WELCOME BACK!!!

Boy oh boy, have I missed YOUUUU!!!  Welcome back to reality!  I know that 2011 will bring many exciting new things and I cannot wait to see what is in store for us! 

We will have our party to make-up for the one we missed before break on Friday at 1:30.  A letter will be sent home with more information through the Wednesday folders.  We will still be playing White Elephant (or dirty Santa or Yankee Swap as you may know it) so each student needs to bring in his/her gift that should no cost more than $4 or $5.  Target has great little knick-knacks near the front of the store that are always $1 or $2.50...go check it out!

We are switching our transition time in reading to accommodate a change in our writing instruction.  Writing will now also be with our reading teacher... so now, our reading class is from 8:15 - 10:15, instead of 8:45 - 10:15 like we have had previously.  This is so we are better able to meet and customize the writing needs of each student individially in order to achieve success with all in this very important concept.  A good writer is a good reader as writing is one of the key components of literacy!  Therefore, we began writing with a fun back to school activity: each student was to brainstorm creative and unusual questions to ask a neighbor about his/her break and then present the answers to the class.  We had a great time hearing about people's breaks, funny memories from the time with families, and just the overall great feeling of the season.  We also began talking about poetry and will be studying the characteristics of poetry through a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson: "Winter-time".  Also, please use the spelling packet (LESSON 8) from the week of December 13th which was the last week before break.  I gave out the packets that Tuesday, we were there Wednesday, and then we missed the two days before break so we were unable to turn in those packets or test over those words.  If you are unable to locate the packet, please let me know by tomorrow and I will get more copied.

Math

We practiced, practiced, practiced our multiplication facts through games, drills, and competition!  It is obvious that many students have been using the skills we have learned and practicing their facts at home.  Unfortunately, it was also obvious that some students have no practiced AT ALL :(

Being that our 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s were due Friday, the 17th BEFORE BREAK, I expected to see them TODAY.  If you did not bring those to show me today, I need to see them by tomorrow.  The rest of the sets (4s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 11s, 12s) are due by THIS FRIDAY, January 7th.  These are also meant to be a means of studying by your student at home, in the car, on the sideline at a sibling's game, at grandmother's house, etc...as well as transporting back to school.  Please be sure to bring them daily to school, and take them home nightly.  We WILL do activities where those may be needed.  There is no homework tonight, except working on the flashcards and practicing those math facts!!

Science we watched a Bill Nye, the Science Guy: Food Webs video, per request and our need to brush up on our food chain trivia!  He is so much fun and so easy to learn from!!

I'm so glad to be back and with my favorite 3rd graders!

xoxo,

Mrs. Thomas

PS, DON'T FORGET that your Brazilian Animal Projects are due by January 10th!!!

This is an example of a project turned in by a previous student