Welcome Everyone!!!!

      Welcome to my School Notes page for the 2009-2010 school year! Please make sure you join the "notify me" list so that you will be informed of when I have updated my school notes. 

    ****OURSHININGSTARS****

• The Character Word for the month of November is cooperation. Cooperation means working together with others to meet a common goal. Cooperation is a very important life skill that should be used on a daily basis. 
• Our Special Person of the Week is Jessica Kirk. We look forward to learning about what makes Jessica special!
• Make sure to bring in your General Mills Box Tops. The more we turn in, the more our school can earn some really neat items!
• Red Ribbon Week was a huge success. We enjoyed showing our support by wearing red clothing, funny socks, wristbands, hats, and team jerseys. A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Stanfield for organizing Red Ribbon Week.
• Everyone in my class is a SHINING STAR. I thank you for beginning your third grade journey with me and look forward to a productive and exciting year. 

Week of Nov. 2- Nov. 6

We need the following items for our classroom. If you can help donate any of them, we would be very grateful:

1. Rabbit Food-" Kaytee Fiesta Max Rabbit Food"- available at pet supply store
2. Guinea Pig Food- "Kaytee Fiesta Max Guinea Pig Food"
3. Kaytee Timothy Hay- available at pet supply store 
4.  Aspen Bedding and Litter- available at pet supply store
5. "Febreze" Dual Scented Oil Refills
6. Hand Sanitizer
7. Paper Towels

 Addition/ Subtraction Facts: I have noticed that some children are not recalling their facts as fast as they should. The children should be reviewing their basic addition and subtraction facts to 12 with flash cards at home each night. You can go to www.edu4kids.com. This site is a great way to review all of the addition and subtraction facts. Once you are there, use the menu at the top and go to Flash Cards-easy-addition (subtraction; addition/subtraction). Students can practice independently using this site. I have listed other sites that will help you practice under my favorite links. Try it out! Your child must be successfully master their addition and subtraction facts so that the transition into multiplication and division will run smoothly. I will be giving timed tests over their basic facts each week. 

ASI Gymnastics Field Trip: Our 3rd grade field trip to ASI Gymnastics program Brain Gymnastics was memorable. We would like to thank our chaperones for helping us work grade-specific math problems at eight different stations while also performing physical activities like trampoline, obstacle course, long jump, beam, rope swing, and pit fun. Due to the rainy weather the day before, we did not go to Kids Castle for lunch but we were able to have a picnic in our classroom and watch the "Chipmunks Halloween Movie." We had a fabulous time!    

 **** Reminders:

 

Math

             Topic 5: Subtracting Whole Numbers to Solve Problems

1. Subtracting 3 Digit Numbers
2. Subtracting Across Zero (2 days)
3. Problem Solving Strategy: Draw a Picture and Choose an Operation
4. Subtracting 3 Digit Numbers and More About Subtracting Across Zero
5. Drop in the Bucket: #1-4- reviews 3rd grade math skills

English

1. Mechanics and Usage: Correcting Run-on Sentences
2. Mixed Review
3. Scholastic News: Bats in Blankets
4. Type to Learn Lessons

Reading

"Officer Buckle and Gloria" by Peggy Rathmann (fiction)

Officer Buckle, the safety expert, is suddenly a big hit when he brings police dog Gloria to his safety speeches at school. The speeches become so popular that a television news team tapes them. As Officer Buckle watches their televised speech, he discovers that everyone is watching Gloria act out his safety tips. Hurt, he refuses to make any more speeches. When Gloria's solo attempt at giving a speech fails, Officer Buckle realizes that he and Gloria are a good team, and he thinks of the best safety tip of all, "always stick with your buddy."

1. Discuss elements of fiction- plot may have both realistic and fantastic elements; characters may include animals that behave like people; the story may have a message.
2. Vocabulary, Plot, Event/ Reaction Sequence Chart, Story Elements, Multiple Meaning Words, Abbreviations
3. Comprehension Test- Friday
4. 1st TAKS Benchmark Review
5. DEA Helicopter Assembly- Monday 
6. "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Science

     Magnetism

1. What is a magnet?- attract/repel, origin, types, Moo Magnet' demonstrations
2. Magnets Comprehension Story
3. Junior Electrician: Magnetism- attract/repel, lodestone, magnetite, Greeks to first discover them, magnetic fields, electromagnets
4. How Stong is Your Magnet? Lab- children will make a magnetic device and follow steps of their experiment to find what is considered magnetic.

Social Studies

 Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities, Graphing Coordinates on a Grid

Spelling

Unit 11 "Unexpected Consonant Patterns"- Test Friday

Writing

1. Journal: "My Halloween Weekend"
2. Scarecrow Creation

Homework

Monday : Spelling Packet, Flash Cards, 100 Minutes

Tuesday : Spelling Packet, 100 Minutes, Flash Cards, Math WS: Subtracting 2 and 3 Digit Numbers

Wednesday : Spelling Packet, 100 Minutes, Flash Cards, Math WS: Centuries of Math

Thursday : Spelling Packet- study for test, 100 Minutes, Flash Cards, Reading: 1st Reading TAKS Benchmark Sign and Return (School Notes Ticket Bonus: Tell me 3 words that are multi-meaning word. Make sentences for each different meaning of the words. Complete this and receive 3 Good Time Tickets.)

Friday : 100 Minutes, Flash Cards

 

• Cat Stuff This site has everything you need to know about cats.
• Houghton Mifflin Kids Place This is a great site for kids to help reinforce skills in reading, spelling, math, science, and social studies. Just click on the Kids Place link and choose the subject area. There are lots of fun games. Have a good time! :)
• A Plus Math This is a great site for the children to practice their math skills. The children can practice their facts and have fun at the same time!
• Enchanted Learning This is a great site featuring a wide range of activities for children.
• Scholastic Great books and plenty of games.
• The Eye The human eye gives us the sense of sight, allowing us to learn more about the surrounding world than do any of the other five senses. Learn about the eye at this site.
• Zoobooks From Aardvarks to Zebras, you'll learn about the fascinating animals that share our planet.
• Farm Animals Meet the people working on this real farm out in Colorado. Lots of animals and activities for you!
• The Autobiography of Squirmin' Herman The Worm There's a lot of fascinating information at this site. Make sure you check this out.
• Koko The Gorilla Koko, the gorilla, lives in Maui, Hawaii, understands sign language, and likes to talk to people. Visit Koko at this cool web site.
• Kids Domain Visit this site and explore for hours. This has everything from cool clip art to games for every subject. Enjoy!
• Animation Grove Great site to find lots of animated gifs.
• Christmas Gifts and Clipart This site features great holiday gifts and clipart!
• Space Today Great site for the exploration of outer space.
• NASA Explore the galaxy and the nine planets!
• Maxie's Magnificent Guide This site has great clipart for every occasion.
• Multiplication Practice This is a fantastic site suggested by one of our class moms. This site allows you to practice your facts while having fun at the same time!
• Anne's Place Holiday, Special Occasion & Theme Gifs Great site for holiday findings
• Billy Bear 4 Kids Nice children's site for worlds of fun!
• MillanNet Great free clipart for all occasions