We are moving on...

The last two weeks have been a transition from fun, get-to-know-you type activities to more curriculum-based activities.  Please read through the content tabs to get an idea for what your child is experiencing in the classroom!

Back to School Night notes

If you couldn't make it tonight, here are my brief notes:

Who am I?

-       - I graduated with a masters from UVa with a dual endorsement in elementary and special education.

-       - My daughter, Bree, is also a 3rd grader this year.  Her favorite things this year are writing and math.

-       - My husband, Michael, teaches Chemistry at UVa once per year, but his main focus is to help professors teach better.  He helps me often!

-      -  I have 2 year old golden retriever, Fergus.  He really is a sibling to Bree, as they fight very similarly to me and my sisters!

-       - This is my fourth year teaching third grade.

How do I manage the classroom?

-       - We spend a great deal of time becoming a community of learners.  We are always reminding, modeling, and showing each other the “how to’s” rather than focusing on “not” behaviors.

-      -  I use visual and auditory signals to get attention.

-       - I believe in positive reinforcement, so I award students with pencils, erasers, notebooks, lunch with me, etc. for those students who have done very well in class.

-       - Each day, students are working towards a class reward.  This places a little peer pressure on students who are not quite following directions.

-      -  I believe that students should be in control of their actions and be held responsible.  I ask students to monitor their own behavior in a variety of ways, which might be different from student to student.  Some need a simple reminder of how to act appropriately.  Others need to take a break to think about behaviors.

-       - I don’t automatically send students to the principal for misbehavior.  I prefer to handle issues in my room, rather than sending them out.

-       - I also don’t automatically send students to the nurse.  If they are complaining of a headache, I ask them to drink 10 gulps of water and rest their eyes for a moment.  If they have a tummy ache, I ask them what they ate and how fast.  This tends to stop any unnecessary nurse visits.

What are student expectations?

-       - I expect students to come to school prepared to learn.  I realize there are circumstances that prevent full participation, but I expect students to try their best.

-       - If there are situations at home, please communicate those to me.  You wouldn’t believe how something so simple bothers them.

-       - As you may have noticed, I use the planner EVERY day to write down homework.  If you have questions, please look at the planner, as it is modeled where and what to write each day.

-       - Our homework packet is due each Friday.  There may be times when I give a piece of homework outside of this packet, but that will be listed in the planner.  I try to cover the material the week before so they have had exposure to the information before practicing.  That said, there are times when we are covering the material that week, so this might be a time to wait until Wednesday or Thursday night before doing that piece of the homework.

-       - On Friday, students will gather with a friend or two to check their homework, so you may or may not see my checkmarks.

-       - As previously mentioned, if homework is not completed, there will be a natural consequence.  For instance, students will do their homework while others participate in free choice activities, Innovation Lounge, technology, etc. 

-       - Homework is the responsibility of your child…not you!  Give them a space in which to work and 30-45 minutes each night.  They will be able to get everything done in that amount of time.  Because this should be previously covered material, they should have minimal questions.  I urge you to ask them to think about it before just diving in with help and answers.  Let them show you what they know and then help.  I am happy to answer questions about homework anytime.

-       - Look at my blog, if you have questions!  I try to “teach” the parents the strategies or information on my blog in case there are questions.

Misc:

-       - We have a peanut allergy in the class, so when planning treats, please plan appropriately.  A simple popsicle works great!

-       - If your child’s birthday is coming up, you will likely get an email from me about any special “something” you would like to do.  Our time is quite limited, but we do have a very small chunk of time between specials and lunch where we can celebrate for 10 minutes.

-       - Grading (80-100 is a 3 on a report card, which means they are getting it), I try to review tests immediately afterwards.  Notes will be sent home telling them and you how they did.  I also try re-teaching the areas of problems…

- Groupings for extension and intervention are not taken lightly.  The third grade team works together to determine who is in most need of both of these services.  Second grade sends quite a few kiddos out of the room each day, but third grade is a little different.  The academic requirements are so extensive that we need to make sure that those who do leave the room are getting exactly what they need in order to succeed.

A normal day:

-       Review schedule

-       Morning Meeting (discuss RC and MM components)

-       LA – word study and reading groups

-       Writing – begin the year with characters, then setting, then problem and solution

-       Science/SS

-       Specials

-       Callirobics/Cursive

-       Math

 
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Short week, but loads of learning!

We had a great short week! 

We have been working hard on our Real Thief projects!  Students are so excited about them and have been creating fabulous pieces to show off.  Look at the initial work on the LA tab.

As you know, students were asked to think of questions and answer choices for homework.  They then used all that they had learned the last two weeks to create beautiful graphs for math.  Take a peek on the math tab.

Don't forget that Tuesday evening is Back to School Night.  Mrs. Haun and Mr. Crutchfield will give a "state of the school" from 6:00-6:25 in the community room.  There will be two sessions in the classrooms, so come to either one.  The first starts at 6:30 and the second starts at 7:00.  This will be a time where I tell you about how I manage the classroom.  There will not be time for mini conferences, so please let me know if you'd like to talk at another time about your child.

See you soon!

Great week!

What a great week getting to know the kids!  We had an eventful first full week.  We learned our routines, got to know each other better, began reading, discussed rules and laws, and learned about telling time AND reading three types of graphs.

The upcoming week will be just as full!  Please read all about each content area on the different tabs.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

The first three days...

We spent a great deal of time this week getting our routines down.  Here are a few:

Arrival:
Students...
- greet me at the door.
- unpack their backpack by:
     * checking their planner binder for any notes or money that should come to me
     * placing planner binder and lunchbox in the top of their cubby
- take their chairs down so I know they are here
- read the morning message from the ActiveBoard
- do any morning work that I've given them

Morning Meeting:
After school-wide morning announcements, students meet me on the carpet to begin our morning meeting.  This consists of:
- a greeting
- a share (this is structured by a prompt that I give them to think about) which is optional for students
- an activity to get us moving and smiling to begin our day off right!

Standing/Walking in Line:
Brownsville students are required to walk through the halls in a straight line with zero noise.  We have had to practice this a little, but they are catching on quickly - especially when practicing is just before recess.  :) 

Transitions:
I use three different methods to gain students' attention.  When these methods are used, students are expected to give me eye contact and their best listening ears.  We are still working on these, as some students are not used to this yet.  It'll take another week or so, but then they will be masters!  These methods are:
- chime
- raised hand
- count down to zero noise

Read Aloud:
After lunch each day, students come into the classroom and immediately go to the carpet.  We spend about 10-15 minutes listening to a story while veggin' on the carpet.  During this time, we cover vocabulary and focus on the current comprehension strategy being taught in reading groups.

Planner/Pack Up/Closing Circle/Dismissal:
Each day for most of the year, I will model what to write (and where to write it) for homework in the planner.  Students are expected to write exactly what I write.  Occasionally, you may see my handwriting.  This simply means that there was too much to write and/or your child was out of the room for some of the writing time.  We will write homework and any important dates coming up soon (pictures, tests, etc.)

Once homework is written down, I play a song (Nothing More by the Alternate Routes), which is a song that promotes positive actions in your life.  Once the song is finished, students should have their binders and lunch boxes in their backpacks, chairs stacked on top of their desks, the room cleaned up, and be sitting on the carpet.

Our closing circle is a way to end our day together in a positive way.  Most of the time, we talk about our roses (highlights from the day), which we Tweet at the end of the day.  Some times, I will ask them a specific question, such as "explain the steps in telling time" or "what adaptations does a snow fox have that allows it to survive in its environment."  Please follow us on Twitter or look to the right on this blog and read what's happened!

Once our closing circle is complete, students line up for our dismissal while I pass out dismissal notes.  We even dance if we're a little early.  Yesterday, I actually got about 8 students to dance with me.  Some were hesitant, but once I twirled them a few times, they were smiling and loving every moment!  :)



Hopefully this information helps you understand our day a little more.  Please be sure to read the content tabs above for specifics in each content area. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Welcome!

I am very excited for the school year to begin!

Many of you know that my daughter, Bree, is also a third grader.  She has many friends in my class (and was quite bummed she couldn't be with them), so I feel that I know some of your children already.  Regardless of whether I know you well or not at all, I look forward to getting to know you all better.

This blog is a place for you to view a calendar of events specific to third grade, our classroom Twitter feed, and tabs to tell you all about what your child is learning, how to help him or her at home, and what your child will be learning.  The best part is seeing pictures of your child learning!  I try to update the blog every two weeks, but I will send out an email with the link each time I have added items to the blog.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Here's a look at my superb team who support me throughout the year and help me to teach your child the best I can!

 Have a wonderful day!

Great week!

We have had a great few weeks.  I have been trying to Tweet to keep you all updated with pictures, but realize that some parents aren't "followers" and don't check the blog daily (which is TOTALLY fine!).  If interested, please check the blog, which has the Twitter feed on it. 

We have had MANY special guests and special projects taking place lately. 

Presentations:
We learned about DNA from Mr. Steven, bee keeping from my sister, Lacy, and submarines, from Mrs. Henry's husband who was in the Navy for many years!  On Monday, we will have our final Art Print lesson with Mrs. Driscoll.

Projects:
We have also been reading mysteries and creating fun comprehension projects.  We also had several boxes that had mystery items in them, which students had to incorporate into a mystery story that they wrote…amazing, I might add! 

Students have spent time creating a plan for a pretend trip to Busch Gardens, which included at least 3 bathroom breaks (the necessary item!), 2 shows, 2 rides, and lunch.  They used time, money, measurement, multiplication, and addition on this project.  WARNING: Now they want to put their plan into action this summer!

Students also created a playground working with perimeter and area of specific equipment.  They are now either creating a dream space with 3D objects or a menu with prices and "specials."

Fun:
Hopefully all of it has been fun, but more fun will come next week with Board Game day on Tuesday afternoon, and Mix It Up 3rd Grade Celebration day where students will be mixed in different groups and rotate through all 6 teachers with fun events!