We’ve been talking quite a bit about deadlines – what that term means and what happens when you miss them.  The children are beginning to understand that missing a deadline doesn’t mean less work – it means more work with less time or sometimes a lost opportunity.  We have floats to build, a class magazine to publish and books to create.  We have portfolios and student led conferences to prepare for.  We hope everyone uses his or her time wisely so that everyone is able to participate and feel good about his/her work in each.  Your kind reminders at home to curb chatting will be very helpful.

Humphrey Book Clubs

The children have been working to read and discuss four different Humphrey books.  This is a first time this year that your child has been asked to think about what it means to be responsible to a small group.  It is difficult to discuss what has been read and to answer questions if you haven’t read, or if you haven’t spent time thinking and jotting some notes on the chapter bookmark.  Reading is thinking because without time taken to reflect readers do not have as much opportunity to grow and learn.  The thoughts don’t stick if time isn’t taken.  We are learning that with this activity.

Because Skyler Caron and Matt Long, two eighth graders, are helping us with this, the children feel a different responsibility toward the work.  (The 8th graders have chosen to miss their lunch to meet with us.)  I have seen many of the children step up to bring their books home for homework to be prepared.  They have talked about working to make sure they are ready with thoughtful comments and questions.  You may want to ask your child how he or she is contributing to his or her club and how time management and responsibility is going.  I am guessing some will say they don’t know, but even the question will remind them of their obligations and help them begin thinking about how reading helps them grow and understand more.

Learning With the Berenstain Bears

A few months ago I read an article in the Huffington Post entitled, If All Adults Reread ‘The Berenstain Bears,’ the World Would Be a Much Better Place.  It made me smile and think.  I hadn’t read those books since they had been my daughter’s favorites twenty or so years ago.  Looking back at the titles – Bully Trouble, Too Much Pressure, The Trouble with Teasing, Friend Trouble, The New Neighbors, The Gimmies, The Blame Game – reminded me of the lessons we could learn in 3E from those books.  This week teams of students read and created posters and presentations to share the messages from the books with the rest of the class .

Together last week, before this work, we realized that the teachings from the Bear Family would have to be a little different for our classroom.  After all, we do go home at the end of the day but we are a learning family of sorts, working to help each other grow.  The book teams shared some great posters and plays with the class to remind us of the importance of trust, acceptance, down-time, treating others as we like to be treated and the power of compromise. These lessons will be a reminder of how we will need to work and behave in last portion of our year as we reflect on what the Bears would do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fractions

We are having fun exploring fractions.  They are a different kind of challenge.  We have been working to learn equivalence and to understand how fractions are related – twelfths, sixths, thirds and halves go together, while eighths and fifths do not.  We have been working to see how fractions can be added and combined in certain ways.  The children have been enjoying using tools like geoboards, pattern blocks and cuisenaire robs to build a conceptual understanding of fractions and how they are related.  Check out Hajna’s latest blog post to see how she is challenging herself and her classmates to think about fractions and how they are used.

 Bits and Pieces –

• Many of the children have completed their first and second drafts of book reviews to share with a 3rd grade in Ohio.  They have been working on adding evidence and details to how readers and convince them this is the best book.
• Information writing second drafts were due today and most of the children have met that dead line.  We are hoping our classroom magazine will be published in mid-May.
• We hope you’ll keep checking the student blogs.  It is very motivating when the students know they have been read.  They do love comments.  As a reminder, the children can work on their blogs anytime as long as they remember their log-ins.  Some of the children might enjoy posting to their classmates over the vacation if they have permission from you.
• The Parade of the States will be on May 22.  Please make sure to save the date.

Have amazing vacations!  See you in a week!