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.