It's Decemeber!

Dear Wonderful Families,

I hope that each of you had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving break. I know that was awhile back. I am sorry I did not post a blog last week.  I hope it doesn't happen often.   We are half way through our second nine weeks of school. Please look for progress reports this week in your child's homework folder.  We went on our first field trip last week to see a play at the PAC. It was great, and the kids had a lot of fun.

Thanks to all of you who sent in your t-shirt forms and money. A big thanks to those of you that sent in extra money for those that were not able to. I was able to get all of the shirts over the break and everyone was able to wear their new shirts during the field trip. We will wear them on all field trip days.

A big thank you to all the parents who have donated snack to our classroom!!!

Reminders:
 I know that the next several weeks will go by fast so want to give you a heads up of some events that will be happening. 

* Once again this year, the PTA will host the  holiday shop during the week of the December 10th. 

* We will also have the Book Fair the week of  December 3rd.   

* During the week of December 10th, students will take Curriculum Based Assessments. They will take assessments in reading, writing, math and science. Each test will be approximately 2 to 3 hours and we will give one subject a day during that week.   I will be talking with them about these District Assessments but wanted to give you a heads up about these tests. If you have any questions about them please feel free to contact me.

* December 18- Field trip to see Austin Toros basketball game. Permission slips are due back by Tuesday Dec 4th. If you want to come as a chaperon  please indicate on the form or email me so that we can order you a ticket as well. Chaperons are $5.00.

Here is a look at what we will be doing this week :

Math : We will continue our unit on multiplication and creating tables

 Reading :We will be studying biographies and autobiographies.

Writing: We will work on revising and editing.

Science : We will continue to look at magnetism and gravity.

Social Studies:We will study famous Americans and their impact on our lives. 

                               HOMEWORK
Reading - 20 minutes each night and 60 minutes on weekend.
               Tuesday : Thump
                Thursday : Point of View

Math : Monday -More Three Coin Challenges
            Wednesday- Growing Older

I hope that all of you have a wonderful week!

November 12-16

Thank you to all parents who came to Explorer Excellence. It was a great turn out. Everyone in class has been working so hard, its great seeing them get rewarded for all their work. I hope I have just as many, or more, make honor roll again!

Reminders: 

Monday November 12 at  2:00PM is the 3rd grade Veteran's Day Performance. This will be in the gym. I hope you all can make it. (I've seen bits and pieces, and it really is great!)

Tuesday November 13 at 6:30PM 3rd grade Veteran's Day Performance for the PTA meeting. 

Wednesday November 14- Reptile Show during school hours. 

Thursday November 15- Thanksgiving Luncheon during lunch

Tuesday November 27- Field Trip to PAC (permission slips coming home 11-12-12)

Tuesday November 27- School Spirit Day- Patriotic Day- Wear RED, WHITE, and BLUE

What we are learning this week:

Reading: Summarizing, Building Background Knowledge, and Inferring using Expository Text
Writing: Drafting an Expository Piece
Science: Force and Motion
Math: 2's, 4's  and 8's Multiplication Facts
Social Studies- Local, State, and Federal Government

Homework: 
Reading: 20 minutes daily
Tuesday: Traveling Seeds
Thursday: It's an Insect

Math: 
Monday: Arrays and Multiplication
Wednesday: Fun Facts

Have a great week!

Lauren Derrington

November 5-9

Is it Fall yet? I still can't figure out what season we are in based on this weather. Someday's its cold, and some are hot! I know this from seeing all the wonderful Temperature projects that were turned in Friday. They look amazing. I learned a lot about different weather from around the globe. 

We also had Crazy Hat day Friday. The kids really enjoyed wearing their crazy or not so crazy hats. 

This week in Learning: 

Reading: We will be finding the Main Idea of different Expository Texts

Writing: Creating an expository writing piece

Science: Different Forms of Energy: Thermal, Light, Sound, Mechanical

Math: Introduction to Multiplication- 10's and 5's

Social Studies: Presidential Election and Local/State Government

Homework: 

Reading: 20 Minutes every day 40 minutes on the weekend. 

Tuesday: Text and Graphic Features

Thursday: Reading Science: Radiometers

Math: 

Monday: Thinking About Nothing

Wednesday: Writing Multiplication Stories

Reminders: 

* Explorer Excellence is on Tuesday November 6th at 8:00AM in the cafeteria. 

* Report Cards will also go home on Tuesday. 

* If you want to order books from Scholastic, please do so by Nov 16. I will   

   submit the final order then. 

Have a great week!

Lauren Derrington

2nd Nine Weeks

Dear Families, 
 It is hard to believe that we have already  completed our first nine weeks of third grade. It has gone by very fast.  Please see reminders below about report cards and Explorer Excellence Awards. 

What we are learning this week:  
Math - Telling time on an analog clock- students must be able to tell time to the minute and also know the following terms: half past, quarter past, quarter to.
Reading -shifting our focus from fiction to expository text. We will be looking at text features and understanding their purpose and how a particular text feature assists us as readers. 
Writing - looking at the parts of a friendly letter. Students will be writing a letter to a person in the military . We will also begin cursive handwriting this week. 
Science - Begin our investigations into different types of energy. We will look at mechanical, sound, solar/thermal and light energy. 
Social Studies - Begin looking at the three branches of government 

Homework
Math- 
Monday - complete measurement step 2 sheet 
Wednesday  - complete reading clock sheet. 
Reminder - Temperature project is due Friday November 2, 2012Here are the directions again, if some students have misplaced theirs. 

Temperature Homework

Changing Weather: Look with your child at a multi-day weather forecast in the newspaper, on the internet or television news program.  Talk about the predicted changes in temperature.  Will the temperature stay constant?  Will it increase or decrease suddenly?  Describe the trend in the weather over the next ten days.  Your child may choose any city to keep track of.  It may even be in a different country!   
• Create a chart that shows the daily temperature over the next ten days. They should begin recording temperatures on October 18 and the last day will be October 27.  
• Graph the daily Hi and Lo temperatures.  Students may graph the information using a bar graph, line graph, pictograph, or other graph of their choice.  
• Write a summary paragraph describing the weather trends over the recorded ten days. 
Project Start Date: October 17, 2012
Project Due Date:  November 2, 2012

Please be as creative as you would like!  Students may display their information on a poster, in a book, or create a power point!  If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

Reading - 20 minutes each night  and 60 minutes on the weekends, 
Tuesday - Twisters Touch Down
Thursday- fill in sheet about text features using a book from home 


Reminders:

• Monday is the first day of the Second Nine Weeks. Remember that it's never too early to work towards your goals and earning the grades you want! Report cards for the first Nine Weeks will be sent home on November 6th
• Wednesday is Halloween, however students are NOT allowed to wear their costumes to school on that day or bring treats for classmates. Halloween is not one of our allowed class party days.
• November 6th at 8:00 am will be our 1st Explorer Excellence ceremony of the year. This will be a time when students will celebrate the hard work they've put in over the first nine weeks. Please join your child to celebrate their accomplishments as well.

Hope that all of you have a wonderful week. 

Last Week of the First 9 Weeks

Can you believe we are in the last week of our first 9 weeks!! WOW!! Time is flying by. 

 We have  many things going on this week. Please encourage your child to participate in Red Ribbon Week.

• This week is Red Ribbon Week...
  • Monday - "Give drugs the boot!" - Wear boots and western wear.
  • Tuesday - "Help WBE sock it to drugs!" - Wear crazy socks.
  • Wednesday - "Proud to be Drug Free!" - Wear as much red as possible.
  • Thursday - "Don't let drugs mix you up!" - Wear mismatched clothes.
  • Friday - "We're on a drug-free team at WBE!" - Wear your WBE shirt.
• Tuesday is McTeacher's Night at the McDonald's . Teachers will be on hand to help serve food and socialize.( I will be there around 6) A percentage of the profits McDonald's makes that evening (5:30-7:30) will be donated to WBE. It's an easy way to support our school and eat dinner at the same time!
• WEDNESDAY IS AN EARLY RELEASE AT 12:45.
• Friday is the last day of the First Nine Weeks
• If you have any Box Tops for Education at home, send them to school so our class can earn a pizza party by having the most. 

What we are learning this week :
On Tuesday, students will take a Curriculum Based Assessment for Writing. Students will be given prompt to write about and they will have 2 hours to write a personal experience story.

Math - Bar Graphs/ Pictographs
Reading - Determining unknown words . Assessment on Fiction story elements and characters on Thursday
Science - Changing matter -
Social Studies - Understanding Maps and Globes
Writing -Continuing with personal narratives


Homework :
Read for 20 minutes each night and 60 minutes on the weekend
Tuesday - complete sheet -Understanding characters
Thursday- complete sheet - Soccer Stars

Math
Continue to work on Temperature project - due November 2,2012
Monday - Reading bar graph sheet
Wednesday - Reading graphs  sheet

Hope that all of  you have wonderful week.  

October 15-19

Hello Wonderful Families!

Lots of great things are happening this week so please read below to see the important dates.  Please check our blog for weekly updates.

Tuesday, October 16^th, is Color Day!  Our grade level color is green so let’s celebrate it by wearing the color green on Tuesday.

 Wednesday, October 17^th, will be fall individual pictures.  An order form went home last Thursday.  If you need an extra order form, the front office has them.  Please return the order form with payment on picture day to ensure timely delivery of your child’s fall pictures.

We have library on Thursday morning so please bring back books on Wednesday.  Also onThursday The International Fair is back at WBE!   On Thursday, October 18^th from 5:30-7:00pm, please come learn about numerous cultures and traditions.  There will be food sampling, crafts, music, and more!    

Have a great week!

What we're learning this week:

Social Studies—Effects of Nature on Land
Science—Mixtures
Math— Patterns on a Number Line and Reading a Thermometer
Reading— Making Inferences
Writing—Compound Sentences  using conjunctions

Homework for October 15-19

Monday—Yard Sale Bargains
Tuesday—Big Brother and the Bats WS
Wednesday—Temp Project/Number Lines
Thursday—Story Clues + What I know = Inference Chart
Daily—Read for 20 minutes

October 8-12

On Friday we had an assembly about bullying. We learned that everyone has a strength and we can use our strength to build confidence in ourselves. With that confidence, we can stand up for ourselves and everyone around us against bullying. Our speaker's strength was being one of the strongest humans in the world. He demonstrated his strength in many ways....one of which is in the video below. It's definitely worth watching!!!!

This past weekend a few WBE teachers and I tested our own strength and teamwork as we DEFEATED the Tough Mudder Challenge. It was definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done, but with determination and a great team we did it!  I am so proud to now call my self a Tough Mudder. Here are a few pictures from the challenge. 

  Before the race

                                                                         Halfway done

electroshock therapy

           Climbing Everest                                        

We are TOUGH MUDDERS!

It was good to get a chance to meet with almost all parents today! 

What we are learning this week: 

Reading: Character Development in Fiction Text

Writing: Starting to plan for a new personal narrative story

Science: Mixtures and Solutions- We will be going to the Science Lab on Wednesday

Math: Rounding and Estimating- Test on Friday

Social Studies- Life on the Plains and during the Frontier Times

I have added some pictures of anchor charts that are concepts that we have been learning in class. These are great reminders of different strategies.  See the Anchor Chart Tab on the Right!

Reminders: 

• Tuesday is a PTA Meeting at 6:30.It is a health and fitness fair.  Be there or be square!
• We are still in need of volunteers to host a booth for International Fair. If you are interested in helping, let me know and I will give your name to the correct person. 

Homework: 

Tuesday: Sam the Detective (sequencing)

Wednesday: Estimation Step One

Thursday: Life in South Africa

 Reading 20 min daily!

October 1-5

Happy 6th week of school. It is hard to believe how fast the time is going. We had a wonderful week last week and I am looking forward to another great week. Our tablet for our classroom has arrived! I am excited to add this piece of technology to the class. Students will have an opportunity to use it on a regular basis.

Last week I emailed a link to sign up for parent conferences. Please make sure you sign up if you have not done so already. Conference day is Monday October 8th.  I will send out the final times on Wednesday this week.  I am looking forward to an opportunity to visit with all of you.

Big thanks to families who have generously donated health snacks to our classroom.

Here is a look at what we will be doing this week :

Math : On Monday we will finish/review an assessment from Friday and then continue with problem solving strategies for the remainder of the time Monday and on Tuesday. For the remainder of the week,we will be looking at estimation and how that can help us with problem solving.

Reading : This week we will look at summarizing a fiction story. Students will be introduced to the strategy of Somebody/Wants something/But/ So  or SWBS as a way to organize their thoughts to write a summary. On Friday, students will take an assessment over  fiction story elements, and summary.

Writing : Students will have their first piece published by Wednesday. We will then celebrate our published pieces by taking a gallery walk around the classroom and noticing what our classmates do well as writers. For the remainder of the week, students will begin drafting a new story.

Science: During the first part of  the week, we will finish our look at changing matter and we will have an assessment in Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, we will move looking at mixtures and solutions.

Social Studies: We will continue to look at how the physical environment of different places  impacts how humans must adapt to survive. We begin our week looking at the desert and will end the week looking at the wetlands.

Homework:
Reading : 20 minutes each night and  60 minutes on weekend.

Tuesday/Thursday Homework- sequencing sheet

Math :
Monday- Strategy Review
Wednesday - estimation - interview your parent sheet

Reminder:
We have library this Thursday! Don't forget your books.

Hope that all of you have a great week.

Happy 5th Week of School!

Wow! I cannot believe this is week 5 already. This year is just flying by. We are all learning and growing so much. I  can really see students thriving. I am sorry I was unable to make a post last week. It was a busy start with an even busier end. Thursday and Friday of last week I was out of town at my cousin's wedding in Sonoma, CA. It was a great time, but I'm glad to be back. 

Parent Conferences are around the corner. I will be sending out a link to a spreadsheet with dates and times very soon.  The dates will be October 8th and 9th. 

I want to thank Mr. Misenti for coming to speak to the class about his career in Science. Everyone loved it!

We finally got out tablet last week. Students will be using the tablet daily to reinforce learned skills and to use technology in a different way. I am so excited and cannot wait to get this started in the classroom. 

This week is Education Go Get it Week. This is a week where the entire school is learning about different universities and colleges. We have some special  days as well this week. 

Tues: "Dress for Success" - Students are encouraged to dress up in career attire. 
Wed: "Parents and Their Work Day" - Students will interview their parents and learn about what they do at their jobs. 
Thurs: "Hats off to College" -Students are encouraged to wear their favorite collegiate hat.
Fri: "Education-We Got It"- Students are encouraged to do journal writing about interesting facts they have learned this week about colleges and careers. 

What we are learning this week: 

Reading: Elements of fiction text
Writing: Revising and Editing personal experience story
Science: Classifying matter
Math: Addition and S\subtraction problem solving strategies
Social Studies: Geography and how humans adapt to their surroundings

HW this week: 

20 min of reading every night
Monday: Flag Stickers pg 33-34
Tuesday: Reading Science
Wednesday: The Snack Shack Menu
Thursday: Planting Pumpkins

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

September 10-14

Thank you to those who attended 3rd Grade Orientation. What a turn out!!! I am so glad almost all parents in our class came. I hope you all learned something and have a good feel on what 3rd grade will look like this year. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call or email me. 

Class DoJo reports went home to all parents on Friday afternoon. If you did not receive a report on your child, please let me know. Unfortunately it only lets me put in 1 email address per student. For those of you who sent me 2 addresses, only 1 person received the email. Please share!!!  Our class earned a total of 45 positive points last week. We set a class goal of 1,000 points. Once we reach that, we are able to have a lunch bunch themed party. All students have been working hard today to earn that party. We also went over the rewards and consequences today as well. You can see our rewards under important links part of the blog. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!!

We will be studying careers in science this week. It is always more engaging when an actual person comes in to speak about their career with science. I am looking for any parents who have a job in which you use science to come and speak to the class. It can be a short 5 min about what your career is and how you use science in it. If you would like to volunteer to come to the class please let me know. The dates would be either Thurs or Friday of this week anytime between 10:00-11:00 or 1:00-1:30. I hope you can come!

Reminders: 

• The first PTA meeting of the year is Tuesday at 6:30. There will be a magic show for the kids after the quick "business" portion of the meeting. The PTA does a lot for our school. Supporting the PTA means you are supporting the learning of your child and their teachers.    
• The PTA Fall Fundraiser packets have gone home. Students will have about 2 weeks to sell items that will raise money for our school. The goal for the school has been set at $30,000. With everyone's help and selling at least one item, that goal is attainable. If you have any questions, please contact with WBE PTA. 

What we are learning: 

Math: Place Value and Comparing Numbers up to 999,999

Reading: Monitoring Comprehension Strategies

Writing:  Taking a Small Moment and Creating a Big Story- Ideas

Science: Tools used in Science Investigations and Careers in Science (Assessment on Thursday)

Social Studies: Lifeskill: Cooperation

HW this week: 

Everyday: 20min  of reading

Mon: Math: Hundreds

Tues: Reading: Making Predictions

Wed: Math: Thousands

Thurs: Reading: Taking Notes

Friday: Reading for 40 min

Have a FANTASTIC week!

September 4-7

Happy 2nd Week of School!!!
Reminders:

• Parent Orientation will be held this Thursday  from 6-7pm. This is a great opportunity to learn the expectations of your child this year. We will cover everything you need to know! Please meet in my classroom rm 429 promptly at 6:00. We will then go to the library to meet all the 3rd grade teachers and have a quick refreshment. I hope to see you all there. 

• Book Orders were sent home on Back to School Night. They need to be returned by next Friday, September 14th.
• The temperature in our classroom fluctuates from minute to minute and day to day. Please be sure your child has a jacket that they can wear for those times it is cold.
• If you would like your child to have snack, please send a healthy snack that follows the snack guidelines. Snacks that do not meet Minimal Levels of Nutrtional Value will not be allowed during snack time. If you would like to donate snack to the class for students that are unable to bring snack, I'd be grateful. 

What we're learning:

• Math - place value/comparing and ordering numbers
• Science - tools and safety
• Social Studies - community building/empathy
• Reading - How to pick a "good fit" book and strategies to monitor comprehension
• Writing - ideas and brainstorming

Homework:

• Daily - Read for 20 minutes. 
• Monday - No School
• Tuesday - I PICK reflection
• Wednesday -  Thousands Place Value
• Thursday - Track your Thinking

I hope everyone has a great week!

Happy First Day!

Happy first day of school! Today was a wonderful day. All 19 students came in and were ready to learn today. I know we are going to have an incredible year of learning and growth in 3rd grade! Parents, please be sure you read the last blog post so you know what to expect this year. Each week I will post whats happening in our classroom as well as the school.

Thank you to all the parents who brought in wonderful donations to the classroom!

What we are learning this week:

Social Studies: getting to know each other and classroom community activites
Math: Introduction to place value
Science: Setting up Science Notebook
Reading: Introducing Reading Expectaions
Writing: Personal Narratives about Summer

HW:

Social Studies: Me Musuem- due Friday
Reading: 20 min every night
Math: The Value of  a Dgit and Place Value

Parent signature is needed every night in their agendas. I am asking that you look over their HW and then inital the box on the correct day. The agenda must come back to school each day.

Reminders:

• Please return all forms signed as soon as possible. 
• If you have yet to fill out BOTH the Parent Questionnaire and the Contact Information, please do so as soon as possible! 
• If at any time you are without Internet and unable to check out website, please let me know and I will send home a paper copy of the weekly update.
• As always, please contact me if you have any concerns! I can best be reached by e-mail, and all phone calls will be responded to within 24 hours.

Have a great week!

Welcome to Third Grade!!!

A few things that will be helpful for you to know:- Please fill out both the Contact Information Form and the Parent Questionnaire by September 7th. I will be using this information to better communicate and understand your child's needs throughout the year.

- Look over the blog. It includes my contact information, weekly updates with the content we are learning, important links and documents, the classroom calendar, my classroom wish list, and of course, any reminders that you may need for each week. Please be sure to check back every Monday for important information!

- Be sure to look over the class schedule so that you know your child's whereabouts throughout the day. This should be looked over carefully if you are needing to schedule any sort of doctors appointments, so that your child is missing as little instruction as possible.

- You can scan the QR Code on the left to directly import my contact info (phone, e-mail, website) into your smart phone and save. (Let me know if you use this...I would like to find out if it is helpful or not.)

- I understand that not every parent can volunteer their time and come to school, but what I do ask is that you support your child's learning as much as possible from home. Be sure your child completes his/her homework each night, talk to them about the importance of giving all they've got at school, as well as turning in their work daily. This year will be much more successful if we are a team!

- On the bottom right of the calendar above this post, there is a button that says +Google Calendar. If you click this button, it will allow you to save our class calendar on your phone/computer if you already use Google Calendar.

- If there is ANYTHING that you need to address at any point in the year, don't hesitate! I am available via e-mail, phone, or notes to school. I am here to work with you to make sure your child is successful and happy this year.

- I hope all of your children feel this way about their first day of 3rd grade:

 
Lauren Derrington

April 2- April 5

Hello Families,

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the students and their families this past Saturday at the Spring Festival.  The PTA did an awesome job as they do every year.  Thank you to all the parent volunteers that donated time to work at a booth.  Your time was greatly appreciated.

For the next 2 weeks, students will be “Sailing into STAAR.”  Our class has been divided into 7 groups mixed with the other 6 third grade classes.  Each group will be rotating amongst all the third grade teachers reviewing math and reading concepts.  Students enjoy changing up the classes and being able to work with different teachers.

Explorer Excellence for the 3rd nine weeks will be tomorrow Tuesday, April 3rd at 8:00-8:30 in the cafeteria. 

On Friday, April 6^th, there will be NO SCHOOL!

Have a great week!

Homework for April 2-5

Monday—Green Packet due Thursday
Tuesday—Reading Practice
Wednesday—Complete Green Packet due Thursday
Thursday— Reading Practice
Daily—Read for 30 minutes

March 26-March 30

I Hope that eveyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend weather. It is was such wonderful weather to be outside. Well I am sure you heard from your child what a wonderful field tirp we  had.  Pictures coming soon! I think that all the students and adult voluteers had a great time. Thanks so much to all of you who came and helped out on the field trip.

We once again have a busy week ahead of us.  We took a practice Reading STAAR on Tuesday. Grades 4 and 5 will be taking their actual STAAR tests on  Tuesday and Wednesday. On those days, there are no visitiors allowed on the campus. Due to the STAAR testing in the upper grades, our specials will be switched on those days from 1:50 to 8:00am. We will also not be having recess until later in the day. Our lunch time will remain the same.

This week all  students will be bringing home some additional math and reading homework. I wil be sending a purple math packet home on  Monday and reading passage on Wednesday.  Both will be due on Friday. I would like for them to do the work independently  and if they need your help or you correct, if you would please circle it so that I know where the student continues to have struggles.

Focus this week:

Math - equivalent fractions
Reading - review - fiction with focus on inference
writing - expostiory piece  - field trip
Science - inherited traits
Social Studieies - founding fathers.

Don't forget about the Spring Fesitval on Saturday March 31, 2012 from 2 - 6.  It is sure to be a fun event. In addition, you could bid to win a silent auction  teacher time - which will be going to JumpStreet with Mrs. Prud'homme and Ms. Derrington. Hope to see all of you there on Saturday.

Beginning on Monday April 2,2012 we will begin our 7 day STAAR camp where students will rotate to different rooms to review skills in preparation ofr the STAAR test. Our themes is Beach Camp. It is always fun and a great way to review what has been covered this year.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Ms. Derrington

March 5- March 9

 This will be the last week of the third 9 weeks. It is hard to believe how fast the time has gone.  The grading period will end on Friday March 9th and grades will be due right after spring break.   We had a very busy week. As you know, we took the STAAR ready math assessment on Thursday. I will be sending home thier scores to you this week. We spent time today and we will continue next week reviewing problems that students missed and analyzing where they got confused. I think that it was a great learning experience for everyone as we go to see how about how long it will take students to take the test and how they can adjust and monitor  themselves. 

What is coming up:
 
T-shirt notice : a notice went home in the Thursday folder about our class t-shirt. The cost is $5.00. Please send the form back so that I will know what size to order your child. I want everyone in class to have a shirt.

Field Trip : We will be taking our field trip to the Stunt Ranch on Thursday March 22,2012. A field tirp form and a waiver will be coming home on Tuesday. Both must be signed and returned if you would like your child to go. If  you would like to attend the field trip, you will need to provide your own transportation and pay the $20.00 admission fee. Please indicate on the form if you will be planning to attend.

 Spring Festival :  This event will be held on  Saturday March 31, 2012 from 2pm - 6pm. Each year the grade levels put together a basket for the silent auction. The theme for third grade is Sports and Longhorns. Look for a flyer going home next week  about making donations to our basket.


In class this week will be :
Social Studies : - Continuing to look at inventors and inventions. 
Math - Fractions - comparing  fractions
Science - Assessment - Resources and introduction of plant and animal adaptations
Reading- reading and analyzing expository text
Writing - Writing an expository essay.

Homework :
Monday/ Wednesday - math - fraction sheet
Tuesday/ Thursday - reading  poetry/ reading science
Monday - Friday - spelling
Reading - Read every night for 30 minutes and 60 minutes on the weekends.
Have a great week!

Ms. Derrington

Reminders:

Tonight is WBE Jumpoline night from 5pm-6pm. I hope to see you all there!

 Next week in class we will be making land form maps using salt dough. If you could provide supplies for this it would be greatly appreciated. We are  requesting that each student provide  a  4 cups of  flour and 3 cups of salt.  We are asking that this be sent in by Friday.  I AM  ALSO IN NEED TO PARENT VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS ACTIVITY! WE WILL BE MAKING THE SALT DOUGH MAPS ON MONDAY FEB 13 FROM 8:30-9:45. IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU. THIS CAN BE A MESSY EVENT, I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN!!!

Valentines Party is Tuesday February 14th from 1:30-2:30. We will be diong a valentine exchange, so please have you student bring in a valentine for all students. Thank you to all who have donated $3.00 for this party.

February 6-February 10

  Thanks to all of you who helped with the bracelet sales last week it was greatly appreciated. The students really enjoy  making the bracelets and getting the opportunity to sell them . We use the the money that we make to purchase supplies for our grade level and to also help with our field trips.  Thanks also to all of you that sent back a response regarding our party.  I appreciate your willingness to help out.

We are in for another busy week with lots going on.

Remember on Thursday from 5pm - 6pm  will be WBE night at Jumpoline over by Mcdonalds. I will be there excited and ready to jump with any and all of you that can come. 

What is happening in class this week :

Math : we are finishing our review of mulitiplication facts and will end the week learning  2 digit by 1 digit multiplication and then we will move into division.

Science :  We finished looking at rapid and slow changes to the land and now we will look at the landforms created by those changes. Students will  make diagrams of the landforms, describe their features and understand how they are formed.

Social Studies: We are finishing our unit on free enterprise by looking at earning and spending money and creating a budget for our business.

Reading : Continue to focus on the plot and theme of what we are reading but this week we will focus on Myths.  Students will have an assessment on Friday .

Writing: Continue to work on personal narratives with focus on revising for word choice. We will also review capitalization and  proper punctuation at the end of  a sentence.

Homework :
Math - Monday and Wednesday - Multiplication problems
Reading : Reading and answer questions on Tuesday and Thursday. 30 minutes each night . 60 minutes on the weekend.
Spelling ; Homework due Friday.

January 3-February 3

Please accept my apologies for not posting the last few weeks as time just got away from me. We have been very busy since we returned from winter break. It is hard to believe that we are about to start the 5th week of this nine weeks.   A big thank you to the parents that have volunteered to help with selling bracelets on Tuesday January 31st. We will be selling bracelets during the lunch period all next week and each third grade class has a day that they will be in charge of the selling. A note went home a week ago about volunteering to help.  The students have done a great job making the bracelets this past week for the sale. In the past, we have made between 500 and 700 dollars through this sale.  We use the sale to discuss the social studies concept of running a business. Also as part of this unit, we had  a guest speaker from Chase Bank come and speak to the studnets about money and spending and saving. They enjoyed the speaker and had some great questions.

 As you know, we have had several benchmarks since we returned to school. If you have not seen the slip I sent home with your child's scores, please let me know. If at any time, you would like to meet and review those tests,  I would be happy to set up a time for that to happen.

February 14th is just around the corner. We will be having a class party. I will send home a list this week with the names of each student in the class . I will also include the names of our Specials Teachers in case  you child would like to give them a valentines.  I will provide the student with a bag  to collect their Valentines in. If you have any ideas for what we could do for this party let me know this week.   

What we are Learning:

Social Studies : we will continue to make bracelets and also look at the Free Enterprise System and Supply and demand. Our class will sell bracelets on Tuesday.

Sceince : We will continue to look at Changes to the Land and our focus will now be on rapid changes such as  Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Landslides

Math :  We will continue to look at area and perimeter and  then go back and  review  multiplication.

Reading: We are looking at Fables this week with a focus on Theme and Plot and seeing the changes the character goes through.

Writing : Working on  revising a personal narrative for word choice. Spelling focus oo or root spec.

Homework

Math - Monday page 88B and Wednesday   All Aboard Sheet
Reading  -  Tuesday -  Inference practice - reading sheet / Thursday - writing - selecting the right word

Reminder they should be reading for 30 minutes a night during the week and for a total of 60 minutes on the weekend and writing down the name of their book in their agenda. Spelling homework is due on Friday.

Have a Fantastic Week!

Ms. Derrington

Jan 3-Jan 6

Happy New Year and welcome back to  the second semester. I hope that all of you had an enjoyable break .   Thanks to all of you for your donations for our holiday party. I think that everyone had an enjoyable time.
 We are now beginning our third nine weeks. Report cards for the second nine weeks will go home on  Monday January 9th and  we will have Explorer Excellence awards on  Tuesday January 10th at  8:00 am.

What we will be learning this week :
 Social studies - Economics - focus on wants and needs
Science - Solar System
Math - Naming and identifying the attributes of 2d shapes
Reading /writing - Procedural text

Homework :
Spelling will go home Tuesday and will be due Friday
Tuesday: Reading  sheet - sequence events
Wednesday - math sheet - geometric patterns  also information will come home today about shape project.
Thursday - Reading sheet - sequence events
In addition, students should be reading 30 minutes a night  during the week and  60 minutes on the weekend.

Have a great week!
Ms. Derrington