Weekly Updates 2/29-3/4

NEWS/EVENTS

• This week (and next) parent teacher conferences will take place. If you arrive early to your conference, please take the green NYC schools survey, fill it out, and seal it. You can return this to me, and I will submit all sealed envelopes to the office to be mailed. PS 11 is shooting for a 100% participation rate, and your help with this is very much appreciated. If we have already met, I will send this home with your child.
• Next Friday March 11th is Family Friday- Our theme is poetry.
• On Wednesday March 9th there is a Curriculum Connection from 8:45-9:30 about the state exam.
• Our March Newsletter was emailed to all families yesterday. Please reach out to me if you did not receive it.

HOMEWORK

Word Study

Humble: Sort 9

Determined: Sort 33

Ambitious: Sort 32

Monday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, write words in word study notebook, math group HW

Tuesday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, pick a word study menu options, math group HW

Wednesday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, word study practice page (goes with sort in purple book), math group homework

Thursday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, glue words in purple workbook, study for spelling test

Friday: Reading response, math group HW

CURRICULUM

Reading- We are wrapping up our two week mini unit on mystery book clubs. This week we are piecing together evidence and clues to solve the mystery, and considering suspect motivations. Towards the end of the week we will think about lessons learned.

Writing- This week we are also wrapping up a two week poetry writing unit. After generating possible topics for poems we are spending the next days revising using a range of strategies to add depth to our work, such as weaving in figurative language, and considering white space and line breaks. Students will look through poems and search for a theme that could be highlighted in a poetry anthology.

Math- Students are learning about unit fractions and are using toolkits to compare, rank, and order fractions.

Social Studies: By the end of this week we are launching Literature Around the World- Folk Tales. Students will read a wide variety of Folk Tales and visit centers to consider how tales continue to teach us about the culture, economy, land, and history of a country.

Weekly Updates 2/22-2/26

NEWS/EVENTS

• Our African dance performance is in two days (Thursday February 25th at 8:50!- this is our "Family Thursday for the month) and the kids are so excited. A few reminders-
  • Tomorrow is a dress rehearsal first and second periods. Students should report directly to the auditorium. Please have students bring the same outfits they are wearing on Thursday to school tomorrow. Our assigned costumes:
    
    
    • Dance of the earth attire will be red and brown . Any type of shirt / pants are ok.
    • Girls should have a LAPA / sarong wrap / scarf around their waste preferably brown or red but can be another color as well ( close to that color palette if possible ) 
    • boys should have a head band / bandana tied around their head ( ninja turtle / samurai style ) 
• If you have not yet signed up for parent teacher conferences next week, please visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f4babab2aa6fa7-spring to find a time.
• Several families have still not returned portfolios. Please send these back ASAP as we are stuffing them with updated student work by the end of the week.
• Several students have still not turned in completed published Opinion Writing Pieces. Please submit them ASAP as I would like to include them in portfolios.

HOMEWORK

Monday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, select a reading response to include in your portfolio and complete the reflection to accompany your work, write words into categories in your word study notebook.
              Humble: Sort 8
              Determined: Sort 32
              Ambitious: Sort 31

Tuesday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, math group HW, remember to bring in clothes for African Dress Rehearsal

Wednesday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, math group HW, word study practice pages (following sort #), African performance is tomorrow!

Thursday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, math group HW, glue words into word study notebook, study for spelling test.

Friday- Math group HW and reading response

CURRICULUM

• Reading- For the next two weeks we are engaging in a Mystery Book Clubs "mini" unit. During this time we will revisit and reflect on everything we know about fiction books (story elements) and use that to collect evidence and clues to solve mysteries. This week we are sharpening our skills to grow ideas and make predictions.
• Writing- We are also engaging in a two week "mini" unit of poetry writing. During this time students will immerse themselves in rich examples of poetry. After visiting centers to tap into their senses, students will write after brainstorming and finding inspiration. Next week we will look closely at specific strategies like using metaphor, simile, alliteration, and other ways to play with words and space.
• Math-Today we launched our next math unit- fractions. During this unit students will once again meet with math groups to study unit fractions, equivalent fractions, compare and contrast numbers on a number line, and solve real world problems.
• Social Studies- This week we are wrapping up our Nigeria unit with a notetaking performance task and a last round of center visits.

Spring Special Schedule

Monday- Science (6th)

Tuesday- Art (7th)

Wednesday- Dance (3rd)

Thursday- Science (6th)

Friday- Gym/Swim (1st- on family Friday days it will be 4th)

Weekly Updates 2/1-2/5

NEWS/EVENTS

• This Friday is Family Friday! Our focus this week is area. We are asking families to help students create floor plans. It will be a lot of fun, and students will have the opportunity to practice the many strategies they have learned for calculating area and perimeter.
• Next Friday we are going to the Central Park Zoo as a culminating activity for our research book club unit. the cost of this trip is $5.00 for students and $10.50 for chaperones. Please indicate on the field trip slip if you are interested in joining us! Slips and fees are due Tuesday, but will be accepted through Friday morning.
• There is no school next Monday 2/8 due to the observance of Chinese New Year.
• The annual box top collection fundraiser is taking place. Students should place box tops on the provided sheet, and should be either glued or taped into place at home.
• This year I am participating in a Digital Literacy specialty group at Teachers College, and I am excited to try some new tech related ideas with the kids. Please take a moment to fill out a 30 second survey about student access to technology at home. This will help me with my planning!
• February break is the week of 2/13-2/21.
• Our African Dance performance will be our "Family Friday" event for February. The performance is on Thursday 2/25 at 8:50 am.

HOMEWORK

Monday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, categorize new words in Word Study notebook, math group HW, practice African Dance 2 times

          Humble: Sort 7

          Determined: Sort 31

          Ambitious: Sort 30

Tuesday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, have parents sign spelling test from last week, math group HW, practice African Dance 2 times

Wednesday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, select a word study menu option, math group HW, practice African Dance 2 times

Thursday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, glue words into categories in purple word study workbook and study for spelling test, math hw from regular classroom teacher, practice African Dance 2 times

Friday: Reading response and math group HW

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week students will dive into the second bend of our research book club nonfiction unit. Within this cycle students will apply what they know about researching to another animal topic, but this time with more independence. Students are still practicing book club strategies using a variety of "talk tools" to get the conversation going.

Writing- After selecting a "seed idea" (an opinion claim to be taken through the writing process) students will work on organizing and categorizing information. They will continue to integrate word choice to evoke emotion from readers.

Math- With only a little over a week left in our multiplication and area unit, over the next days student will understand how to tackle word problems asking for perimeter and area, and will plan how to solve problems where composite shapes miss certain dimensions. Students will cycle through review centers to work on areas of weakness.

Social Studies- This week we will explore some of the multimodal feature of interactive texts (hyperlinks, infographics, images, video) as we continue to rotate through centers focusing on Nigeria. We are starting to discuss how resources often lead to economic and political tension in an area (how oil impacts the region, among other resources).

Weekly Updates 1/25- 1/29

NEWS/EVENTS

• Today Caitlin Johnson, our fabulous spring intern from Teacher's College, joined our classroom! Caitlin will be with us four days a week during literacy blocks, and will be joining us for reading and writing minilessons, small groups, book clubs, and more. We are thrilled to have her with us.
• Next Friday from 8:50-9:35 the third grade Science Fair is taking place. Families of participating students are invited to attend.
• On February 5th Family Friday is taking place!
• We are in the process of planning a field trip to the Central Park Zoo for the week of 2/9. Our visit is to support and enrich research in animal book clubs. For the trip we will be looking for 5-6 chaperones (one per book club) so we can move about the zoo with greater ease. Once final paperwork is approved a trip slip will go home as soon as possible.
• Spelling tests will be passed back on Tuesdays from now on. Students will glue old tests in Word Study notebooks.

HOMEWORK

Monday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, write words in categories in word study notebook, Group Math HW

Tuesday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, Have spelling test signed, Group Math HW

Wednesday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, Word Study Menu Option, Group Math HW

Thursday- Read and jot for 30 minutes, Glue words into categories in purple word study notebook and study for spelling test, Group Math HW

Friday- Reading Response, Group Math HW

CURRICULUM

Reading- Now that students have been researching animals in their research book clubs, they are compiling notes and growing ideas about their observations. 

Writing- After analyzing mentor texts of opinion based writing, students are generating their own possible claims by considering problems and solutions that could make the world around them a better place. We will draw on strategies from Baby Literary Essays to develop and craft our speeches (reasons with supporting evidence).

Math- Students have been learning about using the distributive property as a strategy to calculate area for quadrilaterals and other composite shapes.

Social Studies- We plan to visit two more Nigeria centers this week (statistics, maps, comparing and contrasting, artifacts, photographs, video clips of student life). Students are learning how to categorize notes into sections.

Weekly Updates 1/19-1/22

NEWS/EVENTS

• A big thanks to all that could make it to our Circle in the Square performances! A special thanks to Amy, Rachel, and Sofia for joining us as chaperones. The kids worked hard, and their plays were amazing.
• Young artist fliers were sent home last Friday.
• The Third Grade science fair is taking place Friday January 29th from 8:50-9:35 (open to participating student families)
• Our next Family Friday will take place Friday February 5th.

HOMEWORK

Word Study Groups:

• Humble: Sort 5
• Determined: Sort 29
• Ambitious: Sort 28

Tuesday- Write new word sorts in Word Study Notebook, Math Group HW, Read and jot for 30 minutes

Wednesday- Finish publishing Baby Literary Essays (if not finished already)

Thursday- Glue word sorts, study for spelling test, Math Group HW, Read and jot for 30 minutes

Friday- Math Group HW, reading response

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week we are launching a new reading unit- Research Book Clubs! Throughout this unit students will cycle through two research clubs learning about and studying specific animals. Tomorrow we are launching new reading partnerships and clubs.

Writing- Towards the end of last week students used a variety of checklists and tools to revise and edit their selected Literary Essays for publishing. Today they were given 50 minutes to start the publishing process, and are asked to complete publishing Wednesday night. Later this week we are starting our next writing unit- "Changing the World." We are writing speeches to address changes needed!

Math- Students are continuing to learn strategies for calculating area such as tiling, the length x width= area formula, and using the distributive property to decompose/partition rectangles into smaller partial products and add them together.

Social Studies- This month (and until our February break) we are doing a case study of Nigeria, and are exploring how the culture, land, and economy impact life in Nigeria. We will cycle through centers focusing on reading, comparing/contrasting, studying artifacts, examining maps, and analyzing statistics.

Weekly Updates 1/4-1/8

Happy New Year Families of 3-509!

NEWS/EVENTS

• Next week we are traveling to Circle in the Square to see all student plays performed! 3-509 is visiting on Monday January 11th, and we our plays will be performed from 12-2. All parents are welcome to come to the theatre to see performances. If you are interested in chaperoning please indicate this on the permission slip sent home today.
• If you still haven't had the opportunity to type student plays we have an additional two more days. Your help with this is incredibly appreciated!!! Please email me ASAP if you are unable to type for some reason. 
• Our African Dance residency is starting this week.

HOMEWORK

Word Study Groups:

• Humble- Sort 3
• Determined- Sort 27
• Ambitious- Sort 26

Monday: Write word sorts in Word Study Notebooks, Read and jot for 30 minutes, Math Group HW

Tuesday: Select a menu option from Word Study NB, Read and jot for 30 minutes, Math Group HW, Last day to bring typed Circle Plays

Wednesday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, Math Group HW

Thursday: Read and jot for 30 minutes, Math Group HW, Study for spelling test

Friday: First reading response, Math HW (Sending another email about this later this week)

CURRICULUM

Reading- This week students are continuing to design reading plans with book clubs and are using a variety of "talk tools" to get their conversations moving. We are also using story mountains as a way to predict and anticipate ways our stories might go.

Writing- After creating a variety of "flash drafts" students are selecting their favorites to take through the revision and editing process. This week we are introducing an "opinion writing" checklist as a tool to help narrow down specific parts of essays to zoom into and change. We are also using phrases to connect ideas such as "for instance," or "for example."

Math- Today we launched the start of our next math unit- Multiplication and Area. Throughout this unit students will learn how to calculate area in square units, decompose irregular shapes to determine area, and find the perimeter of objects (sometimes missing the length/width of dimensions).

Social Studies- To accompany our African Dance residency, students will learn about the culture, land, and economy of Nigeria. Students will visit a variety of centers and continue to practice their jotting skills.