Dear Parents,
I cannot believe this is the last newsletter of the 2015-2016 school year. It has been a privilege to partner with each of you this year as we have worked together to help your child have a successful school year. Your children are amazing, and I love them dearly. I am going to be very sad saying good-bye to them on Thursday, but they are ready to move on to fourth grade. I am proud of all their accomplishments and wish them the best always.
READING - On Monday we will finish some work that we previously started on comprehending a piece of poetry entitled "Fireflies in the Garden" by Robert Frost. We will also continue our study of social issues through engaging read alouds. We had some great discussions last week on issues of racism, segregation, discrimination, environmental issues, and relationship challenges.
WRITING - Students are writing a short research report on an interesting animal. Information they are researching includes body parts, special features, habitat, and any similarities the animals may have to humans.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will finish a test with Mr. Otto on Monday to wrap up their final social studies unit.
MATH - We will be applying our knowledge of fractions to split a recipe into smaller portions as we prepare No Bake Chocolate Cookies. Students will also be finishing up another math activity we started last week.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, June 6 - PBIS Assembly - 10:15 - 10:45 a.m. - Douglas Gym
Tuesday, June 7 - Junior Achievement - Third graders will be involved with guests from Junior Achievement as they learn about financial literacy and entrepreneurship.
Thursday, June 9 - Third Grade Picnic - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Learning Pavilion on playground - Students may bring lunch or get it from the cafeteria. Third graders will gather for a picnic and a time to play some outdoor games. Please feel free to join us. We would love to have you!
Thank you so much to Mrs. Purcell for organizing our class year-end celebration that took place last Thursday. Thanks to all the parents who donated supplies/food items for our party. We had a great time! We also appreciate Ms. Stephenson, Mrs. Kubovcik, Mrs. McCullen, Mrs. Purcell, Mrs. Ramadan, and Mr. Petty for helping at the celebration.
Thank you for all of your support this year. Enjoy a well-deserved break this summer.
Respectfully,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Monday, May 30, 2016
WEEK OF MAY 30, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed some rest and relaxation over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. It was nice to have an extra day to rejuvenate as we move into the final days of our school year. Listed below is helpful info for the upcoming week:
READING - This week in reading, we will be identifying social issues (issues that matter to many people) such as discrimination, environmental concerns, hunger, poverty, etc. I am excited about the read alouds I will be sharing with my students this week as we explore the various issues. We will also begin a new set of word work words this week with fun activities to learn the spelling of them. Our words this week will be: again, because, could, favorite, people, said, and they.
WRITING - Students are finishing up informational reports on their current event. My plan is to have them write one more informational piece before school ends. This report will be on an animal and will involve using nonfiction text features such as diagrams and photos to help them in writing their report.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will continue going to Mr. Otto's class for social studies as they wrap up their study of the development, structure, and function of local government, as well as the role citizens play in their communities.
MATH - In math, students will be participating in some hands-on learning activities involving area/perimeter and fractions. I am even planning a cooking activity so that students may get experience in reducing the size of a cookie recipe to fourths. I think they will enjoy making the cookies, and, of course, eating them!
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, June 1 - Pizza Party for Achieve 3000 - Third grade did so well in participating in Achieve 3000 this year, so we are receiving a pizza party during our lunch time. Way to go students!
Thursday, June 2 - 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. - Ms. Underwood's Class Year-end Celebration - Our theme is a luau. Students will enjoy some good food and exciting games as we celebrate their hard work and the fun memories we made in third grade this year. Thank you to Mrs. Purcell for organizing our party. Thanks to several of Ms. Underwood's students for thinking of the theme and planning the games. Thank you also to all of the parents who are contributing food and supplies for our celebration.
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve testing
Monday, June 6 - PBIS Awards Assembly - 10:15 - 10:45 a.m. in the Douglas Elementary Gym
Please do not hesitate to contact me at dunderwood@wcpss.net if you should have any questions. Thanks for all of your support this year.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, May 22, 2016
WEEK OF MAY 23, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I cannot believe we are in the final stretch of the 2015-2016 school year. We will be working hard this week to review strategies students have learned in both reading and math as we prepare to take the reading EOG on Thursday of this week and the math EOG on Friday of this week.
READING - I have some cute videos I will be showing students this week to help them relax and prepare for testing at the end of the week. I will be reviewing our PARTY TIME reading strategy.
P = Preview the text. A = Analyze the questions. R = Read carefully. T = Toss the trash (answer choices that do not make sense). Y = Yellow highlight or underline evidence for your answer. TIME to check over your work.
WRITING - Students are continuing to write a report on the current event they have been assigned. Last week we worked on how to write a topic sentence to introduce the event. This week, students will write the facts from the article in their own words including correct punctuation and capitalization. They will also be taught how to conclude their reports.
SOCIAL STUDIES - In Mr. Otto's class, students have been working on an informative poster to help them learn about the organizational structure of our government.
MATH - Each third grade teacher is reviewing a specific standard in our third grade math curriculum. Students will be rotating among the teachers to review the various standards. This gives them an opportunity to work with the different teachers and spices up our review a bit.
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, May 26 - Reading EOG - Please make sure your child gets to bed on time and eats a good breakfast. Homework, if any, will be very light on EOG nights.
Friday, May 27 - Math EOG
Friday, May 27 - Tie Dye Spirit Day - Wear something tie dyed.
Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve Testing
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, May 15, 2016
WEEK OF MAY 16, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
What an exciting day we had last Friday as we celebrated being the #1 Magnet School in the nation. After an energized pep rally, students went back to our third grade hallway to paint ceiling tiles that will be displayed around our school. They had a blast and were very creative in their art work. Here is an update for the week ahead:
READING - This week we will continue to review reading strategies such as main idea, context clues, character traits, text structure, and inferring through engaging activities. Students should continue reading fiction, nonfiction, and poetry at home for 30 minutes each night, using reading strategies listed on the reading logs to comprehend text.
WRITING - I assigned each student in the class a current event, and he/she will be responsible for writing an informational report on this event. Last week, students read their articles and placed the important points (who, where, when, what, why) into a graphic organizer. They will use the graphic organizer to write the report in a manner that can be clearly understood by the reader.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students are enjoying learning about national government versus local government with Mr. Otto.
MATH - On Monday and Tuesday of this week we will create and interpret data on line plots. On Wednesday, we will have an assessment on the measurement unit including grams, liters, inches, and line plots. The remaining days up until EOG's will be spent on reviewing math concepts learned this year.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, May 20 - Favorite Book Character Spirit Day - Dress like your favorite book character.
Thursday, May 26 - Reading EOG
Friday, May 27 - Math EOG
Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve Testing
As the year is quickly winding down, I want to thank you for all of your support!
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
What an exciting day we had last Friday as we celebrated being the #1 Magnet School in the nation. After an energized pep rally, students went back to our third grade hallway to paint ceiling tiles that will be displayed around our school. They had a blast and were very creative in their art work. Here is an update for the week ahead:
READING - This week we will continue to review reading strategies such as main idea, context clues, character traits, text structure, and inferring through engaging activities. Students should continue reading fiction, nonfiction, and poetry at home for 30 minutes each night, using reading strategies listed on the reading logs to comprehend text.
WRITING - I assigned each student in the class a current event, and he/she will be responsible for writing an informational report on this event. Last week, students read their articles and placed the important points (who, where, when, what, why) into a graphic organizer. They will use the graphic organizer to write the report in a manner that can be clearly understood by the reader.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students are enjoying learning about national government versus local government with Mr. Otto.
MATH - On Monday and Tuesday of this week we will create and interpret data on line plots. On Wednesday, we will have an assessment on the measurement unit including grams, liters, inches, and line plots. The remaining days up until EOG's will be spent on reviewing math concepts learned this year.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, May 20 - Favorite Book Character Spirit Day - Dress like your favorite book character.
Thursday, May 26 - Reading EOG
Friday, May 27 - Math EOG
Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve Testing
As the year is quickly winding down, I want to thank you for all of your support!
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, May 8, 2016
WEEK OF MAY 9, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I really appreciate all the kind gestures you and your children showed me last week during Teacher Appreciation Week. I was very touched by your generosity and kindness. Teaching is truly a rewarding career, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with your sweet children each day. Listed below is some info for the upcoming week.
READING - We will be reviewing reading strategies we have learned this year including inferring, determining main idea, using context clues to figure out the meanings of unknown words, etc. I have some fun ways to engage the students as they practice these reading strategies. On Monday, we will "play" BUMP as we review. Our vocabulary words for this week will be lavender, trifle, prune, improve, combination, compromise, and focus.
WRITING - Last week in Writer's Workshop, we worked on paraphrasing an informational article rather than copying straight from the author's words. This week, students will be given their own nonfiction article (a current event) and write a report on it by paraphrasing.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students have now begun their last Social Studies unit with Mr. Otto. The focus is on national, state, and local governments.
MATH - On Thursday, we wrapped up our unit on time with an assessment. Overall, the test scores were good, and students seem to understand elapsed time. Some students need additional practice reading an analog (not digital) clock. We began our measurement unit on Friday and had a friendly competition with Ms. Flowers' class as we explored the concept of capacity using a liter as our reference point. This is another fairly short unit which we will complete by next week.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, May 13 - Spirit Day - Come dressed like a teacher.
Thursday, May 26 - Reading EOG - Third Grade
Friday, May 27 - Math EOG - Third Grade
Monday, May 30 - No School - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve Testing
Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I really appreciate all the kind gestures you and your children showed me last week during Teacher Appreciation Week. I was very touched by your generosity and kindness. Teaching is truly a rewarding career, and I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with your sweet children each day. Listed below is some info for the upcoming week.
READING - We will be reviewing reading strategies we have learned this year including inferring, determining main idea, using context clues to figure out the meanings of unknown words, etc. I have some fun ways to engage the students as they practice these reading strategies. On Monday, we will "play" BUMP as we review. Our vocabulary words for this week will be lavender, trifle, prune, improve, combination, compromise, and focus.
WRITING - Last week in Writer's Workshop, we worked on paraphrasing an informational article rather than copying straight from the author's words. This week, students will be given their own nonfiction article (a current event) and write a report on it by paraphrasing.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students have now begun their last Social Studies unit with Mr. Otto. The focus is on national, state, and local governments.
MATH - On Thursday, we wrapped up our unit on time with an assessment. Overall, the test scores were good, and students seem to understand elapsed time. Some students need additional practice reading an analog (not digital) clock. We began our measurement unit on Friday and had a friendly competition with Ms. Flowers' class as we explored the concept of capacity using a liter as our reference point. This is another fairly short unit which we will complete by next week.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, May 13 - Spirit Day - Come dressed like a teacher.
Thursday, May 26 - Reading EOG - Third Grade
Friday, May 27 - Math EOG - Third Grade
Monday, May 30 - No School - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 3 - Read to Achieve Testing
Thank you for all you do.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, May 1, 2016
WEEK OF MAY 2, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I cannot believe that we are already beginning the month of May. The time seems to be flying by as we approach the end of the school year. Here's what is happening in the upcoming week:
READING - We will be reviewing the ways in which sentences within a paragraph or paragraphs within a reading passage may be organized. The types of organization or text structure that we have been studying are cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution, and sequencing. Our class members has been very enthusiastic about using Achieve 3000 to support their reading comprehension. (Well, we are in a competition with Ms. Flowers' class, so that could be part of the reason.) Encourage your child to use this program at home for some of his/her nightly reading.
WRITING - Students will be practicing how to paraphrase information they read in order to write informational reports in their own words. This week, students will be given a high interest nonfiction article to read, and then write an informational report on it. We have also been practicing varying our sentence structure by writing both compound and complex sentences.
SCIENCE - We had fun last Friday making an edible model of the soil. Students used various cereals, as well as brown sugar to represent the layers of the soil - bedrock, clay, silt, sand, and humus. Milk (to represent water) was poured over the "soil" so students could observe how water moves through the layers of the soil. On Friday, we also transferred our bean plants that started sprouting in cups in the room to the garden. While in the garden, we also planted many types of seeds including radish, carrot, gourd, and tomato into our garden plot. Third graders are also excited about heading up the composting project that we will be starting at Douglas. We will have a unit test on Wednesday to culminate our plant development unit.
MATH - Students are currently learning how to tell time to the minute, as well as solve problems involving elapsed time. We will use a number line model to help students understand how to solve problems involving the passing of time. On Thursday, we will have a unit test on time.
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, May 3 - Interims go home
Tuesday, May 3 - Math Night - 5:00 PTA Meeting 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. - Math activities
Book Fair will be taking place this week in the Media Center.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, April 24, 2016
WEEK OF APRIL 25, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend with your families. Listed below is information about the coming week.
READING - We will shift our focus back to determining the main idea/central message of a reading passage including poetry. Distinguishing the main idea from supporting details is a difficult concept, so we will continue practicing this strategy in the week ahead. We will also take a look at the spelling patterns in our set of "Word Work" words this week. We have been playing a game called "Sparkle" to reinforce correct spelling of these words. The class loves this game!
WRITING - Students should be wrapping up their biography reports. This week, I will be teaching minilessons about the revision part of the writing process. We will be looking at items such as sentence structure and improving word choice to make our writing clear and interesting to the reader.
SCIENCE - In our study of plant development, we have now begun to focus on the composition of soil. We will be comparing/contrasting some of the components of soil such as clay, sand, and humus. I have a fun edible project planned in order to help students understand the various layers of soil. We will also learn about composting. Students have been very excited to check the bush beans and lima beans they have been growing in plastic baggies. Last week we transplanted the sprouts to a cup, and many of them are growing quite nicely. Hopefully, we will plant them in the garden soon.
MATH - We will spend two more days reviewing fraction strategies followed by an assessment on Wednesday. Our next unit will be approximately six days with the focus being on telling time to the minute and solving elapsed time problems.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, April 29 - Spirit Day - Who can wear the most zippers to school? - National Zipper Day
Tuesday, May 3 - Math Night - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend with your families. Listed below is information about the coming week.
READING - We will shift our focus back to determining the main idea/central message of a reading passage including poetry. Distinguishing the main idea from supporting details is a difficult concept, so we will continue practicing this strategy in the week ahead. We will also take a look at the spelling patterns in our set of "Word Work" words this week. We have been playing a game called "Sparkle" to reinforce correct spelling of these words. The class loves this game!
WRITING - Students should be wrapping up their biography reports. This week, I will be teaching minilessons about the revision part of the writing process. We will be looking at items such as sentence structure and improving word choice to make our writing clear and interesting to the reader.
SCIENCE - In our study of plant development, we have now begun to focus on the composition of soil. We will be comparing/contrasting some of the components of soil such as clay, sand, and humus. I have a fun edible project planned in order to help students understand the various layers of soil. We will also learn about composting. Students have been very excited to check the bush beans and lima beans they have been growing in plastic baggies. Last week we transplanted the sprouts to a cup, and many of them are growing quite nicely. Hopefully, we will plant them in the garden soon.
MATH - We will spend two more days reviewing fraction strategies followed by an assessment on Wednesday. Our next unit will be approximately six days with the focus being on telling time to the minute and solving elapsed time problems.
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, April 29 - Spirit Day - Who can wear the most zippers to school? - National Zipper Day
Tuesday, May 3 - Math Night - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, April 17, 2016
WEEK OF APRIL 18, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
We had a wonderful time last week integrating lots of art activities into our learning. We made seed mosaics (science), partitioned CD's into equal parts and decorated them to go on our fraction fence on the playground, and made origami roses to understand fractional parts. I am looking forward to another fun-filled week with your children. Listed below is an overview of the upcoming week.
READING - This week we will continue reviewing and practicing reading strategies to help us comprehend our reading. Our focus will be on inferring (using background knowledge plus text clues) to figure out what is not directly stated in the text. We will also practice strategies that can be used to figure out the meanings of unknown words we encounter in our reading. Please encourage your child to use Achieve 3000 at home to give him/her further practice using strategies to answer comprehension questions.
WRITING - Students are completing their biography booklets this week. They have enjoyed learning about the lives of these notable people. Students will be sharing some of the interesting facts they have learned with their classmates.
SCIENCE - It has been so exciting to watch the roots, stems, and seed leaves emerge from our bush beans that have been growing in our plastic baggies. We will be planting these seedlings in a cup this week and continue our study of plant development by focusing on pollination.
MATH - This week we will explore fractional relationships using pattern blocks. For example, if a yellow hexagon represents one whole, what fractions do the trapezoid, rhombus, and triangle represent? Students will be creating a creature using the pattern block shapes and explaining the relationships between the shapes chosen. Please continue to help your child memorize their multiplication facts.
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, April 21 - Field Day 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Friday, April 22 - Spirit Day - Earth Day - Show your appreciation for the earth.
Monday, April 25 - Snow Make-up Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
We had a wonderful time last week integrating lots of art activities into our learning. We made seed mosaics (science), partitioned CD's into equal parts and decorated them to go on our fraction fence on the playground, and made origami roses to understand fractional parts. I am looking forward to another fun-filled week with your children. Listed below is an overview of the upcoming week.
READING - This week we will continue reviewing and practicing reading strategies to help us comprehend our reading. Our focus will be on inferring (using background knowledge plus text clues) to figure out what is not directly stated in the text. We will also practice strategies that can be used to figure out the meanings of unknown words we encounter in our reading. Please encourage your child to use Achieve 3000 at home to give him/her further practice using strategies to answer comprehension questions.
WRITING - Students are completing their biography booklets this week. They have enjoyed learning about the lives of these notable people. Students will be sharing some of the interesting facts they have learned with their classmates.
SCIENCE - It has been so exciting to watch the roots, stems, and seed leaves emerge from our bush beans that have been growing in our plastic baggies. We will be planting these seedlings in a cup this week and continue our study of plant development by focusing on pollination.
MATH - This week we will explore fractional relationships using pattern blocks. For example, if a yellow hexagon represents one whole, what fractions do the trapezoid, rhombus, and triangle represent? Students will be creating a creature using the pattern block shapes and explaining the relationships between the shapes chosen. Please continue to help your child memorize their multiplication facts.
IMPORTANT DATES
Thursday, April 21 - Field Day 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Friday, April 22 - Spirit Day - Earth Day - Show your appreciation for the earth.
Monday, April 25 - Snow Make-up Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, April 10, 2016
WEEK OF APRIL 11, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I am excited about our in-house field trip tomorrow. The scientists from Science is Fun will be visiting our third graders to present a program on matter which should reinforce many of the concepts we learned when studying solids, liquids, and gases. I think the program will be very engaging for our students.
READING - This week in reading, we will be focusing on main ideas and supporting details. Tomorrow, we will determine the main idea and supporting details in various pieces of art. When reading with your child at home, please ask them to tell you the main idea of their reading in a sentence and support their answer with three details. This is a difficult concept for many students and practice at home will help reinforce this reading skill.
WRITING - Students will continue to research and write biographical reports on the family life, early life, school years, later life, and accomplishments of the person they are researching. We are writing this paper in a booklet format with a few illustrations included.
MATH - In math, we will continue to practice comparing fractions by drawing various types of visual models to prove our thinking. Students have also been playing some fraction games to enhance their understanding of fractions. A unit test will be given on Thursday.
SCIENCE - Students are excited about the bush bean they are growing in a plastic bag in class. We are hoping to see a sprout soon so that we can then transplant them in our garden at Douglas.
IMPORTANT DATES -
Friday, April 15 - National Tax Day - "Show Me the Money" Spirit Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I am excited about our in-house field trip tomorrow. The scientists from Science is Fun will be visiting our third graders to present a program on matter which should reinforce many of the concepts we learned when studying solids, liquids, and gases. I think the program will be very engaging for our students.
READING - This week in reading, we will be focusing on main ideas and supporting details. Tomorrow, we will determine the main idea and supporting details in various pieces of art. When reading with your child at home, please ask them to tell you the main idea of their reading in a sentence and support their answer with three details. This is a difficult concept for many students and practice at home will help reinforce this reading skill.
WRITING - Students will continue to research and write biographical reports on the family life, early life, school years, later life, and accomplishments of the person they are researching. We are writing this paper in a booklet format with a few illustrations included.
MATH - In math, we will continue to practice comparing fractions by drawing various types of visual models to prove our thinking. Students have also been playing some fraction games to enhance their understanding of fractions. A unit test will be given on Thursday.
SCIENCE - Students are excited about the bush bean they are growing in a plastic bag in class. We are hoping to see a sprout soon so that we can then transplant them in our garden at Douglas.
IMPORTANT DATES -
Friday, April 15 - National Tax Day - "Show Me the Money" Spirit Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, April 3, 2016
WEEK OF APRIL 4, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my Spring Break and hope that you also had a wonderful time with your families. I am looking forward to seeing your children and beginning a new quarter. It is hard to believe that this is our last quarter of the school year!
.
Students will be receiving their new reading logs for the month of April tomorrow. During the final quarter, the expectation is that students will read 30 minutes nightly. Thank you for continuing to sign both the reading and multiplication logs. **Also, I am not sending the weekly work habits/conduct reports in the Monday folders tomorrow since we have been on break. I will include these reports in the Monday folders going home on April 11.
INFO FOR THE COMING WEEK:
READING - Our focus in reading this week will be on the text structures of sequencing and compare/contrast. I have a fun activity planned for tomorrow involving Ritz crackers and Oreos to give students a hands-on lesson with comparing/contrasting. On Tuesday, we will compare and contrast two different pieces of art. Later in the week, we will sequence the events taking place in various art pieces.
WRITING - Students will continue researching and writing informational papers on their biographical characters.
MATH - We will continue our study of fractions as we learn how to compare them. Students will understand the relationship between fractions with the same numerators, but different denominators, as well as fractions with the same denominators, but different numerators. I will also be teaching games involving fractions that students will play during center time in math.
SCIENCE - I am looking forward to our Plant Growth and Development unit as we will be participating in several hands-on activities, including lessons in our Douglas Elementary garden, to learn about plants and soils. One of our first activities involves dissecting a lima bean to identify the parts of the seed.
IMPORTANT DATES
April 8 - PBIS Assembly - 10:15 - 10:45 am. - Gym
April 8 - Dress like an animal Spirit Day
April 8 - Report cards go home.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my Spring Break and hope that you also had a wonderful time with your families. I am looking forward to seeing your children and beginning a new quarter. It is hard to believe that this is our last quarter of the school year!
.
Students will be receiving their new reading logs for the month of April tomorrow. During the final quarter, the expectation is that students will read 30 minutes nightly. Thank you for continuing to sign both the reading and multiplication logs. **Also, I am not sending the weekly work habits/conduct reports in the Monday folders tomorrow since we have been on break. I will include these reports in the Monday folders going home on April 11.
INFO FOR THE COMING WEEK:
READING - Our focus in reading this week will be on the text structures of sequencing and compare/contrast. I have a fun activity planned for tomorrow involving Ritz crackers and Oreos to give students a hands-on lesson with comparing/contrasting. On Tuesday, we will compare and contrast two different pieces of art. Later in the week, we will sequence the events taking place in various art pieces.
WRITING - Students will continue researching and writing informational papers on their biographical characters.
MATH - We will continue our study of fractions as we learn how to compare them. Students will understand the relationship between fractions with the same numerators, but different denominators, as well as fractions with the same denominators, but different numerators. I will also be teaching games involving fractions that students will play during center time in math.
SCIENCE - I am looking forward to our Plant Growth and Development unit as we will be participating in several hands-on activities, including lessons in our Douglas Elementary garden, to learn about plants and soils. One of our first activities involves dissecting a lima bean to identify the parts of the seed.
IMPORTANT DATES
April 8 - PBIS Assembly - 10:15 - 10:45 am. - Gym
April 8 - Dress like an animal Spirit Day
April 8 - Report cards go home.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, March 20, 2016
WEEK OF MARCH 21, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I really enjoyed the Reading Conference that I attended last Sunday - Tuesday at the Raleigh Convention Center. Although I missed my class, I was grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by fellow educators, as well as authors, to continue my education in reading. I have already been implementing some of the strategies/interventions I learned with my own students.
As we prepare for the shorter week ahead, I wanted to highlight some of our class activities in each subject area.
READING - Students will be describing the relationship between the sequential steps in a process, using language that pertains to sequencing (first, next, finally, etc.). I will be asking students to sequence the steps involved in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while I actually make the sandwich according to their directions. This is always a fun lesson, especially if students do not carefully place the steps in order and use specific language when giving directions. We will also be looking at spelling patterns in the following words during our Word Work this week: question, threw, through, vacation, wear, we're, with. Students are being encouraged to use the Word Wall where these words are posted in order to improve their spelling skills.
WRITING - This past week we began another unit of informational writing with the focus on biographies. Students began researching the family life of their biographical character. Our writing will be done in a booklet format focusing on the following areas of the person's life: family, early life, school years, later life, and accomplishments.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will be finishing up Social Studies with Mr. Otto by the middle of this week. Upon our return from Spring Break, students will start the final unit in Science, which will be focusing upon plant growth and soils.
MATH - I am very proud of how students are working hard to conceptually understand fractions. They are doing a great job using precise vocabulary when explaining their thinking. This week we will continue to explore equivalent fractions by drawing various visual models such as fraction bars, number lines, and circle models. I have some fun games to teach my students to help them understand fractions.
On Monday, our class will be joining Ms. Flowers' class to hear Mr. Burns read aloud while we enjoy a sweet treat. Our two classes were the winners of the Achieve 3000 challenge among the third grade teachers. Ms. Flowers and I would like to reward our students for their hard work in using reading strategies. Also on Monday, we will also watch the Douglas Variety Show dress rehearsal during an afternoon assembly.
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, March 23 - Variety Show - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 25 - Sunday, April 3 - SPRING BREAK!
Tuesday, April 5 - Math Night - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Thank you for all of your support. I hope that you enjoy Spring Break and have some fun times with family.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I really enjoyed the Reading Conference that I attended last Sunday - Tuesday at the Raleigh Convention Center. Although I missed my class, I was grateful for the opportunity to be surrounded by fellow educators, as well as authors, to continue my education in reading. I have already been implementing some of the strategies/interventions I learned with my own students.
As we prepare for the shorter week ahead, I wanted to highlight some of our class activities in each subject area.
READING - Students will be describing the relationship between the sequential steps in a process, using language that pertains to sequencing (first, next, finally, etc.). I will be asking students to sequence the steps involved in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while I actually make the sandwich according to their directions. This is always a fun lesson, especially if students do not carefully place the steps in order and use specific language when giving directions. We will also be looking at spelling patterns in the following words during our Word Work this week: question, threw, through, vacation, wear, we're, with. Students are being encouraged to use the Word Wall where these words are posted in order to improve their spelling skills.
WRITING - This past week we began another unit of informational writing with the focus on biographies. Students began researching the family life of their biographical character. Our writing will be done in a booklet format focusing on the following areas of the person's life: family, early life, school years, later life, and accomplishments.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will be finishing up Social Studies with Mr. Otto by the middle of this week. Upon our return from Spring Break, students will start the final unit in Science, which will be focusing upon plant growth and soils.
MATH - I am very proud of how students are working hard to conceptually understand fractions. They are doing a great job using precise vocabulary when explaining their thinking. This week we will continue to explore equivalent fractions by drawing various visual models such as fraction bars, number lines, and circle models. I have some fun games to teach my students to help them understand fractions.
On Monday, our class will be joining Ms. Flowers' class to hear Mr. Burns read aloud while we enjoy a sweet treat. Our two classes were the winners of the Achieve 3000 challenge among the third grade teachers. Ms. Flowers and I would like to reward our students for their hard work in using reading strategies. Also on Monday, we will also watch the Douglas Variety Show dress rehearsal during an afternoon assembly.
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday, March 23 - Variety Show - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 25 - Sunday, April 3 - SPRING BREAK!
Tuesday, April 5 - Math Night - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Thank you for all of your support. I hope that you enjoy Spring Break and have some fun times with family.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, March 6, 2016
WEEK OF MARCH 6, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I hope you were able to rest and enjoy the weekend. Spring Break is almost here! In the meantime, here are some updates for our coming week:
Reading - This week in reading, students will continue identifying the ways in which texts are structured (chronological order, cause/effect, compare/contrast, etc.). Students will also be practicing distinguishing their own point of view from that of the narrator, characters, or author. Our third grade team has chosen some engaging texts on Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm to use for our lessons to engage our students. These texts come from the Achieve 3000 program and will be on your child's reading level.
Writing - Students wrote some very creative and interesting stories during our Writer in Residence program. We are going to further develop those stories during our realistic fiction unit as students add more descriptive details to "show" rather than "tell" their stories.
Social Studies - Mr. Otto is teaching students about why the European settlers came to America and the effect of their arrival upon the people already living in America.
Math - Students are working hard in math to understand the concepts of fractions. Last week, we focused upon the definition of a fraction (an equal part of a whole), as well as the difference between the numerator and the denominator. Students used graham crackers to understand that the size of the whole is important, and they also created mystery fractions to understand the difference between the numerator and the denominator. We will continue our study of fractions this week by partitioning number lines into equal parts.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, March 7 - Variety Show Auditions - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School to see a play
Friday, March 11 - Mad Scientist Program - 2:15 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - March Madness Spirit Day - Dress to represent your team
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I hope you were able to rest and enjoy the weekend. Spring Break is almost here! In the meantime, here are some updates for our coming week:
Reading - This week in reading, students will continue identifying the ways in which texts are structured (chronological order, cause/effect, compare/contrast, etc.). Students will also be practicing distinguishing their own point of view from that of the narrator, characters, or author. Our third grade team has chosen some engaging texts on Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm to use for our lessons to engage our students. These texts come from the Achieve 3000 program and will be on your child's reading level.
Writing - Students wrote some very creative and interesting stories during our Writer in Residence program. We are going to further develop those stories during our realistic fiction unit as students add more descriptive details to "show" rather than "tell" their stories.
Social Studies - Mr. Otto is teaching students about why the European settlers came to America and the effect of their arrival upon the people already living in America.
Math - Students are working hard in math to understand the concepts of fractions. Last week, we focused upon the definition of a fraction (an equal part of a whole), as well as the difference between the numerator and the denominator. Students used graham crackers to understand that the size of the whole is important, and they also created mystery fractions to understand the difference between the numerator and the denominator. We will continue our study of fractions this week by partitioning number lines into equal parts.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, March 7 - Variety Show Auditions - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School to see a play
Friday, March 11 - Mad Scientist Program - 2:15 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - March Madness Spirit Day - Dress to represent your team
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, February 28, 2016
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 29, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
Listed below is an overview of our plans for the upcoming week. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Informance this past Friday. I was very proud of our third graders and the hard work they put into preparing for their performance. They did a fantastic job!
READING - Students will continue deepening their comprehension of text by identifying the connection between paragraphs, as well as sentences within a text. These connections include sequence of events, cause/effect, problem/solution, among others. This week, I will share an inspirational read aloud about Wilma Rudolph's life. Students will sequence the events in her life, as well as determine what lessons they can learn from her. Students will also be learning how to distinguish their own point of view from that of the author or character.
WRITING - Last week, students enjoyed learning writing techniques from our Writer in Residence, Mrs. Silcox. They chose old black and white photographs from Mrs. Silcox's collection as inspiration for their story idea. Mrs. Silcox will return on Wednesday to make up a session we lost last week due to the severe weather early release. I am excited to read the finished products.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will continue their study of colonization with Mr. Otto this week.
MATH - I am excited to say that we begin a new math unit on fractions on Monday. I will be using graham crackers tomorrow to help students understand that the size of the whole in a fraction is very important. If the size of the whole is not the same, then the fractions are not the same. This week, we will also focus on the difference between the numerator and denominator, as well as unit fractions (fractions whose numerator is 1). Please try to make real life applications to fractions at home, especially when cooking. For example, it takes four fourths to make a whole cup.
IMPORTANT DATES -
Monday, February 29 - Friday, March 4 - Read Across America Week - Monday is wear a silly hat day. Your child has a notice with the attire for the rest of the week.
Thursday, March 3 - Science Night 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4 - Early Release
Monday, March 7 - Variety Show Auditions - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School to view a play
March 14 - 22 - Jump Rope for Heart
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Listed below is an overview of our plans for the upcoming week. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Informance this past Friday. I was very proud of our third graders and the hard work they put into preparing for their performance. They did a fantastic job!
READING - Students will continue deepening their comprehension of text by identifying the connection between paragraphs, as well as sentences within a text. These connections include sequence of events, cause/effect, problem/solution, among others. This week, I will share an inspirational read aloud about Wilma Rudolph's life. Students will sequence the events in her life, as well as determine what lessons they can learn from her. Students will also be learning how to distinguish their own point of view from that of the author or character.
WRITING - Last week, students enjoyed learning writing techniques from our Writer in Residence, Mrs. Silcox. They chose old black and white photographs from Mrs. Silcox's collection as inspiration for their story idea. Mrs. Silcox will return on Wednesday to make up a session we lost last week due to the severe weather early release. I am excited to read the finished products.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will continue their study of colonization with Mr. Otto this week.
MATH - I am excited to say that we begin a new math unit on fractions on Monday. I will be using graham crackers tomorrow to help students understand that the size of the whole in a fraction is very important. If the size of the whole is not the same, then the fractions are not the same. This week, we will also focus on the difference between the numerator and denominator, as well as unit fractions (fractions whose numerator is 1). Please try to make real life applications to fractions at home, especially when cooking. For example, it takes four fourths to make a whole cup.
IMPORTANT DATES -
Monday, February 29 - Friday, March 4 - Read Across America Week - Monday is wear a silly hat day. Your child has a notice with the attire for the rest of the week.
Thursday, March 3 - Science Night 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4 - Early Release
Monday, March 7 - Variety Show Auditions - 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School to view a play
March 14 - 22 - Jump Rope for Heart
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, February 21, 2016
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22,, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
Listed below is an overview of the upcoming week to keep you informed about the learning that is taking place in our classroom. Please let me know if you have any questions.
READING - In literacy this week, we will begin reading biographies, paying close attention to the sequence of events in the person's life, as well as why those events happened and the effect they had on the person. I will be modeling my lessons using a text about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Students will be making written responses in their reading notebooks following my lessons in order to strengthen their written expression.
WRITING - We have a special treat this week as our Writer in Residence will be working with all third grade students. She will be teaching my class from 12:20 - 1:10 each day. I am excited to see the writing pieces our students will be creating this week. We will also work on our realistic fiction stories as time allows this week. Students are working on a seven sentence story to create the foundation of their realistic stories. They have come up with some interesting ideas.
SCIENCE - We had a blast last week in science making oobleck, picking up ice with a string, and observing the amazing water trick (to understand the flow of heat energy). Students will take an assessment on the Changes in Matter unit on Monday. On Tuesday they begin a unit on colonization in Social Studies with Mr. Otto.
MATH - We will spend one more week on learning the concepts of area and perimeter of 2-D shapes. Our unit assessment will be on Friday, and then we move on to our fraction unit. Please continue to help your child practice his/her multiplication facts.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 22 - 26 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
February 23 - Interims go home
February 26 - 10:00 a.m. - Third Grade Informance
February 26 - Dress like an Idiom Spirit Day
March 3 - Science Night and Science Fair
March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School Matinee Program
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Listed below is an overview of the upcoming week to keep you informed about the learning that is taking place in our classroom. Please let me know if you have any questions.
READING - In literacy this week, we will begin reading biographies, paying close attention to the sequence of events in the person's life, as well as why those events happened and the effect they had on the person. I will be modeling my lessons using a text about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Students will be making written responses in their reading notebooks following my lessons in order to strengthen their written expression.
WRITING - We have a special treat this week as our Writer in Residence will be working with all third grade students. She will be teaching my class from 12:20 - 1:10 each day. I am excited to see the writing pieces our students will be creating this week. We will also work on our realistic fiction stories as time allows this week. Students are working on a seven sentence story to create the foundation of their realistic stories. They have come up with some interesting ideas.
SCIENCE - We had a blast last week in science making oobleck, picking up ice with a string, and observing the amazing water trick (to understand the flow of heat energy). Students will take an assessment on the Changes in Matter unit on Monday. On Tuesday they begin a unit on colonization in Social Studies with Mr. Otto.
MATH - We will spend one more week on learning the concepts of area and perimeter of 2-D shapes. Our unit assessment will be on Friday, and then we move on to our fraction unit. Please continue to help your child practice his/her multiplication facts.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 22 - 26 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
February 23 - Interims go home
February 26 - 10:00 a.m. - Third Grade Informance
February 26 - Dress like an Idiom Spirit Day
March 3 - Science Night and Science Fair
March 11 - Field Trip to Wake Forest High School Matinee Program
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Monday, February 15, 2016
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 15, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed the extra day at home we received due to our winter weather. As we begin our week, listed below is some helpful information:
READING - We will continue reading mysteries, poems, and dramas to determine how chapters, stanzas, and scenes build upon one another. Students will also be asking and answering questions about their reading to monitor comprehension.
WRITING - Students will begin recognizing the characteristics of realistic fiction as I share a read aloud with them tomorrow. They will begin to connect moments from their own lives as ideas for their own realistic fiction stories. Some students still need to complete their informational papers from the previous unit and may need to work on this at home.
SCIENCE - This past week, students observed physical changes in matter by soaking gummy bears in water and making rootbeer floats. They also performed some hands-on labs to determine the factors that affect the speed at which a solid will dissolve. This week, we will challenge our thinking through more cool experiments. This unit will be winding down by the beginning of next week.
MATH - Students will continue their conceptual understanding of area and perimeter as they work with more rectilinear figures and arrays. Area and perimeter is an important part of the third grade math curriculum, so it would be helpful if you could reinforce these concepts at home by applying them to real life (discussing the area of the rug or the amount of border that would be needed to go around the bedroom which is perimeter).
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, February 22 - 26 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
Tuesday, February 23 - Interims go home
Friday, February 26 - Third Grade Informance - 10:00 a.m.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I hope you enjoyed the extra day at home we received due to our winter weather. As we begin our week, listed below is some helpful information:
READING - We will continue reading mysteries, poems, and dramas to determine how chapters, stanzas, and scenes build upon one another. Students will also be asking and answering questions about their reading to monitor comprehension.
WRITING - Students will begin recognizing the characteristics of realistic fiction as I share a read aloud with them tomorrow. They will begin to connect moments from their own lives as ideas for their own realistic fiction stories. Some students still need to complete their informational papers from the previous unit and may need to work on this at home.
SCIENCE - This past week, students observed physical changes in matter by soaking gummy bears in water and making rootbeer floats. They also performed some hands-on labs to determine the factors that affect the speed at which a solid will dissolve. This week, we will challenge our thinking through more cool experiments. This unit will be winding down by the beginning of next week.
MATH - Students will continue their conceptual understanding of area and perimeter as they work with more rectilinear figures and arrays. Area and perimeter is an important part of the third grade math curriculum, so it would be helpful if you could reinforce these concepts at home by applying them to real life (discussing the area of the rug or the amount of border that would be needed to go around the bedroom which is perimeter).
IMPORTANT DATES
Friday, February 22 - 26 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
Tuesday, February 23 - Interims go home
Friday, February 26 - Third Grade Informance - 10:00 a.m.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, February 7, 2016
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 8, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
Listed below is the plan for the upcoming week!
READING - Students will be referring to parts of stories, dramas, and poems using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza. They will be describing how each successive part builds on earlier sections as they participate in fun activities such as writing their own stanza to a poem entitled "Selfie." I think students will enjoy the poems, dramas, and read alouds we will be using this week in our minilessons. We will transition back to Word Work for the upcoming week. Our words this week are buy, didn't, general, one, sometimes, and something. Students will chant the words in various ways, as well as practice using these words in Word Work lessons.
WRITING - In Writer's Workshop, we will revise and edit our informational papers we have been writing based on animal research. Final drafts will be written hopefully by the middle of the week, and then we will move on to realistic fiction writing.
SCIENCE - This past week in science we had a melting race with ice, melted crayons, melted a pumpkin (Ask your child about this one.), created a cloud in a jar, cleaned pennies with vinegar and salt, blew up a balloon with vinegar and baking soda, and baked a cake in a cup as we explored changes in matter, as well as physical vs. chemical reactions. More fun experiments are planned this week.
MATH - In math, we will continue our study of area and perimeter. Students will be designing their own clubhouse using centimeter graph paper. They will also calculate the area and perimeter of the rooms in their clubhouse. Please reinforce area as the amount of surface covered or enclosed by a figure measured in square units and perimeter is the distance around the outside of the shape.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 10 - Boosterthon Fun Run
February 12 - Early Release Day
February 12 - School Dance
February 15 - Snow Make-up Day
February 26 - Science/Dance/Music Informance - 10:00 a.m. **** I made a mistake on last week's newsletter and put the date of this event as February 12. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Listed below is the plan for the upcoming week!
READING - Students will be referring to parts of stories, dramas, and poems using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza. They will be describing how each successive part builds on earlier sections as they participate in fun activities such as writing their own stanza to a poem entitled "Selfie." I think students will enjoy the poems, dramas, and read alouds we will be using this week in our minilessons. We will transition back to Word Work for the upcoming week. Our words this week are buy, didn't, general, one, sometimes, and something. Students will chant the words in various ways, as well as practice using these words in Word Work lessons.
WRITING - In Writer's Workshop, we will revise and edit our informational papers we have been writing based on animal research. Final drafts will be written hopefully by the middle of the week, and then we will move on to realistic fiction writing.
SCIENCE - This past week in science we had a melting race with ice, melted crayons, melted a pumpkin (Ask your child about this one.), created a cloud in a jar, cleaned pennies with vinegar and salt, blew up a balloon with vinegar and baking soda, and baked a cake in a cup as we explored changes in matter, as well as physical vs. chemical reactions. More fun experiments are planned this week.
MATH - In math, we will continue our study of area and perimeter. Students will be designing their own clubhouse using centimeter graph paper. They will also calculate the area and perimeter of the rooms in their clubhouse. Please reinforce area as the amount of surface covered or enclosed by a figure measured in square units and perimeter is the distance around the outside of the shape.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 10 - Boosterthon Fun Run
February 12 - Early Release Day
February 12 - School Dance
February 15 - Snow Make-up Day
February 26 - Science/Dance/Music Informance - 10:00 a.m. **** I made a mistake on last week's newsletter and put the date of this event as February 12. I apologize for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, January 31, 2016
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1, 2016 NEWS
Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that we are already into our third quarter of the school year. The weeks seem to be flying by as we stay busy with all the fun activities going on at our school. I am listing below some information regarding our curriculum and upcoming events for the week ahead. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
READING - Students are enjoying learning about the elements of mysteries and some of the specific vocabulary (suspects, alibi, red herring, etc.) specific to this genre. Last week, we read some one minute mysteries and used our inferring skills to solve these mysteries. I have encouraged your child to check a mystery out of the class library or school library so that they may practice the skills they are learning in their own book. This week, I will be sharing a couple of fun mystery read alouds entitled Grandpa's Teeth and Private I. Guana to help my students understand the elements of mysteries. The mid-year reading assessments are almost completed, and I will be sending a letter home soon to let you know your child's fluency and comprehension levels at this point in the year.
WRITING - Students are now writing the rough draft of their animal informational paper. They have researched the appearance, diet, habitat, care of the young, and interesting fun facts on the animal they chose. Now, they are learning how to write a main idea sentence for each paragraph supported with details. We will continue writing the rough draft this week, and I am hoping to have students "publish" (write final copies) these by the early part of next week.
SCIENCE - In science, students are building upon the study of solids, liquids, and gases from second grade by exploring the ways matter changes. We have been reviewing the properties of solids, liquids, and gases by doing some kinesthetic activities in class. This past Friday, students created a poster to distinguish the differences between the three states of matter using fruit loops to represent the molecules. This is a fun unit with some really cool experiments that students will enjoy.
MATH - We will continue our study of area and perimeter in math for the upcoming week. We have been using manipulatives such as tiles and Cheez-Its to understand area, as well as apply area in real life situations to make it more applicable to the students. On Monday, we will be creating rectangles using graph paper and colored pencils to explore rectilinear area. When talking with your child at home, please relate area and perimeter to items around the house to help students distinguish the difference between the two.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, February 1 - PTA Boosterthon begins
Friday, February 5 - Superbowl Spirit Day - Wear Carolina Panthers or Denver Broncos colors/team gear or wear your Douglas shirts.
Friday, February 12 - Music, Dance, and Science Informance
Friday, February 12 - Early Release Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
It is hard to believe that we are already into our third quarter of the school year. The weeks seem to be flying by as we stay busy with all the fun activities going on at our school. I am listing below some information regarding our curriculum and upcoming events for the week ahead. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
READING - Students are enjoying learning about the elements of mysteries and some of the specific vocabulary (suspects, alibi, red herring, etc.) specific to this genre. Last week, we read some one minute mysteries and used our inferring skills to solve these mysteries. I have encouraged your child to check a mystery out of the class library or school library so that they may practice the skills they are learning in their own book. This week, I will be sharing a couple of fun mystery read alouds entitled Grandpa's Teeth and Private I. Guana to help my students understand the elements of mysteries. The mid-year reading assessments are almost completed, and I will be sending a letter home soon to let you know your child's fluency and comprehension levels at this point in the year.
WRITING - Students are now writing the rough draft of their animal informational paper. They have researched the appearance, diet, habitat, care of the young, and interesting fun facts on the animal they chose. Now, they are learning how to write a main idea sentence for each paragraph supported with details. We will continue writing the rough draft this week, and I am hoping to have students "publish" (write final copies) these by the early part of next week.
SCIENCE - In science, students are building upon the study of solids, liquids, and gases from second grade by exploring the ways matter changes. We have been reviewing the properties of solids, liquids, and gases by doing some kinesthetic activities in class. This past Friday, students created a poster to distinguish the differences between the three states of matter using fruit loops to represent the molecules. This is a fun unit with some really cool experiments that students will enjoy.
MATH - We will continue our study of area and perimeter in math for the upcoming week. We have been using manipulatives such as tiles and Cheez-Its to understand area, as well as apply area in real life situations to make it more applicable to the students. On Monday, we will be creating rectangles using graph paper and colored pencils to explore rectilinear area. When talking with your child at home, please relate area and perimeter to items around the house to help students distinguish the difference between the two.
IMPORTANT DATES
Monday, February 1 - PTA Boosterthon begins
Friday, February 5 - Superbowl Spirit Day - Wear Carolina Panthers or Denver Broncos colors/team gear or wear your Douglas shirts.
Friday, February 12 - Music, Dance, and Science Informance
Friday, February 12 - Early Release Day
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
Sunday, January 3, 2016
WEEK OF JANUARY 4, 2016 NEWS
Happy New Year Parents,
I hope you enjoyed the holiday season with your families and had time to relax. I am excited about a fresh start to a new year and teaching your children. I must say that I thought about them quite a bit during the break and am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. Listed below is an overview for the coming week.
READING - We will continue our study of informational text as we focus on the main idea and supporting details not only in written text, but in pictures as well. We will also incorporate poetry into Reader's Workshop this week to practice determining main idea in a different genre of text. In Work Work, students will be learning the spellings of the following words: knew, new, know, no, probably, and usually. They are enjoying participating in the interactive chants we have learned to help us remember our words.
WRITING - Students are also practicing determining main idea and supporting details in Writer's Workshop as they write on a topic in which they are an expert. We will finish writing these informational papers this week and begin writing a research-based paper on an animal of their choice towards the end of the week. Students seem to enjoy this writing that is based on factual information.
MATH - We will review strategies for multiplying and dividing, as well as estimating during the first part of the week in preparation for a test in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). Our next unit of study in math is graphing which will include reading and creating bar graphs and pictographs. I think students will enjoy the hands-on activities planned in this unit to help them create their graphs.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will be wrapping up the unit on Economics and Financial Literacy with Mr. Otto.
IMPORTANT DATES - January 6 - January 26 - mClass reading assessment window
January 11 - 15 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
January 20 - Reading Case 21 Testing for Third Grade
January 21 - Math Case 21 Testing for Third Grade
January 15 - Quarter 2 ends
I look forward to working with you as we begin the new year. I am very grateful for your support. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
I hope you enjoyed the holiday season with your families and had time to relax. I am excited about a fresh start to a new year and teaching your children. I must say that I thought about them quite a bit during the break and am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. Listed below is an overview for the coming week.
READING - We will continue our study of informational text as we focus on the main idea and supporting details not only in written text, but in pictures as well. We will also incorporate poetry into Reader's Workshop this week to practice determining main idea in a different genre of text. In Work Work, students will be learning the spellings of the following words: knew, new, know, no, probably, and usually. They are enjoying participating in the interactive chants we have learned to help us remember our words.
WRITING - Students are also practicing determining main idea and supporting details in Writer's Workshop as they write on a topic in which they are an expert. We will finish writing these informational papers this week and begin writing a research-based paper on an animal of their choice towards the end of the week. Students seem to enjoy this writing that is based on factual information.
MATH - We will review strategies for multiplying and dividing, as well as estimating during the first part of the week in preparation for a test in the middle of the week (Wednesday or Thursday). Our next unit of study in math is graphing which will include reading and creating bar graphs and pictographs. I think students will enjoy the hands-on activities planned in this unit to help them create their graphs.
SOCIAL STUDIES - Students will be wrapping up the unit on Economics and Financial Literacy with Mr. Otto.
IMPORTANT DATES - January 6 - January 26 - mClass reading assessment window
January 11 - 15 - Third Grade Writer in Residence
January 20 - Reading Case 21 Testing for Third Grade
January 21 - Math Case 21 Testing for Third Grade
January 15 - Quarter 2 ends
I look forward to working with you as we begin the new year. I am very grateful for your support. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Ms. Underwood
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