Monday, March 31, 2014
Classroom News!
Hello and welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you and your families had a restful and fun-filled week, and soaked up some sunshine! Here's what's going on these days in third grade:
Mathematics
Prior to break we started our unit on fractions. We investigated unit fractions, practiced solving problems dividing brownies and pizzas into fair shares, and explored different combination of fractions that can add up to one whole. This week we will practice dividing geoboards into various fractions and taking a close look at fractions along a number line – a model that all kids need much more experience with. We will also be discussing equivalent, mixed, and improper fractions. You can reinforce the “fractions talk” at home: what fraction of the pizza will each family member get as you sit down for dinner? What fraction of the distance have you driven to baseball practice? What fraction of the clothes in your closet have the color blue? What fraction of a dollar is $0.05?
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The week prior to break, we finished round one of OAKS Math; most students are finished, except for a handful who either just started, or left early for Spring Break. Don’t fret if your child is not “meeting” after round one; unlike the OAKS Reading, there is a sizable amount of content in the math test that cannot/does not get covered until April and May. As before, simply contact me privately if you would like to know how your child did.
Writing
Our Poetry Slam with the 6th graders was a success! Notwithstanding a bit of stage-fright, the third graders were brave and read a variety of poems to an attentive audience. We heard rhyming couplet, nature haiku, two-voice poems, cinquain, - all kinds of poems ranging from student-authored pieces to Henry David Thoreau to hip-hop raps. Great job, kids!
This week we will wrap up the unit by learning two more poetic forms, and then each student will publish their own beautiful Poetry Anthology.
Reading
This week, we will begin a new read-aloud The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. Recipient of the 2013 Newbury Medal, this novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a cage at a shopping mall. It is an AMAZING book!
We will pick back up with our daily core routines of silently reading-to-self and reflecting on what we are reading, as well as reading-to-someone to practice more fluid, fluent oral reading. I will be picking back up with small-group reading instruction as well, focusing with groups on comprehension strategies, fluency, nonfiction reading skills, etc.
Science & Social Studies
We wrapped up our big geology unit with some independent research to beef up those nonfiction reading skills. Students worked with a partner to read, take notes in their own words, and create a short digital presentation using the app “Haiku Deck” to reflect their comprehension. Click here to see one example.
This week we will be launching our next big Storyline unit about a Wildlife Park in the Northwest - building a classroom model, and tackling questions such as:
Why do we have wildlife parks?
What does a wildlife park need?
What animals and plants might you find in various habitats in a NW state park?
What causes animals and plants to move?
Who works at a park?
Who uses a park?
How are people and living things affected by an event, problem, or issue at a state park? How are these issues worked out?
What do people need to know about a park, and how do they acquire that information?
In addition to the Wildlife Park Storyline, we will soon be doing some digging, planting, and science inquiry in our salad garden bed behind the school.
Coming up:
• Week of April 7-11 -- Scholastic Book Fair
• Thursday April 10th – Monthly Field Study at Wapato Park
• Thursday April 17th – No School; Teacher Work Day
• Friday April 18th – Optional Parent-Teacher Conference (recommended for struggling students)
Warm regards,
Asa
Mathematics
Prior to break we started our unit on fractions. We investigated unit fractions, practiced solving problems dividing brownies and pizzas into fair shares, and explored different combination of fractions that can add up to one whole. This week we will practice dividing geoboards into various fractions and taking a close look at fractions along a number line – a model that all kids need much more experience with. We will also be discussing equivalent, mixed, and improper fractions. You can reinforce the “fractions talk” at home: what fraction of the pizza will each family member get as you sit down for dinner? What fraction of the distance have you driven to baseball practice? What fraction of the clothes in your closet have the color blue? What fraction of a dollar is $0.05?
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The week prior to break, we finished round one of OAKS Math; most students are finished, except for a handful who either just started, or left early for Spring Break. Don’t fret if your child is not “meeting” after round one; unlike the OAKS Reading, there is a sizable amount of content in the math test that cannot/does not get covered until April and May. As before, simply contact me privately if you would like to know how your child did. Writing
Our Poetry Slam with the 6th graders was a success! Notwithstanding a bit of stage-fright, the third graders were brave and read a variety of poems to an attentive audience. We heard rhyming couplet, nature haiku, two-voice poems, cinquain, - all kinds of poems ranging from student-authored pieces to Henry David Thoreau to hip-hop raps. Great job, kids!
This week we will wrap up the unit by learning two more poetic forms, and then each student will publish their own beautiful Poetry Anthology.
Reading
This week, we will begin a new read-aloud The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. Recipient of the 2013 Newbury Medal, this novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a cage at a shopping mall. It is an AMAZING book!
We will pick back up with our daily core routines of silently reading-to-self and reflecting on what we are reading, as well as reading-to-someone to practice more fluid, fluent oral reading. I will be picking back up with small-group reading instruction as well, focusing with groups on comprehension strategies, fluency, nonfiction reading skills, etc.
Science & Social Studies
We wrapped up our big geology unit with some independent research to beef up those nonfiction reading skills. Students worked with a partner to read, take notes in their own words, and create a short digital presentation using the app “Haiku Deck” to reflect their comprehension. Click here to see one example.
This week we will be launching our next big Storyline unit about a Wildlife Park in the Northwest - building a classroom model, and tackling questions such as:
Why do we have wildlife parks?
What does a wildlife park need?
What animals and plants might you find in various habitats in a NW state park?
What causes animals and plants to move?
Who works at a park?
Who uses a park?
How are people and living things affected by an event, problem, or issue at a state park? How are these issues worked out?
What do people need to know about a park, and how do they acquire that information?
In addition to the Wildlife Park Storyline, we will soon be doing some digging, planting, and science inquiry in our salad garden bed behind the school.
Coming up:
• Week of April 7-11 -- Scholastic Book Fair
• Thursday April 10th – Monthly Field Study at Wapato Park
• Thursday April 17th – No School; Teacher Work Day
• Friday April 18th – Optional Parent-Teacher Conference (recommended for struggling students)
Warm regards,
Asa
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Classroom News!
Hello, folks! Here is what we have been up to these last two weeks in the third grade classroom:
Mathematics
We just finished our big unit on Multiplication and Division Patterns and Concepts. I am happy to report that all of our students have shown marked growth over the course of this unit, as we explored the meaning of multiplication and division through carrying out investigations in the context of story problems. Kids know when to multiply and divide, and have a deeper understanding of both operations having connected their work to a variety of models. Nearly all of the kids are proficient with multiplication facts 0s, 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s - and we will continue to work on those 4s, 6s, 8s, and 9s. Now is a great time to make multiplication flash cards a regular practice at home to hone fact fluency.
Next up is our unit on Money, Fractions, and Probability - with the big emphasis on fractions.
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
• represent common fractions (e.g., halves, thirds, fourths, tenths) as equal parts of a whole, parts of a set, or points or distances on a number line.
• Use fractions to represent numbers that are equal to, less than, or greater than one.
• Solve problems that involve comparing and ordering fractions by using models, benchmarks (0, ½, 1), or common numerators or denominators.
• Identify equivalent fractions.
• Add fractions with the same denominator.
*Note that we have our first go at the Math OAKS on Tuesday through Thursday March 18-20. If your child will be absent, they will take their first Math OAKS after Spring Break.
Writing
Reading
Naturally, we’ve been reading a ton of poetry this week – getting exposed to everything from Maya Angelou to Shel Silverstein, from funny rhyming couplets and limericks to reflective Japanese nature haiku. The kids have really been enjoying finding favorites and sharing them with one another! We've been reading nonfiction magazines, books, and reference materials to dig into geology and Earth science topics. As always, we continue our daily core practices of sustained, silent independent reading time as well.
Also, we wrapped up our first round of OAKS reading and the kids did a fantastic job. I don't release scores to the children - but if you'd like to know how your child did simply shoot me an email.
Science
Having finished our classroom lab work investigating and identifying rocks and minerals, we've been learning more about the Earth forces that have shaped the land around us in the Columbia River Basin. We learned about the layers of the Earth and basic plate tectonics, created models for how plate boundaries interact, and hiked to the top of Beacon Rock to see how the Missoula floods carved out the Columbia Gorge. Last week we read articles and looked at diagrams showing the physical features of volcanoes, viewed a short documentary on Mt. St. Helens, and interviewed 4th grade teacher Nancy Fisher about her childhood experiences witnessing the eruption first-hand!
That's the news for now!
Upcoming....
• Saturday March 15 - SIA Plant Sale (put on by 6th Grade Leadership) 9am-12
• Monday March 17 - No School - Teacher In-service Day
• March 18-20: 1st Round OAKS Math for 3rd grade
• Friday March 21, 10:30-11:20am, SIA Gym - 3rd grade + 6th grade Poetry Slam!
Join the 3rd & 6th graders for an hour of poetry readings! We will transform the gym into our "SIA Poetry Café", have refreshments, and a great time as kids get a chance to step up to the mic and share their poems. Let me know if you'd like to help with set-up or donating refreshments!
Mathematics
We just finished our big unit on Multiplication and Division Patterns and Concepts. I am happy to report that all of our students have shown marked growth over the course of this unit, as we explored the meaning of multiplication and division through carrying out investigations in the context of story problems. Kids know when to multiply and divide, and have a deeper understanding of both operations having connected their work to a variety of models. Nearly all of the kids are proficient with multiplication facts 0s, 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s - and we will continue to work on those 4s, 6s, 8s, and 9s. Now is a great time to make multiplication flash cards a regular practice at home to hone fact fluency.
Next up is our unit on Money, Fractions, and Probability - with the big emphasis on fractions.
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
• represent common fractions (e.g., halves, thirds, fourths, tenths) as equal parts of a whole, parts of a set, or points or distances on a number line.
• Use fractions to represent numbers that are equal to, less than, or greater than one.• Solve problems that involve comparing and ordering fractions by using models, benchmarks (0, ½, 1), or common numerators or denominators.
• Identify equivalent fractions.
• Add fractions with the same denominator.
*Note that we have our first go at the Math OAKS on Tuesday through Thursday March 18-20. If your child will be absent, they will take their first Math OAKS after Spring Break.
Writing
We've kicked off our
new unit on poetry in Writer’s Workshop!
Our goals for this unit are for students...
We began with a “Haiku Hike” at nearby Wapato Park last week for our March Field Study. We stretched our legs and our right-brains as we honored the tradition of gathering poetic inspiration from the natural world. We've been revising these poems back in the classroom and creating beautiful watercolor illustrations to accompany them. Poetry is often the doorway to using figurative language for young writers, and I am excited to see what they are coming up with. This next week we will get into free-verse, two-voice, cinquain, and rhyming couplet!
Don't forget to save the date for our POETRY SLAM!
Friday March 21, 10:30-11:20am, SIA Gym - 3rd grade + 6th grade Poetry Slam!
We will transform the gym into our "SIA Poetry Café", enjoy some refreshments, and have great time as kids get a chance to step up to the mic and share their poems. Let me know if you'd like to help with set-up or donating refreshments!
Our goals for this unit are for students...
- to be able to create (in their own words) a basic definition of poetry
- to be familiarized with various forms of poetry
- to read/write various forms of poetry
- to learn basic vocabulary and techniques of poetry
- to learn why/how to use a thesaurus
- to become more proficient with sentence fluency and word choice
We began with a “Haiku Hike” at nearby Wapato Park last week for our March Field Study. We stretched our legs and our right-brains as we honored the tradition of gathering poetic inspiration from the natural world. We've been revising these poems back in the classroom and creating beautiful watercolor illustrations to accompany them. Poetry is often the doorway to using figurative language for young writers, and I am excited to see what they are coming up with. This next week we will get into free-verse, two-voice, cinquain, and rhyming couplet!
Don't forget to save the date for our POETRY SLAM!
Friday March 21, 10:30-11:20am, SIA Gym - 3rd grade + 6th grade Poetry Slam!
We will transform the gym into our "SIA Poetry Café", enjoy some refreshments, and have great time as kids get a chance to step up to the mic and share their poems. Let me know if you'd like to help with set-up or donating refreshments!
ReadingNaturally, we’ve been reading a ton of poetry this week – getting exposed to everything from Maya Angelou to Shel Silverstein, from funny rhyming couplets and limericks to reflective Japanese nature haiku. The kids have really been enjoying finding favorites and sharing them with one another! We've been reading nonfiction magazines, books, and reference materials to dig into geology and Earth science topics. As always, we continue our daily core practices of sustained, silent independent reading time as well.
Also, we wrapped up our first round of OAKS reading and the kids did a fantastic job. I don't release scores to the children - but if you'd like to know how your child did simply shoot me an email.Science
Having finished our classroom lab work investigating and identifying rocks and minerals, we've been learning more about the Earth forces that have shaped the land around us in the Columbia River Basin. We learned about the layers of the Earth and basic plate tectonics, created models for how plate boundaries interact, and hiked to the top of Beacon Rock to see how the Missoula floods carved out the Columbia Gorge. Last week we read articles and looked at diagrams showing the physical features of volcanoes, viewed a short documentary on Mt. St. Helens, and interviewed 4th grade teacher Nancy Fisher about her childhood experiences witnessing the eruption first-hand!
That's the news for now!
Upcoming....
• Monday March 17 - No School - Teacher In-service Day
• March 18-20: 1st Round OAKS Math for 3rd grade
• Friday March 21, 10:30-11:20am, SIA Gym - 3rd grade + 6th grade Poetry Slam!
Join the 3rd & 6th graders for an hour of poetry readings! We will transform the gym into our "SIA Poetry Café", have refreshments, and a great time as kids get a chance to step up to the mic and share their poems. Let me know if you'd like to help with set-up or donating refreshments!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
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