Class News from Room 2119
Hall/Donnellon Newsletter
General News: The Odds and Ends
The tentative/expected date for Ms. Hall's return to her classroom is Tuesday, November 20. My last day as her long term substitute teacher will be the same date. I plan to continue to substitute in Royal Oak, and therefore may be back on occasion.
NWEA reports will be sent home the week of October 22nd. Please look for them in your child's green "Communicator Folder".
Friday, November 2nd, marks the end of the first card marking period. Teachers have the following week to input data, work on the report cards, and finalize them. Report cards will go "live" this year. Parents will be able to view report cards online starting Friday, November 9.
Parent/Teacher Conferences are quickly approaching. The dates are November 13, November 19 and November 29. It appears that all students have a parent who has signed up for one of the available slots. A reminder email will be sent to you prior to your scheduled conference. Here is a link to Ms. Hall's Conference Sign Up Genius should you want to confirm your own date and time: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094DA5AE2BA2F58-parentteacher2
The PTA sponsored book fair was a big success. Thank you to all parents who purchased books to donate to Ms. Hall's classroom library. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Book orders will go home the week of October 22nd. Orders will be taken online only. Ms. Hall's Classroom online ordering code is JD493. Just go to the scholastic website, put in the classroom code, enter your items and pay online, and Ms. Hall and I will do the rest. The first book order will be processed on November 14th.
Media Center Policy Newsletter...click on link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqqadOd7I9EL335rw6ME3vOwW3GVn5cu3HJU4eleiC8/edit?usp=sharing
Specials Schedule:
Monday................Music 9:05-9:30 P.E. 9:30-9:55
Tuesday...............P.E. 8:40-9:05 Music 10:45-11:10
Wednesday..........Spanish 9:35-10:00 Media Center 2:35-3:10
Thursday..............Spanish 9:30-9:55
Friday...................Art 10:20-11:10
MATH WORKSHOP
We will begin our second math unit this week titled, "Multiplication and Division with 6s, 7s, 8s, and Multiplying with Multiples of 10". In this unit, students continue their work started in unit one with multiplication and division. They will use various strategies to learn multiplication and division for 6s, 7s, 8s. Research has found that many students find these facts the most difficult to master. However, because of our work in Unit 1 with the Commutative Property of Multiplication, students really have only six new multiplications to learn: 6X6, 6X7, 6X8, 7X7, 7X 8, and 8X8. Some strategies we will have students use include: starting with a known count-by then add on, using a known multiplication and doubling, and combining two known multiplications. Student activity pages may summarize student strategies to stimulate discussion and reflection.
READER'S WORKSHOP: UNDERSTANDING CHARACTERS
This week we will start our next reading unit, Understanding Characters. Our read aloud is Because of Winn Dixie. This unit of study, like the first, is broken into three concepts.
Concept one: Readers connect to characters; readers learn strategies that help them
connect with the characters in their stories. As they read, readers will see the importance to empathize with characters by connecting with their own experiences, envision the characters and the scenes much like a movie, and make predictions about what might happen and how it will happen based on the feelings the reader is carrying from their work with connecting and envisioning.
Concept two: Readers grow theories about their characters; readers look for patterns in a character's behavior to grow a theory about the character and revise or confirm their theories as they continue to read.
Concept three: Readers see that stories and characters relate to real life; readers understand that characters will face challenges, and find ways to overcome them, often becoming turning points in the story which force a character to change or grow from their experiences. Readers also learn that secondary characters also have important roles in stories often teaching the character and the readers meaningful lessons.
WRITER'S WORKSHOP: PERSUASIVE ESSAY
We are nearing the end of our first writing unit, "Crafting True Stories." Students have learned how to add details through elaboration, and are in the process of publishing their work. Shortly we will begin our second unit The Persuasive Essay. This second writing unit works under the premise that third graders have strong opinions about their world. They want a phone, longer lunch time in school, or better playground equipment. They will make an argument for just about anything around them. This unit is geared to harness all that energy and begin to build a persuasive essay. The focus will be around building a strong persuasive essay that includes a strong claim with reasons and convincing evidence. Writers will learn their voices have power and that power can ultimately make changes in their lives.
Science
Concepts:
- Rocks are aggregates of minerals, and they may also contain organic matter.
- Different rocks have different properties.
- The properties of rocks reflect the way they were formed and the minerals in them.
- Each mineral is composed of only one substance, and that substance is the same in all samples of the mineral.
- minerals differ in color, texture, smell, luster, transparency, hardness, shape, and reaction to magnets.
- The properties of rocks and minerals determine how they are used.