Weekly Wrap Up

It might have been a short week, but it’s been a busy week! We took some time to examine a few online resources, all of which can be accessed from home, and I want to share with you. Login information for each is written on their printed newsletter that came home on Friday. 

The first is enVision Math. This is the online resource for our math curriculum. After logging in, students and parents can view the instructional video from the day. To access it after logging in, click on the “Explore” button on the right side of the banner. From there click on topic, and then select the lesson. Students (and parents) can also access the book once logged in.

Next is MyOn. This is a free ebook site! On Thursday students took an interest inventory and placement test. Books were then recommended for them that are appropriate to their level and of interest to them. After reading a book students take a brief, 5 question, comprehension quiz. I am able to access and analyze their reading data. Login as your child and you can see their data, too. Video and print tutorials for MyOn can be found here: http://prodev.myon.com/at-home/get-started

Last is Typing Club. This is a keyboarding site, which steps students through learning to keyboard, including graphics which show the correct finger placement and usage. This program retains student progress if logged into with their District Google credentials. 

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Understanding figurative langage
• Writer’s Workshop: Putting together all the pieces that go into personal narrative writing
• Math: 3-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping.

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

We’ve been working hard on learning to make higher level predictions in reading. This means that your child doesn’t just predict what might happen in the story or with a character, but they also use evidence from the story to support their prediction. We’re even learning to kick it up another notch to include information we know from our own lives to help understand the motivation of the characters. You can help at home by asking your child to tell you about what they read, and then ask them to make a predication about what might happen next, reminding them to use “because statements” to support their prediction.

October is Fire Prevention Month! Does your child know what to do in case of an emergency? Does he/she know your home evacuation plan and family meeting spot in case of a fire? Does he/she know how to use the emergency call option on a smart phone?

A draft version of the contact list will go home next week. Please check it over carefully, and let me know if you want any changes made (or if I made a mistake on your information).

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Review of making predictions and doing the “big step” retell.
• Writer’s Workshop: Writing endings, and editing/revising
• Math: Unit 2 review and test. Start Unit 3 on 3-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping.

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education! Enjoy the long weekend!

Weekly Wrap Up

A number of you have expressed concern to me over whether or not your child has more homework than reading and math facts practice. No, they don’t. Board of Education policy limits homework at the third grade level to 30 minutes a night. This has to include reading time. So, that’s why it’s only 20 minutes of reading and 10 minutes of math facts. In just a little over a month they’ll be working on learning multiplication facts, so it’s really important that right now your child learns their addition and subtraction facts. Just as quickly as they know that 1+1=2, they should know harder facts such as 17-9. It shouldn’t take more than 2-3 seconds per fact, otherwise they don’t actually know them. Reading should be any book they want, 20 minutes a night, 5 nights a week, and math facts should be 10 minutes, 5 nights a week.

Speaking of math, as you might have noticed from the papers coming home, we’ve been doing some review of 2-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping (what we used to call carrying and borrowing). If you’re wanting your child to do more schoolwork at home, writing up some problems that involve regrouping would be great practice! Soon we’ll be doing 3 and 4-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping, and “double regrouping” such as 323-176.

We’ve also been working making predictions in our reading and using information we’ve already read, as well as what we know about the character’s traits and personality, to help support those predictions. When you talk with your child about what he/she has read, you can ask them to predict what might happen next, and encourage them to support those predictions.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Decoding tricky words, using context clues, and figurative language
• Writer’s Workshop: Continuing to write small moment stories bit by bit, and including dialogue and characters’ thoughts and feelings
• Math: Estimating sums and differences

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Next week your child will bring home their first weekly progress report. It is intended to keep you informed of your child’s academic and social/behavioral progress during the week. It’s probably very similar to what was used in second grade. Please sign it and have your child put it in their Jungle Book to turn in on Monday. Children who return it signed on Monday get two Tiger Tickets!

Weekly reading logs and math fact logs start today, and will go from Friday to Friday.  This is your child’s homework. Each week your child is asked to read at home for 20mn., at least five nights a week, and record it in their reading log. They can read anything they want, that you approve of. They can also count time reading with you, to a sibling, or doing reading for any outside group or club such as scouts or church school. They’re also asked to work on their math facts for 10mn. a night at least five nights a week, and record it. Right now we’re sticking with just addition and subtraction facts. Later we’ll add in all multiplication and division facts. While there is a spot on the logs for parent signature, I don’t require it unless your child is not completing their weekly logs. You’re still more than welcome to monitor and sign them if you’d like.

I want to clarify that the student thoughts on how you can help them with math facts were their thoughts, not mine. :)  Please don’t feel like you need to go spend money on apps or give them extra computer time if that’s what your child wrote. Do what works best for your child and your family!

Do you have any extra plastic forks and spoons hanging around your house? Do you have a growing collection of plastic silverware from take-out dinner nights? We could use them in the classroom! Kids often have a snack that needs a fork or a spoon, and if I don’t have any in the classroom they have to go down to the cafeteria to get one. Any extras you have and could send in would be greatly appreciated!

Remember to follow our class on Twitter and get up to the minute pictures and news! We are @MrsCarnevale3rd. Also, follow our district at @PlvComSchools. On Twitter you can also follow the district hashtag, #plainvilleschools as well as #plainvillerocks and #toffolontigers

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Comprehension checks and retell
• Writer’s Workshop: Using leads and stretching a story out bit by bit.
• Math: Place Value to 999,999 - including word, standard and expanded forms

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

What a super job your children have done settling into third grade! As I'm sure (hope!) you've heard, we've spent time practicing routines and procedures so that once we’re into our regular learning schedule next week things run smoothly. We’re also trying out alternative types of seating like yoga balls and hokki stools (for those who want to try them) to see what best helps us focus. We’ve tried out and rated different reading spots in the classroom, book shopped for reading books, learned how to use a hardcover math book and to put the answers in a spiral notebook. We also took math, reading and writing pre-tests, as well as timed addition and subtraction tests. The math fact test scores will go home next week after I get them corrected. On Thursday we even learned how to log into our Google accounts, and find and bookmark our class website and the Just for Kids page on it. I also introduced them to a fun keyboarding program that will help them begin to become familiar with keyboarding. We’ll be putting some time into keyboarding this year. Once all of our various computer programs and logins are set up, I’ll put together an access sheet for you with all of your child’s login information, so they can access from home if you want, and so you can always see what they’re doing.

Although I had originally planned to start reading logs and math fact logs next week, I want to hold off one more week, and give the children in-class practice time filling out their reading logs, so they’re able to independently fill it out at home. I also want to be able to send home their addition and subtraction math fact score reports so you can know how they did and what they need to practice at home. I’m still asking them to continue reading for at least 20 minutes a night, but they don’t have to log it. If they’ve got flash cards or games/apps at home, they might want to start practicing facts with those, too.

Remember to follow our class on Twitter and get up to the minute pictures and news! We are @MrsCarnevale3rd. Also, follow our district at @PlvComSchools. On Twitter you can also follow the district hashtag, #plainvilleschools as well as #plainvillerocks and #toffolontigers

Please send in a water bottle for your child to keep in class. They get pretty hot and thirsty with two wellness breaks and recess! Water bottles that close in a way that help prevent spills are greatly appreciated!

Parents of girls with longer hair…. you might want to toss a few hair ties in your daughter’s backpack. With recess and wellness breaks, they can get pretty hot, and might want to put their hair up before or after being outside.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Building reading stamina
• Writer’s Workshop: Finding ideas for true stories
• Math: Place Value to 999,999 - including word, standard and expanded forms

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Welcome!

Welcome to a wonderful new school year! This blog is intended to keep you informed about the weekly activities in our classroom - it's the digital edition of our print newsletter. We are all very excited about this new school year, and all of the opportunities that it brings. This week and next, the children will focus on getting to know each other, our classroom, and new academic routines, and ease back into the swing of school. There are many fun activities planned!

One of the most important things I need parents to do daily, starting tonight, is to look through each section of your child’s Jungle Book. This is the all important home-school binder that will keep your child organized, contain their homework paper (when we have it), reading and math logs, behavior calendar, and communicate information between us.

I know how hard it can be to get back into school routines, so reading is the only homework your child will have right now. There’s no log yet, but students are asked to notice things about their reading. More specifics can be found in the homework folder of their Jungle Book.

Starting next week we’ll log our reading, and practice math facts. Some nights a math homework sheet might come home. Homework should never be a struggle for your child, either academically or emotionally. If you find that it is, let’s meet and talk about it, and together come up with strategies or modifications to help.

Get up to the minute pictures and news from our class Twitter account, @MrsCarnevale3rd. We’ll tweet out what we learned or did each day!

For every family member that follows us, your child gets 10 Tiger Tickets!

Remember, our district is now on Twitter: @PlvComSchools

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

End of Year Wrap Up!

It’s amazing how fast the year went by. It seems like we were just bundling up against the cold of winter! I’d like to thank each of you for all of your support this year. It has been my absolute joy and privilege to teach this class of children. I have loved coming to work every day. It’s a very lucky person who gets to say that they truly love their job, and I am, indeed, very lucky! This class has worked so hard, and learned so much this year. They’re kind, sweet, hilariously funny, and super hard working kids! The days when they randomly broke out into song or started dancing will always bring a smile to my face when I think of them. Your children will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I look forward to hearing about all of their accomplishments in school and in life as the years go on!

Please be sure to join us for the Celebration of Learning on Thursday. It’s a fun slideshow of pictures taken of the children throughout the entire year. It’s a great way to help celebrate all of their growth and learning. They’ll also be able to share their research projects with you!

Here's the list of all special events coming up:

• June 6: Classroom chocolate tasting party in the afternoon
• June 7: Step Up Day in the afternoon
• June 8: Water slide and game day. Kids can bring board games (not electronics) to play in class that day!
• June 9: Book character parade and Classroom Celebration of Learning, EARLY RELEASE DAY!
• June 10: School-wide end of year slideshow, EARLY RELEASE DAY!
• June 13: Last day of school, Field Day, Report Cards go home, EARLY RELEASE DAY!

Remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!