Week of 2/29/16 - 3/4/16

March begins next week! Hopefully, we'll continue to see some spring-like weather. It is also the end of our 2nd Trimester. Be sure to check your child's grades at the end of the week through ParentConnect.

Prairieview is celebrating "Kindness Week" this week. Students will be performing random acts of kindness! : )

Parent Volunteer Still Needed: Is there a parent who would be interested in helping sort and classify our classroom story books? A few weeks ago, all 3rd Graders were assessed to find their Fountas and Pinnell (F&P) reading level. We need to update our classroom story books with "level" stickers to show each book's F&P level. If you would like to help for one morning or one afternoon each week, we would greatly appreciate it! I'll show you how to look up the book F&P level online and mark each book. Email me if you are interested.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Ella took IVAN home this past week and spent 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:  New Spelling Lists will be sent home on Monday. Test #11 and the homework menu (6 activities) are due/will be on Friday 3/11/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. Students will be researching and, later, presenting a Culture Day Project. A letter explaining the details will be sent home on Monday. The students will take part in an independent study project that incorporates not only textual learning, but also their technological and presentation skills. Each student will be asked to select a country to which they have family ancestry or a personal connection. Please help your child with this. They should select their "country to research" by Wednesday 3/2/16. Thank you for your help! 

In our Daily 5 Stations, students are finishing their Mystery genre books (please keep them at school during the week), practicing spelling word work, identifying verbs, and writing an argumentative/persuasive piece.

Keep reading 20 minutes! February Reading Logs are due Tuesday, March 1st.

Social Science:  We are continuing our Chicago Unit. We'll focus on the early history of Chicago.

Connecting to our Culture and Traditions Unit, we are reading about how America is a nation of immigrants. There will be an open-book quiz on Chapter 3, Lesson 3 towards the end of the week.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   

We're beginning Unit 6 "Geometry". In this unit, your child will describe and classify 2-dimensional shapes (especially quadrilaterals), calculate area and perimeter, and represent fractions as parts of a whole shape.

Our x8 multiplication test will be Thursday, 3/3/16. The students will have the x8 practice worksheet for homework this week. Practicing with x8 flashcards is a fantastic idea, too! Your child can make their own!

IMPORTANT DATES:

3/4 - No School (Teacher Institute Day)
3/15 - No School (Election Day)
3/25 - No School (Non-Attendance Day)
3/28 - No School (Spring Break begins)
4/4 - Classes Resume

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 2/22/16 - 2/26/16

Parent Volunteer Needed: Is there a parent who would be interested in helping sort and classify our classroom library of books? A few weeks ago, all 3rd Graders were assessed to find their Fountas and Pinnell (F&P) reading level. We need to update our classroom library with "level" stickers to show each book's F&P level. If you would like to help for one morning or one afternoon each week, we would greatly appreciate it! I'll show you how to look up the book F&P level online and mark each book. Email me if you are interested.

"IVAN the Gorilla" Student: Daniela took IVAN home this past week and spent 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 #10 and the homework menu (6 activities) are due/will be on Friday 2/26/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We've read What If You Had Animal Teeth? and The Matchbox Diary. In our Daily 5 Stations, students are reading their Mystery genre books (please keep them at school during the week), practicing spelling word work, identifying verbs, and writing an argumentative/persuasive piece.

Keep reading 20 minutes! February Reading Logs are due March 1st.

Social Science:  We are studying our Chicago Unit. We'll focus on Chicago neighborhoods and famous landmarks.
In addition, we'll be talking about culture and immigration which ties into the neighborhoods.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   
Thank you to those parents who came in for a math conference with Mrs. Forsman and myself. We enjoyed getting to know you!

We're working on Unit 5 "Multiplication, Division, and Area". Our Unit 5 Test will be on Thursday, 2/25/16. The Study Guide Practice Test (with answers) was sent home so that our students can practice. Ask your child to see it. 

Our x4 multiplication test will be Friday, 2/26/16. The students will have the x4 practice worksheet for homework this week. Practicing with x4 flashcards is a fantastic idea, too! Your child can make their own!


IMPORTANT DATES:

3/4 - No School (Teacher Institute Day)
3/15 - No School (Election Day)
3/25 - No School (Non-Attendance Day)
3/28 - No School (Spring Break begins)
4/4 - Classes Resume

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 2/15/16 - 2/19/16

We had a fun Valentine's Day class party! Thank you so much to our class parents who helped and donated their time and supplies to our party: Ella's mom, Michael's mom, Nedas' mom, Jokubas' mom, Alana's mom, and Sam's mom!!!

Student of the Week: Eli 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: Brennan took IVAN home this past week and spent 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:  The new Spelling List #10 and the homework menu (6 activities) will be sent home this week. They are due/test in 2 weeks on Friday 2/26/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're reading What If You Had Animal Teeth? and write an argumentative writing piece.

In our Daily 5 Stations, students are reading their Mystery genre books (please keep them at school during the week), practicing spelling word work, identifying verbs, and listening to reading with TumbleBooks online.

Social Science:  We are finishing up the study of Matter. The final Chapter 11 Test (not open-book, covers Lessons 1, 2, 3) is Tuesday 2/16/16.

Back to Social Studies, we start studying our Chicago Unit! We'll focus on "What is Chicago?" and the significance of the Chicago flag.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We're working on Unit 5 "Multiplication, Division, and Area". This week we'll focus on division. There will be a short checkpoint quiz on Thursday.
The Unit 5 Summary sheet was sent home. 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:

2/15 - No School (President's Day)
3/4 - No School (Teacher Institute Day)
3/15 - No School (Election Day)

Have a great long weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 2/8/16 - 2/11/16

Happy 100 Days of School! The year is going by so quickly. We enjoyed some fun "100th Day" activities. Ask your child to show you their pictures on Google Classroom.



Looking ahead to our Valentine's Day class party on 2/11/16...If your child would like to bring in Valentines to give their classmates, we have 18 total students in our class (9 girls and 9 boys). Have your child sign their name on each one, but don't write it "TO:" anyone. We will have festive bags on each student's desk and your child can drop a valentine into each bag. Your child can bring in their Valentine's any time this week.

Student of the Week: Alexa 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: Daisy took IVAN home this past week and spent 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 #9 and the homework menu (6 activities) are due/on Thursday 2/11/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're reading The Year of the Dog and recognizing Chinese New Year on Monday (2/8/16). We made traditional "Good Luck" banners. Students are finishing up a personal narrative writing piece on a family tradition and we're hanging them up in our classroom like paper quilt.

In our Daily 5 Stations, students are reading their Mystery genre books (please keep them at school during the week), practicing spelling word work, and listening to reading with TumbleBooks online. We will begin an argumentative writing piece this week.

We've got International Pen Pals!!! Expanding on our Culture and Traditions Unit, we've partnered up with Ms. Wyse (our Elementary Music Teacher) and her students. As you may know, Ms. Wyse took this year to teach at an international school in Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates. Each 3rd grader at Prairieview has been given a pen pal from Ms. Wyse's 3rd grade classes. Students are learning about each other's cultures and traditions using a set lists of question prompts. They are "sharing" this document using Google Drive with their Pen Pal. We, teachers, are also "shared" on these documents so we can monitor the information. Ask your child about it!

Social Science:  We are finishing up the study of Matter. We will review Chapter 11, Lesson 3 and then take the open-book quiz on Tuesday 2/9/16. I will post the Quiz Study Information on Google Classroom/Homeroom. The final Chapter 11 Test (not open-book, covers Lessons 1, 2, 3) will be the following week.

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We're working on Unit 5 "Multiplication, Division, and Area". This week we'll focus on multiplication and division story problems. There will be a short checkpoint quiz on Tuesday.
The Unit 5 Summary sheet was sent home. 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:

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)
3/4 - No School (Teacher Institute Day)
3/15 - No School (Election Day)

Have a great weekend!
- Mrs. Lopez

Week of 2/1/16 - 2/5/16

We had our Science "Matter Matters" in-school field trip. It was fun! We learned all about the physical and chemical changes of matter with tons on hands-on experiments.

Looking ahead to our Valentine's Day class party on 2/11/16...If your child would like to bring in Valentines to give their classmates, we have 18 total students in our class (9 girls and 9 boys). Have your child sign their name on each one, but don't write it "TO:" anyone. We will have festive bags on each student's desk and your child can drop a valentine into each bag.

Student of the Week: Jack 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: Michael took IVAN home this past week and spent 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:  Spelling Test #8 and homework is due/on Monday 2/1/16. New spelling words and homework menu (6 activities) will be coming home on Tuesday 2/2/16.

Reading & Language Arts:  We’re continuing our Culture and Traditions Unit. We're reading The Year of the Dog and Throw Your Tooth on the Roof.

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.

Read to Succeed record sheets for a free Six Flags Great America ticket are due on Monday, 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:  The open-book quiz on Chapter 11, Lesson 2 "What Are States of Matter" is Monday 2/1/16. Then we begin the last lesson in Chapter 11, "How does Matter Change?"

Mrs. Lopez & Mrs. Forsman's Math Class:   We're working on Unit 5 "Multiplication, Division, and Area". This week we'll focus on multiplication and division story problems.
The Unit 5 Summary sheet was sent home. 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:

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 1/25/16 - 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