Reading Calendars

Don't forget that the reading calendars for October will be due after the long break. We will have our extra recess on Monday, Nov. 2nd and beginning this month they will also receive a personal pan pizza through the Pizza Hut Book It program.

I will hand out the November reading calendar on Monday, Nov. 2nd. They will get a free pass and won't have to fill out the calendar on Nov. 1st.

Weekend Game

Line up three pumpkins side by side to keep them from piling up.

Halloween Pumpkins

Galapagos Islands

This week we read Wild Shots, which was about a photographer who took pictures of the wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. On Wednesday we are going to watch a couple short clips of video from the BBC about the islands.

WKCE Testing

When we return from break the students will be taking their WKCE testing. On Monday, November 2nd we'll take the practice test and go over it. Then on Tuesday through Friday we will take one section of Language Arts and one section of Math everyday.

Please try to have your child here for testing (hopefully we got by the flu bug). Also make sure you child gets breakfast and a good night's sleep on that week.

There also won't be much homework on that week either as we won't have much time to go over new material while testing.

Friday Game

Here's a pumpkin carving game.

How to Carve a Pumpkin

The last two weeks in writing we've been working hard on writing a paragraph about how to carve a pumpkin. Below is a great little program that gives very specific details about how to carve a pumpkin. Give it a try!

How To Carve a Pumpkin

Family Reading Fest Cancelled

Due to the vast amount of illness going around Iowa-Grant the district has decided to cancel the Reading Fest scheduled for Monday, October 26. It will be rescheduled in the spring. I will be sending home letters about the cancelation as well.

Parent Pictures

We will be beginning a unit in science next week on the life cycle. The first part discusses changes animals go through in their lifetime.

Our class will be doing an activity that requires them to observe changes, too… but they will be looking for ways you have changed through your life.

Please send a picture of one parent/caretaker from each of the following time periods with your child:
· Infant through 3 years old (or approximately)
· elementary age level
· teenage years
· adult

Enclose the pictures in a Zip-Loc bag or envelope with your child’s name on the bag. It is a good idea to write your name on the back of each picture too. Your pictures will not be harmed or within reach of curious fingers, etc.

Your child needs these pictures no later than Monday, October 26, please. You may send them ASAP, and I’ll hold on to them.

Thank you. The children’s work will be displayed by their coat hooks. I hope you have a chance to look at them the first couple of weeks of November!

School House Rocks Videos

I left a link at the right of the page for the School House Rocks videos that we have used this year in class. It is linked next to the games that we have used this year too.

Nouns!

Early Release

Don't forget that tomorrow, Friday, October 16, is an early release day. We get on the bus to go home at 12:20 tomorrow.

Class Parties

Get a Voki now!


There will be four class parties during the school year. For each party there will be a committee to decide what treats to bring and activities will take place. Each party will take near the end of the day.

Here are the parties and whose in charge of each party:
Halloween
Elizabeth B.
Hannah C.
Haylee C.
Peyton C.

Christmas
Allyson C.
Nathan D.
Keaton D.
Kailey E.

Valentine's Day
Carter G.
Brandon P.
Hunter S.

Spring Party
Charity S.
Trysten T.
Brylie W.

I'll also leave a list of the party committees at the bottom of the sidebar at the right.

Conjunction Junction

This week in grammar we are working on compound sentences, and we're going to talk about conjunctions. The School House Rocks video is Conjunction Junction What's Your Function.

Weekend Game

Beat the computer in adding three numbers to 15. Circle any combination of numbers so that three add up to 15 before the computer gets there.

It's a tough one!

How to Carve a Pumpkin

Vancouver Olympics

Here is a video previewing the Vancouver Olympics, which take place in February. We are going to watch it in class to close out our story about the Olympic Games.

Homecoming Parade

If you are coming to the homecoming parade tomorrow and would like to take your child home when it is over that is okay. Please let me know when you leave with them and sign your child out in the office. It's kind of hectic day so we want to make sure we can check to make sure kids are with their parents or should be on the bus.

Thanks

Reading Fest

The Family Reading Fest will be held on Monday, October 26th at 7 p.m. this year. The theme is "Read Around the World in 180 Days". Hopefully you'll be able to come and be part of the festivities!

Along with the theme we also have passports that get stamped when we read at home. So when they finish their October reading calendar they'll get a sticker that goes the country of Africa for their passport.

Jump Around!

I showed the kids a video of my son's jump around video and they said they couldn't find it on YouTube. So I'll post it here so they can watch it at home if they'd like.

MAPS Testing

The third grade will begin taking their MAPS (Measures of Academic Progress) testing today. This is the first time they have taken this kind of test. The students often get confused and think that the test is about maps when it's really a measure of Language Arts and Math.

Here's an overview:
- The test is taken twice a year. In the fall and in the spring.
- Third graders do two days of testing. One day is langauge arts and the other is math.
- Each day of testing takes around 45-60 minutes.
- The test is taken on the computer and each test is customized for the students.
- When a student gets an answer correct the next question is a little harder and when they answer incorrectly the questions become a little easier so the test measures their current level better.
- The test is designed for the students to miss approximately half the questions.
- The test results will come back within a week or two of all the kids finishing the test so I'll be able to show parents the results at parent/teacher conferences.

PALS

Last week we began training for PALS (Peer Assisted Learning Strategies) and beginning on Tuesday we will start using PALS.

Here is an overview of what we do in PALS.
- Students are paired up into groups of 2 by the teacher.
- One person reads while the other is the coach, checking for questions and asking questions when needed.
- Students take turns reading for about 5 minutes each.
- It takes place three times a week for about 15 minutes each day.
- Each day we have a different objective for our reading (Partner Reading, Paragraph Shrinking, and Prediction Relay).
- The objective is to help studens with oral fluency and comprehension.

This group began PALS in second grade, but there are a few more parts to it in third grade.

Olympic Games

In language arts we are reading about the Olympic Games. I tried to find videos previewing the different games of the winter olympics, which begin in February in Vancouver. I couldn't find any videos previewing the events, except for this preview of a Winter Olympic video game.

So here is a little preview of some of the Olympic Games from Mario and Sonic(however this is not an advertisement to buy the game:)