The inventions were wonderful and everyone presented theirs very well. Thank you for helping them with this project. Recently, I found the design plans for my oldest daughter's invention and she's 31. This tradition has been at Tritt for a long time. (yes, I finally threw it away)! Can't save it all.
Our STEAM morning was so much fun! Thanks to the parents who dropped by to see the kids in action. All of your recycling items were put to good use and the extras were recycled. Ask your child about the students that play instruments made of 100% recycled materials. You can find them on You Tube - amazing! Also ask them about the project their group made. All of the students have matured in their ability to work with group and make compromises. Today has been a fabulous day. Starting off by walking to school and then rotating through entertaining and informative arts presentations. Ask your child about martial arts, mask artistry, Farmhouse in the City (this is where they made the pictures they'll bring home), dancing, and the mime. If any of you helped organize any of this - thank you!! REMINDERS: -In your child's folder on Thursday was a bright yellow slip with a food item listed that we'd like for you to send in so we can make trail mix for camp. You won't need to send in snack that week. Thanks! -Tuesday morning from 8:10-9 is our Poetry Coffeehouse. -Friday is field day - 12-2. Our lunch is different so please don't plan to eat lunch with your child that day. Students need sunscreen, sneakers, and water bottles. -We need small figures for a new math project next week. Legoland people and Playmobil people work well. Please put your child's initials on each one. Students will be sharing. Next Week: After poetry is finished and shared students will enjoy some Reader's Theater and reading the Storyworks' magazine articles. In math students will create BalobbyLand - drawing houses, schools, etc. to scale and then combining them to make a community. In science we will explore our final unit on heat and how it is transferred. The Thursday group will finish our Ramona novel study and create commercials to advertise the book. It is sounding like another eventful and fun week as the end of third grade approached. Have a great weekend!
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We are ALL excited that testing is over. The class did a great job focusing and doing their best. I was extremely proud of them. If you are a fast finisher there is a lot of sitting involved and they hung in there. Now on to the last four and a half weeks - so hard to believe! We will have a class meeting tomorrow about what it means to "finish strong". The students will get to share ideas about what that looks like both as a class and individually.
QUESTIONS: Ask your child tomorrow what he/she is going to do to finish strong in third grade. Check on how their Invention Convention PowerPoint is progressing. They are housed on Office 365. Each child has a label in the planner telling them how to log-in if they've forgotten. We've started a great new read aloud - The Indian in the Cupboard - see if your child can retell the first chapters we read on Friday. REMINDERS: -The only homework this week is for students to work on their Invention Convention projects and practice their math facts on Xtra Math at least TWICE. -This Thursday night offers a lot at Tritt. It begins from 5:30-6. Drop by the class any time during that 30 min. to hear students explain an augmented reality project they completed with HPReveal. Then head to the cafeteria to hear the chorus perform and go to the gym for the art show. -Wednesday, May 2 from 8:15-11:15 parents are invited to drop-in anytime to see students working in groups to create a STEAM project. -Tuesday, May 8th from 8:15-9 am is our Poetry Coffee House. All parents are invited to come at 8:15 and listen to each student share an original poem they've created. You will also get to read the students' poetry books that will be filled with their wonderful original poetry. This is NOT a drop-in. -Please continue to send in the cleaned recycled items for our STEAM project. Thanks! NEXT WEEK: Language Arts - Our room is filled with the sounds of poetry - being read, shared, and written. You will be impressed by their talents. Math - Our 4th quarter standards include revisiting 3 and 4 digit addition and subtraction, as well as, solving 2-step word problems using any of the 4 operations. There is also a standard about multiplication fact fluency. All year students have practiced and learned their math facts and this quarter they will be assessed on them. We will have tests on Wednesday and Friday for the next 4 weeks, so keep practicing at home. Social Studies - Students will begin their study of government learning about the three branches of the Federal government, the three branches of the State government, and why it is important for citizens to vote. We are also excited about our Celebrating the Arts Week this week. Every day the class will attend a 30 min. interactive presentation about different arts and how they use science. It should be wonderful! Well, I have no idea where the last post went. It was there and then it wasn't. :)
This post is all about saying thank you! I feel very appreciated this week. All the cards, flowers, goodies, and lunch made this a super special week. Thank you for thinking of me while you were also preparing for spring break. The students have worked hard this week practicing and reviewing for Milestones. Their writing responses, inferring answers in the text, and grammar knowledge have all improved over the last 2 weeks. They also had some fun when I introduced the new poetry unit. First, we made a chart of Why Poetry is Important. The students had great ideas, so I'll save it so you can see it during our Poetry Coffee House. Also, our ILC has a fantastic poetry collection and I checked out 50 different books. I wish you could have heard them reading poems with partners and deciding which poem they were going to share as a favorite. Soon they will begin writing poems, but first I feel you need to learn to read them, feel them, and experience the fun/meanings they offer. REMEMBER: Testing begins the Tuesday after break. Make sure your child goes to bed on time, has a good breakfast, extra snack, a water bottle, and a happy start to his/her day! There isn't any homework during testing, but it is a great time for them to begin making the prototype for the Invention Convention. - Mark you calendar for Tuesday, May 8 from 8:15-9:15. That is our Poetry Coffeehouse. Students will each share a poem they've written and there will be coffee and snacks. Get ready to click your fingers like they did during the "old" coffeehouses. Whether you are having a vacation, stacation, or just resting have a wonderful week. Wow! The rest of the speeches were as impressive as the first. Thanks for helping your children practice. They also had fun finishing their opinion pieces, typing them in the computer lab, and importing a picture to accompany it. Look for these in the hall later this week. Wednesday is the last day of the quarter and report cards come home the following Wed. March 21.
QUESTIONS: How do you find the area of a shape? The perimeter? Name an example of when you'd need to use each. What is a paragraph? Name 3 of the comprehension strategies on our CAFE board that help us become better engaged readers. REMINDERS: This Wed. March 14th is an Early Release Day. Students are dismissed by 12:30 and lunch is at a different time. If you haven't returned the brown envelope and the registration card for next year inside please do so this week. If you send in 4 stamps then your child's report card will be mailed to you at the end of the year. Otherwise, it will be available for pick up at Tritt. NEXT WEEK - Math: Students will learn to identify different shapes, identify them by their attributes, and learn how some shapes fit into more than one category. They will learn lots of vocabulary such as: polygon, quadrilateral, parallel, parallelogram, angle, pentagon, hexagon closed and open figures, and attribute. Language Arts: In reading and writing they will continue to practice writing answers using the R.A.C.E. strategy, take the 3rd quarter RI in the computer lab (results will be communicated on the report card), write their post opinion piece, learn when to use particular conjunctions and review when to use commas. We will also have Guidance with Mrs. Edwards, Math with Parents, and fun with our book buddies. Have a great week! RAD day was a great success! The students enjoyed lots of great reading time and I had an opportunity to work with many of them on both reading and math. They especially loved reading with their flashlights when the lights were out. Thanks for helping them gather and bring in all their supplies. Also, the first 6 speeches were fantastic! The students wrote interesting reasons/examples to support their opinions and delivered well practiced talks. I'm looking forward to the remaining speeches this week.
QUESTIONS: How do you measure liquid? What visual do you use to remember a liter? milliliter? What do the characters in our new read aloud Desperaux and Roscuro have in common? We use the acronym R.A.C.E. when writing a constructed response in reading. All students should be able to tell you now what those letters stand for and how we use them. REMINDERS: - This Thursday is picture day. Even if you aren't ordering individual pictures we will have our class picture taken and you might like to order one. Target will come back to class during picture time and then return to Target. -Friday is Walk to School day. I hope we will have great class participation again! It is such a healthy way to start the day. -The multiplication test on Friday will include the 9s tables, so please help your child practice. Each child should complete Xtra Math at least one day this week. Students doing will extra days be rewarded with bonus bucks. NEXT WEEK: Math - Students will learn how to determine the perimeter of polygons and practice deciding which operation to use when reading a word problem. Language Arts - As well as listening to the remaining speeches, students will have fun finishing and publishing their opinion pieces. We will go to the computer lab on Tuesday so students can type their piece. Hopefully, they will finish by the end of the week and can upload them to See Saw for you to read. Learning about which conjunction to use in a sentence, inferring answers in the text, and learning to write an extended response in reading will fill our language arts blocks this week. Of course, we always leave time for independent reading. The best way to develop a great reader is to make sure they have a just right book and time to read it! PLEASE make sure this is happening at home, too. Science - Our class book A to Z through Georgia is almost finished! As a class we brainstormed important animals, plants, and features of Georgia - several items for each letter of the alphabet. Each student has a letter and is creating a page for our book. You will enjoy reading this during our Author's Tea/Poetry Coffeehouse in May. I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather with your families this weekend. Thank you all for the sweet treats for Valentine's Day! You were so thoughtful to remember me. An elementary school is the BEST place to be on Valentine's. The students are so excited and I love watching their faces as they distribute and open their cards/candy.
QUESTIONS: What is elapsed time? How do you use a number line to help you determine it? What do the letters in R.A.C.E. stand for? We've just learned about it this week, so if they don't have them exactly that's ok. Hopefully, they can explain to you that it helps them remember how to write a constructed (short answer) response in reading. REMEMBER: Friday, March 2, is Read Across America Day and RAD day in our class. Students may bring sleeping bags, pillow, small stuffed animal, flashlight, and books! We will be alternating reading with fun reading activities all day. We'll even turn off the lights and read in the dark with flashlights some. Opinion speeches start the Friday we return. Please make sure your child has followed the steps sent home and practiced. THE WEEK WE RETURN: Math: We will study mass and volume - learning benchmarks for gram, kilogram, milliliter, and liter so students can estimate how you would measure certain items. Reading and Writing: We will continue to use various texts to help students learn to infer and find answers in the text. They will also write the rough drafts of their final opinion pieces. Science: Ask your child to tell you about the class book we're making Georgia Regions from A to Z. Have a great break! I hope you all enjoyed seeing your child's video of his/her favorite region of GA on SeeSaw. If you have misplaced the letter that includes the QR code to scan, so that you can see the video and comment just let me know and I can send home another one. This week we also enjoyed a visit from our book buddies, Mrs. Smith's kindergarten class. You would be so proud of how our third graders coached them through sorting their candy hearts, counting them with tally marks and making a bar graph with their results. The students also did well this week practicing telling time to the minute. The most confusing time when looking at an analog clock was identifying times like 8:50, 9:50, etc. Students often wanted to make it the next hour. If you have a few minutes reviewing that at home would be helpful.
QUESTIONS: What was the final decision Mr. Popper had to make at the end of the book and what did he decide? What was your favorite part of Mr. Popper's Penguins? Why is it important to stop and make predictions while reading? What penguin book did you read to your book buddy? REMINDERS: -Students have an opinion/persuasive speech/talk due at the beginning of March. Students have different due dates so check your child's paper. Please help them get started early so they have plenty of time to practice and this is a positive experience for them. -This it the last week of adding 8s to the time test. After break it will include the 9s table. - Wednesday is Valentine's Day and students should bring in a container to hold their Valentines and a card for every student if they are passing out cards. A class list was sent home several weeks ago to help with this. -Parent journals are in the book bag. Please read and respond by Wednesday. - Thank you for helping your child read each night and for initialing the planner. They did much better with that last week. NEXT WEEK: Math: Students will study elapsed time and learn how to determine how much time has gone by- both by looking at a clock and using a number line. Reading and Writing: We will continue to use the Common Core practice book - finding and inferring answers from the text, as well as, enjoying our read aloud The Tale of Desperaux. In writer's workshop the time will be divided between writing their opinion pieces and learning to write a constructed response/short answer when answering questions about reading. Students will be excited to know that on Friday we will watch the Mr. Popper's movie. Have a great week! x I'm sure you won't read this until tomorrow with the Super Bowl about to start! Our boys are more into football and the stats than any group I've ever had. It's great listening to them share their information. They enjoyed all the football talk on Friday and especially the tailgate party. Thank you to everyone that sent in all the yummy treats. It was delicious and fun.
The penguins were also fabulous! Thanks for helping your child. It is one of the most fun projects of the year and such a great chance for them to use their creativity. You could tell how proud they were as they shared their penguins on Friday. Scroll to the bottom of this post for pictures. QUESTIONS: What is the point of a line plot? What does it mean to restate the question? What are you writing your opinion paper about? Can you name the regions of GA? REMINDERS: We will add 8s to the multiplication test this week. So please help your child practice and make sure they complete Xtra Math at least twice. Initial the planner each night IF your child reads for 25 minutes. Students know if they miss two nights in a row they owe me bonus bucks. It is imperative that they are reading quality chapter books each and every night. NEXT WEEK: Math - Students will review time to the hour, half hour, and time to the minute will be introduced. Reading - We have started working in our "common core reading workbook". Students are learning to infer answers in the text, make predictions, and write constructed responses to questions. We are working on one story a week whole group and one story a week in a small group. Once students are comfortable we will complete one together in class and they'll bring one home on Monday and it will be due on Friday. That will start after February break. Science and Social Studies - Our studies of the regions of GA and the 13 colonies continues. STEM - Ask your child about the great challenge they did with Mrs. Range last Friday during the STEM showcase day. It involved building a school with a limited amount of money and was in conjunction with the UNICEF challenge. This week we will begin an Olympic STEM challenge. It adds the art component which many children will enjoy. Enjoy the game! Between the first short week and then the snow day we finally enjoyed some "normal" days and it felt good to be back to our daily schedule. I hope you've enjoyed this long weekend with your family. QUESTIONS TO ASK: How did Mr. Popper end up with a penguin named Captain Cook? How did we use the text to infer that the penguin is curious? This novel if filled with rich vocabulary and students are making a chart of their new words and how we inferred the meanings. It might be too early, but see if they remember any of the new words. What are the 4 ways to show a fraction? ( parts of a whole, parts of a group, in words, and on a number line) - See if your child can represent 1/4 all 4 ways. REMEMBER: Parent journals went home this weekend. Please respond and return by Wednesday. We will have another week learning the 7s before we add the 8s. Please help your child practice. Next Week: Reading - We will continue to read Mr. Popper's Penguins and use this engaging text to write main ideas, summaries. and study vocabulary. Writing- It's time for the students to put all those great/strong opinions they have to work. This quarter they are learning how to write opinion/persuasive texts and speeches. Math - The study of fractions continues with students learning to compare fractions using 1/2 as a benchmark. They will learn to recognize if a fraction is smaller than, equal to, or larger than a half. Social Studies - The ILC and computer lab are supporting our curriculum and have introduced the class to the 13 colonies. -thanks Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Pascual! Science - This week we will begin our study of the regions of GA. Students studied these in second grade in social studies. In third grade we study them in science focusing on the plant and animal habitats/ecosystems of each region. Check out these pictures of some of our class (sorry, I don't think I have everyone) enjoying the flexible seating purchased with our Tritt Amazing Race money. Thanks again for your support. The students love learning like this. Unfortunately, we did have to put our desks back, but they use the chairs all around the room several times a day. Have a great week! I'm looking forward to all I have planned for the class! |
AuthorMrs. Amy Benson Archives
December 2018
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