Dear Parents,
This has been a week of recesses that saw single digit degrees and balmy, rainy weather. You never know what to expect! Over the next few weeks, we will be working on a number of special projects in the classroom that connect with our unit on Japan. Some of these will involve research, others will be writing pieces, and some physical projects. During the week of February 4th, the third grade will be doing E.R.B. testing. This is a multiple choice, untimed test given in grades 3 and 5 in the Lower School. The E.R.B.s tests reading, language arts, and math skills. We usually begin at 8:15 and stop around snack time. next week I will discuss this with the class. We will do a practice test to help them feel familar and relaxed with the process. It will be important that your child get plenty of sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, and arrive to school on time. For many students, this will be the first time taking a standardized test and we try to minimize any worries. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. CURRICULUM Language Arts This week we looked at rich descriptive words as we continued with adjectives. Students used adjectives in writing haiku poems. Using a scenic photo, they wrote strong adjectives and verbs to describe their pictures. In spelling we completed unit 10 using long i words. Our next unit uses long words spelling with oa and ow. Literature We continued books by Allen Say, reading Stranger in The Mirror and The Bicycle Man. Sadako As the start of our book, Sadako, her family, and best friend Chizuko celebrate Peace Day on August 6. This celebration honors people who died in the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. Sadako is a lively young girl whose passion is running. Her goal is to qualify for the racing team in junior high team next year. As she practices, she begins to notice a strange dizziness occurring more often, but chooses not to say anything. Reading Logs The students are doing a great job writing letters about the books they are reading. At the beginning, they all started together on the same schedule. Since books they have chosen are different sizes, the time it takes to read some of the books is expected to be longer. Therefore, everyone is on their own individual schedule, returning the Reader's Notebooks throughout the week. Students share their letters and others have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Many students are reading a specific genre or books by the same author. Math Our class finished chapter 7 on multiplication this week. Our next chapter uses multiplication to understand the process of division. Social Studies Our mix-it-up groups watched a video titled Familes From Japan. This compared two families, one living in the traditional style and the other in a more modern setting. In the Japanese culture today, people continue to live in both styles. Traditional architecture showing paper panel doors and windows, and straw tatami mats reflect the traditional style. B.O.F. On Wednesday February 6 th, Bands of Friends will be performing at All School Meeting. Hope to see you there! Student Led Conferences I will posting a schedule next week with the days and times for our upcoming conferences in February. Conference days are Wednesday Feb. 13 from 2:30-5:00, Thursday Feb. 14 from 1:00 to 5:00, and Friday Feb. 15 from 8:00 to 12:00. After school care is available on Wednesday til 5:30, Thursday til 5:30, and Friday til 1:00. Early Arrival Duty Next week I have early arrival duty downstairs near the second grade. I will not be in my room until after 7:55, so please send your child down there and not up to our classroom if they arrival early. Thank you. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING DATES Monday Jan. 28- Terry Wolkowicz from the NBSO visiting classes Week of Feb. 4th- E.R.B.s Wed, Feb. 6- B.O.F. performing at All School Meeting Wed.-Fri. Feb. 13-15 Student Led Conferences Monday Feb. 18- no school in honor of Presidents' Day Friday Feb. 22- FriendsFest (see link below!) http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efyce2iif820a4d9&llr=df8gwxlab
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