Dear Families,
Happy Mothers' Day!
What We Learned This Week
Next week's spelling words are homonyms: know/no, read/red, write/right, flower/flour, read/reed, sale/sail, sent/scent, knew/new, where/wear, here/hear, two/to, and tale/tail. Additional homonym pairs you may want to practice are: son/sun, hey/hay, mail/male, I/eye, some/sum, way/weigh, see/sea, one/won, flew/flu, hair/hare, threw/through, your/you're, seem/seam, knot/not, ant/aunt, aid/aide, poor/pour, straight/strait, peace/piece, wear/where, beat/beet, and past/passed (which is not really a homonym, but we often mispronounce passed). There/their/they're, hour/our/(not are) and it's/its are typically the most challenging for third graders and we work on these periodically throughout the year. These are probably the most commonly misused homonyms by adults as well.
In Reading Workshop we began our study of illustrator Aminah Robinson and are comparing her themes to those of Patricial Polacco and Peter Sis. We are looking at her illustrations as well as the themes of books she has chosen to illustrate. Aminah Robinson, a Columbus born and based multi-material artist and book illustrator. She will be a focus of Mrs. Chisholm's art field trip. Robinson tends to illustrate people of color, large hands (a symbol of using the hands to create and communicate as she does) and chooses themes of community, culture, traditions, older and younger mentor friendships, and empathy. We read
Elijah's Angel: A Story For Chanukah and Christmas by Michael J. Rosen (a non-fiction story about Robinson's mentor, Columbus artist, Elijah Pierce) and
To Be A Drum by Evelyn Coleman, both illustrated by Robinson.
Please visit
http://www.aminahsworld.org/index.php This is a fun interactive website that you may want to explore, especially if you are planning on chaperoning the upcoming field trip. Using the tools on Aminah Robinson's website, one of our students made this digital multi-layered example to share with the class (thanks for sharing).
We continued our
Moustache Mysteries this week in Writing. We are spending one day on each paragraph to support our work. Writing fiction is very challenging and third graders tend to complicate their writing by straying from the theme. We are working to make our stories make sense, maintain a sequence and to keep them simple. The idea, waking up with a mysterious moustache is the premise of these stories. Students have to then write about one advantage they experience with their moustache, one negative event and finally choose whether or not to keep it.
During Math, we started multi digit multiplication using the traditional algorithm (the way most adults do multiplication). We still take pains to show that we are carrying tens, hundreds, etc. and not just ones to help students really understand. We are getting closer to understanding this method, but it can take some time for students to master. While I let students use multiplication tables to help them with the basic facts in multi digit multiplication, it is essential they master their basic facts. Errors with basic facts and subsequent addition of facts are where 90 percent of all errors occur, not in the algorithm or carrying. Please work with your student on multiplication facts. If they have not learned them yet (3 seconds per fact is the district standard to answer correctly any single digit fact), please have them complete a blank multiplication table nightly. You can find these easily online. While I prefer to focus on strategies, some students do not make the connection and they should work on memorizing their facts using a table. Our homework will focus on multiplication. Here is a link to blank multiplication sheets. It's even better if you can scramble the factors across the top.
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/multiplication/multiplication-table-blank-ten.pdf
We began our Life Science study in Science. We have about 25 chrysalises we are observing for changes as they complete their metamorphosis. They are a beautiful green with symmetrical, metallic golden spots. We will be looking at how living organisms can be classified, how animals adapt to their environments, and the food web. Students will study a non-domesticated animal during this unit. Hopefully, all the mothers received their lavender plants on Friday as we took apart our garden. Don't worry dads, we'll have something for you as well as we approach Father's Day.
Important Dates and Reminders
Not even the rain could dampen Principal For A Day, Addy Pittenger's spirits. Addy spent the day shadowing and conducting business with our principal, Mr. Scarpitti.
The Windermere Wish Run is Saturday, May 21! You can run the 5K or the one-mile Fun Run. We have a bonus for
all participants! Premier at Sawmill Athletic Club is providing one-day pool passes for the day of the race--May 21! The pass entitles you to relax and enjoy their indoor and outdoor heated pools which are open until 11:00 p.m. that day. You can find a registration form for the Wish Run in the Hawk Herald or in the school office or register on-line at
http://www.premierraces.com/. Registration and check-in on the day of the race begin at 8 a.m. The 5K run starts at 9 a.m. and the Fun Run begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds from the event go to Pets Without Parents. Learn more about what they do at
http://www.petswithoutparents.net/.
The first 100 5K participants to check in on race day get a Wish Run T-shirt!
Windermere's first Science Exchange will take place this Wednesday, May 11th for all intermediate (3rd, 4th and 5th graders) students. Students will travel with their class to a 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom (not their own) to participate in hands-on common grade level science experiments on earth science, physical science and energy. They will then have an opportunity to connect these seemingly disparate lessons within the context of "Why are these experiments important?" and "How are they connected?" I'm looking forward to this experience and hope it will be an engaging opportunity for students. I hope to post video and photos of this day.
May 11 - Early release at 1:15. Science Exchange for students
May 21 - Wish Run
May 24 - Art Field Trip to Columbus Museum of Art and downtown branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library (please let me know if you can chaperon)
May 30 - No school, Memorial Day
June 2 - Ukulele Orchestra Performance at 7pm
June 6 - Field Days (think hydration and sunscreen)
June 9 - Last day for students, classroom parties from 12:00 - 1:00
