Parents,
I love teaching your kids social studies. They are so interested in learning about the past. Our class discussions are very thoughtful and sometimes provoking as they consider what life was like long ago. Our first third grade addition to the American Heroes Journal we started last year was Paul Revere. We read the account of his ride as retold by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his famous poem. It was inspiring to realize that the poem was written almost 90 years later out of Longfellow's concern that Revolutionary history was already being forgotten. Your children won't forget! They thought the story was riveting! We have now moved to Frederick Douglass, who they noticed, was born the year Paul Revere died.
There are so many wonderful resources for enhancing these history lessons available on our Activboard. As you know, we now share one with the other family teachers. Soon we may have our own in our classroom! I am very excited about the possibility since the more I use it the more daily applications I see possible. I took a training class this summer and I'm excited to be able to put to use what I learned.
Our reading lessons are focusing on comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary fluency. While reading with your child tonight ask them to demonstrate the cross checking strategy we have been practicing to help with accuracy. The target for fluency this quarter is 100 words per minute with 95% accuracy.
Summary, connection, opinion. These are three elements of a response to literature. Add to those a compelling lead and conclusion and you have a pretty complex piece of writing. To address the genre we have analyzed lots of responses to literature so the students will recognize a good one and have worked step by step to plan. The students will draft tomorrow.
We had a fabulous AR party the day before Halloween, thanks to Mrs. Hajra and Mrs. Walton. Our next party is next Friday, before we leave for Thanksgiving break. The students need 4 points to attend. They all took their current reading record home today.
Up until now, our spelling words have been fairly simple and the students have been able to master them with our classroom activities. But, the challenge is on. The words are getting more difficult. I have sent the words and a game home that you can use to practice. Our test over these words will be next Friday.
Tomorrow we take our division test. The standard for division is that the students understand the relationship between division and multiplication and between division and subtraction and are able to solve problems using simple division. They have a review page to do in their math book that should have them more than reading for tomorrow's assessment. Please check over and help them correct anything missed.
Thank you so much for the response to the Thanksgiving food basket. Thanks also to Mrs. Surasky for organizing that effort. There are so many things that couldn't happen at school without the wonderful parent support that we have at Tritt.
I am assuming that everyone has had a chance to digest ITBS scores. Here is a link that offers some information on interpreting the scores. http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/accountability/testing_info.aspx Of course, I am available to answer any questions.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankfull for. When I count my blessings, I'll be counting each of your kids twice!
Mrs Wiggins