Ho, Ho, Ho!

Ho, ho, ho!  Merry Christmas!  Thanks for all those who participated to make our Secret Santa week successful.  I thought it was wonderful that students were able to fill buckets just by writing a little note.  Presents, wrappings, ribbons and gifts are appreciated and delightful, but acts of kindness and friendship form memories and withstand time.  Our buckets are brimming this week!

This week in our Language Arts block we will be discussing the question, "How can people help animals in danger?" This morning we talked about different ways we can each make a difference including, controlling litter and pollution to help animals stay alive.  Keep animals habitats safe, and learning more about animals in our habitat.  We're excited to learn more ways to protect animals.  To go along with this question, we will be reading the story A Symphony of Whales.  In this story, a young girl is gifted with the ability to hear whale songs.  One night, she dreams that her sled dogs lead her to whales- and the next day they do.  But the whales are in trouble...Our purpose for reading this story is to find out how people can help these whales who are in danger.

Our weekly comprehension skill that we are focusing on is Generalization.  When you read ideas about several things, you may see how they are alike in some way.  You can make a general statement  about all of them together.  We will be looking at text this week that can help model and explicitly teach this skill.

In math this week, we are continuing on to introduce new multiplication patterns with x4 and x6.  Please continue to work on fluency at home with multiplication flashcard homework.  Besides reading over the break, please take some time while in the car, while sitting at the table, etc. to practice facts.  Starting in January, I will be sending home weekly progress reports for multiplication fluency.  Good luck students!

We will be having our Polar Express Day this Friday beginning at 9:30 with a delicious brunch (and hot chocolate of course!)  provided by our volunteer moms.  After brunch, we will be watching the Polar Express, singing in music class and finishing up some holiday crafts.  All students are invited to wear pajamas and slippers on Friday for our Polar Express Day.  If the weather permits, we will be going out for recess, so please bring along a pair of shoes to replace slippers.

Have a wonderful holiday, stay warm, enjoy your time together and create a memory.  Merry Christmas!

A Week At A Glance

Just a little reminder... We are beginning our Secret Santa this week.  Students were given names of their secret friend that they will be doing some secret notes, secret acts or secret treats to have some fun, but also...fill more buckets!  Any questions or concerns, please contact me.  Thanks for your help!

For the next few weeks, we are focusing on multiplication facts fluency.  Students will be given a flashcard games worksheet to choose daily games.  Each student should complete at least one activity a day.  Please initial next to the games being played by your student, and then turn in worksheet on Friday or the last day of the week.  All flashcards stay at home to be used daily.  Students have another set at school to practice fluency there.  This week we are trying to pass off x2s and x5x and then review x1s and x10s.

On Wednesday, December 11, the third grade classes will be walking to Alta High School to watch a performance of Peter Pan.  We'll leave about 8:50 and return to Altara at lunchtime.  All elementary schools within walking distance were invited, so seating is limited to just students and teachers.  We are looking forward to providing this cultural experience for the students.  A permission slip will be coming home in homework folders today.  Please sign and return by Tuesday, December 10.  Thanks!

This week in Reading Street we are reading the expository text, Seeing Stars.  Today we talked about the weekly question, "How can we explain things in nature using investigation?"  Stars look like tiny diamonds, but they are actually giant balls of fire.  You can only see stars at night, because daylight makes them invisible.  It's hard to see them even at night if you live in a well-lit place like a big city.  You can see stars close-up if you look through a telescope.  The map of stars in the sky appears to change because the Earth moves through the sky.  In long-ago times, people "connected the dots" in the sky to form constellations, such as Orion.

This week our comprehension skill is digging into Graphic Sources.  Maps, charts, diagrams, illustrations, and photos are examples of graphic sources.  They help us understand information as we read a text.

We will also be learning about subject-verb agreement for our conventions.  The subject of a sentence tells who or what performs the main action.  The verb tells what the main action is.  The subject and verb must agree.  A singular subject gets a singular verb.  A plural subject gets a plural verb.  

The Good News Is...

Alright, I'm not sure if the problem is I just ate too much turkey and pumpkin pie, or if the cold is starting to freeze my brain, but the good news is we really don't have current events this month. In my little brain I tried to get us organized for the month of December with current events, but as my team mates pointed out to me, we don't have book reports or currents events this month. Just our little gift to you during a very busy month. So disregard the calendar that came home this week, and I'll send a new one home when the time is right. Happy holidays!

Shhh...It's A Secret!

Welcome back from a great holiday and long weekend. Hope that you are staying warm and safe out there as the snow continues to fall outside today. It's beautiful, but chilly, please remind your student to dress appropriately for our winter weather. It's that time again...we filled our classroom bucket with hundreds of wonderful, and kind deeds given by all students inside our class. We have discussed two ways to celebrate. The first is a secret, because it involves all of us being secret Santas to some well deserving individuals in our building. Just ask your student and he/she can fill you in on our secret plan! The second way we are celebrating is having our class participate in a classroom secret Santa activity. Next Friday, we will be randomly assigned a friend. We will get to work our holiday magic, by secretly leaving notes, kind deeds, or goodies behind for our friend to discover everyday beginning the week of Dec. 9-13. We decided that if we wanted to purchase items for our friend, that the total for the whole week should be limited to $3.00. It would be ideal if students could earn their own money for items. They will probably be asking you for odd jobs that they can help with, to earn a little extra change. If this is a problem in any way, please let me know about your concerns and questions. Thanks for your help with this little holiday celebration! We are moving on this week with x2 and x5 multiplication facts. Students brought home flash cards yesterday in their homework folder to be used with games assigned for math homework. We are just beginning to push ourselves to not only understand the meaning behind multiplication and division, but also to become fluent with the facts. We are well on our way to mastering the facts! This week in Reading Street we are reading a drama titled, Pushing Up The Sky. This drama is an example of a myth that has been told to explain why things work in nature. It is a wonderful story told by Northwestern Native Americans to teach why we have a sky, and how the stars were placed there.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  We will be celebrating with a look at some of the pilgrim's struggles and triumphs this week.  We will be reading the selection, Across The Wide Dark Sea by Jean Van Leeuwen.  This is a realistic story of one boy's journey across the sea.  We will also be digging deeper into our knowledge of Thanksgiving, and how it became a national holiday.
And of course we'll be writing and working on our x2s and x5s as well.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your time with family!  See you in December!

Everyone Does Everything!

So once again, we had one of these weeks where I find myself thinking, "I really do have the best class ever!"  We are all working hard to push ourselves to think, stretch, learn, and refine.  Not just a few, but all of us.  In fact our new class theme is "Everyone Does Everything". We're working hard to use every minute of the day in a productive way, and to use our conversation and thinking in team, and classroom building.  So we're working hard but we're having fun along the way.  Did I mention, "I really do have the best class ever"?
Last week I submitted a grant request from Donor's Choice to fund 2 Ipad minis for our classroom.  You would think with 2 mobile labs and a creativity lab inside our school there would be enough technology for all our needs.  Unfortunately that's just not the case.  With the push for keyboarding and writing wrapped up in our assessments, there are times we just don't have access to what is needed.  Everyone else in the school needs the same thing.  I am asking for funding for 2 minis so that all students can touch technology more frequently.  We already have 2 laptops and with the 2 minis, that would allow 4 students at a time to either assess or practice reading fluency, comprehension, math fluency and facts, or think, write, and publish.  Right now through Tuesday, November 19, an anonymous donor will match all donations up to $100.  I know this is close to the holidays and all of our purse strings are tight, but even a $1 donations gets us 1 step closer.  You can scroll down to the previous post for more information.  If you're interested and can help out, here is a quick link that will get you there- Minis To The Max!  Thank you for all your support and generosity!
This week in math we will be finishing our multiplication meanings and will be starting our fluency with x 10s, x5s, and x2s.
In Language Arts this week we will be reading the story How Do You Raise A Raisins?  Did you ever wonder where raisins come from, or why they are in so many foods? Just about every question you might have about raisins is answered in this selection. One reason the author knows a lot about this snack is because she grew up in central California, where most of America’s raisins are grown. From the history of raisin-growing and raisin-eating to a discussion of how raisins get from grapevines to your plate, this story and its illustrations give you lots of information about this sweet, dried fruit.  Our focus on comprehension this week is Drawing Conclusions.  This seems to be quite tricky for our kids.  A conclusion is a decision or an opinion that makes sense based on facts and important ideas.  We are also working on action and linking verbs for our conventions.  An action verb tells what someone or something does. A linking verb tells what someone or something is.  Examples are: Action verbs: run, plays, laughs and  Linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were.  And last but not least our spelling pattern we are studying this week is contractions. 
I am also sending home a fluency passage for students to read this week.  Please set the timer for 1 minute, have your student begin reading and then stop the timer at 1 minute.  Please write down the words correct per minute on the log at the bottom of the passage.  Hopefully this will increase as the week progresses and mistakes decrease.  Note any inserted words and deleted words and discuss with your student.  Repeated readings is a research based strategy that not only improves fluency, but it also improves comprehension and vocabulary as well. 
Thanks to Mr. Davis who was our 1st dad to share a story for Thanksgiving!  We were so excited to hear some of his favorite stories.  We all agree- we recommend Boss Baby!
Have a great week!

Subject: Our students need your help!

Hi Parents and Friends,

I want to make sure our students have the materials they need to succeed. So I've created a classroom project request at DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity.

I'm asking for donations of any size to help our kids. For the next week, any donation you make to my project will be doubled by Anonymous Donor (up to $100). If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your donation will brighten our students' school year, and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class.

Here's my classroom request:
Minis To The Max!


To have your donation matched dollar for dollar, enter the promo code CHEER on the payment screen. This awesome match offer lasts through November 19, 2013.

We greatly appreciate your support,
Mrs. Denning

Information Cube Book Reports

This week in our language block we will be reviewing spelling patterns and comprehension strategies that we have learned the last six weeks.  Our homework this week is two comprehension passages highlighting some of these strategies.  This task will help prepare us for our end of unit test this Friday. 
We are also continuing on with our multiplication meanings topic, taking a better look at repeated addition, arrays, skip counting, and jumps on a number line.  All of these strategies show equal grouping to help solidify multiplication meanings. Today we learned the ancient secrets of 1s and 0s in multiplication.  Shh...You can ask your student if you dare (that is if you can keep a secret). 

This month we will be reading information books (expository text).  Our book report project is a 3 dimensional  information cube.  Because the cubes are so small, students may choose to type their text and then glue this information to the sides of the cubes.   Cubes are due Thursday, Nov. 21.  We will be sharing what we learned from this project in small groups.    Rubric and cube template are found inside homework folders.  Good luck- I can hardly wait to see our amazing work!

Thank you for attending Parent/Teacher Conferences last week.  It was wonderful to be able to speak with you about successes and goals chosen by your student. Thank you for your support and willingness to create a partnership where your student's needs are the common focus.

Welcome To Parent Teacher Conferences

I look forward to meeting with you this week for Parent/ Teacher Conferences. For those who didn't have the chance to sign up, I assigned times that I had that were still available.  Hopefully this will work for you and your family.  Appointment slips as well as an informational letter from Canyons district explaining our new report card will be coming home today in your student's homework folder.  Please look for both.  See you Wednesday or Thursday!

This week in Language we will be reading the story Amazing Bird Nests.  There are many kinds of birds, and each variety builds a different nest. This selection discusses how, where, and why birds build nests. It tells about the unusual places they build, and the materials they use. It focuses on
some unusual nests, including one of the smallest—the hummingbird’s nest, barely an inch across—and one of the largest—the eagle’s nest, which can weigh as much as a car!  This story is a great springboard for our question of the week:  How do animals and plants adapt to find solutions?
We will be focusing on main idea and details this week.  The topic is what a piece of writing is all about. The main idea is the most important idea about the topic. Details are small pieces of information or facts. They tell more about the main idea.
We are also learning about plural possessive nouns.  If two or more people share or own
something, use a plural possessive noun. Add an apostrophe (’) to plural nouns that end in -s, -es, or -ies to make them possessive (boys’, ladies’, canvases’). Add an apostrophe and an -s to make irregular plural nouns possessive (the men’s coats).

And exciting news... WE are starting multiplication meanings this week.  We will be learning that multiplication actually means "groups of" when thinking about how to use manipulatives and draw visuals.  WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Thanks again to our wonderful, fabulous, caring moms who came and spent part of their Thursday morning providing an incredibly fun Halloween party.  Thanks moms!  We couldn't do it without your creativity and time!

Halloween Week :)

We have been working hard this week to polish up our math and language skills and we are all pushing ourselves to become better writers.  We have been writing opinion pieces, as well as finishing up personal narratives, and creating fairy tales. This week we will be learning about the important parts of a friendly letter and then writing some of our very own.  You will be getting a little surprise from your student during parent/teacher conferences!

Speaking of parent/teacher conferences, there still is time to sign up for a convenient time to meet.  I have appointments available on both Wednesday, Nov. 6 and Thursday, Nov. 7.  You can either go to Altara's home page or you can scroll down below to our last post to click on the scheduler.  If you have problems, you can contact Susan Taylor in our main office for help.

This week in Reading Street we will be reading the selection, Tops and Bottoms.  Our story addresses our question for the week- How can we make sure our solutions are fair? Bear is an animal with a lot of land, a lot of money, and absolutely no get-up-and-go. Hare is a clever rabbit who didn’t always make the best decisions in the past. He now has a big family, no land, and no food. Bear and Hare enter into a “business deal,” and both learn that good things come through hard work.

This week we will be reviewing Author's Purpose.  The author’s purpose is the reason an author writes something. Reasons include to persuade, to inform, to entertain, or to express ideas and feelings (opinion).

Another important convention we will be learning this week is all about singular possessive nouns.  These words show that one person owns something. We add an apostrophe and the letter s (’s) to a singular noun to make it a singular possessive noun. For example: baby's bottle, nurse's bag.

We will be reviewing subtraction with regrouping this week while we get ready for testing on Wednesday, 10/30.

And of course last but not least we will be celebrating Halloween this Thursday, Oct. 31 with a parade, beginning at 9:00 and a party to follow.  Come join us for some Spooktacular fun!  Just a reminder there will be early dismissal that day at 1:15 p.m. and no school on 11/1.

Have a GREAT week!

A Much Needed Fall Break!

Whew!  That was a much needed fall break!  I hope that you all had either a restful, or an adventurous weekend with beautiful colors and incredible weather.  Now it's back to work for all of us =)

This week in school we are continuing on with subtraction models, algorithms, and problem solving.  We are practicing our subtraction math facts fluency and getting quicker and more efficient every day.  We LOVE MATH!

Students will be learning about American patriotic symbols and completing projects that describe each symbol in social studies.

In Language Arts this week we will be reading the selection, "Prudy's Problems."  Prudy has a collection. Her problem is that it is a collection of everything anyone could possibly collect. It
is taking over her house. It is taking over her life. Prudy is forced to come up with a solution. She decides to build an enormous museum for all her collections. The project is wildly successful, and she happily continues to collect and display her treasures.  If we look closely at our own situations we too can find great solutions to our problems.  What a wonderful lesson to learn even in the third grade!  This week we will be focusing on drawing conclusions as a comprehension strategy.  A conclusion is a decision or opinion that makes sense based on facts and details.  When you use information you read or already know to make decisions about a text,  you are drawing conclusions.  Not the easiest thing to do but we are learning "how to" strategies and getting smarter! We are also learning about irregular plural nouns.  An irregular plural noun is not spelled by adding -s or -es to the singular. For example, the plural of man is not mans but men. Irregular plural nouns must be learned because they do not follow the regular rules. Some examples are: mouse, geese, and children.
We are spending our time writing fairy tales this week- so exciting!  We get to use our wild imaginations to create, create, create!  So yes, we are busy and amazing all rolled into one!

High fives to all who have been prepared and ready to present Current Events to our class.  Students are well informed and do a wonderful job of presenting the news! We have learned about the government shut down, active volcanoes and even lost hunters.  Keep up the good work all you budding news girls and boys!

It's that time again that we are looking forward to Parent Teacher Conferences. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up on Nov. 6-7. The Online Scheduler is available on Altara's home page or sign up below.

1. Click the following icon:

2. Scroll down to "Altara Elementary" and click "go."

3. Type in the school password (altara) and click "login."

4. Type in your student's ID number.
(hint: The student ID is the username for Envision Math found on the sticker inside of your child's homework folder.)
5. Select an available time slot that works best for you.

If you have any problems or would like support setting up your schedule, feel free to visit the office or call Susan Taylor, our school secretary, for assistance. 

Hope to see you there!

As promised I'll end this post with pics from our fieldtrip.  It was a beautiful day and we loved the Wetlands.  Thanks to our wonderful and amazing volunteers who came along to join in the fun Have a great week!

                                                                Aren't we AWESOME!

 

 

Third Graders Love The Wetlands!

This week in Reading Street we will be reading the humorous selection, I Wanna Iguanna.  When Alex’s neighbor Mikey moves away, he offers to give Alex his baby iguana. Alex wants the new pet badly. His mother isn’t as enthusiastic.  In a series of letters, Alex works to convince his  mother to let him have the new pet. But Mom has an answer for every good reason he gives and every letter he writes. Finally Mom suggests that Alex take the iguana on a “trial basis.” If Alex takes good care of the pet for a week or two, he will be allowed to keep it. When Alex agrees to Mom’s proposition, Mom sends him to his room. There Alex finds the iguana waiting for him. Could it be that this is what Mom had in mind all along?  This will be our first look at a persuasive argument.

Our comprehension focus will be comparing and contrasting different items starting with the similarities between a dog and a cat. Ask your student to draw a Venn diagram or discuss other similarities and differences between other subjects.  You will love hearing their thoughts and arguments!

We are also learning about plural and singular nouns.  Words that name one person, place, or thing are called singular nouns. Words that name more than one are called plural nouns. Many plural
nouns end in -s. Add -es to singular nouns that end in ch, sh, x, s, or ss to make them plural. Some singular nouns end in y. To form the plural of these nouns, change the y to i and add -es.

Our spelling pattern this week is words ending in _le.  Our words are:  handle, trouble, simple, people, middle, table, little, gentle, poodle, pickle, noodle, saddle, juggle, uncle, and riddle.

3rd Graders Love The Wetlands

What:  3^rd Graders at Altara will be taking a walking fieldtrip to our neighborhood Wetlands.

We will be walking to the Wetlands, discovering habitats, and then stopping at Storm Mountain Park for lunch on our walk back to Altara.  We welcome volunteers! Please plan on other arrangements for your toddlers.  Don’t forget to dress appropriately, bring a water bottle, good walking shoes, and wear sunscreen.

When:  Friday, October 11, 2013         9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.

We will be walking to the Wetlands, discovering habitats, and then stopping at Storm Mountain Park for lunch on our walk back to Altara.  We welcome volunteers! Please plan on other arrangements for your toddlers.  Don’t forget to dress appropriately, bring a water bottle, good walking shoes, and wear sunscreen.

We are planning on the Wetlands this Friday for our fall fieldtrip.  Let's hope that it's not too wet at the Wetlands. Please return all permission slips by 10/9/13 to me.  Sorry, but students without a permission slip will not be allowed to go on our trip.  Thanks to all who have volunteered to attend!  We will be leaving at 9:00 a.m.  Please be at the school by 8:50 to meet your group and receive instructions.  Thanks again for your help!

A Close Look At Current Events

October is a current events month! We will be practicing together how to find articles from the links on the class blog and how to write good questions for current event sheets.  Current Events calendar will be coming home in homework folders Tuesday October 8. Students have been assigned dates to bring in and present their current events.   During their own presentation, students should be prepared with the following information:

• Tell the current event in your own words.
• Complete a current event sheet according to the instructions in your homework folder.
• Attach the article you chose.

Please carefully read the instructions and the grading rubric found in your homework folder in order to receive full credit. Look under our Current Event tab on our home page for links to find news that is interesting, exciting, and informative in a kid friendly way.  Just a reminder...If your students is using another source besides the sites on our blog (ex: DOGO, TFK, or Scholastic News) please check to make sure that articles are appropriate for young students.  Please no violent or graphic crimes and news. :) We still have many little tender hearts inside our classroom.

High fives to all our budding new reporters!

example current event sheet

T- Shirts For Everyone!

Thanks for all your support for our Jog-a-Thon fundraiser!  Because of our great success, all students earned an Altara t-shirt. You can see from the photo above we're all smiles and wearing our new shirts with pride!  Thanks for all your help!
This week we are beginning new units in Language Arts, Math and Social Studies. 
In math we will be moving on to subtraction and subtraction meanings, along with rounding and estimating.  We will be working on fast facts and increasing our math fluency.  In fact this week our online homework is a math facts practice game that can be found in your successnet account under your "To Do" tab.  Students can choose from addition, subtraction and even multiplication and divisions facts to test for fluency. Have fun with the games =)
After working hard on our last two math topics we celebrated today with popsicles!  Cool! Cool! We were serious test takers and tried our best to be successful and improve our learning- and we did just that!  Not only were the popsicles cool, but we were too!
In Social Studies we are wrapping up our Change over Time, and Native American studies and will be rotating into Mrs. Hadeans class for a Citizenship and American Symbols class.
In Reading Street this week we will be talking about Smart Solutions.  Our question for the week is, "How do plants and animals use their structures to solve problems?  Can you believe not only do animals have to adapt to their environment to survive, but plants do too!  Our story for the week is an expository text titled, Penguin Chicks.  Today we predicted where the story would take place or in other words- the setting. It was fun to gather background knowledge about habitats and penguins and have the opportunity to learn from each other.  This discussion will help build our thinking while we look for the main idea and details inside the story as our comprehension focus this week. Some of our amazing words this week are flourish, absorb,  and inhospitable.  It will be interesting to see which amazing word becomes our favorite in writing and conversation this week.
Well we're off and running and jumping in with both feet, we're having fun and learning a lot along the way.  Have a great week!

Yearn To Learn

This week we are reviewing in Reading Street.  The stories in Unit 1 were about skills that help us make our way in the world.  Students were asked what kinds of questions might be useful to ask to help us make our way in the world?  We talked about trying new things, trading ideas and information, the importance of saving and spending, and the difference between needs and wants. I know it sounds like a lot for a third grader but all students had amazing background knowledge and contributed to all whole group, small group, and partner talks.

Some of the comprehension skills we are reviewing this week are: character, setting and theme, sequencing, summarizing, main idea and author's purpose.  Besides learning amazing words and increasing our vocabulary we have been learning about prefixes, suffixes, and compound words.  Your students are brilliant we are getting smarter every minute of the day and we are working on getting one step closer to mastery!

We have been writing Sound Poems for our study of two cultures coming together, producing All About Me graphics, and are currently working on 4 square personal narratives that tell about a time that we tried something new.  We are working on stretching our writing and using details that appeal to our senses.  Wow! Are we stars or what!?

Our focus in math this week is on rounding, estimation and up to 3 digit addition problems.  Today we worked on taking our understanding of rounding up one notch to estimation. We solved problems thinking about how much some of our make-believe purchases would cost us while on a shopping spree.  Some of those items had to be taken out of our imaginary baskets because we didn't quite have enough money.  Amazing how that whole needs vs. wants thing came up while doing a little math today!

We are finishing up our social studies unit this week with Native American symbol story writing and a closer look at a few tribes with a focus on geography, culture, and beliefs. It has been fun to find a few of us who have some ancestors that came from Comanche tribes.

Just a quick reminder...PAPER BAG BOOK REPORTS ARE DUE THIS THURSDAY, SEPT. 26.  ALL INFORMATION IS INCLUDED IN YOUR HOMEWORK FOLDER.  YOU CAN CHECK A  PREVIOUS BLOG POST DATED SEPTEMBER 9 FOR PICTURES AND A DESCRIPTION.

Have You Filled A Bucket Today?

On the first day of school, we read the book Have You Filled A Bucket Today?  The short book explains to students that we all carry an invisible bucket in which we keep our feelings about ourselves. When our buckets are full, we are happy; when they are empty, we are sad. It is important that students learn that when they fill a friend's bucket, they also fill their own bucket because it feels good to make others happy. At this time, we also introduced the concept of being a bucket dipper. A bucket dipper is a person who hurts other people's feelings, essentially dipping into their invisible bucket.

 

And of course when given the chance to be silly, we always comply!

So...every day since that first day of school, we have been filling buckets and looking for ways to make someone else smile. Yesterday, our class bucket was filled to the brim. Believe it or not there wasn't any room left for even one more single kind action. So we dumped our bucket (so that we could start over of course) and  celebrated today by visiting Ms. Young's 1st grade class room. We spent a little time listening to some wonderful 1st graders read, as well as reading to them. 

We decided the best way to celebrate our overflowing bucket of good deeds was by going out and finding another way to fill a bucket- and we did just that! There were smiles all around and lots of high fives were shared!  So be ready to ask your third grader, How did you fill a bucket today?     

Catch Up With Reading Street

This week in reading street we are reading an expository text titled Supermarket.  This article tells the history of the supermarket. In early America, almost everyone grew their own food on family farms. They traded with one another to get what they needed, and bought things at town marketplaces.  Soon there were general stores and small “mom-and-pop” grocery stores. Stores became bigger, and today we have large supermarkets that sell all sorts of foods and nonfoods. Here's a fun fact- Did you know that bananas are purchased more than any other fruit? We decided in our class, that they are our favorite too!
The comprehension skill we are focusing on this week is compare and contrast.
When you compare, you tell how two or more things are alike. When you contrast, you tell how two or more things are different. Here's a fun activity for you to try at home: I Spy
Choose an object in plain sight but don’t tell your child which object you have chosen. Instead of giving traditional clues, use compare and contrast statements such as, Its shape is like an apple’s shape, or Its color is different from a banana’s color. After your child identifies the object, have your child choose an object and give clues.
Our conventions skills this week is learning about imperative and exclamatory sentences. Commands, tells someone to do something. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a period.  An exclamatory sentence, or exclamation, tells something with very strong emotion. It begins with a capital letter and ends with an exclamation mark. 
Example:  Imperative Sentence: Put the cup on the table.
                 Exclamatory Sentence: This apple is delicious!

It's Time For An Adventure!

Our very first book report is due Thursday, September 26th.  The genre for this book report is either adventure or fantasy.  Fantasy is a fiction that includes magic and other fantastic elements that are somehow connected to a real world setting or to an entire fantasy world.  Adventure books may or may not be fantastic, since they include some nonfiction stories, as well.  Adventure books have action, excitement, suspense, and a main character who constantly overcomes challenges.  This book report is presented inside a container. (ex: lunch sack, gift bag, oatmeal container, manila envelope, shoebox, etc.) Pack 4-5 items in the container that represents the characters, setting, problem, and solution.  All students will present their container to a small group and explain why each item was chosen.  The rubric and directions are included in the pink pages of your homework folder.  Good luck!

This week we GET to take the IOWA basic tests.  This is a national test that 3rd graders and 5th graders are required to take to test our knowledge compared to all students in the USA.  We will be testing this Tuesday through Thursday.  Please help your student by making sure they get to bed on time and remind them to eat a healthy breakfast for some extra super brain food!  Thanks for your help!

We Are Off And Running!

We are looking forward to our annual Jog-a-Thon scheduled for September 17.  It's time for training, running, increasing stamina and collecting pledges over the next two weeks.  Thanks for supporting our one and only fund raiser this year.  All pledges go directly to crucial programs for our school.

This week we are beginning our Social Studies focus on communities and the change that occurs over time.  Today we talked about artifacts and how the things left behind help us understand others.

We are continuing on with our topic on numeracy in math.  We are working with ordering greater numbers, focusing on place (which place is the number in?) and value (how much is it worth?). We are describing numbers in 4 different ways including standard form, expanded form, word form, and place value blocks representations.  Last but not least, we are making sentences true by using greater than, less than or equal to symbols while working with numbers in the hundred thousands. We'll be showing our thinking with an assessment on Thursday :)

This week in Reading Street we are reading the exaggerated story, Kumak's Fish.  Kumak and his family set out one morning to ice fish.  Kumak is using his Uncle Aglu's amazing hooking stick.  All Kumak's family catch fish except him.  Finally he hooks something, and it takes the entire village holding on to Kumak to reel in his catch-- a long line of fish holding on to each other--enough fish for the entire village.
The comprehension strategies we are focusing on this week are sequencing, or the order in which things happen in a story, and visualization.

We are becoming writers inside our classroom.  We are using technology and creativity to publish a narrative all about us.  We can't wait for you to see it! We are also focusing on writing great 5 sentence paragraphs that contain a topic sentence, 3 detail sentences, and a closing, cover it all sentence.




Don't forget...our first adventure book report is due soon.  Find that adventure and get lost in the book! All information and rubrics are found in your homework folder.

   

A Week At A Glance

This week in Reading Street we will be reading the story, What About Me?  Our question for the week is, "What can I learn by trading with others?"  Our story will  be introducing the idea of bartering and trading and how all can benefit.  Briefly the fable  is about... Once there was a boy who hungered for knowledge. So he went to see a Grand Master who might teach him. But the Grand Master sent him on a hunt for a carpet, which led to a search for thread, and then to a search for
goat hair, goats, a goat pen, and a wife for the carpenter. As the boy worked to help others get what they needed, he learned that the best gifts come when a person is giving and that knowledge can come when we least expect it. You can try the following activity at home to solidify understanding:  What Can I Do For You? Together, spend an hour doing something for someone else. You might make a neighbor cookies, fix a broken toy for your brother or sister, or leave fun notes for those you love. How did doing something for someone else make you feel? What gift did you get from giving?

Our comprehension focus this week is Sequencing.  Sequence of events is the order in which things happen in a story—what happens first, next, and last. Picturing the story in your mind as you read may help you remember the order of events.

Our spelling patterns for the week are the plural endings _s, _es, _ies.

Our conventions for the week focus on subjects and predicates.  Do any of us remember what that even means?  A sentence tells a complete idea with a subject and predicate. A subject tells who or what the sentence is about. A predicate tells what the subject is or does. In the first sentence the subject is underlined, and in the second sentence the predicate is underlined.
The boys climb the tree.
They laugh and play.

One Down A Few More To Go!

Well we did it!  Our first week is down and a few more to go!  We had a great week getting to know each other, set up our expectations and procedures and commit to making our classroom and school the best place to be.  We learned all about our 3 Bs- we even took pictures of our class acting out what it looks like to "Be Responsible,"  "Be Respectful," and "Be Safe."  We had the opportunity to meet with our new principal, Mrs. Magann on the first day and talk about these important behaviors.
It has already been wonderful working with your students.  They care about their learning and are committing everyday to become the best they can.  I am including our Class Back To School Newsletter with this post just in case you weren't here on back to school night.  It contains information that will be important for you and your student.  Have a fabulous week!
   

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to a new school year at Altara Elementary.  I am looking forward to getting to know you and your new third graders this year.  Third grade is a year to stretch and grow.   You will find your student learning important and life long tasks- multiplication, division and cursive always seem to be the favorites!
We're starting the year with our Back To School Night, August 15, 6:00 p.m.-7:20 p.m.   You will get a chance to familiarize yourself with our classroom, the layout of our school, a new principal, and a new teacher.  This year I hope to make communication between home and school quick and easy through our classroom blog.  Our blog will have answers to what is happening in our classroom, curriculum being taught, and dates to circle on the calendar. Our blog is public right now, but will become private the beginning of September to give everyone in our classroom an opportunity to accept an invitation to join our blog family.  It is quick an easy to join- all that is needed is a free google account. Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns :) Feel free to comment on our blog posts or you can email me: patricia.denning@canyonsdistrict.org