3rd Grade - Mr. Hudson: January 2018

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Newsletter & Invention Convention

What We Learned This Week

enjoying some much needed sunshine

Word Study
I am working on prefixes and suffixes with students. While there are many prefixes, the following represent 97 percent of prefixed words in printed school English: dis- (e.g., disagree), re- (e.g., return), un- (e.g., unfriend), and in-, im-, il-, ir- (e.g., injustice) . While re- means again, all of the others mean not.

The same thing occurs in suffixes where a handful of suffixes represent 97 percent of all suffixed words in printed school English: -ed (hopped), -ing (running), -ly (e.g., quickly), and -s, -es (e.g., books). These are largely verb tenses that students know, but need to focus on through practice.

We wrapped up -oi and -oy diphthongs. Students should know -oi comes in the middle of a syllable and -oy appears at the end of a syllable. There are exceptions.

Reading Workshop
We are focusing on informational texts. Students are learning how to read columned text, text boxes, bold and italicized words, table of contents, glossaries, text boxes, charts and graphs.

We are also beginning our African American research projects. Students are learning the importance of choosing just-right source material, how to take notes and what is note-worthy, how to write a research draft and finally, how to share the most important element of their topic, be it a biography or a research paper on dinosaurs, economics, historical events, etc.

busy researchers

Students took the STAR Reading Test last week. I sent student scores and progress monitoring home on Wednesday. I'm very pleased with student progress.

Writing Workshop
We are focusing on production and research skills.

Math Workshop

We wrapped up perimeter and are digging deep into area. I'm really proud of students' mastery of these two important concepts. They should recognize area as a model of multiplication and should be able to represent multiplication expressions as area models (which are also very similar to arrays).

Students took the STAR Math Test this week. I sent student scores and progress monitoring home on Thursday. I'm likewise very pleased with student progress. Please note that the highest performing students will have difficulty improving their scores (and may flatline somewhat) as they are already performing at the extreme limits of the test.

Science
We had a fantastic science exchange with our friends from Livingston Elementary. Students studied soil, life science, and water cycles as we built terrariums. Thank you UA Rotary - this project would not have been possible without your generous support!

UA High School Rotary Club members helped us as well!

Invention Convention

This post provides you with a time table for the Invention Convention and some helpful advice for those of you who are new to it.

We will try to do the majority of "think" work at school, but there will be some work to do at home, primarily presentation boards and prototypes. I have intentionally built in some extra time for students who may fall behind or have exceptionally busy extracurricular lives.

My sincere hope is that students will do a little at a time so they can really think and reflect on the process, rather than having a stressful, "just get it done" experience. This is also an early introduction to time management.

If I had to sum up this project I would say it's all about process, not product.

List of Problems - Due January 29
Identify three common, everyday problems. I am looking for problems third graders can solve, not robots or time machines;) They will inevitably think of inventions first, instead of first focusing on the problems. I suggest students focus on common problems they observe others having. Starting at home is a great idea. What kinds of challenges do they face daily? If it is helpful, please remind them of the slide show I shared with them that was all about problems.

Presentation Board Plans - Due February 20
Students will have a worksheet they can use to plan the content, layout and design of their presentation boards. I will model this well in advance. I also have models from previous years to share with students. Please do not let your student make their design board until we have completed this important step.

Presentation Boards - Due February 27
Presentation boards and headers can be purchased at United Art & Education (located just over the Fishinger Bridge in Hilliard) or most office supply stores. The headers are a great way to highlight the name of your young inventor's solution and they help steady the display boards. If you have financial hardship, please contact me and I will look into providing a display board and header for your student.

Creativity, neatness and organization are the keys to a successful presentation board. Encourage your student to take a few photos as they go through the process of testing and building prototypes and even of their problem. These can help their presentation board come alive!

The display board is intended as an aid for presenting. Please do not use poster board.

Here are several display board and prototype examples to give you and your student some idea of where we are headed.

Prototypes - Due March 6
Students will build a representative (does not have to be a fully operational) prototype. If the technology already exists for part of their prototype, they can simply mock it up (e.g., a garage door opener can be replicated from cardboard). Prototypes must be no larger than a paper box (approximately 20" x 12" x 12") and may not use chord dependent electricity. They may use batteries.

Invention Convention - March 9 Students will present their inventions to families in the Windermere Multi-Purpose Room/Cafeteria from 10:00 till 10:30. Families are encouraged to help us celebrate student inventions and interview students on their invention process. In the past, many families have opted to take their student (and their materials) to lunch after the presentations. This is a great way to celebrate and to make sure display boards and prototypes go home before spring break.

The most common question I receive is, "How much should parents help?" It is important to note that while we may have some inspiring outliers, these should be student directed problems and solutions. As much as we want to help them (and you can), the ideas and solutions should be theirs. You can ask questions and let them arrive at their own conclusions. The Invention Convention is all about the process, rather than the end product.

Most importantly, this project should be student led and adult supported.

This is NOT parent work. You may help your student by encouraging them to think about their invention. You can even help them assemble their boards and prototypes, but students must be able to explain their work and demonstrate understanding of every step of the process. We are not looking for robots or technologically bound solutions, but simple and achievable solutions to problems that impact many people. The real benefit of this project is the student learning. We want our future leaders to see they can identify and solve others' problems.

You can probably help most by having them plan and do a little work daily so they don't have to cram the night before their materials are due.

Ohio Wildlife Center Donations

Instead of having a Valentine's Day party, 3rd grade has a long tradition of sharing our love for animals. We have invited the Ohio Wildlife Center (OWC) to visit us again this year. They will bring several rehabilitated animals native to Ohio and will teach our students about habitat, defense mechanisms, food cycle, etc.

In lieu of the fee they normally charge, we donate items the OWC needs. Your student brought home a blue paper with a wish list of items you can donate to the OWC. Please consider choosing a few items from the list to bring to school on February 12th. Your donations help ensure we can continue this unique up-close experience. You can also click on the following link: Ohio Wildlife Center Wishlist

Important Dates & Reminders

February 2018

5 State of the Schools at UAHS 5-8 p.m.

5-9 Collection Days for “Box Tops for Education”
8 Third Grade Musical 7pm Wear GREEN!
11-14 Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
12 Ohio Wildlife Center Donations due
14 Ohio Wildlife Center visits for Valentine's Day

19 No School Staff or Students: Presidents’ Day

28 Early Release 1:00 (NO LIFT)

March 2018

5 Spring Pictures

9 End of Second Trimester
9 Invention Convention 10-10:30am in the Multipurpose Room/Cafeteria. Families are invited to help us celebrate student inventions and then take your student (and their materials) to lunch.
12-16 Spring Break

19 No School for Students: Teacher Grading Day

27 Progress Reports available online

30 Good Friday: No School for Students or Staff

April 2018

4 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at Windermere 11-12 in lounge

May 2018

April 30-May 4 Scholastic Book Fair

4 KidFest, 5-8 p.m.

8 NO School for students or certified staff - Ohio Primary Elections
11 Science field trip to Livingston Elementary

21 Field Day

28 No School Staff: Memorial Day

30 Last Day for Students

30 End of third trimester

Friday, January 12, 2018

Newsletter for January 12, 2017

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! I cannot believe we are already half-way through this school year. The class was sleepy this week, but we still packed in a lot of learning. We are starting several exciting initiatives: African American research projects, Invention Convention, Livingston Collaboration, and 100 Acts of Kindness. You can read more about each below.

Word Study

Mrs. Jackson - Orton Gillingham Specialist

Ms. Westlake - Interpreter

My former 3rd grade teaching partner and Orton Gillingham (OG) Specialist (OG is an intervention reading program), Mrs. Jackson, visited this week to share the history of the English language and syllable division rules. I'm hoping to have her back soon. The English language is incredibly complex as it is an amalgamation of many different languages. I always think it is helpful for students to understand why we have rules and exceptions for both reading (decoding) and writing (encoding). Mrs. Jackson is a masterful teacher and possesses an incomparable breadth of knowledge on reading and phonics.

I introduced diphthongs (a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another) -oi (e.g., soil, toil, etc.) and -oy (e.g., soy, annoy, etc.). Students will learn that generally -oi comes in the middle of syllables while -oy comes at the ends of syllables.

I am also introducing prefixes, suffixes and bases. I find this unit is incredibly beneficial and helps students with decoding unfamiliar words immensely. I have only begun to introduce this, so don't be alarmed if your student is still unfamiliar with these terms and understandings.

Reading

I am introducing non-fiction/informational texts and we are going to begin our first research projects. I invited students to write down "all of the famous Americans you can think of, anyone who has helped to shape our country, but no entertainers (athletes, musicians, artists, actors/actresses)." After two minutes the class had generated a list of 30 unique Americans. The list included six African Americans and seven women. We then had a great discussion on why it would be very important to study these often marginalized, yet quintessential American groups (African Americans and women). In honor of Dr. King's holiday on Monday and Black History Month, we will use this as our platform to begin learning how to read and research informational texts. Students will eventually produce a research project on a famous African American, focusing on how that individual shaped or contributed to American culture. I will also share several picture book read-alouds.

The first was the biography of Henry Box Brown. This is the amazing story of Henry Brown and how he literally "mailed" himself to freedom. We had an amazing conversation before, during and after this book. You should all be very proud of your students. They are an insightful and empathetic group.

Writing
We are focusing on response to text. Students will read a single text and respond to it with three specific types of writing: opinion, narrative and expository. We will move from single sources to two passages to challenge students to synthesize multiple sources. I expect students to be using correct convention.

Math
I reviewed perimeter with the class and introduced area. I also taught students their 3's. Students should be using their strong mastery of doubles (from addition and multiplication) and adding one more group. We are nearly done introducing multiplication facts and I fully expect to be done by the end of the month.

I also introduced addition and subtraction with decimals.

Finally, I reviewed associative, commutative and distributive properties of addition and multiplication.

Science

I formally kicked off our Windermere Invention Convention, which will culminate in a celebration of student work on Friday, March 9th, the last day of school prior to spring break (see important dates and reminders).

What do you need to know?
1. Student inventions should be student driven. It is completely OK for them to come up with an idea that you, the adult, know there is already a great solution for. Many students will come up with problems that there are already solutions to. However, if they were unaware of the solution, then we consider it to be a valid student identified problem and solution.
2. This learning opportunity is all about the process, versus the final product.
3. There will be some key due dates that students (and families) should follow. The third grade team will not be giving homework some of these weeks to support students and families' busy schedules.
4. Parents can help, but should prompt and ask questions, rather than do the work or drive it. Again - these are student ideas.

Key dates:
January 29: Students need three different problems. Students should start looking for simple, common, everyday problems now. This can be a great conversation over meals with the entire family. I will steer students away from "inventions" and "solutions" initially and focus on problems. I will also steer them away from overly complex problems that they probably cannot realistically solve. I shared a whole host of examples today to get them thinking.

February 5: Students should have three different solutions to their problem. The ideas can be variations, but each should add something different and meaningful.

February 12 & 20: Students share and receive feedback and finalize their problems.

February 27: Presentation board and prototype plans due. I will send home resources, inspiration and guidelines in advance.

March 6: Presentation boards and prototypes due. Students will practice presenting skills.

March 9: Invention Convention Celebration

Livingston STEM Partnership

On January 22nd, Windermere's 3rd Grade will host our partner STEM school, Livingston Elementary. Students will engage in multiple hands on science learning opportunities, including design and communication challenges, film canister rockets (states of matter), and terrariums (plant science).

I would like to thank the Upper Arlington Rotary for their generous funding and support and Stori Rex, Windermere parent, for her tireless efforts and energy. This day has taken four months of planning and is sure to be a great science experience. We will visit Livingston on May 11th.

100 Acts of Kindness

Mrs. Meyer, Windermere's Teacher of the Year, shared this great idea.

We challenge YOU and your kids/family/students, etc. to accomplish 100 Acts of Kindness between January 15th and February 14th. Do you think you can do it? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is our inspiration for this challenge, which is why we always kick it off on the MLK Jr. Holiday weekend. Dr. King taught about the importance of showing love and being kind... even when it is hard and even when people aren't necessarily being kind to you. Dr. King taught that LOVE can drive out hate.

As we honor Dr. King along with many other great leaders who have taught about showing love and kindness, we encourage you to join us and SPREAD KINDNESS. Spread it in your homes, your neighborhoods, and your communities. Do small acts of kindness together with your families and students and see how these simple acts make a big difference in the lives of other people... and in you!

No act of kindness is too small. I am sending home a chart today for your student to track their acts of kindness along with many examples.