Introducing Chase ...

If you look closely -- which my husband failed to notice until about 30 minutes later -- you will see my son Chase has a special announcement on his shirt!  That's right!  Chase will become a BIG BROTHER on May 5th (give or take)!  I thank you all for allowing me to share my exciting news with you -- I couldn't ask for a more supportive group of parents & students to start this new adventure with.  Dan and I are very excited that our house will get a little "messier" come May! 

"BE" Bulletin Board

Our class read the book titled The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater.  In this book, a man who lives in  a neighborhood with houses that are all the same, dares to be different and changes the way his house looks.  The neighbors are angry with him but one-by-one they change their houses appearance.  The moral of the story is dare to be different and that the differences among us are the best things in life.  Be who you are, not who everyone wants you to be!  After reading the story, the students broke up into small groups and discussed inspirational quotes that can be found displayed on the bulletin board.  The last thing we did was discuss adjectives and brainstormed adjectives of what we want to "be" in school and in life.  We also did a mini-lesson on the use of a thesaurus and how that can help writers with using more exciting words in their writing.  Once the students found the perfect word of what they wanted to "be" in school and in life, they decorated their word.  Please come and check out the hard work of your children!

Writing & Sharing!

The students in 3M have built up their writing stamina!  They can successfully write for 20 minutes without any interruptions!  And look how much they can write! And they are so happy too -- these are the moments where I am reminded why I LOVE my job! 

Students share their writing in a small group!  Notice how they are sitting and looking at the reader?!?!

We sometimes are on such  a roll in class that we have a working snack!  Here the students have their snack and listen while their peers share from their writer's notebooks! 

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK!

Planting Seeds!

After observing dry beans and wet beans ... we finally planted our Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds. Before planting, your children watched and answered questions on some brain pop videos on seed plants, photosynthesis and plant growth.  Thanks to the help of Mrs. Burns, we were able to plant our seeds with a few minor spills ... but that's why we made extra plantings!   Now we will wait and see what happens next ... get excited because come November 15th - 3rd Grade American Education Day - you and your child will make plant observations and maybe even use bees to pollinate (if the plants are ready).  

November Reading Calendar

We have been discussing the importance of reading and really trying to understand why read.  We are beginning to understand that we read literature for different reasons than why we read non-fiction.  We do a great deal of reading both in 3M!  In October, I wanted the students to understand and get used to reading each night and filling in their reading calendar.  In November, I have added a back to the reading calendar.  This will give the kids a purpose for reading each night.  Included is also a reading goal for each week in November.  If your child meets this goal, please initial next to the goal.  Any reading calendar questions, please email me, call me, or leave a post on the blog.  We discussed the reading calendar in detail today so your children should have a good understanding of what is expected of them.  Happy Reading! 

FRONT of calendar per usual

BACK of November Calendar

Its' been a week ... but feels like forever!

So it's been a week since the latest bog post and I am so sorry for that.  It seems much longer than that with all the craziness of the week -- half-day on Monday, Halloween on Wednesday and so much more!  I have missed posting pictures and updates of all the happenings in the classroom!  We have been so busy -- I don't think one post will do it.  Check back over the weekend for lots more information and happenings in 3M! 

Our computer lab time is on Tuesdays from 2-3 pm.  This week, the kids spent some time practicing their listening and reading skills on Raz-Kids.  They love Raz-Kids and I love that they do!

Tre is deciding what to do ... listen to the book, read the book or take his comprehension quiz!  Hmm... decisions, decisions!

George is using his stars earned to make purchases for his Raz Rocket!  (The fact that George has stars to make purchases means that he is completing the reading tasks).  Way to go George!

Ella is concentrating on answering the questions correctly on the comprehension quiz!  Some question are pretty hard!

There is nothing better than a room full of students fully engaged in reading!  3M really is the BEST!