Atkinson Gazette
Room 203's Weekly Newsletter
What's UP in Room 203?
I hope your kids are ready for camp! Last Friday I had wonderful mom's come and help transform our classroom into a camp site for Camp Read-a-Lot! The kids will be so excited! I did want to give a special shout-out to those hardworking mom's who helped: Renne Lokey, Sara Dean, Mary Bollman, Michele Spillman, Roopa Foley, Paula Reinke, Kim Gregorie, and Lauren Thomason! Below are some pictures of the room. Feel free to stop in on your way in Monday morning!
Also, don't forget to come to Open House on Tuesday from 5:30-7pm!
Super Student: N/A - busy week!
Pawsitive Panther for February - Service to Others: Margo
Academic News
Math
Last week we finished up with an area and perimeter unit test. I graded the tests over the weekend and noticed that our kids are getting confused on solving perimeter when they should be doing area and vice versa. I will be creating POD's from our test so we can go back and revisit their misconceptions due to time constraints.
This week, students will begin learning about customary and metric measurement. We will be focusing on capacity and weight. Based on my understanding of the TEKS, students will be required to know which measurement would be better suited when weighing an object. This unit will only be one week long and we will revisit it through POD's as well.
Keep in mind, students will continue to have daily math homework to reinforce skills learned in class as well as Daily 6 Review on Thursday nights. Also, please please please continue to work multiplication facts at home.
Language Arts
Last week, students did a fantastic job with media literacy and procedural texts. They really enjoyed the lessons! We spent our time looking at real world examples and they still continue to mention examples in the classroom.
We also did a writing lesson on perspective/point of view on Wednesday. We read the book "The Day the Crayons Died". We discussed how writers can write from a different perspective and how they make that perspective come to life. For example, saying "I think the blue crayon is used too much" rather than "blue crayon here, do you think you can tone down with all the oceans and lakes? I am worn out!" The kids did such a good job and I have included some videos below of some of their quick writes.
This week will be devoted to Camp Read-a-Lot! Students will start their day with one hour of math instruction then the entire 3rd grade will meet in the cafeteria for a welcome/camp songs. We will then go to specials as normal. From 10:30-11:30, students will have word work rotations (your child will be traveling to a different third grade teacher each day this week during this time). Afterwards, students will come back to their home classroom for read aloud before lunch/recess. After lunch, students will start their book clubs (Friday groups got together and picked a book to focus on for the week). Then, we will go into read-to-self/flash light reading (your child can read any book at this time, not just their book club book). We will end our day with word wizard games and a reflection.
Each day this week will focus on a different word work skill:
Monday - Context Clues
Tuesday - Prefixes
Wednesday - Suffixes
Thursday - Multiple Meaning Words
Friday - Multiple Meaning Words
Spelling
We took our second spelling rule test on Friday. I have graded them and the majority of your students did great! Some still need to practice the 3rd non-negotiable words. These are posted in our room and can be practiced on Spelling City (they have their own list). We will start rule #3 on Monday and we will study it for two weeks. We are devoting Tuesday's and Thursday's for spelling. The test will be on April 3rd. Our rule will be "When a word ends in a consonant and y, change the y to i before adding a suffix."
Just a reminder, that each spelling pattern gets added to Spelling City and students can practice them on there at any time. If you would like your child's log-in, please let me know.
Please remind your child that these words are not just to be memorized for the test on Friday's then forgotten. They need to be transferred and used in every subject, and most importantly WRITING!
Science/Social Studies
We used our social studies block of time to research a country in Asia. Students were able to pick which country they wanted to learn more about. Students spent Monday researching on their own and gathering notes. Tuesday they met with their partner and joined their notes in a Google Doc, which the two students shared with each other so they could both work on it at the same time. Many of your students also checked out a book on the country at the library on Thursday. They really enjoyed being able to learn more about a different culture. I kept hearing "Miss Atkinson, did you know..." Thursday and Friday students picked a way to display their new findings. I have displayed them outside our classroom above their lockers. Stop by and check it out!
Genius Hour
Kate and Gracie both shared their Genius Hour findings from this year. Gracie's passion was New York City and she narrowed it down to the Empire State Building. Kate's passion was birthday's and she narrowed it down to how to create the perfect birthday party. Both girls did a great job explaining their passions and were able to answer other student's questions. This week we will not be able to meet due to Camp Read-a-Lot, but we will pick back up the following week.
*If you student is ready to start creating, make sure they bring their materials to class Friday so they are not wasting an hour. Many are choosing to do digital components, which is great, but some are needing poster board and other things. Make sure you discuss this with your child before this coming Friday.
International Days Speaker
News from Miss Atkinson's Class
2,000 Snow Geese Dropped Dead from the Sky!
The first thing we know is that they got bacteria as they migrated back from Mexico.They were going to Alaska.The name of the disease was avian cholera.People are not at risk of getting it.
This is news reporter Jackson, live inside UP!
Important Dates
Camp Read-A-Lot
Monday, Mar 23, 2015, 08:00 AM
University Park Elementary School, Amherst Avenue, Dallas, TX, United States
Open House
Tuesday, Mar 24, 2015, 05:30 PM
University Park Elementary School, Amherst Avenue, Dallas, TX, United States
Bush Library Field Trip
Parent Chaperones:
Renne Lokey
Debra McKelvey
Tuesday, Mar 31, 2015, 11:00 AM
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, SMU Boulevard, Dallas, TX, United States
About Miss Atkinson
Email: atkinse@hpisd.org
Website: http://up.hpisd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=419982&type=u
Location: 3505 Amherst Avenue, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: (214) 780-3400