Mrs. Morgan’s Third Grade

Class News

Sun, 5 Feb 2012 13:18:04 -0800

Dear Families,
We finished the last of our ‘Each One Teach One’ science experiments at the end of January, which signals the end of our matter unit. These were some of the best demonstrations I’ve seen, both the content and the presentation itself. These kids are like professionals!

One of our next assignments is a book report, due February 17th. It is part of what I call ‘Reading Ribbons’. There is a poster on our window which kind of lays out in graphic form the program. Essentially, there are 9 ‘ribbons’ that each have 3 book reports. Once they have completed 3 book reports from the same ribbon, they’ve earned the ribbon. They can work on their book reports during their free time at school or at home. The minimum requirement is that one report is due on the 17th, however if the report is completed before that they should turn it in and begin another. You definitely should ask about your child’s book report because they went home in backpacks last Thursday. If it didn’t make it home, please let me know. We have plenty more!

Thank you so much for the help you are providing your student learn their multiplication facts. It is paying off. Most of the kids are now into the more challenging facts of the 7’s and 8’s, so keep up the good work.

The homework packet this Monday has some important pieces in it. There are two papers about Valentines Day, Feb. 14th. I am sending home a class list and the request for supplies for our party this week because Valentines is on a Tuesday. I wanted to give everyone a weekend if they needed it for purchasing....whatever. There is also a paper containing important information about a project we are doing for Leap Year. We will be collecting toiletries and other sample size items for the Ritter House as a community service project.

I am also sending home a moon journal for the kids to record their observations of the waning and waxing moon. This assignment can be a bit tricky if we have lots of cloud or fog coverage. They can look up the phases of the moon calendar if that is helpful, or simply look for moon related poems or literature. We are trying to celebrate the moon!

This week we begin a poetry workshop with Sasha Eackle thanks to Kiddo! She will visit room 13 on Thursdays for the next 5 weeks. Thanks Kiddo!

I hope to see many of you tomorrow at the interactive art show, beginning at 12:55 in the multipurpose room! This another wonderful program we have thanks to Kiddo!

Thanks!
Carrie

Class News

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:12:08 -0800

Dear Families,
The picture above is taken outside during one of our ‘Each One Teach One’ demonstrations. We love them! So far Kayla, Rory, and Graham have shared examples of chemical and physical changes using dry ice, baking soda and vinegar, and alka selter and water. This week Casey, Henry B., Lochlin, Henry L., Sasha, Mari, Kalen, and Niko show us their demonstrations. Just let me know if any of this needs adjusting.
We continue to focus on developing our understanding of what makes good writing. We’ve had mini-lessons on great beginnings, practicing ‘show-not-tell’ techniques, and when to use transition words. We are in the process of putting up some of our favorite examples on our bulletin board. Stop by to check it out if you have a chance.

In social studies, we will delve into some of the language of our country’s founding documents and the basic structural elements of our government. If it sounds a little heady for third grade, believe me it is! I’m constantly reminding myself to keep it simple, and then I am amazed at third graders’ interpretation and deep understanding of what is just and fair when it comes to people and communities. From this point, we will leap into a brief overview of the Civil Rights Movement of the late 50’s and 60’s. It so perfectly illustrates the need to constantly incorporate new interpretation and understanding in our lives. And, it dovetails nicely with our study of heroes: what makes a hero, who are our heroes, etc. Our culminating project will be a biography of an American hero who championed for social justice somewhere in our history. Again, one of my favorite units in third grade!

We are moving right along with our multiplication facts. Everyone still thinks it is fun and exciting, and I certainly aim to continue the experience! Thanks for your help in continuing to develop automaticity with the facts through 10. And, if your child is fortunate to already know their X’s facts, division is just around the corner.

It isn’t too soon to mark your calendar for our February 6, 12:55 interactive art show/class with Jackie! It is not to be missed.
I’ve also scheduled our visit to the Mill Valley Public Library for March 16 and our trip to Ralston White Retreat for April 16. I am waiting to see what happens with our crazy weather to schedule our creek studies trip to Old Mill Creek, and our trout release trip will be sometime in late March. Field Trip Permission slips will come home in the next week or two.
Kind Regards,
Carrie

Class News

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:31:36 -0800

Dear Families,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the break and all of the nice weather. Whether or not they would admit it, the kids all seem happy to be back in school. We are busy reacquainting ourselves with classroom routines and curriculum!
Several items went home in the homework folder yesterday that I need to mention. First, the spelling dictation is a little different this week. I decided to hold the kids responsible for a list of 14 words....which fit into the spelling dictation. Everyone seemed a bit rusty on the pretest yesterday, so the quiz on Friday will only be on the 14 words, not the whole dictation. The questions on the dictation page, however, refer to the entire dictation. I hope this helps. I’ve explained this a few times to the kids, but....
Second, is the “Each One Teach One” science experiment. Each child chose an experiment/demonstration in class yesterday and a presentation date. The experiments are loosely connected to our unit on matter; the presentation dates are pretty arbitrary. Some kids elected to look for an experiment from the library or the internet. If they chose this route, I need them to check with me to ensure not too much duplication. There is only so much learning from watching coke and mentos! This is a hard concept for them to grasp however! If the presentation date doesn’t work for you, just let me know. We will change it.
Lastly, the photo collage art project inspired by George Littlechild assignment....I know it is hard to find the pictures, etc., but the sooner I can collect them the sooner we can start. This project is one Jackie and I have worked on together and we love it! It helps integrate our unit on biography, our heroes, and where we draw our inspiration from into the art room. Thanks for your help!
More later, I promise!
Best,
Carrie
P.S. We had a really nice thank you from our ‘Adopt-a-Family’. They were very appreciative.
Also, please consider the No Bully Presentation on January 10 at 6:30. It promises to be an interesting discussion.

Class News

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:15:08 -0800

Dear Families,
Welcome to the crazy three weeks before the winter holiday. To look back for just a second, I would like to say thank you for all of the wonderful book donations to room 13 from our Book Fair. They are much appreciated, with some already being read by students. No greater compliment than that!
Another thank you to our fearless volunteers during our Miwok Structure building activity last Tuesday. They were really quite extraordinary. The Miwok games that came in the week before were also some of the most creative I’ve seen in third grade. We can’t wait to have some time to try them out.
Looking ahead we will have a power packed three weeks. We will try to cover our matter unit in science, focusing on the properties of the 3 states of matter, the energy required to change states, and the difference between a physical reaction and a chemical reaction. There are so many fun experiments supporting these concepts that the unit extends into the new year.
In social studies we will look at the symbols and landmarks that unite and define us as Americans. It is an interesting unit to teach because it pushes up against abstract reasoning and understanding-a very hard thing to do at this age. It also requires an understanding of the origin of our nation and other historical events. Again, tough stuff for 8 and 9 year olds, but important.
In math, we are leaving subtraction behind (well, not really...) for our unit on solid figures first and polygons second. The main thrust of the unit are the ways we classify shapes by their attributes. It is a vocabulary laden unit, which they always do surprisingly well with. We will continue to practice subtraction throughout the year because it remains hard for many children.
There is a food drive here at school that will continue through December. I am currently looking into our class adopting a family too. I will keep you posted.
Many thanks for everything!
Carrie

Class News

Sat, 5 Nov 2011 14:16:23 -0700

Dear Parents,
Welcome to parent / teacher conference weeks and early dismissal! I hope I am able to meet with each and everyone of you. Face-to-face conferencing provides a wonderful opportunity to develop shared understanding of our progress report. Teachers really appreciate our early release time to meet with all of you, so thank you!
We are quickly coming to an end of our study of the Miwoks. Next week there will be an assignment attached to homework that isn’t due until November 18. It is to create a game using materials found in nature (mostly), like a Native American might have done. Included in the assignment is to write the directions of how to play the game. I will provide any children interested with directions on how to make a known game or native craft, although most will probably want to try it on their own. They come up with all kinds of things-game boards of leather (fake) and leaves, dice from shells, woven baskets from willow twigs, lacrosse style sticks, memory games from bark...you get the idea. I just hope it doesn’t rain too much in the next few weeks and muck up the chances to forage the materials. Oh yes, I can usually find things around here that might help a game...so don’t hesitate to ask.
We will also do our traditional room 13 end of unit construction of Miwok structures on Tuesday, November 22. We will begin collecting materials for that project the week before: stones, redwood bark, bay leaves, twigs, twine, and anything else that might make a good looking kotcha, roundhouse, or acorn granary! (When is the third grade garden work day now? If they are pruning that day-save the branches...especially the willow!)I’m hoping that several of you might be available to help the morning of the 22nd from 8:30-10:00, or any fraction thereof! This is definitely a project that works best with lots of help!! The kids love it; it is one of the most memorable of the year.
We have had some very rich discussions in class about bullying-identifying when bullying is actually considered bullying, what are the three main types of bullying, and what the role of the bystander is. In their own words they came up with the idea that bullying is bullying when it is ‘on purpose’, repeated, and ‘towards someone’. The three types they identified are physical, word, and friendship. We also talked about cyberbullying, but agreed that it didn’t affect third graders. We will next try to develop a list of options for bystanders. They have been very earnest in their efforts to understand and combat this type of behavior. You’ve got to love this age!
Thanks to all of our last minute volunteers on our Day of the Dead rotation. The picture above was one of the centers, creating a skull and taking a picture of it. We will soon have a book of the photos in class.
Steeplechase pledge packets are coming in, but we have a few more to collect. Again, we are looking for 100% participation. Please send in your packets before next Tuesday! More than anything it sends the message that you care! Everyone at Edna appreciates that.
Thanks and looking forward to meeting with you in the next few weeks.
Carrie