May 4th

We will not have resources this week. Remember that Wednesday is early release and Friday afternoon from 1:00 - 2:15 is Field Day. Please bring water with your name on it!!!

This week is BSE Multicultural Arts Week! Our students will have many unique opportunities to experience and learn about other cultures. On Tuesday and Wednesday, artists and musicians from the Jacksonville area will visit our school to share their talents. Some programs we will see... bagpipe players, a Spanish guitarist and Spanish dancers, and Riverside Artists. On Friday, we will see the BSE Chorus perform their spring program, World of Music!

In our classrooms, we will learn about about two countries, Panama and Germany.

PANAMA: 

Students will learn about where Panama is located, which countries border Panama, why Panama is important, the construction of the Panama Canal, some of the Spanish language, and will also sample some food from Panama.

We will also create molas... brightly colored applique panels made only in the San Blas region of Panama by the Kuna Indians.

GERMANY:

 Students will learn about the geography of Germany, the culture of Germany, how Germany has influenced the United States, and how to say the German alphabet and some common German words.

After learning about the many castles of Germany, we will recreate our own versions of Swiss-German painter Paul Klee's, Castle and Sun. 

READING: We will continue to read our novel, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This week, we will read chapter 22. We will revisit the Socratic Seminar. The Socratic Seminar is when students discuss questions that are very broad and open ended. Students dig into the novel for evidence that supports their opinions and thoughts. 4 questions will be given to students and they will write down talking points to prepare for the discussion. 

WRITING: We have started a short unit: informational writing. We will be using biographies as the main source of information. Instead of writing long reports about the entire life of a famous person, we are focusing only on the childhood. Students brainstormed a great list of questions to look at the childhood of a well-known person in depth. It included :

• Where did this person come from? family, date and place of birth, poor or wealthy
• What obstacles did this person overcome during childhood?
• Were there any people or experiences this person had contact with that caused them to follow a certain path?
• Did this person achieve something related to his/her later success in life?

We read about Susan B. Anthony and Milton Hershey and looked for information that addressed these questions. Hopefully, this week, we will choose our biographies and get started!

MATH:

Math Focus Points:

• Solving subtraction problems that involve comparison, removal or finding a missing part
• Subtracting 3-digit numbers by using strategies that involve either subtracting one number in parts, adding up, or subtracting back
•  Representing solutions to subtraction problems with number lines, 1,000 charts, and/or story contexts

Math Homework:

Unit 8, p. 51-52

Unit 8, p. 53

Unit 8, p. 59

Unit 8, p. 66

SCIENCE:

This week in Science we will begin discussing how living things are classified.

April 27th

We had a great week and learned many things about our environment and how our choices affect it on Earth Day. After researching, we wrote about specific actions and why they are positive for our Earth!

Resources this week:
Monday: Music... Bring your recorder!
Wednesday: Early Release
Thursday: PE
Friday: Art

• Tuesday night is TCBY Spirit Night from 3 - 8 PM. 
• May 5th and 6th: Multicultural Days
• Muffins with Mom will be Friday, May 8th beginning at 7:30 AM in the cafeteria.
• May 8th: 3rd grade Play Day 
• Bounce and Boogie Night will be also be on Friday, May 8th from 6 - 8 PM. Tickets will be $3 per child. 

Invention Convention: May 22, 2015 It's not too late to register. If you are interested and have misplaced the form, please send a note in the planner and we will be happy to send home the information packet. The Invention Convention is a special kind of science fair designed to promote problem solving and creative thinking skills. 

READING:
Last week, we took a break from Edward Tulane and read articles from several sources about a historical landmark in Indiana, the Levi Coffin House. This was a legendary station on the Underground Railroad. We read the articles closely, discussed student chosen vocabulary, confirmed similar information, and compared information that was specific to each article. We used text to trace routes on maps and see how escaped slaves traveled to freedom. We then created brochures for the Levi Cotton House using new information. This was a great way to combine reading and social studies.

This week, we will look at standards
RL.1.1:Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers
RL.1.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Now that we are in the latter part of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, we see a definite and gradual change in the main character. We will be creating books that show his change from arrogant to loving based on direct evidence from the novel.

Please continue to read at home, complete Achieve lessons, and record on your RAH logs!!!

SOCIAL STUDIES:  As we talked about the continents and oceans on Earth Day, we discovered that we need to brush up on the specific names and locations. This week, we will have short homework reviews of the 7 continents and 5 major oceans. There will be a quiz on Friday.

MATH:
* Combining hundreds to numbers above 1,000
* Subtracting from multiples of 100
* Adding multiples of 10 and 100 to, and subtracting them from, 3 digit numbers
* Estimating answers to subtraction problems with 3-digit numbers

Math Homework:
Unit 8 Solving Subtraction Problems
Unit 8 Solving Addition Problems
Unit 8 Solving Addition and Subtraction Problems

SCIENCE:
This week in Science we will be discussing how plants use their roots and stems to grow.

April 20th

Another reminder about our awards ceremony for the third 9 weeks. It was moved to this Friday at 8:45 AM.

Report cards went home Friday. Please return the small signature section of the report card in the unsealed envelope. Thank you!

Resources this week:
Monday: Music
Wednesday: PE
Thursday: Art

READING: Please remember to read regularly at home and record your reading or Achieve lesson on your RAH log. Your logs are due each Friday.

As we continue to read our novel, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, we will stop to note examples of the 3 signposts we have learned about the past few weeks. Below are the charts from our classroom which explain each one. These signposts are great talking points for at home reading!

Since Wednesday is Earth Day, we will read a great book, Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. We will do several activities related to environmental issues and what we can do to help make our planet a better place.

 

WRITING: We are continuing to document how each character in our novel is impacted by Edward to prepare for our opinion letter writing.

MATH: This week in Math we will be focusing on identifying equivalent fractions and decimals for values involving halves and fourths (e.g., ½ = 0.50, ¼ = 0.25, 2 ½ = 2.5).  The students will be reading, writing, and interpreting the meaning of the decimal numbers 0.50, 0.25, and numbers greater than 1 with these decimal portions, such as 2.5 and 2.25.

Math Homework –

Unit 7 page 30

Unit 7 page 37

Unit 7 page 39

SCIENCE: This week in Science we will continue learning about plant structures and their functions.

Week of April 13th

AWARDS have been moved to April 24th at 8:45 AM.

This week...
Monday: MUSIC
Wednesday: PE
Thursday: ART
Friday: Report Cards

Please check the Lost and Found in the front office for missing items. There are two large boxes filled with jackets, lunch boxes, etc. Everything will be donated after April 17th.

READING:  This week we will learn about and focus on our second reading signpost: the aha moment! This is when a character realizes something important which will probably change his actions in some way. As we read and discover an "aha moment", we need to STOP and ask ourselves, "How might this change things in this story?". If a character figures out a problem, then this helps us understand the conflict. If a character understands a life lesson, then this helps us determine the theme of the story.

WRITING:  We will begin a new writing genre... Opinion Letter Writing. Eventually we will be writing a letter to Kate DiCamillo. Our letters will focus on persuading Kate DiCamillo to pick one character we think Edward had the biggest impact on in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. We will begin by creating a chart focused on the relationships Edward had with the other major characters.

MATH: This week we will be reviewing strategies for solving perimeter and area word problems. Students will be exploring the difference between area and perimeter and will write explanations of how to solve area and perimeter problems.

Example:  Farmer Brown needs to build his cow a new and bigger pen.  The pen is a square with each side being 9 ft.  What is the perimeter of the new pen?

                         

                                                               

Homework:

Module 7 Lesson 20

Module 7 Lesson 21

Module 7 Lesson 23

Module 7 Lesson 28

Week of April 6th

Resources This Week:
Tuesday: PE and Computer
Wednesday: Early Release
Thursday: ART and Media for Kluge Computer
Friday: Media for Cox

Field Day T-shirt Order Forms are due this Friday, April 10. Please send in your form and payment if you choose to purchase one! Print the form below if you have misplaced it!

Reading: 

We will be back to our regular homework routine this week. Please see the tabs above for the spelling and vocabulary words.

We will be continuing to read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Over the next several weeks, I will be introducing features in text that help us understand character development, internal conflict, and theme. These particular features are called "signposts". 

The first signpost we will work with is CONTRASTS AND CONTRADICTIONS.

For example: If we read about a character who loves to play ball, then one day he stops; that is a contrast/ contradiction of how he usually behaves. It is like a “red flag” to us saying the author is getting ready to reveal something important about that character. We would continue reading to find out what is changing his behavior.

Writing: We will begin a new writing genre... Opinion Letter Writing. Eventually we will be writing a letter to Kate DiCamillo. Our letters will focus on persuading Kate DiCamillo to pick one character we think Edward had the biggest impact on in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. We will begin by creating a chart focused on the relationships Edward had with the other major characters.

Math: This week in Math we will be reviewing solving problems by estimating sums.  Using place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.  The students will be checking their answers for reasonable results and explaining their solutions.

Homework:

Practice 2-6

Practice 2-7

Practice 2-8

Practice 2-9

Science:  This week in Science we will begin learning about plant structures and their functions. 

March 30th

As you know, we will continue our Florida Standards Assessments this week for math. To ensure you do your best, we ask the following...

• Get a great night of sleep.  Zzzzzz...
• Eat a good breakfast. Yummmmm!
• Come to school on time. 
• Wear comfy clothes.

Last week, you should have received a yellow form to sign up for our BSE Multicultural Arts Fair on May 5th. Please consider sharing your native country and/or culture with our students. Please return the form on or before April 1st!

Our schedule this week:

Monday: music

Tuesday: Math FSA session 2

Wednesday: Math FSA session 2

Thursday: No School

Friday: No School

Week of March 23

Welcome back from Spring Break! 

We hope you all had time to relax 

and enjoy your families!

As you know, we will begin our Florida Standards Assessments this week. To ensure you do your best, we ask the following...

• Get a great night of sleep.  Zzzzzz...
• Eat a good breakfast. Yummmmm!
• Come to school on time. 
• Wear comfy clothes. 

This week:

Monday: ART
Tuesday: Florida Standards Assessment Pep Rally
Wednesday: Early Release
Thursday: FSA READING Session 1
Friday: FSA READING Session 2