iPick: How to find the perfect book

Our new class written guidelines on how to find the perfect book!

Poetry Slam THIS Friday!

Hello Families,

My mistake, our Poetry Slam is actually THIS Friday, March 1st, not on March 8th as I had written in last weeks weekly update.

Third Grade Book Swap

Third Grade Book Swap

Friday, March 1, 2013

Bring in Books February 25-February 28

Students should bring their “gently” used books to our classroom in the morning Monday-Thursday. For each book that is donated the student will receive a Book Buck, good towards the exchange of other used books at the Book Swap on Friday.

Please choose and send books that are in GOOD condition and appropriate for school. We will not be able to accept comic books, magazines, or workbooks.

This activity is COMPLETELY optional, however, all participants will come out winners! Our classroom receives new titles, the students go home with new reading material, families are happy to clean out those bedrooms and any leftovers will be donated to other classrooms or the library.

Most books at the book swap will cost 2 Book Bucks, in order to help bulk up our library while at the same time encouraging more donations.

If your family does not have books to donate but your student is interested in participating, please have them talk to me privately-everyone that is interested will get to participate!

HAPPY READING!

Chasing Vermeer Book Trailer

Weekly Update-Catie's Class

Thank you all for supporting your child with “Portland - A Musical.”  It was a great success, and it’s something that your child will never forget.  I especially want to thank all of the parents who helped out with the musical in one way or another.  You should expect something from Heather, Jeremy, and I to go home with your child this week.  Frankly, between President’s Day, two hour rehearsals, late opening, and the performance, there wasn’t a whole lot of classroom time this week.  It will be nice to return to a more normal schedule :)

Math

This week we will continue working on multiplication and division by creating our own multiplication tables, solving story problems, and working on mastering some of the simpler multiplication problems.  Our goal in third grade is for kids to be fluent (able to solve in 3 seconds or less) with multiplication problems with digits 1-5 by the end of the year. We are moving ahead with multiplication, though there are still students who need to master their subtraction facts, and will be working with me and in small groups to strengthen their subtraction fluency.

Writer’s Workshop

This week we will start preparing for the poetry slam and creating our poetry anthologies.  Our poetry unit will be wrapping up soon with the creation of poetry anthologies and a Poetry Slam.  Our 3rd Grade Poetry Slam is scheduled for 9:15 am on Friday, March 8th (in our classroom this time).  Friends and family are welcome to come.  If you would like to bring treats for this, please contact me.

Reader’s Workshop

Last week we cooperatively read (I say cooperatively because I put the book on the big screen using the document camera) a short novel called Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.  This moving novel documents a student’s reluctance about poetry to his becoming a budding poet.  Ask your child about it.

This week, we will begin a new read aloud novel: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.  This novel is a complicated mystery involving art, math, and patterns.  It’s a challenging read, but as we get into it I hear that the students become very engaged with the story.  We will use this novel to increase our vocabulary, work on breaking down difficult passages, and analyze characters.

State Reading Test

The class will be taking the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (aka OAKS) for reading on Thursday morning and will finish one morning next week.  This state-mandated test is used to rank and “grade” public schools in the Oregon.  We have done some practice for this in the past week.  I emphasize to the kids that this is less about them and more about the school as a whole.  Students will not know their scores or whether they meet the standards.  If you are curious about this, feel free to e-mail me, but I don’t think that it is helpful for the students to have this information.  If students don’t “pass” the first time, they will re-take the test in the spring (they won’t know why they are retaking it, however).

Book Swap

This Friday will be our 3rd Grade Book Swap.  Students may bring in books from Monday through Thursday this week (we will not be accepting any new books for the swap on Friday).  It is optional.  However if your child wants to participate, but does not have books to donate, please contact me asap.

Appropriate Clothing

We have been fortunate to have had a relatively mild and dry winter so far.  This has fooled 

some students into not bringing coats (or trying to pass off a hoodie as a coat) to school regularly.  Friday’s rain storm caught many by surprise and many kids were soaked and freezing by the end of recess.  At S.E.S., we believe that kids should get fresh air every day - we almost never have “inside recess.”  Please send your child to school with a rain-proof jacket and appropriate footwear each day.

Read Across America

Friday is a big day in our classroom! In addition to our poetry slam, we will spend the last hour of the day with our buddies. Thanks to a grant from PPS, we will join our middle school buddies (in pajamas all day, of course) to settle in to the auditorium, hear Dr. Suess' The Lorax (Read Across America day was started in celebration of Dr. Suess' birthday on March 2nd) with a new social justice picture book and a few choice books and tea or hot cocoa.

Ask Your Third Grader...

What was your favorite part of the musical?

What did you learn about yourself from doing the musical?

What does Peace mean to you?

Important Things Coming Up...

March 8 - 3rd Grade Poetry Slam

March 6 - Columbia Children’s Arboretum Field Study

March 12 - Student Led Conferences 3:30-7:30

Thanks for sending such enthusiastic students to school each day,

Catie

Powells Coupon

Thanks Susan! Please take advantage!

Musical Information

Hello families,

• The family/friend performance is THIS Friday, February 22nd, at 6:30 pm.
• Your student needs to be at school at 6 pm. 
• There are no tickets, so please come around 6:15 to ensure your seats. 
• Donations will be accepted in a "pass the hat" way, donations are optional though appreciated.

Thanks! So exciting!

Weekly Update-Catie's Class

Our Secret Valentine exchange was wonderful.  It was so clear that the kids put a lot of thought, time, and love into their valentines. Check out the photo below of the students holding on to their Valentines.

Math

This week, we practiced looking at multiplication in the form of arrays.  Arrays are rectangles made up of a certain number of squares.  The area of the array is the product of the length and width.  For example, a 4x5 array has an area of 20.  Therefore, 4x5=20.  They should have brought home an example of work we did in class this week. This is just another way for kids to conceptualize multiplication, and related homework will be coming soon.

Writer’s Workshop

This week we worked on “Paint Chip Poetry”, and worked on a class poem of Metaphors (see previous post).  Have you ever noticed the poetry of the names of various paints at your local hardware store?  Names like “Perfect Harmony,” “Sense of Time,” or “High Drama” offer some great opportunities for creating poems.  The kids used paint chips to create artistic and colorful poems.  These will be on display in the hallway soon.  Our poetry unit will be wrapping up soon with the creation of poetry anthologies and a Poetry Slam.  Our 3rd Grade Poetry Slam is scheduled for 9:15 am on Friday, March 1st.  Friends and family are welcome to come.  If you would like to bring treats for this, please contact me.

Reader’s Workshop

This week, we read "I Am Here" by Eileen Spinelli. It is a short and heartwarming poetry book written from a young girls perspective, whose family is facing some changes that she has no control over. Many students could relate to this story, and I read it to the class to show them examples of processing feelings through poetry. Also, thanks so much to Molly R and family for the donations of the wonderful new and gently used books, especially adding to our Graphic Novel, How To, and Non Fiction genres!

Portland - A Musical

This is the week!  The kids have been preparing for this week since the beginning of October, and now the big day is here.  We will be having a full run-through of the show on Tuesday morning (9:30-11:30) and a dress rehearsal on Thursday morning (9:30-11:30) to which our middle school buddies will come.  The kids will perform for the school on Friday morning at 9:30 and for you at 6:30 pm.  Your student will need to be at school on Friday evening no later than 6:00 pm so that they can get dressed for the performance.

Please make sure that your child gets plenty of rest and nutritious food (especially breakfast - far too many of the students have been telling me they don’t eat breakfast :(  This will be one of the busier (and possibly anxious) weeks of their young lives.  Please support them in any way you can.

Ask Your Third Grader...

What is an array?  How does it help you to solve multiplication problems?

Tell me about your Paint Chip Poetry.

Tell me about I Am Here.

How are you feeling about the musical?  How can I support you?

Important Things Coming Up...

Feb. 18 - President’s Day (no school)

Feb. 20 - Late Opening

Feb. 22 - Portland - A Musical (6:30 pm)

March 1 - 3rd Grade Poetry Slam and Read Across America Celebration with pajamas, tea, cocoa, social justice books, and buddies.

March 6 - Columbia Children’s Arboretum Field Study

March 12 - Student Led Conferences 3:30-7:30

Thanks for sending such groovy (as shown in recent dance parties) students to school each day,

Catie

Love is...

Love is…

A class poem of metaphors

Catie’s Class, February 2013

a pencil sharpener. It grinds hate.

a poem. It needs a poet to write it.

a Lego. You need a lot of it (them).

grass. It grows and grows.

Catie’s computer. It’s hard to figure out.

a book. You need to pass it on.

a flower.  It can sprout up anywhere.

a smile that gets passed on.

math. It can be taught.

a football. It needs to be thrown around.

a letter. It’s a valiant message.

a soccer ball, getting passed from person to person.

a tree. It cares for people.

a light bulb. It never turns off.

a pen. It can’t be erased.

a mountain. It is powerful and strong.

soil. Anyone can use it.

a piece of paper. It starts out blank

an air plant. It is quiet, but needs daily nurturing.

the sky. It sometimes has troubles, and sometimes is clear.

a soccer jersey. It can get muddy.

a math problem. It is difficult, but keep trying.

a map. It shows you the way.