One Hundred-Eighth Day

Today we wrote directions. We also generated sentences from our Tree Map for our long-term project.

We took a math test and worked with answering question with information in graphic form.

Ninety-Fifth Day

We accomplished a lot today. We reviewed long-u and long-oo spellings. We read the first selection of our games unit entitled Piggle by Bonsall. We learned that not all games, while still fun, necessarily have a winner. Someone offered tag and jump rope as other examples of games without clear winners. We devised a list of rules for the game Piggle. Each table had the chance to play the game and then share out their results which were then posted on the concept/question board. We then made our first Brace Map, our fifth type of thinking map. While Tree Maps are used to classify various nouns, objects, words, etc. into categories, a Brace Map is used to break up one particular noun into its various parts.

In math we worked on two step problems which closes our current unit. We will take the test for this unit tomorrow.

For social studies we worked on neighborhood maps. At this point in the year I like to suggest that parents direct students to a mapping program on the Internet and locate your home's satellite photograph. Magnify the view to approximately 100ft/inch. Size to show their block and a portion of surrounding blocks. Have your child make a simple map with legend (key) under your direction but in their hand. On your child's map, buildings could be shown as simple rectangles. Print a view of the satellite picture and attach to the hand-drawn map and send with your child to class.

We will be breaking many years of tradition this year by changing our 100th day celebration activities. Hopefully we will still be able to make a memorable impact and we will still share treats in the afternoon.

Ninety-Third Day

It was nice to meet with everyone this week. Enjoy your holiday weekend.

Today we started our "Games" unit. We will be discovering all things "games." Today we classified games, using a Tree Map, into the categories of inside and outside and then sub-categorized into ball, no ball, board, or no board.

Questions to which have been asked so far:

1. What types of games do people play in other countries?
2. How are games made?
3. How do you know how to play games?

Types of games: outside, inside, board, rope, ball, team, solitaire, imagination, strategy, luck, skill, video, traditional, hand, etc.

At the culmination of this unit, students will be required to explain how to play a game in detail.

In math we discussed making a ten to add with eight.

Eighty-Second Day

Today we blended with /ow/ spelled 'ou_'. We used our tree maps to write paragraphs about a place which we would not like to visit again. This exercise will be important for our future writing exams. Some children have completed the task independently. Some will take much longer while others need directed guidance.

In math we found numbers 'before', 'after', and 'between' other numbers which will be our homework.

For health we discussed staying well. Ideas for staying well included such things as coughing into your elbow, washing hands, eating a healthy diet, and partaking regularly in physical activities.

For our Second Step program we discussed impulsive behavior brought on by strong emotions. We discussed how to collect ourselves by: taking slow deep breaths, counting backward from five, talking to ourselves, and finally thinking calming thoughts.

Eighty-First Day

Today we blended with /ow/ spelled 'ow' (now, flower). We learned that a commitment is a powerful promise. One of the students in class even had a commitment of their own to share. We created a tree map listing sensory details for a place we have been but do not want to return. One at home project you may want to consider for this unit is to have your child share a presentation of some place they have been before. This could be a local experience or perhaps an adventure out of the country.

In math we estimated using a number number line. This is our homework as well as a spelling paper.

For social studies we started mapping our classroom.

Sixty-Sixth Day

Today we reviewed long-e spelled 'e_e' and 'e at the end..." We worked on Tree Maps independently to record sensory details for riding in a car. Most students then used their maps to work on or complete a narrative essay.

We counted by tens in math and this is our homework.

If anyone received shoes for the holiday and still has the box, the third grade teachers are collecting shoe boxes for an upcoming project.

Sixty-Fifth Day

Welcome back.

Today we reviewed various long vowel spellings. We began working with adding sensory details to our writing to make our narratives more interesting. We also worked on beginning and closing statements. We used a Tree Map to organize our writing ideas. Tomorrow we will work independently to write narratives about an experience when we rode in a car. We discussed ideas about modes of transportation in times past. Several students used the phrase "in the day" to describe this time. To be specific we will be looking at transportation for approximately 100 years ago. This would be a good unit to work on at-home projects for the Concept/Question Board. As discussed in class, these projects help your child's homework grade (from a 3 to a 4) and possibly add to stars on the Star Chart. If you would like to a see samples of past projects please stop by after school as I have located my samples from previous years.

We continued conceptualizing numbers between 10 and 21. We hope to solidify our understanding and the meaning of the place values of numbers this year.

We had a brief introduction to music notation today with an emphasis on rhythm.

There is a spelling sheet and a math sheet for homework.

We practiced our dance which we helped to choreograph with Ms. Marrin and which may lead to a performance later this month.

For your information, we will be discussing:

• transportation in different parts of the world, how factors such as geography and economics can influence modes of transportation
• different sources of energy for transportation
• the impact of various forms of transportation on the environment

Fifty-Fifth Day

Thanks parents for the very quick folding. It's nice to be done for the year.

Today we blended with long 'i'. Our two spellings today were 'i_e' and 'i all alone or i at the end of a syllable.' We also learned the third stanza of our vowel poem; you should find a copy of the poem in backpacks. We began our second writing assessment by making a tree map for our community worker. Tomorrow we will complete the assessment by writing our essay.

We reviewed patterns in math. We attempted to isolate the repeated elements in a pattern (not always easy). Homework is to finish the folded lesson page as that's all we had time for.

We took a test in science to show how much we knew about matter.

Thirty-Seventh Day

Today we practiced with double consonant endings. We used discussed and practiced possessives using an apostrophe 's'. We began our pre-writing for community helper report using a Tree Map.

We cast our ballots for class president.

The topic 4 math test has been graded. The minimum score for a 3 was a 17 out of 26. Out of 22 tests recorded, two students scored 26, 1 scored 24, 3 scored 22, 2 scored 21, 2 scored 20, 2 scored 19, 1 scored 18, 2 scored 17.

We began topic 6: adding on 0, 1, and 2. In this chapter we will be exploring other strategies for adding other than using fingers.

For homework, please complete the corresponding math page and the writing page for short vowel 'u'.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the yellow packet sent home today as these pages will replace the emergency cards which you returned earlier in the school year; they have been declared obsolete by the district.

Thirty-Sixth Day

Very difficult to fit everything in today. We cut our dance lesson short. We did manage to complete a math test. Results will be forthcoming.

Parts of 10 was the math topic today. We will begin adding and subtracting to 12 tomorrow.

We will also begin our pre-writing for our new topic tomorrow by applying out Tree Map skills to the topic of community workers.

New reading logs went home today due on the 30th. Please remember that decodable and "predictable" titles from me do not qualify for the monthly 10 titles.

Thirty-Fourth Day

See entry below for Friday schedule. Please no candy tomorrow, time to pass out any gifts or treats is not provided for in the short day schedule.

Today was a busy day. We discussed different voice inflection patterns for various punctuation marks (as they came up in our decodable Fred. Then we discussed inflectional endings and their meanings for words, in particular the past tense '-ed' suffix pronounced /d/ (as in 'called') and /t/ (as in licked). This led to a brief discussion of various homophones like 'past' and 'passed' and 'mist' and 'missed'. We reviewed our fourth thinking map, the Tree Map by subdividing our "favorites" (category) into subcategories. This thinking map is useful for categorizing parts of complex ideas into smaller manageable parts.

In P.E. we learned a base stealing game called Steal the Corner.

We are ready for our next math test. Today we reviewed math sentences for related numbers by having a math sentence relay race.

Homework for today is a writing sheet for /j/ spelled 'j' and 'short vowel -dge'.

Reminder: Reading logs are due tomorrow. You should have turned in 2 reading logs by tomorrow. Your child's homework grade depends on it.