Finishing our Posters

Today we completed our "Creepy Creatures" posters that provide facts and information about some animals, reptiles, and mammals that are known for their frightening behavior.

We also read a non-fiction book about Skeletons, and we took our Unit 10 Spelling Review Test.  The spelling tests are in your child's take home folder to show you tonight.  Grades were great!!!

Book-it (optional) is due tomorrow. A new calendar for November will be sent home.

Our classroom Halloween party will be tomorrow.  We are looking forward to it, but we will have a little bit of "work" time tomorrow when we switch to Block1 and Block 2.  Friday newsletters will still be sent home tomorrow.

Please use good judgment in helping your child prepare their Halloween costume.  See the Nelson Ridge newsletter for guidelines.  Weapons of any kind -- even pretend weapons -- can not be brought to school.  Masks should not be worn to school but can be put on for the party.  Students have 10 minutes to change in/out of costumes.  Hair color can be put on at home, but it will not be allowed to be applied at school.  Make up should be saved for after-school wear.

Creepy Creatures

Today we worked on creating our fact-based posters about the creepy creatures from our reading story.  We also read about other creepy creatures, such as bats, wolves, owls, and snakes.

Students also reviewed for tomorrow's Unit 10 spelling test.  We had fun solving word searches to review our spelling words.  Students in our class made their own extra-credit word searches for classmates to complete.

We will plan to have a Unit 2 Social Studies test NEXT Thursday, November 6th.

Quick reminder about snack time:  I realize that students will be having some fantastic candy treats from their Halloween trick-or-treating.  However, I will encourage these treats to be kept in their lunch boxes until lunch time.  Morning snacks should remain on the nutritious sided.

Book-it is due to your child's HOMEROOM teacher on Friday.  Book-it is OPTIONAL.  A new November Book-it form will be sent home.  The goal is to read 300 minutes each month.

Frightful Animals

Students have a homework assignment to reread "Frightful Animals," which was a selection from National Geographic Explorer for Kids.  They researched and found important details that will be presented in a poster format for our class.  We learned about the European owl, the Gila monster, the goliath tarantula, the spotted hyena, great white shark, and blood python.  Creepy!

We will have our Unit 10 spelling test on THURSDAY.

Optional Book-it is due on FRIDAY.  A new November Book-it form will be passed out on Friday.  The goal is to read 300 minutes per month (about 10 minutes a night) to become a stronger and more fluent reader.

Review Unit 10

Today we discussed and practiced our spelling words for review unit 10.  We will have our spelling test on THURSDAY since Friday morning we will be pretty busy with Halloween activities.  We did complete Spelling workbook pages 39 & 40 in class, and many students chose to create an extra credit word search that will be distributed in class later in the week.

We also read pages 58-63 in Social Studies and took a review quiz over the material.  Students are ALWAYS encouraged to use their books for these review quizzes.  We will look at having a social studies test at the END of NEXT week.  We are learning a brief overview of  US History in this chapter.  It is a full, action-packed chapter!

Book-it (optional) is due on Friday.  A new November Book-it form (also optional) will be sent home on Friday as well.

Block 2 has started reading the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.   Block 1 is continuing to read Little House on the Prairie.  

Prepositions

Today we worked on completing our Preposition Treasure Maps.

We also took our Unit 9 Spelling Test, and we agreed to have our Unit 10 Spelling Test on THURSDAY due to a half day of school and Halloween on Friday.  This coming week's spelling words are all review words from Units 6-9.

Here's the spelling list:
Spelling Lists

Block 1 worked on "Type to Learn" today.  Block 1 is reading aloud the story Little House on the Prairie.  

Block 2 had LRC (Library) today and also completed reading Bunnicula.  We watched an old Bunnicula cartoon and will start reading Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes in Block 2 next week.

OPTIONAL Book-it (300 minutes of reading for the month) is due Friday.  A new sheet will be given out for November.

Preposition Treasure Maps

We read a variation of The Three Little Pigs called "The Three Pigs Revisited" on pages 226-231 in our Stortytown book.

We also completed review spelling pages 37-38 to prepare for tomorrow's test.

Our grammar skill is focusing on prepositions this week.  We started creating buried treasure maps using prepositions to describe the location of the treasure.   We will continue our maps tomorrow.  Funbrain has many enjoyable grammar games to play at home.

http://www.funbrain.com/tour/gg.html

We've been discussing computer vocabulary words and internet safety tips.

Readers' Theatre

We practiced our fluency skills by rereading Three Little Cyber Pigs on pages 217-223 in our reading book as we reviewed internet safety rules.  We also took our story selection test and vocabulary test.  We worked together to compare and contrast the similarities and differences of the Mother Goose characters in this modern version of the Three Little Pigs.  We used the information from our "Top Hat Organizers" to help complete the essay question at the end of the selection test.

We are also continuing to read Unit 2, Chapter 3 in social studies, pages 58-63.   There is no test date in sight yet.  This is an action-packed chapter that takes us through American history from Early European Settlers to the Civil Rights Movement.  

Our grammar skill is working with prepositions.  Prepositions combine with a noun or pronoun to show location, time, and movement. ( I walked over the bridge and under the tree to Grandma's house. )

Our unit 9 spelling test will be on Friday.  

Three Little Cyber Pigs

Today we enjoyed practicing the roles of different fairy tale characters in our play "Three Little Cyber Pigs."  This story helped us learn about internet safety and cyber terminology.  The story should be reread for homework tonight.   We also completed a workbook page to practice the vocabulary words in the story.

We discussed and reviewed prepositions.

We had a safety drill today to practice campus and bus evacuations.

Internet Safety

This week's reading story is a Readers' Theatre version of the "Three Little Pigs," and it is called Three Little Cyber Pigs.  

We worked on learning our spelling words today.  The are VCCCV words (vowel/consonant/consonant/consonant/vowel).  We completed Spelling workbook pages 35 & 36 for practice today.

Spelling List

We have also been learning about prepositions.  We completed Practice workbook page 47 about prepositions.  Students were given a little pink paper listing the 29 most common prepositions, such as to, in, on, up, by, of, at for, above, with, under, from, near, across, among.

We are reading in social studies about the Westward movement, including the Louisiana Purchase and the Gold Rush.  We read pages 58 to 63 and took a little "quiz" over this section.

Westward Ho!

We are learning about the Westward Movement in Social Studies.  This includes the Civil War, the Louisiana Purchase, Gold Rush, and end of slavery.  Whew, we covered many, many years in Lesson 3 of Chapter 2!  There is not a test date in sight yet, but I will let you know when we have covered all of the material in this chapter.

We also took our spelling test and students have their new newsletters with next week's words listed.

Illinois State Test scores were sent home today.  These tests were taken in third grade.  The scores/results are fairly easy to read, but please let us know if you have any questions.

Keep reading at home.  Book-it is optional, but 300 minutes by the end of the month earns a Pizza Hut certificate.

Spelling Words

Our New Nation

We are working hard to read Chapter 2 in Social Studies and we have completed lessons 1 & 2.  This is a fast-paced chapter that takes us from Christopher Columbus to the Cold War.  It touches very briefly on each topic.  Students are always welcome to take home their red Social Studies books for at-home review and discussion.

We have a Unit 8 spelling test over VCCV words tomorrow.

Book orders are due tomorrow.

Don't forget to send back photo orders from Picture Day.

Book-it is optional, but please read at home.

Big Run Wolf Ranch

We had a very good -- but wet -- time on field trip to Big Run Wolf Ranch.  There is a Family Open House on Saturday, October 25th.  We were able to see wolves, a cougar, a bear, coyotes, a skunk, and porcupines.

We will have a spelling test over Unit 8 on Friday.

Field Trip Tomorrow

Tomorrow we will be attending our outdoor field trip.  Please have your child dress warmly (layers) with outdoor footwear.  The event will happen rain or shine.  We will be departing at 8:30 and returning for lunch at 11:30.

Today we learned the new spelling words for Unit 8.  Our test will be on Friday.  Today we completed workbook pages 31-32 in Spelling.
Click here for the Unit 8 words:
Spelling List

We are reading Social Studies Unit 2, Chapter 2 and 3 this week in our red Social Studies books.  We will also continue to work on Christopher Columbus activities.

Book orders are due on Friday.  Don't forget to send Picture Day orders back to school.

Picture Day

Today was a busy day with class pictures.  We did complete our Unit 7 Spelling test, and students have a new newsletter with next week's words on the back.  We will still have a Spelling Test next week, although we will NOT have a Tuesday story to reread for homework.  Next week will be a "catch up" week to review Grammar skills, work on Unit 2 in Social Studies, and learn about prepositions (over, under, on, above...)

Please remember to encourage your child to read at home, even if they are not completing Book-it.

Have a bread day off school on Monday for Columbus Day.  We are completed some Columbus Day activities today in class.

Picture Day Tomorrow

TOMORROW IS PICTURE DAY.  Students will take their photos with their Block 2 (Homeroom) class.  

Today we listened to several cowboy songs and practiced reading cowboy poems for fluency (Reading book pages 206-207).  Tomorrow students may present an extra credit recipe for fluency and oral presentation practice.  This extra credit assignment is optional.

We  worked on Spelling workbook pages 29-30.  Our Spelling Test Friday is over Unit 7  -  Click here for words:  Spelling Lists

We are learning about Columbus and other European explorers in Social Studies as we complete pages 38 - 45 in our red Social Studies book

Book-orders are due October 17.

Book-it is optional.  300 minutes of reading for October earns a Pizza Hut certificate for a free pan pizza.  

Big Wolf Run Field Trip permission slips are due October 14, the day before our field trip.  http://bigrunwolfranch.org

Block 2 - Be sure to return your permission slips to watch the movie The Indian in the Cupboard, as will have finished reading this book together in class. 
Block 1 is currently reading Little House on the Prairie.  

Story Test

Today we reread and took our story comprehension and vocabulary test over "Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World."   We also worked on learning the steps in a process and looked at the order in which to follow a recipe.  As an extra credit assignment, students are invited to bring a short recipe to class to share orally with the class.  Please see the direction sheet in your child's folder for more detailed information about this project.

We also worked on compound subjects and predicates in Grammar workbook page 20.

In Social Studies we read pages 38-43 as we learned about how Europeans and Native Americans made a great impact in our culture.

Spelling Test Friday over Unit 7  -  Click here for words:  Spelling Lists

Marchelloni's Pizza Day is tomorrow.  Pizza needed to be ordered in advance.

Book-orders are due October 17.

Big Wolf Run Field Trip permission slips are due October 14, the day before our field trip.  http://bigrunwolfranch.org

Block 2 - Be sure to return your permission slips to watch the movie The Indian in the Cupboard, as will have finished reading this book together in class.
Block 1 is currently reading Little House on the Prairie.  

Justin and the Best Biscuits

Today's reading story can be found on pages 187-202.  We read "Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World" and discussed the vocabulary for this story, found on Practice workbook page 37.  Our story and vocabulary test will be tomorrow.  Students should return their green homework sheet tomorrow. The eBook can be found here:

eBook

Please remember that field trip permission slips for next Wednesday's trip to Big Run Wolf Lodge are due at the end of this week.  Information about the activities on this trip can be found here:

http://bigrunwolfranch.org

Please continue to read at home.   Book-it is optional but encouraged.

Our Spelling Unit 7 test is on Friday.

In Social Studies we are reading Chapter 2, Lesson 1, found on pages 38- 41 in our red book.

Spelling Unit 7 and Compound Subjects/Predicates

Today we competed our Spelling unit 7 workbook pages, 27 and 28.  All of our words this week are vowel, consonant-consonant, vowel (VCCV) words.

We also discussed compound subjects and predicates and completed Grammar workbook page 19.

In social studies we are starting Chapter 2 by reading about Abraham Lincoln Civil War President in our red social studies book pages 35-37.  We are also learning about early Americans and early Europeans in Lesson 1.

Please remember that Book-it is optional, but reading at home is VERY important.  The goal is to read 300 minutes at home each month.

Social Studies Test & Robert Crown

Since today was our Robert Crown presentation, we had to use every minute of class time to work on completing our Social Studies tests.  The students seemed confident when taking the test so I am looking forward to good grades!

Spelling Unit 6 test is tomorrow.  I will be at a funeral and will not be here tomorrow.  I know that the students will be great.  Please look for the Friday newsletter to come home.

Book-it is OPTIONAL but encouraged.  Our goal is 300 minutes of reading per month.

Chapter 1 Social Studies Test TOMORROW

Our Chapter 1 Social Studies test is tomorrow.  Students should be well prepared but can study at home by reviewing their orange study guide as well as the workbook pages (31 & 32) being sent home today.  Students WILL be allowed to use their social studies book to look up  information during the test, but they will NOT be allowed to use their study guides during the test.

We also took the story and vocabulary test over "On the Banks of Plum Creek" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

OPTIONAL Book-it forms have been sent home today.  Raz-Kids computer log-in cards have been sent home also.

Spelling Test Unit 6 will be on Friday.  I will be attending a funeral on Friday morning and will not be here at school. I am sorry to miss the day, but I know that the children will be in good hands.  Our classroom newsletter will still be sent home on Friday.