Week of January 12-16, 2009

After a week of having class in the kindergarten room, we are finally able to return to our own room! Everything has dried out and been treated for mold, and we're pretty excited to get back into our old routines, in a familiar environment.

Also, this week marks the end of the second quarter. Conferences are optional; please return the yellow conference form no later than TUESDAY whether a conference was requested or not. Thank you for your cooperation.

Friday 1/16/09

• Math 3: We learned how to tell time to the minute and then spent the rest of class time taking a math test. No homework, except to study/memorize your perfect squares!
• Language Arts 3/4: We took spelling tests today and spent some time finishing up anything that didn't get finished in class during the week. Some people began reading the next story in their books and others finished up handwriting worksheets or their "I Have a Dream Too" speeches.
• Religion 3/4: We continued reading in Job and did some Bible races to keep our memory work sharp. Keep learning the books of the Bible!
• Science 3/4: We talked about constellations and how we use constellations. In ancient times people told stories about constellations, often based on Greek and Roman mythology. Also, the North Star can be used as a navigational tool even today, in the age of GPS! Homework: FINAL COPY of astronomer report is due TUESDAY. Rough draft should be returned with the final copy. Final copy should be written in blue or black ink on a clean sheet of notebook paper, using very best handwriting.
• Art 3/4: Today we used watercolors to paint the fossils we made earlier in the week with a flour/salt dough. They came out great and were sent home today.
• HAVE A GREAT THREE DAY WEEKEND!

Thursday 1/15/09

• Math 3: We didn't get to learn a new concept today because of the delays but we used the time to review concepts from earlier in the week and practice our multiplying by 2. We also learned how to check the previous day's LOW using http://www.weather.com/. Homework: 71A/B.
• Language Arts 3/4: Today we read Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream Speech" and began to write our own speeches about our dreams and goals for the future.
• Religion 3/4: We began reading in Job and learned about suffering and blessing the Lord during trials. Continue learning the books of the Bible!
• Science 3/4: We spent more time today working on our rough drafts, which are due TOMORROW.
• PE: Badminton with Mr. Bretscher!

Wednesday 1/14/09

• Math 3: This morning we learned about line graphs and plotted the daily low temperature of two cities. Over the next two weeks, students will keep their own daily line graphs plotting the daily low temperatures of Greencastle and a city of their choice. We will be checking the lows each day in class but we'll need your help on the weekend. Simply log onto http://www.weather.com/ and type in the cities. We finished parts of 70 A and 70 B during class. Homework: Finish 70A and 70B.
• Language Arts 3: Today we worked some more on lists and found examples of lists in the story about the ox-cart man. We also practiced writing lists and how to use commas in lists appropriately. Homework: Spelling sentences.
• Language Arts 4: We finished working on elaboration in sentences from yesterday, and we began preparing for our next literature circle. Tomorrow we will have our next LC on the story "Nachito's Teachings." Homework: Spelling sentences AND finish preparing for LC, which includes reading the story a second time.
• Science 3/4: Today we used our research from Monday to begin writing reports about our astronomers. Homework:The first rough draft will be due Friday morning so that I can return them by the end of the day.
• Scholastic News 3/4: We read about Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration, Martin Luther King Jr.'s sister's new book, and a 8-foot-tall Lego man that washed up on a beach in this week's SN. We also made fossil prints to go along with an article on a newly discovered fossil of an ancient bird/dinosaur creature. Hmm...

Tuesday 1/13/09

• Math 3: Today we learned how to add and subtract multiples of 100 using mental math. We played a game to see how fast we could solve the problems in our heads, and we also reviewed spelling number words from yesterday's lesson. We did 69A in class. Homework: 69B and oral facts 69. Also, memorize the first ten perfect squares using flashcards that were sent home today - work on them everynight until they're memorized.
• Language Arts 3: Today we learned two more capital cursive letters, E and O. We also worked with writing lists and found examples of lists in our story from yesterday. Homework: Spelling words 3x.
• Language Arts 4: We reviewed prefixes and suffixes. We also learned how to use elaboration to make our sentences more interesting and informative through either a definition or a parenthetical comment. Homework: Spelling words 3x.
• Religion 3/4: This afternoon we discussed the division of the kingdom of Israel. Continue working on your books of the Bible if you haven't already finished!
• Social Studies 3/4: We worked with partners to review chapter three. We matched vocabulary words with their definitions in a puzzle and used a map in the book to answer questions about Indiana's goods and services.
• PE: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher!

Monday 1/12/09

• Math 3: Today we learned how to write any number from 1-999 using words. We will be working hard to memorize the spellings for all these words so please take any chance you can to quiz your child on spelling. Everyone finished 68A in class. Homework: 68B.
• Language Arts 3: We began a new unit AND the second book in our literature. We read a poem called "The Ox-Cart Man" and began learning how to write some capital letters in cursive: A and C. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
• Language Arts 4: Today we completed our very first literature circle! We had a very interesting conversation about the story, which had to do with a group of eskimos living in Greenland. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
• Religion 3/4: We continued in our learning about Solomon today. Some students have finished their memory work and can say all the books of the Bible! Others are still working - keep it up!
• Science 3/4: This afternoon we began researching for our famous astronomers reports. Many students finished answering their questions during class using books from the library and internet sources, but there are still several who need to finish answering the questions. Once the questions are answered, our next step will be to begin writing a short report about the astronomer. Homework: Finish answering the questions on your worksheet if you didn't finish in class.
• Finally, we spent the last hour of the afternoon "deep-cleaning" our desks in preparation for the new semester and I would appreciate your cooperation in keeping toys, noisemakers, makeup, and anything else that is not a school supply at HOME. Please take a moment this week to empty your child's backpack of anything that was not on the school supply list. This includes scented lotions and hand sanitizers (we provide hand sanitizer and lotion here in the classroom) - and all electronics: Nintendo DS, iPods, etc. Also, please don't allow your child to bring money to school unless it is for chapel or purchasing a water. I DO allow students to have a tube of chapstick or lip balm, but not lipgloss or anything resembling lipstick. Anything that is brought to school without prior permission from me or another teacher will be confiscated. If you have any further concerns regarding this issue please don't hesitate to contact me!