We have started the year practicing a variety of strategies we will use when we are searching for a writing idea. We have learned to make lists, go back into our memories, write about our favorite person or favorite objects, and we really liked the “name game” strategy. One of the strategies, “exploding the moment” is helping us realize we can be a good writerby just writing about one small moment.

We are off and running with our reading workshop. Students are in groups of 4, and they rotate through word work centers, reading to someone, reading to self, writing center or working with me. See Reading Workshop next page for more.

This past month we have been working on place value, specifically learning to count by 10’s and 100’s from any starting point. We can add quicker if we break-apart numbers. Practicing basic math facts is a must! This month will be focused on rounding numbers, estimating, counting money & change.

The next month we will be working on

September 9/20Charles Clayton & Katelyn Dulin

October Shawn Bohn 10/12Kiera Jordan 10/13

Boyertown Planetarium Visit Friday, October 11th at 8:45 a.m. Junior High East

The DaVinci Science Center Friday, May 2, 2014

Parent Conferences11/21

11/25 Early Dismissal11/26 Early Dismissal11/27 Early Dismissal

Mrs. Kiester, Grade 3

Reading WorkshopWe started our year learning about the Gold Rush. We learned about how towns came into being. After the story, Boom Town the 3rd grade classes had students bring in flashlights to read in the dark. The teachers dressed up like miners. We also baked corn bread in a skillet and shared with students.

We have been studying character traits. We have study the characters in picture books— Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, Julius, Baby of the World, Lucious Lollipops, Recess Queen, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. While studying character traits we learned some characters don’t change during the story but others do. We build our comprehension skills by understanding the characters, specifically how they act. We have learned that we need to prove our thinking by locating our evidence in the text.

Social Studies - We are finishing our unit on maps and globes. Our final project will be students making their own map using all the elements they have learned so far. One skill I think children should continually practice is knowing the cardinal directions and how they apply to their life. Can they figure out directions without a GPS?

We switch to Science in October. We will be focusing on the scientific steps. We will be doing experiments to help us learn the steps to being an observant scientist. We now call each other by our formal Dr. names. Who knows, we may have a few Ph.D. research candidates among us!

Is your child reading frequently duringthe week? How can you help thembecome a better all-around student? It’s quite simple. Good students READ! Pledge to read more and playcomputer games less often. Maybe 1 night of no computer games.

It’s getting chilly outside and inside too. Make sure your child has a sweater or sweatshirt.