September 23 September 27, 2013

Lifeskill or Life-long Guideline of the week: Curiosity

Math rd 3 - This week we are working on addition strategies. We will be working on word problems and determining whether the problem is addition or subtraction. We will also be working on showing our thinking using labeled pictures, numbers, and words. *Ask your child how they know whether a problem is asking them to add (combine) or subtract (compare). They should be able to explain what the problem is asking in their own words. 4 - This week and next, students will be working on place value of decimals to the hundredths place. We will be reviewing money and connecting this knowledge to tenths and hundredths. Students will be expected to write numbers with decimals in standard, expanded, and word form, compare and order numbers without the aid of a place value chart. *Students will begin receiving a Spiral Review each night for homework in addition to a short assignment that connects to what we are currently learning in math. Please assist you child, and always if they reach the point of frustration, have them complete what they can and send the assignment to school, with a note letting me know which problems were frustrating. Shredderman: Secret Identity! Students continue to participate in a whole class book club of Shredderman: Secret Identity. Students continue to write a reading reflection after each chapter. This week our mini lessons during Readers Workshop focus around the idea of deepening the level of our reading reflection. We taught the levels using the concept of swimming as an analogy. Level 1 (Surface Level) reflections will retell events, connect, predict or wonder, but not expand to tell why. Level 2 (Diving Down) reflections will show some of the students own thinking and expand on sentence starters. Level 3 (Digging Deep) reflections show the students thoughts and feelings and expand and explain why he or she thinks and makes deeper connections. We read examples of each level, assessed reflections using this system and even added more to improve basic reflections to push them to Level 3. *Ask your child to share their thoughts about Nolans website about Bubba. Are people catching on? Will the other kids figure out who Shredderman is? We Are Texas This week we continue to explore the regions of Texas. The theme of our first quarter is Identity, and what better way to learn about who we are, by looking closely at where we live? Students are working in small groups to create a map of a section of a Texas region. Students will be using their research to determine which cities, bodies of water, wildlife, vegetation, and natural resources to include on their map. *Ask your child which region they are creating a map for, and what they have learned about that region.
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Writers Workshop Students are working on their first publishing piece this week and next. Students will be selecting a topic from their writers notebook that he or she can visualize. Our publishing project is a work of art that also incorporate text. This week students are using the two brainstorm strategies (The Five Senses and Artifacts in a Museum) we worked on last week to create their published piece. The piece is a combination of art and writing. Students will be creating a visual based on their brainstorming and visualizer strategies, and then adding text to complete their piece. *Ask your child about what topic they are choosing to publish and what types of visuals and text they are adding to their piece. Important Notes and Events! BRENTWOOD DIRECTORY

The PTA needs your help compiling information for the Brentwood Directory. The Directory is free for all Brentwood families and includes emails and phone numbers for all students and staff, which is great for arranging play dates, sending party invitations, asking for homework help, and more. You can even purchase an ad to promote your business or service. Please complete and send the form found in your childs Wednesday Folder back to school by next Friday. OR, the information on the form can be emailed directly to sarahdcombs@yahoo.com. Only one form per family is required, and forms are due next Friday, Oct. 4
*HOTDOG HOEDOWN: The Back to School Event this year is called the Hotdog Hoe Down. Thursday, September 26th will be 2nd through 5th from 6:30 7:30. *Class T-Shirt Tie-Dye: Our class will be dying t-shirts on nd Wednesday, October 2 at 9:00 AM. Thank you for returning the yellow notes that were in your childs planner. We really appreciate the help! If you would like a T-shirt with our tie-dye pattern to wear on field trips, send one in. Please write your name in permanent marker on the inside collar of the shirt. *Please visit our wiki page for information about our class: http://mahlstadtsvrcek2-3class.wikispaces.com/ * Please check the calendar online every week as dates do change. http://mahlstadtsvrcek2-3class.wikispaces.com/Calendar