Mrs. Adkins’ Class

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 27                    sadkins@pennoyerschool.org                          May 22, 2009

Hello Parents!  What a terrific week we have had!  The circus day on Tuesday was so much fun.  The kids did a terrific job as circus performers, and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  I hope you heard all about Cirque AmongUs!  We visited their web site on Wednesday during our computer time, and the kids got to see pictures of themselves.  Their goal was to get a picture of everyone in the school, and I think they must have accomplished their goal.  Feel free to visit this site with your child if you have a chance.  Although the weather is lovely, lots of children are getting sick.  We ended up with only 13 children in our classroom yesterday afternoon and today!  If your child has a fever or is vomiting, please keep them home.  They are dropping like flies around here!  We were able to attend the band/chorus concert this morning, as well as see the fifth grade roller coasters.  Third grade was asked to stick around after the concert so the kids could be introduced to the various instruments.   They are invited to play next year, and an information sheet was sent home in your child’s papers today. Please consider having your child join this fun group.  We had a busy week, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story this week was a biography about a woman named Helen Frances Theresa Delaney Martini, and the story was called Mother to Tigers.  This woman was the first woman to start a nursery at the Bronx Zoo, and she ended up saving many babies that otherwise would not have survived.  It was a good story, and I hope you enjoyed it with your child this week.  For our skills, we focused on author’s purpose, and we spent some time reviewing the three reasons that authors write books – to inform, persuade, or entertain.  I was surprised at the confusion I saw with this concept, as it is something we have gone over previously.  So I was able to spend some extra time during our groups this week to make sure the kids truly understood author’s purpose.  Hopefully they got it now!  Our kids were introduced to a woman named Jane Goodall through their fluency read this week, and one of the reading groups read a biography about her.  She has lived in Africa among chimpanzees, and I had a rare opportunity to share some interesting insight about her with the kids.  My sister works for the Nature Conservancy, and one of the programs she is in charge of is called Adopt an Acre.  My sister produced a short film on the disappearing of trees in Africa (yes, she got to go to Africa to research her film) and she met Jane Goodall and another woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize (can’t remember her name though).  I showed the short clip to the kids yesterday, and they got to see Jane Goodall interviewed.  This was a terrific way to bring this issue home to the kids, and they appreciated my sister’s work on the video.  Please ask your child about this!

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this week was on adverbs that tell when or where.  I created my own test for this one as the one in our book only had five questions, and I was delighted to see the attention that was paid to the directions. J During our writing time this week, the kids worked on their original fairy tales.  Please ask your child to share with you what their fairy tale is about if they have not already.  I can’ wait to read them!

Math ~ The kids finished up chapter 11 on Wednesday with a test that is included in their Friday papers they took home today.  I was pleased with how they did, and I feel that they now have a strong foundation in division in which to build on for long division.  We started our final chapter yesterday, chapter 22 on long division.  We started by practicing using basic facts to divide larger numbers, and finding remainders.  We will get to the meat of long division next week.  I am so proud that Michael, Kasper, Marcin, and Sarah all passed their multiplication timed test this week.  Good work, guys!  Please make sure that your child continues to practice their flashcards occasionally in order to maintain their multiplication skills.

Science ~ We learned about work this week in science.  Please ask your child to give you the scientific term of work.  The kids completed an experiment on Monday in which they had to multiply distance times force to find work.  Ask your child about some of the items they measured!  Yesterday we created three new vocabulary posters, and we worked on another FQR think sheet.  The bridges have been on display in the MPR all week, and they will be sent home next week.  Please look for a letter from me describing how and when this will happen early next week.

Social Studies ~ This week in social studies we learned that geographers study Earth and its people.  We identified and compared the human characteristics of selected regions.  The four regions discussed were: the Northeast, the South, the Middle West and the West.  Texas is the only state that has three of these regions.  Finally, we used a grid map to find exact locations.  We learned how to use a number and letter grid to find specific locations on a map.

Other Areas of Interest:

• Today we celebrated Shane’s 9^th birthday.  His actual birthday is this coming Sunday, and we were delighted to celebrate with him a couple of days early.  Happy birthday Shane!
• I forgot to mention our new friends we have in our class!  Last week we obtained ten caterpillars, and we have been watching them grow all week.  Yesterday most of them formed their chrysalis, and that was a fascinating process for the kids to watch.  Within 7 – 10 days they will come out as butterflies, and the kids just can’t wait to see that happen. 
• The field trip permission forms and money are due to me by next week on Wednesday.  Please make sure that gets turned in so that your child can enjoy this unusual experience we are in for on the Tall Ship Windy.

That‘s it for now!  It is hard to believe that Memorial Day is already here!  The kids are talking about the local pool opening this weekend, and it sure does feel like the official beginning of summer.  Next week is our final week for our reading, spelling, and grammar program, and it will be the final Newsletter I will write for the year.  I wish you all a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins