Month: January 2018
The Middle
Hello,
Here we are officially the middle of the school year. I can’t believe they are half way to 4th grade! But for now they are still 3rd graders and here is what you need to know.
- Today we are working on report cards and they will come home in backpacks on Monday.
- We have been LOVING being cafeteria helpers. The love of doing this service to our community wanes as they get older but right now they are joyful helpers.
- We have finished another math book and they will come home to you by next week if you are interested in checking it out.
- We have just split up into our Bee research groups and our Storyline will really start to heat up after this.
- We scheduled our Bee Fair Culmination for March 22nd. Stay tuned for more detail on that as it gets closer.
- We are doing the pledge of allegiance now on Fridays over the loud speaker. The district is pushing us to do it. If you have strong feelings about it you should email Meisha or Andrew.
This is all I can think of for now. Have a great week!
Allison
Reading Update and Book Tasting
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed your break and that 2018 is off to a good start for your family. I just wanted to give you an update about third grade reading and our focus for the 3rd quarter.
Over the last two weeks in December, we wrapped up our Book Clubs. Each group spent several weeks reading a book; most groups read a picture book although a few groups read a non-fiction book. Groups would meet to discuss what they had read and we would focus on different story elements. We looked at character traits, story retelling, setting, responding to text, and re-designing the book cover. Book Club packets were sent home before break. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest checking your child’s backpack!
Right now, I am working on reading assessments for the second quarter report cards. When those are finished, we will move into reading groups again. This quarter, we will look at answering questions with supporting evidence, text features, and close reading (reading a text several times and learning how to glean different information from each read). In addition to the reading group work, we will continue to have word work that focuses on different parts of speech, spelling patterns, and vocabulary terms.
On the Friday before Winter Break, both third grade classes participated in our first Book Tasting of the year! A Book Tasting is a fun way to expose readers to books they might not otherwise select on their own. I placed 5 different genres of books (historical fiction, biography, fantasy, series chapter books, and popular authors) on trays and set up each table with a tablecloth. Students received a “menu” where they recorded their thoughts and impressions of the book. They were asked to read for 5 minutes before doing any writing, just enough to get a “taste” of a book!
After groups had been rotated through all the different tables and tasted a variety of books, they wrote a reflection of their experience. Many students shared that they were surprised they enjoyed a book that they had not expected to like! Students will be getting their menus back this week to remind themselves of the books they are excited to read. Overall, the book tasting was a big hit and a fun way to get some reading in right before Winter Break.
If you ever have any questions about reading or your child’s progress, please do not hesitate to get in touch. My email is klongstr@pps.net
Happy Reading!
Katie
Happy New Year!
I just wanted to say Thank you so much for all of my wonderful holiday gifts. It really makes me feel very special. I was able to pool that money with money that I have been saving and I finally got my Vitamix. So exciting! I am going to have soups for days.
Things we are looking forward to in the new year:
- Really getting in to Multipliation
- Deciding on what Bee is right for our school
- Oregon Battle of the Books
Thank you so much, have a wonderful New Year and stay healthy!
Allison
CSS 3rd Grade 