Religion
Next week, we'll be finishing up chapter 1 in our religion book.
Language Arts
In reading this week, we finished up Fantastic Mr. Fox. The kids really enjoyed this classic story by Roald Dahl! It is one of my favorites, so I'm glad they liked it! Most of them took an AR test on it and did really well! We also started a new book this week called City of Ember. It is another of my favorites, and I can tell the kids love it already since they were begging to continue reading it when we had to stop! The students have also been enjoying our class book nooks for their independent reading time! Who wants to reading in a hard chair? Not me! And apparently, not third graders either!
For writing, the students finished up their rough drafts of the stories they plan to use for books! There is a wide variety of topics including pets, Halloween, family, vacation stories, and more! Next week, we will be working on adding sensory details to the stories as we revise and edit their writing. I am hoping to have the books finished and on the shelf by Friday. Spelling is going well. I could tell the students appreciated the word scrambles for their Thursday practice. Next week I am planning to start some individualized cursive instruction to help the students gain a little more proficiency in that area. We also kicked off Book It this week! The students can earn free personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut just by reading! To earn his or her coupon, your child will need to fully complete each reading log for the month! Easy as {PIZZA} pie! |
Social Studies
In social studies this week, we wrapped up our general study of maps and landforms and prepped ourselves to move on to our study of Michigan! We listened to a fun song called, "When I Say Michigan" by Dr. Lodge McCammon. After we listened to it a few times, the kids broke into partners to try to figure out what the song meant and what it had to do with Michigan. We made a chart of the ideas so that the kids can refer to it as we learn about our state.
Next week, we'll be looking at the geography of Michigan and creating maps to show some of its important cities, landforms, and features! |
Science
When we were done in the woods, we headed back to the visitor center for a picnic lunch on the deck and time to explore. One of the great things about the Seney National Wildlife Refuge is how interactive it is. The students were able to touch (and smell in some cases) a variety of pelts, skulls, bones, feathers, and other artifacts. Some of the students made tracks in the sand table or touched (fake) wolf scat! We then wrapped up our visit with a pond study. Ranger Jen talked to the students about how animals can be classified (we'll be working on this in class next week). The students helped sort the animals in 2 big groups - vertebrates and invertebrates, then into 5 smaller groups: mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Once they had a good idea of how classification works, the students were given some nets and taught how to take a sample. The students collected a variety of creatures and ended up figuring out that they could split them into two groups - animals with shells (mollusks) and animals with legs (in this case, insects). They did such a great job and I think they all learned a lot! They were so well behaved and really made me proud!
Math
Alzheimers Fundraiser
Alzheimer's Disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and the SECOND leading cause of death in Schoolcraft County. It is the only disease in the top 10 without a treatment plan and the number of people diagnosed continues to rise. This cause is especially close to my family. My husband lost his grandmother and 2 beloved great aunts to the disease. It is a heartbreaking, awful disease. We don't have a cure yet, but I am so proud that our class was able to make such a great contribution to the cause.
Looking Ahead
- It should be a calm week - after a crazy week like this past one, this will be very welcomed!
- The parish is hosting a harvest dinner on Sunday, October 11.
- For more upcoming events, check our Calendar.
Housekeeping
- Check out our homework page for information about what your child is responsible for each week
- Check the photo page for pictures from this week.
- Sometime in the next few weeks, we will be sending home the electives registration form for the second marking period. There will also be an online registration as well.
- A few of the students are running low on their lunch cards. Keep an eye on the agenda for notes about refilling it.
- I want to give a BIG thank you to Luanne Zellar and Kristi Kusnier for joining us on our field trip to Seney and to Keith White from Public Transit for hauling us there and back!