Home reading support

After speaking with a parent this morning about the home reading program, it occurred to me that it would be helpful for parents if I blogged about all the letter and sound blends and rules that we have been learning so that you can better support your child's reading at home.  So here it is:

Since my last update on this subject, we have learned that:
- ou makes a oo sound like in souris (which is not the same as the French u sound like in musique)
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel, like in maison *
-  eau/au/ô all make the English long o (oh) sound like in bâteau
- oi makes a  'wa' sound, like in oiseau
- en/an and em/am all make the same sound which the students associate with a grandmaman ou grandpapa who is hard of hearing and saying "en?" when someone is speaking*
- in/ain/ein and im/aim/eim are all the same sound which the students associate to the sound of a buzzer in a game show, it is a nasalized English long a sound like in cousin *
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel sound like in maison *
* It should be noted that with the nasal sounds, if there is another syllable afterwards, the letters that make that nasal sound break apart.  For example:  cou/sin (2 syllables), cou/si/ne (3 syllables - notice how in is broken apart now due to the new vowel).  It's a bit tricky to get used to that rule, but it will come! 

We have also been looking at word endings more closely in class, since there are so many word endings in French.  For example:
-ent is not pronounced if it is at the end of a verb (action word).  For example, marchent sounds like marche when it is read aloud
- er and ez at the end of the word are both pronounced as a long a vowel sound (ay)
- there are many silent letters at the end of words in French:  t, p, d, z, s, x
- sometimes words will end with -te or -de, which is not silent (for example, petit sounds like "peti" BUT petite sounds like "petit".


This week we are talking about ai and ei which is the same as è and ê which make the e sound like in the English word wet.  We will talk about a few exceptions to this rule (there are always exceptions in French!) next week.

I hope that this blog post will help you help your child with his/her reading at home! If you have any questions about this or anything else, please let us know.

In closing, here is a video of the song we will present to the seniors at the Cosmo's Senior Centre tomorrow after lunch:   Frère Jacques, rock'n roll style!

Yoga 4 Classrooms Family Letter - week 1 (Intro. to yoga and mindfulness)

Tell me about...yoga and mindfulness. Research shows that children who regularly practice yoga and mindfulness are better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves. All of these factors contribute to successful learning and improved health and well-being throughout their lifetime. Have your child tell you what the class learned about yoga and mindfulness.
Let’s Breathe...Balloon Breath Using Balloon Breathing can help calm and focus bodies and minds. Imagine your belly is like a balloon. Slowly inhale through your nose and allow your belly to inflate like a balloon. Now then deflate the balloon by exhaling through your nose. Notice how you feel and share your experience.
Show me... Tree Pose Tree Pose helps with balance and concentration. Begin in Mountain with hands together at your chest. Find your "focus point". When you are ready, shift your weight to one foot and bring the opposite foot to your ankle or the side of your calf. Grow your arm branches up to the sky. Balance as you inhale and exhale deeply in and out three times. Slowly and mindfully return to Mountain before switching sides.

Au terrain de jeux: a photostory!

I just completed our class' photostory of all the sentences for the word study unit Au terrain de jeux.  I am very excited to present it to you!  The students haven't seen the finished product so if you happen to check this blog you will get to show it to your child for the first time.  Here it is:

If you can't get the video to work on this page, try going to this webpage instead:  http://video.spsd.sk.ca/uploads/HegartyK2013516182844.wmv
Have a wonderful long weekend!

Yoga 4 classrooms

A note from our principal, Mr. Shmon:
Dear Parents/Caregivers:

            We are happy to report that "Yoga 4 Classrooms" will be starting in our classroom next week.  We will have a 30 minute class once a week until the end of the school year.  We would like to thank instructor Shelly McGrath for volunteering her time and giving our students this opportunity.  The mission of Yoga 4 Classrooms is to empower students and educators to create positive, peaceful, productive classrooms that encourage exceptional learning and a lifetime of health and wellness.  The program promotes self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-confidence in school age children. 

           Yoga strategies can be used anywhere and at anytime to help increase focus, relieve stress, and maintain self-control.  Our hope is that by integrating these strategies within the school day and beyond, student attention and achievement will increase, which will help students experience greater success in school.
            Family letters will be sent home each week and are designed to engage the entire family in the yoga and mindfulness activities shared in the classroom. The Family letters will include simple, family friendly activities related to the lesson shared each week. Handouts consist of three parts: “Tell me about…”, “Let’s Breath” and “Show Me” and serve as a guide for you and your child to discuss what he/she is learning in the program.
            The focus is on stretching and other motor breaks, breathing, relaxing, and developing focus skills...all essential elements for success in school and overall health.  Student participation is optional.
            We are confident your child will be excited to share with you what they have been learning during their sessions.  Just ask!

 Sincerely,

Mr. R. Shmon

Principal

Notre continuum d'écriture

Since January, our class has been building and learning about using a writing continuum.  A writing continuum is a tool that our students use to assess and work towards a goal in order to improve their writing.  First, our class came up with a list of what good writing looks like and then, over time, we looked at various writing samples using this list.  The students then decided, based on our conversations of what good writers do, where to place each writing sample on our continuum.

Our checklist of good writing.

Looking at our Progress
Last month, I had the students redo a writing activity that I had them do back in September.  They were to write about the perfect pet.  In both cases, I did not help the students at all in order to see what they could do on their own.  It was a great activity to do because all the students (not surprisingly!) improved immensely.   We used the writing continuum to evaluate our writing from September as well as April and to make a goal for the rest of the year.  Now, students are working on taking their writing to the next level using the checklist we created as a class. 

Professional Learning
The primary French Immersion team at École Victoria had made it our goal this year to use a writing continuum in each of our classrooms in order to improve our students' writing and we all found it was a useful tool for our students.    You will probably hear talk of writing continua throughout your child's schooling, as they are used in most of our classrooms.

Two examples of our students' work
from september, april, and their
evaluations of both pieces.

At-home connections
The majority of our students are working on always remembering a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end.  We are also working on getting a feel for when we pause in our thinking to start a new thought (ie. when to put a period and start a new sentence).  Students are also encouraged to add details, details, details!  So when your child is writing at home (in English or French), these are some things you can encourage your child to practice.

Something To Look Forward To
Your child will be sharing his or her work and self-assessment with you soon!

If you have any questions regarding our writing continuum, please let me (Mme H) know. 

Canadian Mental Health Week May 6-12

I just learned that it's Mental Health Awareness Week, and as such, thought I would post a few children's mental health links, which I will also add to the links on the side bar.  Here they are:


http://saskatoon.cmha.ca/
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Kids/Home.aspx
http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/
http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/ps_mhas_child_and_youth_children.htm

If your child is ever exhibiting symptoms or stress or anxiety for one reason or another, please be sure to let the school know so that we can be more aware and sensitive to his or her needs and feelings and we will do what we can to help.  

Have a wonderful weekend, and happy mother's day to all the great moms out there!

Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic Book orders will be sent home today.  Please send your payment by cheque (cash will not be accepted).  Orders will be due Wednesday, May 15th.

We are adding the sentences from our word study poster to the students' Home Reading duotang for practice.  I am also working on a photostory of our sentences, so stay tuned for that!

Seed sale this week

Destination: conservation is selling wildflower seeds tomorrow and Friday during the 10:40-10:55am recess in front of the gym. The cost is $1.00 and the proceeds will go towards adopting an animal at the zoo and other future projects. Please send $1.00 with your child tomorrow or Friday if your family is interested in planting some wildflowers this season for Mother's Day or just for no reason at all!