March 14 Empty Bowls Feast @ UCC, 5:30pm
March 18 Library Visit
March 22 Lunch Orders Due
March 25 - 29 Spring Break - No School
Homework - More details posted on the Homework Page
1. Read for at least 20 minutes per day and fill out your reading log each night. Your parents must sign your reading log.
2. Complete your math homework.
3. Respond to ONE of the writing prompts.
Upcoming Out and Abouts
On Tuesday, we will visit a LEED-certified building at Pacific University to learn about eco-friendly designs that we can incorporate into our Dream School.
Math Notes
This week in Third Grade math, we will continue our study of fractions. This unit concentrates on reading, writing and comparing simple fractions. Students will represent factions on a number line as well as with other visual models. We began a quilting project last week and students examined how pieces of a quilt represent parts of the whole. This week, students will create their own quilt patterns using colored paper and consider what fraction each piece in their quilt represents. This project will also require students to review measurement. We will also continue working on story problems that involve multiplication, division and working with fractions.
For homework, students will complete the "Sandwich Fractions" worksheet.
Last week, the Fourth Grade math students were so engaged with their fraction skits for our All School Meeting presentation, that we needed to devote the week to it. Therefore, our upcoming week will involve: (1) finishing our post assessment from Unit 3 and (2) beginning Unit 6 on fractions and decimals,.
Over the course of Unit 6, your Fourth Grade Puffin or Plover will:
- Identify fractions and decimals that are equal to each other.
- Compare decimals numbers and fractions.
- Add and subtract decimal numbers using a variety of strategies.
Homework This Week: Home Connections 43 on comparing fractions. Questions/Comments/Concerns, please contact Becky at [email protected]
Weekly Review
Students are putting the finishing touches on their writing and they will begin publishing their stories this week. Through our study of children's book author Oliver Jeffers, students have seen many examples of the important elements of fictional stories, such as:
- An interesting beginning that grabs the readers' attention
- A setting that describes where the story takes place using juicy words
- Characters who seem real and want something
- Characters who feel, think, and talk
- Obstacles, or a problem, that get in the character's way
- Action (a character working to solve the problem)
- A solution and an ending that makes sense
They have been very eager to incorporate new ideas and techniques into their own story telling. They are also excited to share their stories and ideas with each other and we often run out of time for sharing! Students will publish two copies of their final stories - one to bring home and one to keep in the classroom so they can read and enjoy each others' hard work. I am very proud of the growth they've made as writers and I can't wait to share their writing with you!
Another exciting project we've taken on is the Dream School model. The committees have drawn and discussed their plans, and the "contractors" are meeting with every committee to make sure each part will fit together. Students practiced building structures with spaghetti last week to see if noodles would be a strong AND beautiful material to use in the construction of their models. In addition to spaghetti, students are planning to use a variety of natural and beautiful materials to construct their creations. We would love donations of small/medium twigs or sticks, scraps of wood, bamboo or sturdy cardboard, wooden dowels or skewers, pine cones, moss, rocks, string or twine, and fabric.
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.