Hmmm...can you guess what I did this weekend?

Three generations of Anastasi women (my maiden name) making cookies in my kitchen...so fun!

(Ignore the date on the picture...I may be great at blogging...not so much with photography!)

I bet many of you and your families are enjoying family traditions this month...I am SO looking forward to learning about your different family and cultural traditions next week. We are spending a good part of Monday sharing our cultural projects...and I can't wait to hear and see what the children have to share! One reminder...the rubric I will use to score the projects was included in the project papers...use it when having your child practice what they plan to share.

Our week was busy and fun...

Math
We continue to work on multiplication...I am so proud of all of the kids...I can say with confidence that every child in my class can multiply a two digit number by a one digit number (a fourth grade indicator)! Hip hip hooray! The group of kids that had already mastered this indicator have been diligently working on problem solving and extension activities. This group will work on multiplying a two digit number by another two digit number on Monday and Tuesday. We will continue with this unit the first week we return from break.

Social Studies
We are wrapping up our Peoples of the Nation and World unit...we have done some very higher level thinking activities with this unit. One of my favorites was watching two short videos...one about a child living in Italy and one about a child living in South Africa. The students took notes and then each child took a file card and cut it in thirds. They were to write different facts about each child focusing on the indicator...food, education, recreation, clothing, etc. We then sat around three different hoola hoops (yes, I said hoola hoops) and showed the intersection of three children...an Italian child, a South African child, and a child from the US. Even though the kids had written specific facts about a specific child...now they had to think about what part of the triple venn diagram the fact went into. The kids were amazed at how many times their facts went into the intersecting circles...for instance..."eats pasta and pizza" was written for the Italian child circle, but could certainly go into the intersection of the Italian child and the US child. We found that the South African child had more facts that ONLY went into the South African child circle than the other two...and we found that we have a lot in common with people all over the world. The conversations were wonderful! We will complete another triple venn diagram on Monday using a child from Lapland (most northern part of Finland), a child from China, and a child from the US. I look forward to this activity!!

Science
We begin a brand new third grade unit upon our return from winter break...Rocks, Soil, and Fossils. The third grade team was trained on this unit this summer and we are all excited about it! Any of you parents out there have anything you know about this unit that you'd like to come in and share with us?! Let me know if you are an expert in this area...we'd love to tap your knowledge!

Language Arts...
We're wrapping up the poetry unit...we've discussed similes, metaphors, the mood and tone of a poem...the kids brought their favorite lyrics to school...because a song is a poem, you know! They looked for elements of poetry and analyzed their favorite song...there was a lot of humming and singing during that lesson! :-)

Each child has finished their biography...they have all peer conferenced and I will have met with all of them by the end of Tuesday. They will be bringing their biographies home over break...if you could have them practice the reading of their biography, it would be SO helpful! We will spend the first week back in the cafeteria practicing our Wax Museum and preparing for YOU, the parents to come and see all of their hard work! Here is the schedule...we hope you can join us!

Wax Museum

Hall of Presidents and First Ladies

Dress Rehearsal

Thursday, January 8, 2009

9:15 am and 1:30 pm

for 1st and 2nd grade magnet classes

and the other third grade classes

(bring costume/artifact to school in a bag)

Parent Presentation

Friday, January 9, 2009

9:15 am

UES cafeteria

(approximately one hour in length)

We hope you will be able to join us! Please email me if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend!

Have a very "mice" weekend!!

I can do 28 kids on a field trip...

I can do my own kids getting sick in a car...

I can even do a huge plant spilling topsoil all over my white carpet (what was I thinking with white?)...

BUT I CANNOT DO MICE...


I'm sure the kids will all come home and tell you, so I thought I'd just come right out and tell you myself...

I jumped onto a chair this morning and stayed there awhile after my classroom was visited by a mouse...I'm sure it's a friendly mouse, and YES, I know how much bigger I am than it...but...
I DO NOT DO MICE!


OK, now that we've gotten that all out in the open...back to the whole reason I have this blog...let's talk about YOUR kids and their week!


Language Arts...
I LOVE poetry...I never thought I would say that! The kids have been reading some incredible poems this week...Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. While reading these poets' pieces, we have discussed rhyme, rhythm, lines, stanzas, similies, onomatopoeia, and more...but importantly, we have been finding the meaning in their words. The students are such "deep thinkers" and used the elements of poetry to analyze some pretty tough poems. I have been incredibly proud of their work. On top of all of the reading and analyzing we've done...the kids have been WRITING poems...and HOLY MOLY, I have a classroom full of AMAZING poets!! I don't know in what fashion we will be publishing these poems, but we WILL be publishing these poems. They are great!

Along with our poetry unit, we have been finishing the first drafts of our biographies. The typing of the biographies has taken quite a while, but now they will now use those drafts to have a peer conference, as well as a teacher conference. I expect final drafts completed by next Friday and then the practicing will begin!! As of right now, we are aiming to present our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies the first Friday in January...it will be a morning production...and I promise to have full details by next Friday (have I said that before?!) About "costumes"...please do not spend any money on a costume...first of all...the kids do not HAVE to dress like their person...it makes the wax museum more interesting looking, but is not necessary. They must have something on, or with them, that represents their famous person. If you click on the link for the May 2008 entries in the blog, you can watch a short slide show of our wax museum from last year...just as a guide. It is important to begin thinking about what your child will bring or wear. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to email me.

Social Studies...
We finished up our Political Science unit...we read about important monuments, memorials, and symbols of the US, as well as learned about National holidays such as Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. Now we are focusing on Peoples of the Nation and World. We have been discussing different cultures and how they celebrate their holidays. Next week we will be investigating certain countries and how the lives of the children there compare and contrast to our students' lives.

Math...
In math we are working on multiplication. I have grouped the kids for different indicators and each day I meet with different children depending on the needs of those kids. The students that are not meeting with me are working independently on the skill taught the day before or on an extension of what is being taught. Everyone is making great progress, but some of the kids really need to continue to practice multiplication facts...they need gentle reminders!! http://www.multiplication.com/ is a great resource with fun games to help the kids acquire their facts.

I thought I'd leave you with a poem written by Grace Lee after this morning's escapades...I tell you, I've never heard so many poems about mice in my life...but this one sums it all up really well....

Mrs. Wills is Afraid of a Mouse

by Grace Lee

My teachers afraid of a mouse.

She has a mouse in her schoolhouse!

She jumped on a chair, like it was a nightmare,

My teachers afraid of a mouse!

Mr. Ray came in with a start.

He put out a mousetrap, (his part.)

Mrs. Wills just stood, as far away as she could,

Mr. Ray came in with a start.

Our class thinks the mouse is gone.

Mr. Clutz's class he might've gone.

Mrs. Wills is still scared, would she go near? She didn't dare!

Our class thinks the mouse is gone.

I hope our class is right! Have a great "mice free" weekend...like I plan to!

p.s.

CONGRATULATIONS...

to our class for filling the marble jar!

The kids work hard for every marble, and yesterday we celebrated with "Winter Day"...PJs, a movie, and yummy hot chocolate! They should be proud of themselves...they show the pillars of character every day in our classroom and throughout the school!

Happy Friday!

We had a great week...can you believe it's December?!

Language Arts
Most of the kids have finished organizing their facts about their president or first lady. They have moved them from their learning laptop onto a giant sized web. Some students have begun taking that information and organizing it into a well written biography...about themselves! They will be taking on the persona of their very important person for our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies, so they are writing the biography from "their point of view." Next week they will meet with peers to find necessary revisions and then conference with me to make sure they are ready to publish. This will all be done while we jump into our next Language Arts unit, Poetry. I LOVE poetry and think the winter is a wonderful time for writing poetry! We will be exploring all of the elements of poetry and reading and writing many different types of poems.

Social Studies
The unit Peoples of the Nation and World is what we are headed into as we wrap up the Political Science unit. And, no, you were not having a nightmare...your children really DO have a project to do this month...but it's not labor intensive, and you'll actually enjoy the conversations that will occur as a result of this project! This project is due on Friday, December 19th. The description and rubric are coming home today...please look the over the project this weekend and discuss it with your child. We are happy to provide 18x24" construction paper for the kids to use. I will be sending this next week. If you and your child decide that you would prefer to use something other than construction paper, that is perfectly acceptable. This project requires conversations with family members, but otherwise, should be completed independently.

Math
The kids took a multiplication pretest this week and will begin some group work next week...there are so many different objectives in this unit, and each child has different needs, so we'll be changing the groupings quite a bit during this unit. This past week we worked with the math vocabulary: numeric expression and numeric equation...just to be clear...the equation has the operation and the answer...the expression only shows the operation.

EXPRESSION
3 x 5

EQUATION
3 x 5 = 15

We did an activity with rolling number cubes and creating multiplication arrays while using this math vocabulary.

We also worked with the words: factors, multiples, and product. The kids were asked to solve a word problem and explain their thinking, making sure to include proper math vocabulary in their explanation. They did a fantastic job. I'm holding onto those papers for their portfolios...but you'll see others over the next couple of weeks.

I think that's about it...I know it's a busy time of year...my weekend consists of two basketball games, a dance recital, getting our Christmas tree, grading papers...and oh yeah...trying to regain control of my house...well, we know which one of those I won't get to again, don't we?!!

Have a great weekend!

SCIENTISTS AND AN IMPORTANT NOTE!

Mrs. Cicerone, our technology specialist extraordinaire, took pictures of all of our scientists today...and I wanted to share them with you!

BUT FIRST...an important note!

Our WAX MUSEUM will not be in December! We originally planned to present our Hall of Presidents and First Ladies Dec. 19th, but we are now looking at the first week in January. You will know by the end of next week the exact date and time, so that if you need to take off of work to attend, you can. I just wanted to give you a heads up about this change...the kids are working very hard to research their very important person. This week we are beginning to organize the information, and we will start writing soon...but Dec. 19th was pushing it a little...so we'll be presenting after Winter Break.

And now...our scientists...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

This two day week was a lot of fun...full of learning (as usual!)

Here is the run down...

• The students participated in two readers theater performances based on Thanksgiving.... they were fun to listen to, and the kids did a nice job using expression.
• They read a non-fiction article about the National Turkey and created a synthesis comic strip that displayed their level of understanding.
• They did math problems about turkey sales in different grocery stores.
• We watched a video about the original Plimoth Plantation of 1620, the roles of Pilgrim men and women, the voyage of the Mayflower and the importance of the Mayflower Compact.
• They followed a performance task to complete a turkey using their feet and hands (a definite keeper!!)
• We all had a ton of fun seeing all the science projects...I was incredibly impressed!

Like I said, a lot of learning!!

On a personal note....
Everyday that I come to work I am thankful. I have a wonderful job...a great principal to work for and a great team of teachers to work with. I have an amazing class (more on that below).

And of course...I am always thankful for my family...my husband and kids. Speaking of my kids...I want to share a quick story that will make you smile. Two years ago, my daughter Kate was three years old, and while we were driving down the road she said to me, "Mommy...do you know what happens on Thanksgiving?" I said, "Well, what do you think happens on Thanksgiving?" (wanting to know what she was thinking) Kate said, "The Thanksgiving Chicken..." I interrupted and said, "It's a turkey, sweetie." She continued, The Thanksgiving Chicken comes to your house and gives you a high five!"

My wish for you all this five day Thanksgiving break is that you enjoy your time with family and friends...and that you are all visited by the "high fiving chicken!" :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What I am Thankful For

by Mrs. Wills

Erica and her contagious smile,

Ashwin and his responsible nature,

Stephanie and her love for reading,

Aravind and his knowledge of everything non-fiction,

Kirsten and her love of drawing,

Grace for embodying her name,

Christine for her positive attitude,

Megan and her level of motivation,

Sriniket and his need to excel,

Pratulya for being so kind,

Nisarg for always being on task,

Chris and his sense of humor,

Riley and his laugh,

Abby and her endless stories about pizza,

Krishnapriya and her quiet gentleness,

and Joy for embodying her name.

FRIDAY!

WOW...what a week! I don't even know where to begin...

Math
We finished up our data collection and probability this week...we discussed the likelihood of an event occurring...and we used fractions to show the outcome...or probable result. We used number cubes, spinners, and file cards with numbers written on them. Yesterday the kids completed an assessment where they had to apply all of the parts of this unit to complete the task. They were allowed to use their math spiral as a resource as they decided which tables of information needed which kinds of graphs. They then had to graph two of the sets of data to show that they know all of the important parts of a graph. They will get these assessments back by Tuesday of next week. We will be entering into the multiplication and division units next. Please have your child practicing facts...the better they know their facts, the easier the unit will be for them.

Language Arts
Each student has picked a president or first lady to portray in our upcoming Hall of Presidents and First Ladies...the kids have begun reading the books and taking notes. We will be working to determine which information is important, using that info for a timeline, and then taking all of the information to create a student written biography. We ask that if your child comes home with their biography to read and take notes at home, please do not help them with this task. We want this project to be completed independently. Thank you.

I'm pleased to announce that almost everyone has finished publishing their "Dinorella stories" ...so I can now take them home and begin the very long job of scoring them!! :-) I can't wait for you to read them!

Social Studies
This unit on Political Science is full of wonderful vocabulary and learning! The kids have read about local, state, and national government. Today's reading selection was about the three branches of the national government and the duties of each one...the kids created a three column chart to write down facts about each one...they will answer questions pertaining to the three branches next week.

Speaking of next week...the kids will be participating in some Reader's Theater activities...we have some fun fall themed "plays" that the kids will be doing...we'll be focusing on their expression and fluency, not the actual acting out of plays...that we leave for the Spring...and happens to be one of my favorite units!

REMINDER...Science Fair Projects are due Monday!! I have spoken to a few of you that asked to use the Thanksgiving break to finish your projects...so I will expect them to arrive at school on Monday, December 1st. But otherwise, we're looking forward to seeing and hearing about the 13 other projects this Monday! (I need to get busy with Jake!!)

FYI...One last thing...I spoke with the kids today about the expectations of this program. I want them to know that yes, they're a part of this program because they're smart, but also because they are capable of work that is above average...and that I expect to see that above average work... that if the paper says "at least three facts", they should be giving at least four facts...they should always strive to do their very best work...very thorough work...and I'm going to be pushing them to do so...just thought you should know! :-)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families.

Happy Friday!

I started this post on Friday, hence the date...only getting back to it now...sorry! (Went to the beach with my sister, my mom and my dad...shopped til we dropped...just got in...so here's the week's rundown!)

This has been a great week full of learning...


Language Arts
In Language Arts this week we began a unit titled, "Reading Social Studies Textbooks." We are using biographies for this unit because we use the textbook during social studies and that would be incredibly redundant! The students have been putting their schema and new facts into their "learning laptops"...ask them about this. After I modeled the entire process with Harriett Tubman, they got to choose to read and learn more about Thomas Edison or Louis Braille. They will take the information gained and develop a timeline of their famous person's life early next week. This is all in preparation for an in school biography project that your child will be hearing about on Monday. We will be doing ALMOST all of this project IN SCHOOL...so have no fear...we're not assigning this during the science fair at home projects!! More to come about this in next Friday's blog...but be on the lookout Monday evening for a paper informing you about this project!


Science Fair
Speaking of the science fair...I am SO excited to see and hear about all of these projects. In speaking with a parent, I know there is a little bit of frustration about how quickly these due dates seem to be popping up...I am sorry for this...we tried to make all of the due dates have your child finish the project BEFORE Thanksgiving...we figured you didn't want a project looming over you during the 5 day break...HOWEVER...if that five day break is what you and your child need...please feel free to send me a note explaining that you all will be completing the project that weekend...I have no problem with this. I just need it in writing from you, so that I know what schedule you're on. Thanks.


I went over the "data collection due Tues 11/18" with the kids in detail today, but if you have any questions, please feel free to email me this weekend. (wrote that part on Friday!)


Math
We have analyzed and constructed double line graphs and are moving into probability...they will be using terms such as more likely, less likely, outcomes, probability, and using a fraction to express the probability of something occuring. This is a particulary fun part of the unit and will take us into midweek...I love teaching this class...I'm always learning something from THEM!!

Fluency
Last week the kids all memorized a short poem about Fall to continue work on their fluency. This was our third formal speaking presentation so far this year. I am very proud of the work the kids have been doing with oral communication. They will be well prepared for the biography project we are embarking on!! (A couple of kids chose different poems...favorites from home...we REALLY enjoyed hearing them!)

FYI...we are doing some activities with "sticky notes" and it has come to all of our attention that the sticky notes we use from the county are generic and are not very sticky...so if you happen to have extra "post it" (the real brand) notes laying around the house and would like to donate them to our classroom...we'd love it! Thanks!

Hope you have a great week and I look forward to seeing your children tomorrow!

Happy Sunday!

We had a short week, but WOW, it sure was full of learning!

Language Arts...
We are closing up our unit on short stories...the kids have explored folktales, fairy tales, fables, and tall tales...they have analyzed all parts of story structure, discussed the mood a story evokes, and even written their own fairy tale. We will be working to publish these pieces this week in the computer lab. These fairy tales, or "Dinorella" tales, as we like to call them, will be scored for three of the six writing traits...IDEAS, ORGANIZATION, and CONVENTIONS. All three traits have been modeled, and each student has completed peer revisions to help "polish" their already WONDERFUL pieces! This week we are beginning a unit titled "Reading Social Studies Textbooks"...we are going to use biographies to teach the indicators in this unit. Our biographies will tie into the Social Studies unit on Political Science that we have already started.


Math...
This week the students were introduced to stem and leaf plots. This data organizer is very different than those they've seen before. We did an introductory activity where we all wrote our birthday months and dates on file cards and taped them on the chalkboard. We talked about how hard it was to read the data when it's disorganized and then brainstormed ways to display and communicate this data. They suggested bar graphs, line graphs, but when discussing further, they realized that it was very difficult to show both the date of their birth and the month of their birth on the same bar or line graph. Do you see where this is headed?! The stem and leaf plot is perfect for this data. We worked with our birthdays first and then used other data that is best represented on stem and leaf plots...we will visit this again this week and then move to double and triple line graphs. It is our goal that your kids will see a list of data and be able to decide which is the best way to display and communicate that data.


Science...
This week we tested our unknown powders by adding iodine, and the next day, red cabbage juice. The students made a hypothesis and recorded observable properties of the unknowns. This coming week we will be observing what happens when each unknown is heated, and then the kids will read an article that contains some background information about the powders. And finally, the students will draw conclusions about the identity of the mystery powders. This unit has definitely been a class favorite!


SCIENCE FAIR
As you know by now, all third grade magnet students have been asked to do a science fair project! On the inside of the cover sheet of the Science Fair packet is a helpful planning tool for you and your child. This is just a tool. I plan to check in with each student as this project is being completed in order to make sure each child is on track. HOWEVER...if you and your child are having a hard time sticking to the due dates, please just send me a note so that I know you are aware of the dates...extensions are no problem, as long as you know the projects have to be done by Nov 24th, the day before Thanksgiving break, so that they can be on display Dec. 2nd, the first Tuesday we return. If you have any questions during the project, please email me and I will get right back to you. This is my first Science Fair, so I am on a learning curve. Mrs. Maenner developed the planning tool packet and I am very grateful...both as her teammate and a parent of a third grade magnet student!

WORD STUDY...
Your children will be coming home with word study words this week. These words are listed at SpellingCity.com, a link that is available in the menu bar next to this entry. The kids just need to type in my name and choose the list of Consonant + le, + al, and + el words. They will be tested on these words Friday the 14th.

Hope your weekend was great! I look forward to the week ahead with your kids!

Why it will be a Saturday post....

Today Kate Wills is five years old...so I did the "Mom" thing and headed to a playground this afternoon...now we're headed to dinner to celebrate...so I promise to do the "Teacher" thing a little later this weekend! Enjoy your families and have a great weekend together!!

Fall Festival Celebration and a Presidential Election..who could ask for anything more!!?

What a wonderful week we've had! Researching candidates, learning about the electoral college vs. popular vote, running a mock election...we've been busy, but having a lot of fun...and let us not forget a whole day devoted to characters and our fall festival...Friday was a great end to a fantastic week! (And I need a nap. :-))

Social Studies and Language Arts

I feel the need to start with Social Studies...because if the kids enjoyed the past two weeks 1/2 as much as I did, it was WELL worth our time!! We spent last week discussing the history of voting...and this week we turned our focus to the two main candidates for president. We asked the kids who they wanted to see win the election...and then played an awful trick on them...we made them research "the other guy!" We felt that this was the best way to make them think outside of themselves and write about why the "other guy" was a good candidate...because whether or not he's the one we want, a whole lot of people think he's the best of the best...in each separate political party! They took this job on just like they do with everything they do...with motivation and a great attitude. They researched one day, and wrote informative paragraphs the next. The focus was on main idea, ideas to support the main idea, and details to support the ideas. The graphic organizer we used helped to make this make sense! After these paragraphs were complete, the kids got into groups and "voted" on the best well written paragraph for the candidate. Let me take a moment to say...ALL of the paragraphs were wonderful....but we couldn't share 16...they then chose speakers that would best communicate their message. Those choices represented the "popular vote", and then I represented the "electoral college"...I picked a few other people to share their paragraphs. THEN...here comes the really good part...Friday, we presented to Mrs. Foster's class and Mr. Schartner's class. We explained that we were not there to persuade them who to vote for, we wanted them to make an informed decision, therefore we were sharing information about the candidates. The speakers did an outstanding job...and the entire third grade participated in a mock election that afternoon. Believe it or not...I forgot to give the results to the kids yesterday...we were so busy with the Fall Festival...but in the third grade at Urbana Elementary School, Barack Obama won by 20 votes...the final tally was 61 votes for Obama and 41 votes for John McCain...I think we're in for a long night this Tuesday!!

Math

This week in math we started a unit on collecting and displaying information. We delved into double bar graphs, and we are headed into the world of stem and leaf plots, line plots, line graphs and much, much more!

Science

This week we found time to test our unknown powders...mixing them with vinegar...the "green" powder was very exciting to watch! We will test with iodine and cabbage juice this coming week. The following week we will be doing our final tests and then the students will be given some pertinent information to help them draw some conclusions based on all of our testing. We have some quite a few potential scientists in our group!!

FALL FESTIVAL!!

And then Friday...what a day...we started off the morning with a great pumpkin math activity...we made all kinds of predictions about pumpkins and then verified them all...we weighed, measured circumference, diameter, height, we counted pumpkin seeds...boy, were we surprised at how many seeds there were in each pumpkin!! After our math activity the kids did some creative writing...poems and stories about Fall...man, do I have some talented writers! And then in the afternoon, we had the most marvelous party planned by Ms. Kim and helped by so many wonderful parent volunteers. The kids made beautiful frames, played a fun memory game, and enjoyed delicious treats! Thank you so much to all of you...for making donations to make this party SO amazing...it was one the kids will remember for a long time. One more thing...Ms. Kim had the kids write down on a leaf what they are thankful for...and then they hung them on branches...this "Thankful Tree" is on the table in my room...if you get a chance this month...stop by to see it...your children are all very thankful for YOU.

Let me apologize for the SUNDAY posting...but I was definitely not getting one out on Friday...I had to hurry home and be "Mom" and go trick or treating...and I needed yesterday to recover!! So...sorry to make you wait...hope the pictures below make it worth it...this will be a very long post based on how many pictures I want to share...so enjoy the pictures and the extra two days with your kids! I look forward to seeing them on Wednesday!

OOPS...it's Saturday!

Sorry to all of you faithful blog readers...the week got away from me! I was at a Junior Great Books training on Wednesday and Thursday...it was wonderful!! But it kind of threw me off a bit! However...I'm back and ready to roll!

First and foremost...WE FILLED THE MARBLE JAR AGAIN!! Our celebration will take place on Tuesday...they have voted to bring a pillow, blanket, or sleeping bag, and do all of their classwork in the horizontal position...should be interesting! :-) So please help your third grader remember his/her things on TUESDAY the 28th!

Language Arts...we are in the middle of our Short Stories unit...we have read fairy tales, folktales and now we're heading into fables! This past week our focus was folktales, specifically "Anansi the Spider" tales. Anansi is the main character in West African folktales...he is a sneaky, sometimes clever spider who tries to trick other characters, but often gets tricked himself! The kids wrote wonderful cinquain poems about Anansi, and I will try to make these into a movie and get it on the blog...I guess you know by now that I gave up on the other movie...but never fear...I will win the battle of the blog video!!

Math...the kids took a test on Monday (will come home this Monday) and spent the rest of the week problem solving and delving into other numeral systems. After learning the Roman Numeral system, they researched, practiced and taught each other about the Babylonian, Greek, and Egyptian numeral systems. We will tie this all together on Monday and then move into a fun unit on data collection. The kids will be making double bar graphs, line graphs, stem and leaf plots, and much, much more!

Science...we are having so much fun in Science! We continue to gather as much information as possible about our unknown substances. We will be testing the powders with vinegar, iodine, and red cabbage juice this week! Last week we did a filtration experiment and found interesting things in our petrie dishes three days later. Some children observed crystals and were very interested in this phenomenon...hence a homework assignment that will come home on Monday. It is optional, but will give your child extra credit in Science if completed. See the take home folder for details! Also...be thinking about a science fair project...each third grade magnet student will be required to do a science fair project...so stay tuned!

Social Studies...we decided to take advantage of the timing and do a little learning about our political system and voting. Last week we focused on the history of voting, and this week we will be learning about the electoral college and how voting takes place in our country. We are thinking about having a mock election on Friday, but we will see how the week plays out. We have not talked with the kids about the candidates themselves, but we know they have their opinions and a mock election might be fun!

A few reminders:
1. Your child may bring a blanket, pillow, or sleeping bag on Tuesday, Oct. 28th to celebrate filling the marble jar. Some kids asked if they could wear their pjs...and bring a stuffed friend...that is fine with me!

2. Your child is to come to school on Friday dressed as a book character. They should have a written summary of the book they've been reading. HINT...this is not a retelling...just a summary...a paragraph will suffice! (Summar: who the book is about...what the main problem in the story is...how it is solved.) They will receive a speaking grade and a writing grade on this assignment.

3. You are welcome to enjoy our Fall Festival party on Oct. 31...it's from 1:30-2:30. If you are able to make a donation to the party, please place it in an envelope and label it Fall Festival. I will pass this on to Ms. Kim who is organizing a fun time for the kids!

4. Your child does not have school on Monday, Nov.3 and Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

Enjoy your families!

I give up...

I tried and tried and tried...I had Mrs. Cicerone, our tech specialist, in to help me...NO LUCK!! I will try again next week...I will not give up...the video is worth the wait...I promise!

I just added a new website that I forgot about...my son, Connor, used it when he was in third grade...it's called "FunBrain.com" and it has a game titled, "Baseball" that is a fun way to practice math facts...you can choose your level and which skill you'd like to work on...I'd really like to see everyone practicing who has not scored 90% or above on a fact test...you know who you are!! :-)

Have a great weekend!!

Have a happy Friday!

What a week! Short days, but chock full of learning...my post will be much shorter today, but the 10+ minute video at the end will hopefully make up for it!! Here is how our week went down...

Language Arts:
We enjoyed the Fairy Tale Project presentations of all of our classmates! Our entire class did the "Wanted Poster" except for one child who did the "Pack your Trunk" project...they did a superb job using their creativity and they were outstanding speakers!! Also in LA this week, we continued to write our own version of "Cinderella" stories using alliteration...these are going to be wonderful pieces!

Math:
We finished up the unit on subtraction and addition and did some work on the problem solving strategy: find a pattern!

Science:
Our chemical tests unit is in full swing...on Tuesday of this week the kids observed five different mystery powders and made observations of their physical properties...the video below captures these scientists at work!

Cursive:
We have finished learning all of the lowercase letters and will begin uppercase letters next week!

Conferences:
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with all of you over the past two days. I am always interested in seeing your child through your eyes...I gain a new perspective. I continue to feel very blessed to have your children in my classroom every day. Please know that although there is only one scheduled conference, I am happy to sit down with you at any time during the year. As always, you may contact me by email with questions or concerns.

Have a great long weeked with your family! I plan to!

PS1...thank you SO much to the families that have been sending in tissues and ziploc bags and hand sanitizer...trust me, they are going to good use!! New need...if any of you have an old "playground" ball hanging around at home that is not being played with...I have plenty of kids who'd love to play with it during recess. I bought two at the beginning of the year and we've managed to lose both of them!! We still have a basketball and a football!

PS2...thank you so much for the book fair wish list items that you purchased for our classroom...the kids have been devouring them as they arrive...thank you for your generosity!!

HAVING GREAT DIFFICULTY UPLOADING VIDEO...

will keep trying later today!!

It's late...but it's still Friday!!

Hello, all...sorry for the late post, but it was a crazy busy day (I say that everyday, for the record!!) :-) We had another great four day week...and get ready...next week will be even crazier!! Here's how this week went down...

Language Arts...we have jumped head first into fairy tales...and I don't know who is having more fun...the kids or ME! We started on Monday with Cinderella, with lots of groans from the boys...but I have to tell you...I think I have some converts!! It was probably the story "Dinorella" that helped them begin to like the "Cinderella tales." We enjoyed how the author used alliteration to write this wonderful fairy tale about a dinosaur. We focused on the "turning point" in a fairy tale, otherwise known as the climax. We used a graphic organizer to retell Dinorella and identify the climax. Today the students chose their own letter of the alphabet to brainstorm nouns, adjectives, and verbs, and then began using the same graphic organizer to write their own "Cinderella tale" using alliteration. You can look forward to Stinkyrella, Fisherella, Pinkerella, and many, many more!!

Math...I divided the kids into two groups this week...based on the pretest results. We have students who have subtraction of large numbers down pat and we have others that needed some work wtih manipulatives and review of regrouping...especially with zeroes...and they have all done a great job! Since we have such a crazy week next week, we will be finishing this unit and moving on the following week. There are a few kids who do not have their subtraction and addition facts committed to memory…they need to work on acquiring these facts! So, if you notice your child still using their fingers…please encourage him/her to practice their facts so that the adding and subtracting of larger numbers will be a lot easier.

Science...If you haven't heard by now...we've started our first Science unit...Chemical Tests!! We have some aspiring scientists in our classroom and this is such a fun unit. We have been working as scientists answering questions, making a hypothesis, and then experimenting to answer our questions. Next week we begin testing 5 mystery powders (common chemicals found in our homes) and the students will be making observations of the physical properties of the powders, recording their data, and eventually making conclusions. It promises to be a very fun few weeks of science!!

Social Studies...We ended our SS unit with the completion of our state brochures...these final products can be seen on the bulletin board inside our classroom. As you wait for the parent/teacher conference to begin, take time to look at the work your children put into these documents...they are WONDERFUL!!

Speaking of conferences...and the reason our week next week is so crazy...the conferences are scheduled back to back every 15 minutes next week...and I have certain things I want to cover during this time...but if you have something in particular that you want me to cover at your child's conference, please email me this weekend or Monday so that I can be prepared to answer your question...and make sure it is covered in the very quick 15 minutes! I will also have a calendar handy at the conference in case we run out of time...we can schedule another meeting to make sure all of your questions are answered.

I feel so fortunate to be your kids' teacher...they are a wonderful bunch and we are covering so much every day...ask them to show you some of their sign language...we've only covered a few things..."thank you, you're welcome, I want you to sit down" :-) that's one of my favorites! My sister is taking a sign language course, and my daughter is learning sign language at her preschool, so I've decided we're going to learn it too!! Nothing like adding more to my own plate!! :-)

I hope you have a great weekend...I will be outside attending more games than I did last weekend...if you can believe that!! Plus, my son has a fairy tale project due Monday...ugh! :-)
As always...email me or call me with your questions or concerns.

Happy 1st Friday in October!!

This is my kind of weather...slight chill in the air...shorter days...I LOVE IT!! Hope you and your family have something fun planned outdoors this weekend...it's going to be a gorgeous one! I will be attending FIVE (count them...) different sports games of my own kids this weekend! Kate plays U6 soccer, Jake plays U10 soccer and U10 baseball, and Connor plays U11 soccer and U12 baseball...AHHHHHHH!! Luckily it will be a great weekend weather wise!

But enough about me and my kids...let's talk about your lovely kids...I am one of the luckiest teachers alive because you have GREAT kids! I am so amazed at what we fit into a four day week...good thing, since we have a few of them back to back with a crazy week to end it all...the week of Oct 13-17th is really crazy! But here is what went on in our classroom this week:


MATH: we have been working on estimation and adding and subtracting larger numbers...we have been using white boards and breaking into smaller groups to differentiate the learning. A funny thing happened in Math this week that is very characteristic of these kids...I handed out an enrichment paper that had no numbers and instead had all letters...and the paper asked them to solve the equations and write down the addition/subtraction property used. You would have thought I asked them to write me a letter in Spanish...they were all staring at me with their mouths hanging open....you see, these kids are wonderful math students with their strengths being computation...but as you and I both know, applying it all is a whole different ballgame, and I stumped them BIGTIME!! :-) They all finally figured out how to use the letters and apply what they knew, but it was a struggle getting there! So, please bear with me as we're working on addition and subtraction...I am working hard to enrich and differentiate so that they remaein challenged!


LANGUAGE ARTS: we worked on "after reading strategies" this week using our Homer Price novel. "After Reading" asks a reader to reflect, reread, and remember...a student can show that they remember by RETELLING...("after reading" loves "r" words!) The students did an outstanding job retelling Case #3 this week. We talked about the difference between retelling and summarizing. When you sit at the dinner table and talk about your day, you summarize (if you're lucky enough to have a kid that says more than, "I don't know" or "nothing"!) Retelling is when you explain step, by step, by step...using words like FIRST, THEN, NEXT, AFTER, FINALLY...and it is a much longer process. Wait until you see the results...they did an amazing job! I also gave the kids some comprehension questions to go along with the novel. I haven't had a chance to grade them yet, but look for them next week in their take home folders!


WORD STUDY: I forgot to remind the kids that they had a word study test today, but I left class time for the kids to work with their words and study them...if anyone gets a really bad grade, I will definitely let them study next week and retake the test...SORRY, my goof!!

PROJECT: Sorry, I know, the dreaded word...but yes, they have a new one...and it's a quick turn around, but it's not as detailed as the first! Details about this project will come home today and the kids need to bring the bottom portion back on Monday with your signature. In this project the kids get to choose their own fairy tale. They can use a book from home, the public library, or our library...just FYI.


SOCIAL STUDIES: the children have been designing a brochure about their chosen state this week as a culmination of our unit...the brochure includes information about the physical geography, climate, and natural resources of their state, as well as "wow" facts and their own creativity...these brochures are wonderful! We will be sharing them with each other next week and you can look for them to come home by the end of the week. Another thing we did to wrap up this unit was the kids took a "Google Earth" tour of important landmarks in Frederick County. They were able to see them from an aerial perspective, and then visit the website for each one to find important information. They very much enjoyed this activity!


SCIENCE: we start a new science unit next week entitled "Chemical Tests"...I am so excited about this unit and cannot wait to get started! I will blog more next Friday about the unit and what's involved, but be on the lookout for budding scientists popping up at your dinner table!


REMINDERS: please make sure you signed the yellow sheet attached to the SS writing assignment and return both the yellow sheet and the paragraph. I like to make you aware of their writing, but I need to keep it in their folders for the year. I appreciate you sending them back to me as soon as you can!

Welcome Fall!!

I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather...we sure are! Our recess is only 20 minutes long, but the kids are enjoying the fresh air and cooler temperatures every day!

We had another great week...the kids have earned many marbles for their exemplary behavior and are working hard to, once again, FILL THE JAR! From my guess, it will be another week or so until it is filled, but you should applaud their hard work.

The one way that I am able to keep you updated on your own child's behavior is through the checklists. I am sending them every TWO weeks and appreciate you getting them back to me so quickly. I really like these checklists because they are set up exactly like the report card, so there will not be any surprises once the report card comes out. I use them for reference to figure out the "average" mark your child should receive in each category. You need to know that I am not very lenient in the "following directions" category. If your child does not follow directions the first (or even second) time given, their work and other behavior categories are affected.

We had a different kind of week because of the late opening on Monday and the addition of four Exploratory Music classes added to our schedule. Every third grader in Frederick County is given the opportunity to explore all of the different instruments that they can play next year in Instrumental Music. A specialist travels the elementary schools in Frederick County instructing students on the different instruments and letting them experiment playing each of them. Your child may have a good idea of which instrument they're interested in playing after this week. They really enjoyed this class!

All that being said...let's get down to curriculum!

This week in Math we worked on ordering and comparing numbers using a game called "Racko"...the kids loved this game and they really put their mathematical skills to use playing it! We also practiced rounding greater numbers (up to 1,000,000) as a way to check if solutions to problems are reasonable. We watched a fun video entitled Math Challenge where the main character, a secret agent, posed problems for the students to solve to help him complete his mission. They did an excellent job! We are going to briefly touch on addition problems with more than three addends, and subtracting greater numbers with zeroes next week...our main focus will be on rounding to estimate sums and differences. They were pretested in this area this week and my instruction will be based on this pretest. Many students will have independent extensions at their seat while I work with others on the reinforcing the skills mentioned above.

This week, in Language Arts, the students began reading the novel Homer Price by Robert McCloskey. This is a collection of short stories (or cases) that involve the main character, Homer. The author has a wonderful sense of humor and we've been enjoying his writing style. We have been using comprehension codes for all of the "during reading strategies" that we've been practicing. They have these codes on a blue bookmark and they use sticky notes to mark each spot them use one of our strategies. Many of them use the code "ha ha" when they read a funny part, but then find out that by marking it and talking about it, they also made an inference while reading. I enjoy listening to their conversations about the book! We will be finishing up this novel next week and moving into a Short Stories unit where we read fairytales, folktales, and fables. We explore all of the different elements of each type of literature and read some wonderful stories! I am very excited about this unit!

In Social Studies the students have been in the computer lab researching a particular state, and compiling information about the physical geography, climate, and natural/human resources found there. We've also been comparing different cities and states around the country in our classroom...the children read about Roseburg, Oregon, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Listening to the students chat about why and how these cities are different when it comes to geography, climate and resources was enlightening!

We continue to work on our cursive letters...we are halfway through the lowercase letters and will continue at full speed on the aquisition of these letters. I ask that you look at your child's handwriting when they bring it home as an assignment. If you notice that the letters are being made incorrectly, please help them. You can use the Zaner Bloser resource located on the side bar of this blog. Thanks!

REMINDER...this Tuesday, September 30th, is a day off for students and staff...another short week...but it will be full of learning...mark my words!

Have a wonderful weekend and as always, please email me with questions or concerns.

Lots to Say...

I have tried to post this several times over the weekend...but to no avail! I am sorry this is so late in coming to you all!

DELAYED OPENING MONDAY.

SCHOOL STARTS TWO HOURS LATER THAN USUAL!!

Just wanted to make sure you all knew that!

Many things to share this week...but first, a new link has been added under Social Studies...Time For Kids is our weekly magazine and they have a wonderful website. The link will take you directly to information about the election...written in kid friendly terms. It has election vocabulary, articles about each candidate, and of course, games to play! This is just an FYI kind of site...not one kids have to visit, just if they choose.

It was a short week, but a week FULL of curriculum...here's a run down of our week.

We concluded our numeration/place value study in Math this week...the children have composed and decomposed HUGE numbers, recorded their values, compared and ordered the numbers, and worked with number lines. They will have an assessment some time next week. This is not an assessment to study for...all of the prep work has been done in class. We are headed into money and finding the exact change using the least amount of coins and bills...as well as problem solving. Thanks to the parents who have sent in old socks...and thanks for sending them washed! :-)

In Social Studies we are moving into the physical geography, climate, natural, and human resources of a particular area. The students are reading from their textbook to gather facts about each geographic characteristic, and will be transferring that learning when they construct a travel brochure of their own next week. Each child picked one of the 50 states and did some initial research in the computer lab. We were using a research portal titled "Culturegrams" and they were able to find out anything and everything about their particular state. This coming week they will be researching the physical geography, climate, human and natural resources found in their state. They will design a travel brochure that will entice someone to visit "their state". This will be an in school project and I look forward to seeing what these amazing kids come up with!!

Speaking of projects...the "Follow Your Team" project is due this Tuesday, September 23. We will not be able to have EVERYONE share on Tuesday...so some will share Wednesday and possibly Thursday. Please have your child practice presenting their information to the class. I do not think the project sheet indicates whether they will be presenting orally...but THEY WILL. And they will be expected to speak clearly and loudly in front of the class as they tell us about their project.

In Language Arts we finished our "during reading" strategies...we covered Inferring and Synthesizing this week. The students continue to amaze me with their ability to work independently. I work with 6 students at time (isn't that awesome!) and the other 10 or so work at their desks on independent practice of the language arts skill we're focusing on or social studies activities. They are all doing a wonderful job...some need reminders, but for the most part, they are all making great choices.

Speaking of great choices...the bi-monthly checklist went home yesterday. Please sign it and send it back in on Monday. I have talked with the kids about the fact that it is "their choice" which symbol I put next to the behavior statements. I just record them, but they EARN them. If they see a slash mark or number sign and would rather have an X, they are the only ones who can choose to change their behavior. I am working especially hard with a few of them on following directions the FIRST time. We move at such a rapid pace (we have SO much curriculum to cover and have a shorter day than the average student) that there is no time for missed directions...we try very hard to keep distractions to a minimum...but there is only so much that I can control...some of it is up to the individual child. Sooo...please discuss the checklist with your child and if there is an area where your child would like to improve, brainstorm different ideas with him/her on how to change the behaviors. Thank you!

Thank you to the recent donation of kleenex and hand sanitizer...it was VERY appreciated!

Have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing your lovelies on Monday!

LAST CALL for DIRECTORY FORMS!!

Hi, everyone...hope you are having a great week! Catherine Kim, Grace Lee's Mom, has graciously offered to type up our directory...and I plan to send those forms to her on Friday! If you have not returned your Directory Form yet, please do so...it is bright green and was inside the Back to School Night folder.

Ms. Kim has also agreed to serve as our class Room Parent...so, THANK YOU, Ms. Kim!!!

Thanks so much!

Happy Friday!

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who was able to come to Back to School Night last night...I enjoyed seeing so many of you, and I know your children were thrilled that you got to come in and see some of the wonderful things they've been doing. They especially enjoyed checking out your position in the line plot this morning! If you were unable to attend, your child will be bringing home an orange folder today. There are many different items in this folder. Please take time to read through each one and then return the green directory form and the white volunteer form. Thank you!


Another five day week has come and gone...my goodness time flies! This week in Language Arts we focused on "during reading" strategies...specifically visualizing, asking questions, and inferring...I have some outstanding thinkers in this room. Many of these kids use all of these strategies naturally, and so to read and make them stop to talk about them or write about them can be frustrating...but they have done a remarkable job! Next week we will be focusing on synthesizing and determining importance...two strategies that are a little more complex.


In Math this week we began a new unit on numeration. We are working with numbers in the millions, determining their value, composing and decomposing the numbers, using estimation and applying it all in problem solving. We have been using white boards during some of these lessons...which leads me to a request...you know how when you do laundry you end up with at least one sock that has lost it's partner?!?! Could you please send one sock with your child to school that he/she may use as a white board eraser? I would really appreciate it!! We will continue with this unit into next week...and then dive into money...when pretesting the kids, they can all determine an amount of money, but finding the correct amount of change using the least amount of coins and bills is an area they all need to work on...so we'll be headed there next.


In Social Studies we are continuing to work with maps...we had a wonderful time this week delving into the State Highway Map of Maryland...using the grid system provided as well as lines of latitude and longitude. We are now turning our focus to the map of the entire US and will be doing an in class project determining the best route for my family to take on a trip this summer. I look forward to reading and seeing their ideas!


We continue to work on cursive...if you plan to let your child practice at home, my only request is that you stick to our pace...only practice the letters we have taught. It is a slow process, but it's at a pace appropriate for the kids. I am adding a link today where you can go to Zaner Bloser "Fonts on Line" and click on "get started" and make cursive worksheets for your child. This is only an option...no one is required to do extra cursive practice, but a parent requested it, so I am providing it!

Last, but certainly not least...in word study we are focusing on words that follow patterns that third graders are required to know...I have also added the "Spelling City" link where kids can use our actual list and play games and take tests. I may assign HW asking the kids to go on line and play one of the games or practice their words. Today in the computer lab, the kids visited Spelling City...they accessed it through the UES website, clicked on staff list, my name, and the globe next to my name, which in turn, took them to my blog. Spelling City can be accessed right here.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your kids...your families...and as always, feel free to email me with any questions. I truly enjoyed last night and look forward to a great year!