Mrs. Adkins’ Class

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 8                    sadkins@pennoyerschool.org                 Halloween, 2008

Hello Parents!  Happy Halloween everyone!  What a week we had.  The kids are so glad that this day is finally here, and so am I.  We had some kids making some poor choices this week, but we talked about it and they did much better yesterday and today.  Those darn consequences will get you every time!  It is always hard for children to concentrate when a fun holiday is so close.  I hope many of you were able to see our parade from this afternoon – what a lovely day!  We sure got lucky with the weather.  We had a busy week, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story for this week was informational non-fiction.  We had fabulous discussions about this!  I have been teaching the kids new words to associate with reading while we are practicing skills that good readers do.  I introduced the word schema, (pronounced skeema) which means your background knowledge – what you already know.  We have also been using the word metacognitive, which means thinking about what you are thinking about while you are reading.  Good readers ask questions while they read, and I did a number of think alouds with the children to model for them my thinking while I read a story.  The kids have responded extremely well to these “fancy” words, and have enjoyed using them all week.  I will continue to use these words and focus on these skills with the kids throughout the year.  We have practiced using these words lots of times this week, so please ask your child to explain to you what they mean.

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson for this week was on irregular plural nouns.  Some words change completely (or don’t change at all!) when they become plural and they don’t follow the normal rules that we learned last week.  Some examples are: child becomes children, man becomes men, and fish stays fish.  The children did very well with this as they were familiar with those plural versions already.  You could say they were already stored in their schema. J During our writing time, I have been able to have mini conferences with each of the children while they work.  Everyone got their four square done this week, and they did very well.  We will get started on our rough draft next week and get into a little editing as well.

Math ~ We had a lesson on subtracting across zero on Monday, and explaining their answers on Tuesday.  We reviewed Wednesday and the kids took their chapter 5 test yesterday.  Please look for this test in your child’s Friday papers.  This will be their final math grade for the quarter, so please have your child correct it if they got a D or F.  Many of the mistakes I noticed were either simple subtraction mistakes, or else they regrouped incorrectly at one or two places.  We had a fun day today, and we will get started next week on chapter 6.

Science ~ We did our final experiment this week on weather maps, and we read through the final section of this chapter.  Please have your child start reviewing for our test.  It will take place on Monday, November 17.  They should at the very least bring home their green science notebook to review the vocabulary definitions twice a week.  I will remind them in class as well.

Social Studies ~ This past week in social studies we have identified that George Washington was our country’s first President.  Also we used information on a map to identify locations and we compared and contrasted cities, suburbs, and rural areas.  The lesson students learned is that communities range from small to large.  They learned that cities are the largest communities and that a capital city is where the leaders of a state or country’s government work.  Students learn that the smaller communities are suburbs and rural areas.  We ended the week with a discussion about the two candidates running for presidency.  Voting takes place next Tuesday.  Just as your child is going to vote in school, we hope you vote as well.

Other Areas of Interest:

      Today is the final day of the first grading quarter.  Report cards will go home next Friday, November 7.  I will meet with you on Monday, November 24 to discuss any concerns and/or questions you may have regarding your child.

      Since the quarter ends today, I will not be able to accept any late or corrected work for this quarter after Tuesday.  On Monday I will send home any low grades that need correction from their tests taken today so that your child can get that done and returned to me the next day.  I will officially close the books for this quarter on Tuesday.

      I sent home the November Book-It form today.  Again, your child needs to read at least four chapter books in the month of November.  Please have them record their book on their paper as they finish it, and I will accept the forms any time on or before Monday, December 1.

* We had two birthdays to celebrate this week, both on the same day!  Justyna and Matthew both turned 9 this past Tuesday.  What fun to celebrate a double birthday!  We sure don’t see that very often.  Happy birthday Justyna and Matthew!

That’s it for now!  I would like to thank all of our room parents for helping contribute to our party today, with a special thank you to Mrs. Plesha who took charge and helped me organize the day.  I wish you all a fun and exciting weekend, and please be safe out there tonight.  Remember to vote on Tuesday if you haven’t already!  It is exciting to see such a historical event taking place this week.  Remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 7                        sadkins@pennoyerschool.org                         October 24, 2008

Hello Parents!  This has been an interesting week we have had together.  Some students are still struggling with behavior (we have not had a class reward at all this month due to the loss of more than four apples in a week) but the kids are mostly pulling themselves together.  I was able to try some new things with them that were very successful.  My favorite is a chart we started on book recommendations.  Whenever a student finishes a chapter book and they liked it, they have the opportunity to recommend it to someone else.  The books are reviewed, and these reviews are available for everyone to look at.  This will help the kids when they choose a new book.  Sometimes they seem rather lost and don’t know what book to pick to read, so this list of recommendations should help.  The whole class has been very enthusiastic about this idea, and they have added quite a few books to our chart already.  We had a busy week, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story for this week was a fantasy story called Wolf!  Most of the kids seemed to enjoy this story, as did I.  Personally, fantasy stories have always been a favorite of mine since it evokes the imagination to think about things that are not possible.  Be sure to ask your child what they thought of the story!  The kids need more practice with summaries, so you could also ask your child to give you a summary of the book.  This is a good thing to do after every book they read.  You could even have your child tell you a summary of each chapter they read while they are still working their way through the book.  Another important skill that good readers have is making predictions.  It is always a good idea to ask your child what they think will happen next.  We work on these things in class, and any reinforcement you can give at home will be very helpful.

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this week was on singular and plural nouns.  This is where we start getting into those tricky grammar rules.  Most nouns just need an s to make them plural – the exceptions are words that end in s, sh, ch, x, or y.  They did pretty well with this in class, but the test from today will tell the true story!  The kids have finally started working on their own expository stories in our writing time.  They had two topics to choose from: Write about a real life hero that you know, or write about your favorite subject in school.  Be sure to ask your child which topic they chose!  We just started working with our four squares today, and I have been having mini conferences with each child about their writing to make sure they are on the right track.  So far so good!  Once the four squares are filled out, the actual writing of the paper is easy.  Ask your child to tell you the chant we have that goes along with our four square!

Math ~ We got into regrouping this week!  On Monday the kids rounded numbers to find differences (they are rounding pros by now!) and then we got into regrouping Tuesday and Thursday.  We spent Wednesday in our centers, reviewing the chapter up to that point.  There were quite a few kids who struggled with regrouping (even though they learned it last year) so I spent time in the afternoons helping those kids who needed it.  You should be able to find those extra practice papers in their folders.  I feel pretty confident that the kids have a grasp on regrouping now.  Next week the kids will learn how to subtract across zero and how to explain an answer.  Their chapter 5 test will be next Thursday, October 30.

Science ~ We had an experiment on Monday this week where the kids created simple thermometers.  Please ask your child to explain this experiment to you!  We read through the next section of our chapter and completed the final four vocabulary words.  We still have another section to go, but the test is coming up quickly.  It looks like it will happen on Monday, November 17.  Our schedule gets goofy with days off in November.  Please encourage your child to bring home their green science notebook to start practicing their vocabulary words and definitions.

Social Studies ~ This week in social studies we used information on a map to identify locations.  We watched a short video that used exciting footage of Washington, D.C.   The children were able to watch and explore the many types of maps, the differences between maps and globes.  We discovered the necessity of using maps to help learn about and navigate around the nation’s capital.  In the next couple of weeks, we will be discussing some general information about the two candidates that are running for presidency, and what each stands for.  We will hold a mock election on November 4th.  If you have not already, please begin to inform your child about the two candidates that are running for presidency and what each stand for.  The results will be given on November 5th.

Other Areas of Interest:

      Next Friday is Halloween.  Students may dress up in costume, but please no weapons or masks.  Your child needs to be able to work in their costume, so please do not dress them in anything too cumbersome.  We will participate in a parade along the back of the school at 1:15 and parents are invited to attend!  Do not send any candy to school with your child on that day.  Our room parents will take care of treats for our party in the afternoon.  We are all looking forward to this extra fun day!

      Halloween is also the last day of the first quarter.  Report cards will go home the following Friday, November 7.

      The Book-It forms are due on Halloween.  Your child should have been reading one chapter book a week in order to complete their goal.  Please have those forms turned in to me by Halloween at the latest.  This is a mandatory assignment and is worth 100 points of your child’s reading grade.

That’s it for now!  It looks like the weather is taking a turn for the worse next week, with highs in only the upper 30’s on Monday and Tuesday.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather!  Also, toys coming to school have continued to be a problem.  You would not believe the amount of Lego’s I have taken away just this week!  When I see toys in my classroom, they will remain in my possession until Friday.  Please do not let your child bring toys to school.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 6                                                                                      October 17, 2008

Hello Parents!  We have had an interesting week together.  We had the opportunity to experience the Dome Theater on Tuesday afternoon, and we watched a show called Passport to the Universe.  It was something new for us, and the kids really seemed to like it.  Some of the effects were really cool.  This group of children tends to get really chatty when they are excited, so I experienced some frustration with all the talking that was going on throughout the show.  It was almost pitch black inside the dome, so it was difficult to see who was talking and stop them.  I spent quite a bit of time this week talking about making the right choice and doing the right thing, even if you would rather be chatting with your friend.  Not only do you miss out, but you are disturbing others around you.  I would appreciate any reinforcement you can give me on this topic at home.  Be sure to ask your child all about the dome if you have not already heard.  We had a busy week, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story for this week was a play called The Strongest One.  I hope your child read it aloud to you Tuesday night!  We spent some time discussing a script and which words are to be spoken aloud, and which ones were not.  Our leveled books were also plays, so I took time Wednesday afternoon for each group to meet and then perform their play.  They weren’t bad for a first try!  I really tried to emphasize using your voice differently and using your body to show what is being said.  I hope to have another opportunity like this later in the year so the kids can try acting again.  Some of them have real talent!  Ask your child what their play was called and what part they played.

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this week was on common and proper nouns.  Proper nouns are spelled with a capital letter.  This is a good hint for the kids to look for.  They did very well with this in class, and I expect successful test scores from this morning.  We spent our writing time on expository writing.  I showed them examples of five paragraph papers and we discussed at length exactly how they are formatted.  I also showed them our graphic organizer, the four square that we will be using to organize our thoughts before we write our papers.  I showed them the rubric I use to grade their papers as well so that my expectations are clear to them.  Today we started writing a five paragraph paper together on the importance of trees.

Math ~ The kids took their chapter 4 test yesterday on addition.  They have done so well with this chapter in class, I really expected the test to be fairly easy for them.  They ended up having a lot of questions for me once they got started, which was a little alarming.  I stayed up late last night to get those tests graded for today, so please look for them in your child’s Friday papers and go over the test with them.  We got started right away today on our next chapter on subtraction.

Science ~ The Dome Theater was our science class early in the week, and yesterday we focused on the types of storms that take place across our planet.  We learned about storm chasers, and the kids each decided what kind of storm chaser they would like to be.   We had quite a discussion about it and the kids were very enthusiastic to share stories and experiences they have had with the various types of storms.  We made a list of nine storms – ask your child if they can name all nine!  We will get back to our regular science schedule next week.

Social Studies ~ This week in social studies we were introduced to Chapter 2, Where on Earth Is Your Community?  We read and used information on a map to identify locations.  We compared and contrasted a map and a globe by creating a Venn diagram and listing our responses.  We also learned to describe a location by hemisphere.  We have learned to locate the equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, and Western Hemisphere.  We also are able to identify the North and South Poles.  We found out that the Himalaya Mountains are the highest mountains in the world and that the plains in Africa can stretch for miles.  We have read pages 36 – 41 and have taken notes.  Feel free to reread the lesson with your child and review all notes.

Other Areas of Interest:

      Today is Edward’s 9^th birthday!  We were delighted to celebrate with him on his actual birthday.  Happy birthday Edward!

      Next Friday, October 24 is a school improvement day.  That means early dismissal for the children and meetings in the afternoon for me.  The kids will be dismissed at 11:30 next Friday, so please make arrangements for them to be home early.  Buses will take them home at 11:30 if they normally ride the bus.

      Please remind your child to write down the books they are reading on their Book-It form.  They may include their book club book for this month as well.  Please check up on your child that they are reading every night.

That’s it for now!  This is such a fun time of year for various fall fest type activities, and I hope you and your family are able to take advantage of it.  Red Ribbon Week begins with a walk this Sunday.  We will be doing all kinds of activities and having special days next week: Monday:  Your future is bright without drugs – wear sunglasses!  Tuesday: Scare away drugs – wear your hair crazy!  Wednesday: Be your self, be drug free – wear mismatched clothes!  Thursday: Drugs turn your life inside out – wear clothes inside out!  Friday: Follow your dreams, be drug free – wear pajamas!  That should be fun for all of us next week.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 5                                                                                                  October 3, 2008

Hello Parents!  I would like to welcome our new student, Fatima.  We are glad to have her here, and it has been heartwarming to see our class welcome her so nicely.  Our class size is now up to 17.  Her timing was good as I was able to include her in our All About Me book.  That book has been put together, and will be making its rounds to your homes starting next week.  Each child will have a turn to bring the book home for one night to share with their families.  Each page is so unique, and I hope you can all appreciate everyone’s hard work.  When the book does come to your home, please make sure it is well taken care of (it will arrive in a bag) and returned to school the next day.  We had a busy week together, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story for this week was called The Perfect Pet.  Please remember to have your child read these stories to you on Monday nights.  The genre of this story is humorous fiction, although I found that much of the humor was over the children’s heads.  It’s not as funny when you have to explain everything. J Next week there will not be any reading, spelling, or grammar because of the Terra Nova testing.  I will not send home any homework next week so that the kids can go to bed early and be well rested for the testing.  Please see the end of this Newsletter for more information about the Terra Nova tests in the Other Areas of Interest section.

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this was sentence combining, which ended up being easy for the kids.  They only had to combine two related sentences with a comma and the word and or but.  Hopefully this will be a nice grade booster for everyone in grammar.  We spent our writing time this week doing really fun things.  The kids loved creating figures out of toothpicks and marshmallows, then having to explain how to make the same structure to their partner who was sitting back-to-back with them.  Many of them really caught on to the importance of using lots of detail and did a terrific job.  Be sure to ask your child about it.  We took Wednesday’s writing time to decorate our classroom.  It now feels spooky in here and is all decked out for Halloween.  The kids did a terrific job decorating and I appreciated their help.

Math ~ We started chapter 4 on addition this week.  The kids learned about the three properties of addition – associative, zero, and commutative properties.  Ask your child to explain each property to you!  We also worked on estimating answers by rounding, and regrouping numbers in the tens and ones place.  Today we learned how to solve problems by guess and check.  These problems can be difficult, so I sent home an explanation on a separate paper with your child today to help them with their homework this weekend.  We will continue to work on this chapter next week, although no math homework will go home.

Science ~ We started our new chapter this week on weather.  We did a couple of experiments on Monday that proved two of the three properties of air.  Give your child a quick quiz to see if they remember the three properties. (Air takes up space, exerts pressure, and has weight.)  Ask your child to explain our experiments to you!  We read through the first section of this chapter, and your child got their first three definitions written out.  Be sure to review those vocabulary words with your child at least once a week.

Social Studies ~ This past week in social studies we identified reasons people have formed communities, including a need for security and law.  We gave suggestions on possible courses of action that could be taken in given situations, and assess the consequences of irresponsible behavior.  Finally, we identified and explained the importance of acts of civic responsibility, including obeying laws.  Your child completed many vocabulary definitions and note taking.  We will conclude Chapter One this week and the test will take place next Friday, October 10th.  Please make sure your child prepares for this test.  Review all notes from his/her yellow notebook, pages 12 – 31 from the social studies book, and the review sheet.

Other Areas of Interest:

      Terra Nova testing is next week.  Our schedule is as follows: Monday testing will be from 8:20 – 11:00.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday testing will be from 8:20 – 10:30.  There is no testing on Friday.  We will continue to have science and social studies in the afternoons, but no homework will go home next week except that the kids need to study for their social studies test on Friday.  No other tests will be given on Friday.  I will not write a Newsletter next week as our regular subjects are mostly put on hold.  You may send your child to school with a healthy snack to eat after testing is over each day.  Please do not send pop or candy for a snack.  Your child will need to be well rested and on time for school as we start promptly at 8:20 and your child will have to wait in the office until we have a break in testing if they are late.  Please feel free to send me an e-mail or note if you have questions about this testing.  Remember, the purpose of having no homework next week is so your child to go to bed early and be well rested so they can perform their best on the test.

      The October Book-It form is included in your child’s Friday papers they took home today.  Sorry I did not get that out to you on Wednesday.  Your child can write down any book they have read starting October 1.  Each child needs to read 4 chapter books for this month, and the form is due back to me by Friday, October 31.

That’s it for now!  What a disappointment in our baseball teams this week!  Hopefully the Cubs and Sox can pull it together this weekend and start winning some games.  Hopefully our economy will turn around after the House votes today on the new plan.  We are all in need of some good news here!  If you were able to watch the vice presidential debates last night, it is a good idea to talk about them with your child.  This upcoming election is so important to our nation, and your child should know about it and your personal views on the matter.  I am hoping that next week’s presidential debate will be more interesting than the last one!  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 4                                                                                      September 26, 2008

Hello Parents!  We had a pretty good week together, although I have confiscated many toys from the kids.  Many of them have these ball toys that turn into figures, called Bakugans, or something like that.  I compared them to Transformers once, and the kids were quick to tell me the difference. J These small balls fit nicely in the desks, and I have found many children playing with them when they should be paying attention.  Please make sure that you child leaves their toys at home.  There is no place for them in school, and they only serve as a distraction.  Even at recess, they often get lost or broken, so please check your child’s backpack to make sure there are no toys in there.  We had a beautiful afternoon today for our Walk-a-Thon, so be sure to ask your child all about it.  We had a busy week together, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story this week was an informational nonfiction story about penguins in Antarctica.  I hope you enjoyed reading it with your child!  This was a story that led itself to great discussions as well as cross curricular projects.  I enjoyed the discussions we held in our reading groups about penguins and how the fathers care for the egg, they sleep standing up, how the babies are fed, and how quickly the penguins grow up.  We spent time in computer class writing stories about what it would be like to be a penguin in Antarctica, and the kids have been very creative.  Be sure to ask your child about what they wrote.  We also spent time yesterday during science watching the movie Penguin March which showed many of the things we had learned about.  Big thanks to Jessica for bringing in that movie to share! 

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson this week was on predicates.  We spent time on Monday learning the Mr. Morton song which the kids really got in to.  The main chorus line goes “Mr. Morton is the subject of my sentence.  What the predicate says he does.”  Ask your child to sing you a few lines from that!  We spent our writing time working more on details.  I had the kids write directions on how to put on a coat, and not one of them were able to instruct me to put it on correctly!  That was a fun lesson – ask for details on it from your child.  We will do one more lesson on details that involves colored marshmallows and toothpicks before we get into the meat of writing an expository paper.

Math ~ We finished up our chapter on money, and the kids took their test on Wednesday.  Please look for this test and go over it with your child.  I was glad to see an improvement on rounding overall in this chapter, and we sang our rounding song numerous times during the week.  We did our centers yesterday to review the first three chapters, and the kids took a unit test today.  It was all multiple choices, and we took the time to discuss good strategies to use when taking a multiple choice test.  We will start our new chapter next week on addition.

Science ~ The kids took their first science test on Monday, and those went home today.  Please look for this test and go over it with your child.  It is a difficult format, but now that they have seen what it is like, hopefully the next test will be better prepared for.  Our new chapter is on weather and we will start that next week.

Social Studies ~ This week in social studies, we learned to make and explain the differences between a picture graph and a bar graph.  We compared and contrasted different culture groups in our community, including their food, clothing, and customs.  We explained the ways in which people of different ethnic groups help to make the community a better place.  We will be concluding Chapter One at the end of next week and the first social studies test will take place on Friday, October 10th.

Other Areas of Interest:

      A topic that has come up repeatedly in our class this week is manners.  I have had to speak with the kids repeatedly about being respectful of others and not talking when others are trying to listen.  This was an issue with our penguin movie as well as during several lessons that we had.  Please take the time to go over this kind of thing at home with your child – making good choices, appropriate times to talk, being respectful of others around you.  I appreciate your help in this manner and I will continue to not let these things slide in the classroom.

      We had a really nice show and tell day yesterday.  The kids earned their class reward last week and they chose to have a show and tell day.  Just about everyone brought in something special and had the opportunity to share it with the class.  We will have special days like this throughout the year, but those days are the only days that toys and items like these should be brought in to school.

      Progress reports went home today!  Please look for one in your child’s Friday papers and sign and return to me by next week on Wednesday.  Missing homework has been a problem with this group, so I sent home reports for those with grades less than a C- in any subject, and for those who have had 5 or more missing homework assignments.

      Book-It is a mandatory program in 3^rd grade, and it starts in October.  I will send home a sheet on Wednesday for your child to keep track of the books they read each month.  In third grade the children are expected to read one chapter book a week.  Each month completed counts for 100 points toward your child’s reading grade, so please make sure your child is reading every night at home.

That’s it for now!  It looks like this may be our last beautiful and warm weekend for a while, so I hope you are able to enjoy it.  Blueberry and apple picking are in peak season, and that might be a fun way to spend the weekend with your family.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 2 and 3                                                                           September 19, 2008

Hello Parents!  Wow, being gone for three days really threw things for a loop!  I am so sorry that I missed curriculum night as I always look forward to meeting you at that time and covering some very important topics.  I would like to extend a big thanks to Mrs. Michaels for hosting the evening for me.  She did mention some questions that came up which I would like to address:  someone asked about spelling lists.  They always go home the first day of the week, and your child will have two copies of the list – their pretest and a letter about our story that includes vocabulary words and spelling words as well.  Someone asked about when papers go home.  You wouldn’t believe the stack that I ended up with this week!  I send graded papers home on Fridays.  The tests the kids take on Friday come home the following week as I am unable to grade them by the end of the day.  Sorry I have held on to these for so long – it took me forever to get caught up on the grading!  Since I am on the topic of graded papers, I have a special policy about tests that have a D or F (L) on them.  I put a green Please Correct stamp on them, and your child has the option to correct their mistakes and I will then raise their grade.  This is voluntary and something that I never ask for – it is up to your child if they wish to learn from their mistakes and raise their grade.  I give half credit for each corrected answer.  Whew.  Now onto this week.  We sure were busy, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ Our story this week was a nonfiction article called “Whose Habitat is it?” and I hope you enjoyed it with your child Monday night.  We had some good discussions about urban sprawl and whether it is the fault of the animals that we took over.  One group even got into talking about how we drove the Native Americans out of their land too.  Our story from last week was Dear Juno and the kids had a great time relating to having relatives far away that we communicate with.  Thank goodness for e-mail and Skype!

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson last week was on commands and exclamations, and the kids seemed to do pretty well with that.  I am missing an assignment from about half the class from when I was gone.  Last week on Thursday, the grammar assignment was pages 9 and 10, and about half the class turned it in.  I found a couple still in grammar books, but I have no idea what happened to the rest.  Please look for this paper at home and return it to school as soon as possible.  I also had lost spelling sentences from last week, and I understand that my sub stamped them and sent them home instead of collecting them for a grade.  I collected and graded the ones that turned up for me, but did not count it against anyone who took it home and lost it.  Whew.  It is good to get things back on track.  Our grammar lesson from this week was on subjects, and I spotted no problems with this lesson in class.  Our writing time was spent with expository writing, focusing on details.

Math ~ We have been flying through our math chapters, and I am comfortable doing this since most of our skills have been review from last year.  I discovered that many of the kids did not grasp rounding very well despite learning it last year, and I pulled several kids in the class for interventions on rounding who did not do well on their test.  Remember to have your child correct their test if the green Please Correct stamp is on it!  We will encounter rounding again many times throughout the year, so we will have more opportunities to learn and practice this important skill.   I taught the kids a rounding song to the tune of If you’re happy and you know it.  Ask your child to sing it for you!  We worked with money this week, and the children will be tested on it next week on Wednesday.  Please take some time this weekend to practice counting money and making change with your child.  These are real life skills that they will use almost daily as they get older, so practicing with real money at home is an added benefit.

Science ~ We have wrapped up our first chapter on the water cycle.  Their review homework (P. D24) was due today, and the test will be on Monday.  The review homework is an important tool for the kids to use to help them learn to study.  This is why they need to write their review answers in complete sentences.  I give two points for each question, one for it being written in a complete sentence, and one for the correct answer.  Those kids that turned in only answers only got half the points for the assignment.  If your child does not study for science tests, s/he will not do well on the tests.  They are very difficult, especially compare to second grade.  All vocabulary words are always on the test, and I covered all concepts to be tested with the kids during our review game we played yesterday.  Ask your child to tell you about it and tell you the parts that they did not know and need extra studying for.

Social Studies ~ (This section of my Newsletter is always composed for you by Mrs. Michaels herself) The past couple of weeks we have learned why people live in communities.  They live in communities to belong, to have fun, and to work.  We read about Walt Disney and his plan for creating his very own community.  The name of his community was to be called EPCOT.  This stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.  Unfortunately, Walt Disney passed away and his dream did not become a reality.  We discussed that all people have the same basic human needs and that we all depend on each other to meet these needs.  We will be concluding Chapter One at the end this month and the social studies test is scheduled for Oct 10th. 

Other Areas of Interest:

      The Walk-a-Thon is scheduled for next Friday, September 26 in the afternoon.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and that they have good walking shoes to wear for this fun event.

      Next Friday is also the mid point of the first quarter, and progress reports will be going home for grades less than a C- or 73%.  I will also be sending home progress reports for those children that are missing five or more homework assignments.  Not doing homework drastically affects grades in third grade, so please make sure your child is doing their homework every night and that they bring it back to school the next day!

That’s it for now!  It looks like a beautiful weekend ahead of us, and the Cubs should clinch the division this weekend!  Summer officially ends this Sunday, so make the most of your weekend with your family.  I wish you all a wonderful weekend and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Newsletter

Volume 7, Number 1                                                                                      September 5, 2008

Hello Parents!  We have had a terrific start to our school year, and I have really enjoyed getting to know your children.  This is such a nice, small group to work with, and I know we are going to have a successful year together.  We have been busy learning procedures and routines of the classroom, and are just now starting to get to the meat of our curriculum.  We have been busy, so here’s what’s been happening:

Reading ~ I have given each of the children fluency and comprehension assessments, and have placed them in reading groups with people of their same reading level.  We will start our reading groups next week.  I used this week to teach the kids how to complete the seat work independently that they will be working on every week.  Our story for this week was called First Day Jitters.  Hopefully this story was read aloud to you by your child this past Tuesday night.  Your child will be reading each of our weekly stories aloud to you on Mondays (or Tuesday if we have off on Monday) so please make sure your child is accomplishing this with you every week.  Your child will be given a reading test every Friday based on the skills learned that week.

Language Arts ~ Our grammar lesson for this week was on fragments, statements, and questions.  Everything we learn in grammar is review from last year, so there are no new grammar concepts in 3^rd grade, just more practice.  The kids will also have a grammar and spelling test every Friday.  Please make sure your child practices their spelling words every night.  I usually introduce the grammar lesson on Mondays, then the kids will have grammar homework on Thursday night to help prepare them for the test.  The kids are to take home their grammar paper on Mondays, and use that to review the lesson each night for just a few minutes.  We started expository writing this week.  Please ask your child to explain to you what expository writing is. (I taught them to associate the word explain with expository.)  The kids did a short paper on how to brush their teeth.  We will learn from those and move to a longer assignment next week.

Math ~ We have made it all the way through chapter one in our math book.  The kids learned about place value (last year they learned place value through thousands, this year we went up to hundred thousands), comparing numbers to 1,000, and number patterns.  I realize that many of you helped re-explain the homework to your child this week, and I thank you for that.  Math is third grade is very fast paced, and I’m not always allowed enough time to spend on a topic that I would like.  We do math centers in here every few days, and that provides an opportunity for the kids to review and revisit concepts that we practiced earlier.  I always allow the kids to bring home their math textbook if they want some help with their homework.  If they found something confusing during the day, I will encourage them to bring it home along with their workbook. 

Science ~ Our first chapter is on the water cycle!  The kids did an experiment last week on how much water covers Earth’s surface.  Ask your child to tell you about it if they haven’t already.  Yesterday we read through the first part of our chapter and did some vocabulary definitions.  All of our vocabulary words are always on the test, so it is a good idea for your child to bring home their science notebook (green) at least once a week to start reviewing those definitions. 

Social Studies ~ This week in social studies we learned about communities.  We discussed who lives in communities, what are communities, where are communities, and why do people live in communities.  We read about a community called Eagle, Colorado.  We looked at pictures of this community and your child had to illustrate the differences between our community and Eagle, Colorado’s community.

Other Areas of Interest:

      We celebrated Michael’s 9^th birthday last week on Wednesday.  His actual birthday had been the Sunday before, August 24, and we were happy to celebrate with him a few days late.  Happy birthday Michael!

      Curriculum Night is coming up this Thursday, September 11, at 7:00.  Please come!  This is your opportunity to meet me and see where your child spends much of their day.  I have important information to pass along to you that evening, so please make arrangements to be here on Thursday.

That’s it for now!  The weather has taken a chilly turn, so please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for this change in temperature.  I would like to thank all of you that came through for me and volunteered to help out with my reading groups: Mrs. Houpy, Mrs. Manos, Mrs. Plesha, Mrs. Sanchez, and Mrs. Stocchetti.  I look forward to working with you, and I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to be with us here in the classroom.   I wish you all a wonderful weekend, and remember to keep your child reading!

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Dear Parents:                                                                                       August 26, 2008

Welcome to third grade!  I am Mrs. Sarah Adkins and I am looking forward to an exciting year with your child.  To begin our year, I have a few things to ask of you:

·         I would very much appreciate it if you would take the time to write me a letter telling me about your child.  You may include any insights you have on your child’s learning style, home situation, any fears, concerns, questions, or anything else relevant to your child’s education that you feel I should know.

·         I am looking for parent volunteers, specifically to help with my reading groups.  You would be in charge of about five kids at a time, guiding them through a chapter book separate from our reading series.  I will need help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 – 9:30.  You are invited to help out once a week, once a month, or anywhere in between.  If you can let me know the kind of schedule you would like, I can work one up by the end of this week. 

·         Starting next Friday, September 5, you can expect to receive a Third Grade Newsletter weekly from me.  It will also be available on the school’s web site, pennoyerschool.org.  Please take the time to read through it completely and discuss our week with your child.  I will inform you of what the children learned during the week in each subject, and this will be my way of communicating new things with you regularly.

·         Each child in third grade is required to have an assignment notebook.  If you have not yet bought one from the school, you can send in $3 as soon as possible to get one.  This notebook will have daily assignments written in it, and I ask that you check this notebook and sign or initial it every day so that I know you have seen it.  I will check for your initials each morning.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to send in a note, send me an e-mail (sadkins@pennoyerschool.org), or leave me a message at our office at (708)456-9094.  I will gladly get back to you when I have a chance.  I am looking forward to seeing all of you at Open House on Thursday, September 11.  I will give you more details about our classroom procedures, discipline, and homework at that time.

Sincerely,       

Mrs. Sarah Adkins

Third Grade Teacher

Pennoyer Elementary School