This Week in Room 5

As part of our unit on the Puritans we have been learning about the Salem Witch Trials.  The following is a fantastic link to the Salem Witch Museum:

http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/worldbook.php


We are also learning dictionary skills in class.  We separated our classroom dictionaries in to 4 sections to make it easier for us to look up words.  Your student can explain how we used paper clips to separate the sections.  Once you see what a great system it is you may want to do the same with your dictionaries at home!

MULTIPLICATION'S HERE!
In Math we are spending our time learning multiplication.  The students are exploring multiplication through stories of equal groups and arrays as well as playing multiplication games in class. We are beginning to learn tricks to memorizing our facts through songs.  The first song we learned was to the tune of "Jingle Bells" for our 3 tables:

3, 6, 9

12, 15

18, 21.

24, 27

30, now we're done. Hey!

 

As we learn the concept behind multiplication the children should be practicing their facts so that they become automatic with them.  Multiplication Fact Triangles were sent home to help.  You may also want to get flash cards and/or search on line and the App Store for multiplication practice games (there are numerous fun and free sites and apps).  You can find links to multiplication websites right on the Kennedy Website under "Curriculum Links". Also, some of the games we play in class will be sent home for you to enjoy once they are presented in class.

 

 

Reminder: Thursday and Friday are 1/2 days due to Conferences.  I'm looking forward to meeting with all of you to talk about their progress so far this year.

Another Great Site for Grade Level Reading Lists

http://www.sspl.org/children/booklists/grade3/

Suggested Reading List for 3rd Graders

Here's a list of some fantastic 3rd grade reading books.  At the top of the webpage there is a link to 2nd grade and 4th grade books.

http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/birchwood/recrdng3.html

December News

November really flew by! We wrapped up our unit on the Pilgrims and Wampanoags with our Harvest Celebration.  Thank you to all who donated treats and paper goods.  In Social Studies we have moved on to learn about the Puritans who arrived in Salem 10 years after the Pilgrims.  We've had some wonderful discussions about the fairness of laws including the fact that only boys were allowed to attend formal schools and colleges.

In Math we have been learning how to find the perimeter of a shape and have been constructing line plots.  We are also beginning multiplication. Please continue to encourage your child to practice their math facts every night.  Automaticity is so very important.

We have been reading and learning about nonfiction text, which then extends in to our Writer's Worshop where we are writing our "All About" Informational pieces.  The children are doing a great job writing about what they are "experts" in.

Next Thursday and Friday are Parent/Teacher Conferences. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you to discuss your child's progress.
You can go to Signup Genius if you need to look up the time of your conference:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084EACA92FA31-conferences

Personal Narrative Publishing Party

Yesterday we celebrated our Fantastic Personal Narrative Stories by having a Publishing Party with Mrs. Lussier's First Graders. 

Plimoth Plantation Field Trip

We had a perfect day for our field trip to Plimoth Plantation.  We learned what daily life was like for the Pilgrims as well as the Native Americans back in the 1600s.  The children had an opportunity to ask question and even participate in some daily chores.  Thank you so very much to the PCC for funding this amazing trip and to the chaperones who came along!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vocabulary Parade

We had some fabulous Vocabulary words represented in our Annual Vocabulary Parade.  The children demonstrated that they knew these amazing new words with their presentations and very creative costumes.  By the end of the parade we had all learned 84 new words!

Halloween Snack

Dear Families,

The class is going to celebrate Halloween with “Halloween in a Box” at snack time on 10/31.  To do this, each child will be asked to decorate a shoebox or small bag for themselves with a Halloween theme (ribbon, wrapping paper, construction paper, paint and/or crayons, markers, stickers).

Inside each box, please place the following:

1.    one snack

2.   one candy treat

3.  one juice box or small drink

4.  one small surprise that can be used here at school (pencil, eraser, glue sticks, bookmark, etc…)

Thank you,

The Third Grade Teachers

October in Room 5

This is a picture of last years' Vocabulary Parade.  Our class has searched for and found some fabulously interesting words in the dictionaries.  They are working on preparing their visual representations of their words for 10/30. The students will need to be prepared to present their word and it's definition on the 30th.  On the 31st we will join the other third grade classes in the cafeteria to share all of our new words and their meanings.  By the end of  the day we will have learned 84 new words!!!!


In Math the students have done a nice job mastery telling elapsed time by using a number line.  Please continue to work on basic math facts at home.  Next month we are going to begin multiplication!

Last week we had our first Publishing Party.  The students shared their first Personal Narratives with their classmates.  They were all so interesting and enjoyable to read.  This week we have started our 2nd Personal Narrative pieces.  We are going to be raising the quality of writing by introducing time lines for planning, finding the heart of the story, the turning point and paragraphing appropriately. 

Our Solar System Test is this Friday.  Study guides have been sent home.  There is also a study guide posted below.  Later this week we will be playing a game of Solar System Jeopardy to review. 

Solar System Study Guide - Test 10/18/13

Solar System Study Guide

A copy of the study guide went home Tuesday, October 8th but in case you lose it here is a copy of the solar system study guide!

Solar System Unit Test Study Guide

Test Date: October 18, 2013

What you should know and/or be able to explain:

ü Phases of the moon. You should what they look like and be able to label them.

ü Why the moon seems to change its shape:

As it orbits Earth, the moon reflects different amounts of sunlight off its surface. This makes the moon appear to change shape.

ü Why the sun appears so much larger than the other stars:

It is the closest star in our solar system.

ü What causes the four seasons:

The Earth tilts as it orbits the sun, so different parts of Earth get different amounts of sunlight.

ü That the moon orbits the Earth once a month (approximately every 28 days)

ü It takes the Earth (and moon) 365 days to orbit the sun.

ü It takes 24 hours (one day) for the Earth to make one complete rotation

ü Pluto is the coldest and smallest of the planets. It is considered a dwarf planet.

ü List the planets (and dwarf planet) in order of their distance from the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)

A way to remember this is: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us NinePizzas.

ü Vocabulary words:

o Astronomers: scientists who study things in space

o Solar system: the sun, planets, and all the objects that orbit the sun.

o Rotation: the turning or spinning of a planet on its axis.

o Orbit: the path each planet travels on its own around the sun

o Star: a self-luminous (lights itself) object that shines through the release of energy produced by nuclear reactions at its core.

o Crater: when a meteorite slams into the ground creating a hollow area

o Outer planets: The five outer planet/dwarf, which are the farthest from the sun (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto). They are made up of gases.

o Inner planets: the four planets closest to the sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars). They are all hard and rocky, and have three layers (crust, mantle, and core).

o Three parts of the inner planets

§ Crust: thin outer layer

§ Core: made of very hot iron

§ Mantle: a thick layer of rock and hot lava.

o Asteroid belt: located between Mars and Jupiter. It is filled with thousands of asteroids which are chunks of rock and metal that orbit the sun.

Mystery Mathematicians

Today we had our first Mystery Mathematicians visit our classroom.  Thank you to Daniel's and Audrea's moms for coming in .  We played a fun game called Make 1,000.  We're looking forward to our next Mystery Mathematicians in a couple of weeks. If you're interested log on to our sign-up genius.
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084EACA92FA31-mystery

Video of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssA7Ew_BQHY

September Update

We have been very busy in Room 5.  The children have been working on writing their first personal narratives. Next week we'll start their second personal narratives.  We'll be raising the quality of their second pieces by using timelines to help in planning as well as helping the students understand how to separate their stories in to paragraphs.

 In Reader's Workshop we are finishing up The Magic Tree House Mystery on the Moon. The children have been doing a wonderful job responding in their journals with questions, comments, predictions and connections.  We continue to work on Retelling stories using the story elements to include all of the important details.

In Math we are finishing up our first unit on Place Value.  Next week we will begin a Measurement Unit that will include measuring time, linear measurement and liquid measurement.  We will also have our 1st Mystery Mathematicians :) Please continue to have your son/daughter practice his/her math facts every night.  It's so very important to know them well enough so that they can tackle the more challenging concepts with ease.  Xtramath.org is a wonderful way to practice.  This week in computer lab I will be introducing another math site : ixl.com.  This site helps students practice a variety of math concepts, not just basic facts.

We have learned about the 8 planets in our Solar System as well as the dwarf planet Pluto.  Last week we spent time learning about the moon and it's phases.  This week we will be learning what makes day and night and the seasons change. 

In October we will begin our unit on the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Native Americans.  Near the end of the unit, thanks to our PCC, the students will travel to Plimoth Plantation to experience the way of life of these historical people. 

This Thursday night is the JFK Open House.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

Math Fact Practice

For more information on the Xtra Math Program that your child is doing at school check out this clip :
http://xtramath.org/#/http://xtramath.org/#/

Parent/Guardian/Teacher Conferences Sign up on Signup Genius

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084EACA92FA31-conferences

Mystery Mathematician

 On Fridays we will be welcoming in a Mystery Mathematician from 2-2:30 to help facilitate math games that correspond with the math concepts that we are learning in class.  We will be looking for 2 parents each week.  If you are interested please click on :


http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805084EACA92FA31-mystery

You must fill out a CORI form at the office before being allowed into the classroom.  Please be aware that it takes a couple weeks for a CORI form to be processed. Thanks!

Len Cabral Storyteller

Summer Reading Celebration : Len Cabral Storyteller

A special thank you to the PCC for a fabulous time today.  Len Cabral  was amazing! Just ask your children.  He had a lasting impression on all of us! If you're interested check out www.lencabral.com or check him out on Youtube.

Rounding to the Nearest 100 Video

Today in Math we worked on rounding numbers to the nearest 100.  The class watched the following video to review the steps to rounding :


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx-XKcgKqzc

Kindness Boomerang

As part of our Open Circle lesson today we watched this fabulous video on Kindness. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU

Hello Room 5 Third Graders and families,

I hope you all had a wonderful summer.  I was lucky enough to spend most of the summer traveling with my family and watching lots of baseball games. I have some exciting stories to share.  I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and hearing about your fabulous summer vacations.

I know you're going to love the third grade.  We will learn about so many interesting things.  Some of them are the Solar System, Light and Sound, Living Things including butterflies, the wonderful state of Massachusetts and its history, multiplication and division, cursive and SO much more!

I'm looking forward to meeting you all next week.  Be sure to finish your summer reading and jot down all of the wonderful titles that you've read.

See you soon,
Mrs. Schreiber

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
schreibj@franklin.k12.ma.us

Specialist Schedule 2013-14

Specialist Schedule 2013-14

Monday : Art

Tuesday : Health

Wednesday: Music and Chorus

*Chorus is new this year for third graders 

Thursday : Library 

Friday : P.E.

Birthdays!

Birthdays!

In keeping with the spirit of the District policies on wellness and food allergies, the Kennedy School requests that no food items be brought into the classroom for distribution to the class. 

Upon arrival to school on their special day, the birthday student can stop by the office and let them know it is their special day. Their name will be announced over the intercom during morning announcements and then they will be called to receive their Birthday Book from Mrs. Toye (thanks to the PCC :-). 

 *** We need to request that invitations to individual birthday parties be sent to school for distribution to the children, UNLESS all children in the classroom are invited.***

Welcome to Mrs. Schreiber's 3rd Grade Classroom

Welcome to my 3rd Grade Classroom Blog.  I hope this site will be helpful. Please excuse me while it's under construction. 
Thank you.

Summer Reading Program Link :

http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_Instructional/2013%20Summer%20Reading%20Lists


Summer Reading Log Forms are due back on Friday, Aug. 30, 2013