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