I apologize for a two week update! We have been very busy in class!
Over the past couple of weeks, we have been memorizing math facts, reading a ton, practicing for the MSP, and enjoying breaks of sunshine that peak through the portable windows! Let's all do a sunshine dance to encourage the sun to show its face throughout this next week.
Reading
Our objective in reading this past week was drawing conclusions based on evidence from the text. We practiced our objective on picture books we read from the Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Contest. Over the next several weeks, the school librarian and I will read 20 picture books to our class. After that, students will vote on their favorite book. Popular selections this week included Little Pink Pup and Mr. President Goes to School.
I am proud to announce that we will be having another reading contest for the month of February! Students who read 10 AR points or more between February 1st and February 29th will be able to attend a pizza party! All students should be able to attend the pizza party if they are reading at least 25 minutes at home each night. Please continue to encourage your children to read as much as possible!
Math
After steady progress learning multiplication and division, students took their first unit test on the subjects this week. After grading some of them, I am very happy to see that most students are completely understanding multiplication and division. I can also tell which students have been practicing their math facts at home! Students should be practicing with their strategy cards every night.
We also started to practice for the math section of the MSP this week. We regrouped third grade students based on competencies in math and began practicing MSP-like math problems. This means that students relocate to different classrooms for a half hour during our math block. We will be switching classrooms to prepare for the MSP on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for the next few weeks.
Science
The Physics of Sound continues to be a subject of delight for many of our third graders! The experiments we are doing are a lot of fun. This week, we learned that sounds are caused by vibrations. Students were allowed to explore this concept by experimenting with tuning forks. We also took a trip to the music room to learn how a piano works.
Mrs. Harrel, a GLAD trained professional, came to teach our students a bit more about sound. She taught a lesson to our class on Friday exploring how different things make sounds, the ear, and echolocation.
Art
We completed a fun Valentine's Day art project concentrating on analogous colors. Students learned that analogous colors are colors that are right next to each other on the color wheel. We applied this new learning to a heart art project wherein children made "rip art" to decorate a giant heart.
VIPs of the Week: Fritzi & Lindsey
Two weeks ago, Fritzi was our VIP of the Week! Fritzi's poster shows us a few snapshots of her family's life in Mexico. Thank you so much for sharing, Fritzi!
Lindsey was our last VIP of the Week. Lindsey wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. If he had one wish, he would wish to be "very rich"! Thanks so much, Lindsey!
Lindsey was our last VIP of the Week. Lindsey wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. If he had one wish, he would wish to be "very rich"! Thanks so much, Lindsey!
Announcements
Important Dates
- Our Valentine's Day Party will be on Tuesday of this next week! I sent home an announcement last week describing what we will do. If you are a registered volunteer at Discovery, we would still love your help! Furthermore, snack donations for the party would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your help and support.
- This website provides a great link where students can practice flash cards online: http://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards.html
Important Dates
February 14 - Valentine's Day Party!
February 17 - No School, Waiver Day
February 20, 21 - Mid-Winter Vacation
Sincerely,
