Friday, April 29, 2011

Newsletter for April 29, 2011

Dear Families,

WOW!  What a busy week we have had!  Here is what's been happening over the past week and what is planned for this coming week.

What's Up!

*      Reading:   This week we read the story Pepita Talks Twice.  This story is about a little girl who gets tired of speaking both English and Spanish.  When she decided to stop speaking Spanish many unexpected consequences occur.  We also worked on reading and re-reading text to increase our fluency.  We had fun practicing this strategy with fun poems by Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky.  Next week we will be reading our last story in our Anthology, Poppa’s New Pants

*      Writing:  We have been working on our comparative writing some more this week.  We also wrote creative stories using our spicy vocabulary words.

*      Spelling: Words from Poppa’s New Pants

*       begin

*       again

*       around

*       before

*       away

*       about

*       alive

*       because

*       ahead

*       between

*       behind

*       ago

*       awhile

*       beyond

*      Vocabulary: Words from Poppa’s New Pants

*       draped:  hung loosely in folds

*       fabric:  cloth

*       hem:  to fold back and sew down the edges

*       mended:  repaired by sewing

*       pattern:  a repeated design or decoration

*       plaid:  a pattern of stripes that cross each other

*       rustling:  quick, soft, fluttering sound

*      Math:   We began Chapter 6 on fractions this week!  We have discussed what a numerators and denominators are, how to find the fraction of a whole and how to compare different fractions.  This can be a very challenging concept for many kids, so please check over their homework each night to make sure they are picking it up.  We will take our test on fractions next week, then on Friday we will move into measurement.

*      Science: We have begun our last unit of study this year which is all about matter!  This week we began learning about fun concepts like density and displacement.  Ask your child about Archimedes principle. 

*      Social Studies: We have started learning about the West.  You can begin studying the states of the West with the following online resources: www.sheppardsoftware.com (USA) & http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/maps/usa-numbers.pdf 

*      Cursive and Keyboarding: Students finished writing papers comparing 2nd and 3rd grade in cursive and began presenting them to the class today.  We will continue presenting these next Wednesday and Friday.  On Tuesday we will be taking our pretest on measurement during keyboarding time.

 

Tiger Trek – SO MUCH FUN!!!

Thank you to everyone who sponsored our students for Tiger Trek.  OUR CLASS HAD 100% PARTICIPATION!!!!  In case you haven’t heard, the kids and I have a challenge going.  Any child who runs more laps than I do today will earn a dollar to add to their tiger trek money total.  Ask your child if they were able to “beat” Mrs. Winstanley!  Pledge sheets will be coming home soon for students to begin collecting on their pledges.  THANK YOU!

 

Book Orders

Our final book order of the year went home last week.  This is a great opportunity to order some inexpensive summer reading for your child.  You can place your order online by going to http://www.scholastic.com/bookclubs. Our class code is: GY2HX.  You can also order the traditional way by sending in the paper order form and a check made out to Scholastic.  All orders are due by Monday, May 2.

 

Field Trip

We will be going on our field trip to the Nature Center on May 19th.  If you could like to join us, please let me know.  More information will be coming home next week.

 

More Multiplication Ideas

Keep studying those facts. We are taking 1 minute timed fact tests several times a week.  The more they have memorized, the easier it will be. Here are websites or use the flashcards we sent home earlier.  If you are looking for other ideas, send me an email or give me a call!

·         http://www.mathfactcafe.com/

·         http://www.aaastudy.com/mul.htm

·         http://www.aplusmath.com/

·         http://www.multiplication.com – LOVE this for self-timed and graded tests!!!

·         http://www.coolmath4kids.com/times-tables/index.html

·         http://resources.oswego.org/games/mathmagician/cathymath.html

 

Behavior

Our new word is Honesty. This is our shortest word yet!  Please remind your child of your expectations and the Amberly High 5. This includes being responsible for doing their chores around the classroom including making their lunch choice in the morning and turning their homework in first thing.  We will also be reviewing our expectations for hallway behavior on Monday.

 

Dates to Remember

April 29 – Tiger Trek 12:30 to 1:10 (third grade time)

May 2 – Tiger Trek Pledge sheets and collections envelopes sent home

May 9 – Tiger Trek Money Due in collection envelopes

May 19 – Third Grade Field Trips to the Nature Center

 

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Mrs. Winstanley

 

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