March 22, 2019

Announcements

I hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break!

SAVE THE DATE! 

We will be having a poetry breakfast on Friday, May 10 from 7:40-8:20. We would love for you to join us!

Please note the calendar change! April 10 was supposed to be an early dismissal but will now be a full day of school. 

We have our MAP testing schedule. Third grade will be testing 4/29, 5/1, 5/2, and 5/3. Please refrain from scheduling appointments or vacations on these days. We will mainly test in the morning period beginning at 9:30. It is important your third grader is here to avoid having to do make-up testing. 

We will need clear, 2 liter bottles for a science project in April. If you happen to have any at home, please send them in. Thank you in advance!

We had another MakerSpace challenge this week with Mrs. Finke. Students were required to make a tower out of cut-up sponge pieces. They also had to use a single tool to make a cup pyramid. Both tasks required teamwork, creativity, and lots of patience!

In the Classroom

We finished unit 7 this week with lots of discussion about fractions. Students learned how to use various models to identify and compare fractions, including strips, circles, and number lines. Finally, we learned about fractions of a collection. We will begin unit 8 when we return from Spring Break.

In writing this week, we completed our Opinion pieces! Your third grader should bring these home on Friday. They did a fabulous job, and I am proud of their strong thesis statements and descriptive reasons. We will begin Poetry when we return from Spring Break.

In reading this week, we focused on author's purpose. We discussed the different reasons authors write texts, include certain ideas, and use specific non-fiction features.

In health this week, students learned about our body defenses. We also made a list of ways we can stay healthy. Mrs. Zapata had her final two lessons this week. On Tuesday, she had a food tasting comparing baked to regular potato chips. Students studied the labels to identify the percentages of fat, vitamins, etc. that each contained. On Thursday, we sampled a lemon, dark chocolate, tangerine, and cracker to identify the four tastes.

Upcoming Events

Spring Break-March 25-29

Spring Fling-April 5

Comet Culture Night-April 9

Color Run-April 26

3rd Grade MAP testing-April 29-May 3
Poetry Breakfast-May 10

March 15, 2019

Announcements

We will be having our annual Spirit Week next week! Students are encouraged to participate with this year's theme of adventure.

Monday– Spirit of Adventure Day (wear Paxton colors)

Tuesday – Tourist Day (wear beachy or vacation-type clothes, or a hat or t-shirt that represents a place children have visited or would like to visit)

Wednesday – Shoes Your Own Adventure Day (fun, quirky, or mismatched shoes)

Thursday – Campout Day

Friday – Take a Break from Your Adventure Day (wear pajamas or sweats)

We will need clear, 2 liter bottles for a science project in April. If you happen to have any at home, please send them in. Thank you in advance!

We had so much fun on our field trip to the Missouri Theater Monday! We loved getting to learn about the different sections of the orchestra and hearing Dr. Stiepleman narrate Peter and the Wolf.

In the Classroom

In math this week, we focused on fractions. Students explored fractions on a number line and used this resource to compare. We also discussed benchmark fractions like 1/2 and how they help us compare.

We learned how to address our audience through opinion writing this week. Students were encouraged to use phrases like, "I know what you're thinking..." or "You may be wondering..." in order to engage their readers. We also chose our topic for publishing and began working on our outline pages.

In heath this week, we compared and contrasted bacteria and viruses. Students were able to use microscopes to see pictures of bacteria up close.

We also had a special guest, Dr. Furrer (also known as Ellery's dad) come to discuss his job as a microbiologist. We learned more about bacteria and viruses and even got to grow real germs!

Mrs. Zapata talked about fats, protein, and vitamins this week. On Thursday, she brought a variety of vegetables for us to sample.

Upcoming Events

Spirit Week-March 18-22

Spring Break-March 25-29

Spring Fling-April 5

Comet Culture Night-April 9

Early Dismissal at 12:50-April 10

Color Run-April 26

March 8, 2019

Announcements

Your third grader should have brought home information on Monday about the field trip to see the orchestra at the Missouri Theater. This is a make-up day from when the original one was supposed to take place in November. Parent volunteers are not needed for this field trip. We will be leaving Paxton around 11:00 and will return between 1:30 and 2:00. Students will eat lunch before we leave at 11:00. 

In the Classroom

We began our next unit in math this week. Students explored the concept of volume by learning about displacement.

In writing this week, students learned how to generate ideas for opinion pieces. We have an interactive bulletin board where students can share their opinions.

We looked for problems in our world and thought of a solution. For example, one student wrote an opinion piece with the thesis, "I should have my own room." Students also looked for positive things in their lives to persuade others to agree with them. Ask your third grader what kind of opinion pieces they wrote this week!

In reading this week, we continued our study on finding main ideas and supporting details in a text. Each student took part in a small reading group to practice this skill.

We began our Health unit this week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will have a guest teacher, Mrs. Zapata. She is from the University and will be focusing her instruction on nutrition. Here are pictures of students demonstrating how long it takes to burn off one gram of protein and carbohydrates vs. one gram of fat. They also calculated how many calories and how much of each nutrient they need based on their age and level of exercise.

In our regular health lessons, students learned the difference between infectious and non-infectious diseases. We also learned what causes infectious diseases and created our very own germs!

Upcoming Events

Orchestra Field Trip-March 11

Spring Pictures-March 14

Spring Break-March 25-29

Spring Fling-April 5

Comet Culture Night-April 9

Early Dismissal at 12:50-April 10

Color Run-April 26