Week in Review: December 15-18

This week was pretty much a catch-up week for us. Between a counselor visit, a special music assembly, and our party on Thursday we stayed busy. We still managed to squeeze in a lesson on fact and opinion in reading, take a test over mixtures and matter in science, and start learning about fractions in math. We will hit the ground running again in January!

Speaking of January...can you believe the first half of your child's third grade year is behind us? The time has just flown by, and I have loved getting to know each of my students. I was so spoiled this year with so many individual Christmas gifts, as well a very generous class gift. I will be doing some shopping for sure over the winter break! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful group of kids and families this year, and I look forward to seeing everyone in January.

Week in Review: December 8-12

This week in math, we wrapped up our unit on multiplication and division. The test was almost all problem solving (word problems) so we got lots of extra practice doing solve around the room and  a great online program called Thinking Blocks. Students did very well on the test, and I am sending those home today!

Students worked their way around the room, solving three word problems on large chart papers, then covering their answers with a sticky note labeled with their name, so I could easily check on their progress, yet they could not see other responses.

We used the Thinking Blocks online tool to solve multiplication and division problems with strip diagrams.

On Friday, students had a chance to look at their district math assessment. This was a great learning experience for them as they practiced taking a standardized test, and then looked at what kinds of questions they missed. It's also a great tool for me to guide my instruction. We will touch on fractions next week, but the bulk of that unit will be after winter break.

In science, students enjoyed working through six stations exploring different mixtures, and the tools we can use to separate different types of mixtures, such as a magnet, funnel, or sieve. We discussed properties of matter, and how materials in a mixture maintain their original properties. 

We also did more research about the effects of plastic for our PBL. And on Friday during science, we participated in an "Hour of Code" (actually 1.5 hours, because they were so into it!!) where students had a chance to experience computer programming through fun Angry Birds and Frozen-themed games. They can work on this more at home from the links on my Websites page on this blog.

In language arts, we learned about the three purposes of writing: to entertain, to persuade, or to inform. We also practiced a new strategy called RAN, which is an acronym for Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction. It is a great tool to get them thinking about what they are reading, and applying their prior knowledge to what they are learning.

Remember that next week is only a 4 day week, then the kids are out of school until Tuesday January 6, 2015!! Thursday the 17th is our winter party from 12:45pm-1:30pm, and you are welcome to join us.

Week in Review: December 1-5

This week seemed a bit choppy, with an early release day on Wednesday and district math and reading benchmarks on Thursday and Friday. However, we did enjoy a visit to the library and seeing our kindergarten buddies on early release day. On Tuesday, we had a special presentation about the country of Greece from Tina's mom and grandmother. The kids enjoyed learning about her country, and getting a chance to learn one of their traditional dances.

In math, we started the week with a quick review of place value, and then began exploring division. We will have a test next week over multiplication and division, before moving into fractions before the winter break.

In science, we wrapped up our study of natural resources and began talking about mixtures. Ask your child about our birdseed experiment!

In language arts, we spent the early part of the week learning test-taking strategies to prepare for the benchmark. But on Thursday and Friday, our regular science and language arts time was taken up by the benchmark tests.

I wanted to remind you about Family Fitness Night this upcoming Tuesday December 9 from 6:30pm-8pm in the cafeteria. Our coaches have worked hard to organize a fun evening for all that will promote fitness and healthy choices. There will be a mini boot camp going on from the folks at LA Fitness, as well as an obstacle course set up by Camp Gladiator. Round Rock Food Services and HEB are providing healthy food samples. There will also be multiple activity stations set up for families to participate in. I will be out on Tuesday for my last day of TAG training, and Mrs. Satori will be substituting, but I do plan to attend the Fitness Night.  I hope to see you all there!