Decimals and Fractions: Really Small Numbers

In Unit 5 of Math we have reviewed place value with very large numbers.  Children should now be able to read, write and compare numbers to the millions.  (Compare, in this context, means to tell which numbers are greater or less than each other, and also order numbers from smallest to largest or largest to smallest.)

Now we have turned our attention to very small numbers.  The question to the class yesterday was:

What is less than one, but larger than zero?

Initially, this question caused some confusion.  Some children thought the question was impossible to answer.  Other children thought the answer was “negative numbers”.  When I phrased the question a different way “What is less than one dollar?  What is less than one meter?”  I had answers such as “10 cents”, “a decimeter” or “a centimeter”. This helped students to realize it is possible to have less than one whole, and still have something.

Although we are just beginning our exploration of decimals and fractions, you can help your child with these more abstract numbers by identifying whole objects around your house and discussing how they can be broken down into smaller equal parts. Decimal numbers represent amounts less than one.  When anything is broken into ten equal parts, it results in tenths (for example: a dollar can be split it into ten dimes. A dime is a tenth of a dollar). When a tenth is broken into ten equal parts, it results in hundredths (a dime can be split into ten pennies. A penny is one hundredth of a dollar).

Examples could include:

– a chocolate bar can be broken down into ten equal pieces

– a piece of paper can be broken down into tenths and hundredths

– a litter of water or milk can be split into tenths or hundredths

– pizza, pie or cake can be split into tenths

Scale of the Universe – NASA website

In Mathematics, we have begun Unit 5. At the end of this unit, students are expected to read, write, recite and compare very large numbers (up to millions) and very small numbers (decimals).  But why bother?  Why is learning about very large and very small numbers important to every day life?

To kick of our unit I had the opportunity to share with the children a favourite website of mine that allows one to gain a sense of perspective of just how tiny matter can be, and how large the universe really is.  This website is called “The Scale of the Universe” and was created by astronomers at NASA.  The children absolutely adored this site and many of them are anxious to share it with their families.   The link may take a few minutes to load, but I encourage you to sit down with your child and have them share it with you tonight.  It is truly amazing!

In related news, this morning their happened to be a story about a recent photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.  The photograph shows a collection of galaxies, billions of lightyears away, that form what appears to be a “Smiley Face” in space.  Really neat!  The CNN article I shared with the class is below.  Also, this article happens to be a great example of an “expository” piece with an attention-grabbing beginning.

“Say Cheese:  Hubble Telescope Spots Smiley Face in Space” 

Narrative Writing – Building Suspense

So far this year, the Grade Three children have learned how to write a story with an entertaining beginning, and elaborative details of the story setting, characters, and objects.  This week, we are learning how to create suspense leading up to an important discovery in our story (specifically: the discovery of a snow monster).

To develop suspense, we are focussing on a technique called “The Magic of Three“, as described by Barbara Mariconda (www.empoweringwriters.com ).  The number three has been historically significant in many famous stories, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Wizard of Oz, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Billy Goats Gruff… the list goes on.  ‘The Magic of Three’ technique uses the number three to create suspense – or t’page turning build up’ – for the reader.

The Magic of Three uses 3 ingredients that, when combined in order, builds suspense for the reader.  The ingredients are

• red flag words (such as Suddenly, Just then, All of a Sudden, Without Warning…)
• a hint
• a reaction from the main character

This should be repeated 3 times before revealing the discovery to the audience. The first hint (using any of the five senses) signals that something is wrong but can easily be shrugged off or dismissed by the main character.  The second hint (usually using a different sense) is more obvious and triggers a bigger reaction in the main character. The third hint (using another sense) is altogether undeniable and comes just before the discovery.  This hint triggers the biggest reaction in the main character.  Below is an anecdotal example of suspense using ‘The Magic of Three’:

Suddenly I heard a peculiar rustling sound in the bushes.  I slowed down and glanced towards the noise.  The sound stopped and I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, so I shrugged and walked on.  A moment later, I caught a glimpse of something moving behind the trees.  I froze in my footsteps and peered through the darkness.  Nothing.  Feeling nervous, I turned back to the path and began to walk more quickly.  Just then, something touched me on the shoulder.  Something large and furry.  I spun around and gasped.  I found myself face to face with the one and only Big Foot himself!

One way you can practice this with your child at home is by looking for examples of suspense in the books you read together.  Look for red flag words, hints or word referents.  Another idea is to practice verbal story telling with your child, challenging them to make up a really suspenseful part of a story or sharing your own with them. This is a great opportunity to listen to the vocabulary your child uses and offer them ideas to enhance it (example:  “Instead of a strange noise, why don’t you say peculiar noise”).

Entertaining Beginnings

We are currently learning about how to write entertaining beginnings to our stories.  We talked about how the beginning of a story forms our first impression and that we want it to be a good one.  One that holds the reader’s attention.  To identify beginnings that are effective, we first had to look at beginnings that generally aren’t effective (or are tired and overdone).  Here are some common ineffective beginnings:

Once upon a time….

One hot, summer day…

Long ago in a far away place…

Hi my name is Joe.

This is my story about a pirate who finds treasure on a buried island.

Tonight your child will bring home a newsletter that gives more details about how to write an “Entertaining Beginning”.  Your child will be expected to use action, dialogue, thoughts or feelings, or sound effects (or a combination of all) to begin a story. To help them write entertaining beginnings, your child is should try to identify entertaining beginnings when they read. They can make a list at home and write down their favourite beginnings – ones that really grabbed their attention and made them want to read more.

Great Readers Wonder!

Today in class, we talked about a new strategy that great readers practise on their own:  asking questions.  That is, wondering.  Sounds simple enough, but it is important that children learn to practise this skill so that it becomes automatic.

Readers should ask thoughtful questions before they read, while they read and after they read.  Questions can start with statements like:

– I wonder….

– Why…

– How…

– Will…

– Does…

– When, where, who, what….

As a class, we discussed why asking questions is important and makes us better readers: Asking questions helps keep our head in the book (engage); it makes us speculate about text yet to be read (predict); it helps us identify when we’re understanding or not understanding (monitor our comprehension); and it helps us focus on specific components or aspects of a text (recall facts and details).  In short, the more you wonder, the more you can learn!

Tonight, children are asked to focus on asking questions while they read. They will bring home a new reading strategies bookmark for their kit. When they practise asking questions, it is useful to use sticky notes to record them.  Later on, they can refer back to them and see if they are able to answer their questions.  Some answers will be found directly in the text, other answers may need to be inferred.

Here is an example of a book we used in class today to practice asking questions.  The book is called “Just a Dream” by Chris van Allsburg.

 

Before we started reading, children asked questions like “How did his bed get into the tree?“; “Is this a sad story?“; “Why is everything in the picture a different shade of green?” and “I wonder if what happens to him is real or a dream.”

While reading, children asked questions like “Why is the future so dirty?” and “Is the tree he landed in Rose’s tree?” and “Is he actually going to the real future or is he dreaming of the future?”

Lastly, when we ended the book, we realized that the story left us with more questions.  Questions that we are wondering, but can’t necessarily find the answer to in the text:

“Is the man mowing the lawn the future ‘Walter?’”  “What will the future be like for us?”  and “What are some things we could do now to protect the future?”

I encourage you to practise this reading strategy when you are sharing a book with your child.  Questions can become excellent talking points.

Happy reading!

Show! (Shhhh…. Don’t Tell)

One of the ways children can practise making inferences when they read is by paying attention to clues that indicate a character’s feelings.  The novels that we are reading in Grade Three frequently use “showing” language, rather than “telling” language for story elements such as character’s feelings or personality traits.  That is, they give hints about a character’s feelings or personality, without coming right out and directly telling the reader. This requires readers to “read between the lines” (or make an inference) using hints about facial expressions, body language, thoughts or dialogue, and situational clues.

For example, instead of an author writing “Susan was upset because she lost her favourite toy“, a great author would show (not tell) the feeling by writing “Susan’s lips trembled and her eyes welled up.  She couldn’t help wipe the tears from her eyes.” A great reader would make an inference that Susan is sad.

In class, we are practising how to identify showing statements when we read and also how to write showing statements in our stories.  We made the following posters in class to help us remember what feelings looks like:

This is also reinforcing what we learned in our previous unit in health on Empathy –  understanding how other people might feel.

Great Readers Make Inferences and Draw Conclusions

This week, we have been working on a new reading skill:  making inferences and drawing conclusions.  This means that strong readers can read between the lines:  they can figure things out, using clues and background knowledge, without the need for direct information. Children already make inferences in their everyday lives without being aware of it.  For example, if they see people wearing winter clothing outside, they can infer it is cold. If they see someone smiling, they know they are happy.

Making inferences and drawing conclusions is a higher order thinking skill.  It goes beyond just the recall of facts and details, such as characters’ names or places.  It requires that the reader analyse and synthesize the text:

Readers can make inferences about:

– how a character feels

– what the setting of a story is (time of day, weather, place)

– what a character’s personality is

– how old a character is

– what a character is plotting or planning

– endless other things!

To practise making inferences and drawing conclusions in class, we have been using picture books.  This is something easy and fun for parents do at home with their child.  Choose an unfamiliar book with big pictures, such as the “The Stranger” by Chris Van Allsburg (which we have used in class).

Cover up the words (if there are any) and look at one picture at a time. Ask your child to use the clues in the picture to figure out what is happening in the story (What do you think is happening?  What do you think he/she is feeling? What is the setting?) Ask them what specific clues they used and how those clues helped them (their background knowledge).  For example:  “The colours of the leaves make me think it is autumn.  This is because I know leaves turn colours like red, yellow and brown in the fall.”

 You can monitor the logic of your child’s inferences (that is, make sure they make sense) by asking what their reasoning or proof is.  You can also point out clues that they miss.

After your child is done guessing, you can read the text that goes with the picture.  Many times their inferences are correct, which is delightful for them to see.  Sometimes, however, their guesses are slightly or even completely off, which is another powerful lesson in itself because it reinforces that we cannot just “read” a story by looking at the pictures. We must have context to fully understand what the pictures mean.

Children will take home a bookmark to add to their Reading Strategies Kits.  The bookmark has tips/hints on it for making inferences when reading alone:

– think of a question you have about the passage

-think about the details in the passage

– think about what you know from your own life

– use all of these clues to answer your question about the passage

Using Context Clues for Unfamiliar Words

Today we covered a new reading strategy:  using context clues for finding the meaning of unfamiliar words. Children should already be using pictures and titles to help them guess at unfamiliar words.  But they can also use the context (or surrounding sentences) to understand the meaning of new words. Most people do this in everyday conversation.  They use the situation or words in a discussion to decipher the meaning of a word they aren’t familiar with. The same skill can be applied to reading.

For homework, children were sent home a bookmark to add to their reading strategies kit, which gives steps for how to use context when they encounter a new word.  This strategy should be used with “Just Right” books and challenging books that are read by an adult.  Instead of skipping over an unfamiliar word, or asking an adult what it means, children are encouraged to:

– look at the sentence with the new word

– look at the sentences before and after the new word

– think about the way the word is used in the sentence

– use these clues to think of a meaning for the new word

This strategy is also important when applying it to homonyms (words that are spelled the same but can have several meanings, for example “shoulder”).  If they are confused by the use of the word, they are encouraged to use clues to think about alternate meanings (eg. a shoulder to cry on, versus the shoulder of a road, or to shoulder the weight).

“Equal Groups” Tables (otherwise knows as the Times Tables)

We have begun Unit 4 in Math, which includes multiplication and division.  This is always a highlight for Grade Three students.  In addition to memorizing the “times tables”, it is important that children have a solid understanding of what multiplication means and why it is used in everyday life.

Many children are enthusiastic when I introduce this unit because they can already recite some (or many) of the times tables.  When I show children the ‘X‘ symbol and ask them what it means, they tend to say it means ‘times‘.  But when I ask them to explain what ‘times’ means, they often get stuck.  It is important to real life, problem solving situations that students understand multiplication is the short-cut for adding ‘equal groups’ of things, and that the “X” symbol represents equal groups. It is very helpful, at home and at school, for children to have the opportunity to identify or make equal groups of things. For example:

4 equal groups of 12 pencils

2 rows with 8 cheerios in each row

8 sets of 5 minutes

10 quarters

3 pairs of socks

Manipulatives (physical materials) at home can be used to represent anything!  Cheerios can represent stamps or pennies, paper clips can represent books.  Children are encouraged to use their imagination.

When multiplying, children should remember that they are trying to find out how many ‘altogether’, just like with addition.  It is sometimes helpful to show them how addition can first be used to solve the problem:

4 equal groups of 5 pencils = 5+5+5+5

2 children with 8 stamps each = 8+8

5 buses with 10 passengers on each = 10+10+10+10+10

8 pizzas with 5 slices each = 5+5+5+5+5+5+5+5

OR we could use the faster way of using our multiplication facts by:

4 equal groups of 5 pencils =  (5+5+5+5)  4 x 5

2 children with 8 stamps each = (8+8)  2 x 8

5 buses with 10 passengers on each = (10+10+10+10+10)  5 x 10

8 pizzas with 5 slices each = (5+5+5+5+5+5+5+5)  8 x 5

Beginning this week, we will begin practising our times tables at school, starting with the 0x and 1x.  We will then move on to the 2x, 5x and 10x, followed by the 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 8x, 9x and 7x. Until children have memorized their times tables, they will need to rely on skip counting to help them solve multiplication (4 x 5 is also 5+5+5+5). While your child is learning their times tables, it is helpful for you to practise skip counting with them.  Your child should skip count confidently in 2s, 5s, 10s, and be building confidence at counting in 3s, 4s, 6s, and 8s. Again, using manipulatives at home can help with skip counting practice.

Winter Poetry

In Language Arts, we have delved into a unit on winter-themed poetry.  Children are reading and writing various kinds of poems, including acrostic, cinquain, diamonte, shape and rhyming poems.  This is a great opportunity for children to learn how to interpret and use figurative language.

So far, children have learned the following examples of figurative language: similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia. They will also learn to use alliteration. Here is an example of each:

Simile (a comparison between two things using like or as):  The snow is like a white blanket.  The ice was as shiny as a mirror.

Metaphor (a comparison between two things, saying one is the other:  The icy wind bites my cheeks.  The fresh snow is a sea of white.

Alliteration:  The sleigh slid along the slippery snow.

Onomatopoeia (sound effects):  woosh, jingle, shhhh, tweet

Students are now learning how to incorporate figurative language into their poetry, which they can later apply to their story writing.  Figurative language helps children to develop their narrative voice and describe things in a more interesting way (“figuratively” rather than “literally”.  The snow was fluffy versus the snow was as fluffy as the clouds.)

In class today, we started Shape Poetry.  For homework tonight, children will be sharing their idea for a shape poem with you and their initial brainstorming ideas.  This is a chance for your child to bounce their ideas off of you and flesh out their planning.  Their shape poem will be expected to have at least one simile, one metaphor and one example of onomatopoeia.  We will write our Shape poems in class tomorrow.