May 27, 2011
Swim Date Postponed
Due to cool weather today, our swim date has been postponed. We're planning to swim on TUESDAY, MAY 31 (cross your fingers for warmer weather). Please send swim suits, towels, and sunscreen (all labeled with your child's name); students do NOT need money, snacks, or pool toys.
KE Concert
May 26, 2011
Packing Up . . .
With only 3 days of school remaining, we're beginning to pack up our things. Students will be bringing home the majority of their school supplies/items on FRIDAY (May 27). You may wish to send an extra or larger bag with your student on Friday so that they have room to take all of their supplies home.
Wordle
Third graders from both sections have learned about "wordles" this week. What's a wordle? It is a word doodle (word+doodle=wordle) that takes text and changes it into word art.
Wordle is a fun way to share words related to a topic. (For example, 3H brainstormed words that describe our year in third grade.)
To make your own wordle, go to http://www.wordle.net and click the create button.
Wordle is a fun way to share words related to a topic. (For example, 3H brainstormed words that describe our year in third grade.)
To make your own wordle, go to http://www.wordle.net and click the create button.
May 20, 2011
Wrapping up the year
Our final days of third grade are counting down - it is hard to believe the year is almost over!
As we approach the last day of school, a few things to remember:
• Any lunch money or library fines are due asap.
• On Wednesday, May 25, students will have their SUPERSTAR PARTY in library. Children are invited to bring a drink and a snack for their party.
• SWIM DAY has been scheduled for Friday, May 27. Third graders will swim in the morning. Students may come to school with their swimsuits on under their clothing, but should remember to bring underwear to change into after swimming. Sunscreen and towels should be clearly marked with students' names, and no money or swim toys are necessary. Also, we'll be walking to the pool, so children should wear shoes that they are able to walk safely across town in.
• We're excited to see you at the END OF THE YEAR PICNIC on Wednesday, June first. If you have not yet returned your picnic form, please do so asap. We need an accurate head count to prepare hotdogs, as well as to know how many students will plan to stay at school until dismissal time of 2:25 (one hour early out). For the picnic, third grade families are asked to bring a side dish that serves 20 (or 2 sides to serve 10) in a disposable container, as well as lawn chairs or blankets if you wish to eat outdoors. Parents should report to their youngest child's classroom, and then will be able to "pick up" siblings when dismissed to eat so that you can eat as a family if you wish.
Though we would like food to be at school by 11:00, third grade is one of the last grades to be dismissed for lunch (our graduating 5th graders go first, then K, 1, 2, 3, 4), so we have scheduled a recess break from 11:15 - 11:45 to help pass the time (it often feels like a lonnnng wait for the kids). Third grade parents are welcome to arrive at 11 and to go to recess with your children before lunch, OR you may send your side dish with your child so that it can be placed in the serving line at 11:00, but plan to arrive at school at 11:45.
In addition, after eating, please be sure to check out with your child's classroom teacher. Because many of you may be done eating before we go through the line (if you eat with a younger sibling's class), you may need to come and find us (either in line or in our classrooms). We'll give your child his/her final report card at that time.
• Finally, if you'd like photos of 3rd grade for your child, remember that you can copy/paste any photos from the blog onto your computer. We'll leave all of the posts from this year on the blog.
As we approach the last day of school, a few things to remember:
• Any lunch money or library fines are due asap.
• On Wednesday, May 25, students will have their SUPERSTAR PARTY in library. Children are invited to bring a drink and a snack for their party.
• SWIM DAY has been scheduled for Friday, May 27. Third graders will swim in the morning. Students may come to school with their swimsuits on under their clothing, but should remember to bring underwear to change into after swimming. Sunscreen and towels should be clearly marked with students' names, and no money or swim toys are necessary. Also, we'll be walking to the pool, so children should wear shoes that they are able to walk safely across town in.
• We're excited to see you at the END OF THE YEAR PICNIC on Wednesday, June first. If you have not yet returned your picnic form, please do so asap. We need an accurate head count to prepare hotdogs, as well as to know how many students will plan to stay at school until dismissal time of 2:25 (one hour early out). For the picnic, third grade families are asked to bring a side dish that serves 20 (or 2 sides to serve 10) in a disposable container, as well as lawn chairs or blankets if you wish to eat outdoors. Parents should report to their youngest child's classroom, and then will be able to "pick up" siblings when dismissed to eat so that you can eat as a family if you wish.
Though we would like food to be at school by 11:00, third grade is one of the last grades to be dismissed for lunch (our graduating 5th graders go first, then K, 1, 2, 3, 4), so we have scheduled a recess break from 11:15 - 11:45 to help pass the time (it often feels like a lonnnng wait for the kids). Third grade parents are welcome to arrive at 11 and to go to recess with your children before lunch, OR you may send your side dish with your child so that it can be placed in the serving line at 11:00, but plan to arrive at school at 11:45.
In addition, after eating, please be sure to check out with your child's classroom teacher. Because many of you may be done eating before we go through the line (if you eat with a younger sibling's class), you may need to come and find us (either in line or in our classrooms). We'll give your child his/her final report card at that time.
• Finally, if you'd like photos of 3rd grade for your child, remember that you can copy/paste any photos from the blog onto your computer. We'll leave all of the posts from this year on the blog.
Friday Stations
We're down to our next-to-last Friday -- just one more to go! Today during stations students created colorful windsocks for our classrooms, completed their letters to next year's third graders, used the Smart board and computer games/websites, and were able to catch up on unfinished math assignments and play math games.
Math
We are entering our last full week of school, and with so many science projects to finish up, we will be spending some of our math time doing science. Therefore, the kids will be done with homework for the year. (I haven't told them yet, we will see how many read the blog.)
Their math journals will be coming home next Friday, May 27. Please do not throw them away! Keep them in a safe spot and about August 1st, get them out and begin reviewing by using the math boxes we were unable to complete during third grade. This will get them off on the right foot for 4th grade! Try to practice those multiplication facts over the summer too!
Their math journals will be coming home next Friday, May 27. Please do not throw them away! Keep them in a safe spot and about August 1st, get them out and begin reviewing by using the math boxes we were unable to complete during third grade. This will get them off on the right foot for 4th grade! Try to practice those multiplication facts over the summer too!
Reading
We are back into our basal this week as we wrapped up Dear Levi with Austin arriving in Oregon. Our story this week was "Pepita Talks Twice" which was about a little girl that didn't like having to talk in two languages - Spanish and English. The skill work for this story was decision making. The kids had to identify the problem, find the good and bad thing connected to the problem and then make a decision. They all decided it was a good thing to know more than one language!
Social Studies
We're wrapping up our final unit of study, American Culture. This week students learned about monuments and memorials that we have in our country (Don't be surprised if your child requests that you take a vacation to St. Louis to see the Arch or to South Dakota to visit Mt. Rushmore!) :) We also discussed immigration and how cultures from many places are part of American Culture.
Language Skills
Spelling words this week include words with that begin with a- or be- (the list was from the story Poppa's New Pants). Grammar skills included identifying synonyms, and comparing nouns using adjectives (big, bigger, biggest). Students also wrote letters to next year's third graders in which they told about the events in third grade and gave advice to the soon-to-be third graders.
Science
We are working on finishing up a lot of projects!
- Finishing our research on our animal's life cycle. For our final project we are using the computer to create a keynote presentation that we will be showing the class.
- Finishing up our Wisconsin Fast Plant. We are watching our pods develop new seeds. We will also be making puppets and performing a play telling the class about the life cycle of the plant.
- We continue to work on the human body. This week we worked on the Digestive system.
May 9, 2011
May 6, 2011
Mother's Day Tea
We had a very enjoyable afternoon on Friday celebrating Mother's Day. The kids took their moms to the computer lab to show them projects done using Pages, searched the Laura Ingalls Wilder's web sites and played some games on our blog. In the classroom we worked on math, played math games, did a stitching project and enjoyed ice tea and cookies. Thank you to all the moms who brought the cookies!
Science
This week Mrs. Bender's class finished their planet brochures and shared them with the class.
For our plant unit we dissected some of our plants, locating the roots and comparing the difference between the cotyledon leaves and the true leaves. We continued to work on our research for our life cycle project.
For our plant unit we dissected some of our plants, locating the roots and comparing the difference between the cotyledon leaves and the true leaves. We continued to work on our research for our life cycle project.
Math
This week we reviewed the Partial Product Algorithm and introduced the Lattice Algorithm this week. Directions for the Lattice procedure should of come home with Thursday's homework. The kids can use either method for solving the multiplication problems. When helping with homework, if both of these procedures are too confusing, feel free to teach them the old algorithm we grew up with. That is the nice thing about this math series, solving problems can be done in many ways!
May 5, 2011
This 'N That
Can you believe it's already MAY? We have been busy, busy, busy in third grade. Last week we enjoyed a successful Laura Ingalls Wilder Day (check out the post from earlier this week), and we look forward to hosting our moms for Mother's Day Tea on Friday.
A few reminders:
• Stride for Pride envelopes were sent home last week. Even if you choose not to participate in the fundraiser, please return the envelope with a parent signature. In addition, we are in need of parent volunteers to accompany each class to the Stride for Pride on the afternoon of May 10. Contact your child's homeroom teacher if you would like to help out.
• Yearbook order forms were also sent home. Please return the order by Monday, May 9 if your child would like to purchase a yearbook.
• Plan now to attend our annual last day of school picnic on June 1! More info to come soon.
A few reminders:
• Stride for Pride envelopes were sent home last week. Even if you choose not to participate in the fundraiser, please return the envelope with a parent signature. In addition, we are in need of parent volunteers to accompany each class to the Stride for Pride on the afternoon of May 10. Contact your child's homeroom teacher if you would like to help out.
• Yearbook order forms were also sent home. Please return the order by Monday, May 9 if your child would like to purchase a yearbook.
• Plan now to attend our annual last day of school picnic on June 1! More info to come soon.
Recorder Order Forms
Mrs. Herschberger sent home a letter/order form with students on Thursday, May 5 with information about ordering recorders. Students are currently learning to play the recorder in music class, and now have the opportunity to purchase recorders and practice booklets to use at home.
If your child would like to order a recorder, please return the order form and payment to Mrs. Herschberger by Wednesday, May 11. If you have questions, you may contact Mrs. Herschberger at hherschberger@mid-prairie.k12.ia.us
If your child would like to order a recorder, please return the order form and payment to Mrs. Herschberger by Wednesday, May 11. If you have questions, you may contact Mrs. Herschberger at hherschberger@mid-prairie.k12.ia.us
Reading
This week we spent time administering end of the year DRA tests (Developmental Reading Assessment). It is great to see the progress that students have made in reading this year! We also continue to read Dear Levi, the story of a young boy traveling West on a wagon train.
Language Skills
Students applied knowledge of pioneers and wrote a persuasive essay in which the put themselves in the shoes of a pioneer in 1850. The children chose whether they would have wanted to travel West on the wagon train, or if they would prefer to stay in the East, and then had to give reasons for their decision. We followed the steps of the writing process by brainstorming for prewriting, typing our draft, editing drafts with a teacher, then revising our draft to create a final copy. Students love using the computer for this, as it is much easier to revise.
Social Studies
We wrapped up our study of the Native Americans of the Southwest by creating sand paintings. Those made by Native Americans were created for healing purposes and used symbols of their spirits. The students created "paintings" depicting Indian symbols or nature scenes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)