Mrs. Fox's Third Grade: September 2019

Friday, September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019

Announcements

The Comet Carnival is only 2 weeks away!!! Make sure to check the Friday Folder to see more information and how you can help make this annual event a huge success for Paxton Keeley.

Our Comet Carnival basket theme is Dog Lovers. Make sure to send in treats, toys, gift certificates, etc. to ensure our basket raises lots of money at the auction! These are due to me by Friday, September 27.

We are still in need of a few more 2-liter, clear plastic bottles for a science project.

Here are some pictures from our MU field trip last week!

In the Classroom

In math, we have been focusing more on elapsed time. Students were asked to calculate how long a day was by analyzing sunrise and sunset data. We had some fabulous strategies!

We also discussed using a pan balance to measure mass. Students were asked to estimate how much 1 gram and 1 kilogram were by finding an object in the classroom that would be comparable. We were all surprised at how heavy a kilogram is!

In reading this week, we studied character traits. We learned how an author describes a character through their words and actions. Students also put themselves in the character role and created character trait selfies!

In writing this week, we started creating personal narrative stories in our writer's notebooks. We used a special person and a special place as our inspiration.

We also began cursive this week. Students will be given cursive homework every Wednesday to be returned by Friday. They should do at least 4 letters or 2 words per line.

We finished our government/culture unit in social studies this week. Students used an app called Pebble Go to explore various cultures. We also made a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting with our own. We will begin our first science unit next week.

Upcoming Events

No School-Teacher Workday-September 30

Comet Carnival, 5:00-8:00-October 4

Picture Retake Day-October 17

Flu Shots-October 18

Fall Room Party, 2:15-3:00-October 30

No School-October 31 and November 1

Friday, September 6, 2019

September 6, 2019

Announcements

If you would like to order Paxton Keeley spirit wear, please use this link by September 16.

Be on the lookout next week for the Success Ready Checklist in the Friday Folder. Please return the checklist with the folder.

Thank you to Robin Miller, our room parent coordinator this year! She sent home a note in the Friday folder with some important information.

Our Comet Carnival basket theme is Dog Lovers. Make sure to send in treats, toys, gift certificates, etc. to ensure our basket raises lots of money at the auction!

Your third grader brought home a note earlier this week, but we are in need of clear, 2 liter bottles for a science project at the beginning of October. Thank you in advance for helping our class with this project!

The Fall Fundraiser ends September 13. Make sure to send in those orders so your third grader can receive their coops!

We finally had a day with all 26 students and no rain. What a great looking group of students!

In the Classroom

We have been working with time this week in math. Students were tasked with using elapsed time strategies to figure out how long our morning is. It is 2 hours and 55 minutes in case you're curious. :) We had a fabulous math discussion where we analyzed our classmate's work and helped them make revisions. We also studied data collection and bar graphs.

Our focus this week in reading was theme. We used many different books to discuss finding the "big idea." We created a list of themes such as bravery, friendship, and perseverance. Each student took part in a guided reading group where we read a book titled Something Beautiful. Students were asked to discover the theme in this book and provide evidence.

We finished up our classmate interviews this week! Make sure to check out our class book next time you visit the classroom. We will begin creating our writer's notebooks next week.

We have been studying government this week for social studies. Students identified the leaders of our school, school district, city, state, and country. We also compared and contrasted state and local governments. Finally, we began studying national symbols by analyzing the National Anthem.