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
Sunday, April 24, 2016
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
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