Inspiring Learning in Our Third Grade Classroom

1. Welcome to Our Room

2. Biography • Grew up in the area • 8th year teaching • Art background • I like to Tell stories • I have a Dog & 7 fish

3. Responsibility • Third Grade is about your child becoming more independent • Please do not rescue your child, give them one drive in per year to retrieve forgotten items • Your child is learning more organizational skills, they have folders in their desks to help develop their organizational skills

4. Our Classroom Rules: • Show respect– keep my hands & feet to myself, use quiet voices, no teasing, clean up after myself, raise my hand, pay attention • Follow directions • Do the right thing- make my own responsible choices!

5. Consequences • Students agreed to these rules for the whole school year. If they choose not to follow the classroom rules this is what will happen: • First warning is verbal • Second warning is lost stick • Third warning is 2nd lost stick and some recess missed • Fourth warning is 3rd stick lost, Opportunity Room (sent home to be signed)

6. Rewards • Can be some of the following: • Praise • Note(s) home • Awards • Good report card • homework pass, etc.

7. Arriving in the morning • Students arrive • Hang up their things • Complete the morning tasks using the posted jobs

8. Hand in Homework & Notes • Putting Homework in the Homework basket • Hand in notes

9. Do Morning Work • As buses arrive and students enter the room they have morning jobs to do • The jobs are posted on the board • Students then complete written work- math or DOL (Daily Oral Language)

10. AM Meeting • We usually meet briefly to talk about our day • About events • About issues • Then it is time for read aloud

11. Reading Groups • Students are grouped by reading level • Or Students are grouped by skill to be taught

12. Reading Levels • Students are given a reading level based on assessments • The level may seem easy but in third grade we focus on written response • Nightly reading is free choice • Group reading is in their level or lower to allow focus of the skill(s), not the reading • Let me know if you need any help finding books

13. Snack • Students eat snack during our reading block while they are doing their independent work. • Please send a healthy snack

14. Writing Workshop • Students work on their writing skills • Draft ideas • Work on final copies • Journal writing • Editing practice • Handwriting skills

15. Cast-A-Spell • Listen to the word with clues • Say the word • Write the word on your board • Say the word • Spell the word out loud while pointing at each letter

16. Handwriting • Workbook to practice skills is new to third grade • Review of manuscript writing • Script writing • Monitor their letter shape, size, spacing and slant

17. Spanish • Hola! • Senora is here for 15 minutes everyday

18. Homework Prep. • After Senora leaves we write up the homework • All pages are handed out and gone over • Folders are put in backpacks BEFORE going outside for recess

19. Recess

20. Lunch

22. Science Units • Motion and design use K’nex to design a vehicle • Ideas and Inventions make leaf rubbings, make fingerprints • Rocks and Minerals identify the 3 rock types, learn about the changing earth & minerals

23. Science Continued • Soggy paper lessons • Recycling Unit

24. Litterbug Project • With clean “trash” we make litterbugs • Students will write about their litterbugs • I’ll be asking for your help collecting recyclables for this project and making your child’s dough

25. Social Studies Units • Learn about Kenya & Japan and how their culture compares with our culture • Learn about Maps & Globes • Participate in some Constitution activities

26. Gathering & Representing Data Patterns Logical Thinking Line measurement & Perimeter Area & Coordinate Geometry 2D Geometry Fractions & Decimals 3D Geometry & Scale Drawings Probability Computational Fluency Place Value Addition & Subtraction Facts Computation Time Calendar Money Multiplication & Division concepts Multi-digit problems Math Topics

27. Odds and Ends

28. Birthdays • Suggested non-food birthday celebrations ideas: ***This does not mean that you cannot send in a food related item. • 1. Donate a puzzle or game for the students to use during indoor recess, your child could show the class how to play it. • 2. Have your child invite a guest reader to come in and share a story during read aloud time. • 3. Your child could share or tell about a hobby they have. • 4. Provide a pencil or another appropriate token for each classmate. • 5. Your child could teach his peers a skill such as a dance, origami, how to draw, or karate.

29. Assessments • CMT March • DRP was yesterday • DRA throughout the year as needed to reach the next goal • Writing assessments once a month • Benchmarks, i.e.. CMT format

30. Grading • Homework papers are graded and should have some pen marks by me • “Late” written on top means it was not handed in on time • Star, check plus, check, check minus, minus (star is the top grade to minus the lowest grade)

31. Field Trips/Enrichment • Newton in a Nutshell comes to us in December • Rock & Mineral program, hopefully next month • Various ones throughout the year from PTA

32. Steps to Respect • Talk about bullying • Respecting others • Character building strategies • Self confidence strategies

33. Book Orders • Once a month • Not during the PTA Book Fairs • This is optional for kids to own their own books • Please make a check out for your order

34. We are partners for the year • Contact me with any issues concerning your child • Email me at hawksj@region10ct.org • Call 485-9029 ext 2136 • Write a note and send it in • Write a note in your student’s agenda

35. Thank you for coming & Thank you for your support at home