Week of Nov. 1-Nov. 5

Happy Halloween!

*Thank you to Mrs. Leatherwood, Mrs. Burrows, Mrs. Stanley, Mrs. Singh, and Mrs. Wagner for making our Halloween classroom celebration SPOOK-tacular! The students and teachers had a great time!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 11/2:No School: Teacher Institute

*Thurs. 11/4: Math: Ch. 4 Subtraction Test

*Fri. 11/5: Spelling: Analogies: Part/whole graded review

Math: Subtraction Fast Facts 0-18 Graded Review

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be focusing on the following skills and strategies as we read novels this week: identifying character traits, setting, and problem/solution, summarizing, predicting, and making inferences.

*Spelling: This week the students will focus on solving part/whole analogies. We will work on this skill every day. A packet will be given to the students on Monday. We will work on the packet in class and some pages will be homework. This packet can be studied and reviewed for Friday's graded review on part/whole analogies.

*English: We will begin Verbs (ch. 3) on Monday. We will pretest the chapter to determine student's prior knowledge.

*Science: We will continue to work on ch. 10 space.

*Social Studies: The students will continue to work on Downers Grove, focusing on modern day Downers Grove as well as local government. We will use the social studies textbook ch. 12 to learn about local government. Our field trip to visit the places we have learned about in class will take place Tues. 11/9.

*Math: We are finishing up ch. 4: subtraction. The test is scheduled for Thurs. 11/4. Please review subtracting with borrowing and subtracting across zeros (example 5,001- 398) with your child. Remember the "Triple B" saying: Is the Bottom number Bigger? Borrow! We will also continue to practice our 0-18 subtraction fast facts all week. They will begin to count as a grade on Fri. 11/5.

Have a safe, fun, and spooky Halloween weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 25-29

Odds and Ends:

* Halloween Classroom Party: Our classroom Halloween parties will take place on Friday, October 29th in the afternoon. The all school parade will be at 1pm and the classroom parties will take place from 1:30-2:20pm. If your child would like to dress up for this holiday, please send their costume to school with them on Friday. We will give the students time to get into their costume before the parade. They should be able to get ready and dressed in their costume on their own.

* Maps Testing: The students have been doing a great job during Maps testing. Our last Maps test will take place on Monday, 10/25.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 10/26: Social Studies: History of Downers Grove Graded Review

*Fri. 10/29: Halloween Parade and Classroom Celebration

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Reading: We will be focusing on predicting, making inferences, and cause and effect as we continue to work with Cliffhanger and other stories. The students will be applying the above comprehension strategies as they read.

*Spelling: This week we will work on Halloween words. There will be a homework packet given to the students on Monday. The homework packet is due Friday. There will be no pretest or final test this week.

*English: The students will continue to work on descriptive writing. They will work on applying all they have learned about descriptive writing as they write a haunted house story.

* Science: We will start ch. 10 lesson 2: The Moon.

*Social Studies: We will be finishing up learning about the history of Downers Grove. We are gaining background knowledge to prepare us for our upcoming field trip. We will move to learn about modern day Downers Grove as well as local government, using ch. 12 in our textbooks. The DG history graded review will be on Tues. 10/26.

*Math: The students will continue to work on ch. 4: subtraction. They are working hard to subtract greater numbers with borrowing. They are also going to be working with subtracting across zeros. Please practice these skills at home. Also, keep practicing subtraction fast facts 0-18. Thank you for your help!

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 18-22

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 10/19: MAPS Testing #2

*Wed. 10/20: Early Dismissal 11 am

*Fri. 10/22: Spelling: List 8 Test

Bus Driver Appreciation Day!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to work on cause and effect, as well as making predictions and inferences as we read Cliffhanger.

*Spelling: We will work on list 8 this week. The rule for the week is three-letter clusters and unexpected consonant patterns. The pretest will be Monday and the graded test will be Friday.

*English: We will continue descriptive writing focusing on sensory words, similes, and color words.

* Social Studies: We are busy learning about the history of Downers Grove. We will learn about some important places and people in Downers Grove history to prepare us for our November field trip.

*Science: The students will continue to learn about space this week.

* Math: The students are working on ch. 4. We will be focusing on subtracting greater numbers with borrowing and subtracting across zeros. Please review these concepts at home. Also, we are working on subtraction fast facts. Please practice subtraction facts 0-18 at home whenever possible..flashcards and computer games are a great, fun way to practice these facts!

Thank you and have a great fall weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 11-15

Odds and Ends:

* Magazine Drive Pizza Lunch Winners! Thank you for participating in this years magazine drive. We had the greatest number of students participating in our class for the magazine drive-so we won a pizza party! Way to go! We will enjoy pizza, treats, and juice boxes compliments of the PTO on Tuesday, October 12th. If your child would not like to have pizza, please send them with a sack lunch or they can get hot lunch and enjoy it in our classroom. Thank you!

*Downers Grove Field Trip: A permission slip was sent home today about an upcoming field trip to Downers Grove on Tues. Nov. 9th. Please sign and return the slip no later than Fri. 10/29. Please email or call with any questions. I will contact the interested chaperon parents...first come, first serve! Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Mon. 10/11: No School: Columbus Day

* Tues. 10/12: Pizza Luncheon Provided by the PTO

*Fri. 10/15: Spelling: List 7 Test

English: DOL #3 Quiz

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We start learning about cause and effect while reading the story, Cliff Hanger.

*Spelling: We are on list 7 this week: the long o sound. We will take a pretest on Tuesday. Homework will be sent home on Tuesday and due Friday. The test will be Friday.

*English: We will begin a new writing unit: descriptive writing.

*Science: We will begin a new unit: chapter 10: Space!

*Social Studies: We will continue to learn about the history of Downers Grove.

*Math: We will begin ch. 4: Subtraction. We will work with subtracting greater numbers, fact families, and subtracting across zeros. We will also begin our fast facts for subtraction. We will have two weeks of practice before they begin counting for a grade.

Thank you and enjoy the beautiful weather this long weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 4-8

Odds and Ends:

* Magazine Drive: Thank you for participating in this year's fundraiser! Our class was one of the top four classes at Prairieview School. Miss Galloway (our student teacher) and Peter Burrows got to compete against the other 3 top classes in our Mario Kart assembly on Friday. What fun!

* Box Tops: Please continue to turn in box tops for our school collection. You can turn them in at any time.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Fri. 10/8: Spelling: List 6 Test

Nouns: Chapter 2 Test

Math: Chapter 3 Test and Addition Fast Fact Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to work on the comprehension strategy of making inferences.

*English: The students are working on ch. 2 nouns. We will tentatively take our test on Fri. Oct. 8th. A review guide will be sent home.

*Spelling: We are on list 6 this week: more long vowel words. We will take a pretest on Monday and homework will be sent home Monday. On Friday, homework packets are due and students will take the final test.

* Science: The students are busy learning about weather and clouds in lesson 3 of chapter 9.

*Social Studies: We will begin our next unit-Communities: History of Downers Grove! We will learn about the early days of Downers Grove. This will prepare us for our upcoming field trip to Downers Grove...more information coming soon!

*Math: We are working on ch. 3: addition. We are working on addition up to 4 digits with regrouping. Our test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 8th.

We are also working on our addition facts 0-18. We will continue to practice each day. On Friday, October 8th, the tests will count for a grade. On the first day, your child can earn 10 points if they get 100%. If they do not pass, they will retake the test on Monday. If they pass on Monday , they will earn 9/10 points. If they do not pass, they will retake the test on Tuesday for 8/10 points for a passing grade. We will continue this schedule of retaking until Friday, when they will earn a 6/10 regardless of passing or not.

Enjoy your fall weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Sept. 27-Oct. 1

Odds and Ends:

* Third graders are invited to sign up for a free intramural program. During this program, students would stay after school and play games in the gym. Permission slips are available this week and due back to Mrs. Cushing by Friday. The program will start some time in October. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Cushing at tcushing@ccsd66.org

*Thank you to everyone who sent in cups, spoons, bowls, juice, and apples to help in our Johnny Appleseed celebration! We had a great time!

*Smile! Picture Day is Thurs. September 30th.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 9/28: Math: Ch. 2 Test

Science: Ch. 9 L2 open book review

DOL Review #2

* Wed. 9/29: Social Studies: Hemisphere Quiz

* Thurs. 9/30: Picture Day

*Fri. 10/1: Spelling: List 5 Test

Reading: Mulan Vocab Review

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will begin working on making inferences this week. We will be using the story Mulan.

*English: We will share our ME bags and 5 paragraph essays next week. We will begin unit 2: nouns.

*Spelling: We will work on list 5: more long and short vowels. We will have a pretest Monday and the students will be given their homework on Monday. The test will be on Friday and homework will be due Friday.

*Science: We are busy learning about the water cycle and weather. The students will take a graded review (open book: a skill we are practicing and learning in class) on ch. 9 lesson 2 on Tues. 9/28. We will begin ch. 9 lesson 3: what is weather?

*Social Studies: Our map unit is coming to an end. We are learning about hemispheres and the prime meridian and equator. The hemisphere quiz will be on Wed. 9/29. Our next unit will be Downers Grove.

*Math: We will be finishing ch. 2 this week. We will spend Monday reviewing for our test on Tuesday. A study guide was sent home today. Please have your child complete and return to school on Monday. Our next unit will be ch. 3: Addition.

Thank you and have enjoy the long weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of 9/20- 9/24

Odds and Ends:

*The PE study guide for the soccer test went home Friday. Have you seen it yet? If not, please ask your child about it. The PE soccer test will be Wednesday. Please help your child review for this test.

*The PTO would like you to know about this great rebate program through Ultra Foods! Ultra Foods is inviting you to take part in the Ultra's Smart Shopper Program, and educational rebate program that generates CASH BACK to your school for educational needs. It's EASY! Shop your local Ultra Foods store from SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 through DECEMBER 31, 2010. Save your receipts and have your child turn them in to their teacher. At the end of this program, your school will submit a grand total of receipts collected and Ultra will remit a check for 5% of that total back to your school! WOW!!!!!!

*Johnny Appleseed's birthday falls on a Sunday this year. We will be celebrating his birthday on Thursday, 9/23. Information about our celebration will come home this week. One of the things we will be doing on Thursday is making homemade applesauce! Please send your child in with an apple that has been cored, cut, and peeled!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 9/20: Spelling: Pretest List 4

*Wed. 9/22: PE: Soccer Test

*Thurs: 9/23: Spelling: List 4 Test

*Fri. 9/24: No School: Teacher Institute

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to focus on summarizing and sequencing this week. We will work on applying this strategy to different texts.

*Spelling: This week we will work with words that have vowel-consonant-e pattern. Homework will be sent home Monday and due Thursday. The test will also be on Thursday.

*English: We will begin our first writing unit. Students will have homework Monday night. They will be making a "ME BAG" to bring to school. Information about this assignment will come home Monday. They will be using their Me Bags to help write a 5 paragraph paper in class.

*Science: We are learning about the water cycle (ch. 9 lesson 2). Ask your child to show you the movements we learned in class.

*Social Studies: We are busy learning about hemispheres, the equator, and the prime meridian. We will be doing many fun activities this week to learn more about our world.

*Math: We are focusing on rounding this week (ch. 2) . We will learn to round to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000. We will learn a rounding song and rounding tip on Monday. Ask your child to show you these things!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week Sept. 13-17

Odds and Ends:

* Prize Bin: My classroom prize bin can always use some new items! Any small, new or gently used items are appreciated! Some ideas...stickers, stamps, bouncy balls, pencil grips, jewelry, beanie babies/stuffed animals, book marks, small toys, etc. Thank you!

*A PE soccer test is scheduled for Wednesday, September 22nd. A study guide will go home on Friday. Please help your child review for this test.

Upcoming Events:

*Mon. 9/13: Magazine Drive Kick-Off

Spelling: List 3 Pretest

English: DOL #1 Quiz

*Wed. 9/15: English: Unit 1 Test: The Sentence

*Fri. 9/17: Spelling: List 3 Test

Social Studies: Continents and Oceans Quiz

Reading: Lost and Found Vocabulary Quiz

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: This is an exciting week! Third grade will start switching for reading! We will be reading The Lost and Found by Mark Teague as we focus on the summarizing strategy and our sequencing skills.

*Spelling: In spelling, the new lesson focuses on more short vowels. The pretest is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 13. If a student gets a 90% or higher (two or less wrong) they will be in the challenge group and will not be required to take the final test. Students with three or more wrong on the pretest will take the final test on Friday, Sept. 17.

*English: We will be finishing up ch. 1: The Sentence. We will have our unit test on Wed. 9/15. A study guide will be sent home on Monday. Next, we will be working on chapter 2: Nouns.

*Social Studies: We will be learning about continents and oceans. We will focus on where they are located and how to spell the names correctly. There will be a graded review on Fri. 9/17. A study guide will be sent home.

*Science: We will continue to learn about weather in ch. 9. We will work on lesson 2: the water cycle.

*Math: We will begin ch. 2: compare and ordering greater numbers.

Thanks for checking out our blog this week! Have a fabulous weekend!
Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Sept. 6-10

Odds and Ends:

*Curriculum Night: Thank you! It was so great to see so many of you at this year's Curriculum Night. If you ever have any questions or comments, please feel free to email or call me. I am looking forward to a wonderful year together with you and your child!

* Late Slips:
Third grade will begin using late slips for homework that is not complete or handed in at the time it is due. Each student will receive 3 "breaks" for Trimester 1. Upon the fourth time they have not completed homework, one point will be taken away from their homework bank in the appropriate subject. You will notice that each subject has a "homework bank" comprised of 5 points. Late slips will be sent home with students for a parent signature which is due back the very next school day with the completed homework assignment. Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 9/6: No School: Labor Day

Spelling List 2 Pretest

* Thurs. 9/9: Social Studies: Directions Quiz

* Fri. 9/10: Spelling: List 2 Test

Math: Chapter 1 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Reading: This week we will continue introducing the reading strategies that we will be utilizing throughout the rest of the year using picture books. The strategies are predicting, inferencing, visualizing, monitoring/clarifying, phonics/decoding, summarizing (fiction and non-fiction), questioning, connecting, and evaluating.

*Spelling: This week in spelling we will work on Lesson 2. This lesson will focus on words with short vowels. We will pretest on Tuesday and pass out a homework packet due Friday. We will be taking one of the homework sheets for a grade. On Friday we will have a test worth 20 points.

*English: We will continue to work through Unit 1: The Sentence. We took a pretest on this chapter so I will be able to cover the material that was new to the students. We will focus on run-on sentences next week. The chapter test will be tentatively scheduled for Wed. 9/15. A review guide will be sent home closer to that date.

* Science: We will begin ch. 9 weather.

*Social Studies: We are working on map skills. We began with the compass rose and directions. A directions quiz will be given on Thurs. 9/9. A study guide will be sent home on Tues.

*Math: We will continue working on Chapter 1: Place Value. The students need to understand numbers and place value up to 6 digits and know how to write in standard and expanded form. We will take a checkpoint (graded) on Wed. to check the student's progress so far in the chapter. If all goes as planned, we will have our first test on Fri. 9/10. Otherwise, the test will be the following Tues. 9/14. A study guide will be sent home either way.

Thank you for checking out our blog this week! Enjoy the long weekend!

~Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of August 30-September 3

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

It has been a pleasure to get to know your children this week! We have had a busy week of getting to know each other and learning about Prairieview School. They have been fantastic! I am really looking forward to a great year with your child!

* Weekly Blog: Each week, I will email you the link to check my blog. I will update what we are learning and upcoming important dates and events. You should also check your child's math teacher's blog. Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments about the blog. This a great way to keep open communication between school and home.

* Curriculum Night: Third Grade curriculum night will be on Tuesday, August 31st at 6:30 pm. Please meet in the multipurpose/lunch room. This will be an informative night to learn more about third grade. Hope to see you there!

*Introducing Miss Galloway: Miss Galloway will be joining us from Benedictine University where she is an Elementary Education major. She will be in our classroom until December. We are so happy to have her in our class!

Important Dates:

Tues. 8/31: Curriculum Night 6: 30pm
Fri. 9/3: Spelling Test List 1

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

Reading: This week we will start introducing the reading strategies that we will be utilizing throughout the rest of the year using picture books. The strategies are predicting, inferencing, visualizing, monitoring/clarifying, phonics/decoding, summarizing (fiction and non-fiction), questioning, connecting, and evaluating.

English: We will begin with Unit 1, which covers the four types of sentences. We will do daily work with various punctuation lessons as we work on our D.O.L. (Daily Oral Language).

Spelling: This week in spelling we will start with Lesson 1. These are "Back to School" words. We will pretest on Monday and pass out a homework packet due Friday. We will be taking one of the homework sheets for a grade. On Friday we will have our first test worth 20 points.

Social Studies: We will begin our maps unit. We will start with directions and the compass rose.

THIS IS FOR MRS. OLSEN'S MATH STUDENTS ONLY!

Math: We will begin with chapter 1. We will work on place value, even and odd numbers, and 3,4,5 digit numbers.

Thank you for visiting my blog! Check here every Friday for updates.
~Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway