Cursive

We finished learning new letters in cursive at the end of last week. We'll still practice cursive, but it'll be part of larger projects now. At the end of this week they'll write their first paper in cursive. We usually do first drafts in print and final copies in cursive.

Antarctic Videos

I searched the web to find some interesting Antarctic Videos. It is such a unique place that being able to see it has more power than just talking about it. Most of the videos are under five minutes so we'll watch one, and move on to the rest of the unit about Antarctica. There are several clips of Antarctica from very good publishers like BBC and National Geographic. The videos are also available on the Videos page at the top of the blog.

Antarctic Time Lapse
Exploring Antarctica
Antarctica in 5 Minutes
What to Wear
South Pole Construction
Exploring Oceans
Emperor Penguins (BBC)
Weddell Seals

Martin Luther King Jr.

Since today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day we spend a little time looking at his life and accomplishments. Below are two short videos, the first gives an overview of his life as a civil rights leader. The second video are the highlights of his "I Have a Dream Video".

Star of the Week

for January 16-20

Weekend Game

We just started working on fractions and decimals this week. Below is a fun game that uses those skills

Railroad Repair

The Van Clan's Got Talent

The students did an excellent job presenting their talents to the entire third grade. They were well prepared for their presentation. Above is a video of each students presentation.

Pronouns

We have just started learning about pronouns this week, and here is the Schoolhouse Rock video to go with it, Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla!

Schedule Change - Notes

- The schedule for the parent/teacher conferences at IGEMS has been changed. Originally we had one date set for February 2 and the other for April 26. The April 26 day has been rescheduled to February 9. Therefore, parent/teacher conferences are now on Thursday, Feb. 2 and the following week on Thursday, Feb. 9. Both days will go from 4:00-7:30. Later this month I will send out a sheet so you can sign up for conference times. I look forward to seeing everyone again!

- The calendar on the right side of the page has been updated through spring break. There are probably a few things that will be added, but it does show the major events coming up.

- Monday, January 23 is a teacher workday and that means no school for the students.

- Finally, we just completed our second set of benchmark assessments where students read leveled books to me to determine what level they are at. Overall the students did well, however, we read only nonfiction books this time and those can be more difficult to comprehend. I always enjoy the opportunity to listen to each child read in a one-on-one setting. I will share your child's results at parent/teacher conferences.

Star of the Week

for Jan. 9-13

Star of the Week

for January 3-6. I almost forgot to post it! Sorry.

Weekend Book

There is a full version of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid online to read. I thought this may be a cool way for kids to check out the books before they read the whole thing. The reading level is still high for some third graders, but as the year progresses more and more will be able to read it (the Lexile is 950). The students are always very excited about the chance to read it tool.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Healthy Snacks

I am sending home a reminder tonight for students to bring in healthy snacks for themselves or for the whole class. Most of the individual snacks have been good throughout the year, but if you could help in bringing in healthier snacks for whole class treats it would be greatly appreciated. There are snack ideas on the sheet of paper coming home tonight and there is also a Healthy Snacks link on the right side of the webpage.

Not only is it a good example for the students, but it will also help the teacher stick with his New Year's Resolution. :)

Thanks for your help.

Homework Coupons

During our Christmas party I gave the students each four coupons. They are:
1. Miss one homework - Daily homework only. It can be used on a math or language arts homelink. Students can save it for a day they forgot to do their homework or at any other time. This can't be used on the reading calendar or larger at home projects we'll have later in the year.
2. Miss one page of Math Boxes - We have daily math boxes that students do.
3. Sharpen a pencil at any time - The students can sharpen their pencils at anytime during the day instead of just in the morning. They can also choose to exchange the coupon for a new pencil from me.
4. Share something with the class - Sometimes students don't get to share the stories they'd like because we have to keep moving in class. This coupon gives them two minutes to share something important to them in class. For this coupon only, the class can only use one per day to keep us from missing too much class time.

Some students were saying that their parents wouldn't believe that they had a coupon to miss homework, so I wanted to put in the blog that they do in fact have a coupon to skip one day of homework.

Reading Calendar

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their reading calendars! December is a difficult month to remember to turn them in. Also, I crossed off January 1st and 2nd for their reading calendar, but those do not count against their four skips. Since they didn't get the calendar until Jan. 3, that is when the are responsible for reading.

December Reading Calendars
Avery B.
Ryan E.
Luke F.
Josh H.
Isaiah L.
Jalen L.
Elly L.
Lauren L.
Colin M.
Nic P.
Courtney S.
Brie S.
Grace V.
Brynna W.
Isaiah Z.

Talent Show

We are reading the book The Talent Show this week in class. To go along with the story the students will present their talents to the entire third grade next week. We will present our talents on Friday, January 13.

Today and tomorrow we will prepare what talent each student will present. If you get a chance please ask your child what they are planning to do and/or give them some suggestions for things they could present.

The rest of this week we'll plan out what each child's dialog will be. Next week we'll spend more time practicing everyone's presentation.