Sandowne Elementary

699 Sandowne Drive

Phone (250) 923.4248

Email

Campbell River, BC,

Canada

Fax (250) 923.3625

sandowne@sd72.bc.ca

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am happy to announce that I, Ms. Jailyn Ten Have, will be the student teacher in your
childs classroom this year. I will be in for weeks at a time throughout the year. From what I have
already seen from your children, I know they have so much potential for success this year. I am
excited to let you know that our next unit will be on subtraction in math. We are using a technique
called Number Talks, this is a great technique to get the students out of their desks, and learning
in a different way.
Number Talks focuses on getting the students to know the answer for themselves. A lot of
classrooms, when math is instructed, the students who dont feel like answering, wont answer.
This is simply because the teacher picks the students with their hands up, and the students know
they dont have to think if they dont put their hand up. Number Talks gets the students to come sit
at the front of the classroom, this gets the students up out of their desks. When students know the
answer, they must signal a thumbs up to the teacher. I make sure the students all have an
answer, even if it is just an educated guess. Then ask the students at random. This program gets
the students to all have to think during the lessons.
The students did really great on getting the hang of addition with numbers up to 1000, now
we will be moving onto learning subtraction in the 100s. We will be using a technique called
jumping on the number line. It is a way of getting the students to avoid the fear of taking away.
Instead of wording a question 100-33, it is the idea of How many does it take to get from 33 to
100? This is a Number Talks strategy to take the insecurities away from subtracting.
Evidence that the students are getting the concept will be completion of the assigned
activities practicing the subtraction. They must be showing their work in how they found the
answer. Some students will find it easy to find the answer another way, but they must demonstrate
they also understand the jumping concept. Completion of the assignments, correct answers, and
demonstrated thought process is how I will know they have understood the learning.

We will be grading on a 1-4 scale. We compare it to a burger for the students to understand
why they received that evaluation.
1-I didnt give what was asked of me.
(Try harder next time.)
2-I gave most of what was asked of me.
(Great effort.)
3-I gave exactly what was asked of me.
(Good Job!)

4-I gave more than what was asked of me.

(Wow!)
The students behaviour has been great so far this year, and I ask that they keep it up for the
rest of the year to optimize their success. We are continuing to work on putting their hand up if
they have something to say, instead of calling out. They are constantly being reminded of the
classroom expectations regarding attentive listening and personal responsibility. All of the students
know what both of those expectations involve. Our school also is constantly working on the 4 BEs
in the school. Test your children on what the 4 BEsare, they are sure to recite them easily.
We are very lucky at Sandowne; we are able to have full access to lots of materials, so
anything for this upcoming unit will not need to be provided from home. We have plenty of
supplies to get us through this unit with no troubles. The students just need to practice their
personal responsibility in class by keeping their work folders in the correct spots so they dont get
misplaced. If the students wish to bring their folders home to show you, they must make sure they
bring it back the following day, as we practice their math daily.

We look forward to our following weeks!

Thanks,
Jailyn Ten Have

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to leave them below and
put in it your childs daily planner to give to me the following day. I will be sure to get back to you
as soon as possible.
You can also call me through the school at: (250) 923.4248
Or e-mail at: jailyn@shaw.ca

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