Math News

We are starting a brand new unit this week --- MONEY$$$$! 

We will continue to work on multiplication and division. Students should be practicing their flash cards nightly! Students may practice IXL at home! 

Reading This Week!

November 30 - December 4!

This week we do not have a reading story. Instead, we are learning about Author’s Purpose (understanding the author’s reason for writing). We like to think about PIE to help us remember the different purposes J. PIE stands for P (persuade), I (inform), and E (entertain). Each day we will be looking at a variety of texts and focusing on the different purposes. Looking for clues in the text can help us determine the author’s purpose.

In grammar, we are learning about root words and affixes (prefixes and suffixes).. Students are learning that prefixes come at the beginning of a root word to change the meaning, while suffixes come at the end of a root word. We will be learning about a few affixes each day. Students will also be reinforcing this skill through their spelling word list this week!

For homework, students have a literacy packet due Friday and nightly spelling choices (Spelling Test on Friday!). 

This Week!

We only have school Monday and Tuesday this week! Since we have such as short week, there are no math and literacy packets this week. There is also no spelling. I've encouraged students to practice multiplication flash cards and read for 20 minutes each night (and discuss with you what he/she has read). 

Monday - Grammar Test, Newsletter coming home

Tuesday - Multiplication Test, Cycles Science Test, Study Guide due

Wednesday - Thanksgiving Break 
Thursday - Thanksgiving Break 
Friday - Thanksgiving Break

Reminders:

Students should still be looking up at the moon and completing their projects. Projects are due December 4th. Progress Reports will go out the week we return to school (December 2nd). 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I wish you all safe travels as you go to spend time with your families. Enjoy the holiday! 

Science Vocabulary

Science vocabulary for our Cycles Unit can be found on the Science & Social Studies Page. Please review these words for our upcoming test next Tuesday!

This Week At A Glance: Nov 16-20

Monday - Newsletter and HW Packets come home! Don't forget to look at the moon for your moon project!

Tuesday -  Author's Day

Wednesday -  Makeup Picture Day 

Thursday - K-3 Reading Counts Party! Thursday folders coming home with important papers & students' graded material. 

Friday - Homework Packets are due! Reading Test (Functional Texts) & Spelling Test (Comparative List) today!

Weekend - study for upcoming tests!
 

Upcoming News: 

We only have school on Monday and Tuesday. We are off of school for the rest of the week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. 
 
Just FYI there will be a Grammar Quiz in reading class on Monday. This quiz will touch on parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and dictionary skills. A Science Test will be next Tuesday on our Cycles Unit. The moon project is not due until December 4th. There will also be a Math Test on Tuesday.  

 

Reading: Nov. 16 - 20

This week we’re doing a little “real-world” reading. This week, we do not have a story; instead, we are looking at Functional Texts and examples of those that we see in our everyday lives. These texts can present information to us in new ways and take on various forms such as menus, recipes, instruction manuals, forms/applications, invitations, directions, flyers, etc. Each day we are going to be looking at a variety of functional Texts and answering comprehension questions. Since there is no story for the week, students do not have any vocabulary words.

In spelling, students are working on a Comparative Word List (-er, -est). In grammar, we are taking a look at verbs and adjectives while also reviewing what we already know about nouns.

Science Videos

This week we began our science unit on Cycles! We've been discussing the difference between rotation and revolution. We're trying not to get dizzy as we see the Earth is rotating on its axis as it also revolves around the sun -- that's a lot of moving! :-)

We're learning about day and night as well as the four seasons. I hope the moon project is going well and that you're seeing a difference in the moon phases as you observe the night sky! 

Here are a few great videos that explain what we've been learning in class so far!

Earth's rotation and revolution: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l64YwNl1wr0 

The four seasons and the sun: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b25g4nZTHvM 

Bill Nye the Science Guy - Seasons: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUU7IyfR34o 

This Week At A Glance: Nov. 9 - 13

Monday - Packets & Project coming home today

Wednesday - NO SCHOOL (Veteran's Day) 

Thursday - Thursday Folders

Friday - Jump! Reading Test; Spelling Test; Math Quiz on Multiplication 


** Check out the Reading and Spelling Pages for this week's materials! **

Here's a link for the Journeys textbook if you'd like to read and study the story a home:

https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com/content/hsp/reading/journeys/na/gr3/ese_9780547360270_/volume1/launch.html#

Phases of the Moon Project!

Today, students will be coming home with a Phases of the Moon Project. This will count as a project grade and is due December 4^th. Students will be asked to draw a picture of what the moon looks like a couple different nights throughout each week. Students will not know everything about the phases of the moon just yet, seeing as we will begin our science unit on cycles today.  However, we wanted them to start the project so they will begin to see a difference in the night sky. Students may begin their drawings for now and then go back later to label the phases. 

Multiplication Flash Cards!

At the end of last week, students started making multiplication flash cards. These flash cards should be kept in your child’s Take Home folder on the “Return to School” side. Each time the students learn a new fact, flash cards will be added to the bag. Students should practice these cards at home and bring these cards back and forth to school each day. 

This Week At A Glance

Mon. - Return report cards & Thursday folders signed!
Tues. - NO SCHOOL (teacher workday) 
Wed. 
Thurs. - Thursday folders, homework packets due Friday, study!
Fri. - Spelling Test; Nonfiction Reading Test, Sci. Method Quiz

Friday Fun & A Big Thank You!

We had such a fun day on Friday! We got to watch and walk in the Fall Costume Parade! We also watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while we enjoyed lots of yummy treats! 

We want to thank all the parents for joining us and supplying us with all of our delicious treats! We can't wait until our next celebration! 

Reading For This Week - Nov. 2 - 6

November 2 - 6 

This week we are reading a book entitled, Giant Pumpkins, by Gabrielle Fimbres. We are focusing on interacting with nonfiction texts and recognizing nonfiction text features. We will have a reading test on this story on Friday, November 6th (comprehension and vocabulary). 

Giant Pumpkins Vocabulary 

Nutrients	Substances that living things need to live, stay healthy, and grow (noun)
Compost	A mixture of rotting plants, manure, and other materials that is added to soil to make it richer (noun)
Record	A measurement of an event or achievement that has never been exceeded (noun)
Pollinate	To put pollen in a flower in order to fertilize it (verb)
Compete	To do something for the purpose of winning (verb)
Hobby	An activity done for fun and relaxation (noun)
Pumpkin	A large orange fruit with thick flesh (noun)
Prune	To cut off some branches or vines of a plant to direct its growth (verb)
Weigh	To measure how heavy someone or something is by using a scale (verb)

As students read nonfiction text, they should be looking out for and recognizing text features such as:

Photographs	Captions	Glossary
Index	Table of Contents	Charts/Tables
Maps	Illustrations	Diagrams
Bold Print	Italics Print	Fact Boxes/Sidebars

**Our spelling words for this week can be found under the Spelling Lists tab located on the right-hand side.