Hello from Room 5,
Room 5 would like to congratulate Sydney for being this week’s Star Student! Sydney is very hard working and welcoming to all of her classmates. She is a natural born leader and a budding author. Well done Sydney, Room 5 is very proud of you. Keep up the hard work.
I am sure that your son or daughter has shared the excitement about the Pumpkin Drop that we will be doing shortly after conferences. The third grade students have been taking part in STEM projects. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students are given a scenario or a problem and have to work together in a group to arrive at a solution. Earlier in the year, we figured out how to make towers with candy corn and toothpicks. Now students are brainstorming plans for a Pumpkin Drop! Students will be given a sugar pumpkin that they have to protect from dents, bruises and smashing when dropped from 10 feet. Students began examining their pumpkins and planning possible packaging methods last week. This week, they will agree upon a plan and start gathering packing materials. Please stay tuned for updates on this wonderful experience for the students.
Students are going to continue learning how to identify the main idea and supporting details in literacy this week. Students are improving at this skill. They are getting better at finding details that support the main idea, rather than identifying facts that are just interesting. Students are also learning how to write the main idea and details in a brief paragraph. In addition, students are reviewing punctuation and capitalization rules. We are working on starting all sentences with a capital and ending it with the appropriate punctuation. We are also working on making sure that we are answering in complete sentences.
Students will continue learning about the Distributive Property of Multiplication this week. Students are learning that the equation 8x5=40 could be solved by breaking apart the 8 into two groups of four such as (4x5)+(4x5)=40. This property is useful if a student is asked to solve an equation they are not familiar with such as 9x8. It also supports math they will encounter later in their mathematical careers.
Please let me know if you need to switch your conference time. I will do my best to work with you to pick a different time if necessary. Please remember that a score of a 3 on the report cards is the goal for the end of the year. A score of a 2 means that students are working towards meeting goal. A 2 means that students have not mastered the skill, consistently and independently yet.
I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, healthy and happy Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Miss Pantalena