March 18, 2013
Dear Parents,
This week is a four day week. The students do not have school this Friday due to the third quarter coming to an end. It's hard to believe that we are starting to count down to the end of the year. The last quarter always flies by. We will be sending home report cards in a few weeks. They will come home in Tuesday folders. Please call if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.
This week we will have our spelling test on Thursday. We are studying Unit 21 words. The words can be found on this website as well as the Spelling City website. Please encourage your child to use the Spelling City website to practice their words through the week. I am also working with a small group of students each week on spelling rules. I am thankful for the families that are working with their children at home each week. It is noticeable and making a difference.
In science this week the students are working on the space standards which states that the sun and moon have locations and movements that can be observed and described. They need to be able to describe the daily and seasonal changes in the position of the sun. They also need to recognize the apparent changes in the moon's shape. They also need to understand that objects in the solar system as seen from the Earth have various sizes and distinctive patterns of motion. They need to recognize that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and that the moon orbits the earth. The students will be creating a diagram of the solar system putting the planets in their correct position in relation to the sun.
Last week the students created their costumes for their Biography Living Museum. Their paragraphs are written. We're ready to go. With a couple of practice sessions planned, we will be invited younger students to come and view our museum next week. I will let you know the various times we will be invited students in...just in case you would like to visit our class as well. If your child has clothes or props that they would like to use for their presentation...they are welcome to do that. It should be a lot of fun! I was impressed with how easily the students wrote in the first person...as if they were the subject of their biography.
In math the students have started working on division facts. They are working on dividing by 1's, 2's, 5's, 7's, and 10's. Please encourage your child to continue working on their facts at home...subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Have a great week!
Dear Parents,
This week is a four day week. The students do not have school this Friday due to the third quarter coming to an end. It's hard to believe that we are starting to count down to the end of the year. The last quarter always flies by. We will be sending home report cards in a few weeks. They will come home in Tuesday folders. Please call if you have any concerns you would like to discuss.
This week we will have our spelling test on Thursday. We are studying Unit 21 words. The words can be found on this website as well as the Spelling City website. Please encourage your child to use the Spelling City website to practice their words through the week. I am also working with a small group of students each week on spelling rules. I am thankful for the families that are working with their children at home each week. It is noticeable and making a difference.
In science this week the students are working on the space standards which states that the sun and moon have locations and movements that can be observed and described. They need to be able to describe the daily and seasonal changes in the position of the sun. They also need to recognize the apparent changes in the moon's shape. They also need to understand that objects in the solar system as seen from the Earth have various sizes and distinctive patterns of motion. They need to recognize that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and that the moon orbits the earth. The students will be creating a diagram of the solar system putting the planets in their correct position in relation to the sun.
Last week the students created their costumes for their Biography Living Museum. Their paragraphs are written. We're ready to go. With a couple of practice sessions planned, we will be invited younger students to come and view our museum next week. I will let you know the various times we will be invited students in...just in case you would like to visit our class as well. If your child has clothes or props that they would like to use for their presentation...they are welcome to do that. It should be a lot of fun! I was impressed with how easily the students wrote in the first person...as if they were the subject of their biography.
In math the students have started working on division facts. They are working on dividing by 1's, 2's, 5's, 7's, and 10's. Please encourage your child to continue working on their facts at home...subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Have a great week!
Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The class came back ready to work today, but we were all saddened by Tehya’s news that her house burned down on Saturday. We are hoping that we as a class can support her by donating gently used clothes. Her favorite color is pink. She wears a size 1 shoe. She wears a size 8 in pants...although she is quite thin. She also wears a medium top. She told us that she lost everything, but the items she already had at her mom’s and her grandma’s. So she does have a few items at this time. We found her a size 2 pair of tennis shoes, which she seemed happy with. The office is collecting items to deliver to the family. She also has two siblings that lost everything as well as her father.
Joe (Dad): XL shirts/jacket, 34x32 pants, med undershorts, sz 11 shoes (has no winter coat)
Tehya (female): sz medium shirts, sz 8 pants, sz 1 shoes (also needs pair of sz 1 winter boots)
Shea (male): sz med shirts, sz 7/8 pants, sz 1 shoes
Yamka (female): sz 4/5T clothing, sz 10 shoes
We also want to extend our feelings of sorrow to Jaidan...his grandmother passed away this past weekend. The students really felt bad for him. I was impressed with how many of the students added their concern for these two students in their Santa letters, which I will try to email a copy of the letters if you have an email address on record. If not, the students’ letters will be read on the radio and if you like, I could make a copy of each and send it home.
This week the students are working on Unit 8 in spelling. The students had a difficult time with the new words. They are once, animal, life, enough, and took. I am sending home a list of the words along with the challenge words for the students that already mastered the list.
The next few weeks will be busy ones. If you are able to help with any of our projects please let me know. We usually start our projects on a Friday, but if you have a free day on a different day...I would gladly reschedule. It is much easier with two.
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Dorholt
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The class came back ready to work today, but we were all saddened by Tehya’s news that her house burned down on Saturday. We are hoping that we as a class can support her by donating gently used clothes. Her favorite color is pink. She wears a size 1 shoe. She wears a size 8 in pants...although she is quite thin. She also wears a medium top. She told us that she lost everything, but the items she already had at her mom’s and her grandma’s. So she does have a few items at this time. We found her a size 2 pair of tennis shoes, which she seemed happy with. The office is collecting items to deliver to the family. She also has two siblings that lost everything as well as her father.
Joe (Dad): XL shirts/jacket, 34x32 pants, med undershorts, sz 11 shoes (has no winter coat)
Tehya (female): sz medium shirts, sz 8 pants, sz 1 shoes (also needs pair of sz 1 winter boots)
Shea (male): sz med shirts, sz 7/8 pants, sz 1 shoes
Yamka (female): sz 4/5T clothing, sz 10 shoes
We also want to extend our feelings of sorrow to Jaidan...his grandmother passed away this past weekend. The students really felt bad for him. I was impressed with how many of the students added their concern for these two students in their Santa letters, which I will try to email a copy of the letters if you have an email address on record. If not, the students’ letters will be read on the radio and if you like, I could make a copy of each and send it home.
This week the students are working on Unit 8 in spelling. The students had a difficult time with the new words. They are once, animal, life, enough, and took. I am sending home a list of the words along with the challenge words for the students that already mastered the list.
The next few weeks will be busy ones. If you are able to help with any of our projects please let me know. We usually start our projects on a Friday, but if you have a free day on a different day...I would gladly reschedule. It is much easier with two.
Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. Dorholt
Happy Thanksgiving!
This week is a three day week. That means we will not have a spelling test this week. We have been busy reading nonfiction articles, stories, and books related to the history of Thanksgiving. The students have learned how to write complete answers to questions from the stories they have read. We have also worked on comparing and contrasting what life was like during the 1600’s. The students were able to understand that the basic needs of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people were the same as people today, but the way they met those needs was very different. After Thanksgiving the students will be reading about how life has changed over the years.
The reading challenge continues at King School. Each of our students have been asked to read 30 minutes a night at home. If you have lost your monthly recording slip, please feel free to use a blank paper, fill in the dates, times, and number of pages. Please sign the slip, verifying that your child read the amount of time on the slip. Our blue team is still in the lead...yeah!!! The amount a student actually reads at home is a huge indicator of the success they will have in school.
Next week is Spirit Week at King School. The days are as follows:
Monday - Camo-Blaze Orange Day
Tuesday - Pajama Day
Wednesday - Hat Day
Thursday - Sports Jersey Day
Friday - Blue/Gold Day
It should be a fun week for the students that participate. I’m looking forward to our celebration of their hard work.
If you were unable to come to conferences, I have sent home a copy of the report card as well as the I Can statements. The I Can statements will help you understand what your child was asked to do this past quarter. If you have any questions or concerns, please call or schedule a conference in the future.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving...I am truly thankful for the chance to work with your children. They are a special group of students.
Mrs. Dorholt
This week is a three day week. That means we will not have a spelling test this week. We have been busy reading nonfiction articles, stories, and books related to the history of Thanksgiving. The students have learned how to write complete answers to questions from the stories they have read. We have also worked on comparing and contrasting what life was like during the 1600’s. The students were able to understand that the basic needs of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people were the same as people today, but the way they met those needs was very different. After Thanksgiving the students will be reading about how life has changed over the years.
The reading challenge continues at King School. Each of our students have been asked to read 30 minutes a night at home. If you have lost your monthly recording slip, please feel free to use a blank paper, fill in the dates, times, and number of pages. Please sign the slip, verifying that your child read the amount of time on the slip. Our blue team is still in the lead...yeah!!! The amount a student actually reads at home is a huge indicator of the success they will have in school.
Next week is Spirit Week at King School. The days are as follows:
Monday - Camo-Blaze Orange Day
Tuesday - Pajama Day
Wednesday - Hat Day
Thursday - Sports Jersey Day
Friday - Blue/Gold Day
It should be a fun week for the students that participate. I’m looking forward to our celebration of their hard work.
If you were unable to come to conferences, I have sent home a copy of the report card as well as the I Can statements. The I Can statements will help you understand what your child was asked to do this past quarter. If you have any questions or concerns, please call or schedule a conference in the future.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving...I am truly thankful for the chance to work with your children. They are a special group of students.
Mrs. Dorholt
This week is conference week. I have all the students' report cards ready to hand out at conference time. I also have data to share from the numerous assessments we have given this fall. I will also be sharing the new I Can statements that each grade level has compiled. These should make the new standard's based report cards easier to understand. You can find the link to our I Can statements at the button below or on the King School Website.
I have only heard back from a few of my students. If you do not have your slip, please contact me asap. I would be glad to reschedule your time if it doesn't work out for you this week. Please call me at 246-8860 ext. 419 to reschedule.
This week the students are studying Unit 7 in spelling. The test will be on Friday. I will allow the students to retake the test online during computer time if they do not pass the test or if they would like to try to get a higher score. The idea is for the students to master the words...not to settle for getting a low score. We are using the site Spelling City to retest the words. They are encouraged to visit this site during the week as well.
We have implemented math interventions with Mrs. Sirvio and Mrs. Hron this week. I do have a few students receiving this additional help. The math support will adjust to the needs of the students. As they move through the foundational skills needed for math success the membership in the groups will change. The first group is addressing the skill of counting forward and backward by ones. Sometimes third graders need additional support with this skills for a variety of reasons. One may be that they are not able to transition between tens. They may get to 169 and not know that 170 is next. A third grader needs to be able to start at any number between 0 and 1000 and go forward and backward by one.
In math class, the students are working on adding ten to a number...any number. To stretch the students, I have asked them to practice adding ten to numbers in the thousands. Many of the students are able to do this. To earn a 4 on the report card in math, the students need to be able to go beyond the third grade standards.
During the month of November, the students will be reading informational text during independent reading time. Many of the students love reading factual text...especially if it is about animals. I do allow students to read fiction during any other spare moment in they prefer as well as at home. The unit on informational text also brings us to our science and social studies standards. The students will be using various text to meet those standards. We have just started a weekly science magazine that will address all the third grade standards. You can access our 3rd Grade Informational Text standards below.
This week the students are studying Unit 7 in spelling. The test will be on Friday. I will allow the students to retake the test online during computer time if they do not pass the test or if they would like to try to get a higher score. The idea is for the students to master the words...not to settle for getting a low score. We are using the site Spelling City to retest the words. They are encouraged to visit this site during the week as well.
We have implemented math interventions with Mrs. Sirvio and Mrs. Hron this week. I do have a few students receiving this additional help. The math support will adjust to the needs of the students. As they move through the foundational skills needed for math success the membership in the groups will change. The first group is addressing the skill of counting forward and backward by ones. Sometimes third graders need additional support with this skills for a variety of reasons. One may be that they are not able to transition between tens. They may get to 169 and not know that 170 is next. A third grader needs to be able to start at any number between 0 and 1000 and go forward and backward by one.
In math class, the students are working on adding ten to a number...any number. To stretch the students, I have asked them to practice adding ten to numbers in the thousands. Many of the students are able to do this. To earn a 4 on the report card in math, the students need to be able to go beyond the third grade standards.
During the month of November, the students will be reading informational text during independent reading time. Many of the students love reading factual text...especially if it is about animals. I do allow students to read fiction during any other spare moment in they prefer as well as at home. The unit on informational text also brings us to our science and social studies standards. The students will be using various text to meet those standards. We have just started a weekly science magazine that will address all the third grade standards. You can access our 3rd Grade Informational Text standards below.
We will be working on bringing the studying of the Native American tribes into our classroom throughout the coming winter months. I'm sad to say that many times educators have only used the month of November to honor all the valuable contributions Native Americans have given our country. As we honor their history in our classroom this year, we will also use the myths and legends they have used to teach their youth during reading class. We will compare and contrast the customs of the past with those of today. If you have knowledge that you would be willing to share with our class, please take this invitation to heart and contact me. Some of our best education comes from those around us...include grandparents - our elders.
I am truly thankful for the students that have been entrusted to me each day. We will be thinking of what fills our hearts in the next few weeks...hopefully a spirit of thankfulness will be felt by all that enter our classroom.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
I am truly thankful for the students that have been entrusted to me each day. We will be thinking of what fills our hearts in the next few weeks...hopefully a spirit of thankfulness will be felt by all that enter our classroom.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
The students came back from MEA weekend ready to dive into their work. It felt good to have a few days off, but it also felt good to be back. We are into a better routine now. The students know what to expect each day. This week the students started reading in Literature Groups. The groups are working on understanding character and inferring what characters feel by their words and actions. The books chosen for the groups were picked by their level. Some groups will not be by level, but will be according to the strategy or skill they are working on. They should be practicing the inferring strategy in their independent reading. When a student is able to do this, they will bring higher levels of understanding to the book they are reading. Once a student is able to infer, they need to be able to support their thoughts with reason from the story. It is sort of like, having an opinion that you base off of some sort of evidence.
We are starting Unit 5 in spelling this week. The words are being sent home in their Tuesday Folders. The regular list and challenge list are posted on the website as well. We did not have a spelling test last week.
We had our 5th math test today. I am sending home the test and keeping a copy for conference time. I do put a letter grade on the test, but on the report cards it will be scored with a 4, 3, 2, or 1.
We have started working on cursive handwriting. The main purpose for doing this is for students to be able to read cursive writing. It is a form of communication that is losing some of its importance in our school day. The students are asked to practice this 3 times a week, but the practice is not laborious. It is a short lesson, which the students work on throughout the day. I do not ask them to do the entire sheet of practice. If I see signs of difficulty, I will work with them individually as time allows.
This week the students will be introduced to blogging. They have a username and password for kidblog.org. The students will be blogging once a week. The blogs will be edited and approved by me before they are posted. They will be asked to respond to their classmates blogs as well. Each response will also be edited and approved before it is posted. The theme for the week's blog will be given on Monday. The students will have time throughout the week to respond, but they may respond at home if they have internet access.
The King School Reading Challenge is going very well. Last week our class read a whopping 1070 min. The next closest class was a 5th grade class with 966. Way to go class! This week the class read 1420 min. That was the third highest class. I believe the time spent on reading is one of the most valuable homework assignments a teacher can give. Please continue to encourage your child...our motto is...It may not always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
We are starting Unit 5 in spelling this week. The words are being sent home in their Tuesday Folders. The regular list and challenge list are posted on the website as well. We did not have a spelling test last week.
We had our 5th math test today. I am sending home the test and keeping a copy for conference time. I do put a letter grade on the test, but on the report cards it will be scored with a 4, 3, 2, or 1.
We have started working on cursive handwriting. The main purpose for doing this is for students to be able to read cursive writing. It is a form of communication that is losing some of its importance in our school day. The students are asked to practice this 3 times a week, but the practice is not laborious. It is a short lesson, which the students work on throughout the day. I do not ask them to do the entire sheet of practice. If I see signs of difficulty, I will work with them individually as time allows.
This week the students will be introduced to blogging. They have a username and password for kidblog.org. The students will be blogging once a week. The blogs will be edited and approved by me before they are posted. They will be asked to respond to their classmates blogs as well. Each response will also be edited and approved before it is posted. The theme for the week's blog will be given on Monday. The students will have time throughout the week to respond, but they may respond at home if they have internet access.
The King School Reading Challenge is going very well. Last week our class read a whopping 1070 min. The next closest class was a 5th grade class with 966. Way to go class! This week the class read 1420 min. That was the third highest class. I believe the time spent on reading is one of the most valuable homework assignments a teacher can give. Please continue to encourage your child...our motto is...It may not always be easy, but it will definitely be worth it!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
This week is a short three day week due to the MEA convention in the cities for teachers. We are a little past the half way mark for the quarter. I have been busy gathering data on each of the students. I have listened to each of my students read orally. We have fluency scores on each of the students. Their MAPs scores are in as well.
With all of the data we have formed intervention groups for reading in three areas. One intervention is for fluency. Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation, which is the rising and falling sounds of the voice when speaking, appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression. Children who do not read with fluency sound choppy and awkward. Those students may have difficulty with decoding skills or they may just need more practice with speed and smoothness in reading.
The second intervention is working on Word Work - which includes phonics work - Phonics teaches students the systematic and predictable relationships between the letters (graphemes) of written language and the individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. Phonics is the science behind learning to read and spell. Instead of just looking at a word and remembering it, phonics will help you to recognise the chunks of sounds that make up every word. The advantage of learning phonics is that you can read any new word...atleast that is our goal. Students that struggle with decoding or recalling how words are spelled benefit from a phonics intervention.
The third intervention is for those students that are struggling with comprehension. These students are working in small groups with guided instruction on the book they are reading. They are talking about the different comprehension strategies that good readers use. All of these strategies are also being taught in the classroom with books I read aloud to the students, during individual conferences, as well as small strategy group time.
We will be reevaluating the success of these interventions every 6-8 weeks. If the intervention is working the students will show growth or improvement. In some situations there will not be improvement. When that happens we will adjust the intervention. We will try one of the other interventions that we have to offer. The one intervention that all students can benefit from is increasing the amount of time they spend reading. All research emphasizes the importance of reading independently A LOT! Read further to see what the experts say about independent reading:
Independent reading builds fluency. There is evidence that unless children read substantial amounts of print, their reading will remain laborious and limited in effectiveness (Allington, 1984; Stanovich, 1991). Evidence exists which shows that when students do read substantial amounts of text, their reading performance improves (Bridge, Winograd, & Haley, 1983; Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985).
Our class is on the Blue Team - last week is was obvious that we are taking this very seriously. Not only was the Blue Team on top, but our class was Number One in reading minutes! YEAH - Blue Team! Way to go! Keep up the reading! The real winners are our students!
***We will NOT have a spelling test this week.
Have a great week-end!
Mrs. Dorholt
With all of the data we have formed intervention groups for reading in three areas. One intervention is for fluency. Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation, which is the rising and falling sounds of the voice when speaking, appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression. Children who do not read with fluency sound choppy and awkward. Those students may have difficulty with decoding skills or they may just need more practice with speed and smoothness in reading.
The second intervention is working on Word Work - which includes phonics work - Phonics teaches students the systematic and predictable relationships between the letters (graphemes) of written language and the individual sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. Phonics is the science behind learning to read and spell. Instead of just looking at a word and remembering it, phonics will help you to recognise the chunks of sounds that make up every word. The advantage of learning phonics is that you can read any new word...atleast that is our goal. Students that struggle with decoding or recalling how words are spelled benefit from a phonics intervention.
The third intervention is for those students that are struggling with comprehension. These students are working in small groups with guided instruction on the book they are reading. They are talking about the different comprehension strategies that good readers use. All of these strategies are also being taught in the classroom with books I read aloud to the students, during individual conferences, as well as small strategy group time.
We will be reevaluating the success of these interventions every 6-8 weeks. If the intervention is working the students will show growth or improvement. In some situations there will not be improvement. When that happens we will adjust the intervention. We will try one of the other interventions that we have to offer. The one intervention that all students can benefit from is increasing the amount of time they spend reading. All research emphasizes the importance of reading independently A LOT! Read further to see what the experts say about independent reading:
Independent reading builds fluency. There is evidence that unless children read substantial amounts of print, their reading will remain laborious and limited in effectiveness (Allington, 1984; Stanovich, 1991). Evidence exists which shows that when students do read substantial amounts of text, their reading performance improves (Bridge, Winograd, & Haley, 1983; Dowhower, 1987; Herman, 1985).
Our class is on the Blue Team - last week is was obvious that we are taking this very seriously. Not only was the Blue Team on top, but our class was Number One in reading minutes! YEAH - Blue Team! Way to go! Keep up the reading! The real winners are our students!
***We will NOT have a spelling test this week.
Have a great week-end!
Mrs. Dorholt
The students were excited to see some big snowflakes falling. This is a little early for the white stuff to be falling, but not to early to remind all the students to have warm clothing to wear outside. The students are asked to go outside every day for about 25 min. They need to bring proper clothes to wear outside for that length of time.
I am asking that each child put their jackets inside their backpacks for a while. We have had lice in our classroom already this year. If your child's jacket is too big for their backpack, we will provide garbage bags for them to store their jackets in. Please remind your child not to share hats, combs, brushes, or to leave their jackets out next. I am not putting out my reading chairs at this time due to this problem. Hopefully we can be bug free soon.
This week we are studying Unit 4 in spelling. I have posted the words on my website. Your child has a list of these words in their Tuesday Folders. If your child had 100% on the pretest they will be practicing a challenge list for the week. The challenge list is not graded. They will be asked to participate in the phonics test and the sentence dictation with the rest of the class. I have included my spelling letter this week as well. I am sending home last week's test. Please go over the words that your child has missed. These words will be repeated throughout the year. There are places to practice these words on my website as well.
We are in the second week of our Character Study. During this month the students are reading realistic fiction. This means that the story is not true, but could be. The characters may be people, but they may also be animals...such as the Berenstain Bears. The students will be asked to work on visualizing, predicting, and questioning throughout this week. After giving a pretest to the class, it was very clear that the students need work on writing predictions. Talking about a prediction and actually writing one are obviously different skills. The students didn't seem to have any problem talking about what they thought was going to happen in the stories we read this week. I was surprised to see the difficulty they had writing a prediction while reading a short story.
One of the books we read this past week was, The Man Who Walked Between Two Towers. The books was used to teach visualizing. Although it is a true story...it is a great one for students to listen to and imagine what is happening before seeing the pictures. I have posted the true story on my website under student resources...Reading...Books Read Aloud. I hope the students will access this site at home and listen/watch the interview of Phillipe Petite. If you do not have internet access at home - I will ask the students to use their computer time to watch it.
In math, the students are working on rounding to the nearest ten. I have posted a couple of videos that explain rounding to the students. I will encourage my students to watch these, especially if they are having any difficulties. Place value is another concern for third graders. They are asked to know their places to the hundred thousands. I do expose them to higher place value. Once they understand the places of the digits, they need to be able to add 10, 100, or 1000 to a number. This seems to be easier for those students that have a good understanding of place value into the thousands.
Fractions were also introduced this week. Students need to understand the definition of a fraction - a part of a whole. We are working with 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8. The students need to understand that the denominator tells them how many pieces the whole has been divided into. They also need to understand that the numerator is how pieces they have. As I checked their daily work it was clear that many of them either went to quickly or don't understand what it means to shade in 3/4's of a shape.
I had hoped to make a phone call to each of you before mid-quarter. This has not happened, which I regret. I hope that as you see your child's work and have questions or concerns, you will take the time to call me. I am always available for a parent call...and still hope to make calls to you. I am enjoying the students very much and hope to share their successes with you very soon!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
I am asking that each child put their jackets inside their backpacks for a while. We have had lice in our classroom already this year. If your child's jacket is too big for their backpack, we will provide garbage bags for them to store their jackets in. Please remind your child not to share hats, combs, brushes, or to leave their jackets out next. I am not putting out my reading chairs at this time due to this problem. Hopefully we can be bug free soon.
This week we are studying Unit 4 in spelling. I have posted the words on my website. Your child has a list of these words in their Tuesday Folders. If your child had 100% on the pretest they will be practicing a challenge list for the week. The challenge list is not graded. They will be asked to participate in the phonics test and the sentence dictation with the rest of the class. I have included my spelling letter this week as well. I am sending home last week's test. Please go over the words that your child has missed. These words will be repeated throughout the year. There are places to practice these words on my website as well.
We are in the second week of our Character Study. During this month the students are reading realistic fiction. This means that the story is not true, but could be. The characters may be people, but they may also be animals...such as the Berenstain Bears. The students will be asked to work on visualizing, predicting, and questioning throughout this week. After giving a pretest to the class, it was very clear that the students need work on writing predictions. Talking about a prediction and actually writing one are obviously different skills. The students didn't seem to have any problem talking about what they thought was going to happen in the stories we read this week. I was surprised to see the difficulty they had writing a prediction while reading a short story.
One of the books we read this past week was, The Man Who Walked Between Two Towers. The books was used to teach visualizing. Although it is a true story...it is a great one for students to listen to and imagine what is happening before seeing the pictures. I have posted the true story on my website under student resources...Reading...Books Read Aloud. I hope the students will access this site at home and listen/watch the interview of Phillipe Petite. If you do not have internet access at home - I will ask the students to use their computer time to watch it.
In math, the students are working on rounding to the nearest ten. I have posted a couple of videos that explain rounding to the students. I will encourage my students to watch these, especially if they are having any difficulties. Place value is another concern for third graders. They are asked to know their places to the hundred thousands. I do expose them to higher place value. Once they understand the places of the digits, they need to be able to add 10, 100, or 1000 to a number. This seems to be easier for those students that have a good understanding of place value into the thousands.
Fractions were also introduced this week. Students need to understand the definition of a fraction - a part of a whole. We are working with 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/8. The students need to understand that the denominator tells them how many pieces the whole has been divided into. They also need to understand that the numerator is how pieces they have. As I checked their daily work it was clear that many of them either went to quickly or don't understand what it means to shade in 3/4's of a shape.
I had hoped to make a phone call to each of you before mid-quarter. This has not happened, which I regret. I hope that as you see your child's work and have questions or concerns, you will take the time to call me. I am always available for a parent call...and still hope to make calls to you. I am enjoying the students very much and hope to share their successes with you very soon!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
This week the students had a great time finding out about the King School's PTKS Fund Raiser. All the classes went to the gym to listen to a presentation that definitely excited the students to try to sell the products. I'm sure if they could sell everything themselves they would. The prizes were amazing, especially the one for selling 25 - which is a ride in a stretch limo. There is also a possibility of winning an iPad just for registering...they don't need to sell anything to register. The celebration at the end of the fund raiser is something that all the students are looking forward to. The students definitely appreciate all that PTKS does for our school when it comes time for the field trip in the spring.
This week the students took the MAPs test. This is test is taken on the computers. It is not a timed test. It measures the students reading and math levels. It gives a snapshot of where the students are and what they need to work on. There are a few more assessments the students will be participating in this fall. One of them is called the BASS. This assesses the reading level that a student should be instructed with as well as their independent reading level. If a student's assessments indicate that they are having difficulty with decoding - sounding out words, they will also be given a phonics inventory. This assessment will tell us the sounds that they know and those that they need to learn.
Thursday night was the first PIE Night at King School. Our reading challenge was introduced to those in attendance. Our third grade class is part of the Blue Team. The students will be bringing home information explaining this challenge in their Tuesday Folders. Each student is asked to read 20 min. a night. They may be read to, read with a parent, or read independently. An adult needs to sign their reading sheet each week. The students return the reading slips weekly. There will be a prize for the winning team as well as a school wide celebration if we reach our goal.
We are reading the book Judy Moody was in a Mood. The character in the story is starting third grade. She isn't sure that she wants school to start. In the story Judy is asked to make a Me Collage, just as I have asked my students to do the same. Friday the students picked the poster that they would create. Each student spent time coloring, writing, and finding pictures in magazines that tell more about themselves. Some of the students were using photoshop to take pictures of themselves to add to their posters. You may have heard that they need to bring in pictures of themselves, which is certainly encouraged. We will be displaying these posters outside of our classroom.
Friday the students took their second spelling test. The first test was a practice test...it will not count towards their grade. I have included a spelling letter in their Tuesday letters along with their new list for the week.
As the month of October begins I am looking forward to establishing more routines. The reading workshop is still forming, but the framework is in place. We still need to establish our daily writer's workshop. The transitions between subjects needs to speed up a bit, but I'm sure as the students become more independent that will come. October's focus will be on studying how an author develops character. The MN standard for third graders states: A student needs to be able to: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
As students listen, read, and discuss stories this month, we will be focusing on the characters we meet. The authors use descriptive words to describe the characters, but they also use their conversations and their actions to demonstrate what type of a person they are. As you read with your child, continue having conversations about the characters in the stories. I hope you here your child tell you what they think and why. This is a good indication that they are connecting with the story...as well as understanding it - which is the main reason for reading.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
This week the students took the MAPs test. This is test is taken on the computers. It is not a timed test. It measures the students reading and math levels. It gives a snapshot of where the students are and what they need to work on. There are a few more assessments the students will be participating in this fall. One of them is called the BASS. This assesses the reading level that a student should be instructed with as well as their independent reading level. If a student's assessments indicate that they are having difficulty with decoding - sounding out words, they will also be given a phonics inventory. This assessment will tell us the sounds that they know and those that they need to learn.
Thursday night was the first PIE Night at King School. Our reading challenge was introduced to those in attendance. Our third grade class is part of the Blue Team. The students will be bringing home information explaining this challenge in their Tuesday Folders. Each student is asked to read 20 min. a night. They may be read to, read with a parent, or read independently. An adult needs to sign their reading sheet each week. The students return the reading slips weekly. There will be a prize for the winning team as well as a school wide celebration if we reach our goal.
We are reading the book Judy Moody was in a Mood. The character in the story is starting third grade. She isn't sure that she wants school to start. In the story Judy is asked to make a Me Collage, just as I have asked my students to do the same. Friday the students picked the poster that they would create. Each student spent time coloring, writing, and finding pictures in magazines that tell more about themselves. Some of the students were using photoshop to take pictures of themselves to add to their posters. You may have heard that they need to bring in pictures of themselves, which is certainly encouraged. We will be displaying these posters outside of our classroom.
Friday the students took their second spelling test. The first test was a practice test...it will not count towards their grade. I have included a spelling letter in their Tuesday letters along with their new list for the week.
As the month of October begins I am looking forward to establishing more routines. The reading workshop is still forming, but the framework is in place. We still need to establish our daily writer's workshop. The transitions between subjects needs to speed up a bit, but I'm sure as the students become more independent that will come. October's focus will be on studying how an author develops character. The MN standard for third graders states: A student needs to be able to: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
As students listen, read, and discuss stories this month, we will be focusing on the characters we meet. The authors use descriptive words to describe the characters, but they also use their conversations and their actions to demonstrate what type of a person they are. As you read with your child, continue having conversations about the characters in the stories. I hope you here your child tell you what they think and why. This is a good indication that they are connecting with the story...as well as understanding it - which is the main reason for reading.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
In the book Judy Moody needs a new pet. At the pet store they find a Venus Flytrap - a meat eating plant. Encourage your child to go to the Research Link, which can be found in Student Resources.
I am sending home the first two spelling tests the class took. I do keep a copy of the tests so that we can look at any spelling patterns that are repeated. These tests help guide our intervention groups through the weeks. The test words do repeat themselves through the year, which makes it really important for the students to work on words they miss right away. Otherwise they keep repeating the same mistakes...which is actually practicing something wrong. It takes a lot of effort to undo something we keep repeating.
The grades are put on the test only for you to see what they would be if we were using an A, B, C grading system. When the report cards come out you will not see a letter grade for spelling alone. It is a language grade, which includes grammar work. The grade is on a 4, 3, 2, 1 system. This means that if your child exceeds the standard of a third grader - they will receive a 4. If they meet the standard - they will receive a 3. If they are progressing towards the standard - showing improvement through the quarter - they will receive a 2. A 1 is given when a student is showing minimal progress towards the standard - or if they are at a beginning/emerging level on the standards taught.
If your student is showing signs that they are below the standards in word work - spelling, we will intervene at school with a supplemental time where they will work on phonics skills. This time will be provided by our Title I staff. We will also provide supplemental work for your child to do at home - flash cards, websites to use, games, etc. I will work with your child in a small group as well, which will be in addition to the classroom instruction.
Each week your child will be pretested on Monday. This list can be accessed on my website. All of the units are already posted. Your child will then be given direct instruction on the words for the week, practice on these words, and a final test on Friday. In addition to the word list, they will also have a phonics skill that will be tested and a sentence dictation. Spelling is also expected to used correctly in their weekly writing. Each week the students will be writing paragraphs, stories, essays or reports. The students will be given a spelling grade on one weekly writing assignment. They will know which assignment that will be. The students have a list of words that need to be spelled correctly at all times. Those are the words that I will be checking for. This list is posted on my website.
The students that score 100% on their pretest will be given a challenge list to practice through the week. They will be tested on this list online each Friday. The challenge list is not graded with a letter grade - the pretest is their grade. They are able to retake the challenge test online to raise their score if they choose. Sometimes the students need a few tries to remember the correct spacing or how to use the shift key to capitalize. I do not want typing issues to be the reason they do not receive 100%. If a student works on the challenge words through the week and takes the challenge test - they will receive a 4 for the week in spelling.
Any student is able to take the challenge list or not take it. This is a choice that they are needing to make. A student that sees harder work as punishment may not want to challenge themselves...so they may take the regular test on Friday. I try to present the challenge words as more complex...not more work. The new standards in reading ask our students to go deeper...we need to provide the motivation for them to see a reason to do that and provide the opportunities for them to succeed once they make that choice.
You may access all spelling materials on my website or at http://www.spellingcity.com/sdorholt/
Please call if you have any questions or concerns.
Mrs. Dorholt
218-246-8860 ext. 419
We have had a really good Week 4. The students took their first spelling test last Friday and there first pretest on Monday. In their Tuesday folders you will see the results of this pretest. If the students scored above 94% - it means that they will not need to practice their words this week or take the regular spelling test on Friday. They will take the challenge test on Friday. The challenge words are linked to our vocabulary study - our Words of the Day and our Science, Social Studies, and Math vocabulary. These words are ones that they have already connected with at some point over the past week. Students in 3rd grade are scored on a 4, 3, 2, 1 scale on their report cards. A 3 means that the students have met the 3rd grade standard. To receive a 4 the students need to be challenged beyond what is required of a 3rd grader. Taking the challenge test on Friday and doing well on it is one way for a student to receive a 4 on their report cards. You may ask if your child can take the challenge test even if they do not score well on their pretest. That is really up to your child. The challenge test is given on the computer while I verbally give the test to the rest of the class. If they use computer time at another time of the day to take the challenge test, I certainly would not object to a child pushing themselves to do more.
Spelling City is a site that has built in word practice in a number of different ways. I have linked a teacher's list page to mine - since she has already entered in the third grade Rebecca Sitton words. The challenge list is one that I created for the students to use. Even though we are on Unit 2 of Rebecca Sitton, the challenge list is Unit 1. I will use this site during the week for our students to practice their word list. You will find the spelling sites on the student resources button of my website. I have also placed it under parent resources. My website can be found under the King School - third grade link or at dorholt.weebly.com.
This past week the students brought home an unusual science project. The Fortune Telling fish are part of a science lesson that teaches students to observe and record what they saw just as scientist do when they are conducting an experiment. The excitement was high. We will be revisiting this experiment this week as the recording aspect of the project still needs some work.
This quarter 3rd graders are working on place value in math. The place value standard for third graders is for each of them to be able to read, write and represent whole numbers up to 100,000. Representations may include numerals, expressions with operations, words, pictures, number lines, and manipulatives such as bundles of sticks and base 10 blocks. We will work on understanding what it means to represent a number in a variety of ways. They were introduced to expanded form, standard form, and word form this past week. Last week one of their vocabulary words was value. It is difficult for students to understand the difference between value and place value. A number like 432 has 3 digits. Each digit has a value. The 4's value is 400, while the 3's value is 30 and the 2 is valued at just 2. The students will use the term place value to describe whole numbers between 1000 and 100,000 in terms of ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens and ones.
I shared the book, Even Steven Odd Todd, with the class during math last week. Understanding why a number is odd or even was something that most of the students remembered, but it was good to refresh their memories especially when working with numbers in the thousands.
The students took their first math test. I will be saving these tests for conferences in November. I would like to touch base with each of you over the next couple of weeks to see if there are any concerns with your child's start to third grade and to talk briefly about how they are doing. If you would like to meet with me before November, please feel free to contact me and set up a time.
This Thursday night is a big night at King School...PIE night. Please look for the flyer in your child's Tuesday Folder.
The King School Fundraiser begins this week. Please look for this information in your child's Tuesday Folder.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
Spelling City is a site that has built in word practice in a number of different ways. I have linked a teacher's list page to mine - since she has already entered in the third grade Rebecca Sitton words. The challenge list is one that I created for the students to use. Even though we are on Unit 2 of Rebecca Sitton, the challenge list is Unit 1. I will use this site during the week for our students to practice their word list. You will find the spelling sites on the student resources button of my website. I have also placed it under parent resources. My website can be found under the King School - third grade link or at dorholt.weebly.com.
This past week the students brought home an unusual science project. The Fortune Telling fish are part of a science lesson that teaches students to observe and record what they saw just as scientist do when they are conducting an experiment. The excitement was high. We will be revisiting this experiment this week as the recording aspect of the project still needs some work.
This quarter 3rd graders are working on place value in math. The place value standard for third graders is for each of them to be able to read, write and represent whole numbers up to 100,000. Representations may include numerals, expressions with operations, words, pictures, number lines, and manipulatives such as bundles of sticks and base 10 blocks. We will work on understanding what it means to represent a number in a variety of ways. They were introduced to expanded form, standard form, and word form this past week. Last week one of their vocabulary words was value. It is difficult for students to understand the difference between value and place value. A number like 432 has 3 digits. Each digit has a value. The 4's value is 400, while the 3's value is 30 and the 2 is valued at just 2. The students will use the term place value to describe whole numbers between 1000 and 100,000 in terms of ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens and ones.
I shared the book, Even Steven Odd Todd, with the class during math last week. Understanding why a number is odd or even was something that most of the students remembered, but it was good to refresh their memories especially when working with numbers in the thousands.
The students took their first math test. I will be saving these tests for conferences in November. I would like to touch base with each of you over the next couple of weeks to see if there are any concerns with your child's start to third grade and to talk briefly about how they are doing. If you would like to meet with me before November, please feel free to contact me and set up a time.
This Thursday night is a big night at King School...PIE night. Please look for the flyer in your child's Tuesday Folder.
The King School Fundraiser begins this week. Please look for this information in your child's Tuesday Folder.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
Week 4 - Spelling Letter sent home after pretest on Monday
below
saw
something
thought
both
while
along
never
should
between
every
number
different
here
another
write
went
such
Your child took a pretest on these words today. The pretest results indicate that your child would benefit from additional instruction on these words. You may find practice at this website that may be helpful to your child’s study time. http://school.elps.k12.mi.us/donley/classrooms/berry/sitton_spelling_activities/3rdgrade_spelling/unit2/index.htm
There is a link to this page on my website. dorholt.weebly.com
* The shaded words on the link...are considered new to a third grader. The rest of the words are review words from second grade.
We will be working on long vowel sounds this week as well. Please review the long i sound and long o sound with your child using these words. Have them identify those that have the long sound(say the i or o sound in the word) and those that do not.
while might different
find try tiny
gives write little
bright mind tin
sound no show
boat about some
home cold road
know float look
The students will also work on writing a sentence that has been dictated to them, using proper punctuation. I do expect the students to put a capital letter at the beginning of their sentence and a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end. If there is a comma in the sentence the students should practice putting that in the proper place. The students will be scored on the words that they spell correctly and the proper punctuation.
This week the sentence they will spell is:
We never thought we would see what we saw today.
This week the class has been busy getting into the routine of a full day of school. Our school day starts with understanding how to take care of our morning routines. Most of the students arrive before 8:30, which gives them time to eat breakfast, bring notes to Tara in the office, use the bathroom, sharpen their pencils, return books to the library, read the message from me, read the vocabulary word of the day, and maybe go outside if time allows. As you can see the students have a lot to remember before their day actually begins.
At 8:30 the students say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. We then come together in a Morning Meeting. Each day the students circle their desks and greet each other politely, share something with the group, participate in a fun activity, and read our class message together. By 9:00 we are moving into our Reader's and Writer's Workshop, which includes our spelling time. We will have a spelling list each week...but due to a few unforeseen interruptions this week...we have not fit spelling into our morning...yet. We will be taking the Unit One test this Friday - it will NOT count towards their grade...we need to have a better handle on the expectations first.
Recess begins at 11:10 and lunch is at 11:40. The students are back in the room by 12:00...when we have story time...my favorite time of the day. Specials are at 12:15. On Mondays, Wednesdays and B Fridays we have Music and Library. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and A Fridays we have P.E. and Computer class. This Friday is an A Friday.
Math class starts at 1:05 with whole group instruction. We will be reviewing for the first few weeks of school. The students will have fact work everyday. At the end of math class the students will work in stations. One of the stations will be using computers, another will be in a group with me, while the third group will be working at their desk on their homework independently. Some of the students may choose to bring their math home so that they can have an extra reading time at school or finish up a writing assignment from the morning. If they finish their math work at school...the only other homework they will have is daily reading. I am asking my third graders to read 30 min. a night. It doesn't have to be at night, as one student asked, but it could be as they get home...or as soon as they wake up in the morning. They will be bringing home their library books and at times my books. I do ask that these books be returned and treated well. As long as your child is returning those books that they borrow...the privilege to check out my books will continue. Each year I lose a number of books from my collection...I contemplate whether I should send them home...and each year I decide that it is worth it...if it will help foster a love of reading. The number one factor in a child increasing their reading level is the amount of time spent reading. They need to read, read, read, and read some more!
If you're wondering when we will have science or social...it will be during our reading block in the morning. We will be reading informational books as well as writing about these informational topics. The afternoons may have a shortened math lesson some days to make time for art. Our days are full...and never have enough time for everything we need to accomplish. If you would like to be a part of our daily learning please let me know. I ALWAYS could use your help.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
At 8:30 the students say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. We then come together in a Morning Meeting. Each day the students circle their desks and greet each other politely, share something with the group, participate in a fun activity, and read our class message together. By 9:00 we are moving into our Reader's and Writer's Workshop, which includes our spelling time. We will have a spelling list each week...but due to a few unforeseen interruptions this week...we have not fit spelling into our morning...yet. We will be taking the Unit One test this Friday - it will NOT count towards their grade...we need to have a better handle on the expectations first.
Recess begins at 11:10 and lunch is at 11:40. The students are back in the room by 12:00...when we have story time...my favorite time of the day. Specials are at 12:15. On Mondays, Wednesdays and B Fridays we have Music and Library. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and A Fridays we have P.E. and Computer class. This Friday is an A Friday.
Math class starts at 1:05 with whole group instruction. We will be reviewing for the first few weeks of school. The students will have fact work everyday. At the end of math class the students will work in stations. One of the stations will be using computers, another will be in a group with me, while the third group will be working at their desk on their homework independently. Some of the students may choose to bring their math home so that they can have an extra reading time at school or finish up a writing assignment from the morning. If they finish their math work at school...the only other homework they will have is daily reading. I am asking my third graders to read 30 min. a night. It doesn't have to be at night, as one student asked, but it could be as they get home...or as soon as they wake up in the morning. They will be bringing home their library books and at times my books. I do ask that these books be returned and treated well. As long as your child is returning those books that they borrow...the privilege to check out my books will continue. Each year I lose a number of books from my collection...I contemplate whether I should send them home...and each year I decide that it is worth it...if it will help foster a love of reading. The number one factor in a child increasing their reading level is the amount of time spent reading. They need to read, read, read, and read some more!
If you're wondering when we will have science or social...it will be during our reading block in the morning. We will be reading informational books as well as writing about these informational topics. The afternoons may have a shortened math lesson some days to make time for art. Our days are full...and never have enough time for everything we need to accomplish. If you would like to be a part of our daily learning please let me know. I ALWAYS could use your help.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Dorholt
During story time our class will be reading stories that help them identify the theme of a book. Some of the themes we will find are...honesty, courage, perseverance, and empathy.We just finished the book Fish Face by: Patricia Reilly Giff. The class decided that this book's main theme was honesty.
The cover of the book has been redone by illustrator Joann Scribner. She wrote...The beauty about this series is that it breaks down people's prejudices. Each child featured has something odd about them that a reader can identify with. None of the characters are perfect...like real life. As the reader gets to know each character, he or she grows to love them...as do the other characters within the book. The story reflects life, it's sadness and its joys, and keeps you interested. There is always a lesson to be learned in each book in the Polk Street School Series. I do wish they credited the cover artist, as I worked so hard to do the book justice. My name is Joanne Scribner, and so far I've redone the covers for: December Secrets, Candy Corn Contest, The Beast In Ms. Rooney's Room, and Fish Face. I've also done new covers for: Snaggle Doodles, The Valentine Star, and The Dinosaur's Paw...coming out soon. As the cover artist is never named, (only the interior artist).....please look carefully, and you can tell who did the covers. Hope you enjoy this series. I'll keep working on the rest of the covers in the series for you...So please let me know what you think.
Third graders...all elementary students are asked to understand how characters develop in a story. In fact the third grade standard reads...Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Fish Face had many of our students liking and disliking the characters. In the end the students found out that honesty was something that each of the characters had an issue with and once they chose to be honest...all of the other issues went away. Honesty really is the best policy.
Third graders...all elementary students are asked to understand how characters develop in a story. In fact the third grade standard reads...Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. Fish Face had many of our students liking and disliking the characters. In the end the students found out that honesty was something that each of the characters had an issue with and once they chose to be honest...all of the other issues went away. Honesty really is the best policy.
King Pride starts on Day One!
September 10, 2012
Dear Parents,
We have had an awesome start to our 2012-2013 school year. The third graders all seem ready to be back and school and start showing their King Pride. We spent this past week practicing positive behavior expectations in the classroom, hallways, lunchroom, playground, and even the bathrooms. We not only expect the students to show their King Pride at school, but also in the community and even at home.
We read the book, "Have You Filled a Bucket Today", by: Carol McCloud and the book "One" by: Kathryn Otoshi. These two books addressed the need for students to be mindful of how other people feel around them and how they may effect someone else's feelings. We are in the process of establishing a community of learners that needs to be respectful of each other's needs and safe. Safe for each student to take the risks needed to succeed. The students need to be responsible for their part in our community. (If you click on the book titles above you will be linked to Amazon's site to get an inside look at each book.)
We established Five Classroom Rules that will help us establish a positive learning environment. Rule One: Follow Directions Quickly, Rule Two: Raise Your Hand For Permission to Speak, Rule Three: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe, Rule Four: Make Smart Choices and if all of these rules are followed - Rule Five: Your Dear Teacher will be HAPPY! I hope that everyone in our classroom will feel happy each and every day they are in my classroom. It is my conscious decision each day to be happy...and enjoy our day together.
The students have been busy preparing notebooks for our year of learning. Each of the students has a vocabulary notebook that will be used for their words of the day. The students will be introduced to a new word each day. They will score how well they know this word before we actually discuss the meaning. If they score their word knowledge a 4 - it means that they know the word well enough to share the definition with the class...a 3 - means they think they know, but they are not comfortable sharing the definition...a 2 - means they have heard the word, but they don't know what it means...a 1 - means that they have never heard the word before. At the end of the year the students will have a large collection of words that hopefully will add to their ever growing vocabularies. Our reading scores on the state test indicate that our students need to work on this area in reading. Vocabulary scores can be improved by making daily effort to talk about new words...what the word means....what it does not mean...synonyms and antonyms of the word. Drawing definitions also helps put these words into the students visual memory. I encourage all of our parents to start talking about words that stretch your child's vocabulary.
The students will also have a math, spelling, and writing notebook. These notebooks will be a place for the students to work on daily lessons. They will be practicing new skills daily. They will also be adding vocabulary work into these notebooks as well. New math terms will be worked on in their math notebooks. My hope is that their math notebooks will contain valuable information so that the students refer to them while working on their daily assignments...and into years to come...tweeking their definitions as they gain more advanced knowledge.
I am sending home a book order this Tuesday. I am asking that the order forms be returned in a week. I will send the orders in September 18th unless someone requests a later date. Please be sure to write your child's name on the order blank. If you pay by check it should be written to Scholastic Book Club.
Students have gym class on Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. We had gym last Friday. We will have library check out day on Tuesdays. Library books need to be returned to the library by Tuesday morning.
The students will be having a weekly spelling test. I will introduce the students to their new words this week and take a practice test this Friday. The first official test will be a week from Friday. Each week the students will be given 5 new words. The list will average 15 - 20 words a week. The rest of the words on the list will be review words...ones that they have seen on a test in previous weeks. The students will also be given a list of priority words to keep in their writing folders. These words will be expected to be spelled correctly in their daily writing. There are a couple of sites that have been created by other teachers that have all of our spelling words arranged by units. We will start with Unit 1. These sites have games and activities to practice the words as well as take practice tests - http://www.spellingcity.com/Smeisenacher/. This will be a way for me to differentiate for your child if for some reason the tests are too hard or too easy.
We are not using the Accelerated Reading Program this year. I will still be setting goals with the students. Each of the students will still have a fluency check this fall as well as a leveling benchmark assessment. The students are using their levels from last spring so that they can get started.
If you need to contact me, I am available before school and at 12:15-1:05. King School's telephone number is 246-8860 ext. 419. Our classroom is right across from the computer lab...you are always welcome in your child's classroom!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Dorholt
We have had an awesome start to our 2012-2013 school year. The third graders all seem ready to be back and school and start showing their King Pride. We spent this past week practicing positive behavior expectations in the classroom, hallways, lunchroom, playground, and even the bathrooms. We not only expect the students to show their King Pride at school, but also in the community and even at home.
We read the book, "Have You Filled a Bucket Today", by: Carol McCloud and the book "One" by: Kathryn Otoshi. These two books addressed the need for students to be mindful of how other people feel around them and how they may effect someone else's feelings. We are in the process of establishing a community of learners that needs to be respectful of each other's needs and safe. Safe for each student to take the risks needed to succeed. The students need to be responsible for their part in our community. (If you click on the book titles above you will be linked to Amazon's site to get an inside look at each book.)
We established Five Classroom Rules that will help us establish a positive learning environment. Rule One: Follow Directions Quickly, Rule Two: Raise Your Hand For Permission to Speak, Rule Three: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe, Rule Four: Make Smart Choices and if all of these rules are followed - Rule Five: Your Dear Teacher will be HAPPY! I hope that everyone in our classroom will feel happy each and every day they are in my classroom. It is my conscious decision each day to be happy...and enjoy our day together.
The students have been busy preparing notebooks for our year of learning. Each of the students has a vocabulary notebook that will be used for their words of the day. The students will be introduced to a new word each day. They will score how well they know this word before we actually discuss the meaning. If they score their word knowledge a 4 - it means that they know the word well enough to share the definition with the class...a 3 - means they think they know, but they are not comfortable sharing the definition...a 2 - means they have heard the word, but they don't know what it means...a 1 - means that they have never heard the word before. At the end of the year the students will have a large collection of words that hopefully will add to their ever growing vocabularies. Our reading scores on the state test indicate that our students need to work on this area in reading. Vocabulary scores can be improved by making daily effort to talk about new words...what the word means....what it does not mean...synonyms and antonyms of the word. Drawing definitions also helps put these words into the students visual memory. I encourage all of our parents to start talking about words that stretch your child's vocabulary.
The students will also have a math, spelling, and writing notebook. These notebooks will be a place for the students to work on daily lessons. They will be practicing new skills daily. They will also be adding vocabulary work into these notebooks as well. New math terms will be worked on in their math notebooks. My hope is that their math notebooks will contain valuable information so that the students refer to them while working on their daily assignments...and into years to come...tweeking their definitions as they gain more advanced knowledge.
I am sending home a book order this Tuesday. I am asking that the order forms be returned in a week. I will send the orders in September 18th unless someone requests a later date. Please be sure to write your child's name on the order blank. If you pay by check it should be written to Scholastic Book Club.
Students have gym class on Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. We had gym last Friday. We will have library check out day on Tuesdays. Library books need to be returned to the library by Tuesday morning.
The students will be having a weekly spelling test. I will introduce the students to their new words this week and take a practice test this Friday. The first official test will be a week from Friday. Each week the students will be given 5 new words. The list will average 15 - 20 words a week. The rest of the words on the list will be review words...ones that they have seen on a test in previous weeks. The students will also be given a list of priority words to keep in their writing folders. These words will be expected to be spelled correctly in their daily writing. There are a couple of sites that have been created by other teachers that have all of our spelling words arranged by units. We will start with Unit 1. These sites have games and activities to practice the words as well as take practice tests - http://www.spellingcity.com/Smeisenacher/. This will be a way for me to differentiate for your child if for some reason the tests are too hard or too easy.
We are not using the Accelerated Reading Program this year. I will still be setting goals with the students. Each of the students will still have a fluency check this fall as well as a leveling benchmark assessment. The students are using their levels from last spring so that they can get started.
If you need to contact me, I am available before school and at 12:15-1:05. King School's telephone number is 246-8860 ext. 419. Our classroom is right across from the computer lab...you are always welcome in your child's classroom!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Dorholt