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
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