Happy Break!

See you on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

Over the Break!

A few things to remember...

READING
Please encourage your child to read over the break! I will be sending extra bookmarks (blue) with every student to bring home in their STAR Binder. Any books they complete over the break can be logged on the bookmark to add to their 40 Book Challenge count for the year!

MATH
Greg Tang Math is holding a New Year Math Challenge!
Check out the paper game board your child brought home today. The link below (click the image) will take you to the challenge information as well. Students can complete the game board over the break and bring it in on Wednesday, January 3rd when we return to be entered to win a signed book from Greg Tang! This is voluntary but might be a fun way to practice math over the break!

Students are bringing home two gifts for family members on Tuesday. These will be in white decorated gift bags. 

WRITING

Don't forget! The Brainstormers Writing Club begins on January 9th at 7:30 a.m. For more information and to sign up your child, click below!

WRITING CLUB LINK! CLICK ME!

Making Our Way!

Reading and Writing

As readers and writers, we have been finishing up our opinion essay unit, reading mentor articles, responding in writing, and developing our own opinions when responding to argumentative writing essays.
As we wrapped up this unit, we took a break from the structure of essays to explore more ideas within poetry. Students worked through the entire writing process and published poems using figurative language with a focus on personification.
Taking cues from poets, we began to notice that sentence variety and punctuation play a big role in how we read certain types of writing. We also realized we can make intentional decisions with regard to sentence length and punctuation to really showcase our "writing voices."

Math

Although we finished our first round of multiplication and division as a focus in our classroom, we will continue to review these concepts all year long and bring it back as a focus two more times during the school year. As of right now, our focus has shifted to addition and subtraction within 1, 000. We also began having conversations about rounding and estimation. Students have learned how important place value is when adding/subtracting and that place applies no matter what type of problem you are solving.

The class has been doing a great job working together as teams during our math block. Here are some examples of collaborative group charts they created together!

Monday:

On Monday we have a volunteer coming to lead the students in a cookie decorating activity. Our party activities will take place on Tuesday afternoon, likely beginning around 1:30. I have plenty of helpers all set and there is no need to send in additional treats or snacks unless you have already talked with me about your plan.

Tuesday: Holiday Party Activities!

On Tuesday afternoon the class will be up to their elbows in fun activities! I wanted to let you know the plan so you can help accordingly.

We do not need any food, drinks, or snacks. Please refrain from sending in any items as we will not be snacking this time around.

Send in a board game, dice game, or card game with your child. The last portion of our party will be an hour of games.

We will be making fluffy slime! The ingredients in the slime are as follows:

• ·         Elmer’s Glue
• ·         Barbasol Sensitive Skin Shaving Cream
• ·         Eye Contact Solution for Sensitive Eyes
• ·         Food Coloring

GIFT EXCHANGE:

We will do a school supplies gift exchange. I would ask that you not exceed $5-7.00 on the total cost of the gift. I would like all the wrapped items by Monday at the latest. As always, if you need assistance in providing a gift for the exchange I am happy to help.

Here is a list of ideas:

Markers

Color Pencils

Crayons

Fancy Notebook

Stickers

Watercolor Paint

Pencil Sharpener

Pencils (Any)

Holidays and Hoopla!

I hope you all had a wonderful extended weekend last week. I wanted to give you a few quick updates to get the end of the month wrapped up but will revisit this week with some classroom peeks as well.

MATH NIGHT!

Math night is Tuesday, November 29th here at FPE. Greg Tang Jr. is coming to host and teach students lots of games and activities to use at home. It will be well worth your time. 

The book fair will also be open! 

SANTA'S BREAKFAST--DECEMBER 9th!

We are making our Santa's Breakfast ornaments this week!

GIFT EXCHANGE

We will do a school supplies gift exchange the last week prior to our winter break. I would ask that you not exceed $5-7.00 on the total cost of the gift. Girls will exchange with girls and boys will exchange with boys, however items one might consider "gender-specific" are not necessary. Items can be neutral or otherwise and chosen by the child if desired. Gifts should be wrapped and labeled "For a Girl, from _____" or "For a Boy, from_____." I would like all the wrapped items by December 15th. As always, if you need assistance in providing a gift for the exchange I am happy to help. We will celebrate with a few snacks, crafts, and our gift exchange on December 19th. 

Here is a list of ideas:

Markers

Color Pencils

Crayons

Fancy Notebook

Stickers

Watercolor Paint

Pencil Sharpener

Pencils (Any)

Etc.

Halloween, Highlights, and Links

Halloween!

We are all set for snacks, treats, and food for our Halloween Party. Due to allergies, I ask (beg) that you not send in extra cookies, cupcakes or treats. If you want to send in non-food items to pass out (pencils, erasers, etc.) that is completely fine! Thank you so much for respecting my policy on snacks and food in the classroom. You guys have been awesome to work with so far this year. 
Our party will take place in the morning (on the half day). You are more than welcome to attend for the parade starting at 10:00 on Tuesday, October 31st. Unless we have already spoken, please give us a little space in the classroom. I have all the helpers I need this time around. Our party will consist of watching a portion of the movie Becuase of Winn Dixie, eating snacks, and walking the parade. Thanks again.

Spelling Words: Test on Friday, November 3rd

Students are bringing home a list to practice in their STAR Binder. We have worked on these words in class and within our writing. Feel free to check out free sites like Spelling City to encourage your child to practice. 

Other Ideas for Practice:

Typing the words in funky fonts on your computer at home is another fun way to practice. My favorite is shaving cream in the shower! Spray some shaving cream on the shower wall, your child can write the words while getting clean! 

Here is the list in case your child's copy gets lost in the shuffle. 

because
could
every
finally
have
into
off
put
really
said
they
very
was 
when
your

Respect Assembly Highlights

Our classroom offered their insights into who they felt was the most respectful student in our classroom. I knew it was going to be a tough choice, so I asked for their help. Through some secret ballots, we all agree that Sam is one respectful student! Congrats to you Samantha. 

Here is our class singing the Respect Song! We were the featured class, and they did a great job.

Michigan Writers Contest

Over the next few weeks, students will be working on publishing a short story. This will be voluntary for students who would like to enter the Write Michigan Short Story Contest. All the work will be typed in a Google Doc and students will be able to work on their piece at home and school.
The in-school writing work dates will be:
November 3, 8, 17, 22, 27
I will give students time in class to work on their short stories, and any student who wants some additional help can stay in at recess for extra help. Again, completely voluntary. Some kiddos are very excited about this opportunity. If it turns out to be an indoor recess day, I will attempt to work with students in the library. Any changes to this schedule will be communicated with the students. Parents are responsible for submitting their child's story. Please visit the website to see how! All entries are due by November 30th, and I will send reminders and help in any way I can. This contest is free for all children under the age of 18.

Here is our #WhyIWrite poster along with some other FPE writers! We made a mini graffiti-like wall in the hallway.

Check out these focused writers!

Google Classroom and Google Docs
Students each have access to Google Classroom and Google Docs. Please ask your child about their login information!


Headphones or Earbuds
If your child would like to use their own earbuds or headphones for our small jack Chromebooks, they are welcome to bring a pair to keep here at school. I have a safe spot to store them in between uses.

Reading--Here is a picture of students creating their plot timelines!

Math-We continue to rock and roll with multiplication and division! 

TENMARKS Login

Students learned how to use the TenMarks website this week. It offers videos, models, and opportunities for students to practice math skills we have worked on in class! I have assigned several multiplication and division activities with a due date all the way into December. There is no penalty if students do not finish all the activities before December. I hope students will use the site to practice when they can, but this is an optional home opportunity for you and your child to use as you navigate math together this year!
Students' login information is located in their star binder! Have fun!

Home Opportunity!

Make a fort at home and send me a picture to share with the class!

The class and I read an article about the affects of electronics on children's health. I read it to them because it supported my persuasive essay I am writing as a model of essay writing during our workshop time. The class all wanted to share the article with you! We decided to give ourselves the challenge to make a fort this weekend with our parents. Read the article! Make a fort!

CONFERENCE WEEK IS HERE!

I'm looking forward to talking with each of you about the start of our year in third-grade. We will discuss many topics individualized to your child as well as some overall topics.

One of the topics we will discuss is homework and my expectations for your child through the year. I am a firm believer in children learning through both explicit and exploratory experiences. Below are some links and information that will support you before, during, and after our conversation this week.


What does homework look like for math?
One of the biggest and most important foundational skills your child will learn this year is understanding and using multiplication and division. This link, (click here) has a great explanation that supports learners of all levels in their understanding of multiplication. Take a look. I will be giving you a set of the "multiplication subitizing cards" at our conference.

What does homework look like for spelling?
We will have a spelling test (words in isolation) one time per month. These words will consist mostly of sight words and a small selection of words that follow a common spelling pattern. Our spelling work within the classroom will consist mostly of working with spelling patterns and common sight words within our writing. Students may also get 3-4 individual words to work on for the month.

What does homework look like for science and social studies?
Mrs. Shrontz will occasionally give students tasks to complete outside of the classroom to support experiments and investigations. Social studies and science are both full of new vocabulary, and occasionally I will send home information and study guides for students practice vocabulary before unit tests.

What does homework look like for reading?
Your child is likely doing a lot of reading on their own. This is wonderful news. I would also still encourage you to read aloud to your child. Choose a chapter book from a favorite series or a picture book to share together. Reading frequently is important for long-term learning in every content area. The bookmark that should be coming home in your child's independent book should be signed by an adult on a fairly regular basis. I do not penalize students if their bookmark is not signed however if the bookmark is never signed, your child and I will have a conversation about responsibilities when reading at home. I always have extra bookmarks. If your child is reading a book at home or with you, they should have a bookmark to track pages read to share with me. It can live in their STAR Binder as a holding spot, so they always have it.

As always, please ask questions or reach out with any concerns you may have regarding homework or any aspect of your child's third-grade year.

"How was your day?"

"How was your day?"
Fine.

"What did you learn?"
I don't know.

Does this scenario play out at your house after a school day? Asking your child about their day can be a great opportunity to find out what your child is excited about each day. Here are a few starters.

What is your favorite part of each day? What makes it great?

What is something new and unexpected this year?
Name one person who is always kind to you and how they are kind.
Who do you think needs a friend? Could that friend be you?
What are you hoping to get to do tomorrow?
What part of the day do you get to use your imagination the most?

Have you taken a peek at our #classroombookaday Padlet?

This is one of my favorite parts of each day! 

What's Your Child Buzzing About?

We are almost a full month into the school year, and our classroom is really starting to hum. I hope your child is enjoying third-grade and buzzing with ideas and excitement for school this year.
Here is a glimpse at what we've been up to the past two weeks, some reminders, requests, and a few things to look forward to!

Reading

We continue to build our stamina as readers and think about what environment is best for our independent reading time. We talked a lot this week about what to do when we feel ourselves getting distracted, tired, or uncomfortable. Our reading environment is an important factor in our reading stamina. Students worked to make good decisions and problem solve when they found themselves drifting from their book.
We started reading Because of Winn Dixie this week as our chapter book read aloud. This is one of my favorites to read to third graders (but I'm pretty sure I've said that about all our read alouds so far).

Writing

We clarified our understanding of some of our writing tools and continue to work on our personal narrative unit of study. Students have many tools to utilize throughout the writing workshop. I've seen some great storytellers emerge in our classroom and lots of smiles during our writing block.

Math

We continue to work on representing multiplication problems in many ways. Even students who mentally solve math problems often benefit from multiple representations of mathematical thinking. Students have page 29 and 30 as homework this weekend if they did not already finish it at school.
Here students are sharing their independent practice examples with the class.

Students sharing examples. 

Social Studies

This week we reviewed landforms found in Michigan as well as discussed the many bodies of water, their characteristics and how they were formed. We also touched on vegetation and climate, discussing the impacts of temperature and the great lakes on precipitation.  A favorite legend to share with students is the story of sleeping bear dunes. Here is a short video we watched explaining the famous story.

Celebrations!

Last Friday we celebrated #DotDay2017! This celebratory day is inspired by the story by Peter H. Reynolds call The Dot. Take a look!

We had to make a green and white dot on green and white day!

Reminders:

Sharing (show and tell) is an opportunity for your child to talk about something important! Each child's snack day is also sharing day.

Annabelle is sharing pictures from a trip!

Library books are due on Tuesday's.

Miss Miller (music teacher) sent home a yellow note regarding recorder purchases. Please be sure to fill out and return the form as soon as you can! If you need another form, please let me know.

October 10th is the official start of conference week. I will be sending home information early next week to begin setting up dates and times to meet with you.

October 12th is a half day, and there is no school on October 13th.

October 31st is a 1/2 day of school as well as the Halloween party and school parade! The parade will be at 10:00 a.m. through the halls of FPE. Our party will consist of snacks and hopefully (crossing my fingers we will have finished the book) we will watch the movie Because of Winn Dixie.

Requests:

Two items we could use in our classroom are--

• White Notecards (Blank or Lined)
• Containers of Wet Ones brand hand wipes

Carnival Basket News!

Our basket theme will be fishing. I will send home more detailed information regarding donations for our contribution to the carnival. I am also open to a volunteer helping me organize and pack up the basket. If you are unfamiliar with the classroom carnival basket, stay tuned! For most of you...this is old hat. :)

Week Two--Check!

Here is a look at what we've been up to this week!

If you have missed a post from last week, feel free to go back to the main screen, scroll, and read. Typically I will update with a post (newsletter) every two weeks at a minimum.

Have you seen our #classroombookaday virtual bulletin board? Visit by clicking here. 

Do you have a Twitter account? I will occasionally post snippets of our day using my personal Twitter account, @Betsy_writes and will include @FPE_Olivet and #EagleNationPride. You can search any of these to see our latest tweets. 

We finished our first chapter book read-aloud, The Hundred Dresses. It is a favorite of mine to share at the beginning of the year. Our new classroom chapter book read-aloud is The Night Crossing. 

Reading

Students continue to choose books that are part of a healthy reading diet. We discussed selecting books that are not only at our reading level but that also are of interest or maybe different from what we typically read. It is always my goal to stretch students' reading lives to explore books that include both a variety of text types but also grow them as readers.
Every morning we do something called, "The Reading Minute." Through next week I will continue to "host" the reading minute portion of our day. This week I read two different page spreads from a favorite nonfiction picture book and two poems. After next week I will be putting a sign-up sheet in the classroom to open up the reading minute for student led selections. Any day that is left available I will fill in myself. Students can share a favorite paragraph from their independent reading, maybe a news article, a poem, or anything that takes about a minute to read and is appropriate for a school audience. This gives students an opportunity to practice reading in front of a group and a chance to share text they enjoy. It is completely optional but I will be encouraging students to give it a try. Consider starting to collect text for the reading minute that your child might like to read for the class. Maybe even practice a few times at home!

Writing

Writing exercises have been a focus as we begin to expand our writing workshop routines. This week we did a stamina challenge exercise, people/memory exercise, and a four box exercise to work our writing muscles. 

Math

We continue to work on noticing groups and efficiently multiplying items within groups to find solutions to both word problems and equations. This week we focused on determining what information was shared within a problem and what was unknown. Ask your child to explain our two math vocabulary words of the week: factor, product. 

Spelling

This week students reviewed a handful of consonant sounds and we explored the many different spellings that can take the "shape" of these sounds. We will continue to review and discuss all 44 phonemes (sounds) as we launch into our individual spelling plans. Our main focus for a majority of the school year will be on the many different vowel patterns that occur in print. There will be occasional spelling homework with a majority of the tasks completed during the school day. Spelling tests on frequently misspelled sight words that are expected to be mastered this year will occur as needed. I base most of my spelling instruction on student needs and what they are doing within their writing pieces. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding spelling instruction or expectations. 

The Great Lakes and Marshmallows

Remember, no school tomorrow (Friday) or Monday for the Labor Day weekend!

Also, we will finish decorating and personalizing our writer's notebooks on Tuesday. If your child has any photos, stickers or special items to add we will complete this project early next week. 

Today students learned how the great lakes were formed!

We also watched a short drone video of the Mackinac Bridge! 

We had a team building activity today using spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow. Ask your child what each team had to accomplish. 

Personalizing Our Notebooks

We will begin personalizing our Writer's Notebooks tomorrow (Thursday). The students have been generating lots of ideas the past two days to get ready to start some stories. Here is a list of items your child might want to bring in to help in the project.

I did remind them to ASK before swiping pictures from your favorite photo albums. :)

Starting Strong!

The students and I are getting to know each other while learning simple routines and procedures. Thank you again for trusting me to prepare, protect, and teach your child this year. I look forward to sharing in your child's milestones as well as discussing what's next! Having an open mind to the process of learning, finding the diamonds within your child's gems, and living up to who we want to be as a person will be important values built upon throughout the year within our classroom.

WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO?
On day one, we asked ourselves what kind of person we want to be and how we want to be treated. Students responded on sticky notes and we talked about giving/receiving, as well as getting out what you put in and how there is a relationship between the two.

BOOKMARKS-Reading
Students have a bookmark to keep in their current book of choice. Students are to keep track of pages read each day. I would love for every child to read every day at home however, I know this can be a challenge. Reading 80-100 (or more) minutes a week at a pace that is convenient for your family is completely acceptable. That might mean 10 minutes tonight, thirty tomorrow, but maybe Thursday is very busy and it isn't going to fit into the schedule. Do what works for you, your family, and your child, but most of all make it a priority and it will be.
You do not need to sign every single line of the "at home" reading (no need to initial the "at school" reading sections either). If you sign most of the "at home" reading sections, it helps me to know you are aware of your child's reading progress through the year. This is simply a tool for discussion as students evaluate their reading lives. My goal is to help students find and foster a love of reading. It is a game changer WAY beyond third grade and your help is greatly appreciated.

MATH
We have started to talk about sets and groups to build toward our first mathematics unit! Students brought home a letter today explaining some of the learning we will be doing the first several weeks of school. By the end of third-grade students will have learned tools and strategies to fluently multiply through 10X10.

STAR Binder
Students brought home their STAR Binders on Monday! We will continue to add a few items as the week continues! Feel free to use the paper to write me notes! Your child will need to alert me to the note so I don't miss it.

SNACK CALENDARS
Keep an eye out for snack calendars in the STAR Binder. Students will begin helping to provide snack next week (we currently have 25 students). Remember, it is extremely important to read labels and be cautious of ingredients that may cause significant problems for students with allergies. If your child does not have an allergy, I would ask you to consider: just as you want me to keep YOUR child safe please respect the policies I have communicated to you so I can keep ALL the children safe. If you ever have any questions please refer to the tab at the top of this page or ask me for clarification.

PILLOWS!
Students are able to bring a small throw pillow to use during independent work time. As long as it fits in their chair it is acceptable. Usually, 20 inches by 20 inches works pretty well. No full-size pillows or extra large throw pillows will be used at school. The purpose for the pillow is to give students something to sit on or lean on during work time. Sitting in a hard chair for long periods of time is uncomfortable and I have found the pillow offers a little wiggling and comfort when students are sitting. If you have a pillow that will work, feel free to send it in. No other child will use the pillow your child brings to the classroom. If the pillow works for your child it can stay here at school, if it is not helpful or causes a distraction, I will send it home.

Thanks for checking in! Have a great week as we head into Wednesday. 

Welcome to the 2017-18 School Year!

Welcome to Third Grade at FPE and

Mrs. Hubbard’s Headlines

You should have received your welcome letter and information from the office outlining the upcoming school year! Welcome to third grade and my classroom, soon to be OUR classroom. 

OPEN HOUSE

You may wish to mark August 22nd on your calendar. On this date, F.P.E. will have an open house from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Stop by during to ask any questions you have before the year begins and drop off any supplies you have purchased from the supply list. I look forward to seeing you! 
Contact: Phone  749-4611 or Email  hubbarb@olivetschools.org 

A Little Bit about Me

This will be my 17^th year teaching and my third year as a third-grade teacher. I have previously taught preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

I have two children, Elliot and Janie. My family and I love camping and going on mini-adventures during the summer.

I participate in several conferences and blogs as well as network with other teachers on a global scale regularly. Because of this, I often share experiences, students’ work, photos and videos of my classroom. 

You should have received a student release form with your welcome letter information. You can fill out and bring this form to the open house or on the first day of school. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Please take a look at all the links and information provided on this website. Homework expectations, as well as snack information, and special dates have a tab of explanation. Click around and explore to get familiar. Information is updated as needed and newsletter style posts are typically bi-weekly with extra information and notes occasionally. 

Mrs. Hubbard’s Supply List

All children will benefit from the following items labeled with their name when the school year begins.

     Backpack

     1” Binder (Any Style, used for writing)

     1 Three Hole Punched Pencil Pouch (toolkit for the writing binder)

     2  Composition Notebooks (Writer’s Notebook and Reading Response Journal)

     1 Graph Ruled Composition Notebook (Math Notebook)

     1 Plastic or Metal Pencil Box—Regular Size (not a pouch)

(If you are unable to purchase the items above please call the office and we will assist you).

Items below are not required, but if you are able to supply the class with some of the following it is appreciated. Students may also wish to have some personal items to keep in their desk.

I have these options listed in blue. Thank you.

        White Printer Paper (Xerox Paper)

        1 Box of Kleenex

        Packs of Wide Ruled Paper

        Sticky Notes (any color)

        Dry Erase Markers

        Black or Color Pens

        Pencils

        Watercolor Paint Sets

        Box of Crayons (24 Count)

        Markers or Colored Pencils

        Glue Sticks

        1 Pair of school scissors

        Highlighters

 (If purchasing personal writing/drawing supplies, label with child’s name.)

Experimenting with Volume!

I challenged students to experiment with measuring volume over the weekend. Here are the directions.

Find a container.
Measure its capacity using the following units: cups, quarts, pints or gallons
Depending on the size of the container, if a different unit of measurement is necessary, please try it out! This will create great conversation on Monday.

When the capacity is determined, the students are to draw/label, take a photo, create a video, or bring in (if small) the container to share their findings. If a student creates a video it can be shared with me using email or the child can bring in a device with the video.

Here is a visual to help your child as they choose a container and a unit of measurement for the experiment.

Sheepshank Sam!

Thank you to all who chaperoned and enjoyed the beautiful day with us!