Week of 4/16

ODDS AND ENDS:

*THANK YOU for coming to our Spring open house. The students have been working hard and were so proud to show off their beautiful work. It was great to see so many families fill up our classrooms.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 4/16: Dental Hygienist presentation to 3rd grade students

*Thurs. 4/19: Social Studies: OPEN BOOK Chicago Quiz III

*Fri. 4/20: Wear GREEN for Earth Day (4/22)
Math: 2's division timed test
Spelling: List 22 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will begin our Poetry unit where we will explore reading a variety of poems as well as try our hands at writing some! We will also work in guided reading groups on poetry and work on vocabulary using our good fit silent reading books.

*English: We will save unit 6 on pronouns for later and focus on friendly letter writing this week as we get ready to write our 2nd grade pen pals at Elizabeth Ide.

*Spelling: We are on list 22 this week. We will pretest on Monday and have the test on Friday. As always, homework is due the day of the test.

*Science: We are wrapping up our unit on space. We have tentatively set the test date for Tues. 4/24. A study guide was sent home this week.

*Social Studies: We will finish up our unit on Chicago. We will take an open book quiz on the last third of the book. A study guide will be sent home on Monday, but the students will be able to use their book during the quiz. We are finishing up the last touches on our Chicago brochures as well.

*Math: We are focusing on ch. 11 and ch. 12 : division. We will begin having timed tests this week starting with the 2's. It is similar to how we did multiplication. Every Friday will be a test on division facts. The tests will be worth 10 points. Please continue to study both multiplication and division at home each night. Thank you for your help!

Have a beautiful weekend together!
Mrs.Olsen

Week of 4/9

Odds and Ends:

*Open House: Please mark your calendars for our Spring Open House on Thurs. 4/12 from 6:30-8:00. Come visit your child's classrooms, visit 4th and 5th grade classrooms, shop at the book fair, and stay for ice cream! Our theme is Chicago, so your child (and family members!) can wear their favorite Chicago sports team apparel. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events:

* Thurs. 4/12: Open House

*Fri. 4/13: Spelling: List 21 test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will focus on non-fiction reading strategies as we apply this to our Chicago books.

*English: We will begin unit 6 on pronouns.

* Spelling: We will be on list 21. There will be pretest on Monday and the final test on Friday.

*Social Studies: We will continue to work on our Chicago unit. We are learning so much about this great city. We will focus on our cumulative project, which is our Chicago brochures. In our discussions about the World's Fair that took place in Chicago in 1893, we learned that the Heinz company had a booth in a poor location. To attract visitors to their booth, they began handing out small, plastic pickle pins. Their idea worked and many more visitors came to their booth. If you visit this link, http://www.heinz.com/our-company/investor-relations/request-information.aspx, you can request a pickle pin to be sent to your house for free. I tried to get one for each student in 3rd grade, but it is only one per household. I made the students a paper pickle sticker pin instead and we talked about how this can symbolize creative thinking. If they are ever in a situation where things aren't going their way, they can remember the pickle pin and come up with a creative solution!

*Science: We are on ch 10 lesson 3, focusing on our solar system. Ask your child about our "egg-cellent" egg hunt for planet questions we went on today. We had a great time searching for eggs and answers! We will continue to learn about the planets this week. A test will be scheduled in the near future: look in your child's assignment notebook for the exact date. A study guide will be sent home.

*Math: We are finished with ch. 19 decimals. We will spend a day or 2 reviewing probability. Then we will begin ch 11 division. Please continue to review multiplication facts. We are going to spend a great deal of time relating multiplication with division and the better your child knows their multiplication facts, the easier the division facts will be.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/2

Odds and Ends:

*Thank you to all of the parents who offered to purchase and pick up our classroom pictures. We really appreciate it! We will save the pictures to use for our end of the year scrapbooks that each child makes to remember all of the fun they had in 3rd grade!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Spring Break: 3/26-3/30: School resumes 4/2.

*Tues. 4/3: Math: Ch 19 Decimals Test

*Wed. 4/4: Social Studies: Chicago Quiz II

*Thurs. 4/5: Spelling: List 18 Test

*Fri. 4/6: No School: Good Friday: Happy Easter!

*Thurs. 4/12: Open House: More details coming soon!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will focus on non fiction reading as we read about Chicago using a variety of sources. We will work on finding main idea and details, summarizing, and sequencing.

*English: We will work on creative writing. We will be writing poems about our planets.

*Spelling: We will work on list 18 spelling. There will be a pretest on Monday and the final test will be on Thursday. Homework will be due on Thursday.

*Social Studies: We will continue to study Chicago. We will focus on modern day landmarks and make a Chicago travel brochure.

*Science: We will work on chapter 10 lesson 3 as we learn about the sun and the planets in our solar system. We will be doing many fun activities as we learn about the characteristics of each planet.

*Math: We will review ch. 19 decimals and take the test on Tues. 4/3. We will begin ch. 11 Division. Please have your child review multiplication facts each night. We will be learning about fact families and how knowing our multiplication facts makes learning division much easier. Thank you for your help at home!

Have a wonderful, relaxing, safe spring break!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 3/19

Odds and Ends

*CONGRATS to the 3rd grade students for doing an outstanding job on their ISAT tests! They worked very hard and we are so proud of them! Way to go!!!!

* Thank you to everyone who send in treats and drinks for ISAT week. We enjoyed them and I really appreciate the help!

*Hope For Hunter: If you are looking for a meal out, please consider Cozzi Corner. If you mention you are from District 66 and that you want to help Hunter Himes family, they will donate 15% of your meal price to the Himes/Idhe family until September. What a caring community we live it!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 3/20: No School: Institute Day

*Wed. 3/21: Social Studies: Chicago I Quiz

*Fri. 3/23: Spelling: Test list 17

*SPRING BREAK: 3/26-4/1

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: Our class will focus on nonfiction text (Science and Social Studies books) over the next couple weeks. We will summarize and identify main ideas. In addition, we will be practicing our fluency with various reader's theater scripts. Each student will also begin choosing their own vocabulary words from their Good Fit Books. They will learn the definition, find a synonym and antonym, and draw a picture to show the meaning of the word.

*English: We are finishing up our expository unit. Our research papers are impressive! We will work on some creative writing this week.

*Spelling: We are back to spelling again. We will be on list 17. Test on Friday!

*Science: We will begin ch. 10 lesson 3: planets!

*Social Studies: We will focus on more Chicago history facts and learn about the Great Chicago Fire this week.

*Math: We began decimals (ch. 19). We will continue to learn about decimals. The test is tentatively scheduled for after spring break.

Have a wonderful weekend! Get out and enjoy the SUNSHINE =)

Mrs.Olsen

Odds and Ends:

* Thank you to everyone who sent in ISAT treats for the students. We really appreciate your generosity!

*Spring Conferences: It was great to meet with many of my math students parents this week to discuss your child's progress. Please feel free to contact me any time with questions, concerns, comments, or great news!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Fri. 3/9: No School

*Mon. 3/12: ISAT Make ups

*Tues. 3/13: Math II ISAT test

*Wed. 3/14: Reading III ISAT Test

*Thurs. 3/15: Math III ISAT Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will work on fluency and expression with readers theatre. We will also begin a new novel study.

* English: We will finish up our expository writing unit. We will be "publishing" our research papers on severe weather.

* Spelling: Due to ISATs, there is no spelling this week.

*Science: We will learn about eclipses and the moon this week.

*Social Studies: We will continue our study of Chicago history.

*Math: We will work on problem solving this week and review concepts from previous lessons.

Have a great weekend!

Week of 3/5

*Odds and Ends:

*ISATs are here: We will be taking the ISATS the week of 3/5 and 3/12. The schedule for our class is below:

Wed. 3/7: Math I and Reading I
Thurs. 3/8: Reading II

Tues. 3/13: Math II
Wed. 3/14: Reading III
Thurs. 3/15: Math III
Fri. 3/16: Make Up Tests

*Conferences: Spring conferences will take place Tues. 3/6 and Wed. 3/7 with your child's math teacher. I am looking forward to meeting with parents to discuss their child's progress this year.

*ISAT Snacks: If you would like to send in healthy, prepackaged snacks or 100% juice boxes for the class during ISAT testing, it would be much appreciated! The snacks and juice will be given to the students during testing to "refuel" their brains. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 3/5: No School

*Tues. 3/6: Conferences

*Wed.3/7: Math ISATs
Reading ISATs
Conferences

*Thurs. 3/8: Reading ISATs

*Fri. 3/9: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading; We will work on extended responses this week.

*English: We will continue to work on expository writing this week. Students are researching types of severe weather as a connection to one our science units.

*Spelling: No spelling this week.

*Science: We will learn about the importance of the moon and Earth's relationship with the moon.

*Social Studies: We began our unit on Chicago. We will learn about the history of Chicago next week.

*Math: We will work on problem solving and review concepts throughout the year this week to prepare for ISATs.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs.Olsen

Week of 2/27

Odds and Ends:

*PBIS Food Drive Donation: Gather up your change and help those in need! Please send in $1 to help us raise money for our local food pantry. Each dollar helps us reach our goal to purchase one ton of food to be donated! Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 2/28: Early Dismissal at 11:00

*Wed. 2/29: Happy Leap Year!!!

*Thurs. 3/1: Feb. Reading Calendars Due

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will focus on reviewing all reading strategies next week as we prepare for the ISATs. We will also practice writing the extended response.

*English: We will work on our expository writing. We will write a paper on our own about severe weather.

*Spelling: We will not have spelling this week. We will work on vocabulary and word building activities this week.

*Science: We are learning about seasons. Ask your child what the reason for the seasons is! (ask to see the cool foldable we made in class!). We will continue our study of space this week.

*Social Studies: We will begin our unit on Chicago.

*Math: We are working on fractions. We will focus on fractions and reviewing concepts from throughout the year this week.

Have a wonderful weekend in the beautiful snow together!
Mrs. Olsen

week of 2/21

Odds and Ends:

*Valentine's Day: Thank you to everyone for helping make our Valentine's Party a hit! Thank you to Mr. Hoffman, Mrs. Messina, Mrs. Sprandel, Mrs. Veselak, Mrs. Cibulka, and Mrs. Harmon for their hard work! We had a LOVEly time =)

* No School: Mon. 2/20: Happy President's Day!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Wed.2/22: Math: Ch 7 Probability Graded Review

* Fri. 2/24: Prefix/Suffix graded review

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to focus on main idea and detail as we finish our African American Scrapbooks. We will also work on extended responses.

*English: We are working on our partner expository paper. We will also begin one on our own.

*Spelling: We are working on prefixes, root words, and suffixes. There will be a graded review on Fri. 2/24.

*Science: 3...2...1...Blast off! We will begin our study of space!

*Social Studies: Sweet Home Chicago...We will begin our Chicago unit soon!

*Math: We are working on ch 7 Probability. We will take a graded review on ch. 7 on Wed. 2/22. We will begin ch 18: Fractions.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 2/13

*Happy Valentine's Day! We will be celebrating Valentine's Day with a classroom party on Tues. 2/14 in the afternoon. We know it will be so much fun thanks to all of the parents who are planning it! If your child would like to pass out Valentine's, there are 24 students in our class.

*Book Order: Feb book order is due 2/20. Every online order helps our classroom earn free books! Thanks for your orders!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 2/14: Valentine's Day Party 1:30-2:20

*Thurs. 2/16: Social Studies: Ch 3 Test

PE: Floor Hockey Test

*Mon. 2/20: No School: President's Day

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will work on reviewing all of the strategies, focusing on main idea and detail, as we research for our African American scrapbooks. We will work on our scrapbooks in class. We will also be working on writing extended responses.

*English: We are working on expository writing. We wrote one paper as a class and students will work with a partner this week to complete their next paper.

*Spelling: We will work on prefix/suffix this week. There will be no spelling list or test this week. The prefix/suffix unit will last into next week. The test will be announced soon!

*Science: We just finished our unit on water and weather. We will begin our next unit on space soon.

*Social Studies: We are finishing up our studies on culture and immigration. The culture day presentations were outstanding and we learned so much about each other's family and culture. Great job to the students on their hard work and preparation. It was a huge success! The ch 3 test will be Thurs. 2/16.

*Math: We are working on ch 22: area, volume, and perimeter. We will take a graded checkpoint on ch 16 (solid figures, net figures ("unfolded" solid figures), edges, faces, vertices(corners)) and ch 22 on Tues. Students will be able to use their notes on this graded review. Next we will begin probability (ch. 7).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 2/6

Odds and Ends:

Book Order: Feb. book order due 2/20.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tues. 2/7: Science: Ch 9 Test

Thurs. 2/9: Social Studies: Culture day Presentations

Fri. 2/10: Social Studies: Culture Day Presentations
Spelling: List 16 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will work on compare and contrast as we read a Seal Surfer. We will also look at main ideas and details as we work on an African American non fiction book project and scrapbook.

*English: We are working on expository writing.

*Spelling: List 16: homework and test Friday!

*Science: We are wrapping up ch. 9. The test will be Tues. 2/7.

*Social Studies: Hope culture day planning is going well. Please email with any questions or comments! I am looking forward to the presentations on Thurs and Fri.

*Math: We are working on geometry topics. We will combine ch 16 and ch 22 looking at solid figures, perimeter,area,and volume.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs.Olsen