What We Learned This Week

Word Study

I assessed students understanding of contractions by having them construct contractions from two words and deconstruct contractions into two words. These assessments will come home next week. I also revisited dialogue convention in relation to contractions. We discussed that we often use contractions in speech, but rarely in writing, unless we were using dialogue to show a casual or familiar relationship. We also revisited possessive nouns, the other situation in which we use apostrophes.

Reading Workshop

Students concluded shared research on Martin Luther King, Jr. using T-charts to record main ideas and supporting details. The research materials we are using are a little more challenging than what we’ve used previously for identifying main idea (e.g., reading homework) and the main idea was inferred in many paragraphs, rather than explicitly stated. Students shared their main ideas for each paragraph with a partner and then we determined a shared main idea as a class, often explaining why a suggestion was really a supporting detail, rather than a main idea.

Writing Workshop

We will co-construct a research paragraph next week, using our shared note taking on Martin Luther King, Jr. before I assign individual’s independent research topics. Students who are more secure will receive additional source materials to differentiate and stretch their research materials. 

Math Workshop

Students are delving deeply into fractions. Students are learning to compare fractions using inequalities (< > =) and order fractions from least to greatest. Students should understand fractions whose numerators are zero (e.g., 0/4, 0/2, etc.) are equal to 0. Fractions whose numerators are half their denominators (e.g., 1/2, 2/4, 3/6, etc.) are equal to 1/2. Fractions whose numerators are equal to their denominator (e.g., 3/3, 5/5, etc.) are equal to 1 or “the whole.” Knowing and recognizing these three conditions will enable students to quickly organize and compare many fractions as well as supporting their understand of fractions as equal parts of a whole or one. Students began simplifying fractions by dividing fractions by different forms of the whole or the one.

4/10 can be simplified by dividing by 2/2 because both 4 and 10 are divisible by 2 and when dividing by one, we are simply changing the name or number of pieces, but not the relationship of numerator to denominator or the value.

                4/10 ÷ 2/2 = 2/5

We will conclude our study of fractions by comparing at fractions with common numerators (e.g., 2/3, 2/4, 2/5, etc.) and fractions with common denominators (e.g., 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, etc.).

Science

Students worked on their student journals in class and we looked at examples of display boards from previous years’ Invention Conventions. Students should bring their display boards and student journals on Monday to share and receive ideas for improving them.

Important Dates & Reminders 

Important 3rd Quarter Dates & Reminders

March 9 through 13, 2015 - PTO Book Sale

March 17, 2015 - 3rd Grade Musical (Please have your student wear green, arrive at 6:45, and bring their instrument on Friday, March 13th.)

March 20 through 27, 2015 - No School Spring Break
March 31, 2015 - Invention Convention Open House 10 to 11am - free to go out for lunch afterwards

April 2, 2015 - End of third quarter
April 3, 2015 - No School
April 6, 2015 - No School, teacher grading day

Important 4th Quarter Dates & Reminders

April 8, 2015 - Early Dismissal/Teacher Development at 1pm
April 9, 2015 - Spring Picture Day
April 13 through May 22, 2015 - District Writing Diagnostic Testing
April 14, 2015 - Progress Reports sent home
April 21 through 22, 2015 - English Language Arts State EOY
April 22, 2015 - Ohio Reading Achievement Assessment
April 24, 2015 - Kid Fest
April 28, 2015 - Film Festival of Book Recommendations (Tremont Library 7-8pm)
April 28 through 29, 2015 - Math State EOY

May 1 through 29, 2015 - STAR Reading and Math Diagnostic Testing

May 9, 2015 - Wish Run - Please remember to mark your calendar for Saturday, May 9, the date of the 12th Annual Windermere Wish Run!  This event culminates a whole-school service-learning project.  Following a school-wide vote March 16 - 17, Student Council will announce the charity chosen to receive the proceeds from this year’s Wish Run.  The nominated organizations are the American Red Cross, Canine Companions for Independence, Meals on Wheels and Special Olympics. Entry forms for the Wish Run poster contest will be available in the school office and from your child's teacher on March 18 and 19. Registration forms for Running Club and the Wish Run will be available in the school office the week we return from spring break.  (Running Club will be held from 3:00 to 3:45 on the five Wednesdays preceding the Wish Run--April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6.)   

May 25, 2015 - No School Memorial Day

June 1, 2015 - Field Day
June 3, 2015 - End of fourth quarter/Last day for students, Classroom parties 12:05 till 1:05pm

June 9, 2015 - Progress Reports sent home