3rd Grade Newsletter
Third Grade Newsletter
Volume 7, Number 14 sadkins@pennoyerschool.org February 6, 2009
Hello Parents! Wow, it sure feels like a long time since I wrote one of these! Hopefully you were able to get along without for the past few weeks. J As you know, these Newsletters are always posted on my blog on the Pennoyer School web site, but we are undergoing some changes to the web site that I am excited about. When the new one is up and running (any day now) you will not only be able to access my Newsletters, but you can also get daily homework, Book-It forms, spelling words, and anything else I can fit on there. It should be an excellent resource for you and your child. I will be sure to let you know when that gets going. I got a sneak peak and the format is very user friendly and it is a good update. It was really nice to get back to our regular schedule, and the kids have been terrific. Here’s what’s been happening:
Reading ~ Our story this week was called Cook-A-Doodle-Doo. It is the story of the great-grandson of the Little Red Hen. We had great fun with this story this week. During our literacy centers, the kids picked out recipes and we are creating a class recipe book that each child will have the opportunity to take home and share with their families. We did a little bit of cooking ourselves this afternoon and had a really fun time. Be sure to ask your child all about it! We also spent time comparing and contrasting books and people using a Venn diagram, and we had a little fun with idioms too. During our guided reading groups, I have really been working with the kids on using their comprehension strategies. Good readers ask questions while they read, and some of our kids have struggled with this. You can support this strategy at home by asking your child for some things they are wondering about while they are reading at home.
Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this week was on the verbs be, have, and do. Again, this is a lesson in which I encouraged the kids to use what sounds right. These are verbs we use regularly, and if the kids take the time to completely read the sentences, they should get it right. We spent our writing time this week working on persuasive writing, although I was able to squeeze in one day of writer’s workshop where the kids could write about anything they wanted. Many kids have taken to the idea of creating their own mini books, and have asked to work on them during their free time and indoor recess. Our formal persuasive writing is coming along. The kids will choose their topics and get started on their own writing next week.
Math ~ We have survived our first week of timed multiplication testing, and it was very interesting to see. It is very obvious at this point who has been practicing their flashcards and who has not! Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts each night. They need to become masters of multiplication if they are to be successful in math in future years. No one passed the test this week, but there are a few who are close and will get it most definitely next week. We give these timed tests every week on Tuesday and Thursday. Our regular math lessons this week focused on geometry. The kids learned a ton of new vocabulary words and had some fun, hands on practice with them. The kids learned all about lines and angles, shapes and solids. Yesterday we focused on figures that are congruent. Miss Wierzgac taught a couple of math lessons this week (the pipe cleaners and play dough lessons she came up with went over very well with the kids) and starting next week she will teach math every day. She has taken over science completely and has written the following paragraph for science herself.
Science ~ This week in science we started a new chapter in the textbook. This chapter is about energy and different forms of energy. To have a better understanding of energy and how it is stored, the children conducted an experiment and investigated this idea! Be sure to ask your child about the experiment and how they enjoyed it! In addition to the experiment, the class learned some new vocabulary words and their definitions. Ask your child to about the vocabulary words! They might want to demonstrate them for you!
Social Studies ~ This past week in social studies class we identified the three branches of our national government. We learned what determines the number of representatives a state has in Congress. We described some of the duties the President of the United States has and leaned the significance of the Supreme Court as being the most important court in the United States.
Other Areas of Interest:
- Our Family Reading Night is coming up this Tuesday night at 7:00. Please try to make it if you can. Author Aaron Reynolds will be there that night for you to listen to and meet. He will be presenting for our students earlier that day, and I personally find these visits to be inspiring.
- The February Scholastic Book order form went home today. If you would like to order books for this month, please complete the form and return your money to me by Tuesday.
- We will have a Valentine’s Day party next Friday for the last hour of the day. Children are invited to bring in Valentine’s for each of the students in our class. I am sending home a class list today for your help if you would like to personalize the Valentine’s. We have 17 children in our class.
That’s it for now! Thank goodness the weather is starting to warm up. Everyone has cabin fever and can’t wait to enjoy being outside again. We wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!
Mrs. Sarah Adkins
Miss Sarah Wierzgac
