Hello Parents and Students,
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Here is a look at what we accomplished last week and a look at the erratic week ahead:
In Writing Workshop students worked on a series of lessons on revision and conventions (editing practice). They also have been typing their pieces on the computer and working them toward a final draft. After pieces have been typed on the computer, they will have one more revision, and then they will be considered ‘published’ for the time being. As students complete this process, they begin working on other pieces of their choosing. They complete the publishing process at their own will. In the near future, we will shift focus in WW and students will be required to work on nonfiction pieces. Throughout the year we will shift between more teacher directed lessons and student directed work times. The upcoming week will find work with similes and another revision and editing lesson.
In Reading Workshop we have been really looking at the work of author Chris Van Allsburg (see his author website in the bar at the right) and getting to know him as a writer. Students have taken time to construct Impressions-Connections-Wondering charts regarding Van Allsburg’s work and have searched his very extensive website to learn more about him and his writing. I feel that taking time to get to know the authors that we read is important because it helps remind us that they are actual people as well. It is always interesting, informational, and often inspirational to learn about where these published authors gather their ideas, the struggles they encounter as authors, and the very real lives that they live. In the upcoming weeks, we will shift gears to focus negotiating responses to literature. Students have been trying their hand at response to literature for some weeks now, but during the next month, we will refine our skills. A series of lessons will be given on this topic. We will also focus deeply on discussion of literature, which goes hand-in-hand with stronger written responses to literature. This should prove to be an exciting next few weeks as the students’ thinking is really pushed deeper.
Our Math Workshop time has been spent learning about measurement. Students in grade 3 are expected to be able to perform linear measures to the nearest 1/2-inch, although they will be exposed to more complex and exact measures. Students have reviewed the concept of perimeter and have been using it in a variety of contexts. Last Friday, we shifted gears to dabble a bit in the realm of probability. We practiced performing a simple experiment a substantial amount of times. We talked about the necessity of a large sample size and we practice interpreting data on a line plot. In the upcoming week, students will continue to explore perimeter and will begin to understand the concept of area. This is a nice lead in to the concepts of multiplication and division in our next unit (probably beginning just before Thanksgiving break).
In social studies we have continued to study the Ohlone Indians. We will continue to learn about the Ohlones from our district textbook and students will begin to define Ohlone Indian writing projects in the next couple of weeks to help them show their learning about the Ohlones. More information will come about this when we get into the heart of it all.
Students are about to finish up lower case cursive letters. We are on track to finish learning cursive letters by mid December and will continue to practice our skills throughout the remainder of the school year.
Information about conferences came out last week. I have heard from about 50% of the class at this point. I hope to get confirmation out to parents by mid-week, so I’d really appreciate if the rest of the forms back as soon as possible. Remember, you can send them in physically with your student, or you can email the form to me. Conferences will be held after school during the week of November 16th, the two days before Thanksgiving Break, and all day on December 1st.
We have a field trip on Tuesday (see additional post) and no school (in observance of Veterans’ Day) on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday should play out as normal!
Let’s have a great week!
