Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Nov. 27th Classroom Updates


A Few Things You Need to Know:

Winter Weather Gear-Now that the weather is wintery, please be sure to send boots, snow pants, hats, and mittens in for recess. It’s good to label everything with a black permanent marker since many gloves and mittens are found in the hallway each day. Some students bring an extra bag for their snow pants if they won’t fit in the backpack.

Field Trip next week: We will be taking the Ann Arbor Transportation bus to go to 826 Michigan on December 5th. At 826 Michigan, they teach wonderful writing lessons which go along with our lessons in Writer’s Workshop. If you are able to chaperone, please let me know. I have one chaperone and we could use one or two more! Our trip is from 9:15-12:30.

Curriculum Corner:
Math: We just started Unit 3. Last week we described rules for patterns and used these to solve problems (in and out boxes). This week we will be focusing on using the partial-sums and column-addition methods. We will subtract using the counting-up and expand and trade methods.
Reading:  We are learning to build meaning in nonfiction text by using strategies to look closely at the text for the main idea. Stopping and thinking frequently about questions or confusions we have about a text helps us understand what we are reading. This week we will also learn how to build meaning by jotting notes about nonfiction texts. 
Writing :  In Writer’s Workshop, each student is writing a Feature Article. Students brainstormed a list of topics that they were experts on. Next, we narrowed down our topics to be more specific (this was not an easy task!). Next we will begin drafting our first draft of a Feature Article. The topics are amazing!
Science:  We will begin a new Science unit called “Let’s Move It”. We will investigate what causes movement.
Word Work: We will begin our word work groups next week. Words Their Way is our new spelling program and we have been reviewing long vowel spelling patterns together in  whole group lessons.

Mark your calendars:
Dec. 3-Dec. 7-Follett Book Fair- Open times: 8:45am-10am, 3-4:30 daily
Wed. Dec. 5-Field trip to 826 Michigan in downtown Ann Arbor
Thurs. Dec. 20-Field trip to Power Center to see the Nutcracker 
Friday, Dec. 21-Community Sing-3pm
Friday, Dec. 21-Winter break begins at the end of the day
Monday, Jan. 7-School resumes






Sunday, October 21, 2018

Classroom News-week of Oct. 22


WALKATHON-Our Haisley Walkathon is this Friday. Our Walkathon session is from 1:30-3:30. Our class only has 2 lap counters signed up so far. If you can help out, sign up below.

 ***Early Release this Wednesday. Dismissal is at 1:29pm

Writer’s Workshop-For the next 2 weeks, we will be writing some fictional narrative stories related to mysteries. We will focus on developing a character and character traits. These stories will be read to you on Seesaw the week after next. Stay tuned!

Reader’s Workshop-Ask your child what a curmudgeon is! We learned that we don’t want to read books like a curmudgeon. Our goal is to read books like they are GOLD. We learned that good readers give themselves a comprehension check by asking the following questions while they are reading. Who is in this part? What just happened? Does this fit with something that already happened or is this new?

Math-Multi step word problems are one of our focuses. We learned that drawing a picture of what the problem is asking us is essential to figuring out how to solve them. This week we will learn about division. Students will be practicing the multiplication table of the 2’s and will be tested on Friday. Memorization of the multiplication tables by the end grade 3 is a focus.

Social Studies-We have started our Michigan geography unit. We learned that our community is in a county which is in a state which is in country on a continent. We will also learn about cardinal directions and the physical characteristics of Michigan (landforms).

Halloween Parade- Oct. 31st-Halloween: On Wednesday, October 31st, Haisley students are invited to participate in Halloween parade at 2:30 PM. Students may bring their costume to school in a bag on this day. I will make sure all costume pieces make it home safely! In an effort to enjoy, celebrate, and assure a fun time for everyone during the fall season respectfully, and in accordance with school rules, we ask that students use the following guidelines when selecting a costume:
-Costumes may not be scary - NO MASKS or FULL face paint. Staff must be able to easily identify all students.
-Fake weapons, blood, replicas or gooey substances are not permitted.  
-Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, or religion are not permitted.
-Costumes may not disrupt or present issues of safety in the hallway or on the bus.

Science Night-The 2018 Haisley Science Night is scheduled for Wednesday, November 14th!  All Students, K thru 5th Grade, are invited to participate this year. Registration forms are coming home via backpack mail and information can also be found on the link attached on Principal Watson’s Weekly Update.  






Sunday, October 7, 2018

Classroom News-Week of Oct. 8th


Spooky Spellers-Last week, students were given a spelling challenge for the month of October. I gave them 20 October themed words to memorize before Oct. 30th. This is an optional activity for those kiddos who want a challenge!

IXL-There is a new app for IXL on IPhones. This is a great way to have your child practice their 3rd grade math skills while you are waiting at a doctor’s office or watching a soccer game! Their login is on the front of their home folders. At school we have an IXL tracker with a list of skills and the students highlight the skills once they complete them successfully.

Reader’s Workshop-Our comprehension unit is well under way! Students are immersed in independent and small group reading with a “wide awake” mind as they “stop and jot” at thoughtful parts of the text to think about something surprising, interesting, confusing, or simply the author’s use of language. Last week we focused on visualizing the author’s words in story critical areas such as the setting, character, and plot. This week we will be focusing on making connections between the text to ourselves, other texts, and the world around us.

Math-We are almost finished with Unit 1 and will have our Unit 1 test on Wednesday this week. On Tuesday, we will have a big review and your child will bring home a review packet for you to see on Tuesday. We are currently practicing the 2 table and students should be memorizing this times table at home using the fact triangles that were sent home.


Last week we did made rounding number lines to help us understand rounding numbers to the nearest 10. Then we played a rounding game. Here are some pictures!














Upcoming Dates
Oct. 8-Author Gene Luen Yang visiting Haisley
Oct. 18, 23, 25-Parent Teacher conferences
Oct. 22-In school skype field trip-Space Science
Oct. 26-Haisley Walkathon
Nov. 7-Field trip to UMS 10:30-12:30 to see Jake Shimabukuro and his ukulele concert
Dec. 5-826 Michigan -Writing Field trip