Unit 9 Review

There will be an additional study guide passed out today for the Unit 9 Test tomorrow!  This and IXL will be great additional practice of your child.  Your child can also find the Unit 9 "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game posted on the third grade website as well! Unit 9 Review Game

A Rip in the Pants

To deepen students' understanding of the concept of perspective, which is the theme of our current reading unit, each student constructed a piece of writing where they took the perspective of a different character involved in a "situation."  Students experienced the writing process as they brainstormed, drafted, revised, edited, and published their work.  Their work is posted on their personal student blog: Student Blogs - Perspective Writing Piece.  They would love for you to comment on their writing! 

Here is the following "scenario" each student received: 

Just about a week ago, a teacher found that his pants had ripped during school.  Not many people saw him walking down the hallway, and he didn’t realize it either.  Not until he walked into his classroom did he realize what had happened.  Before he knew it, whispers were going around the class. 

As you read each story, try to determine which PERSPECTIVE this story is told from – the student, the principal, the teacher, another teacher, a student who disliked the teacher, or the pants … 

*** A lesson I learned for next year is to make it a requirement that students do not use real teacher's names in this piece :).  I found many stories that I was a part of, where my pants "ripped" haha!  I'm sure this just added to the enthusiasm students had when constructing these pieces!!!

A Sneak Peek at Our Week ...

Reading:  Students constructed their final reading response today for the Sign of the Beaver.  Tomorrow students will take their third and final comprehension and vocabulary quiz.  On Wednesday and Thursday students will complete a culminating activity where they write a "biography poem" taking the perspective of both Matt and Attean. 

Writing:  Students completed their final "Pant's Perspective" pieces today and published them onto their blogs.  Lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday will focus on how to create effective comments.  Students will not only comment on one another's perspective pieces (guessing which perspective the story is told from), but will comment on each other's reading responses from Sign of the Beaver as well.  

Math:  Tomorrow students will check their study guides and play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" for Unit 9.  The game will be posted to the third grade site tomorrow as well!  The Unit 9 test will be Wednesday, and students will begin Unit 10 on Thursday.  Please check the third grade website for information and resources on Unit 10!

Science: Students began meeting in their "inquiry groups" related to the sound topic they chose previously.  As a group, they compiled their learning and questions together, and are starting to find big/main ideas about the topic.  Students will create a PowerPoint showcasing their learning for the rest of the class Wednesday-Friday.  They will present their final PowerPoints Monday and Tuesday of next week.  

Important Information:

• There will be a field trip this Friday to the Orchestra.  
• Part 2 of students Quarter 4 projects is due 5/10/13.  

Art - Toilet Paper Rolls

The art room is in need of any extra toilet paper rolls you may have for an art project Skinner students are working on.  If you have any, or can start saving some to turn it, we would really appreciate it - thanks!

Starry Night

I am looking forward to seeing those of you who are attending Starry Night this Saturday!  I am auctioning off "A Day of Fun" with me this summer!  Here is what will be listed in the program:

Fun Day with Mrs. MaginaJoin Mrs. Magina on a day of adventure. You choose from Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, a movie, or a manicure/pedicure with lunch. Date TBD in July/August.Highest bid wins!

Chaperone Needed

On May 3rd, students will be taking a field trip to the Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center from 9:00 am - 11:30 am.  Students have been spending time preparing for this field trip by listening to the story and music of Appalachian Spring.  

We are looking for one parent chaperone to attend this field trip.  Please e-mail me if you are interested and available! :) 

Unit 9 IXL Checklist

The Unit 9 IXL checklist can be downloaded from the third grade website!  Unit 9: Fractions, Decimals, & Percents.  There are great games on this website that correlate with the different lessons being instructed as well.  

Quarter 4 Project

Some information on the third grade website has been updated: Quarter 4 Project.  The rubric for the Droid project has been changed and adjusted so it matches the description page.  I also included a link to an online bar-graph maker that is a great resource for the Survey mini-project!

Kleenex

Room 203 is in need of some Kleenex!  We are almost out boxes from the beginning of the year, and with spring just about here I have a feeling students will really be in need of some soon.  If you have any extra boxes that you could donate to the classroom, we would really appreciate it!  Thanks!

A Sneak Peek At Our Week ...

Reading:  Today students took a comprehension and vocabulary quiz on Chapters 9-17 of Sign of the Beaver.  Lessons later this week will strongly focus on asking questions.  Students will define "thin and thick" question and learn to differentiate between the two.  The focus on learning "thick questions" (question that are open-ended, and result in deep inferential thinking and analyzing) will help students have richer discussions as they transition into literature circles after The Sign of the Beaver is complete. 

Writing:  Students are wrapping up their perspective pieces!  Self and peer revising and editing will be the big focus this week.  Students are learning acronyms to help them learn the difference between revising - ARMS (add, remove, move, substitute) and editing - CUPS (capitalize, usage, punctuation, spelling).  They will be posting these perspective pieces to their student blogs this Friday!

Math:  In Unit 9, Mrs. Fetzer and I have decided to skip lessons 9.5-9.7.  Today students worked on lesson 9.8: Multiplying Decimals and Thursday they will complete lesson 9.9: Dividing Decimals.  We have two extra days this week devoted to additional practice and challenge activities.  We are planning to have students take the Unit 9 Test next Wednesday.  

Science:  Students will continue to independently research their Sound topic and then meet in small inquiry groups and organize their group's learning.  They'll search for "big ideas" within their learning.  Groups will meet this week and start planning what to teach the class about their selected topic.  Next week they will begin creating a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their new learning.  

Homework: 

• Vocabulary Packets: This week's vocabulary words will be introduced tomorrow, and the vocabulary packet will be due next Monday.  The comprehension and vocabulary quiz will be Monday as well.  
• Independent At-Home Reading: Instead of having the students complete reading responses this week, they will be using sticky-notes to "track" their thinking while they read.  They are asked to complete 3 "tracks" each night Monday-Thursday.  
• Quarter 4 Project, Part 1:  The first part of this quarter project is due this Friday!  Please remember, project descriptions and rubrics can be found on the Third Grade Website: Quarter 4 Project

Important Dates/Information:

• Wednesday, 4/24 - Open Books Field Trip: Students will be taking a creative writing course during this field trip.  The program will focus on "Food Imagery."  Students will write a poem about a food they really like or dislike using lots of vivid imagery!  Open Books will then publish each child's poem in a booklet that they'll send to us.  This will be a experience for the students that will kick of "Food Review writing" that we'll be starting in the classroom next week. 
• Thursday, 4/25 - Picture Day
• Saturday, 4/27 - Starry Night Fundraiser 

Droid Mini-Project - Grid Paper

Some students have been asking about grid paper for the "Droid" mini-project.  I included a PDF of centimeter grid paper that can be downloaded and printed from the third grade website under Quarter Projects: Centimeter Grid Paper.  

Sound Mini-Inquiry Groups

Over the next two weeks in science, students will be working in mini-inquiry groups.  Now that students have finished uncovering key questions and learning content about sound energy, they have chosen a sound topic that interests them to "dive deeper" into.  Group topics include - ear anatomy, sonar, infrasound and ultrasound, noise and sound pollution, vocal cords, hearing loss, speed of sound, and animal and human echolation. 

Students will research these topics online using web-questions that can be found on the third grade website: Sound Inquiry Groups.  An important component of inquiry is that it is student-driven; students will research and find new information that's interesting to them, and ask and track questions as they research as well.   

Vocabulary Packets

Students have another vocabulary packet to complete this week with their seven new terms. It has been amazing to see how engaged students are in learning these words!  They are so excited to use them in their speaking and writing and love showing me when they find the words in their reading.  

This week the vocabulary packet will be due Friday.  I've included some online dictionary and thesaurus links under the "Helpful Links" tab of the third grade website: Vocabulary Work.  These are great tools for your child to use!  They're also very user-friendly because they are specifically created for kids.  

A Sneak Peek at Our Week ...

Reading: Students will read Chapters 9-17 of Sign of the Beaver this week and will take a vocabulary and comprehension quiz over these chapters Friday.  The following are learning goals for the week:

• Describe how and why a character changes based on events of the story 
• Read to answer and respond to questions (clarification and content questions)
• Retell the text to summarize information
• Create mental images that enhance and extend visualization

Along with the comprehension and analysis lessons, students will write reading responses using textual evidence along with an explanation of how the evidence supports their claim or thinking.  

Writing:  Last week students were given a situation or event where many characters were involved.  They then were given the task to write from one character's perspective.  This week students will revise their work by focusing on previously instructed craft lessons.  They will also take part in the peer revision process and edit and publish their work.  On Friday students will be posting these pieces to their blogs!

Math:  This week students will complete lessons 9.2-9.4.  Listed below are learning goals for the lessons:

• 9.2: Rename fourths, fifths, tenths, and hundredths as decimals and percents
• 9.3: Use calculators to determine the percents of more difficult fractions
• 9.4: Solve "fraction of" problems

Science: After creating instruments over the weekend, each student played their instrument in front of the class today.  Students will drew conclusions about how instruments produce vibrations (pluck, strike, blow).  Then they categorized students' instruments based on this information.  Later in the week, students will begin "Mini-Inquiry" research projects on sound.  Based on an interest inventory they will be able to choose an area of sound that interests them (the human ear, sound and animals, music and sound, pitch/frequency, etc.).  There will be more information to come about these!

Important Information

• This Wednesday is parent-teacher conference day!
• Please have your child turn in their permission slip form for the field trip to Open Books

"Take-Home" Folders - Passed Back Work & Notes

Just a reminder to please remove all "Friday Folder" materials from the take-home side of students' green folders each and every Friday.  Today I checked through their folders and many of them still had corrected papers and important notes in their folder.  Please be sure this is something you check and remove over the weekend.  Thanks! 

Important Dates this Week

Monday, April 8th: Book Fair begins (it will end Friday at 1:00)

Tuesday, April 9th: Spring Open House for perspective parents, at 4:00

Wednesday, April 10th: Field Trip permission slips will be passed out (they will be due the following Wednesday)

Friday, April 12th: Half-Day, dismissal at 11:45 am

A Sneak Peek at Our Week ...

Reading:  After focusing on point of view and perspective lessons last week, students will begin our shared class novel Sign of the Beaver.  Comprehension lessons this week focus on previewing the text by making predictions and asking questions and asking questions while reading.  Students will analyze the text by focusing on how events affect characters in the novel.  On Thursday, students will take a vocabulary and comprehension quiz over Chapters 1-8.  Information on this unit can be on the third grade website: Perspectives Reading Unit

Writing:  Students will be given a situation where many characters are involved, and have to  retell the situation from one character's perspective.  This ties in nicely with our reading unit!  Students will learn how word choice affects their voice in a written piece, and will also practice creating more complex sentences.  This will help them vary the length of their sentences in a given piece. 

Math:  Students will take the Unit 9 pre-assessment on Monday, as well as practice and review skills in Unit 8 using IXL.  The Unit 8 Test will be on Tuesday.   We will begin Unit 9 on Wednesday, working on lessons 9.1 and 9.2.  Information about Unit 9, including the Unit 9 Family Letter, can be found on the third grade website: Unit 9. 

Science:  Students will uncover the final 2 key questions of the Sound Unit this week: Can sounds travel through liquids, solids, and gasses? and How is sound different when traveling through different mediums?  Students will take a Sound Quiz on Thursday this week.  They will be able to use their Science Notebooks and classroom readings.  

Homework:  For the next 3 weeks, students will begin completing a vocabulary packet for homework each week using 7 words found in our class' shared novel.  The vocabulary packet will usually be due on Fridays, but because there is a half day this week, it will be due Thursday.  Here is a suggested approach as to how your child should complete their vocabulary packet:

• Monday: synonyms and antonyms, 2-3 per box (box #'s 4 and 5)
• Tuesday: other forms of the word, and an association, example, or sketch (box #'s 6 and 7)
• Wednesday: my very own sentence (box #8)
• Students will complete any remaining sessions in the classroom!

Important Reminders: 

• Please note that Parent-Teacher Conference sign-up forms went out last Friday.  Be sure to turn these in as soon as possible.  Times will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis!  I will try my best to meet everyone's needs! :)
• Friday is a half day!
• If you have not viewed your child's Quarter 3 Project - "My Rock Tells a Story" - you can view it on their student blog!  They would love for you to comment on it as well! Student Blogs

Student Blogs

Today students used their own personal school blogs for the first time, and they were beyond excited to use this publishing tool!  Each student posted their Quarter 3 "My Rock Tells a Story" project on their blog.  You can access students' blogs by clicking the following link: Student Blogs.  

You can find your child's name on the left hand side of the blog and leave a comment for them. This is a great way to send friends and family your child's work in the classroom.  

To explain a little more, using the KidBlog program, all students' posts have to be approved by me before they show up on their blog.  Comments, either from students in the room or outside users, also have to be approved by me before they are published on the blog as well.  This is a definitely a great privacy feature that ensures safety. 

Quarter 4 Project

Students' Quarter 4 Project description and rubric will be passed out tomorrow.  You can also find the project information on the third grade website: Quarter 4 Project. 

Throughout the next quarter, your child will be completing four mini-projects based on important math concepts that have been instructed throughout the year.  There will be four separate due dates for each of the mini-projects.  Your child can choose to complete the projects in any order.  Be sure to look for the project description and rubric packet!  Please let me know if you have any questions!

Due Date #1: Friday, April 26^th

Due Date #2: Friday, May 10^th

Due Date #3: Friday, May 31^st

Due Date #4: Friday, June 14^th

Parent-Teacher Conference Forms

Parent-teacher conference forms will be sent home tomorrow along with students' Friday Folder materials.  Please make sure to indicate your first, second, and third choices on the form.  Times will be scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.  I will try my best to accommodate your needs!  Please turn this form in no later than Wednesday, April 10th.  Thanks!

Unit 8 Math Test

Students' Unit 8 Math Test will be next Tuesday, April 9th.  Students will be completing a review/study guide in class tomorrow.  An IXL checklist is attached to their homework charts - be sure that your child uses this great resource! 

Student Blogging

We are beginning to use student blogs in the classroom.  These blogs will serve as online portfolios of students' work for the remainder of the year.  They will be posting their Quarter 3 Rock Stories for their peers and family to see.  Students will also use this publishing tool to post reading responses and opinions about our class read-aloud, as well as the shared novel, Sign of the Beaver, that we will begin reading soon.  They will also be posting food, movie, and book reviews that they will create during our next writing unit.  Blogs are such a powerful tool for your child to use in the classroom, because it allows them to have an authentic, real-world audience to showcase their writing and work.  

I do take a very cautious approach to using blogs in the classroom.  During our morning meetings for the next couple weeks we will have many discussions about blogging.  Tomorrow students will be taking home a "Blogger's Contract" for you to read and sign.  I would appreciate you having a conversation with your child about blogging as well.  

The following are expectations that are written out in the contract: 

To be a responsible online writer, I promise that when I write, I will:

q  Honestly express truthful thoughts and ideas. If someone asks, I will be able to prove that what I write is true

q  Always treat all people with respect.  I will never write to cause harm or to hurt the feelings of others

q  Never do anything to cause harm to the computers I am writing on. I will set a good example for others

q  Do my absolute best to write truthful and useful information. If I make a mistake, I will fix it

q  Always write in a way that protects the identity of my classmates, my family, and myself; I will never use my last name when writing

q  Always write in a way that brings respect and honor to my school, my family, and myself.

I ask that you sign and have your child return this contract by Monday of next week.  If you have any questions, as always, feel free to contact me! 

THANK YOU!

A big THANKS to Isabel's family who donated post-it notes and Sudoko books to the classroom - thank you! :)

Interactive Area Tool

In class today we used the following website - Interactive - Area of Rectangles - and explored different levels with different groups.  The students really enjoyed this site!  It is also posted on the Unit 8 page of the third grade website.  

Unit 8 IXL Checklist

The Unit 8 IXL checklist is posted on the third grade website: Unit 8 IXL.  This checklist will be stapled to your child's homework chart.  This is a great practice tool for your child to be using!

Volunteer - Quarter 3 Projects

A big THANKS to Adriana's mom, Iliana, for coming in and helping the students record their voices for their "My Rock Tells a Story" projects.  

I am in need of one more parent volunteer this week to help students finish these projects.  Any day of the week would work, and I promise, the program is very user-friendly :).  

I would really appreciate the help!  Please e-mail me if you are available and interested!