Hello all!
I hope you are getting ready to enjoy a long weekend. Looks like it will be a good one!
Here's what is going on in 3M .....
- In science, we are continuing to learn about the water cycle. Precipitation, condensation, evaporation - the kids are doing a great job of learning these words and what they mean.
- In writing, we are working on lots of things .... the difference between simple and compound sentences, how to add details to our writing, and how to use similes.
- The kids are still working on fables, identifying morals, and digging deeper into what the author is trying to tell us when we read stories.
- Today we took our spelling tests. The kids will get new words next week to start practicing. Remember - the kids have two weeks to complete 8 spelling activities. The next ones will be due on Friday, October 23.
- The kids should be reading for 20 minutes a night. They have a reading log that is in the back cover of their binder where an adult can initial each time they read. We will collect these reading logs at the end of the month.
- Book Menus are due on Friday, October 16th. Please ask your student about their progress on their Book Menu. The kids should be done reading their nonfiction books, and now they are working on the activities that go along with their book. This is a pink packet that they brought home this weekend. Please help them complete the activities neatly and get ready to turn them in on Friday.
- Math is all about multiplication these days. We are practicing making arrays, making multiplication equations, and solving these problems. Lots of our math deals with word problems. The kids are getting better at this! All kids should be practicing their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts at home. This will help them work more efficiently on the problems we do in class. We are also working on measuring liquids using milliliters and liters.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
Jen Ikens
Friday, October 9, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
3M Update ... 10/7
Hello 3M families,
A few reminders for the week ...
- Friday is a SIP day. The students are dismissed at 11:35.
- We have our next Spelling Test and assignments due this Friday, October 9th. Please make sure the students study their words and have their 8 spelling activities for Friday.
- Our math units are now focusing on multiplication. Kids in all math classes should be practicing their multiplication facts (1 to 12) at home.
We are working on our new science unit - the water cycle. We are learning about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation! The kids are still working on their nonfiction books for their new Book Menu activities. Make sure to ask your student what their nonfiction book is about. We just started our Halloween writing activities. It will be a fun month of using Halloween themes to practice writing skills. We are also learning about fables and morals from fables. Ask your student what fable we are working with now.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
Jen Ikens
A few reminders for the week ...
- Friday is a SIP day. The students are dismissed at 11:35.
- We have our next Spelling Test and assignments due this Friday, October 9th. Please make sure the students study their words and have their 8 spelling activities for Friday.
- Our math units are now focusing on multiplication. Kids in all math classes should be practicing their multiplication facts (1 to 12) at home.
We are working on our new science unit - the water cycle. We are learning about evaporation, condensation, and precipitation! The kids are still working on their nonfiction books for their new Book Menu activities. Make sure to ask your student what their nonfiction book is about. We just started our Halloween writing activities. It will be a fun month of using Halloween themes to practice writing skills. We are also learning about fables and morals from fables. Ask your student what fable we are working with now.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
Jen Ikens
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
3M news for 9/30 ...
Hello 3M families!
I can't believe that it's the end of September! Time flies when you're having fun. I would like to warn you in advance that this is a REALLY long blog post .... There's so much to share about 3rd grade!
The kids have been working hard on writing projects, Reading Menus, math concepts, spelling words, and social studies. The apple sauce we made last week was delicious! Thanks so much for sending in the apples to make it!
We'll be starting our first science unit - the water cycle and weather - this week.
Also, we are starting WIN (What I Need) time. This is a time when the students work on specific skills that were identified in their MAPS tests as areas that can use extra practice. There will be a focus on vocabulary during these WIN times.
Another thing to look for is the new Reading Log that will start October 1st. We are expecting students to read for at least 20 minutes a night, and now they will be logging that time and having an adult initial the Reading Log. Thanks so much for helping the students practice their reading at home! With regards to reading, we have also started our new Reading Menus, which are activities that the kids do in class as they are reading a book at school. The focus right now is non-fiction. Right now, the kids do all of this work in class. If you start seeing "Reading Menu" written in their assignment notebook, that means they need to work on the activities at home because they are falling behind in class. The next due date for Reading Menus is October 16th, so the kids still have plenty of time to work on them in class.
If your student needs to work on a classroom document at home, here are some helpful hints on how to start or find class documents on the Chromebook.
1. Make sure they open to Symbaloo - it's the screen that helps direct them to all of the Prairieview websites.
2. Next, they can click on Google Drive (it's a small triangle looking icon on the upper right hand area of the Sybaloo screen).
3. To start a new document, click on "New" and then "Google Doc". Documents that we are already working on can be found in "My Drive" or "Shared with Me".
4. If they need to share the document with me, make sure they click on the "Share" button at the top right corner, and then they type in my last name (Ikens) so the document can be sent to me.
We have gone over all of these steps many times in class, but sometimes a reminder helps!
A few quick notes ....
- Picture Day is next Tuesday, Oct. 6th during our Gym time. Make sure to send in the envelope and money for pictures that day.
- There is a Gym test this Friday for soccer concepts. A study guide was sent home to help review the concepts.
Please let me know if you have any questions after this monster-sized blog. It's really such a joy work with each student in this classroom!
Mrs. Ikens
Also, here is note from Mrs. Forsman .... it talks about grades so far. Her blog is http://taniaforsman.blogspot.com/, so please feel free to check it for more details!
I am writing this blog today to share with families that we are just starting out the year and to please not be concerned too much with grades at this point. There will be so many more grades coming that things tend to balance themselves out. If you see an alarming grade - of course feel free to reach out to the teacher, but also know that if we were concerned, we would reach out to you. It is natural for students to have one or two scores that aren't the best as they are learning classroom work habits/study skills, etc. A lot more independence is placed on third graders and they will be keeping record of their work and grades, setting goals, etc.
In the past, we might have not put poor grades in the gradebook but now those grades are even as important as the "good" ones. Those grades start conversations between students and teachers and motivate students to improve.
I can't believe that it's the end of September! Time flies when you're having fun. I would like to warn you in advance that this is a REALLY long blog post .... There's so much to share about 3rd grade!
The kids have been working hard on writing projects, Reading Menus, math concepts, spelling words, and social studies. The apple sauce we made last week was delicious! Thanks so much for sending in the apples to make it!
We'll be starting our first science unit - the water cycle and weather - this week.
Also, we are starting WIN (What I Need) time. This is a time when the students work on specific skills that were identified in their MAPS tests as areas that can use extra practice. There will be a focus on vocabulary during these WIN times.
Another thing to look for is the new Reading Log that will start October 1st. We are expecting students to read for at least 20 minutes a night, and now they will be logging that time and having an adult initial the Reading Log. Thanks so much for helping the students practice their reading at home! With regards to reading, we have also started our new Reading Menus, which are activities that the kids do in class as they are reading a book at school. The focus right now is non-fiction. Right now, the kids do all of this work in class. If you start seeing "Reading Menu" written in their assignment notebook, that means they need to work on the activities at home because they are falling behind in class. The next due date for Reading Menus is October 16th, so the kids still have plenty of time to work on them in class.
If your student needs to work on a classroom document at home, here are some helpful hints on how to start or find class documents on the Chromebook.
1. Make sure they open to Symbaloo - it's the screen that helps direct them to all of the Prairieview websites.
2. Next, they can click on Google Drive (it's a small triangle looking icon on the upper right hand area of the Sybaloo screen).
3. To start a new document, click on "New" and then "Google Doc". Documents that we are already working on can be found in "My Drive" or "Shared with Me".
4. If they need to share the document with me, make sure they click on the "Share" button at the top right corner, and then they type in my last name (Ikens) so the document can be sent to me.
We have gone over all of these steps many times in class, but sometimes a reminder helps!
- Picture Day is next Tuesday, Oct. 6th during our Gym time. Make sure to send in the envelope and money for pictures that day.
- There is a Gym test this Friday for soccer concepts. A study guide was sent home to help review the concepts.
Please let me know if you have any questions after this monster-sized blog. It's really such a joy work with each student in this classroom!
Mrs. Ikens
Also, here is note from Mrs. Forsman .... it talks about grades so far. Her blog is http://taniaforsman.blogspot.com/, so please feel free to check it for more details!
I am writing this blog today to share with families that we are just starting out the year and to please not be concerned too much with grades at this point. There will be so many more grades coming that things tend to balance themselves out. If you see an alarming grade - of course feel free to reach out to the teacher, but also know that if we were concerned, we would reach out to you. It is natural for students to have one or two scores that aren't the best as they are learning classroom work habits/study skills, etc. A lot more independence is placed on third graders and they will be keeping record of their work and grades, setting goals, etc.
In the past, we might have not put poor grades in the gradebook but now those grades are even as important as the "good" ones. Those grades start conversations between students and teachers and motivate students to improve.
Monday, September 21, 2015
What's new in 3M?
Hello 3M families!
I hope you had a great weekend - the weather sure was beautiful!
Here's what's going on this week in 3M .....
- Social Studies Quiz on the hemispheres on Tuesday. The kids have been learning about the four different hemispheres. We'll do a few more activities today to practice, and then we'll take a quiz on Tuesday. Kids can use the packet we've been working on in Social Studies to help them take the quiz. It would be great to review the ideas in the packet tonight with your student.
- Johnny Appleseed's Birthday will be celebrated on Friday. Please have your student bring in a peeled, cored, and sliced apple in a Ziplock bag on Friday so we can make applesauce. Can anyone supply 25 bowls, 25 spoons, or napkins for this celebration? Please let me know! Thanks so much!
- We had our first Book Menus due. The kids have been reading books in class, and then they worked on activities about the books. They conferenced with Mrs. Forsman and got graded for the first time on these activities. This was a good first learning experience about how to choose proper books, how to manage class time, and how to work towards a goal. Please check out Mrs. Forsman's blog to learn more about the grades and this process: http://taniaforsman.blogspot.com/
Have a great week, and please contact me with any questions!
Jen Ikens
I hope you had a great weekend - the weather sure was beautiful!
Here's what's going on this week in 3M .....
- Social Studies Quiz on the hemispheres on Tuesday. The kids have been learning about the four different hemispheres. We'll do a few more activities today to practice, and then we'll take a quiz on Tuesday. Kids can use the packet we've been working on in Social Studies to help them take the quiz. It would be great to review the ideas in the packet tonight with your student.
- Johnny Appleseed's Birthday will be celebrated on Friday. Please have your student bring in a peeled, cored, and sliced apple in a Ziplock bag on Friday so we can make applesauce. Can anyone supply 25 bowls, 25 spoons, or napkins for this celebration? Please let me know! Thanks so much!
- We had our first Book Menus due. The kids have been reading books in class, and then they worked on activities about the books. They conferenced with Mrs. Forsman and got graded for the first time on these activities. This was a good first learning experience about how to choose proper books, how to manage class time, and how to work towards a goal. Please check out Mrs. Forsman's blog to learn more about the grades and this process: http://taniaforsman.blogspot.com/
Have a great week, and please contact me with any questions!
Jen Ikens
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Spelling Homework News ...
Hello 3M families!
Yesterday we started our new spelling program, and the kids had their first homework assignment in spelling. They will work with these words for two weeks. The words contain spelling patterns that the kids are learning. During the two weeks, the kids will complete 8 homework assignments based on the words. Yesterday, the pink "Spelling Homework" sheet was sent home that lists the activities the kids can do for homework. For each activity they do, please have the kids put the work in their "Spelling" folder or initial the corresponding box if there is not a paper that goes with the activity. The homework will be checked in the second week, and the test will be given on Friday of the second week. Our fist test is Friday, September 25th. I noticed that the kids might be missing an extra "Spelling" folder in their binders .... we'll work on that today!
Also, please spend time practicing addition and subtraction facts up to 20 with your kids at home. This will help with the math units we are working on.
Hope the week is going well for everyone!
Mrs. Ikens
Yesterday we started our new spelling program, and the kids had their first homework assignment in spelling. They will work with these words for two weeks. The words contain spelling patterns that the kids are learning. During the two weeks, the kids will complete 8 homework assignments based on the words. Yesterday, the pink "Spelling Homework" sheet was sent home that lists the activities the kids can do for homework. For each activity they do, please have the kids put the work in their "Spelling" folder or initial the corresponding box if there is not a paper that goes with the activity. The homework will be checked in the second week, and the test will be given on Friday of the second week. Our fist test is Friday, September 25th. I noticed that the kids might be missing an extra "Spelling" folder in their binders .... we'll work on that today!
Also, please spend time practicing addition and subtraction facts up to 20 with your kids at home. This will help with the math units we are working on.
Hope the week is going well for everyone!
Mrs. Ikens
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Keeping Busy in 3rd Grade!
Hello 3rd Grade families!
It was great to see many of you at Curriculum Night last week. Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about third grade at Prairieview. If you have questions about the presentations that were given or just want to view them again, I am attaching the presentations to the end of this blog post.
This week we are keeping very busy in 3M! The kids are taking the MAPS tests Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Please make sure they get lots of sleep and a good breakfast to start the day.
We have a Social Studies quiz this Friday. We are learning about the continents and oceans. Please check the Social Studies folder in your student's CAMP binder for the packet that can help them study at home.
We have started our English and Language Arts centers - the kids are doing great with these! There is a time each day when they read to themselves, work on writing, work with a teacher, practice word work, and listen to reading.
Finally, math is in full swing. The kids are working on addition and subtraction patterns through the new Bridges Math program.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!
Mrs. Ikens
https://docs.google.com/
http://www.zaption.com/tours/
It was great to see many of you at Curriculum Night last week. Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about third grade at Prairieview. If you have questions about the presentations that were given or just want to view them again, I am attaching the presentations to the end of this blog post.
This week we are keeping very busy in 3M! The kids are taking the MAPS tests Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Please make sure they get lots of sleep and a good breakfast to start the day.
We have a Social Studies quiz this Friday. We are learning about the continents and oceans. Please check the Social Studies folder in your student's CAMP binder for the packet that can help them study at home.
We have started our English and Language Arts centers - the kids are doing great with these! There is a time each day when they read to themselves, work on writing, work with a teacher, practice word work, and listen to reading.
Finally, math is in full swing. The kids are working on addition and subtraction patterns through the new Bridges Math program.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!
Mrs. Ikens
https://docs.google.com/
http://www.zaption.com/tours/
Monday, August 31, 2015
Welcome to 3rd Grade!
Hello all!
It's great to be a 3rd grader at Prairieview! I am really enjoying getting the year started. We are all becoming a class community.
Please remember that this Thursday, September 3rd, is Curriculum Night for 3rd grade. Please plan on being at school from 6:30 until 8:00 pm. The 3rd grade team will be sharing the nitty gritty details of 3rd grade, and we will be giving a presentation about the Chrome Books. Students will be able to take the Chrome Books home once their parents or guardians have participated in the Chrome Book presentation.
Since this is your student's first year at Prairieview, here is a link to the Prairieview Handbook. Please review the rules of Prairieview with your child.
http://www.ccsd66.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/handbooks/PVstudnhdbk15-16FINAL.pdf
Please feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns. My e-mail address is jikens@ccsd66.org.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday night!
It's great to be a 3rd grader at Prairieview! I am really enjoying getting the year started. We are all becoming a class community.
Please remember that this Thursday, September 3rd, is Curriculum Night for 3rd grade. Please plan on being at school from 6:30 until 8:00 pm. The 3rd grade team will be sharing the nitty gritty details of 3rd grade, and we will be giving a presentation about the Chrome Books. Students will be able to take the Chrome Books home once their parents or guardians have participated in the Chrome Book presentation.
Since this is your student's first year at Prairieview, here is a link to the Prairieview Handbook. Please review the rules of Prairieview with your child.
http://www.ccsd66.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/handbooks/PVstudnhdbk15-16FINAL.pdf
Please feel free to come to me with any questions or concerns. My e-mail address is jikens@ccsd66.org.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday night!
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