Last Week of February and First Week of March

Important Dates: 
Monday, February 27th - Box Tops for Education need to be in to get class credit

     Tuesday, February 28^th – Market Day pick-up – 6:15 PM
Thursday, March 1^st - Young Authors submissions due
Thursday, March 1^st – Turn in 2012-2013 registration information sheet

Volunteer Opportunity:
We are looking for parent scorers for Young Authors entries. Reading will be done during the school day on Mon-Wed, Mar. 5-7. Parents can sign up to read at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4DA4AB2EA13-reader


Reading/Writing
For the last few weeks, we have been doing a variety of ISAT prep activities. The students have been practicing both math and reading extended responses.  We will continue to do the same this week.  We will also be taking some practice multiple choice reading tests as we prepare for the ISATs next week.

Spelling
This week our spelling test will be on Thursday, March 1st because we do not have school on Friday.  The pattern for this week, list #20, is words with er and est.  


Grammar
Students have been working on prefixes and suffixes.  Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word that changes its meaning and suffixes are added to the end of a word to change the meaning.  The Original word is called a base or root word. There are some fun websites listed on the blog to help practice using prefixes and suffixes---check them out!

Social Studies 
We have been learning about some famous people who helped to shape our country and shape the lives of Americans.   This week the students will be learning about the three levels of government; local, state and national, and the leaders at each level.  We will also discuss everyday people with everyday jobs who also shape our community.  These are people like firefighters, doctors, librarians, teachers and policemen. Attached on the bottom left column of the blog is a levels of government Powerpoint presentation.  The Powerpoint covers all the information students are expected to learn about levels of government.  Students will use the Powerpoint to study for the quiz which is Wednesday,  February 29th.   Students should know the three levels and the name and position of each leader ( Ex. - National government - President Obama).

Third Grade Math 
We will be finishing up unit 6 on geometry.  We are now moving from 2-dimensional shapes which are flat, to 3-D shapes which take up space.  Students will be learning the names of the various shapes as well as learn about faces, edges and vertices. A study guide will go home Thursday, Feb. 23rd, due on Monday, Feb. 27th.  The Unit 6 test will be Tuesday, February 28th.  

Accelerated Math 

We have just finished Unit 6 and are moving on to Unit 7.  Unit 7 mainly focuses on fractions.  We will also be working with some probability.

ISAT Week March 5th-9th

Yes, this is the week that the third graders take the ISAT tests for the very first time in their lives!  The students have worked hard and now it is time to show what they know.  Here is the testing schedule for the third graders this week.  Each test is 45-55 minutes long.  The first test of every day will be right after specials (about 11:30) and go until lunch (12:40).  The second test will begin right after lunch/recess (1:30) and go until about 2:45.

Tuesday:   
Reading Test #1 (6 short passages, 30 multiple choice questions)
Math Test #1 (40 multiple choice questions)

Wednesday:   
Reading Test #2 (2 longer passages, 20 multiple choice questions, 1 Extended Response)
Math Test #2 (30 multiple choice questions, 3 short responses)

Thursday:   
Reading Test #3 (2 short passages = 1 longer passage, 15 multiple choice questions, 1 Extended Response)
Math Test #3 (2 extended response questions)

Due to testing, our regular schedule will not be in place.  We will NOT be assigning any homework this week except for reading 20 minutes every night.  We would like the kids to do their personal best on all of the ISATs.  Please make sure your child gets a good night's rest every night, eats a healthy breakfast every morning and brings a nutritious snack and lunch everyday.  The third grade teachers are proud of the hard work the students have done thus far and feel confident that they will do well on these tests.  If you shall have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher. 

February 20-24

Important Dates:
Monday, February 20th  - No School
Tuesday, February 21st  - No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences
ORDER MARKET DAY PIE!!  Paper orders Wed. 2/22 Online orders due by Fri. 2/24
Thursday, February 23rd - Science Fair and Family Science Night
Monday, February 27th - Box Tops for Education need to be in to get class credit

Reading/Writing
For the next few weeks, we will be doing a variety of ISAT prep activities. The students will be completing both math and reading extended responses.  The students will read a short passage,  answer multiple choice questions and then respond to a question explaining their answer by using details from the text and their own background knowledge.  The math extended response requires  students to solve a math problem, explain what they did to solve and further explain why they did what they did.

Spelling
This week is a short week, but there is a spelling test.  The pattern for this week, list #19, is words with double consonants.  The alternate list is difficult,  so students need to spend some extra time studying their words.  The test is Friday, February 24th.


Grammar
Students have been working on prefixes and suffixes.  Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a word that changes its meaning and suffixes are added to the end of a word to change the meaning.  The Original word is called a base or root word. There are some fun websites listed on the blog to help practice using prefixes and suffixes---check them out!

Social Studies 
We have been learning about some famous people who helped to shape our country and shape the lives of Americans.   In the coming weeks, the students will be learning about the three levels of government; local, state and national, and the leaders at each level.  Finally, we will discuss everyday people with everyday jobs who also shape our community.  These are people like firefighters, doctors, librarians, teachers and policemen. Attached on the bottom left column of the blog is a levels of government Powerpoint presentation.  The Powerpoint covers all the information students are expected to learn about levels of government.  Students will use the Powerpoint to study for the quiz which is Wednesday,  February 29th.  You've got to love modern technology! Study materials brought straight to your computer.  Students should know the three levels and the name and position of each leader ( Ex. - National government - President Obama).

Third Grade Math 
We will be finishing up unit 6 on geometry.  We are now moving from 2-dimensional shapes which are flat, to 3-D shapes which take up space.  Students will be learning the names of the various shapes as well as learn about faces, edges and vertices. A study guide will go home Thursday, Feb. 23rd, due on Monday, Feb. 27th.  The Unit 6 test will be Tuesday, February 28th.  


Accelerated Math

February 13th - 17th, 2012

Important Dates

February 14^th – Valentine’s Day parties – please review Mr. Raczak’s Letter below:

VALENTINES

Hopefully, everyone will perceive this message as it is intended, a little humorous with a small point of consideration.

Lately, I have been asked to determine whether valentines for distribution can have tattoos and/or erasers on them? Yes, these major decisions cross my desk!

My answer, probably based on my age is – I would prefer that the valentines be the simple, old fashioned, small, silly valentines with nothing attached to them but your child’s signature.

Believe it or not, over the last 20 years, I have discovered that valentines have the potential of becoming a potential popularity contest. The more that is attached to them, the better one is liked. Competition ensues and soon we have a mess. Our policy is to ensure that if one brings valentines, it should be for the whole class. I am asking that nothing be attached to them besides a signature. Trust me, the kids really do have old fashioned fun just exchanging them.

(P.S. On the other hand if any parent wants to send me a valentine and attach a Lexus to it, I guarantee that I will like you for a long time!)

Thanks everyone for allowing me some fun and hopefully guaranteeing a wonderful holiday party for all the children on Tuesday.

LMC NEWS:
The Book Exchange will be available one last time until 10:00 A.M. on Monday, 2/16 for those students who are looking for a great read! The left over books will be boxed up and donated. In the past, book donations have been made to Aurora, the Philippines, and India.

Popular Author Visits Third Grade on February 17th!  The entire third grader has an amazing opportunity to hear author, Katherine Applegate speak at May Watts! She will share her experiences of writing popular children’s books including Roscoe Riley Rules chapter book series, the picture book The Buffalo Storm, and her latest book, The One and Only Ivan. She and her husband, Michael Grant, also wrote the popular series Animorphs. We are very excited about her upcoming visit!

February Reading Incentive

Kane County Cougars May Watts Night on May 24^th.

Citizenship:

This week, the students will gain an awareness of acts of kindness through our cool tool lesson. We will discuss and brainstorm what different acts of kindness look like in friendship and in manners. Some ideas might be: writing a get well card, writing a thank you card, complimenting someone, saying please and thank you, greeting someone, holding the door for someone behind you, and talking to someone who is lonely. The students will also role play and do a heart writing activity.

Reading/Writing:

For the next few weeks, we will be doing a variety of ISAT prep activities. This week, we will complete reading and math extended responses. The students will read a short passage, answer multiple choice questions, and then respond to a question explaining their answer with details from the text and their personal knowledge. The math extended response requires the students to solve a math problem, explain what they did to solve the problem, and explain why they did each step.

Spelling:

This week unit #18 focuses on words with the /ur/ sound. Please help your child review the spelling of these words. There will be a test on Friday, February 17^th.

Social Studies:

We have started the unit: People that Shape Our Lives. We will learn about important people such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr. This short unit focuses on these three essential questions:

1. Who are the people past and present that have helped to shape and change our country?
2. How do people positively influence their community?
3. Who are our current government leaders?

Third Grade Math:

Last week, we worked on classifying triangles, quadrangles, and polygons. We also visited a website called, Study Jams, in which we learned about different types of lines. Please check it out! This week are continuing unit 6 on geometry. We will practice measuring angles, explore properties of symmetric shapes, and explore congruence. We will also review properties of prisms, pyramids, and polyhedrons.

Accelerated Math:

We have started Unit 6 which begins with coordinate grids and long division. The students will learn three different methods to solve long division problems. They three they will be introduced to are the subtraction method, partial quotient, and traditional.