Honor Roll & Clip Celebrations Tomorrow

Homework: 

• Math homework due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Honor Roll Breakfast: Tomorrow, 7:45 AM
• Clip Hall of Fame Celebration: Tomorrow, 9:30 AM
• PARCC/ Multiplication Fluency/ Top Box Top Class Celebration: Tomorrow afternoon 
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Field Trip Today

Third grade will be out of the building for the majority of the day.  When we return, we will have some read aloud followed by a comprehension/ critical thinking activity, then it'll be time to pack up.  Just a reminder, some students didn't bring their backpacks to school today (which is totally fine), please make sure, if your child didn't bring the backpack, that they have completed and bring back their math homework from last night.  Thank you!

Homework: 

• Math homework from Tuesday due tomorrow, if not turned in yet.
• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Honor Roll Breakfast: Friday, May 1 at 7:45 AM
• Clip Hall of Fame Celebration: Friday, May 1 at 9:30 AM
• PARCC/ Multiplication Fluency/ Top Box Top Class Celebration: Friday, May 1.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Field Trip Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that our Herr's Field Trip is tomorrow.  Please remember to send your child to school with a lunch, if you indicated on the permission slip.  In addition, if you are chaperoning, please remember you must ride on the bus, according to school policy.

A note about the news:  As some of you may know, my husband and I live in Baltimore.  Many students came in today talking about the events happening in the city that they had seen on news last night.  As such, I'm encouraging kids to direct any questions they have to an adult.

Homework: 

• Math homework due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• "Herr's" Field Trip:  Tomorrow, 10:00-3:00.
• Honor Roll Breakfast: Friday, May 1 at 7:45 AM
• Clip Hall of Fame Celebration: Friday, May 1 at 9:30 AM
• PARCC/ Multiplication Fluency/ Top Box Top Class Celebration: Friday, May 1.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

x12 Quiz Tomorrow!

In Math Workshop, students explored improper fractions, and used their understanding of the fraction bar to convert improper fractions to whole numbers.

In Writers' Workshop, students considered themes and life lessons they're already familiar with as readers to help them identify a problem and solution in their fairy tales or fables.

In Readers' Workshop, students closely read a fable and used context to determine the meaning of words they may be unfamiliar with.

In Science, students used their data to defend their claims regarding the seed and its purpose.

In Number Talks, students used doubles and near doubles to help them quickly add multiple numbers.

Homework: 

• Math homework due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• x12 Fluency Quiz: Tomorrow
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  Wednesday, April 29, 10:00-3:00.
• Honor Roll Breakfast: Friday, May 1 at 7:45 AM
• Clip Hall of Fame Celebration: Friday, May 1 at 9:30 AM
• PARCC/ Multiplication Fluency/ Top Box Top Class Celebration: Friday, May 1.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Early Dismissal Tomorrow

Today, students finished the EOY PARCC Assessments.  Next week, we will have a little celebration.  Our class won a mini-celebration for collecting the most box tops; thus, I thought we'd use this opportunity to celebrate our hard work with PARCC, as well. In addition, we will also be celebrating our classes' mastery of our basic multiplication facts, with all students having passed 0-12 fluency quizzes.  Thank you for all your hard work at home, encouraging your child to practice their facts!  I will send home a letter explaining our plans next week.

In Readers' Workshop, we were able to get in the lab today, so students spent time finishing up their book trailers from our Literary Essays Unit.  Students considered adding music that reflected the mood of their books.

In Math Workshop, students analyzed the "fraction bar" and identified its meaning to help them make sense of fractions and convert improper fractions to whole and mixed numbers.

In Science, once again, students observed their dark and light seeds.  Additionally, we explored and identified the different parts to a seed.  Ask your child what changes they're noticing about their seed.  Have them consider the seed's functions and purposes.

Homework: 

• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Early Dismissal: Tomorrow
• STEM Club applications due: Monday, April 27
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  Wednesday, April 29, 10:00-3:00.
• PARCC/ Multiplication Fluency/ Top Box Top Class Celebration: Friday, May 1.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Earth Day!

Students finished the EOY PARCC Assessment for Mathematics today.  Tomorrow students will finish PARCC testing with the ELA portion.

In Writers' Workshop, students learned another element in the fables writing genre: clothing descriptions.  As in Cinderella (who wears raggedy clothing in the beginning of her story), readers learn a lot about characters and their struggles by the clothes they may way.  We applied this strategy to our own writing to help our readers learn about our characters.

Today we finished our read aloud, Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper.  This is a really powerful read for kids and adults, you can have some great dialogue about ideas in this book! Ask your child about the main character in this story, what she struggled with, and what they think the life lesson was in this story.  As always, encourage them to use evidence from the text to support their thinking! :)

In Science, to celebrate Earth Day, we went outside and cleaned up around our school.  As our time was short today with PARCC testing, the kids didn't get to explore the Time For Kids Mini Earth Day Site.  Encourage them to explore this site at home for ideas on how to preserve our Earth!

Homework: 

• There will be no homework during PARCC testing; however, you can still encourage your child to read for 20 minutes! :)

Reminders:

• PARCC Testing: Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM
• Early Dismissal: Friday, April 24
• STEM Club applications due: Monday, April 27
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

PARCC Continues

Just a friendly reminder that PARCC continues tomorrow.

In Writers' Workshop, students used precise words to describe their characters, in their fables or fairy tales.

In Readers' Workshop, students finished their book club presentations; we will present tomorrow.  Ask your child how they chose to present their book!

Homework: 

• There will be no homework during PARCC testing; however, you can still encourage your child to read for 20 minutes! :)

Reminders:

• PARCC Testing: Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM
• Early Dismissal: Friday, April 24
• STEM Club applications due: Monday, April 27
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

PARCC Tomorrow

End of Year (EOY) PARCC testing for third grade begins tomorrow and will run through Thursday. Tomorrow and Wednesday, the kids will be testing in mathematics; Thursday will be English Language Arts (ELA).

In Math Workshop, we began Unit 8: Fractions & Measurement.  Students applied their understanding of mixed numbers and improper fractions to measurement.

In Writers' Workshop, we studied a scene from Shrek and a few pages from the fable, Paul Bunyon. In these mentor texts, we identified language of the fairy tale genre and how authors use senses to describe settings, respectively.  We then used what we learned from these texts to establish and describe settings in our fairy tale flash drafts that we created on Friday.  See some examples of this below!

In Readers' Workshop, students closely read another fairy tale and compared it to the fable from last week.

In Science, students revisited their seeds.  Ask you child what's going on with their light and dark seed; what seems to be happening (A: it's growing roots).  Have them give you evidence for their thinking.

In Word Study, students learned the word "procrastinate".  Ask them what this means, have them give you an example from real life.

Homework: 

• Multiplication facts 0-12: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• PARCC Testing: Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM
• Early Dismissal: Friday, April 24
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Desktop eBooks & Audiobooks

To Access HCPL eBooks & Audiobooks on a Desktop:

• HCPL eBooks & Audiobooks: Sign In  
• Once you child finds a book, they can click"Borrow" and then the "Read (in your browser)" button.
• Happy reading!

Students have their Unit 7 Fractions Assessment tomorrow.  I've sent home a small review.  Please make sure you child completes, and returns tomorrow. 

Homework: 

• Math review due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-11: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Unit 7 Math Assessment: tomorrow
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10-:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

FREE eBooks & Audio Books!

Hi All!

I wanted to let you know about a completely FREE resource available to students (and you!), if they are a member of the Harford County Public Library.  Most libraries now, including HCPL, loan ebooks and audio books electronically. To utilize this resource on a tablet or smartphone, see the steps below.

Set up:

1. Download "OverDrive" app.
2. Click in the top left corner where you will see 3 lines.
3. Under "My Libraries", press "Add a library".
4. In the search box, type "Harford County Public Library."
5. Click the first link, "Harford County Public Library" (underneath will say "Belcamp, Maryland, United States").
6. Click "Maryland's Digital Library"
7. Go to top right corner where it says "Sign In", and click.
8. Once there, underneath the search box, in blue, it says "Having trouble logging in?  Click here for a complete list of libraries".  Click on this.
9. Select "Harford County Public Library" from the list.
10. Type in library card barcode and check "Remember my login information on this device."  Then press "Sign In".
11. Viola! You can search and download ebooks and audio books straight to your device. 

Homework: 

• Math homework due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-11: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Unit 7 Math Assessment: Friday, April 17
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10-:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Folktales, Fables & Fairy Tales

In Writers' Workshop, we began our next Unit of Study: Folktales, Fables & Fairy Tales.  Today we analyzed at Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale.  We "read like writers", asking ourselves, "What is the lesson learned from this story?" to help us generate story ideas with similar life lessons.

In Science, students observed their light and dark seeds. Ask your child what they observed, which seed is showing more change, and why they think that?



Homework: 

• Math homework due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-11: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Unit 7 Math Assessment: Friday, April 17
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10-:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Dark vs. Light

In Math Workshop, students used their number sense and understanding of fractions to place fractions on a number line.  Students' Unit 7 Assessment will be this Friday.  I will send home a review on Wednesday or Thursday. During workshop, I took a few pictures at our "Technology Station"-- there are some awesome apps and computer games out there for most math concepts covered in elementary school.  I've listed a few new ones below.  You can also find these in the "Educational Links" tab.

Math Games Online:

• Math Man: Fractions on a Number Line
• Animal Rescue: Fractions on a Number Line
• Matching: Fractions of a Set

Math Games Apps:

• Times Ninja Adventure: 
• The game has a Unique Intelligent Learning Engine that identifies what questions the player finds difficult to remember and asks these questions more often, until the player learns the correct answer. The learning engine will adapt to your child knowledge during the first 30 minutes of play – the longer the game is played the better is the adaptation to the player.

In Writers' Workshop, students learned how to add music to their book trailers.  Currently, we have MSA testing going on in the lab (5th grade Science testing).  The date of completion for trailers is pending due to testing.

In Readers' Workshop, students closely read a folk tale and used inferences to engage in dialogue regarding life lessons, theme, etc.

In Science, students explored seeds and their functions today.  Over the next few days, we will plant Lima bean seeds in a plastic baggie with a wet paper towel.  We will hang some on our windows (expose them to light) and the others will be in a closet (no light). We will use this experiment to determine the functions of a seed.  Ask you child: will the seed grow better in the light or dark?  Why do they think that?  Stay tuned for our observations, findings!

Homework: 

• Math homework (double-sided) due tomorrow
• Multiplication facts 0-11: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• Unit 7 Math Assessment: Friday, April 17
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10-:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith

Field Trip Permission Slip

Coming home in students' Beaver Folders today are permission slips for our field trip to "HERRS's" Potato Chip Factory in Nottingham, Pennsylvania during the school day on Wednesday, April 29 from 10:00-3:00.  Please read, complete and sign the permission slip no later than April 23, 2015.  Thank you!

Homework: 

• Multiplication facts 0-11: 10-20 minutes
• Read: 20 minutes

Reminders:

• x10 Fluency Quiz: Monday, April 13
• Unit 7 Math Assessment: Friday, April 17
• "Herr's" Permission Slip due: April 23.
• "Herr's" Field Trip:  April 29, 10-:00-3:00.
• Missing classroom books: 
• Exclamation Mark 

Classroom Supplies:  

• Dry erase markers

Thank you,

Ms. Smith