omg...a blog on Friday?!

Happy weekend!  We are plugging right along...this is going to be short and sweet!!

In Science this week we did a filtration investigation with our five mystery powders. The kids got to see which process was needed to separate the water mixtures of each powder. Some filters had almost all of the powder left in them and they had empty petri dishes...filtration separated those two materials. However some filters were empty, and those dishes had a substance in them. Those materials needed evaporation in order to separate.  Some of the petri dishes had crystals in them. This allowed the kids to make connections to the article they read earlier in the week.  They know that salt and sugar are crystals, so now they are analyzing their data and drawing some conclusions!  We will continue more tests this week.

In my last magnet teachers' meeting, I was trained on a strategy called the "Q Focus".  It is a questioning technique and I used it to introduce our novel this week.  I had the kids reflect on the activity after, and they shared that they loved "letting questions flow out of their brains"!  Today we started the novel, The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois.  I am excited to read, discuss, and analyze the work of this Newberry author with the kids!

MSA testing for 3rd graders will occur on Monday and Tuesday, March 4th and 5th AND Thursday and Friday, March 7th and 8th.  Testing will be in the mornings.

You can help your child by making sure your child gets a good night's sleep the evening before the tests.  Also, make sure your child has a good breakfast each morning.  Expect your child to be overly tired...they work hard and the tests are long.  They will not have any homework that week other than their Science Fair project.  If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Speaking of the Science Fair...the deadlines I have made for your child are intended to help them manage their time.  It is ok to be a little late...for instance, I read seven "hypothesis, purpose, materials, and procedures" today.  I would like the rest of the class to show me their plans within the next couple days, so that there is plenty of time to experiment and collect data.

Classroom needs:
Clorox wipes
Hand sanitizer
Post-it Notes (brand name, please)

Any donations of these supplies is greatly appreciated.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Thank you, patient parents...

So, I'm sure you have heard by now...I had a procedure on my Achilles last Friday. I have had an injury for quite a few months, but it wasn't healing. So I had Plasma Replacement Therapy and can't bear weight for 10 days...needless to say, teaching on crutches is not easy or fun!   HOWEVER, your kids were SO fantastic about it all. I just adore them.  I apologize for no blog last weekend, but other than getting to the bathroom and back, I was "couch-ridden" for the first three full days...

Let me tell you about our week(s)...

Language Arts
We are hot and heavy into writing rough drafts of our biography reports.  The kids gathered information from different resources and categorized their facts into envelopes in their portfolios.  The next step was to create a time line using the cards...putting them in "life order".  This was a fun, hands-on experience with time lines.  See our different steps below...

The next order of business was modeling how to turn those facts into a story of "their" lives...writing the biography in first person.  And now...they are drafting on the laptops.  We've had a brief interruption while the school is being updated to Windows 7...but I should have the COW back this week and we will continue our endeavors! As drafts become complete we will peer conference, revise, and edit, so that they have a polished piece.  I am so impressed with their research and organization!  I can't wait to read the drafts!!

In Language Arts we are beginning a novel unit!  We discussed the different fiction genres this past week...with a fun "find this particular genre" activity...using the text features that best inform the reader about the type of book they're reading.  We will be reading a novel as a class that I am very excited about...more to come...can't give it away quiet yet!

Science
We are having a lot of fun with science right now...these kids are REAL scientists trying to gather as much data as possible about five mystery powders!  They are using their senses to observe and identify properties of each powder.  We are discussing physical and chemical changes that occur when mixtures/solutions are formed.  This week they completed the "water test".  Next week they will work with water mixtures and filtering, and then they will complete the "vinegar test"...all bringing us to the solution to the mystery...."What on earth are these five powders?!?!"  ;-)  Some kids are starting to hypothesize about some of the powders.  We will continue to gather and analyze data for the next few weeks.

Math
In my math class we are working on problem solving with division and multiplication.  Now that everyone is proficient with division with remainders (YAH!!), we need to make sure that when the information is hidden in a problem, they can find it, analyze it, and solve the problem.  They may use any strategy they'd like...but this week we'll be working on the most efficient strategy.

Other News

• We made Valentine's bags with our buddies...pictures below.

• Our Valentine's Day party was so much fun!!  Thank you so much to our Room Parents:  Mrs. Filburn and Mrs. Canaday!  And to all the parents who pitched in monetarily or in person...party was a success because of all of you!!  Pictures soon!

• Our Silent Auction basket theme is a boy's bicycle.  We are hoping to be able to purchase the bike and some accessories...if you haven't donated to the bike, and you would like to, please send whatever amount in an envelope marked "silent auction" with your child's name on it.  Thanks to everyone that has donated so far!

• MSAs...third graders will be taking the MSA tests in the next two weeks...as the test gets closer I will give some specific instructions for the kids that week, but try to keep it all on the down low...we do a lot that week to make it a fun time...our motto...work hard and it will pay off (extra recess, no homework, tic-tacs to stimulate brain function., etc.)  :-)

Valentine Bags with Buddies

Happy Monday!

We had a great week last week! Let me tell you all about it...

In Language Arts I introduced the kids to a research project. The students will be researching a famous person by reading a biography book. We will use the research portal "SIRS" to read articles and gather more information. And then last, we will use Biography.com, Brain Pop, and United Streaming to watch and listen to videos about their famous person. All of the skills/steps the students need to take will be modeled in class. The first step is taking notes and organizing those notes. We are using a portfolio system. The kids and I brainstormed all of the different categories/facts found in a biography or life story. We then set our purpose for reading...to find facts that fit each category. So we read an article about Harriet Tubman in the Scholastic Storybook magazine. While we read, the students took notes (one note per card...this helps later in the organizing of their writing)...and we decided how to sort the facts into the different categories. We will continue to work on this project for the next couple weeks.

We finished up our Social Studies unit on immigration and government. We ended with a Readers Theater about Ellis Island, and while we read and performed it, we discussed the characters' different perspectives. It was fun and very enlightening! We ended with a lesson on public services provided by our tax money. The kids became experts of one service and then taught all of us. After learning about each service, the kids wrote acrostic poems to share their knowledge. Those poems are in their composition books. Ask your child to bring it home so you can read it...they are fantastic!!

In Math we have been working on dividing up things into equal shares. Many times the kids found that when you try to divide something into equal shares, the result is a fraction. It was a great introduction to division and a quick review of basic fractions. This week we will be diving into many different strategies to use when dividing numbers that have a remainder. We will use repeated subtraction, number lines, 100s charts, tens blocks, and more! The students are encouraged to always use more than one strategy to ensure conceptual development, as well as to check their work!

REMINDERS:
Last week a note went home about our Valentine's Day Party...it is Friday, February 15th from 1:15-2:15. We are asking parents to donate $3 per family. Please send your donation in an envelope marked Valentine's Day Party with your child's name on it. Thank you!!

And today, a bright yellow paper went home informing you about our class basket for the PTA Silent Auction. Our wonderful PTA holds a silent auction each year. This is their biggest fundraiser and they use these funds for programs/materials that directly benefit your children. Our classroom basket is a boy's bicycle. We will collect donations and then purchase the bike which will be auctioned off that evening. Please read the letter and donate if you are so willing/able.

Thanks to Mrs. Filburn and Mrs. Canaday for organizing the party AND basket for our class!!

Have a great week...stay warm!