Mrs. Flick's Facts
April 13, 2018
Important Dates
April
17,18- PSSA Testing for Math
30- PTO Book Fair Starts @ 8am
May
4- Last day for PTO Book Fair
11- Spirit Day: Career Day
17- Art Show @ 6pm
18- 3rd Grade Field Trip to Crystal Cave
25-28 No School
30- Field Day
June
7-8 1/2 Day for Students
Upcoming Specials
Monday: Day 3 Art
Tuesday: Day 4 Music
Wednesday: Day 5 Library
Thursday: Day 1 Music
Friday: Day 2 Gym
Reminders!
-HOMEWORK is very important as it reinforces skills. Please be sure to check that your child has completed their nightly homework.
-Record that Reading!
EACH night the students should be recording their reading time on the November calendar page in their agendas. They know where this page is and should be able to record it themselves. An adult just needs to initial it each night :).
- Please send a snack with your child each day. Please do not send any drinks other than water- juices are sticky when they spill! Thank you! (remember that we are peanut and treenut free)
- Please check and sign your child's planner every night.
Math Updates
In Math this week, we reviewed our written responses for our practice open response last week dealing with educated mathematical guesses called conjectures. We looked at several examples and noted how they could be improved, and then we improved our own personal answers. We then learned how to play Factor Bingo, where students need to identify the factors of a given product in order to get a bingo. We also spent time improving our ability to measure to the nearest 1/4 inch as well as reviewed Geometry terms.
Building a READING LIFE
In Reading this week, we formed our research book clubs for our new unit. In this unit, students will be learning how to take information from many sources to create a project that informs others what they have learned. Our class picked the animals that they want to research and they will check out a book on that animal in Library this week. We will use this book, classroom library books, and kid-safe websites to do our research. We are excited to learn about zebras, pandas, snakes, alligators, cows and elephants!
Word Study
Word study will continue IN-SCHOOL but you will not be doing any at-home activities!! :)
Monday nights- Students are to sort their words and record them in their notebooks. They are to also record their discovery or rule for the week.
Tuesday and Wednesday nights- Students should sort their words and read them as they sort. They can practice writing them on paper, whiteboards, or typing them. NO WRITTEN homework is required on these nights.
Thursday nights- Students are to ask an adult to quiz them on their words. They write the headers and then record the words as they are called out. The adult should use the notebook to correct the sort and ask the student to practice any words that were spelled incorrectly. This should be completed in the word study notebook in their binder.
The notebook will then be returned to school Friday morning and handed in to me :).
Friday- there will be a test given
This means that before the notebooks are handed in on Fridays there will be...
1. an answer key made of the sort and discovery in class during sort introductions
2. Monday night homework practiced/written sort and discovery.
3. a blind sort and written discovery on Thursday night.
Writing Long & Strong
This week in Writing, we continued publishing our noteworthy person writing piece. We will be writing our final copy in cursive. This will take some time. Once we are finished, we will then record ourselves in front of a green screen reading our opinion piece. We are so excited to work with a green screen.
Special Areas
In Gym this week, students completed fitness circuits.
In Music this week, students worked on reading and practicing notes with their recorders.
In Art, students are finishing their accordion-style dragon books with acrostic poems inside them.
In Library, the kids are learning about our online resources such as World Book, Gale Databases and Power Library. They are also learning how to create a shared Google Doc and work on it collaboratively..
Scholastic Book Orders
If you are interested in placing book orders throughout the year from Scholastic, please go to www.club.scholastic.com
and use our class code: LDBK3
Giant Bonus Cards
Giant Bonus Cards are our BIGGEST fundraising source. The link to register Bonus Cards is: http://giantfoodstores.com/aplus/register-card/?_requestid=1157213
Cursive
This week the students we continued to work on capital letters.
We are also publishing a piece in cursive...they are WORKING HARD!
TECH
This week we used the app "Show Me" to show our work in Math. We spent time reviewing Math and ELA concepts on an app called Boom Cards. Finally we read books online using the app Storia.
Specialist Spot
Please click on this link to read the monthly newsletters from our Reading Specialists!
PSSA's
Math PSSAs are next Tuesday and Wednesday. As there were for last week, there are many, many, many rules and regulations that the state puts in place for testing. Please make sure your child has had plenty of sleep and is to school ON TIME on these days. We begin a few minutes after they arrive and no one is permitted to leave for appointments on testing days until they are finished testing for the day. Students are given as much time as they need to take the test, so we do not have an official end time. If your child is sick on one of the testing days, do not worry! Please allow them to stay home and get better rather than take the test when they are sick. Thursday and Friday are make-up days for students who were absent. They will still get all of the snacks, drinks, mints, etc on the make-up days.
It has been wonderful having it all ahead of time.