October Newsletter

Math:  

In math students will be working with multiplication and division.  They will explore the meaning behind these concepts.  Students will develop their mathematical tool belt with strategies when attacking multiplication and division problems.

Student Handbook: 39-46, 49-53    

Learning Targets: Multiplication and division are inverse operations and can be modeled in a variety of ways

Literacy:  

In reading we will focus on the strategy of sensory images.  Your reader will activate his or her senses to put themselves in the text to give meaning.  The third graders will recognize that their response of feelings and emotions can help them better understand the text.  

For Writer’s Workshop we will work on finishing up our personal narratives this month. We will also work on the structure of writing and how that helps the reader better understand, retain information, and gain meaning from our writing.

Learning Targets: Strategies are needed to make meaning of various types of literary genres. Comprehension strategies are necessary when reading informational or persuasive text    

Social Studies:

Students will explore the structure of a successful community.  We will study how civics within our personal, local, and national government is used and the benefits it provides to the community.  As responsible citizens students within our Colorado community, we will add to our background knowledge, analyze and take action on open space and environmental issues.  

Learning Targets: Respecting the views and rights of others is a key component of a democratic society. The origins, structure, and functions of local government.

Problem Solving: Appraise the interaction between individual and societal activities.

Resilience and Adaptability: Appraise the interaction between individual and societal activities.

Civic Responsibility: Analyze characteristics of effective citizenship.

Collaboration: Evaluate environment influence on sustainability.

Critical Thinking: Create knowledge through the process of inquiry based on multiple evidence.

November/December Newsletter 

Dates to Remember:  

November 12th: Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 22nd:  Digger’s Family Feast

November 25-29th: Thanksgiving Holiday

December 20th- January 6th: Winter Holiday

Math:     

In math students will finish working with multiplication and division in Unit 5 and begin Unit 4,  "Inside, Outside, What's It All About" perimeter, angles & area: 2-D geometry & measurement.

Student Handbook:   

Learning Targets: Multiplication and division are inverse operations and can be modeled in a variety of ways. Geometric figures are described by their attributes.  Linear and area measurement are fundamentally different and require different units of measure.  Time and attributes of objects can be measured with appropriate tools

Literacy:     

In reading we will focus on the strategy of questioning.  Your reader will understand that good readers ask question before, during, and after they are reading and that some questions will not have answers provided within the text.   

For Writer’s Workshop we will work on finishing up our personal narratives this month. We will also work on the structure of writing a paragraph and what the main components of a paragraph are.  We will also begin our unit of Informational writing.  

Learning Targets: Strategies are needed to make meaning of various types of literary genres. Comprehension strategies are necessary when reading informational or persuasive text.  

Social Studies:

Students will explore the structures of government and the rolls within.  We will study how civics within our personal, local, and national government is used and the benefits it provides to the community.  As responsible citizens students within our Colorado community, we will add to our background knowledge, analyze and take action to make a difference.  

Learning Targets: Respecting the views and rights of others is a key component of a democratic society. The origins, structure, and functions of local government.

Problem Solving: Appraise the interaction between individual and societal activities.

Resilience and Adaptability: Appraise the interaction between individual and societal activities.

Civic Responsibility: Analyze characteristics of effective citizenship.

Collaboration: Evaluate environment influence on sustainability.

Critical Thinking: Create knowledge through the process of inquiry based on multiple evidence.

September 2013

MATH:    In math students are solving addition and subtraction problems with two and small three-digit numbers. Students are finding combinations of numbers that add to 100, and work with coins and coin values. Their understanding of place value develops as they add and subtract 10s to and from three-digit numbers, break three-digit numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones in different ways, and solve story problems involving hundreds, tens, and ones.

LITERACY:      

In reading we have focused on our schema with building our knowledge through different types of connections and making sure that we are choosing books that are at their level. Determining how much readers will comprehend and how well writers will be able to communicate about a given topic is their level of knowledge about that topic (interest in the topic is also important but often is related to prior knowledge). The importance of prior knowledge to comprehension and communication is the base to understanding stories.

For Writer’s Workshop we have been focusing on Personal Narratives. Students are learning to take the everyday events of their lives and make them into focused, well-structured stories--doing their very best to communicate those stories through creating a plan then applying that to their writing.

Social Studies: 

For our social studies unit we are starting our learning with a kick off to the Plains Conservation Center.  Students will compare communities from the past to the present and define what makes a community.  We will be exploring history trunks that will allow students to explore everyday life materials, and we will also be listening to a historian tell us about the “good old days”. 

Dates to Remember:  

September 2: No School Labor Day

September 3: Plains Conservation Center Field Trip for Shepperd and Nelson

September 12: Math Night 4:30-5:30

September 13: Picture Retakes

September 20: Digger Dash

September 27: No School Professional Development

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Welcome to 3^rd grade!  I am so excited to meet each and every one of you.  I would love to introduce myself and let you know a little bit about myself.  I am married with three children.  There is my husband Greg, daughters, Emma (14) and, Kaitlyn (11), and my son Aidan (10).  We spend most of our free time watching/playing hockey, soccer, and volleyball.  The five of us moved to Colorado 8 years ago from the Phoenix area where I was born and raised.  I earned my BS in Biology from Arizona State University (Go Devils!!!) and my Master’s in Education through the University of Phoenix.  This summer my children and I have began a new adventure raising chickens and we are loving it!!!  I am also an avid reader, play tennis, and love to spend time with my family.

My Family

I am looking forward to getting to know each of your children.  Teaching is my passion and I believe that each year brings new adventures and challenges.  This year will be a special year for your child and I am blessed to be a part of it.  Please know that I have an open door policy and want to hear what your thoughts and feelings are concerning your child and their learning experience.  I am convinced that it takes a village to raise a child and that the cooperation between teacher and parent is imperative for a successful education.