Week of 5/22/2017

Ahoy!

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful sunshine. Here is what we are learning in our classroom!

Reading: This week we are transitioning to a new unit learning all about Native Americans. Yesterday we engaged in a conversation about what we already know about Native Americans, today we started to learn about the Northeastern Woodland Native Americans. This will continue through the next few weeks!

Writing: Students are working on finishing up their fictional pieces. They will continue through the writing process for the next week.

Math: This week we are working on finding the area and perimeter of various shapes. We will be focusing on a comprehensive review towards the end of the week in order to feel prepared for state testing next week!

Spelling:
there
several
animals
family
often
upon
it's
up on
most
move
along
a long
work
once
turn
its
sure
water
later
another

Homework Journal:
If you could learn to speak another language, what would it be and why?

Mystery Questions:
1) Name three tribes in the Southwest Native American region.
2) Name four tribes in the Northwest Coastal Native American region.
3) What does "nomadic tribe" mean?

Dates to Know:
5/29- No School
5/31- Kindergarten Orientation
5/31-6/2- Math SBAC Testing
6/2- Family Game Night @ 5:00

Thanks for all your help teaching your kiddos this year!
Miss Irwin

Week of 5/15/2017

Ahoy!

I hope you are all have a great week! We are back to normalcy here in room 204 and 205! I am so proud of how hard my students worked during SBAC testing last week! We will be doing it all over again in 2 weeks for our MATH testing. Here is what we are working on this week!

Reading: This week we are focusing on finding the central message of a test and using the illustrations as text evidence. I am so impressed with how far our students have come in the last few months! We are also looking at how the same story can be told from different points of view. Please be reading with your child 20 minutes each night. This will help your child's fluency, which is an important part of them becoming a strong reader!

Writing: This week the students are working on writing a fictional piece using dialogue! We are currently in the pre-write and drafting stages.

Math: This week we are beginning our unit on geometry. We will be talking about what attributes different shapes have and how to classify the shapes based off of their attributes. Please be working with your child on memorizing their multiplication facts. This will be a great help to them come SBAC testing and 4th grade.

Spelling:
I'm
because
said
car
morning
right
didn't
made
body
several
soon
thought
best
himself
usually
people
something
try
others
their

Mystery Questions:
What birthstone represents the month of May?
What happens the first Saturday in May?
What is the most popular ice cream flavor?
When did Washington become a state?

Dates to Remember:
5/20- Family Fun Run 3-5 @ Cardon Field
5/30-6/2 Math SBAC Testing

Thanks,
Miss Irwin

Week of 5/1/2017

Ahoy!

I can't believe how fast the weeks are starting to go by! We have another busy week this week with 'mustache day' tomorrow and our field trip on Thursday. Here is what we are learning in room 204!

Reading: This week we are working on reviewing all of our reading strategies. Our main focus has been on making sure that our students feel as ready as possible to go into testing next week!

Writing: Again this week has mainly been focused on making sure that our students are ready for testing. They have been reviewing the 3 different types of writing that they have learned this year. Our big hope is that they will remember the formats that go with writing a narrative, informational piece, or opinion piece.

Math: This week we are working on division, area and perimeter. I am impressed with how quickly the kids are grasping the concept of division as the opposite of multiplication. We will be finishing this unit quickly and moving on to geometry.

Spelling Words: Will be posted in the morning.

Mystery Questions:
Have your student fill out a multiplication chart like the one below.

Field Trip Information: 

Thursday we head to LALOOSKA! This field trip is a blast and I am so excited to kick off our Native American studies with it. We will be leaving right at 9:00 on Thursday morning. If possible your child needs to be at school by 8:45. I will open my classroom door at 8:45 so that students have a chance to use the restroom and get their things put away before we line up to go on the bus. The weather is supposed to be very interesting on Thursday. I would send your child in lose clothing, with a light jacket because they are calling for rain and we are eating lunch outside. But, it is also supposed to be 84 degrees. Where we are going will be dusty so please wear tennis shoes. Students will need to bring their lunch. It needs to be in a paper bag with their name on it. If you have any questions please ask! 

SBAC Information: 

Next week we begin SBAC testing. This can often be a stressful time for the students, no matter how light we try to make it. Please make sure that students are getting a good nights sleep and are eating a healthy breakfast. We will begin testing on Tuesday with a reading test, and continue on Thursday with reading and writing. We are constantly reminding the kids that all we want is them to do their best and put their best effort in! 

Thanks for all you do to support your child! 

Miss Irwin 

Week of 4/24/2017

Ahoy!

Sorry about a late blog post this week! Here is what we are learning in 3rd grade! Next week we are going on a field trip to Lalooska. Students need to have their permission slips turned in ASAP! We will be leaving at 9:00; I have informed students that they need to be here as early as possible that day. I will be opening my room at 8:50 so that they can go to the bathroom and put their stuff away before we get on the bus. They will need to bring a sack lunch with them.

Reading: This week we are working on reviewing all of our 3rd grade skills that we have learned this year! With out SBAC test coming up in a few weeks, we want our students as prepared as possible. This test is on a computer, the more your child can practice their typing the better off they will be! Reading short passages and then answering basic comprehension questions is also helpful!

Writing: This is the last week for our opinion writing pieces. If you receive an email from Mrs. Blair or I it is because your student needs to work on finishing their writing. We need these done this week so that we can work on test prep next week!

Math: This week we are focusing on division. Using the idea that division is just the opposite of multiplication. The students are doing very well so far. Continue practicing multiplication fact fluency! We are taking time quizzes every other day now!

Spelling:
learn
little
children
play
city
there
point
about
which
its
young
toward
school
four
were
ever
said
called

Mystery Questions:
What is the least rainy place on Earth?
What city has the highest average rainfall on Earth?

Dates to Remember:
Character Ed Assembly: May 3rd
Lalooska Field Trip: May 4th
Smarter Balanced Testing ELA: May 9th and 11th
Smarter Balanced Testing Math: May 31st and June 1st

Thank you for all you do to support your child's learning!
Miss Irwin

Week of 4/17

Ahoy!

I hope you are all having a great week! Report cards went home today. Please sign in your child's planner if they gave you the report card unopened. Thanks!

Math: This week we are finishing our unit on measurement, time, and fractions. I am very pleased with how well the students have done on the assessment. Our next unit will be a very short review of multiplication and division.

Reading: This week we are reading the book A Storm in the Night. Our focus is on finding the main message of the story using what the main character learned. To practice this at home ask your students to keep track of what the main character in the book you are reading is learning. Then ask what the author is trying to teach the reader.

Writing: We have begun writing our opinion pieces. The students our choosing their own topic and then doing research to support their opinion. As we are working on this piece don't be surprised if you see work come home. We need to finish these piece quickly.

Spelling:
name
father
sea
because
much
very
several
called
room
top
their
against
turned
however
were
what
might
right

Social Studies: We are continuing to learn about the different regions of the United States. So far we have learned about the Northwest, Southwest and Northeast. Ask your student to describe each region.

Homework Journal:
Imagine that it rained for 10 days and there was a huge flood. What would you do to survive the flood?

Mystery Questions: We are working on prefixes and suffixes. Write a list of 20 words that have a prefix. ex: preheat, reheat, unhappy.

Thanks!
Miss Irwin

Week of 4/10/2017

Welcome back from Spring Break! I am so impressed with our classes ability to come back and be ready for learning this week. Here is what we are doing.

Reading: This week is the beginning of our next unit focusing on seeking explanations. We have started reading a new book this week and are working on finding the central message and the details that support it.

Writing: This week the students are beginning to work on writing an opinion piece. They are learning how to state their opinion and then back it up using evidence. We will be working on this piece for the next few weeks.

Math: This is the last week of Unit 4! We are finishing up our learning on fractions, time, and measurement. We also began our timed multiplication facts this week! Keep practicing those facts!

Spelling:
during
thought
their
would
heard
they
answer
could
several
example
use
change
landed
said
some
today
what
other

Social Studies: We are in the middle of learning about our regions in the US. Today we learned about the Southwest region.

Mystery Questions:
This week is a SUPER challenge. The site readworks.org is awesome for practicing all reading skills. Create an account, have your child complete one of the worksheets that goes with a reading passage and he/she will receive $25 Blairwin Bucks.

Link:
http://www.readworks.org/

Thanks,
Miss Irwin

Week of 3/27/17

Ahoy!

Happy last week before Spring Break! Here is what we are doing this week.

Math: This week we are starting to enter fraction land! We are learning that fractions must be an equal share of a shape. Coming back from Spring Break we will be starting our timed multiplication quizzes. Please be working with your students on memorizing their multiplication facts. The students have learned the basics of what multiplication is, now the students need to be able to quickly recall their facts.

Reading: This week we are wrapping up unit 2. We will be taking an assessment through the end of the week. It will be great to come back and start fresh after Spring Break!

Writing: We are learning how to tell the different between fact and opinion. When we come back from Spring Break students will begin writing their opinion piece.

Spelling:
there
said
about
would
little
through
don't
important
pictures
since
across
however
knew
young
sun
think
whole
hear

Mystery Questions:
Write about your favorite third grade memory. Make sure to show not tell. Needs to be at least 8 sentences.

Have a great week!
Miss Irwin

Week of 3/20/2017

Ahoy!

I hope you are all have a great week! We are off to a great start in our classroom. This time of year is always my favorite because of the growth that we see in our students. Mrs. Blair and I were talking to day how far many of our students have come in the last few weeks! Here is what we are learning this week.

Reading: Today we started a new book titled The Song of Sky and Sand. It was amazing hearing the students have deep conversations about what they were reading. Our focus this week is on finding the central message of a story, while using the pictures and illustrations to help us understand the text.

Math: This week we are entering fraction land! Yay! I am working very hard to instill the attitude in my students that fractions are not difficult. Many students have a preconceived idea that fractions are very difficult, please help me break this by talking positively about fractions and pointing them out in your every day life! Continue to work on your multiplication facts. We will begin timed multiplication quizzes after spring break!

Writing: Students are well into their information essay! This week the students will be working on editing and creating their final drafts.

Spelling:
there
knew
little
still
today
sure
once
told
it's
often
school
however
different
began
try
then
know
its

Mystery Questions:
1) What season is it in the souther hemisphere if it's spring in the northern?
2) On the first day of Spring the southern hemisphere, the sun is directly over the ___________.
3) In America, which bird is often seen as symbolizing the arrival of the Spring season?
4) In Major League Baseball, Spring training happens in February and March. In what state does it take place?
5) Spring is the season of flowers. The Japanese celebrate the arrival of Spring by hosting mass viewings of which flower?
6) In America, which college sport holds its annual national championship tournament during the spring?

Thanks,
Miss Irwin

Week of 3/13/2017

Ahoy!

I am so sorry for the late post! Here is all the great things happening in our room this week.

Reading: We are continuing to learn about extreme environments that people live it. The rest of the week we will be looking at the Sami people of northern Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Our students have been very interested in all of the amazing places that people live, and how they survive in those places. While reading about this topic we have been focusing on finding the main idea and supporting details of a text! If you are looking to support this work at home you can try finding passages at readworks.org! 

Writing: The students are using their new knowledge about extreme places to live to help them write an informational essay. They will be slowly working through each part of the essay for the next week or two.

Math: We are diving in head first to our unit! Our learning this week has been focusing on finding elapsed time, and learning how to measure liquid volume and mass using the metric system. This will continue into next week before we switch to fractions. If you are looking to support your child's learning they can log on to our new program at ixl.com. We are just starting to use this program in our class and the students are really enjoying it! Please email me for your students username and password. 

Spelling:
know
world
however
never
during
soemthing
said
best
there
very
could
air
then
would
across
why
don't
today

Mystery Questions:
1) When does spring occur in the Northern Hemisphere? What date to what date?
2) Name two flowers that are planted as bulbs.
3) Name two forms of severe weather that occur in the United States in the spring.
4) What is the Latin word for spring?
5) During spring the Earth's axis starts to tilt towards __________. (Fill in the blank.)
6) What was Daylight Savings Time originally used for?

Have a great rest of your week!
Miss Irwin

Week of 3/6/2017

Ahoy!

Welcome to another week in 3rd grade! After a crazy week last week, we are settling back into our rhythm! Here is what we are doing this week...

Reading:
This week we are starting a new text titled Deep Down and other Extreme Places to Live. The kids are very interested in this text. While we are reading our focus is to find the main idea (what it is mostly about) of each section, and to use text features to help us comprehend the text.

Also, as a class we are focusing on increasing our reading fluency; our ability to read accurately with expression. Once a week you will see your students fluency passage from the last week come home. The bottom of the page shows the increase in words read in one minute each day of the week. In order to support your child's fluency at home you can take those passages and practice reading fluently each day of the week. Record how far your child made it each day in one minute. After 5 days send it back and I will give your child $15 Blairwin bucks for the extra practice. 

Math:
This week our focus is on telling time and measurement. We will be exploring the U.S. Customary system and Metric system of measurement. We are focusing on length, mass, and volume. Please be practicing multiplication fact fluency at home with your child. If you need flash cards please email me! It is very important that our students are becoming fluent with their multiplication facts through x10.

Writing:
The focus this week is on the 3 different types of informational writing; procedural, report, and explanatory. By the end of the month our students will begin writing a large explanatory piece. Until then there will be many chances for them to practice!

Spelling: Test on Friday.
paper
place
near
now
something
hard
because
sentence
what
don't
through
until
think
better
without
your
their
were

Homework Journal: It is a great feeling to be able to help someone in need. Would you rather help at a homeless shelter or a hospital? Explain.

Mystery Questions:
1) Who was St. Patrick and when was he born?
2) What is the official flower of Ireland?
3) What is the symbol of Ireland?
4) In Dublin, Ireland what days do they celebrate the St. Patrick's Day Festival?
5) How many people in America are part Irish?
6) Where in the U.S. is a river temporarily dyed green in honor of St. Patrick's Day?

Dates to Remember:
3/10- Last day for Jump Rope For Heart
3/14- PALS meeting
3/27-3/31- Jungle Week

Thanks,
Miss Irwin

Week of 2/27/2017

Wow, I can't believe tomorrow is MARCH! Where did the last two months go? We have been working very hard here at school and are really starting to see the fruits of our labor! Here is what we are doing...

Reading: This week we are starting a new module titled "Cultures, Communities, and Connections." We started this by reading an information piece on city living. It was great to see our students so excited to learn about how people live in different cities. This module will take us about a month to complete. Along with our regular reading we are also celebrating Dr. Seuss this week! Go ahead and pull out your favorite Dr. Seuss book to read!

Writing: The students are writing a fictional piece this week based off of what would happen if the Cat in the Hat walked into our classroom when the teachers were not there. It has been great seeing the students creativity come out in these pieces. I can't wait to see the finished products on Friday!

Math: This week we looked at our last unit and saw our growth from pre-assessment to post-assessment. It was great to see the students proud of their learning! We are also beginning a new unit this week. We will be learning about measurement, elapsed time, and fractions for the next few weeks! I am very excited for this unit, but it can often be difficult for students. If you child is stuck on their homework please email me. I will help you in any way that I can.

Science: We are coming to the end of our Weather and Beyond science unit. We will finish up learning about the different climates in the world. Our cumulation will be a neat science project where the students will be asked to build roofs that survive different climates and weather patterns.

Spelling:
White
House
year
they
there
important
people
began
together
soon
again
through
ever
since
been
write
above
story

Homework Journal:
Think of a Dr. Seuss book that has been made into a cartoon or movie. Which version do you like better, the book or the cartoon/movie. Why?

Mystery Questions:
1) When was Dr. Seuss born? When did he die?
2) Where did Dr. Seuss go to college and what did he originally want to do as a career?
3) Did Dr. Seuss have any children?
4) How many languages have Dr. Seuss' books been translated into?
5) What was Dr. Seuss' first book?
6) Was Dr. Seuss really a doctor?

Dates to Remember:
3/1- Character Ed Assembly
3/2- Read Across America (Students can bring either a blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal.)
3/3- Super Hero Day
3/3- Class visit from Dr. Brester teaching on oral hygiene
3/3- Dr. Seuss/Super Hero Dance @ 6:00 pm

Hope you all have a great week!
Miss Irwin

Week of 2/20/2017

Ahoy!

I hope you all had a great long weekend! Here is what is going on in 3rd grade!

Reading: This week our focus is on finding the main idea of an informational article. Today we learned about how chicken nuggets are read. When finding the main idea it helps to think of who, what, when, where, and why. Once you can decide which of those are important you can usually find out the main idea. For example, today we decided that the what, who, and why were important and came up with the idea that the main idea for our article was: How McDonald's chicken nuggets are made.

Writing: The Athabascan writing pieces have been graded and will be given back to students this week. The main focus for this week is convention and quotation marks. Students will be finishing up a performance task as well this week.

Math: This is our last week of Unit 3. We have been learning the standard algorithm for addition and subtraction the last few days. We will be taking a unit assessment on Thursday and Friday of this week.

Spelling: (Test Friday)
study
picture
night
house
being
almost
around
light
new
Earth
off
first
don't
second
there
world
people
without

Homework Journal Prompt:
Music was first played on records. Then it was played on tapes, CDs, and now as digital music. Write about how you think music will be played in the future.

Mystery Questions:
1) What's the driest continent on the Earth?
2) What's the highest amount of rainfall ever recorded in 24 hours on Earth?
3) What's the record for yearly rainfall in Camas, WA?
4) What is the most consecutive days of rain recorded in Portland, OR?
5) What is the maximum speed of a falling raindrop?

Events to Remember:
2/27-3/3 Dr. Suess Week
3/1- Character Ed Assembly
3/3- Super Hero Spirit Day
3/3- Visit from Dr. Brester, local dentist.

Thanks again for all you do to help your child succeed!
Miss Irwin

Week of 2/13/2017

Ahoy! This week is ART WEEK at Lacamas. We started Monday with a group of high school students teaching our whole school an art lesson. On Wednesday there was an amazing shadow puppet performance, and on Friday we will cap the entire thing off with the high schoolers helping us to finish our school wide art project! Between art week and Valentine's day it has been a very busy week so far!

Math: We are starting to wrap up unit 3! This week and the beginning of next week we will be looking at the last few ends of multi-digit addition and subtraction. I am impressed with how well the students are learning to use the strategies being taught to add and subtract. Story problems will be our focus for the next few days.

Reading: We are finishing up our unit on Alaska and the native Athabaskan people. The end of this week our students will be doing a performance based assessment where they are responding to a prompt about what we have been reading. I am looking forward to seeing the growth that our students are making.

Writing: The last day for our writing piece was on Tuesday. The rest of this week will be spend working on our performance based assessment. A new piece will begin next week!

Science: Today we discussed the four major components of weather: temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, and precipitation. We learned about why the North and South Poles are cold and learned that the South Pole is the coldest! Ask your student to explain to you why the South Pole is cold!

Spelling:
there
their
know
write
too
place
while
next
something
together
food
once
mother
light
country
father
let

Mystery Questions:
1) How many Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year in the U.S.?
2) Which state produces 60 percent of American roses grown in the U.S.?
3) Which card company has 1330 different cards specifically for Valentine's Day?
4) What percentage of women American send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day?
5) What is the meaning of Valentine's Day?

Hope you are all having a great week!
Miss Irwin

Week of 2/6/2017

Ahoy!

Goodness, this week is flying by! As much as I love snow, I was very pleased that we did not have another snow day! It is great having this full weeks with our students. We have been getting a lot of learning in! Here is what is going on this week!

Reading: This week we finished reading The Year of Miss Agnes. It was a wonderful book that tied in so well with what we are learning in science and writing. We are now focusing on looking at the main idea and main message of different texts. When you are reading with your students have them work on coming up with the central or main message of a fictional text, or the main idea of a non-fiction text.

Writing: This week we are working on editing our writing pieces. The students have been peer editing and are now going to start revising their pieces. Thank you for your support at home working on finishing up these pieces.

Math: This week we are working on multi-digit subtraction. We are also transitioning into thinking about multi-step word problems and how to organize our problem solving when it comes to multiple steps. Please keep working on your students multiplication facts! We will start multiplication quizzes in a few weeks!

Science: This week we continued learning about the water cycle!

IF YOUR CHILD MEMORIZES THIS SONG BY TOMORROW 2/9 THEY CAN EARN $40. Water Cycle Song:(to the tune of "She'll be coming 'round the mountain)Water travels in a cycle yes it does,Water travels in a cycle yes it does,It goes up as evaporationForms clouds as condensationAnd comes down as precipitationYes it does!

Spelling:
they
there
your
could
than
again
something
through
don't
want
school
important
once
enough
need
far
hand
high
year

Mystery Questions:
Why is the color red the symbol of Valentine's Day?
Where does chocolate come from?
Who receive the most Valentine's Day cards in the US.
How many Valentine's Day cards are sent worldwide every year?
Who made the first box of chocolates made for Valentine's Day?

Events to Remember:
2/9-2/18 Book Fair
2/10- Movie Night @ 6:00.
2/13-2/17 Lacamas Art Week
2/14- "Sweets with your Sweetie" @8:00

Thanks for all you do!
Miss Irwin

Week of 1/30/2017

Ahoy!
I hope this week is treating you all well. We are off to a great start in our classroom. This is a very busy time of year for third graders. We have a lot of learning to do and a lot of fun to be had. Here is what we are working on this week.

Reading: We are continuing to read The Year of Miss Agnes. The students seem to really be enjoying it. With this text we are working on how a character's actions can help a story move along. This directly correlates to what the students are working on in writing on their fictional narratives.

Writing: Students are working on writing a fictional narrative. Their task was to create a character from Athabasca and write about them. The biggest addition to their writing this week is the idea of dialogue and how to successfully use it.  They learned about how to place quotation marks and the punctuation that is associated with dialogue.

Math: This week we are focusing on multi-digit subtraction on a number line.  We are not currently working on using standard algorithm for solving problems. This will come later; however, my goal is for my students to understand the why behind the algorithm. Please continue working on multiplication facts. By the end of the year they will need to know through times 10.

Science: This week we are continuing our study on weather. We are looking at how the weather in the Arctic, Antarctic and Camas compare to one another.

Spelling:
live
without
life
different
off
Earth
through
first
head
there
because
almost
always
new
too
page
got
another

Mystery Questions:
What is February's birthstone?
What "holiday" is celebrated on February 2nd?
What day of the week does Valentine's Day fall on this year?
Which president of the United States was born on February 12?
Is this year a Leap Year?
How many days are in the month of February?

Dates to Remember:
2/1- No Wednesday early release.
2/10- Movie Night @ 6:00.
2/13-2/17- Lacamas Art Week

Thanks!
Miss Irwin

Week of 1/23/17

Ahoy!

Hope you are all enjoying your week. We are back to a full week here at school. It has been great getting to reconnect with your kiddos and start some in depth work. Here is what we are doing!

Reading: This week we are reading The Year of Miss Agnes. It is a historical fiction book centered around a teacher living in rural Alaska during the 1940's. We are focusing on looking at how a character's actions move a story along. We are encouraging the students to read like they are a writer. We want them to see that there are different things a author does that helps a story develop and move along. When reading at home with your child, stop and ask what actions the main character has done that helps to move the story along.

Writing: Using the story that we are reading and previous information that the students have learned about the Athabascans in Central Alaska, we are having students write their own historical fiction piece. The are creating their own characters, setting, and plot. I am very excited to see how the student's writing changes as they learn more about this very unique area and the unique people who live in it.

Math: In math we are working on adding multi-digit numbers. Our main focus has been on using a number line to accurately add two numbers together. The end of this week and into next week we will begin using the number line to subtract multi-digit numbers. Very soon we will start our timed multiplication quizzes! It is very important that students are practicing their multiplication facts every night! 

Science: Today we began our new unit on Weather. Over the next few weeks students will be recording the weather in Delta Junction, Antarctica, and Camas.

Spelling:
often
use
kind
head
also
four
show
been
around
began
above
long
took
air
there
were
large
might

Mystery Question: Have students write their spelling words on a piece of paper in their nicest handwriting. Bring in tomorrow...1/26.

Dates to Remember:
1/30- First snow make up day.
2/1- Character Education Assembly

Thanks!
Miss Irwin

Week of 1/9/17

Ahoy!

Can you believe all of the snow that we are getting! I have enjoyed watching the flakes fall and being able to sleep in... but I am so ready to have a full week with my kids! Here is what we are going to be doing if this week's weather cooperates.

Reading: We are learning about the Athabascans of Central Alaska. Our focus is on finding the main idea and supporting details of a text. Asking ourselves what the text is mostly about is a great way to focus in on the main idea.

Writing: Using the text that we are reading, the students will begin creating a fictional story about an Athabascan. We will be researching more about these people and how they live their lives. Students will then be taking that and applying it to their writing.

Math: This week we are diving into our new math unit. At the end of last week we started working on rounding to the nearest 10's. We will continue working on this, talking about how we can then round to the nearest 100's or 1000's. We also learned a new strategy for adding today called "give and take". We will be working on using this strategy the rest of the week. For example. When adding 99+36 students can take one from the 36 and give it to the 99 to create 100+35. Look for a green handout that came home today which helps to explain what your student will be learning in this unit; as well as some the strategies that we will be focusing on.

Homework:
Students have math homework this week. It is due on Friday.
No spelling this week.

Mystery Questions:
Students need to write 10 compound words down in their very neatest handwriting. To be turned in on Wednesday if we have school. If not turn in Thursday.

Events to Remember:
1/13- Family Game Night @6:00 pm.
1/16- No School MLK day.

Thanks for all you do to help your child!
Miss Irwin

Week of 1/3/17

Wow! Can you believe 2017 is here?!

It was a great first day back at school with our students. In music the class received a giant purple spotcha; the music teacher informed me that she didn't have to redirect the class one time, that they were practically perfect! Music to a 3rd grade teacher's ear :) Here is what is happening this week in 204/205!

Reading: This week we are starting our next reading unit! Students will be learning about the Athabascan Natives in Central Alaska. We will be focusing on finding the main idea of the text and using evidence to support our main idea.

Writing: Students are studying subject/predicate. They will also be starting to write a new narrative at the end of the week.

Math: Tomorrow will be our first day of Unit 3 in math. We will be working on adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers. Keep an eye out for a handout coming home giving an overview of the unit.

Auction: The auction will be held this Friday. It will begin at 12:45. If you would like to come and help please try to be here a little early. Parents are always welcome. 

Report Cards are coming home on Wednesday. 

There is no spelling or homework this week.

Mystery Question.... that's not really a question at all.
If student has an emergency number (home phone, parent cell phone, etc.) memorized they will receive $10.

Dates to Remember:
1/4- Character Education Assembly
1/4- Report Cards come home
1/13- Family Game Night @ 6:00 pm

Hope you had a great Christmas Break!
Miss Irwin