Happy Pig Day!

Today we read the hilarious book, Happy Pig Day, by Mo Willems and had our own Pig Day celebration! 

We read some Mo Willems books with friends...

 We learned how to speak Pig Latin! Here is Kiarah reading a note written in Pig Latin from Olivia.

Some of us were inspired to make Gerald and Piggie puppets and masks!

At the end of the day, we enjoyed three performances: two puppet shows and one play, all inspired by Happy Pig Day. (The videos for the puppet shows are below. Unfortunately we had some technical difficulties while filming the play, but we have some great photos courtesy of Austin!)

Starring Olivia as Gerald (Elephant).

 Starring Kiarah as Piggie. Also featuring Ruben, Odin, and Ellie.

Thanks so much to Alex and his mom, Liz, for sharing their collection of Elephant and Piggie books!

Happy vacation week!

Mid-Year Conferences: Clarification

There have been some questions regarding the timing of the Mid-Year Conferences. Your conference will last 30 minutes, beginning at the time you signed up for on PTCFast. For the first 15 minutes, your child will share his or her portfolio with you. After 15 minutes, I will join your family to share your child's progress in third grade.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. I look forward to seeing you all in the next few days!

A Peek at Our Week 2/6/12

Thank you so much to those of you who have filled out the parent survey. Based on feedback I received, I have made two changes. First, I am handing out spelling homework on Mondays so that your child has four nights to complete it. Second, I plan to send home a weekly "Peek at Our Week" newsletter so you know what we have been working on in class and what we will be learning about in the upcoming week. Please see below for an electronic version of this week's newsletter.

Haven't filled out the parent survey yet? Please click here:

Parent Survey

Also, if you haven't signed up for a conference time yet, please do so as soon as possible.  To pick a time slot, enter this link in your Internet browser:

www.ptcfast.com/reg1

At that link, you will be asked for your Entry Code, where you should enter ZTV110541

 

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A Peek at our Week Newsletter

Mrs. Parkin

February 3, 2012

 

Upcoming Events

February 9: First night of conferences

***Please sign up if you haven’t already***

Math

• This week: We explored triangles, quadrangles, and regular and irregular polygons.  We also started drawing angles and thinking about angles as rotations either clockwise or counterclockwise.
• Next week: We’ll continue our geometry unit with explorations of symmetry, congruence, and 3D shapes like pyramids and prisms.

Spelling

• This week our core words were: best, across, during, today, however. We We’ll worked on the /ou/ and /ow/  spelling pattern.
• Next week: We’ll work on contractions.
• Next week core words: sure, knew, it’s, try, told

Reader’s Workshop

• This week: Our afternoon literacy block is flourishing with book groups, writing, listening, and word work centers. If you’re interested in volunteering during our literacy block (1:30-2:50) to read with kids, please email me.  
• What’s next: We’ll continue to practice partner reading and sharing portfolios for our upcoming conferences.

Writer’s Workshop

• This week: We used the Story Starters website (linked to our YES Educational Resources page) to do some creative writing. The kids loved this approach!
• Next week: We’ll work on Better Answers writing and begin a poetry unit.

A note on conferences…

Students are invited to attend. Conferences are 30 minutes long. For the first 15 minutes, your child will present his or her portfolio to you. After 15 minutes, I will join you. Please contact me with any questions.

Winter Updates!

We are back in the swing of things after our holiday break, snow day, and long weekend! It's hard to believe that we are almost halfway through our year-- time flies in third grade! 

I have a few brief notes to share:

• Mid-Year Conferences: I will holding conferences on February 9th and 16th in the evening, as well as the morning of the 16th. Please see my separate blog post for information about how to sign up for an appointment.

• Early Dismissals: Please be aware that our literacy block is from 1:30-3:00 p.m. daily. When students are dismissed early, it stops the flow of the reading workshop.  It interferes with students' reading stamina, disrupts any groups working together, and also makes it difficult for me when I'm assessing their reading skills. I completely understand that from time to time these disruptions are unavoidable. However, I want the students to know that our learning time together is extremely valuable. Thank you for helping me with this!

• Winter Gear: Please ensure that your child has sneakers to change into after taking off his or her wet boots. This helps keep our floors dry!

• Absences: If your will be absent from school, please call the YES office or email Lisa_Bianchini@yarmouthschools.org or Lauren_Guiney@yarmouthschools.org. I appreciate it if you also cc me on the email. 

On another note, I am so impressed with the quality and quantity of reading in our classroom! We are truly a community of book lovers-- thank you for supporting reading at home!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Mid-Year Conference Sign-Up

You are invited to sign up for a Mid-Year Conference with Mrs. Parkin. 

DATE:  February 9, February 14 and February 16
PLACE:  Mrs. Parkin's classroom
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  End of day before first conference day

To pick a time slot, enter this link in your Internet browser:

www.ptcfast.com/reg1

At that link, you will be asked for your Entry Code, where you should enter ZTV110541

If you do not have Internet access, please let me know by sending in a note with your child.

I look forward to discussing your child's progress thus far in third grade.

IMPORTANT CHANGES THIS TIME AROUND:

The format for these conferences will be different from the fall, and your child is invited to attend the meeting as well. Please plan to be in the classroom for 30 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, your child will take you on a guided tour of his or her portfolio. During that time, I will be meeting with another family. Following those 15 minutes, you and your child will join me to discuss his or her progress in third grade.

If you have ANY questions, please contact me. I look forward to meeting with you soon!

Wish List

From time to time parents ask if there is anything I would like for our classroom. Here is a current list of our "wishes." Of course, please do not feel that you are obligated to donate anything at any time! 

Books:

Link to Mrs. Parkin's Amazon Wish List 

(Of course you may purchase these titles from any source, not just Amazon.)

Supplies:

- pencil top erasers

Thank you for thinking of us!

Multiplication Practice Using Timez Attack

As you know, we have started exploring concepts of multiplication as part of our current Everyday Math unit. Although students aren't expected to be secure with knowing their multiplication facts until fourth grade, we do spend time developing that skill in third grade.

One fun way to learn and practice multiplication is using the computer application Timez Attack. We used this program for the first time in Computer Lab yesterday, and the kids loved it! Timez Attack has the look of a video game, which is highly engaging to many children, but it also helps them to understand the concepts behind multiplication, rather than simply drilling them on facts. 

If you would like, you can install Timez Attack on your home computer (Mac or PC). Click on the link below for step-by-step directions:

Setting up Timez Attack at home

Have fun!

Sound Unit Wrap-Up: Jam Session!

We had a great day today! Each student presented his or her homemade instrument and used our sound vocabulary words (for example, pitch, volume, tension, vibrations) to explain how it worked. It was a fun way for the children to apply what they have learned. 

At the end of the day we had a "jam session" in which students played their instruments and sang the song, "What Can I Hear With My Ears?" The video is in the post below-- enjoy! (If you're having trouble viewing the embedded videos, click on the "YES Videos on School Tube" link under the "Helpful Links" sidebar. You can then scroll down to see all of our class videos, which are posted on the School Tube website.)

Jam Session Video

Sound Projects

As our study of sound draws to a close, the students are sharing what they’ve learned in several different ways. One way is with a homemade sound maker/instrument. Students will bring in their homemade sound makers on Friday, November 18^th. We will first share our creations with our classmates using vocabulary that we’ve learned (such as pitch, volume, vibration, tension, and amplify) and then join in a class jam session, which will be posted to the class blog.

Students should be working on their sound makers at home. I sent home a description of various homemade instruments last Thursday and we have also brainstormed ideas as a class. One easy project is a banjo made of a cardboard box and rubber bands. Please let me know if your child is having trouble completing this project.

I look forward to seeing—and hearing—the students’ creations!