Friday, April 17, 2015

Weekly Update-April 17

Upcoming Events

April 16 and 21-MAP testing, 8:30-10:00*
April 22-Crazy Hair/Hat Day
April 23-Mismatch Day
April 24-Super Spirit Day
April 24-Comet Carnival**

*To celebrate the end of MAP testing for Paxton Keeley, we will have some celebration days on April 22, 23, and 24. See above for the theme!

**We still have those three spots available at the Comet Carnival. Here is the link again to sign up.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aaa829a4ff2-comet1/

In the Classroom

We have finished one day of MAP testing! Our last day will be on Tuesday, April 21st. Thank you for making sure your third grader was here on time and ready to do their best on the test. Just another reminder, we will not have homework next week.

In math this week, we spent some time reviewing addition, subtraction, place value, rounding, and patterns. We briefly started our Fraction unit, but will be continuing it next week. In writing, students completed their Opinion pieces! Watch for those pieces to come home in a few weeks. We also started our next writing unit which is Poetry. In Weather this week, we studied severe storms such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. Students did research on different storms and made posters to show someone how to stay safe. In reading, we practiced reading carefully and picking out the correct answers when given choices.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Weekly Update-April 10

Upcoming Events

April 16 and 21-MAP testing, 8:30-10:00*
April 22-Crazy Hair/Hat Day
April 23-Mismatch Day
April 24-Super Spirit Day
April 24-Comet Carnival**

*To celebrate the end of MAP testing for Paxton Keeley, we will have some celebration days on April 22, 23, and 24. See above for the theme!

**We still have those three spots available at the Comet Carnival. Here is the link again to sign up.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aaa829a4ff2-comet1/

Make sure to look in the Friday folder today to see more information about the Comet Carnival.


In the Classroom

In math this week, we focused on Area. Students learned what it was, how to calculate it for both regular and irregular shapes, and how to find a missing side when the area is known. We also briefly discussed Volume. Next week, we will begin our Fraction unit. We have almost completed our Opinion pieces in writing. Students are putting the finishing touches on their typed writing. Weekly Journals were not completed this week. Next week, we will begin our Poetry unit. In science this week, students learned about varying weather instruments such as anemometers, wind vanes, and barometers. We will start studying storms next week. We spent time in reading looking at the main idea and supporting details of short passages. 


Friday, April 3, 2015

Weekly Update-April 3

Upcoming Events

April 7-General PTA meeting at 6:30
April 16 and 21-MAP testing, 8:30-10:00*
April 24-Comet Carnival**

*We have our finalized MAP testing schedule. Third grade has been split into two groups. Our class is part of the second group and will only be testing Thursday, April 16 and Tuesday, April 21st. We will do the Math portion of the test on the 16th and the Communication Arts portion on the 21st. You received more information about the test before Spring Break. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding MAP testing.

** A huge thank you to everyone who has already signed up to help at the Comet Carnival! We still have three spots left if you would like to volunteer. Just click on the link below and scroll down to find our class.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aaa829a4ff2-comet1/


In the Classroom

In math this week, we began our unit on Perimeter, Area, and Volume. We started by discussing what perimeter is and how to find it with many different figures. We will move on to Area next week. In writing, each student chose their opinion piece to publish. We worked on developing a strong thesis, coming up with at least 3 reasons for support, and providing examples and details for each of those reasons. Every student has completed their first draft. Next week, we will focus on revising, editing, and publishing these pieces. In shared reading this week, we discussed non-fiction features by reading the book The Changing Earth. Next week, we will spend some of our reading time looking at practice communication arts test for the MAP. In Science, we began our Weather unit. Students learned about the difference between weather and climate and the three components of a weather forecast. Next week, we will begin studying the tools used to track, record, and predict weather.

I have decided to use the Class Dojo system for these last few months of school. This is the same program Mrs. Cornell uses in P.E., so some of you may already be signed up. In the Friday folder, there is information regarding how your third grader and you can access the program to see their daily and weekly points. This program helps all of us keep track of both positive and negative behaviors. We will do the points on a weekly basis. Please let me know if you have any questions.