Busy Week Ahead!

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend, even if it was a little chilly!  It was super to have a Cadet win Friday night at the football game for Homecoming!  Go Cadets!  I ran into a lot of my 3B family at the game, which was wonderful!  I think everyone enjoyed the dress up days last week as well!

First off, an apology.  I said that I would be sending book orders home last week......and it slipped my mind.  I forgot.   Sometimes there is too much going on in my head that I forget the simple things like book orders.  Anyway, I am sending them today and would appreciate it they were returned by this Friday.  You may write a check or send cash if you are ordering books.  Please make the checks out to me, Kim Kerian, as I order the books online so that they come quicker.  I use my own credit card for that purpose so it is easier if you make checks out to me so that I can cash them and order the books.  If you are ordering from more than one book club, as I often send more then one, please just add the totals together.

Students will also start checking books out from our classroom library to take home and read.  Remember that I would like the students to read every night as that is their main piece of homework every night being we do not have a ton of homework in 3rd grade.  Reading is the most important.  When your child finishes the book he/she has checked out from the classroom, he/she should return it to get a new one.  I am very pleased with the students' "Read to Self" stamina and how much some of them are really "getting into" their books!!!!  Keep it up 3B!

Here are some of the activities we have been working on in 3B:
     1.  In literacy we are building our stamina for the Daily 5 in Read to    Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing.  Today,  Monday, we launched "Word Works" as the 4th component of the Daily 5 that students will be rotating through each day during literacy.  We have also started discussing strategies to use when you come to a word you are unsure of.  I am wrapping up Dibels assessments today and we should be jumping into Lead 21, our literacy series.
     2.  Math - Students are finishing up their unit 1 assessment that some did not get done last
Thursday being Friday was an early out.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will be starting unit 2 which covers addition and subtraction.  Just a reminder that there are many online games to reinforce our math skills and topics on the side of my blog page.  Students have been introduced to most of them and enjoy learning via the internet.  If your child is home with "nothing to do", have them get on my blog page and practice their math skills.
     3.  Science - Our plants are growing like crazy waiting for our "guest" to come this week.
Surprisingly, some of our brine shrimp from the second week of school are still alive and the students are enjoying watching them.  This week we will be taking a little "field trip" out to the flower garden to look for plants and animals as well as start analyzing our special guest.  Some students will be finishing their insect videos as well on Videolicious.  See some that are done posted below.
 

That is just a summary of some of the activities and things we have been working on.  Throw in writing on our blog pages and various iPad activities, and the students are having a super time!

Please note the post below about the "Great Cardboard Challenge".  Information is coming home today about planning and helping your child participate in this activity.  The students are VERY excited!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Just a little reminder to keep checking your child's blog page and commenting.  They look forward to comments from outside the school!

Enjoy the week and keep checking back for most post throughout the week!

The Great Cardboard Challenge

I introduced an activity that the students are very excited about.  We, together with Crestwood 3rd, 4th, and some kindergarten students, will be involved in the Great Cardboard Challenge.  It is based off the boy in the video posted below and encouraging creativity with cardboard.  I don't want to go into detail today, as you will be getting all the information you need on Monday, but the video shows how one boy used his creativity to make an arcade all out of cardboard.  Ask your students what they will be doing.

Enjoy this very touching video and start thinking.  What could you make?????

Jacy's Videolicious Video on Butterflies

Kendal's Videolicious Video on Butterflies

Haven's Videolicious Videon on Grasshoppers

Here Comes Some Homework

I am sending home 3B's first official piece of homework tonight.  It is reviewing math concepts we have been working on in the classroom.  I have talked to the students about who is responsible for completing the math, or any homework for that matter, and making sure it is returned to school the following day.  They are! You may help them, of course.   So I wanted to give you a heads up that homework is coming home today and should be returned tomorrow.

I will also be sending home our first book orders for the year.  They will be sent home tomorrow, Tuesday, and due back Friday, September 21st.

A reminder of Homecoming dress up days this week.   It was great seeing all the favorite sports jerseys today.  I thought I would see more Iowa State jerseys.  :)  Go Cyclones!   These days are optional and your choice.  Have fun with them!
     Tuesday:  Crazy Sock Day
     Wednesday:  Roll out of Bed Day
     Thursday:  Dress like Teachers/ Teachers Dress Like Students
     Friday:  Blue and Black Day-Cadet Pride
A reminder that there is also a 3 hour early out this Friday for Homecoming.

Please check out our video of pictures from "International Dot Day" last Friday!  It was a super day celebrating our creativity!  You can watch the video on my blog page, just scroll down.

I will also be posting some videos the students are making on the iPads from a program called Videolicious.  These videos are made in connection to the presentation by Angela, the Naturalist, last Monday on insects.  Students are doing a little research and then preparing a small presentation with the app.  We have three done so I will post them tonight.  Look for the rest to be posted as soon as they are completed.

Celebrating International Dot Day!

I am sure your 3B child came home Friday with news about how we celebrated International Dot Day! It was a super day of talking about and sharing our individual creativity and uniqueness!  I have made a quick video on Animoto to show some of the activities we did as well as various pictures of the students!  I LOVED how they really "got into" the day and many came covered in dots!!!!  Way to go 3B!  (Some of my pictures did not turn out so I don't have an equal amount of everyone.  Sorry.)

Enjoy!  Thanks 3B for a fun day!  Remember.....each one of you is creative in your own way!

The Sid Shuffle/Continental Drift....A Brain Break

I shared this with the students during a "brain break" today and asked them if they would practice it so that we can do it together on Monday as part of our group activity for our Morning Meeting.  They loved it!!!  So here it is 3B.  Have fun and be ready to do it on Monday!!!

Proofreading.....Important!

Just apologizing for the proofreading, or lack of, mistakes in my last post.  That is what happens when you rush, don't reread, and too much on your mind in too little of time.   My bad......I have corrected the necessary mistakes, and I am sure Mrs. Foster won't let it happen again!  Haha!  Thanks Mrs. Foster!  The power of peer editing!  We all make mistakes......

Wow! Great Start!

Hello everyone.  Hope your three day vacation was enjoyable as it was beautiful outside.   The students said they had fun weekends, which is great to hear about when they return to school.

We have been busy as ever getting into our routine with lots of learning along the way.  As many of you know, students are loving their emails.  Last week we "added personal touches" by adding out profile pictures and changing our backgrounds.  After a few more lessons on the details of using email, students will be ready to utilize it for various activities throughout the year.  Just remember that at this time, they can not email outside the school district. Sorry. I will start to email various thoughts and assignments next week that students will be responsible for checking at home.  Those students without email access at home will do the work at school.

Everyone is getting into their independent blog pages and becoming more comfortable with that as well. Thanks to all the parents, grandparents, and friends/relatives who have commented on the student blogs!  Their faces light up when they see that someone has commented!  Wonderful!Keep them coming and spread the word!  Please be patient as we work on our typing skills as well.  We will try to get more in-depth in our post.  :)

We have also been fortunate to utilize some iPads the last two weeks.  I will start putting a list of apps on my blog page that students have been introduced to and using. They are loving this new component of our learning!

As I mentioned earlier, we are getting into a pretty good routine.  We have also jumped into Daily 5 within our literacy, and I am impressed with the students Read To Self stamina this early in the year! Awesome job 3B!  We had our Read to Self stamina up to 18 minutes last week and took a little backwards dive this week.  Now we are trying to build that back up.  We just started the "Work on Writing" component this week so hopefully our stamina in that will continue to build as well.  I have a few more assessments to do but hope to get started on guided reading soon.

I have gone over how to pick books with the students for their book bins in the classroom.  The strategy we have used is called "I Pick".  It stands for
        I - I chose a book
       P- Purpose.  Why do I want to read it?
       I - Interest.  Am I interested in it?
      C- Comprehend.  Do I understand what I am reading?
      K - Know the Words.  Do I know most of the words?

Students have been selecting books to read in the classroom and will start selecting a book to read at home as well starting next week.  While we do not have a lot of homework yet in 3rd grade, I would like to see the students reading every night at home!  It is so important!!!!

Everyone is loving science!  We have planted various seeds in preparation for some guest we have coming in two weeks.  Students also dissected a seed to analyze the seed coat and parts of the seed, which was very cool.  Today we are going to determining what a "Mystery Object" is that students will be given.  Who knows what it is??? Stay tuned!

Last bit of information involves Twitter.  Some of you know what Twitter is while others may not.  I have started a Twitter account for the class that is regulated by me.  We use the account to communicate and follow people and other classes around the world.  Currently, we are building up our "followers" and who we are "following" so that when we do post something, there is someone who may respond.  Sometimes we just post what we did that particular day in the classroom, but the main tool is communication.  We are following classes in Canada and all around the US thus far.  The students are excited every day to check our Twitter account and learn knew things, see who is following us, and making a post.  If you have a Twitter account and would like to follow us, our account is "Kerian3B".

Just a reminder that pictures are Tuesday, September 11th.  Please remember your order form and money if you will be purchasing pictures.  If you are not, please note that your 3B child will still have his/her picture taken for the class composite.  :)  You can send the money envelope early and I will hold on to it, or you may send it the day of pictures.

Orders for Homecoming tshirts were sent home today.  There is not a picture of the t-shirt on the order form so I have shown the students an example on paper.  The front says "Cadet Homecoming" while the back says "2012".  They are neon yellow t-shirts.  If you plan to order on, please have your child return them on the necessary due date.  Thanks!

Enjoy the rest of the week and weekend!  Thanks for sharing your students with me!