Here They Are...Our TV Talk Shows about the History of Cresc0

I apologize that it has taken so long to get some of these up and posted.  I had one group that had people absent, and then they didn't get to practice, so it has taken a while.  But here they finally are.  You will have to turn your volume up as some of the students were pretty quiet and hard to hear (even after we practice and reminded ourselves of the importance of speaking loud enough for our audience).

With this being our first time doing this type of activity, I was pleased.  The students learned a lot about the history of Cresco (more than they share on their talk shows) and were the leaders of their learning.

So enjoy our TV Talk Shows about the history of Cresco for our first group Inquiry projects.

Big Blast Tomorrow....and So Much to Do!

A little stress is overcoming my body with only 2 weeks left before the holiday break!  3B has so much to do and get done before we head home for the holidays.  The students are being "troopers" and working hard, staying focused the best they can.  They have started to get a little chatty, more than usual, and have needed more reminders, but that usually happens this time of year.  Hang with me for two more weeks kiddos, then you can have a break!

Everyone is loving our new theme in literacy about science at play.  Some kids have read about science with sports, others have read about science and computers, while others have read about science in nature.  They are learning not only so many more vocabulary words, but also building their comprehension strategies of summarizing, comparing/contrasting, prediction, and recognizing cause and effect.  I will be sending home some vocabulary words next Monday for the students to review as we will have the end of our theme test next Wednesday or Thursday.  This is similar to the ones I sent home at the end of the last theme.

I am also very pleased at the students who are taking books home to read from the classroom!  YIPPEE!!!  I have had many parents comment that their 3B child is reading more at home, which is wonderful to hear.  The students have been given the "green light" to blog from home and post about what they are reading or doing on their own blog pages.  I would love to have some of them make post to share about their at-home reading!  Super 3B!

As I just mentioned, the students have been given the ok to make blog post from home.  Last week we wrapped up how to add pictures and clipart from the computer to our blog pages, and I think they have it down pretty well.  They are set to be "bloggers"!  The only stipulation about the student blogs is that they must blog about books they have read, news they saw and want to share or comment about, stories they would like to hare, or just writing about their weekend or what is happening in their life.  It is not used to post blogs asking students what they are doing tonight or other "chat" areas.  The students seem to understand that pretty well but I just wanted to make sure to let the parents know.   If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to be at our "Big Blast".  All the 3rd grade students go to the Big Blast with kindergarten and preschool so it is going to be a "busy" place.  If you volunteered to help out, please meet us at the gym tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 13th, at 9:00 AM.  I will then tell you where you will be "stationed" to help from 9 to 10:30.    Thanks so much!  If you signed up and can't make it, please let me know as soon as possible.

I am sending home a math sheet for students to practice with division/multiplication.  We have not gotten into facts yet, but just the process of drawing pictures, using counters, and sharing for showing how to divide or multiply and the concept itself.  This can be a challenge for some students so I am sending home a little practice.  Along with that, some students have some writing homework to do tonight to get caught up (some are waisting a little bit of time in writing).  As I said, it is a busy time and we need to keep moving to stay caught up.

Remember to have your 3B child wear his/her Cadet tshirt or blue shirt to show our pride in our school for the Big Blast!  They are all very excited!

Enjoy the week!