October 5, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

October 5, 2018

ELA In writer's work shop we will begin the argumentative writing unit. Our activities will focus on descriptive writing. 

Don't forget to read for 20 days (20 min each day) and record it in the October Reading Log.

SPELLING A new sort will go home Tuesday. Homework (3 items on the menu, 1 from each column) is due on 10/19, which is also the day of the test.  

SOCIAL SCIENCE  We will begin studying the history of Downers Grove.

MATH We began the unit on Multi-digit Addition and Subtraction. Students will be introduced to the concepts of rounding 2 and 3 digit numbers to nearest ten and the nearest hundred. They will develop new strategies and adjust some of the strategies they learned to solve 3 digit story problems.

Today I assigned students a pin so they can practice their facts on their chromebook through the app:  xtra math.  The pin was written in their assignment notebook. If they did not save the login info, they may need it. The teacher email is szurales@ccsd66.org.

If your child should forget their Student Book or their Home Connections workbook at school, they can go into my google math classroom from a home computer and print the page they will need to complete for homework.

IMPORTANT DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are halfway through the 1st trimester of third grade!  Can you believe it?
Hopefully, grades are being monitored online.  If you are having problems doing so,
please call the office. We had our first monthly Pride awards
presentation today. Ask your child about it.

10/8 - Columbus Day - No School
10/19 - Spelling Homework Menu is due and Test
10/31 - Halloween Parade and Party

September 28, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 28, 2018

ELA We will continue our reading unit, Tales As Old As Time. We will read two stories, Pigsty and Lost and Found. Our focus will be on Theme.

Please remember to keep track of your child’s reading (20 minutes, 20 days) on the September reading log. It is due Monday, October 1. The October reading log went home today.

SPELLING New sorts and a Spelling Menu went home Monday. Students are being asked to choose and complete 3 activities, one from each column, on the Spelling Homework Menu. This will help them master their spelling words. All 3 activities should be stapled to the Spelling Homework Menu and the square initialed by a parent. It should be turned in by Friday, October 5, which is the day of the test.

SOCIAL SCIENCE  Students will present their Continent/Ocean slide shows on Monday. Our next topic is hemispheres. This is a short lesson, therefore there will be quiz at the end of the week. More info will be coming on Monday.

MATH Students will be taking the Unit 1 assessment on Tuesday. A study guide went home yesterday. Please make sure to review this with your child. It is due on Monday. We will skip Unit 2 for now, and move to Unit 3, Multi-digit Addition and Subtraction.

If your child should forget their Student Book or their Home Connections workbook at school, they can go into my google math classroom from a home computer and print the page they will need to complete for homework.

IMPORTANT DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

A note from Mrs. Cushing:  Third graders see Mrs. Cushing for PE first thing in the morning.  There is a good chance there will be dew on the grass.  PE is outdoors into October, weather permitting. The students might get their socks/shoes wet.  It is a good idea for the third graders to bring an extra pair of shoes and socks for after PE. A suggestion would be to have your child wear their play shoes to school for PE and then change into another pair after.  Washing and drying them weekly may be of help too!

10/1 - September Reading Log is due
10/1 - Ms. Zurales' Math Class - Unit 1 Study Guide is due
10/2 - Ms. Zurales' Math Class - Unit 1 Assessment
10/5 - Spelling Homework Menu is due and Test
10/8 - Columbus Day - No School

September 21, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 21, 2018

ELA We will continue the unit on Folktales. The focus will be on comparing/contrasting themes, setting and plot from books in a series by reading MORTY THE MEANIE and MORTY and the TWICE FIT MICE.

Please remember to keep track of your child’s reading (20 minutes, 20 days) on their blue reading log they brought home.  They can turn it in on or before Monday, October 1.

SPELLING A spelling test was given today. Monday, new sorts will go home, with the same expectations: Students are being asked to choose 3 activities, one from each column, on the Spelling Homework Menu. This will help them master their spelling words. All 3 activities should be stapled to the Spelling Homework Menu and the square initialed by a parent. It should be turned in by Friday, October 5, which is the day of the test.

SOCIAL SCIENCE  Students are researching a continent or ocean with a partner and making a slide show. They will present them next week. Our next topic is hemispheres. 

MATH Students will be investigating addition strategies for 2-digit addition and subtraction problems.

If your child should forget their Student Book or their Home Connections workbook at school, they can go into my google math classroom from a home computer and print the page they will need to complete for homework.

IMPORTANT DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

A note from Mrs. Cushing:  Third graders see Mrs. Cushing for PE first thing in the morning.  There is a good chance there will be dew on the grass.  PE is outdoors into October, weather permitting. The students might get their socks/shoes wet.  It is a good idea for the third graders to bring an extra pair of shoes and socks for after PE. A suggestion would be to have your child wear their play shoes to school for PE and then change into another pair after.  Washing and drying them weekly may be of help too!

Tuesday, September 26th is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday. We will be having a celebration! A letter went home yesterday. Please send a peeled, cored, and sliced apple with your child on Tuesday, September 26th to be used to make applesauce for the class.

9/25 - Johnny Appleseed's Birthday - bring a peeled, cored, and sliced apple to school

9/26 - Institute Day - Early Dismissal @11am

10/1 - September Reading Log is due

September 14, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 14, 2018

ELA We will continue the unit on Folktales, specifically, Myths. Students will be reading Tortoise and The Hare. Our focus will be on moral/theme/lesson vs. main idea and author's purpose.

I have enjoyed learning all about your child through their Me Bag presentations. We will finish them up next week.  

Please remember to keep track of your child’s reading (20 minutes, 20 days) on their blue reading log they brought home.  They can turn it in on or before October 1.

Spelling Your child's spelling sort came home on Monday. Students are being asked to choose 3 activities, one from each column, on the Spelling Homework Menu. This will help them master their spelling words. All 3 activities should be stapled to the Spelling Homework Menu and the square initialed by a parent. It should be turned in by Friday, September 21, which is the day of the test. The test will include 15 words from the student's list (teacher's choice) and 2 sentences, using any of their 2 words.

Social Studies The test on the 7 continents and 5 oceans is scheduled for Wednesday, September 19. Students will have to label their correct location on a world map. They will be given a word bank to copy the names from. Spelling will count. Our next topic is hemispheres.

Math Students will be working on 2 digit addition problems. We will be investigating many different strategies.

If your child should forget their Student Book or their Home Connections workbook at school, they can go into my google math classroom from a home computer and print the page they will need to complete for homework.

Important Dates & Announcement

A note from Mrs. Cushing:  Third graders see Mrs. Cushing for PE first thing in the morning.  There is a good chance there will be dew on the grass.  PE is outdoors into October, weather permitting. The students might get their socks/shoes wet.  It is a good idea for the third graders to bring an extra pair of shoes and socks for after PE. A suggestion would be to have your child wear their play shoes to school for PE and then change into another pair after.  Washing and drying them weekly may be of help too!

9/19 - Continents & Oceans Test
9/21 - Spelling Homework due and test
9/26 - Institute Day - Early Dismissal

10/1 - September Reading Log is due

September 7, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

September 7, 2018

ELA We will begin a unit on Folktales: Fairy-tales, Fables, and Myths. Students will recount stories and determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. Also, we will focus on character traits and context clues. We will write our final copy of our 5 paragraph essay about our Me Bags. Students will also be reading their papers and presenting their bags to the class.

Please remember to keep track of your child’s reading (20 minutes, 20 days) on their blue reading log they brought home.  They can turn it in on or before October 1.

Spelling Your child's spelling sort will come home on Monday. Students are being asked to choose 3 activities, one from each column, on the Spelling Homework Menu. This will help them master their spelling words. All 3 activities should be stapled to the Spelling Homework Menu and the square initialed by a parent. It should be turned in on Friday, September 21, which is the day of the test. The test will include 15 words from the student's list (teacher's choice) and 2 sentences, using any of their 2 words.

Social Studies We will be learning about the 7 continents and the 5 oceans. By the end of this unit, students will be able to locate the  7 continents and 5 oceans.

Math There will be a short checkpoint quiz covering addition and subtraction, on Wednesday. This week we’ll be focusing on length, which will include a fun scavenger hunt.

Important Dates & Announcement

9/10 - Magazine Drive Kick off
9/12 - Ms. Zurales' Math Class - Checkpoint quiz
9/21 - Spelling Homework due and test
9/26 - Institute Day - Early Dismissal

August 31, 2018

Ms. Zurales' 3rd Grade News

August 31, 2018

I was so happy to see many of  you at Curriculum Night! If you were unable to attend or would like to revisit our third grade slide presentation, please email me and I will send home a paper copy with your child.

ELA We will continue focusing on various reading skills using fun literature. This week our books will be ZOOM, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  Our skills studied will be inferencing using illustrations, drawing conclusions, and finding evidence and details.

Your child brought home today a white bag project: the "Me BAG". They are to find 3 of his or her favorite things to put into the bag. These 3 things should tell the class about their personality or favorite activities. This is due on Wednesday, September 5th. They will be graded on their presentation. We went over the expectations in class today. Please see the blue sheet in their homework folder for the complete project.

Please keep track of your child’s reading (20 minutes, 20 days) on the blue reading log they are bringing home today.  They can turn it in on or before October 1.

Spelling  We spelling sorts/lists will go home September 10th.

Social Studies Students have been learning about directions, cardinal and intermediate. There will be a quiz on Thursday, Sept 6th. A study guide went home on Thursday. The study guide does not have to be turned in. It is to be used to practice at home.

Math Welcome to the math portion of my blog!  If you were unable to attend and would like my handout about the Bridges units, please email me and I’ll get it to your child.  We’ll be focusing on the addition table next week.

Important Dates & Announcement

9/3 Labor Day - No School
9/4 Panther Poster Due
9/5 White Bag Project Due
9/6 Directions Quiz
9/26 SIP DAY - Early Dismissal

Here is a video link that may help answer any questions you may have about SEL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikehX9o1JbI&disable_polymer=true

If you were unable to attend Curriculum Night, please click on the link to view my slide presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSBhbH7KKDnX9mUutvClg5IEjEB40R-DxlaCWu6i_znCi5bA11cDhhkj8llfX01yhk1nrMXPJWTCIvp/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000

August 24, 2018

Ms. Zurales' Third Grade News

August 24, 2018

Happy Friday everyone! We had a terrific first week in 3rd grade! We really got to know each other. I am looking forward to a wonderful year with my new students!

Families, please make sure you check my blog weekly. I will send an email with the link every Friday.

This afternoon, we were working on our Panther Purpose Posters. Please check your child's notebook for the assignment. It is to be completed on the chromebook, in google classroom. They need to find 5 words and pictures that describe their purpose at PV. I will send an additional email with words that were brainstormed in class today. The posters will be completed in class on Monday. 

Yesterday your child brought home an "Extra! Extra" Read all about Me!" poster (Panther Poster). These will be due back on or before Tuesday, September 4th.

Just a reminder: Please label all envelopes sent in with your child's name, their grade, what is in the envelope, and my name.

Picture day is Wednesday, August 29th.

Curriculum Night for parents only is Wednesday, August 29th, 6:30-8:00. See you then!

We’ll be MAP testing on Tuesday (Math) and Thursday (ELA).  

Let's make it a great year!

Next Week:
   

Social Studies  We will study directions. Students will learn about cardinal and intermediate directions.  

Spelling We are continuing the spelling series Words Your Way.  Fortunately, the students have worked with this program in 2nd grade.  I will give an inventory test on Monday. Students will be working with patterns they struggle with during Word Work in Daily 4.

English Language Arts We’ll be starting our year focusing on various reading skills using fun literature.  This week our books will be Recess Queen, Lost and Found, and Pigsty.  The skills studied will be character traits, and cause and effect.

Next Friday, students will be bringing home their September reading log. They are expected to read for 20 days, 20 minutes each day.  I know many read more than that. This log will be part of their grade.

Ms. Zurales' Math Class Please check Power school for your child's math teacher (we do switch for Math). We will start Math on Monday . Students will be taking a pretest next week to see what they know!

Important Dates & Announcement

8/28 MAPS Math Testing
8/29 Picture Day
8/29 Curriculum Night 6:30-8pm
8/30 MAPS ELA Testing
9/4  Read All About Me Poster (Panter Poster) due
9/3   Labor Day - No School
9/7  F & P Testing
9/26 Early dismissal