Gazette Memo Mar. 29-Apr. 5

You can download this weeks Gazette and measurement study guide by clicking here and here! 

What our class needs:
• $1-$3 prizes for the EOG Wall
• Pencils
• Dry Erase Markers

I apologize for the quick change in homework assignments last week. I was shocked when I heard how early my class would be tested this year. I have full confidence in them and know they will do great…but unfortunately, they lack confidence in themselves and I want to get them to practice the next few weeks so they can see how much we’ve done academically this year.

There is one last objective I have not taught yet in math. On the back of this sheet you will see both customary and metric units of measurement. You child will have to know how to convert measurements before the EOG’s. We will be working on this as soon as they return! I’m sharing this information with you in case you want to give them a head start before they come back from break. Here is an example of measurement questions they will have to answer:

A. Antonio is buying juice for a class party. There are fewer than 25 students in his class. If each student drinks about one pint of juice, how many quarts of juice will he need to buy to have enough? About how many gallons is this?

B. Mice weigh one pound. Cats weigh 8 pounds. On one side of the balance scale there are 15 mice and 2 cats. On the other side of the balance scale there are 4 mice and 3 cats. Explain 2 ways to make the balance scale equal on both sides.

C. Mrs. Waltons class check the temperature inside the classroom. Most of the students are warm without a sweater. What is the temperature most likely to be in Fahrenheit?
26ºF 51ºF 70ºF 95ºF

Have an egg-celent break and enjoy the time spent with family and friends!

The EOG’s are the week of May 10th!!! The countdown has begun! There are 27 school days left before the test!

Spelling Mar. 22-26

*Elapsed Time Words

1. January
2. February
3. March
4. April
5. May
6. June
7. July
8. August
9. September
10. October
11. November
12. December
13. minute
14. second
15. calendar

Gazette Memo Mar. 22-26

Click here to print out Gazette!!!

What our class needs:
• $1-$3 prizes for the EOG Prize Wall
• Ziploc bags (quart size)
• Pencils
• Dry Erase Markers

The students are very enthusiastic about completing their Goin’ Green projects. They have been researching all week on the plant of their choice. Who knew that so many of the plants in the United States originated in other countries. Remember, projects are due April 9th.

Field Trip money must be turned in by Friday. ($8.50)

The soil party was so much fun!!! We ate our way through clay, sand, humus and a few decomposers and they were delicious! Thank you to all the parents who helped bring in items for our class celebration.

I would like for my class to have a book exchange. They will be able to bring in any of their old books to school. We will then trade our books with one another to help provide more variety in reading material at home. You do NOT have to purchase any books…the idea is to share what we already have! The date for the book exchange will be on April 23rd. The students can bring in as many books that they would like to trade out. This will be my first year having a class book exchange, but with so many avid readers, I feel it’s something I must do for them! I hope it’s a success!

Objectives this week:
*Math- multiplication/division multi-step word problems, fractions, graphs, and probability.
*Reading- Fiction: cause and effect, author’s purpose, months of the year, elapsed time words
*Science- study guide and test on Soil (Thursday)
*Writing- This time will be used to work on Goin’ Green projects in class.

Soil Scientists!!!

Have you ever wondered what soil looks like, smells like, feels like or sounds like?!?!?  Well we have the answers!!! Here are pictures of the students investigating the 3 types of soil (clay, sand and humus).

And finally a dingy little farewell to our soil lab!!!

Gazette Memo Mar. 15-19

What our class needs:

• $1-$3 prizes for the EOG Prize Wall
• Ziploc bags (quart size)
• Pencils
• Items on the Gazette Memo for our Activity on Friday!!!

The third graders had a fantastic performance last Thursday!!! It goes to show that hard work can really pay off! Congratulations on a job well done!
This week I will be sending home a flier on next third grade “Goin’ Green” project. Please be on the lookout for additional information!
Almost half the class has paid their field trip money. The due date is approaching quickly and I would like for all my students to attend. Please let me know if you have any questions or need assistance. Remember $8.50 is due by the end of March.
Fliers went home last week about how the third graders should care for their cabbage plants. Please take pictures for all of us to share. We can’t wait to see how big the cabbage plants will grow!

Objectives this week:
*Math- multiplication/division multi-step word problems, fractions, and elapsed time.
*Reading- Fiction: making inferences and drawing conclusions, plurals and synonyms to the word “fast”
*Science- Pollination and labs using REAL bees (dead ones of course!)
*Writing- This time will be used to work on Goin’ Green projects in class.

Spelling Mar. 15-19

Plurals
1. candies
2. heroes
3. tomatoes
4. shelves
5. scarves
6. pajamas
7. halves
8. ladies
9. edges
10. potatoes

Synonyms for the word "fast"
11. rapid
12. swift
13. brisk
14. prompt
15. pronto

Goin' Green Project

Just in case you happen to loose the guidelines for the project, I have attached a link here so you can print it out at home.  Can't wait to see my little botanists hard work!

3rd grade PTA Performance

"United We Stand"...and that's what the entire third grade did!!!  Such wonderful singing, performing, and speaking!  I am so proud of you! You amaze me everyday!

Gazette Memo Mar 8-12

We will NO longer be doing Vocabulary Word Study anymore. I will now send home a sheet once a week called “Keeping Skills Sharp.” This will be used as extra credit and must be turned in by Fridays for credit.

Since the EOG’s are a little over 2 months away, we will begin our cram EOG session! As a reward for students who pass, I am in the process of collecting prizes for passing scores (3’s and 4’s). This can get pretty expensive, so I am asking for your help. You can do so by donating $1-$3 prizes from now until the week of the EOG’s. I would greatly appreciate it and the kids will too. I tell them constantly that hard work will always be rewarded (a life skill I hope they keep once they leave me;)

Cabbage plants went home on Friday. I ask that you please take pictures of your child keeping their little baby alive and after 6-8 weeks, when the cabbage is ready to be harvested, take one last and final picture. Your child can keep a daily log about how they cared for their plant and kept it growing. Each year, Bonnie Plants distributes free cabbage plants to third graders across the country to foster an interest in gardening and the environment. Students in these third grade classrooms each get their very own cabbage to plant, take care of and harvest. The cabbages produce oversized heads, making the process even more exciting for kids. As part of the program, Bonnie gives a $1,000 award to one student in each state. Through the annual Cabbage Program, at Bonnie hope to share our love of gardening, as well as inspire kids to develop an interest in nature and the outdoors. Now entering in its 9th year, the program has been an exciting and rewarding venture - just look at these pictures to see some of the young gardeners!

Objectives this week:

*Math- multiplication and division word problems, estimation, elapsed time, finding the unknown in a number sentence, representing fractions concretely and symbolically, using area or region models and set models of fractions to explore part-whole relationships, basic properties of addition and multiplication.

*Reading- continuing book clubs, asking open-ended questions, understanding lesson or message (Think of a familiar fairy tale. How many different lessons can you infer from that fairy tale? Share each lesson OR How can you group the different lessons we have learned from these stories into different categories?)
*Writing-Poetry (couplets): Lunch bag poems, practicing typing on Type to Learn!!!
*Science- Plants: Observe and measure how the quantities and qualities of nutrients, light, and water in the environment affect plant growth. Observe and describe how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow in a particular environment. Investigate and describe how plants pass through distinct stages in their life cycle including: Growth, Survival, and Reproduction. Explain why the number of seeds a plant produces depends on variables such as light, water, nutrients, and pollination. Observe and discuss how bees pollinate flowers. Observe, describe and record properties of germinating seeds.

Poster Contest...Win Awesome Prizes!!!

I came across this wonderful opportunity for my "little artists" to participate in.  If they work on this at home or during recess time, I will be glad to register them and mail in their poster.  Usually not many students get involved in these types of contests so the chances of winning are that much greater.  Let me know if you need any help, supplies, etc.  This is NOT mandatory but if you want your child to participate, their poster must be turned into me before spring break!!!  Good luck!

CONTEST:
You are invited to par­tic­i­pate in the 2010 SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest. Entry is open to kinder­garten through 8th grade stu­dents in the United States, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The poster con­test is a fun way to rein­force sun safety edu­ca­tion in your class­room and win cool prizes for the stu­dents, class­room and even the school.

Prizes:
Kindergarten through 3rd Grade

•5 win­ners will receive a Crayola Digital Camera Scrapbooking Kit, includ­ing an EZ Grip Digital Camera, a hard shell match­ing cam­era case, a photo edit­ing CD, USB cable and a scrap­book with col­ored paper, mark­ers and stickers.
•The class­rooms of these 5 win­ners will receive a UV Index Sun Station, UV color change beads, a UV color change Frisbee and a gal­lon of Blue Lizard Suncream.

National Winner

•The win­ner of the on-line vot­ing for the 2010 SunWise with SHADE National Poster Contest will receive a fam­ily trip to Walt Disney World.
•The school will win a WeatherBug Weather Station and software.
•The class­room will receive a smart-board.

Rules:
1.Each poster must be hand drawn on 8½″ × 11″ paper.

2.The teacher must complete the entry form and attached it on the back of each poster.
3.Posters should include at least five of the following SunWise action steps:
•Seek Shade
•Wear a Hat
•Wear Sunglasses
•Check the UV Index
•Do Not Sun Tan or Use Tanning Beds
•Use Sunscreen of SPF 15+
•Cover Up
•Limit the Sun Between 10am and 4pm
4.Posters must be received by April 7th, 2010.
5.Mail your posters to:
SunWise with SHADE Poster Contest
c/o Linda Rutsch
13502 Round Tree Court
Silver Spring, MD 20906

Register:
Register here and you will get an entry form already filled out with your infor­ma­tion that you can sim­ply print off for each stu­dent. You will also receive occa­sional reminders and updates about the poster con­test. You will also have the oppor­tu­nity to learn more about the SunWise pro­gram and requestt a free SunWise toolkit.


The cri­te­ria for poster judg­ing will be based on how well the poster expresses the sun safety mes­sages in an orig­i­nal, cre­ative and thought­ful man­ner. Crayons, mark­ers and paints make more col­or­ful posters than do pens and pen­cils. Posters should illus­trate the mes­sages rather than write them. Judging will take place in Washington DC on April 13, 2010. State win­ners will be announced on April 16, 2010.

Vocabulary Words Mar 1-5

*Must be able to match the vocabulary word to its definition by Friday 1. deny- to declare something is NOT true.
2. decomposer- an organism that breaks down plants and animals into smaller substances.
3. convince- to persuade.
4. observe- to see, watch or notice.
5. resident- one who lives in a particular place.

Gazette Memo Mar 1-5

Why do potatoes make good detectives? Because they keep their eyes peeled!

    This week we will be jumping right into a big pile of dirt…not literally! We have discussed what composting is and how it is beneficial to our environment and on Monday we will create a Compost Pile at school. The 3rd grade will be in charge of adding more scraps and stirring it on a regular basis. We will also have 2 labs on soil this week. They will learn about the 3 types of soil found right in your backyard!

    Please make sure they turn in their $8.50 as soon as possible. Since this field trip is on campus, there will NOT be a permission slip sent home. The Soil Scientist is a wonderful addition to our Soil/Plant Unit!
    In math, we will work on fractions again. The students will have to identify parts of a whole and mixed numbers. We had a Math Olympics on Wednesday. Students had the opportunity to estimate and measure using cm, mL, and g (all metric units). Check out pictures on the website!
    The class loves being a part of book clubs. I am so proud of how hard they work with their novels and how they use strategies we are learning now and have learned in the past. They surprise me every day with their higher level thinking. I just want to announce that each child improved their reading fluency (how fast they read) from 20-70 words per minute! That is amazing!

Objectives this week:
*Math- multiplication and division word problems, estimation, order of operations (Pass My Dad A Spoon), finding the unknown in a number sentence, fractional parts of a whole (ex. If represents 1/3, then what would 1 whole look like?), basic properties of addition and multiplication, double means x2 and half means ÷2
*Reading- words with three consonants in a row, asking open-ended questions after reading fiction, understanding lesson or message.
*Writing-Complete Imaginative Narratives and begin poetry.
*Science- Soil: list and explain the functions of parts of a seed, identify how properties of soil influence the soils ability of hold water, conduct investigations analyzing how soil type affects water absorption rates, identify the properties of soil that support most plant growth, list the basic parts of soil, humus, sand, and clay, explain how composting recycles discarded plant and animal materials, determine how heat aids in the decay of plant material in a compost pile

Spelling Mar 1-5

Three consonants in a row!
1. scrap
2. stripe
3. lunch
4. splatter
5. scratched
6. sprayed
7. screen
8. spread
9. scramble
10. catch
11. matches
12. string
13. burst
14. kitchen
15. itch