2/11/16

Hello!

It seems as if every time we've been due for an update, we have a bunch of snow days! Hopefully we are not in for many more this year. Below are the updates for our classroom and some important upcoming dates. 

Math: We have begun unit 7, which deals with more in-depth multiplication and solving problems with parentheses. We will be finishing this unit by the end of the month (barring any more winter weather). Please help your child be as successful as possible by having them practice basic (single digit) multiplication facts at home.

Reading: In reading, we are now working to determine the author's point of view, which can sometimes be tricky. Students are practicing looking for "clues" in the text that tip them off to the author's feeling about the subject on which they have written.

Writing: We just finished up our information writing unit, which was tough, but I am so happy with the students' work once again! This unit, we published on the laptops using Google Docs and even learned how to add text features like diagrams, charts, and pictures. We will be printing these books out shortly. Have your child share theirs with you when it comes home--they are very neat! All writing and research on the topic was completed by the students, so they are very proud.

Science: We are still working through our energy unit, and have just finished learning about simple machines. Students are now experts on this and should be able to identify simple machines around your home. Feel free to ask them to do this! We are now moving on to discuss light and heat energy.

Social Studies: We will soon be moving into our next nonfiction reading unit, which has an accompanying social studies unit. Students will be learning about Geography and American Culture in this unit.


Upcoming Dates:

• School is now in session Monday, February 15th as a snow makeup day
• Third grade music performance is now Tuesday, February 16th at 6:30 pm
• Spring picture day is February 17
• The last day to order memory books will be February 25--order forms went home today

Please feel free to contact me with questions, as usual.

Mrs. Slessinger

1/8/16

Hello Families,

We are getting back into the swing of things here at NHW since returning from winter break. Here are a few updates from our classroom:

Reading: We just finished learning about the structure of poetry and drama, and are now focusing on the text structure of fiction. We studied many poems and took part in many readers' theater plays during our studies. Students have really enjoyed this unit and are coming to recognize common features found in the different types of text.

**In reading groups this week, we will be starting some word study. Your child will receive a packet of word activities that they have a week to complete, using the word list they receive in our group. You will be receiving more information on this on Monday.


Writing: we will be wrapping up our information writing unit this month, and by the end of it, students will have published their own information book on a topic of their choice! The students have been working hard to research, fact check, and write these books, and they are very excited to be publishing them on Google Docs. They are even including text features for each chapter of their book, in order to help their reader get even more information from the text. Ask your child what he/she has been writing about!


Math: We are working through Unit 6, which focuses on Geometry. Students have learned about rays, line segments, lines, angles and how to name and construct triangles, and will be learning about measuring in degrees and how to name and construct different shapes. 


Science: We have moved on to our science unit on Energy, which has been very interesting for students. They have learned about different types and forms of energy, and are now being introduced to simple machines. Ask your child what forms of energy they included on their energy robot!


Social Studies: Our next Social Studies unit will focus on Geography and American Culture.


Important Upcoming Dates:

• School Store Monday,1/11
• Bowling slips due Wednesday,1/13 (bowling begins Friday 1/15)
• No school for students Monday and Tuesday 1/18 & 1/19
• Marking Period 2 ends Wednesday, 1/20

-Mrs. Slessinger

Hello Families!

This week we learned about decimals and fractions. We finished our Science unit on the Earth, too. We didn't have Art so we got to make Lego self portraits in the classroom. We also had an assembly for the PTO fundraiser and we found out who won prizes for raising money.

-By Chris and Josh


Hello,

As you can see, we have begun having student authors for our blog posts! Each time we post, two students will write a section for parents to read, giving updates about what we've done in class. 

In math, we have been working on Unit 5, which introduces fractions and decimals as part of a whole. We will be wrapping that unit up this week and testing before we leave for break.

In reading, we have just completed our nonfiction unit and started our next fiction unit on craft and structure of texts. On Friday, we started looking at poetry, and will soon be learning about the structure of drama and stories. This is a very exciting and interactive unit for the students, and we are looking forward to all we will learn!

In writing, we are working on writing information texts. The students have chosen a topic they are an "expert" on and are working to create their own information book about this topic. Recently, students learned how to search for information to include on their topic, and discovered a "kid-safe" search engine, "KidRex." In a picture below, you'll see that some students asked to use their indoor recess time to conduct research on their topics. We sure do have some dedicated students!

Below are pictures of the students opening their pen pal letters they received from our partner third grade class in Central School District. The students have really enjoyed learning about another school and other students in the county. This week, we will be Skyping with that class so that students can meet their pen pals face-to-face!

Have a great week,
Mrs. Slessinger

10/30/15

Families,

We've already made it through another two weeks! The school year seems to be flying by already!

In math, we have begun Unit 4, which is where we really begin to practice multiplication and division concepts. The students have begun learning some basic multiplication facts, as well as strategies for solving division (which we call "equal grouping") problems.

In writing, students have completed the narrative unit, and they made tremendous strides through the end of it! I am so impressed with their writing and how they have grown. We are starting our information writing unit next week, where the students will become "expert writers" on a topic of their choice. 
Ask your child what they wrote about in their latest personal narrative.

We have begun to switch rooms with Mrs. Strickler's class for science, and the students are enjoying learning all about planet Earth. Ask your child about the neat activity they did in science today!

In reading, we have been working with nonfiction texts to find the main idea of what we are reading, as well as how to ask and answer relevant questions about the text. We have spent a lot of time learning about our nation's government and the communities in our country. The students have enjoyed learning about how our country works and what symbols we honor in the United States.

I am so enjoying watching your children learn and grow this year; they are an impressive bunch! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Have a safe and fun weekend.

Upcoming dates to remember:
-The parent teacher conference portal is now open
-Camo/Tie Dye Day is Wednesday 11/4
-Report cards go home Thursday 11/5
-School store Monday 11/9


-Mrs. Slessinger

Friday Update - 10/16/15

Hello Families,

We have had a great week in third grade. The students worked hard and learned a lot even though it was a short week!

We had a visitor from the Susan Byrnes Health Center come to do a lesson in our classroom this week. The students figured out which "color" personality they are and learned more about themselves and how to be a good friend. Ask your child which color he/she was!

We are currently wrapping up our science unit on space and the solar system. The students will be starting a new unit next week. For this unit, third graders will switch rooms and our class will be taught by Mrs. Strickler! This gets them used to switching classes, which they will do every day starting in fourth grade.

We started our first Social Studies unit today, during which we will be studying communities. Today we learned what a community is and what types of buildings, people, and cultures can be found in a community. 

In math, we had our first "exploration" lesson, in which the students get to work in stations doing hands-on activities. The students worked with geoboards and rubber bands to build rectangles with different perimeters. We will be wrapping up unit 3 next week, and the test will be on Tuesday, October 27. The students have been doing a wonderful job in math this year and seem to really enjoy it!

We have just completed our first fiction unit in reading. The students learned the differences between a retelling and a summary and have been practicing summarizing texts they read. They have also been working on identifying the main idea and key details in fiction texts that are on a third grade reading level, which can be a little trickier as the texts get more difficult. Try to have conversations about the main idea of a story when reading together at home.

I have seen so much progress in the students' writing already! We are wrapping up our first unit (personal narratives) of our brand new writing program! This is a more rigorous program than we had in the past, so you may be seeing some lower grades in writing than you are used to seeing for your child. However, I am extremely impressed with the work the students are doing. We took time today to look back at writing they did in the beginning of the year to compare it to their current piece and they were amazed at themselves! Ask your child about their current writing piece and what they chose to write about.

We also had a special announcement in class today that I am sure many of you will have heard about from your child. If not, be sure to ask them about it.

Upcoming events:
-The parent-teacher conference portal opens on Monday
-Next Friday we will be participating in fire prevention week activities
-Unit 3 math test on Tuesday, October 27
-Marking period 1 ends 10/29
-Picture retake day is 10/30

Below are some pictures from this week. Enjoy!

-Mrs. Slessinger

Friday, 9/11/15

Hello families!

We have had such a busy first few weeks in third grade. The students are really starting to get into the routine of our classroom and are learning so much already!

In Math, we are working on finishing Unit 1, which is a lot of review of second grade materials. Our first test will be next week. Students will complete a study guide in class and have one to complete as homework to prepare for the test. The study guides mirror (nearly exactly) all the skills that will be tested, so they are VERY helpful tools. Please ensure that your child is completing them!

In Science, we have just wrapped up our first unit--Scientific Inquiry. The students completed many experiments, which I am sure you heard about at home. Ask your child which was their favorite! We are moving on to our second unit next week, which will focus on the sun, Earth, and moon/space. The students will love this exciting unit!

In Reading, we have been covering the CAFE strategies that make good readers. We also read a story as a class called Cliff Hanger and the students practiced answering comprehension questions about the story to check their understanding. We will do this type of activity periodically so that students can see how they are doing with understanding what they read. Ask your child to tell you about a strategy they have practiced in their own reading. 

In Writing, the students have really been loving our new program and workshop approach! Students have had a good chunk of time to write every day after learning a strategy to improve their writing, and the results have been great! We've had some students state that thanks to what we have been doing, they are thinking of becoming authors! Ask your child what "small moment" they are writing about for their personal narrative.

Please enjoy the pictures below of some of our hard work this week. As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Slessinger
North Hopewell-Winterstown Elementary School
Red Lion Area School District

Welcome Back!

New Third Graders,

Welcome back! I am very excited for this new school year to begin. I know we will have a great year filled with lots of learning and fun. Meet the teacher night is tonight, Thursday, August 20th. Our fist day of school is Tuesday, August 25th. I am excited to meet all of you--see you very soon!

-Mrs. Slessinger