So Much To do. . .So Little Time

I am so excited to hear many students talk about their costumes and materials for their biography project!!! Hopefully that is a good sign that things are getting done at home. Yeah!!! I needed to make a comment about due dates. I was not thinking when I said that their notes were due April 2nd. We don't have school that day. . . .so.. . . your child can return his/her notes and books on Thursday, April 1st, or Monday, April 5th. Either one is fine. We will then start preparing for the presentations and a note will be sent home about when to have costumes and props at school. Right now, I am thinking that the costumes should be to school on Monday, April 12th. That is what we are aiming for. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email or phone. Thanks for your help with the project and I am anxious to see and hear what every one is learning.

This week we will be putting up a new book review on our blog pages. These book reviews will be videocast so hopefully we will have them up and running by the weekend for everyone to show their extended families. I would also appreciate any comments you, the parents, post for each child as well as that gives them more of an understanding of what and who their audience is.

A note was sent home today about MAPs testing starting next Tuesday. Please do not stress your child out as we have not talked about it yet. This Thursday, I will talk to the students about it in a calm way. On Monday, we will look at our old scores, individually of course, and set goals for the new set of tests. I have no doubt there will be improvement in all areas for all kids, which is what we want to see. Again, please do not stress your child out. It is another set of tests that we will try our best on and move on. I just wanted to call attention to the note that was sent home today.

Many students have been busy at home working through math concepts on my web page. That is outstanding! I am so impressed with the dedication many students are showing. To build in the area of reading, I will be putting some reading activities on my web page as well. I am going to try to post them tonight. It would be great if your child would try some of these sites as well to continue building his/her reading skills and strategies. We all know that students love to be on the computer, so take advantage of that time by having them do something productive and learning in a creative way. I have talked to the students about this and shown some of the activities for them to try.

In conclusion, I am sending home your child's science quiz from last week. Many students did wonderful, some did fine, and a few could have done better. Please take some time to look at your child's quiz and discuss with them the importance of using the study guides sent home (as their was one sent home 4 days before the quiz). Congrats to those who worked hard and studied! I am proud of you.

Report cards will be sent home tomorrow! The students are anxious to see them!
Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine!

Technology Open House - Thank You!

A big thank you to the parents that made it to the Technology Open House last Friday! I was very impressed and hope that you had a great time as well. It was neat to see parents doing podcast and blogging with students!!!! I will try and get the podcast up tonight so that you can listen to them on your 3B child's podcast page. The students we attended thought it was great to have their parents try these activities as well. I hope to have the pictures from last Friday for you to see on the blog page as well by Tuesday night. Stay tuned! :)

We continue working away in all areas. I am hoping that students are remembering to be reading at home for their biography project. Some students have told me they have not started yet, and that concerns me a lot! If you remember correctly, the books and notetaking need to be done by April 2nd. That is next Friday already!!!! If you 3B child has not started reading his/her biography that was sent home, they probably should get started soon!!!! Another thing to start thinking about is a possible costume. Remember not to stress about this but try to be creative!!! The students are very, very excited about the project so I am anxious to see what they come up with. Costumes will not be needed until the week of April 5th so just start thinking about it.

I am currently working on finishing report cards. Look for them to be sent home March 30th. I thought I should make a quick comment about report cards so that some of you aren't caught off guard. As I have mentioned before, we have been having some "finishing homework" problems in 3B. It is getting better, which is great, but we need to continue working on being responsible. This all ties to our behavior and work habits. It is common for this time of year for students to rush and get kind of "lazy". Call it spring fever or whatever, it happens. Please remind your child that they still should try hard in all areas. Behavior comments might show a drop in some areas as I am seeing more carelessness, rushing, waisting time etc. I am sure this will change and we will get back to normal, but I wanted to make a comment about it now. The other area I wanted to mention in connection to the report cards is in the area of writing. Part of our writing process involves mini lessons and teacher conferencing. Many students have been working hard with the teacher in individual conferences working on goals to improve our writing. Many take those suggestions and run with them, working hard, while others just keep coasting by. Mrs. Hartberg and I want the kids to start taking a little more initiative and applying what we have taught them. If there was a goal or skill we have worked on many times with your child and he/she is still not doing it independently, or trying, we want to encourage them to try a little harder. While we will continue to work on it, the students also need to think about it and put a little more effort in those areas. It connects to the effort grade/score. If you have any questions after seeing your child's report card, feel free to contact me via email or phone.

I am pushing back the deadline for completing mastery of all multiplication facts. The late starts and busy March and April months aren't giving us all the time we need. Therefore, I would like students to have mastered their multiplication facts to earn the "Walking Taco Party" by April 23rd. That is a Friday. Please keep working on them at home! There are many students who have completed them or are very, very close!

Enjoy the sunshine and have a great week!

A Gorgeous and Busy Week

I hope this sunshine stays around for a while. It is beautiful outside. Of course the students think they don't need coats or sweatshirts. Not exactly that warm outside if you consider the time they are out before recess. Please remember that before sending your child to school without a coat or sweatshirt. The mornings are still chilly and many students spend a good amount of time outside before school starts. It's best to dress in layers so that they are not too cold but can take off a coat if needed. I also chatted with the students about paying attention to the weather this week. The weather man this morning said that it is to cool back down by the weekend with a chance of snow so don't put those boots away yet.

I am sending some information home about an upcoming activity revolving around reading a biography and then making a video playing the role of that person from the past sharing about his/her life. The students are very, very excited about it so I hope you take some time to read the information that was sent home. Students have until April 2nd to complete the book. During this time, they should also be thinking about a potential costume they could wear for the video cast. We would like to see each student assume the role of the character they are reading about and speak as if they are that person. In the past, we have called this the "Hall of Fame". Look for the information sent home today and further information to be coming.

I feel I also need to make a comment about responsibility. Many students in 3B have been having difficulty finishing the homework that is sent home. I can truthfully say that there is not a lot of homework sent home with 3B students as they know I want them reading every night. The homework that does come home each week should be easy to accomplish and complete. Last week I called many parents to discuss the problem students are having. I also brought in the 4th grade teachers to talk about responsiblity in 4th grade and preparing the students for more homework next year. Today there were students who did not have their homework done again. Please take some time to discuss with your student if they are having this problem and ways to help them be more responsible. It is disappointing when students don't take the time to finish activities sent home; but it is not all students. Many students do an excellent job completing activities when they are sent home. The problem is continuing for some so I thought it best I commented about it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Because of all the snow days, early outs, and late starts, we did not get all of our science unit done before the end of the quarter. Therefore, I am sending home a study sheet today and we will be having a short science quiz this Thursday. The study guide should be used to help the students review what we have covered thus far in science. Please return the book with your 3B student on Thursday.

Congratulations to Shane and Alison for conquering all of their multiplication facts!!!! Super job!

Enjoy the sunshine and have a great week!

Now Comes the Rain!

I was so excited last week that we made it through a full week of school without any late starts, early outs, or inservice! The kids were tired by the end of the week, but we did it. Guess we can't hope for that two weeks in a row. Here comes the fog! Not much we can do about it so we might as well just stay positive and keep trudging through everything. Spring will be here before we know it!!!

Because of having a "normal" week last week, we did get a lot accomplished. I have a few students who only have 1 or 2 sets of multiplication facts to accomplish before they have completed all of them! Great job to all the students who have been working at home. I can really tell who is practicing and who isn't. Along with this, we have moved into reading and writing decimals. This is a tough concept for most students, as it is a beginning skill. We have been using base 10 blocks to build a better understanding of tenths and hundredths, which seems to be working well. We will continue with decimals and large numbers throughout the week with an end of the unit assessment coming up soon. For now, keep working on those multiplication facts. Students have until the end of the month and first two weeks of April to master all of the facts through 10. I know they can do it!!!

Types of fiction has been the focus of some of our mini lessons in literacy the past few weeks. Students have done a great job becoming familiar with the elements of various types of fiction and recognizing the differences. This week, we will be moving into nonfiction by taking a look at biographies and autobiographies in preparation for an upcoming event that has been a favorite in the past. Look for information sent home at the end of the week about a biography project. This project will require a lot of dedication and time spent working at home so please be looking for it. More information will be sent home as well explaining the activity. I am very excited about and know the students will be as well.

We are also having a little fun by moving into figurative language. Thus far, we have discussed and done activities revolving around similes. Students will be writing simile poems about themselves this week as a culminating activity. We will then be moving into reading, recognizing, and writing phrases with personification, onomonopeia, and alliteration. These are all forms of figurative language that students should recognize as well as utilize in their writing. We usually have a lot of fun and read various types of poetry within this study as well.

Science. . . . we are trying to get through our unit on Force and Motion. Last week we did get a lot accomplished, which was nice. The problem is that when we have a late start or early out, science or social studies do not get done because our district wants us to focus on literacy and math every day. Therefore, we are having a hard time getting our science unit done. With the third quarter ending this Friday, I am looking at having some mini assessments over what we have covered thus far and then finishing the unit next week into the 4th quarter. I am still in the "organizing" stage of this and will let you know what I decide. If there is a mini assessment at the end of this week, look for science materials to come home midweek for students to study from. They are doing a superb job with the concepts thus far, which is great! If only we had more time in the day.

If your 3B child hasn't told you, we did start cursive last week. We will be using some of our "Morning Meeting" time to get through at least the lower case letters before the end of the year. The students were very eager to get started! If you remember, ask them to tell you what the "3 P's" are for cursive. I am pretty sure they will remember.

For those of you who signed up to be Mystery Reader, I will hopefully have schedules done this week. I am waiting for one more parent who called me last week. Thanks for being so patient.

Have a great week and stay dry!

March Already?

Well, I think I have adjusted and gotten back into the daily routine after my vacation to Jamaica. Glad the sunshine is more apparent and a little warmer than when I left. Maybe some of the sunshine followed me back to Iowa and the weather is going to start appearing more like spring?! Let's hope so.

With warming weather comes messy conditions outside. Please keep sending snowpants and boots with your child to school so that he or she doesn't get their clothes all wet at recess. You may also want to send extra socks as many students are complaining their socks are getting wet outside (maybe if they stayed out of the puddles that would change but they can't resist the puddles :)) Although it may appear much warmer outside, these extra clothes continue to keep us dry. Thanks!

I want to commend the students on their student led conferences! I think they did a fabulous job and should be very proud of themselves. I feel that the parents got a lot more from their child about his/her learning than if it would have been just me sitting there sharing information. I am also impressed with how this type of activity builds verbal and communication skills as well. Anyway, great job 3B students. I know I have a few more students to do their conferences, and I hope to get those done this week!

The students represented Crestwood Elementary very well last Friday at our trip to a show at UNI. From reading their blogs and discussions with them afterwards, I think they enjoyed the science show as well. I am very proud of you 3B! You acted like young adults while also having a great time learning! Bravo!

If you did not do so today, please return your child's reading calendar for the month of February if he/she is participating in the extra reading incentive. We will continue the reading incentive through the month of March, with a celebration in February for those who have read every month and reached their goal. Students who have met their goal every month and returned their calendar will have a pizza party supplied by me as a little extra reward for continuing to read at home. As I mentioned, this will be sometime in April. So. . . .keep reading!

Something else to keep working on are the multiplication facts. While I was gone, we got a little off but now I hope to return to checking those when students are ready. Remember it is their responsibility to let me know if they are ready to be assessed on any particular family. Currently, our math unit is about reading and writing large numbers - up to the millions - but we will continue to work on multiplicatoin facts as well.

We have been working very hard on various concepts and skills in literacy, both reading and writing. The students seem to have a great understanding of fact vs. opinion! We are also working through exposure and understanding of different types of fiction. Thus far we have read and been exposed to the elements of realistic fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy. We are moving into science fiction and mystery this week. Along with this, the students are writing different types of pieces as well. They have build a great collection of writing pieces throughout the past month and will have lots to share at the end of the year! Along with this, we will be moving into recognizing types of figurative language, such as similes, during the next few weeks. All of this along with our Daily 5 activities, guided reading, and individual reading conferences makes for a busy but wonderful literacy period!!!

Thank you to those parents who volunteered to be Mystery Readers. I am currently working on the schedule and will be sending that out to those parents by the end of the week! The students are very excited! If you haven't volunteered and would still like to, please let me know as soon as possible!

Well, enjoy the sunshine thise week! We deserve it!

Fun Time at Mega Party 2010!

Here are some pictures of the students enjoying the "Big Blast-Mega Party" last week. As you can tell, everyone had a great time!

Student Led Conferences, Valentines Day, and Book Reviews

Well, I think the students are ready to share their thoughts and reflections of their learning in 3rd grade. Yes, they are a little nervous, but I am sure it will go fine. We have practiced many times so they know the routine. Please remember that when you arrive for your conference, do not stand outside the room and wait for the person in the room to get done or we will get very behind in schedule. Just come in and get started as your 3B child will be leading the conference without me. I will initially start off to the side and then casually join the discussion as your child works his/her way through their information. So come on in and get started. I am excited to hear what your child has to share with you and will see you soon!

This Wednesday we have a special activity planned. Our Podcast Pals from Luther will be coming over to Crestwood Elementary at 2:30 to officially meet us and do some fun activities! They are just starting their semester so this will be a kick off to start back up on our podcast readings. 3B students will be showing their podcast pal around the room, telling them about how our day goes, and reading with their partner. Hopefully the weather will hold out as the students are eager to meet their Luther pals. Me too!!!

I recently sent a note home about Valentines. Because I will be gone next week on vacation, I would like to celebrate Valentines day, along with our "Caring Celebration" this Thursday afternoon, February 11th. As stated in the note sent home last week, students are not required to bring Valentines. It is totally their choice. But if they do, they must bring one for everyone in the class. A classlist was sent home, but if you need another please let me know. Those parents who volunteered to send snacks for our second "Character Counts" celebration should send their snacks to school on Thursday. (I sent a note to those parents today or called them.) Parents do not need to attend this celebration as we will be doing an activity showing how we care about one another. Remember that the snack sent can not contain peanuts. I will supply the paper products and beverage. Thanks so much!

We are starting a new activity this week that I am very excited about. In literacy, we have been discussing author's purpose and have now moved into book reviews used as a way to persuade others to read certain books. Last week we took some time to look at students written, podcast, or video book reviews from around the US. Now it is our turn! I have created new blog pages for each student on a class blog page (I will send the link so you can see them when we are ready) and students will be writing a book review this week to be posted on the web. In a few weeks, students will created a video book review that will be shared via the web/blog as well. I hope to utilize the blogs in various other ways as well as the year goes on in all curriculum areas, but we are just getting started. Yes, some students have been writing book blogs on my web page, but I have not been satisfied because no one can comment back on the program we have been using. Therefore, we are going to try this out which will allow you, as parents, and other students from around the world to respond/comment to post made by 3B. Look for a note to be sent home at the end of the week sharing the site to visit to read all of the book reviews by 3B! Fun times!

Remember that I will be gone all of next week as I am going on vacation with my husband - getting away from this winter weather! I need some serious sunshine and warm weather! I know the students will be in good hands and I have everything prepared for the sub. I would appreciate a few reminders from parents during that week to encourage their 3B child to be on their best behavior as sometimes students think they can goof off when the teacher is away. Not my 3B angels! I will check in with the students in the middle of the week to see how things are going. If you have a message for me that week or need to get ahold of the sub, please send a written note or call the school and chat with Linda. She will then get the information to the sub in my room.

Keep working on those multiplication facts at home. Even though we are wrapping up our unit on multiplication, I will continue to assess students on their facts working towards the "Walking Taco" party towards the end of March/beginning of April. I am very impressed with many students as I have done a lot of assessing already and am pleased at how the students are practicing on their own. Remember that there are many activities on my webpage that students can use to review their facts - a lot more fun to do it this way as well. :) We will be moving into our next unit of reaidng and writing large numbers up to the millions soon.

Have a great week! Remember that there is no school on Friday, February 12th, due to teacher compensation day for conferences. Also remember that Monday and Thursday of this week are 1 hour early outs as conferences are scheduled on those days. Have a great Valentine's Day weekend with your child!

See you at conferences!

Another Busy Week!

Well, the students are ready for their big night tonight - their music program. I hope all of you can make it as they are singing some pretty fun songs! Please remember to have your child to the high school by 6:45 as the program starts at 7:00 and we need to get them lined up in time to start at 7:00. A note was sent home last week from Mrs. Holten with the information about the program so hopefully none of this is a surprise to you. Remember that there is also a home basketball game so it will be a little crowded in the parking lot. Hope to see you tonight!

Your 3B child should have brought a slip home with a time scheduled next week for parent-teacher conferences. If the time written does not work for your schedule, please return the slip with a time that would work better. It is important your bring your 3B child along as they will be leading the conferences. We started getting ready today and I can tell they are a little nervous. When you arrive at your conference that night, please just come on in and get started even if there is someone else in the room. It is alright to have 2 conferences going on at the same time just so we don't get off schedule. Your 3B child will start the conferences sharing their learning and critiques, and I will join you in the middle of the conference. (I will be listening from the side though). Although it is a scary time for the 3rd graders, it is a very beneficial experiences for them as well. After all, they are what the conference is about.

February seems to have a lot of "interruptions" - if we can call them that. Remember that this Wednesday is an early out for inservice. There is no school next Friday, February 12th, due to teacher compensation for time spent at conferences. We originally were to have off the following Monday as well, February 15th which is President's Day, but that is now a make up day. Please pay close attention to calendars and notes sent home from school throughout the month as it can be a busy time.

The "Big Blast" from our fundraiser has been rescheduled for this Friday. Mrs. Sovereign would love it if students wore Cadet blue tshirts or something Crestwood realated, if you have something. Those students that earned the ride in the limo and lunch at Pizza Hug will also do that this Friday - I get to go too! Yumm! I know the students are very excited about the Big Blast as they ask every day when it will be! Good way to celebrate their hard work!

Just a reminder that I will be on vacation to Jamaica February 12-21 and will return to school the 22nd. I will have everything prepared for the sub and know things will go very smoothly. If you need to let the sub know anything that week, please send a note or call Linda in the office so she can inform my sub. I usually bring back gifts for the kids so they are already curious what that will be.

Enjoy the week!

What a January!!!

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! I am so glad that last week's weather is over, for now, and hoping that we have a full week of school this week. Let's cross our fingers that it works out for us. I have heard that the weather is suppose to get very cold this week so make sure your child has their hats, mittens, snowpants, and boots. We have had a few students showing up without the necessary items to go outside so please be sure they have what they need. Thanks for your help!

It seems like we are way off on activities so my goal is to try and get everyone on the same "page" today and back in a routine. We did get one group's readers' theatre done last week and taped (almost all of it). I will be putting that on the blog tonight or tomorrow. The other group will be doing their performance tomorrow, and I will be putting that on the blog as well. Many students commented that they enjoyed doing the readers' theatre, which I was glad to hear! It's a great activity for rereading to build fluency and reading with expression. Even highly skilled readers often struggle with taking time to read with expression and read loud enough in front of everyone so doing readers' theatre is a great activity for everyone. I plan to do more readers' theatre in the near future.

With all the snow days we have had, I have had a lot of time to do some reading myself. While some of the books I have selected have been for pleasure, I have also read some that connect to teaching and education. My reading has made me think more about my students and their reading at home. While I cannot control or monitor reading at home, I hope that you as parents are encouraging your child to read at home. Everyone in 3B has checked out books from the classroom for home. If they say they don't have one, they obviously have the book somewhere between here and there or need to check out a new one. I don't monitor each student's home reading or book check out as I encourage them to be responsible for checking out and returning books. I am very impressed with the amount of reading my students have developed in the classroom! Some students have told me they have read more books this year, and enjoyed them, than they ever have! What a great feeling of accomplishment! So, I just wanted to put a little comment in my blog about the importance of encouraging your child to be a lifelong reader - reading whenever possible - and developing a passion for reading. Together, I know we can help each child realize their reading potential!

Wow! What powerful discussions we have had about the terrible events in Haiti. I am so impressed with some students curiosity to find out as much as possible about Haiti and then sharing it with the class! Those students are developing great learning habits! I encourage you, both students and parents, to continue to discuss the events of Haiti - or any news in the world for that matter. The students are very eager to learn as much as they can about the world and value times they can learn and share.

I wanted to send a reminder to start working with your 3rd grader on his/her multiplication facts. I have started assessing a few students on their facts (many starting with the 1, 2, or 5 families). Remember students are working towards earning a walking taco for our "Taco in a Bag" multiplication celebration. We are currently diving through a chapter on multiplication and division so the students are ready. I am constantly looking for online activities to add to my web page so students have access to practice at home via online. Students have already experimented with some of the multiplication activities on my web page, and I encourage them to practice them at home as well. If your child has free time, and they love to use the computer (as most kids do), encourage them to visit my web page and practice their multiplication facts. I think they will be having fun while learning as well!

Parent teacher conferences are fast approaching. This semester's conferences will be different than the first semester as 3B students will be leading the conference this time. During the next two weeks, students will be practicing to share information about their learning in 3rd grade as well as gathering pieces of writing to share with you. After all, they are the experts about themselves. They are a little nervous, but I have promised them that it will go well and we will have a lot of practice before hand. I am currently working on the conference schedule so look for your notice to be sent home next week.

Have a great week!

The Start of Readers' Theater

Well, hopefully this week will go off without any snow days or disruption in activities. I honestly feel like I haven't seen my 3B children in ages! It is good to be back at it and in a routine! The kids appeared to be glad to return to school also, but I am sure they will be exhausted by the end of the week.

You should have received a note today from Mrs. Sovereign about report cards. Due to snow days, report cards will be sent home this Wednesday. Many teachers did not get them printed off before the snow came and need time to get that done. Look for an envelope with your 3rd graders report card and ITBS to be brought home this week Wednesday. Remember that if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me or wait until conferences (which are 1 month from today - yikes!).

We are finally starting our readers theater activities that I mentioned before Christmas but we never got to due to the dang snow. Each student received a script today for a reader's theater. He/she do not know what part they are at this time. They will find that out tomorrow. For tonight, I would like the students to read through the script, alone or with you, doesn't matter to me, so they understand what their presentation is about. Please return the script to school each day for practice time at school. Tomorrow night each 3rd grader will bring their script home to practice the part he/she was given. Each student was given 1 script and needs to be sure to return it every day to school so that he/she can practice with his/her group. That is their responsibility. The purpose of readers' theater is to build fluency and accuracy in reading, as well as work on reading with expression. So when your child is practicing, encourage them to read with lots of expression as that will make the presentation more exciting to listen to. We will present our readers' theater Friday, and I plan to post them via video on our blog pages. Look for that on the weekend. Please remind your child about his/her responsibility of practicing every night. They do not need to memorize, but they do need to know their parts well and read them fluently. There will be parent letters you need to sign on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights proving that your child practiced his/her part. Any questions, send me an email or give me a call. Thanks!

Hopefully you had a chance to view the students' "Happy New Year" greeting as well as their goals for 3B via the video I put on the blog pages. Youtube is blocked at school so we can not view it at school, but I hope you can see it by going to the blog page and viewing it at home. Remind your child what his/her goal is for January and keep working towards it.

Many students have asked when we will be watching the movie we were to have before Christmas and reschedule to last week but cancelled due to no school. With everything we have to get going on and so much lost time, I would like to reschedule it for later in the month, but the students deserve to have it as it was reward and celebration from before Christmas. Therefore, all 3rd graders will be watching a movie Thursday afternoon. Your child may bring a twist top bottle of something to drink during this time, and snacks will be provided.

I have sent home information about an activity with our new unit on multiplication. Students will be working towards memorizing their multiplication facts and earning a "walking taco" to celebrate. The information is on the parent letter that your child brought home today. We just starting our new unit and will be getting into knowing the facts by Wednesday so maybe wait until then to get started. I would focus on a family, such as the 1s, 2s, 10s or 5s, and work on memorizing the family before moving onto any other ones. Those are the easiest to start with. I briefly introduced the activity today and will begin assessing students who sign up on Wednesday and Thursday. This activity will go for quite a while with the purpose of building our recall of multiplication facts... . . besides, who doesn't like to eat a walking taco??? :)

Please be aware of the papers and activities that your child is bringing home every night. Being we are in the second semester, students will be getting more homework to prepare for 4th grade. Their homework is always to read every night, but you will start seeing more curriculum activities as well. It is your child's responsibility to get it done, but a reminder once and a while is a good thing.

Enjoy the heat wave this week. . . I heard we may get up into the 30s. hehehe