Thursday, October 29, 2009

Week of November 2-6





Important Dates:
*Vocab quiz Monday 11/2
*Spelling test Friday 11/6


Classroom Chatter

3rd Grade Team Picture Class Picture

Thank you to Mrs. Scehovic, Mrs. Paskvan, Mrs. Pileggi, Mrs. Arce, and Mrs. Daniele for helping us decorate pumpkins at our Halloween Party. We had a spook-tacular time! Congrats to our very on Alyssa! She one 1st prize at the pumpkin decorating contest!


I hope everyone enjoys the day off tomorrow. Have a happy and safe Halloween!!!!

Check out this great website to carve your own pumpkin! http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf



Spelling
This week's words are from lesson 10. The end in a double consonant. We will take a pretest on Monday. The test will be Friday.

English
We will begin Unit 3 Verbs. This week we will learn about verbs, verbs in the present, and verbs in the past.

Reading
We will finish up Cliffhanger vocab quiz on Monday. We will also do an extended reading response on Cliffhanger. Students will also share their book reports with the class. Nice job! Information about November/December's book report will come home Monday.

Science
This week, our focus will be chapter 4 lesson 3-How Living Things Survive in Ecosystems. We will learn about adaptation, instincts, hibernation, migration, mimicry and camouflage.

Social Studies
We will continue with our study of Downers Grove. Next week is our field trip!

Math
We will finish up the first half of chapter 3 which teaches multiplication. We also will be taking a mad minute on x3's. We will begin the second part of chapter 3 next week and focus our studies on division.







Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Week of October 26-30




Important Dates:
*Book reports due Thursday 10/29
*Spelling test Thursday 10/29
*Matter Matters in-class presentation 10/29
*Halloween party and parade Thursday 10/29
*No school Friday 10/30 Teacher's Institute

Classroom Chatter

We have a busy and exciting week to look forward to. Hopefully, your child has been thinking about creative ways to decorate/dress up his or her pumpkin for the contest on Thursday. A note went home last week about this. The students will need to bring in items from home to decorate a pumpkin, provided by the PTO, Thursday, 10/29.

Guidelines--- There is no paint allowed in the classrooms and sharp objects such as knives and scissors are also prohibited. There is to be no "carving" of the pumpkins and they must remain intact.

So what do I send in???
Ideas---

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLR&um=1&q=pumpkin+decorating+%2B+no+carve&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20

toothpicks to hold things in place
pipe cleaners
cotton
thumbtack/pushpins
different colored foam
dried fall corn cobs
googly eyes
hats
shoe/footwear, if your pumpkin will have feet
hair
feathers
leaves
twigs
bottle caps
vegetables
rocks/stones
glasses

Maybe brainstorm some kind of theme they could follow for their pumpkin.
BE CREATIVE!!!

Here are some ideas we found when we googled images at:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GGLR&um=1&q=pumpkin+decorating+%2B+no+carve&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20

Have fun with your design!!

Your child may bring their costume to change into on Thursday. We will change into them (boys and girls separately) after lunch/recess. Students will go home in their costumes.

Don't forget that Friday is no school for teacher's institute.

Spelling
This week we won't have a pretest due to the shortened week. We will have Halloween spelling words this week. The list will come home Monday. The test will be Thursday. This week's homework I will provide. It isn't in the spelling books.


English
This week we will spend on descriptive writing.

Reading
Cliffhanger is the next story we will read. We will work on the skill cause and effect.


Science
We will continue with chapter 4. This week, lesson 2 teaches us about specific types of ecosystems like the desert, grasslands, and forest.


Social Studies
We will continue with Downers Grove. Students received a new DG packet and learning log. It is in their social studies folder. This covers present day Downers Grove.


Math
This week we will continue with multiplication. We will learn about the properties of multiplication. We also will be doing some Halloween math.


Friday, October 16, 2009

Week of October 19-23

Important Dates:
*DG History Quiz Monday 10/19
*Art to Remember due 10/20
*Early Dismissal Wednesday 10/21
*Noun Test Thursday 10/22
*Book Fair Thursday 10/22
*Spelling Test Friday 10/23

Classroom Chatter
Don't forget on Wednesday we have early dismissal. Students will be dismissed at 11 am!

Thursday is our Book Fair from 6:30-8 pm. I won't be sending home scholastic book orders for the month of October due to the book fair.

I am all set with my chaperons for Downers Grove next month. I would like to still invite any parents that would like to join us for lunch. You can meet us at Girodano's pizza at 11:45. You are also welcome to join your child's group as the tour downtown DG to visit the local merchants and Main Street Cemetery.

Spelling
This week is lesson 8. It is a review of the rules from lessons 1-7. There will be a practice sheet that will come home Monday to practice the format for Friday's test.

English
We will finish up Unit 2 Nouns with a test on Thursday. The study guide went home on Friday. It is in the english folder.

Reading
We will continue with the monitor/clarify strategy as we read the story, Seal Surfer.

Science
We will begin chapter 4 this week. Chapter 4 is all about Where Living Things are Found. This week we will learn about ecosystems.

Social Studies
We will take a quiz on Monday on the history of Downers Grove. We will continue learning about Downers Grove as well as chapter 12 in our social studies textbook. Chapter 12 teaches us about local governments.

Math
We will begin chapter 3 this week on multiplication. We will also begin our multiplication mad minutes. We will begin with x0's and x'1s this week. There will be a mix of x0's and x1's on the mad minute. Students will have 2 minutes to complete 26 problems. Check out the following website to help practice your multiplication facts:
www.multiplication.com (flash cards can be printed from here)
www.coolmath4kids.com (click on "times tables")
www.aaamath.com/grade3.html (click on multiplication and/or multiplication facts


Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Week of October 12-16

Important Dates
*No School Monday 10/12-Columbus Day
*Vocab quiz Wednesday 10/14
*Science test Thursday 1/15
*Spelling test Friday 10/16



Classroom Chatter
Don't forget no school on Monday for Columbus Day! Enjoy the day off!


Third Grade Intramural Games will be starting for all third graders in November. Permission slips are available through the PE department this week. If your child is interested in this before school program, please have your child bring home a permission slip. Thanks!



Spelling
L. 7 words this week are irregular plurals. There will not be a pretest this week due to the shortened week. The test is Friday. The list will come home Tuesday.





English
We will continue with Nouns in Unit 2. This week we will study plural nouns, special plural nouns, and singular possessive nouns.

Reading
This week we will continue with the monitor/clarify strategy and fact/opinion skill. We will finish up with Nights of the Pufflings by taking a vocabulary quiz Wednesday. We also will be doing an extended reading response on puffins.


Science
We will be having the Ch. 11 test on Matter on Thursday 10/15. The study guide went home last week. It is in the science folder. Have you seen it?

Social Studies
We will continue with our study of Downers Grove. This week students will learn about John Manning, Dicke Tool Company, and the Tivoli movie theater. Our field trip to Downers Grove is booked for November 10th. Look for a permission slip to come home this week!

Math
We will finish up chapter two with making change with money. The chapter 2 test is scheduled for Friday, 10/16.







Thursday, October 1, 2009

Week of October 5-9

Important Dates:
Spelling Test Friday 10/9
Matter Monday due 10/13

Classroom Chatter
The Rotary Club of Darien dropped by the third grade this past week. They donated dictionaries for each child in third grade. These dictionaries have the longest word in the English Language on the last page. Can you pronounce it?

Spelling
L. 6 words are plurals of consonant plus y. There will be a pretest on Monday and the test is Friday.

English
We will begin Unit 2 Nouns this week. We will learn about nouns, proper & common nouns, and nouns in the subject.

Reading
We will begin a new strategy this week: monitor and clarify. We will also work on fact and opinion. We will do this while reading a non-fictional story on Puffins.

Social Studies
Last week students learned about Pierce Downer, who was the founder of Downers Grove. We will continue with our study about the history of Downers Grove.

Science
We will finish with matter in chapter 11. This week we will read lesson 3 to learn how matter changes. We will be having a test on matter on Thursday 11/15. I'll send a study guide home this week to help with studying.

Math
We will explore subtraction across zeros, problem solving, mental math strategies, and making change with money. Don't forget, we start multiplication mad minutes in chapter 3. Practice those flash cards!