Friday, December 14, 2018

Week of December 10th-14th

  Image result for nutcracker


The Nutcracker


The Nutcracker performance will be on December 19th at 6pm.  Please arrive at 5:30 and meet in your child's classroom.  If you arrive any earlier for seating, please keep your child with you until 5:30.  All information, including costume information, is on Mrs. Richard's Nutcracker website which you can access here.  

If you are able to help with costumes and make-up before the performance, please e-mail both Mrs. Richards and your child's teacher.  We will also need help with costumes for the performance during school hours, at 1pm.  Please reach out if you are able to help during the day! Thank you for signing up to help with our Nutcracker crafts! 





December 19: Holiday Program
December 21: Holiday Concert @ HS/Holiday Class Parties!

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: A Day
Tuesday: B Day
Wednesday:  C Day (NO late start)
Thursday: D Day
Friday: E Day

What we've been up to:


Reading: We have been reviewing the features of Realistic Fiction. We will begin a new Reader's Theater next week.
Word Study: This week we have been studying contractions. We will start a new word study after break.
Math: Please go over our recent math test with your child. If they have not brought it home yet, be sure to check on Monday. Our next unit will focus on measurement. 
Science: We will continue to discuss Invisible Forces!
Social Studies Our Economic's unit will begin after break.
Writing: We are currently working on writing our personal narratives. We have focused on a strong emotion and writing through our senses. We are working on editing and writing our final copies. 

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.

All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Week of December 3rd-7th

  Image result for nutcracker


The Nutcracker


The Nutcracker performance will be on December 19th at 6pm.  Please arrive at 5:30 and meet in your child's classroom.  If you arrive any earlier for seating, please keep your child with you until 5:30.  All information, including costume information, is on Mrs. Richard's Nutcracker website which you can access here.  

If you are able to help with costumes and make-up before the performance, please e-mail both Mrs. Richards and your child's teacher.  We will also need help with costumes for the performance during school hours, at 1pm.  Please reach out if you are able to help during the day! Thank you for signing up to help with our Nutcracker crafts! 

Holiday Shoppe


We will be shopping next week! Please send in money with your child if you would like them to participate. 





    December 10: Holiday Shoppe Begins
December 12: Late Start
December 19: Holiday Program
December 21: Holiday Concert @ HS/Holiday Class Parties!

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: B Day
Tuesday: C Day
Wednesday:  D Day (late start)
Thursday: E Day
Friday: F Day

What we've been up to:


Reading: We have been finding story elements in small group and during whole group activities. This includes identifying the characters, setting, and the plot.   
Word Study: This week we are studying contractions. The test will be on Friday, December 14th.
Math: We will be working on 3-digit addition during our WINN time (What I Need Now).  WINN time is when students split into different classroom to work on strategies they need to master a skill. We have also been learning about strategies to help with our multiplication facts.
Science: We will continue to discuss Invisible Forces!
Social Studies Thank you for helping your child prepare for our test on Chapter 2! Tests will come home early next week. In our next unit, we will focus on Economics. 
Writing: We are currently working on writing our personal narratives. We have focused on a strong emotion and writing through our senses. We are working on ending our stories with a strong emotion.

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.


All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Week of November 26-30

Week of November 26-30


The Nutcracker


The Nutcracker performance will be on December 19th at 6pm.  Please arrive at 5:30 and meet in your child's classroom.  If you arrive any earlier for seating, please keep your child with you until 5:30.  All information, including costume information, is on Mrs. Richard's Nutcracker website which you can access here.  

If you are able to help with costumes and make-up before the performance, please e-mail both Mrs. Richards and your child's teacher.  We will also need help with costumes for the performance during school hours, at 1pm.  Please reach out if you are able to help during the day!

Holiday Shoppe


Our Holiday Shoppe will be the week of December 10th.  Information regarding this will be sent home today.  Your child's shopping day/time will be listed.  It is optional.


The Giving Tree

Starting this Friday, Nov. 16th, there will be a "giving tree" in the entryway of the school. If you are interested, simply pick a gift tag from the tree which will include the age, gender and gift idea for an individual and return it UNWRAPPED to the school anytime between Nov. 26th and Dec. 7th. There will also be an opportunity to bring in non-perishable food items, toiletries, gas/gift cards, etc.  Thanks to the PTO for organizing this awesome program!


December 6: Polar Express Family Fun Night (6-8pm)
December 6: Bring a dollar to wear your jammies to school!December 10: Holiday Shoppe Begins
December 12: Late Start
December 19: Holiday Program
December 21: Holiday Concert @ HS/Holiday Class Parties!

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: C Day
Tuesday: D Day
Wednesday:  E Day (late start)
Thursday: F Day
Friday: A Day

3rd Grade Star Students
Graham (Knuth), Kyle (Covert), and Isaac (Deis)
Next week: Kaiden(Knuth), Lily(Covert), and Mattie (Deis)



Reading: We have been studying Historical Fiction in our genre study this week.  We've discussed how this genre differs from nonfiction and fiction.  In this discussion, we've talked about main idea and sequence of events.  
Word Study: This week we are studying /oar/, /ore/, /air/, /are/, and /ure/ words.  Students will not be required to sort these, just spell them correctly. 
Math: We've focused our WINN time (What I Need Now) on elapsed time.  WINN time is when students split into different classroom to work on strategies they need to master a skill.  Unit 3 has focused on a variety of skills - multi-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and graphing.  We've ended our week with Math Explorations, which allows students to travel to different teachers to complete different activities! 
Science: We will be starting our Invisible Forces Unit next week!
Social Studies We are finishing Chapter 2, which discusses the first people to arrive in Michigan.  We will be reviewing next week.  We've also begun reading Little House in the Big Woods which explores the childhood of a pioneer's life.   
Writing: We are currently working on writing our personal narratives. We have focused on a strong emotion and writing through our senses. We are working on ending our stories with a strong image.

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.


All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Friday, November 16, 2018

Week of November 12-16

Week of November 12-16


Winter Is Here!

Please be sure to send your child with a coat, snow pants, gloves, a hat, and boots.  We have 3 recesses outdoors and we want our students to be comfortable and dry! In order to play in the fields, students must have boots and snow pants. 

Fact Practice

Please don't forget to contact us if you are able to volunteer to help with math fact practice. This could be 1/2 hour to an hour one day a week. 

Also, math center is moving along now. Students should spend some time outside of class each week practicing. The goal is improvement each week--not passing. Emphasis on passing causes stress and anxiety in kids over math fact memorization. There are fun games on our itslearning pages to help practice. Quizlet (located at the bottom of our itslearning page) has games to play for each math center level. Games may include Match and Gravity.

The Giving Tree

Starting this Friday, Nov. 16th, there will be a "giving tree" in the entryway of the school. If you are interested, simply pick a gift tag from the tree which will include the age, gender and gift idea for an individual and return it UNWRAPPED to the school anytime between Nov. 26th and Dec. 7th. There will also be an opportunity to bring in non-perishable food items, toiletries, gas/gift cards, etc.  Thanks to the PTO for organizing this awesome program!


November 21st: Half Day
November 22nd and 23rd: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

November 28: Late Start

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: A Day
Tuesday: B Day
Wednesday:  C (1/2 Day)
Thursday: No school
Friday: No school

3rd Grade Star Students
Beckon (Knuth), Mitchell (Covert), and Trenyse (Deis)
Next week: Graham (Knuth), Kyle (Covert), and Isaac (Deis)


Reading: We have been studying the sequence of events using nonfiction examples. We have also read The Mitten during Daily 5 and practiced putting events in order and determining the important story elements.  
Word Study: Our next unit focuses on words ending with -ur and -ir words.  Students should be practicing their word list throughout the week.
Math: Unit 3 mostly focuses on addition and subtraction strategies for adding 3-digit numbers within 1000. We have reviewed partial sums, column addition, counting up to find the difference, and expand and trade. We learn lots of strategies so students can pick the ones that work best for their learning! 
Science: We have taken a short break from science after finishing our plant unit.
Social Studies We are working on Chapter 2 which focuses on the first people to arrive here in Michigan. We are learning about the "People of the 3 Fires" and how they lived their lives.  
Writing: We are currently working on writing our personal narratives. We have focused on a strong emotion and writing through our senses. We have finished the introduction and are working on the body of our story.  

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.

All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Friday, November 9, 2018

Week of November 5 - 9

Parent-Teacher Conferences

The third grade teachers want to thank you very much for attending parent-teacher conferences. Educating our children requires a true partnership. We always want to make sure that we are doing our part. The partnership does not stop after conferences. If you ever have questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out to us immediately. We welcome the communication and feel it is essential for student growth. Two-way communication helps us as teachers, you as parents or guardians, and each child.


Stuff-A-Truck

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to give back to our community. Please consider helping. We never know when we may be in need ourselves.

Thanksgiving Luncheon

We are all looking forward to our special Thanksgiving lunch on the 16th. It is always nice to enjoy a family style meal together. Thank you to parents that will be serving us! Please encourage your child to eat hot lunch that day. If your child does not enjoy turkey, he or she may certainly bring cold lunch that day and eat with the class.

Fact Practice

Please don't forget to contact us if you are able to volunteer to help with math fact practice. This could be 1/2 hour to an hour one day a week. 

Also, math center is moving along now. Students should spend some time outside of class each week practicing. The goal is improvement each week--not passing. Emphasis on passing causes stress and anxiety in kids over math fact memorization. There are fun games on our itslearning pages to help practice. Quizlet (located at the bottom of our itslearning page) has games to play for each math center level. Games may include Match and Gravity.


November 16th--Thanksgiving Luncheon
November 21st-Half Day
November 22nd and 23rd No School (Thanksgiving Break)

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: B Day
Tuesday: C Day
Wednesday: C Day 
Thursday: E Day
Friday: F Day 

3rd Grade Star Students
Liam (Knuth), Hunter (Covert), and Isaiah W. (Deis)
Next week: Beckon (Knuth), Mitchell (Covert), and Trenyse (Deis)



Reading: Reader's theater is finished and our students enjoyed performing for other classes. They are doing a great job working on fluent reading with expression. 
Word Study: Our next unit focuses on words ending with -or and -er. The lists are coming home today and the assessment will be next Friday.
Math: We have started unit 3. The unit will mostly focus on addition and subtraction strategies for adding 3-digit numbers within 1000. The students have some good strategies for this, but we will begin to focus on accuracy and efficiency. 
Science: We have taken a short break from science after finishing our plant unit.
Social Studies:  We are working on Chapter 2 which focuses on the first people to arrive here in Michigan. 
Writing: We are currently working on writing our personal narratives. We have focused on a strong emotion and writing through our senses. 

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.


All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Friday, November 2, 2018

3rd Grade Week of October 20th-November 2nd

Fact Practice

We are looking for volunteers to help with math fact practice. This would preferably be first thing in the morning and would only require about 30 minutes. We can certainly be flexible with the days and times! Please let us know if you have any questions. 


November 1st--Stuff-A-Truck Begins
November 2nd--Half Day
November 5th--hearing & Vision Screening Begins
November 6th--Picture Retakes
November 8th & 9th--Half Days (Conferences)
November 16th--Thanksgiving Luncheon
November 21st-Half Day
November 22nd and 23rd No School (Thanksgiving Break)


It's Book Fair Time!
The book fair begins on November 1st and continues through November 9th
Students are able to shop at recess


*Please don't forget that the last conferences are coming up. We are required to meet with EVERY parent. If you need a special conference time because of your schedule, please email the teacher as we are all glad to make accommodations for family schedules.

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: C Day
Tuesday: D Day
Wednesday: E Day 
Thursday: F Day (Half Day-Dismissal at 12:05)
Friday: A Day (Half Day--Dismissal at 12:05)

3rd Grade Star Students
Eric (Knuth), Starla (Covert), and Kayla (Deis)
Next week: Liam (Knuth), Hunter (Covert), and Isaiah W. (Deis)






Reading: We will be starting Reader's Theater next week! 
Word Study: Our next Word Study Assessment will be on Thursday. We are currently listening for the short i,o and u patterns in words. Please don't forget that your child is also responsible for practicing the high-frequency words and the dictation sentence throughout the week. Practice activities are available on MobyMax spelling. 
Math: We finished up Unit 2 this week and tests will be coming home by early next week. Our next unit will focus on estimating and using strategies to add and subtract multi-digit numbers.  
Science: We have taken a short break from science after finishing our plant unit.
Social Studies:  We will begin Chapter 2 which focuses on the first people to arrive here in Michigan. 
Writing: We will continue to work on our Personal Narratives by creating a catchy lead and beginning our introductory paragraph. 

*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.

All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.

Friday, October 26, 2018

3rd Grade Week of October 22-26

Halloween Parties

Next week we will have our 3rd Grade Halloween Parties on Wednesday at 2:30-3:30. Thank you to all of our parents that are helping to plan the party or are donating supplies and treats. We certainly couldn't do this without you!  Students will begin changing into costumes at 2:00 and then head out to recess while parents set up in the classroom for the party. Please remember that your child should not wear the costume to school that day as we try to keep the Halloween distractions to a minimum for our day of learning. Lastly, bus students are required to change out of costumes before heading home. Please talk with your child about making sure that all parts of the costume are packed up in his/her backpack. We don't want any sad trick-or-treaters on Halloween night because part of the costume is missing. Please email if you have any questions at all about the party. We are looking forward to it!


Math Center

Math center has started! For those of you that are new to Clarke, math center is where we work on fact memorization. Each week your child will take a 2-minute timed test. Fact memorization is important as it sets your child up for success to complete more difficult multi-step problems as children progress in school. When children don't have fact automaticity, they often have difficulty solving more difficult problems as they get lost in the simple math part of the problem. 

Please keep this low stress for your child. The goal each week is to get more correct. Stressing the passing aspect of this will turn your child off to math center and cause math anxiety. As classroom teachers, we are not putting an emphasis on passing, but instead focus on Did you improve? 

Your child will bring home a practice sheet in a sheet protector so he or she can practice at home. Use a dry erase marker and it can be used again and again. Once the test is passed, your child can replace the practice sheet with a new one. Don't throw away the sheet protector!  For other types of practice, there are quizlets for each specific test available on the itslearning pages. Your child can also go to MobyMax fact fluency or you can make flashcards at home. Even just 5 minutes a day will help your child.



October 31--Halloween Party
November 1st--Stuff-A-Truck Begins
November 2nd--Half Day
November 5th--hearing & Vision Screening Begins
November 6th--Picture Retakes
November 8th & 9th--Half Days (Conferences)


THE CLARKE BOOK FAIR BEGINS NEXT WEEK!
The book fair begins on November 1 and continues through November 9
Family night is Thursday, November 1--6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

*Please don't forget that the last conferences is coming up. We are required to meet with EVERY parent. If you need a special conference time because of your schedule, please email the teacher as we are all glad to make accommodations for family schedules.

Next Week's Schedule:

Monday: D Day
Tuesday: E Day
Wednesday: F Day (Halloween Party 2:30 - 3:30)
Thursday: A Day
Friday: B Day (Half Day--Dismissal at 12:05)

3rd Grade Star Students
Audrey (Knuth), Maile (Covert), and Elijah (Deis)
Next week: Eric (Knuth), Starla (Covert), and Kayla (Deis)





Reading: We have been discussing character traits in literature and the personal narrative genre. We are nearing the end of the Chalk Box Kid book and have been able to use our comprehension strategies while discussing this piece of literature.
Word Study: Our next Word Study Assessment will be on Wednesday. We are currently listening for the short e and short a patterns in words. Please don't forget that your child is also responsible for practicing the high-frequency words and the dictation sentence throughout the week. Practice activities are available on MobyMax spelling. 
Math: We continue to work on the foundations for multiplication and division. We have also started math center (see note above). 
Science: We have taken a short break from science after finishing our plant unit.
Social Studies:  Our focus for this unit has been learning about the map of Michigan, Michigan's special features, and the state symbols of Michigan.
Writing: Biographies are complete and we have now started personal narratives. We can't wait to read the stories! They certainly have good ideas to write about!


*As always, please continue to check out our classroom resources on itslearning. Students can go there often to practice skills and learn about content that we are covering in class.

All teachers welcome questions that you have. A true partnership between home and school is important for the success of each child.