the second grade) and then move on to 3s, 4s and 6s before practicing their 7s, 8s and 9s.
Reading
We are currently reading non-fiction books in class and researching on a topic of our choice which will eventually lead to a project and a poster on a chosen subject. The children worked on summarising and making notes from non-fiction texts this week!
We also finally finished the first Harry Potter novel this week and will be starting "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer this week.
Pecha Kucha
Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to the Pecha Kucha presentations over the last weekend. Again, I must apologise for the mix up, but the response form yourselves and the children was really appreciated and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what the children got up to over the break. It's lovely to see children get to experience when out of school and truly heartwarming to be invited into that part of their world. I learned about many new destinations in Japan, wonderful family traditions and even some family's tastes in Christmas watching (though personally I say "Die Hard" is the best Christmas movie!)
Reminders
Hand Towels: please make sure your children bring a hand towel to school - with all the extra handwashing going in class it will save a lot of paper towels and also be a lot more gentle on their hands.
Mask changes: as mentioned last week, please remember to pack a spare mask for your children to change into halfway through the day.
Reading Records: there was some confusion as to whether children needed to complete reading records or not last week, but I can confirm it is an ongoing expectation that children complete reading 5 times a week for at least 25 minutes each time (even if this is not mentioned on Seesaw).
Please have a great weekend and remember to try to avoid any unnecessary mingling!
Mr Morris
Welcome Back!
Good afternoon parents of Grade 3B!
Just a brief email to welcome everyone back after a much deserved winter break! Naturally not much has happened since our return, but we have dived straight into our new multiplication unit and our poetry unit as well as focusing on non-fiction in reading.
It would be wonderful if you could spend some time looking at poetry (nursery rhymes, Shakespeare whatever you fancy!) with your child to prepare them for their forthcoming compositions and recitals.
Next week we will begin our new Science unit on motion and matter which will see us exploring gravity and magnets amongst other things!
Important Details:
ECAs
There will be no ECAs or Extended Care for the duration of January (as mentioned in Miss Natasha's email) due to the State of Emergency. Fingers crossed we will be able to return to these in February!
Facemasks
Please send your child to school with two facemasks so they can change in the middle of the day (a third as a spare would be very useful too, just in case!)
Pecha Kucha
Apologies once again for the short notice on the Pecha Kucha presentations, but if these could be complete by Monday (or if your child could come to school with at least 10 photographs of something that they did over the winter break and we can have give them a little class time to complete it).
Normal School Day
Monday is a normal school day for UST, despite the national holiday.
Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing the children again on Monday morning!
Mr Morris
Just a brief email to welcome everyone back after a much deserved winter break! Naturally not much has happened since our return, but we have dived straight into our new multiplication unit and our poetry unit as well as focusing on non-fiction in reading.
It would be wonderful if you could spend some time looking at poetry (nursery rhymes, Shakespeare whatever you fancy!) with your child to prepare them for their forthcoming compositions and recitals.
Next week we will begin our new Science unit on motion and matter which will see us exploring gravity and magnets amongst other things!
Important Details:
ECAs
There will be no ECAs or Extended Care for the duration of January (as mentioned in Miss Natasha's email) due to the State of Emergency. Fingers crossed we will be able to return to these in February!
Facemasks
Please send your child to school with two facemasks so they can change in the middle of the day (a third as a spare would be very useful too, just in case!)
Pecha Kucha
Apologies once again for the short notice on the Pecha Kucha presentations, but if these could be complete by Monday (or if your child could come to school with at least 10 photographs of something that they did over the winter break and we can have give them a little class time to complete it).
Normal School Day
Monday is a normal school day for UST, despite the national holiday.
Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing the children again on Monday morning!
Mr Morris
Take me out to Takao!
Good afternoon parents of grade 3!
We had a fun-packed week of trips and learning!
Mount Takao
Our third field trip of the year took place on a (fortunately) warmer day than what followed! We were blessed to have clear and bright weather for the whole day and had a fantastic clear view of Mount Fuji (check the gallery below!). The children documented their trip with photographs and are using these to make a Pecha Kucha presentation which will be due on Monday.
The children were very well behaved and were a credit to the school and their parents!
Maths
The children continued to practice their times tables (this time focusing on 8s and 9s) and found out a very useful trick to help with their 9s (it is difficult to describe in words, but ask them to show you!).
Writing
The children completed their first book reviews this week and started to edit and revise. I have been really impressed with the children's ideas and opinions of the book "Poppy". I am really confident that when they move on to reviewing a book of their choice next week, they will be fantastic. Over the weekend, I have asked the children to think really deeply about a book they would like to review, so if you could help them out by discussing books they have read in the last few months (or a particular favourite) that would be incredibly useful.
Social Studies
Children continued their learning about immigration this week by learning more about the different people that moved to the United States over the last few hundred years. They also learned about what makes someone a citizen and how difficult this can be and were introduced to the concept of discrimination and how this can make moving to a new country very challenging.
Having played the immigration game last week, the children seemed to really grasp the concepts that they were learning about and seem to have a strong understanding of what it all means.
Grammar
We had a grammar quiz this week, just to check how children are doing in this area and a few areas were raised to me that it would be good to practice at home.
Confusion over was/were and much/many is something that has been an issue I have seen for many of the children in class:
was - used when we are referring to one thing or person, e.g. "Mr Morris was teaching the class." "The cake was delicious".
were - used when we are referring to more than one thing or person, e.g
"Grade 3 were learning." "The bikes were clean."
much - used for non-countables (like liquid), e.g. "That is too much water."
many - used for countables (like sweets, rocks, people), e.g. "There are too many children in this classroom!"
These are both examples of things that can be easy to forget, but make a big difference when they involve words that are being used often!
Next week will be our final full week of school before the Christmas break, but remember we have the Christmas Concert and final bits and pieces to take care of before our final day on December the 16th. Let's all enjoy the last few festive weeks and look forward to a well earned break for the children who have been working so hard all term!
Thanks for reading once more!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
This short week has really flown by, but we have still been very productive in all of our subjects!
We finished the readathon and I was very impressed with all of our readers and their efforts to read for as many minutes as possible! The final class total and our school totals are still being worked out, but so far we have already raised over 60'000 Yen as a class - INCREDIBLE.
The top three readers in our class were:
1) Sayu
2) Shinnosuke
3) Ivan
Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support with this!
Writing
This week we have been reviewing the children's novel "Poppy" (which we read back in the first term). First the children thought of things that they liked and disliked in the book and put these into a list. Then I modelled planning and an introduction before writing it with the children. We repeated this process for the main body paragraphs of our reviews which just leaves our closing paragraph to write.
I have been very impressed with the children's grasp of adverbs and the use of phrases in their reviews. They also have some fantastic opinions on the book!
Maths
We began our unit in multiplication this week by focusing on the 6s and 7s. While I always encourage the memorization of multiplication tables, we have looked at quite a few different methods for assisting children who are yet to secure their 6s and 7s. For example, the 7 times tables can be worked out by adding the answers to the 2 times tables and the 5 times tables (2 x 2 (4) + 5 x 2 (10) = 14,]. 7 x 2 = 14)
Social Studies
We tried something a little different this week and played a game in class to give children an experience of what immigration might be like for someone moving from one country to another. After inventing two fictional countries, I distributed the class at random (3 in one country, 12 in the other) and then they completed a succession of tasks for points. The twist was that one of the countries had more resources to complete their tasks and got more points for each one. This was not revealed to the children until after each round of the game which led to the children in the bigger country getting quite frustrated. They then had the chance to emigrate to the smaller country, but only if they could pass a citizenship test!
The children really seemed to grasp (in a safe space) some of the difficulties, frustrations and challenges that people from countries may face when making the decision to move to a new nation and we generated some incredible discussion as a result!
Mount Takao Field Trip
On Monday we will be doing our next field trip for the term and travelling to Mount Takao. The children will need to wear their orange UST t-shirts, bring a packed lunch that is easy to eat, a picnic/lunch mat and their ipad (we will be documenting various landmarks for a class presentation). It is getting a little colder now, so trousers and a jacket would be sensible too though of course I would advise checking the weather forecast on Monday morning to avoid overloading your children with heavy items!
Have a wonderful weekend!
This short week has really flown by, but we have still been very productive in all of our subjects!
We finished the readathon and I was very impressed with all of our readers and their efforts to read for as many minutes as possible! The final class total and our school totals are still being worked out, but so far we have already raised over 60'000 Yen as a class - INCREDIBLE.
The top three readers in our class were:
1) Sayu
2) Shinnosuke
3) Ivan
Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support with this!
Writing
This week we have been reviewing the children's novel "Poppy" (which we read back in the first term). First the children thought of things that they liked and disliked in the book and put these into a list. Then I modelled planning and an introduction before writing it with the children. We repeated this process for the main body paragraphs of our reviews which just leaves our closing paragraph to write.
I have been very impressed with the children's grasp of adverbs and the use of phrases in their reviews. They also have some fantastic opinions on the book!
Maths
We began our unit in multiplication this week by focusing on the 6s and 7s. While I always encourage the memorization of multiplication tables, we have looked at quite a few different methods for assisting children who are yet to secure their 6s and 7s. For example, the 7 times tables can be worked out by adding the answers to the 2 times tables and the 5 times tables (2 x 2 (4) + 5 x 2 (10) = 14,]. 7 x 2 = 14)
Social Studies
We tried something a little different this week and played a game in class to give children an experience of what immigration might be like for someone moving from one country to another. After inventing two fictional countries, I distributed the class at random (3 in one country, 12 in the other) and then they completed a succession of tasks for points. The twist was that one of the countries had more resources to complete their tasks and got more points for each one. This was not revealed to the children until after each round of the game which led to the children in the bigger country getting quite frustrated. They then had the chance to emigrate to the smaller country, but only if they could pass a citizenship test!
The children really seemed to grasp (in a safe space) some of the difficulties, frustrations and challenges that people from countries may face when making the decision to move to a new nation and we generated some incredible discussion as a result!
Mount Takao Field Trip
On Monday we will be doing our next field trip for the term and travelling to Mount Takao. The children will need to wear their orange UST t-shirts, bring a packed lunch that is easy to eat, a picnic/lunch mat and their ipad (we will be documenting various landmarks for a class presentation). It is getting a little colder now, so trousers and a jacket would be sensible too though of course I would advise checking the weather forecast on Monday morning to avoid overloading your children with heavy items!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Field Trips and Flicks!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
The week started with a magnificent field trip to see the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower! We were supported by 4 of our wonderful parents - thank you so much! After taking the bus from school to Odaiba across the Rainbow Bridge we parked up and found a good spot to sketch the landmark. It was a glorious day (the weather really smiled upon us) and the children sketched while reclining in the sunshine and absorbing the scene.
After a little play it was off to the buses again for a short jaunt across Tokyo to Shiba Park where we had an exquisite view of Tokyo's second tallest tower! The children ate lunch in the park and then sketched Tokyo tower and learned some fun facts too.
Writing
The fun did not stop there though parents! This week the class took a trip to the movies without even needing to leave UST. After returning from PE the each child was given a cinema ticket and some popcorn and they sat down to watch a short film in preparation for our new Writing Unit - Book Reviews! After watching "Day and Night" (by Pixar) - the children wrote a short review of the film and we discussed the kind of things a review needs.
We carried on the week by looking at examples of good reviews and discussing our thoughts about picture books we read in class.
Next week we will begin writing our first full book review together using our former class novel Poppy as our set text. Once we complete our shared write, the children will move on to reviewing fiction books of their choice and I cannot wait to see the results.
Maths
This week we came to the end of our subtraction unit. The children completed a group task before moving onto their final assessment. Most of the class seem to have a much better understanding of using bar models to help with word problems and a stronger grasp of vertical subtraction.
Next week we will be starting our unit on Multiplication, starting with the 6 and 7 times tables before moving on to the 8s, 9s, 11s and 12s. I have noticed that some of the children are still not fluent with their 3s and 4s, so any time spent practicing at home would be really beneficial.
Reading
Children continued reading in their book groups while certain pupils completed their assessments this week. I have seen a real improvement in the children's ability to recognise settings, problems and genre in the children I have met with so far, which is very encouraging!
Speaking of reading - we are onto our last weekend of the Read-a-thon! It would be great to beat G3A, so I must encourage the kids to read as much as they can over the weekend - we can do it G3B!!
MONDAY
Please remember that we are not in school on Monday!
That's all for now! Have a wonderful 3 day weekend and I can't wait to see the kids back on Tuesday!
The week started with a magnificent field trip to see the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower! We were supported by 4 of our wonderful parents - thank you so much! After taking the bus from school to Odaiba across the Rainbow Bridge we parked up and found a good spot to sketch the landmark. It was a glorious day (the weather really smiled upon us) and the children sketched while reclining in the sunshine and absorbing the scene.
After a little play it was off to the buses again for a short jaunt across Tokyo to Shiba Park where we had an exquisite view of Tokyo's second tallest tower! The children ate lunch in the park and then sketched Tokyo tower and learned some fun facts too.
Writing
The fun did not stop there though parents! This week the class took a trip to the movies without even needing to leave UST. After returning from PE the each child was given a cinema ticket and some popcorn and they sat down to watch a short film in preparation for our new Writing Unit - Book Reviews! After watching "Day and Night" (by Pixar) - the children wrote a short review of the film and we discussed the kind of things a review needs.
We carried on the week by looking at examples of good reviews and discussing our thoughts about picture books we read in class.
Next week we will begin writing our first full book review together using our former class novel Poppy as our set text. Once we complete our shared write, the children will move on to reviewing fiction books of their choice and I cannot wait to see the results.
Maths
This week we came to the end of our subtraction unit. The children completed a group task before moving onto their final assessment. Most of the class seem to have a much better understanding of using bar models to help with word problems and a stronger grasp of vertical subtraction.
Next week we will be starting our unit on Multiplication, starting with the 6 and 7 times tables before moving on to the 8s, 9s, 11s and 12s. I have noticed that some of the children are still not fluent with their 3s and 4s, so any time spent practicing at home would be really beneficial.
Reading
Children continued reading in their book groups while certain pupils completed their assessments this week. I have seen a real improvement in the children's ability to recognise settings, problems and genre in the children I have met with so far, which is very encouraging!
Speaking of reading - we are onto our last weekend of the Read-a-thon! It would be great to beat G3A, so I must encourage the kids to read as much as they can over the weekend - we can do it G3B!!
MONDAY
Please remember that we are not in school on Monday!
That's all for now! Have a wonderful 3 day weekend and I can't wait to see the kids back on Tuesday!
Read for your (sea)life!
Good (but chilly) afternoon parents of G3B!
This week we had lots of fun celebrating the birthdays of Tea and Shinnosuke in class! We were all very lucky to receive cupcakes, juice and even goody bags - thank you so much to Tea and Shinnosuke's parents for arranging this!
We also began our 2020 Read-a-thon and so far we have amassed over 3000 minutes as a class! Our class leader at the moment is Shinnosuke, but there is still well over a week for the rest of the class to catch up and take over! Keep on reading and remember we are supporting an excellent cause!
Writing
The children focused on the important job of revising, editing and then publishing their How Tos this week. On top of their usual writing skills, they got a chance to practice using Keynote to publish their pieces. This will hopefully deliver some very professional looking How Tos and also help the children with their presentation building skills in future.
As this Unit nears its end, we must now start thinking about our next Unit of Work - Responding to Literature which will happen in the form of Book Reviews. If you could spend some time speaking with your children about a favourite book (or even film and TV show) and why you like it that would be incredibly helpful to tune your children in to the kind of language we use when reviewing something.
Math
We continued with subtraction this week and really focused on Two Step Word Problems. I noticed that the class needed a little more practice with these, as some of them involve both addition and subtraction in real world contexts that they may not be familiar with. The most important piece of advice I can give is for the children to read the questions carefully and make sure they have worked out both parts of the question. For example:
"A store has 1200 apples and 1700 pears. The store sells some of the fruit and has 350 pieces of fruit left. How much fruit did they sell?"
This problem can't be worked out by simply subtraction or addition.
Children still need to remember all of their mental maths methods too for the upcoming assessment next week, but we will keep practicing as a class to get them where they need to be!
Reading
One of my favourite units of the year in reading is when we start Book Clubs! The children all work in small groups and read the same book as their partners while discussing each chapter to discuss the elements of reading like setting, characters, problems, motives etc. This is a really nice way for the children to get excited about reading and to learn from each other.
While children are working on this, I am holding reading assessments to prepare for the end of term. So far I have been very impressed with the progress the students have made and I'm confident that many of the children will move up levels (in some cases more than 1!) in time for Christmas. This current class really love to read and show some incredible opinions and understanding, so they all deserve a lot of praise!
Social Studies
We learned a bit more about the geography that makes up our local area this week and the children started working on travel brochures for their homes (or places they have lived in in the past). The children had the chance to research and discuss physical features, natural resources and climate to help showcase their home!
Next week will be the first of our two Social Studies field trips to explore landmarks. We will be taking the bus to observe two man-made landmarks in Tokyo (The Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower). When we are there we will sketch each landmark and discuss the history. This will also form the rest of our week's work back at school as each child will choose to do a presentation on each.
It has been another action packed week - I hope you all have a great weekend and I cannot wait for our exciting field trip on Monday!
Bye for now!
Mr Morris
This week we had lots of fun celebrating the birthdays of Tea and Shinnosuke in class! We were all very lucky to receive cupcakes, juice and even goody bags - thank you so much to Tea and Shinnosuke's parents for arranging this!
We also began our 2020 Read-a-thon and so far we have amassed over 3000 minutes as a class! Our class leader at the moment is Shinnosuke, but there is still well over a week for the rest of the class to catch up and take over! Keep on reading and remember we are supporting an excellent cause!
Writing
The children focused on the important job of revising, editing and then publishing their How Tos this week. On top of their usual writing skills, they got a chance to practice using Keynote to publish their pieces. This will hopefully deliver some very professional looking How Tos and also help the children with their presentation building skills in future.
As this Unit nears its end, we must now start thinking about our next Unit of Work - Responding to Literature which will happen in the form of Book Reviews. If you could spend some time speaking with your children about a favourite book (or even film and TV show) and why you like it that would be incredibly helpful to tune your children in to the kind of language we use when reviewing something.
Math
We continued with subtraction this week and really focused on Two Step Word Problems. I noticed that the class needed a little more practice with these, as some of them involve both addition and subtraction in real world contexts that they may not be familiar with. The most important piece of advice I can give is for the children to read the questions carefully and make sure they have worked out both parts of the question. For example:
"A store has 1200 apples and 1700 pears. The store sells some of the fruit and has 350 pieces of fruit left. How much fruit did they sell?"
This problem can't be worked out by simply subtraction or addition.
- First we need to add together apples and pears to find the total fruit (1200 + 1700 = 2900).
- Then, we need to subtract the remaining fruit from the total (2900 - 350 = 2550) to find the amount of fruit sold.
Children still need to remember all of their mental maths methods too for the upcoming assessment next week, but we will keep practicing as a class to get them where they need to be!
Reading
One of my favourite units of the year in reading is when we start Book Clubs! The children all work in small groups and read the same book as their partners while discussing each chapter to discuss the elements of reading like setting, characters, problems, motives etc. This is a really nice way for the children to get excited about reading and to learn from each other.
While children are working on this, I am holding reading assessments to prepare for the end of term. So far I have been very impressed with the progress the students have made and I'm confident that many of the children will move up levels (in some cases more than 1!) in time for Christmas. This current class really love to read and show some incredible opinions and understanding, so they all deserve a lot of praise!
Social Studies
We learned a bit more about the geography that makes up our local area this week and the children started working on travel brochures for their homes (or places they have lived in in the past). The children had the chance to research and discuss physical features, natural resources and climate to help showcase their home!
Next week will be the first of our two Social Studies field trips to explore landmarks. We will be taking the bus to observe two man-made landmarks in Tokyo (The Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower). When we are there we will sketch each landmark and discuss the history. This will also form the rest of our week's work back at school as each child will choose to do a presentation on each.
It has been another action packed week - I hope you all have a great weekend and I cannot wait for our exciting field trip on Monday!
Bye for now!
Mr Morris
Congratulations to the Electric Eels!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
As the temperature gets cooler and the leaves turn red, we are now well into our second half term of the year! This week may have included a day off (I hope you and your children had some time to bond!), but we were still as productive as ever.
Maths
In math we continued to learn subtraction, this time subtracting 4 digit numbers from other 4 digit numbers. Things can get a bit more tricky when children have to regroup to work out their answers, but I have been really impressed with the class's effort and ability to understand this.
Later in the week we began looking at word problems and using bar models to help us visualise and solve them. This is an area that some children can find challenging (this was highlighted during the addition assessment) as they can often forget to answer both steps in a question. Please check the slideshow at the bottom for an example of how to use a bar model to help with a subtraction word problem and expect to see some practice sent home for homework next week so children are very familiar with these problems!
Writing
In writing the children edited and revised their Halloween How Tos and are now writing How Tos of their own ideas. First they planned out what they could instruct someone to do and now they are writing their first drafts. I am really trying to encourage the children's independence on this unit by giving them tools to improve and edit their work alone. This means that they will have spelling dictionaries (just words, no definitions), tips on how to uplevel sentences and examples of good how tos to help them make their own work as good as it can be!
I have been (and will continue to) hold individual conferences with each child so they know what their next steps are to improve their writing. Next week we will move on to publishing and then our second writing unit will be complete!
Social Studies
In Social Studies this week the children learned more about Japan and also about the Cardinal Directions. We started the week by visiting the park and exploring how we can use North, East, South and West to navigate our way around. The children then explored maps of Japan to find famous man-made and natural landmarks and distinguish between the two. Finally, they research some landmarks from Japan and completed a quiz to test what they have learned.
Reading
We discussed the importance of main characters solving their own problems and the importance of secondary characters for the end of our "Following Characters into Meaning" unit this week. The children have shown some great insights throughout the unit, sharing character motivations from the books they have been reading, understanding why authors choose to write characters in a certain way and how all of this makes a compelling story.
From next week we will be assessing children's reading levels once more in preparation for their report cards for term 1. To help your child get ready, make sure that they are taking the time to complete their reading records as fully as possible (2 or 3 sentences that summarise what they have been reading every night) and if you can, spend time discussing their reading with them and asking them lots of questions about what is happening in the story and why.
Art
Mr Guy has requested that parents remind children of how important it is to follow our guidelines for hygiene and social distancing especially in his classroom (where every class in the school visit at least once a week). At times, children have been neglecting their duties a bit and it is really important we don't let any of this slip.
Read-a-thon
Just a reminder that the charity Read-a-thon will begin on November 9th details are below:
The Read-a-thon will take place between Monday 9th November and Sunday 22nd November 2020.
We deliberately included two weekends to make sure we have a lot of time to read because the more we read, the more money we can raise. And the more money we raise, the more impact we will have on protecting the oceans and their wildlife.
What is the Read-a-thon?
It is a reading marathon to raise money for charity. We will be asking our parents, relatives, or friends to sponsor our reading. Of course, we read every day anyway, but for the 14 days of the Read-a-thon, we will be reading even more and trying to raise money for charity.
We are asking for your help to sponsor our reading effort.
Kindergarten students will be raising money for every book/story they read. The elementary students will raise money for every minute they read. The classes that read the most stories in K and for the longest time in Elementary will get trophies.
The two children in each class who read the most will also receive a prize!!!
What are we supporting this year?
This year, we are continuing to make global connections. We are raising money as part of the global ocean protection programme through the Project Aware foundation. This foundation has various different projects taking place, from ocean protection, to shark awareness and protection. If there's something that needs protecting in the ocean, this is the group to go to.
Last year, we raised a record ¥728,464, smashing the previous year's incredible total of ¥551,586
What's next:
In the coming days, your children will bring home a reading log that is specifically for the Read-a-thon. Please sign the form each day to confirm your child's reading minutes and sponsor your children.
We hope for your cooperation in helping us read and raising money to support our environment and our world.
Finally, we had our end of the month assembly (a little late!) today and I can proudly say that squad of the month is.....Sayu, Ivan and Reo - bravo!!
As the temperature gets cooler and the leaves turn red, we are now well into our second half term of the year! This week may have included a day off (I hope you and your children had some time to bond!), but we were still as productive as ever.
Maths
In math we continued to learn subtraction, this time subtracting 4 digit numbers from other 4 digit numbers. Things can get a bit more tricky when children have to regroup to work out their answers, but I have been really impressed with the class's effort and ability to understand this.
Later in the week we began looking at word problems and using bar models to help us visualise and solve them. This is an area that some children can find challenging (this was highlighted during the addition assessment) as they can often forget to answer both steps in a question. Please check the slideshow at the bottom for an example of how to use a bar model to help with a subtraction word problem and expect to see some practice sent home for homework next week so children are very familiar with these problems!
Writing
In writing the children edited and revised their Halloween How Tos and are now writing How Tos of their own ideas. First they planned out what they could instruct someone to do and now they are writing their first drafts. I am really trying to encourage the children's independence on this unit by giving them tools to improve and edit their work alone. This means that they will have spelling dictionaries (just words, no definitions), tips on how to uplevel sentences and examples of good how tos to help them make their own work as good as it can be!
I have been (and will continue to) hold individual conferences with each child so they know what their next steps are to improve their writing. Next week we will move on to publishing and then our second writing unit will be complete!
Social Studies
In Social Studies this week the children learned more about Japan and also about the Cardinal Directions. We started the week by visiting the park and exploring how we can use North, East, South and West to navigate our way around. The children then explored maps of Japan to find famous man-made and natural landmarks and distinguish between the two. Finally, they research some landmarks from Japan and completed a quiz to test what they have learned.
Reading
We discussed the importance of main characters solving their own problems and the importance of secondary characters for the end of our "Following Characters into Meaning" unit this week. The children have shown some great insights throughout the unit, sharing character motivations from the books they have been reading, understanding why authors choose to write characters in a certain way and how all of this makes a compelling story.
From next week we will be assessing children's reading levels once more in preparation for their report cards for term 1. To help your child get ready, make sure that they are taking the time to complete their reading records as fully as possible (2 or 3 sentences that summarise what they have been reading every night) and if you can, spend time discussing their reading with them and asking them lots of questions about what is happening in the story and why.
Art
Mr Guy has requested that parents remind children of how important it is to follow our guidelines for hygiene and social distancing especially in his classroom (where every class in the school visit at least once a week). At times, children have been neglecting their duties a bit and it is really important we don't let any of this slip.
Read-a-thon
Just a reminder that the charity Read-a-thon will begin on November 9th details are below:
The Read-a-thon will take place between Monday 9th November and Sunday 22nd November 2020.
We deliberately included two weekends to make sure we have a lot of time to read because the more we read, the more money we can raise. And the more money we raise, the more impact we will have on protecting the oceans and their wildlife.
What is the Read-a-thon?
It is a reading marathon to raise money for charity. We will be asking our parents, relatives, or friends to sponsor our reading. Of course, we read every day anyway, but for the 14 days of the Read-a-thon, we will be reading even more and trying to raise money for charity.
We are asking for your help to sponsor our reading effort.
Kindergarten students will be raising money for every book/story they read. The elementary students will raise money for every minute they read. The classes that read the most stories in K and for the longest time in Elementary will get trophies.
The two children in each class who read the most will also receive a prize!!!
What are we supporting this year?
This year, we are continuing to make global connections. We are raising money as part of the global ocean protection programme through the Project Aware foundation. This foundation has various different projects taking place, from ocean protection, to shark awareness and protection. If there's something that needs protecting in the ocean, this is the group to go to.
Last year, we raised a record ¥728,464, smashing the previous year's incredible total of ¥551,586
What's next:
In the coming days, your children will bring home a reading log that is specifically for the Read-a-thon. Please sign the form each day to confirm your child's reading minutes and sponsor your children.
We hope for your cooperation in helping us read and raising money to support our environment and our world.
Finally, we had our end of the month assembly (a little late!) today and I can proudly say that squad of the month is.....Sayu, Ivan and Reo - bravo!!
Spooky goings on at UST!
A spooky good afternoon from Mr Morris today at the end of our Halloween extravaganza! The children really blew me away wit some amazing costumes today and also all week with their hard work!
Maths
After a little addition revision to begin the term, we moved onto Subtraction this week. We began with using mental subtraction to help us subtract quickly (without having to draw out a column). One way to do this quickly is to partition numbers into tens and ones, subtract the tens, subtract the ones and then add the difference together (e.g.
87 - 62 = ___
- Find the tens and subtract them: 80 - 60 = 20
- Find the ones and subtract them: 7 - 2 = 5
- Add together the differences: 20 + 5 = 25
This may seem long-winded, but try to imagine what you do when you work out 87 - 62 in your head? It is probably something very similar and the more the children do it the quicker they will be able to work these out without breaking it down.
Another approach works better when your ones can’t be easily subtracted, for example 87 - 69. We can’t subtract 9 from 7 without getting a negative number and this won’t be helpful when working in our head! So, we look for the next nearest ten to help!
87 - 69 = ___
- Add to the lesser to make the next ten (70): 69 + 1 = 70
- Find the difference between the sum and the larger number:
- 87 - 70 = 17
- Add the answer to both questions together: 17 + 1 = 18
In this approach, it is important to understand how addition can help us with subtraction - we are starting at 69 adding one and then adding another 17 to get to 87, so we have actually added to answer a subtraction question! Children are often more comfortable with adding, so this can hopefully help!
*Please see the maths connection sheet in the slideshow to give you some more tips with supporting your child with subtraction.
Writing
This week we worked together as a class to write a recipe for a disgusting Halloween treat! The class came up with many different ideas such as “Exploding Zombie Heads”, “Blood Ice Cream” and “Big Foot’s Bloody Teeth” and then planned what ingredients and tools they would need to make them, before writing a recipe complete with an exciting introduction that would convince someone to eat their dish!
Social Studies
We started a new topic and a new unit this week focusing on Geography. We learned about the hemispheres of the world, the lines that divide the world into hemispheres, the continents, oceans and some of the countries within Asia. Then we looked a little more deeply to learn about the regions of Japan. The children seem to be very interested in learning more about the country they live in and the world around and this topic is a great opportunity for them to share their own personal stories about other countries from around the world that they have lived in, visited or come from!
Next Week
Please remember that next week there is no school on Tuesday, so we will only have one P.E lesson next week.
A well earned break is upon us!
Good afternoon parents of G3B!
We have had a very exciting and busy end to this half term featuring experiments, assessments, eco-patrol, a birthday party and a field trip! Even with this all going on, we managed to do all of our normal weekly work.
Field Trip to Inokashira-Koen
As a fitting end to our Science unit (Water and Climate) we visited Inokashira-Koen on Monday, to sample the water at various places all around the park. After collecting samples of water into plastic vials, the children had the opportunity to use PH strips and water testing kits to measure various different qualities of the water. We were blessed with lovely weather and the children got the opportunity to run around in the park as well as doing science! Thank you so much to all the parent chaperones that came along to join us and help keep everyone safe and focused!
Eco Patrol
On Tuesday we completed our first Eco-Patrol of the year and as ever we were blown away by how many bottles, cans and other pieces of trash we found on the street right outside the school building. The children worked together wonderful to pick up the unwanted rubbish with their collecting tongs and sorted them into different bags to be responsibly disposed of!
Sora’s Birthday
We all felt very lucky on Thursday when we celebrated Sora’s birthday in the classroom. Even with heavy rainfall, our spirits were not dampened and we were very grateful to receive delicious cupcakes and juice from Sora!
Class Parent
I am grateful to announce that we now have two class parents for Grade 3B - Shinnosuke’s mother Kanae Kimura and Ryoma’s mother Anna Magnabosco! Thank you both so much for offering to help the class!
Maths
We came to the end of our addition unit on Friday with our end of unit assessment. Throughout the week we revised the topic and deepened our understanding of addition through word problems and pattern spotting activities. Please be sure to check your emails for the grades from their assessment of the unit. When we return from mid-term break we will begin our third unit of the year, subtraction!
Writing
In writing we continued to learn more about how to pieces and learned to do something called a “Story Map” to help us embed new phrases and words. A story map is a visual representation of a text using pictures instead of words to help memorize a piece of text. We also stand up and learn actions to the text to further develop our familiarity. The children took to this really nicely and have ended the week by drawing story maps of their own.
As a separate note, I will be posting the grade your child achieved for their first unit “Descriptive Writing” later on today.
Science
This week we wrapped up our Science unit with an exploration into how water energy can be used to power water wheels. The children were given a collection of equipment and worked in teams to make an effective system. The water wheels were able to lift a load from over a meter away! We also completed our end of unit assessment, so please be sure to check your emails for the grades from their assessment of the unit.
Hallowe'en
Just a note, we will be going ahead with our annual Hallowe'en parade on October 30th where children will come to school in fancy dress and trick or treat around the Tomigaya area as a class!
Holiday Tasks
Over the holidays I want the children to mostly focus on their free time and their families, but I am going to send some optional tasks for the children to complete on Seesaw.
There will be some examples of How Tos for the children to read so they can better understand this style of writing in preparation for writing their own when we return. I will also send some maths website/app recommendations that the children are welcome to complete as a little revision on the first term and preparation for the next.
Finally, I am assigning each child (with the exception of some that have already completed an assessment) a Raz Kids flight check for reading. They simply need to select the assigned piece of writing; read it (this will record their voice); summaries the story (tell me who the character was, what problems they faced, where the story was set and the most important events that happened); answer 5 understanding questions. This should not take longer than 30 minutes and will help my continuing assessment of their reading. If you have any issues with Raz kids, please feel free to let me know on Monday 26th October when we return.
It has been a fantastic first half term and a real success considering the obstacles that are currently affecting the whole planet.
We have had a very exciting and busy end to this half term featuring experiments, assessments, eco-patrol, a birthday party and a field trip! Even with this all going on, we managed to do all of our normal weekly work.
Field Trip to Inokashira-Koen
As a fitting end to our Science unit (Water and Climate) we visited Inokashira-Koen on Monday, to sample the water at various places all around the park. After collecting samples of water into plastic vials, the children had the opportunity to use PH strips and water testing kits to measure various different qualities of the water. We were blessed with lovely weather and the children got the opportunity to run around in the park as well as doing science! Thank you so much to all the parent chaperones that came along to join us and help keep everyone safe and focused!
Eco Patrol
On Tuesday we completed our first Eco-Patrol of the year and as ever we were blown away by how many bottles, cans and other pieces of trash we found on the street right outside the school building. The children worked together wonderful to pick up the unwanted rubbish with their collecting tongs and sorted them into different bags to be responsibly disposed of!
Sora’s Birthday
We all felt very lucky on Thursday when we celebrated Sora’s birthday in the classroom. Even with heavy rainfall, our spirits were not dampened and we were very grateful to receive delicious cupcakes and juice from Sora!
Class Parent
I am grateful to announce that we now have two class parents for Grade 3B - Shinnosuke’s mother Kanae Kimura and Ryoma’s mother Anna Magnabosco! Thank you both so much for offering to help the class!
Maths
We came to the end of our addition unit on Friday with our end of unit assessment. Throughout the week we revised the topic and deepened our understanding of addition through word problems and pattern spotting activities. Please be sure to check your emails for the grades from their assessment of the unit. When we return from mid-term break we will begin our third unit of the year, subtraction!
Writing
In writing we continued to learn more about how to pieces and learned to do something called a “Story Map” to help us embed new phrases and words. A story map is a visual representation of a text using pictures instead of words to help memorize a piece of text. We also stand up and learn actions to the text to further develop our familiarity. The children took to this really nicely and have ended the week by drawing story maps of their own.
As a separate note, I will be posting the grade your child achieved for their first unit “Descriptive Writing” later on today.
Science
This week we wrapped up our Science unit with an exploration into how water energy can be used to power water wheels. The children were given a collection of equipment and worked in teams to make an effective system. The water wheels were able to lift a load from over a meter away! We also completed our end of unit assessment, so please be sure to check your emails for the grades from their assessment of the unit.
Hallowe'en
Just a note, we will be going ahead with our annual Hallowe'en parade on October 30th where children will come to school in fancy dress and trick or treat around the Tomigaya area as a class!
Holiday Tasks
Over the holidays I want the children to mostly focus on their free time and their families, but I am going to send some optional tasks for the children to complete on Seesaw.
There will be some examples of How Tos for the children to read so they can better understand this style of writing in preparation for writing their own when we return. I will also send some maths website/app recommendations that the children are welcome to complete as a little revision on the first term and preparation for the next.
Finally, I am assigning each child (with the exception of some that have already completed an assessment) a Raz Kids flight check for reading. They simply need to select the assigned piece of writing; read it (this will record their voice); summaries the story (tell me who the character was, what problems they faced, where the story was set and the most important events that happened); answer 5 understanding questions. This should not take longer than 30 minutes and will help my continuing assessment of their reading. If you have any issues with Raz kids, please feel free to let me know on Monday 26th October when we return.
It has been a fantastic first half term and a real success considering the obstacles that are currently affecting the whole planet.
Friday 9th October 2020
Good evening parents of G3B!
It was wonderful to get the chance to speak to everyone today!
I hope the parent teacher conferences have answered any burning questions and helped you feel a little more comfortable with your child's teacher. For my part, it was great to have some real time with each of you and was delightful to meet you all!
This week we have been as busy as ever!
Reading
We continued to delve deeper into learning our character's feelings in reading. The class have really enjoyed applying their new learning to our class book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This week we made predictions about what would happen to Harry and the other characters throughout various chapters as well as applying this to the books they are reading in class!
Maths
This week we carried on learning about addition and moved on to vertical addition using the column method. Children always seem to appreciate the security of this method and as long as they remember to regroup if a the sum of a column is more than 10, then will never go wrong! Next week we will be applying these skills to some more challenging problems and reasoning!
Writing
In writing we began our new unit on expository writing. The children are going to be learning how to write "how tos" and this week learned some of the grammar essential to this type of writing.
Science
Evaporation and condensation were our main focuses in science this week. We set up many experiments, one to see the different effect of surface area on evaporation, the effect of different locations on evaporation and how condensation works.
Field Trip
Next week we have our field trip to Inokashira Park on Monday (weather permitting). I did mention it to some of you on the PTC, but just in case anyone isn't sure we need 400 Yen to cover transportation costs on Monday and children need the following:
Children to bring/wear:
Orange UST T-shirt
PE sweatpants/shorts
Trainers - no slip on shoes please.
UST fleece/cardigan
Snacks
Lunch
Lunch mat
Water bottle
Waterproof jacket (just in case)
Mosquito spray
Holiday Book
Finally, I just wanted to mention that we still do not have a class parent and also I am still awaiting 1000 Yen for Holiday Books. It can take quite a while for books to arrive from America (which is where we generally order our holiday books from) so it would be very helpful to have this before mid-term break if possible :-)
That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and stay out of the rain!
It was wonderful to get the chance to speak to everyone today!
I hope the parent teacher conferences have answered any burning questions and helped you feel a little more comfortable with your child's teacher. For my part, it was great to have some real time with each of you and was delightful to meet you all!
This week we have been as busy as ever!
Reading
We continued to delve deeper into learning our character's feelings in reading. The class have really enjoyed applying their new learning to our class book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This week we made predictions about what would happen to Harry and the other characters throughout various chapters as well as applying this to the books they are reading in class!
Maths
This week we carried on learning about addition and moved on to vertical addition using the column method. Children always seem to appreciate the security of this method and as long as they remember to regroup if a the sum of a column is more than 10, then will never go wrong! Next week we will be applying these skills to some more challenging problems and reasoning!
Writing
In writing we began our new unit on expository writing. The children are going to be learning how to write "how tos" and this week learned some of the grammar essential to this type of writing.
Science
Evaporation and condensation were our main focuses in science this week. We set up many experiments, one to see the different effect of surface area on evaporation, the effect of different locations on evaporation and how condensation works.
Field Trip
Next week we have our field trip to Inokashira Park on Monday (weather permitting). I did mention it to some of you on the PTC, but just in case anyone isn't sure we need 400 Yen to cover transportation costs on Monday and children need the following:
Children to bring/wear:
Orange UST T-shirt
PE sweatpants/shorts
Trainers - no slip on shoes please.
UST fleece/cardigan
Snacks
Lunch
Lunch mat
Water bottle
Waterproof jacket (just in case)
Mosquito spray
Holiday Book
Finally, I just wanted to mention that we still do not have a class parent and also I am still awaiting 1000 Yen for Holiday Books. It can take quite a while for books to arrive from America (which is where we generally order our holiday books from) so it would be very helpful to have this before mid-term break if possible :-)
That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and stay out of the rain!
Friday 2nd October 2020
Good evening parents of G3B!
The class were very happy to have had a full week of learning in Grade 3B this week and had our very first fire drill of the year too! Student council members Daniel and Olivia had their first official Student Council lunch this week and we had Ivan's ninth birthday celebration too!
Writing
In writing this week the children have been hard at work revising, editing and publishing their first assessed pieces of writing. Publishing gives the children a chance to present their work in a neat fashion and practice their cursive handwriting. I am very impressed with the neatness of the whole class's handwriting already, so expect to see wonderful things as the year goes on! Unfinished publishing will be sent home this weekend (as we have been working on this for the past three days). Children who have publishing to complete have been sent with paper, lines and a clip to fasten it.
Next week, we will be starting our new unit on expository writing and focusing on instruction texts. A good way to help your children start thinking about this is to ask them to describe simple processes that they are doing (e.g. cleaning their teeth or making a sandwich) and get them to think about what kind of words they use to show the order things are happening.
Maths
In maths this week we continued with addition, first looking at mental addition for rapid results and then moving on to the more complex method of vertical (column) addition. This week I have added some pictures to the slideshow below to show you how these methods work.
Reading
In reading we started to learn more about how we can understand the characters we read about by linking their feelings to experiences we have had ourselves. We also talked about stopping and thinking about how characters may react or talk to each other by putting on their voice and acting out their emotions.
Understanding characters is a key way to develop the skills to really comprehend what we are reading and the children are showing a great aptitude for this!
Science
In Science we saw how water changes when it gets very cold and learned that frozen water expands to take up more space (we put water filled syringes in the freezer over night and saw how the plunger had popped up the next morning with the pressure of the expanded ice!). We also learned that when the ice melts and returns to being water it contracts again, leaving space in the syringe! This was a fun and visual way to see the changing state of water!
Next week we will be measuring the temperature every day to learn more about how meteorologists predict the weather. We have set up equipment around the school to take various readings and will complete data collection throughout the week!
Other Business
That's it for this week, folks! Have a great weekend in the sun!
The class were very happy to have had a full week of learning in Grade 3B this week and had our very first fire drill of the year too! Student council members Daniel and Olivia had their first official Student Council lunch this week and we had Ivan's ninth birthday celebration too!
Writing
In writing this week the children have been hard at work revising, editing and publishing their first assessed pieces of writing. Publishing gives the children a chance to present their work in a neat fashion and practice their cursive handwriting. I am very impressed with the neatness of the whole class's handwriting already, so expect to see wonderful things as the year goes on! Unfinished publishing will be sent home this weekend (as we have been working on this for the past three days). Children who have publishing to complete have been sent with paper, lines and a clip to fasten it.
Next week, we will be starting our new unit on expository writing and focusing on instruction texts. A good way to help your children start thinking about this is to ask them to describe simple processes that they are doing (e.g. cleaning their teeth or making a sandwich) and get them to think about what kind of words they use to show the order things are happening.
Maths
In maths this week we continued with addition, first looking at mental addition for rapid results and then moving on to the more complex method of vertical (column) addition. This week I have added some pictures to the slideshow below to show you how these methods work.
Reading
In reading we started to learn more about how we can understand the characters we read about by linking their feelings to experiences we have had ourselves. We also talked about stopping and thinking about how characters may react or talk to each other by putting on their voice and acting out their emotions.
Understanding characters is a key way to develop the skills to really comprehend what we are reading and the children are showing a great aptitude for this!
Science
In Science we saw how water changes when it gets very cold and learned that frozen water expands to take up more space (we put water filled syringes in the freezer over night and saw how the plunger had popped up the next morning with the pressure of the expanded ice!). We also learned that when the ice melts and returns to being water it contracts again, leaving space in the syringe! This was a fun and visual way to see the changing state of water!
Next week we will be measuring the temperature every day to learn more about how meteorologists predict the weather. We have set up equipment around the school to take various readings and will complete data collection throughout the week!
Other Business
- We have a field trip coming up and will be looking for parent chaperones (the final location has not been confirmed, but is likely to be Inokashira Park or the Tama River)
- We still have a few people who have no sent in their holiday book money - if this could come by Tuesday at the latest it would be greatly appreciated!
- There are still some slots available for Parent Teacher Conferences next Friday - remember children are off school on this day!
- We are still looking for a parent who can commit to being class parent for the year
- Homework (including reading records) will be due in on Thursday next week instead of Friday!
That's it for this week, folks! Have a great weekend in the sun!
International Pride!
This week may have been short, but it was packed with activity for the kids! On top of our usual subjects we had special events like the Student Council Elections and International Children’s Day!
International Children’s day was certainly a little different from previous years, but the children still managed to pull together to show off a wonderfully diverse range of outfits, food and presentations. I am really impressed with how much they can get into the spirit of things, even with the restrictions we have in place at the moment. It was a treat to learn more of everyone’s culture and for the children to share in this!
Our results for Student Council came in, and after some amazing speeches by Sora, Jumaru, Shinnosuke, Sarah, Daniel and Olivia, the class took part in a vote to decide on their representatives. I am very proud to announce that this years Student Council Members for Grade 3B will be……Olivia Lesley and Daniel Charlton! Everyone deserves a pat on the back for taking part.
In writing the children began writing their first assessed pieces of the year, a character description of their own choice. They have all been working very hard to remember all the new grammar skills they learned and are applying these to their work.
In maths the children began their second unit on addition, one that will continue over the coming weeks. This week we focused on “mental math” to help children work out equations more quickly using a range of different techniques.
While it has been a short week, I feel with the rain and the special days, the children deserve another well earned rest this weekend in order to come back refreshed for another full week and the beginning of October!
I hope you all have fantastic weekends and I can’t wait to see the children again next week!
International Children’s day was certainly a little different from previous years, but the children still managed to pull together to show off a wonderfully diverse range of outfits, food and presentations. I am really impressed with how much they can get into the spirit of things, even with the restrictions we have in place at the moment. It was a treat to learn more of everyone’s culture and for the children to share in this!
Our results for Student Council came in, and after some amazing speeches by Sora, Jumaru, Shinnosuke, Sarah, Daniel and Olivia, the class took part in a vote to decide on their representatives. I am very proud to announce that this years Student Council Members for Grade 3B will be……Olivia Lesley and Daniel Charlton! Everyone deserves a pat on the back for taking part.
In writing the children began writing their first assessed pieces of the year, a character description of their own choice. They have all been working very hard to remember all the new grammar skills they learned and are applying these to their work.
In maths the children began their second unit on addition, one that will continue over the coming weeks. This week we focused on “mental math” to help children work out equations more quickly using a range of different techniques.
While it has been a short week, I feel with the rain and the special days, the children deserve another well earned rest this weekend in order to come back refreshed for another full week and the beginning of October!
I hope you all have fantastic weekends and I can’t wait to see the children again next week!
Sharing our love of reading and writing...
They say British people always talk about the weather and I have noticed that I start almost every weekly update with an update on temperature! Still, things were a lot cooler this week and I for one appreciated it greatly!
Writing
This week we learned about similes and metaphors and how when we add them to our descriptions we see as literary as an author or clever like a scientist! After adding this tool to our arsenal, we began to write a character description. As a class we did a "shared write", which involves us working together on the class whiteboard to develop a piece of text. Once we have learned how to write together, the children then work on their own pieces of writing in their books. The children were writing about characters from the Roald Dahl novel, "Fantastic Mr Fox" this week, but next week they will be writing a character description about any one they like (even a character they have invented themselves!).
The children clearly enjoyed the writing process this week and particularly enjoyed coming up with their own vocabulary to improve their work!
Reading
We focused on how to summarise in reading this week and it was the perfect time as we finished our third class book of the year, "Poppy". One of the main areas we assess children on in reading, is their ability to retell and pick out the key events from a story. We learned a new framework for helping us sum up a story, "Someone wanted ______ , but _________, then _________, so __________." For example: "Mr Fox wanted to feed his family, but some evil farmers shot off his tail then trapped him underground, so he dug a network of tunnels to steal all of the farmer's food and saved the day!"
It would be really useful if you could ask your children to try and use this model when you are reading with them (or even after watching a film or TV show). It doesn't need to be at the end of a whole book, it could be at the end of a chapter. The more practice they get, the better they will become at summarising!
Science
We had a busy week of exploring water and at different temperatures and learned the benefits of a thermometer (instead of just guessing with our finger tips!). We also learned that that hot water is less dense than room temperature water and cold water is more dense.
Maths
In maths we took time consolidating our unit on place value and counting to 10'000 by completing some very challenging problem solving and reasoning. The children also played the "dice game" which is always a fun way for children to understand the power of placing digits in different places on a place value grid.
International Children's Day
As you probably know by now, International Children's Day (ICD) is coming next Friday, the 25th of September. While information has been sent relating to children's attire and eating arrangements I just wanted to take a moment to remind you that children's Pecha Kucha presentations will be delivered on the day also. This website offers a unique approach to setting up a visual presentation and is very simple to use. The most important thing to remember is to set your view to United School of Tokyo Team View before attempting to create anything.
Finally, let's not forget that next week the school will be close on Monday and Tuesday for Silver Week, so I look forward to seeing everyone again on Wednesday!
Writing
This week we learned about similes and metaphors and how when we add them to our descriptions we see as literary as an author or clever like a scientist! After adding this tool to our arsenal, we began to write a character description. As a class we did a "shared write", which involves us working together on the class whiteboard to develop a piece of text. Once we have learned how to write together, the children then work on their own pieces of writing in their books. The children were writing about characters from the Roald Dahl novel, "Fantastic Mr Fox" this week, but next week they will be writing a character description about any one they like (even a character they have invented themselves!).
The children clearly enjoyed the writing process this week and particularly enjoyed coming up with their own vocabulary to improve their work!
Reading
We focused on how to summarise in reading this week and it was the perfect time as we finished our third class book of the year, "Poppy". One of the main areas we assess children on in reading, is their ability to retell and pick out the key events from a story. We learned a new framework for helping us sum up a story, "Someone wanted ______ , but _________, then _________, so __________." For example: "Mr Fox wanted to feed his family, but some evil farmers shot off his tail then trapped him underground, so he dug a network of tunnels to steal all of the farmer's food and saved the day!"
It would be really useful if you could ask your children to try and use this model when you are reading with them (or even after watching a film or TV show). It doesn't need to be at the end of a whole book, it could be at the end of a chapter. The more practice they get, the better they will become at summarising!
Science
We had a busy week of exploring water and at different temperatures and learned the benefits of a thermometer (instead of just guessing with our finger tips!). We also learned that that hot water is less dense than room temperature water and cold water is more dense.
Maths
In maths we took time consolidating our unit on place value and counting to 10'000 by completing some very challenging problem solving and reasoning. The children also played the "dice game" which is always a fun way for children to understand the power of placing digits in different places on a place value grid.
International Children's Day
As you probably know by now, International Children's Day (ICD) is coming next Friday, the 25th of September. While information has been sent relating to children's attire and eating arrangements I just wanted to take a moment to remind you that children's Pecha Kucha presentations will be delivered on the day also. This website offers a unique approach to setting up a visual presentation and is very simple to use. The most important thing to remember is to set your view to United School of Tokyo Team View before attempting to create anything.
Finally, let's not forget that next week the school will be close on Monday and Tuesday for Silver Week, so I look forward to seeing everyone again on Wednesday!
Another Bracing Week!
Another scorching week for both the temperature and the children's learning. The class really feels up and running now and the children have been working hard once again this week.
Just a polite reminder that children are required to read 5 times a week and record it in their reading records each time with a signature from you (or initials).
Maths
We came to the end of our Numbers to 10'000 unit with the children's final assessment. Next week we will be moving on to addition (after spending a little time consolidating all of our learning from Unit 1). The children have made a great start to the year - please look out for your children's grades in their assessment next week!
Writing
This week children learned all about awesome adverbs, amazing adjectives and powerful verbs. Through practice the children began to understand how much better a description can sound if we choose the right adverbs, verbs and adjectives. We had some amazing sentences from the children and they are going to use all they have learned to write some fantastically fabulous character descriptions next week. We will be focusing on characters from Fantastic Mr Fox next week before choosing characters of our own to write about after that!
Reading
This week we carried on reading and discussing "Poppy". The children are hooked on the tale of a small mouse (Poppy) defying the despotic rule of a terrifying and dishonest owl called Mr Ocax in order to save her family. We are discussing the vocabulary and themes of the story regularly, which is aiding both our reading skills and our writing! We also practiced reading more fluently and in our heads and finished off our first round of reading assessments!
Science
This week we completed the first section of our Water and Climate theme and completed an assessment together to see how much the children had learned about water. The children began the week by exploring how rain water affects different items and surfaces outside - it was a great chance for the whole grade to work together on an investigation and the children found some very interesting results!
Next Week
Remember - homework will go home on Monday and it is important to look on Seesaw to see what the children are expected to do. While they have not been assigned any maths or handwriting practice yet, expect this to start coming next week!
Please be sure to double check the new schedule - especially for P.E which is on Tuesday and Friday now.
That's all from me, so have a wonderful weekend and I will speak to you again very soon!
Mr Morris
Just a polite reminder that children are required to read 5 times a week and record it in their reading records each time with a signature from you (or initials).
Maths
We came to the end of our Numbers to 10'000 unit with the children's final assessment. Next week we will be moving on to addition (after spending a little time consolidating all of our learning from Unit 1). The children have made a great start to the year - please look out for your children's grades in their assessment next week!
Writing
This week children learned all about awesome adverbs, amazing adjectives and powerful verbs. Through practice the children began to understand how much better a description can sound if we choose the right adverbs, verbs and adjectives. We had some amazing sentences from the children and they are going to use all they have learned to write some fantastically fabulous character descriptions next week. We will be focusing on characters from Fantastic Mr Fox next week before choosing characters of our own to write about after that!
Reading
This week we carried on reading and discussing "Poppy". The children are hooked on the tale of a small mouse (Poppy) defying the despotic rule of a terrifying and dishonest owl called Mr Ocax in order to save her family. We are discussing the vocabulary and themes of the story regularly, which is aiding both our reading skills and our writing! We also practiced reading more fluently and in our heads and finished off our first round of reading assessments!
Science
This week we completed the first section of our Water and Climate theme and completed an assessment together to see how much the children had learned about water. The children began the week by exploring how rain water affects different items and surfaces outside - it was a great chance for the whole grade to work together on an investigation and the children found some very interesting results!
Next Week
Remember - homework will go home on Monday and it is important to look on Seesaw to see what the children are expected to do. While they have not been assigned any maths or handwriting practice yet, expect this to start coming next week!
Please be sure to double check the new schedule - especially for P.E which is on Tuesday and Friday now.
That's all from me, so have a wonderful weekend and I will speak to you again very soon!
Mr Morris
Learning and melting in the blistering heat!
Good afternoon parents of G3B! I hope you have had as fantastic a week as we have!
Before I go into what we have been up to, I just want to point out that the schedule has changed - I have attached an image above. This is the last forecasted change from the admin team, so this should remain the same going forward. P.E days are Tuesday and Friday.
The children have continued to adapt to their new setting amazingly this week and I'm really impressed with how much we have achieved and how much they are all maturing into Grade 3s! The first month of school always takes some getting used to (even for teachers!), but the children have really impressed me, so give them all a pat on the back.
Writing
This week we have been focusing on descriptive writing and writing our own descriptive paragraphs about an object or thing we liked. We had teddy bears, ramen and even a bureau described! The children learned about adjectives (words that describe a noun) and spotted them in various texts. We are building a large list of words on the wall to support their future writing. We also used our senses to help with our descriptions and thought about how we can use what we see, hear, feel, touch and taste to improve our descriptions.
Reading
In reading this week, we started assessing the children's reading levels. I have assessed most of the class to see if they need to move up or stay at the same level.
We also looked at how to pick appropriate books in our lessons and read the Magic Tree House story "Dinosaurs Before Dark". The children enjoyed hearing about Jack and Annie's adventure into a magical world and I'm sure will enjoy hearing many more tales in this series.
Our new class book is going to be "Poppy" by AVI. This is a slightly longer chapter book than the last two we have read, so will no doubt be with us for a few weeks!
Maths
In maths we have been learning about numbers up to 10'000 (last year it was up to 1'000) and how to use base ten blocks, number strips and place value to help us organise and compare numbers (seeing which is greater or lesser).
Next week we will be looking at rounding numbers to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand. This can be a tricky concept for children, so any support at home is much appreciated. I will send home some extra practice with homework next week and some tips in how to support your children with this area.
Science
We started our science module on Water and Climate this week and the children have already had the chance to have 3 investigations! This week we:
Reminders
Just to remind you that all children need to complete reading 5 times a week for homework and this needs to be recorded in their reading record sheets.
Another problem is rulers seem to be in short supply in the classroom, so if you could check the whereabouts of your child's ruler and locate one if necessary, that would be greatly appreciated!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr Morris.
Before I go into what we have been up to, I just want to point out that the schedule has changed - I have attached an image above. This is the last forecasted change from the admin team, so this should remain the same going forward. P.E days are Tuesday and Friday.
The children have continued to adapt to their new setting amazingly this week and I'm really impressed with how much we have achieved and how much they are all maturing into Grade 3s! The first month of school always takes some getting used to (even for teachers!), but the children have really impressed me, so give them all a pat on the back.
Writing
This week we have been focusing on descriptive writing and writing our own descriptive paragraphs about an object or thing we liked. We had teddy bears, ramen and even a bureau described! The children learned about adjectives (words that describe a noun) and spotted them in various texts. We are building a large list of words on the wall to support their future writing. We also used our senses to help with our descriptions and thought about how we can use what we see, hear, feel, touch and taste to improve our descriptions.
Reading
In reading this week, we started assessing the children's reading levels. I have assessed most of the class to see if they need to move up or stay at the same level.
We also looked at how to pick appropriate books in our lessons and read the Magic Tree House story "Dinosaurs Before Dark". The children enjoyed hearing about Jack and Annie's adventure into a magical world and I'm sure will enjoy hearing many more tales in this series.
Our new class book is going to be "Poppy" by AVI. This is a slightly longer chapter book than the last two we have read, so will no doubt be with us for a few weeks!
Maths
In maths we have been learning about numbers up to 10'000 (last year it was up to 1'000) and how to use base ten blocks, number strips and place value to help us organise and compare numbers (seeing which is greater or lesser).
Next week we will be looking at rounding numbers to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand. This can be a tricky concept for children, so any support at home is much appreciated. I will send home some extra practice with homework next week and some tips in how to support your children with this area.
Science
We started our science module on Water and Climate this week and the children have already had the chance to have 3 investigations! This week we:
- saw how water interacts with different surfaces and materials
- observed how water moves down a slope
- learned how sponges work and explored mass
Reminders
Just to remind you that all children need to complete reading 5 times a week for homework and this needs to be recorded in their reading record sheets.
Another problem is rulers seem to be in short supply in the classroom, so if you could check the whereabouts of your child's ruler and locate one if necessary, that would be greatly appreciated!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr Morris.
Class Orientation
Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend the meeting this morning - please find the slides for the presentation below.
School's Back!
Good evening parents of the all new G3B!
As our first (slightly shorter) week draws to a close I am delighted to say that Grade 3B are adapting to their new grade fantastically! This academic year represents a big change for students and teachers alike, but I can already tell that this class has what it takes to meet the challenge. I have seen so much positivity, energy and kindness this week, it gives me great pride.
Tuesday
On Tuesday we began by getting to know the new classroom rules. We focused on the important new routines we need to take into consideration to prevent the risk of germs spreading in the school.
Everyday the children are expected to:
We also spent some time thinking about what we need to learn. Rather than focusing on dos and don’ts, I wanted the children to think of what an ideal learning environment looks like, so we could build our class “rules” in a more positive manner. The children shared some fantastic ideas, showing some real empathy and understanding for others and also great personal reflection. Our What We Need to Learn list is now up on the wall for all to see!
We visited the park and had the opportunity to spend some play time with Mrs. D’s class before heading back to school to take part in some activities to familiarize ourselves with our new classmates. The children built 3D rockets with information about all their favorite things and these will be displayed in the classroom.
Finally we spent the day reading our first class book, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl. This book will be the basis for our first writing unit on descriptive writing. The children have been thoroughly enjoying the tale of the three wicked farmers who are determined to kill the fox that steals their food on a nightly basis, but fortunately Mr Fox is just far too cunning to be caught! It is a great tale of determination and is packed with Roald Dahl’s signature blend of creative and funny words wrapped in a bittersweet family story.
Wednesday
We began Wednesday by completing some maths sprints - sheets of equations that the children practice and complete within a time limit. The idea is for them to strengthen their mental math so that they can find quicker ways to process problems in their head. As the year goes on we will practice these regularly and I am positive the children’s mental recognition will grow.
After this, the children had the chance to interview the teacher and asked me some very interesting questions. They learned about why I moved to Japan, my real age (shh - don’t tell anyone!) and more about my family. My personal favourite was “Why do you have a beard?” - which is quite a difficult question to answer! I hope this has made them feel a little more comfortable with the person they will be spending most of their time with for the coming year!
We continued reading “Fantastic Mr Fox” during our snack and lunch times as the children are currently encouraged to minimise talking during these periods due to their masks being off. Fortunately, they were absolutely gripped by the story and seem to enjoy my silly voices!
Children began Japanese for the year today and the Japanese teachers are working hard to select the right group for each child.
Thursday
The day began with a writing assessment that focused on grammar and composition. The children worked very hard on this and it has given me a good idea of things that we will need to focus on as a class as we begin writing next week.
The children had their first P.E lesson of the year, in which Coach Adam and Mr Finn talked them through the new routines for P.E and they also had guidance with our new guidance teacher, Miss Ashley.
Lunch-time and recess took place with G3A at Shoto Park with the children from G3A and then we headed back to class to work on our goals for the year. The children spent a long time devising goals for academic, behavioral and social areas and we will continue to address these as the year goes on.
Friday
The final day began with the class’s second Art lesson of the week with Mr Guy making sure the children are inspired and also well aware of the social distancing rules in the art rooms! The children are doing well with this, but understandably will need regular reminders.
Later on, the class learned in detail about summary skills for reading. It is really important that children can recognize how to put a story in order, who the main character is, what the problem and resolution are and where the story is set. Whenever you read with your children, you could ask them questions about this. If they get used to summarizing all the time, they will fly up the reading levels over the next year!
Try asking them questions like:
We made our fourth park trip of the week today and the children played a giant game of tag with the other grade 3 class which was a really fun way to end the week!
We finally got to use the library today and children are coming home with their first reading books of the year! Under our new library policy children will be able to take out one book at a time on Monday and Friday afternoons. They are also able to borrow books that are either on their reading level, one below the reading level or one above. So a child who reads at level M could borrow L, M and O books. I have sent home reading records with the children this weekend and they should fill out a box whenever they read. While there will be no homework set until next week, I do expect children to read for at least 15 minutes a day. When they have completed their reading, they will show you their reading record and ask you to sign or initial it so I can check it each week. This week, if they can bring their homework folders back on Monday, I will set homework for the following week.
Our final little piece of “work” for the week was to go round the room and ask everyone what they thought went well this week. We had all kinds of truly insightful answers that show the children can really understand and appreciate how well they are doing.
So, that is all for this week! It has been wonderful to spend 4 days getting to know all of your children and I can already see this is going to be a fantastic year.
I look forward to speaking to you all tomorrow afternoon during our Zoom Parent Orientation meeting.
Mr Morris
As our first (slightly shorter) week draws to a close I am delighted to say that Grade 3B are adapting to their new grade fantastically! This academic year represents a big change for students and teachers alike, but I can already tell that this class has what it takes to meet the challenge. I have seen so much positivity, energy and kindness this week, it gives me great pride.
Tuesday
On Tuesday we began by getting to know the new classroom rules. We focused on the important new routines we need to take into consideration to prevent the risk of germs spreading in the school.
Everyday the children are expected to:
- sanitize their hands as they enter the classroom
- clean their areas at regular intervals
- wash their hands with soap and water whenever returning to the school from being outside
- maintain safe social distance at all times
- speak in a soft voice
We also spent some time thinking about what we need to learn. Rather than focusing on dos and don’ts, I wanted the children to think of what an ideal learning environment looks like, so we could build our class “rules” in a more positive manner. The children shared some fantastic ideas, showing some real empathy and understanding for others and also great personal reflection. Our What We Need to Learn list is now up on the wall for all to see!
We visited the park and had the opportunity to spend some play time with Mrs. D’s class before heading back to school to take part in some activities to familiarize ourselves with our new classmates. The children built 3D rockets with information about all their favorite things and these will be displayed in the classroom.
Finally we spent the day reading our first class book, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl. This book will be the basis for our first writing unit on descriptive writing. The children have been thoroughly enjoying the tale of the three wicked farmers who are determined to kill the fox that steals their food on a nightly basis, but fortunately Mr Fox is just far too cunning to be caught! It is a great tale of determination and is packed with Roald Dahl’s signature blend of creative and funny words wrapped in a bittersweet family story.
Wednesday
We began Wednesday by completing some maths sprints - sheets of equations that the children practice and complete within a time limit. The idea is for them to strengthen their mental math so that they can find quicker ways to process problems in their head. As the year goes on we will practice these regularly and I am positive the children’s mental recognition will grow.
After this, the children had the chance to interview the teacher and asked me some very interesting questions. They learned about why I moved to Japan, my real age (shh - don’t tell anyone!) and more about my family. My personal favourite was “Why do you have a beard?” - which is quite a difficult question to answer! I hope this has made them feel a little more comfortable with the person they will be spending most of their time with for the coming year!
We continued reading “Fantastic Mr Fox” during our snack and lunch times as the children are currently encouraged to minimise talking during these periods due to their masks being off. Fortunately, they were absolutely gripped by the story and seem to enjoy my silly voices!
Children began Japanese for the year today and the Japanese teachers are working hard to select the right group for each child.
Thursday
The day began with a writing assessment that focused on grammar and composition. The children worked very hard on this and it has given me a good idea of things that we will need to focus on as a class as we begin writing next week.
The children had their first P.E lesson of the year, in which Coach Adam and Mr Finn talked them through the new routines for P.E and they also had guidance with our new guidance teacher, Miss Ashley.
Lunch-time and recess took place with G3A at Shoto Park with the children from G3A and then we headed back to class to work on our goals for the year. The children spent a long time devising goals for academic, behavioral and social areas and we will continue to address these as the year goes on.
Friday
The final day began with the class’s second Art lesson of the week with Mr Guy making sure the children are inspired and also well aware of the social distancing rules in the art rooms! The children are doing well with this, but understandably will need regular reminders.
Later on, the class learned in detail about summary skills for reading. It is really important that children can recognize how to put a story in order, who the main character is, what the problem and resolution are and where the story is set. Whenever you read with your children, you could ask them questions about this. If they get used to summarizing all the time, they will fly up the reading levels over the next year!
Try asking them questions like:
- “Who is the main character in this story? How do you know?”
- “What is the problem in the story you are reading?”
- “Where is your story set?”
We made our fourth park trip of the week today and the children played a giant game of tag with the other grade 3 class which was a really fun way to end the week!
We finally got to use the library today and children are coming home with their first reading books of the year! Under our new library policy children will be able to take out one book at a time on Monday and Friday afternoons. They are also able to borrow books that are either on their reading level, one below the reading level or one above. So a child who reads at level M could borrow L, M and O books. I have sent home reading records with the children this weekend and they should fill out a box whenever they read. While there will be no homework set until next week, I do expect children to read for at least 15 minutes a day. When they have completed their reading, they will show you their reading record and ask you to sign or initial it so I can check it each week. This week, if they can bring their homework folders back on Monday, I will set homework for the following week.
Our final little piece of “work” for the week was to go round the room and ask everyone what they thought went well this week. We had all kinds of truly insightful answers that show the children can really understand and appreciate how well they are doing.
So, that is all for this week! It has been wonderful to spend 4 days getting to know all of your children and I can already see this is going to be a fantastic year.
I look forward to speaking to you all tomorrow afternoon during our Zoom Parent Orientation meeting.
Mr Morris
Welcome to Grade 3!!
I am delighted to welcome you and your children to Grade 3 for the 2020-2021 school year! It is only days until I get the opportunity to open the doors to my classroom and I am thoroughly excited to teach your children!
This is my second year at UST and I am looking forward to continuing my journey here with this new class. I come from Basingstoke in the United Kingdom and taught elementary school in Manchester before moving to Japan. My two boys also attend UST (one in G2 and one in K2) and my first year of international teaching was exciting and welcoming in equal measure!
The third grade is a special year for children, when they will continue to build on the independence they learned in the classes of Mr L. and Mr Yoon. This year in particular has been quite unpredictable in terms of the impact of Covid-19, but I want to extend my re-assurances that whatever occurs your children's social, emotional and academic growth will be at the centre of everything I do. The classroom may seem a little different for children this year as we put in place measures to keep the school a safe and thriving environment, but they will still be able to learn and engage with their friends every day.
What to Bring on Tuesday
I am eager to meet all of my new students on Tuesday! Please remember to send your children with a "parent promise" form and a health card (these will be checked at the door each morning) as well as any required equipment as mentioned by Ms. Natasha in her email from earlier in the month (please see this reminder below):
Stationary to bring to school
- 5 HB pencils
- colored pencils (set of 12)
- 2 highlighters
- 5 erasers
- a 30 cm ruler
Personal supplies
- water bottle with a strap
- lunch box with utensils (or just utensils if you use lunch delivery)
- indoor shoes
- sun hat
- mosquito spray
- pen case with pencils and erasers
*Can I please request that children do not bring in mechanical pencils to school. A lot of learning time was lost with cleaning up lead marks from the floor last year and I would much rather be using this time to teach your children.
Parent Orientation Meeting
Next Saturday (29th August 2020) we will be conducting our parent orientation meeting on Zoom. This will be an opportunity for us to meet and for you to bring any questions you may have about the coming year. The meeting will take place at 12pm. My Zoom ID and password are as follows:
ZOOM ID: 949 090 5846
Password: G3BUST
If you need to get in touch, please feel free to email [email protected]
This is my second year at UST and I am looking forward to continuing my journey here with this new class. I come from Basingstoke in the United Kingdom and taught elementary school in Manchester before moving to Japan. My two boys also attend UST (one in G2 and one in K2) and my first year of international teaching was exciting and welcoming in equal measure!
The third grade is a special year for children, when they will continue to build on the independence they learned in the classes of Mr L. and Mr Yoon. This year in particular has been quite unpredictable in terms of the impact of Covid-19, but I want to extend my re-assurances that whatever occurs your children's social, emotional and academic growth will be at the centre of everything I do. The classroom may seem a little different for children this year as we put in place measures to keep the school a safe and thriving environment, but they will still be able to learn and engage with their friends every day.
What to Bring on Tuesday
I am eager to meet all of my new students on Tuesday! Please remember to send your children with a "parent promise" form and a health card (these will be checked at the door each morning) as well as any required equipment as mentioned by Ms. Natasha in her email from earlier in the month (please see this reminder below):
Stationary to bring to school
- 5 HB pencils
- colored pencils (set of 12)
- 2 highlighters
- 5 erasers
- a 30 cm ruler
Personal supplies
- water bottle with a strap
- lunch box with utensils (or just utensils if you use lunch delivery)
- indoor shoes
- sun hat
- mosquito spray
- pen case with pencils and erasers
*Can I please request that children do not bring in mechanical pencils to school. A lot of learning time was lost with cleaning up lead marks from the floor last year and I would much rather be using this time to teach your children.
Parent Orientation Meeting
Next Saturday (29th August 2020) we will be conducting our parent orientation meeting on Zoom. This will be an opportunity for us to meet and for you to bring any questions you may have about the coming year. The meeting will take place at 12pm. My Zoom ID and password are as follows:
ZOOM ID: 949 090 5846
Password: G3BUST
If you need to get in touch, please feel free to email [email protected]
Stories from the snowy mountain
Good afternoon parents of Grade 3B!
Unsurprisingly, most of this week's Weebly will be focused on the Ski Trip, which occupied us for the first 3 days of the week and also left many of our number exhausted on Thursday and Friday!
Thursday and Friday
We'll get "business" out of the way first, on Thursday and Friday we planned and began to write our own Suspense stories. We used a "Story Mountain" to help us plan out our Opening, Problem, Climax, Resolution and Ending. This structure, along with all the new tools that the children have added to their toolkit should make for some very creepy and exciting stories!
We also had a little more practice with division problems, including some tricky two step questions that required the children to work out multiple questions on their way to the final answer.
The children continued to read mystery books and search for clues and suspects in the afternoons. This is a really fun way for children to learn about reading between the lines and will also improve their suspense writing.
The Ski Trip
Monday
I was up at the crack of dawn on Monday morning to say goodbye to my family and fill my bag up with snacks before arriving at UST at 6:40am! There were still children who beat me here despite my early start and as you all saw the crowds grew and grew as we took names and loaded the bus up for our big journey.
The drive to the Twin Towers resort was sunny and exciting, the class behaved wonderfully on the bus and kept things tidy and quiet all the way (it's amazing what ipads can do!). We stopped for a brief snack and rest break at a service station before entering the tunnel that leads to Yuzawa in sunlight and emerging to snow capped peaks and overcast skies.
After a brief drop off at the hotel rooms we were downstairs and ready to hit the slopes! The children got into their gear and broke off into different groups with other grade 3s and grade 2s and managed a lively 2 and a half hours of skiing before coming inside. The snow was a little icy on the first afternoon, but there were promises of snow for the next day!
In the evening we went for a swim before settling down to dinner in the resort cafe. After a hearty repast (and a few too many bowls of chocolate ice cream!) the children retired to the hotel room where they began the exciting task of setting up futons and bedrooms. After this, we played a few games and then settled in to watch How to Train Your Dragon. The children were still quite bright-eyed after the film, but soon drifted off and were almost all soundly asleep before ten (thank goodness!).
Tuesday
The snow fell through the night and we were all delighted to see deep powder snow as we peeked out of the window on Tuesday morning. After shaking the sleep off and eating some breakfast we adorned our ski attire and once again headed for the hills.
Even after just one afternoon, I could see the great leaps in progress the children had taken and everyone enjoyed the massive improvement in conditions on day two. I myself have improved greatly as a skier just thanks to the practice I was lucky enough to have and listening to the instructors tips and tricks. That said, I did managed to fall over at least 25 times and get hit by a snowboarder once!
Half way through the day, the children returned to the restaurant and ravenously ate a huge bowl of ramen, before a quick toilet break and a return to the snow. The energy levels remained high, so much so that Kanna even managed to trip up Mr Morris on his way off of one of the ski lifts (I must remember to get her back for that!) There was some pretty heavy snow in the afternoon, but the children coped with it wonderfully and they were all still smiles come the end of the day.
Once again, the children swam after their ski and had a good rinse in the showers before heading downstairs for fried chicken. Eating with the children and seeing them in this different environment was a real treat and I can't begin to recount the amount of times the class has made me laugh this week! Amina, Kanna and Hitomi's attempt at emulating my British accent has to be a big highlight though!
After dinner, the children headed back upstairs to play games and clean their teeth before the night's movie: Toy Story 4. I can assure you that after a full day of skiing and swimming, most of them did not keep their eyes open for long and were snoring by 9:30!
Wednesday
Just when we thought we could have no more fun, the last day was upon us and after breakfast and a military precision tidy up of the hotel room, the children went downstairs to suit up for snow once more, but this time did not require their skis!
Instead of shooting down hill at perilously high speeds on skis, we did it on sleds on Wednesday morning. We had some great races, great tumbles and a lot of laughs before ending with a mass (organized) snowball fight between the As and Bs of grades 2 and 3. I can't honestly say who won, but do know that I had snow down my back on the bus journey that followed!
After a farewell lunch and a final sweep of the rooms, the class loaded up the bus after welcoming grades 4,5 and 6 to the resort and we headed back to Tokyo. The trip home was a little more gruelling than the one out, but once again the children composed themselves and it was the adults that were whining about how long it took!
Alas, we returned in one piece and for my part it is the best experience I have ever had in escorting a class on a field trip. Everyone was a credit to the school and I had so much fun seeing them in a totally different setting and also allowing them to all see a more relaxed and silly side of my personality (apologies, I did engage in one or two pillow fights and may have thrown the odd snowball at your cherished offspring!). I feel we have really bonded as a class and I have had the opportunity to get to know everyone so much better, it has been a wonderful privilege. Once again, I must thank you for the chance to work with your wonderful children - it really is a pleasure!
Next Week
School closure
Just to remind you there is no school on Monday or Tuesday this week and the Komaba campus will be closed on Wednesday, so you may need to make alterations to your travel arrangements on that day (for example getting the train to Shinsen station).
World Book Day
World Book Day is coming and I have heard the children discussing their "Reading in Unusual Places" photographs, so I can't wait to see those on Monday the 2nd of March (or before if people have them!)
Homework
This week's homework task (set today) is to complete English Challenge Number 19. This task will be due on Thursday the 27th of February.
For this task the children need to interview someone and find out lots of interesting, but most importantly, descriptive facts. It could be anyone, but a member of the family or a friend would most likely be most achievable. When they have collected their information they need to turn it into a poster with a picture or photograph of the person.
This one is a ten point challenge, so I would expect at least 4 paragraphs worth of good quality writing. Questions that your child may consider are:
- What does a normal day look like for you?
- Tell me about your favourite subject from school.
- Explain one of your favourite hobbies/pastimes.
- Describe the place(s) you spent your childhood in.
- Could you tell an interesting story/anecdote about yourself?
- What ambitions do you have in life and why?
Maths Competition
The first winners for our monthly maths competition will be announced in next Thursday's assembly so all entries must be in by Wednesday. As yet, I haven't had one entry from G3B, so it would be great if people could check the student council weebly page and have a go - 50 Yen per entry!
That is all for this week! Have a great long weekend!
The St. Valentine's day cake massacre!
It has been an activity packed week for Grade 3B, with a field trip, a squad event and a huge Valentine’s day bake sale. We have still managed to learn things too which is fortunate!
Writing
This week the class learned about the magical Power of Three in writing. The belief is that everything is more effective in groups of three, whether that is 3 adjectives (“Mr Morris was handsome, intelligent and modest.”), 3 verbs (“To become so intelligent Mr Morris studied, read and worked hard.”) or 3 short sentences (“He froze. He saw something. It roared!”). This technique can really improve the quality of children’s writing and they had a lot of fun putting into practice with the other tools they learned about last week.
Then on Thursday, the children had a go at putting all of the new tools they have learned into place to write the climax paragraph to a short suspense story. Having read them, I can assure you I have had a few restless nights this week!
When we return from the Ski Trip, we will be writing our very own suspense stories and I cannot wait to see what the children come up with as they have some wonderfully dark and inventive imaginations!
Maths
This week we continued to use bar models to help us divide and looked at how a comparison model can be very useful
This kind of problem is a perfect example of the reason bar models are so useful, as it can be very hard to visualise what you need to do without drawing it first.
Reading
The children were introduced to the word “Inference” this week and we talked about how we use inference to understand things that aren’t written on the page. For example, how do we know that the person whose tummy rumbles is hungry? Inference! How do we know that person who throws their garbage all over the road is careless? Inference!
We continued digging for clues in our mystery stories this week and had a robbery mystery to solve! The children looked at the clues in the stories of two suspects and played detectives trying to round up the culprit. Mr Morris was the chief of police, scrutinising his detectives to bring him concrete evidence!
Social Studies Field Trip
First of all a huge thank you to Mischa’s mother, Colleen, and all the mum’s from G3A for helping us out on our shopping field trip this week. Having planned the budget for a class party during social studies on Monday (dividing our money into food, drinks, decorations, games), the class got into groups and trooped down to Shibuya to visit Daiso. The class split into teams with specific items to buy and worked hard to keep under budget. After this we walked back to school, dropped off our shopping, then headed to Hanamasa to buy food for the party. At Hanamasa, the children had to keep a very strict eye on how much money was left and some things needed to be put back so they could afford the essentials.
With all of our food we headed back to school and decorated and organised our class lunch and the proceeding party. The children really learned a great deal about what goes into organising a budget and the difficult decisions we sometimes have to make in life when it comes to money.
Squad Events
The class split into different squads and went to different locations around the school to make bookmarks on Thursday afternoon. It is a wonderful opportunity for children to mix with different ages and also see children from different classes from around school. It also helps raise squad spirit to encourage children to do everything they can to keep earning those Dojo points!
Ski Trip
The children who are attending the Ski Trip came to an assembly to answer any last minute questions and more importantly to remind them all of the expectations for next week. I am so excited to be joining most of Grade 3 next week on my first Ski Trip and will do my upmost to make it a memorable and exciting time!
As such, I will not be answering emails from Monday to Wednesday, so if there is anything pressing I would advise you to contact the office in my absence, otherwise I will do my best to respond quickly on Thursday morning!
Please remember to check all of your lists and emails regarding the Ski Trip to make sure you have everything ready for your children on Monday morning!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Writing
This week the class learned about the magical Power of Three in writing. The belief is that everything is more effective in groups of three, whether that is 3 adjectives (“Mr Morris was handsome, intelligent and modest.”), 3 verbs (“To become so intelligent Mr Morris studied, read and worked hard.”) or 3 short sentences (“He froze. He saw something. It roared!”). This technique can really improve the quality of children’s writing and they had a lot of fun putting into practice with the other tools they learned about last week.
Then on Thursday, the children had a go at putting all of the new tools they have learned into place to write the climax paragraph to a short suspense story. Having read them, I can assure you I have had a few restless nights this week!
When we return from the Ski Trip, we will be writing our very own suspense stories and I cannot wait to see what the children come up with as they have some wonderfully dark and inventive imaginations!
Maths
This week we continued to use bar models to help us divide and looked at how a comparison model can be very useful
This kind of problem is a perfect example of the reason bar models are so useful, as it can be very hard to visualise what you need to do without drawing it first.
Reading
The children were introduced to the word “Inference” this week and we talked about how we use inference to understand things that aren’t written on the page. For example, how do we know that the person whose tummy rumbles is hungry? Inference! How do we know that person who throws their garbage all over the road is careless? Inference!
We continued digging for clues in our mystery stories this week and had a robbery mystery to solve! The children looked at the clues in the stories of two suspects and played detectives trying to round up the culprit. Mr Morris was the chief of police, scrutinising his detectives to bring him concrete evidence!
Social Studies Field Trip
First of all a huge thank you to Mischa’s mother, Colleen, and all the mum’s from G3A for helping us out on our shopping field trip this week. Having planned the budget for a class party during social studies on Monday (dividing our money into food, drinks, decorations, games), the class got into groups and trooped down to Shibuya to visit Daiso. The class split into teams with specific items to buy and worked hard to keep under budget. After this we walked back to school, dropped off our shopping, then headed to Hanamasa to buy food for the party. At Hanamasa, the children had to keep a very strict eye on how much money was left and some things needed to be put back so they could afford the essentials.
With all of our food we headed back to school and decorated and organised our class lunch and the proceeding party. The children really learned a great deal about what goes into organising a budget and the difficult decisions we sometimes have to make in life when it comes to money.
Squad Events
The class split into different squads and went to different locations around the school to make bookmarks on Thursday afternoon. It is a wonderful opportunity for children to mix with different ages and also see children from different classes from around school. It also helps raise squad spirit to encourage children to do everything they can to keep earning those Dojo points!
Ski Trip
The children who are attending the Ski Trip came to an assembly to answer any last minute questions and more importantly to remind them all of the expectations for next week. I am so excited to be joining most of Grade 3 next week on my first Ski Trip and will do my upmost to make it a memorable and exciting time!
As such, I will not be answering emails from Monday to Wednesday, so if there is anything pressing I would advise you to contact the office in my absence, otherwise I will do my best to respond quickly on Thursday morning!
Please remember to check all of your lists and emails regarding the Ski Trip to make sure you have everything ready for your children on Monday morning!
Have a wonderful weekend!
|
|
A harsh wind blows from the North!
Hello on a very bitter Friday, parents of Grade 3B!
Despite the icy winds and shivering weather, Grade 3B have ventured out many times this week in our quest for public tidyness and inspiration. Read on to find out more!
Writing
We began our unit on creative writing this week with more scary stories and suspense stories. We started by taking a trip to Komaba park to take photos of gnarled roots, twisted branches and inexplicable piles of logs and tarpaulin (what was hidden beneath???). After this we played and had a big discussion about what makes a story scary or suspenseful.
We read "The Shadow Cage" in the dark of the 3rd floor, a thrilling creepy tale about a boy who is compelled into a trap by a mysterious green bottle. We have also discussed many different "tools" that can be used to create suspense (something that is used in all good stories):
For example:
- Empty words - words like "it" or "something" that suggest without painting a whole picture, leaving our imagination to fill in the blanks
- Short sentences - sentences of 4 or less words that help to gradually build excitement
- Personification - when we give objects or things that aren't human human traits, for example "The wind roared." or "The rain whipped at their faces."
- Repetition - "The sound drew closer. Close. Very close."
- Show not tell - instead of writing, "Jane was scared." we show that she is scared by writing, "Jane's heart thumped in her chest."
Using these techniques (and more!) the children will begin to write their own creepy suspense stories next week!
Maths
In Maths we started our unit on using bar models to help us work out multiplication and division problems. The months of hard work on multiplying has clearly been paying off, as the class seem much more confident with these types of questions now. We worked on a few problems as a class, before everyone felt the confidence to work alone.
Social Studies
This week we discussed Public Services and how they help us. We looked at the fire service, police, health-care, schools and transport and then wrote a letter to a public servant to thank them for their work. The children are really grasping the importance of society and how we can all contribute to the greater good by paying taxes or going into careers in public services.
Reading
In reading we worked on making posters about a non-fiction topic, based on the research the class have been doing over the previous few weeks. The children have summarised, taken notes and also drawn pictures to show their understanding of their chosen topic.
Other News
This week we did our eco patrol in the freezing cold outside of UST. The children did a fabulous job cleaning up and did not complain once about the cold - in fact they were complaining about coming back inside!
We were also lucky enough to be visited by a rock band, Sal and the Manders (great name, eh?) who talked to us about how they compose music, the instruments they use and also showed us one of their music videos, which they made themselves - very talented people!
Please be sure to check out our School Council Weebly page for information on coming events, such as our new regular maths challenge!
That's all for this week, have a splendid weekend and I look forward to seeing the children again on Monday!
Mr Morris
A quick reminder that the UST School Council have a limited supply of calendars left to sell before they can add up all the contributions and make their next donation.
If you would like to buy one of these fantastic calendars, please email either myself or Mrs D. and she will get one to you. They are just ¥2000 and all the money from these sales will be donated to One Tree Planted. Grab them while you can!
Beatniks of the World, Unite!
Happy Friday parents of Grade 3B!
A fun (and rhythm) packed week has come to an end and there is much to update you on including the winners of our class poetry competition (which was very, very close!) and our overall Poetry Slam!
Writing
So, as you can imagine, there were lots of children pacing the third floor, notebook in hands, practicing their poems at the beginning of the week. We were very lucky to have a visit from Sophie in Grade One's father, Mr Rowlands, to teach the children how to perform their poetry. They got some excellent tips and the chance to practice as a group, which really lifted their eventual individual poems.
On Tuesday we had some time to practice our poems and in some cases write a few more and then on Wednesday we had our in class performance, where everyone got up and recited their own compositions. After this we had a class vote and the two pupils we chose to enter the slam were.....Amina and Cocona!
On Friday afternoon Amina and Cocona performed their poems in front of the judges and the whole of Grade 1, 2 and 3. After much deliberation, the judges made their decision and the winner of Grade 3's Poetry Slam was Emily from G3A! Cocona was voted as 2nd and Amina and Morgan both shared best runner up. Well done to all 4 of you and also the other children who performed, it really was a fantastic afternoon!
Next week we will be starting our new unit in creative writing and the children will be treated to and then writing scary stories! If you have any good campfire tales you can share with your children, that would really help set the scene, just promise not to scare them too much!
We will be using our ipads to take photographs on Monday, so if you could please make sure these are charged and brought in on Monday morning, that would be really helpful.
Maths
The children finished their division unit this week and after weeks of hard work showed a much improved understanding of how to use this skill. To develop this skill it is important that children continue to practice their times tables, but also have the opportunity to practice sharing things in real life.
Please be sure to keep an eye on your emails for feedback around your child's performance and any further recommendations I may have for them.
Next week we will be continuing with multiplication and division, but using bar models to deal with more intricate word problems.
Social Studies
In Social Studies this week we ended up sitting on top of our tables to simulate how global trade works. Each group sat on their table while I moved resources around the classroom. One group had all the board markers, one group had all the white boards, one had all the plain paper and one had the most treasured item: everyone's pencil cases. Then the groups had to organize trade deals between their islands in order to have all of the goods on each island.
We also discussed how global trade has affected the city of Bengaluru and the people who live their. This gave children an idea of the cultural impact on different countries and ways of life.
Again, updates on your children's performance in this unit will be emailed to you this weekend.
Other Business!
One highlight of the week was taking advantage of the wonderful weather in the middle of the week to have a picnic and giant game of tag at the park. It can be easy to get caught up in classwork, homework, deadlines and many other stressful things in a school and forget the simple joy of being outside in the sun and playing with friends. It has always been my opinion that this kind of activity is just as important as learning division or spelling and am hopeful the weather will continue to grant us this opportunity in the coming months!
You will have also received an email from myself and Mrs D. yesterday to inform you of tweaks that have been made to the 50 point homework challenge. I am confident that this will alleviate some of the more taxing elements of homework and result in a more satisfying experience for all! Please be sure to give your feedback on how you think this is going and any suggestions you may have.
Phew! That's all for this week! I apologise for the weekly update and emails being later than normal and will make sure they are out on Friday next week!
Have a fantastic weekend!
Mr M
A fun (and rhythm) packed week has come to an end and there is much to update you on including the winners of our class poetry competition (which was very, very close!) and our overall Poetry Slam!
Writing
So, as you can imagine, there were lots of children pacing the third floor, notebook in hands, practicing their poems at the beginning of the week. We were very lucky to have a visit from Sophie in Grade One's father, Mr Rowlands, to teach the children how to perform their poetry. They got some excellent tips and the chance to practice as a group, which really lifted their eventual individual poems.
On Tuesday we had some time to practice our poems and in some cases write a few more and then on Wednesday we had our in class performance, where everyone got up and recited their own compositions. After this we had a class vote and the two pupils we chose to enter the slam were.....Amina and Cocona!
On Friday afternoon Amina and Cocona performed their poems in front of the judges and the whole of Grade 1, 2 and 3. After much deliberation, the judges made their decision and the winner of Grade 3's Poetry Slam was Emily from G3A! Cocona was voted as 2nd and Amina and Morgan both shared best runner up. Well done to all 4 of you and also the other children who performed, it really was a fantastic afternoon!
Next week we will be starting our new unit in creative writing and the children will be treated to and then writing scary stories! If you have any good campfire tales you can share with your children, that would really help set the scene, just promise not to scare them too much!
We will be using our ipads to take photographs on Monday, so if you could please make sure these are charged and brought in on Monday morning, that would be really helpful.
Maths
The children finished their division unit this week and after weeks of hard work showed a much improved understanding of how to use this skill. To develop this skill it is important that children continue to practice their times tables, but also have the opportunity to practice sharing things in real life.
Please be sure to keep an eye on your emails for feedback around your child's performance and any further recommendations I may have for them.
Next week we will be continuing with multiplication and division, but using bar models to deal with more intricate word problems.
Social Studies
In Social Studies this week we ended up sitting on top of our tables to simulate how global trade works. Each group sat on their table while I moved resources around the classroom. One group had all the board markers, one group had all the white boards, one had all the plain paper and one had the most treasured item: everyone's pencil cases. Then the groups had to organize trade deals between their islands in order to have all of the goods on each island.
We also discussed how global trade has affected the city of Bengaluru and the people who live their. This gave children an idea of the cultural impact on different countries and ways of life.
Again, updates on your children's performance in this unit will be emailed to you this weekend.
Other Business!
One highlight of the week was taking advantage of the wonderful weather in the middle of the week to have a picnic and giant game of tag at the park. It can be easy to get caught up in classwork, homework, deadlines and many other stressful things in a school and forget the simple joy of being outside in the sun and playing with friends. It has always been my opinion that this kind of activity is just as important as learning division or spelling and am hopeful the weather will continue to grant us this opportunity in the coming months!
You will have also received an email from myself and Mrs D. yesterday to inform you of tweaks that have been made to the 50 point homework challenge. I am confident that this will alleviate some of the more taxing elements of homework and result in a more satisfying experience for all! Please be sure to give your feedback on how you think this is going and any suggestions you may have.
Phew! That's all for this week! I apologise for the weekly update and emails being later than normal and will make sure they are out on Friday next week!
Have a fantastic weekend!
Mr M
There once was a teacher from England....
You guessed it parents of Grade 3B, this week we have (amongst other things) been writing poetry! If the children have been coming home and rhyming everything or counting the syllables in words by humming and patting their chest, then you have me to blame!
Writing
We were very lucky to start the week with a visit from a poet and writer, Mr Milan! He gave the children a workshop on how to build a poem and how to perform it. The children worked in groups to pick a subject and write their poems, then performed them all within the space of an hour!
For the rest of the week we focused on rhythm and rhyme and how we can use syllables to help us create really effective rhyming poems. Rhymes can match in different patterns (ABAB, AABB, ABCB etc.) and syllables have to "match" too. While the rules for syllables aren't as strict, it can make your poem a lot better if you focus on making the lines of your poems balanced.
Next week we will perform the poems that we have written, which should be a lot of fun!
In addition to learning about and writing poetry, this week we have been treated to some impromptu performances from the class. On Monday we had funny poems, on Wednesday we had rhyming poems and on Friday we had Haiku. The children have all been very brave this week and showed that they had very good memories - I can't wait for the Poetry Slam!
Maths
Our old friend Division continued this week! The children have spent the week practicing the short division method with gradually larger numbers and are really beginning to improve. The biggest issues have arisen when children don't know one of their tables (for example if they need to divide by 6, but don't know their 6 times tables) or when they forget to regroup a number or do a step. The children that are really flying with this are the ones that are proficient with their times tables, so if your child is finding Division very challenging please as them to keep practicing their tables again and again.
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies we learned all about Supply and Demand. The children ran their own (digital) lemonade stall to see how weather, prices, customers and materials can effect the amount of profit you can make. At the end of the week the children completed their end of unit quiz and the results will be emailed out this afternoon.
Reading
Non-fiction reading continues and this week the children were learning how to get the information out of a text so they can share what they have learned with a partner.
Homework
Just a reminder that homework is due on Monday (many children have already completed and handed work in), and I expect 1 piece of Math, 1 piece of Writing and 1 piece of Social Studies/Science on Monday morning.
Presentation
The presentation on a public figure is also due on Monday and I will be doing my best to see all of them on that day, however if this is not possible, we will make sure that they are all seen during next week.
Ski Trip
A quick reminder from Mr Brett and Miss Ray about the ski trip. They would like to receive your money by Monday at the latest. Please remember to send them a confirmation of payment as well as a copy of any medical insurance you have for your child should there be an emergency. The ski trip e-mail address is [email protected].
Writing
We were very lucky to start the week with a visit from a poet and writer, Mr Milan! He gave the children a workshop on how to build a poem and how to perform it. The children worked in groups to pick a subject and write their poems, then performed them all within the space of an hour!
For the rest of the week we focused on rhythm and rhyme and how we can use syllables to help us create really effective rhyming poems. Rhymes can match in different patterns (ABAB, AABB, ABCB etc.) and syllables have to "match" too. While the rules for syllables aren't as strict, it can make your poem a lot better if you focus on making the lines of your poems balanced.
Next week we will perform the poems that we have written, which should be a lot of fun!
In addition to learning about and writing poetry, this week we have been treated to some impromptu performances from the class. On Monday we had funny poems, on Wednesday we had rhyming poems and on Friday we had Haiku. The children have all been very brave this week and showed that they had very good memories - I can't wait for the Poetry Slam!
Maths
Our old friend Division continued this week! The children have spent the week practicing the short division method with gradually larger numbers and are really beginning to improve. The biggest issues have arisen when children don't know one of their tables (for example if they need to divide by 6, but don't know their 6 times tables) or when they forget to regroup a number or do a step. The children that are really flying with this are the ones that are proficient with their times tables, so if your child is finding Division very challenging please as them to keep practicing their tables again and again.
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies we learned all about Supply and Demand. The children ran their own (digital) lemonade stall to see how weather, prices, customers and materials can effect the amount of profit you can make. At the end of the week the children completed their end of unit quiz and the results will be emailed out this afternoon.
Reading
Non-fiction reading continues and this week the children were learning how to get the information out of a text so they can share what they have learned with a partner.
Homework
Just a reminder that homework is due on Monday (many children have already completed and handed work in), and I expect 1 piece of Math, 1 piece of Writing and 1 piece of Social Studies/Science on Monday morning.
Presentation
The presentation on a public figure is also due on Monday and I will be doing my best to see all of them on that day, however if this is not possible, we will make sure that they are all seen during next week.
Ski Trip
A quick reminder from Mr Brett and Miss Ray about the ski trip. They would like to receive your money by Monday at the latest. Please remember to send them a confirmation of payment as well as a copy of any medical insurance you have for your child should there be an emergency. The ski trip e-mail address is [email protected].
Economise yourself!
Good evening parents of Grade 3B!
This week we have been learning about economy, launched our new homework challenge, finished our book reviews and read a bumper amount of non-fiction!
Writing
The children completed their non-fiction book reviews this week and I was really impressed with some of the details that they discovered, for example, did you know that historical president Abraham Lincoln was not just the abolisher of slavery, but also a huge practical joker? Also frogs breathe through their skin! Truly - this was an enlightening week for both teacher and students alike!
We ended the week by having a wonderful poetry session where we shared poems as a class in preparation for composing and reciting our own poems over the next two weeks.
This year we will be focusing on rhyming poems and particularly their structure. If you have the time this weekend, it would be wonderful if you could go through some poems with your children and pick out the amount of syllables that are in each line. Syllables are a great way to build rhythm into your poems and encourage the reader to recite in a more rhythmic fashion. I would highly recommend books written by Julia Donaldson (author of the Gruffalo as I'm sure you already know!) as she uses rhythm and rhyming fantastically in her picture books. Even just sitting down and re-reading some favourite rhyming picture books would prepare the children wonderfully for next week.
Also, any favourite songs can be a good practice for composing poetry. Take a song you know the lyrics too (child friendly please!) and write them down. Then together you and your child could recite the lyrics as if they were a poem. If the song has rhymes that would be even better!
Finally, if you have any favourite poems that you are happy for the children to share, we are building a poetry wall in the classroom. It would be amazing for the children to have some pieces to practice as they are preparing for their recitals next week!
Maths
We began division this week and after writing some division stories, we started to use counters and pictures to work out 2 digit by 1 digit division questions. I introduced the "bus stop" method to the children to show them that we can break down our division problems into more manageable chunks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw80VcCMdpM This video gives a good explanation of how to use this system. If your children want to practice over the weekend, that would be a tremendous help!
Reading
This week we have been reading non-fiction texts and learning how to summarise the information we learn using a handy acronym SUM -S for shorter than the text, U for Use your own words and M for Main details only. We also learned that sometimes we need to rethink information and change a fact that we thought was true. Shooting Stars are not actually stars! They are just bits of rock hitting the Earth's atmosphere - this certainly made me rethink my ideas!
Social Studies
We focused on the Economy this week and learned some words to help us understand how a Free Market Economy works. The children acted out a market scene where they sold bags of apples to each other to see who could make the most money. Very quickly children begun to understand about how to attract buyers, make their goods desirable, provide a good service and the right to choose that everyone involved in a free market economy has. We read about how the mail system got quicker over time and then completed our end of Unit quiz to assess how much we had learned.
Homework
A quick note on homework. I am really pleased to say that some pupils have already begun to bring homework in and have completed many activities on their challenge lists. Can I please request that any work that comes in is accompanied by the red homework book so I can tick of tasks as they are completed. This makes for a more efficient system and avoids running the risk of anyone doing the same piece twice!
That's all for this weeks, I look forward to some wonderful poetry next week!
Happy New Year!
Parents of Grade 3B, welcome back to a new year and a new decade!
All of your children returned bright eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday morning, all looking well rested and refreshed after an exciting three weeks. We have a very exciting term lined up, with the Ski Trip, the Poetry Slam, World Book Day and the Bake Sale all on the horizon as well as all the usual field trips and presentations and our day to day life at UST!
Writing
This week the children have been writing reviews of non-fiction books.
As you will no doubt know, the children each took a non-fiction book home with them over the break and read it thoroughly! Using this book as a starting point, they started to think of interesting things they had learned from the book and their overall opinion of it. They have now written a first draft about their chosen book and will be editing and publishing it next week.
Also, the grades for the Fiction Book Reviews that were completed before Christmas will be emailed to you this afternoon/evening.
Maths
We finished off our multiplication unit this week with an end of unit test (check your emails for grades) and the class focused mostly on practicing word problems. While some children are very comfortable with using written methods to work out multiplication problems, sometimes they can find it difficult to interpret the story being told in a word problem. To help them with this, I would recommend discussing real life maths problems that come up. For example, when visiting a store, you could ask your children to find something they want to buy and then ask them how long it would take them to save up for it or how much it would cost to buy 6 of them or 7 of them etc. Maths practice is everywhere and real life problems are the best!
Also, I am still noticing that some of the children’s recall of their tables facts (particularly 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s) is an area that they struggle with. Please continue to encourage them to practice their tables every day as this really does underpin all of the maths they will be doing going forwards.
Reading
To dovetail with our writing unit, we are also reading non-fiction texts in class at the moment and focusing on the differences between fiction and non-fiction at the moment. It may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many books are difficult to categorize (for example fact books that are written and illustrated like story books or stories that are based on real events). I am hoping to ignite a passion for non-fiction reading in Grade 3B (who are mostly avid fiction readers) as these books are the key to learning new information and will be incredibly useful to them as they get older and attend high schools and university.
Social Studies
This week the class returned to Social Studies with a unit about different cultures from around the world. They learned about Paraguay, the Australian outback, Hungary, Nigeria and how Inuits live in Canada. It is important to understand that cultures change from country to country, but also that they influence other countries and have become truly global in the modern age. The children ended the week with an end of unit test, the results of which I will email to you.
Other business
ECAs and tutoring will return from next week, so please check to make sure which clubs your children are in.
An email relating to the new model of homework will be sent out on Monday to let you know about the changes.
Happy New Year again and have a wonderful weekend!
All of your children returned bright eyed and bushy-tailed on Monday morning, all looking well rested and refreshed after an exciting three weeks. We have a very exciting term lined up, with the Ski Trip, the Poetry Slam, World Book Day and the Bake Sale all on the horizon as well as all the usual field trips and presentations and our day to day life at UST!
Writing
This week the children have been writing reviews of non-fiction books.
As you will no doubt know, the children each took a non-fiction book home with them over the break and read it thoroughly! Using this book as a starting point, they started to think of interesting things they had learned from the book and their overall opinion of it. They have now written a first draft about their chosen book and will be editing and publishing it next week.
Also, the grades for the Fiction Book Reviews that were completed before Christmas will be emailed to you this afternoon/evening.
Maths
We finished off our multiplication unit this week with an end of unit test (check your emails for grades) and the class focused mostly on practicing word problems. While some children are very comfortable with using written methods to work out multiplication problems, sometimes they can find it difficult to interpret the story being told in a word problem. To help them with this, I would recommend discussing real life maths problems that come up. For example, when visiting a store, you could ask your children to find something they want to buy and then ask them how long it would take them to save up for it or how much it would cost to buy 6 of them or 7 of them etc. Maths practice is everywhere and real life problems are the best!
Also, I am still noticing that some of the children’s recall of their tables facts (particularly 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s) is an area that they struggle with. Please continue to encourage them to practice their tables every day as this really does underpin all of the maths they will be doing going forwards.
Reading
To dovetail with our writing unit, we are also reading non-fiction texts in class at the moment and focusing on the differences between fiction and non-fiction at the moment. It may seem obvious, but it is surprising how many books are difficult to categorize (for example fact books that are written and illustrated like story books or stories that are based on real events). I am hoping to ignite a passion for non-fiction reading in Grade 3B (who are mostly avid fiction readers) as these books are the key to learning new information and will be incredibly useful to them as they get older and attend high schools and university.
Social Studies
This week the class returned to Social Studies with a unit about different cultures from around the world. They learned about Paraguay, the Australian outback, Hungary, Nigeria and how Inuits live in Canada. It is important to understand that cultures change from country to country, but also that they influence other countries and have become truly global in the modern age. The children ended the week with an end of unit test, the results of which I will email to you.
Other business
ECAs and tutoring will return from next week, so please check to make sure which clubs your children are in.
An email relating to the new model of homework will be sent out on Monday to let you know about the changes.
Happy New Year again and have a wonderful weekend!
Renewable Generation
Good afternoon parents of Grade 3B!
This week your children have been working as hard as if it was the first week of term, rather than the penultimate! We have been reviewing books, learning about how water reacts in gravel and soil, multiplying using a vertical method and reading all about characters and how we spot patterns.
Writing
Having completed our Hachiko essays last week, we began working on our fiction book reviews. I could really tell that children had taken the time to understand what reviews are all about in their homework over the last fortnight and they had many ideas to offer in class. First we looked at an example of a really good book review (on the Wizard of Oz) and then we picked out all the features a good book review needs (the title, the author, sentences to persuade someone to read the book, a favorite part, a least favorite part and many more!). After this we planned the four paragraphs of our essay: an introduction, a conclusion and two main body paragraphs (one about our favorite part and one about our least favorite part). Then, the children began to write their reviews. Next week we will edit and publish them. After Christmas we will be working on non-fiction book reviews.
Maths
After many weeks of practicing our tables, this week we were ready to move on to using this knowledge to tackle bigger multiplication problems: we may know 6 x 9, but what about 643 x 9??? The class were introduced to two methods to solve these calculations. The vertical (or column) method and the grid method. In the vertical method, the children set out the question just like a vertical addition or subtraction. The big number goes on the top and the number you are multiplying goes on the bottom. Then we multiply each column (from the smallest to the largest value) by the number at the bottom. In the grid method, the children break the bigger number down into its ones, tens and hundreds (600, 40 and 3) and then multiply each of these by the number (600 x 9, 40 x 9 and 3 x 9) before adding up the results. Both methods are really effective and it is always useful for children to have multiple methods in case they find one tricky.
Science
We began the week with an assessment and the children worked really hard to take in all the new things they learned about the weather and how meteorologists use data to predict. After this we began looking at how water acts when poured into soil and gravel and learned which of the two retains the most water. We went outside to see if different types of soil would drain at a different speed and finally we built a water wheel in class to understand how water can be used to make energy. Hopefully we have built a class full of future horticulturalists and a generation of people who can harness waters power for renewable energy!
Reading
In reading we continued working in our book groups and the children had great fun practicing spotting patterns in their books and discussing the lessons they learn from the books they have read. This has been really valuable for helping them review books in writing, as one of the key things to mention in a book review is what the character has learned.
Other Business
This week I am sending home the water cycle models in order for the classroom to be as clear as possible for cleaning over this weekend. Also, may I request that all reading books that have been borrowed are returned for next Tuesday at the absolute latest so we can do a library inventory and check our stock.
Just five more days to go and no doubt a very exciting week lies ahead of us. Until then, have a stupendous weekend!
Mr Morris
This week your children have been working as hard as if it was the first week of term, rather than the penultimate! We have been reviewing books, learning about how water reacts in gravel and soil, multiplying using a vertical method and reading all about characters and how we spot patterns.
Writing
Having completed our Hachiko essays last week, we began working on our fiction book reviews. I could really tell that children had taken the time to understand what reviews are all about in their homework over the last fortnight and they had many ideas to offer in class. First we looked at an example of a really good book review (on the Wizard of Oz) and then we picked out all the features a good book review needs (the title, the author, sentences to persuade someone to read the book, a favorite part, a least favorite part and many more!). After this we planned the four paragraphs of our essay: an introduction, a conclusion and two main body paragraphs (one about our favorite part and one about our least favorite part). Then, the children began to write their reviews. Next week we will edit and publish them. After Christmas we will be working on non-fiction book reviews.
Maths
After many weeks of practicing our tables, this week we were ready to move on to using this knowledge to tackle bigger multiplication problems: we may know 6 x 9, but what about 643 x 9??? The class were introduced to two methods to solve these calculations. The vertical (or column) method and the grid method. In the vertical method, the children set out the question just like a vertical addition or subtraction. The big number goes on the top and the number you are multiplying goes on the bottom. Then we multiply each column (from the smallest to the largest value) by the number at the bottom. In the grid method, the children break the bigger number down into its ones, tens and hundreds (600, 40 and 3) and then multiply each of these by the number (600 x 9, 40 x 9 and 3 x 9) before adding up the results. Both methods are really effective and it is always useful for children to have multiple methods in case they find one tricky.
Science
We began the week with an assessment and the children worked really hard to take in all the new things they learned about the weather and how meteorologists use data to predict. After this we began looking at how water acts when poured into soil and gravel and learned which of the two retains the most water. We went outside to see if different types of soil would drain at a different speed and finally we built a water wheel in class to understand how water can be used to make energy. Hopefully we have built a class full of future horticulturalists and a generation of people who can harness waters power for renewable energy!
Reading
In reading we continued working in our book groups and the children had great fun practicing spotting patterns in their books and discussing the lessons they learn from the books they have read. This has been really valuable for helping them review books in writing, as one of the key things to mention in a book review is what the character has learned.
Other Business
This week I am sending home the water cycle models in order for the classroom to be as clear as possible for cleaning over this weekend. Also, may I request that all reading books that have been borrowed are returned for next Tuesday at the absolute latest so we can do a library inventory and check our stock.
Just five more days to go and no doubt a very exciting week lies ahead of us. Until then, have a stupendous weekend!
Mr Morris
Presenting.....Grade 3B!!!
Further layers were added to keep everyone warm this week as the temperature dropped further still!
Fortunately, we didn't have to spend too much time outside and stayed warm and cozy in the school!
Writing
Children finished writing their Hachiko essays this week and (mostly) completed publishing too. They have been putting together a portfolio of writing over the course of the term and there is a really marked improvement in everyone's writing, which is great to see.
Next week we will be looking at reviews for fiction stories and writing our own, so any chances to show your children examples of book reviews (or even film or music reviews) would be very beneficial to their learning.
Maths
We completed our unit on multiplication of 6, 7, 8 and 9 this week and moved onto practicing our mental multiplication. Next week we will begin to look at multiplying two digit numbers by one digit numbers and also how to quickly multiply by 10, 100 and 1000. These techniques are an excellent opportunity for some real life learning, for example - why not ask your children to work out how much you spend on your phone bill for the year, or better still, how much you spend on their bill for sweets over the year!
Science
There was plenty of shivering in science this week as we explored weather forecasts and collected weather data. We didn't spend too much time outside, but did record wind direction, air temperature and precipitation to see how much trust we can place in meteorologists.
The class also completed their assessments for the previous unit of Science and there will be another assessment on Monday for this unit. I have attached the reading we have done in class over the week to the email I sent and if you would like to go over this with your children at some point over the weekend, it may help them consolidate their learning, however do not feel this is essential as it has all been discussed and read in class too.
Reading
The results for the read-a-thon came in and I was absolutely blown away by the amount of reading and generous sponsorship that was raised. As a class we raised over 68,000 yen which means we are personally responsible for planting 680 trees in Cambodia through the One Tree Planted charity. As a school we raised over 700,000 yen, which is absolutely phenomenal!
In Grade 3B our top three readers were: 1) Cocona, 2) Kanna 3) Hitomi
Everyone put in a huge effort so all of your children deserve a pat on the back!
Guest Speaker
We were lucky enough to be visited by Hideki Kimukai MA this week who delivered a talk on Sustainable Coastlines. The elementary school were shocked, but inspired to learn all about the very real impact of plastic waste and how it is affecting Hawaii at this very moment.
November Assembly
We wrapped up Thursday with an elementary assembly in which we celebrated our readers and also birthdays for November and December (which took a very long time as you can imagine!). The student council presented information about our new charity fundraiser: collecting loose change (1 and 5 yens). Your children can bring in any loose change that you have and once again this will go towards the One Tree Planted charity.
Water Cycle Presentations
The class were treated to another round of excellent presentations and again really showed how confident and capable they are at preparing and delivering to a crowd. The quality of the models and posters was really excellent and the children have definitely embedded all they learned about the water cycle, so it has been a huge success!
Class Dojo Champion
Finally, the class found out who succeeded in collecting the most dojo points for this term on Friday morning and the winner was.....Harlow! Harlow achieved a massive 141 dojo points and now gets to choose her prize for the last few weeks of school!
We will be resetting the class points so everyone has the chance to win in the next term.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay wrapped up and warm!
Fortunately, we didn't have to spend too much time outside and stayed warm and cozy in the school!
Writing
Children finished writing their Hachiko essays this week and (mostly) completed publishing too. They have been putting together a portfolio of writing over the course of the term and there is a really marked improvement in everyone's writing, which is great to see.
Next week we will be looking at reviews for fiction stories and writing our own, so any chances to show your children examples of book reviews (or even film or music reviews) would be very beneficial to their learning.
Maths
We completed our unit on multiplication of 6, 7, 8 and 9 this week and moved onto practicing our mental multiplication. Next week we will begin to look at multiplying two digit numbers by one digit numbers and also how to quickly multiply by 10, 100 and 1000. These techniques are an excellent opportunity for some real life learning, for example - why not ask your children to work out how much you spend on your phone bill for the year, or better still, how much you spend on their bill for sweets over the year!
Science
There was plenty of shivering in science this week as we explored weather forecasts and collected weather data. We didn't spend too much time outside, but did record wind direction, air temperature and precipitation to see how much trust we can place in meteorologists.
The class also completed their assessments for the previous unit of Science and there will be another assessment on Monday for this unit. I have attached the reading we have done in class over the week to the email I sent and if you would like to go over this with your children at some point over the weekend, it may help them consolidate their learning, however do not feel this is essential as it has all been discussed and read in class too.
Reading
The results for the read-a-thon came in and I was absolutely blown away by the amount of reading and generous sponsorship that was raised. As a class we raised over 68,000 yen which means we are personally responsible for planting 680 trees in Cambodia through the One Tree Planted charity. As a school we raised over 700,000 yen, which is absolutely phenomenal!
In Grade 3B our top three readers were: 1) Cocona, 2) Kanna 3) Hitomi
Everyone put in a huge effort so all of your children deserve a pat on the back!
Guest Speaker
We were lucky enough to be visited by Hideki Kimukai MA this week who delivered a talk on Sustainable Coastlines. The elementary school were shocked, but inspired to learn all about the very real impact of plastic waste and how it is affecting Hawaii at this very moment.
November Assembly
We wrapped up Thursday with an elementary assembly in which we celebrated our readers and also birthdays for November and December (which took a very long time as you can imagine!). The student council presented information about our new charity fundraiser: collecting loose change (1 and 5 yens). Your children can bring in any loose change that you have and once again this will go towards the One Tree Planted charity.
Water Cycle Presentations
The class were treated to another round of excellent presentations and again really showed how confident and capable they are at preparing and delivering to a crowd. The quality of the models and posters was really excellent and the children have definitely embedded all they learned about the water cycle, so it has been a huge success!
Class Dojo Champion
Finally, the class found out who succeeded in collecting the most dojo points for this term on Friday morning and the winner was.....Harlow! Harlow achieved a massive 141 dojo points and now gets to choose her prize for the last few weeks of school!
We will be resetting the class points so everyone has the chance to win in the next term.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay wrapped up and warm!
Water Week!
The cold air has blown into town to put an icy cap on another winter week at UST! We were lucky enough to get outside before the temperature dropped and we've spent the end of the week safely tucked up in our classroom with our work to keep us toasty and warm!
Trip to Inokashira
We had a marvellous time at Inokashira Koen on Monday and the children worked hard to collect samples of water from all over the park.
Each water sample was tested for ph level (to see how acidic it was), clarity, hardness/softness and temperature. We learned that even in a relatively small area the water can vary and also that it would not be a good idea to drink directly from the river at Inokashira!
Alongside being scientists, we also got the chance to play, eat a picnic and have a wonderful long walk around the park, collecting up what litter we could find on our "Eco Patrol" (although in fairness, Inokashira park is incredibly clean and free of litter).
Science
It's been a chilly week all around, but especially in Science where we learned what happens to water when it gets really cold! We put water in syringes and observed that it expanded when it froze and we also investigated what would occur to ice when placed in different locations outdoors to make recommendations for the best place an animal should nest in the winter. One of the best parts was placing a giant ice cube in a small cup of water to see if it would float - what do you think would happen???
This week we understood density even more when we squeezed together on the carpet (more dense) and then expanded into more space (less dense). We still had the same mass, but we were more spread out - just like the particles in an ice cube.
Next week (on Monday) we will be having our second science quiz to see how much we have learned, so a brief review over reading materials (if there is time) would be a great idea this weekend. Needless to say we have covered all of these materials in class, but sometimes a conversation with family can really set this facts into long term memory for your little troopers! The most important things to remember are that matter which is less dense than water will float and matter that is more dense will sink.
Maths
We have been practicing our 6, 7, 8 and 9 times table this week using various different methods (ask your children the neat way of memorizing the 9s on their hands!) and have also learned a lot more about the links between division and multiplication.
For example, the number sentence families of a multiplication table:
5 x 8 = 40
8 x 5 = 40
40 / 8 = 5
40 / 5 = 8
These number families really help children understand the links between division and multiplication and should make it a lot easier for them to work out division problems in the future.
We also learned some fun maths games to help us practice our multiplication tables. A variation on rock, paper, scissors replaces the traditional items with numbers (for example one person holds up 5 fingers and the other holds up 7) and then the first person to work out the answer wins a point. By far the trickiest, but most fun is "Fizz, Bizz". In a group of 4 or more, you start counting in ones. Pick a table, for example the 7s. Every time you reach a multiple of 5, instead of 5 you say "Fizz", and then keep counting, every time you reach a multiple of 7 you say "Bizz" and so on. If you want to make it really exciting you can throw in more tables (6s, 9s, 8s) and add in new words "Fuzz" and "Buzz". If you land on a number that is in more than one table (35 is in the 7s and the 5s) you say both words, "Fizz, Bizz!".
Why not have a go at Fizz Bizz this weekend while you cower from the cold?
Writing
Would you ever believe a dog could be so persistent and loyal that he would inspire a nation and even the world?
Well, this week, we started researching and writing about the world's favourite Akita - Hachiko! The tale is not just hugely inspiring, but also a local story (we are just twenty minutes away from where Hachiko waited every day and right next door to the university that his owner worked at!) and the children have really got into the spirit of writing about it.
The children are working hard to include as much information as possible and also use interesting sentence starters, adverbs and prepositions, they are shaping up very nicely indeed!
Reading
We finished a great book this week, "Because of Winn Dixie" and began our new one, "Charlotte's Web" (which I'm sure more than a few of you have read). We have also continued to work in small groups to read and discuss our books and the conversations and observations that class are making are showing great insight and understanding.
Next week the children will be tested on their reading once more and I will let parents know what level they are currently reading at.
Have a super weekend and I hope you don't get too wet or cold!
Trip to Inokashira
We had a marvellous time at Inokashira Koen on Monday and the children worked hard to collect samples of water from all over the park.
Each water sample was tested for ph level (to see how acidic it was), clarity, hardness/softness and temperature. We learned that even in a relatively small area the water can vary and also that it would not be a good idea to drink directly from the river at Inokashira!
Alongside being scientists, we also got the chance to play, eat a picnic and have a wonderful long walk around the park, collecting up what litter we could find on our "Eco Patrol" (although in fairness, Inokashira park is incredibly clean and free of litter).
Science
It's been a chilly week all around, but especially in Science where we learned what happens to water when it gets really cold! We put water in syringes and observed that it expanded when it froze and we also investigated what would occur to ice when placed in different locations outdoors to make recommendations for the best place an animal should nest in the winter. One of the best parts was placing a giant ice cube in a small cup of water to see if it would float - what do you think would happen???
This week we understood density even more when we squeezed together on the carpet (more dense) and then expanded into more space (less dense). We still had the same mass, but we were more spread out - just like the particles in an ice cube.
Next week (on Monday) we will be having our second science quiz to see how much we have learned, so a brief review over reading materials (if there is time) would be a great idea this weekend. Needless to say we have covered all of these materials in class, but sometimes a conversation with family can really set this facts into long term memory for your little troopers! The most important things to remember are that matter which is less dense than water will float and matter that is more dense will sink.
Maths
We have been practicing our 6, 7, 8 and 9 times table this week using various different methods (ask your children the neat way of memorizing the 9s on their hands!) and have also learned a lot more about the links between division and multiplication.
For example, the number sentence families of a multiplication table:
5 x 8 = 40
8 x 5 = 40
40 / 8 = 5
40 / 5 = 8
These number families really help children understand the links between division and multiplication and should make it a lot easier for them to work out division problems in the future.
We also learned some fun maths games to help us practice our multiplication tables. A variation on rock, paper, scissors replaces the traditional items with numbers (for example one person holds up 5 fingers and the other holds up 7) and then the first person to work out the answer wins a point. By far the trickiest, but most fun is "Fizz, Bizz". In a group of 4 or more, you start counting in ones. Pick a table, for example the 7s. Every time you reach a multiple of 5, instead of 5 you say "Fizz", and then keep counting, every time you reach a multiple of 7 you say "Bizz" and so on. If you want to make it really exciting you can throw in more tables (6s, 9s, 8s) and add in new words "Fuzz" and "Buzz". If you land on a number that is in more than one table (35 is in the 7s and the 5s) you say both words, "Fizz, Bizz!".
Why not have a go at Fizz Bizz this weekend while you cower from the cold?
Writing
Would you ever believe a dog could be so persistent and loyal that he would inspire a nation and even the world?
Well, this week, we started researching and writing about the world's favourite Akita - Hachiko! The tale is not just hugely inspiring, but also a local story (we are just twenty minutes away from where Hachiko waited every day and right next door to the university that his owner worked at!) and the children have really got into the spirit of writing about it.
The children are working hard to include as much information as possible and also use interesting sentence starters, adverbs and prepositions, they are shaping up very nicely indeed!
Reading
We finished a great book this week, "Because of Winn Dixie" and began our new one, "Charlotte's Web" (which I'm sure more than a few of you have read). We have also continued to work in small groups to read and discuss our books and the conversations and observations that class are making are showing great insight and understanding.
Next week the children will be tested on their reading once more and I will let parents know what level they are currently reading at.
Have a super weekend and I hope you don't get too wet or cold!
Taking a leaf out of our book!
This week has absolutely zipped past! The class has been so busy publishing their essays, learning new ways to tackle multiplication and making a (controlled) mess of the classroom with water, we have lost track of the days!
English
After completing our Shackleton essays on Monday, the children spent time reading each other’s work and giving feedback to help each other improve. Once this was taken on board the class thoroughly edited their work to improve conventions, word choices, ideas, organisation, voice and sentence fluency. Finally, they moved onto to publishing their finished pieces in their neatest handwriting.
Please check your children’s ipads to see how they did on their Shackleton essay – next week we will begin researching and planning our last piece of expository writing.
Maths
Having completed our first Bar Model unit of the year, the class began work on multiplication this week. We will be focusing on the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables, but this week we looked at different models to support with multiplication. For example children can use skip counting using a number line, build an array using dots or other shapes and also using an area model to represent a multiplication fact.
The class also learned that multiplication is the same regardless of which way around you do it (so 3 x 6 is the same as 6 x 3) and that it has an associative property which means even with longer multiplications, it does not matter which order you multiply the numbers (3 x 6 x 4 is the same as 4 x 6 x 3)!
All of these tools will help them tackle bigger numbers as we move towards multiplying 1 digit by 2 digit numbers, but it is absolutely essential that children are regularly practising their 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables and if they are still struggling with 3s and 4s, these need to be practised too!
Science
Continuing with our water topic, the class have been investigating temperature and the effect that changing temperature has on water. We used thermometers to measure water temperature accurately, discovered that hot water is less dense than room temperature water and that cold water is more dense and even built our own thermometers! As ever the activities were very hands on and the children had great fun exploring and investigating to make lasting understanding about what is going on with water.
We have been reading through texts in class, but it would be wonderful if you could take some time to read through the documents that are posted on the homework page – it can really help the children embed their knowledge if they read and discuss with a grown up.
Reading
This week we began a new Unit of reading - Book Clubs! The class has split into groups where they can read and share in the same books one chapter at a time. This will promote lively conversations about the characters in the stories they are reading, predictions about what will happen next and hopefully some very positive discussions!
Talking about the books we read is such an important (yet often overlooked) step in a child’s reading development. At times children may miss things in books and as such not pick up on the implications and deeper themes present even in youth fiction. G3B are such avid readers, I know they will really love this Unit of work!
Also, the read-a-thon is going absolutely fantastically and we have added a leaf to our own floor 3 tree every time someone raises 100 Yen, as you can see it is gradually growing some thick foliage, but we hope it gets even thicker!
Field Trip
We can’t wait to go on our second field trip next week to Inokashira Koen. We will be setting off in the morning, so please make sure the children are in on time with 500 Yen on their PASMO/SUICA card, or 500 Yen on their person to purchase a ticket.
Finally, we were blessed to have two surprise guests on Friday! First of all, our new pupil Elijah, who is actually returning to UST and is already known by many of you. The class were thrilled to see him and gave him a warm applause when he arrived on Friday morning.
Also, to celebrate November birthdays, we had a visit from some of the class mums to deliver some delicious donuts to eat with our lunch (or take home as many chose to do!).
As another week comes to an end, I wish you all a relaxing and fun-filled weekend, good bye for now!
English
After completing our Shackleton essays on Monday, the children spent time reading each other’s work and giving feedback to help each other improve. Once this was taken on board the class thoroughly edited their work to improve conventions, word choices, ideas, organisation, voice and sentence fluency. Finally, they moved onto to publishing their finished pieces in their neatest handwriting.
Please check your children’s ipads to see how they did on their Shackleton essay – next week we will begin researching and planning our last piece of expository writing.
Maths
Having completed our first Bar Model unit of the year, the class began work on multiplication this week. We will be focusing on the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables, but this week we looked at different models to support with multiplication. For example children can use skip counting using a number line, build an array using dots or other shapes and also using an area model to represent a multiplication fact.
The class also learned that multiplication is the same regardless of which way around you do it (so 3 x 6 is the same as 6 x 3) and that it has an associative property which means even with longer multiplications, it does not matter which order you multiply the numbers (3 x 6 x 4 is the same as 4 x 6 x 3)!
All of these tools will help them tackle bigger numbers as we move towards multiplying 1 digit by 2 digit numbers, but it is absolutely essential that children are regularly practising their 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables and if they are still struggling with 3s and 4s, these need to be practised too!
Science
Continuing with our water topic, the class have been investigating temperature and the effect that changing temperature has on water. We used thermometers to measure water temperature accurately, discovered that hot water is less dense than room temperature water and that cold water is more dense and even built our own thermometers! As ever the activities were very hands on and the children had great fun exploring and investigating to make lasting understanding about what is going on with water.
We have been reading through texts in class, but it would be wonderful if you could take some time to read through the documents that are posted on the homework page – it can really help the children embed their knowledge if they read and discuss with a grown up.
Reading
This week we began a new Unit of reading - Book Clubs! The class has split into groups where they can read and share in the same books one chapter at a time. This will promote lively conversations about the characters in the stories they are reading, predictions about what will happen next and hopefully some very positive discussions!
Talking about the books we read is such an important (yet often overlooked) step in a child’s reading development. At times children may miss things in books and as such not pick up on the implications and deeper themes present even in youth fiction. G3B are such avid readers, I know they will really love this Unit of work!
Also, the read-a-thon is going absolutely fantastically and we have added a leaf to our own floor 3 tree every time someone raises 100 Yen, as you can see it is gradually growing some thick foliage, but we hope it gets even thicker!
Field Trip
We can’t wait to go on our second field trip next week to Inokashira Koen. We will be setting off in the morning, so please make sure the children are in on time with 500 Yen on their PASMO/SUICA card, or 500 Yen on their person to purchase a ticket.
Finally, we were blessed to have two surprise guests on Friday! First of all, our new pupil Elijah, who is actually returning to UST and is already known by many of you. The class were thrilled to see him and gave him a warm applause when he arrived on Friday morning.
Also, to celebrate November birthdays, we had a visit from some of the class mums to deliver some delicious donuts to eat with our lunch (or take home as many chose to do!).
As another week comes to an end, I wish you all a relaxing and fun-filled weekend, good bye for now!
A Truly Action Packed Week!
Blessed with glorious, crisp blue skies, Grade 3B have ventured out of school in addition to their class based learning this week. We have encountered (in one way or another!) nature, the high seas, thinking problems and thought about how our actions affect the world around us!
Science
What a great week we have had in Science! We went out into nature to find out what happens when raindrops fall on natural materials (leaves, branches, bark, stones) and also investigated the claim that a dry sponge can soak up more than its own mass in water! We rounded the week off with a brief assessment to check how much they have understood about what they have done so far.
The children are really enjoying the practical nature of our science lessons and have some fantastic insights and ideas whenever we discuss things as a group.
Writing
We watched a documentary all about Ernest Shackleton's expedition to South Pole and the children took notes (focusing on relevant dates and information) that they turned into a plan for their expository essay. We are now writing our full essays in chronological order.
One big focus area in our writing is starting sentences in different ways, using prepositional phrases "Underneath the waves,", "After three months of waiting," and adverbs "Frequently,", "Rapidly," "Bravely,". This makes your child's writing far more interesting and moves them on from starting every sentence with "The" or "She/He".
Maths
This week we worked on multi-step word problems and used bar models to help us visualise and then solve them. We also designed our own word problems so we could understand more deeply how they are constructed and how we pick the appropriate bar model to use.
The children completed their assessment for the Addition and Subtraction Bar Model Unit and next week we will be moving on to multiplication. This will focus on the 6s, 7s and 9s, so any chance you get to practice those particular tables would really help your child. Also if they are still struggling with the 3s, 4s and 8s, it is really important to try hard to catch up, as the 3s are very helpful for understanding the 6s and 9s.
We will be using the TopMarks website www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11years/times-tables to practice. This is full of great games to help children repeatedly test their multiplication knowledge and memorise it.
Eco-Patrol
The class had their turn at cleaning up the area surrounding UST this week and did a fantastic job. Armed with tongs and collection bags, they went through the streets and bushes directly in front of the building and found an unbelievable amount of waste laying around. Their attitude to doing this was so positive it was wonderful to sea and we managed to fill three bags for of rubbish. Well done Grade 3 for doing your part in keeping the world clean and free of waste!
Talking Museum
On Monday we held a talking museum to share all of Grade 3's amazing 3D landmarks to the school and visiting parents. The class did really well to stand and share facts with all the people that came to their tables and we had some incredibly tired children by the end of the day!
Read-a-thon
Our Charity Read-a-Thon begins today and you can start sponsoring your children the moment they get home! Yesterday, your child brought home a reading record sheet to make a note of how many minutes they are reading every day and how much they have raised as a result of this. For more information on the read-a-thon, please read below:
What is the Read-a-thon?
It is a reading marathon to raise money for charity. We will be asking our parents, relatives, or friends to sponsor our reading. Of course, we read every day anyway, but for the 18 days of the Read-a-thon, we will be reading even more and trying to raise money for charity.
We are asking for your help to sponsor our reading effort.
Kindergarten students will be raising money for every book/story they read. The elementary students will raise money for every minute they read. The classes that read the most stories in K and for the longest time in Elementary will get trophies.
The two children in each class who read the most will also receive a prize!!!
What have we supported in the past?
In previous years, the money we raised during read-a-thons sponsored the construction of a classroom and the purchase of new library books for our sister-school in Cambodia; new toys for an orphanage in Senegal; and learning supplies for a school at a Syrian refugee camp.
What are we supporting this year?
This year, we are making connections globally. We are raising money as part of the global reforestation project through the One Tree Planted foundation. Planting trees is perhaps the easiest, cheapest and most efficient way of tackling climate change and helping to protect the environment and global biodiversity. This is our way of giving back not just to a single community, but our global community. The Earth is our home, let's protect it!
For every $1 or ¥100 we raise, a tree will be planted.
Last year, we raised a record ¥551,586 during our Read-a-thon. That would be the equivalent of 5551 trees planted by the UST community.
We would like to smash this record this year and plant even more!
For more information on this charity, please follow this link to the charity's website.
Ski-Trip
In other exciting news, the ski trip preparations are under way, Mr Brett and Ms Ray sent out an email to all G2-G6 parents last week titled “Ski Trip 2020”. In this email, they gave all relevant information and requested that you sign up for the ski trip. If you have not completed the sign-up form yet (even if you’re not going), please take the time to find the email and follow the directions given by Monday 11th November.
Well, that is the end to another splendid week, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and don't forget - it is the PTA social event tomorrow!
Mr M.
Science
What a great week we have had in Science! We went out into nature to find out what happens when raindrops fall on natural materials (leaves, branches, bark, stones) and also investigated the claim that a dry sponge can soak up more than its own mass in water! We rounded the week off with a brief assessment to check how much they have understood about what they have done so far.
The children are really enjoying the practical nature of our science lessons and have some fantastic insights and ideas whenever we discuss things as a group.
Writing
We watched a documentary all about Ernest Shackleton's expedition to South Pole and the children took notes (focusing on relevant dates and information) that they turned into a plan for their expository essay. We are now writing our full essays in chronological order.
One big focus area in our writing is starting sentences in different ways, using prepositional phrases "Underneath the waves,", "After three months of waiting," and adverbs "Frequently,", "Rapidly," "Bravely,". This makes your child's writing far more interesting and moves them on from starting every sentence with "The" or "She/He".
Maths
This week we worked on multi-step word problems and used bar models to help us visualise and then solve them. We also designed our own word problems so we could understand more deeply how they are constructed and how we pick the appropriate bar model to use.
The children completed their assessment for the Addition and Subtraction Bar Model Unit and next week we will be moving on to multiplication. This will focus on the 6s, 7s and 9s, so any chance you get to practice those particular tables would really help your child. Also if they are still struggling with the 3s, 4s and 8s, it is really important to try hard to catch up, as the 3s are very helpful for understanding the 6s and 9s.
We will be using the TopMarks website www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11years/times-tables to practice. This is full of great games to help children repeatedly test their multiplication knowledge and memorise it.
Eco-Patrol
The class had their turn at cleaning up the area surrounding UST this week and did a fantastic job. Armed with tongs and collection bags, they went through the streets and bushes directly in front of the building and found an unbelievable amount of waste laying around. Their attitude to doing this was so positive it was wonderful to sea and we managed to fill three bags for of rubbish. Well done Grade 3 for doing your part in keeping the world clean and free of waste!
Talking Museum
On Monday we held a talking museum to share all of Grade 3's amazing 3D landmarks to the school and visiting parents. The class did really well to stand and share facts with all the people that came to their tables and we had some incredibly tired children by the end of the day!
Read-a-thon
Our Charity Read-a-Thon begins today and you can start sponsoring your children the moment they get home! Yesterday, your child brought home a reading record sheet to make a note of how many minutes they are reading every day and how much they have raised as a result of this. For more information on the read-a-thon, please read below:
What is the Read-a-thon?
It is a reading marathon to raise money for charity. We will be asking our parents, relatives, or friends to sponsor our reading. Of course, we read every day anyway, but for the 18 days of the Read-a-thon, we will be reading even more and trying to raise money for charity.
We are asking for your help to sponsor our reading effort.
Kindergarten students will be raising money for every book/story they read. The elementary students will raise money for every minute they read. The classes that read the most stories in K and for the longest time in Elementary will get trophies.
The two children in each class who read the most will also receive a prize!!!
What have we supported in the past?
In previous years, the money we raised during read-a-thons sponsored the construction of a classroom and the purchase of new library books for our sister-school in Cambodia; new toys for an orphanage in Senegal; and learning supplies for a school at a Syrian refugee camp.
What are we supporting this year?
This year, we are making connections globally. We are raising money as part of the global reforestation project through the One Tree Planted foundation. Planting trees is perhaps the easiest, cheapest and most efficient way of tackling climate change and helping to protect the environment and global biodiversity. This is our way of giving back not just to a single community, but our global community. The Earth is our home, let's protect it!
For every $1 or ¥100 we raise, a tree will be planted.
Last year, we raised a record ¥551,586 during our Read-a-thon. That would be the equivalent of 5551 trees planted by the UST community.
We would like to smash this record this year and plant even more!
For more information on this charity, please follow this link to the charity's website.
Ski-Trip
In other exciting news, the ski trip preparations are under way, Mr Brett and Ms Ray sent out an email to all G2-G6 parents last week titled “Ski Trip 2020”. In this email, they gave all relevant information and requested that you sign up for the ski trip. If you have not completed the sign-up form yet (even if you’re not going), please take the time to find the email and follow the directions given by Monday 11th November.
Well, that is the end to another splendid week, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and don't forget - it is the PTA social event tomorrow!
Mr M.
Beware the Moon!
Welcome back from mid-term break families of G3B!
A spooky week awaited us as we returned to class this week. Dodging dangling spiders and creepy Jack O’Lanterns we did our best to avoid a case of the chills as we got on with our work!
Presentations
I can safely say I was blown away by the incredible 3 dimensional models of landmarks from around the world that awaited me when I welcomed your children on Monday. The effort and creativity that went into building these is truly fantastic and it’s great to see the children have a chance to express themselves in different ways. The choices that were made were varied and exciting and I could sense the children’s interest coming through every word. We traveled to France, England, America, Egypt and many locations in Japan on our tour of famous landmarks and once again the children gave detailed presentations with a truly impressive degree of confidence.
Hallowe’en
Onto my favourite festive season, Hallowe’en!! We had a fantastic time doing guidance and writing whilst dressed as our favourite scary characters before settling down to some creepy tales over lunch. I hope I didn't send any one home too scared! After this we ventured out on our Hallowe’en Trick or Treat parade and had the opportunity to show off our amazing costumes to the public of Shibuya! The children behaved fantastically and as a result had the chance to play in the park before coming together for an epic whole school photo-shoot!
I’ve already made a mark on my calendar for next Hallowe’en and I cannot wait!
Science
As mentioned to most of you during PTCs, Social Studies has been replaced with Science this term and I had a class for of Scientists ready to go come Monday afternoon. We explored how water interacts with things in class this week, including different surfaces and what happens when you put water on a slope. The children are wonderfully inquisitive and come up with insightful theories and fantastic questions, I can tell they are going to do wonderfully with this topic! We learned a little about how to make predictions and write up our investigations using scientific language and I know they had lots of reading and questions to tackle in their own time.
Writing
Grade 3 got together to listen to Mrs D. read “Shackleton’s Journey” up in Grade 3A’s classroom this week and the children were truly gripped by her fantastic retelling of the famous expedition that saw Shackleton and his crew land in Antartica. The children will eventually be writing their own expository texts about this journey, so it would be great if you could talk to them about some of the events (there are some good documentaries online).
To deepen their understanding of the story, they learned a passage using signs, so that they can retell it all out loud without prompting. We used a Story Map of Shackleton’s Journey to do this and the class worked very hard to memorize the text. Ask them to give you a retelling over the weekend and see how they do!
Maths
The children have been having lots of fun using bar models to help them visualise addition and subtraction problems. The children had a lot of fun using the Thinking Blocks website to practice constructing bar models for word problems with a space theme. If you are unsure of what bar models are, or how to use them, ask your children to show you Thinking Blocks (just type this into google and it is the first hit) and it may help you understand.
Also, one reminder - school is ON this coming Monday, despite the national holiday, so please send in your children at the normal time!
That's it for another fun week - sayonara!
A spooky week awaited us as we returned to class this week. Dodging dangling spiders and creepy Jack O’Lanterns we did our best to avoid a case of the chills as we got on with our work!
Presentations
I can safely say I was blown away by the incredible 3 dimensional models of landmarks from around the world that awaited me when I welcomed your children on Monday. The effort and creativity that went into building these is truly fantastic and it’s great to see the children have a chance to express themselves in different ways. The choices that were made were varied and exciting and I could sense the children’s interest coming through every word. We traveled to France, England, America, Egypt and many locations in Japan on our tour of famous landmarks and once again the children gave detailed presentations with a truly impressive degree of confidence.
Hallowe’en
Onto my favourite festive season, Hallowe’en!! We had a fantastic time doing guidance and writing whilst dressed as our favourite scary characters before settling down to some creepy tales over lunch. I hope I didn't send any one home too scared! After this we ventured out on our Hallowe’en Trick or Treat parade and had the opportunity to show off our amazing costumes to the public of Shibuya! The children behaved fantastically and as a result had the chance to play in the park before coming together for an epic whole school photo-shoot!
I’ve already made a mark on my calendar for next Hallowe’en and I cannot wait!
Science
As mentioned to most of you during PTCs, Social Studies has been replaced with Science this term and I had a class for of Scientists ready to go come Monday afternoon. We explored how water interacts with things in class this week, including different surfaces and what happens when you put water on a slope. The children are wonderfully inquisitive and come up with insightful theories and fantastic questions, I can tell they are going to do wonderfully with this topic! We learned a little about how to make predictions and write up our investigations using scientific language and I know they had lots of reading and questions to tackle in their own time.
Writing
Grade 3 got together to listen to Mrs D. read “Shackleton’s Journey” up in Grade 3A’s classroom this week and the children were truly gripped by her fantastic retelling of the famous expedition that saw Shackleton and his crew land in Antartica. The children will eventually be writing their own expository texts about this journey, so it would be great if you could talk to them about some of the events (there are some good documentaries online).
To deepen their understanding of the story, they learned a passage using signs, so that they can retell it all out loud without prompting. We used a Story Map of Shackleton’s Journey to do this and the class worked very hard to memorize the text. Ask them to give you a retelling over the weekend and see how they do!
Maths
The children have been having lots of fun using bar models to help them visualise addition and subtraction problems. The children had a lot of fun using the Thinking Blocks website to practice constructing bar models for word problems with a space theme. If you are unsure of what bar models are, or how to use them, ask your children to show you Thinking Blocks (just type this into google and it is the first hit) and it may help you understand.
Also, one reminder - school is ON this coming Monday, despite the national holiday, so please send in your children at the normal time!
That's it for another fun week - sayonara!
The decks are clear and the good ship G3B is off on a week's voyage!
The dust is now settling (soon to be swept away) and the quiet has once again returned to the stairwells and classrooms of UST as we all embark on a much deserved mid-term break.
This last week has been filled with a great deal of assessments for your children, so be gentle with them when they return home this evening and be sure to encourage them to get some sleep!
Maths
In maths we completed our subtraction unit and the class really impressed me, we had no less than 6 perfect scores! The children have done incredibly well with their maths this term which is very encouraging, especially as we are moving onto multiplication next half term. Myself and Mrs D. have put an email together to advise you of some exciting apps you can download with your children to help them practice their times tables and also their use of bar models. Next term we will be beginning with bar modelling (a very significant element of Singapore maths) which is a visual approach to tackling calculations. It doesn't replace a vertical or column method, but instead allows you to visualise a word problem. It would be wonderful if you could take a little time to have a tinker with your children - there is a fantastic website called Maths Playground which features a section on bar models called "Thinking Blocks" - follow this link to have a go: www.mathplayground.com/thinkingblocks.html.
Reading
Most of the class were assessed on RazKids this week which allows them to read a book into their ipads, summarise the main ideas and then take a quiz. One area I noticed the children need a bit of prompting on was summarising the main points from a story. It is a very important skill to be able to retell the key events, what they imply, who was involved and what order things happened in. You can help your children develop this skill by discussing books, comics, films even video games with your children to see how well they sum up the main points. If they are confused, you could always show them the blog on the back of a book or Bluray case (assuming people still use Blurays - I'm a bit old-fashioned!) to give them the idea.
Writing
The class finished publishing their play scripts this week and even had the opportunity to act some of the play out. This was a challenging task and they all worked really hard on it, so I applaud them (pun intended). Next term we will be moving on to expository writing and focusing on the journey of Shackleton, so history buffs should be very excited!
Social Studies
I know this was a hot topic during PTCs and we finally came to the end of our first wave of social studies this week. Again the children did incredibly well to complete no less than 3 tests relating to their recent lessons and reading. Many of the subjects are quite advanced for young learners, but their grasp of community and looking after the environment shines through and is very encouraging to see.
Science
Next term we will be moving onto science and looking at Water and Climate. To support this, we will be sending home required reading to help consolidate the classroom learning (this can count as their nightly reading) and this will allow us to have more hands on experience in the classroom. I'm really excited to be moving onto this very relevant and important topic for a whole term!
Assessments
Your children took pictures of their assessment results for Social Studies, Maths and Grammar this week, so please have a look to get an update on how they are doing. From now on, I will make sure to inform you when this is occurring so you can keep abreast of affairs.
Quick Reminder
Halloween takes place on the 31st of October (which is the first Thursday back). I know I am racking my brains for a costume and I know the children are already discussing it in the classroom, so I wanted to make sure everyone was aware just in case! There will be a parade around the block and lots of other fun on the day and I can't wait for another chance to dress up for the day!
So, for a week, that is it! Please make sure to have a relaxing and enjoyable week with your children and give them a well deserved pat on the back for a fantastic term. Even though it has only been 8 weeks, I feel like I know them all so well and I will miss their smiling faces and eager questions while I retire to my bed for most of my mid-term!
This last week has been filled with a great deal of assessments for your children, so be gentle with them when they return home this evening and be sure to encourage them to get some sleep!
Maths
In maths we completed our subtraction unit and the class really impressed me, we had no less than 6 perfect scores! The children have done incredibly well with their maths this term which is very encouraging, especially as we are moving onto multiplication next half term. Myself and Mrs D. have put an email together to advise you of some exciting apps you can download with your children to help them practice their times tables and also their use of bar models. Next term we will be beginning with bar modelling (a very significant element of Singapore maths) which is a visual approach to tackling calculations. It doesn't replace a vertical or column method, but instead allows you to visualise a word problem. It would be wonderful if you could take a little time to have a tinker with your children - there is a fantastic website called Maths Playground which features a section on bar models called "Thinking Blocks" - follow this link to have a go: www.mathplayground.com/thinkingblocks.html.
Reading
Most of the class were assessed on RazKids this week which allows them to read a book into their ipads, summarise the main ideas and then take a quiz. One area I noticed the children need a bit of prompting on was summarising the main points from a story. It is a very important skill to be able to retell the key events, what they imply, who was involved and what order things happened in. You can help your children develop this skill by discussing books, comics, films even video games with your children to see how well they sum up the main points. If they are confused, you could always show them the blog on the back of a book or Bluray case (assuming people still use Blurays - I'm a bit old-fashioned!) to give them the idea.
Writing
The class finished publishing their play scripts this week and even had the opportunity to act some of the play out. This was a challenging task and they all worked really hard on it, so I applaud them (pun intended). Next term we will be moving on to expository writing and focusing on the journey of Shackleton, so history buffs should be very excited!
Social Studies
I know this was a hot topic during PTCs and we finally came to the end of our first wave of social studies this week. Again the children did incredibly well to complete no less than 3 tests relating to their recent lessons and reading. Many of the subjects are quite advanced for young learners, but their grasp of community and looking after the environment shines through and is very encouraging to see.
Science
Next term we will be moving onto science and looking at Water and Climate. To support this, we will be sending home required reading to help consolidate the classroom learning (this can count as their nightly reading) and this will allow us to have more hands on experience in the classroom. I'm really excited to be moving onto this very relevant and important topic for a whole term!
Assessments
Your children took pictures of their assessment results for Social Studies, Maths and Grammar this week, so please have a look to get an update on how they are doing. From now on, I will make sure to inform you when this is occurring so you can keep abreast of affairs.
Quick Reminder
Halloween takes place on the 31st of October (which is the first Thursday back). I know I am racking my brains for a costume and I know the children are already discussing it in the classroom, so I wanted to make sure everyone was aware just in case! There will be a parade around the block and lots of other fun on the day and I can't wait for another chance to dress up for the day!
So, for a week, that is it! Please make sure to have a relaxing and enjoyable week with your children and give them a well deserved pat on the back for a fantastic term. Even though it has only been 8 weeks, I feel like I know them all so well and I will miss their smiling faces and eager questions while I retire to my bed for most of my mid-term!
Life is a stage!
As we near the end of our first half term, the children are continuing to show energy and hard work. This week was our first with a Monday for over four weeks! We had a great chance to spend more time on our spelling and also had time to discuss our homework for the week. Sadly, next week we will be missing Monday once more!
Writing
This week in writing we have been working on adapting a narrative piece of writing into a play-script. We started by looking at children’s favourite, The Gruffalo and worked together to adapt a small section into a script, before moving on to adapting one of our favourite chapters from Fantastic Mr Fox. The differences between the two forms are many and at first the children struggled a little to understand what they needed to keep and what they needed to remove from the original story. As the week progressed though, they grasped the concept and it is great for them to think about the same story being told in a different way. We have now experienced Fantastic Mr Fox as a book, an audiobook, a film and a playscript!
Maths
This week the children completed their addition to 10’000 tests and moved on to addition’s evil twin…..subtraction! No, I’m only joking – we love subtraction – he is very much a nice twin – the kind that bakes you muffins when you’re sad. Subtraction can be a little more tricky to understand than addition at times though, so it is really important the children were paying attention and understanding why they were regrouping numbers and where they need to place their numbers when finding the difference. We are using the vertical subtraction (or column subtraction) to do this, like in this image.
If the digit on the top row is smaller than the digit on the bottom row, we regroup the digits with the next column. In the image, the ones column has regrouped ten ones from the tens column so we can subtract 6 from 13 and get 7. The tens column requires us to regroup again, as 5 tens are greater than 4 tens, so we have regrouped with the hundreds column, regrouping 1 hundred for 10 tens and now we can subtract 5 from 13 to get 8. It is certainly the method I learned at school and I'm sure many of you learned the same!
Reading
In reading we talked about the concept of making a mental movie in our heads as we read a story. For example, when I am reading one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes novellas, I am absolutely transported to the blackened streets of Victorian London (I can practically smell the smoke!) and imagine what is going to happen next as Holmes and Watson navigate another conundrum. Sometimes we have to change the movie in our head, when we realise that a character has surprised us, or done something unexpected. Human’s naturally visualise stories when they are reading them and it is wonderful for the children to harness this ability to help them understand stories even more.
Social Studies
Social Studies is as busy as ever and this week we managed to take in the concepts of immigration and cultural diversity and also different types of land mass. I really take my hat off to the children’s ability to discuss and absorb all the new ideas they are learning about! If you have ever been (or like me currently are) an immigrant, it would be great to discuss why you moved to a different country with your child. We had a wonderful conversation about “Push factors” (reasons you might leave a country) and “Pull factors” (reasons you might choose to come to another) and I’m sure the children would love to hear your own stories about your push and pull factors too!
Parent Teacher Conference
This will be taking place on Monday, so please take a moment to remind yourself of your appointment and feel free to start pondering any questions you have about your child. The conference will be in two parts, with a section for your child to discuss their goals for this term followed by a section without your child present where we have the opportunity to talk.
Each session lasts for twenty minutes which should give us plenty of time to talk, but as there are sessions either side of yours, I must ask that we keep to our time slot, as the next parent(s) will be ready to go immediately afterwards.
Once again it has been a joyful week with your children and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Please remember to stay safe over the weekend as what I believe is a quite large Typhoon (Hagibis) is heading our way.
Writing
This week in writing we have been working on adapting a narrative piece of writing into a play-script. We started by looking at children’s favourite, The Gruffalo and worked together to adapt a small section into a script, before moving on to adapting one of our favourite chapters from Fantastic Mr Fox. The differences between the two forms are many and at first the children struggled a little to understand what they needed to keep and what they needed to remove from the original story. As the week progressed though, they grasped the concept and it is great for them to think about the same story being told in a different way. We have now experienced Fantastic Mr Fox as a book, an audiobook, a film and a playscript!
Maths
This week the children completed their addition to 10’000 tests and moved on to addition’s evil twin…..subtraction! No, I’m only joking – we love subtraction – he is very much a nice twin – the kind that bakes you muffins when you’re sad. Subtraction can be a little more tricky to understand than addition at times though, so it is really important the children were paying attention and understanding why they were regrouping numbers and where they need to place their numbers when finding the difference. We are using the vertical subtraction (or column subtraction) to do this, like in this image.
If the digit on the top row is smaller than the digit on the bottom row, we regroup the digits with the next column. In the image, the ones column has regrouped ten ones from the tens column so we can subtract 6 from 13 and get 7. The tens column requires us to regroup again, as 5 tens are greater than 4 tens, so we have regrouped with the hundreds column, regrouping 1 hundred for 10 tens and now we can subtract 5 from 13 to get 8. It is certainly the method I learned at school and I'm sure many of you learned the same!
Reading
In reading we talked about the concept of making a mental movie in our heads as we read a story. For example, when I am reading one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes novellas, I am absolutely transported to the blackened streets of Victorian London (I can practically smell the smoke!) and imagine what is going to happen next as Holmes and Watson navigate another conundrum. Sometimes we have to change the movie in our head, when we realise that a character has surprised us, or done something unexpected. Human’s naturally visualise stories when they are reading them and it is wonderful for the children to harness this ability to help them understand stories even more.
Social Studies
Social Studies is as busy as ever and this week we managed to take in the concepts of immigration and cultural diversity and also different types of land mass. I really take my hat off to the children’s ability to discuss and absorb all the new ideas they are learning about! If you have ever been (or like me currently are) an immigrant, it would be great to discuss why you moved to a different country with your child. We had a wonderful conversation about “Push factors” (reasons you might leave a country) and “Pull factors” (reasons you might choose to come to another) and I’m sure the children would love to hear your own stories about your push and pull factors too!
Parent Teacher Conference
This will be taking place on Monday, so please take a moment to remind yourself of your appointment and feel free to start pondering any questions you have about your child. The conference will be in two parts, with a section for your child to discuss their goals for this term followed by a section without your child present where we have the opportunity to talk.
Each session lasts for twenty minutes which should give us plenty of time to talk, but as there are sessions either side of yours, I must ask that we keep to our time slot, as the next parent(s) will be ready to go immediately afterwards.
Once again it has been a joyful week with your children and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Please remember to stay safe over the weekend as what I believe is a quite large Typhoon (Hagibis) is heading our way.
The Englishman who walked up a Mount and came down a hill...
We finally had a full week this week and the class made it through 5 days with flying colours – even after a very exciting, but very exhausting field trip!
This week we have been writing our final descriptive essays, being absolutely amazing at adding up 4 digit numbers, had a great giggle putting on the voices and actions of the characters we are reading and learned about landmarks and traditions from the US and Japan.
Mount Takao
We began the week in very exciting fashion with a trip out of the city of Tokyo. The children all looked after their teacher on his maiden voyage into the wilds of Japan! I was very impressed by the maturity they showed in getting the train from Komaba Todaimae station, changing at Meidaimae and riding the train for around 40 minutes to get to the foothills of Mt Takao. Despite going half way up on the steepest cable car in Japan, we still had a good few hours of walking ahead of us and the children did fantastically in the heat and humidity. We were treated to some amazing views, but sadly the air was not clear enough for us to see Mt Fuji. Nonetheless, the children were full of excitement about their day and even reserved enough energy to hike all the way back down and get the train back into Tokyo in time for ECAs and pick up! What a day!
Goal Setting
I have started having conversations with the children around their academic and behavioural goals. We sit down and have a discussion about what their two main goals are and the steps they need to follow to achieve them. The class are very aware of what they are good at and what they need to improve so this has been a very productive time. We will discuss these targets at the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences and hopefully will start to see rapid progress!
Writing
This week the children have been working on their final piece of descriptive writing which has involved them writing a paragraph every day and then editing the following day. They are writing from the point of view of a character from Fantastic Mr Fox and describing themselves in the first person. When I mark the work, I use a simple code to help them understand what they need to change – it looks like this:
Maths
This week we have been regrouping in numbers up to ten thousand using the column method (also known as vertical addition). The children have all been fantastic at it, so I know they will be up to the challenge of column subtraction next week!
Presentation
Today, I sent home a letter regarding the children's next presentation - it is not until the end of October, so don't panic - but we wanted give as much notice as possible. The presentation will focus on a famous man-made landmark of your child's choosing and will also give them the opportunity to get creative and make their own version of the landmark at home!
Next week we will be back to standard operating procedure (after having 4 Mondays in a row that were in some way compromised!), so spelling will resume in it's correct session and homework should fall in to place and make a lot more sense.
Until next week, then! Have a lovely weekend families of Grade 3B!!
This week we have been writing our final descriptive essays, being absolutely amazing at adding up 4 digit numbers, had a great giggle putting on the voices and actions of the characters we are reading and learned about landmarks and traditions from the US and Japan.
Mount Takao
We began the week in very exciting fashion with a trip out of the city of Tokyo. The children all looked after their teacher on his maiden voyage into the wilds of Japan! I was very impressed by the maturity they showed in getting the train from Komaba Todaimae station, changing at Meidaimae and riding the train for around 40 minutes to get to the foothills of Mt Takao. Despite going half way up on the steepest cable car in Japan, we still had a good few hours of walking ahead of us and the children did fantastically in the heat and humidity. We were treated to some amazing views, but sadly the air was not clear enough for us to see Mt Fuji. Nonetheless, the children were full of excitement about their day and even reserved enough energy to hike all the way back down and get the train back into Tokyo in time for ECAs and pick up! What a day!
Goal Setting
I have started having conversations with the children around their academic and behavioural goals. We sit down and have a discussion about what their two main goals are and the steps they need to follow to achieve them. The class are very aware of what they are good at and what they need to improve so this has been a very productive time. We will discuss these targets at the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences and hopefully will start to see rapid progress!
Writing
This week the children have been working on their final piece of descriptive writing which has involved them writing a paragraph every day and then editing the following day. They are writing from the point of view of a character from Fantastic Mr Fox and describing themselves in the first person. When I mark the work, I use a simple code to help them understand what they need to change – it looks like this:
Maths
This week we have been regrouping in numbers up to ten thousand using the column method (also known as vertical addition). The children have all been fantastic at it, so I know they will be up to the challenge of column subtraction next week!
Presentation
Today, I sent home a letter regarding the children's next presentation - it is not until the end of October, so don't panic - but we wanted give as much notice as possible. The presentation will focus on a famous man-made landmark of your child's choosing and will also give them the opportunity to get creative and make their own version of the landmark at home!
Next week we will be back to standard operating procedure (after having 4 Mondays in a row that were in some way compromised!), so spelling will resume in it's correct session and homework should fall in to place and make a lot more sense.
Until next week, then! Have a lovely weekend families of Grade 3B!!
Grade 3 gets even more international!
(Top Row from left to right: Alfred Hitchcock, Amelia Earhart, Qin Shi Huang, Katherine Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Hideki Yukawa, Florence Nightingale, Margaret Thatcher
Bottom Row from left to right: Soichiro Honda, Steve Jobs, Murasaki Shikibu, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks)
Good evening families of Grade 3B! (I'm aware it isn't the afternoon anymore and I sincerely apologise to any dedicated fans out there who have been waiting for this update!)
It may have only been a 4 day week, but we packed a LOT into it. We have been so busy, I expect the children to all be asleep by the time you read this blog!
English
In English we learned about empathising with a character to help us write from their perspective. We used drama to help us get in the head of the characters from Fantastic Mr Fox and the children showed themselves to be excellent performers.
First we used pictures and signs to memorize a paragraph of text with something called a Story-Map. The children had never done this before, but were so good at it I was blown away!
After memorizing our text the children used hot-seating to think from the point of view of their characters. The children got into role (as Mr Fox, Farmer Bean and many more) and then the rest of the class asked them Higher Order Questions (ones you can't answer with "Yes", "No" etc.) that helped us try to understand the character.
Finally, the class worked in groups to make "freeze frames" from a certain part of the story. We took pictures of the freeze frames and then the children wrote captions for what each character was thinking. All of these tasks helped them write a diary entry for the character of their choice.
Maths
In maths we did our final Mental Maths test and the results showed real improvement. After this we moved onto our new Unit "Addition to 10,000" using the vertical/column method. The children have already shown themselves to be very adept at this, but next week they are going to try it with regrouping to make things a bit more challenging!
Elsewhere this week we had an assembly to discuss the successful candidates of the student elections, learned about American landmarks in Geography, practiced our speeches for International Children's day and even managed to fit in a trip to the park.
Onto the main event....
International Children's Day 2019
Frankly, my head is still spinning from what has been a fantastic day! The children's costumes were inventive and wonderful, the food that was brought in was diverse and even more delicious, the music and dancing that we experienced was informative and exciting and best of all the children's presentations on their chosen historical figure were out of this world!
Needless to say it has been non-stop for the children today - moving from one activity to the next and filling their brains (and their tummies!). We started the day with presentations before the whole elementary school (two from each class - well done to Harlow and Hitomi) and then had some classroom presentations before heading up to learn some Polynesian Dance and songs. After this we learned about Indonesian language through song and then had the chance to cook and taste some exquisite Russian delicacies. Finally we learned some Persian folk songs and then sang a song that the whole grade had been learning (Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World").
After this we had a delectable buffet lunch and ate so much food many of us wanted to nap! Then, we sat down for the rest of the class presentations. I have learned so much this week, I may quite likely be babbling tomorrow at the family picnic!
It's on days like this that I truly love this profession. It's such a highlight to see how much work the children put into preparing their costumes and presentations and to see them showing such bravery and hard work in front of their peers is a total joy. I only feel bad that you can't all be here to share in that, because they have all been absolute superstars today!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos. I look forward to talking to you tomorrow (with my parent hat on!) at the Family Picnic in Yoyogi park - until then, sayonara to another fantastic week!
Mr M
Bottom Row from left to right: Soichiro Honda, Steve Jobs, Murasaki Shikibu, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks)
Good evening families of Grade 3B! (I'm aware it isn't the afternoon anymore and I sincerely apologise to any dedicated fans out there who have been waiting for this update!)
It may have only been a 4 day week, but we packed a LOT into it. We have been so busy, I expect the children to all be asleep by the time you read this blog!
English
In English we learned about empathising with a character to help us write from their perspective. We used drama to help us get in the head of the characters from Fantastic Mr Fox and the children showed themselves to be excellent performers.
First we used pictures and signs to memorize a paragraph of text with something called a Story-Map. The children had never done this before, but were so good at it I was blown away!
After memorizing our text the children used hot-seating to think from the point of view of their characters. The children got into role (as Mr Fox, Farmer Bean and many more) and then the rest of the class asked them Higher Order Questions (ones you can't answer with "Yes", "No" etc.) that helped us try to understand the character.
Finally, the class worked in groups to make "freeze frames" from a certain part of the story. We took pictures of the freeze frames and then the children wrote captions for what each character was thinking. All of these tasks helped them write a diary entry for the character of their choice.
Maths
In maths we did our final Mental Maths test and the results showed real improvement. After this we moved onto our new Unit "Addition to 10,000" using the vertical/column method. The children have already shown themselves to be very adept at this, but next week they are going to try it with regrouping to make things a bit more challenging!
Elsewhere this week we had an assembly to discuss the successful candidates of the student elections, learned about American landmarks in Geography, practiced our speeches for International Children's day and even managed to fit in a trip to the park.
Onto the main event....
International Children's Day 2019
Frankly, my head is still spinning from what has been a fantastic day! The children's costumes were inventive and wonderful, the food that was brought in was diverse and even more delicious, the music and dancing that we experienced was informative and exciting and best of all the children's presentations on their chosen historical figure were out of this world!
Needless to say it has been non-stop for the children today - moving from one activity to the next and filling their brains (and their tummies!). We started the day with presentations before the whole elementary school (two from each class - well done to Harlow and Hitomi) and then had some classroom presentations before heading up to learn some Polynesian Dance and songs. After this we learned about Indonesian language through song and then had the chance to cook and taste some exquisite Russian delicacies. Finally we learned some Persian folk songs and then sang a song that the whole grade had been learning (Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World").
After this we had a delectable buffet lunch and ate so much food many of us wanted to nap! Then, we sat down for the rest of the class presentations. I have learned so much this week, I may quite likely be babbling tomorrow at the family picnic!
It's on days like this that I truly love this profession. It's such a highlight to see how much work the children put into preparing their costumes and presentations and to see them showing such bravery and hard work in front of their peers is a total joy. I only feel bad that you can't all be here to share in that, because they have all been absolute superstars today!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos. I look forward to talking to you tomorrow (with my parent hat on!) at the Family Picnic in Yoyogi park - until then, sayonara to another fantastic week!
Mr M
Ask not what UST can do for you, ask what you can do for UST!
Good afternoon families of Grade 3B!
Once again we missed out on Monday this week, but at least we were prepared for it this time! I think the big highlight of the week was the student council (which I will go into shortly), but the class have also been implementing all the amazing new grammar they have learned into descriptions of Fantastic Mr Fox (which have been a joy to read); trying so hard to improve their mental maths using estimation and rounding and also had a wonderful visit that involved a special talk about the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.
Student Council
We got a taste of real democracy in 3B this week as we held speeches and elections for Student Council members! Our candidates were Emma, Yuta, Cocona, Taito, Hitomi and Mischa and they all delivered fantastic campaign speeches in front of the whole class.
After this the class did a silent ballot to decide which two people would become student councillors for 3B and in the end nominated......
Yuta and Cocona!
Well done to all the children who took part and for the rest of the class for being an excellent audience.
English
The children have worked really hard to embed all the excellent adverbs and similies they generated last work to write a description of Fantastic Mr Fox. After completing the piece of writing we had a really productive session of peer assessment, where the children gave each other feedback on how to improve each other's work and also what they enjoyed about it.
Social Studies
We (including Mr. Morris) learned about our local community this week, focusing on the wards of Tokyo and where Tokyo is on planet Earth. We also took a test on all the geographical knowledge we have been learning about for the last few weeks.
Maths
In maths we have learned to round and estimate to help us make good approximations in order to help us with sums and differences. It was confusing("Why can't we just work out the correct answer, Mr Morris?"), but the children are really beginning to see the value of quick mental maths.
At the end of the week the children completed an assessment for this unit of work and it was very challenging. One of the biggest issues is children "letting go" and using mental methods (instead of trying to use a written method) and for this reason it was a struggle. It is really important that children learn to pick themselves up after a fall (whether from a bike or from a difficult test!) and I took the time to go through the test with the class so we could see where we made mistakes. I will send home some consolidating worksheets next week to help the children get the knack of these methods as if they keep on trying they will get it in time!
Paralympic Picture Story
We were very lucky to have a visit from some experts on the paralympics on Thursday. They put on quite a show telling us a traditional picture story about the genesis of the paralympics and how we can enjoy it next summer. It was very amusing and the children loved it.
Housekeeping
First of all let me the thank the people that have brought in their ticket money for the Mount Takao trip. Just a gentle reminder to those that are yet to bring it in, that the trip is scheduled for Monday the 30th of September.
Thank you also to those of you who have volunteered to bring in a dish for International Children's day. There are still slots to fill so if you follow this link and have an idea for an international dish you could make and send to school that would be wonderful (Hint - I like meat and spicy food!)
My last point is about mechanical pencils. While these wonderful contraptions do help children with their handwriting and general neatness they are unfortunately leading to quite a lot of mess on the wooden carpet in the classroom. It seems that when children are replacing their lead they are sometimes dropping small pieces onto the floor which then get squashed and dragged leaving a mark.
The class floor was very messy on Wednesday, however the children all mucked in on Thursday and Friday afternoon and scrubbed the floor around their desks to make sure they were clean and have done fantastically well, showing really good teamwork.
Going forward it would be great if the kids can be careful when swapping leads in their pencils, as we can spend all that cleaning time reading our class novel instead!
Once again, we will not be in next Monday, so please enjoy some relaxing time with your family if you have the chance and I look forward to writing about next week!
Regards,
Mr Morris
Once again we missed out on Monday this week, but at least we were prepared for it this time! I think the big highlight of the week was the student council (which I will go into shortly), but the class have also been implementing all the amazing new grammar they have learned into descriptions of Fantastic Mr Fox (which have been a joy to read); trying so hard to improve their mental maths using estimation and rounding and also had a wonderful visit that involved a special talk about the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.
Student Council
We got a taste of real democracy in 3B this week as we held speeches and elections for Student Council members! Our candidates were Emma, Yuta, Cocona, Taito, Hitomi and Mischa and they all delivered fantastic campaign speeches in front of the whole class.
After this the class did a silent ballot to decide which two people would become student councillors for 3B and in the end nominated......
Yuta and Cocona!
Well done to all the children who took part and for the rest of the class for being an excellent audience.
English
The children have worked really hard to embed all the excellent adverbs and similies they generated last work to write a description of Fantastic Mr Fox. After completing the piece of writing we had a really productive session of peer assessment, where the children gave each other feedback on how to improve each other's work and also what they enjoyed about it.
Social Studies
We (including Mr. Morris) learned about our local community this week, focusing on the wards of Tokyo and where Tokyo is on planet Earth. We also took a test on all the geographical knowledge we have been learning about for the last few weeks.
Maths
In maths we have learned to round and estimate to help us make good approximations in order to help us with sums and differences. It was confusing("Why can't we just work out the correct answer, Mr Morris?"), but the children are really beginning to see the value of quick mental maths.
At the end of the week the children completed an assessment for this unit of work and it was very challenging. One of the biggest issues is children "letting go" and using mental methods (instead of trying to use a written method) and for this reason it was a struggle. It is really important that children learn to pick themselves up after a fall (whether from a bike or from a difficult test!) and I took the time to go through the test with the class so we could see where we made mistakes. I will send home some consolidating worksheets next week to help the children get the knack of these methods as if they keep on trying they will get it in time!
Paralympic Picture Story
We were very lucky to have a visit from some experts on the paralympics on Thursday. They put on quite a show telling us a traditional picture story about the genesis of the paralympics and how we can enjoy it next summer. It was very amusing and the children loved it.
Housekeeping
First of all let me the thank the people that have brought in their ticket money for the Mount Takao trip. Just a gentle reminder to those that are yet to bring it in, that the trip is scheduled for Monday the 30th of September.
Thank you also to those of you who have volunteered to bring in a dish for International Children's day. There are still slots to fill so if you follow this link and have an idea for an international dish you could make and send to school that would be wonderful (Hint - I like meat and spicy food!)
My last point is about mechanical pencils. While these wonderful contraptions do help children with their handwriting and general neatness they are unfortunately leading to quite a lot of mess on the wooden carpet in the classroom. It seems that when children are replacing their lead they are sometimes dropping small pieces onto the floor which then get squashed and dragged leaving a mark.
The class floor was very messy on Wednesday, however the children all mucked in on Thursday and Friday afternoon and scrubbed the floor around their desks to make sure they were clean and have done fantastically well, showing really good teamwork.
Going forward it would be great if the kids can be careful when swapping leads in their pencils, as we can spend all that cleaning time reading our class novel instead!
Once again, we will not be in next Monday, so please enjoy some relaxing time with your family if you have the chance and I look forward to writing about next week!
Regards,
Mr Morris
Even Typhoons cannot stop G3B!!
Families of Grade 3B!
A short week this week, but nonetheless one we managed to pack lots of learning into. We have really tested our skills of description, racked our brains with addition and multiplication, learned how to start reading really challenging texts and even managed to brave the elements once!
English
In English this week we continued to learn new classes of words to supplement last week's introduction to adjectives and adverbs. We have been enjoying learning how to make splendid similies! Amongst my favourites were magnificent Taito's "Rain falling like caterpillars dancing on the roof" and the amazing Maya's "Rain like thunder in a blender"!
We used this knowledge to start planning our descriptions of Fantastic Mr Fox for next week's big piece of writing and it would be really helpful if you could take a moment this weekend to help your child think of some great words to describe a fantastic fox!
Maths
After completing our unit on place value and counting to 10'000, we have delved straight into mental maths and learned some great techniques to add up quickly in our head. Whether it was quickly adding the hundreds, tens and the ones in a sum like 154 + 332 (ten brownie points for any parents who can give me the answer!) or adding to make the nearest hundred then subtracting the extra, we have all learned to add and subtract much faster.
Next week we will continue with mental maths and start looking in real depth at estimation and rounding, so we can work things out even more quickly!
Reading
We sadly missed one of our Reading lessons this week, but we made up for it with some engrossing discussions about what we do when we don't understand what it says on the page (read and read again!) and how to read with wonderful expression. G3B are a wonderful class of readers and it is a pleasure to listen to them read.
We are continuing with "Danny Champion of the World" too and the children are really keen to hear the next chapter!
Housekeeping
In case you haven't been informed yet, we have some special events coming up this month.
First of all will be our student council election speeches on the 20th of September. If your child has shown an interest in this, they will have had a speech sheet given to them which they can use to write a short speech explaining why they should be elected. These speeches will take place in class on the aforementioned date.
Then we have international children's day, when we are asking children to come in dressed as a historical figure from a country that they have a link to (it could be the country of their or their parent's birth, or a country they have spent some time living in) and give a presentation about this person. I attached a rubric to the children's homework books to help them and you know what kind of things we are expecting to see from a presentation.
Finally we have our first field trip to Mount Takao. I personally cannot wait to see my first real taste of more rural Japan and I am delighted that we have had so many volunteers to help G3B!
Weather permitting, the trip will take place on the 30th of September, so let's keep our fingers crossed!
I must apologise for the lack of photographs this week, but we have been so focused on making up for our unexpected lost time on Monday that we have barely lifted our heads from the desk!
Please enjoy the long weekend and be sure to give your thoughts to elderly folk in Japan and all over the world on Monday's national holiday.
Take care!
Mr Morris
A short week this week, but nonetheless one we managed to pack lots of learning into. We have really tested our skills of description, racked our brains with addition and multiplication, learned how to start reading really challenging texts and even managed to brave the elements once!
English
In English this week we continued to learn new classes of words to supplement last week's introduction to adjectives and adverbs. We have been enjoying learning how to make splendid similies! Amongst my favourites were magnificent Taito's "Rain falling like caterpillars dancing on the roof" and the amazing Maya's "Rain like thunder in a blender"!
We used this knowledge to start planning our descriptions of Fantastic Mr Fox for next week's big piece of writing and it would be really helpful if you could take a moment this weekend to help your child think of some great words to describe a fantastic fox!
Maths
After completing our unit on place value and counting to 10'000, we have delved straight into mental maths and learned some great techniques to add up quickly in our head. Whether it was quickly adding the hundreds, tens and the ones in a sum like 154 + 332 (ten brownie points for any parents who can give me the answer!) or adding to make the nearest hundred then subtracting the extra, we have all learned to add and subtract much faster.
Next week we will continue with mental maths and start looking in real depth at estimation and rounding, so we can work things out even more quickly!
Reading
We sadly missed one of our Reading lessons this week, but we made up for it with some engrossing discussions about what we do when we don't understand what it says on the page (read and read again!) and how to read with wonderful expression. G3B are a wonderful class of readers and it is a pleasure to listen to them read.
We are continuing with "Danny Champion of the World" too and the children are really keen to hear the next chapter!
Housekeeping
In case you haven't been informed yet, we have some special events coming up this month.
First of all will be our student council election speeches on the 20th of September. If your child has shown an interest in this, they will have had a speech sheet given to them which they can use to write a short speech explaining why they should be elected. These speeches will take place in class on the aforementioned date.
Then we have international children's day, when we are asking children to come in dressed as a historical figure from a country that they have a link to (it could be the country of their or their parent's birth, or a country they have spent some time living in) and give a presentation about this person. I attached a rubric to the children's homework books to help them and you know what kind of things we are expecting to see from a presentation.
Finally we have our first field trip to Mount Takao. I personally cannot wait to see my first real taste of more rural Japan and I am delighted that we have had so many volunteers to help G3B!
Weather permitting, the trip will take place on the 30th of September, so let's keep our fingers crossed!
I must apologise for the lack of photographs this week, but we have been so focused on making up for our unexpected lost time on Monday that we have barely lifted our heads from the desk!
Please enjoy the long weekend and be sure to give your thoughts to elderly folk in Japan and all over the world on Monday's national holiday.
Take care!
Mr Morris
It takes two! (weeks to really get to know a class!)
Families of Grade 3B!
It is Friday again and we are well and truly due a rest after a week of working super hard! The work really began in earnest this week, alongside ECAs beginning after school, so it has been an incredibly busy 5 days. The children are totally settled into their routines now, they laugh at my jokes and are a joy to come in to every morning - so thanks!
First a bit of housekeeping:
Schedule
I have attached a copy of this year’s G3B schedule to the Weebly post so you have a handy reference going forward – apologies this took me another week to get round to.
Rulers
Can I please request that children bring in a ruler with their pencil cases everyday. I know they are quite large so it is fine if they stay at school, but it is a requirement in Grade 3 that our dates and titles are underlined neatly and we have had issues with there not being enough rulers to go around. For my part, I will try to get some rulers to add to our minimal supplies at the weekend too!
Homework
Can I request that homework folders come into school everyday. Although we only set new homework on a Monday, it is possible that your child may need to take home one of their class text books for the evening if they have not completed work during the lesson.
Also it is helpful for us to be able to check their reading records and for them to be able to take home new books. I will also make sure to upload a copy of any homework I send on the Weebly page from now on.
Onto what we have been up to this week...
English
We have begun our descriptive writing unit and have spent the week focusing on the different classes of word that will really enhance our writing.
First of all we looked at how adjectives bring a piece of writing to life by describing a nerve-jangling boat ride on a stormy sea. Then we looked at how choosing sophisticated verbs really improves our writing (why walk when you can dash, saunter or perambulate?!). Finally we spent time with adverbs so we can not only write an action, but describe how that action is being performed. The class were truly, madly, deeply amazing at it!
Maths
The class raced through their first maths (or is that math? Sorry – I’m English!) unit with confidence and guile.
We have been looking at how place value can help us order and compare numbers and we counted all the way up to 10’000! The class have shown me that they are able to use deep reasoning when answering and have embedded lots of new vocabulary. If you want to test them this weekend ask them about the following: value, digit, expanded form, word form and standard form.
We ended the week with a test and I was very impressed with everyone's progress! It is important for the children to remember to use their whole time in a test however. Some of our class finished very quickly and found that they had made a few mistakes.
Reading
It has been wonderful getting the chance to learn more about the class’s reading habits and tastes throughout this week. We have been discussing how to choose the right book to read and sharing tips with each other.
Another important task we completed this week was setting our reading goals and thinking about how we can achieve them. I can tell from counting up all the books that were read in the summer that I have inherited a class of bookworms which has made be delighted!
Also thanks to all the parents that have been helping log all of our lovely new books onto Book Retriever. The work that they do will give G3B access to a host of delightful new books that they can read and borrow, so we are incredibly grateful!
Another note on reading, we began our new class novel “Danny Champion of the World”. This is one of my all-time favourite children’s books and another Roald Dahl to follow on from "Fantastic Mr Fox". It is a little more mature than the previous book and I’m sure the children will love it (it even has a small cameo from the BFG!) and I know that I always enjoy reading it aloud.
The children are also well under way with a new year’s art, music, guidance and P.E and had their first dip of the year this afternoon at swimming!
Another week has flown past, but we have learned so much already! Have a great week families of Grade 3B!
Mr M
The new season begins!!
Wow! Can the first week really be over? I have had such a wonderful time getting to know each of your children and we have already built a fantastic class dynamic that I know will help us have a super productive year. We started the week with our first Morning Meeting which gave us a chance to greet each other and share some thoughts and feelings. These Morning Meetings (and the weird and wonderful games and greetings involved!) will continue throughout the year and have already had a very positive impact on the children’s readiness to learn. After this we went to a whole elementary assembly that gave us a chance to welcome all of the staff and meet new members of the UST family (such as me!) 3B’s very own Ayana and Maya also were lucky enough to have Happy Birthday sung to them by the whole room led on piano by Miss Erin. Much of the week has been focused on building our class environment so that the children know how they need to act in order to be the best learners they can. As children move into Grade 3, they become aware that they truly are role models to the younger children in school (especially the Grade 1 children that we share the third floor with). In order to focus our thoughts, we worked on a shared class charter guide the children. All of the class got a chance to discuss and input what should be in our list of golden rules and we now have ten that we all agreed upon. No week would be complete without the chance to let out energy and the class have relished the opportunity to frolic in the local parks during recess. They even had the chance to eat outdoors on Monday which was a wonderful first day treat. Throughout the week the class have also been doing assessments in maths, writing and grammar to give me a picture of each child’s starting point and what I need to do to help them progress. They have all shown me that they are able to persist and focus, even when things are challenging which is very encouraging. To give us a chance to flex our creative muscles we learned about Picasso and Cubism before designing and sculpting our very own Cubist portraits. The class worked hard on this for most of the week and we had a parade on Thursday where the children gave each other constructive feedback. I think you will agree the masks are true works of expressionism! As next week stands on the horizon, the class is looking forward to beginning work on our next writing unit, which will focus on descriptive writing linking to the magnificent children’s classic Fantastic Mr Fox. Throughout the week we have been reading the book and the children have responded well to my ridiculous voices for all of the farmers! It is wonderful to be teaching a class with such a love of books – they have been all but biting my arm off to borrow books this week! I can tell just from these last five days that I am going to absolutely love working with your children, they are a caring, friendly and hard working group and I know we will keep going from strength to strength together! It was wonderful to meet some of you this morning and I hope you all have a great weekend. Regards, Mr Morris
|
Welcome to Grade 3B!
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! My name is Mr. Morris and I am absolutely thrilled to be the new teacher of Grade 3B! I hope you had the chance to relax and enjoy yourselves as a family during the summer months. For my part, I am very excited to be embarking upon a productive and magical journey through Grade 3 and at UST.
I would like to take the chance to introduce myself properly and explain a bit more about my background. Until very recently, I had lived in England for my whole life! My adventure to becoming an international teacher was a long path that gave me the chance of teaching and nurturing in a great many fields. 6 years ago, I was lucky enough to have my first son and he immediately helped me realise that I wanted to work with children. Ever since I have been fulfilling that dream in primary schools in Manchester, but when the opportunity to develop my skills in Tokyo arose, I jumped at the chance.
My hobbies include reading, writing, football and anything to do with film, but above all I love to hike. I would love to find some great hiking spots around Japan, so any avid walkers please feel free to share your expertise!
As the new year begins, I am eagerly anticipating meeting my new class and I know we will have an absolutely fantastic learning adventure together. So, it is with great pleasure that I introduce Class 3B:
Welcome back! My name is Mr. Morris and I am absolutely thrilled to be the new teacher of Grade 3B! I hope you had the chance to relax and enjoy yourselves as a family during the summer months. For my part, I am very excited to be embarking upon a productive and magical journey through Grade 3 and at UST.
I would like to take the chance to introduce myself properly and explain a bit more about my background. Until very recently, I had lived in England for my whole life! My adventure to becoming an international teacher was a long path that gave me the chance of teaching and nurturing in a great many fields. 6 years ago, I was lucky enough to have my first son and he immediately helped me realise that I wanted to work with children. Ever since I have been fulfilling that dream in primary schools in Manchester, but when the opportunity to develop my skills in Tokyo arose, I jumped at the chance.
My hobbies include reading, writing, football and anything to do with film, but above all I love to hike. I would love to find some great hiking spots around Japan, so any avid walkers please feel free to share your expertise!
As the new year begins, I am eagerly anticipating meeting my new class and I know we will have an absolutely fantastic learning adventure together. So, it is with great pleasure that I introduce Class 3B:
Emma
Amina Mischa Cocona Harlow Hitomi Ayana Kanna |
Kanna
Yuta Julius Mirai Elijah Maya M Taito |
In terms of organisation, if I could request that when preparing for the year, all of you children’s uniform, PE kit, swimming kit, snack and lunch boxes, water bottles and hand towels are clearly labelled with their names.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any concerns or questions, I am always available to contact via email or you can organise a meeting at school.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to the chance to meet in person,
Mr Morris
[email protected]
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any concerns or questions, I am always available to contact via email or you can organise a meeting at school.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to the chance to meet in person,
Mr Morris
[email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------------
UST SUMMER READING CHALLENGE
Dear UST Parents,
During summer break UST will be encouraging reading with a Summer Reading Challenge! This is a fun way to help prevent the effects of the summer slide—the learning losses that can occur during the summer months. According to the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 7th Edition, 77% of kids ages 6–17 and 94% of parents believe reading books over the summer helps kids during the school year.
All grade 3-6 students are required to read at least two chapter books during the summer break. Students will celebrate their reading efforts by participating in a raffle for a chance to win some great prizes! The raffle will take place at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.
G3-G6 Required Summer Reading: 2 chapter books
Reading more than 2 chapter books is optional.
+1 Raffle Ticket for reading 2 chapter books
+1 Raffle Ticket for each additional chapter book read beyond 2
(Example: 6 chapter books = 5 raffle tickets)
The reading log and reading goal sheet will be sent home in your child's backpack on Monday, June 24th. All G3-6 students need to fill out the reading goal sheet and return it to their teacher by Thursday, June 27th.
Book Check Out Contract If your child wants to check out UST books from his/her classroom library, you and your child will need to read and sign a Book Check Out Contract sent home from your child's homeroom teacher. Once the contract is signed, your child will be able to bring home classroom book(s) for the summer holiday.
Please keep reading logs at home to complete during the break. Reading logs will be due the first week back to school (week of August 26th).
Reading Log + Reading Goal Sheet
CLICK HERE
Happy Reading!
------------------------------------------------------------
This week in class...
Writing - The children used the Writing process independently to write their own persuasive letter! They first had to think of their own topic they wanted to write about and who they wanted to write to. Next they planned their letter and wrote their drafts. They are now publishing their final ever Writing piece in Grade 3!!
Children were also given time this week to look over the Write Source Post-test. They have all taken pictures of the test.
Maths - We continued out Area and Perimeter Unit. We challenged the children even further by, not only looking at area and perimeter with different units of measure, but also compound shapes!
Children were also given time this week to look over the End-of-year Maths test. They have all taken pictures of the test.
Social Studies - We have been exploring more about helping our community, specially
1. Protecting the Environment
2. Helping Wildlife
3. Helping other People
In groups, children have started to create a project proposal on how they can help issue! Say hello to the leaders from each group :)
Students have also taken pictures of their last two End of chapter Quiz for Social studies.
What a week!
Dear Parents,
What a week! I would just like to take this moment to truly express how proud I am of the children! Even with the summer holidays looming closer, the children have continued to work exceptionally hard and I am so happy with their attitude and progress! As my first year at UST, I am overwhelmed but very excited with the yearbooks, end-of-year tests, finalising the Summer concert...the list seems to continue and I'm sure there are many more things going on, but I find it incredible what divine opportunities we have!
Reminders:
Summer Concert!
As part of our preparations for the summer concert, we are collecting some essential costume pieces in advance to have in the classrooms. That way, there is less for you to remember to bring on the concertday.
As indicated in a previous email from Ms. Erin, the costume requirements for our class are as follows: black bottoms (leggings or pants; no skirts) with plain t-shirt on top; red, blue or green (Star Trek colors).
We would like you to send your child's coloured t-shirt, labelled with your child's name.
This week...
Writing - children have started publishing their letters and have begun looking at the features of an informal letter. Next week, the children will plan and draft their informal letter independently.
Maths - We started our week doing our end of Year Maths test. Then we promptly continued with our final unit of the year - Area and Perimeter.
What a week! I would just like to take this moment to truly express how proud I am of the children! Even with the summer holidays looming closer, the children have continued to work exceptionally hard and I am so happy with their attitude and progress! As my first year at UST, I am overwhelmed but very excited with the yearbooks, end-of-year tests, finalising the Summer concert...the list seems to continue and I'm sure there are many more things going on, but I find it incredible what divine opportunities we have!
Reminders:
Summer Concert!
As part of our preparations for the summer concert, we are collecting some essential costume pieces in advance to have in the classrooms. That way, there is less for you to remember to bring on the concertday.
As indicated in a previous email from Ms. Erin, the costume requirements for our class are as follows: black bottoms (leggings or pants; no skirts) with plain t-shirt on top; red, blue or green (Star Trek colors).
We would like you to send your child's coloured t-shirt, labelled with your child's name.
This week...
Writing - children have started publishing their letters and have begun looking at the features of an informal letter. Next week, the children will plan and draft their informal letter independently.
Maths - We started our week doing our end of Year Maths test. Then we promptly continued with our final unit of the year - Area and Perimeter.
Heiwa no Mori
Dear Parents,
What another wonderful week! First and foremost, I wanted to thank all parents for coming to the Science Fair last week! The children did an incredible job and I was so proud to see what wonderful job they did. I hope you all enjoyed the art auction as well.
We began this week with our very exciting field trip to Heiwa no Mori. I was slightly anxious about taking the local trains to the location, but I was so impressed by how beautifully all the children behaved and we were able to have such a brilliant day! Upon arrival, the children were given time to explore the different obstacles and then think of strategies on how to go about completing it as a team. Many children were able to conquer some of the 'scarier' obstacles and it was a delight seeing them enjoying some quality time outside! Thank you to Yuki, for helping us out on this trip!
What another wonderful week! First and foremost, I wanted to thank all parents for coming to the Science Fair last week! The children did an incredible job and I was so proud to see what wonderful job they did. I hope you all enjoyed the art auction as well.
We began this week with our very exciting field trip to Heiwa no Mori. I was slightly anxious about taking the local trains to the location, but I was so impressed by how beautifully all the children behaved and we were able to have such a brilliant day! Upon arrival, the children were given time to explore the different obstacles and then think of strategies on how to go about completing it as a team. Many children were able to conquer some of the 'scarier' obstacles and it was a delight seeing them enjoying some quality time outside! Thank you to Yuki, for helping us out on this trip!
This week...
Writing - Children finished off their formal letter draft and have started to revise and edit their work using the success criteria.
Maths - continuing on with our unit, the children have looked at lines of symmetry as well as drawing a shape on its mirror line We ended this week with an end of unit test. Children have taken pictures of the test so please may you take a moment to go through it at home.
Science/Social Studies - We have now finished our Science Unit and have begun our Social Studies unit which continues with the focus of our local community. We will also be looking at a basic structure of a government (based on the American system and discussing how it is similar in Japan).
Writing - Children finished off their formal letter draft and have started to revise and edit their work using the success criteria.
Maths - continuing on with our unit, the children have looked at lines of symmetry as well as drawing a shape on its mirror line We ended this week with an end of unit test. Children have taken pictures of the test so please may you take a moment to go through it at home.
Science/Social Studies - We have now finished our Science Unit and have begun our Social Studies unit which continues with the focus of our local community. We will also be looking at a basic structure of a government (based on the American system and discussing how it is similar in Japan).
Dear Parents,
It has been an excitable week with juggling Science Fair project alongside their school learning! I've seen some incredible projects so far and children have been busy revising and editing each others whenever there have been any moment to spare. I'm sure they will all do an awesome job this evening. I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all parents for supporting your child with their projects! I can only appreciate the amount of hard work and time you have put aside so you child could have the best opportunity. I hope that over the last 7 weeks, there have been more smiles and laughter than tears!!
Quick reminder:
- We have our field trip next Tuesday! Thank you to all parents for sending your child in with 200yen!
- Have your child's Pasmo/Suica charged with at least 1000yen
- Cancel Luca Deli
- Orange UST t-shirt & Pe kit to be worn on the day
- Full set of clothes (PE kit) to change in
It has been an excitable week with juggling Science Fair project alongside their school learning! I've seen some incredible projects so far and children have been busy revising and editing each others whenever there have been any moment to spare. I'm sure they will all do an awesome job this evening. I also wanted to say a huge thank you to all parents for supporting your child with their projects! I can only appreciate the amount of hard work and time you have put aside so you child could have the best opportunity. I hope that over the last 7 weeks, there have been more smiles and laughter than tears!!
Quick reminder:
- We have our field trip next Tuesday! Thank you to all parents for sending your child in with 200yen!
- Have your child's Pasmo/Suica charged with at least 1000yen
- Cancel Luca Deli
- Orange UST t-shirt & Pe kit to be worn on the day
- Full set of clothes (PE kit) to change in
This week...
Writing - We have moved on from our persuasive poster to shift our focus towards persuasive letters. We started our week looking at features of what makes a letter, then concentrated on what extra features (adding on from our poster lessons) make a persuasive letter. We looked at several model letters to not only identify the different features but also discuss why these features had an impact. From there, children were told that their letter will be written to Ms Natasha so we began brainstorming what we could persuade Ms Natasha about! There were very many ideas and the children chose their own topics. From there they broke down their topic onto convincing points they could use to persuade Ms Natasha. Children then planned their letter and have begun writing their first draft!
Writing - We have moved on from our persuasive poster to shift our focus towards persuasive letters. We started our week looking at features of what makes a letter, then concentrated on what extra features (adding on from our poster lessons) make a persuasive letter. We looked at several model letters to not only identify the different features but also discuss why these features had an impact. From there, children were told that their letter will be written to Ms Natasha so we began brainstorming what we could persuade Ms Natasha about! There were very many ideas and the children chose their own topics. From there they broke down their topic onto convincing points they could use to persuade Ms Natasha. Children then planned their letter and have begun writing their first draft!
Maths - We have started Unit 18: Two-Dimensional Shapes. We started our week finding out what gaps may be missing from our students. Then we had a fun-filled week identifying, comparing and problem solving 2D shapes. (using tangrams) Children recapped and learned new vocabulary for this unit, please ask them about it!
- vertex
- parallel lines
- opposite Sides
- quadrilaterals
- polygons
- open/closed plane figure
- regular/irregular polygons
- vertex
- parallel lines
- opposite Sides
- quadrilaterals
- polygons
- open/closed plane figure
- regular/irregular polygons
Science - Children have been exploring joints and muscles! We used wooden rods, paper clips and rubber bands to recreate a 'human leg'! It was really cool to see how the movement of our foot extended or contracted different muscles in our leg! We also had a look at fingerprints using pencil markings on a paper. We identified how we all have a very unique print and how these are used.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Just around the corner!
Dear parents,
Thank you for all your kind thoughts, I'm truly blessed to be part of such a loving community!
Moving on, I am excited to let you know about our next upcoming field trip on Tuesday 4th June! We will be going to Heiwa no Mori as part of our Social Studies (also a bit of Science) unit! There are a few important points I would like to make regarding this trip:
- The cost of the trip will be 200yen per student
- Children will need to have at least 1000yen charged on their Pasmo/Suica as we will be taking the train there (or 1000yen to buy train tickets)
- Change of clothes as parts of the course will be wet!
We are also looking for a chaperone per class, if you are available please email me!
Science & Art Fair
The Science & Art fair is just around the corner. I am looking forward to seeing all the children's work. Please make sure that the children are rehearsing their presentations so they feel confident for Friday! I will also be collecting their Presentations (notes, keynote, clear photos of their posters) on Monday so I can have a short conference with each student and edit any bits.
If you have any concerns about the presentation please refer back to the emails or my Weebly page.
This week...
Writing - This week the children began their unit of Persuasive writing! As a hook towards this, we looked at persuasive posters! The children explored features that posters use and they applied these features to create their own about the Science & Art fair!
Some of the features we looked at in particular were; eye-catching layout; catchy slogan; attention-grabbing pictures; rhetorical questions; crafty language; flattery and statistics.
Can you find some of these features in their posters?
Thank you for all your kind thoughts, I'm truly blessed to be part of such a loving community!
Moving on, I am excited to let you know about our next upcoming field trip on Tuesday 4th June! We will be going to Heiwa no Mori as part of our Social Studies (also a bit of Science) unit! There are a few important points I would like to make regarding this trip:
- The cost of the trip will be 200yen per student
- Children will need to have at least 1000yen charged on their Pasmo/Suica as we will be taking the train there (or 1000yen to buy train tickets)
- Change of clothes as parts of the course will be wet!
We are also looking for a chaperone per class, if you are available please email me!
Science & Art Fair
The Science & Art fair is just around the corner. I am looking forward to seeing all the children's work. Please make sure that the children are rehearsing their presentations so they feel confident for Friday! I will also be collecting their Presentations (notes, keynote, clear photos of their posters) on Monday so I can have a short conference with each student and edit any bits.
If you have any concerns about the presentation please refer back to the emails or my Weebly page.
This week...
Writing - This week the children began their unit of Persuasive writing! As a hook towards this, we looked at persuasive posters! The children explored features that posters use and they applied these features to create their own about the Science & Art fair!
Some of the features we looked at in particular were; eye-catching layout; catchy slogan; attention-grabbing pictures; rhetorical questions; crafty language; flattery and statistics.
Can you find some of these features in their posters?
Maths - This week we started our unit on Lines and Angles. The children learnt the difference between lines and line segments. We also identified the features of perpendicular and parallel lines.
Have a good weekend!
Miss Ray
Miss Ray
What a SoFISHticated Week!
Dear Parents,
Again, another brilliant week! I hope the children came home yesterday, buzzing from the excitement of our school adventure! Additionally, please may I ask parents to start packing mosquito repellent and a hat into your child's bag as we would love to go outside as often as possible!
I would just like to take this moment to let you know that I have had a sudden grievance in my family and will be taking a couple of personal days next week and will be back on Wednesday. Mr Ivan and Mr Kish will be covering the class for these days and please be assured the children will be moving on with their learning with no delays!
Science Fair
There have been a few changes to the science fair (May 31st evening). Please may you take some time this weekend to go over your child's project with them.
Many thanks for all your support with the science fair preparations so far. As we are now moving into the final stages of preparation, we would like to give the children options of how to present their investigations:
1) The children can either prepare their presentations on a traditional presentation board (boards will be provided by the school and some classes already have these materials) OR they can produce a digital Keynote presentation.
2) For experiment demonstration, students can either bring their experiments to school and do a live demonstration at the fair OR they can digitally record their experiment at home and show the video at the fair.
Students who are doing a live demonstration need to bring in all the materials to school the day before the fair. We can provide hot water but the children will not have access to a stove or microwave for heating purposes.
I also discussed how the presentation boards can be made, many of the children were familiar with this but a few have asked to have the sample boards to be put onto Weebly.
Today, children who have requested Poster Paper for their presentations were given 3 pieces. If your child changes their mind and would like to use the poster paper to present their work please let me know and I will provide them with it!
Again, another brilliant week! I hope the children came home yesterday, buzzing from the excitement of our school adventure! Additionally, please may I ask parents to start packing mosquito repellent and a hat into your child's bag as we would love to go outside as often as possible!
I would just like to take this moment to let you know that I have had a sudden grievance in my family and will be taking a couple of personal days next week and will be back on Wednesday. Mr Ivan and Mr Kish will be covering the class for these days and please be assured the children will be moving on with their learning with no delays!
Science Fair
There have been a few changes to the science fair (May 31st evening). Please may you take some time this weekend to go over your child's project with them.
Many thanks for all your support with the science fair preparations so far. As we are now moving into the final stages of preparation, we would like to give the children options of how to present their investigations:
1) The children can either prepare their presentations on a traditional presentation board (boards will be provided by the school and some classes already have these materials) OR they can produce a digital Keynote presentation.
2) For experiment demonstration, students can either bring their experiments to school and do a live demonstration at the fair OR they can digitally record their experiment at home and show the video at the fair.
Students who are doing a live demonstration need to bring in all the materials to school the day before the fair. We can provide hot water but the children will not have access to a stove or microwave for heating purposes.
I also discussed how the presentation boards can be made, many of the children were familiar with this but a few have asked to have the sample boards to be put onto Weebly.
Today, children who have requested Poster Paper for their presentations were given 3 pieces. If your child changes their mind and would like to use the poster paper to present their work please let me know and I will provide them with it!
Field Trip to the Aquarium!
We had a wonderful day yesterday. Thank you Mr Fraternali for joining us on our trip! Upon arrival, we had a quick snack and meandered through the depth of the aquarium. We saw many aquatic animals and the children were able to use information from the aquarium as well as their own prior knowledge to answer questions which were given to them for this trip.
We were really lucky to have gotten tickets to an hands-on activity area in which we were able to learn about the features and structures of Rays and Cat sharks! Some daring children even stroked them and were surprised by the texture of their skin.
As part of our budgeting lesson, the children also thought carefully about how to use their 'pocket money'! Some chose to treat themselves with souvenirs, some brought gifts for their friends and family.
This week...
Writing - This week the children revised and edited their Narrative essay. Their Narrative essay was based on someone who had been helpful to them and the children began publishing their essays today! Next week, we will move onto our new unit - Persuasive Writing!
Maths - This week we continued with our unit of Time and temperature. We began the week looking at subtracting times. Within in this, we specifically focused on how we can exchange an hour to minutes to help us subtract. So for instance if the question was
2h15mins - 1h40minutes
We can exchange an hour (1h = 60mins) from 2h15mins so it becomes 1h75minutes (2h-1h= 1h....15mins+60mins=75mins)
So the question is now ...
1h75mins - 1h40mins
Then the children can subtract the hours and minutes = 0h30mins = 30minutes
We also used this knowledge to help us work out time related word problems. We also used timelines to find out elapsed times.
Next week we will move onto Lines and Angles.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Ray
We had a wonderful day yesterday. Thank you Mr Fraternali for joining us on our trip! Upon arrival, we had a quick snack and meandered through the depth of the aquarium. We saw many aquatic animals and the children were able to use information from the aquarium as well as their own prior knowledge to answer questions which were given to them for this trip.
We were really lucky to have gotten tickets to an hands-on activity area in which we were able to learn about the features and structures of Rays and Cat sharks! Some daring children even stroked them and were surprised by the texture of their skin.
As part of our budgeting lesson, the children also thought carefully about how to use their 'pocket money'! Some chose to treat themselves with souvenirs, some brought gifts for their friends and family.
This week...
Writing - This week the children revised and edited their Narrative essay. Their Narrative essay was based on someone who had been helpful to them and the children began publishing their essays today! Next week, we will move onto our new unit - Persuasive Writing!
Maths - This week we continued with our unit of Time and temperature. We began the week looking at subtracting times. Within in this, we specifically focused on how we can exchange an hour to minutes to help us subtract. So for instance if the question was
2h15mins - 1h40minutes
We can exchange an hour (1h = 60mins) from 2h15mins so it becomes 1h75minutes (2h-1h= 1h....15mins+60mins=75mins)
So the question is now ...
1h75mins - 1h40mins
Then the children can subtract the hours and minutes = 0h30mins = 30minutes
We also used this knowledge to help us work out time related word problems. We also used timelines to find out elapsed times.
Next week we will move onto Lines and Angles.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Ray
Last week wasn't the only week that was GOLDEN!
Dear Parents,
I hope you all had a wonderful Golden Week! It has been a great week seeing all the children back in school. We have many exciting events coming up this term and it is going to be brilliant!
Thank you to all parents for your payment for our field trip next year! I hope the children are excited, I definitely am!
In preparation for this trip please do not forget the following:
Additionally, please may you ensure the following in preparation for the trips.
- Cancel Luca deli lunches for Thursday 16th May
- Ensure your child has a water bottle and packed lunch on the day
- Please may all children wear their ORANGE UST t-shirts, navy school trousers/shorts, plain navy socks (UST PE kit)
- Children may bring up to 2,000yen as 'pocket money' if they would like to buy a small gift or treat on the trip!
I hope you all had a wonderful Golden Week! It has been a great week seeing all the children back in school. We have many exciting events coming up this term and it is going to be brilliant!
Thank you to all parents for your payment for our field trip next year! I hope the children are excited, I definitely am!
In preparation for this trip please do not forget the following:
Additionally, please may you ensure the following in preparation for the trips.
- Cancel Luca deli lunches for Thursday 16th May
- Ensure your child has a water bottle and packed lunch on the day
- Please may all children wear their ORANGE UST t-shirts, navy school trousers/shorts, plain navy socks (UST PE kit)
- Children may bring up to 2,000yen as 'pocket money' if they would like to buy a small gift or treat on the trip!
This week...
Writing- children continued writing their Narrative writing. They had planned carefully about who had been helpful in their life (from before the holidays)and have now finished their first draft!
Maths - We began our unit on Time and Temperature. We have not only discussed the importance of being able to tell the time in real-life but started to add units of time as well as converting it. Please take a moment to go over it and talk about this with your children this weekend.
Science - children have started to explore the.... Human body!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Writing- children continued writing their Narrative writing. They had planned carefully about who had been helpful in their life (from before the holidays)and have now finished their first draft!
Maths - We began our unit on Time and Temperature. We have not only discussed the importance of being able to tell the time in real-life but started to add units of time as well as converting it. Please take a moment to go over it and talk about this with your children this weekend.
Science - children have started to explore the.... Human body!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
What an EMUsing week!
Dear Parents,
It was less than a week ago when we were all gathered in Yoyogi, cheering on the different squads! Thank you for all your support, it was truly a wonderful experience for me as it was my first time experiencing a UST sports day and I was humbled with the positive vibes that resonated that day!
Cross country
Congratulations to Angelo, Sumika, Jack and Milena for their brilliant work at the Cross-Country race on Tuesday! I am so proud of them for training and representing the UST community with their work! Well-done team! I'd also like to congratulate Milena for coming first in her race!!
Tama zoo field trip
Thank you to Lyon's dad and Anika's mother for their help on Thursday! We all had a wonderful day at Tama zoo where we were able to observe many animal behaviours. Even though it was a hot, sweaty day, the children powered on and were able to enjoy some ice-cream before we left!
It was less than a week ago when we were all gathered in Yoyogi, cheering on the different squads! Thank you for all your support, it was truly a wonderful experience for me as it was my first time experiencing a UST sports day and I was humbled with the positive vibes that resonated that day!
Cross country
Congratulations to Angelo, Sumika, Jack and Milena for their brilliant work at the Cross-Country race on Tuesday! I am so proud of them for training and representing the UST community with their work! Well-done team! I'd also like to congratulate Milena for coming first in her race!!
Tama zoo field trip
Thank you to Lyon's dad and Anika's mother for their help on Thursday! We all had a wonderful day at Tama zoo where we were able to observe many animal behaviours. Even though it was a hot, sweaty day, the children powered on and were able to enjoy some ice-cream before we left!
This week...
Writing - The children began planning and writing their own narrative essay. We are focusing on the theme 'people who have helped/inspired us' which also links in very well with our current Reading Unit.
Maths - we looked into comparing unlike fractions (what do you do when you have two fractions with different denominators?), moving onto fraction of sets (looking at bars or pictures and being able to recognise fraction statements such as 'two-thirds of the cars are yellow... so 16 out of 24 cars are yellow...'). We finished the week of with the end of unit test in which the children will be taking pictures of their results next week. Please may you take some time to go over it with your child then!
Science - We explored why and how animals behaviour changes. This may be when they are foraging or hunting for food; finding a mate; fighting for a territory... Can they remember any other reasons why an animal may change their behaviour?
We also looked into how animals have adapted to their environment, for example, a polar bear has a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm in harsh, cold climates.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Writing - The children began planning and writing their own narrative essay. We are focusing on the theme 'people who have helped/inspired us' which also links in very well with our current Reading Unit.
Maths - we looked into comparing unlike fractions (what do you do when you have two fractions with different denominators?), moving onto fraction of sets (looking at bars or pictures and being able to recognise fraction statements such as 'two-thirds of the cars are yellow... so 16 out of 24 cars are yellow...'). We finished the week of with the end of unit test in which the children will be taking pictures of their results next week. Please may you take some time to go over it with your child then!
Science - We explored why and how animals behaviour changes. This may be when they are foraging or hunting for food; finding a mate; fighting for a territory... Can they remember any other reasons why an animal may change their behaviour?
We also looked into how animals have adapted to their environment, for example, a polar bear has a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm in harsh, cold climates.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
UST! UST! UST..... SPORTS DAY!
Dear Parents,
Another brilliant week! We commenced the first half of our week with our art trip to the Hokusai exhibition in Omotesando. The children were fantastic in the exhibition and the staff there were very impressed with their behaviour! Well done!
Sports day is tomorrow! Here are some notices from the PTA:
The UST Sports day/Carnival ( Saturday, April 20) is right around the corner, and we need to start the tickets sales!
The Sports Day/School Carnival will be held on April 20th at Fukamachi Park, 9 am to 3 pm.
Like every year, this event is not only a chance for the UST family to come together but an opportunity for us to raise awareness and money for our organization of choice. We chose “Wakakusa," an orphanage in Shibuya ward this year, and our donation will help those who are no longer able to stay in the orphanage to gain their independence.
There will be MANY ways to participate in the fun and contribute towards the cause. We will have food vendors selling pizzas, mini burgers, fried chicken, wraps (vegetarian options available), etc., as well as beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and various apparel (including popular clothes from the Kobayashi family!), not to mention all the fun games and entertainment organized by each class.
Starting from this year, Shibuya ward office prohibited us from exchanging money at the field. PTA and the school have brainstormed and came up with some creative ways of going around this issue and making sure that this new rule will not stop us from enjoying the day! Here is the plan:
1. To ensure that each family has enough tickets for food, drinks, games, entertainment, and shopping, we are asking each family to pre-buy tickets. To give you a general idea of the pricing, we have listed some of the items:
- game booths will charge ¥100 to play one game (we have 11 game booths, as well as face painting, nail art and much more)
- non-alcoholic drinks will sell for ¥100-¥200
- alcoholic beverages for ¥300-¥500
- individual food items will cost ¥300-¥400
- baked goods ¥100-¥200
- individual vendors will price items at their discretion, but with attractive deals, as always
We have estimated that each family would spend about 2,000 yen per child plus additional amount for parents. Please note that the minimum spend per family with one child is ¥3,000, for family with two children - 5,000 yen etc. Any unused pre-paid tickets over the stated minimum could be refunded after the event.
2. All items at the carnival will be purchased with the pre-paid tickets. There will be no cash exchanges allowed.
Please send in ticket money in the amount of ¥5,000 or more (If you have a bigger family) to your child’s homeroom teacher or give it to the bus monitor in a sealed envelope no later than Thursday, 18 April! On the envelope, please list your last name, first names and grades of all your children and the amount of money enclosed.
Upon receiving your money, the PTA will prepare your ticket envelops for you. Tickets will come in 2 colors: pink nonrefundable tickets (equivalent of the required minimum spend and orange refundable tickets. Please make sure to spend pink tickets first.
And finally, we are asking you to sign-up for the general volunteer duties (prizes booth, first aid tent, PTA food&drinks sales, etc.). Please make sure to sign up on the Games Volunteers and General Volunteers pages of the document. Thank you!
To kick-start the event, the children all dressed up in some amazing costumes!! Thank you to all parents for sending your children in with such creative costumes!
This week in class...
Maths - We have continued our topic of fractions and developed our understanding comparing fractions as well as adding and subtracting fractions! We also deepened our understanding by using our knowledge of equivalent fractions using x and ÷ to help us find common denominators to help us with unlike fractions (2/3+1/4 .. for examples)!
Writing - We have started our narrative writing! In particular this week, we focused on how paragraphs have a clear structure and used this to help us write about a specific topic.
Science - We have continued our focus on plants and its life cycle. The children have observed, dissected and participated in growing different plants! We finished the week with an i-check test and this will be sent on as images next week!
See you all tomorrow!
Miss Ray
Another brilliant week! We commenced the first half of our week with our art trip to the Hokusai exhibition in Omotesando. The children were fantastic in the exhibition and the staff there were very impressed with their behaviour! Well done!
Sports day is tomorrow! Here are some notices from the PTA:
The UST Sports day/Carnival ( Saturday, April 20) is right around the corner, and we need to start the tickets sales!
The Sports Day/School Carnival will be held on April 20th at Fukamachi Park, 9 am to 3 pm.
Like every year, this event is not only a chance for the UST family to come together but an opportunity for us to raise awareness and money for our organization of choice. We chose “Wakakusa," an orphanage in Shibuya ward this year, and our donation will help those who are no longer able to stay in the orphanage to gain their independence.
There will be MANY ways to participate in the fun and contribute towards the cause. We will have food vendors selling pizzas, mini burgers, fried chicken, wraps (vegetarian options available), etc., as well as beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and various apparel (including popular clothes from the Kobayashi family!), not to mention all the fun games and entertainment organized by each class.
Starting from this year, Shibuya ward office prohibited us from exchanging money at the field. PTA and the school have brainstormed and came up with some creative ways of going around this issue and making sure that this new rule will not stop us from enjoying the day! Here is the plan:
1. To ensure that each family has enough tickets for food, drinks, games, entertainment, and shopping, we are asking each family to pre-buy tickets. To give you a general idea of the pricing, we have listed some of the items:
- game booths will charge ¥100 to play one game (we have 11 game booths, as well as face painting, nail art and much more)
- non-alcoholic drinks will sell for ¥100-¥200
- alcoholic beverages for ¥300-¥500
- individual food items will cost ¥300-¥400
- baked goods ¥100-¥200
- individual vendors will price items at their discretion, but with attractive deals, as always
We have estimated that each family would spend about 2,000 yen per child plus additional amount for parents. Please note that the minimum spend per family with one child is ¥3,000, for family with two children - 5,000 yen etc. Any unused pre-paid tickets over the stated minimum could be refunded after the event.
2. All items at the carnival will be purchased with the pre-paid tickets. There will be no cash exchanges allowed.
Please send in ticket money in the amount of ¥5,000 or more (If you have a bigger family) to your child’s homeroom teacher or give it to the bus monitor in a sealed envelope no later than Thursday, 18 April! On the envelope, please list your last name, first names and grades of all your children and the amount of money enclosed.
Upon receiving your money, the PTA will prepare your ticket envelops for you. Tickets will come in 2 colors: pink nonrefundable tickets (equivalent of the required minimum spend and orange refundable tickets. Please make sure to spend pink tickets first.
And finally, we are asking you to sign-up for the general volunteer duties (prizes booth, first aid tent, PTA food&drinks sales, etc.). Please make sure to sign up on the Games Volunteers and General Volunteers pages of the document. Thank you!
To kick-start the event, the children all dressed up in some amazing costumes!! Thank you to all parents for sending your children in with such creative costumes!
This week in class...
Maths - We have continued our topic of fractions and developed our understanding comparing fractions as well as adding and subtracting fractions! We also deepened our understanding by using our knowledge of equivalent fractions using x and ÷ to help us find common denominators to help us with unlike fractions (2/3+1/4 .. for examples)!
Writing - We have started our narrative writing! In particular this week, we focused on how paragraphs have a clear structure and used this to help us write about a specific topic.
Science - We have continued our focus on plants and its life cycle. The children have observed, dissected and participated in growing different plants! We finished the week with an i-check test and this will be sent on as images next week!
See you all tomorrow!
Miss Ray
Dear Parents,
I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break! It has been so lovely being back in the classroom with everyone! With that, I am also excited that our class have grown in size! Welcome to G3B Lyon and Olivia!
I wanted to write to you today with notices about our upcoming week.
Art Trip:
Thank you to all parents for paying the 120yen for our upcoming Art trip on Tuesday! Please may you ensure that children wear their orange UST on the day and that they will still have swimming as we will be returning before lunch.
x-country Running training:
Training will happen on Thursday lunchtime next week!
Sports day:
UST sports day is on Saturday 20th (next Saturday)! I hope you all received and read the email sent by the office earlier this week, if not, I have copied it onto the end of this email. Each student has been placed into squads, if you are unsure of which squad your child is in please have a look here.
Talent Show:
The talent show will also be happening on Saturday. From G3B the following children have signed up to perform: Angelo, Alia, Milena, Sumika and Ayame – I can not wait to see what incredible act you perform! Ms Natasha will be holding a rehearsal on Monday or Tuesday for these students so please make sure you practice, practice and practice!
G3B Carnival Games:
G3B have decided to host ‘Beyblade bowling’ as their game for the carnival on Saturday. In order to ensure this game is a success please may the following children bring in the equipment for this game:
Jack – Toy bowling pins
Kosuke – Beyblade
Angelo – Beyblade
If these items are not something that could be brought in on Monday, please let me know and as a class, we will have to think about an alternative game for the class for the carnival.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
I hope you all had a wonderful Spring Break! It has been so lovely being back in the classroom with everyone! With that, I am also excited that our class have grown in size! Welcome to G3B Lyon and Olivia!
I wanted to write to you today with notices about our upcoming week.
Art Trip:
Thank you to all parents for paying the 120yen for our upcoming Art trip on Tuesday! Please may you ensure that children wear their orange UST on the day and that they will still have swimming as we will be returning before lunch.
x-country Running training:
Training will happen on Thursday lunchtime next week!
Sports day:
UST sports day is on Saturday 20th (next Saturday)! I hope you all received and read the email sent by the office earlier this week, if not, I have copied it onto the end of this email. Each student has been placed into squads, if you are unsure of which squad your child is in please have a look here.
Talent Show:
The talent show will also be happening on Saturday. From G3B the following children have signed up to perform: Angelo, Alia, Milena, Sumika and Ayame – I can not wait to see what incredible act you perform! Ms Natasha will be holding a rehearsal on Monday or Tuesday for these students so please make sure you practice, practice and practice!
G3B Carnival Games:
G3B have decided to host ‘Beyblade bowling’ as their game for the carnival on Saturday. In order to ensure this game is a success please may the following children bring in the equipment for this game:
Jack – Toy bowling pins
Kosuke – Beyblade
Angelo – Beyblade
If these items are not something that could be brought in on Monday, please let me know and as a class, we will have to think about an alternative game for the class for the carnival.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Tis the season, hanami season!
Dear Parents,
What a week! It has been a great term and the children have continued to impress me week by week! We have covered so many fantastic units of work and also had a brilliant week on the slopes!
This week we completed the 50-point challenge and children who were able to accumulate 50-points (or more!) in any of the topics were given a certificate the celebrate this!
Earlier on in the week, the children began planning their budget party for the class. We discussed how budgeting requires children to think carefully about how much they have and how much they can spend in a given time frame. Although the children were put into groups (food, drinks, decorations, cutleries) they all worked together to decide on what they would like to have in the party! Thank you again to all parents for contributing towards the class party, we would have loved to have all children there for the day so I am truly thankful for the generosity and support you have provided G3B!
On Wednesday we went to Daiso and children were able to think carefully about prioritising what they would need for the class party. They were mostly successful in calculating beforehand how much they had to spend and how much they had put into their basket. Children had to calculate the price of each product after tax which turned out to be quite easy for them in Daiso as a 100yen item would be 108yen. Despite this, we went slightly over our budget when the children miscalculated a bag of key rings as 100yen for the bag when in fact it was 100yen per keyring! When we got back to class we took into account how much we had gone over budget by (1,048yen) and modified our budget for the food and drinks for the next day.
Following on, on Thursday we went for another shopping trip to Hanamasa in which the children found more challenging especially when calculating their total amount in their basket as the items did not have the prices after tax labelled. Yet, both groups were able to stay under their budget! Well done!
After lunch, the children got busy setting up their party; some were making floral decorations; some were setting up the bingo game for the class (everyone in the class would win something! - Ayame & Angelo, it is waiting for you next term)!; and some were busy setting up food and drinks for the party. It was a brilliant way of ending the term, and we were able to save some money - which the class decided to save for the next party!
On Friday, it was Japanese Culture Day, thank you to all parents for sending your children in wearing some awesome outfits! We had some amazing performances - Taiko drums, Rakugo (Japanese comedy), and Aikido. Children have been working hard in both Emiko-sensei and Mistue-sensei's class preparing for their presentations and I am very proud of them all! Well done team!
I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!
Miss Ray
What a week! It has been a great term and the children have continued to impress me week by week! We have covered so many fantastic units of work and also had a brilliant week on the slopes!
This week we completed the 50-point challenge and children who were able to accumulate 50-points (or more!) in any of the topics were given a certificate the celebrate this!
Earlier on in the week, the children began planning their budget party for the class. We discussed how budgeting requires children to think carefully about how much they have and how much they can spend in a given time frame. Although the children were put into groups (food, drinks, decorations, cutleries) they all worked together to decide on what they would like to have in the party! Thank you again to all parents for contributing towards the class party, we would have loved to have all children there for the day so I am truly thankful for the generosity and support you have provided G3B!
On Wednesday we went to Daiso and children were able to think carefully about prioritising what they would need for the class party. They were mostly successful in calculating beforehand how much they had to spend and how much they had put into their basket. Children had to calculate the price of each product after tax which turned out to be quite easy for them in Daiso as a 100yen item would be 108yen. Despite this, we went slightly over our budget when the children miscalculated a bag of key rings as 100yen for the bag when in fact it was 100yen per keyring! When we got back to class we took into account how much we had gone over budget by (1,048yen) and modified our budget for the food and drinks for the next day.
Following on, on Thursday we went for another shopping trip to Hanamasa in which the children found more challenging especially when calculating their total amount in their basket as the items did not have the prices after tax labelled. Yet, both groups were able to stay under their budget! Well done!
After lunch, the children got busy setting up their party; some were making floral decorations; some were setting up the bingo game for the class (everyone in the class would win something! - Ayame & Angelo, it is waiting for you next term)!; and some were busy setting up food and drinks for the party. It was a brilliant way of ending the term, and we were able to save some money - which the class decided to save for the next party!
On Friday, it was Japanese Culture Day, thank you to all parents for sending your children in wearing some awesome outfits! We had some amazing performances - Taiko drums, Rakugo (Japanese comedy), and Aikido. Children have been working hard in both Emiko-sensei and Mistue-sensei's class preparing for their presentations and I am very proud of them all! Well done team!
I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!
Miss Ray
Dear Parents,
I hope you've all had a wonderful week! We were so happy to have sunshine and some warmth this week and made sure we took advantage of going outside as much as possible! We were able to have a brilliant eco-patrol in Shoto park as well the our Buddy Reading with the K3s!
With the end of term nearing, there are quite a few things that I would like to talk about today.
PTC
PTC is the first week back after Spring break. Please make sure you have signed up for this here.
Grade 3 Social Studies 'Budget' party
Thank you to all parents who have paid the 1000yen for the 'Class Party' in which the children will be organising as part of their Social Studies unit (budgeting)! If you have yet to do so, please may you send your child with the money at your earliest convenience.
Student Council
Student council members have been busy discussing many upcoming events for UST! Here are some notes from them:
1. Carnival Games
Each class hosts a game as part of the carnival. We will be discussing what we can do as G3B next week.
2. Talent show
SC has decided to do the talent show at the carnival, after the Sports day. The sign-up sheets are placed on each floor.
In order to ensure performers are confident with their act and to see what kind of shows we can have please may talent show candidates be prepared with their acts by next Friday.
3. Spirit week
The Spirit week will be April 17,18,19. SC has decided on the themes:
April 17 (Wed) - crazy hair day and squad colors
April 18 (Th) - twin day
April 19 (Fri) - famous person day (also could be 80’s day, depending on interpretation :)
This week in class...
English - children began planning and writing their suspense stories! We looked into how we can develop a story without moving the story on for too quickly! We have been focusing on 'show not tell' sentences to help children think of abstract/alternative ways to develop this thought.
For example:
Instead of saying 'The lonely girl walked towards me. I was scared.' we can adapt this into 'show sentences';
'Something caught my attention, it was slowly approaching me. I could make out a silhouette but I knew I had to think fast - or it would be too late. My heart was pounding a hundred miles an hour...'
Maths - we have moved onto reading different types of graphs. This week we focused on pictographs and bar graphs in which the children used the information on the graph to answer questions to then move onto drawing graphs from data.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
English - children began planning and writing their suspense stories! We looked into how we can develop a story without moving the story on for too quickly! We have been focusing on 'show not tell' sentences to help children think of abstract/alternative ways to develop this thought.
For example:
Instead of saying 'The lonely girl walked towards me. I was scared.' we can adapt this into 'show sentences';
'Something caught my attention, it was slowly approaching me. I could make out a silhouette but I knew I had to think fast - or it would be too late. My heart was pounding a hundred miles an hour...'
Maths - we have moved onto reading different types of graphs. This week we focused on pictographs and bar graphs in which the children used the information on the graph to answer questions to then move onto drawing graphs from data.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Dear Parents,
I would like to begin by congratulating all children for creating and performing their amazing poems this week! I was really proud of the beautiful work everyone produced!
Moreover, congratulations to Kosuke for winning 3rd place in the Upper Elementary Poetry Slam!
I would like to begin by congratulating all children for creating and performing their amazing poems this week! I was really proud of the beautiful work everyone produced!
Moreover, congratulations to Kosuke for winning 3rd place in the Upper Elementary Poetry Slam!
This week...
English - We have started out new unit; Creative Writing! We are looking at suspense in particular and the children have explored the story 'Shadow Cage' by Philippa Pearce. We have started identifying and using 'suspense toolkits' to help us create a piece of writing full of tension and mystery. Next week, we will be focusing on creating our own suspense story!
Maths - Children have taken pictures of the Unit 11 - Metric Measures Test paper on their iPads. If you have a moment please take a moment to go over the paper with them. This week, we continued looking at manipulating different measures in word problems. We finished this unit and on Monday they will be able to take pictures of this test paper to take home.
Social Studies - We have looked at what what an economy is in our society. Using key vocabulary such as; seller, buyer, free market, supply and demand. We will continue to explore these ideas to help us make choices in preparation for the budgeted class party we will be doing in the last week of school!
Thank you to all parents who have paid the 1,000yen towards this!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Ray
English - We have started out new unit; Creative Writing! We are looking at suspense in particular and the children have explored the story 'Shadow Cage' by Philippa Pearce. We have started identifying and using 'suspense toolkits' to help us create a piece of writing full of tension and mystery. Next week, we will be focusing on creating our own suspense story!
Maths - Children have taken pictures of the Unit 11 - Metric Measures Test paper on their iPads. If you have a moment please take a moment to go over the paper with them. This week, we continued looking at manipulating different measures in word problems. We finished this unit and on Monday they will be able to take pictures of this test paper to take home.
Social Studies - We have looked at what what an economy is in our society. Using key vocabulary such as; seller, buyer, free market, supply and demand. We will continue to explore these ideas to help us make choices in preparation for the budgeted class party we will be doing in the last week of school!
Thank you to all parents who have paid the 1,000yen towards this!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Ray
Dear Parents,
This week, the children have worked incredibly hard to create their super Tanka in preparation for the Poetry Slam!
We first began our week thinking of our own Super Tanka on a specific theme/ topic. As a whole class we chose the topic 'Conserving Wildlife' which we then brainstormed on how we wanted to tell our story on this topic. We focused on what we wanted the audience feel and also the message we wanted to convey through our poem. We also looked at specific figurative language features for us to challenge ourselves with!
Have a look at our class Tanka!
This week, the children have worked incredibly hard to create their super Tanka in preparation for the Poetry Slam!
We first began our week thinking of our own Super Tanka on a specific theme/ topic. As a whole class we chose the topic 'Conserving Wildlife' which we then brainstormed on how we wanted to tell our story on this topic. We focused on what we wanted the audience feel and also the message we wanted to convey through our poem. We also looked at specific figurative language features for us to challenge ourselves with!
Have a look at our class Tanka!
Leading up to the main UST Poetry Slam, we will be having a G3B poetry Slam on Tuesday in which the children will recite their Tanka poems to the rest of the class. They will be assessed according to the Poetry Slam Rubric and the top 3 performers will move onto competing in the finale with the others on Friday!
The children have taken photos of their Tankas today so they are able to to practice their performance prior to this. |
2019_poetry_slam_rubrics.pdf | |
File Size: | 40 kb |
File Type: |
Poetry Slam Week:
Themes for Poetry Slam. If children are able to recite a poem (to that theme) on the specified days, they will receive a raffle tickets. The lucky winner will be selected on Friday!
Themes:
Themes for Poetry Slam. If children are able to recite a poem (to that theme) on the specified days, they will receive a raffle tickets. The lucky winner will be selected on Friday!
Themes:
- Tuesday, March 12th - Funny Poem (Pick a funny poem, memorize it, and recite it!)
- Wednesday, March 13th - Rhyme Poem (Pick a rhyming poem, memorize it, and recite it!)
- Thursday, March 14th - Haiku Poem (Pick a haiku poem, memorize it, and recite it!
New Writing Unit:
This week, Grade 3 went on a spooooooky walk in preparation for their new Writing unit; Creative Writing.
We will be focusing on suspense mystery genre in link with our Mystery Reading unit. The children took photos from their walk as inspiration for their writing!
I asked the children to share some of their photos with me and I was impressed with some of the artistic perspective they had for this!
This week, Grade 3 went on a spooooooky walk in preparation for their new Writing unit; Creative Writing.
We will be focusing on suspense mystery genre in link with our Mystery Reading unit. The children took photos from their walk as inspiration for their writing!
I asked the children to share some of their photos with me and I was impressed with some of the artistic perspective they had for this!
World Book Day:
On Thursday we celebrated World Book day! Thank you for sending the children into school with their wonderful costumes! We kick-started our day with a special visit from Ms Sonal who gave us some insightful advice on how the children came improve their Tanka poems. She also spent time giving 2 stars and a wish! We then moved onto a very dangerous subject... Maths! I say dangerous as the children were transported into the world of Roald Dahl and were helping George in creating Marvellous Medicines using a variety of potions!
On Thursday we celebrated World Book day! Thank you for sending the children into school with their wonderful costumes! We kick-started our day with a special visit from Ms Sonal who gave us some insightful advice on how the children came improve their Tanka poems. She also spent time giving 2 stars and a wish! We then moved onto a very dangerous subject... Maths! I say dangerous as the children were transported into the world of Roald Dahl and were helping George in creating Marvellous Medicines using a variety of potions!
Week 1,2,3,4....7!
Dear Parents,
I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend last week, and I hope all the children had a brilliant time in Yuzawa skiing down the snowy slopes. I had an incredible time with the children and I was truly lucky to see the look of excitement on the children's face! I'm sure you have heard many fantastic things and I hope to see them all again next year!
I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend last week, and I hope all the children had a brilliant time in Yuzawa skiing down the snowy slopes. I had an incredible time with the children and I was truly lucky to see the look of excitement on the children's face! I'm sure you have heard many fantastic things and I hope to see them all again next year!
This week, we have hit the ground running and the children have really impressed me with their positive learning attitude! We have began prepping the children for their Poetry Slam.
We have looked at different Tanka Poems and focused on theme and emotion.
As a class, we came up with 11 different themes in which the children then picked 1. Then without telling their peers, the children brainstormed different ideas of their themes to then write their own Tanka Poem by using its specific features (we we explored earlier in the week). Upon writing their initial poem, we explored the use of figurative language in poetry to help develop their creative thinking. I am very impressed with some of the children's work so far and I am excited to see how this will grow into a wonderful piece in time for their Poetry Slam!
For next week, we will be expanding the essence of the traditional 'Tanka' to create a 'Super Tanka' in which the children can use the parameters of a Tanka Poem but to create multiple 'verses' on a common theme.
This week in class...
Maths- Children have started their unit on 'Metric length, mass and volume'. We have focused on converting cm to m (& vice versa), using our knowledge of multiplying and dividing by 100. For children who found this challenging, they were encouraged to use the place value mats to help them remember this process. We will be moving onto mass and volume next week!
Social Studies -We have started our new Social Studies unit which continues to develop our knowledge of our diverse culture but looking at our local community. We have begun comparing how children live in different parts of the world, focusing on language, food, clothes etc... and of course the children themselves were able to share their wonderful ideas and thoughts!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
We have looked at different Tanka Poems and focused on theme and emotion.
As a class, we came up with 11 different themes in which the children then picked 1. Then without telling their peers, the children brainstormed different ideas of their themes to then write their own Tanka Poem by using its specific features (we we explored earlier in the week). Upon writing their initial poem, we explored the use of figurative language in poetry to help develop their creative thinking. I am very impressed with some of the children's work so far and I am excited to see how this will grow into a wonderful piece in time for their Poetry Slam!
For next week, we will be expanding the essence of the traditional 'Tanka' to create a 'Super Tanka' in which the children can use the parameters of a Tanka Poem but to create multiple 'verses' on a common theme.
This week in class...
Maths- Children have started their unit on 'Metric length, mass and volume'. We have focused on converting cm to m (& vice versa), using our knowledge of multiplying and dividing by 100. For children who found this challenging, they were encouraged to use the place value mats to help them remember this process. We will be moving onto mass and volume next week!
Social Studies -We have started our new Social Studies unit which continues to develop our knowledge of our diverse culture but looking at our local community. We have begun comparing how children live in different parts of the world, focusing on language, food, clothes etc... and of course the children themselves were able to share their wonderful ideas and thoughts!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Go Go Go! Ski trip next week!!
Dear Parents,
This week has been so incredible and there is much to share with you! Before I begin, please note that the ski trip is next Wednesday!
Here are a few reminders about ski trip:
- Please pack with your children, so they know is in their bag
- Please label everything!
- Please make sure you pack lunch, snack and a spoon!
- Please be at school at 7am on Wednesday as the bus will leave at 7:30am
Now onto our exciting week we just concluded!
G3B Weekly Fun Fact
Today, we sadly concluded our Weekly Fun Fact! I am so proud of ALL of our children and the different presentations they did over these last few months. Thank you to all parents for supporting the children through this!
Now for our winners...
Congratulations to Ayame and Jack for receiving the most golden stars with their wonderful presentation! Not only did they consistently do their presentations but they listened and applied their targets to better themselves as learners! Well done!
I would also like to say a huge congratulations to the following children; Sumika, Seion, Yuma and Kosuke. Well done and thank you for completing and presenting your Weekly Fun Facts consistently and putting in the effort to complete it in time!
This week has been so incredible and there is much to share with you! Before I begin, please note that the ski trip is next Wednesday!
Here are a few reminders about ski trip:
- Please pack with your children, so they know is in their bag
- Please label everything!
- Please make sure you pack lunch, snack and a spoon!
- Please be at school at 7am on Wednesday as the bus will leave at 7:30am
Now onto our exciting week we just concluded!
G3B Weekly Fun Fact
Today, we sadly concluded our Weekly Fun Fact! I am so proud of ALL of our children and the different presentations they did over these last few months. Thank you to all parents for supporting the children through this!
Now for our winners...
Congratulations to Ayame and Jack for receiving the most golden stars with their wonderful presentation! Not only did they consistently do their presentations but they listened and applied their targets to better themselves as learners! Well done!
I would also like to say a huge congratulations to the following children; Sumika, Seion, Yuma and Kosuke. Well done and thank you for completing and presenting your Weekly Fun Facts consistently and putting in the effort to complete it in time!
Robot Workshop!
On Tuesday, we had a wonderful morning! I was so impressed at how immersed the children were in making their own robots! Thank you to the Robot Workshop team for making this such a fun experience for our children!!
On Tuesday, we had a wonderful morning! I was so impressed at how immersed the children were in making their own robots! Thank you to the Robot Workshop team for making this such a fun experience for our children!!
Chinese New Year/ Valentines Day
On Thursday, we celebrated Chinese New year in UST! Thank you to all parents who helped organise the wonderful event! I was especially proud of our very own Sumika showcasing her fantastic talent up there in front of the whole school!
On Thursday, we celebrated Chinese New year in UST! Thank you to all parents who helped organise the wonderful event! I was especially proud of our very own Sumika showcasing her fantastic talent up there in front of the whole school!
Robot Workshop next week!
Dear Parents,
What an extraordinary week, we began the week with some brilliant sunshine! The children and myself made sure we made the most out of it by spending some quality time in the sun!
This week I have some notices regarding the 50-point challenge. I would like to add onto the point from last week, and highlight the following changes:
- useful links to some of the activities on the Science/Social studies grid.
What an extraordinary week, we began the week with some brilliant sunshine! The children and myself made sure we made the most out of it by spending some quality time in the sun!
This week I have some notices regarding the 50-point challenge. I would like to add onto the point from last week, and highlight the following changes:
- useful links to some of the activities on the Science/Social studies grid.
|
UST READ-A THON
Thank you to all parents who have been supporting their children with their reading this week. We still have the weekend! All donations raised from this event will be used to support our sister school in Cambodia so, thank you! |
G3B Weekly Fun Fact
Well done to ALL G3B members for presenting their weekly fun facts since we began this in October!
Every week, I would set 1 target to focus on for your next presentation and I have been amazed by the growth of their presenting skills, I can already see how the children have used their Weekly fun fact as an asset towards their Monthly Presentations.
I will be announcing the winners of the Weekly Fun Fact next week to celebrate the children with the most amounts of stars but also to celebrate children who continued to present their weekly fun fact every time without fail.
Monthly Presentations - Children have been assessed using their rubric and the points they were asked to include in their presentations. The children have taken photos of these and I have asked them to use the targets and the feedback to make their February Presentation even better!
Well done to ALL G3B members for presenting their weekly fun facts since we began this in October!
Every week, I would set 1 target to focus on for your next presentation and I have been amazed by the growth of their presenting skills, I can already see how the children have used their Weekly fun fact as an asset towards their Monthly Presentations.
I will be announcing the winners of the Weekly Fun Fact next week to celebrate the children with the most amounts of stars but also to celebrate children who continued to present their weekly fun fact every time without fail.
Monthly Presentations - Children have been assessed using their rubric and the points they were asked to include in their presentations. The children have taken photos of these and I have asked them to use the targets and the feedback to make their February Presentation even better!
This week...
English - The children have been using different sources to help them answer questions they had about the topic of their choice. They have planned their writing and have been exploring different methods of showcasing themselves as 'experts' on their topic. They are now writing their first draft which will next be edited and revised -ready for their publishing stage!
Maths - Children have began their 'Bar models with multiplication and division word problems' unit this week. They have taken photos of the their End-of-Unit test for division on their iPads so please have a look and go through it with them at home.
When looking at bar models, the children having be using diagrams like this to help visualise the question in their heads.
This then allows them to think more carefully about the questions and also allows them to calculate and solve the problems more accurately.
Science - Children have continued to shine as brilliant scientists this week. They had used magnets to get their carts doing tricks as it went down a ramp but also have began observing the effects of mixing 2 (or more) materials together.
Have a great weekend!
English - The children have been using different sources to help them answer questions they had about the topic of their choice. They have planned their writing and have been exploring different methods of showcasing themselves as 'experts' on their topic. They are now writing their first draft which will next be edited and revised -ready for their publishing stage!
Maths - Children have began their 'Bar models with multiplication and division word problems' unit this week. They have taken photos of the their End-of-Unit test for division on their iPads so please have a look and go through it with them at home.
When looking at bar models, the children having be using diagrams like this to help visualise the question in their heads.
This then allows them to think more carefully about the questions and also allows them to calculate and solve the problems more accurately.
Science - Children have continued to shine as brilliant scientists this week. They had used magnets to get their carts doing tricks as it went down a ramp but also have began observing the effects of mixing 2 (or more) materials together.
Have a great weekend!
February.... = Ski Trip!!
Dear Parents,
Another fantastic week in G3B! I have been impressed with the some of the passion the children have been showcasing through their research writing.
As mentioned last week, our 50-point challenge homework is something that is new in our grade and hence through feedback and reflection, we are still improving it. Saying this, we have come to realise that some activities are quite long and hence taking longer than we had originally anticipated.
Therefore I would like to highlight the following changes.
Challenge 6 - only 10 questions instead of 16
Challenge 7 - taken 1 of the sheets away - now half of original size
Challenge 11 - reduced to have fewer questions
Challenge 12 and 16 - only do the first 10 questions for each section.
Another fantastic week in G3B! I have been impressed with the some of the passion the children have been showcasing through their research writing.
As mentioned last week, our 50-point challenge homework is something that is new in our grade and hence through feedback and reflection, we are still improving it. Saying this, we have come to realise that some activities are quite long and hence taking longer than we had originally anticipated.
Therefore I would like to highlight the following changes.
Challenge 6 - only 10 questions instead of 16
Challenge 7 - taken 1 of the sheets away - now half of original size
Challenge 11 - reduced to have fewer questions
Challenge 12 and 16 - only do the first 10 questions for each section.
|
THE LAST G3B WEEKLY FUN FACT!
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 8th February): Yuma- Animals Alia – Vehicles Seion– Books Kosuke– Famous person Ayame– Technology |
This week....
English- Children have begun brainstorming what they would like to write their research topic on. They have looked at what is a reliable source and how their non-fiction informative report is strengthened by using multiple sources.
Maths - Children have continued to focus on their written division method and although we will be moving onto bar models in multiplication and division next week, it would be most beneficial if children continued developing their confidence in using the written method to solve division calculations.
Science - We had a great week in science! The children worked together as a team to create a moving cart from limited resources. This was then moved forward with them using their inquisitive minds to adapt their design to create a cart which would travel the longest distance. We had a bit of competition which was incredibly fun!
English- Children have begun brainstorming what they would like to write their research topic on. They have looked at what is a reliable source and how their non-fiction informative report is strengthened by using multiple sources.
Maths - Children have continued to focus on their written division method and although we will be moving onto bar models in multiplication and division next week, it would be most beneficial if children continued developing their confidence in using the written method to solve division calculations.
Science - We had a great week in science! The children worked together as a team to create a moving cart from limited resources. This was then moved forward with them using their inquisitive minds to adapt their design to create a cart which would travel the longest distance. We had a bit of competition which was incredibly fun!
Brrrrrrr... What a week!
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all doing well, the days seem to be getting a lot colder so I hope you are all keeping yourselves warm and cozy! Please be aware that a few students and teachers (myself included!) have had the flu so if your child is starting show symptoms of a cold/flu please may they wear a mask to avoid the risk of symptoms worsening.
Today, I wanted to write more about the 50-point challenge homework. I have had some emails from parents and would like to share some of the discussions I have had.
Q: Are there any tips on how the children should go about completing their 50-point challenges?
A: Tips/suggestions on how to go about completing the 50-point challenge:
All in all, there are different ways of completing the 50-point challenge but the idea is for the children to recognise which activity they can do by themselves. Thus they need to pick an activity which they thinks they can do, read through it first, then if he feels he can do most of it himself, to then try it. If he then has a few questions/points he doesn't understand he needs to make a note of it so I can go through it with them.
Q: How much parental support should the children be getting to complete their 50-point challenges?
A: We were hoping to include more project-based homework like 'making a Trebuchet' or 'build a shed like Shackleton' to make it fun. And these activities would require parental support so we were thinking these could be weekends/half term/Spring break projects that could be done at home.
With the other activities, I have said to the children that there are units/topics in there that we have not yet covered in class and so if they are unable to understand the activity then they should not do it. If they feel that they can do most of the activities but have a few questions that they found tricky, they should note that in their homework books (or on the sheet if they have printed it out) when doing the activity so I can set a time aside to help them during Homeroom time.
Q: Are you still doing the Weekly fun fact as the children have their monthly presentations now?
A: Yes. The children are still doing their weekly Fun facts as this had started last term. But I am aware this is not an assessed presentation like the monthly presentation thus, have asked the children to use it as a practice round.
We also had a class discussion on whether they would like to terminate it as we have the monthly presentation but because some children still want to gain 'stars' from these Weekly Fun facts they had voted to keep going (there will be a winner at the end of it all... in Feb)
Q: How should I keep track of my child's homework?
A: I will be collecting
1. Spelling (with activity)
2. Blue homework book
every week. So I will be able to verbally feedback to the children what points their on etc.
I have also seen a brilliant method in which the children (& parents) can keep track of their points. Thank you to Mr Ikeda-Steinnes for sharing this with us! He has created a spreadsheet in which you put in the challenge# and the points, it will add up the value of it at the top.
This is something the children can do easily to keep track of their points on their iPads.
I would also suggest ticking off the activity on the actual grid with the date so children can see which activity they have already completed.
Q: If the activity is labelled 'Due March 11th' is it compulsory?
A: Nope! These activities are not compulsory however, if your child would like to do these challenges please complete it by March 11th so we can use that week to test their creations with their peers.
Again, thank you to all parents for your feedback! This is something new we are doing in class so there are still some adjustments we will need to tweak for next term.
I hope you are all doing well, the days seem to be getting a lot colder so I hope you are all keeping yourselves warm and cozy! Please be aware that a few students and teachers (myself included!) have had the flu so if your child is starting show symptoms of a cold/flu please may they wear a mask to avoid the risk of symptoms worsening.
Today, I wanted to write more about the 50-point challenge homework. I have had some emails from parents and would like to share some of the discussions I have had.
Q: Are there any tips on how the children should go about completing their 50-point challenges?
A: Tips/suggestions on how to go about completing the 50-point challenge:
- When doing a 10point challenge, children could complete this over 2 weeks, because these activities are harder to complete. This way, the children could either do half a 10-point activity and the other half the following week. Or complete a 10point challenge one week then he has no 50-point challenge homework the following week.
- Do 5-point challenges every week (or do two 5-point challenges one week, then not have homework the following week)
- Consistently do English and Maths challenges, then save the more project based activities from Science/Social Studies for long weekends/holidays
All in all, there are different ways of completing the 50-point challenge but the idea is for the children to recognise which activity they can do by themselves. Thus they need to pick an activity which they thinks they can do, read through it first, then if he feels he can do most of it himself, to then try it. If he then has a few questions/points he doesn't understand he needs to make a note of it so I can go through it with them.
Q: How much parental support should the children be getting to complete their 50-point challenges?
A: We were hoping to include more project-based homework like 'making a Trebuchet' or 'build a shed like Shackleton' to make it fun. And these activities would require parental support so we were thinking these could be weekends/half term/Spring break projects that could be done at home.
With the other activities, I have said to the children that there are units/topics in there that we have not yet covered in class and so if they are unable to understand the activity then they should not do it. If they feel that they can do most of the activities but have a few questions that they found tricky, they should note that in their homework books (or on the sheet if they have printed it out) when doing the activity so I can set a time aside to help them during Homeroom time.
Q: Are you still doing the Weekly fun fact as the children have their monthly presentations now?
A: Yes. The children are still doing their weekly Fun facts as this had started last term. But I am aware this is not an assessed presentation like the monthly presentation thus, have asked the children to use it as a practice round.
We also had a class discussion on whether they would like to terminate it as we have the monthly presentation but because some children still want to gain 'stars' from these Weekly Fun facts they had voted to keep going (there will be a winner at the end of it all... in Feb)
Q: How should I keep track of my child's homework?
A: I will be collecting
1. Spelling (with activity)
2. Blue homework book
every week. So I will be able to verbally feedback to the children what points their on etc.
I have also seen a brilliant method in which the children (& parents) can keep track of their points. Thank you to Mr Ikeda-Steinnes for sharing this with us! He has created a spreadsheet in which you put in the challenge# and the points, it will add up the value of it at the top.
This is something the children can do easily to keep track of their points on their iPads.
I would also suggest ticking off the activity on the actual grid with the date so children can see which activity they have already completed.
Q: If the activity is labelled 'Due March 11th' is it compulsory?
A: Nope! These activities are not compulsory however, if your child would like to do these challenges please complete it by March 11th so we can use that week to test their creations with their peers.
Again, thank you to all parents for your feedback! This is something new we are doing in class so there are still some adjustments we will need to tweak for next term.
|
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 1st February):
Angelo- Animals Claire – Vehicles Ivan– Books Sumika– Famous person Milena– Countries Jack– Technology |
This week in class...
English - Children began their week publishing their final comparative book review (non-fiction and fiction) on their iPads. They have impressed me with some of their typing skills and formatting techniques as they will be using more of this in our new English unit. Speaking of, we have also started our new English unit which is 'Research Writing'. The children have started off reading and analysing short newspaper articles looking for specific features and languages. Then they used their knowledge of 'what makes it sound formal' to help them write a summary of the newspaper article.
Maths- Children have started using short written method of division. Please continue to practice their times table as it is crucial for their division. We will be looking at division further next week. When asked how to approach division at home, I have found Math Antics on Youtube a great resource. If you have a moment to spare, please have a look!
English - Children began their week publishing their final comparative book review (non-fiction and fiction) on their iPads. They have impressed me with some of their typing skills and formatting techniques as they will be using more of this in our new English unit. Speaking of, we have also started our new English unit which is 'Research Writing'. The children have started off reading and analysing short newspaper articles looking for specific features and languages. Then they used their knowledge of 'what makes it sound formal' to help them write a summary of the newspaper article.
Maths- Children have started using short written method of division. Please continue to practice their times table as it is crucial for their division. We will be looking at division further next week. When asked how to approach division at home, I have found Math Antics on Youtube a great resource. If you have a moment to spare, please have a look!
Science -Children are absolutely loving their new topic; Motion and Matter! This week they had created, adapted and tested different twirly birds and Tops! Please ask your children about which forces are in play and how they adapted their design to make theirs the 'best'
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Miss Ray
Dear parents,
Happy new year! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday and have had a great start to 2019. We have been busy from day 1, getting back into the school routine feeling afresh.
One of the main changes we have started in Grade 3 is homework. Mrs D and myself have had a long chat discussing how homework can be done more effectively whilst keeping in line with the school's homework policy.
From next week, the children will be given 50 point challenges for Maths, English and Science/ Social Studies for the whole term. They will be expected to complete one activity from each subject, each week in addition to spelling and the monthly assessed presentation.
The aim of these homework grids are for the children to choose activities from each subject sheet and complete enough activities to try and accumulate at 50points each (150points total) by the end of the term. I feel that this will allow for some leniency with families that may have an overly busy week here and there. Nevertheless I encourage children to complete 1 activity from each sheet per week and will be checking homework weekly to ensure the children aren’t left with any horrible surprises towards the end of the term.
The activities will cover all learning that is to take place over the next 15 weeks so there will be some activities and topics that the children will find difficult now that we have not yet covered in class - it is advisable to leave these until later in the term when they will have the knowledge to complete them.
Every Monday morning I will be checking for:
1 Maths
1 English
1 Science/Social Studies
Spelling
Reading
Presentations are to be submitted once per month according to the set date.
Then see how many points each child has tallied up towards their 50points.
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions.
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 18th January):
Claire- Animals
Ivan – Vehicles
Sumika – Books
Milena – Famous person
Jack – Countries
Angelo – Technology
This week in class...
English - Children have been planning and writing their draft for a non-fiction of their choice for a book review. This has linked in well with our new Reading Unit: non-fiction and thus children have been using their knowledge of non-fiction books to help infuse their thoughts.
Maths- Children have started using the formal long, short written method for multiplication and have explained the use of boxing up method. We will continue this next week in order to truly secure their knowledge of the written method with regrouping.
Science -We have begun our new unit with a SWOOOSH! Our topic this year will be Motion and Matter. This week we have explored how forces work in push and pull. The children used their observational skills to learn about the effect of magnetic fields and forces using a ruler for accurate measure along with magnets and paper clips.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Happy new year! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday and have had a great start to 2019. We have been busy from day 1, getting back into the school routine feeling afresh.
One of the main changes we have started in Grade 3 is homework. Mrs D and myself have had a long chat discussing how homework can be done more effectively whilst keeping in line with the school's homework policy.
From next week, the children will be given 50 point challenges for Maths, English and Science/ Social Studies for the whole term. They will be expected to complete one activity from each subject, each week in addition to spelling and the monthly assessed presentation.
The aim of these homework grids are for the children to choose activities from each subject sheet and complete enough activities to try and accumulate at 50points each (150points total) by the end of the term. I feel that this will allow for some leniency with families that may have an overly busy week here and there. Nevertheless I encourage children to complete 1 activity from each sheet per week and will be checking homework weekly to ensure the children aren’t left with any horrible surprises towards the end of the term.
The activities will cover all learning that is to take place over the next 15 weeks so there will be some activities and topics that the children will find difficult now that we have not yet covered in class - it is advisable to leave these until later in the term when they will have the knowledge to complete them.
Every Monday morning I will be checking for:
1 Maths
1 English
1 Science/Social Studies
Spelling
Reading
Presentations are to be submitted once per month according to the set date.
Then see how many points each child has tallied up towards their 50points.
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions.
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 18th January):
Claire- Animals
Ivan – Vehicles
Sumika – Books
Milena – Famous person
Jack – Countries
Angelo – Technology
This week in class...
English - Children have been planning and writing their draft for a non-fiction of their choice for a book review. This has linked in well with our new Reading Unit: non-fiction and thus children have been using their knowledge of non-fiction books to help infuse their thoughts.
Maths- Children have started using the formal long, short written method for multiplication and have explained the use of boxing up method. We will continue this next week in order to truly secure their knowledge of the written method with regrouping.
Science -We have begun our new unit with a SWOOOSH! Our topic this year will be Motion and Matter. This week we have explored how forces work in push and pull. The children used their observational skills to learn about the effect of magnetic fields and forces using a ruler for accurate measure along with magnets and paper clips.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
What do you call an elf that can sing? ....A wrapper.
Dear Parents!
First of all, I'd like to begin by thanking you for the the fantastic support you have given your children this term!! I hope you are all able to have some time to rest and enjoy the company of family this Winter holiday.
This week has been full of excitement as well as tying loose ends with regards to ending our units for all subjects. Nevertheless the children remained focused when need be and we were able to have a blast today to truly celebrate their achievements! I am so proud of them!
This morning Grade 3 were visited by Santa (St. Nicholas) and each received a book. These books were chosen carefully according to the child's reading level but Mrs Clancy and I also thought about books the children will enjoy! So I hope they enjoy it :)
Thank you Mrs Clancy for organising the Christmas gifts and the G3B End of year party!!!
First of all, I'd like to begin by thanking you for the the fantastic support you have given your children this term!! I hope you are all able to have some time to rest and enjoy the company of family this Winter holiday.
This week has been full of excitement as well as tying loose ends with regards to ending our units for all subjects. Nevertheless the children remained focused when need be and we were able to have a blast today to truly celebrate their achievements! I am so proud of them!
This morning Grade 3 were visited by Santa (St. Nicholas) and each received a book. These books were chosen carefully according to the child's reading level but Mrs Clancy and I also thought about books the children will enjoy! So I hope they enjoy it :)
Thank you Mrs Clancy for organising the Christmas gifts and the G3B End of year party!!!
UST Winter Concert:
The first half the week, the children were buzzing with excitement as they finalised their dance/muscial performances for Wednesday's show. Although I was cooped up in the back most of the time with the children off-stage, I was able to see most of the children during Tuesday's rehearsal and I'm sure you would agree, they all performed beautifully!
The first half the week, the children were buzzing with excitement as they finalised their dance/muscial performances for Wednesday's show. Although I was cooped up in the back most of the time with the children off-stage, I was able to see most of the children during Tuesday's rehearsal and I'm sure you would agree, they all performed beautifully!
Social Studies Presentation:
To finish off our unit, I was astonished by the quality of some of our children's presentation! Well done!
The children have also taken pictures of their assessments they have finished off this week. They have taken pictures of their Socials Studies quiz, spelling test and the Presentation rubric scores.
To finish off our unit, I was astonished by the quality of some of our children's presentation! Well done!
The children have also taken pictures of their assessments they have finished off this week. They have taken pictures of their Socials Studies quiz, spelling test and the Presentation rubric scores.
Finally, I hope you all have a brilliant holiday and I will see you in January!
Miss Ray
Miss Ray
It's beginning to feel a lot like.... winter!
Dear Parents,
As we enter the month of December, I have started to see that the children are beginning to show signs of a well-deserved rest! They have worked incredibly hard and I am excited to see how the children use all their knowledge from Social Studies and the Weekly Fun Fact to create their presentations next week!
Weekly Fun fact:
There will be no weekly Fun Fact next Friday as it is the last day of term! And to celebrate the fact that the children have not only met, but surpassed their target dojo points, Mrs Clancy and myself were discussing our class party. We would love for the children to bring treats to finish out term along with the Pizza lunch the PTA have kindly organised for us. Please refer to Mrs Clancy's email for further details.
Please ensure that the treats are nut-free!
This week...
Writing - The children began their week in the pre-writing stage of their books review for a fiction. We have looked at how we could structure the main body of our writing by using P.E.E (Point, Evidence and Explanation). They have written their first draft and so will be moving onto revise, edit and publishing next week!
The children also took a quick grammar test this week and I have asked the children to take photos of this, so if you have a moment, please have a look through with your children.
Maths - We used this opportunity to really target the children with their understanding of balancing an equation, using their knowledge of multiplication and it's inverse -division.
Through this, the children then took the end of chapter test for the chapter 'Multiplication for 6,7,8 and 9' and have taken a picture of this to take home on their iPads. Please may I ask parents to have a look through the questions with your child at home to go over any misunderstanding they may have.
Social Studies - The children finished off the first Unit of their Social Studies programme and hence had a summative assessment to finish this off as well.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
As we enter the month of December, I have started to see that the children are beginning to show signs of a well-deserved rest! They have worked incredibly hard and I am excited to see how the children use all their knowledge from Social Studies and the Weekly Fun Fact to create their presentations next week!
Weekly Fun fact:
There will be no weekly Fun Fact next Friday as it is the last day of term! And to celebrate the fact that the children have not only met, but surpassed their target dojo points, Mrs Clancy and myself were discussing our class party. We would love for the children to bring treats to finish out term along with the Pizza lunch the PTA have kindly organised for us. Please refer to Mrs Clancy's email for further details.
Please ensure that the treats are nut-free!
This week...
Writing - The children began their week in the pre-writing stage of their books review for a fiction. We have looked at how we could structure the main body of our writing by using P.E.E (Point, Evidence and Explanation). They have written their first draft and so will be moving onto revise, edit and publishing next week!
The children also took a quick grammar test this week and I have asked the children to take photos of this, so if you have a moment, please have a look through with your children.
Maths - We used this opportunity to really target the children with their understanding of balancing an equation, using their knowledge of multiplication and it's inverse -division.
Through this, the children then took the end of chapter test for the chapter 'Multiplication for 6,7,8 and 9' and have taken a picture of this to take home on their iPads. Please may I ask parents to have a look through the questions with your child at home to go over any misunderstanding they may have.
Social Studies - The children finished off the first Unit of their Social Studies programme and hence had a summative assessment to finish this off as well.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Autumn!
Dear parents,
What a fantastic week! I’m sure the children must be absolutely exhausted after a week of learning, hiking, buddy reading and some serious origami folding!
This week the Students Councils informed us of a project we would be participating in as UST to support our community. They have asked us to fold origami pieces to with messages so we can put it all together to create a huge Christmas tree in a hospital which look after ill children. I was really proud to see how passionate the children were about this project, even giving up some parts of their recess to create another piece with a heartfelt message. I know their efforts will be fully appreciated and it really does bring us with joy as we start to enjoy the Christmas/winter spirit.
What a fantastic week! I’m sure the children must be absolutely exhausted after a week of learning, hiking, buddy reading and some serious origami folding!
This week the Students Councils informed us of a project we would be participating in as UST to support our community. They have asked us to fold origami pieces to with messages so we can put it all together to create a huge Christmas tree in a hospital which look after ill children. I was really proud to see how passionate the children were about this project, even giving up some parts of their recess to create another piece with a heartfelt message. I know their efforts will be fully appreciated and it really does bring us with joy as we start to enjoy the Christmas/winter spirit.
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 7th December):
Ivan- Animals
Sumika – Vehicles
Milena – Books
Jack – Famous person
Angelo – Countries
Claire – Technology
May I also take this moment to say a big Thank you and Congratulations to all students who have not yet missed their presentation. I truly appreciate the time you have put into it to help enlighten our class with facts and stories.
Ivan- Animals
Sumika – Vehicles
Milena – Books
Jack – Famous person
Angelo – Countries
Claire – Technology
May I also take this moment to say a big Thank you and Congratulations to all students who have not yet missed their presentation. I truly appreciate the time you have put into it to help enlighten our class with facts and stories.
On Wednesday, the Grade 3 went on an incredible field trip to Mount Takao! The train journey there was full of excitement and we were very lucky to see a faint outline of Mount Fuji when we reached the top of Takaosan. Many of the children who had already been to Mount Takao were able to share their stories and we all were blown away by the beautiful trees and the colours of Autumn the were there for us to see. The children have taken many pictures on their iPads to help record the picturesque landmarks and features we have in our local community and we will be using that to showcase this in our Art-related Social Studies project for the last week of term.
Grade 3 also had their first ‘Buddy Reading’ this year. We partnered up with the K3 class and our children became reading coaches for the little ones. The K3’s focus has been on ‘reading with expression’ so as role models/coaches, the Grade 3 children listened to their reading and gave points on how to help them become even better readers! We will be doing this on a monthly basis and it really shows how nurturing our children can be as they develop to become better role models at UST.
We also had a fire drill this week! G3B acted swiftly and calmly, forming a straight line, in register order, down to the evacuation point.
We also had a fire drill this week! G3B acted swiftly and calmly, forming a straight line, in register order, down to the evacuation point.
This week…
In Writing: We have looked at responding to a fiction of our choice. As part of our Writing program, the children have discussed and shared their story to their peers and have inference skills to help deepen their understanding. To help organize their ideas, we have focused on linking the main idea of the story to something they may have experienced in real life. They then planned their response and wrote their first draft. To finish the week, the children used their ‘Polishing Purple’ pens to revise and edit their work.
Next week we will be looking at writing a book review for fictional book.
In Maths: This week the children have focused on multiplying by 10,100, and 1000. The common belief (and sometimes deemed as the ‘easier’ option) is to “just add 0’s at the end”, however, this method of learning how to multiply by 10,100, 1000 is not only inaccurate but also will become problematic when we look into developing and deepening children’s understanding of numbers on the long term. Therefore we have focused on what it means for numbers to become 10 times more; 100 times more; 1000 times more through place value movements.
In Social Studies: This week the children have looked at different types of land what these can look like as symbols on a map. We have also explored what the word ‘immigration’ means and various reasons why people move from one country to another. Next week, we will look at how we can do our part in our community by comparing different cultures and diversity.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
In Writing: We have looked at responding to a fiction of our choice. As part of our Writing program, the children have discussed and shared their story to their peers and have inference skills to help deepen their understanding. To help organize their ideas, we have focused on linking the main idea of the story to something they may have experienced in real life. They then planned their response and wrote their first draft. To finish the week, the children used their ‘Polishing Purple’ pens to revise and edit their work.
Next week we will be looking at writing a book review for fictional book.
In Maths: This week the children have focused on multiplying by 10,100, and 1000. The common belief (and sometimes deemed as the ‘easier’ option) is to “just add 0’s at the end”, however, this method of learning how to multiply by 10,100, 1000 is not only inaccurate but also will become problematic when we look into developing and deepening children’s understanding of numbers on the long term. Therefore we have focused on what it means for numbers to become 10 times more; 100 times more; 1000 times more through place value movements.
In Social Studies: This week the children have looked at different types of land what these can look like as symbols on a map. We have also explored what the word ‘immigration’ means and various reasons why people move from one country to another. Next week, we will look at how we can do our part in our community by comparing different cultures and diversity.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Have a PURRRfect Weekend!
Dear Parents,
Happy Thanksgiving to all families that celebrate it!
It has been a short but sweet week and I hope you're all going to have a blissful long weekend!
Unfortunately I'd completely lost the plot this week and forgot about the fact that Bank Holiday Friday, means that we are unable to do our weekly fun facts... So I will be getting the children to present it next Monday!
Thank you to all parents who have paid the ¥1100 for the Takao School Trip next Wednesday. The children are excited to go on our epic journey and I cannot wait for us to celebrate the beautiful natural landscape we have within our community!
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 30th November):
Kosuke- Animals
Ayame – Books
Yuma – Famous person
Alia – Countries
Seion – Technology
This week…
In Writing: Children have focused on publishing their final draft of their explorer's journey. I have stressed the the children the importance of presentation and how they need to feel proud of their work as it would be going into their 'Record of Achievements'; in which they will have a collection of their finest pieces to take home in June next year.
For children who have finished publishing, I have asked them to take photos of their final piece to show to their parents, so please take a look this weekend! They have worked really hard explaining the incredible journey their explorer had endured.
Maths- This week we had really got the children to work on their mental recall of multiplication. The children challenged themselves by trying to beat their scores on a daily basis.
Social Studies - We have looked at how different traditions and famous landmarks can help form a bond within our community. We discussed how Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) alone, can put a smile on many people's face if we're able to spot on a beautiful clear day! And that's just a mountain! It forms a sense of pride when we are able to relate but also respect other cultures and the children have now started thinking about how we can explain this concept to an alien!
I hope you have a brilliant weekend,
Miss Ray
Happy Thanksgiving to all families that celebrate it!
It has been a short but sweet week and I hope you're all going to have a blissful long weekend!
Unfortunately I'd completely lost the plot this week and forgot about the fact that Bank Holiday Friday, means that we are unable to do our weekly fun facts... So I will be getting the children to present it next Monday!
Thank you to all parents who have paid the ¥1100 for the Takao School Trip next Wednesday. The children are excited to go on our epic journey and I cannot wait for us to celebrate the beautiful natural landscape we have within our community!
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week (Friday 30th November):
Kosuke- Animals
Ayame – Books
Yuma – Famous person
Alia – Countries
Seion – Technology
This week…
In Writing: Children have focused on publishing their final draft of their explorer's journey. I have stressed the the children the importance of presentation and how they need to feel proud of their work as it would be going into their 'Record of Achievements'; in which they will have a collection of their finest pieces to take home in June next year.
For children who have finished publishing, I have asked them to take photos of their final piece to show to their parents, so please take a look this weekend! They have worked really hard explaining the incredible journey their explorer had endured.
Maths- This week we had really got the children to work on their mental recall of multiplication. The children challenged themselves by trying to beat their scores on a daily basis.
Social Studies - We have looked at how different traditions and famous landmarks can help form a bond within our community. We discussed how Mount Fuji (Fuji-san) alone, can put a smile on many people's face if we're able to spot on a beautiful clear day! And that's just a mountain! It forms a sense of pride when we are able to relate but also respect other cultures and the children have now started thinking about how we can explain this concept to an alien!
I hope you have a brilliant weekend,
Miss Ray
So the Journey Continues... (Dramatic pause!)
Dear parents,
Busy week but never too busy to have fun and enjoy our learning in Grade 3! With our new Social Studies topic, the children have not only learned how to use map but also to recognize what makes our community. They have and will be exploring famous landmarks; reasons why people move; comparing different types of land and how we can give back to our community as ‘global citizens’. Thus, I’m excited to announce that we are hoping to go to Mount Takao on Wednesday 28th November to celebrate what a beautiful community we live in. I am currently seeking for 1 parent helper to support the children on this day so if you are available to help please email me! It’s going to be a fantastic day! & hopefully we’ll be able to overlook the beautiful Japanese landscape.
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week:
Sumika- Animals
Milena – Vehicles
Jack – Books
Angelo – Famous person
Claire – Countries
Ivan – Technology
Busy week but never too busy to have fun and enjoy our learning in Grade 3! With our new Social Studies topic, the children have not only learned how to use map but also to recognize what makes our community. They have and will be exploring famous landmarks; reasons why people move; comparing different types of land and how we can give back to our community as ‘global citizens’. Thus, I’m excited to announce that we are hoping to go to Mount Takao on Wednesday 28th November to celebrate what a beautiful community we live in. I am currently seeking for 1 parent helper to support the children on this day so if you are available to help please email me! It’s going to be a fantastic day! & hopefully we’ll be able to overlook the beautiful Japanese landscape.
G3B Weekly Fun Facts for next week:
Sumika- Animals
Milena – Vehicles
Jack – Books
Angelo – Famous person
Claire – Countries
Ivan – Technology
This week…
In Writing: Children are now at the final stages of this unit in which they planned their own journey for an explorer of their choice. They have planned their chronological report which explains how their explorer escaped the tough conditions of Siberia all the way to the excruciating humidity of the Amazon Rainforest. They have shared their ideas with their peers as well to make sure their series of events has an appropriate flow. They are now writing their first draft of their final piece, so please ask your children what incredible journey their explorers had gone on! (*Although the explorers are real, the content of their journey is fictional as the focus of this writing is for children to showcase their non-fiction writing technique).
As part of their English writing, the children have also looked at how you have to be concise and precise when writing a non-fiction text. We identified the importance of commas to ensure we are getting the main point across.
Just like this image! Ask your children where the comma should go!
In Writing: Children are now at the final stages of this unit in which they planned their own journey for an explorer of their choice. They have planned their chronological report which explains how their explorer escaped the tough conditions of Siberia all the way to the excruciating humidity of the Amazon Rainforest. They have shared their ideas with their peers as well to make sure their series of events has an appropriate flow. They are now writing their first draft of their final piece, so please ask your children what incredible journey their explorers had gone on! (*Although the explorers are real, the content of their journey is fictional as the focus of this writing is for children to showcase their non-fiction writing technique).
As part of their English writing, the children have also looked at how you have to be concise and precise when writing a non-fiction text. We identified the importance of commas to ensure we are getting the main point across.
Just like this image! Ask your children where the comma should go!
Moreover, the folders arrived this week in which we will store the children’s published work from now on like a ‘Record of Achievement’ and by the end of the year the children will have a portfolio of their best work!
In Maths: This week the children have now moved onto their multiplication of knowledge. We have recapped and explored how we can use different methods to help us work out or check multiplication sums. They have shown strengths in how multiplication can be shown through array and repeated addition. We have also defined what commutation law is as well as how this can be applied for addition as well as multiplication. The children are currently challenging themselves to identify how they can use other multiplication facts to help them solve a problem.
For example,
7 x 9 =?
7 x 10 = 70 (All children are confident with their 10x tables)
70 – 7 = 63
Or using their knowledge of number bonds to help them break down a question;
7 x 9 =?
7 can be broken down into 5 and 2 which are easier to deal with
5 x 9 = 45
2 x 9 = 18
45+18 = 63
Although we encourage children to be fluent with their timestable up to 12 x5 by grade 3, we also stress the importance of understanding how problems can be broken down and manipulated to be solved in multiple ways.
Next week, we will be looking further in multiplication and focus on brushing up the children’s quick recall of multiplication up to 12 x 5.
In Social Studies: This week the children have used scales on a map to estimate distances between locations as well as using the compass rose to give specific geographical directions. We have also explored what different landscapes make our community.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
For example,
7 x 9 =?
7 x 10 = 70 (All children are confident with their 10x tables)
70 – 7 = 63
Or using their knowledge of number bonds to help them break down a question;
7 x 9 =?
7 can be broken down into 5 and 2 which are easier to deal with
5 x 9 = 45
2 x 9 = 18
45+18 = 63
Although we encourage children to be fluent with their timestable up to 12 x5 by grade 3, we also stress the importance of understanding how problems can be broken down and manipulated to be solved in multiple ways.
Next week, we will be looking further in multiplication and focus on brushing up the children’s quick recall of multiplication up to 12 x 5.
In Social Studies: This week the children have used scales on a map to estimate distances between locations as well as using the compass rose to give specific geographical directions. We have also explored what different landscapes make our community.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
G3Blissful!
Dear parents,
What a wondrous week! Thank you to all parents for sending in your children in pink (or with a pink item) and for all your kind donations for Cancer Awareness. The children have shown maturity when discussing this serious topic and I am proud to watch them grow as an individual.
As the weather gets colder, we are taking advantage of any moments of sunshine as we can to take our lunch recess outside. Here, we have been having a wonderful time and have even started the Grade 3 ‘Bonker’s Olympics’!
Today we had another round of G3B Weekly Fun Facts and unfortunately we were unable to finish all the presentations but I will make sure we finish it off on Monday.
Next week the following children will be presenting:
Ayame – vehicles
Yuma – books
Alia – famous person
Seion – countries
Kosuke - Technology
This week…
In Writing: The children have been innovating their own version of ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ this week through the form of a chronological report. In G3B our writing was based upon Shirase Nobu, a famous Japanese explorer. The children then picked out what journey Shirase challenged himself into and what problem he encountered as he tried to accomplish this. Please ask your children all about it! Next week, we will be moving onto inventing their own report.
(*Note: Shirase Nobu is a real explorer, however the writing the children produced this week is fictional!)
In Maths: This week the children were showcasing how they can apply their knowledge of dissecting addition and subtraction multi-step word problems independently. We had a few focus groups to ensure children were able to identify the key points of the problem and to understand what the question was asking them to do through the form of bar models. We have also started looking into our next chapter for Maths in which we will be moving onto multiplication and division.
In Social Studies: Since the half-term, we have moved onto our first unit of Social Studies! Our Social Studies Unit this year ‘Our Community and Beyond’. This week we have been focusing on how we use an atlas to find out more about the world. The children have identified the 7 continents; 5 oceans; latitudes and longitudes of the world. Next week we will be moving onto understanding how we are part of our community in terms of traditions and landmarks
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
What a wondrous week! Thank you to all parents for sending in your children in pink (or with a pink item) and for all your kind donations for Cancer Awareness. The children have shown maturity when discussing this serious topic and I am proud to watch them grow as an individual.
As the weather gets colder, we are taking advantage of any moments of sunshine as we can to take our lunch recess outside. Here, we have been having a wonderful time and have even started the Grade 3 ‘Bonker’s Olympics’!
Today we had another round of G3B Weekly Fun Facts and unfortunately we were unable to finish all the presentations but I will make sure we finish it off on Monday.
Next week the following children will be presenting:
Ayame – vehicles
Yuma – books
Alia – famous person
Seion – countries
Kosuke - Technology
This week…
In Writing: The children have been innovating their own version of ‘Shackleton’s Journey’ this week through the form of a chronological report. In G3B our writing was based upon Shirase Nobu, a famous Japanese explorer. The children then picked out what journey Shirase challenged himself into and what problem he encountered as he tried to accomplish this. Please ask your children all about it! Next week, we will be moving onto inventing their own report.
(*Note: Shirase Nobu is a real explorer, however the writing the children produced this week is fictional!)
In Maths: This week the children were showcasing how they can apply their knowledge of dissecting addition and subtraction multi-step word problems independently. We had a few focus groups to ensure children were able to identify the key points of the problem and to understand what the question was asking them to do through the form of bar models. We have also started looking into our next chapter for Maths in which we will be moving onto multiplication and division.
In Social Studies: Since the half-term, we have moved onto our first unit of Social Studies! Our Social Studies Unit this year ‘Our Community and Beyond’. This week we have been focusing on how we use an atlas to find out more about the world. The children have identified the 7 continents; 5 oceans; latitudes and longitudes of the world. Next week we will be moving onto understanding how we are part of our community in terms of traditions and landmarks
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Autumn already!
Dear parents,
I hope you've all had a wonderful half-term. It's been really lovely listening to all the exciting things the children have been up to and I've been making a mental note of all these places I must go as well!
This week has been challenging as we got right back into the rhythm of school life and routines. Nevertheless there is yet a challenge our children have not been able to conquer so far! I was most impressed with the costumes this year for Halloween. Having grown up not really celebrating Halloween, I was so at awe of the different costumes the children came in! The children were delighted and proud of themselves and of each other so thank you so much parents, for putting in the time and effort to celebrate this day! You are the real-heroes of Halloween.
I hope you've all had a wonderful half-term. It's been really lovely listening to all the exciting things the children have been up to and I've been making a mental note of all these places I must go as well!
This week has been challenging as we got right back into the rhythm of school life and routines. Nevertheless there is yet a challenge our children have not been able to conquer so far! I was most impressed with the costumes this year for Halloween. Having grown up not really celebrating Halloween, I was so at awe of the different costumes the children came in! The children were delighted and proud of themselves and of each other so thank you so much parents, for putting in the time and effort to celebrate this day! You are the real-heroes of Halloween.
We had our second round of G3B Weekly Fun Facts! Which was really great and it is so exciting to have the children learning facts from each other!
I look forward to next week's round of fun facts on Friday 9th November. The following children will be presenting:
Milena – animals
Jack – vehicles
Angelo – books
Claire – famous person
Ivan- countries
Sumika- technology
A few reminders for the upcoming term:
1. For Children
Friday, Nov 9th - Pink Day fundraiser.
Wear Pink and donate 100 yen (or more) to raise awareness about breast cancer and show our support to formal UST teacher, Ms. Libby, who is undergoing cancer treatment at the moment. We also want to demonstrate our support to Bennie Manurung (G2B) and her dad who lost their beloved mother and wife Anna to cancer this September.
2. For Mothers
Saturday, Nov. 10th - Charity clothing sale.
The clothes are kindly provided by Mirai Kobayashi’s parents, who always run a very successful clothing sale booth at our school carnival every year. If you are looking for some new clothing items at incredibly discounted prices - this is your lucky day!
Please see the attached flyer for details. The advance ticket sale starts this coming Monday, Nov. 5th (please send a money envelope to school to be given to the homeroom teachers).
3. For the whole Family
Sunday, Nov. 11th - Charity walk “Steps for the Future”
A charity run/walk to support “Shine On! Kids” - a wonderful charity that supports pediatric cancer patients in Japan.
UST has done this walk before and everyone involved had a wonderful day interacting with the service dogs, making courage bracelets, and walking together as a family to help brighten up the day for children fighting cancer in Japan.
The walk is at Kiba Park which would be a great place for a family outing and a picnic afterwards.
I look forward to next week's round of fun facts on Friday 9th November. The following children will be presenting:
Milena – animals
Jack – vehicles
Angelo – books
Claire – famous person
Ivan- countries
Sumika- technology
A few reminders for the upcoming term:
1. For Children
Friday, Nov 9th - Pink Day fundraiser.
Wear Pink and donate 100 yen (or more) to raise awareness about breast cancer and show our support to formal UST teacher, Ms. Libby, who is undergoing cancer treatment at the moment. We also want to demonstrate our support to Bennie Manurung (G2B) and her dad who lost their beloved mother and wife Anna to cancer this September.
2. For Mothers
Saturday, Nov. 10th - Charity clothing sale.
The clothes are kindly provided by Mirai Kobayashi’s parents, who always run a very successful clothing sale booth at our school carnival every year. If you are looking for some new clothing items at incredibly discounted prices - this is your lucky day!
Please see the attached flyer for details. The advance ticket sale starts this coming Monday, Nov. 5th (please send a money envelope to school to be given to the homeroom teachers).
3. For the whole Family
Sunday, Nov. 11th - Charity walk “Steps for the Future”
A charity run/walk to support “Shine On! Kids” - a wonderful charity that supports pediatric cancer patients in Japan.
UST has done this walk before and everyone involved had a wonderful day interacting with the service dogs, making courage bracelets, and walking together as a family to help brighten up the day for children fighting cancer in Japan.
The walk is at Kiba Park which would be a great place for a family outing and a picnic afterwards.
A week of river awesomeness!
Dear parents,
I cannot believe how quickly this half term has gone, the children have worked their socks off so I hope they can have a restful and enjoyable half term! Thank you for all the support you have given the children and myself through this journey so far as well, and I look forward to our ongoing journey!
Yesterday we had a fantastic school trip to Futakotama River, we were very lucky with the weather and the children blew me away with their creative thinking. Thank you to all parents who provided their child with bug boxes and nets on such short notice!
At the river, we divided the morning into 3 different activities comparing three water samples; the smaller Tama River, the larger Tama river and the pond. The children worked in small groups to complete these activities. In one, they compared the pH level of the water to determine whether the waters were acidic or alkaline using a pH indicator strip. Then they went on to compare the ‘freshness’ of the water using a 6-in-one water testing kit (commonly used to test fish tanks etc.) The test showed the nitrite and nitrate level as well as the potassium and calcium levels, however the children used the colour change of the scale to determine whether the kit indicated whether each water sample was within the ‘safe’ zone for freshwater animals (all 3 water types passed)! In the final activity, we tested the temperature of each water sample. After lunch, the children did their monthly Eco-Patrol and we picked up lots and lots of litter to support our community but also to keep our environment clean, we were surprised the how much litter there was considering how clean Tama river is in general! Later on, the children worked collaboratively to create a dam out of rocks to keep water in the one section of the river. They used their imagination to recreate scenarios and it was delightful to watch the children having fun whilst learning!
I cannot believe how quickly this half term has gone, the children have worked their socks off so I hope they can have a restful and enjoyable half term! Thank you for all the support you have given the children and myself through this journey so far as well, and I look forward to our ongoing journey!
Yesterday we had a fantastic school trip to Futakotama River, we were very lucky with the weather and the children blew me away with their creative thinking. Thank you to all parents who provided their child with bug boxes and nets on such short notice!
At the river, we divided the morning into 3 different activities comparing three water samples; the smaller Tama River, the larger Tama river and the pond. The children worked in small groups to complete these activities. In one, they compared the pH level of the water to determine whether the waters were acidic or alkaline using a pH indicator strip. Then they went on to compare the ‘freshness’ of the water using a 6-in-one water testing kit (commonly used to test fish tanks etc.) The test showed the nitrite and nitrate level as well as the potassium and calcium levels, however the children used the colour change of the scale to determine whether the kit indicated whether each water sample was within the ‘safe’ zone for freshwater animals (all 3 water types passed)! In the final activity, we tested the temperature of each water sample. After lunch, the children did their monthly Eco-Patrol and we picked up lots and lots of litter to support our community but also to keep our environment clean, we were surprised the how much litter there was considering how clean Tama river is in general! Later on, the children worked collaboratively to create a dam out of rocks to keep water in the one section of the river. They used their imagination to recreate scenarios and it was delightful to watch the children having fun whilst learning!
Today we commenced our ‘G3B Weekly Fun Fact’ and I want to congratulate all the children who presented today!
I look forward to our next one on Friday 2nd November. The following children will be presenting:
Ayame – animals
Yuma – vehicles
Alia – books
Seion – famous person
Kosuke - countries
This week…
In Writing: Children have not only been writers this week but has also been an Editor-in chief by using their critical eye to look over their peers work and supporting them on any extra polishing they could do. Then the children have had a personal session with myself in which I supported the children in doing a final edit on their work. Finally, the children were ready to publish their work!
In Maths: We have worked hard on identifying what word questions are asking us to find out. The children have explored different ways of representing the question using bar models and discussed which one would be the ‘best fit’ to help us answer the question. It is essential for children to have a visualisation of the word problem as this help clarify the question to the children but also allow them to think logically of what procedures they would need to do to solve the question.
In Science: This was the last week for our ‘Water and Climate’ unit for science, and I couldn’t have asked for a better to way to end our unit by going on a field trip to the river! I hope the Science Investigation the children have as part of their homework will also be exciting! I have had a discussion with the children on what they could use as an equivalent to help them proceed with their experiment, so I hope they enjoy filtering/separating materials!
Have a brilliant half term!
Miss Ray
I look forward to our next one on Friday 2nd November. The following children will be presenting:
Ayame – animals
Yuma – vehicles
Alia – books
Seion – famous person
Kosuke - countries
This week…
In Writing: Children have not only been writers this week but has also been an Editor-in chief by using their critical eye to look over their peers work and supporting them on any extra polishing they could do. Then the children have had a personal session with myself in which I supported the children in doing a final edit on their work. Finally, the children were ready to publish their work!
In Maths: We have worked hard on identifying what word questions are asking us to find out. The children have explored different ways of representing the question using bar models and discussed which one would be the ‘best fit’ to help us answer the question. It is essential for children to have a visualisation of the word problem as this help clarify the question to the children but also allow them to think logically of what procedures they would need to do to solve the question.
In Science: This was the last week for our ‘Water and Climate’ unit for science, and I couldn’t have asked for a better to way to end our unit by going on a field trip to the river! I hope the Science Investigation the children have as part of their homework will also be exciting! I have had a discussion with the children on what they could use as an equivalent to help them proceed with their experiment, so I hope they enjoy filtering/separating materials!
Have a brilliant half term!
Miss Ray
Weekly Fun Times! Fun Life!
Dear parents,
What a week! Some of the children today have been buzzing about the football (soccer) tournament tomorrow, goodluck guys!! I will unfortunately be busy building my furniture…slowly but surely starting to feel like home!
Yesterday, the children brought home a timetable for ‘G3B Weekly Fun Facts’, this is something we are going to begin in class every Friday to really develop their presenting skills as well as their passion as independent learners. We came up with the general themes together as a class and voted on the top 6. Children are expected to present within their theme once every two weeks. I have encouraged the children to create their Weekly Fun Facts independently and have parents look over it after they have created their presentation. I have also informed the children that I understand that many parents lead a very busy work life thus if their parents are unable to look over their presentation, I will be happy to look over it with them as long as they have their presentation prior to the day. I have attached a copy of the Weekly Fun Fact timetable here which will provide more details.
So without further ado… The following children will be presenting their ‘Fun Fact’ next Friday 19th October:
This week…
In Writing: Children are now using their own ideas but also applying their understanding of descriptive features to write a descriptive essay on another character from Fantastic Mr Fox. The children have planned and written their first draft and next week they will be polishing up their work with their purple pens to then move onto the publishing stage!
In Maths: We are working on skills to identify key words and phrases in word questions that tell us whether we add or subtract. We are also using bar models to show us how to showour understanding of the question pictorially.
In Science: This week science there’s been a bit of a wait…..and we’re still waiting to collect our data! Nevertheless the children are already seeing
results in the various investigation we have started…Have a look at the pictures! Can the children explain what is happening?
These tissues have been soaked with the same amount of water... one has been been sealed with the lid whereas the other has been left open. This is a picture after a couple of days... Can you explain what's happened?
What a week! Some of the children today have been buzzing about the football (soccer) tournament tomorrow, goodluck guys!! I will unfortunately be busy building my furniture…slowly but surely starting to feel like home!
Yesterday, the children brought home a timetable for ‘G3B Weekly Fun Facts’, this is something we are going to begin in class every Friday to really develop their presenting skills as well as their passion as independent learners. We came up with the general themes together as a class and voted on the top 6. Children are expected to present within their theme once every two weeks. I have encouraged the children to create their Weekly Fun Facts independently and have parents look over it after they have created their presentation. I have also informed the children that I understand that many parents lead a very busy work life thus if their parents are unable to look over their presentation, I will be happy to look over it with them as long as they have their presentation prior to the day. I have attached a copy of the Weekly Fun Fact timetable here which will provide more details.
So without further ado… The following children will be presenting their ‘Fun Fact’ next Friday 19th October:
- Jack - Animals
- Angelo - Vehicles
- Claire - Books
- Ivan – Famous Person
- Sumika - Countries
- Milena - Technology
This week…
In Writing: Children are now using their own ideas but also applying their understanding of descriptive features to write a descriptive essay on another character from Fantastic Mr Fox. The children have planned and written their first draft and next week they will be polishing up their work with their purple pens to then move onto the publishing stage!
In Maths: We are working on skills to identify key words and phrases in word questions that tell us whether we add or subtract. We are also using bar models to show us how to showour understanding of the question pictorially.
In Science: This week science there’s been a bit of a wait…..and we’re still waiting to collect our data! Nevertheless the children are already seeing
results in the various investigation we have started…Have a look at the pictures! Can the children explain what is happening?
These tissues have been soaked with the same amount of water... one has been been sealed with the lid whereas the other has been left open. This is a picture after a couple of days... Can you explain what's happened?
The container that has been sealed has small water drops forming inside... Can you explain what has happened and why its formed on the plastic lids?
These containers all have different surface areas but each one started off with 50ml of water. By the end of next week, what would you predict would happen?
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Ray
General notice:
Miss Ray
General notice:
- Thank you ALL parents for paying for the Tamagawa Trip next week! Mrs D and myself are super excited for the hands-on activities the children will be doing that day!
- Please make sure Luca Deli is cancelled on the day of the school trip (Thurs 18th Oct) and provide lunch for your child that day
- Please provide children with shoes that can get wet as we will be taking water samples
First School Trip of the Year......WAS A SUCCESS!!
Dear parents,
It’s been really lovely having the whole class back together for a full week! After such a wonderful Friday in which we celebrated our diversity, I felt even more inspired to bring out the best in our children. I hope they too have been inspired to work hard to their fullest potential and celebrate themselves with how much they have already accomplished this year so far.
This week…
In Writing: Children have used their understanding of particular features used in descriptive writing to write about Farmer Bean. There have been incredible ideas which really showcased their ability to infer perspectives from different characters. We are also reading Charlotte’s Web as part of our reading and children have used this to help them deepen their understanding of characters.
In Maths: We have moved onto adding and subtracting numbers up to 10,000 using column method. As a class, we are still working on recognizing key information in word problems to help us understand what the question is asking us to do.
In Science: As always, children were able to use their scientific thinking to understand how temperatures are affected when there is a change in the environment. They have investigated density of materials in water and how density changes when materials change its state of matter.
On top of all this, it has been an amazingly awesome week as we were able to go on a successful trip to the Science museum. Here we were able to use this opportunity to really expand the children’s understanding of our current topic of Water and Climate. We made links to energy sources, by exploring how we can be more environmentally friendly by using renewable energy with particular link to hydro power. Moreover, we also experimented with how we can use different filtration system to separate solutions into solute. We were also lucky to be able explore how different forces can be used to move items which we won’t normally be able to move which would become useful in our next Science topic; Forces and Motion.
It’s been really lovely having the whole class back together for a full week! After such a wonderful Friday in which we celebrated our diversity, I felt even more inspired to bring out the best in our children. I hope they too have been inspired to work hard to their fullest potential and celebrate themselves with how much they have already accomplished this year so far.
This week…
In Writing: Children have used their understanding of particular features used in descriptive writing to write about Farmer Bean. There have been incredible ideas which really showcased their ability to infer perspectives from different characters. We are also reading Charlotte’s Web as part of our reading and children have used this to help them deepen their understanding of characters.
In Maths: We have moved onto adding and subtracting numbers up to 10,000 using column method. As a class, we are still working on recognizing key information in word problems to help us understand what the question is asking us to do.
In Science: As always, children were able to use their scientific thinking to understand how temperatures are affected when there is a change in the environment. They have investigated density of materials in water and how density changes when materials change its state of matter.
On top of all this, it has been an amazingly awesome week as we were able to go on a successful trip to the Science museum. Here we were able to use this opportunity to really expand the children’s understanding of our current topic of Water and Climate. We made links to energy sources, by exploring how we can be more environmentally friendly by using renewable energy with particular link to hydro power. Moreover, we also experimented with how we can use different filtration system to separate solutions into solute. We were also lucky to be able explore how different forces can be used to move items which we won’t normally be able to move which would become useful in our next Science topic; Forces and Motion.
General notice:
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
- PTC on Monday! Please keep in mind each session will be 15minutes long. Timetables can be accessed here.
- Please may children have a light-weight rain jacket with them everyday. We would love to take them outside for recess for some fresh air and run around as much as possible even if there is a bit of drizzle outside.
- As classrooms are beginning to get colder, please can I ask all children to have a school fleece, sweater or cardigan with them in class from next week. I am happy for them to leave it in their cubbies during the week and please make sure all your child’s clothes are fully labelled.
- Mrs D and myself have put all the essential information on this. We hope by putting all your child’s timetables, ECA information in one place, it would be much more useful!
Have a great weekend!
Miss Ray
Inspiring International Children's Day!
Dear Parents,
I’d like to start off this week’s blog by saying a massive THANK YOU for all the parents who have provided us with brilliant food and all the parents for helping their children with their presentations and costumes! We have had a wonderfully packed day hence we will continue with the rest of the presentations next week.
I would also like to take this opportunity to also say a big thank you to Mrs Kaleczyc for coming in today do teach Grade 3 all about American Football! The children were able to take Jack’s football put for recess to try out their new throwing skills!
I’d like to start off this week’s blog by saying a massive THANK YOU for all the parents who have provided us with brilliant food and all the parents for helping their children with their presentations and costumes! We have had a wonderfully packed day hence we will continue with the rest of the presentations next week.
I would also like to take this opportunity to also say a big thank you to Mrs Kaleczyc for coming in today do teach Grade 3 all about American Football! The children were able to take Jack’s football put for recess to try out their new throwing skills!
As part of International Children’s Day, we were very lucky to have Mr Mamadou, who had the whole school in stunned silence as he immersed us with his humble tunes from his Kora. We were also amazed by Mrs Erin who brought out her trumpet to do an impromptu jam with him!
|
Although the children had seen this performance last year, it still brought pleasure to them as they watched the beautiful Polynesian dancing. The children also blew us all away with their beautiful singing, in which the whole school was united as one to complete a song.
I hope you all have wonderful weekend! Miss Ray |
Update 25/9/18
I hope you all enjoyed browsing through the pictures of last week! I would also like to take this opportunity to give you an update on School Council Election & homework.
School Council:
Thank you to all the children who ran for School council, and thank you to all the parents for supporting your child through this journey. I am incredibly proud of how each candidate presented themselves and I was inspired by their positivity and passion!
As I was counting the votes, I must say it was a very close call this year and I cannot stress enough that the results should in no way dishearten any children from running next year.
Thus, without further ado the School Council representatives for G3B are:
Ayame & Kosuke
Congratulations!
Homework:
It had come to my attention that for those children attending homework club on earlier days of the week, they are unable to do their homework efficiently as there are only a couple of homework tasks available for them.
Hence from this week, I will start giving ALL the week's worth of homework on Monday for those children who would like to get these done earlier in the week. I understand that many of the children are busy with out-of-school activities and would probably not want homework piling up on a Sunday night. Moreover please feel free to email me if there are extreme circumstances which may affect your child completing their homework.
School Council:
Thank you to all the children who ran for School council, and thank you to all the parents for supporting your child through this journey. I am incredibly proud of how each candidate presented themselves and I was inspired by their positivity and passion!
As I was counting the votes, I must say it was a very close call this year and I cannot stress enough that the results should in no way dishearten any children from running next year.
Thus, without further ado the School Council representatives for G3B are:
Ayame & Kosuke
Congratulations!
Homework:
It had come to my attention that for those children attending homework club on earlier days of the week, they are unable to do their homework efficiently as there are only a couple of homework tasks available for them.
Hence from this week, I will start giving ALL the week's worth of homework on Monday for those children who would like to get these done earlier in the week. I understand that many of the children are busy with out-of-school activities and would probably not want homework piling up on a Sunday night. Moreover please feel free to email me if there are extreme circumstances which may affect your child completing their homework.
Short but Sweeet!
Dear Parents,
I hope you had a wonderful long-weekend! Although this week may have been slightly shorter, Grade 3 have been working their socks off! This week, I’d like to start off by highlighting events that will be happening this term.
- Cancel any Luca Deli orders and provide a packed lunch for your child.
- Children to wear the orange PE UST t-shirts
UST International Children’s Day
International Children's day is Next Friday! Here is a little check list for you to make sure you and your children are ready for the big day:
1. Pick a country costume
2. Choose a wonder from your country
3. Sign up to present or share some food with your class
4. Pack an empty tupperwear with a lid and cutlery set for TUES, Sept 25th
5. Cancel Lucadeli Lunch for FRI, Sept 28th
…
If you have not done 1 or more of the tasks above, please do that over the weekend!
Here are some Q&As from some parents that we would like to share with you:
Q. Will the kids have PE that day?
A. Classes will be back to normal in the PM so if your class has PE on Friday PM, please pack their PE clothes
Q. When can I drop off the food and where?
A. Please have your child bring it to school Friday morning on the day, and leave it in the classroom. You can use a cooler bag and icepacks for things that need refrigerating. No need to bring it in person!
Q. For the dress up, can kids wear it from home or change at school, and my daughter (G1) will wear/bring school uniform?
A. All grades to wear from home, no uniform (unless it needs to be put on at school). However if your child has PE in the PM, please pack PE clothes.
Q. Is this students only event or parents will attend? If parents will attend, what time is it start and finish? If not and sign up for bringing food, kids will bring the food when they go to school in the morning?
A. It is a student only event, except for parents who are volunteering to present in class.
Food can be dropped off in the AM or have the children bring it in with them.
Q. How do I sign up as a presenter?
A. If you would like to participate as a presenter, you can do that on the sign up sheet as well and you will be exempt from bringing food + you will get to enjoy dishes from around the world! And you only need to bring food for one of your children. Please do bring a tupperware and cutlery for yourself.
Thank you!
This week in G3B…
English - The children have been using story maps to aid their understanding of a character description of Fantastic Mr Fox. They have used specific drama techniques such as ‘freeze frames’ and ‘hot seating’ to deepen their understanding of characters from the story.
Maths – We have been learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10s and 100s to aid us in estimating a calculation. The children have been using number lines to show whether a number would round up or down and have also used the ‘Rounding Rap’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afU6JQG15I) as a strategy to help them round numbers.
Science – As part of our Water and Climate topic, the children have been learning about how to accurately use a thermometer, but also used household equipment to make their own thermometer. The children learnt how water expands or contracts in volume when it is heated or cooled. Some children were able to showcase their work beautifully into their books, using scientific vocabulary to explain their thinking.
Have a fantastic long weekend!
Miss Ray
I hope you had a wonderful long-weekend! Although this week may have been slightly shorter, Grade 3 have been working their socks off! This week, I’d like to start off by highlighting events that will be happening this term.
- International Children’s Day: Friday 28th September (more important info regarding this day underneath)
- UST Picnic: Saturday 29th September
- Grade 3 Science Museum Trip: Thursday 4th October
- Cancel any Luca Deli orders and provide a packed lunch for your child.
- Children to wear the orange PE UST t-shirts
- Parent Teacher Conference: Monday 8th October (Please sign up for a time-slot if you haven’t yet)
- Grade 3 Trip to the River: Thursday 18th October (Email will be sent soon)
UST International Children’s Day
International Children's day is Next Friday! Here is a little check list for you to make sure you and your children are ready for the big day:
1. Pick a country costume
2. Choose a wonder from your country
3. Sign up to present or share some food with your class
4. Pack an empty tupperwear with a lid and cutlery set for TUES, Sept 25th
5. Cancel Lucadeli Lunch for FRI, Sept 28th
…
If you have not done 1 or more of the tasks above, please do that over the weekend!
Here are some Q&As from some parents that we would like to share with you:
Q. Will the kids have PE that day?
A. Classes will be back to normal in the PM so if your class has PE on Friday PM, please pack their PE clothes
Q. When can I drop off the food and where?
A. Please have your child bring it to school Friday morning on the day, and leave it in the classroom. You can use a cooler bag and icepacks for things that need refrigerating. No need to bring it in person!
Q. For the dress up, can kids wear it from home or change at school, and my daughter (G1) will wear/bring school uniform?
A. All grades to wear from home, no uniform (unless it needs to be put on at school). However if your child has PE in the PM, please pack PE clothes.
Q. Is this students only event or parents will attend? If parents will attend, what time is it start and finish? If not and sign up for bringing food, kids will bring the food when they go to school in the morning?
A. It is a student only event, except for parents who are volunteering to present in class.
Food can be dropped off in the AM or have the children bring it in with them.
Q. How do I sign up as a presenter?
A. If you would like to participate as a presenter, you can do that on the sign up sheet as well and you will be exempt from bringing food + you will get to enjoy dishes from around the world! And you only need to bring food for one of your children. Please do bring a tupperware and cutlery for yourself.
Thank you!
This week in G3B…
English - The children have been using story maps to aid their understanding of a character description of Fantastic Mr Fox. They have used specific drama techniques such as ‘freeze frames’ and ‘hot seating’ to deepen their understanding of characters from the story.
Maths – We have been learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10s and 100s to aid us in estimating a calculation. The children have been using number lines to show whether a number would round up or down and have also used the ‘Rounding Rap’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3afU6JQG15I) as a strategy to help them round numbers.
Science – As part of our Water and Climate topic, the children have been learning about how to accurately use a thermometer, but also used household equipment to make their own thermometer. The children learnt how water expands or contracts in volume when it is heated or cooled. Some children were able to showcase their work beautifully into their books, using scientific vocabulary to explain their thinking.
Have a fantastic long weekend!
Miss Ray
Woohoo! Another Wicked Week!
Dear Parents,
In G3B this week, I have been encouraging the children to take pride in their work and how an excellent piece of work is never pristine. I have introduced ‘Polishing Purple’ pens in class which the children are encouraged to edit their work by noticing trivial errors. They will also use these pens to reflect on their work and answer any feedback I may have given them from my green markings. I am also trying to reduce the amount of erasers (rubbers) used in everyday work as I want the children to identify their errors and be able to show this by editing and not rubbing it out. I will be using erasers more when they are at the ‘publishing’ stage of their work.
In Maths this week the children showed perseverance when using their understanding of place value to work on their end of chapter review. We are now moving onto mental strategies when adding and subtracting numbers. In class we have begun our ‘Target Timestable Challenge’ - aiming for all children to be confident with their timestable by the end of the year.
This week in our writing, we discussed how authors don’t write their novels in one night, they would follow the writing process and be critical of their work. We have tried really hard at ‘up-levelling’ our work, to always think of the best words or phrases for the piece they are creating. Next week we will be moving onto writing our descriptive piece on a character from Fantastic Mr Fox. I am excited to see how the children will implement grammatical features they have learnt into their writing.
One of the highlights of this week was in Science when we took the children to the park to test how rain effects natural materials. The children collected all sorts of materials from the park and first, predicted whether each material would absorb or repel water. Then they tested their hypothesis by using a pipet to mimic the drops of rain on these materials. Please ask the children what they found out! I was especially impressed with some of the great Scientific reasoning the children were able to come up with.
Finally, I also wanted to let you know that the Grade 3 team are currently sorting out school trips for this term. We are hoping to have a couple of school trips at the beginning of October. I will be sending out an email when this is finalized.
Have a great long-weekend!
Miss Ray
In G3B this week, I have been encouraging the children to take pride in their work and how an excellent piece of work is never pristine. I have introduced ‘Polishing Purple’ pens in class which the children are encouraged to edit their work by noticing trivial errors. They will also use these pens to reflect on their work and answer any feedback I may have given them from my green markings. I am also trying to reduce the amount of erasers (rubbers) used in everyday work as I want the children to identify their errors and be able to show this by editing and not rubbing it out. I will be using erasers more when they are at the ‘publishing’ stage of their work.
In Maths this week the children showed perseverance when using their understanding of place value to work on their end of chapter review. We are now moving onto mental strategies when adding and subtracting numbers. In class we have begun our ‘Target Timestable Challenge’ - aiming for all children to be confident with their timestable by the end of the year.
This week in our writing, we discussed how authors don’t write their novels in one night, they would follow the writing process and be critical of their work. We have tried really hard at ‘up-levelling’ our work, to always think of the best words or phrases for the piece they are creating. Next week we will be moving onto writing our descriptive piece on a character from Fantastic Mr Fox. I am excited to see how the children will implement grammatical features they have learnt into their writing.
One of the highlights of this week was in Science when we took the children to the park to test how rain effects natural materials. The children collected all sorts of materials from the park and first, predicted whether each material would absorb or repel water. Then they tested their hypothesis by using a pipet to mimic the drops of rain on these materials. Please ask the children what they found out! I was especially impressed with some of the great Scientific reasoning the children were able to come up with.
Finally, I also wanted to let you know that the Grade 3 team are currently sorting out school trips for this term. We are hoping to have a couple of school trips at the beginning of October. I will be sending out an email when this is finalized.
Have a great long-weekend!
Miss Ray
Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC)
Parent teacher conferences are coming up on Monday 8th October 2018.
Can I please ask all parents who wish to attend to please take a moment to sign up in one of the time slots offered using the Google form below.
Click here to sign up!
Your child will need attend the session with you.
The first part of the conference is an opportunity for your child to share their learning with you as well as share their learning goals and targets.
Kindest regards,
Miss Ray
Parent teacher conferences are coming up on Monday 8th October 2018.
Can I please ask all parents who wish to attend to please take a moment to sign up in one of the time slots offered using the Google form below.
Click here to sign up!
Your child will need attend the session with you.
The first part of the conference is an opportunity for your child to share their learning with you as well as share their learning goals and targets.
Kindest regards,
Miss Ray
Week of Wonderful Work!
Dear Parents,
Another week of brilliant learning! The students have hit the ground running and I’d just like to say thank you to you all for supporting your children’s learning at home by reading; supporting their homework and by getting them into school promptly. My focus with the children at the moment is to increase their writing stamina as there is a lot to cover in a lesson, especially as the children are a year older.
This week we have explored descriptive writing with a specific grammar focus in adjectives, verbs, adverbs and adverbial phrases. As a class, we discussed how these tools will enhance their writing as it provides vivid details to their writing. The children have blown me away with some great ideas and I am excited to see how this will develop the quality of their writing. We have also discussed the importance of reading and strategies to help us become better readers. Each child has set themselves a reading goal to support their reading – perhaps the children can help you try out these reading techniques too at home!
In Maths, we have focused on numbers up to 10,000. We have explored place values and explaining how the number changes when there are 10,100,1000 more/less. We have used our knowledge of place value when explaining out thought process but also used Base Ten resources to show our understanding using concrete materials. Children have also worked on recognizing number patters and comparing values of a number.
The children have been busy with Science this week, our theme this term is ‘Water and Climate’, and the children have had many hands-on investigations. On Monday, I am very excited to read about the mini-science activity the children are having a go with as part of their Homework! I have also attached a letter on the other side of the homework which explains more about what we are covering in Science.
Additionally, I have attached the G3B weekly schedule. Please note that children should only be wearing PE kits to school on Wednesday and Friday. They should be wearing school uniforms on other days.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Ray
Another week of brilliant learning! The students have hit the ground running and I’d just like to say thank you to you all for supporting your children’s learning at home by reading; supporting their homework and by getting them into school promptly. My focus with the children at the moment is to increase their writing stamina as there is a lot to cover in a lesson, especially as the children are a year older.
This week we have explored descriptive writing with a specific grammar focus in adjectives, verbs, adverbs and adverbial phrases. As a class, we discussed how these tools will enhance their writing as it provides vivid details to their writing. The children have blown me away with some great ideas and I am excited to see how this will develop the quality of their writing. We have also discussed the importance of reading and strategies to help us become better readers. Each child has set themselves a reading goal to support their reading – perhaps the children can help you try out these reading techniques too at home!
In Maths, we have focused on numbers up to 10,000. We have explored place values and explaining how the number changes when there are 10,100,1000 more/less. We have used our knowledge of place value when explaining out thought process but also used Base Ten resources to show our understanding using concrete materials. Children have also worked on recognizing number patters and comparing values of a number.
The children have been busy with Science this week, our theme this term is ‘Water and Climate’, and the children have had many hands-on investigations. On Monday, I am very excited to read about the mini-science activity the children are having a go with as part of their Homework! I have also attached a letter on the other side of the homework which explains more about what we are covering in Science.
Additionally, I have attached the G3B weekly schedule. Please note that children should only be wearing PE kits to school on Wednesday and Friday. They should be wearing school uniforms on other days.
Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Ray
What a week!
Dear Parents,
Thank you for a brilliant week and thank you for taking your time today to come to the Parent Orientation meeting today, it has been wonderful being able to meeting you! For all the busy parents who I haven't been able to meet yet, I look forward to seeing you as the term goes on. :)
G3B have already started working incredibly hard this week; showing me sparkles of inspiration and the passion to learn. They have amazed me with their understanding of respect and expectations, both in and out of the classroom! We have had fantastic discussions on what kind of learning attitude they are going to showcase this year, and started to think about things from a growth mindset perspective. They have shown their creative capabilities when exploring themselves as a unique individual, and representing themselves in a form of cubism; through the influence of Pablo Picasso. They are currently in the final stages of their project! Moreover, the students are showcasing perseverance in their learning, whether it be a Maths investigation, or a Word Work. Next week we will be delving more into the world of Fantastic Mr Fox and I'm looking forward to all their ideas!
I'm excited to see how the students are going to develop this year and through our support.
I have also attached the Powerpoint I used today in the meeting as there were a few important points which were addressed.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
Thank you for a brilliant week and thank you for taking your time today to come to the Parent Orientation meeting today, it has been wonderful being able to meeting you! For all the busy parents who I haven't been able to meet yet, I look forward to seeing you as the term goes on. :)
G3B have already started working incredibly hard this week; showing me sparkles of inspiration and the passion to learn. They have amazed me with their understanding of respect and expectations, both in and out of the classroom! We have had fantastic discussions on what kind of learning attitude they are going to showcase this year, and started to think about things from a growth mindset perspective. They have shown their creative capabilities when exploring themselves as a unique individual, and representing themselves in a form of cubism; through the influence of Pablo Picasso. They are currently in the final stages of their project! Moreover, the students are showcasing perseverance in their learning, whether it be a Maths investigation, or a Word Work. Next week we will be delving more into the world of Fantastic Mr Fox and I'm looking forward to all their ideas!
I'm excited to see how the students are going to develop this year and through our support.
I have also attached the Powerpoint I used today in the meeting as there were a few important points which were addressed.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Ray
parent_orientation_presentation.pptx | |
File Size: | 20936 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Welcome to ... Grade 3B!
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Third Grade! My name is Miss Ray and I will the Grade 3B teacher this year which I am very excited about. I hope you are having a wonderful summer holiday and looking forward to the new academic year, I know I definitely am!
I would like to take this chance to tell you a little bit more about myself. I am Japanese but was brought up abroad and for the last 7 years I have been in the UK. Prior to my move here, I was a Class Teacher in a state school in London. When I was given the opportunity to move to Tokyo, words cannot express how thrilled I was. I am an avid reader and love to get immersed into a good book, so if you have any recommendations, please share! Additionally, I love to go travelling and exploring different landscapes in my free time. I also enjoy watching and playing sports (rugby and football in particular), hence I’m very excited for the Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
I know we are going to have a great year getting to know each other and developing as independent learners. Thus allow me to welcome the brilliant Grade 3B:
Jack
Kosuke
Seion
Ivan
Yuma
Angelo
Ayame
Alia
Sumika
Claire
Milena
As we prepare for the school year, please ensure your children arrive on time and to label all items from your homes, such as your child’s water bottle, lunch box, snack box, and hand towel. We will also be taking trips to the park, so please send mosquito spray and sunscreen to school as well. Moreover, you will be notified with your child’s schedule in an email this Friday.
I look forward to meeting you and your children as they continue their learning. I believe this will be one of many emails I send informing and updating you on all the fantastic events that happen in and out of our class. In addition, the specialty teachers are also excited for the new year, please make sure you check out their Weebly pages!
My door is always open so please feel free to contact me with any concerns or feedback.
Thank you,
Miss Ray
[email protected]
Welcome to Third Grade! My name is Miss Ray and I will the Grade 3B teacher this year which I am very excited about. I hope you are having a wonderful summer holiday and looking forward to the new academic year, I know I definitely am!
I would like to take this chance to tell you a little bit more about myself. I am Japanese but was brought up abroad and for the last 7 years I have been in the UK. Prior to my move here, I was a Class Teacher in a state school in London. When I was given the opportunity to move to Tokyo, words cannot express how thrilled I was. I am an avid reader and love to get immersed into a good book, so if you have any recommendations, please share! Additionally, I love to go travelling and exploring different landscapes in my free time. I also enjoy watching and playing sports (rugby and football in particular), hence I’m very excited for the Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Olympics.
I know we are going to have a great year getting to know each other and developing as independent learners. Thus allow me to welcome the brilliant Grade 3B:
Jack
Kosuke
Seion
Ivan
Yuma
Angelo
Ayame
Alia
Sumika
Claire
Milena
As we prepare for the school year, please ensure your children arrive on time and to label all items from your homes, such as your child’s water bottle, lunch box, snack box, and hand towel. We will also be taking trips to the park, so please send mosquito spray and sunscreen to school as well. Moreover, you will be notified with your child’s schedule in an email this Friday.
I look forward to meeting you and your children as they continue their learning. I believe this will be one of many emails I send informing and updating you on all the fantastic events that happen in and out of our class. In addition, the specialty teachers are also excited for the new year, please make sure you check out their Weebly pages!
My door is always open so please feel free to contact me with any concerns or feedback.
Thank you,
Miss Ray
[email protected]
Welcome to G3B
Ms Wood
cwood[email protected]
Hi and welcome!
My name is Ms Wood and I am the homeroom teacher for class 3B this year.
I look forward to a wonderful learning adventure this year and know that 3B will be a delight to teach and will be a fantastic class!
You will find all the class updates here as well as regular pictures, information, and any helpful sites.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
cwood[email protected]
Hi and welcome!
My name is Ms Wood and I am the homeroom teacher for class 3B this year.
I look forward to a wonderful learning adventure this year and know that 3B will be a delight to teach and will be a fantastic class!
You will find all the class updates here as well as regular pictures, information, and any helpful sites.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.