Week of 10/28-11/1

Odds and Ends: 

* Fall Conference Sign up: An email was sent  inviting you to sign up for Fall conferences. This is for homeroom students. If you did not receive this email, please let me know. I am looking forward to meeting with you all.  Thanks!

* Coupon Books: The PTO is selling coupon books this year to help fund the purchase of tablets for our students.  If you wish to purchase a book, please send in $25 made payable to the Prairieview PTO.  If you do not wish to buy the book, please send it back with your student.  The deadline is October 29th.  The books have some great local coupons in them and really pay for themselves while the school gets half the money of all books sold!  The grade that sells the most books (15 books minimum) will get a movie and a treat on Tuesday, November 26th and each grade level student who sells the most books (5 book minimum) will get a $100 Target gift card!  Please contact Pam Topp (pam_topp@yahoo.com) or Maureen Gibbons (maureen.gibbons@comcast.net) if you have questions or would like more books to sell.  There are some great holiday shopping discounts available....take a look!!!!

Halloween:

1. We only have 15 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. If the costume can be worn over their clothes, then both the time to change and the chances of losing any clothes is minimized.

2. If the costume involves make up, please apply it before your child comes to school. If you send your child in with make up, then your child has to be able to apply it themselves. 

3. Please do not send any weapons (guns, swords, etc.) as part of the costume. Save those for trick-or-treating.

4. We will not have time to change back into our clothes for dismissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Tues. 10/29: Reading: Halloween Reading Character Pumpkins Due
Math: Chapter 3 Subtraction Test

*Wed. 10/30: Picture Retakes
Social Studies: Downers Grove History Quiz

* Thurs. 10/31: Happy Halloween!
Parade 1:15-1:30
Parties 1:30-2:15

*Fri. 11/1: Reading: October Reading Calendars Due
Spelling: Halloween words test
Science Assembly

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will continue to work on determining importance, making inferences, and cause and effect, all while we "prove it"...validate our answers and thinking with text evidence. Reading pumpkins are due Tues. We will write a character inference paragraph to display with the pumpkins in class. The pumpkin reading log is due Tues, which the log filled out and the character inference chart in the packet.

*English: We are working very hard on our haunted house stories. They look great! We will work on nouns this week.

*Spelling: We will work on a Halloween inspired list this week. Test for all students will be Friday. There is no pretest or challenge list this week.

*Social Studies: We have been learning lots about the history of Downers Grove. We have been learning some study tools. Look for the note cards and study guide in your child's binder. We will have our quiz on Wed. 10/30.

*Science: We are working on ch. 9. We will focus on the water cycle in lesson 2.

*Math: We will continue to practice subtracting with regrouping. The test is scheduled for Tues. 10/29. Look for your child's check list study guide for this unit in their binder. The next unit is on multiplication.

Have a boo-tiful weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Math Subtraction Video

Hi Mrs. Olsen's Math Class!

We are trying to FLIP the classroom..this is a new concept in teaching where students watch a video about the upcoming lesson the night before, so they have some prior knowledge and practice coming into class the next day. We will be watching the video in class tomorrow as well, but I thought students who could watch at home would have a chance to FLIP the class: )

Please click here to view a video about subtraction with regrouping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JS397L9YfM&noredirect=1

Happy Subtracting!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 10/21-10/25

Odds and Ends:

* Fall Conference Sign up: An email was sent home inviting you to sign up for Fall conferences. This is for homeroom students. If you did not receive this email, please let me know. I am looking forward to meeting with you all.  Thanks!

* Coupon Books: The PTO is selling coupon books this year to help fund the purchase of tablets for our students.  If you wish to purchase a book, please send in $25 made payable to the Prairieview PTO.  If you do not wish to buy the book, please send it back with your student.  The deadline is October 29th.  The books have some great local coupons in them and really pay for themselves while the school gets half the money of all books sold!  The grade that sells the most books (15 books minimum) will get a movie and a treat on Tuesday, November 26th and each grade level student who sells the most books (5 book minimum) will get a $100 Target gift card!  Please contact Pam Topp (pam_topp@yahoo.com) or Maureen Gibbons (maureen.gibbons@comcast.net) if you have questions or would like more books to sell.  There are some great holiday shopping discounts available....take a look!!!!

Halloween:

1. We only have 15 minutes for costume changes. Please make sure your child can change into his/her costume easily and by themselves. If the costume can be worn over their clothes, then both the time to change and the chances of losing any clothes is minimized.

2. If the costume involves make up, please apply it before your child comes to school. If you send your child in with make up, then your child has to be able to apply it themselves. 

3. Please do not send any weapons (guns, swords, etc.) as part of the costume. Save those for trick-or-treating.

4. We will not have time to change back into our clothes for dismissal. Your child will wear their costume home.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Thurs. 10/24: Early Dismissal at 11:00 am

*Fri. 10/25: Spelling: List 9 test
English: DOL #4 Graded Review

*Wed. 10/30: Picture Retakes

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We are currently working in guided reading groups as we work to locate fascinating facts and discuss our questions and facts. We are also working on making character inferences.
We will continue to work on making inferences and learning about cause and effect and how characters change over time.

Remember, the pumpkin book project is due Tues. 10/29.  Students should be logging their reading in their Pumpkin Reading Log as well as keeping track of some character trait inferences along the way (also in their pumpkin reading packet).

*English: We are working on descriptive writing and have been applying our skills. We are also working on DOL #4, which focuses on commas in a series and month abbreviations.

*Spelling: We will work on list 9. There will be a pretest Mon. Homework will be due Thurs. The test will be Fri.

*Science: We began ch. 9: The Water Cycle. We will focus on where we find water in the world. Ask your child about the amount of fresh water available as compared to salt water on Earth. We were shocked at this fact!

*Social Studies: We are busy learning about the history of Downers Grove. This will give us the background knowledge prior to our field trip to see historic places in Downers Grove. The date of the field trip will be determined soon.

*Math: Students have been working on writing subtraction word problems and finding exact and estimated answers. We will continue to practice subtracting greater numbers with borrowing, as well as subtracting across zeros. Please practice subtraction math facts at home. We are practicing at school every day as students build math fluency!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Students During Daily 5

We have been working on rotating through all of our stations during Daily 5. The students are doing a great job!! 

Week of 10/14-10/18

Odds and Ends: 

* No School: Mon. 10/14: Happy Columbus Day!

* Conference Sign Up: Be on the look out for an email  coming out Thurs. 10/17 for sign up for fall conferences. The conferences will take place the first full week of November.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 10/14: No School: Enjoy the fall weather!

* Tues. 10/15: English: DOL #3 Quiz

*Wed. 10/16: Mario Kart Assembly for Magazine Drive

*Thurs. 10/17: Book Fair and Taffy Apple Sale
View information here: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/prairieviewelementaryschool15

*Fri. 10/18:  Spelling: List 8 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will continue our study of making inferences this week. We will work in guided reading groups. Your child should be reading their good fit book for the pumpkin project. This pumpkin is due Tues. 10/29. They also need to be filling out the reading log and character inference chart in their pumpkin reading packet. Thanks !

* English: We are learning about rice cake (bland) vs. salsa (spicy and exciting!) writing as we study descriptive writing. Students are learning all about the spices and flavors they can add to their writing with color words, similes, metaphors, and sensory words. We will continue our study of descriptive writing.
 We will also take a DOL #3 quiz on book titles and introductory words. We will begin DOL #4, which focuses on month abbreviations and commas in a series.

*Spelling: Due to the short week, we will have only  2 homework assignments for the week. We will take a pretest Tuesday and the final test Friday.

*Social Studies: We are busy learning about the history of Downers Grove. We are focusing on inferring character traits of some of the important people of the towns history and why communities form where they do.

*Science: We finished up our study of ecosystems. We will continue to talk about the impact (postiive and negative) humans have on the environment. We will brainstorm some things kids can do at school and at home to have a positive impact on our world. Our next unit will be the water cycle and weather.

*Math: We will begin our unit on subtraction. We will focus on fact families and subtracting greater numbers. We will explore problem solving with subtraction. We will also work on fast facts with subtraction--this will be a similar set up to the addition facts. We will begin by practicing the facts in class. Please review the facts at home as well.

Have a great LONG, fall weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 10/7-10/11

Odds and Ends:

* Wednesday, October 9th we will honor Unity Day as we unite again bullying. Please have your child wear orange to show our support against bullying.

* Wednesday 10/9 we will be celebrating our achievement in coming in first in the magazine drive with a pizza party. Cheese pizza and drinks will be provided. If your child does not like pizza or would like something else for lunch, please plan accordingly. We will be eating the pizza in the classroom that day, so if your child wants something else, they can still join us to eat in the classroom. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Mon. 10/7: Reading: Book chosen for Pumpkin Book Project

*Thurs. 10/10: Math: Addition Test (ch 2)

*Fri. 10/11: Science: Ch. 4 Test
Spelling: List 7 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will begin guided reading groups in both fiction and non fiction books. We will practice the skill of making inferences. We will also model this skill and finding text as evidence as we read Mulan and other texts. Please ask your child about their Pumpkin Book report and if they have chosen a good fit book yet for the project.  Their book choice is due Mon.

*English: We will work on descriptive writing. We are also working on writing book titles and introductory words correctly in DOL #3.

*Spelling: We will be on list 7.  Monday: pretest. Thursday: homework due. Friday: test!

*Science: We will be wrapping up our unit on ecosystems. A study guide was sent home this week. We will take the test Fri. 10/11.

*Social Studies: We will begin our next unit on Downers Grove history and local government soon.

* Math: We will continue to practice addition skills in ch. 2. The test is set for Thurs. 10/10. We will continue to practice our problem solving skills as we solve addition problems.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 9/30

Odds and Ends:

* Magazine Drive: WOW! Our class came in first place in the magazine drive. Thank you for your participation in this great school fundraiser.  We will be rewarded with a classroom pizza party and a spot in the all school Mario Kart assembly. More information coming soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 9/30: English: DOL #2 Graded Review

* Wed. 10/2: September Reading Calendars Due
Social Studies: Hemispheres Quiz
PE: Soccer Test

*Fri. 10/4: Spelling: List 6 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will work on making inferences this week. We will also finish up our summarizing mini unit. We will get ready to begin book clubs and guided reading groups.

* English: We will work on our public speaking skills as we present our essays. We will begin our descriptive writing unit and ch. 2 nouns.

*Spelling: This week we will focus on list 6.

*Social Studies: Our map skills unit is wrapping up. We will take our hemispheres quiz on Wed. 10/2. We will begin our next unit on communities and local government as we study Downers Grove history.

* Science: We will continue to learn about ecosystems and the changes that occur due to natural causes and human influence this week.

*Math: We will continue to work on ch. 2 addition. We will practice a timed facts test every day. Beginning Fri. 10/4, the tests will count for a grade (10 points). If your child does not pass Fri. (they are allowed to miss one), they will retake Mon. for a grade of 9/10 points. From that point on, each retake day will result in one point deduction. Thank you for practicing these facts at home.

Have a beautiful, fall weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 9/23- 9/27

Odds and Ends:

*Magazine Drive: The drive ends next week. Please continue to bring in any orders on the turn in days. Thank you for participating in this great fundraiser!

*Prizes for prize box: Any new or gently used prizes are always welcome! Thank you to those families who have already donated!

* This week we began sharing Top 5 Things about ourselves that might surprise our friends. Ask your children what my number one fact was: )

*Scholastic Book Order: A September book order packet was sent home. Please consider making an online order that is safe and secure through their website. Each order placed on line earns free books for you and our classroom! The orders are due Fri. 9/27 either by sending in a paper form and check to class or ordering online. I will place the order Friday afternoon.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 9/23: English: Unit 1 Test

*Tues. 9/24: Magazine Turn in #3

*Thurs. 9/26: Johnny Appleseed's Birthday Celebration: send in peeled, sliced apple: )

*Fri. 9/27: Spelling: List 5 Test
Early Dismissal at 11:00

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to work on summarizing and inferring this week. We will be working with the novels Ten True Animal Rescues. Students are also putting their visualizing skills to work as we make cartoons of the events of their favorite chapter.

We will also celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday on Thurs. 9/26. A note went home about one activity that we will do that day, which is to make our own applesauce. Each child needs to bring in one PEELED and SLICED apple on Thurs. We will add each apple to a crock pot and add other ingredients to create our apple sauce. We are also looking for parents to donate the following items: 20 100% apple juice boxes OR 2 containers of 100% apple juice and 20 cups, 20 plastic spoons, and 20 plastic bowls for our celebration. Please email if you are able to send in any of these items. You can send them into school with your child on or before Thurs. 9/26. Thank you!

*English: We will take our ch.1  test on The Sentence on Mon.  We will begin our first writing unit as we practice the steps and format of writing a 5 paragraph essay. Then we will begin unit 2: Nouns.  We will also work on DOL #2 unit. We are focusing on capitalizing proper nouns.

*Spelling: We will work on list 5. Homework will be sent home Mon. and due Thurs. The final test will be on Fri.

*Social Studies: We finished our unit on continents and ocean. Next we will focus on hemispheres, poles, the equator, and prime meridian.

*Science: We will continue our study of ecosystems. We will work with types of ecosystems and their characteristics.

*Math: We will begin ch. 2: Addition. We will also begin our fast facts with addition problems. More information about the graded addition fact quizzes will come home soon.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 9/16-9/20

Odds and Ends: 

*Magazine Drive: Your child received a packet of information about our district wide magazine drive. The first turn in day is Tues. 9/17.

*Spirit Day: Friday 9/20 we will have crazy hair day.

*Thank you to parents for sending in materials from our helping hands board. I really appreciate all of the generous donations! As always, prizes for the prize bin are always welcome and needed:) Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Tues. 9/17: Magazine Turn in #1

*Wed. 9/18: English: DOL Quiz #1
PM: Lakeview Band Concert

*Thurs. 9/19: Magazine Turn in #2

* Fri.9/20: Spelling: Test List 4
Math: Chapter 1 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We are continuing to learn and practice the Daily 5. We will also focus on summarizing and sequencing important details as we read Lost and Found and Ten True Animal Rescues.

* English: We will focus on subject, predicate, and run on sentences. Look for a study guide coming soon. The ch. 1 test will be Mon. 9/23. We will also have our first DOL quiz on Wed. 9/18. A study guide went home this week with the skills we are focusing on.

*Spelling: We will be on list 4. We will have the pretest Monday. Three homework assignments will be due on Thurs. The homework assigned depends on what group your child is placed in after the pretest. Both groups do a cursive sheet and then have 2 different additional assignments. Please help your child manage their assignments for the week so they are not scrambling on Wed night to finish all 3! The test will be on Friday.

* Science: We will continue to focus on ch. 4: Ecosystems.

*Social Studies: We began our next maps unit: continents and oceans. We will be doing research  about hte continents with non-fiction books and in the computer lab as we search for and share WOW facts about the continents.

*Math: We will continue to work on ch. 1, focusing on rounding to the nearest 10 and 100. The chapter 1 test is planned for Fri. 9/20. Look for a practice test coming home next week. The skills tested will be place value to 1,000 (knowing standard, expanded, and word form), comparing and ordering numbers to the thousands place, and rounding to the nearest 10 and 100.

Thank you for checking out the blog. Enjoy the beautiful fall weekend!
Mrs.Olsen

Week of 9/9- 9/13

Odds and Ends: 

*Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend Curriculum Night. I hope the night was informative and helpful to you as we begin 3rd grade together: )

*Magazine Drive: We will being our school wide magazine drive this week. The kick off assembly is Tues and your child will bring home a packet of information.

Go Bears! 

A little Bear's fan came to visit...Liam!
(He was being camera shy!)  

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Mon. 9/9: MAPs Reading Test (moved to this date)

* Tues. 9/10: Magazine Drive Kick Off Assembly

* Wed. 9/11: Spirit Day: Wear Red, White, and Blue
Social Studies: Directions and Compass Rose Graded Review

* Fri. 9/13: Spelling: List 3 test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

* Reading: We will continue to preview our reading strategies for the year. We are also focusing on Read to Self and Read to Someone during Daily 5.

*English: We will continue to work in ch. 1: The Sentence. We will focus on subject and predicate as we practice the four types of sentences.

* Spelling: This week we will focus on list 3: short vowel words. Your child will have 3 homework assignments given to them Monday and will be due Thurs. The final test will be given on Friday.

*Social Studies: We are busy learning about directions, compass rose, and how to follow directions. We will go on a scavenger hunt in the school using our knowledge of directions. A study guide was sent home today for Wednesday's graded review on the compass rose and directions. We will review in class early next week as well.

*Science: We will begin our first unit: ch. 4: Where Living Things are Found.

*Math: We will begin meeting daily next week. The students will begin exploring place value and rounding in ch. 1.

Have a great weekend and Go Bears!

Mrs. Olsen