Learning to Type: A Crucial 21st Century Skill

This winter break, when your child (or you!) needs a bit of quiet time, have them jump onto the computer and practice their typing skills!  This year, we are focused on trying to improve students' typing capabilities and the only way to improve these skills is through practice and familiarity.  A great first step is having your child type up their Holiday Project, spelling sentences or other small assignments weekly.  Additionally, Mrs. Bradley has collected a bunch of great sties on her blog that help students learn to type! Check some of them out!

Scholastic Writing Contest

Here is the link to tonight's fun little extra credit writing assignment!!!

All I want for...a Happy Holidays!

This holiday season, I am putting together a little wish list for parents.  As you do your holiday shopping, please consider giving to our classroom community!  Here are some things we could really use:
-Headphones that plug into laptops.  Soon we'll be getting a class set of chrome books (Yipee!).  I want to be able to have student use them during center time to listen to books and answer questions and also to play math games that reinforce skills from lessons.  Many of these require sound.  I'd like headphones that go outside of the ears so they can be shared, rather than earbuds,
-Hardcover Books. As you can imagine, the books in our class library get a lot of use and wear and tear, especially the ever popular "Diary of Wimpy Kid" or "Big Nate" books.  I'd like to start re-stocking and replenishing.  Also, any high-interest non-fiction books about science and nature would be wonderful.
-Addition, Subtraction or Division BINGO. I have a very popular Multiplication BINGO.  I'd like to add to the collection for review and challenge.
-Your Time. If you have any time to make copies, feel comfortable laminating and cutting our items, helping me to organize my class games and center, this would be a holiday gift the whole class (especially me!) can benefit from! Also, classroom visitors are always fun and exciting for the students- can you donate an afternoon to share with us about your career or to help do a hands-on experiment or project? I would love to have some help at our "Holiday Party" at the culmination of our December project- please e-mail me if you can make it!
-Cleaning Products. I use small pump bottle of hand sanitizer as my bathroom passes and go through it pretty fast.  Also, cleaning wipes- both baby wipes and Lysol wipes, as always very useful to have in stock.
-2 new fish and vacation fish feeders. Our bottom feeder has passed away (RIP Stompy) and our tank is starting to look a lil green.  We could use a new fish or 2 to brighten the place up.  3 and 7 day feeders are always good have for winter, spring break and long weekends.
-Fun Classroom Supplies: Handy things that all teachers can use: Colored Sharpie Markers of different sizes, regular Crayola markers, post-its in fun shapes and colors, neat stickers, stamps and stamp pads...


Thank-you for all of your contributions to our classroom!!!

Homework Assignment!!!

I spoke to many parents about the new math curriculum this week at conferences. I stumbled upon this video tonight and I think this teacher does a great job of putting many of my thoughts on Common Core math into words.

I know it can be frustrating, but I truly see students who are better equipped to think deeply about math and give quality explanations for their strategies.  It is certainly going to take some time for everyone to adjust- students to have received the curriculum in each grade level, teachers who are experts on all of these strategies and at building this conceptual understanding, and parents who feel capable and empowered to continue to work with their children at home, but we are on the way!

Please watch it and share your thoughts!

Here is the link to the video.

Fresh New Start!!!

Oh no!!! I've been having some blog troubles and can't seem to upload any of my awesome pictures of my students working super hard!  I'll report the problem to google and add some pics soon- but since I wrote this post LAST WEEK it is time to finally give up for now and just post it.


It is hard to believe it is the beginning of marking period 2.  Last week and this week, we will spend talking about setting an important academic goal for marking period 2 and monitoring progress across the next ten weeks.

I'm very excited to meet with all parents on November 10th and 11th and discuss your child's progress. These meetings are so important in ensuring we work together to help move your child towards excellence in all areas and ensure their school experience is the best. If you haven't already sent me back your form letting me know if you can make your conference time, please do so this week.  I am making my best effort to find a time that works for every parent. Now that I've had this blog for a few years, check out some of my tips to help your child at home based on past conferences here and here.

We've done some interesting things to wrap up marking period 1- including learning some new math games and centers during our multiplication unit and building simple vehicles in science. See photos coming soon!

Community Service Projects

This month, Grade 3 students have their first big take home project assignment: to complete a community service experience and present all about it to their classmates.


This Friday, the first portion of the project is due: students will turn in their plan for what type of community service experience they have selected and their timeline for getting the project completed by the October 28 due date.


You may have noticed that we are assigning slightly less homework this month because we want students working on high quality projects and presentations.


So far, two students have turned in some great project ideas.  Samantha plan to volunteer for the next two Sundays at a local food bank through her church.  Raquel is making bandannas for a local animal shelter to help dogs get adopted. Raquel is hoping to expand this project and collect bandannas from fellow Grade 3 students.  A flyer will be coming home about this with some information on what she is looking for.  If you have a crafty child who is looking for a fun rainy-day project, check it out!


Read more about the Montgomery County Humane Society

Wrapping up Addition and Subtraction!

Across the next two weeks, we will wrap up our review of addition and subtraction.  Although this was a review of grade 2 material, we did introduce some new and interesting strategies that can be used to add and subtract.  We also focused on strategies that help us to be most accurate and efficient!

Here are some pictures of students demonstrating strategies they know to the class.  Raquel practiced the "Counting Up Algorithm" of subtraction at home with her mom and came in and taught it to the whole class!

Very shortly, we will be diving into multiplication and division!  Your child needs to have a strong foundational mastery of addition and subtraction basic facts to be successful in this area! Each Friday, we take a timed basic facts quiz.  Currently, the goal is that your student can complete 50 addition facts with accuracy in 2 minutes. In a few weeks, we'll do a few subtraction timed quizzes and then we will begin the work of beginning to memorize our multiplication facts.  You should see these quizzes coming home each Friday in your student's take home folder.  If the quiz is not complete, this is a good indication that your child needs to spend 5-10 minutes each night drilling these facts through flashcards, worksheets and online games. Please contact me if you need support in this area.

Sliding into September!

It is hard to believe that this is the fourth week of school and next week we'll have a half day so I can create interim reports for parents and students to look at! 

This week, students have their first spelling group word list.  Students are responsible for learning all of the words on the list.  They will be tested on Friday on a randomly selected ten words.  Students now have their nightly spelling homework written out in a chart that is glued into the back of their agenda books.  Spelling homework will be consistent from week to week.  Students will need a dictionary or online resource on a weekly basis to complete the homework. We'll also be doing activities to practice the words in class.

This week in science, students used classroom materials to design a way to make an object (a bouncy ball) change motion.  Student groups were assigned different changes in motion (direction, speed, stop, start) and worked together collaboratively to come up with a way to demonstrate this change to the class.  Below are pictures of the students working on the designs:

Welcome to a new school year!!!

We are off to a great start this year in Grade 3.  The students and I spent a lot of time last week discussing and creating rules and procedures for our classroom and the school building. We also began our study of rounding to the nearest ten and hundred and examined patterns on the addition table. We read a wonderful school story called Crow Boy and discussed the character's traits, feelings and point of view. We will continue to read realistic fiction books throughout the first half of marking period 1.

This is the third year that I am keeping a classroom blog. I use it to send out important information and announcements to parents and students.  Each year, I have gotten positive feedback about how much parents enjoy seeing photographs and work samples posted here to get a window into their child's school day. I only post student pictures and work sample with permission and I never include last names, etc. Please check out what the blog has been like for the past two years by reading some of my older posts using the tabs on the right side of your screen.  Soon, you will receive a permission slip coming home and you can decide if you'd like your child included in my postings or not.

Please plan to attend Back to School Night next Wednesday, September 10th.  I have a presentation for parents planned with information all about our curriculum and expectations for the school year.  I look forward to seeing all parents then!

Science Fun Day!

Today in place of our cancelled Smith Center Field Trip, students participated in 3 different activities with Grade 3 teachers to learn more about life science topics in new ways.  With Mrs. Byrd, classes learned about different types of seeds and how wind can help the spread of those seeds.  Ask you child to see the seed they "made" with her!  In Mrs. Bradley's room, students made a compost with special worms and learned about the benefits to making a compost at home.  Additionally, they made a yummy edible compost that they can enjoy (with parent permission) as an after school snack.

In my classroom, students went outside to explore the local habitat.  We took a nature walk with buddies and recorded all that we discovered on a "Habitat Scavenger Hunt" sheet.  See some photos of the kids at work and our cool finds below!  After exploring, students were assigned an animal and had to determine if this habitat is a good one for the animal.

All in all, a great science-filled day!
Continue to scroll past the photos for some important reminders!!!

Some important reminders:

• Tonight (May 22) is International Night.  It begins at 6:15 pm and is a wonderful event to celebrate all of the amazing cultures our school community has!!!
• Tomorrow (May 23) is field day.  Upper grades go out to enjoy fun in the sun beginning at 12:30.  Please ensure that your child is dressed comfortably and has sunscreen, a hat and a water bottle to enjoy the afternoon to its fullest!
• Our Author's Tea for parents is going to be on Tuesday, June 10 from 9:15-10:15 in the All Purpose Room.  Hope you can join us to celebrate all of hard work!!!!

Vacation Budget Project

For our last homework project of the year, students will plan a family vacation and develop a budget for the trip. This project supports our Social Studies (economics) and math (problem solving) curriculum and is a great way for students to practice some real-life skills.  Talk to your child about how you plan for family expenses tonight.

Here is my post from last year with helpful hints and great websites to use!

Please look over the project with your child and sign the parent letter tonight!

"The Jungle Book"

Today we braved the rain and went to see "The Jungle Book" at Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park.  Due to this nasty weather, we missed out on our picnic lunch, the awesome playground and the historic carousel.

Here are some pictures of our kids before the play began:

There are so many great things to do at Glen Echo Park! This Sunday is "Family Day"- take advantage and go check it out!!!

Click here for more info.!

Spring Updates!!!

Spring is most definitely here in our classroom!  We all enjoyed a restful Spring Break and we are working hard for these last 7 weeks of third grade!

We are typing away!  We have spent weeks writing long realistic fiction stories full of details and dialogue.  Look for an invitation to an Author's Tea coming home soon- probably in the first week of June!

We celebrated Earth Day with a wonderful assembly and a special science experiment about heating and cooling water.  Ask your child about our results!

We got a few really quality book reports that came in this month!  One big hit was Rama's board game designed to help students learn about the book she had read.  Another famous one was Noura's puppet show!!!!! Here is just a short clip from the end:

A few quick reminders:

• Check out the NEW multiplication websites we've discovered to help students master their facts!!! We have one student who is so close to passing his 0-12 Facts Quiz and being the first in our room to receive a special medal.  Please practice each night with your child!
• Next Wednesday, April 30 is our field trip to see "The Jungle Book". Please send your child with a light jacket and a BAG lunch- no large lunch boxes, please- I have to carry them :)
• Beginning on May 1 all children are invited to eat a free breakfast each day at school in the classroom at 8:40.  Learning will begin by 9:00.
• Thursday, May 22 is our science field trip to the Smith Center!
• Sometime in the first week of June- Author's Tea.  Invite to follow.

Inspiring Young Scientists

This marking period in science we are focused on learning about the different types of energy and about how heat is produced- both through burning and electricity.  Unfortunately, there are not many safe experiments I can conduct here at school with a large group of students so I am working to make this portion of the curriculum come alive through technology- we can watch clips of cool experiments, read digital texts and articles about fossil fuels and electricity and discuss the different types of energy that exist.  Science is always a time of investigation and collaboration that students at this age really enjoy.

As you have probably heard in the news, the United States is striving to compete in science, technology, engineering and mathematical fields.  This is the direction the job market is headed and these are the types of careers we need to be preparing 21st century students for. 

Some fun experiments to try at homecan be found here.

Another things to consider is educational TV: the new "Cosmos" show on Fox is a great start.  Here is President Obama introducing this new show.  The show is appropriate for students and is meant to engage and excite them about science and the study of the universe.  It is on at 9pm on Sundays and could be recorded and may be available on demand.

Lastly, consider signing your child up for one of the after school clubs starting soon here at Page- STEM Jr. is a choice!!! Most clubs are $35, which is a great bargain!

A few reminders:

• Reading MSA is this Thursday and Friday, March 6 & 7. Students are invited to bring a healthy snack for after testing.
• Students should be reading their Realistic Fiction chapter books for their book reports.
• Students are currently collecting spare change for "Pennies for Patients", which benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
• My classroom is in need of some pencils and smaller size (8-12 oz.) bottles of hand sanitizer. 

Black History Month Project

Today students took home their Black History Month Projects. Students are to select a African American Olympian (past or present) and write a biographical report about them.  This report should be 4 paragraphs long, have an attractive cover and have a timeline of the athlete's life. Directions are in students take home folder.  This project is due next Tuesday, February 25. The project will not be accepted after Thursday, February 27. Projects will be displayed at Black History Night here at Page on Thursday, February 27.  This is a wonderful event for the whole school community to come together and we will have some very special speakers and presentations.
It may be helpful for your child to go to the public library this week and find some information about the athlete they select.  They can also use the Internet.  Here are some useful resources:

Olympic Medal Winners
Great Site to find Biographical Information
Black History Record Breakers
ESPN's Black History Month Salute

Students should choose the athlete they would like to research immediately so that they can begin to collect information on the person. 

Fractions Websites and Updates

Many students have been asking me to post links to the fractions websites we have used in school across the past 2 weeks.  The links are below on the left side of the screen.

We have begun our study of fractions.  While our focus has shifted, our computation goal remains the same: By the end of Grade 3, all students will memorize their multiplication facts up through 10 X 10. We will continue activities and games to practice for speed and accuracy and continue to take weekly timed quizzes to monitor and reach this goal. 

In fractions, we have been using various maniplatives to work with unit fractions.  Students have used these to create their own models and also to draw pictures with fractional parts.  One concepts we've been discusng: How can 1/2 (or 1/3 or 1/4) of one whole be a completely different size than 1/2 of a different whole?  The size of the fraction is dependent on the size of the whole. This is a hard concept for students to grasp- until you amke it all about food!  Would you rather have 1/2 of a pizza or half of my cookie?  They are both half, but is the amount of each you are getting going to be equal?

This week (and much of next week, thanks to the snow!) we'll begin to look at fractions on a number line and also fractions that are more than one whole.  We no longer use the terms "improper" fractions- 4/3 is just as good of an answer as 1 and 1/3 and both are completely correct.

Kid President's #AwesomeYear

Today in class we talked about new year's resolutions and wrote some of our own.  Goal setting and progress monitoring are an important part of school and we try to take the time to set goals for ourselves and frequently look back on and monitor our progress.

Some of the students wanted to take part in Kid President's New Years challenge.  Please watch the video and see if you'd like to support them in doing this as a home project.  We'd love to share any videos the students create!

Happy New Year!