Yikes! I haven’t written since last month. Where does the time go?
Overall, AIMS Testing is going well. Most students are taking their time and not rushing to be one of the first students done. Most students are showing their work when doing math work. Most students are remaining quiet and still during each testing period.
In between the two parts of the tests each day, the students receive a Nutri-Grain cereal bar. They get drinks of water, whisper to each other, and walk around the classroom. What fun! Yesterday, the students had an extra recess in the afternoon. We never take an extra recess. They were thrilled!
It’s hard to believe that the school year is 3/4 of the way done. There will be two assemblies next week. The field trip is the following week. There will also be a Spirit Day Assembly that week. Once May begins, there are fun 3rd grade events planned almost every week (and near the end, every day).
Overall, the students are writing quite well in cursive. Many students have memorized the multiplication facts. Way to go, students!
It will be a busy week for me. I need to finish grading and do report cards. During writing, we are spending time reviewing all 6 Traits of Writing and looking at samples of writing where students have met, exceeded, approached, and fell far below the standard. This is the last week for Junior Achievement. Ask your child what he/she has learned about cities and what activities have been done with Mrs. Chimene, our volunteer. The students (who returned a signed permission slip) will be watching Because of Winn-Dixie this week and then comparing & contrasting the book and the movie. I hope everyone gets to spend some family time together during Spring Break.
I am sorry that’s it has been so long since I posted my last blog. In the summer, when I took a blogging class, my intention was to write to you each day. I have found out that “that” just isn’t practical. I hope you enjoy the blogs, as infrequent as they come out.
The students have been working on understanding poetry when they read it and writing different kinds of poetry. They really enjoy sharing poetry. Today, the students shared their February Book Reports. The March Book Report papers will be sent home on Monday, March 2nd.
It is warm outside today. It might be time to start putting on sun block in the mornings and bringing a water bottle with ice in it to school. Be sure to check the right side of your child’s Take Home Folder. There are many papers in it.
I hope you and your family have some time to enjoy each other’s company during Rodeo Break. Hank, Ashton, and I will be driving to California on Wednesday for our first trip to Disneyland.
This is a fun month! Next Wednesday is Picture Day. Next Thursday is our Valentine’s Day Party. Next Friday is the 3rd grade field trip. Rodeo Break is during the last week of February.
Ask your child what he/she wrote about what Valentine’s Day means to him/her. Most of the papers are on display on the outside bulletin board. Has your child started working on Valentine’s Day cards yet? He/she can begin bringing them in on Monday.
The February Book Report is due on Friday, February 20th. Your child received a blank white booklet. Is your child coloring in hearts for the February Book-It! paper? It is fun to earn free pizza each month.
Do you know what letter test your child is on in Rocket Math? Two students have passed all of the multiplication and division tests. One student has recently begun division tests. Four other students have completed the daily multiplication tests and need to do all 80 facts in two minutes on the Friday test. The other students are somewhere between tests I and W.
Do you know that song (title of my message)? A few of us sang it a bit this morning. I am fighting a cold this week, and not feeling well makes for a longer than usual week.
We have had rainy day recess more than once this week. Ask your child what he/she did during that time. Has your child told you what he/she is learning with Mrs. Milton during science lessons? In social studies the students are learning about American History. The students explored timelines and primary sources and are now beginning to learn about explorers (more than just Columbus).
Can your child tell you what an adjective is? That part of speech has been our focus for two weeks. Ask your child what he/she wrote about in a paragraph that compares and what he/she is currently writing about in a paragraph that contrasts. Did your child tell you about the bit of fun that we had yesterday on the 100th Day of School?
Happy weekend!
In just a week, two students, Miya and Lacey, have moved. We now have 20 students. It is always sad to lose members of your community, and our classroom is a community.
The students have seemed especially tired (or as today’s Word of the Day said “weary”) on Mondays. There are many heads down on desks and unmotivated learners. Is your child getting to bed early enough (8 p.m. ish) on most school nights, especially on Sunday nights?
We have begun having social studies and science lessons every day but Tuesday. That means more social studies and science learning but less read aloud, writing time, grammar time, cursive handwriting time, etc. We really could use a longer school day (can’t believe I am advocating for that!).
We have been talking a bit about the upcoming Inauguration. The students got to pretend to be a reporter, interviewing Barack Obama after the Inauguration and also brainstormed goals for the new President and good wishes for his family and him. I have encouraged the students to bring in newspaper or copies of Internet articles about the Inauguration (just like they did during the Olympics and the election).
Today, I began reading Because of Winn-Dixie. Ask your child about the funny market incident in the first chapter. Ask your child what is funny about the dog’s name. During writing time, the students chose a piece of writing from their journal and made changes (editing and revising). Then they wrote a final copy (publish) of the journal entry. It will be graded.
No one passed a multiplication test today during Rocket Math. I hope your child is spending about five minutes at home each day, using the test from class to practice. When a student does not pass a test, he/she takes the same one the next day.
Unexpectedly, Miya moved back to Iowa. We now have just 21 students. That is a small number of students to have in 3rd grade. The other 3rd grade classes at Coronado have similar numbers.
Today started with rainy day schedule (students showing up in the classroom before 7:30 a.m.) and ended with sunshine. Yea!
Some changes… Grammar will now be taught in reading class instead of during homeroom class. Social studies and science lessons will be taught twice a week each, instead of just once a week each. Mrs. Neighbor, the school social worker, will be teaching a lesson once a week.
The students have learned how to form all of the lower and uppercase letters in cursive and will just be practicing what they have learned. Beginning next week, the students will write their spelling words in the homework packet and on the test in cursive.
The 100th Day of School is quickly approaching. It is on January 22nd. Information about the 3rd grade Field Trip will be given out by the end of January.
Ask your child about the gingerbread cookie glyph he/she made today. It’s not often that the students get to do a project; they really enjoy it. Today, the students began the day by going to art class. There was a substitute teacher. They got to do some scratch art.
When it was time to check the morning work, many students knew to multiply in the word problem. Ask your child what four letter word that starts with “e” indicates the need to multiply. There were many contractions to be fixed in the editing paragraph. Ask your child what a contraction is and what punctuation mark needs to be used in one.
It was still chilly by lunchtime although yesterday seemed colder. Tomorrow is Roaring Readers’ Day. Hopefully some students will be wearing a shirt that they earned one summer for reading.
Today went so well. The students always seem ready to work after an extended break from school. It was a pleasure teaching them today. Everyone received the directions for the December Book Report and a December Book-It! paper. Please send in canned/boxed food items and/or gifts for the family we’re collecting for (pink letter sent home last Wednesday).
We are pages away from being done with the second Blast to the Past book. Tomorrow the students will write in their journals, responding to the book. Ask your child to name as many pronouns as possible. Pronouns take the place of nouns. I read a funny book aloud, the students received another grammar tool, and we did some pronoun work together.
Ask your child about my new chimes. What a sound!
