Week of 2/2

Odds and Ends: 

*New Student: We welcomed a new student, Gayathri, to our room last week. We are so thrilled to have her with us!

*January Pride Award: This month we honored Evi Zervas with the Empathy award. Evi goes above and beyond to help her classmates and teachers. Great job, Evi!




*Valentine's Day: Our classroom Valentine's Day party will be Thurs. 2/12 at 1:30-2:20 (since we have no school Fri. 2/13). If your child would like to distribute Valentine cards/treats to his/her classmate, here are our class guidelines:
1. It is optional, but if you want to distribute, you must have enough for all students in class. We have 21 students (10 boys and 11 girls)

2. It is much easier to pass out if the individual student names are not on the cards.

3. No nuts, please!


Spring conferences are coming up the week of February 9.  These are by teacher request only.   I have 16 conferences already scheduled.   If you feel that you would really like to sit down with me and chat, please email me.  Please know that I am always available via email or phone.  Have a great weekend! 

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Tues. 2/3: Matter Matters Presentation

*Thurs. 2/5: Math: Ch. 7 Test

* Fri. 2/6: Spelling Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will continue our look at culture and traditions. We will work on the skills of theme and main idea/details, as well as compare and contrast. The students are doing a fabulous job during our Daily 5 rotations!

*English: We will continue to work with figurative language and adjectives.

*Spelling: We will have another week of spelling with a pretest Monday, homework due Thurs, and the final test on Friday.

*Science: We will continue to work on ch. 11: Matter. Our matter presentation is Tues. 2/3. We are looking forward to doing fun experiments with a real scientist! The end of the unit test is tentatively schedule for Tues. 2/10.  A study guide was sent home with your child.

*Social Studies: Culture Day presentations were amazing and we learned so much about each other! Thank you for spending so much time and effort in making the project a success! We will continue our study of ch. 3 as we look at immigration and the Ellis Island experience.  Our test is tentatively scheduled for Fri. 2/20. A study guide will be sent home.

*Math: We began our ch. 7 unit on Division concepts. We will focus on the skills of division as equal sharing and repeated subtraction. We will focus on the relationship between division and multiplication. The test will be on Thurs. 2/5. A practice test will be sent home Wed.

Our focus  for fast facts this week is 4's multiplication. Students must pass their 4's x  facts by Fri. 2-6. Thank you for keeping up the good work studying facts at home!

Thanks for checking in the blog this week!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 1/26

Odds and Ends: 

*Congrats to all students in doing a great job in our classroom spelling bee! Congrats to Cherlys and Sabrina will be advancing to the 3rd Grade level spelling bee on Wed. 1/28!

*Conferences: Spring conferences are made on an "as-needed" basis. A note will be sent home to your child is a conference is being requested. If you would like a conference and did not receive a note, please email me and we can set up a time to meet. Thank you!

*Six Flags Reading Sheets are due by 1/30.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 1/26: Culture Day
Math: Ch. 6 Test

*Tues. 1/27: Culture Day

*Wed. 1/28: Grade Level Spelling Bee

*Fri. 1/30: Spelling Test
Math: 3's multiplication Fast Fact Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK :

*Reading: We will continue to focus on our theme of tradition and culture as we compare and contrast stories about traditions. We will also focus on theme, main idea, and topic. We will learn about figurative language and explore poetry as well.

*English: We will begin a study of adjectives.

*Spelling: We will be back on our schedule for weekly spelling lists and assignments. Homework will be due Thurs. The test will be on Friday.

*Social Studies: We are all looking forward to learning more about each other during Culture Day. If your child wants to bring in food to share, please keep in mind the following:

1. They should share just a sample of the food item with each child (there tends to be a  lot of food and the students can get too full if the portions are too large)  

2. You MUST include a list of ingredients with the food items..no NUTS, please! 

3. If your food needs to stay warm or cold, please email me so we can make arrangements.  

Thank you! 

*Science: We are learning about how matter changes states. We are looking forward to our in class field trip on 2/3 about Matter!

*Math: We will have our ch. 6 test on Monday. A study test was sent home today to practice over the week.  We will begin ch. 7 Tues. as we begin to learn about division. The fact we are focusing on this week is 3's multiplication. Students must pass by Fri. 1/30.  Some students are working on 9's as well or have moved onto 4's, 6's, or 7's. Please ask your child what facts they should be focusing on!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 1/19

Odds and Ends: 

*Spelling Bee: A list of words will be available for your child to review as they prepare for our classroom spelling bee. We will have our first practice on Wed. 1/21 and are final class bee on Fri. 1/23. The winner and runner up from our classroom bee will advance to the grade level bee on Wed. 1/28. The winner and runner up from the grade level bee will advance to the district bee on 2/9.

*Matter Matters: Please send in your $7.50 to participate in our "in class" field trip from High Touch-High Tech as they enrich our unit on matter.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 1/19: No School: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday

*Wed. 1/21: First Class Spelling Bee

*Fri. 1/23: Final Class Spelling Bee
Prefix/Suffix Graded Review
Math: 9's multiplication timed test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will continue practicing our Daily 5 reading rotations as we learn about culture through a variety of texts. We are working on cause and effect and theme.

*English: We will begin our study of adjectives.

* Spelling: There is no spelling this week. We will finish up our unit on prefix and suffix.

* Social Studies: We will continue to learn about culture as we focus on immigration this week.
Don't forget to continue working on your Culture Day project and presentation. Your child is either presenting on Mon. 1/26 or Tues. 1/27.

*Science: We will continue our study of matter (ch.11). We will focus on states of matter and how matter changes states.

*Math: We will continue to work on ch. 6 as we learn about the Associative Property of Multiplication and apply our knowledge of facts with word problems. We will focus on 9's multiplication next week. The last day to pass 9's will be 1/23.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week 1/12

Odds and Ends:

*MAPs Testing: Due to the cold days, our new MAPs testing will be Reading Tues. and Math Thurs. Please have your child try out some of the MAPs practice games accessible through the district website. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 1/13: Reading MAPs

*Thurs.1 /15: Math MAPs

* Fri. 1/16: Early Dismissal

*Mon. 1/19: No School: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will work on our new essential question, "How does learning about cultures other than your own impact your thinking?". We will connect our learning in ELA to Social Studies as we study immigration and culture. We will be focusing on cause and effect as well.

* English: We will work on verbs and adjectives.

* Spelling: We will not have a list this week, as we continue to focus on prefix and suffix.

* Social Studies: We will work on ch. 3, culture and immigration. Your child received information today about our culture day presentations, which will take place on 1/26 and 1/27. Please fill out the idea sheet over the weekend and return it to school on Mon. 1/12. This is a fun and exciting activity that students and families have enjoyed working on together. It's a great way to include grandparents and other family members into the planning!

*Science: We will begin ch. 11: Matter.

*Math: We will continue to work on ch. 6, focusing on multiplication facts for 3, 4, and the distributive property. We will also work on 5's facts (new pass by date: Wed. 1/14) and also 10's facts.  Thank you for continuing to practice facts at home!

Stay warm this weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Happy Holidays from the Olsen's!

 From my home to yours, may your days be merry and filled with joy and love this holiday season and always! 

Merry Christmas....

And A Happy New Year!!!!

Declan: 9 months

Liam: 3 1/2 years old

Thank you all for the very generous and thougtful holiday gifts! I was so surprised and love the owl things! 

Thank you again!!!! I am so lucky!

Homework Update:

As we approach our winter break, we thought it would be a great idea to post a note about 3rd grade homework.  Although it varies by class, as a team we usually assign homework in at least one subject every day (less so on Fridays as we are mindful of busy weekends and time with family).  

Please know that additionally, the students are encouraged to read for 20 minutes each night and can always be writing daily in a journal.  These activities are optional for most classes, but will certainly help your student continue to work on their skills.  We will be sending home a list of writing prompts (with a self-editing checklist) to help get your student inspired to write as well as a Common Core aligned reading extension menus for students to use in conjunction with their "good-fit" books at home.  

Please know that homework is personal and what/how much your family can work on varies.  We as a team understand this and while we continue to send home "manageable" workloads for 3rd graders, you always have the option to extend with the aforementioned activity options.  Thanks for supporting your students and the efforts they put into their learning here at Prairieview School.  Have a wonderful winter break and Happy New Year!

The Third Grade Team

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Winter Break: See you next year on Jan 5, 2015!!

*Thurs. 1/8: MAPS Reading Test

AIMSWeb Benchmarking

*Tues. 1/13: MAPS Math Test 

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will continue our ELA unit #2 as we talk about culture and tradition. We will focus on two stories by Patricia Polacco to illustrate the idea of traditions being passed down through the generations. We will also be working on cause and effect and non fiction text features in our guided reading groups. 

* English: We will continue to focus on verbs. 

* Spelling: We will not have a spelling list. Instead we will focus on prefix, suffix, and base words.  There will be a packet of activities we will work on in class and at home and there will be a final test covering our studies to be announced. 

* Social Studies: We will begin ch. 3 as we study culture, tradition, and immigration. Your child will be doing a culture day presentation, sharing a part of their culture with the class. More information coming home on this, but it might be a good time to begin discussing culture and tradition with family during the holidays! Grandparents are usually a wealth of information!

*Science: We will begin our study of matter (Ch. 11). 

* Math: We will begin ch. 6: continuing to learn about multiplication facts. We will focus on 5's multiplication facts the week we return. Please see your child's math folder for a green multiplication facts packet. In the packet, the dates that your child needs to master a certain math fact set is listed. As soon as they pass one fact, they move onto the next. Thank you for your continued help with facts at home. Please be sure to have your child practice these over the next 2 weeks! They can use xtramath.org or the link listed in my blog for some fun, interactive games to practice facts. 

Have a happy, relaxing, safe, and fun holiday break! See you in 2015!!!!
Mrs. Olsen 

Grade Level PRIDE Awards

Congrats to Eric...Winner of the Improvement Award! 

Sharing our Christmas Around the World Posters: England

Germany

Mexico

Holland

USA

Sweden

Italy

Waiting for the movie to begin

Merry Christmas to all!!

Week of 12/15

Odds and Ends: 

*Food Drive: We will continue to collect food for the food drive next week. Thank you to those who have already donated to this great cause!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon 12/15: Bowling AM

*Tues. 12/16: Early Dismissal at 11:00 am
Math: Chapter 5 Test
Social Studies: Downers Grove and Chapter 12 Test

* Fri. 12/19: Pizza lunch in the classroom with Mr. Pagel
Tivoli Movie: Miracle on 34th Street

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We began our new ELA unit on cultures and traditions. We have been sharing some of our favorite holiday traditions.  When we return from break, we will continue this unit as we link it to our social studies unit on culture and immigration. Please spend some time over break talking abour your cultural background and traditions. This will help your child begin to prepare for our Culture Day Presenations that we will begin working on after  break.

*English: We will continue our study of verbs.

*Spelling: Due to the different schedule next week, we will not have any spelling list.

*Social Studies: We are wrapping up our unit on local government and Downers Grove. The students will be able to use their Downers Grove packets.  A study guide and vocabulary words to know were sent home this week. The test will be Thurs. 12/18. We will begin a unit on immigration and culture when we return from break.

*Science: We are busy working hard on our weather explanatory papers. They are turning out awesome! We will continue to finish these next week. We will begin a unit on Matter when we return from break.

*Math: The students are learning the facts for 0,1,2, 5, and 9's this week. We are done with our subtraction fast facts, unless your child needs to retake it next week. We will focus on multiplication facts next week, beginning with the 2's. Once your child passes 2's, they will work on the 5's.  They will have all of next week to work on the 2's. 5's will begin the week following break.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 12/8

Odds and Ends:

*Winter Wear Drive: Please consider sending in new or gently used coats and winter gear (hats, mittens, boots, gloves, scarves) to be given to students in Chicago who need our help staying warm this winter. Drive ends 12/10.

*Food Drive: We are collecting non-perishable food goods to help those in need this holiday season. Thanks for your help!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Fri. 12/12: Spelling: Test List 12

*Mon. 12/15: Bowling Field Trip AM

*Tues. 12/16: Early Dismissal

*Fri. 12/19: Pizza lunch with Mr. Pagel (for being a top selling classroom for the coupon books)
Holiday Movie at the Tivoli in the PM

*Fri. 12/19: Winter break begins. See you in 2015!

Pictures from our Downers Grove Field Trip:

At the Blodgett House and Museum

At Pierce Downers Home

 A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

 *Reading: We will begin our next unit in ELA that takes a look at culture and traditions.

* English: We will work on verbs.

*Spelling: This week we will focus on list 12.  There will be no spelling next week due to the different schedule.

*Social Studies: We will continue our study of local government (ch. 12) and modern day Downers Grove. Thank you to Mrs. Edie, Mr. Guisinger, Mrs. Pangallo, Mrs. John, and Mrs. Miranda for chaperoning our field trip to Downers Grove. It was an educational and fun filled day for all!

*Science: We will focus on our explanatory/informative paper on weather this week. We will be using our Google Classroom accounts, so your child will have the opportunity to work on their paper at home on the computer.

We are still collecting change for water.org.

* Math: We will begin ch. 5 this week. We will focus on multiplication facts for 2, 5, 0, 1, 9, and 10. We will test out of this chapter next week before we go on break. We will also finish subtraction facts timed tests this week. If your child does not pass by Friday, they will retake next week. Each retake is a one point deduction (from 10 points). We will begin testing multiplication facts next week and after break, beginning with 0, 1, 2, and 5's.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Olsen