In math we have begun a new unit on measurement.  Along with it we had Mr. Hartland come in to read The Principal’s New Clothes.  There are many good lessons in this book.  We discussed a few, and a few more we will be putting into action!  Beginning next week, we are going to see how we “measure up” by creating manequins of Mr. Hartland and making them new clothes!  It will be a great way for the kids to put measurement into practice, and also learn how hard a taylor has to work to create a new outfit for a customer!  More to come about that…

Miss DiFiore will complete a unit on voting this week with the students, with their culminating activity being voting for president!  The students are excited to find out if their findings match up with those of the country.  Next week we will switch back to science again with a continuation of our animal unit; this time focusing on the ecosystem and animal adaptations. 

The theme of our current language arts unit is “What a Team”.  So far the students have read about cleaning up beaches to save animal populations, Balto and his courageous trip to Nome, Alaska, and this week, a story about a photographer who shoots pictures of marine life.  To round out the unit we will switch back to fantasy with Little Grunt and the Big Egg, and complete the unit with a personal narrative called Rosie, a Visiting Dog’s Story.

As always, keep your eyes tuned to the weather.  The kiddos go outside unless it is raining, and as the weather turns they should have the appropriate gear to be comfortable.  Until later…

As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns!  Thanks for your support in this first home project of the year! Habitat Project and Rubric

Reading – As part of the regular homework on Monday through Thursday nights, your child will be required to read for 15 minutes.  I will ask that this reading be logged on a calendar, which will be turned in each Monday.  I ask that you initial the calendar at the end of the week to verify that your child did the reading.  I know this is one more piece to keep track of, and I will discontinue the calendars once I see that children are in the routine of completing the reading.  However, if I feel a student is not doing the reading on a regular basis, I will continue use of the calendar for that student.  Additionally, I require that each student read two chapter books per quarter, and ask that they be books selected from our Accelerated Reader list.  This list can be found on the Chippewa website, at the local library, or at the library at school.  There is a wide variety of chapter books on the list, so I am sure your child will have no trouble finding ones of interest.  When the book is finished, your child will take an AR test at school.  Passing the test will earn them their first bookmark for the quarter.  Again, I require that each child earn two.  (These books can be used for their evening reading, and they can be brought to school to read during quiet reading times.)

Friday Folder Behavior Chart – Just as a reminder, the chart will tell you how your child’s behavior was that week at school and also has a place for any comments or concerns you wish to share.  Please also keep in mind that any papers in the Friday Folder that are marked “CAR” mean “Complete and Return”.

As I think of more items that I forgot to mention, I’ll keep you posted!  Thank you for all of your support!

 As you know, we have been doing addition and subtraction timed tests every week.  The children are charting their progress on these facts.  Addition is moving along at a pretty steady progression, however, subtraction facts need much more work and fluency.

 Social Studies finds us learning about our community–the people within the community and the landforms that surround our community.  We have also learned about “sister cities”, and that although other cities are culturally different than our own, we are all still people with the same wants and needs.  Wrap up of our first unit will be this week with a test on Wednesday covering the study guide concepts that came home last week.

In science we will soon be studying the wonderful world of animals.  The kids will create posters identifying four different habitats, the producers and consumers within those habitats, and a food chain within the habitat. 

Our current theme in language arts is Something Special!  We have read stories about a girl who spoke two languages, a police officer who teams with a dog to teach safety rules, and soon a boy who loves to solve mysteries.  We will venture into the worlds of basketball and the Olympics with our last two stories.  Focus during this theme has been on decoding words, writing complete sentences (including capital letters and punctuation), and reviewing common spelling patterns.

Please remember to have your child dress for the weather as it begins to turn into fall.  We head outside as long as it is not raining, so please have them dress accordingly!

Until later….

 By the way, don’t forget to check out the “Gallery” to see some pictures of the kids in action in the classroom!  They are proud of their creations!

To my former students, best of luck with the new year!  Remember to stop in and visit me if you ever get the chance.  I will be anxious to hear how your new year is going.  And to my 07-08 students, I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed the recipes you all shared with me in the cookbook!  We have relished many tasty treats over the summer, and my family now has new favorites that they request often from tasty chicken wings to spinach-artichoke dip to marinated pork tenderloin–all have been a delight.  Best of all, I enjoy reminiscing about all of you as I look at the pictures included in the book.  You leave me with fond memories!

To my new third graders, welcome aboard!  I look forward to meeting you and your family members very soon.  This year there will be a student teacher in our room for the beginning of the school year.  Her name is Miss DiFiore, and she is currently attending Ursuline College.  She will be with us until Winter Break.  She is very excited about meeting all of you and working with you during her time at Chippewa!

Enjoy these last few weeks before the new year begins, and we will see you on Meet the Teacher Night!