Parents,
WOW! April is already here! I am loving this Spring weather. The warm weather always puts a little spring in my step ;-)
This will be a fast and furious four day week. This week in Math we are finishing up our study on rounding by having a Rounding and Estimation Quiz on Monday. By Tuesday we are moving on to Probability and the vocabulary of impossible, likely, unlikely, and certain. Probability is the chance an event will occur. If there are 4 boys and 2 girls in a group then the "chance" that I will pick a boy is likely because its chances are 4 out of 6 and better than the girls chances which are 2 out of 6.
Watch this nine minute video that explains EXACTLY what your child will need to know!
To get ready for the STAAR, we will also be reviewing pictographs this week and answering word problems that have to do with reading those pictographs. Look for those types of problems for Wednesday nights homework!
In Science this week, we will be closing up our unit on the Solar System. On Tuesday, we will play Jeopardy on the Activ Board to review all needed to know concepts that will be on the TEST. The test will be Wednesday for both of my classes. The kids have really enjoyed making 2-D models, posters, etc...for this unit of study. I have also learned so much about this fascinating universe and find myself constantly in awe! This has really been a fun unit.
I hope everyone enjoys their three day week coming up and has a "good" Friday ;-)
Love, Mrs. S
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Math and Science for the Week of March 26th-30th
Parents,
This week should be an exciting week since we have a field trip on Thursday!!! Your child will need to bring a sack lunch that day. We will be eating outside, weather permitting of course!
This week in Math we will be taking a closer look at rounding by tens and hundreds, and then applying it to word problems. In the beginning of this week we will take a look at three digit numbers and how to round them by tens as well as review how to round them by 100's. Towards the latter part of the week, we will take the skill of rounding and learn how it can be used with estimation and applied in word problems.
Science should be super fun this week! The study of the planets is about the get really interesting. The kids will be required to know the order of the planets for their test on the Solar System. I have taught them the sentence..."My very excellent mother just served us nachos," to help them remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in its correct order. The students will spend some time on Monday making up their own sentences with group members to help them remember. I cant wait to see what they come up with! For the rest of the week, the kids will be working in groups to research a planet they have been assigned. By Friday, the kids will present and I will place planets around the room to represent their distance away from the sun.
I will be sending home a study guide early this week to assist studying for the Solar System test that will be in about nine days. Please take a few minutes nightly to go over the information with your children and keep it fresh on the brain.
Love,
Mrs. S
This week should be an exciting week since we have a field trip on Thursday!!! Your child will need to bring a sack lunch that day. We will be eating outside, weather permitting of course!
This week in Math we will be taking a closer look at rounding by tens and hundreds, and then applying it to word problems. In the beginning of this week we will take a look at three digit numbers and how to round them by tens as well as review how to round them by 100's. Towards the latter part of the week, we will take the skill of rounding and learn how it can be used with estimation and applied in word problems.
Science should be super fun this week! The study of the planets is about the get really interesting. The kids will be required to know the order of the planets for their test on the Solar System. I have taught them the sentence..."My very excellent mother just served us nachos," to help them remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in its correct order. The students will spend some time on Monday making up their own sentences with group members to help them remember. I cant wait to see what they come up with! For the rest of the week, the kids will be working in groups to research a planet they have been assigned. By Friday, the kids will present and I will place planets around the room to represent their distance away from the sun.
I will be sending home a study guide early this week to assist studying for the Solar System test that will be in about nine days. Please take a few minutes nightly to go over the information with your children and keep it fresh on the brain.
Love,
Mrs. S
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Mrs. Ford's Room: March 21-March 30
Fun times in Mrs. Ford's Class (at least I think so)!
Reading: Students are interdependently demonstrating their synthesizing skills by completing a synthesize to summaries menu this week. They had the choice to use fiction or non-fiction texts.
In small groups, we are finishing some chapter books and moving on to reading and analyzing instructional texts. Think about it... recipes, toy instructions, backyard projects, and more.
Practice passages will continue to come home on Mondays and be due on Fridays. Please encourage your child to follow each step of the reading checklist found in his or her notebook.
Writing: We have spend a lot of time journaling recently and will soon begin our BIG 6 research project. Students will give me their top 3 planet choices and then we will work through a research process to find and record information on their planet. After a few weeks of research we will take this information and create an essay.
Spelling: We are back into full on spelling mode. Please check with your child to make sure he or she is bringing home his or her spelling spiral on Mondays. Homework is due on Thursdays. Tests are on Fridays.
Social Studies: The next 6 weeks are an exciting time in third grade Social Studies. We will be learning a little bit about the Story of America (American History). This week we will focus on Pioneers and Explorers (Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, Daniel Boone, and Davy Crockett ) and plot their adventures on a timeline. Important vocabulary for this study includes- decade, century, history, explorer, pioneer, discovery.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Math and Science for the Week of March 19th-23rd
Parents,
Welcome back from Spring Break! It was a nice break and it was good to catch up on some rest. Now we are ready to hit the ground running for the next 11 weeks!
This week in Math we will be focusing on the concept of rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. Some students catch on really fast, and others are confused about the concept of rounding up or down and need a little extra guidance. Today we used the "rounding roller coaster" to explain the rounding rules. A student came up with this helpful rhyme:
"If it's 1 to 4, go to the back door. If it's 5 or more, run out the front door!"
Here is also a helpful three minute video to explain rounding to the nearest 10.
Later on in the week we will work on Rounding to the nearest 100. We will use the same "Roller Coaster" concept to help the kids understand rounding. Here is another helpful video to show your kids on rounding to the nearest 100.
Also in Math this week our Objective review will be focusing on reviewing customary and metric measurement, as well as finding perimeter and area. We will have another objective quiz this Friday, and we will be reviewing it together the following Monday. Again these Objective reviews are intended to prepare our 3rd graders for the Math portion of the STAAR Exam coming next month.
In Science this week, we will be learning the relationship between the sun, the moon, and the earth. The students will be constructing a small 2-D model in class to show this representation. We will then move into the planets and the correct order of the planets. I will teach them a fun acronym to help them remember the correct of of the planets from the sun. It is...."My very excellent mother just served us nachos!"
The kids also had the privilege of meeting Ruby Bridges' mother this afternoon in the library and have a short Q & A with her. Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate into white schools in New Orleans. The kids were very interested and asked really amazing questions.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be watching Motivational Productions. Motivational Productions is a program that comes every year to discuss bullying and strategies to deal with the ongoing issue in schools.
If you are busy at home helping your child raise money for the K-9 Angels Rescue Foundation, please send money by Friday.
Have a wonderful week ;-)
Mrs. S
Welcome back from Spring Break! It was a nice break and it was good to catch up on some rest. Now we are ready to hit the ground running for the next 11 weeks!
This week in Math we will be focusing on the concept of rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. Some students catch on really fast, and others are confused about the concept of rounding up or down and need a little extra guidance. Today we used the "rounding roller coaster" to explain the rounding rules. A student came up with this helpful rhyme:
"If it's 1 to 4, go to the back door. If it's 5 or more, run out the front door!"
Here is also a helpful three minute video to explain rounding to the nearest 10.
Later on in the week we will work on Rounding to the nearest 100. We will use the same "Roller Coaster" concept to help the kids understand rounding. Here is another helpful video to show your kids on rounding to the nearest 100.
Also in Math this week our Objective review will be focusing on reviewing customary and metric measurement, as well as finding perimeter and area. We will have another objective quiz this Friday, and we will be reviewing it together the following Monday. Again these Objective reviews are intended to prepare our 3rd graders for the Math portion of the STAAR Exam coming next month.
In Science this week, we will be learning the relationship between the sun, the moon, and the earth. The students will be constructing a small 2-D model in class to show this representation. We will then move into the planets and the correct order of the planets. I will teach them a fun acronym to help them remember the correct of of the planets from the sun. It is...."My very excellent mother just served us nachos!"
The kids also had the privilege of meeting Ruby Bridges' mother this afternoon in the library and have a short Q & A with her. Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate into white schools in New Orleans. The kids were very interested and asked really amazing questions.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be watching Motivational Productions. Motivational Productions is a program that comes every year to discuss bullying and strategies to deal with the ongoing issue in schools.
If you are busy at home helping your child raise money for the K-9 Angels Rescue Foundation, please send money by Friday.
Have a wonderful week ;-)
Mrs. S
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Math and Science for the Week of March 5th-9th
Parents,
We have made it to the week before Spring Break!!! I think we all need a little break from so much structure. This week the kids will not have a Fast Facts or Spelling Test. We do realize many will be going out of town early, and arrangements will not have to be made now to get this or that test done! It just makes things so much simpler, eh?
We will start the week out learning about one and two lines of symmetry. We will create things with symmetry as well as draw lines of symmetry on certain objects. The kids will also work in groups and study each letter of the alphabet, drawing and agreeing among their peers how many lines of symmetry each capital letter has.
The latter part of the week we will be taking a quiz on 2-D and 3-D figures, as well as patterns on a number line. This week will start the beginnings of getting prepared for the STAAR exam the kids will take in April. Each week we will review old skills and the students will take a "mini practice" exam to give them exposure to what might be expected of them on the real STAAR exam. Then, we will go over the questions with the kids and talk about strategies to solve each kind of problem. This Friday will be our first of many practices. However, I will be waiting until the Monday after Spring Break to go over this particular quiz with them. After being checked by me and then double checked by your child, they will be sent home for you to go over with your child as well.
The kids did really well on our Science exam last week and I thank all of you who took the time to practice studying the flashcards and the study guide over our study of weather.
In Science this week, we will be moving on to studying about Space. This week we will direct our focus to the Sun and the Moon. When the kids return from Spring Break, we will direct more focus onto Earth and other planets.
For those of you that signed your child up at the Auction for the 3rd grade breakfast, please have your child come to school on Friday morning at 7:20 so that they can enjoy pancakes with the Teachers. We will be decorating with a St. Patrick's Day theme, so put your child in something green so they don't get pinched! Just Kidding!!!
It should be a wonderful week,
Mrs. S
p.s. I am planning to attend the 3rd grade breakfast early Friday morning, but will be heading out of town shortly after that and will not be here on Friday the 9th. Enjoy your Spring Break everyone!
We have made it to the week before Spring Break!!! I think we all need a little break from so much structure. This week the kids will not have a Fast Facts or Spelling Test. We do realize many will be going out of town early, and arrangements will not have to be made now to get this or that test done! It just makes things so much simpler, eh?
We will start the week out learning about one and two lines of symmetry. We will create things with symmetry as well as draw lines of symmetry on certain objects. The kids will also work in groups and study each letter of the alphabet, drawing and agreeing among their peers how many lines of symmetry each capital letter has.
The latter part of the week we will be taking a quiz on 2-D and 3-D figures, as well as patterns on a number line. This week will start the beginnings of getting prepared for the STAAR exam the kids will take in April. Each week we will review old skills and the students will take a "mini practice" exam to give them exposure to what might be expected of them on the real STAAR exam. Then, we will go over the questions with the kids and talk about strategies to solve each kind of problem. This Friday will be our first of many practices. However, I will be waiting until the Monday after Spring Break to go over this particular quiz with them. After being checked by me and then double checked by your child, they will be sent home for you to go over with your child as well.
The kids did really well on our Science exam last week and I thank all of you who took the time to practice studying the flashcards and the study guide over our study of weather.
In Science this week, we will be moving on to studying about Space. This week we will direct our focus to the Sun and the Moon. When the kids return from Spring Break, we will direct more focus onto Earth and other planets.
For those of you that signed your child up at the Auction for the 3rd grade breakfast, please have your child come to school on Friday morning at 7:20 so that they can enjoy pancakes with the Teachers. We will be decorating with a St. Patrick's Day theme, so put your child in something green so they don't get pinched! Just Kidding!!!
It should be a wonderful week,
Mrs. S
p.s. I am planning to attend the 3rd grade breakfast early Friday morning, but will be heading out of town shortly after that and will not be here on Friday the 9th. Enjoy your Spring Break everyone!
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