January 25, 2019

Announcements

Make sure to fill out the blue conference form in the Friday folder this week. Please try to return this as soon as possible so I can begin scheduling conferences. It is an expectation that I meet with every family face to face. Thank you in advance for helping me reach this goal!

In the Classroom

In math this week, we focused on more multiplication strategies. Students learned about near squares as helper facts. For example, if you know 7 x 7=49 (square fact), you can use that to help you solve
8 x 7 (near square).

Students drafted their non-fiction expert books this week, including an introduction, conclusion, and table of contents. We will begin revising next week.

We finished our guided reading groups focusing on non-fiction features this week.

We finished studying about maps this week in social studies. Students learned how latitude and longitude help find locations. They were also asked to create their own map that included the tools we have studied.

We also spent time exploring a map of the city to identify various regions.

On Friday, we had a special guest come to talk to us about maps. Mr. Bowen works for the City of Columbia, and shared how his job helps our citizens.

Upcoming Events

Valentine's Day Room Party-February 14

No School, Teacher Work Day-February 15

No School, President's Day-February 18

Parent Teacher Conferences-February 26 and 28 

Spring Pictures-March 14

Spring Fling-March 21

Spring Break-March 25-29

January 18, 2019

Announcements

It turned out to be a quick but crazy week for us! I hope everyone stays safe again this weekend and enjoys the day off on Monday for MLK Jr. Day.

We need one volunteer for our Valentine's party on February 14. (healthy snack) Please use the link below to sign up!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e4ca9ad23a1fd0-valentine

As we have reached the mid-point of the year, it would be a good idea to check in with your third grader about supplies. We have many students saying they no longer have pencils or scissors. They are always welcome to use the community supply I have, but that is also starting to get low.

In the Classroom

In math this week, students expanded their multiplication strategies. We learned how doubling is an efficient strategy if one of the factors is even. We also explored the patterns that exist in different multiples. Students played the game Salute to practice their multiplication and division skills. This would be an easy game to play at home!

We are busily drafting our expert, non-fiction pieces. Students began by color-coding their long writes to start organizing their information. This helped us form chapters so we could begin our first drafts. We will continue drafting and begin the revising process next week. Hopefully we will have these done to share with you at our conference in February.

In reading this week, we focused on non-fiction features to help us with writing. Each student participated in a guided reading group where we saw examples of photographs, diagrams, glossaries, and more!

In social studies this week, we studied maps. We explored various real world maps and learned about the features that help us read them like keys, compass roses, and scales. Finally, we spent some time discussing Martin Luther King Jr. 

Upcoming Events

No School, MLK Jr. Day-January 21

PTA Movie Night-January 24

Valentine's Day Room Party-February 14

No School, Teacher Work Day-February 15

No School, President's Day-February 18

Parent Teacher Conferences-February 26 and 28 

Spring Pictures-March 14

Spring Fling-March 21

Spring Break-March 25-29

January 11, 2019

Announcements

Please make sure your third grader comes prepared to go outside, as we will try to have outdoor recess as much as possible.

As we have reached the mid-point of the year, it would be a good idea to check in with your third grader about supplies. We have many students saying they no longer have pencils or scissors. They are always welcome to use the community supply I have, but that is also starting to get low.

In the Classroom

In math this week, we focused on fractions and multiplication. Students used fraction circles to identify equal parts as well as equivalent fractions. We also studied the multiplication strategy of using helper facts. For example, to figure out 3 x 9, I can use 2 x 9 and then add another group of 9.

We began working on our expert pieces for our non-fiction writing unit. Students each chose a topic for which they believe they are an expert. We completed our long write on Thursday which means we wrote out all the information we know. Next week, we will start organizing this information into chapters and drafting our book.

I completed two reading assessments with students this week. We will begin guided reading groups next week.

In Social Studies, we started our Geography unit. We began by contributing to a padlet to share what we already know about the word Geography.

Later in the week, we used Google Earth to explore various places. The students especially liked exploring Columbia!

Upcoming Events

No School, MLK Jr. Day-January 21

PTA Movie Night-January 24

Valentine's Day Room Party-February 14

No School, Teacher Work Day-February 15

No School, President's Day-February 18

Parent Teacher Conferences-February 26 and 28 

Spring Pictures-March 14

Spring Fling-March 21

Spring Break-March 25-29

January 4, 2019

Announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and winter break! I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends both here in Missouri and back home in Illinois. 

I am so thrilled to be back in room 215! While it may take us all a few days to get back into the groove, I know this fabulous group of third graders will be flexible, helpful, and cooperative as we relearn our routines and dig into our winter curriculum. 

In the Classroom

We spent most of these two days sharing about our break and discussing rules. Students were asked to make posters to help us refresh our memory on routines and expectations at Paxton Keeley and in our classroom.

We also began our next math unit and played a game called Roll and Record to practice multiplication squares.

Upcoming Events

No School, MLK Jr. Day-January 21

PTA Movie Night-January 24

Valentine's Day Room Party-February 14

No School, Teacher Work Day-February 15

No School, President's Day-February 18

Parent Teacher Conferences-February 26 and 28 

Spring Pictures-March 14

Spring Fling-March 21

Spring Break-March 25-29