The students did an awesome job last week as they completed their MAP tests!! I am so proud of them and the hard work that they put into taking the tests. This was the first time these kiddos ever tested on computers for a long period of time. They did a great job concentrating, staying focused and trying their best on all three tests. I will share and review individual results with you at parent confences in a couple weeks.
Parent Conferences- Parent Conferences are a few weeks earlier this year, Sept. 26 and 27. If you have not signed up for a conference yet, you will need to sign up for a conference time through our Prairie Ridge website. Here is the link: http://www.usd232.org/education/components/form/default.php?sectiondetailid=33036&
Lap-A-Thon is this Friday. Make sure your child wears tennis shoes. The third grade will be walking/running from 10:50-11:30. Please feel free to join us at this time. :)
Book Orders- I sent home book order forms in Monday folders last week. I will be collecting orders until Wednesday. You may also order online if you wish. Let me know if you have any questions at all. Thanks for supporting your child's reading with Scholastic!
Reading- We began Theme 2 today, Life in Many Places. The reading strategy that we will practice for the next two weeks is "Asking Questions." We will continue to review making connections as we progress through the various reading strategies. I will complete benchmarking this week and will begin meeting with small reading groups next week.
Spelling- The spelling pattern for this week is consonant blends. All of the words will contain one of these blends: cr-,dr-, gr-, pr-, and -st. The spelling test will be on Friday.
Math- We will take our first math test tomorrow on Topic 1. The students have a practice test for homework tonight. On Wednesday, we will begin Topic 2. This week the students will learn about the meaning of addition and subtraction, as well as have the opportunity to practice using mental math to add numbers.
Social Studies- We will continue learning about communities, specifically, the differences between the 3 types of communities- rural, suburuban and urban.
Science- This week we will be making sun prints. We will also determine the temperature differences between several earth materials like dirt and sand when they are exposed to the sun.
Have a great week!!
I just made a new Voki. See it here:
Monday, September 10, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
September 4
Hello!
Welcome to another week of 3rd grade! We are off to a great start and have a busy 4-day week ahead of us. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessments- MAP testing begins in 3rd grade! This is a district tool that is used to help us evaluate the progress of our students from year to year. Students will take MAP assessments in the fall and in the spring every school year from 3rd grade through 12th grade.
Our class will take their very first round of these tests this week- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The students will take 3 tests: reading, math and language arts so there will be one each day. I will review the results from this first round of testing with you at parent conferences at the end of September.
Reading-
We are continuing with Theme 1, Community Spirit. We will keep practicing how to make connections with the text that we read. Small reading groups will begin in a couple of weeks.
Spelling-
The spelling pattern for this week is "beginning consonant sounds". The lists contain words that begin with the consonants b, d, f, m and v. Your child's list was sent home with them in their homework folder and should be written in their agenda this evening. The final test will be on Friday.
Math-
We are still learning about place value this week. We will be comparing numbers, ordering numbers and using an organized list to represent given information in a problem.
Writing-
Students will prewrite ideas for their story and write a first draft.
We will continue reveiwing nouns and verbs this week, as well.
Science and Social Studies-
We are learning about how the sun is the main source of the solar energy we recieve on earth. We have several activities planned for this unit in which sunlight is required. Therefore, we may go back and forth between science activities and social studies based on the sunlight's cooperation.
We will begin learning about our community in social studies. By the end of the week, students should know where they live-- on the planet earth, on the continent North America, in the country of the United States, in the state of Kansas, in the county of Johnson, and in the city of Shawnee. They may even be able to tell you which neighborhood they live in.
Have a great week!
Welcome to another week of 3rd grade! We are off to a great start and have a busy 4-day week ahead of us. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessments- MAP testing begins in 3rd grade! This is a district tool that is used to help us evaluate the progress of our students from year to year. Students will take MAP assessments in the fall and in the spring every school year from 3rd grade through 12th grade.
Our class will take their very first round of these tests this week- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The students will take 3 tests: reading, math and language arts so there will be one each day. I will review the results from this first round of testing with you at parent conferences at the end of September.
Reading-
We are continuing with Theme 1, Community Spirit. We will keep practicing how to make connections with the text that we read. Small reading groups will begin in a couple of weeks.
Spelling-
The spelling pattern for this week is "beginning consonant sounds". The lists contain words that begin with the consonants b, d, f, m and v. Your child's list was sent home with them in their homework folder and should be written in their agenda this evening. The final test will be on Friday.
Math-
We are still learning about place value this week. We will be comparing numbers, ordering numbers and using an organized list to represent given information in a problem.
Writing-
Students will prewrite ideas for their story and write a first draft.
We will continue reveiwing nouns and verbs this week, as well.
Science and Social Studies-
We are learning about how the sun is the main source of the solar energy we recieve on earth. We have several activities planned for this unit in which sunlight is required. Therefore, we may go back and forth between science activities and social studies based on the sunlight's cooperation.
We will begin learning about our community in social studies. By the end of the week, students should know where they live-- on the planet earth, on the continent North America, in the country of the United States, in the state of Kansas, in the county of Johnson, and in the city of Shawnee. They may even be able to tell you which neighborhood they live in.
Have a great week!
Monday, August 27, 2012
August 27 - August 31
August 27-31
Hello!Read below to see what we will be working on this first FULL week of 3rd grade.
Math
We began Topic 1 in math today. Students will be using place value to learn about numbers and different ways to represent them. Some of the key concepts that they will learn this week are:
* Representing numbers
* Ways to name numbers
* Greater numbers
* Counting and identifying numbers on a number line
Students will have homework every night in math. They are expected to complete the "Practice" side of the sheet while the "Enrichment" side is optional. The first assignment was given to them today so they should have their homework sheet in their take-home folder with them.
Reading
Theme 1 was introduced in class today. Students will study Communities while practicing a variety of reading and writing skills. The reading strategy that students will practice this week is 'making connections.'
Students will be expected to read 15-20 minutes 4-5 nights a week in my class. The school will have several reading programs throughout the year in which the boys and girls will need to track the time they read. That will be the only time I send home an official reading log for tracking. Students will write in their agendas daily the 15-20 minutes I expect them to read. When the parent or guardian signs the agenda nightly, that will be my confirmation that your child has completed his or her reading for the day.
Spelling
"Short Vowel sounds" is the pattern for the first spelling list of the year. Students will take a pretest on Fridays. It is a child's score on the pretest that determines which of TWO lists they will recieve.
The Rigby list will contain 15 words with the pattern of the week.
The second list will also follow that pattern of the week, contain 15 words, but will contain words that are a little more difficult.
Your child has the opportunity to fluctuate between the two lists on a weekly basis. We will take a weekly pretest to determine how well each child knows the new pattern.
I will not be assigning nightly spelling homework for the students to turn into me. They will be completing an activity during class time each day instead. However, they are expected to learn study skills at home that require them to practice their words at home which will help them prepare for Friday's test.
You can have your child practice spelling at home by asking them to do an activity each night. This will help them prepare for the test. Here are a few ideas for you to have them do at home: reading and/or writing the words, putting them in ABC order, using them in sentences, finding them in a dictionary, take a practice test, find them in a book they a reading or copy them 3 times.
Science
We began learning about the sun today. We have a fun Solar Energy unit planned for the 3rd graders in which they will actually be building their own solar house. Watch for more about that in the next few weeks.
Writing
The year will begin with students writing a story while making sure to emphasize a Beginning, Middle and End so that it is organized, has flow and makes sense.
In grammar this week students will review nouns and verbs.
That's all for Week 1!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
May 7 - 11
The year is quickly winding down, but we are going to keep working hard and stay as busy as we can to help us stay focused through the last couple of weeks of school.
Here are the plans for the week:
Reading-- We will complete our chapter books that we have been reading in groups. We will be working on monitoring understanding, as well, as reviewing previous strategies that we have learned.
Spelling--
This is the LAST week of spelling!! The pattern for the Rigby list this week is pronouns. The Rigby words are bone, how, cookies, goes, half, whoever, himself, danger, join, them, who, ache, anybody, aunt & itself. The Extension list is the suffix pattern "-ance, ence" which means 'state or quality of'. The Extension words are tolerance, radiance, perseverance, patience, elegance, dominance, diligence, defiance, convenience & annoyance.The test will be on Friday.
Math--Our perimeter unit went very quick and we will spend the rest of the year learning about area. We will also do some graphing before the year is over.
Science-- SCIENCE FAIR-- this Friday from 2:00-3:30. Parents are welcome to come by and check out all the experiments our students have been working so hard on.
The students have done a great job working on "the parts" of their Science Fair Project. Every thing should be turned in by today. I will accept late work through tomorrow because we will be assembling our Science Fair boards today and tomorrow afternoon in class.
Reminder- The board your child is using cost $1.50.
Here are the plans for the week:
Reading-- We will complete our chapter books that we have been reading in groups. We will be working on monitoring understanding, as well, as reviewing previous strategies that we have learned.
Spelling--
This is the LAST week of spelling!! The pattern for the Rigby list this week is pronouns. The Rigby words are bone, how, cookies, goes, half, whoever, himself, danger, join, them, who, ache, anybody, aunt & itself. The Extension list is the suffix pattern "-ance, ence" which means 'state or quality of'. The Extension words are tolerance, radiance, perseverance, patience, elegance, dominance, diligence, defiance, convenience & annoyance.The test will be on Friday.
Math--Our perimeter unit went very quick and we will spend the rest of the year learning about area. We will also do some graphing before the year is over.
Science-- SCIENCE FAIR-- this Friday from 2:00-3:30. Parents are welcome to come by and check out all the experiments our students have been working so hard on.
The students have done a great job working on "the parts" of their Science Fair Project. Every thing should be turned in by today. I will accept late work through tomorrow because we will be assembling our Science Fair boards today and tomorrow afternoon in class.
Reminder- The board your child is using cost $1.50.
Monday, April 16, 2012
April 16 - 20
As I look ahead through the week, I am noticing a fairly "uneventful" week!!
Here's what we have planned:
Reading
We will begin Theme 12, Explorers in Space, today. Our reading strategy focus for this theme is classifying and categorizing information. Small groups will meet this week as we continue to read books and novels at students' individual reading levels.
Continue having your child read at home and mark it on the reading log. The Reading Logs will go home in Monday folders every week, and are expected to be turned in by Tuesday of the following week.
Spelling
The Rigby pattern this week are the prefixes non-, in-, and dis-. All three of these prefixes mean "not". The Rigby words are insane, distrust, nonprofit, discover, around, disappear, color, dislike, nonfat, indifferent, disorder, nonliving, invisible, independent & dishonor.
The Extension list this week is hyper-, which means "over, beyond, or high." The extension words are hypersensitive, hyperventilate, hyperglycemia, hyperextend, hypertension, hyperactive, hypercritical, hyperbole, hyperthyroidism, hyperthermia
Writing
We have been writing persuasive paragraphs. The students are also writing poetry to coincide with April being Poetry Month.
Math
We are continuing to learn more about fractions in Topic 10. This week we will be learning how to compare different fractions.
Science
We will be finishing up matter this week and also learn about ecosystems.
Science Fair Project Due Dates for the week:
Friday, April 20-- your child's Topic and Problem Statement are due!!
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Have a super week!!
Here's what we have planned:
Reading
We will begin Theme 12, Explorers in Space, today. Our reading strategy focus for this theme is classifying and categorizing information. Small groups will meet this week as we continue to read books and novels at students' individual reading levels.
Continue having your child read at home and mark it on the reading log. The Reading Logs will go home in Monday folders every week, and are expected to be turned in by Tuesday of the following week.
Spelling
The Rigby pattern this week are the prefixes non-, in-, and dis-. All three of these prefixes mean "not". The Rigby words are insane, distrust, nonprofit, discover, around, disappear, color, dislike, nonfat, indifferent, disorder, nonliving, invisible, independent & dishonor.
The Extension list this week is hyper-, which means "over, beyond, or high." The extension words are hypersensitive, hyperventilate, hyperglycemia, hyperextend, hypertension, hyperactive, hypercritical, hyperbole, hyperthyroidism, hyperthermia
Writing
We have been writing persuasive paragraphs. The students are also writing poetry to coincide with April being Poetry Month.
Math
We are continuing to learn more about fractions in Topic 10. This week we will be learning how to compare different fractions.
Science
We will be finishing up matter this week and also learn about ecosystems.
Science Fair Project Due Dates for the week:
Friday, April 20-- your child's Topic and Problem Statement are due!!
Please let me know if you have any questions!
Have a super week!!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
April 9 - 13
Hello!
I hope you all enjoyed your Easter with your families! It was such a beautiful weekend....kind of felt like a little tease of summer!
This week we are sending home all the information for the science fair including all of the due dates for it! I am asking that you review the packet with your child and then send the signed sheet by Friday, April 13th. Thank you!
Our last reading program of the year will begin on April 10. It will be our Pawsome Reader program For every 500 minutes read, we will earn a paw. The class with the most paws in each grade level will earn a reward at the end of the program on May 13.
Math -
This week we will finish Topic 9 and will have the test on Thursday. The students will learn how to estimate fractions and will be able to make a table to identify a pattern to solve the problem.
Reading -
We will continue Theme 11, which is our unit on the Solar System. We will be reading and taking notes on different planets. We will also be working on writing a poem to describe a planet.
Spelling -
This week the Rigby list uses the prefix un- which means not. The words are: place, under, unable, unbuckle, uneasy, unwilling, unkind, uncover, unfold, unhappy, untold, unwind, unusual, unequal, and universe.
The challenge list uses the prefix sym-, syn- which means together, same. These words are: symbiosis, symmetry, sympathy, symposium, symptoms, synagogue, syndicate, synonym, synthesis, and synthetic.
Science -
We will continue our study of the states of matter and do more experiments to help describe the different properties of each.I am working on a sign up for volunteers for our Science Week which is April 23rd - April 29th, I will email it out as soon as I have it finished! :)
Writing -
This week we will be drafting persuasive essays and beginning a unit on writing poetry.
I hope you all enjoyed your Easter with your families! It was such a beautiful weekend....kind of felt like a little tease of summer!
This week we are sending home all the information for the science fair including all of the due dates for it! I am asking that you review the packet with your child and then send the signed sheet by Friday, April 13th. Thank you!
Our last reading program of the year will begin on April 10. It will be our Pawsome Reader program For every 500 minutes read, we will earn a paw. The class with the most paws in each grade level will earn a reward at the end of the program on May 13.
Math -
This week we will finish Topic 9 and will have the test on Thursday. The students will learn how to estimate fractions and will be able to make a table to identify a pattern to solve the problem.
Reading -
We will continue Theme 11, which is our unit on the Solar System. We will be reading and taking notes on different planets. We will also be working on writing a poem to describe a planet.
Spelling -
This week the Rigby list uses the prefix un- which means not. The words are: place, under, unable, unbuckle, uneasy, unwilling, unkind, uncover, unfold, unhappy, untold, unwind, unusual, unequal, and universe.
The challenge list uses the prefix sym-, syn- which means together, same. These words are: symbiosis, symmetry, sympathy, symposium, symptoms, synagogue, syndicate, synonym, synthesis, and synthetic.
Science -
We will continue our study of the states of matter and do more experiments to help describe the different properties of each.I am working on a sign up for volunteers for our Science Week which is April 23rd - April 29th, I will email it out as soon as I have it finished! :)
Writing -
This week we will be drafting persuasive essays and beginning a unit on writing poetry.
Monday, March 19, 2012
March 19 - 23
The 2012 Prairie Ridge Parent Survey is open! The school’s Site Council worked to shorten the length of the survey, so it will only take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Please note, surveys are set up by grade level, so if you have more than one student at PRE, we ask you complete one per child. This will allow you to provide specific feedback for each of your children. The survey closes on March 26th. The school uses the survey information as a part of our continuous improvement process, and your feedback is valuable to us! Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey.
Welcome back to school! I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather and spring break with your kids. It was great to see them again today! :) This week will be a normal week. We will be preparing for our math testing next week so be prepared to see a variety of math homework topics. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Friday's Dr. Suess Day is Wear Red or Blue Day. It is also a spirit day, Crazy Hair Day! It's bound to be one wild day!
Math:
Science:
We will begin a unit of sound and motion later this week.
Social Studies:
We will begin Unit 9 this week. Our comprehension strategy is a review of making connections and compare/contrast information.
Grammar:
We will review nouns.
Spelling:
The Rigby list is a list of nouns. The words are buzzard, piano, boat, clown, airport, farm, cavern, giant, sponge, cluster, fable, author, bamboo, cloud and person.
The Extension list uses the prefix mis, which means bad or badly, wrong. The words are misunderstand, mischievous, mistreat, mistreat, mislead, misjudge, misbehave, miserable, mistake, misfortune and misspell.
Writing:
We are finishing up the biographies for the Studentreasures hardback books. If you have not sent in your order form, please do so by Thursday. We will be mailing the books in to be published on Friday. Let me know if you need a new form as I do have extra.
As you can see, it will be a very busy week. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at all. :)
Third Grade Prairie Ridge Parent Survey 2012
www.surveymonkey.com/s/HFYNVCGWelcome back to school! I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather and spring break with your kids. It was great to see them again today! :) This week will be a normal week. We will be preparing for our math testing next week so be prepared to see a variety of math homework topics. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.
Friday's Dr. Suess Day is Wear Red or Blue Day. It is also a spirit day, Crazy Hair Day! It's bound to be one wild day!
Math:
We will be reviewing and preparing for the state math test next week. Kids will have a play book to review at night with you. We are currently running our math boot camp where the kids will rotate through each class to cover a different topic. Please look over their homework each night and go over any questions they may have. There will be questions similar to those on the state test. We will be testing next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Personally, I am having the kids show their work even if they think it is incredibly easy for them. Showing their work simply checks their mental math. :)
Science:
We will begin a unit of sound and motion later this week.
Social Studies:
We will begin Unit 9 this week. Our comprehension strategy is a review of making connections and compare/contrast information.
Grammar:
We will review nouns.
Spelling:
The Rigby list is a list of nouns. The words are buzzard, piano, boat, clown, airport, farm, cavern, giant, sponge, cluster, fable, author, bamboo, cloud and person.
The Extension list uses the prefix mis, which means bad or badly, wrong. The words are misunderstand, mischievous, mistreat, mistreat, mislead, misjudge, misbehave, miserable, mistake, misfortune and misspell.
Writing:
We are finishing up the biographies for the Studentreasures hardback books. If you have not sent in your order form, please do so by Thursday. We will be mailing the books in to be published on Friday. Let me know if you need a new form as I do have extra.
As you can see, it will be a very busy week. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at all. :)
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