September 25, 2015

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 25, 2015

ELA We will focus on Fairy Tales this week. We will read Cinderella and Prince Cinders, a fractured fairy tale. Students will complete a story map and then compare and contrast the two stories. We will also read the fractured fairy tale, Classic Princess and the Frog.  Students will write a Cinderella fractured fairy tale of their own. At the end of the week students will write a fractured fairy tale from the point of view of one of the characters in Cinderella.

Spelling An assessment was given today. New spelling sorts will go home on Monday. Students are being asked to choose a different activity from the Spelling Homework sheet to complete each night (Mon-Thurs) to help them master their spelling words. Once your child has completed the activity, please place the activity in their spelling folder. If the activity does not require something to be handed in, please initial the activity square. All 8 activities, should be attached to the Spelling Homework Sheet and turned in on Friday, October 9, which is the day of the assessment.

Math We will wrap up working with different strategies to add two digit numbers and solving two digit story problems. An assessment will be given on Wednesday. A study guide went home today. In our next topic, students will investigate situations designed to elicit key ideas and strategies that build a foundation for a deep understanding of multiplication. 

Science Tuesday we will begin a unit on the water cycle. We will discuss where water is found on Earth. 

Thanks again to those families who donated to the Johnny Appleseed celebration:
The Young Family, The Merrinette Family, The Rerucha Family, The Mesker Family, The Wawro Family and The Silanskis Family.

Important September/October Dates & Announcements

I wanted to share with families that we are just starting out the year and to please not be concerned too much with grades at this point.  There will be so many more grades coming that things tend to balance themselves out.  If you see an alarming grade - of course feel free to reach out to the teacher, but also know that if we were concerned, we would reach out to you.  It is natural for students to have one or two scores that aren't the best as they are learning classroom work habits/study skills, etc.  A lot more independence is placed on third graders and they will be keeping record of their work and grades, setting goals, etc. 

In the past, we might have not put poor grades in the grade book but now those grades are even as important as the "good" ones.  Those grades start conversations between students and teachers and motivate students to improve.

Cooper was our our Panther of the Week.

Did you know he loves to play soccer and his hero is his Dad?

September/October Dates to Remember

28 - New Spelling Word Sort (List) goes home
29 - Quiz on Hemispheres 
30 - Math Assessment (Ms. Zurales' Math Class)
  1 - September Reading Log Due

  

September 18, 2015

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 18, 2015

ELA We will continue our first unit Tales as Old as Time. This unit includes Folktales, Fables, and Myths. This week we read The Mysterious Giant of Bartletta and Fin M'Coul.  Students are focusing on identifying character traits and then finding evidence to support the trait. Students are applying this strategy to their good fit books. Next week, we will compare the two giants. We will also do a close read on Rumplestilskin. In English the focus will be on the writing process: Prewrite, Draft it Up, Doctor it Up, and Fix it Up. 

Spelling Students are being asked to choose a different activity from the Spelling Homework sheet to complete each night (Mon-Thurs) to help them master their spelling words. Once your child has completed the activity, please place the activity in their spelling folder. If the activity does not require something to be handed in, please initial the activity square. All 8 activities, should be attached to the Spelling Homework Sheet and turned in on Friday, September 25, which is the day of the assessment.

Math We will be working with different strategies to add two digit numbers. 
We will also be solving two digit story problems. 

Social Studies Students will be presenting their Google slide with their two facts about the continent they chose. Next week we will begin a unit on hemispheres. Also on:
.

Saturday, September 26th is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. We will be having a celebration! Please send a peeled, cored, and sliced apple with your child on Friday, September 25th to be used to make applesauce for the class. We are looking for donations of small bowls, plastic spoons, and apple juice boxes. If this is something you are interested in helping with, please email me or send the items in any day before Friday, September 25th. Thank you in advance for your help!

I still need 1 more jug of apple juice and cups (20) or apple juice boxes (12), and small bowls. Thanks Mrs. Merrinette for the apple juice. Thanks Mrs. Young for the spoons. 

Important September Dates & Announcement

Please send in one peeled, cored and sliced apple to school with your child on Friday. We will be using these apples to make applesauce in the classroom. 

Mikella was our our Panther of the Week.

Did you know she loves to paint and she bakes every weekend?

September Dates to Remember

24 - Early Dismissal - SIP Day
25 - Johnny Appleseed Birthday Celebration
25 - Spelling Test

September 11, 2015

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 11, 2015

ELA We will continue our first unit Tales as Old as Time. This unit includes Folktales, Fables, and Myths.  We will read The Mysterious Giant of Bartletta. Students will focus on identifying character traits and then finding evidence to support the trait. Students will apply this strategy to their good fit books.  In English the focus will be on simple and compound sentences.

Spelling  On Monday we will begin Words Their Way. Your child will be bringing home a Spelling Homework sheet.  This Spelling Homework sheet will be used for the following 2 weeks. Please keep it in your child's binder in the Spelling folder, once they have completed the nightly activity. Students are being asked to choose a different activity from the Spelling Homework sheet to complete each night (Mon-Thurs) to help them master their spelling words. Once your child has completed the activity, please place the activity in their spelling folder. If the activity does not require something to be handed in, please initial the activity square. All 8 activities will be due on the date of the assessment. Assessments will be given every 2 weeks. The first assessment will be given on Friday, September 25. 

Math We will continue with addition and subtraction. 

Social Studies Students will continue learning about continents and oceans. They will be research facts about a continent this week and sharing with the class. There will be a test over continents and oceans on Friday. Look for a study guide to come home on Monday.

Saturday, September 26th is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. We will be having a celebration! Please send a peeled, cored, and sliced apple with your child on Friday, September 25th to be used to make applesauce for the class. We are looking for donations of small bowls, plastic spoons, and apple juice. If this is something you are interested in helping with, please email me or send the items in any day before Friday, September 25th. Thank you in advance for your help!

Important September Dates & Announcement

Eddie was our our Panther of the Week

Did you know he likes to play hockey? Soldiers are his heros!

September Dates to Remember

18 - Continents and Ocean Test
24 - Early Dismissal - SIP Day
25 - Johnny Appleseed Birthday Celebration

September 4th, 2015

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 4, 2015

I was so happy that all of you were able to make it to curriculum night! If you would like to revisit the Chromebook presentation, click on the following link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1l_n3sKS5JbBnEGyHQwQFxQbimiarA5KCvDKO9Ds0t8E/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=5000

Here's what is going on next week:

Reading Next week we will begin rotations for Daily 5. We will also start a unit on Folktales, Fables, and Myths. Students will will recount stories and determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. Our first Folktale is Mulan.  

Language Arts The focus will be on writing complete sentences. We will be using our interactive notebooks.

Spelling  On 9/14 look for your child's spelling sort to come home.

Math We've been practicing addition facts to twenty. At the end of next week, we will be revisiting subtractions facts to twenty.

Social Studies Students will be learning about the 7 continents and the oceans. By the end of this unit, students will learn to spell the 7 continents and 5 oceans and where they are located.

Important Dates & Announcement

9/9 Wed, MAPS Testing - Reading
9/10 Thurs, MAPS Testing - Math

Gabby was our our Panther of the Week

Did you know she likes to play basketball and she is a girl scout?

September Dates to Remember

  7 - Labor Day - No School
24 - Early Dismissal - SIP Day