December 20, 2019

Announcements

We had a fun-filled, extra crazy, last week before Winter Break! I hope everyone has safe travels and a happy holiday. I am looking forward to time with family and friends both here and in Illinois.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Holiday performance and Open House. The students did a wonderful job singing.

In the Classroom

We finished Unit 4 in math. We studied measurement, perimeter, and area. Students also explored polygons and their attributes. 

In reading the last couple of week, students have been learning how to summarize a fiction text. We used our knowledge of story elements to make sure we included main characters, setting, and important events from the plot. 

We worked hard these three weeks on our severe weather research project in writing. Students began by learning how to take notes on their topic. We used a variety of sources including both digital and text. Mrs. Hanson from the library even created a book mobile to keep in our room during the research portion of this project.

Once we had our notes, students were asked to create a poster that would teach others about their severe storm. They had to include non-fiction features such as headings, pictures, and captions. They all did a fabulous job!

To wrap up our weather unit in science, we talked about climate. Students created climate maps based on the average temperatures in different regions of the world.

We also talked about the impact of natural hazards and how humans and technology are working to lessen it. We will begin our Health unit after break.

Upcoming Events

Winter Break Begins-December 23

School Resumes-January 6

No School, MLK Jr. Day-January 20

Early Dismissal at 12:50-January 29

PTA Movie Night at 6:00-January 30

Valentine Room Party-February 13

No School-February 14

November 26, 2019

Announcements

Winter Open House 

We hope you will join us on Friday, December 20^th for our Winter Open House.  Each grade level will sing in the gym and then go to their individual classrooms for an open house.

Grade Level	Perform in Gym	Open House in Classroom
2nd Grade	11:15	11:35-11:55
Kindergarten	11:35	11:55-12:15
1st Grade	11:55	12:15-12:35
3rd Grade	12:15	12:35-12:55
Choir	1:05
5th Grade	1:40	2:00-2:20
4th Grade	2:00	2:20-2:40

We had a wonderful trip to the Missouri Theater last week. Students learned about the different parts of an orchestra and listened to a musical version of Peter and the Wolf narrated by Dr. Stiepleman. 

On Monday, we had the opportunity to work in the Makerspace section of our library. Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Canepa taught us how to use a Lego story starter kit and a stop-motion animation app to work on our storytelling skills. We had a wonderful time and had some very creative projects!

In the Classroom

We finished Unit 3 in math last week. Students continue to expand their knowledge about multiplication and learn strategies to solve unknown facts. This week, we began Unit 4 by practicing measuring to the nearest 1/2  inch. We also studied line plots. 

In reading last week, we discussed self-monitoring and clarifying. Students were given bookmarks with guiding questions such as "What did I learn?", "Who are the characters?" and "What do I think is going to happen next?" When reading at home with your third grader, make sure to check for understanding by asking these types of questions. 

In writing last week, we studied non-fiction features. Students explored our classroom books to find and analyze these features and their purpose. We started discussing how to research a topic in preparation for our non-fiction reports  that will begin after Thanksgiving break. 

We finished our Geography unit last week and began our next Science unit, Weather and Climate. So far, students have learned why leaves change color in the fall and why we have seasons. 

Upcoming Events

No School, Thanksgiving Break-November 27-29

Early Dismissal at 12:50-December 4

Winter Open House-December 20

Winter Break Begins-December 23

School Resumes-January 6

November 14, 2019

Announcements

Thank you to all the families who attended parent teacher conferences this past week! It was so nice getting to visit with everyone. The next scheduled conferences are in February. Please let me know if you would like to meet again prior to February.

On Monday, we had the opportunity to see a storyteller named Andy Irwin. He was so entertaining, and the students loved listening to him.

We will be attending a field trip on Thursday to the Missouri Theater. All 3rd graders in the district will be seeing the Missouri Symphony Orchestra. Parent volunteers are not needed for this field trip. We will be eating lunch early before we leave at 11:00. 

In the Classroom

In math this week, we have been focusing on multiplication. Students are learning strategies to find the products of various problems. The main strategy this week was using helper facts and then either adding or subtracting a group.

In reading last week, students learned about asking questions before, during, and after reading. We discussed how this helps the reader comprehend the text. As a class, we practiced this skill using a non-fiction book about lighthouses. In small groups, students practiced asking questions with fiction picture books.

In writing, we finished our personal narratives! Students celebrated on Monday by sharing their stories and complimenting one another on their hard work. We will begin our next writing unit, non-fiction, next week.

In our Geography unit, students have been busy learning about map skills and finding locations using grids and latitude/longitude. We also studied Missouri border states and looked closer at the city of Columbia.

We have also done two Mystery Skypes to practice these skills. Last week, we connected with a class in Kentucky. The class did such a wonderful job asking yes/no questions to guess where they lived.

This week, we connected with a former Paxton teacher, Theresa Bowen. She teaches 4th grade in Virginia now, and it was wonderful to see her and her students!

Upcoming Events

No School-November 15

Orchestra Field Trip to Missouri Theater-November 21

No School, Thanksgiving Break-November 27-29

Early Dismissal at 12:50-December 4

Winter Open House-December 20

Winter Break Begins-December 23

School Resumes-January 6