Week of April 27 - May 1, 2009

Friday 5/1/09

• Math 3: We took a math test today.
• Language Arts 3: We took spelling tests and then used class time to catch up on missing work. Students who were all caught up got to create an old fashioned silhouette using a flashlight and black paper! Some students have a LOT of blanks in my gradebook because they have not turned in work. Please check your child's planner for assignments and try to get caught up this weekend.
• Language Arts 4: We took spelling tests and then used class time to catch up on missing work. Students who were all caught up got to creat an old fashioned silhouette using a flashlight and black paper! Some students have a LOT of blanks in my grade book because they have not turned in work. Please check your child's planner for assignments and try to get caught up this weekend.
• Religion 3/4: We watched a video and discussed the connections that it had with Easter. Several students have memory work to catch up on; lately many of them have been not learning the daily assignments and that is simply not ok. Please make sure you're studying memory work EACH night!
• Art 3/4: We had our last art lesson with Miss Brooke and she brought modeling clay that we used to practice our sculpting skills! Fun!!
• We also used afternoon time to continue working on our crafts for the Mother's Tea!

Thursday 4/30/09

• Math 3: Today we reviewed centimeters and millimeters (10 mm = 1 cm) and learned how to write measurements using common fractions (tenths) and decimals. For example, a line segment that is 38 mm long is also 3 cm 8 mm long, and we will write it as 3 and 8/10 cm or 3.8 cm. Homework: 119B and oral facts 119. Keep studying flashcards; some students are starting to see the results of their hard work!
• Language Arts 3: We read a story is the form of a longer poem today called "Home Place". Homework: Complete "Place and Location Words" skill sheet, using the text book for help on the front side. Also, study for spelling test.
• Language Arts 4: We read a short biography on a slave girl turned poet named Phillis Wheatley, and we also read a few of her poems together in class. Homework: Study for spelling test.
• Religion 3/4: Some students need to finish today's lesson, found on pages 224-225.
• Social Studies 3/4: We began a brief study on a few key Native Americans during our pioneer time period: Little Turtle, Tecumseh, and Tenskwatawa (The Prophet).
• PE 3/4: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher.

Wednesday 4/29/09

• Math 3: We discussed some algebra rules and learned how to simplify a number sentence with parentheses as well as how to multiply three or more factors. We also identified the associative property of multiplication, which simply states that you can multiply a set of factors in any order and the answer will always be the same. In other words, 2x3x5 will have the same answer as 3x5x2. Homework: 118B and study flashcards!
• Language Arts 3: Third graders read a piece about the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. and then worked on cursive handwriting. Next week I am expected third graders to begin completing spelling assignments in cursive! Homework: Spelling sentences.
• Language Arts 4: Fourth graders read "Judith: The Life of a Slave" and continued working on finding supporting details within the text to elaborate on a main idea. Homework: Spelling sentences. Also, finish the "Judith" reading guide for tomorrow.
• Afternoon: We used most of the afternoon on a lengthy and hands-on social studies lesson! We learned how candles were made in the 1800's and then dipped our own candles, which we are keeping in the classroom while we continue to study pioneer Indiana. We made a huge mess but had lots of fun!

Tuesday 4/28/09

• Math 3: Today we took a step toward algebra by learning about function rules. The concept is not new; we've been finding patterns in numbers for quite a while now. Homework: 117B and oral facts 117. Also, remember to study your flashcards each night!
• Language Arts 3: We read three fun poems about memories and oral history and then discussed them together. We also reviewed posessive nouns and pronouns; we're pretty rusty on that so we'll come back to it again soon! Homework: Spelling words written 3x.
• Language Arts 4: We read yesterday's story again and completed a reading guide because Miss Bertschi was NOT happy with the comprehension quizzes students took yesterday. After reviewing the story as well as the main ideas and supporting examples, fourth graders made corrections to their quizzes. Homework: Spelling words written 3x.
• Religion 3/4: Memory work on 219 and any makeup work that has not been completed.
• Social Studies 3/4: We continued our lesson on good and services by finishing up the analysis of the 1800's newspaper and then examining the classified section of the Hoosier Topics to see what are the similarities and differences between what's for sale then and now.
• PE 3/4: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher.
• Don't forget to practice your recorder for FIVE minutes a night, AFTER all other homework has been completed.

Monday 4/27/09

• Math 3: Today we learned how to multiply a single digit number by a two- or three-digit number using the multiplication algorithm. The students call this method multiplying "up and down." We worked on 116A in class. Homework: 116B and study flashcards. Please take a moment to check out the new math folder your child has brought home - we are trying a new method to cut down on the number of missing assignments by keeping all the papers for the week in one place. Please read the note inside your child's folder and let me know what you think.
• Language Arts 3: We read a fun story called "The Keeping Quilt" about a tangible way one family kept their family traditions and customs alive through a special quilt. We also worked on identifying supporting details (examples) to go along with a main idea. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order. This week is a review week for spelling, which means any spelling words your child has are words that were previously missed on a pre-test or test. Because of this, I will NOT be accepting homework passes for spelling homework this week.
• Language Arts 4: We looked at a very informative piece about two men, Joliet and Marquette, who discovered the Mississippi River area. We also worked on identifying main ideas and supporting details in writing. Homework: Speling words in ABC order. This week is a review week for spelling, which means any spelling words your child has are words that were previously missed on a pre-test or test. Because of this, I will NOT be accepting homework passes for spelling homework this week.
• Religion 3/4: Memory work on page 219, as well as any make-up work that has not been finished.
• Music 3/4: We are taking another chance on the recorders and learning a song for the final assembly. Students are asked to practice the new line of music for FIVE minutes a night, and they are expected to bring the recorders back to school EVERY day so that we can practice together. Recorder practice should only come after all other homework is completed.
• We also used some of the afternoon time to begin working on some special things for the upcoming Mother's Tea...which means I can't tell you what we did! :) We look forward to sharing this special time with the mothers and mother figures in our lives.

Week of April 20-24, 2009

Friday 4/24/09

• Math 3: This morning we learned the properties of geometric solids as well as identified seven diffferent solids: sphere, cube, cone, cylinder, pyramid, rectangular prism, and triangular prism. We also learned about faces, edges, and vertices. No homework.
• Language Arts 3/4: We finished our spelling bee during language arts time. The fourth grade champ was Alina, and during the Grand Championship between Alina and Kevin (the third grade champ), Alina won the title of Class Champion! Congrats Alina!
• Religion 3/4: Homework: memory work on page 219 and any make up work. Please make sure your student is studying memory work each night - only one or two students have not missed any assignments, which means EVERYONE needs to be studying every night to catch up.
• Art 3/4: We learned about surrealism and Salvador Dali with Miss Brooke today, and worked on a cooperative project in which each student only drew a portion of the picture without seeing the rest of the picture - the end results were quite humorous and VERY surreal.

Thursday 4/23/09

• Morning: We used math and language arts time to take the last two portions of the Terra Nova tests: Science and Social Studies. We are officially done with testing now, and will return to our normal schedule tomorrow.
• Religion 3/4: Homework: 204, 205, 213, memory work on 211, and catch up on any missing memory assignments.
• PE 3/4: Kickball outside with Mr. Bretscher.
• Social Studies 3/4: We discussed and defined goods and services and then used our knowledge of them to read "want ads" from an 1838 newspaper. We analyzed the ads, looking for details such as what good or service is being offered. This activity will take two class periods and we will need to finish it another day.

Wednesday 4/22/09

• Math 3: Third graders learned how to multiply by 6! The good news is that we have already learned every x6 fact except for 6 x 8 through the commutative property of multiplication, which says that two numbers can be multiplied in any order and the answer will be the same. One student did not finish their sheet - Homework: 115A.
• Language Arts 3/4: We had a spelling bee which went very long today! The third grade champion is Kevin. We had to stop our spelling bee after an hour in order to go to lunch!
• Afternoon: We used about an hour of the afternoon to continue the spelling bee. The fourth grade champion is still yet to be determined - it is between Ashton and Alina! We'll try to conclude the bee and have the showdown between 3rd and 4th grade champs on Friday morning.
• Science 3/4: We had a double science lesson today in honor of Earth day. We discussed rainforests and their importance, thinking back to the fascinating video we watched on Monday. We read "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss and thought about the terrible effects the Once-ler had on the land, the Truffula Trees, and all the other animals. We also watched the video version of the story and answered discussion questions afterwards.

Tuesday 4/21/09

• Morning: We used math and language arts time this morning to take the Mathematics portion of the Terra Nova achievement test. Third graders, remember to keep studying your fact cards!
• Religion 3/4: Homework: pg 182-183, memory work on 181, and catch up on any other memory work that you are behind on. You will have a chance to say verses again on Thursday.
• Social Studies 3/4: We discussed the differences between slavery and indentured servitude, and talked about them in the context of the Indiana Territory in the early 1800s. We read an actual contract between a master, Eli Hawkins, and his indentured servant, Jacob, and then answered questions based on the contract.
• PE 3/4: Indoor activities with Mr. Bretscher!

Monday 4/20/09

• Morning: We used our math and language arts time this morning to take the Reading and Language Arts portion of the Terra Nova achievement test. There will be no spelling words this week, and the only math homework third graders have is to STUDY FACT CARDS!
• Science 3/4: We tallied up the number of "green" and "non-green" things in our lunchboxes today and everyone had at least one green thing! Let's try to have more green than not in our lunchboxes if we can! The less waste we produce, the more we are doing to help the environment. We also watched a National Geographic video on the rainforest of Costa Rica and it was such a wonderful way to learn about so many unique and interesting creatures! God's hand is evident in all of creation and it was good for us to see how every aspect of the rain forest works to support another. It was also a bit thought-provoking as we thought of the possibility of extinction for so many rare species if we don't make a point to protect rainforests and other wildlife habitats.
• Religion 3/4:

Week of April 13-17, 2009

Friday 4/17/09

• Math 3: Today we took a math test and then played math games on the computer. Homework: Study flash cards over the weekend!
• Language Arts 3/4: We used language arts time to take the practice test in preparation for the Terra Nova tests, which will take place next week. No homework.
• Religion 3/4: We talked about Jesus and the calling of his disciples, and we discussed various professional church workers like pastors, teachers, missionaries, and directors of Christian education. Homework: Everyone should be practicing memory work over the weekend.
• Science 3/4: We continued our discussion on sustainability and traced our feet, to represent the "footprint" we are leaving behind. Next week students are challenged to produce less waste in their lunchboxes, such as using tupperware or other reusable containers, not using plastic silverware, etc. Each day we will tally up how many bad and good things we used in our lunchbox and at the end of the week we'll see who left the biggest footprint!
• Art 3/4: We learned about pointillism from Miss Brooke and then created our own pointillism paintings.

Thursday 4/16/09

• Math 3: Today we learned how to measure line segments using millimeters, and also how to convert centimeters to millimeters and vice versa. There are 10 millimeters in 1 centimeter, so all you have to do is multiply the number of cm by 10 to find the number of mm! Very easy! Everyone finished 114A in class. Homework: 114B, oral facts 114, and fact card practice.
• Language Arts 3: Today we worked with forming compound sentences from two simple sentences using a comma as well as a joining word like and, but, and or. We also reviewed cursive writing with the capital I and J. Homework: Spelling sentences.
• Language Arts 4: We read a piece on the early houses of the colonies and searched for descriptive details within the writing. Homework: Spelling sentences.
• Religion 3/4: We did some memory work and talked about resolved conflicts. Homework: Page 169.
• Science 3/4: We worked with environmental causes and effects, and then had a lesson on sustainability. We will continue this lesson tomorrow as we discuss ways we can produce less waste each day, especially in our lunch boxes!! :)
• PE 3/4: We were outside with Mr. Bretscher today! Thank you, God for a sunny day!

Wednesday 4/15/09

• Math 3: Today we learned how to use the words acute, obtuse, and right to classify angles and triangles. We also ordered triangles according to size. Everyone finished 113A in class. Homework: 113B and 10 minute of practice with fact cards.
• Language Arts 3: Students read a fun story called "Aunt Flossie's Hat," about an older family member who tells stories about each of the many hats in her closet to her neices. It was a good example of the tradition of oral history and keeping memories alive through storytelling. Homework: Spelling words 3x.
• Language Arts 4: We worked on identifying main ideas and supporting details through reading a piece on the Massachusetts Colony. Chronologically this piece took place immediately after yesterday's reading on the voyage of the Mayflower. Homework: Spelling words 3x.
• Science 3/4: We made observations in our bean journals and discussed what is happening to the sprouts. Some students believe their beans are burning from too much sunlight, while others think that their beans have frozen. Some of the beans appear to be growing at least a little bit!
• Social Studies 3/4: We finished our Snapshots of the Census activity and learned quite a bit about the population in Indiana from 1800-1850.
• Scholastic News 3/4: The feature article in today's paper was Earth Day, which we will celebrate next week. In continuing our discussion on saving energy and protecting the earth, today we discussed cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels such as wind power, solar power, and biofuels. We also read an interesting piece about scientists who used Google Earth to locate a hidden forest in Mozambique, Africa and discovered tons of new animal and plant species!

Tuesday 4/14/09

• Math 3: Today in math we learned how to multiply a single digit number by a two-digit number. This strategy will eventually be done using mental math. Everyone finished 112A in class. Homework: 112B and oral facts 112. Also, students are now expected to study multiplication and division fact families for 10 minutes each night.
• Language Arts 3: We journaled about our Easter weekend, took spelling pre-test #29, and read an informative piece on how to research your family ancenstry using oral history. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
• Language Arts 4: We journaled about our Easter weekend, took spelling pre-test #29, and read an interesting piece about the voyage of the Mayflower and what life was like for these pioneers. We also looked for clues related to setting in this and other selections. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
• Religion 3/4: We did some memory work and then discussed the parable of the prodigal son. Homework: 164-167, memory work on 167. Due Thursday.
• Social Studies 3/4: We took a look at the 1850 US Census and practiced reading tables and charts to answer questions about the census.
• PE 3/4: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher.

Week of April 6-10, 2009

Thursday 4/9/09

• Math 3: We took a math test today. Based on the scores of this and recent assessments, I don't believe students are practicing their multiplication and division facts at home. Starting next week, all third graders will be given a set of flashcards to study each night so that we can solidify these facts! Without practice your child will not learn multiplication or division, and these two concepts are crucial to future success in math!
• Language Arts 3: We read a fascinating story about carving a totem pole and used it to talk about writing out the steps of a process. We also took spelling test #28.
• Language Arts 4: We read a piece on the Puritans and Separatists today and worked on identifying characters' opinions. We also took spelling test #28.
• Science 3/4: We made another observation in our lima bean journals and then worked in partners to learn about pollination.
• Religion 3/4: We watched a video of the book of Matthew about the Holy Week and the Passion of Christ. Homework: STUDY MEMORY WORK!!
• PE 3/4: Kickball outside with Mr. Bretscher and the 5th and 6th graders.
• Have a great weekend! Blessings as you celebrate the Risen Savior.

Wednesday 4/8/09

• Math 3: Today we worked with division again and used pennies to find fractional parts of a set. We also learned a strategy to find the age of a penny or a person. Some students finished their packet in class, others didn't. Homework: 111 A/B.
• Language Arts 3: We read a very interesting story about the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. It was cool to find out how the brothers got interested in storytelling and brought pride to Germany. We also worked on using commas with direct addresses and introductory words/phrases. Not everyone finished the commas packet in class. Homework: Spelling sentences (study for test!) and Commas packet.
• Language Arts 4: We read a story about Pocahontas and looked for ways in which the author used characterization to tell us what kind of person Pocahontas was. Homework: Spelling sentences and study for test!
• Art 3/4: We had a visit from Miss Brooke, a DePauw student, who will be teaching art in our class each week for the next few months. She taught us about Grandma Moses and we talked about recyclable art! Student learned how to make flower bouquets using old newspapers, straws, and a stapler.
• Social Studies 3/4: We continued yesterday's cartography activity and talked about the changes to the Northwest Territory as Indiana came into statehood.
• Scholastic News: Our newspaper today had a feature article on tornadoes and other stories about a giant stingray found in Thailand. Homework: Several students need to finish their scholastic news skill sheet.

Tuesday 4/7/09

• PLEASE remember to have students to school NO LATER than 6:10 p.m. tonight for the Easter program. If your child needs to change into a costume here at school you may want to come closer to 6:00 to ensure they have plenty of time to get ready. The program starts at 6:30...see you then!
• Math 3: Today we learned about translations, rotations, and reflections (slides, turns, and flips) as three ways to change a design. It was declared "fun math" and almost everyone finished 110 B in class. Homework: 110 B.
• Language Arts 3 and 4: We did our final dress rehearsal today during language arts time. There was a little bit of time left over at the end which we used as a study hall so that we wouldn't have to do homework tonight because of the Easter program. Homework: Spelling 3x.
• Religion 3/4: We took a break from rehearsing and spent today's religion time working on memory work. Sadly, many of us have been slacking on memory work! Please keep practicing and working on memory verses at home each night.
• Social Studies 3/4: We looked at a map of the Northwest Territory and then looked at several acts of Congress that changed the boundaries, until it ended up being what we now know as Indiana. This activity requires attention to detail and reading instructions carefully, something which all of the students seem to be struggling with lately. We will finish the activity on Thursday.
• PE 3/4: Volleyball with Mr. Bretscher.

Monday 4/6/09

• Math 3: We learned the multiples of 9 in class today. There is a very simple strategy for finding them, but eventually you will need to memorize them! Everyone finished their work in class today - no homework!
• Language Arts 3 and 4: We used the second half of the morning to rehearse for the Easter program, which is tomorrow night! Plan to arrive between 6:00 and 6:15 to get into costume and line up for the processional. Homework: Spelling words in ABC order.
• Religion 3/4: We used religion time today to work on the songs for the program.
• Science 3/4: We learned about plant parts, discussed two types of root systems, the function of the stem and leaves, and found out about photosynthesis. We also observed our lima bean plants and recorded information in our journals. Some are starting to sprout!
• We used the remaining afternoon time to finalize memorization of verses, and to practice reading our Scripture readings expressively.
• Remember to invite family and friends to the program tomorrow night!