Newsletter for October 6, 2017

What We Learned This Week

Word Study
We are now breaking and labeling three syllable types (open, closed, VCe) in multisyllabic words. My emphasis is on hearing the vowel sounds, learning where to segment words and applying our developing phonemic awareness to reading and writing. When reading an unfamiliar word, students should try long and short sounds and use context clues along with the beginning phoneme to figure out words. When writing, they should listen to the vowel sounds (long or short) and try writing the word. Their memories are stronger than they realize and they often recognize which of their attempts is correct.

We continued our plural noun study by introducing singular nouns that end in -f and -fe. We should know that we add -es if we add a syllable (e.g., lunch > lunches) and we change -f and -fe to -ves (e.g., knife > knives).

Reading
We are learning to use the question in the answer with short passages. I have students use the question as a sentence starter before we even look at the passage (e.g., When does the story take place? > The story takes place...). We are also working on predictions and supporting them with evidence. 

Writing 
Students published their pen pal letters this week. This was a taxing exercise for them, but helps develop familiarity with the keyboard and provides many learning opportunities (e.g., tab and return keys, leaving spaces after punctuation, etc.). I have commented on half of them and will finish the rest over the weekend. I'm very pleased with their production and content. 

I introduced responding to text, a focus of third grade English Language Arts. Students are writing opinion pieces that begin with a clear topic sentence, supporting their opinion with evidence from the text and ending with a strong conclusion. We are removing unnecessary words that muddy our writing (e.g., that) and are learning we do not begin sentences with because. The greatest opportunity for growth is in explaining how the evidence supports our opinion (e.g., Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood was happy because she would fall asleep listening to her pa play fiddle. I love falling asleep to the happy sounds of my family.). We are able to bring in a little background knowledge, but have to begin with the text. Production varies greatly from student to student here. I will be pushing reluctant writers to produce a great deal more. 

Math
We began multiplication this week and it is going swimmingly! I'm really thrilled with the class' understanding and believe the time we spent strengthening our numeracy and addition/subtraction fluency really supports this new content. I define multiplication as efficient addition of same sized groups. Students are able to read an addition expression (e.g., 4 + 4 + 4) and represent it as a multiplication expression (e.g., 3 x 4), read it as a number of same sized groups (e.g., three groups of four) and represent the expression as an array. 

I use the term expression with students to mean any operation. However, it is important that students can express multiplication as numbers of groups instead of saying times. Also, they should know the answer to an addition expression is the sum; the answer to a subtraction expression is the difference; and the answer to a multiplication expression is the product. 

I also introduced division as the sharing of the whole into equal groups. Students are breaking arrays 

Students should still be working on addition and subtraction facts. We will begin learning strategies for multiplication and division facts and associated fact fluency in a few months.

Homework Update

Please make sure your student is reading five out of seven nights a week. You and your student can choose which days. This should simplify things and give you a break on busy nights. Thank you.

October 2017

11 Walking Wednesday

9-13 Collection Days for “Box Tops for Education”

16 No School for Students:  Work Day/Parent-Teacher Conference Day

16  Parent-Teacher Conferences 12:20 - 7pm

18 Walking Wednesday

19 Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:20 - 7pm

20 Fall Picture Retakes
20 Field Trip 9am-11am Thompson Park Tree Trek. Please email if you can chaperone.

24 & 25 3rd Grade State of Ohio Reading Assessment
25 Walking Wednesday

26 Early Dismissal at 11:05

27 Halloween Parties & School Wide Parade starting at 1:30 pm

31 Trick-or-Treat 5:30-8 p.m. in UA

November 2017

1 Walking Wednesday

6 End of First Trimester

7 No School for Students:  Faculty In-service Day

8 Walking Wednesday

15 Walking Wednesday

21  Progress Reports go Home

21 Scarlet and Gray School Spirit Day

22-24 Thanksgiving Holiday

December 2017

21 Holiday Parties 2:00 pm

December 22-January 4 Winter Break

January 2018

5 No School for Students:  Teacher Workday/PD Day

8 School Resumes

15 No School for Staff or Students:  Martin Luther King’s Birthday

18 PT Conferences grade 1-5 (students are dismissed at 11:05)

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
11-14 Ohio Wildlife Center donation drive
14 Ohio Wildlife Center

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

12-16  Spring Break

19 No School for Students:  Teacher Grading Day

27 Progress Reports go Home

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

21  Field Day

28 No School Staff:  Memorial Day

30  Last Day for Students

30 End of third trimester