Important Dates for the Week

Here is a rundown of everything going on this week:

1. Tomorrow, Tuesday Dec. 18th, Mega Party from 9:00-10:30.  Please remember to wear Cadet wear.  Thank you to our three volunteers, Jason's mom, Hannah's grandma, and Noah H.'s mom.  I appreciate you taking the time to help out! Volunteers should be at the elementary gym by 8:55.
2.  Wednesday:  Normal
3.  Thursday, Dec. 20th:  Making ornaments for ornament exchange.  Please remember to plan out what you will be making and bring your supplies that you would like to use.  I will have some in the classroom but students should bring anything "out of the ordinary" they would like to use.  I have shown the students examples as well.  We will supply the tin circle, the rest is up to the students.  Those parents who volunteered to send sacks can send them to school with their 3B student or drop them off before 2:00.  We will be making the ornaments and munching from 2:30-3:15.

4.  Friday, Dec. 21st:  Ornament exchange with all of 3rd grade.

Just Because....

Trying to act normal on a day like today after the weekend's events is not easy.  Returning to school to teach my beautiful students.  Not as easy as it should be.  Today we, as a class,  focused more and more on positive words.  Our greeting was giving compliments, we made Christmas cards for a friend who has cancer, and we chatted lots about how we care for one another without discussing the events of the weekend.   Words are a powerful thing and I want all my "kids" to know I care deeply about them and would do anything for them.

I saw this picture this weekend and decided to send a copy home with each student reminding them of the power of words.  I hope the students hang it somewhere they can see it and use the information.

"You Matter" is what I want every student to remember!

Volunteers for Big Blast.....Bug in the Room

As mentioned in an earlier post, 3B is looking for volunteers to help at our Big Blast party.  Our class will be celebrating in the gym from 9:00-10:30.  This is different that the time I originally thought it would be.  If you are free to help out and volunteer, please send me an email, message, or phone call.  I have one parent and grandparent already volunteering but would love to have 1-2 more.  If you are free and willing to help out, please let me know by this Friday. The date of the Big Blast is Tuesday, December 18th.

We have lots to do with 2 weeks left of school.  At the end of the week, we will be taking a social studies test.  To help your child prepare for the test, I will be sending their social studies materials home as well as introduce a helpful web site for them to use to review.  I plan to send materials home Wednesday with the test set for Friday (weather permitting).  Keep your eyes open for those materials and information coming home soon.

Looks like winter is here.  Please remember to have your child bring snow pants, hats, and mittens for recess.  It is also a great idea to send extra mittens or socks in case the ones the student has end up getting wet.   Better to have an extra pair in the backpack than have to wear wet socks all day or wet gloves outside at recess.

There must be a little bit of the flu and cold bug in our classroom as today we had five students absent. Some have had the flu while others have had a really bad cold.   If your child is feeling "under the weather", please keep them home and let them rest up so that they do not spread the illness around.  Hopefully the cold weather will kill some of the germs and we can all get healthy before Christmas.

Volunteers Needed for Mega Party

The Mega Party for Crestwood Elementary will be held Tuesday, December 18th.  Congratulations to the students for doing such an awesome job with their fundraising to fill our school piggy bank!

I am looking for some parents who would love to volunteer to help at the Mega Party with the different stations.  This will free me up a little to take those pictures I love to take of the students having fun.  I am not exactly sure of the time yet, as Mrs. Sovereign has not made the official decision.  When I find out, I will let you know.  If it is anything like last year, we would be attending the Mega Party around 1:00ish for about an hour.  Again, this is not for sure but just an estimate.

If you would be interested in volunteering, please email, call, or send me a note.  I am looking for about three adults to help out.  If I have more and need more, I will take all of them.  If I only need 2-3, I will draw names to make the final decision or take the first parents who contact me.

I would like any parents interesting in helping out to please let me know by Wednesday, Dec. 12th.

Thank you ahead of time!

Sounds like Winter is Coming

The last few days have been wonderful as far as weather goes.  Now it sounds like we are moving into what winter is all about....snow!  We were discussing it in class and the students are half and half as to whether they are excited about the snow coming or not.  Me.....NOT!  I am not a fan of winter, except a little snow on Christmas.  We will see if the weather man is correct this weekend on their forecast.

Just another reminder to encourage the students to bundle up for recess.  Being it is getting colder, students are coming in chilly at recess and not enough layers on.  With the temperatures dropping this week, please be sure your 3rd grader has a warm enough coat, mittens, and hat.  They can always leave them in their locker if it warms up towards the end of the day.

Here are some current things we are focusing on this week in 3B:
1.  The students have written similes about themselves and are working on publishing them on their blog pages.  Some of them are very funny to read.  Please feel free to leave comments for the students blog post as they look forward to reading them and seeing who their "audience" is.  Similes are a form a figurative language we are working on in literacy along with "text structure" and "compound words".

2.  I was very pleased how many students are catching on to using Edmodo and being independent to get various activities done both at home and school.  Remember that if your child does not have internet access at home, they may come in the room any time in the morning after 8 to complete any activities that were assigned through Edmodo.

3.  Perimeter has been the focus in math.  Students have been exploring perimeter through math explorations this week.  We will be starting area tomorrow with a fun application activity using "Cheeze-Its".  Yummy!

4.  Our social studies discussions have revolved around how landforms affect how we live.

5. In writing we are wrapping up a discussion on using sensory images in writing and recognizing when authors use them to make their writing more appealing.

I will be sending information home next week about a "Winter Celebration" we will be having with all 3rd graders the last week of school in December.  Details and information about the celebration will be explained and volunteers to send snacks will be needed.  Please look for that information to be sent home sometime next week.

Enjoy the rest of the week!  Stay warm!

Edmodo Assignment and Book-It Calendar

Just a reminder that Book-It calendars for the month of November are due by Wednesday of this week. December calendars will be sent home tomorrow.

I have posted an assignment for the students to complete via Edmodo. They should all be able to complete this activity individually but feel free to see how they log in, do the assignment, and then post it.

Have a great week!

We Have a Visitor

Well, I got to school this morning and saw a mess in the back corner by the books.  I wasn't sure what was going on....until I saw a new book on my table with a message that said, "Read this to the students".  It was a book titled Elf on the Shelf.  I then started looking around the room and noticed a little elf sitting on top of our bookcase.  Where did he come from? :)  This might explain the letter I received yesterday saying, "Someone is watching you" for the students.  We were all curious.

When the students came in, saw the mess and the elf, they became very excited!  We eventually read the wonderful story and named our new friend "Elfie".  He is a wonderful addition to our classroom, even though he kind of freaks some of the students out.  We will see where he moves to every morning and what he gets into as well.  Students are trying very hard to stay on the "nice" list that he reports back to Santa every night until Christmas.  Who will make it?????

Besides that excitement, we have been working hard, as usual. Here are a few quick updates of the happenings in the room:
1.  Readers Theater was a big hit and the students loved doing them.  Some of the videos are below.  One group has had someone gone every day so they have not done their's yet.  We are hoping to get it done tomorrow.  Poetry and more readers theater scripts will be sent home weekly for students to continually practice their reading fluency.  We took the poem from last week and students recorded themselves reading it with the app that turns it to a rap.  They thought that was so cool!
2.  Math is full of measurement.  We have worked through using both the Metric System and the US Customary System of Measurement.  Now we are jumping into perimeter.  
3.  Social Studies- Students just wrapped up a little research on our community, Cresco, and are now reading and learning about three types of communities.  We tried an online activity of creating a community, but it kicked us out before we could finish. (I will be trying to fix that as the students really enjoyed it.)
4.  We are cruising through our second theme in literacy.  It is all about science, which everyone is enjoying!  Our focus strategies have been on summarizing and recognizing cause and effect.  Along with this, we have been reviewing antonyms, compound words, and started discussing idioms.
5.  In our writing we are focusing on using our five senses to put more detail in our writing.  Students have been writing about their favorite place and applying the techniques we have discussed.

Yes, we have started cursive as you should have recognized being students brought a practice sheet home tonight.  We are going to cruise through these introductory lessons and get students writing/reading cursive.  Realize that most of the practicing will be done at home.

And finally, please remind your child to dress warm each day for school.  Many still come in freezing cold in the mornings not dressed warm enough.  Layers is the best way to go.  Hats and mittens/gloves are a good thing for the morning as it is chilly!

Readers Theater.....No Bath Tonight

Readers Theater..... Poppity Pop!

Readers Theater Presentation

Readers theater presentation of "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" working on fluency and expression.

Short and Sweet....Mystery Skype!

Just like this week of school, this posting is short and sweet.  Well...some of it is sweet.

I have yet to send the math test home as I have one student who is still working to finish.  Hopefully she will be done today and I can get them sent home by Wednesday.  Just wanted to let you know this is why you have not received your child's unit 2 math assessment.

The students are really enjoying and getting the hang of doing activities and assignments online via Edmodo.  Nice job to those students who posted their facts last night on Edmodo for our Mystery Skype today.  There were some that did not get it done.  The students were told that if they do not have a computer at home, they were to write their facts or come into school early before 8:30 and do it on the computers then.  This is the standing rule for the rest of the year.  Just come in at 8:00 before 8:30 and go in the classroom to get any Edmodo or online assignment done before school starts.  I would rather have that than nothing done at all.  More and more activities and homework will be posted through Edmodo so it is great that the students are getting used to using it.  The students have done three activities that involve downloading and uploading to hand them in.  They are so techy!

Today we had a super time skyping with another class from ??????.  This was a Mystery Skype!!!!!  While I knew where the class was from, the students did not.  So both classes asked one another questions via Skype to determine both the state and town from which they reside. They had to determine which state and town we are from as well.   Based on the questions we asked, 3B figured out that our Mystery Skype class was from Michigan.  Great detectives 3B!  We have some digging to do to find out what town or city they were from but they gave us some good clues.  I have the clues posted on Edmodo.  I would like to see which students can do a little research and figure out what the town is that this class in Michigan is from.  Parents can help as well.  If they figure it out, I would like them to post it on the Edmodo so I can see who "goes the extra mile" to find out.  Happy hunting!

Along with Edmodo, the students are in full gear using many online resources.  They include Lead 21 online, Read About, Edmodo, email, google docs, and many more.  If your student does not remember his/her login and password for some of these accounts, a card will be coming home soon that they can keep at home to use.   Many have them memorized though.

Just a reminder to make sure your 3B child gets his/her homework done.  The students were to practice a script for reader's theater today and a handful did not get that done.  Please remind them to be responsible and complete any homework that is sent home.  Thanks for your help and cooperation in this!

We will be doing many more reader's theaters and poetry readings to continue working on fluency the next month.  Please look for those types of activities to work on reading and rereading with your 3B student.

Last, but probably most exciting to the kids, we have a class following us from Japan on Twitter!  The students were so excited last Friday when we check our followers and saw that!  The cool thing is that the teacher is originally from Iowa!  Small world I guess....

Enjoy your fall break and all the yummy food!  Remember that if your 3B child needs "something to do" over break, they can always work on the many online games and activities listed on the right side of my blog or go on Read About or Lead 21.  Always lots to do!

New Week...New Learning! Fund Raiser Pick Up!

I hope everyone enjoyed the crazy weekend of weather change.  Saturday was gorgeous and then Sunday zapped us with a surprise.  Burr!  Please remember to send enough clothes for your child to go outside as many were freezing this morning before school and at recess!  Send layers for them as some get cold in the classroom as well.  There is no doubt, winter is coming.  Please help your child remember to dress warmly.  Thank you!

We have started many new units today. In literacy, we have started our second theme on how science is involved in sports and fun activities.  The students are enjoying all the reading and learning we have done thus far.   Remember to keep reading at home and discussing with your child what they are reading to build those comprehension strategies and fluency.  I introduced a new strategy last Friday called "Summarizing".  Please see the comment to the side of the blog with the Reading Strategies about what summarizing is and how to help your child summarize what he/she is reading using "Somebody...Wanted...But....So....Then".  This week we will continue talking about summarizing as well as pull in reviewing contractions and introducing cause and effect.

In math, we started unit 3, which is on measurement.  Today we discussed how we have standard units of measurement and why.  We created a new measurement called the "Zoombop" and are working to measure things around the room with our new tool. :)  I will be sending your child's math assessment home for unit 2 by the end of the week as I still have some that need to finish.

We have also jumped into social studies reading about how communities are places that have fun activities, places to work, as well as services to help others. We recently read about Raleigh, North Carolina, and will be comparing their community to Cresco this week.  The students also spend a day or two reviewing cardinal and intermediate directions.  We wrapped it up by playing "Simon Says Directions", which they really enjoyed.

Today was a day of great discussion when were learned about Veteran's Day.  The students had lots to share about veterans they personally know as well as why we should honor them on days like today and always.  They did a little blogging about Veterans day, which I encourage you to read.

Please remember to post comments to the students' blog pages.  They look forward to seeing who has commented and what they have to say.  The purpose of a blog is to share information and thoughts so it would be great for parents, grandparents, sisters, etc., to post comments.  The students and I both appreciate it!

Lastly, just a reminder that today is pick up day if your child sold any items for the school fundraiser.  You can pick up their items in the school cafeteria after school.  A note was sent last Friday as a reminder.

Have a super week and stay warm!

If I Were President.....by 3B Students

I would make gas prices go down and stay down.  Abbey F.
I would say you can be 17 to vote.  Abriana
I would make everything free.  Alaina
I would say that there should be more huskies in Cresco.  Jacy
I think there should be a rule that school days should be longer.  Kendal
I would make a law that school serves pizza for lunch every Friday.  Dorian
I would make a law where you don't have to have a hunting license to hunt.  Caleb
I would make math time shorter during the day.  Brady
I would make it so there was no PE.  Hannah
I would say you don't have to have a license to hunt deer.  Haven
I would say there needs to be more cats in the town than dogs.  Jason
People with lots of money need to give more to the poor.  Jasmin
I would say there should be better education with computers and others should help people get homes.  Matthew
I would say there should be more school and more homework.  Kaitlynn
I think there should be more cops and officers in towns.  Noah H.
I would try to lower taxes for everybody.  Gabe
I think there should be math most of the day.  Carter
I would say that schools should serve sherbert every Friday for lunch.  Zachary
I think the rich should have to give more money to the poor.  Marissa
I think every room in school should have carpets.  Alyssa
I would say that the school should only serve candy for lunch.  Noah R.

The Votes are In at Crestwood Elementary

We had a lot of super discussion the last few days and last week about today's election.  I was impressed with how much the students really got into finding out information about the Presidential candidates and determining who they would vote for.  While it was a little "over the heads" of a lot of the students (sometimes even me), we looked at the issues and how each candidate felt before students were permitted to cast their votes.

All 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at Crestwood Elementary were involved in the voting.  The totals were:
President Obama:  135
Romney:  45

We'll see how the real election turns out tonight or tomorrow morning!

Character Counts Dance Celebration!

We Skyped with 3rd Graders in Canada!

We finished our book titled The One and Only Ivan as part of the Global Read Aloud.  I, as well as the students, were sad to see the story come to an end!  It was a wonderful story about friendship and sorrow.  The book also had many opportunities for us to make inferences, (and for us to shed a few tears) which is exactly what we have been working on in literacy.

As part of our collaboration with schools across the country, we ended with a big "Skype date" with some third graders from Canada!  We chatted for over 30 minutes and could have gone on much longer.  It was awesome!  We learned a little bit about their school, we shared information about us, and then we had a chance to ask each other questions and share our answers.  The students did a super job and thought it was so "cool" to be able to do something like that.  I told them it is only the beginning.  Below is a picture of their class and a student asking us a question through Skype.

With the Global Read Aloud, we used Twitter, Edmodo, our blog pages, and Skype to collaborate and share thoughts and activities that connected to the book.  The students get so excited when we check our Twitter account to see if we have more followers, post different things,  and read what others are sharing.  Most of our followers are classes around the world.   I thought it would be cool to map our followers so here they are!  As you can see, we have followers in every country except Africa.  I am working on that!!!  Our next project is to make a video sharing information about Iowa for our friends in a class in Australia.  The students are anxious to start that next week.    We would have liked to Skype with them, but they are sleeping when we are in school.....that wouldn't work out so well.  :)

Here is a map of our Twitter followers as of now.  There will continue to be more and more as the year goes along.  We met our friends who we Skyped with yesterday through Twitter.

Great Start to Conferences and Book It!

Thank you to the parents who attended conferences last night!  I enjoyed the discussions we had and the evening was a success!  If you have conferences scheduled for tomorrow night, I look forward to our time together as well.

Please remember the Book-It calendars are due November 1st for the month of October.  Many children have already returned them, and that is wonderful!  Those students who return their calendars each month will receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  If they return their calendar every month, they will celebrate with me in April.  :)  So please remember to return them tomorrow if your child plans to participate.  Remember, reading is the main piece of homework for 3rd grade so why not get a free pizza out of it? :)

Reminder.... Friday's Field Trip to Bunnicula!

Just a reminder about this Friday's field trip to UNI to see the play Bunnicula.   I showed the students the book trailer, as we have not read the book yet, and they are very intrigued in what is going to happen.

A note was sent home on Monday explaining what students can and cannot take on the bus.  We are taking Hawkeye Stages buses so the students should be comfortable.  Teachers will be supplying the movies so students do not need to bring those.  If you are unsure what your child can and can not bring, please contact me and I will review them with you.

Remember that your child needs to bring a lunch along for the day.  We will be eating on the bus on the way to the show as we do not leave until 10:30.  Please send a beverage that has a twist top lid and is not soda/pop.  Thank you!

We are looking forward to a great trip and show!

Celebrating Cadet Pride with School Dance!

The students in 3rd grade have done a wonderful job of earning Cadet Pride tickets the last two months!  We have met our goal, actually passed it, with over 1000 tickets!  Awesome job 3B!

To celebrate, Crestwood Elementary will be having a dance next Wednesday, October 31.  A letter will be sent home sharing information about the dance.  Students can wear their Halloween costumes to the dance that day, but they can not wear them all day long.  Please send their costumes, if they would like, to school with them in their bag and I will give them time to change and get ready!

So please look for the note coming home today!

Great job 3B!  I am so proud of you!!!!

Inferencing

Today I introduced the reading strategy of inferencing.  If you are not sure what inferencing is, please look to the right side of the blog where our reading strategies are defined.

I introduced it in a really fun way, and the students really caught on to the meaning of inferencing, which is usually pretty tough.  I used the video below to introduce students to what inferencing means.  They did a wonderful job determining the character's feelings, actions, jobs, setting, etc. without any of the characters in the video even speaking.  It was wonderful!  Let's hope they can apply the concept to their reading as well.

Here is the short video full of opportunities to infer.   It is kind of cute as well!

Character Counts Week and Red Ribbon Week

We value good character at Howard-Winneshiek schools.  To celebrate this, we will be having themed dress-up days next week for Character Counts week.  Here they are:

Monday, October 22:  Hats off to Respect and Being Drug Free
Tuesday, October 23: Trustworthy Team Tuesday/Favorite Jersey
Wednesday, October 24:  Responsible Rock Star Day and Rock the Vote:  glitter, sunglasses, music
Thursday, October 25: Caring Citizens Career Day/ dress as your favorite dream job
Friday, October 26:  Fairness Friday/ school spirt/ Cadet clothes

We encourage everyone to get excited and show that you are a person of character!

Important Information About Conferences and Picture Retakes

Well, it is Thursday and the week is flying by!  Where does the time go?  The students often comment about how quickly the day goes by, so obviously, we are busy!

I just wanted to send a quick reminder about signing up for conferences.  Conferences are coming up in  a few weeks.  A letter was sent home last week with information on how to sign up online.  That is a parent's responsibility as there will not be paper copies sent home for parents to sign up.  If you do not have internet access, please call Linda at 547-2300 and she will get you signed up. You can also call her if you are having troubles getting into the necessary login site.   I look forward to chatting with you in a few weeks about your 3B student!

The students have been reviewing and working hard in preparation for their first real science test.  We had the main part yesterday and will be doing some "hands on" activities and short answer questions today and tomorrow.  Please remember to have our child return his/her science book as soon as possible so that I can collect them.  I will be showing the students their scores on the assessment sometime next week, but I will not be sending them home.  I plan to hold on to them to share with parents at conferences.

October 23rd has been scheduled as the day for picture retakes.  If anyone would like to have their picture taken over, please send back the original pictures and retakes will be done that morning.  Students who were absent will also have the chance to have their pictures taken then as well.

I also wanted to quickly give parents a heads up if their child came home saying Mrs. Kerian was gone for a few days this week.  That is true.  I am on MANY committees in our school district and one with the state of Iowa for the NE Iowa STEM Advisory Board.  These meetings, although I would rather be with the students, are part of my professional duty and obligation as a teacher.  Usually, they are spread out, but this week has been a little rough as I was gone for two days in a row.  The students have expressed they do not like it when I am gone, and I do not like it either, but it just happens. When I am gone, I have everything ready for the sub and use the same routine as if I were there that we use every day.   For the most part, the students have been good for the subs, but we still have a few issues with respect and responsibility that we are working through. So, if your child states that I was gone a few times the last few weeks, please don't think I am out taking the day off just because.  Professionally, I am a learner as well and being on committees is part of my continued learning and involvement.

Enjoy the rest of the week.  We are working really hard to share some great things with you at conferences!  Right 3B? :)

Great Cardboard Challenge 2012

Reading Strategies....Looking for Evidence

I wanted to make a quick post about how literacy is going.  We have buzzed through our first week of our theme on "Changes".  Our focus for the past week has been working on the strategies of determining important information, determining author's purpose, using text evidence to answer questions, and recognizing synonyms.  We also just started talking about the prefixes that mean "non", such as "un", "non", "im", and "in".

Please remember that there are various online activities your child can work on at home to help with their reading strategies and skills besides reading a book.  I have many listed on the side of my blog that work on synonyms and author's purpose.  Students can practice the focus skills and strategies from our literacy series at home at any time.

There is also a description of the strategies, such as "Determining Important Information", listed on the side of my blog page as well.  I encourage you to discuss whatever your child is reading at home and ask them about what the important information is from their reading.  What is the author trying to teach or tell them?

I will continually update/add more online activities and reading strategy descriptions on my blog page, but I wanted to make sure parents were aware of them.  The students are aware of everything on the blog page, but they sometimes forget what they can be working on at home.  Read! Read! Read! (and work on the strategies given on the blog page).

Happy Reading!

Spelling City - Review for Science Test Next Week

I have introduced the online program/game of "Spelling City" to the students through our word study in literacy but I am also going to be using as a review for students to use for the upcoming science test of plants and animals.

Your child will be bringing his/her Plant and Animal Populations book home this Friday to start studying material that will be covering in the assessment.  I am planning on the assessment being sometime next week, either Tuesday or Wednesday.  I will let you know, but I wanted to give the students enough time to start looking over and rereading the materials.

Along with that, I have posted some vocabulary words that will be covered in the assessment online through a site called "Spelling City".  Your child has used it via the iPad to review and practice word study words so he/she should be familiar with the site.  Many have not done it online though so I showed them today.

Here are the basic steps to getting to the site and practicing the vocabulary words for the assessment:
1.  Open internet and type in http://www.spellingcity.com/ (I have also put the link on the side of my blog so you can also just "click" on the link there or the one above.)
2.  Select "Find a Class" on the bar of options
3.  Type in my name, "kim kerian", and search "by teacher".
4.  Click search
5.  This should take you to a menu of words.  Select the list titled "Plant and Animal Populations"
6.  Click on "Play Games"
7.  This will take you to a menu of games.  I encouraged the students to do the "vocabulary" games as review and practice.  They can also do the spelling games if they would like, but they really need to focus on the vocabulary activities.

Hopefully this will make studying for the assessment a little more enjoyable.  Please encourage your child to review the words many times before next Tuesday or Wednesday as it will be very beneficial (hint, hint).

Have fun!

Global Read Aloud 2012

Today we made a word cloud in the shape of a gorilla with words we feel are connected to the main character of our book The One and Only Ivan.  I am so impressed with how much the students are really getting into the story and collaborating with others.

Here is our word cloud:

The other thing I did today, although I wish I would have waited, was share with the students an article from a newspaper from this past August that Ivan, the character and animal telling the story, did pass away recently.   The students' faces were so precious as they looked so sadden by that news.  I think everyone is really getting connected to this gorilla.  It is a wonderful story of friendship and life.

We are excited to keep reading!

Stomp Out Bullying!

We will be the ones to stomp out bullying!  Will you?

New Friends from North Carolina

I wanted to introduce you to some of our new friends from Greenville, North Carolina.  While we don't know their names yet, we have been communicating via email with them and getting ready to start some adventures via skype and Twitter!  These students are Miss Kerian's 4th graders......yes, my stepdaughter.

My stepdaughter, Kirstin, is a teacher in Greenville, North Carolina.   She teaches 4th grade.   Her class sent us an email two weeks ago asking about Iowa and Cresco, and we responded with some questions about where they live.  I thought it might be fun if her class were to teach us some Spanish, being many are Hispanic.  They, the 4th graders from Greenville, thought that would be so cool!  So, Kirstin (a.k.a Miss Kerian) and I will be setting up a time each week for her students to skype in with us and teach us some Spanish.  Jasmin, who is in our 3B family, is so excited as well as she knows Spanish already and will be helping us along the way.

They are also going to be sending us a video about rounding for math...or something like that.  Can't wait to see it!

Who knows what else we will collaborate with them on, but I wanted to show you their class picture and let you know so that you can chat with your 3rd grader about our new friends.  There is so much to learn from others.....the skies the limit!

The Global Read Aloud

October 1st kicks off another awesome activity we in 3B will be participating in.  This is called the Global Read Aloud.  Thousands of students and classes around the country and world all read the same book and collaborate via Twitter, Edmodo, email, skype, etc. sharing their thoughts and comments about the reading.  It is an amazing activity that I am beyond excited about!

The students in 3B will be listening to me read aloud The One and Only Ivan.  It is a touching story about a gorilla and the friendships he has while being held captive in a zoo/circus climate.  The story is told from Ivan, the gorilla's, perspective.  I showed the students the book trailer for it on Friday, and many wanted to start immediately!  It is a wonderful, touching story I know the students will love.  The book trailer is below if you would like to watch it.



Here is a link to the Global Read Aloud project:  http://www.globalreadaloud.com/

The exciting part is we are collaborating and sharing our thoughts with a group of third graders from California, Texas, and a few other place around the country!!!!  Through Edmodo, I have hooked up with other teachers preparing to connect students across the US.  Without going into detail, the students in 3B will post thoughts, questions, and various activities about our reading via Edmodo and Twitter allowing others to respond and post their thoughts as well.  We will also be skyping so that we can make a personal connection to the students we are collaborating with.

This is another new activity that I am so very excited about!    Not only are we increasing motivation to read, but students are sharing their thoughts and reflections from the reading; thus, increasing their reading skills and strategies using 21st century skills.

We will start the read aloud tomorrow, October 1st, as well as making our first collaborative post via Edmodo with 3rd graders from Texas!  How cool is that???  :)

Great Cardboard Challenge

Just a reminder that your child's creation/game for the "Great Cardboard Challenge" is due this Thursday!  We will be sending an invitation home soon for parents, grandparents, neighbors, siblings...whomever would like to come and play some games.

If you have forgotten, the information is further down my blog page.  Read about "Caine's Arcade" and his creative imagination that sparked creativity around the world to inspire the "Great Cardboard Challenge".

Many students have shared that they are working hard on their cardboard games.  That is awesome!  I am so excited to see what they each came up with! Many students have commented that this is the best activity they have "ever done"!  Their enthusiasm is wonderful!

So, remember your 3B child needs to bring his/her cardboard creation/game to school Thursday morning.  We will then set up all the activities in the cafeteria, with 4th grade and kindergarten, inviting parents and community members to come in from 2:30-3:15 and have some fun!

The website for this activity is http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/09/caines-cardboard-challenge/
as well as the video I posted last week.

I am so, so, so, so, so excited!  I can hardly control myself!  Creativity and Imagination are critical in today's world.

Book It! Read Your Hearts Out!

The students had a chance to check books out from the classroom last week.  Hopefully you have seen your child read over the weekend at some point as reading is a critical component of learning and the one piece of homework I would like 3B students doing every night!

While I let the students pick the book they wanted to take home, I did have discussions with some on if the book was "just right" for them.  This is a topic we have discussed in literacy many times.  It is important that students find the book "just right" for them, not too hard but not too easy, to become a better reader.

If you are reading with your 3B child and realize the book is too hard for them, please discuss with them how the importance of "just right" books.  Return the book,  and he/she will select a new one.  When your child finishes his/her book at home, please remind them to return it so they can select a new one to take home and read.

With this, October is the kick off month for the reading incentive program of "Book - It".  While I am not requiring all students to participate in "Book-It", sponsored by Pizza Hut, I am encouraging everyone to do it.  Why not get a free pizza out of reading at home?  Seems silly to pass it up.  I sent a calendar home today with each 3rd grade student asking them to record his/her reading each night working towards or past the goal written on the calendar.  At the end of the month, please return the calendar, with a parent's signature, and your child will be given his/her coupon for a free pizza.  A new calendar will be sent home at the beginning of every month with the "goal" increasing each time.

In the past, those students who participated in the Book-It program every month and met their goal were treated to a pizza lunch with me, Mrs. Kerian.   With the Healthy Kids Act in place in schools, we are not able to do that any more.  Third grade teachers will meet soon to come up with something just as fun and yummy.  So, stay tuned for information for those students who participate, meet their goal or pass it, and turn in their calendar every month.

So for now.....GET READING! :)

Predator and Prey Relationships! Loving Science!

Last week was a busy week in science for 3B!  We had a lot of "special guest" show up all at once so it was seriously crunch time before the "special guest" died.  Hopefully your 3B child has shared some information about a few of them.

Some of our guests were aphids.  We had a super time analyzing them and counting their population that is slowly starting to take over the beans that we planted the first week of school.  Everyone was excited to learn about their "exoskeletons"!  We have not counted the population in a few days, but I think the students will be surprised tomorrow when they recount the aphids and look at the bean plants.  Yikes!

Another set of guests are known as daphnia.  They are tiny creatures that live in water.  The cool thing about them is that you can see their digestive track and chamber of eggs if you look close enough as they appear "see through".  We observed them for a few days before introducing them to.....

their enemy of the damselfly nymphs.  The students really enjoyed slowly dropping the daphnia to their death by putting them in with the damselfly nymphs.  You could have heard a pin drop in the room as the students waited quietly hoping to see one of the damselflies go in for the attack.

All of these special guest are showing the students the relationship between predator and prey and how populations change.  We have two more types of "guest" to observe and watch this week.

Now you know why students LOVE science.

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!

Fun at the 3rd grade Olympics