Hello again!

The blog is back after a November hiatus...

Here is what we've been working on in room 303:

Language Arts - We have been working on a number of reading comprehension skills in Language Arts class.  One day, students listened carefully to the words read aloud in the children's folktale, The Emperor and the Nightingale, by Fiona Waters and Paul Birkbeck.  Students drew pictures based on what they heard and visualized in their heads.  Then they compared their pictures to those of the illustrator to monitor their own understanding of the details of the story.

"Close your eyes.  Listen carefully.  Ok, now draw what you heard."

          We have also been choosing characters from our book group novels for a final project.  The idea for this project was to really focus on the character development in the story.  Students made a model out of clay and listed four character traits that described how the character looked, behaved or thought in the story.  Students even spent time looking back in their books to find actual "proof" from the text for each trait they listed.

Writing - In writing we spent a great deal of time producing finished books for the animal research projects.  They are now bound and published, complete with title pages, tables of contents, pictures, captions and even a few indexes (indices?) and glossaries!

     We have also selected other stories from our writing journals to revise, edit and publish.  Recently, we worked on adding details to good sentences in order to make them great!  For example, students were shown the sentence "I walked to the tree."  With some coaching and encouragement, our class eventually changed that sentence to "I walked happily to the huge maple tree."  "He went home." changed to "He drove to a big brick house in a hot rod."  We decided that these new sentences gave the reader a better picture to visualize in their head!

Social Studies - During Social Studies, students have been learning all about the European explorers who discovered North America in the 15th/16th centuries.  We discussed the history of human settlement of the "New World" (North and South America) dating back to a land bridge over what is now the Bering Strait between Alaska and eastern Russia.  We studied the reasons European explorers chose to explore new, uncharted territories (e.g. "They wanted to find a faster route to Asia so they could trade for things like silk and spices.").  Students also chose one explorer to become an expert on (Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier or Christopher Newport) and completed a project of their own choosing (a poster, a map, a journal or a letter to the king/queen).  Projects will go home this week.

     This week we will be creating civilizations in room 303!  Based on the book, Weslandia, by Paul Flieschman, students will be tasked with creating their own imaginary group of people based around a staple food crop, a common language, similar clothing/shelter/food/music/games, etc.  Here's a video of the story for your home-viewing entertainment:

Math - We recently finished up our unit on addition and subtraction of large numbers (up to 4 digits).  Quizzes went home to be signed and returned, thanks for your support at home!  I'm allowing students to make corrections to any missed questions for 1/2 credit.

     We are also working with money in Math.  Aside from learning how to read and write different amounts of money, students have been working on adding, subtracting and making change using prices from various restaurant menus!  By the end of one lesson, we were even discussing how much tax would be added on to a bill of $2.60, and consequently, how much change would one receive if they paid with $15.00?  (and even... "Why would you pay with $15.00 if the total is only $2.60?").

"Hmm...what to order?"

 Parents, don't forget:

*Math Midyear Test happens this Wednesday, December 19th!

*Grandparent/VIP Day happens this Thursday, December 20th!

*Class Winter Party happens this Friday, December 21st!

Please feel free to call or email with any questions concerns.  Thanks for reading!

Best,

Mr. B

Picture Day, Conferences, etc.

Hello!

This is just a reminder that we will have yearbook pictures taken tomorrow (Tuesday, October 16th) at 1:00 p.m.  Order forms went home to all students last week.  There are extra order forms in the main office if needed.

Also, today I sent home a note about upcoming parent-teacher conferences.  Please check your child's agenda binder for more information!  In short, I will be meeting with any interested parents next week.  Monday, Tuesday and Friday are the days I have set aside, however, I will be happy to work with you if your schedule does not work with those days.  If you have any specific questions/concerns, please email me.

This week we are beginning our book group "rotations" in Language Arts.  Students will have two tasks assigned to them each morning (after our independent reading time).  During these rotations, I will be meeting with groups of students to discuss and guide their reading.  At the end of two rotations, all students will have 15 minutes to choose the activity of their choice (from the options listed).  Examples of Language Arts activities are:  completing a character map, making riddles with word study words, reading with a partner, working on writing, listening/reading/quizzing on www.raz-kids.com, summarizing a book, etc.

Today we finished most of our presentations for our terrestrial (land) environment projects!  We saw lots of great posters, skits and comic strips that showed knowledge of environments like deserts, rainforests, temperate forests and grasslands.  Thanks to the students for all of their hard work this past week!  Students also shared their outstanding "Make-A-Camouflage" bugs last week.  This week we will be focusing on food chains and animal adaptations.  We will learn words like producers (living things that make their own food), consumers (living things that must find and eat their food), and decomposers (living things that break down dead or decaying plants/animals).  We will also learn about carnivores (animals that eat primarily meat), herbivores (animals that eat primarily plants) and omnivores (animals that eat both meat and plants).

Some animals eat only plants!  These animals are called herbivores.  Are you an herbivore?

In math we are still working on rounding, comparing and identifying different numbers and values within those numbers.  This Friday (October 19th) we will have our Place Value Test!  A review packet went home to help students prepare for next week's 1st Quarter Math Test, which is a cumulative review of all the math we have studied so far this school year (mostly graphing & place value).

Leaf T-Shirts will be going home in Ziploc bags tomorrow!  Thanks for your help and patience with that project.  Also, (as always) thank you for making sure your child is rested, fed and gets to school on time! 

Sincerely,

Mr. Balnave

Weekly Update

Greetings!

Here's the weekly update:

Language Arts - We will be starting book groups in class this week!  Students will be placed in groups of 3-6 and will choose from a limited selection of "good fit" books.  I will be working with each group on specific reading strategies, helping them manage their time and find creative ways to show their understanding of the text.  We will also discuss specific characters and practice identifying character traits (words that describe how a character thinks/acts/looks).  Students will learn how to distinguish between "round" characters (fully developed with many possible traits) and "flat" characters (undeveloped with few possible traits).  

Writing - In writing class, we are learning about different ways to write about non-fictional topics.  Students have seen examples of a caption, glossary, index, etc. and are getting ready to use that knowledge to help research and write a non-fiction book about an animal of their choice. 

Science - We are continuing our study of terrestrial (land) environments.  We have also discussed and defined different vocabulary words related to animal/plant survival.  Your child should now know about and be able to discuss different adaptations such as camouflage, migration, hibernation and mimicry.  This week students will be asked to produce a project (either a poster, a skit/play, or a comic strip) that shows their knowledge of different terrestrial environments and the animals/plants that live there.

Caption:  This pangolin (scaly anteater) has specially adapted skin to help it survive!

Math - This week we will be working on rounding numbers to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand.  Today, students did a great job of "building mountains" to help show their understanding of numbers and how they can be rounded.

For example:  When rounding the number 73 to the nearest ten, we drew a number line with "friendly tens" on either side.  In this case, 70 and 80 are the friendly tens that are closest to 73.  We identify the halfway point (75) and draw a mountain above our number line with the peak matching the halfway point.  Since 73 falls on the left side of our mountain, it "rolls" down to the number 70.  If the number falls exactly on the halfway point, our fictional mountain has wind that blows it down the right side towards the bigger number.  I find that creating this imaginary mountain scenario helps kids relate to the somewhat abstract concept of rounding.

The goal is to master even the most difficult rounding problems by the end of this week!  Some of the more difficult problems might be:

Round 382 to the nearest ten.

Round 5,064 to the nearest hundred.

Round 340 to the nearest thousand.

Round 7,299 to the nearest ten.  And so on...

This week is also special because we will be making our annual Fall Leaf T-Shirts!  Thursday morning we will work on decorating the shirts with leaves from outside.  Then, with help from parent volunteers, we will spray the shirts with bleach to create a cool looking leaf pattern!  Please remember to bring in a 100% cotton, dark colored t-shirt by Wednesday, October 10th.  I will make sure that everyone has a shirt by Thursday.  Thanks for your continued support at home!

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Mr. Balnave

Weekly Update

Hello!

Thanks for being patient as I get used to doing a weekly update!  The past two weekends have taken me to Fairfax, Roanoke, Richmond and Virginia Beach for soccer games (phew).  I promise to do better!

Here is what we've been working on in room 303:

Language Arts:  Each day, I have made sure to include 15 minutes (or more) of independent, silent reading time.  During this time I encourage students to pick books that will "stretch" or challenge them.  After reading, we have been working on generating both "thick" (or "fat") and "thin" (or "skinny") questions.

Thick questions take a lot of thought and explaining to answer.
For example:  "Why do you think Omri wants to go home straight after school instead of skateboarding with his friends?"

Thin questions are easy to answer with only a few words.
For example:  "What is the main character's name?"

We have also been continuing our study of different types of words.  Identifying syllables, explaining the meaning of words through art, identifying words that rhyme or don't rhyme, etc.  We even have a "word of the day" that we choose from challenging words that come up during read aloud or perhaps science/social studies.  After working with the same word study sort for two consecutive weeks, students took their first word study quiz last Friday, September 28th.  We will have word study quizzes on a bi-weekly basis (students are encouraged to study their words at home the night before).
 
Writing:  In writing class we have been working on a project related to the book Amos & Boris, by William Stieg.  After hearing the story, students got to work brainstorming characters who would end up as unlikely friends.  We followed a similar plot-structure to Amos & Boris, however students had the freedom to choose their own characters, setting and even the problems the characters would face.  Upon completing a rough draft and sharing the story with a writing partner, students have been working diligently to produce a final copy that we can all be proud of!

Science:  This past week we learned all about various aquatic ("water") environments!  After learning a little bit about each and sharing what we already knew, each student chose from a list of aquatic environments (oceans, coral reefs, wetlands, rivers, lakes, etc.) to research.  We used books from the classroom, public library and laptop computers to help create brochures that contain relevant info about the different environments (animals/plants that can be found, fun facts and an advertisement).  This week we will learn all about terrestrial ("land") environments!

Math:  In math we are learning more about place values for numbers and different ways to think about how numbers relate.  For example, students have enjoyed making "count by..." lists that challenge their brains in different ways.  We have counted forwards by 2, starting from the number 1 (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11...).  Counting by 3s and 4s is a good way to prepare for our upcoming study of multiplication.  Other examples include:  counting by 10s starting from 231; counting by 100s starting from 3,486; counting backwards by 5s starting from 125; counting backwards by 1,000s starting from 31,020, etc.  We're focused mainly on being able to read/write/work with numbers up to the hundred thousands place, however, we did have a student write an extremely long number that ended up being one septuagintacentillion (1x10^513)!  We spent time making the largest/smallest possible number given ____ digits and we spent some time comparing numbers (>, <, =).  We will have a place value quiz on Friday, October 7th (study guide coming soon!).

That's about it!  It has continued to be a fun start to the year!  We spend time each morning getting to know each other (greeting, sharing, playing) and we're becoming fast friends.  Thanks for all that you do at home!

Sincerely,

Mr. Balnave

Weekly Update

Greetings!

My goal for this blog is to share what we are doing on a weekly basis in Room 303 at Brownsville Elementary School.

Here is this week's update:

Language Arts - We started our first word study sort today.  Right now we're still learning different word study activities so the whole class has a sort related to commonly used words beginning with "a-" and "be-" (e.g., "about", "because").  We have also learned about synonyms (words that have the same meaning), antonyms (words that have opposite meanings), and homophones (words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings).  As we read, we are learning to make different kinds of connections to ourselves and the world around us.  We have also been spending time learning how to use tools like the dictionary and thesaurus.

Writing - We have been brainstorming different topics to write about.  So far we have read books that model writing about our family, creating our own character(s), using memories from our own life and creating complex alphabet books that rhyme!  Right now students have the freedom to write about anything that interests them.  Soon we will choose a piece that we can take through the writing process (revising, editing, etc.).

We are learning about globes!

Social Studies - We played "Simon Says" today with geography vocabulary that we have learned in our Maps & Globes unit.  Students came up with creative ways to act out words like "hemisphere", "southwest", "prime meridian" and "coordinates".  We will have a Social Studies quiz this Wednesday on Citizenship (last week's study guide) as well as Maps & Globes (this week's study guide). 

We measure the "old school" way, with balance scales!

Math - This past week our class has been "rotating" through the 3rd grade learning about different ways to measure things.  For example, in my room, students learned about measuring the mass (weight) of an object.  We used both U.S. Customary units (ounces, pounds) and metric units (grams, kilograms).  Students worked with different types of scales including kitchen scales, balance scales and bathroom scales.  In other rooms, students measured distance, temperature and liquid volume.  Soon we will begin our unit on Place Value.  More info to come!

Parents, thanks for all that you do each day to make sure your child is prepared to learn here at school!

Sincerely,

Mr. Balnave

Back to School Night 2012!

Greetings Parents!

Welcome to Room 303.  This is where your child spends most of their time when at school each day.  Please feel free to get up & look around the room.  There is a letter addressed to you at your student's desk.  If you feel up to the task, take a minute and respond to it (on the front or back)!

We will start once everyone has had a chance to arrive and find the room.

Thank you very much for coming!  My hope is that this blog will be a useful tool for students, parents and friends of our class.

Sincerely,

Mr. Balnave

P.S. - Tonight's homework is on the board:

- Read 20+ minutes with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Social Studies/Math packet (due Friday)
- We will have a Social Studies quiz next Wednesday (9/19).  It will cover Citizenship/Government & Maps/Globes

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes with a good book
- Look over Social Studies SOL Review Packet (5-10 min. each night)

Our reading SOL test will take place this Thursday (5/17) and Friday (5/18).  Social Studies will be next Wednesday (5/23), Math next Friday (5/25).  Parents, thank you for making sure your child is fed, well-rested and gets to school on time!  I appreciate your help!

Great job today!

- Mr. B

Homework + Science SOL Test

Tonight's homework:

- Get plenty of sleep!
- Eat a healthy breakfast!
- Look over your Science SOL review packet if needed*
     *Tomorrow morning we will be taking our first SOL test (Science).  Please arrive at school on time.  We will relax, eat a snack and talk about some strategies before beginning the test at around 8:30 a.m.  The best advice I have is to get plenty of sleep - your brain will remember more if you let it rest!

If you're looking for some last-minute review, here's a link to some online practice questions.  Good luck!  If you have any questions/concerns, please just let me know!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading packet: "Reading a Schedule" due tomorrow
- Moon calendar due tomorrow (you may look online for help if the moon is/was not visible)
- Study science SOL review packet (5/10 minutes each night)

Good luck!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading packet "Reading a Schedule" (due Friday)
- Science: Moon Calendar (due Friday)
- Science: SOL Study Packet*
     *Parents, a science study guide was sent home on Monday.  Please spend a few minutes each night (this week and next) reviewing the vocabulary and quizzing your student (or have them quiz you!).  A letter went home detailing the best way to use the packet - please let me know if you have any questions!

Enjoy!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading packet (due Friday)
- Math:  Geometry perimeter activity (due Friday)
- Science:  Moon calendar (due April 30th)
- Return signed report card envelopes

Current units:

Language Arts:  In addition to our normal diet of independent reading and book group work, we are reviewing long and short vowels this week.  Students have been searching for words that contain, for example, the long /a/ sound ("apple").  We have started lists in our word study journals and will be adding to them all week.

Writing:  We are developing ideas for personal narratives (true stories told by the author, from the author's life).

Science:  We are studying soil!  Today we learned about the 4 different ingredients of soil (humus, silt, sand and clay).  Our plastic bottles did a great job of separating the ingredients into layers so that we could see real life examples.  We also learned about weathering and erosion.  Soon we will be studying the effects of different soil types on the growth of a kidney bean!

Math:  We are learning geometry!  Yesterday, students used toothpicks to show different geometric concepts like parallel lines, intersections, line segments and more!  Today we used mini-marshmallows and toothpicks to build 3-dimensional shapes.  We learned about and counted the vertices (corners), edges, and faces (sides) for the pyramid and cube.

Parents, SOL tests are coming up soon (mid-May).  Please be on the look-out for information about how you can help your child study for these end of year tests!  There are also helpful study links on our 3rd grade portaportal site (link).  Thanks for all that you do!

Best,

Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due tomorrow)
- Math:  Probability HW (due tomorrow)

- Poetry: Read Robert Frost poem (questions due next Friday)
- Science: Record moon phase each day this month*
     *Sometimes, if it's cloudy or hard to find in the evening, the moon is visible in the morning before school.  There are also websites (like the one linked above) that will show the moon's current phase.  Once we establish a pattern, it will be much easier to "guess" the phase of a given day.

We are learning about the different phases of the Earth's moon.

Also, please know that tomorrow is "Jump Rope for Heart" day!   Jump Rope for Heart is an annual fundraiser led by the P.E. teachers at BES.  Proceeds go to the American Heart Association.  From the event's website:

"Through Jump Rope For Heart kids learn jump rope skills, how their heart works and raise money to help kids with special hearts.  Have fun, learn how to stay healthy and make a difference in the lives of others!"

The 3rd grade will be jumping during their normally scheduled P.E./specials time (11:20am-12:20pm).

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Spring Break!

Have a great Spring Break!

Rest up and have lots of fun!

- Mr. B

Homework + Simple Machines!

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes with a good book!
- NO reading log this week!
- Math review ("Math Test" pages)*
     *We will have our 3rd quarter math test tomorrow!  It will primarily cover fractions, multiplication and division.  That said, there will also be a few questions on graphs, place value and addition/subtraction.  It is a cumulative test designed to show us how much the student is retaining the information that has been taught.  A classwork "review packet" went home today, it is quite lengthy and some students finished while others are not close to finishing.  Please look it over and try a few problems tonight!

Students used 3 of these simple machines to move a plastic cube 30 cm.

Tomorrow we will be presenting our Simple Machines projects to both parents (8:30-9:00 a.m.) and 2nd grade students (10:45-11:00 a.m.).  All are welcome to join us in celebrating the completion of this exciting project!  I will be videotaping the presentations for those that cannot attend - just let me know if you'd like to see them at a later time.

Thanks for reading!

Only one more day until Spring Break!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book.
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Science:  Simple Machines examples (due Friday)
- Math:  Fractions practice (due Friday)

Also, tomorrow night is S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) for literacy night.  We will be showing off some of our work that goes on in the classroom.  Here is the schedule for tomorrow (Thursday, March 22nd):

STEAM For Literacy and Used Book Sale Night
Thursday, March 22, 2012

6:00 - 6:30 PM Used Book Sale

6:30 - 7:30 PM Classroom Visits

7:30 - 8:00 PM Used Book Sale 

Enjoy!

- Mr. B

Homework + Field Trip!

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book!
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  Fractions practice (due Friday)
- Science:  Simple Machines list (due Friday)*
     *We are now collecting materials for the simple machines projects that are starting up soon!  Send in your junk!
- Field Trip reminder form (give to parents)

Parents, a field trip reminder went home today.  Tomorrow the 3rd grade will travel to UVA to visit the campus.  We will be touring the Bayly Art Museum, touring the Rotunda, visiting the amphitheater, using cameras to complete a digital scavenger hunt and eating lunch outside.  It should be a fun way to experience some of our social studies curriculum (art, architecture, etc.)!

Please make sure your child packs a bag lunch (no glass) and wears appropriate clothing (e.g., comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing).  There is a slight chance of scattered rain tomorrow - our make-up date is Tuesday, March 27th.

We will be returning to school in time for regular dismissal.  Thanks for your support!  If you have any questions/concerns, please e-mail me (jbalnave@k12albemarle.org) or call (434) 305-6000.

Thanks,

Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due tomorrow)
- Math:  Fractions packet (due tomorrow)

We have been learning about simple machines and fractions in school this week.  Ask your child all about it!

Enjoy the weather!

- Mr. B

Homework + 3rd Grade Performance

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  Fractions packet (due Friday)

Tonight the 3rd grade will be putting on the evening performance of "Temples and Tombs", led by our chorus teacher Mrs. Jones.  The performance begins at 6:30 p.m.  Please make sure students arrive by 6:10 p.m. so they can get into costume and prepare for the show!  Many thanks.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

- Mr. B

Homework + 3rd Grade Performance

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book!
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  Fractions packet (due Friday)

Tomorrow is the 3rd grade chorus performance!  Our students have worked very hard with Mrs. Jones in preparation for tomorrow.  There will two showtimes:

11:30 a.m. (during school)
6:30 p.m. (after school)  *please be sure to arrive at 6:15 p.m. so the students can prepare/get organized for the show.

Come show your support!

Thanks,

Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  practice triangle flashcards (signature due Friday)
     *There will be a multiplication and division test this Friday, March 9th - keep up the good work!

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  Practice using "triangle" flashcards (fact families), signature due Friday (keep the cards please!)

- Return field trip permission forms A.S.A.P.

Enjoy the weather!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book!
- NO READING LOG
- Math:  Multiplication Packet (due tomorrow)
- Social Studies:  Mali Quiz tomorrow!*
      *Parents, Social Studies binders went home today.  Please take the time to read through the Mali information to review for tomorrow's quiz.

Mansa Musa was a famous king who ruled the Empire of Mali

Good luck!  Enjoy the weather!

- Mr. B

Homework + Field Trips!

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- NO READING LOG (short week)
- Math:  Multiplication Packet (related facts)
- Social Studies:  Mali Quiz Friday (read over study guide)

- Return Field Trip permission forms as soon as possible.*
     *Parents, information about two upcoming field trips went home today!  We will be visiting the University of Virginia (Art Museum, Rotunda, Amphitheater, etc.) before spring break (March 20th, rain date of March 27th).  We will also be visiting Monticello after spring break (May 30th).  We are looking for interested volunteers for both trips, however, space is limited due to group-size restrictions.  Please let me know if your child has permission to attend, and, if you are interested in coming along!

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  practice multiplication facts (x3, x6, x12, x7)

- P.E. jump rope for heart waiver form

Inspired by an email from a parent of a 3rd grader at BES, today I introduced a website to the class:  www.freerice.com
Taken from the website:

"FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Programme.
FreeRice has two goals:

• Provide education to everyone for free.
• Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the generosity of the sponsors who advertise on this site."

It seems like a fun way to practice different subjects (I remember using it in graduate school as a vocabulary quiz).  In class, we used the "Math" subject and the "multiplication table" category.  There are a variety of subjects, all free to use and with the added bonus of helping to feed hungry people around the world.  Students were very excited to see the grains of rice that began to quickly pile up when correctly answering multiplication questions!

Check it out!

- Mr. B

Happy Valentine's Day!

Homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  practice multiplication facts

- P.E. Jump rope for heart waiver (parent form)

Enjoy!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  practice multiplication facts (x3, x6, x12, x7)

- Valentine's Day is tomorrow!  Please don't forget to decorate your paper bag mailbox and bring it to school tomorrow.
- Reminder:  please return signed report card envelopes if you have not already done so.

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  multiplication fact practice (x1, x5, x10, x11)

Parents, tomorrow will be a fun-filled day! 
- We earned a pajama party by filling our "party jar" with good behavior points.  Students may wear school-appropriate pajamas to school tomorrow.  One stuffed animal visitor is also permitted (small enough to fit in a backpack).  Please make sure to wear/bring sneakers for P.E.

- We will also have Grandparent/VIP Day tomorrow!  Visitors are welcome to stop by our classroom from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. tomorrow (we will be working on writing).

- Finally, we have a guest speaker coming to teach our class about the Chinese New Year holiday!  Mrs. Miller has volunteered to share her knowledge about this recent cultural celebration.  We will be having activities beginning after lunch tomorrow.

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math:  Multiplication fact practice*
     *This week, please practice the facts (__ x 1, __ x 5, __ x 10 and __ x 11) up to 12.  There are "flash cards" that you can use to help - remember to write the correct answers on the back of each card before you begin your practice sessions!  The goal is to practice each set at least 3 times this week.

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math packet (due Friday)

*optional*
- Study "practice spelling bee words" at home**
     **We will be having a class spelling bee (contest) tomorrow.  Students were provided with a sample list of words for third graders that we have been practicing with in class.  The winner of our class spelling bee will be invited (you have the option to decline) to the Brownsville Spelling Bee which will take place next week on Thursday, February 2nd (starting at 9:30am).  This will be a spelling contest with contestants from each class in the third, fourth and fifth grades.  Exciting stuff!

Have fun!

- Mr. B
    

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math Packet ("Things That Come in Groups, etc." due Friday)

Today we started our unit on multiplication (and division) in math.  We talked about what it means to multiply, looked at the "x" sign and brainstormed lists of things that come in groups of 2s, 3s, 4s (and so on).  These lists will help us connect multiplication problems to real life once we have them finished.

Example:

Things that come in 3s
- sides on a triangle
- wheels on a tricycle
- tennis balls in a pack
- holes on a bowling ball
- lights (red, yellow, green) on a traffic light
- colors (red, white, blue) on an American Flag

Using this list, we can come up with multiplication problems like the following:

"There are 4 triangles drawn on a piece of paper.  Each triangle has 3 sides.  How many sides are there in all?"

"I drive through 6 traffic lights on my way home each day.  Each traffic light has 3 different lights on it.  How many lights are there in all?"

Once we are comfortable generating these problems, we can talk about different ways to solve them (and eventually decide on the best way(s) to solve them).

Today some students shared a strategy of adding over and over again (repeated addition).  Others shared a strategy of counting up by a certain number (skip counting).  I would encourage skip counting practice at home (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35...).  Familiarity when counting by 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, etc. will help a great deal when solving multiplication problems!

Have fun!  Enjoy the beautiful weather today!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more) with a good book!
- NO READING LOG THIS WEEK
- Math:  Review Packet (due Friday);  Math midyear test on Friday!

Parents, here is a (not-so) brief look at what we've been working on in each subject.  Please take the time to engage your child and ask them questions about what they're learning!  Many thanks.

Language Arts:  We have been working on making connections to the words we read.  When one book reminds us of another book, we call that a "text to text" connection.  When a book reminds us of something we have experienced in our own life, we call that a "text to self" connection.  When a book reminds us of something we know about but have not experienced, we call that a "text to world" connection.  Good readers make connections all the time!

We have also been working on sequencing the events that occur in the stories we read.  Students have been using sticky notes to mark important events and then, after reading, they have been writing the events down in order.  Words such as "first", "next", "last", "after that", and "finally" are used to transition from one event to another.  This is an important skill to use when summarizing a story.

Finally (see what I did there?), we have been reading and listening to all kinds of folktales in class.  Some of the titles we have read and discussed are:  The Talking Eggs, Paul Bunyan, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Why the Crab has no Head, Raven, Lon Po Po and John Henry.  These stories are very entertaining and they have raised awareness about different cultures and how stories are passed along from one generation to the next.  We are always looking for more good titles - if you have any favorites, please let me know!

We have studied many different types folktales, including the legend of John Henry.

Writing:  We are finishing up our Animal Book project.  Students have been working in pairs to research, organize notes, draft and create real-looking books about animals.  We are in the final stages now - some of the finished titles include:  The Elephant's Life, Rise of the Monkeys, Amazing Turtles and Sharks!

Social Studies:  We are learning about Ancient Greece.  In particular, how Greek government (birthplace of democracy), art (sculptures, pottery and mosaics) and architecture (doric, ionic and corinthian columns) has influenced our lives today. 

Math:  Since our 2nd Quarter Math Test is this Friday, we have been reviewing old content for the past few days.  Students are visiting different teachers based on their own particular strengths/weaknesses in math.  For example, some students are studying graphs, others are reviewing addition and subtraction, others rounding, and so on.  Next week we will be starting a unit on multiplication and division! 

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- NO READING LOG
- Math:  Review Packet (due Friday)

We have one more midyear test to go!  This Friday, January 20th, we will be taking our 2nd Quarter Math test.  This test will cover all of the units we have studied so far this year (graphing, place value, rounding, addition/subtraction, money, time).  Thanks for all of your support!

Best,

Mr. B

Parent Math Night!

Greetings!

Tonight we will be hosting an informational "Math Night" for any parents who are interested in learning about how we teach multiplication in 3rd grade.  It's an important concept and we hope that those in attendance will walk away with some more knowledge about how to help their 3rd graders understand this concept.  In our collective experience(s), multiplication is taught much differently today than it was when we were children.  The 3rd grade teachers thought that it might be helpful for parents to see some additional strategies to use when solving multiplication problems at home!

Math Night is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. @ the BES Innovation Lounge (follow the signs at the front door!)

We hope you can make it!*

*If you cannot attend, we'll be happy to send home notes/resources upon request.

Sincerely,

The 3rd Grade Teachers

Homework

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more) with a good book!
- Reading log (due tomorrow)
- Math:  Clock packet (due tomorrow)

- Mid Year Review (study guides):  Create a game or activity (flash cards, jeopardy game, etc.) using the Social Studies and Science review packets.  Due NEXT Friday.  Parents, please just spend 10 minutes a night looking over the information with your child.  We will be practicing different review games at school leading up to the midyear tests so students should have a few different ideas about what to do at home.  Please don't stress about this - the purpose is to have some fun while recalling things we have studied up to this point.  Please email or call with any questions.

Next week's testing schedule:
- Social Studies (Wednesday, January11th)
- Science (Thursday, January 12th)

Have fun!

- Mr. B

Homework + Early Dismissal Plans

Tonight's homework:

- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading Log (due Friday)
- Math packet (reading analog clocks)

Parents, today I sent home a copy of your early dismissal plans (in case of bad weather).  This was a form you filled out during the first week of school that we'd just like to double check now that winter weather is a possibility.  Please take the time to double-check your plans (make changes as necessary) and send it back to me!  Many thanks!

Stay warm!

- Mr. B

Welcome back!

Welcome back!  I hope everyone had a fun and restful vacation!

Tonight's homework:

- Read 20 minutes or more with a good book!
- Reading Log
- Math:  Clock Packet*
     *As mentioned in class, the cut-out clock located in the packet should not be cut out due to there being homework questions on the back of the same page.  Instead, I included another cut-out clock as a separate page to be used at home.  Apologies for the potential confusion.

Have fun!

- Mr. B