Ms. Arnold's Weekly News
Week of 3-9-15
March is Reading Month!!!!
**New videos attached at the end of the newsletter each week. Please share with your student. :)
***Multiplication Fact Focus attached to weekly math and multiplication videos attached to help with studying at home.
****See Mrs. H's website below for extra copies of My Math Homework pages.
What information do you need from me?
Our Classroom Learning Time
Our Focus Points
Reading / Language Arts
Students are continuing to work through our Daily 5 rotations, Read to Self, Read to Someone, Partner Fluency Time, Listening Time, and Teacher Time. Students are also meeting with me one-on-one and/or in small groups through the week to work on specific skills and set goals. Other areas of focus throughout our Daily 5 rotations are: response to reading, writing, fluency, listening, book talks, book analysis, and word building. I am very excited to see their excitement and focus to their day to day reading and writing grow. We are truly building life long readers and writers. In addition to the Daily 5 rotations, a reading resource we are excited to have this year is RAZ-KIDS. It's an online reading program that the students use a lot through the week. I monitor there reading and meet with them to discuss various reading skills and strategies.
At Home Reading Tips:
*students should witness their role models reading at home
*parents/guardians are encouraged to read every day with their child
*alternate reading with and to students
*ask students to make predictions before reading a chapter or a new book
*ask students to summarize or retell the story, after reading the text
*help students decode words during reading
*don't be afraid to ask students if what they read made sense
*don't worry about things such as names and titles. These are small things that don't change the meaning of the story
*praise students for what they did well
*help students make connections to the text
Writing
Students are continuing to gather stories in their writer's notebooks. This is an ongoing process through the entire year. We are also creating an interactive "grammar" notebook that students will use through the year. This notebook will include pages that focus on: nouns, plural nouns, singular nouns, proper nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, possessive nouns,... Students will also be working on building sentences, stories with multiple paragraphs, using commas in a series, developing informational pieces on a variety of topics and working on their revising and editing skills. Paragraph structure and legible handwriting are continuously encouraged and taught. We have begun our "informational" research piece. Students have selected a topic on how they can help animals in our community/state. Students are drafting their copy of our research report. We will finish drafting and editing this week.
Writing topics this year include:
-personal narrative
- a variety of informational pieces (short and long pieces)
-an opinion piece
-a variety of poetry
Science and Social Studies:
Science topics we're learning about this year:
*Motion
*Forces
*Magnets
*Traits (OUR TOPIC)
*Plants/Animals
*Organisms/Habitats
*Weather
*Hands-on engineering
Social Studies topics we're learning about this year:
*Michigan geography and maps
*The people of Michigan: the three fires, the french, the pioneers (OUR TOPIC)
*Michigan's economy: fur trade, farming, logging, mining, lumbering, automotive
*State government
*Public issues
Math (Chapter 7/Unit 7)
We will be wrapping up Unit 7 on Monday with the Unit 7 assessment. Each day students rotate through Math Workshop. Math Workshop consists of 3 rotations. The 3 rotations are: Teacher Time (the day's lesson), Ipads: Front Row Math, and Independent Work Time (skill practice). Homework comes home with each lesson taught through the week.
Multiplication Fact Focus: multiplying by 5
-Strategy focus: repeated addition
-Memorization
Previous Fact Focus: multiplying by 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
Another Fact Focus: multiplying the "doubles" (1X1, 2X2, 3X3, 4X4, 5X5, 6X6, 7X7, 8X8, 9X9, 10X10, 11X11, 12X12)
Multiplication Tricks:
0- When multiplying by 0, the product (answer) is always 0
1- When multiplying by 1, the product is always the other number (1 x 2 = 2)
2- When multiplying by 2, the factor is doubled (2 x 3 = 6... 3 + 3 = 6)
3- Sing the 3's to the tune of "Jingle Bells"
4- Sing the 4's to the tune of "Dashing Through the Snow"
5- Just count by 5's
6- Hold up the number of fingers you are multiplying, count by 5s, then count again by 1s
7- Sing the 7's to the tune of "Happy Birthday"
9- Starting with your left hand, count the number of the factor you are multiplying. Then count the number on the left of the bent finger, and then the number to the right of the bent finger.
10- Take the other factor and just add 0
Addition/Subtraction Baseball (tests given weekly)
By the end of 3rd grade, students are expected to be able to add and subtract fluently within 1,000. To help students with this concept we take weekly mixed addition and subtraction quizzes. There are six quizzes for students to pass, each quiz with 25 problems; students are given 10 minutes to complete the entire quiz, and may only miss 2 problems to pass. If a quiz is not passed, students will continue to retake the quiz until they pass it. The quizzes start with small numbers 0-10 and gradually move onto larger numbers 0-1,000. When students pass each quiz they move around the baseball field. Upon passing the last tests, students will have hit a home run! Students earn a token upon passing all quizzes. Students fully pass the tests once they have passed all tests A-F.
Multiplication Football (tests given weekly)
3rd graders are expected to be able to fluently multiply up to 10 x 10 by the end of the school year. Each week we focus on a new factor, starting at 0 and moving along to 10; then we take a timed (3 minute) multiplication quiz at the end of the week. Each multiplication quiz consists of 30 problems. To pass they have to get 100% before moving to the next number. Students must continue to take the quiz until they have mastered the fact. As students pass each fact, they move along the football field. After passing all facts 0-10, students will receive a token.
This Week's Spelling Words
List #19 (Test Friday)
Contractions
1. he'd
2. she'd
3. that's
4. what's
5. won't
6. there's
7. you're
8. wasn't
9. we'll
10. isn't
11. we're
12. couldn't
Math Homework News
Go to www.mrshkeicher.com to print off My Math homework pages. There will be other homework assignments other than the My Math pages. These "other" homework assignments cannot be printed off this website. They have to get a new "other" homework copies from the classroom instead. We are working on uploading end of unit study guides as well.
Weekly Specials and Nightly Homework
Tuesday: Gym; Math Homework #2; Study X facts; study spelling, Red folders come home
Wednesday: Computers; Math Homework #3; Study X facts, study spelling, folders come home
Thursday: Gym; Math Homework #4, Study X facts; study spelling, Red folders come home
Friday: No specials; Bring library books, Fun Friday (if earned); Facts Tests; Spelling test; Red folders come home; Study X facts
Math Strategies and Videos
Coming soon...a list of KEY math vocabulary!
Fast Fact Focus: X5
X0, X1, X2, X3, X4
Click the Link Below: Multiplication Videos
Click the Song Below: Multiplying by 5s
Keicher News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MARCH
2 Reading Month Starts
Bible Release
3 NO SCHOOL – STAFF ONLY
4 “Reading is no sweat” – Wear sweats to school
Credit Union Day
5 “Sock it to me with a good book” – Wear crazy socks
6 “Read My Shirt Day” – Wear a shirt with words on it to school
Report Cards go home
7 Baseball/Softball Sign-ups – During Basketball Tournament at H.S. – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
8 Daylight Savings – Spring Ahead!
9 I “luau” a good book – Wear Hawaiian clothes
Good News Club – Permission slips week before
5th Grade parent Band Meeting – 6th Grade Band Informational Meeting – Part 1 – Keicher West Cafeteria –7:00 p.m.
10 “Teams of Michigan Day” – Wear clothes supporting any team in Michigan
Family Math/Science Night – 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – More information later
Baseball/Softball Sign-ups – During Math/Science Night in the H.S. gymnasium – 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. – last one to avoid late fee
Michigan Center Community Food Pantry – 6:30 –7:30 p.m.
11 “Be a Reading Superhero” – Dress up like your favorite superhero!
Credit Union Day
12 “Read for success”- Dress your best!
4th Grade Music Program - Keicher West Gym – 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.
13 Carnival – More information to come
“Read My Hat Day!” – Wear a hat with words on it
16 “College Day!” – Wear clothes to represent any college!
School Board Meeting – MCHS – 7:00 p.m.
17 “Wear Green!” - HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY
3rd Grade Music Program – Keicher West Gym – 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.
18 Be a Reading “Jean-ous” – Wear jeans to school
Credit Union Day
Kindergarten Round-up – Arnold School Gym – 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Spelling Bee – Western Community Arts Center - 6:00 p.m.
19 “Cuddle up to a good book” – Wear pajamas to school
20 Show Your SPIRIT – Wear your favorite MC shirt or colors
23 “Read My Button Day” – Wear a button with words on it to school
Fifth Grade Parents - Sixth Grade Band Information Meeting Open House– 7:00 p.m. – Keicher West Cafeteria
24 “Wear Pink”
Michigan Center Community Food Pantry – 6:30 –7:30 p.m.
25 Reading Rainbow–Wear as many colors as you can to school
26 “Exercise your right to read”–Wear workout clothing to school
27 Wear your favorite team apparel
March is Reading Month Assembly – 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. – Keicher West Gym
30 START OF SPRING BREAK – ENJOY – SEE YOU ON
APRIL 7TH
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ROCK INTO READING
1. The students are getting excited about the “Rock into Reading” Accelerated Reading challenge. It’s time to really hit the books and “Rock and Roll” into reading. The teachers have planned a month chock-full of special reading activities especially for our students. Once again, it is a “student self-challenge” with a school goal of 9,000 points. The classroom teacher and student will set a goal for each student individually. Each student meeting their “personal goal” will receive a guitar pick necklace and a cardinal kudo. In order for the school goal to be met, each classroom will need 575 points. The grand prize will be announced at the “March is Reading Month” kick-off assembly. You will also have an opportunity to win a bike, play/cheer in the staff/student basketball game, or have computer time during the assembly by earning cardinal kudos for the drawing. The Northwest Kiwanis has donated two bikes to be given away in a drawing.
We have a lot of reading to do so… READ, READ, READ!
2. Everyone is looking forward to Spring Break. Enough of winter! Spring is around the corner, but winter is not over yet! The temperatures are still really cold! Students need to get outside for a brief period each day, so be sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather. Thanks for your help.
***Speaking of SPRING BREAK, remember it starts March 30th and we return to school on April 7h. ***
3. BASEBALL, SOFTBALL AND T-BALL – There will be a sign-up for baseball, softball, and t-ball on Saturday, March 7, 10:00a.m. – 2:00 p.m., during the basketball tournament at the High School and on Tuesday, March 10, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., during Math/Science night. All kids ages 4-14 (as of April 30, 2015 for boys and December 31, 2014 for girls) may participate in the program. Late fees will be added to the original cost after March 10th (no exceptions).
4. KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP - Believe it or not, it is time to start thinking about the 2015-2016 school year. Kindergarten Roundup will be held on Wednesday, March 18th, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the Arnold School gym. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2015. Please pass this information on to a friend or relative who will have a child starting school in the fall. If your child is already enrolled in Young 5’s, you do not need to re-enroll. Any questions, call 764-5700.
5. Our CARNIVAL date will be Friday, March 13th. This event is a fundraiser, and many workers will be needed. If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact Nikki Adkins, nikadk22@yahoo.com. Volunteers can text Kelly Lammon at 517-745-2330 with their shift preference and/or job/station/game request. Shifts are 5-7 p.m. or 7-9 p.m.
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PARENT POWER
There are many ways you can support your child’s learning and school. Here are a few ideas:
- ϖ Spend a few minutes every evening looking over handouts your youngster brings home. Fill out forms to return to school the next day.
- ϖ Tell your child’s teacher if you can help them out at school or home.
- ϖ Make sure teachers know you appreciate their efforts. From time to time, send a thank-you note or an email.
- ϖ Contact your youngster’s teacher immediately if you see a problem. Working together will help your child succeed.
- ϖ Attend conferences, parent meetings, and school events regularly.
Home & School Connection
MCYL Softball Competitive Tryouts
League age determination is as follows:
Softball: Age as of December 31, 2014
10u Girls’ Competitive Team Softball Tryouts:
Thursday – 3/12/2015 – (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.) at Extra Innings. Call/text Lisa Haynes at (517)937-6542 if you CAN’T make it or if you have any questions.
12u Girls’ Competitive Team Softball Tryouts:
Thursday – 03/12/2015 – (6:30 – 8:00 p.m.) at Extra Innings. Call/text Lisa Haynes at (517)937-6542 if you CAN’T make it or if you have any questions.
14u tryouts will be scheduled for some time in April. Please stay tuned for date/time announcements.
HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK STUDENTS AND PARENTS!!!
Ms. Arnold
Email: Stacy.Arnold@mccardinals.org
Location: Keicher Elementary School, Broad Street, Michigan Center, MI, United States
Phone: 517-764-5200
Facebook: facebook.com/KeicherArnold
Twitter: @Arnold12Stacy