Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 3B Parents!

It has been a busy week full of classroom chatter and excitement.  We had a busy week with the middle school visit, and our first Art Docent lesson of the year! 

The kids are all definitely ready for Christmas! They were thrilled to enjoy a wonderful Christmas party today! As always thank you so much to the parents who worked so hard to make it such a success!  

I was blown away by your generosity this week. I am SUCH a lucky teacher to be teamed with such supportive, dedicated, and wonderful parents. You have no idea how grateful I am for everything! This is a very special class!

Over break is a perfect time to replenish some school supplies! Some items that seem to be the most commonly used up or misplaced are glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, and highlighters.

Middle School Visit: Students had a blast working with the middle school students on a Christmas project. They decorated Christmas trees and filled the base with presents they think God would want for Christmas.

Shout Out! Last week, Connor came to me with a request for the class. He heard about a little boy who is sick in the hospital in need of a new heart. This boy will be in the hospital for Christmas and is hoping for some Christmas cards from local kids to brighten his spirits. Connor thought that this would be the perfect project for 3B! The class has been working so hard on these cards, I just had to share! Please join us in praying for our new friend!

Math: We have finished working through Topic 5. Students seem to be grasping the concept of multiplication. Over the Christmas break, the students should begin to practice their math facts. They should begin at zero, ones, twos, fives and tens.

Reading: This week, we read two other versions of the Gingerbread Man. One was, The Gingerbread Girl. We discussed whether we thought she was a "tough cookie" or a "smart cookie."

Next, we read the Gingerbread Man Loose in School! This was a cute book about a very determined gingerbread man. We discussed a number of character traits that described him and found proof in the book of these traits. Check out our class anchor chart:

 During Reading Rotations students have been completing Gingerbread Man related activities in their literacy workbooks!

I wish you and your family a very merry Christmas! Have a safe, happy, relaxing Christmas break!

Weekly Update: December 13, 2019

Happy Friday 3B Parents!

Christmas is coming right up! The students can hardly contain their excitement! Thank you to all who attended this week’s Christmas Concerts. The children were so excited to have all of you there to see them perform.

Important Events:

Wednesday, December 18^th---Mass 10am

Wednesday, December 18^th—Chapter 4 Science Test

Wednesday, December 18^th---Topic 5 Math Test

Thursday, December 19^th---Christmas Party 10am-11am

Christmas Break-Friday, December 20th-Wednesday, January 1st

Math:  We have almost finished working through Topic 5. Students seem to be grasping the concept of multiplication. The test is next Wednesday!

Reading: This week, we began a Christmas Gingerbread Man Unit. So far we have read 3 different versions of the Gingerbread Man. We started with the original and discussed the setting and character traits of the Gingerbread Man. We have compared the story elements for the original story with the others.  We also worked to determine the central message (moral) of the story, The Gingerbread Boy.

Next week during Reading Rotations students will complete Gingerbread Man related activities in their literacy workbooks!

Writing: Students spent time this week working to put isolated words into full sentences. These sentences were jam packed with adjectives. Students are learning how to spice up their writing using descriptive language. After the sentence activity, students started brainstorm sensory adjectives they could use to describe their traditional Christmas mornings. Next week students will write a detailed paragraph describing their perfect Christmas morning.

Science: This week we worked through Lesson 6 of Chapter 4. Students learned how ecosystems recover after a natural disaster. They learned that when a habitat is destroyed organisms relocate, perish, or adjust. This was the last lesson in the chapter. We have already begun reviewing for the chapter test which will be given next Wednesday.

Social Studies: Mrs. Newell is sending home the social studies test today. After she corrected them I went through and gave an additional FCA grade for the essay portion of the test. FCA stands for Focused Correction Areas.

Before the test, students were made aware of 3 FCA’s for this test:

1. Answer each question in a complete sentence (CS).—50 points

2. Use a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence.—25 points

3.  Use punctuation at the end of each sentence. -25 points

The FCA grade does not affect their social studies grade in any way. It is used to hold students accountable for applying proper grammar and writing skills to their work. If students struggled with the complete sentence FCA, please have them read the blue ink to help them get the idea of how they should have responded. Students will continue to progress in this area as the year continues, I’ve already seen great progress!

We will follow a similar format moving forward with regards to tests that require written responses.

Book Buddies: Today students met with book buddies and together they read a biography booklet about St. Nicholas and completed a color by number picture after answering true/false questions about the text.

Weekly Update: December 6, 2019

Hi Everyone!

 This has been such an exciting week at school with a snow day and Santa’s Workshop! The Christmas season is finally here!  

We have been asking all students to be sure they are memorizing the words to the songs they will sing in the Christmas Pageant.  We have begun preparations for that this week. They are performing so well!

***Please remind your child to continue memorizing the lyrics to the Christmas songs that they will sing as part of the pageant***They need to especially practice: "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," “The First Noel,” “Joy to the World,” and “Drummer Boy.” 

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, December 10th---Social Studies Test

Tuesday, December 10^th—Christmas Concert: 1:00pm & 6:30pm

Friday, December 13^th---Lesson 6 Science Quiz

Thursday, December 19th---Chapter 4 Science Test (on lessons 4, 5, & 6)

Friday, December 20^th-Wednesday, January 1^st---Christmas Break

Math: We have moved on to Topic 5 this week. This is when we typically ask students to begin studying their math facts nightly as they begin working toward the goal of memorizing all of the multiplication facts. We will start testing them after Christmas break. Flash cards and iPad apps are the best way for them to study.

This website lists a number of free math fact apps. Xtramath is also a great website for learning their facts!

Writing: Students have been working so hard finishing up their elf applications! Check out our new bulletin board!

Check out some pictures from our awesome trip to Plimoth Plantation! Thanks to all of the chaperones for donating your time and keep all of the kids safe and happy!