What We Learned This Week
Word Study
This week's word study assessment is coming home today. I introduced our new sort, long and short u sounds that follow our previous patterns of VCe and VC respectively. Students sort, alphabetize, and copy their words daily. We also generate words we think will follow our two patterns. This is a great exercise as it exposes misunderstandings and gives us lots of "oddballs," words that follow a sound, but not a pattern or vice-versa.
Reading Workshop
Reading conferences have focused on helping students learn how to select appropriate independent level texts. Many students are still choosing books that are too hard (e.g., the miss too many words, or decode so slowly that it interferes with comprehension; they decode too slowly to read with expression; the can decode words, but don't understand them; they can read most words, but cannot comprehend what they're reading). This is a significant hurdle as reading too challenging a text, does little to develop the key reading skills of fluency, comprehension, acquisition of vocabulary, and expression.
Students are still developing the skill of identifying the main idea. They are learning they must have a who (the subject or noun: a person, place, idea, etc.) and a what (the predicate, verb or action).
I reviewed reading homework and answering questions with complete sentences. Students are also learning the answer to a "why" question should always include what happened followed by a "because." We will study cause and effect more explicitly later in the year.
We are also comparing and contrasting using Venn diagrams.
We continue to read Wonder. It is great for discussions on developing empathy and the writer's craft as the perspective changes throughout the chapters.
Writing Workshop
We continued with quick writes this week, drawing inspiration from opinion pieces and personal narratives. I tried to introduce figurative language, but backed off as it became the focus and negatively impacted student production.
Math Workshop
We worked really hard and strategically in math this week. I assessed students today on a whole host of numeracy (numbers and operation in base ten) concepts. This will come home on Monday.
Science
We watched a Bill Nye movie on forests to broaden students' understanding of trees and life science. Students also took notes while watching the film. This is an important skill. I scaffold it by giving them most of the content and ask them to fill in key words.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
Please let me know if you are able to volunteer!
Chaperons should arrive in Mr. Hudson's room at 9am. Thank you in advance!
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
October 30 - Halloween Party and Parade
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 5 - Picture Retakes
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Friday, September 25, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Newsletter for September 18, 2015
What We Learned This Week
Word Study
We continued our focus on vowels by studying short and long i sounds and their corresponding patterns of VC/VCC and VCe. I assessed students on Thursday and introduced a new sort on short and long o sounds and patterns. Repeating these patterns for each common vowel reinforces student learning and application.
Reading Workshop
We continued our study of main idea and writing answers in complete sentences. I also introduced using Venn diagrams to compare and contrast, which research supports as a leading comprehension strategy. We also read Zen Tales by Jon Muth, a story which contains three well known Zen stories, to develop our understanding of the author's message.
Writing Workshop
Our focus this week was on quick writes. While students have learned the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing, the single greatest need for most students at the beginning of the year is to get them to produce. I presented students with choices ranging from the silly, Would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water?, to the more authentic, Which two specials would you keep if you had to eliminate one? I was VERY pleased with student progress. We will continue this and then begin to develop our paragraphs as we look forward to crafting pen pal letters next month.
Math
We are continuing to develop mastery of rounding to the nearest ten and hundred using empty number lines and by looking at the ones and tens place respectively. Students are developing their understanding of multiples of tens by writing expanded form in terms of place. Typically, expanded form would appear as: 735 = 700 + 30 + 5. We are writing it as (7 x 100) + (3 x 10) + (5 x 1). You may also hear your student use the language of "three groups of ten" rather than "three times ten," which I feel is helpful in developing their understanding of multiplication. Fact fluency strategies we should have mastered include 0 more, 1 more, 2 more, doubles, and near doubles.
Science
We started our science, social studies and technology rotation this week and I kicked off our life science study on plants as we prepare for our upcoming field trip. Students explored our campus and began using decision trees to identify trees as coniferous (needles or scales) or deciduous (simple or compound). We also looked at and described bark. Finally students were encouraged to observe the trees (e.g., seeds and fruits, sap, nests, soil under the tree, etc.). Your student should have brought their decision tree packet home to look at trees in your yard and neighborhood.
Constitution Day
We celebrated Constitution Day this week. Students learned about the process of writing this fundamental document.
Guidance
Ms. O'Keefe visited us this week to talk about her job and how she can support students. She also led us in the Windermere Way pledge, "As a Windermere Hawk, I promise to practice the Windermere Way. I am respectful, responsible, and ready to learn."
Bella celebrated Rosh Hashanah with us by bringing a book as well as the traditional apples and honey as we hope for a sweet new year:)
I am still in need of volunteers for our upcoming field trip. Please let me know if you are able to volunteer.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
September 24 - Picture Day
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 5 - Picture Retakes
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Word Study
We continued our focus on vowels by studying short and long i sounds and their corresponding patterns of VC/VCC and VCe. I assessed students on Thursday and introduced a new sort on short and long o sounds and patterns. Repeating these patterns for each common vowel reinforces student learning and application.
Reading Workshop
We continued our study of main idea and writing answers in complete sentences. I also introduced using Venn diagrams to compare and contrast, which research supports as a leading comprehension strategy. We also read Zen Tales by Jon Muth, a story which contains three well known Zen stories, to develop our understanding of the author's message.
Writing Workshop
Our focus this week was on quick writes. While students have learned the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing, the single greatest need for most students at the beginning of the year is to get them to produce. I presented students with choices ranging from the silly, Would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water?, to the more authentic, Which two specials would you keep if you had to eliminate one? I was VERY pleased with student progress. We will continue this and then begin to develop our paragraphs as we look forward to crafting pen pal letters next month.
Math
We are continuing to develop mastery of rounding to the nearest ten and hundred using empty number lines and by looking at the ones and tens place respectively. Students are developing their understanding of multiples of tens by writing expanded form in terms of place. Typically, expanded form would appear as: 735 = 700 + 30 + 5. We are writing it as (7 x 100) + (3 x 10) + (5 x 1). You may also hear your student use the language of "three groups of ten" rather than "three times ten," which I feel is helpful in developing their understanding of multiplication. Fact fluency strategies we should have mastered include 0 more, 1 more, 2 more, doubles, and near doubles.
Science
We started our science, social studies and technology rotation this week and I kicked off our life science study on plants as we prepare for our upcoming field trip. Students explored our campus and began using decision trees to identify trees as coniferous (needles or scales) or deciduous (simple or compound). We also looked at and described bark. Finally students were encouraged to observe the trees (e.g., seeds and fruits, sap, nests, soil under the tree, etc.). Your student should have brought their decision tree packet home to look at trees in your yard and neighborhood.
Constitution Day
We celebrated Constitution Day this week. Students learned about the process of writing this fundamental document.
Elise brought in her copy of the Constitution!
Guidance
Ms. O'Keefe visited us this week to talk about her job and how she can support students. She also led us in the Windermere Way pledge, "As a Windermere Hawk, I promise to practice the Windermere Way. I am respectful, responsible, and ready to learn."
Bella celebrated Rosh Hashanah with us by bringing a book as well as the traditional apples and honey as we hope for a sweet new year:)
I am still in need of volunteers for our upcoming field trip. Please let me know if you are able to volunteer.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
September 24 - Picture Day
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 5 - Picture Retakes
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Friday, September 11, 2015
Newsletter for September 11, 2015
What We Learned This Week
Word Study
The class took their first word study assessment from the Words Their Way program. They were tested on several words they had practiced in their sorts, but also some new words that shared the same generalizations. Most of the class did really well spelling and identifying the sounds and patterns in this unit's words. I met with those few who struggled with one or more of these elements. Please look for their word study assessment and discuss it with your student. They should be signed and returned at your convenience (no hurry).
We are using sight to recognize our vowel-consonant/vowel-consonant-consonant (VC/VCC) and vowel-consonant-e (VCE) patterns and our ears to listen for the short a and long a sounds, which correspond with the visual patterns. Our anchor words are cat and cake, both of which exemplify the sight and sound patterns we studied. Students also practiced looking for words that share these oral and auditory patterns. There is still some confusion. For example, a student volunteered the word call as a VCC and short a word, but it is an "oddball" because, while it follows the VCC pattern, the vowel makes an "aw" sound instead of a short a sound. This is also a great opportunity to simply focus on words and start to build vocabulary. We had a real range of words, from at to granite.
Students started day one of their new generalization of short and long i and further supported their visual patterns of VC/VCC and VCE. After sorting students alphabetized their words and looked for a short i word in their reading. I always include a few oddballs that test the students' understanding. Today's oddball was give, which follows the VCE pattern, but presents a short i sound. See if your student can give you short and long i words that follow these visual patterns at the dinner table. Listen for oddballs. I used to play "word tennis" with my own kids where we had to give each other words that followed a pattern. It may seem silly, but volleying back and forth words can be a lot of fun.
Reading Workshop
We continued to focus on main idea. Students read longer, multi-paragraph passages and highlighted the topic sentence. They are starting to recognize that the topic sentence is the same thing as the main idea or central theme. Please remind your student to highlight or underline the topic sentence in each of their reading homework paragraphs. Occasionally, there may not be a topic sentence, which provides great learning and gives your student an opportunity to create one.
I also introduced figurative language (sayings and idioms). "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," came up in our read aloud and launched a great discussion on literal (main idea/central theme) versus figurative language. We will explore some of the most commonly used idioms and their origins.
Writing Workshop
Students rewrote their opinion pieces on why they should be elected to student council. There was a lot of surprise that they had to rewrite their pieces after modeling how they could improve them. I've shared with the class that we will redo much of our writing. The initial draft gives us something to work with, but in 3rd grade we will learn a lot for revising and reworking.
I was really pleased with the students' presentation skills as all of the students running for student council, which was most of the class, read their papers.
Math
I assessed students this week on numeracy (place & value; standard, expanded and written form; comparing numbers; patterns; comparing numbers and fact fluency). I will send these home next week. After this initial assessment, I will create specific standards based assessments.
There is some noticeable anxiety surrounding math fact fluency. Please practice with your student at home! A few minutes nightly will pay off quickly.
Science
We had fun with soda geysers and discussed physical change. If you repeat this at home, I suggest diet soda. It won't bring bees:) Different sodas have different carbonation levels, which you can observe in the varying heights of the soda geysers.
We will begin our science, social studies, health and technology rotation next week!
Our first field trip will take place on Tuesday, September 29th. We will walk to Thompson Park to photo document the Thompson Park Tree Trek. Here is a link to last year's work.
http://thompsonparktreetrek.blogspot.com/
Field Trip permission slips were sent home today. Please email me if you would like to chaperon this great field trip. We will meet in our room at 9am for a brief overview of the morning and will return by 11. Background checks must be up to date prior to helping on the field trip. Thank you in advance for your support. We do know it can be very hard to take time away from work.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Word Study
The class took their first word study assessment from the Words Their Way program. They were tested on several words they had practiced in their sorts, but also some new words that shared the same generalizations. Most of the class did really well spelling and identifying the sounds and patterns in this unit's words. I met with those few who struggled with one or more of these elements. Please look for their word study assessment and discuss it with your student. They should be signed and returned at your convenience (no hurry).
We are using sight to recognize our vowel-consonant/vowel-consonant-consonant (VC/VCC) and vowel-consonant-e (VCE) patterns and our ears to listen for the short a and long a sounds, which correspond with the visual patterns. Our anchor words are cat and cake, both of which exemplify the sight and sound patterns we studied. Students also practiced looking for words that share these oral and auditory patterns. There is still some confusion. For example, a student volunteered the word call as a VCC and short a word, but it is an "oddball" because, while it follows the VCC pattern, the vowel makes an "aw" sound instead of a short a sound. This is also a great opportunity to simply focus on words and start to build vocabulary. We had a real range of words, from at to granite.
Students started day one of their new generalization of short and long i and further supported their visual patterns of VC/VCC and VCE. After sorting students alphabetized their words and looked for a short i word in their reading. I always include a few oddballs that test the students' understanding. Today's oddball was give, which follows the VCE pattern, but presents a short i sound. See if your student can give you short and long i words that follow these visual patterns at the dinner table. Listen for oddballs. I used to play "word tennis" with my own kids where we had to give each other words that followed a pattern. It may seem silly, but volleying back and forth words can be a lot of fun.
Reading Workshop
We continued to focus on main idea. Students read longer, multi-paragraph passages and highlighted the topic sentence. They are starting to recognize that the topic sentence is the same thing as the main idea or central theme. Please remind your student to highlight or underline the topic sentence in each of their reading homework paragraphs. Occasionally, there may not be a topic sentence, which provides great learning and gives your student an opportunity to create one.
I also introduced figurative language (sayings and idioms). "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," came up in our read aloud and launched a great discussion on literal (main idea/central theme) versus figurative language. We will explore some of the most commonly used idioms and their origins.
Writing Workshop
Students rewrote their opinion pieces on why they should be elected to student council. There was a lot of surprise that they had to rewrite their pieces after modeling how they could improve them. I've shared with the class that we will redo much of our writing. The initial draft gives us something to work with, but in 3rd grade we will learn a lot for revising and reworking.
I was really pleased with the students' presentation skills as all of the students running for student council, which was most of the class, read their papers.
Math
I assessed students this week on numeracy (place & value; standard, expanded and written form; comparing numbers; patterns; comparing numbers and fact fluency). I will send these home next week. After this initial assessment, I will create specific standards based assessments.
There is some noticeable anxiety surrounding math fact fluency. Please practice with your student at home! A few minutes nightly will pay off quickly.
Science
We had fun with soda geysers and discussed physical change. If you repeat this at home, I suggest diet soda. It won't bring bees:) Different sodas have different carbonation levels, which you can observe in the varying heights of the soda geysers.
We will begin our science, social studies, health and technology rotation next week!
Our first field trip will take place on Tuesday, September 29th. We will walk to Thompson Park to photo document the Thompson Park Tree Trek. Here is a link to last year's work.
http://thompsonparktreetrek.blogspot.com/
Field Trip permission slips were sent home today. Please email me if you would like to chaperon this great field trip. We will meet in our room at 9am for a brief overview of the morning and will return by 11. Background checks must be up to date prior to helping on the field trip. Thank you in advance for your support. We do know it can be very hard to take time away from work.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
September 29 - Thompson Park Tree Trek Field Trip
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Newsletter for September 4, 2015
What We Learned This Week
Word Study
Students will begin individualized word study groups soon. However, I started everyone this week on the same lesson to teach the process. The cycle will typically be a five day rotation as follows:
Day One: I introduce the word feature sort on Smart Board (e.g., this week's sort was short and long a with VC and VCE patterns); students cut and sort words by pattern; they alphabetize their sorts and finally copy them into their word study journal. I also make sure the students know the meaning of all the words. The first few times we do this will take a lot of time, but I have experienced students begin to be able to do this much faster and more efficiently. I circulate and look for common errors (e.g., this week, many students struggled to hear the long a in whale and the short a in hand. I emphasize the vowel sound by having students "stretch" the word aloud and isolate the vowel sound.) Students keep their words in a baggie in their desk.
Day Two: We physically sort the words and copy them again. We also brainstorm additional words that follow the same pattern. This is a great step towards generalizing.
Day Three: We sort the words again and then look for words in our reading that share the sorting features. We will use this to build vocabulary as well.
Day Four: We sort our words a fourth time and then do one of many possible word study activities: draw and label, use in sentences, blind sorts, speed sorts, vocabulary builders, etc.
Day Five: We sort our words one final time and then recycle them. Students take a word study assessment including many words from the five day cycle's sort as well as new words that share the feature to help us ensure students are generalizing instead of just memorizing.
Reading Workshop
Students continue to identify the main idea in a passage. We will do this with our homework passages as well at school. Students will quickly begin to identify the topic sentence and see how it supports their recognition of the main idea/central theme of a passage/selection. This provides a helpful connection to our writing as we begin our narratives and opinion pieces with strong topic sentences using a variety of strategies.
We also looked for the author's message in picture books. This is challenging, especially for "right answer" oriented students. We will look for evidence to support a variety of answers.
We are well into our read aloud, Wonder, and it is providing many opportunities for great classroom discussion on kindness.
Writing Workshop
Students began their first opinion pieces, writing why they would make a great student council representative. Students must write a reason and then support it with an example, e.g., "I am a good speaker. I once had to give a speech at my aunt's wedding." While not everyone wants to run for student council, everyone is doing this exercise. This writing also provides an opportunity for students to recognize their strengths and areas for growth.
Math Workshop
We had a very busy week in math! Students are:
- Writing numbers in standard (e.g., 563), written (e.g., five hundred sixty-three), and expanded notation (e.g., 500 + 60 + 3)
- Rounding to the nearest ten using empty number lines (e.g., 70 73 80 > 73 is 3 away from 70 and 7 away from 80, so it is closer to 70. Students also recognize that the sum of the two distances is always ten) and recognizing we round down if the one's place is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 and we round up if the one's place is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
- Naming numbers by place and value (e.g., the 7 in 472 is called 70, seventy, 7 tens, and 70 ones).
- Identifying the biggest or smallest number possible from a set of numerals (e.g., the biggest number that can be made from 7, 4, 0, and 9 is 9,740. This is typically very easy, but the "next biggest" number of 9,704 is usually very hard. Most students will write 7,940. Try this one with a three or four digit number at home.).
- Recognizing and continuing patterns by looking at which place (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) is changing.
I have noticed many students (and this is typical of the beginning of third grade) are struggling to read an analog clock. I will review this at school, but you may want to look for opportunities to do this at home. A gift of an analog watch is often very motivating. I point out that the word hour is shorter than the word minute and their lengths correspond with their arms' lengths on a clock.
Homework
The class practiced an entire night's homework together. I shared explicit strategies and modeled them. Nearly everyone finished their reading in 20 minutes and their math in 15. We also discussed creating the right environment for homework without distractions. I hope this is helpful at home.
Odds and Ends
You will receive a letter about Schoology next week. Schoology is a secure site in which students, teachers and parents can communicate about class experiences. You can see more about it here: http://upperarlington.finalsite.com/page.cfm?p=650
We had a great time celebrating Windermere Sportsmanship Day participating in team building activities. We finished the day with a speaker who focused on the importance of quality relationships. This was a great introduction to our Windermere Way: Responsible, Respectful and Ready to Learn. Here are a few photos from our activities.
See below for important dates.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 7 - No School Labor Day
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
Word Study
Students will begin individualized word study groups soon. However, I started everyone this week on the same lesson to teach the process. The cycle will typically be a five day rotation as follows:
Day One: I introduce the word feature sort on Smart Board (e.g., this week's sort was short and long a with VC and VCE patterns); students cut and sort words by pattern; they alphabetize their sorts and finally copy them into their word study journal. I also make sure the students know the meaning of all the words. The first few times we do this will take a lot of time, but I have experienced students begin to be able to do this much faster and more efficiently. I circulate and look for common errors (e.g., this week, many students struggled to hear the long a in whale and the short a in hand. I emphasize the vowel sound by having students "stretch" the word aloud and isolate the vowel sound.) Students keep their words in a baggie in their desk.
Day Two: We physically sort the words and copy them again. We also brainstorm additional words that follow the same pattern. This is a great step towards generalizing.
Day Three: We sort the words again and then look for words in our reading that share the sorting features. We will use this to build vocabulary as well.
Day Four: We sort our words a fourth time and then do one of many possible word study activities: draw and label, use in sentences, blind sorts, speed sorts, vocabulary builders, etc.
Day Five: We sort our words one final time and then recycle them. Students take a word study assessment including many words from the five day cycle's sort as well as new words that share the feature to help us ensure students are generalizing instead of just memorizing.
Reading Workshop
Students continue to identify the main idea in a passage. We will do this with our homework passages as well at school. Students will quickly begin to identify the topic sentence and see how it supports their recognition of the main idea/central theme of a passage/selection. This provides a helpful connection to our writing as we begin our narratives and opinion pieces with strong topic sentences using a variety of strategies.
We also looked for the author's message in picture books. This is challenging, especially for "right answer" oriented students. We will look for evidence to support a variety of answers.
We are well into our read aloud, Wonder, and it is providing many opportunities for great classroom discussion on kindness.
Writing Workshop
Students began their first opinion pieces, writing why they would make a great student council representative. Students must write a reason and then support it with an example, e.g., "I am a good speaker. I once had to give a speech at my aunt's wedding." While not everyone wants to run for student council, everyone is doing this exercise. This writing also provides an opportunity for students to recognize their strengths and areas for growth.
Math Workshop
We had a very busy week in math! Students are:
- Writing numbers in standard (e.g., 563), written (e.g., five hundred sixty-three), and expanded notation (e.g., 500 + 60 + 3)
- Rounding to the nearest ten using empty number lines (e.g., 70 73 80 > 73 is 3 away from 70 and 7 away from 80, so it is closer to 70. Students also recognize that the sum of the two distances is always ten) and recognizing we round down if the one's place is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 and we round up if the one's place is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.
- Naming numbers by place and value (e.g., the 7 in 472 is called 70, seventy, 7 tens, and 70 ones).
- Identifying the biggest or smallest number possible from a set of numerals (e.g., the biggest number that can be made from 7, 4, 0, and 9 is 9,740. This is typically very easy, but the "next biggest" number of 9,704 is usually very hard. Most students will write 7,940. Try this one with a three or four digit number at home.).
- Recognizing and continuing patterns by looking at which place (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) is changing.
I have noticed many students (and this is typical of the beginning of third grade) are struggling to read an analog clock. I will review this at school, but you may want to look for opportunities to do this at home. A gift of an analog watch is often very motivating. I point out that the word hour is shorter than the word minute and their lengths correspond with their arms' lengths on a clock.
Homework
The class practiced an entire night's homework together. I shared explicit strategies and modeled them. Nearly everyone finished their reading in 20 minutes and their math in 15. We also discussed creating the right environment for homework without distractions. I hope this is helpful at home.
Odds and Ends
You will receive a letter about Schoology next week. Schoology is a secure site in which students, teachers and parents can communicate about class experiences. You can see more about it here: http://upperarlington.finalsite.com/page.cfm?p=650
We had a great time celebrating Windermere Sportsmanship Day participating in team building activities. We finished the day with a speaker who focused on the importance of quality relationships. This was a great introduction to our Windermere Way: Responsible, Respectful and Ready to Learn. Here are a few photos from our activities.
See below for important dates.
Important Dates and Reminders
I will highlight new and changed dates on subsequent posts in red.
September 7 - No School Labor Day
September 23 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
October 9 - Fall Family Night
October 16 - End of First Quarter
October 19 - No School Teacher Grading Day
October 25 - Scarecrow Display Contest
October 26 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
You can sign up for Fall Conferences by clicking on this link:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4fa5ac2ea64-fall3
October 29 - UA Trick or Treat Night
November 2 - Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
November 2 through 4 - Fall Conferences
November 3 - No School Election Day/Professional Development
November 9 through 13 - Terra Nova3/InView
November 25 through 27 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 through 2 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
December 21 through January 1 - Winter Break
January 8 - End of Second Quarter
January 11 - No School Teacher Grading Day
January 18 - No School Martin Luther King Day
January 21 - Conferences, Early Dismissal at 11:05, NO LUNCH SERVICE
January 27 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
February 1 through 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
February 15 - No School Presidents' Day
February 16 - Ohio Wildlife Center Visit
March 2 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
March 18 - End of Third Quarter
March 21 through 25 - No School Spring Break
March 28 - No School Teacher Grading Day
April 6 - Early Dismissal Professional Development 1pm
April 12 and 13 - Ohio English Language Arts Assessment
April 20 and 21 - Ohio Mathematics Assessment
May 27 - Last Day of School for Students
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