Week of 1/25/16 - 1/29/16

The 3rd Grade Spelling Bee will be Wednesday, January 27th, 2016. Alexa and Nedas will be representing our class! Each were given lists of words to look over, however these words are for practice only. These words may or may not be part of the Spelling Bee.

Student of the Week: Daniela is our "Star Student" this week. She will be sharing a poster about herself and her favorite things. We can't wait for her to share! : ) When your child is "Star Student", they will bring home a poster to complete. They can also pick a day to bring in a show-and-tell. We pick a student's name every Thursday.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Michael will be taking IVAN home this coming week and spend some time with him. He will write in IVAN's journal how they spent the week together, add a photo or drawing, and share their experiences with the class. IVAN is from the book The One and Only Ivan. It is the true story of a silverback gorilla (told from his point-of-view) who lived most of his life in captivity. We will be reading this book during the 3rd trimester of school.

COMING UP:

Spelling:  Keep practicing your words at night. I'm pushing back the Spelling due date to Monday since we have our "Matter Matters" in-school field trip Friday afternoon. The 6 homework activities "menu" and Spelling Test #8 will be due/on Monday, 2/1/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're finishing up with The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco.  

Our next book genre is Mysteries. Students are currently selecting "good fit" mystery books. Instead of the independent reading contract, they will be completing a book report in class. I will be explaining this project to them this week.

Read to Succeed record sheets for a free Six Flags Great America ticket are due on or before February 1st. Participation is optional.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The January Reading Log will be due on Tuesday, February 2nd. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:  We are starting Chapter 11, Lesson 2 "What Are States of Matter". The students are already familiar with the vocabulary words: solid, liquid, gas, evaporation, and condensation (from our Water Cycle lesson) so we may be able to finish this lesson in a week. : )

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We’re finishing up Unit 4. The Unit 4 Test will be Tuesday, 1/26/16. We will review as a class on Monday. We'll then begin Unit 5 "Multiplication, Division, and Area".
Watch for a Unit 5 Summary explaining the topics of Unit 5 in more detail. We hope this resources will better communicate the concepts. We will send these Unit overviews home with your child when we begin new math units.




IMPORTANT DATES:

1/29 - "Matter Matters" in-house Field Trip for Lopez, Pellin & Zurales
2/1 - PBIS No-Sew Fleece Blanket Event (6:30pm-8:00pm PV Multi-Purpose Room)

2/3 - Early Dismissal (Prairieview at 11:35am)
2/11 - District Spelling Bee
2/11 - Valentine's Classroom Parties, we have 18 students (1:40pm-2:25pm)
2/12 & 2/15 - No School (conferences & President's Day)

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 1/18/16 - 1/22/16

We are finished with our Winter MAP Testing! We will take one more round in the spring.

The District Spelling Bee will be coming up February 11, 2016 for Grades 3-8. We will be practicing the Spelling Bee process in our classrooms this week and hold our "Class Bee" to determine a winner & runner up to compete in the 3rd Grade level. There is no studying for this entry level. More information for the District Bee coming soon.

Student of the Week: Brennan is our "Star Student" this week. He will be sharing a poster about himself and his favorite things. We can't wait for him to share! : ) When your child is "Star Student", they will bring home a poster to complete. They can also pick a day to bring in a show-and-tell. We pick a student's name every Thursday.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Nedas got to take IVAN home and spend some time with him. He will write in IVAN's journal how they spent the week together, add a photo or drawing, and share their experiences with the class. IVAN is from the book The One and Only Ivan. It is the true story of a silverback gorilla (told from his point-of-view) who lived most of his life in captivity. We will be reading this book during the 3rd trimester of school.

COMING UP:

Spelling:  Students are receiving new lists this week. I'm so proud of our class because, based on the latest progress check, our students have improved their spelling skills. Therefore, you may see slightly more challenging word lists come home. Test #8 and the 6 homework activities "menu" will be due on Friday, 1/29/16. 

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're finishing up with The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco.  We will introduce another story by Polacco, When Lightening Comes in a Jar.

Our next book genre is Mysteries. Students are currently selecting "good fit" mystery books. Instead of the independent reading contract, they will be completing a book report in class. I will be explaining this project to them this week.

Read to Succeed record sheets for a free Six Flags Great America ticket are due on or before February 1st. Participation is optional.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The January Reading Log will be due on Tuesday, February 2nd. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:  We are continuing Chapter 11 in our Science textbooks learning about Properties of Matter. We will review Lesson 1 this week and take the Lesson 1 open-book quiz on Thursday 1/21/16.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We’re continuing Unit 4, focusing this week on fractions.  At this point, it looks like our Unit 4 Test will be Tuesday, 1/26/16.
We sent home a Unit 4 Summary explaining the topics of Unit 4 in more detail. We hope this resources will better communicate the concepts. We will send these Unit overviews home with your child when we begin new math units.


IMPORTANT DATES:

1/18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (No School)
1/22 - "Matter Matters" in-house Field Trip $7.50 due
1/29 - "Matter Matters" in-house Field Trip for Lopez, Pellin & Zurales

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 1/11/16 - 1/15/16

Happy New Year!  I hope you all enjoyed the 2-week Winter Break! Please make sure your child is coming to school with warm clothing for recess.  They may bring snow pants and snow boots for outside play.  I've also noticed that the children's school supplies are starting to dwindle. Please ask your child what he/she needs to replenish as we start a new year together. Thank you!

MAP testing is next week; Tuesday is reading and Wednesday is math. Please make sure your child gets a good breakfast and brings a healthy snack to school. Also, a good night’s sleep is a must!!

Student of the Week: Sam is our "Star Student" this week. He will be sharing a poster about himself and his favorite things. We can't wait for him to share! : ) When your child is "Star Student", they will bring home a poster to complete. They can also pick a day to bring in a show-and-tell. We pick a student's name every Thursday.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Alana got to take IVAN home and spend some time with him. She will write in IVAN's journal how they spent the week together, add a photo or drawing, and share their experiences with the class. IVAN is from the book The One and Only Ivan. It is the true story of a silverback gorilla (told from his point-of-view) who lived most of his life in captivity. We will be reading this book during the 3rd trimester of school.

COMING UP:

Spelling:  Spelling Test #7 and the 6 homework activities "menu" will be due on Friday, 1/15/16. 

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're finishing up with The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco.  A vocabulary quiz (words from the story) will take place on Thursday.  The students are making vocabulary study slides on Google Classroom: Homeroom (using their Chromebooks.)  

The Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction is due Monday 1/11/16. Almost all of the students have already turned it in. Also bring back the borrowed non-fiction book on that day. Our next book genre will be Mysteries, but we're taking a little break before starting it.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The January Reading Log will be due on Tuesday, February 2nd. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:  We are reading Chapter 11 in our Science textbooks learning about Properties of Matter. Project instructions where sent home for the Physical Properties of Matter Poster that we will be making in class. Students need to search for small objects (pieces of matter) around their home that they could glue or tape to a poster showing the 5 Senses (see, hear, smell, taste, and touch). These 5 matter objects should fit in a ziplock bag and students should have them at school by Tuesday, 1/12/16. We will provide the poster paper for them in class & will make the posters on Tuesday. The objects will be returned home after the project is finished.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We’re continuing Unit 4, focusing this week on multi-step problems, unit fractions, and comparing and ordering fractions.  There will be a measurement checkpoint on Tuesday, 1/12/16.


IMPORTANT DATES:

1/11 - Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction DUE

1/12 - Reading MAP test

1/13 - Math MAP test

1/15 - Early Dismissal (11:35am Prairieview)

1/18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (No School)

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 1/4/16 - 1/8/16

Have a happy and safe holiday with your family! I'll see you in 2016!  Please make sure your child is coming to school with warm clothing for recess.  Gloves and a hat are a must!!   I've also noticed that the children's school supplies are starting to dwindle.  Please ask your child what he/she needs to replenish as we start a new year together.   Thank you!

Student of the Week: We will pick a new student Thursday, January 7th.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: We will pick a new student on Tuesday, January 5th.

COMING UP THE WEEK AFTER WINTER BREAK:

Spelling:  New list #7 coming home on Monday, 1/4/16. Spelling Test #7 and the new homework activities "menu" will be due on Friday, 1/15/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're close-reading The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco.  

Your child is working on the Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction. I've moved the due date back 1 week and lessened the activities (column 1= 4 activities, column 2 = 1 activity, column 3 = 1 activity, column 4 = 1 activity). Your child can show you if you have questions. They will have time in class to work on it when we get back to school. 

The packet and attachments are due Monday January 11th. Also bring back the borrowed non-fiction book on that day.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The December Reading Log will be due on Monday, January 4th. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:  We are reading Chapter 11 in our Science textbooks learning about Properties of Matter.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:  We're continuing Unit 4, focusing on mass, liquid volume, and measurement.  There will be a short "Telling Time" checkpoint quiz on Tuesday the 5th.

IMPORTANT DATES:

12/21 - Winter Break begins!

1/4 - School Resumes 2016

1/4 -  December Reading Log are DUE

1/11 - Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction DUE
1/15 - Early Dismissal (11:35am Prairieview)

1/18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (No School)

Have a Happy Holiday!

- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 12/14/15 - 12/18/15

 Our last week until Winter Break! We have a fun week coming up. 3rd Graders will be bowling for free at Brunswick Zone this Thursday as an extension of their PE Bowling Unit.
If you're child wants a snack at the bowling alley, they may bring $5 (which they will hold themselves). There will be a pizza deal for $3.25 (2 slices of cheese pizza & a 16 oz. drink).
We have made note of the children's bowling shoe sizes, however if Brunswick runs out, the children may wear their gym shoes. *Please have your child wear gym shoes on bowling day. Since 3rd Grade bowls in the morning, we will be back to school by lunchtime (so your child will still eat lunch).

On Friday, we will be taking a whole-school field trip to the Ogden 6 movie theater to see the 1982 family, sci-fi film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". We will eat lunch at school before we go. There will be no food provided at the theater.

Student of the Week: Daisy is our "Star Student" this week. She will be sharing a poster about herself and her favorite things. We can't wait for her to share! : ) When your child is "Star Student", they will bring home a poster to complete. They can also pick a day to bring in a show-and-tell. We pick a student's name every Thursday.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Aaqil and Oscar have both gotten to take IVAN home and spend some time with him. They write in IVAN's journal how they spent the week together, add a photo or drawing, and share their experiences with the class. IVAN is from the book The One and Only Ivan. It is the true story of a silverback gorilla (told from his point-of-view) who lived most of his life in captivity. We will be reading this book during the 3rd trimester of school.

COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Spelling:  We are taking a fun, holiday-themed Spelling Test this week. The students will take a pre-test on Monday 12/14 and a final test on Thursday 12/17. Homework is: put the words in ABC order on a sheet of notebook paper due by Wednesday 12/16.

If they get the pre-test all correct or get 1 wrong on the pre-test, they don't have to take the test on Thursday. : )

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're close-reading The Night Before Christmas and doing a Christmas around the world project.

Each student is presenting/performing their Biography Person Presentation this week. Students should bring in their artifacts/dress up pieces on Monday, December 14th. They will keep them at school until their presentation. I'm hoping we're done by Wednesday. : )

Your child is working on the Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction. They may take their book home over Winter Break and complete the contract activities packet. The packet and attachments are due Monday January 4th. Also bring back the borrowed non-fiction book on that day.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The December Reading Log will be due on Monday, January 4th. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:  We are reading Chapter 12 in our Social Studies textbooks learning about Local Governments and Communities.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:  Completed Unit 3 Tests will be sent home and students have the option to correct problems with errors for 1/2 points. These corrections will be due by Wednesday 12/16.

We're continuing Unit 4, focusing on time and measurement. There will only be 3 days of math this week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

WIN (Whatever I Need/Literacy) Class: Congratulations to my 1st Trimester WIN Class! We won the Flocabulary.com: Week in Rap Jr. Contest!!!!! You all submitted thoughtful statements about "Why Human Rights are Important" earning us a Shout-Out for our school on their website on January 8th. I'm so proud of you and have enjoyed working with each and every one of you. I encourage you to keep using all of the vocabulary words we learned this first trimester in writing and conversation.  : )

IMPORTANT DATES:

12/15 - Early Dismissal (11:35am Prairieview)

12/17 - 3rd Grade Bowling Trip to Brunswick Zone

12/18 - Prairieview Holiday Movie "ET" at Ogden 6 Theater

12/21 - Winter Break begins!

1/4 - School Resumes

1/4 - Independent Reading Contract #4/Non-Fiction AND 

         December Reading Log are DUE

1/15 - Early Dismissal (11:35am Prairieview)

1/18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (No School)

Have a Happy Holiday!

- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 12/7/15 - 12/11/15

ODDS & ENDS:

Only 2 more weeks until Winter Break! Our class is excited to celebrate the holidays and ring in the new year.

Student of the Week: Natalie is our "Star Student" this week. She will be sharing a poster about herself and her favorite things. We can't wait for her to share! : ) When your child is "Star Student", they will bring home a poster to complete. They can also pick a day to bring in a show-and-tell. We pick a student's name every Thursday.

COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Spelling:   Spelling Test #6 and the new homework activities "menu" will be due on Friday, 12/11.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’ve started our next unit of study on culture and traditions. We’ve listened to, close read, and watched “Circle of Life” from The Lion King and raised a lot of interesting discussion.  We’re starting a new read aloud book which goes along with this unit entitled The Year of the Dog.  In the coming weeks, we’ll also be close reading The Night Before Christmas and doing a Christmas around the world project.

Each student is working on their Biography Person Presentation, using facts about their person and preparing to perform for the class beginning the week of December 14th.

Keep reading for 20 minutes a night! The December Reading Log will be due on Monday, January 4th. Completed reading logs are worth 10 points!

Social Science:   We are taking the Modern Day Downers Grove quiz on Tuesday, 12/8. A study guide was sent home. If the students write down notes while studying for the quiz, they may use their notes for the quiz. : ) They may not use their Modern Day Downers Grove packet for the quiz.
Next, we will learn about Local Government.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:  We’ll finish Unit 3 this week.  The test will be on Wednesday, 12/9.  The students brought home a pre-assessment/study guide to complete at home.  Monday, I will send home the answer key so they may check their responses.  I’m hoping this will help get them ready for Wednesday’s test since it is in the exact same format.

IMPORTANT DATES:

12/15 - Early Dismissal (11:35am Prairieview)

12/17 - 3rd Grade Bowling Trip to Brunswick Zone

12/18 - Last school day before Winter Break

Have a wonderful weekend!

- Mrs. Lopez