Homework, 12/11/12

There is no math homework tonight - students completed an end-of-unit assessment on addition and subtraction. I will correct these tonight and send them home tomorrow. We are starting a new unit tomorrow on perimeter and area.

Homework, 12/10/12

Your child should be finishing up the unit in their purple folder on adding and subtracting three-digit numbers (pages 79, 80, 81). We will have an end-of-unit assessment tomorrow, in which they will be solving these types of problems.

Math Night

Tomorrow night is the third, fourth and fifth grade math night. Ms. Wood and I will have interactive math games set up in our room, and some take-home activities as well! Hope to see you there - 6:30-7:30.

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and enjoyed time with your families. I certainly had a nice, quiet day at home - my husband is the chef! I am so excited to come back to a full four weeks of learning - we have so much to do! We are starting a new unit on nonfiction reading, a unit on fiction writing, cursive writing, multiplication facts, and continuing our math unit on addition and subtraction of larger numbers. We are also starting our science unit on rocks! Wow, we have a lot to do in 20 school days. Here we go!

Classroom Rules

Rules: 1. Listen and follow directions. 2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat. 3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. 4. Respect your classmates and your teacher. Consequences: 1st time a rule is broken: Warning 2nd time a rule is broken: Time-Out (Peace Table, Write Reflection) 3rd time a rule is broken: Letter or Call Home

Tip for Adding and Subtracting with Money

Page 23 in the Math FOlder tonight has to do with adding and subtracting quantities of money, either in pennies or dollars and cents. A strategy that can be used is to turn all of the money quantities into pennies, and then into a three-digit-number. For example: Mrs. Pompei has $3.42 and she wants to add that to Rohin's 231 pennies. Think about $3.42 being 342 pennies (since it is!), and now add that to 231. 342 + 231 = 573. 573 pennies, which equals $5.73.

Homework, 11/14/12

Tonight's homework is page 22 and 23 (finishing these from class today) and a MCAS practice packet (three questions). We started all of these in class today, but unable to finish all of the activities.

Walking Field Trip, 11/9/12

I sent home a permission slip for a walking field trip that will take place this Friday, November 9, 12:30-2:30. Ted Watt from The Hitchcock Center will be leading us on a nature walk to the Mill River. Your child worked with Ted last year - he is amazing! I am so excited for this trip; it is one of three with Ted.

Homework, 11/5/12

Tonight's homework (due Wednesday) is page 9 in the purple math folder AND a MCAS practice sheet that is in your child's homework folder. These are actual questions pulled from previous MCAS tests. See you Wednesday!

Words Their Way - Back on!

We had a break from our word work last week, and now we are back on. I am attaching images of the word lists, in case you need an extra copy.

Perseverance

This morning, I competed in the Educators in Training Sprint Triathlon for NPS employees. The race was a 1/4 swim, a 15 mile bike ride and a 5K run. I am a former runner, but I am not a strong swimmer (basically, I can doggie paddle) and haven't really been riding my bike much at all. I entered the competition with the intent of training all summer - then, life got in the way. So, I entered the pool at 8:40 a.m. and swam my 18 lengths, fighting tears of exhaustion and frustration. It is pretty hard to swim 1/4 mile alternating the back stroke, doggie paddle and side stroke, but I did it. I ran to the changing room to get ready for the bike portion. Of course, something always has to go wrong, and I realized I forgot to pack my running shorts. Ms. Taylor and Ms. Alton scoured the locker room for me, but I ended up borrowing a pair from lost and found! The bike race was the most challenging. I felt very isolated on the road, as other bikers passed me. They shouted words of encouragement, but I felt horrible. My frustration with myself was overshadowing me just enjoying the experience. I cried several times on the bike, wanting to stop but not wanting to let my family or my students down. I had told the class I would finish, and I would! As I approached Mrs. Lajoie and Mrs. Harlow at their cheerleading station, they informed me that I wasn't last - there was one biker behind me. Soon, that biker passed me, along with the "sweepers," as they are called. The sweepers go around to make sure no one is left behind. An amazing woman talked me through the last mile of the bike ride, as I rode through tears and smiles. I approached JFK as the last biker, knowing I still had a run ahead of me. I dropped my bike and headed out to Look Park. I have never run after a bike ride and swim, so my legs would not let me run. I jogged a bit, and as I approached the rotary in front of Look Park, Superintendent Brian Salzer rode down to get me. Mrs. Bennett and Dr. Brown had sent him to check on me, and they wanted to walk me back to JFK. What an amazing group of people I work with! I reached the parking lot of JFK, and I still had two laps around the fields to finish. Staff were still in the parking lot, cheering me on, even though the race was over, awards had been presented and every other team had finished. My sweet daughter Elyse ran to me and she and I walked the two laps, then ran to the finish line. My amazing colleagues formed a bridge for Elyse and me to run under. She felt like the most famous kid on the planet! I finished! As I hugged my family, my friends and colleagues, I thought back over the past three hours, and remembered every time I wanted to stop, give up and go home. I thought about our students, and how I am sure they feel like that at times, if work feels too hard. I remembered something a mentor of mine taught me at my first teaching job: "You can do it. I believe in you. I won't give up on you." I hope to make sure my students always feel that way. Perseverance is a pretty powerful thing.

Late Start Professional Day

This morning, the third grade team met to discuss the data from the 2012 MCAS results. We examined the test and scores from last year, and made a solid plan of action to teach our current third graders the skills needed to succeed on the 2013 MCAS. More info to come.

Movie Day

Today, we watched "The Tale of Despereaux" (thank you, Zev!) to compare the film version to the book. We noticed many changes in the film, and the children will be writing about why they believe those changes were made in the film tomorrow. What a fun day of popcorn, pumpkin seeds (thanks, Alli!) and a movie!

Homework, 10/23/12

Tonight's homework is page 54 in the purple folder. REMINDER: tomorrow is a late start, so our school day will begin at 10:50 instead of 8:50.

Word Sorts, week of 10/22/12

We have three word sort groups in the class. Here are the three sets for this week.

Homework, 10/22/12

Tonight's homework is page 48 in the purple folder. Also, children have a new word sort. I will begin posting the sort words each week, in case they go missing. :)

Homework, 10/16/12

Homework tonight is page 45 AND a writing/editing assignment. Students have an excerpt from the book "Lon Po Po," and they have to determine where they think paragraphs should be inserted.

Sad News

Hello families, I am very sad to report that our annual trip to Plimouth Plantation and the Mayflower II is not happening this year. I told the students last week that it may not be happening, and I was told today that we are not able to go. I highly encourage you to research this amazing destination to experience Massachusetts history first-hand, and take a day trip this fall, if you can. The third grade team is hoping we can plan some amazing field trips for your students this year, so we will keep you posted.

Homework, October 15, 2012

Tonight's homework is page 29 in the purple math folder. Also, your child has a writing assignment. It is an excerpt from a picture book to give them practice with creating paragraphs in their writing. The directions are attached.

Homework, 10/10/12

Tonight's homework is page 17 in the purple math folder. Tomorrow's date is 10/11/12. Do you know when the next time is that the date will be three consecutive numbers?

Homework, 10/9/12

Hello families! Homework tonight is page 15 and 16 in the purple math folder.

A few reminders...

Homework tonight is page 4 in the purple folder.
Community Meeting is tomorrow at 9:10.
Picture Day is Friday, October 5.
Information for our upcoming trip to Plimouth Plantation will be coming home this week.

Oddballs for Word Sort

For those students sorting the long u and short u words this week, there is more than one oddball. Thank you, Mrs. Fournier! "Sew," "do," and "truth" are all oddballs. Do you agree? Why or why not? :)

Homework, 10/1/12

Welcome to October! Wow, we are in our second month of school already. Today, we started a new math unit on data collection, surveys and graphs. Your parent letter in the front pocket of the purple math folder explains all the objectives we will meet this unit. Also, I sent home Unit 1 with your child. Homework tonight is Page 2 in the purple folder, and to begin working on the new word sort.

Optical Illusions

We spent some time yesterday looking at optical illusions. I was inspired to share some of these with the students because of the topic of my class Thursday night at AIC. I am taking a class about learning disabilities, and we watched a video by Rick Lavoie called F.A.T. City (frustration, anxiety and tension). The video is from 1989, and is quite dated, but if you get a chance to check it out of the library, it is mind-changing. One of the activities Rick did with a group of teachers is to show them the following picture, and have them identify it. Not one of them could! His point was that we need direct instruction - otherwise, the picture is a jumbled mess. And once you receive the direct instruction (i.e., once he told them what the picture was) they understood completely. Your child knows what the picture is - take a look at it, then ask them!

Scholastic Book Orders

You may access all of the Scholastic book order catalogs online - and place orders from there as well! It is so convenient, and every time a parent places an order on line, the classroom earns points and free books. Check it out - let me know what you think. Here is the link - our class' access code is JHVRW. https://orders.scholastic.com/JHVRW

Optical Illusions

Today, we explored optical illusions on our smartboard. Here is the link: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/illusions/index.htm Enjoy!

Homework, 9/26/12

Hello families, Homework for tonight is a worksheet about Jacob and his shopping spree at Sticker Station. It should be in the front pocket of your child's purple folder. The homework is a preview of a portion of the end-of-unit math assessment, which is Friday. The assessment will also cover 2-digit plus 2-digit, and solving problems using cards from Close to 100.

Reading Research

Ms. Wood and I are attending American International College to obtain our CAGS (Certificate of Advanced Studies) and to become certified Reading Specialists. It is a fascinating program, and I will periodically share research or ideas with you that I learned about in class. This is some very interesting research from Richard Allington, a professor of reading education at the University of Tennessee.

-Students who are already reading on grade level need to read just-right texts for two hours a day simply to maintain grade level.

-Students who are reading below grade level need an additional 30 minutes a day of just-right reading to increase their reading by one year. So if they are two years below grade level, they need to increase their just-right reading by one hour a day.

In class, we are determining your child's just-right reading level by administering the BAS test, which will assign a reading letter level to your child. Then it is all about creating a time each day for us to read at least 30 minutes with that perfect fit text.

Show Me A Story

I took my four-year-old daughter to the Eric Carle Museum this weekend. I had never been, and it was amazing. It is such a wealth of art tied in with storytelling, which was the perfect tie in with what was happening in the art studio. Local author Emily K. Neuberger was there with her new book called "Show Me a Story," which details 40 craft projects and activities to spark children's storytelling. This book could not be more perfect for me as a mom and teacher! I am so excited to share these ideas in the classroom. I think they will really spark those "seed" stories we have been working on as we dive into our personal narrative unit.

Homework, 9/24/12

Homework for tonight is to begin working on the assigned word sorts, practicing the spelling patterns. Also, review the math addition facts assessment with your child. If your child needs to work on a few, please have him or him fill out page 53 in the purple math folder. Have a wonderful day off tomorrow!

Open House

I am looking forward to seeing you all at Open House tomorrow night! I will be seeing you anytime between 6:30 and 8. Your child has lots to show you!

Homework, 9/18/12

Homework for tonight is page 40 in the purple math folders. Also, a copy of your child's math assessment from today went home in his or her homework folder. That is yours to keep - I keep a copy for me.

Homework, 9/17/12

Homework tonight: 1. Page 34 in your purple math folder. 2. Catching up on unfinished math pages in purple folder. The following pages should be complete (starting from the first day): 1-7, 9-18, 20, 22, 23, 27-30. 3. Words Their Way - an individualized packet came home today. Please have your child show you how we sorted in class today. Your child does not need to return this packet. 4. There will be a short math assessment tomorrow. The skills to be covered are: adding two digit numbers, then finding the difference between that answer and 100. For example, students will add 45 + 34 (79), then using a number line, show the difference between 79 and 100 (21). Question 3 on page 23 in the purple math folder is an example.

Homework, 9/13/12

Hello families, I am so sorry for any confusion my absences have caused your students. If your child did bring home their purple math folder tonight, please just have them review with you the pages they worked on today (20, 22, 23 and 27). Tomorrow, I will introduce the game Capture 5. No math homework over the weekend. I will keep their purple folders at school to correct them. I am looking forward to seeing you all at the Leeds Picnic tomorrow!

Homework, Wednesday, 9/12/12

There is no homework tonight. Students worked on a third grade math pre-test today, so we did not have a lesson in the purple math folder. Lessons will resume tomorrow.

Homework, Tuesday, 9/11/12

Homework for tonight is Page 18. Today in class, students worked on pages 14 and 17. We also started pages 15 and 16. If 15 and 16 are not finished, that is OK - I would like to review those in a class lesson. Please make sure your child has completed up to and including page 18 (but again, if 15 and 16 are not complete, that is fine).

Welcome!

Hello families of third grade students! What a great start to the year we have had so far. In our first week together, we have been spending lots of time establishing routines, building a sense of community and having lots of fun. I hope to see all of you at the Leeds Picnic on Friday afternoon. Yum! Your student has been bringing home his or her purple math folder nightly to complete homework and review his or her class work with you. I hope this system is beneficial to you, as I think it allows parents to get an inside look at the Math Investigations curriculum we use at Leeds. I will also do some review of the math program at Open House next week. Students also bring home a separate homework folder with announcements or notices. Feel free to contact me at jpompei@northampton-k12.us. :)