3S Sensations
Week of 3/28
Classroom Info
3S has had a busy couple of weeks! You'll notice an aritcle is missing from this week. I am thinking the group forgot to hand it in so we will add our Geometry article to the next update.
Some classroom info to note:
Student Characteristic Profiles
We will soon begin the process of creating class lists for next year. If you would like to share anything about your child as a student, please fill out the characteristic profile and return in by April 22.
Gifted & Talented
In order to qualify for the G&T program, students need to test and place two grade levels above their current grade. The nomination forms are due April 15 and can be found below. If you would like you child to be tested please fill it out and send it in.
PARCC Testing Dates-REVISED
PARCC Testing for Grades 3-5 will take place April 19-27 and on April 29th. Testing will not occur on April 28th as this is Take Your Child To Work Day. Please make every effort to have your child in school during testing. Make Up testing will occur May 2-May 11. Please view our district PARCC website for more information
Students will take the PARCC on laptops. We visited the Computer Lab this week to explore some practice tests in order to become more familiar with the layout, tools, and wording of questions. If you would like to see these practice tests, you'll find the link below.
Open House Date Correction
This year’s Open House will be on May 19th, not on May 26th; the town calendar is incorrect.
4/14 School Store, 1150-1240
4/15 Gifted Nomination Forms Due to Office
4/22 Student Profiles Due-See Information Below
4/19-4/27 and 4/29 PARCC Testing, Grades 3-5
4/28 Take Your Child To Work Day
4/28 Community Meeting, 10AM
4/28 School Store, 1150-1240
Spotlight Students!
This is an optional form for you to fill out about your child. We will consider these when making class lists for next year.
Field Trip to Trenton, NJ
By Eleanor, Daniel, and Izzy
When we were about to go into the building we saw the original door of the state house. It was really cool because they added on but some of the old state house is within the State House now.
There was a ton of gold in the State House, including the gold dome. The gold dome was made out of money raised by kids! That means kids paid for it. All over the walls in the NJ Assembly room there was gold leaf making pretty designs. In Chris Christie's receptionist room we saw the podium where he makes announcements and speeches on TV and in the Newspaper! We saw a blue curtain behind the podium.
In the middle of the hallway there is a statue of a tree. In the tree there are many of NJ's state symbols. The tree is even the state tree. Except for one lady bug that stands all alone to represent the one lady governor named Christine Todd Whitman.
When we were all finished our tour we had a fun filled day and we learned a lot! our State House is awesome and you should go visit it!
Mathletes
Reading Workshop
Are you reading any convincing books? Well if you are, look for text and graphic features. Speaking of text and graphic features, that was our main skill for reading workshop this week!
We were on the ball it was so good you should have bee there! To help you out we will give you some examples to look for. One example is CAPTIONS. A caption is a sentence that explains what is going on in a picture. Speaking of pictures, that is an example too! Another example is a diagram. A diagram is a picture with labels that show what the author is describing or the different parts of something.
Another example of a graphic feature is a graph. A graph shows the data for something the illustrator is trying to show you. Well next page you flip to look for text and graphic features!
Social Studies
We traveled back in time the last two weeks to the time when the Lenni Lenape were living in NJ!
The Lenape were tall and had dark brown eyes and hair. First we watched videos and became experts on a certain part of Lenape life: Transportation, Shelter, Medicine, Vision Quest, Hunting, Fishing, Gathering, and Cooking.
For transportation they used dug outs also known as dug out canoes. They would burn down a big tree and then they would let it sit and then make holes for people to sit in it.
For shelter they used bark to make houses. Their houses were called wigwams and longhouses.
For medicine the doctor would wear scary stuff to scare the spirits away. The Lenape thought the spirits made you sick. They would use a spider web to heal cuts like a bandaid.
Vision Questing is when you have to go into the woods and be miserable in the woods without food or water. And the Lenape would be in the woods for two or three days waiting for a spirit to appear to them. They thought that if they were miserable the spirit would come more quickly.
Hunting
They used arrows to kill their food. But the wolves were like their friends. They hunted bear, deer, and fish. The spears had three different ways to kill fish.
Fishing
The Lenape built fences around the lake to catch the fish. They would use a stick and fire to attract the fish to the fence.
Gathering and Cooking
The main foods that they would grow is corn, beans, and squash. These are called the three sisters. They also gathered wild plants. The babies wore moss diapers. Everyone shared their own poster.
We read comics about the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. We learned about jewelry, their money, clothing, and how they lived. Some towns in NJ are named after the language of the Lenape. For example: Cinnaminson means "Rocky place of Fish" We also learned about the chief. His name was Tishcohan. He was the chief in the 1700s. The Europeans forced the Lenape to leave their lives and move west. The chief often wore a tobacco pouch. Tobacco was a farmed crop. Hoboken actually means "Tobacco Pipe"
We also made quilt squares to show what we learned to Ms. Salazar. First we drew pictures and explained what they were. For example I could draw a wigwam or longhouse and write all about what it was and what it was used for by the Lenape. Then we could color it.
So I bet you learned a lot! Next time you're in the words complaining, think about the Lenape. They lived for hundreds of years in the woods!
Writing Machine
How cool is it that we're writing about writing? Ryan? It's SO COOL! Luke: Well let's get on with it!
We're writing persuasive writing. First we did something called show don't tell. Instead of saying something boring, we try to stretch it out. Like instead of saying "it was fun" you say "It was so fun that it was like 50 roller coasters put together!"
We also gathered lots of evidence and didn't have to organize it. Then we cut out our writing and taped the new evidence into our draft from before. We also learned to address our audience. That means we talk right to them. We said things like "I know what you're thinking..." and "You probably think I'm crazy..." and it convinces them more! Thank you for reading & have a great day!
Our Adventure to Greenfield Hall
Do you want to learn about historical facts? Then you should read this article!
This week we went to Greenfield Hall in Haddonfield. We saw many interesting things there like a waffle maker. It kind of looks like one in a hotel but more old fashioned. Another thing we saw was old dolls from a long time ago. The teachers collected dolls from all around the world to teach. We also learned that if a boy wanted to marry a girl he would look at her sewing and decide if her sewing was good or not because everything was made by sewing: clothes, tablecloths, furniture. Some fun facts are: there was a family whose kids slid down the stairs railing and the railing never stopped and the kid who was sliding down the railing was a teenager and after a while the railings got loose and they had to put braces on the railing to make the railing tighter.
A man named John Gill asked a woman named Elizabeth Haddon to get married and Elizabeth Haddon agreed to marry John Gill only if he built a house as big as the house she grew up in, which was really big. One thing you should learn is that there is a Haunted House there in October. Thank you for reading!