March 3, 2019

Hello Families,

First, I must apologize!  I always joke that my tech game is weak, and I realized that my last blog update was never shared!  I am so sorry - I promise we are still in Room 23 working hard everyday!  :-)  The multiple snow days really threw us off (and probably you at home as well!), and after completing a full 5 days last week, it feels good to be back into a routine!  

Global Play Day - Mini Sticks

It's March!!! As a basketball fan, this means March Madness (GO GREEN!)a

nd Spring!!! Hooray!  Another book fair is approaching (March 8-15) and also a school wide, coin war fundraiser to support Scarlet's Playground project. More details to follow.  :-)  We have almost made it through the cold and flu season!  I have the kids clean off desks everyday, and am close to out of wipes. 

***If you are able to donate some anti bacterial wipes, I would be very grateful!***

Curriculum Update:

Reading: We have been learning skills and strategies for reading information (non fiction) text, including understanding the main idea and supporting details in a book, and various text structures.
Writing:  After completing our persuasive writing papers, we used skills learned in reading to complete a research paper on Native American Indian tribes in MI - Potowatami, Ottawa, Chippewa.  The students completed a poster that included information on their assigned tribe, and they are now learning how to create a slide presentation using their Google accounts.  

Forts on Global Play Day!

Math:  Unit 5 was tested last week, and covered many different multiplication strategies.  Unit 6 has started and begins with a review of subtraction, quadrilaterals and number stories.  
Science:  We have started our unit of Water and Climate.  They have observed that water flows downhill on a slope and that it absorbs in some surfaces.  They used thermometers to read the temperatures of ice water and hot water, learning that about expanding and contracting. The will begin to observe the density of the different temperatures of water this week. 
Social Studies:  We concluded our economy unit and made short videos of a commercial for a business that the students made in a small group  The video are posted in our Google Classroom for your viewing pleasure.  :-)  

Thank you to those who have already sent in $12 for our upcoming field trip and Native American expert.  Please sent in your child's permission slip and money by this Friday.  

Have a wonderful week!  Stay warm, and as always, please email me anytime with questions or concerns you have.  :-)  

Global Play Day Dragon Party!

Welcome to 2019!

Dear Families,

Happy New Year!  I love the first couple of weeks back to school after break. The kids understand our classroom routines, are excited to see everyone,  and they come back ready to go! We will do big things in the next 6 months!  :-) 

Congratulations, again, to our 2019 Spelling Bee contestants.  Maya, Elana, Evan, Kaltan, Hannah, Kara, Ada, Annelise and Ashlyn practiced at home and participated in this year's "bee".  Annelise and Kara earned second and third place medals for all of third grade!  Way to go!

We started learning cursive letters!  My goal is for the kids to be able to read cursive and practice fine motor skills. They will learn to sign their name in cursive too!  I do not expect them to write papers in cursive.  There is a lot to learn before anyone is ready for that!  :-)

Curriculum Update:
Math: We completed Unit 4 which covered area and perimeter of rectangles and measuring. Unit 5 begins this week with fractions.  
SS: We have been learning about economics: goods, services, opportunity cost, human - natural - capital resources and more.  They will be designing a business this week and writing a commercial to advertise their products. 
Reading: We are studying informational text for the next few weeks.  Text features, main idea and details and summarizing are big work!  We will continue to practice learning those skills in addition to reading various non fiction text structures. 
Writing: We are writing persuasive opinion essays.  They include an introduction, 3 supporting paragraphs and a conclusion!  

I Ready - The students will be taking round 2 of the iready test in Reading and Math.  They will take the math portion this week and the Reading portion next week.  There is no studying that can be done for this test.  Kids are encourage to take their time and do their best, as they would on any assessment.  :-)  

The kids did GREAT on their first week of homework assignments!  The pictures are taken while they played the multiplication games created by students for an assignment.  :-) 

Have a wonderful week!

Weeks in Review December 3, 2018

Dear Families,

Happy Holidays!  Unbelievable how fast time flies!  I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!  I survived Black Friday shopping at Bronners in Frankenmuth!  It was CRAZY busy, but so much festive fun!  On the Wednesday before our short break, we had a fun day of jammies and games.  The kids peeled and cut apples for our homemade applesauce.  It smelled and tasted delicious!  

The students are working towards their next goal line in their "gem jar" and I'm looking forward to another celebration!

Curriculum Update:
Math- Unit 3 focused on practicing different addition, subtraction, and multiplication strategies.  Our Unit test will be on Tuesday.  Your child has his/her review completed and at home for practice.  
Social Studies: We learned about natural and human resources in MI and how people use these resources.  Adapting and modifying environments was our last lesson in this unit.  We will complete a review Monday to send home and there will be a test on Thursday.
Reading:  The kids are reading a book from a series. They are analyzing the characters and problem of the book and they will compare and contrast it to another book in the same series.
Writing:  We edited, revised and published our first big writing unit of personal narratives.  I will share part of them with you at conferences.  :-)  Our next unit is writing persuasive essays. 

Our class partnered up with Mrs. Gauthier's Kindergartners last week and we went to the Media Center to use Dash Bots!  It was so fun and our third graders did a great job showing their little buddy how to use the Ipad app to control their Dash Bot robot.  :-)  Persevering and practicing a mindset of patience and persistence never entered their minds as they worked to make their Dash Bot move in ways they entered on the Ipad.  It was a fun learning experience and I'm looking forward to using the next week!

If you haven't signed up for a parent teacher conference yet, please login to your Skyward account and choose an available time.  Thank you!  


Have  wonderful week!  As always, please email me anytime with your questions and concerns.

Weeks in Review - November 11, 2018

Dear Families,

BBBRRRR!!!! Winter weather has struck!  I hope you are all ready for the season!  The first snowfall is always an exciting day in school.  As the big flakes fell outside our classroom window, we were moved to the spirit of the holidays.  Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer seemed appropriate for our morning work time.  Enjoy the short video!  :-)

  https://share.icloud.com/photos/0JHSqgeiQVD08vsSTPxGZcY-A#Commerce_Elementary_School

Ms. Carlin added school requirements for playing outdoors during recess to the Commerce Connection. Thank you for providing your child with the necessary clothing to keep them warm and dry outside.  

Lots of helping hands to bundle up!

We had an amazing assembly with Mr. Schu last week!  Mr. Schu is an ambassador for Scholastic.  His energy and love for books is contagious!  I'm sure that we all were just a little more excited to read good books than before we walked in to the assembly.  Mr. Schu shared some of his favorites and your child wrote down some titles he/she couldn't wait to read!  Maybe they will let you know and add them to that holiday wish list!   

Mr. Schu signed their books!

Gabby and Austin were given books!

Curriculum Update:

Math: Unit 2 Tests were sent home last week for your review.  The kids had a chance to review their own test during class.  We started Unit 3 which began with estimating/rounding numbers to get answers and addition strategies for multi-digit numbers.
Reading: Our unit analyzing characters concluded by recognizing traits of main and supporting characters, noticing when/if a character changes, and learning the lessons of life (theme) that characters teach each other and us!

Writing: We learned how to write a good ol fashioned letter!  :-)  We used that knowledge to write letters to a veteran, thanking them for their service. 

Social Studies: We learned about the location of ourselves in different regions in our state.  As part of this unit, student will be quizzed on their mailing address and one parent's cell phone number.  Please help your child learn this very important safety information!  

Multiplication Facts: We have been practicing the 2's, 5's, and 10's, "easy" multiplication facts in class.  Extra practice learning the facts from home will be very beneficial for your child.  Flash cards, on line games, oral practice, dice to roll and multiply the number by 2,5, or 10 are just a few examples of how your child can practice at home.  Math Magician is website the kids are familiar with from class.  It allows them to focus on the numbers they want. 

Social Studies Project:  I will be sending home a separate letter about a Pure MI scrapbook page that the kids will be making in class.  Be on the lookout for both an email and hard copy asking for photos from a favorite place in MI.  :-)  

Have a wonderful week! 

Weeks in Review October 28, 2018

Dear Families,
It's almost time for one of the most exciting days of the year in the life of an elementary student.....HALLOWEEN!!! I sent you a separate email with some information about the day.  Please see the commerce connection for more details from Ms. Carlin.  Commerce Connection

I am collection money to use for our class parties all year long.  Thank you to those who have already contributed.  I am asking for $15.oo to cover the year.

PTA is looking for some more members!  If you have not yet signed up to be a member of our awesome PTA, please use this link to join.  PTA

The classes that reach 70% membership earn a pizza party!  :)

Curriculum Update:

Making Area Models to show multiplication facts

Math:  We have been working through Unit 2 and learning more about solving number stories involving multiplication and division. 
Reading:  We have been analyzing characters to think more deeply about a story.  
Writing: Our personal narratives are in the finishing touches.  Drafts have been completed and the kids have added strong leads, precise words, the heart of the story (authors message), dialogue and more!

Austin found a skull in his owl pellet!

Science:  We finished our first unit on Life Structures.  The kids did great on the test! A highlight last week was dissecting owl pellets and testing out life without opposable thumbs!  
Social Studies:  We start our first unit on the geography of our regions that we live in on Monday.

Lots of teeth were found in this owl pellet

Testing out life without opposable thumbs!

This happy group assembled Mr./Mrs. Bones by working together 

Elana and Nixon are dissecting their owl pellet

*****Cold and Flu season has already hit Room 23.  Please remind your child to wash his/her hands frequently and stay home if they are sick!  Germs spread so quickly at school.  If you are able to donate hand sanitizer, I would appreciate it!  The refill bottles are great!  

Have a great week!

October 15: Weeks in Review

Hello Families,

Fall is finally here!  I hope you are all enjoying our beautiful MI weather!  Long's Farm has been making doughnuts non-stop, so hurry and get yours before they're gone!  😜

We have been busy as always in Room 23.  They Color Run was a huge success this year, raising a lot of money for our school and providing a ton of fun for our kiddos!  

Dylan is brave!

       

Elana isn't afraid!  

  Crayfish are ready to go to a loving    home!! I sent a separate email with information if you are interested in coming to get one to take home.  Please email me with any questions.  

Curriculum Update:

Math: The Unit 1 math test went great!  Your child took his/her home last week and we have started unit 2.  We have covered solving story problems and subtraction strategies in addition to the 2's, 5's, and 10's in multiplication facts.  

Serious Scientist!

Science: We learned about animal adaptations and  studied various animals in different environments.  This week we will cover bones and joints and their functions.  

Claire is working hard!

A beautiful day for snack outdoors!

Reading: We are learning about analyzing characters to better understand a story.  Also, reading groups have started for students to practice skills in a small group at their reading level. 

Book Buzz Update:  Keep encouraging the At Home Reading!  :-)  A Buzz should be filled out after your child finishes a good book.  One buzz every 2 weeks needs to be turned in UNLESS your child is reading a big, huge, book!  :-)  Most kids will need to finish a book this week and do a buzz.  

Writing: Our small moment writing continues to grow.  The students' chose one of their favorite drafts to take to publication. 


If your child doesn't have a box of crayons to have in class, please send one is at your earliest convenience.  :-)  

Have a wonderful week!  

Sincerely,
Kathy Knapp

Weeks in Review, September 30, 2018

Hello Families,

Thank you to those who have already turned in money collected for our Color Run!  Remember the run is this Friday!  We are are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for good weather!  It's always a highlight of the year for our school family.  :-)  

Book Buzz Update:  Several students have already brought in a Book Buzz that they wrote from a book read at home.  This is awesome!  Your child should be able to finish a book they enjoyed and turn in a Book Buzz at least once every two weeks.  Reading each night for 20 minutes is the only regularly scheduled homework.  Please help your child find time each day/night to enjoy some good books. :-)  

Supplies Needed:  Please send in a box of crayons for your child to have if they don't already have some.  Thank you!  

Unit 1 Math Test:  Our first math test covering Unit 1 will be this week on Thursday.  We will be completing a review in class, checking it, and your child will bring it home to study before the test.  I typically send home the review 2 days before the test.  I will also email my copy of the review as well as a blank copy for families that would like to print one out for extra practice. 

Curriculum Update:
Reading: We continued to build our reading life in third grade by learning about how to read with a mental movie in our minds and to read with a positive attitude! 
Writing: we continued to generate ideas and write short drafts of various memories in our lives
Math: We reviewed telling time to the nearest minute, rounding numbers, multiplication being equal groups, and the "easy" groups of 2 (times 2) being doubles. 
Science: Our crayfish have arrived!!! These fascinating (and sometimes creepy) creatures will allow us to learn more about structures and their functions as well as how they have adapted for survival in their environment. 

A list of logins and passwords will be in your child's planner this week.  To access our google classroom and your child google drive, he/she can use their school login in followed by @students.wlcsd.org

Have a wonderful week!