Dear Parents,

What a random storm we had on Monday!  Hopefully it will be sunny the rest of the week.

With state testing right around the corner (SBAC), Open House on the horizon, and the close of the school year on its way, we are very busy in our classroom!  Please make sure your child has enough rest each night and has something nutritious to eat in the morning.  It makes a big difference in their day here at school.

SBAC testing begins for third graders next week!  Testing will take place three times a week for two weeks.  It will be very important for your child to be well fed and well rested in order for them to be the most successful.

Here is a brief look at what we will be doing in the classroom this week:

Math – We are wrapping up our study of finding area and perimeter.  We will review on Tuesday and take the chapter 11 test on Wednesday.  Chapter 12 will begin on Thursday.  We will be studying two-dimensional shapes.  This will include plane shapes such as polygons, quadrilaterals, and triangles as well as a look at angles.

Reading – We will be finishing our class novel, Charlotte’s Web, this week.  There will be one more short answer test as well as a final book test and a vocabulary quiz.

Writing – We are completing well structured paragraphs using evidence from two sources to support an opinion.

Science – We have begun our study on what causes day and night.  There will be a test on Wednesday.  On Thursday, we will continue our study of Earth, Moon and Sun with what makes the seasons change.

Grammar – We are practicing the correct usage of the homophone “there” as well as the homophone “your”.

Spelling – This week we are focusing on compound words.

PE – Tuesday and Thursday
Computer Lab – Friday (this week only)
Library – Thursday

Dear Parents,

I hope you all were able to thoroughly enjoy your three day weekend!  I don’t know about you but I would sure like to see some sun in the midst of all these clouds!  It might make an appearance on Wednesday, however, it looks like rain on Thursday and Friday.  Please stay safe out there on the wet roads.  Mark your child’s name on their jackets and umbrellas so if items are forgotten, the owner is easy to find.

Academic notes:
1.  Remember that it is VERY important for your child to memorize their multiplication facts with automaticity.  Please have them practice regularly at home with flash cards or multiplication games or quizzes.  We have started taking multiplication quizzes in class to check for automaticity.

2.  Your child should be reading for 20 minutes every night Monday through Thursday as part of their homework.  Reading is SO important.  Please make sure that they have a quiet place away from T.V. and electronic games to do their reading.  They should be taking AR quizzes at school on the books they are finishing.  These quizzes help to assess how well they are comprehending what they are reading.  I have students who are not taking the quizzes.  This either means that they are not taking the time to take the quiz or that they are not doing their reading.  I am talking to them about this and appreciate your support at home as well.

Here is a look at what we are doing in class this week:

Math – We are completing the final lessons of chapter 7 on division strategies.  The last two lessons are a little tricky so I have taken an extra day for each one.  We will be reviewing chapter 7 on Thursday and taking the test on Friday.

Reading – We are reading an article about Marin Luther King, Jr. that we did not finish last week.  We are identifying main ideas and key details in this article.
We will also be starting a novel that we will be reading together as a class.  It is entitled, Because of Winn-Dixie.  It is an endearing story about friendship between a lonely girl and a dog and all the changes that happen in the girl’s life because of her dog.  This week, we will be learning new vocabulary words, describing characters and setting, and using the text to answer questions as we read this book.

Writing – We are learning about how to write an opinion.  This week, we are continuing to look at examples of opinion writing.  We are also reading a particular prompt for writing associated with an opinion article and learning how to analyze the prompt so we know what we are being asked to do.  We will be filling out a graphic organizer together.

Social Studies – This week, we are looking at a map of Illinois and using a map key to answer questions.  We are also continuing our discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Spelling – We are reviewing the r-controlled spelling patterns ear, air, eer, are, and ere for the sounds you hear in wear, pair, peer, hare, where, and here.

P.E. – Tuesdays and Thursdays
Computers – Thursdays
Library – Thursdays

Dear Parents,

Students are working hard and doing very well in my class this far!  I am very proud of them!
There are some big events this week!  Please see important dates below:

Monday,  August 21st – Solar Eclipse!  What a historic day!!  We spent time watching the live stream in our classroom and completing a small assignment.

Thursday, August 25th – Annual Castello Fun Run!  Parents are invited to come and cheer on their children.  Third grade runs at 8:20.

Here is a look at what we are doing academically in class this week:

Math – We have been training for our guided math groups.  We are practicing routines and expectations for the various stations students will engage in during our math instruction.  There will be four groups.  Each group will meet with me for instruction every day.  Our first lessons will be about place value and rounding.

Reading – We are continuing our author study of Kevin Henkes books.  We have discussed characters, setting, problem, and solution (plot).  This week we will be learning character traits, visualizing and beginning, middle, end.

Writing – Students will be writing a short note to an assigned classmate.  They will be using the friendly letter format to write this.  They will each be writing their own address on a mailing envelope and the school’s address as the return address.  These notes will actually be mailed so each student will be receiving one!
Students will also be completing a compare and contrast paragraph about themselves and a friend of their choosing.

Social Studies – We are continuing our study of our location in the world.  We will be learning about our continent, country, state, city and community as well as what a border is.

Science – Solar Eclipse!!

Computers begin on Thursday this week.  Library is TBD.  PE is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and usually Mondays.

Dear Parents,

Fall begins this week on September 22nd!  This is such a nice time of year when the weather cools a bit and colorful leaves, pumpkins, candles, and scarecrows begin to enter the scene.

Our Fun’d Run last Friday was a lot of fun!  Le’s Lions, Tigers and Bears ran around the track with gusto sporting their adorable animal ears and runner’s bibs.  Phrases on our runner’s bibs and poster said things like “There’s no place like our class” and “We have heart, brains, and courage”.  A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Lapena and Mrs. Chun for their help with our class poster and the making of our ears and bibs!

Picture Day – Friday, September 30th.  See the flyer sent home in the Cougar folder on Monday, September 19th.

Here is a look at what we are doing in our class this week:

Math-
We are learning lessons in chapter 2.  It is a much shorter chapter than chapter 1.  We have a quiz this Tuesday and a test on Wednesday or Thursday of next week covering what we have learned about organizing and analyzing data in bar graphs, picture graphs, tally tables, frequency tables and line plots.  In the following chapter, we will be starting to understand multiplication.  I cannot stress enough how important it is for your child to be practicing their addition facts at home as well as skip counting.

Writing –
We are spicing up our topic sentences!  We are also beginning a paragraph about traditions.

Spelling –
Our words all have the long a sound this week.

Grammar – We have learned a list of prepositions for third grade and are identifying prepositional phrases as well as the simple subject and simple verb in sentences.

Social Studies –
We have started learning about landforms and will be making a flip book in class to accompany what we are learning.

Science –
We are working on a science experiment involving plants as an introduction to the scientific method as well as to living things and their needs.

P.E. –
We have P.E. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Computers-
Wednesdays

Library –
Tuesdays