October 9 No School
October 12 Library Visit
October 15 Out & About to Oregon Ballet (Portland) 10am - 2pm
October 16 No School
Homework Due by Thursday, October 8th
1. If you haven't done so yet, bring in or email a family photo to display in the classroom.
2. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice.*
*Suggested IXL skills for 3rd grade math practice:
T.6 Create Bar Graphs
T.9 Interpret Pictographs
T.10 Create Pictographs
*Suggested IXL skills for 4th grade math practice:
A.5 - A.7 Number Sense
B.2 Addition Word Problems
C.2 Subtraction Word Problems
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This Wednesday, we will join the Puffins at Roger's Park for a scavenger hunt and cooking activity, and on Thursday, a story teller will visit the classroom to work with students on retelling folk tales. Next week, we will go to see Oregon Ballet Theater perform on Thursday.
Volunteer Opportunities
1. Library Chaperones - At least 1 more chaperone needed for our next library trip on October 12.
Pumpkin Book Project
Level 2 students have been learning to write fairy tale adaptations! First, we wrote Cinderella and Three Billy Goats Gruff stories together, and now each student will select a special story to adapt on their own. Another fun aspect of this project is that they will be able to represent their new character on a pumpkin!
Pumpkin donations: If you are able to donate a pumpkin (or more than one pumpkin!), please drop it off in the classroom or send it with your student by Monday, October 19. We would appreciate small or medium-sized pumpkins or squashes that the students can carry on their own. Because we are turning the pumpkins into a variety of our favorite characters (Frog and Toad or Tacky the Penguin, perhaps!), weird-shaped pumpkins and squashes are welcomed. We also had a lot of success with foam pumpkins from the Dollar Tree and other craft stores last year!
Weekly Review
During lunch last week, we watched a documentary called Mad, Hot Ballroom. It is a movie about elementary school students in New York City that participate in ballroom dancing classes and competitions. As we watched these classrooms prepare all year long for the final competition, we were able to discuss what character traits like perseverance (or "grit"), self control and optimism (or having a positive attitude) look like in other students. It also helped get the Plovers excited about seeing the ballet next week and having dancers come visit our classroom! I am excited to incorporate dance, theater and music into our study of storytelling this year!
We have also started a unit about the history of the people of the Pacific Northwest coast. The students are working on creating their characters, getting to know their clan (family), and deciding on their role in the community. They have also created a large mural as a setting for our story, and they will be building long houses for the village soon. Then, we will begin role playing to learn about the lives of Native Americans and important events in Oregon's history. Throughout this unit, students will be journaling from the perspective of their character, incorporating facts and evidence from books and newspapers into their writing.
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 or come into the classroom before/after school.