January 20 Wizard of Oz (Theatre In The Grove)
January 26 Book Orders Due
January 28-29 No School
February 1 Library Visit
Homework Due by Thursday, January 21st
1. Read for at least 20 minutes every night.
2. Complete Reading Response letter
3. Complete at least 30 minutes of math practice.*
4. Bring in $5 for Wizard of Oz tickets
*Suggested IXL skills for 3rd grade math practice:
C.4, C.6 - C.8 Three Digit Addition
Q.1 Logical Reasoning (Guess the Number)
*Suggested 4th grade math practice:
Fractions worksheet: Fractions Week 2 Homework
Practice saying multiples (skip-counting) for numbers 2-12
Multiplication facts up to 12: IXL (D.2)
Division Facts up to 12: IXL (E.1)
Upcoming Out and Abouts
This week, we will see Theatre In The Grove's production of Wizard of Oz. To help cover the cost of the tickets, we are asking families to contribute $5. All Plovers will be able to attend, even if your family cannot contribute at this time. Please have your student turn in money directly to Laura.
Volunteer Opportunities
Breakfast Donations - Fruit and cereal/bagels needed for this week and next week.
Library Chaperones - 2 chaperones needed for our next library trip (2/1).
Literature Circles and Book Clubs
Some students began meeting with new book clubs last week. Each book club agreed on a book to read and decided together how many pages to read. All Plovers will have time in class to read and write about their book, but some students may choose to read at home and complete their book club assignment as extra homework. I do not want this to be an extra burden for families, so if your Plover seems worried about completing their assigned reading or writing, please let me know so I can help their book club figure out a more reasonable pace. Not all students have joined a book club yet, but my hope is for everyone to try it out during the months of January and February!
Weekly Review
Last week, students began opinion writing by writing a letter about a change they would like to see in their classroom or community. Next, they will write short speeches and learn that persuasive writers look at their world and imagine how it could be better. For the culminating writing piece later in the year, students will work on grant applications to create a change in the community related to our study of emergency preparedness.
The Plovers helped refresh and reorganize the classroom library last week, labeling books and creating new book bins for some of the genres in the Level 2 reading challenge. Many students found new books that they are excited to try out! We also realized that we just have too many books to fit on our shelves. Some books will be donated and some books will be "retired" for a while to give everybody an opportunity to read something new! Plovers also reflected on their reading challenge progress and choose a neglected genre to focus on during the month of January. I am currently reading aloud a Historical Fiction novel about a young girl in the Ojibwa tribe (located near Lake Superior), called The Birchbark House. Several of the literature circle groups are also focusing on Historical Fiction!
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.