3M Update

Hello 3M families,

I hope you are all doing well through this rainy week.  It's hard to believe that October is coming to an end, and that November is just around the corner!

We are all looking forward to the fun Halloween party that will be this Friday from 1:10 to 2:10.  The Halloween parade will take place at 2:10, and then the students will go home.  Please remember that students can bring their costumes to school on Friday for the fun events.  No violent costumes or pretend weapons are allowed.

A lot of families have already signed up for a conference time for next week ... THANK YOU!  I would love to meet with all families during the conference times next week.  If you haven't had a chance to sign up yet, please do so using the following link:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4aa4af22a5f85-fall17333

A few more things to keep in mind ....
-  The kids are working on their Haunted House pieces right now.  We are doing them in class, but many of the kids will need to work on typing their pieces at home.  We are trying to have them all done by Friday so the kids can share them.
-  Please start talking about the latest Book Menu with your student.  We've been working on them for about two weeks so far.  Ask your student what book they are reading and how their activities are coming along.
-  Reading Logs for October are due by Monday, November 2.  A lot of students have already turned them in, and some kids are really close to being done.  If your student hasn't read 20 times yet, they can still work on it through the weekend!  And remember, they can do two or more in one day!
-  We are considering re-evaluating some students for their spelling sorts.  This is  a new program for 3rd grade this year, and the first evaluation placed students into their current sorts.  However, we feel like some students might need more of a challenge.  Please talk to us at conferences if you feel that your student could benefit from being re-evaluated for spelling.  
-  In math, we are continuing to work on multiplication strategies and word problems.  We have also explored making pictographs and bar graphs this week.  We are continuing our measurement practice with liters and milliliters.  Also, the students have been practicing geometry and terms like quadrilateral, right angle, parallel, and congruent.  We will start reviewing for a test in class, and the students will take the test on Friday, October 30th.  A review will go home today.  Thanks for all of the help you provide at home with homework!

One last thing .... next week is my last week at Prairieview.  Mrs. Mandru will return full time in the classroom on Tuesday, November 10th.  I have really enjoyed starting the year with your students, and I feel so fortunate to have been here with them.  Thank you for being such a great community of families!

Have a good week,
Jen Ikens

3M Update 10/23

Hello 3M families!

This week sure did go by quickly!  Here's what's going on in 3M .....

-  Conference Sign Up.  Please check out the following website to sign up for a conference.  I hope to meet with all of you.  Conferences are 20 minutes long.  I'm excited to share all kinds of great things that your children are doing here at school!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4aa4af22a5f85-fall17333

-  In Social Studies, we are now learning about Downers Grove.  We are studying the history of the town, and eventually we will take a fun field trip to downtown Downers Grove.
-  Math is soooo busy!  We are still working on multiplication strategies and word problems.  The kids are showing a lot of their work in arrays - ask them what that is!  Please continue to practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts up to 12 at home.  We are also learning about different types of quadrilaterals for geometry.  We are finding lines of symmetry along with identifying all kinds of quadrilaterals.  Finally, we are working on liquid measurements using milliliters and liters and fractions.  Like I said, there is A LOT going on in math every day!
-  In writing, the kids are creating really descriptive advertisements about haunted houses.  They are trying to "sell" their haunted houses to monsters by using persuasive language.
-  In reading, we are continuing to use context clues to find the meanings of words.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing you all at conferences!
Jen Ikens

Friday Update

Hello 3M families,

Here's the update for the end of the week ....

-  The science test on the water cycle and weather is going to move to Tuesday, Oct. 20th.  We have an extra experiment we want the kids to see, so we are moving the test back one day.  Study packets are in the science folders of their binders.
-  In math, we are working on multiplication.  We are trying to find patterns in multiplication, using arrays to show multiplication problems, and practicing counting by different numbers to find their multiples.  All students should be practicing their addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts up to twelve at home.  We are also working on identifying shapes and their characteristics and measuring liquids.  As you can see, there is A LOT going on in math with the new Bridges program.  This is a very cyclical program, so we practice these skills a lot and circle back to similar concepts throughout the month.
-  In writing, we are having a great time working on Halloween pieces.  The kids are learning how to add descriptions as they make a Monster Menu and a Monster House.
-  In reading, the kids finished up their nonfiction Reading Menus.  We are conferencing with the kids now to see how they did on their activities.  Also, we are learning about fables and the morals that these stories teach us using animals.
-  The kids got their new word sorts this week.  Please have them work on the 8 different activities throughout the week.  All activities are due on Friday, Oct. 23rd.  The test will be that day, too.

Have a great weekend, and please let me know if you have any questions!
Jen Ikens

Mid Week Updates for 3M

Hello 3M families!

A few updates on what's going on this week ...

- Open House is on Thursday, Oct 15th.  Come visit the Book Fair and see the great books you can buy!
-  We will be having a science test on Monday, Oct 19th.  This test is on the water cycle and weather.  We've been learning about these topics in school, and the kids are doing a great job.  Today we will send home a review sheet so that the kids can start studying.
-  We are having a fun time getting into our Halloween writing. Adding details and including descriptions are the focus.
-  In math we are still working on multiplication and strategies for how to multiply.  Also, we are working on measurement of liquids.
-  The kids got their new spelling words yesterday.  They have this week and next week to work on 8 spelling activities.  Those activities are due on Friday, Oct 23rd.
-  Book Menus are due this Friday, Oct 16th!  Please check in with you student about their progress.  They should be working on this at home if they are not done yet.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!
Jen Ikens

It's Friday! And a long weekend!

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

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

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.