December 14, 2015

Today we complete the AIR testing. The children were so cooperative and patient last week through all of the testing trials and should be commended for this, so please give them an extra hug.

This week as a tie in to persuasive writing we are going to be writing a letter of interest to Santa for an elf job at the North Pole. On Friday we read the book How Santa Got His Job, in this book it outlines all of the jobs Santa had before becoming Santa Claus. After reading the story we discussed the qualities and skills Santa had to have for each job and how that quality or skill is useful in his job as Santa. We will then brainstorm a list of jobs that the elves may have at the North Pole and hopefully we will come up with some creative ones. The children will then create their own list of qualities and skills they have that would be good for the job that they have chosen to apply for. The students will use this list to write a letter of interest to Santa applying for their chosen job. 

This week we will also be working on a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) project. Santa's sleigh has broken down and the students will need to work in groups to design a parachute that will get Santa carefully and gently to the ground with presents. The students will need to work cooperatively and will have a variety of materials to use when testing out different parachute models. They will need to record the materials they used and the outcome of each trial. This information will be used to work towards a working and useful parachute for Santa. 

On Thursday Music in Motion from the High School will be visiting Chippewa for a holiday performance. On Friday at 2:30 we will have our holiday party. I hope that everyone has a fun and festive holiday season. 

November 23, 2015

This week we have been doing a class wide project to reinforce the concepts we have been learning about in Social Studies. These include social and political responsibility, being informed about issues and the need to vote. The students filled their reward ticket jar and we used this topic as the basis for the students' project. First we made a list of the possible options for a class reward and then students were placed in groups of 4. Each group chose a reward option and using that option they had to inform the class of their opinion by stating it in a topic sentence and including 3 reasons with examples. The students then worked on a Google slideshow to present to the class, each person in the group was responsible for a slide in the slideshow.  Then the students made campaign posters for their chosen class reward that were hung around the classroom.  The students then had to present their slideshows to the class as a group.  Everyone made a voter registration card that they had to present when they went to the voting booth to fill out their ballot. When all of the ballots were counting Device, Movie, Pajama Day was the winner.

Reward day of Device, Movie, Pajama Day will be on Monday, November 23rd. Each student brought home an explanation of the guidelines regarding devices in their Friday folder. At the bottom of this sheet is a permission slip that needs to be signed by a parent giving their child permission to bring and use their device at school. If a student brings their device but does not have a signed permission slip they will not be able to use their device at school. The student will also need to sign the bottom of the sheet agreeing to use their device with good digital citizenship.

Also included in Friday folders was a permission slip for the students to attend a rehearsal for the music concert at the high school. This rehearsal will be on December 2nd, 9:35-11:00.  The students will be having additional group practices at school in the days leading up to the performance. The third grade music concert will be on December 3rd at 7:00 at BBHHS.

Third graders will be participating in the AIR Assessment for English Language Arts on December 8 and 9th. The students have begun practicing basic computer skills they will need to participate in the testing. The Chippewa Portal Page has a link to practice tests that you are able to access at home if you would like to get an idea of what the testing format looks like. You can access this by going to the Chippewa Portal Page, at the top click the link for Media center, underneath the References K-3 section click on AIR practice test.

Please remember we have two days of school this week. Thanksgiving break if November 25-November 29. Students return to school on November 30. I hope that everyone enjoys a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends.

November 9, 2015

What a beautiful week we had with unseasonably warm weather. Speaking of beautiful as I am sure you saw from the papers in your child's Friday Folder everyone did beautifully on our chapter assessment in Math. I am so proud of all of their hard work. We are continuing to practice our multiplication facts and we had several students who moved from the white belt to the yellow belt this week during Kick It. I am sure they will continue to progress as they continue to practice their math multiplication facts. 

This week we will be tackling the suffixes of ful and less. We will be working with these suffixes in a variety of ways in order to build understanding. We will continue to work on the elements of expository text and author's point of view. 

Last week we finished our opinion papers using OREO writing: Opinion, Reason, Example and restate Opinion. Everyone wrote about a place they thought other people should go to or visit. We will be using this framework again when we express our opinion about which reward the class should choose. 

We have been learning about political and social responsibilities. We discussed what social and political responsibilities included and respecting the rights of others. Next we will move on to dig into those topics deeper and we will be working to express our opinions about local issues. We will be doing this in the context of our Reward Jar. The students have currently filled their jar and have earned another reward. The students will get the opportunity to exercise one of their political responsibilities which is voting. First the students will work in groups of 4 to write and present their opinion regarding which option the students should choose. Following all of the presentations the class will vote on their reward and in a democracy the option with the most votes will win. 

If you have signed up for a conference on Thursday, November 12th I look forward to seeing you at that meeting.

I am looking forward to a great week.

November 2, 2015

I would like to first thank everyone for a fun and successful Halloween Party.  I appreciate all the time and effort that was put into planning and providing the snacks, treats and games. I hope everyone enjoyed trick or treating.

This week we are continuing to work on the skills that were introduced last week in Language Arts. We took our vocabulary test and spelling test last week but we will take our reading test this week. I have told all of the students that for those who did not receive the grade they were hoping for on their spelling test to take the extra time and continue to study. They will be given the opportunity to reassess on Wednesday. There will be no spelling packet this week for the children to complete, however, we will be continuing to work on those words in class.

This week we will adding the 5th part to our Daily 5, Read to Someone. We will develop an I chart which outlines the behaviors that are expected in order for the children to be independent regarding this skill. We will also learn about the strategies of coaching and time when participating in Read to Someone. 

This week we are going to finish our Math chapter with Multiples of 10 and Dividing by 10. I currently have the Math chapter test scheduled for Thursday but as the week progresses if we need to revisit topics for clarity that date may be moved to Friday. I want everyone to feel confident with their skills and knowledge before moving to the assessment. This week for homework the students will be bringing home homework that will help them review for the test. We will be going over the review sheets in class and answering any questions.

We will also be discussing community government and our role, rights and responsibilities as citizens. On Tuesday when you go to vote this would be the perfect opportunity to take your child with you so they can experience what the voting process entails and what it looks like. It will provide them with background knowledge that will be helpful as we navigate this topic at school. 

Just a few reminders:
Please remember to sign the sheet in Friday Folders and return it to school in the Friday Folder.
Please sign the report card envelope and return it to school.

October 26, 2015

Well we have had a very successful first quarter. I think congratulations are in order for every student's hard work throughout the quarter. Report cards will go home on Friday, please take the time to review your child's report card with them and congratulate them on their successes.

 A sign up genius will be sent home this week to sign up for a date and time for conferences. Conference dates will be November 12 and November 19. 

The Halloween party is scheduled for Friday, October 30.    The Halloween Parade is scheduled to begin at 2:30 that afternoon on the playground area.  Parents are welcome to attend the parade, however, the room parent has contacted those parents who will be attending the class Halloween Party.  Students can bring their costumes to school that day.  They will be given time to get dressed prior to the Halloween Parade.  They may wear a portion of their costume to school if it does not become a distraction through the day.  No weapons or violence themed costumes, please!

We will be finishing our Science unit this week and reviewing throughout the week. We will have our Science test on Friday before the Halloween party. 

October 19, 2015

It was so good to see everyone at Open House on Thursday night. 

All of the students are finishing up their animal research projects and Google Slideshows. Everyone has been working really hard on this project and they are excited to be able to share them. After the slideshows are graded I will share them with you so that you are able to view them at home. We will continue to learn about traits this week in Science.

We are continuing to work on similes and word choice in writing. We are also going to start a study of historical fiction and will be reading the book, Kirsten. This is an American Girl Story but it is historical fiction and also includes the topic of immigration which is part of our unit study this week. Due to the two short weeks our typical schedule has been modified and includes:

Wednesday, October 21-Vocabulary Test
Wednesday, October 21-Spelling packet due
Thursday, October 22-Spelling Test and Reading test
Thursday, October 22-Reading Log due

We will be learning multiplication and division patterns: multiplying and dividing by 2 and 5. We will continue with our daily practice of Kick It! All of the students are excited to practice and are very excited when they move to a new level. 

This is the final week of the grading period and report cards will be coming home soon. Please take the opportunity to check your child's grades on Progress Book.

October 12, 2015

Habitat Shadowboxes are due Tuesday, October 13.

We finished up our math unit about the relationship between Division and Multiplication and had our unit test on Friday. Judging from the scores it looks like everyone did some nice studying. We have also been working on research on the classroom so that we are able to transfer this information to our Google slideshow. The children did their title slide last week and we will continue to work on this in class this week.

This week we will start multiplication and division patterns. We are going to be working on practicing our multiplication facts in class with our Kick It! materials. Each student has been assigned a partner that they practice the facts for the belt they are working on with. Each students gets an opportunity to be the practicing partner and the checking partner. After practicing their facts we move on to a timed test. Once a student masters a fact at the current level they are working on they move on to a different level. For every four levels the student completes they move to a different belt level. Currently all students are White Belts and need to master levels A, B, C and D before moving on to their yellow belt.

This week and next week are four day weeks so the third grade teachers have decided to extend this language arts unit for two weeks. Below is a list of the dates that activities are due and when certain activities will be occurring in the classroom:

• October 14-Spelling packet will go home.
• October 21-Spelling packet due.
• October 21-Vocabulary test.
• October 22-Reading test.

I hope to see everyone at Open House on Thursday, October 15. Don't forget you will also have the opportunity to shop at the book fair.



October 2, 2015

This week we have begun a new Science unit about animals and how they are classified. Your child has chosen an animal that they are going to research and do two projects about. One of the projects is one that will be completed at home, the Google Slideshow and writing of their research project will be done at school. I have placed an explanation in each student's Friday Folder. We will start actively researching next week and our Media Specialist will be coming in to our classroom to help us learn how to use Google Slides. Through this project we are able to target standards in science and writing.

During rounds of Daily 5 this week we were able to work in strategy groups to review skills that would be targeted on their reading test. We took one extra day to work in strategy groups so the final part of the test will be completed on Monday, we took one part on Thursday and we took one on Friday.

Next week we will be finishing our last division lesson and will be having our division unit test on Thursday. Your child will bring home homework pages from their Math book in order to review and practice skills for this assessment. Please make sure to review the sheets with you child after they complete them.

Our Pizza Party Game day was fun for everyone. We were able to play some games your children brought in and enjoy some pizza together. I am very proud of them for earning this reward. We have had several discussions this week about how chatty they can be as a group. We are going to continue to work on this especially when we are in specials.

September 28, 2015

This past week we tackled division. We began our learning with division as equal groups, division as repeated subtraction and division on a number line.  This coming week we will look at the relationship between multiplication and division and the inverse property of division.

We have come to the end of our first reading unit. This week we will have a test over the skills we have learned as part of this unit. Some of these skills include: synonyms, multiple meaning words, metaphors and compound words. We have also covered cause/effect, main idea with supporting details, sequencing and text structure. We will take this test in three small parts over three days. Currently I have scheduled the testing days for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Monday and Tuesday we will be doing mini review lessons and working in strategy groups to review the skills and continue to develop proficiency. This test is an application test so there is nothing the students will be expected to review at home as we will be doing all of the review in school.

The students finished their Pirate Maps utilizing the map skills we have been learning. I have kept the maps to display at school, however, all of the rough draft information and their final rubric was sent home in their Friday Folders. This week we will begin Science and learning about Living Things.

The students have been working hard to earn tickets for behavior and for extra reading minutes on their reading log. They voted to fill a larger jar rather than the small jar to earn a larger prize so it was official on Friday that they filled the jar. On Friday we will be celebrating with a pizza party and game day. Each student is permitted to bring in one game that they already know how to play. The game should be one that can be played by at least 2-4 players and be a game that your child is able to explain the directions. Please make sure that games have all of the needed pieces and the game is labeled with your child's name. They should bring all games in on Friday.

September 18, 2015

Wow! What a fun filled week for our fundraiser. It was so exciting to come in each day and see what different ensembles everyone was wearing to school. Today the high school football players and cheerleaders joined us for our culminating pep assembly launching elementary school night at the football game. There was even some silliness from the teachers, but you will have to ask your children about that one!

This week we had our summative test regarding our understanding of multiplication. Those final tests will come home next week in their Friday Folders. We also began working in small strategy groups targeting specific strategies that are individualized for each student.  We launched another component of the Math Daily 3, Math With Someone. The students worked in pairs playing the game, What's Your Product? The students are continuing to build stamina while they work on Math by Myself. Next week we will begin learning about division. 

We have begun individual conferences during our rounds of Daily 5 and we have had some small groups as well. Next week we will have more opportunities for small strategy groups that will help the students build their proficiency with reading and writing strategies. 

We made an anchor chart for the classroom to help the students understand the meaning behind each letter grade. This is the first year the students are receiving letter grades so it is important for them to understand what that grade reflects in terms of their performance. Each letter grade relates to how they are understanding, how neat and complete their work is and how much effort they are putting forth. This also can be an indicator to them of times when they need to tune into when they need to ask questions when they aren't understanding or are unsure of their understanding. 

September 11, 2015

This week was a short week but one that was filled with good learning. We continued our learning of multiplication by building arrays. We have started putting notes and examples into our JAMs (Journal About Math), so your students will be bringing them home next week to review before our Math test. We will soon start multiplication timed tests so please begin practicing those facts at home, there are some multiplication games on multiplication.com that may be helpful.

We are continuing to work on Personal Narrative writing and this week worked on using a graphic organizer to organize moments that inspired different emotions. The students completed this and glued them into their writing notebooks. 

We have launched three parts of the Daily 5: Read to Self, Work on Writing and Word Work. The students are doing a great job identifying what they need to do during this time and they are continuing to build stamina during these activities. 

Please don't forget that a current event is due by October 15 but the sooner they complete and turn it in then the less they have to worry about completing this.

Thank you for having your child turn in any reading logs that were not turned in last Friday and then remembering to turn in another on this Friday. It looks like everyone is doing a substantial amount of reading and many students have earned extra tickets for reading beyond the required 105 minutes.

Friday Folders are going home today. There are a significant amount of returned papers in them so please make sure to review them, take them out and then return the folder with the signed sheet for the week of September 7. Inside the Friday Folders this week is an informational sheet regarding Progress Book usernames and passwords. Please sign and return the sheet stating that you have received and read this information sheet. There is also a Scholastic book order form in your folder, this is completely optional for all parents and can be done easily online. When you order books online we earn bonus points to purchase books for our classroom library. 

Friday, September 4, 2015

Well we survived the heat this week! The forecast says the beginning of next week will be hot also, so when the children return to school on Tuesday please feel free to send them with a water bottle. 

This week we continued to work on mapping skills. All students completed an alphanumeric map of their bedroom along with a self reflection rubric rating. Next we moved on to making a Pirate Map. The students were given the opportunity to create their own island and a map to a buried treasure, there were certain items that they needed to include in their map with a check in along the way with the teacher.

We also began multiplication this week and discussed that multiplication is like repeated addition. We also began to investigate arrays. We will continue working on multiplication and the students will begin to start mastering their multiplication facts. 

In our classroom story this week we discussed and practiced using visualization as a way to create a picture of what is occurring in the story in our head. We also learned summarizing strategies and using context clues to determine the meaning of words. 

We began the first steps in writing a personal narrative. We talked about some key strategies when writing such as: get materials and get started right away, write the whole time, stay in your bubble space and work quietly. We also discussed the strategy of GUM when coming to a word that you are unsure of how to spell, they should give their best Guess, Underline it and Move on. This strategy allows them to keep building their stamina when writing. 

Friday folders are coming home today. In the folders you will find work that has been completed, reading logs for the next two weeks and an explanation of current events.
Current events are due by the end of the quarter, October 15, but the sooner they complete them the less they need to worry about completing it.

This week I discussed with the class and put in their agendas that vocabulary test will be on Thursdays. Friday can get heavy with tests and I want to have a better balance for the kids when it comes to taking tests. Please make sure to review the vocabulary words with your children, they will always be in the front clear pocket of their take home folder, one side is the spelling words and one side is the vocabulary words.

Reading logs for the week were due today but because this is our first week of completing them if your child did not complete it I will give them until Tuesday to turn it in, but please continue to read and fill out next week's reading log. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend and enjoy your time with your families. 

Upcoming dates:
No school-September 7-Labor Day
PSO Spirit Week-September 14-18
Elementary Football Night and PM Pep Rally-September 18
Picture Day-September 25.

August 31, 2015

Week of August 24-28, 2015

First full week of school

We have completed our first full week of school and I believe we were successful. The children have had the opportunity to attend all of their specials and know the expectations when they are in those classes. 

This week we worked on laying the foundation for the Daily 5-Read to Self and the Math Daily 3-Math by Myself. The guidelines the children have learned are important in order for them to be independent and include: staying in their own bubble space, read or do their math the whole time, work quietly, get started right away, read or work quietly and build stamina. We also discussed why we do Read to Self-to become better readers and Math by Myself-to become better at math. One of the biggest reasons we discussed was that reading and math are FUN. 

Friday folders will be coming home. Inside the Friday folders there is an explanation of what they are, any completed work and an explanation of reading logs. There is also a copy of their backwards timed test we took on addition. In a backwards timed test the children are given 10 minutes and they work until they finish the test. When they have completed the test they write down the time they completed it at so that they can see how they improved their addition fluency over time.  Fluency with addition facts is important as we transition to multiplication so please continue to practice these facts at home.  If you have any questions regarding the Friday folder please feel free to contact me. 

Reminders:

• If you have not returned all of the paperwork from the red folder that was given to you the night of Meet the Teacher please return it promptly. 
• Agendas are to be signed nightly by an adult. The agenda is a good way for you to double check the homework that your child should be completing as well as see how their day went in regards to behavior. 
• Earbuds/headphones were left off the supply list so if you have not already sent a pair in please do so, we will need them in the computer lab. 

August 20-21, 2015

First Days of School

The first two days of school have gone well. We have been working on organizing our supplies and getting books passed out. We have gone on a classroom tour so that everyone knows where certain materials are kept and where they need to return them to when they are finished with those supplies. 

On the first day of school we did a class activity to help us develop our Class Rules Contract. The children worked in 5 small groups to answer 6 questions that were placed around the classroom. As we reviewed the answers to the questions we were able to notice things that were common about the answers which helped us develop our class rules contract. All of the children have read the contract, signed it and have a copy in their folder for you to keep at home. We also reviewed how our clip chart works in our classroom and everyone received their first tickets of the school year. 

Just a few quick reminders as we start our first full week of school next week:

• Please remember to return all paperwork to school including the signature page from the handbook letting me know that you have read the handbook with your child.
• Please remember to look at your child's agenda each night to review their homework and check to see if they have completed their homework thoroughly.
• In the handbook the PARCC was listed as the testing format for this year however that has changed and the test with be the AIR.
• The children are permitted to bring a water bottle for class but please make sure it has a lid that fits tightly and does not leak
• As we are getting back in to the swing of the school year the children have expressed that they would like to bring a snack to have in class. Our lunch is not until 12:55 and some children are getting hungry before that while some children are getting hungry after lunch. We will determine an appropriate time to have a snack, so your child is permitted to bring one in. Please make sure it is a healthy snack, such as fruit or cut up vegetables, something that will fuel their brain but not be too messy and is will be quick to eat.
• Friday folders are not coming home this week because there was only two days of school, but they will come home next Friday. The children received their take home folders today and are bringing those home. Please leave a copy of their specials in one outside pocket and a copy of their spelling words for the week in the other outside pocket. 
• Just as a reminder the spelling words are sent home on the Friday before the test for those students who like to study over the weekend. A spelling packet will go home on Monday.
• One supply was left off of the supply list, if you could please have your child bring in head phones or ear buds in a ziploc bag labeled with their name, we will be using them in the classroom and in the computer lab. 

I am looking forward to our first full week next and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.