Weekly Update-January 29

Announcements

Thank you to everyone for returning the conference forms. The confirmation times for conferences will come home Friday, February 5th. Please let me know as soon as possible if we need to reschedule.  

There is a PTA meeting Monday, February 1st. The third grade teachers will be doing a short presentation about the upcoming MAP test. The meeting will be in the media center starting at 6:30.

Tuesday, February 9th is our Bookapalooza, Poetry Jam, and general PTA meeting starting at 6:30. Each student is invited to write a poem to be entered in the Poetry Jam. A team of teachers will choose students to read their poems on stage that night. I hope to see everyone there!

 In the Classroom 

We are continuing our study of the multiplication math facts. Students have been doing an outstanding job learning these facts. This week, we learned strategies for the 0, 1, 9, 3, and 4 facts. We have also been practicing the fact of the day each day. Here is the schedule for next week:

Monday 4 x 6=24

Tuesday 4 x 7=28

Wednesday 4 x 8=32

Thursday 4 x 9=36

Friday 6 x 6=36

Our blogger for the week, Jiya, took some pictures of students practicing their 3 facts by playing a dice game.

In science this week, we continued our exploration of magnets. We learned how to determine if a mystery object was a magnet, ferromagnetic, or non-ferromagnetic. Students did this using a mystery magnet box.

On Thursday, we designed experiments to prove that magnets do not have to touch a ferromagnetic object in order to attract to it. The favorite was the paperclip defying gravity!

In writing this week, students finished drafting their pieces and started adding their non-fiction features such as headings, photographs, and diagrams. Ms. Daniels and I started guided reading groups in reading this week. Our focus is on determining the main idea and details of a text or chapter.

Upcoming Events

February 1-PTA meeting at 6:30 (Third grade teachers presenting on MAP testing)

February 9-PTA general meeting, Literacy Night, and Poetry Jam 6:30

February 11-Valentine's Day room party 2:15-3:00

February 12-No School, Teacher Work Day

February 15-No School, President's Day

February 25 and 26-Parent Teacher Conferences

February 26-No School

Weekly Update-January 22

Announcements

It has been a short, crazy week! We have tried to get in as much learning as we possibly could in these 3 days. Weekly Journals were not completed this week but will resume next week.

It is hard to believe, but it is already time to start scheduling our February conferences. You will find the form in this week's Friday folder. 

Also in the folder is a pink sheet regarding Valentine's Day. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

 In the Classroom 

In math this week, we started focusing on the facts. We will be using a strategy where students are asked to memorize 21 facts. Your 3rd grader should have brought a paper home Thursday describing this system. Each day, we will focus on one of these 21 facts. This fact will become part of our classroom for the entire day. I encourage you to make it part of their night as well! Thursday, we focused on 3 X 3=9. Friday was 3 X 4= 12. Here is the schedule for next week (as long as there are no snow days):

Monday 3 X 6=18

Tuesday 3 X 7=21

Wednesday 3 X 8=24

Thursday 3 X 9=27

Friday 4 X 4=16

We continued to explore magnets in Science this week. Students learned about the different parts of a magnet, most importantly the poles. 

We finished the first draft of our expert pieces. Students used computers to research more about their topic and add specific facts. We will be working on an introduction and conclusion next week. 

Upcoming Events

January 27-Early Dismissal at 12:50

February 1-PTA meeting at 6:30 (Third grade teachers presenting on MAP testing)

February 9-PTA general meeting, Literacy Night, and Poetry Jam 6:30

February 11-Valentine's Day room party 2:15-3:00

February 12-No School, Teacher Work Day

February 15-No School, President's Day

Weekly Update-January 15

Announcements

Please see the following notice about yearbook pictures:

Dear Paxton Keeley Photographers,

Get your pictures in the yearbook! The Yearbook Staff invites you to submit photos for the yearbook. If you've got great photos of classroom parties, activities or PTA events we would like to see them. Here is how you can submit photos online:  

Many classroom photographers have not uploaded pictures from the fall and winter parties!  We want all classes to be featured so please turn them in as soon as possible! If you cannot upload them online please send them to the office on a disk and we will upload them for you.

• Go to:  https://images.schoolannualonline.com/login

• If it does not automatically log you into the site, enter username: 403493591 (you have to type this in – copy and paste does not work)

• Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.    

• Enter information about the photo (please enter the teachers name not yours) and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information.    

• Click "Save Details".

It's that easy! Submit your photos today! The last day to submit photos is 03/30/2016. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the school year!

Sincerely,

The 2016 Yearbook Staff.

The Yearbook Staff will review all photos and determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions can be used in the book.

Please note there is no school Monday, January 18 for MLK Jr. Day.We also have an early dismissal coming up on January 27. School will be dismissed at 12:50.

I am excited to welcome Ronie Daniels to our classroom!

Ms. Daniels is a senior at the University of Missouri and will be completing her student teaching internship in our classroom. She spent a few days with us prior to winter break, so the students already know her. We are all thrilled to have her become a part of our classroom. 

 In the Classroom 

In math this week, we continued our work with Muffles Truffles. We explored what new arrays could be made from 2x5 arrays. We also practiced taking apart arrays and multiplication sentences as a strategy for harder problems. Finally, we calculated the dimensions and totals of boxes by just having the outline of the bottom. This was very tricky but I was impressed with the wonderful math thinking that occurred! Next week, we will begin looking at individual factors to eventually become fluent with all facts up through 10x10.

In science this week, we began our Force unit by discussing different types of force and how they can be affected. Students did an experiment involving a ball and ramp. We predicted what would happen if the height of the ramp changed and practiced measuring the distance the ball rolled.

We also started exploring magnetism as a force. Students predicted which objects would "stick" to a magnet and then categorized and named the objects. They loved exploring with the magnets and learning the scientific names for each object.

In writing this week, students took information they had collected for their expert topic and began organizing it into chapters. We completed a table of contents, and started the drafting process of our books. Our blogger, Dain, took some pictures of student work.

Upcoming Events

January 18-No School, MLK Jr. Day

January 27-Early Dismissal at 12:50

February 1-PTA meeting at 6:30 (Third grade teachers presenting on MAP testing)

February 9-PTA general meeting, Literacy Night, and Poetry Jam 6:30

February 11-Valentine's Day room party 2:15-3:00

February 12-No School, Teacher Work Day

February 15-No School, President's Day

Weekly Journal-January 8

Announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break! I enjoyed spending time with family and friends here and back home in Illinois. We are back into our routines here in room 215. Please help reinforce these routines at home. Homework should be completed in pencil, and homework notebooks should be initialed by an adult each night.

Next week is the midmester point of the second trimester. I will be commenting in the Friday folder if I have concerns for behavior or academics.

We have an early dismissal coming up on January 27. School will be dismissed at 12:50.

Now is a good time to check in with your third grader about school supplies. Some students are running low on pencils, erasers, and glue sticks. Also check the Classroom Supply Wish List tab on this blog if you are willing to donate supplies to our classroom. 

In the Classroom 

In math this week, we began a new unit in Multiplication called Muffles Truffles. This is a contextual unit that revolves around a baker making and packaging truffles to sell. We are exploring place value, skip counting, and using partial products. Here are some pictures of students figuring out how many boxes of ten Muffles can make and how much money they would sell for.

We will continue this unit next week. We also completed our first multiplication timed test. It is a third grade expectation to know these facts fluently by the end of the year. It is a good idea to start practicing these facts at home as well. This can be done through flashcards, games, apps, or simply asking your third grader to skip count by a number.

We began our first science unit this week. We began by looking at what scientists do and vocabulary we will be using. Students were asked to draw a picture of a scientist. We analyzed our drawings and had some great conversations about science. 

We then conducted an experiment involving surface tension. Students were asked to see if they could get a paper clip to float using a piece of tissue paper. They were very inquisitive and had fun trying out their ideas.

We completed the STAR reading assessment this week. We also reviewed expectations for independent reading time and reading response notebooks. In writing, we shared about our winter breaks and also started compiling information we already know about our expert topic. 

Upcoming Events

January 18-No School, MLK Jr. Day

January 27-Early Dismissal at 12:50

February 1-PTA meeting at 6:30 (Third grade teachers presenting on MAP testing)

February 9-PTA general meeting, Literacy Night, and Poetry Jam 6:30

February 11-Valentine's Day room party 2:15-3:00

February 12-No School, Teacher Work Day

February 15-No School, President's Day