Week #14

Don't forget to bring in Secret Santa gifts by Wednesday. If for any reason you can't please let me know.  Also just fill out the From portion on the name tag.

We will present projects at 2:00 on Monday in the cafeteria.  They have worked very hard on their projects and are ready to show them off!

Reading: 3rd:  The students compared 2 stories with the same characters.

4th- The students worked on making inferences within a text. 

Writing: We are finishing up our narrative writing.

Grammar: The students reviewed different grammar standards using a mentor sentence.

Projects: We finished up and practiced our 51st state project.

On Thursday we will be watching a movie in the afternoon as a part of our Christmas party.  The students will be able to choose to watch Home Alone in Mrs. Luyt's room or Santa Claus 3 in our room.  If you do not want your child to watch one or both of these movies please let me know. 

Week 13

Thank you to everyone who came to conferences!  If you missed your conference or didn't sign up for one please email me to set up a time.

Reading: 3rd-  We read 2 books by the same author.  The students determined the setting, theme, problem, solution and beginning, middle and end of both stories.  Next week we are going to compare and contrast both stories.

4th-  We watched Pixar Shorts and made inferences based on what we saw.  They had to be able to provide evidence to support their inference.

Writing: We continued working through the writing process with our narrative writing.

Grammar: We wrote letters to Santa for the LVN.

Projects:  We are finishing up our 51st State project.  I will send home an email at the beginning of the week letting you know when we will present.

Secret Santa: The students all drew their names for Secret Santa.  Remember to only spend $5 on the gift.  The Dollar Store is a great place to shop for this!  Only fill out the From part of the name tag.  

Christmas Party: We will be having a Christmas party on the Thursday before break.  I will send home more details at the end of the week.  

Week #12

Reading:  The students continued working on finding evidence in the text to support their answer.  They also worked on correctly using evidence based terms and evidence.

The students took a spelling test on Thursday.  Overall they did a great job.  They will not get a new list until after Christmas break.  Spelling will be run a little differently after the break.  I will go into detail at a later date.  

There will be a Latin/Greek test on Thursday 12/7.  

Writing: We continued working through the narrative writing process.  Most students are ready to begin their rough drafts.

Grammar:  We reviewed past and present tense verbs, then took an assessment.

Projects: We are on the tail end of the 51st State project.  The goal is for all projects to be completed by 12/7.  We will then practice presenting to eachother, and then finally invite the parents in to enjoy.  As soon as I know a set date and time I will send out an email.

Don't Forget

* Conferences are on Friday.  If you have not signed up for a time, or contacted me about coming on a different day, please click on the link and sign up
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4faea928a3f49-...

* A bookorder was sent home.  If you are ordering a book as a gift for your child please let me know. 

Week 11

Reading:The students reviewed finding evidence in the text to support their answer. They received new spelling words.  They will be having a test on those words on 11/30.

Writing: We are slowly working through the writing process when writing a narrative. 

Grammar: We reviewed and tested on making simple, compound and complex sentences.

Projects: The students continued working on their 51st State project.

** Be on the lookout for a scholastic bookorder coming home soon.  If you would like to order for Christmas and do not want your child to see the order, let me know.  

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving.  I will see you tomorrow!

Week #10

Reading:  This week in reading we worked on literal and non literal meaning of phrases.  The students received new Latin/Greek words.  They will have an assessment on these words on 11/ 16. They also had a spelling test.  

Writing: We continued practicing correctly using quotation marks in dialogue.  The students took an assessmenton Thursday.  We also practiced using specific word choice to set the mood in writing.

Grammar: We reviewed parts of speech and took an assessment. We also continued practicing the difference between simple, compound and complex sentences.  We will take an assessment on this next week. 

Projects: We continued working on the 51st state projects. 

One more week and then we get the entire week off for Thanksgiving!! 

Don't forget, the students are supposed to read 20 minutes every night.  Also make sure they are practicing for spelling and Latin/Greek tests.  They have time in class, but a little extra practice at home would be great too. 

Week #9

Writing: This week the students wrote an opinion paper completely on their own for an assessment.

Reading: This week we reviewed the standards we have covered so far this year. 

Grammar: The students were introduced to subordinating conjunctions.  They practiced finding the subordinating conjunction in a complex sentence.  They also had to find the dependent clause.

Projects: We continued working on our 51st state projecty.

Week #8

Reading: This week the students learned about theme.  We talked about how theme is the moral of the story or lesson the author wants the reader to learn. We read different books and discussed what the theme of the story could be.

Writing: We finished up the best animal opinion writing.

Grammar: This week the students learned about coordinating conjunctions.  They practice putting two independent clauses together using a FANBOYS conjunction.

Projects: The students continued working on their 51st State.

Misc: Tuesday is Halloween. The students can wear their costumes to school. Please no masks or weapons.  We will have a school wide costume parade in the morning and party in the afternoon. It should be a GREAT day of fun!!

The students all received new dictionaries from the Rotary Club this week.  They were so excited.  They want to take them home but I asked them to leave them at school so they can have them to use.  At the end of the year they can bring them home. 

Week #7

Reading: This week we worked on using evidence based terms when answering a question.  We read books and then discussed how to answer the question using evidence from the book.

We took a LG test. There will be a spelling test on 10/26. Make sure your child is studying!

Writing: The students are writing about which animal they think is the best.  They have done research to support their opinion. They are working on putting their opinion and the facts they have found together.  

Grammar:  The students learned that every sentence has a subject and a predicate.  Also, each sentence has a simple subject and predicate. We practiced finding the subject and predicate in sentences.

Projects: The students are finishing up their Nevada Symbols books.  Most have started their 51st State Project.  They are creating the 51st state.  I can't wait to see how creative they get with this project.

Week #6

Reading: This week we talked about character traits.  We read pictures books and discussed the character trait of the main character, using evidence to support the trait.

The students took a spelling test on Thursday. If they received a 1 their test will need to be signed and returned.  The students have some time to study in class, but please be sure to also study at home. They will be getting new spelling words on Monday.

They will be having a Latin/Greek test on Thursday 10/19

Writing:  We completed our ant opinion writing.  I am impressed with how well the students are doing!

Grammar: We finished up with regular and irregular verbs.  We then did an activity with comparative and superlative adjectives. 

Projects: We did our egg drop.  Only one egg was broken during this activity!!  We then started introducing our next project by making a Me Map.  

Picture re-take day is on Monday.  If you did not like your student's pictures send the packet of pictures back to school so they can do retakes. 

Week #5

Reading:The students learned about 1st and 3rd person point of view. We read books and discussed which point of view the story was told from.

The students are getting into the groove of getting their edmodo assignments completed. They are having to learn to manage their time in order to get everything done.

They took their first Latin/Greek test on Thursday. They all did a great job! They will be getting their new words on Monday.

There will be a spelling test on Thursday 10/12. Don't forget to have your student study.

Writing:  We continued working on the ant opinion writing. I am very impressed with how well they are doing! 

Grammar: The students learned about adjectives and verbs this week.  We will continue working with verbs next week. 

Projects: The students are building their egg drop projects using simple machines. It's always fun to watch them in action.  

Week #4

Reading: This week the students learned about the protagonist and the antagonist. The 3rd graders had their first spelling test.

They recieved their first Latin/Greek words. The first Latin/Greek test is on Thursday 10/5. All students should have their Latin/Greek roots in a sheet protector in their binders.  Don't forget to study!!

Writing: We started another opinion writing.  We read that had the point of view of a boy and an ant.  Both were giving reasons why they boy should or should not squish the ant. We then read non-fiction ant books.  The students will use their notes from these books to write an opinion writing of whether or not the boy should squish the ant.  They will use the ant facts to support their opinion.

Grammar: We leared about concrete and abstract nouns.  We watched a video with a very catchy tune to help introduce this concept. Next the students did a sort.  This was a very easy concept for them. We then moved on to adjectives.

Projects:  The students learned that they are going to be figuring out how to get an egg from the table to the ground using simple machines. It is fun to watch them work with their groups and figure out how they will be doing this! 

Week 3

Reading: This week the students learned about using context clues to understand the meaning of an unknown word.  The 3rd graders worked in pairs and came up with a made-up word and definition.  They then wrote a sentence that had context clues so the class could determine the meaning of their word.  The 4th graders read a paragraph containing an unknown word. They then had to use context clues to find the meaning of the word.  They had to write what clues helped them figure out the meaning of the word.

Spelling: The students (just 3rd graders) received their first spelling list.  They are high frequency words this time.  Remember that when testing the students have to write the entire sentence.  They will be graded on having a capital, spelling all spelling words correctly (and using the correct form of the word) and having the correct punctuation. Their first test will be on Thursday September 28th. 

Writing: We continued through the writing process for our Oreo writing. The students voted that they liked Apple Pie Oreos better than Birthday Cake Oreos (I did not agree!!)

Grammar:  This week we worked on changing singular nouns into plural nouns.  We made a notetaker with all the rules.  The students took an assessment on Thursday.  They all did a great job on the assessment!

Projects: We finished up with our simple machines rotations. The students then went on a simple machines scavenger hunt around the school.  

Don't forget to send your student with 2 snacks each day.  During our afternoon snack time I have had several students tell me they are hungry but they do not have a snack.  Sometimes I have something I can give them, but usually I don't have anything. 

Week #2

We had another great week!! 

Third graders had to take the MAP test this week.  They did a good job of staying focused and trying their best!  I was very proud of them.

Reading: We worked on identifying different parts of the plot stucture in different picture books.  We also talked about using format matters when answering (restating the question, answering in a complete sentence and talking loud enought for all to hear)

Writing:  We finished taking our snapshot assessments.  The students then had an Oreo taste test that we will use to start our opinion writing on Monday.  

Grammar: We finished up with nouns and pronouns.  The students then made a notetaker to help them with the rules for changing singlar nouns into plural nouns.

Projects:  We continued learning about he different simple machines.

If your child is going to be absent from school please notify the front office by 9:00 am. 423-5437.  
Please remember that if anyone comes to check your child out of school who is not on the emergency card they will not be released to them.  You can update that list by going to Infinite Campus Parent Portal. 

1st Week

Monday is picture day!Your child has their order form in their binder.  


We had a great first week!! If you haven't turned in all of your paperwork, please send it in with your child ASAP.  Also, please remember to turn in your family scrapbook page.  The kids love looking at eachother's pages and sharing our book with their family. 

Reading: This week we are working on Read to Self and building stamina. The goal is to work up to 20 minutes.  We will be there in no time!  We also worked on Plot Structure.  We focused on exposition.  

Writing:  I want to know where the students are with their writing.  This week they wrote an opinion writing and they started a narative.  We will finish the narative writing on Monday.

Grammar: In order to review nouns, the students were each given a kind of noun (person, place, thing or idea).  They were not told why they were given their card just that they had to figure out who was in their group. It took a few minutes but once someone figured it out it was fun to watch them work together to get everyone into the correct group.  The groups then each made a noun poster.

Projects: This week we focused on Tribes and our Tribes agreements. We did some fun activities to help us build a strong classroom community.

Misc.  The students will all need headphones this year. If you could please send in a pair of headphones in a ziplock bag with your child's name on it that would be great. There is no hurry just as soon as it is convienent for you.

Hello

Summer is almost over! Enjoy your last weekend of summer and I will see you all on Tuesday.  Don't forget to bring your Me Bags!!

May 8-11

Thank you to everyone who brought in food/drinks for the students to have while they were testing.  I am happy to say that we are officially finished testing!!  

The students finished their Market Day projects.  On Thursday we set up everyone's "store" and the first graders came shopping. It was a huge success! The first graders loved all the fun things they could buy.  We are going to have a second market day next week with the 2nd graders since everyone still had products left.  This was such a fun project to watch the students create!

On Wednesday 5/17 at 3:00 our class is going to have a Poetry Slam.  Please join us and listen to all the fun poems they have memorized.  

This has been such a great year!! I can't believe that it is almost over and your kids will all be 4th graders. I love that I will be able to have them again next year for reading. 

ACT Aspire testing this week

This week the students will be taking the ACT Aspire. This test is a timed test so we don't have to worry about it lasting too long. Because this test is timed and much shorter, we will not be having breakfast in the classroom this week. I will provide them with a snack this week.  I will also buy them gum/mints to have during the test.  If you child only likes certain kinds of gum you may send it in with them. 


On these day it is important your child:

     * Get's enought rest
       * Eats a healthy breakfast
       * Has their headphones at school
       * Arrives at school on time
       * Brings a water bottle

I know a lot of the students are very nervous.  I have talked to them about this and let them know that they will do great. The test is just the things they have already learned this year. Mrs. WindRiver and I make testing days as low stress as possible.  The afternoons will be filled with projects and extra long recess. Your kids are amazing and I know they will do great!!

I have sent out a sign up genius so parents can sign up to help provide breakfast for the kids.  Thank you to those who have already signed up. We won't start doing breakfast until we do the SBAC test.  Those tests are not timed so those days can be very long for the kids. Having breakfast together before we start testing those days calms the kids down and is a fun way to start the day.

April 10-14

Reading: We spent this week reviewing the parts of a fiction book.  The students also worked on different language arts IXLs to review what we have learned this year. 

The students recieved their last set of Latin/Greek words (can you believe the year is almost over??) They will test on these 4/20.

Third graders took their last spelling test. They ended the year on a great note, almost all the students got a 3 on the test!

Writing: We started the week with a writing called The Best Part of Me.  These turned out really good.  Come check them out in the hallway.  On Wednesday we started another writing.  The students each picked an inventor or entrepreneur. They will research and then write a paper on their chosen person.

Grammar: We are reviewing and retesting grammar standards we have covered this year.

Projects: We started a new project and I am so excited! The students got to choose their own groups with anyone from either our class or Mrs. WindRiver's class. Each group is given $100 to make a product to sell to the first graders. They will have to budget their time and money in order to succeed. They also need to make a commercial and a sign to advertise their products. The commercial and sign also cost money out of their budget so they need to plan for that as well. It is so much fun to watch their brains word to try to figure out the best way to be successful!

Misc. I sent home the last book order. They are due on Thursday.

I will be sending home a sign up genius soon to sign up for breakfast and treats. We will not be doing breakfast or treats the first week of testing because those are short timed tests. The last 2 weeks of testing are long days(the tests are not timed) so we like to make it fun with food and treats to get them through the day.

LAST BOOKORDER

I am sending home the last bookorder of the year today! I can't believe it's already that time.  The due date for ordering will be Thursday April 20th. As always, if for any reason you need me to extend this date please let me know. 

April 3-7

Reading: This week the students watched videos from the Scholastic News website and determined the main idea and supporting details. 

The students took a Latin/Greek Test.

3rd grade students received new spelling words.  They will test on 4/13

Writing: The students wrote an opinion paper and informational papers on roller coasters.

Grammar: We are reviewing grammar standards.

Projects: We finished up our animal habitat project.  These turned out so good!  Thank you to everyone who was able to make it.  If you weren't able to make it be sure to have you child share their project with you.  

Misc. We will begin testing in 2 weeks.  On testing days in order to make it less stressful and ensure the kids have a good breakfast, we have breakfast each morning. I also give the kids lots of snacks while they are testing to keep them going.  Be on the lookout for a signup genius email so you can sign up to bring something in.

March 27-30

Reading: 
The students started reading non-fiction books. They are back to doing their work on Edmodo. 

We learned about poetry this week. We talked about line, stanza and rhyme.

The students received new Latin/Greek words.  We will test on them April 6th. 

3rd grade will receive new spelling words on Monday April 3rd.

Writing: The students finished up their last type of writing based on one article.  As they finished they wrote different kinds of poems.

Projects:  We are finishing up our projects.  We plan on prenting them on Thursday at 2:30 in the cafeteria. 

Misc. Thank you to everyone who made it to conferences.  If you were unable to attend please come either before school (I get here at 7:30) or after school with your child.

CONFERENCES

Just a reminder that we are having conferences on Friday from 9:00 until 1:30.  You can come in anytime during that time frame.  Be sure to bring your child with you because he/she will be running the conference! I will be there to answer any questions that your student isn't able to answer.

February 27- March 2

Reading:  We continued working on deciding which text structure an article was using. 

Writing:  The students worked on taking two articles to write an informative paper. 

Grammar:  We worked on correctly writing an address.  Each student wrote a letter to a student in Mrs. Windriver's class and then addressed an envelope to them so it could be "mailed".  

Projects:  We continued with our animal adaptation projects.  If you have an extra shoe box at home to send in that would be great.  Also I have told the students that if they have any items at home they want for their project they can bring them in (with your permission). However, I am not asking them to have you go out and buy them a bunch of stuff.

Habitat boxes

Students will start building their habitats in the next two weeks.  Please send your child with a large sized shoe box, as this is what their habitat will be created in. 

February 13-16

Reading:  We learned about text structure this week.  The students also continued working on restating their questions and using evidence based terms.

Third grade had a spelling test on Thursday.  They will receive new words on Tuesday.  

There will be a Latin/Greek test on Thursday.

Writing: The students worked on finishing up their deep sea creatures writing.  These turned out so good!

Grammar: We worked on shades of meaning.

Projects:  We continued with our animal adaptations project. 

Have a great long weekend!  See you on Tuesday!

January 30- February 2

Reading: This week the students learned about author's purpose.  We also continued finding the main idea and supporting details.  The 4th graders turned this into a summary.  The students also focused on restating their questions and using evidence based terms when answering questions. 

They will have a Latin/Greek test on Thursday 2/9.

Writing: We started a new writing this week.  Each student is researching and writing about a different deep sea creature.  

Grammar: We continued working on plural, possessive and plural possessive nouns.  The students had an assessment on Thursday.  Overall they did well.

Projects:  We finished up our Earth's systems project.  We presented to the 5th graders.

Misc.:   Check your email regarding Valentine's day.  Your student may bring in cards for everyone.  Don't have them fill out who the card is to. This will help speed up the handing out process.  Please do not send in cards or Valentine's boxes until February 14th.

Student council will be selling candy grams during lunch time.  They are $.75 a piece or $10 if you would like to purchase for the entire class.

I will be submitting the Scholastic bookorder on Thursday.  Don't forget to get your bookorders in!

Jan 23-26

Reading:  We continued finding the main idea and supporting details in an article.  The 4th graders turned this into a summary.  We took a Latin/Greek test.  They will be getting new words on Monday.  The 3rd graders will have a spelling test on Thursday.

Writing: We finished the extreme weather papers.  They made a foldable to go with their papers. They turned out great!  They are hanging in the hallway so be sure to stop by and take a look.

Grammar: We continued with plural, possessive and plural possessive nouns.  

Projects We continued working on our Earth systems project. We will be finishing up and presenting this week.

January 17-19

Reading:  This week we continued working on finding the main idea and supporting details of an article.

The 3rd graders had a spelling test this week. I was disappointed with how many students told me they never looked at their words.  Each student has a list that is developmentally appropriate for them and will help them grow as a speller and reader. They will receive new words on Monday.

Their will be a Latin/Greek test on Thursday 1/26 for 3rd and 4th grade.

Writing: The students continued through the writing process on their informative paper on a severe weather. 

Grammar: We worked on making a noun plural, possessive and plural possessive.  

Projects:  We continued our Earth systems project.  We did an experiment to show how clouds make precipitation. 

Misc: Check your email for the school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year.

There was also an email sent out to order yearbooks.  

January 9-12

Reading: This semester we will be reading nonfiction texts.  To begin with we will be reading Scholastic News and answering questions on paper.  The students will not have an assignment on Edmodo.  

The students are working on answering their questions completely by using evidence based terms and restating the question.  

We also worked on finding the main idea and supporting details of an article.  This is something that will transfer into writing a summary. 

3rd graders received their new spelling words.  They will have a test on Thursday January 19th.

Writing:  The students have started informational writing.  They each picked a kind of extreme weather to research and write about.  

Grammar:  We reviewed contractions.  The students practiced putting the apostrophe in the correct location when making a contraction.  They also practiced writing the two words that make up a contraction. 

Projects:  We are learning about the different Earth systems and how they relate to weather. 

*Don't forget to have your child bring in headphones if they would like to listen to the videos on Scholastic News. 

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas break! I know I did.  I would like to start off by thanking our room mom, Angela Ackerman.  She planned our whole day before Christmas break! It was so much fun and must have been so much work!! 

We are starting to read non-fiction during reading.  We are reading Scholastic News and the students will be able to go onto the website and listen to the different articles. If your student would like to do this then he/she needs to bring in a pair of headphones in a labeled ziplock bag. 

We had a great first day back.  It was fun to hear all the stories from break!