Global Read Aloud 2018

This week our class will be starting the book, A Boy Called Bat, by Elana K. Arnold.  This book is part of the 2018 Global Read Aloud.  I've inserted a link below that will help you get a better understanding of what the Global Read Aloud is all about.  The second link is a book trailer by the author herself.  It's a great peek inside the story!

During the next six weeks, we will be partnering with 2-3 classes across the country to share our thoughts about the book.  I've already connected with a school in North Carolina, Indiana, and Canada.  We will do this via Flipgrid, Padlet, Google Hangouts, and even good old-fashioned letters!  I am so excited I can hardly contain myself, and I know the kids will be too!

Last week, we watched a short informational video about autism so students could get a better understanding about the main character, Bat, and how he interacts with the world.  I would encourage you to have discussions with your child about the book and the activities we are doing in class.

Global Read Aloud
Elana K. Arnold Book Talk

Getting Familiar with Google

Students now have their personal Google accounts.  Their username and passwords are glued inside of their Agenda Mates, so if they are ever looking to do some practice at home, they may do so.  We will be using Google Classroom once in a while for homework this year as well.  In addition, many of the programs we use at school may also be accessed through their Google accounts.  If you haven't sent in headphones for your child yet, please try to do that by the end of next week.  Thank you!!!

Today, students created their own Google Doc and practiced using various functions on the toolbar.  I gave them a very specific "Task List" to follow, and I was so impressed at how well they did.  They learned to bold and underline text, to center text, to number a list, change the font as well as the font size.  Check out the pictures below to see them working on this activity!

Well done everyone!

What's Happening in Room 8?

September is going by incredibly fast, and we're already learning so much in Room 8.  Below you will find a summary of what we're working on in each of the curriculum areas.

This month we have focused on the following skills in reading:

• Selecting a book from the library.
• Determining whether a book is "just right" for our individual reading levels.
• Distinguishing between the various genres - this is ongoing.

As the month goes on, we will continue our genre study while learning about story elements such as character, setting, story problem and solution.

In class we also just finished our first interactive read aloud, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo.  These read alouds are used to expose students to text that is engaging and "meaty."  They are meant to generate discussion among students and to further their comprehension of and interest in the story.  Our new book is The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes.  Please ask your child to share their thoughts about these books with you at home!

We have just finished our first chapter in math, Numbers to 10,000.  This chapter focused on place value concepts, ordering numbers, comparing numbers, and identifying number patterns.

Chapter 2, which we've started this week, is Mental Math and Estimation.  Students will be encouraged to use mental math strategies for both addition and subtraction.  In order to work efficiently with these strategies, it is important for students to have a strong grasp of their basic facts.  XtraMath will be helpful in building these skills.  Students will also be rounding three- and four-digit numbers to the nearest ten and hundred.

In writing we are learning about Personal Narratives.  Students have worked with this form of writing in second grade as well, but third graders will be encouraged to further develop their ideas with greater detail, voice, use of dialogue, and strong vocabulary.
Beginning lessons have focused on the importance of choosing a "seed idea," one that is focused and specific.  For example, instead of writing about a week spent in Vermont, a student might choose to write about the day they tried skiing for the first time.
This week we learned how to fill out our graphic organizers, and today we practiced writing attention-grabbing beginnings.

We've started our Map Skills unit in Social Studies this week.  In this unit, students will learn about the parts of a map including the title, compass rose, map key, scale, and grid lines.

I would encourage you to check out any maps you might find when you're out and about as a family.  Students discussed that maps are sometimes found in malls, stores, restaurants, or museums.  Have your child collect and compare them for fun.

As always, if you have any questions about the curriculum or what we're doing in class, please contact me at school.  Friday Folders are coming home for the first time on Friday, September 20th.  I hope you enjoy having the chance to see what we're doing in class.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Sara Hartley