Classroom News-Week of Sept. 17th

Upcoming Dates for your calendar
Curriculum Night-This coming Thursday 6pm
Early Release Day-Wed. 9/26
Conference Nights-10/18, 10/25, 10/29

Hopes And Dreams-We have had a great start to the year! Last week we talked about our Hopes and Dreams for the year and each student chose one goal that is important to them. Next, we wrote our classroom expectations so that we can achieve our goals. Ask your child what their Hope and Dream is. You might be surprised how instinctive they are about their learning goals!

Snack-We will have a working snack every day so if your child would like to have a snack, feel free to send one in.  We are a peanut free classroom so please do not send in peanut or tree nut products.

Reader's Workshop-We just finished our first read aloud, George's Marvellous Medicine by Raold Dahl. This week we will begin discussing character traits with our next read aloud, Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant. Last week we set up our Reader's Notebooks. The students will be learning to respond to reading (both independent and read alouds) using this notebook. Right now we are practicing using post it notes to keep track of events in the books we are reading. I find this to be a great tool to help students monitor their comprehension and understand what they are reading!

Writer's Workshop-The students decorated their Writer's Notebooks last week. They are all so creatively decorated! We are beginning to write some narrative stories about events from our own lives. Some goals we will look at this week are writing with details and elaboration and how to use an entertaining story beginning.

Math-We are reviewing some second grade skills and building upon them. These skills include telling time to the minute, using number grids to add and subtract,  and some beginning multiplication and division skills. 

Science-The Solar System is our first Science unit. We will learn how the sun and moon move in predictable and observable patterns. We have a Skype virtual field trip on Monday, Oct. 22nd at 2pm with a docent from the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum in New York City. We will virtually (over Skype) visit the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, learn about a day in the life of an astronaut, and the history of the space shuttle.

Homework-Students in 3rd grade will have homework each night. Reading for at least 20 minutes each night is a requirement. Students will begin using a nightly reading log this week which will be due on Friday. Monday night homework is a weekly Monday Night Journal prompt and Tuesday -Thursday is math review for the skills we are working on in class.

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