Word Study
- We continued our word study focus on important third grade concepts of synonyms and antonyms, contractions and parts of speech. Synonyms and antonyms support parts of speech as a list of synonyms or antonyms should be the same part of speech as the original word. Rapid 60 second listing of synonyms or antonyms allows students to develop their understanding without adding the multiple challenges of composing a writing piece, identifying a common word that could be replaced with a more specific or descriptive synonym, and arriving at a suitable synonym replacement. We have briefly discussed nouns ("objects, things" - I prefer this language to "people, places, and things," because I stress the difference between common and proper nouns and often when we think of people and places, they are proper nouns.) and adjectives ("describing words"). I will introduce parts of speech games soon that will support student understanding.
Reading
- I'm in the process of conducting an additional nationally normed fluency assessment. While I sometimes feel frustrated at not getting to dive into reading groups, the data I collect in the opening month of school is invaluable and will drive my instruction as the quarter progresses.
- I am drawing a connection between summaries of longer readings, which include characters (who), setting (when and where), and plot (what: beginning, middle, end), with restating a briefer main idea of shorter selections and even entire books, which always includes a who (the subject) and a what (the action). Again, the 5 W's will be immensely important in developing our comprehension.
- I discussed the two purposes for reading: enjoyment and information. When we read for enjoyment (as 3rd graders) we read from the beginning to the end. When we read for information, we read the question first. It is often overwhelming and inefficient for 3rd graders to read a passage or selection and then arrive at the first question, only to realize they have to reread most of the passage to find the answer because it was simply too much to retain. I ask students to read the question first and then begin reading the passage. They should underline the answer as well. I also stress they should not skim. Skimming is very useful as we become masterful readers, but it is a bad habit to develop at this stage in reading development and many students will end up skimming for a longer time than they would have spent had they simply read the entire passage again.
- In our read aloud, City of Orphans by Avi, we are discussing the important role children played during the early waves of immigration from Europe. Many adults did not learn English, but their children absorbed the new language and developing culture rapidly. These new Americans provided a new role as translators and therefore shared many of the adult responsibilities. If you know your family's heritage and immigration history, it will likely be very interesting to your student to learn as we continue our story.
- Please have your student visit RAZ-Kids at http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login. Many students have already logged significant time with this great program provided by the district.
We are still focusing on sentences and editing, but have introduced paragraphs as well. As a reminder, all sentences must start with a capital letter, end with punctuation (only three choices: . ! ?), and have a "who" and a "what." We will be working with single paragraphs for most of the first grading period. This allows us to introduce important concepts of topic sentences, supporting details, conclusions, as well as grammar and convention in a manageable amount.
Connecting our word study with our writing, I've introduced haikus. Haikus are loosely based on a Japanese poetry form that uses 5 syllables, 7 syllables, and 5 syllables of non-rhyming verse in its American form. Haikus encourage students to think about word choice as well. Our first haikus are about moustaches and will be in the hallway shortly.
Math
We are continuing our study of number sense, which will dovetail nicely with our first unit in our new math program, Math in Focus. I hope you were able to attend one of the districts' math open houses to learn more about it. I served on the district committee which chose Math In Focus, based on Singapore math, to support our students' learning of the new common core math standards. I love it! The new math curriculum and program allow us to dive more deeply into math and teach at a pace that honors student learning.
Science
We made Alka-Seltzer rockets today. The purpose of the lesson was to introduce pressure as a force, which supports our future physical science learning. We talked about the density of gases (air) and liquids (water) and how adding more gas from the Alka-Seltzer tablets creates pressure. Visit your local photograph developer, e.g., Cord Camera, and ask them for a few film canisters. Place a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom (This allows more air space to build up pressure. Water is very dense and hard to compress, but air is not.) and drop a quarter of an Alka-Seltzer tablet in. Snap the lid on securely (you should get a nice clean "pop."), turn it upside down on its lid and step back. IMPORTANT: Please do NOT ever let children stand over the canister as it may go off unexpectedly and could cause an injury to their eyes. If the rocket appears to be a dud, approach it from the side and simply pop the lid off. These can go quite high and it is fun to experiment with varying amounts of water. This is a great, simple and inexpensive physical and chemical change experiment that my children never tire of.
- Basil in pesto
- Oregano in pasta or pizza sauce
- Mint in ginger ale
- Chamomile tea
- Catnip for any cat owners
Our initial observations are about leaf and root shapes. We are also growing carrots, radishes and onions to study roots. We'll compare these seed reproducing plants with non-seed reproducing plants such as ferns and spider plants.
Social Studies
We are continuing geography study with our morning message. It is interesting to note that many students confuse continent, country and state. Students are asked to use maps to answer geography questions such as:
- Name the seven continents.
- Name the three largest countries in North America.
I introduced the mid-west region today and challenged students to come up with some mnemonic device to help them remember the boundary states of North Dakota, Kansas, Ohio and Michigan (e.g., Never Kiss Orange Monkeys).
Important Dates & Reminders
One last appeal for PTO Room parent forms... Please send those in on Monday.
Please let me know if you are available to chaperon for our Monday, October 8th field trip to Highbanks Metropark. This is always a great trip and particularly beautiful in the fall.
I was absent on picture day for a district math meeting. Some students did not turn in their picture orders. I will return them. If your child did not turn in their picture day order, please go online and order. They should be able to find your student easily.
A new wellness initiative starts next Wednesday, September 12th. More information to come. Click on the images below for introductory information.
Reminder, if your student brings home Einstein, have them write a personal narrative of their weekend adventures with Albert and email a few photos for them to share along with their writing for Monday morning.
Important Dates
Our library days are: September 11, 25; October 9, 24; November 8, 27; December 11; January 8, 24; February 7, 22; March 8, 22; April 16, 30; and May 14, 29. This is a new schedule approach this year and may be modified. I will update as needed. Please refer back to this information to help your student remember to return their library materials.
September 12, 2012 - Early Dismissal for professional development at 1:15pm
October 2, 2012 - Ohio Reading Achievement Assessment (Please avoid scheduling absences on this date). If you would like additional preparation materials, or just to get a better idea of the reading level expected for this assessment, please visit the Ohio Department of Education's website for practice tests: http://education.ohio.gov/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=240&ContentID=4348&Content=126215
October 3, 2012 - Walk To School Day
October 8 through 12, 2012 - PTO Book Fair
October 8, 2012 - Field trip to Highbanks Metropark
October 12, 2012 - Fall Family Night from 6pm till 8pm and Windermere Spirit Wear Sale
October 22, 2012 - No school, professional development day
October 24, 2012 - Picture Retakes
October 26, 2012 - End of the first quarter
October 29, 2012 - No school, teacher grading day
October 31, 2012 - Halloween party (extended lunch from 12pm till 1:30pm, most students go home to change into costumes)
