Monday, March 21, 2011

WE DID IT!

Room 117 has survived the PSSA test! We took our last test this morning. As a reward for working hard and doing their best, the children had the opportunity to have read and feed this afternoon.

Way to go, Room 117 students!!!

BALD EAGLES IN THE WILD

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, in partnership with the Norfolk Botanical Garden and WVEC, is providing a rare glimpse into the life of two bald eagles and their offspring. There are currently three eaglets in the nest that the parents are taking turns watching and feeding . The last eaglet is Irish, having hatched on St. Patrick's Day!

The following link will take you directly to the eagle cam. Happy nest watching! http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html

Sunday, March 20, 2011

LEARNING MULTIPLICATION

Learning multiplication and third grade go together. It is a big thing for third graders, and when they get done learning their facts, they feel like they have really accomplished something.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Many eager parents go out and buy flash cards or some cute math game for the computer and have their child start practicing. But wait…

Before your child starts memorizing the multiplication facts, he/she needs to understand the concept of what multiplication is.

Here is how you can help:

Decide on an object (I used footballs) and put the same amount in equal groups. I made three groups of two footballs. You can use buttons, pennies, cereal, or anything you have at home.


Ask your child to make an adding problem to find the total. I did 2+2+2 = 6.

Then have them write it in words. Three groups of two equals six or three groups of two footballs equals six footballs.

Finally, show them the multiplication way: 3×2 = 6

They also need to know, and realize, that you can change the order of the numbers in the multiplication problem, and the answer (the product) will be the same. This is the commutative property of multiplication.

They are really learning two facts at one time!

We have gone over all of the above steps during our class introduction to multiplication.

A great site to help your child learn and practice his/her facts is multiplication.com.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

PSSA Testing


FOUR TESTS DOWN...TWO TO GO!
We have survived our first four days of PSSA testing...YAHOO! The children have all worked hard and are trying their very best! We are confident and prepared.
A special thank you goes out to the parents who made a contribution so we could enjoy healthy snacks during our testing.
Remember to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast before our last two days of testing.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

GO FOR THE GREENS


March 17th is Go For The Greens Day!

This day is designed to help remind students of the importance of healthy eating. If you wish to donate vegetables or fruits to our classroom for this event, please send them in by March 16th. Your welcomed donations (any colors will do, not just green) will be used for some healthy snacking during our PSSA testing.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

PSSA Test Week

We will be taking one PSSA test each morning for the next six schooldays. Please be sure to get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast each morning.

We have all worked extra hard preparing for these tests.

WE'RE CONFIDENT. WE'RE PREPARED. BRING THEM ON!!!



Thursday, March 3, 2011

ACADEMICS (March 3 - 11)



READING

Our story this week is Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies. It is a non-fiction selection about the biggest creature in the world.

Skills include: forming generalizations, using a graph, figurative language (similes and metaphors), and author's purpose and point of view. The test will be on Wednesday, March 9th.
ENGLISH
We are wrapping up our verb unit with composition leads and endings and summarizing. The unit test will be on Friday, March 11th.
MATH
We have finished our addition and subtraction chapter and took the chapter test this past Friday. This week we'll be going over skills to prepare for the PSSA test next week.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We have been learning about natural resources and minerals, and how we need to protect them.
This week we'll take a look at endangered animals and what we can do to protect them from becoming extinct.