Introducing Inferencing!

The students asked me to post these two videos on our blog page.  They really enjoyed watching them and learning about what inferencing is.  The videos are wordless short movies in which students have to make inferences to determine what is going on without anyone speaking.  It is an excellent way to start learning/reviewing about inferencing and then lead into making them while reading.  Here is the definition of inferencing.
Inferencing: Experienced readers make inferences as they read. Readers use what they already know and think about what they have read to construct meaning. The reader should ask themselves, "What I already know in my brain" and "What did I just read or see?" to make an inferences that is not stated by the author of person 

Enjoy!

Classroom Happenings!

As usual, we are very busy in 3B.  Here are some quick comments about what has been up in the classroom:

1.  We had our first visitors from the Food and Fitness group of high school students.  They will be coming over once a month to talk to the students about eating healthy foods and staying fit.  The kids really loved it!

2.  Last Friday we went to the Discovery Center and listened to 7th graders from Miss Kerian's reading class share their books with us.  They used an online program called Storybook Jumper to create pictures, add text and create a picture book version of a book they had just finished.   3rd graders also had the chance to mess around with the program as well learning how to create a page.

3.  As part of wrapping up our science unit on Plants and Animals, the students are creating a short video using the app "Videolicious" in which they share information about a selected animal.  The presentation has requirements such as using vocabulary from our unit correctly as well as the overall presentation format.  The students are loving it and amazed that this is part of their "test".  These types of assessments (project based) will be used frequently in 3rd grade as they present a better picture of a child's learning.

Just a glimpse at some of the great activities and learning going on in 3B!  Crazy week ahead with volleyball tournament and football playoffs……..might have some sleepy children (and sleepy teacher).

Have a great week!

Book It Reading Calendars for October!

Many students are telling me that they are reading away at home!  Awesome!  The best way to increase your reading skills and strategies is to read!

Reminder that October reading calendars are due on Friday (or Monday if he/she forgets Friday).  I will be sending home November reading calendars at the end of the week. The goal increases in November to 250 minutes.  Remember that if a student brings his/her reading calendar back at the end of the month and has met the goal required, he/she will get a pizza certificate to Pizza Hut.  Those students who return their reading calendars every month through April get rewarded at the end of the school year.

Remember that this is an optional program and is not required.  But……you might as well get rewarded for something that students should do anyway.  Right???

Conference Scheduler

If you have not scheduled your parent teacher conference time yet, please do so as soon as possible.  Information on how to do that was sent home last week.  If you are having difficulties getting online and scheduling, please call the elementary office and the secretaries will assist you in getting a time set up that works for you.   If neither of the two dates given on the schedule work with your's, please contact me and we can work something out.

Report cards will be sent home Wednesday, October 30th.  We will discuss them at conferences.

I am anxious to share all the great things happening in 3B and some goals we need to continue to work on. See you next week!

Picture Retakes are Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that picture retakes are tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29th,  for any one who would like to have that opportunity.  Please plan accordingly.

Book Orders....Change of Due Date!

Because some students got their book orders late, I am pushing back the due date until Monday, October 21st.  Hope that helps and gives everyone enough time to order what they would like if they are going to order.

Any questions, just give me a call or email me.  Thanks!

We Love Genius Hour

After many weeks of understanding and learning about what Genius Hour looks like, the students jumped right in today and it was awesome!  They were so engaged trying to find information about their choice of a learning project!  It was wonderful! I walk around and help people, guide them in the right direction, give suggestions, but it is all up to them. They could have gone on for hours looking for information, watching videos, planning how they are going to share their learning.  And it all boils down to them learning about what they want to learn about!  I can't wait to see what they all come up with!!!!   Ask a 3B student what they want to learn about for Genius Hour.  We have some learning about wind turbines, robots, how airplanes fly, animals, what the inside of human body looks like, how an ipad works, computers....the list goes on. So exciting!!!

Spencer learning about how airplanes fly and work.

Everyone working hard!  You could have heard a pin drop!  

Food Chain Fun!

Yesterday we had another visit from the Howard Count Naturalist, Angela.  She came and talked to us about food chains as we are studying food chains as part of our science unit.  The students had a super time going through a simulation of a food chain and how each part of the food chain relies on the other for energy (she called them "energy points").  Angela was "Mother Nature" and awarded "energy points" to the plants to start off the food chain.  It was super because she used terms like decomposer, carnivore, omnivore, herbivore, and many others that we are studying in science.  Great connection!

Thanks Angela!

"Mother Nature" giving the plants their "energy points".

Mother Nature introducing food chains.

Book Orders Due Friday, October 18

Book orders are coming home today, Tuesday. The students were very excited about them as there are many great books for the students to select from.  If you decide to order books for your child, there are two ways you can do that.  They are described below.

1.  Complete the order form for which ever books you are interested in ordering.  Write your student's name on the form so I know who the order belongs to.  Return the order along with a check or cash for the total amount from all orders.  (If ordering from more than one book club, you can add the totals together and write one check.)  Please make the checks out to me, Kim Kerian, because I place the orders online and use my credit card to make the payment.

2.  You can also order online using the following link and placing your order online.  You can also just go to http://scholastic.com/readingclub and enter our class code of DWBBF.

https://orders.scholastic.com/DWBBF

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  Happy Reading!

Book Orders and Unit 1 Math Assessment

My goal to have book orders sent home last week was not met. So...they are coming home tomorrow.  There will be a note attached explaining how to order either via returning the book order with a check/money or via online.  Please look for it to come home tomorrow.

I will also be sending each students' Unit 1 math assessment home tomorrow.  Please take some time to look it over with your 3rd grader.  I do not need them returned.  This unit was a review unit over basic concepts from last year.

Unit 2 for math will be a little different.  Last week I gave the students a pretest on the concepts/skills in unit 2.  Using that information, students will work through the skills/concepts they struggled with while moving on to harder, more challenging concepts if they demonstrated an understanding of the skill already.  Basically students are grouped for each concept or skill we will be working on based on the pre-assessment.  We started this last week and the students are very much enjoying it.  Visualize it to be kind of like guided reading, only guided math, where students work were they demonstrate their ability to be at and then work up from there.  I will share more information with everyone about this at Parent-Teacher Conferences (yes, they are coming up fast), but I wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Tomorrow's Trip to the Theater!

Just a reminder that tomorrow the 3rd graders throughout the district are headed to UNI to watch the play of "Tomas and the Library Lady".  Please remember that students are to bring a lunch from home as we will be eating on the way to the production.  We are taking Hawkeye Stages buses and a movie on the bus will be provided by the teachers.  A note was sent home last week explaining what students are allowed to take on the bus for this trip.  If you did not receive that letter, please let me know.

We plan to depart the elementary at 10:30 and be back around 3:15.

Please remind your 3B student that this is a big production and they represent Crestwood Elementary.  I know that each of my 3B kiddos will be on their very best behavior and enjoy a great play!

Here is the book trailer I showed the students today that gives some background about the story behind the play.  It goes great with our literacy theme of "Changes".

Cadet Nation!

Here are a few pictures from last Monday!  The students throughout the school district represented "Cadet Nation" and "Stomp Out Bully Day" very well in their new tshirts!

Remember to "Be the One" to stomp out bullying!

First Field Trip - Next Week!

Next week we will be going on our first out of the district field trip for the year.  The third graders will be heading to Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Tuesday, October 15th, to the theater at UNI!  A note with information will be sent home later this week about what each child can bring as well as information about lunches.  We will be leaving the school around 10:30 and returning around dismissal time at 3:20.    We will be watching the production of Tomas and the Library Lady.  I am excited to take this trip to the  "theater" with my little "ladies and gentlemen of 3B"!  :)

So look for information later this week.

International Stand Up to Bullying Day! Be the ONE!

Today we are celebrating "International Stand Up to Bullying Day".  It was so awesome to see all the students wearing their Cadet Nation t-shirt, which goes along with the colors of Stomp Out Bullying (blue and orange).  Look for a class picture later today or tomorrow.  We also painting (yes, even the boys) our one pinky finger blue to show that we will be the one to stand up to bullying!

The students and I had very powerful discussions, activities, and responses to the idea of standing up to a bully.  One of the videos that I showed the students is below.  Not only are the messages in the video powerful, but so is the music!



3B students have also made post on their blog pages about some of our discussion today, creations they made on their ipads using "Doodle Buddy", as well as a picture of them showing their blue pinky and wanting to be the "One".  (They would love some responses as well from parents and friends-hint, hint)

Hopefully the discussions we have today and throughout the year will remind them of the power they can have when they stand up to a bully.

Out of Control Insects in Science

We are all loving science and the "special guest" we have had arrive for science!  After analyzing the creatures, the students have loved watching a live example of a "food chain".  Some of the critters we have in our room are aphids, damselfly nymphs, daphnia, and today, ladybugs. Ask a 3rd grader about each of the visitors and what they remember about them.  True learning about predator, prey, and food chains!  

Damselfy

Students watching damsefly ready to eat daphnia

dapnia

Homecoming Success!

Homecoming week was a huge success!  The students and teachers had a wonderful time with the dress up days and then wrapping up the week at the big pep rally in the high school gym!  The weather held off so that we could walk over there and also enjoy a sack lunch supplied by the school that day.  Too bad the weather did not hold off for the varsity football game.

Due to the weather, the varsity game will now be played Monday at 7:00.  There will be no admission cost as many people had already paid for the game on Friday.  Hopefully some of you will be there to cheer the Cadets to a victory!

Here is one picture I took of some of the students dressed in their camo for Camo Day!  It was great to see all the students so involved and having fun!