This week we accomplished a lot in a little time. With how much
time we had off the students, surprisingly, did not let too much "fall out." As excite as
the kids were to get back to school, so was I with all that they were able to
do. Now that we have our iPads and computer stations up and running it has been
great working with all of the students in smaller groups and more frequently. 

This week we worked on the reading skill of drawing
conclusions. As a group activity students had to investigate items in a bag and determine which AVCC staff member it could be. Just like a detective they used the clues to make a statement about each bag. They all did really well as was able to figure everyone out! Next, we brainstormed some of our favorite memories and categorized them. Students needed to use their grammar skills of alliteration and onomatopoeia to write descriptive stories as well as inventive (maybe yummy) ice cream flavors. With all this accomplished they proved that they can work together in small groups independently, work cooperatively with a partner (during buddy reading of "Catalog Cats"), and follow directions by learning two new iPad apps. They are growing up quick and fast!

In Math I feel very confident that we nailed subtraction. And most if not all students were capable of subtraction with regrouping, which is a very hard concept even for third
graders.

Check out below our activities below in the slideshow.

In an effort to create better communication I will be posting every Friday on this blog. The goal of the Friday post is to (1) inform you of the upcoming week's activities in the Newsletter and (2) display activities, projects, and concepts completed through out the current week. The newsletter and other information will still be sent by email, but every Friday afternoon I hope to publish all of our activities accomplished through out the week and inform you of the following week's goals.

To easily access the newsletter please go to the Newsletter page on this website by clicking above in the menu.

As we get back into the swing of school there will be a few changes to the classroom. Now that we have computers we will be able to do small group more effectively. This means students will be provided with more small-group/ one-on-one attention that is focused at their learning level.

There will also be small changes to the homework. Spelling groups will stay the same for the next couple of weeks, but they will eventually change to spelling patterns that meet or enhance your student's individually spelling ability.

Each week student's will also work on a book report. For students who are reading chapter books, they will write a book report about a chapter they are reading. There will be a couple different of formats students can use. Be sure to look for those different book report forms on the documents page of this website.

Look for these changes starting in mid-late January. For now homework will stay the same as in the previous trimester.

To see our Family History Project video and slideshow of the Holiday Party please check your email for the link. The link will take you to a new blog that is password protected and will be updated with videos and pictures of activities in the classroom. Check your email for the password.

Here are a few of our student's cute Melting Snowman poems. Students created either a stanza poem or an acrostic poem about a snowman. Then they wrote each stanza or acrostic line on parts of the snowman. Then you can turn each part to uncover the poetry. They came out to be very adorable!