April 6 Library Visit
April 6 Business Plans Due (optional)
April 6-8 Level 2 Basketball Camp
April 10 No School
April 16 Student-Led Conferences
April 17 No School
Homework Due Thursday, April 9th
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete Reading Response Letter OR Opinion Paragraph Packet
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice*
Optional: Complete electronic Business Plan by Monday, April 6th (for students who want to start their own classroom business)
*Suggested IXL skills for 3rd grade math practice:
F.16 - F.19 Multiplication facts
*Suggested IXL skills for 4th grade math practice:
E.2, E.3, E.4 Division
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This week, we will have a presentation by the Oregon Zoo to extend our study of animal biology and migration. Next week, we will work in the garden with Erin.
Volunteer Opportunities - http://vols.pt/drMimF
I would like to assemble a parent panel to help evaluate business plan proposals. Students who are interested in opening their own classroom business will have to present their proposal to the class and the parent panel. Presentations will take place Thursday, April 9th from 2:20 - 3:20. I have created a new sign up on VolunteerSpot for this activity: http://vols.pt/PvojTu
Math Notes
Last week in Third Grade math, we moved into a study of fractions. We are not done with multiplication just yet - we will continue to revisit it over the next two months and third graders will have weekly opportunities to practice multiplication facts in class and at home. In this unit, students will investigate the meaning of fractions and the ways fractions can be represented. They started last week by solving sharing problems ("How can 2 people share 3 brownies equally?") and building wholes from fractional parts (1/2 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 1).
This week, fourth grade mathematicians will finish up their study of multiplication. Students will work on solving multiplication problems with 2-digit numbers, reasoning about numbers and their factors, and represent the meaning of multiplication and division. Last week, in preparation for Student-Led Conferences, fourth graders worked on a This Is Me math poster. Students who have not finished, may have additional math homework this week. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Becky at [email protected].
Weekly Review
The classroom store has been open for a couple weeks and students have been spending their dino dollars (earned from their classroom jobs) on beanie baby sleepovers, homework passes and other fun treats! Now, some students would like to own and operate private businesses! The first step for entrepreneurial Plovers is to complete the electronic Business Plan, which is due TODAY (Monday, April 6th). Then potential business owners will need to present their plan to their potential consumers (the Plovers) and community stakeholders (parents and FGCS administrators) on Thursday, April 9th. This process is completely optional and I intentionally made it a bit challenging so that students would really consider the responsibilities that come with managing a business! Please let me know if you or your Plover have any questions or concerns and I will be happy to help with the planning process.
Migration groups worked together last week to begin researching their animal and sketch its Oregon habitat. This week, we will try to combine all the habitats into one big model of Oregon! We are still working on determining the correct scale for the model, which students started discussing last week after measuring the height of several trees around Pacific's campus (ask you Plover how they found the height - we didn't use really tall ladders and measuring tapes)! Below is the wish list of supplies the Plovers would like for building their habitat models. If you have any of these materials at home or would be willing to purchase one of the items, please send it in with your student by April 9th.
Project supplies wish list: sand, pebbles (aquarium gravel), sequins, wooden or natural colored beads, fake flowers and plants, yarn, air dry clay, sandpaper, fabric scraps, wool, fake feathers, faux fur, paper clips.
Communication
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Parents and students can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also leave a voice message on the class phone, come into the classroom before or after school, or call me before 8PM at home.