WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEWS

Dear Parents:

I hope you had a restful weekend.  Listed below is an overview of our upcoming week.

WRITING - Students are continuing to revise their personal narratives to "show rather than tell" and to include "juicy" details that will help the reader visualize what is happening in the story.  Students have learned to write a lead that will "hook" the reader by beginning with action, dialogue, or setting. I have enjoyed conferencing with your children and learning more about them through their stories.

READING - This week in reading we will begin our Character Study unit.  Students will be placing themselves in the shoes of the character by taking a closer look at the emotions, motivations, and traits of the character.  As we study our characters, we will also be practicing fluency and expression while we read the text as the author would say it, conveying the meaning or feeling.  I am excited about the texts I will be sharing with students this week as we take a more in depth look at our characters.  We have also begun our vocabulary lessons.  Students enjoyed the fable about the sly fox and the little red hen while learning the words sly, mend, peer, shriek, prepared, and dependable.  

SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES - On Monday, we will conclude our assessment on the Human Body and finish creating our pasta skeletons.  Tuesday, my class will rotate to Mr. Otto for Social Studies while I teach his class Science.  Students will be learning about the three regions of North Carolina (Piedmont, Coastal, and Mountains) in Mr. Otto's class.

MATH - In math this week, students will continue to compare/contrast the attributes of various 2-D shapes.  There are many hands-on learning activities students will be involved in to help them understand the characteristics of these shapes.  We are even going to incorporate dance into our math as students create movements to represent the vocabulary associated with these 2-D shapes.  I learned about this kinesthetic type of learning in our professional development workshop on Wednesday, and I am anxious to try it out in my class.  Mrs. Eleczko will be helping me!   

IMPORTANT DATES - 

SEPTEMBER 28 - Third Grade Parent Meeting for CogAt Testing - 5:30 p.m. - Media Center

OCTOBER 1 - ARTS NIGHT - 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.

OCTOBER 6th, 7th, 9th - Third Grade CogAt Testing

Sincerely,

Ms. Underwood

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 NEWS

Dear Parents:

     I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend and had some quality time with your family.  Listed below is information about the upcoming week.

READING - I am so excited that reading assessments are completed, and I can now focus on conferencing and working with my students in small groups.  This week we will continue to use context clues to figure out the meanings of unknown words we encounter in our reading.  Your children have been so eager to share the words they are finding in their reading, as well as the strategies (back up and re-read, look for a synonym, guess a sensible word, etc.) and clues they are using to figure out the meanings.  Students will also fine tune procedures we have learned regarding read to self, turning and talking, as well as choosing good fit books. 

WRITING -  Last week students worked on writing a lead that will hook the readers as they continued developing their personal narrative stories.  I am modeling my expectations for writing as I share my own personal narrative about a surprise at the bath house when my family went camping a few summers ago.  I hope to have our stories published by Friday.

SCIENCE - We are going to explore how the nervous system directs the movements of the skeletal and muscular systems of our bodies.  Tomorrow students will conduct a fun experiment to test their response time to a visual stimulus.  We will also explore the function of the skin through a couple of hands-on activities.  Students will also have the opportunity to culminate this unit by creating a pasta skeleton, and on Friday I plan to give an assessment on the human body unit.

MATH - This week in math we will be understanding that 2D shapes in different categories (rectangles, rhombuses, squares, etc.) may share attributes (features), and the shared attributes can define a larger category.  As an example, shapes with four sides belong to a larger category of shapes called quadrilaterals.  We will use geoboards to make visual representations of these shapes as we understand the various attributes (parallel sides, congruent sides, etc.).  We will even be tying in our art smart way of learning as we identify these shapes in artwork.

IMPORTANT DATES -  Wednesday, September 23, is a Teacher Workday - No school for students

                                          Friday, September 25 - Spirit Day  - NFL Football

Thank you for all of your support!

Sincerely,

Donna H. Underwood

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 NEWS

September 14, 2015


Dear Parents:


In reading this week, students will continue to ask questions before, during, and after reading in order to comprehend text and stay engaged in their reading.  We will specifically be focusing on nonfiction books as we question.  Students will also learn strategies to determine the meanings of unknown words they encounter in their reading.  In Writer's Workshop, we will be choosing small "seed" stories to write about rather than "watermelon" topics.  I am enjoying getting to know your children through their writing.  We have begun our rounding unit in math as students learn to round to the nearest 10 and nearest 100.  They are learning to distinguish that rounding is a form of estimation.  Incorporate estimation in everyday life by asking your child questions such as, "The video is 37 minutes long.  About how long is it rounded to the nearest 10 minutes?"  In science, students will focus on the joints, as well as the muscular and nervous systems, while engaged in hands-on learning.


Behavior Folders - During the first two weeks of school students have been learning and practicing the routines and procedures within our classroom.  Now that students are settling in, I would like to keep you informed of your child's work habits and conduct.  In today's Monday Folder, you will find your child's behavior folder.  This folder will serve as a weekly progress report to relay to you your child's work habits and conduct for the previous week.  Please review the behavior folder with your child, sign it, and then return it the following day.


Spirit Friday - This Friday, September 18, is wear your favorite college gear.


I look forward to another exciting week of learning with your child!


Sincerely,


Donna H. Underwood





  

***REMINDER***

Parents,

If you think you would like to chaperone any of our third grade field trips this year, please make sure that you have gone through the volunteer process with Wake County Public Schools.  You must be an approved volunteer in order to chaperone, and this process may take a few weeks.  Thank you!

WEEK of SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 NEWS

September 8, 2015

Dear Parents:

I am continuing to enjoy getting to know your child as we create a positive learning environment within our classroom.  It is a very rewarding experience for me to have the opportunity to help your child grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

Listed below are a few pieces of information I wanted to call to your attention:

Curriculum – In reading this week we will continue to ask before, during, and after reading questions to comprehend text with the focus being on nonfiction books.  Students will also learn ways to use context clues in order to determine the meanings of unknown words.  During Writer’s Workshop, students will be writing a true, small moment story.  In math we will continue practicing strategies to add and subtract numbers within 1000.  The focus this week will be on carefully analyzing word problems in order to figure out whether to add or subtract.  Students will be engaged in some fun hands-on activities in science to explore the various types of joints within our skeletal system.

Open House – Douglas Elementary will be holding Open House on Thursday, September 10.  Third grade parents are invited to learn more about the Read to Achieve Program from 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.  Following this session, please feel free to come to our classroom, Room 3124, to hear more information regarding third grade curriculum, field trips, etc.  For your convenience, two sessions will be held from 6:00 – 6:45 and 6:45 – 7:30 p.m.  You may attend either one.

Highlights Magazine Subscription – I am also including a special school offer to subscribe to Highlights magazine.  Highlights is a fun magazine that offers activities to make children think, crafts that spark creativity, fiction and nonfiction reading, as well as games and puzzles to build learning skills.  By checking yes or no on the yellow form, you can help our classroom earn a free gift. 

                                                                                                            
Upcoming Dates 
  

Wednesday, Sept. 9 – Beginning of Grade Test – Reading only – Please make sure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats a hearty breakfast in preparation for the test.  The test will begin at 9:30 a.m.  I am encouraging my students to give their best and to not get stressed about this assessment.

Friday, Sept. 11 – Wear red, white, and blue in remembrance of 9/11.

Enjoy the upcoming week, and I hope to see you at Open House.

Sincerely,

Donna H. Underwood

 

 

WEEK of AUGUST 31, 2015 NEWS

August 31, 2015                                                                                               

 

Dear Parents:

The start of the new school year has been a successful one.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know your child through hands-on activities (using play-dough, gummy worms, and drama) to establish a sense of community.  I am very excited about the learning experiences your child will participate in and look forward to a productive school year.

CURRICULUM

Last week we learned the procedures and expectations of our “Daily 5” program for literacy.  Students are doing a wonderful job practicing read to self while at the same time building their stamina for reading.  They have been asking questions before, during, and after reading to engage them in their reading and help them comprehend.  We will focus on more strategies this week such as back up and reread, as well as check for understanding to aid our comprehension of text.  Our focus in math has been on reviewing various methods to fluently add and subtract within 1000.  These methods include place value drawings, show all totals, and expanded form.  We have also been working on “math talk” in the classroom because it is important that students be able to explain the process of their problem solving rather than just give an answer.  This week we will focus on the number line strategy as another method to add and subtract.  We began our first unit of study in Science today which is the human body.  There are many fun, hands-on activities planned in this unit (making pasta skeletons, assembling Mr. Bones, etc.) to help students understand the skeletal and muscular systems within the human body.

HOMEWORK

Students should be writing their homework assignments in their agendas.  Agendas may be purchased for $3.00.  Your child should be bringing home his/her math and homework binder nightly.  This binder contains his/her agenda, the green Douglas folder containing homework, and the math focus lessons.  Homework is consistent throughout third grade and consists of one math page and a reading log which needs to be signed nightly (Monday – Thursday), acknowledging that your child read 20 minutes and checked for comprehension that evening. 

COMMUNICATION

 I am always happy to talk to you about any questions or concerns you may have about your child.  Please do not hesitate to send a letter, write a note in the agenda, call the school (919-881-4894), or email me at dunderwood@wcpss.net.  I think it is very important to keep the lines of communication open between home and school in order to create a positive learning environment for your child.  Folders will be sent home every Monday to inform you of your child’s progress, important events, and upcoming dates.   Please take the time to review the information/class work/homework with your child.  Please feel free to keep the papers in the folder other than those that specify to be returned.  I am also in the process of updating our class website.  This classroom blog will serve as another means of communication between home and school.  I have some really cool pictures of your children during our first week of school activities that I would like to post.   Once I receive all the photo permission forms, I will be updating my blog for this school year.

SNACK

Students are allowed to bring a healthy snack such as fruit, veggies, or granola bars since our class eats lunch at 1:15 p.m.  Students are eating their snack around 11:00 a.m. while instruction continues and before leaving for Specials. 

SCHEDULE

  Ms. Underwood’s third grade schedule is as follows:

8:45 – 9:15      Arrival and Morning Responsibilities

9:15 – 9:30      Morning Meeting

9:30 – 11:20    Literacy                                                                                                     SPECIALS

11:20 – 12:15 Specials                                                                                                 A Day – P.E.

12:20 – 1:05    Science/Social Studies                                                                    B Day - Science

1:05 – 1:15      Read Aloud                                                                                       C Day - Art

1:15 – 1:45      Lunch                                                                                                     D Day - Dance

1:50 - 3:05      Math                                                                                                       E Day - Drama

3:10 – 3:40      Recess                                                                                                   F Day – Music

3:45 -                Dismissal

UPCOMING DATES

9/4 – Early Release – Students released at 1:15 p.m. / Spirit Day – Dress from the 80’s

9/7 – Labor Day Holiday – No School

9/9 – Beginning of Grade Assessment

9/10 – Read to Achieve Meeting – 3^rd Grade Parents – 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.  Open House – 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Thank you for the classroom donations of tissues, wipes, copy paper, expo markers, etc.  These supplies are definitely needed, and I appreciate your generosity.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to teach your child.  I look forward to helping your child grow academically and develop the skills needed to function effectively in our global society.

Sincerely,

Donna H. Underwood