Last week we celebrated Earth Day by focusing on our responsibility to help preserve the rain forest. Students felt very passionate that we should take action. They brought in unwanted toys to create an Estimation Jar. At the Spring Festival, participants paid 2 tickets to make a guess. In the end, there were 232 toys and Caiden in the 5th grade guessed it exactly! He won the whole jar of toys. We raised almost  $300.00, which will be donated to the Nature Conservancy. We researched and learn...
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Last week I began teaching cursive writing to the students. There is a lot of enthusiasm about learning this. My guess is that they feel it is another step to growing up. Although teachers no longer require cursive writing in the older grades, it is good for fine motor development. In addition, students need to be able to read it. If they don't know what each letter is, they cannot read the words. Therefore, I'm spending about 10 minutes each morning introducing a new letter. They have a pack...
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In your child's Friday Folder, a Parent Welcome letter from Scootpad.com was included. This letter gives you information about how your 3rd grader can log onto Scootpad and how you can keep up with his/her progress. This is a new computer program for us, so we are all learning it together. It has math and reading practice for students to complete. In addition, I can assign assignments for students to work on. Students will enjoy posting on the "Class Wall' as well. Let me know if you have any...
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Friday, March 8th is the end of our unit  under the theme How We Organize Ourselves. Students will be presenting this posters and dressing up to represent the career of their choice. Please join us starting at 2:45 p.m.

Students should dress up to the best of their ability for their career of their choice. They should not  go out and buy anything, but instead they should get creative with the materials they have at home. Please let me know if you have any questions.

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Just a reminder to kids and to let you know that the second semester ends on March 1. This is the last day to AR quiz this trimester. On March 8 (this is the same day as our Student Career Day), we will be having the second semester awards ceremony. If your child is receiving an award at this awards ceremony, you will be notified next week. Again the categories are: Excellent and Perfect Attendance, IB awards (one boy and one girl per class) and Most Improved and Exceptional Achievement in Re...
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TCAP is right around the corner!

 

Reading – February 26^th and 27^th

Writing – March 12^th and 13^th

Math – March 19^th-20^th

All testing will begin at 9:30am

 

 

Test-Taking Strategies

·       Luck Isn’t Enough – Learn in the classroom and practice what you learn!

·       Don’t Rush – Speeding through the test doesn’t help!

·       Read Directions Carefully – They are there for a reason!

·       Read the Questions First – Find out what you...

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Mark your calendars for Friday, March 7 when students will be sharing their end of the unit projects for our current unit How We Organize Ourselves. Students will be presenting their projects showing their career choice, necessary education, and budget. They will also dress appropriately for their career. Please join us for another exciting end of the unit event! It will begin at 2:45.

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Today we had a great day with our JA teacher, focusing lessons about the topic "Our City." Lessons included city zoning, creating blueprints and construction, opening a restaurant, writing newstories and banking. I have a few photos posted in the photo gallery.

In addition, this week we have been focusing on the student question, "How did the boy get a lot of money?" This question came from looking at a picture of a young boy with money. As a result, we have been learning about creating good m...
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One of our parents, Cindy Koder, Haven's mom, has come in two times for about 10-15 minutes to teach our class some visualization strategies for relaxation and focus. The purpose to help students prepare their minds for a positive, productive day. I thought these would be great strategies for students to use any time, but especially as we head into TCAP testing. In our first session, she helped students visualize a "safe place" in their mind where they feel relaxed, happy and their best selve...
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On Thursday, we have 15 third grade parents share their careers with the third grade students. It was very interesting and a huge success. It was a great way to kick off our new unit  called Money Makes the World Go 'Round under How We Organize Ourselves. Please head over the Photo Gallery to see photos from this event. A special thanks goes out to Heather Berg, Marinka Kartilija, Stephanie Ring, Tana Lucero, Kimberly Lemme, and Heather Holtzinger. They have students in our class and took tim...
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I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who was able to come to our end of the unit exhibit on Friday. If you were not able to make it, please visit our Photo Gallery, where I posted photos of the students' projects. I feel the photos do very little justice in terms of showing how much they learned. Students demonstrated they were knowledgeable as they described their invention projects and all the other unit related work to visitors! I couldn't be more proud!

I also wanted to invite you...
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Please join us next Friday, January 25 from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. to view all our work from this unit, including the invention projects that are due on Thursday. We have a lot to share. We hope you can make it!

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During our final two weeks of our unit focusing on "Ancient civilizations contributed to modern day societies and technologies," students have been researching in groups about a specific civilization. They are preparing to present their information in the coming days. When "teaching" the other students about their civilization, each group has to share:

• civilization location
• 5 inventions
• fun facts

Each group had to choose a way to present their information and prepare an activity for the class to...
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We had a great day on Wednesday with our Celebrate Reading Day. We had three guest readers: parents, Karyn Gregory and Cindy Koder, and Assistant Principal Ms. Hogan. After our first set of books, students reflected and visualized. After our second guest reader, students identified character traits and supported them with evidence from the text. After our last guest reader, students identified possible themes for the book.

Students also read their A.R. books and Time For Kids magazine. We spe...
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We have begun our new inquiry unit with great enthusiasm. It is called "Back in Time" and falls under the theme of Where We are in Place and Time. The central idea is "Ancient civilizations contribute to our modern day societies and technologies."
Students will inquire into:

·       Time period, location and similarities of ancient civilizations around the world

·       Inventions reflect the needs of people (past and present)

·       Implications for the modern world

I...

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I hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving. On Tuesday last week, the 1st Trimester Awards were given out. This year the awards were changed. Each teacher gave out 8 awards. In addition students were recognized for excellent and perfect attendance. In the classroom, I gave out A.R. awards.
Here are the recipients for 1st Trimester Awards

• IB Attitudes (Students who consistently display our IB Attitudes) - Alexis Berg and Mauricio Banuelos
  
• Commitment to Reading - Lily Lemme
  
• Commitment to Writing ...

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Does your child lose homework at the bottom of his/her backpack? Is he or she forgetting to bring his/her assignment book or AR book to and from school? If your child has not told you about the accordion file and is having organizational issues, then I suggest you read on and study the above photos. The accordion file is a great place for students to put their homework and transport all important items to and from school each day. It can easily be put in a backpack. When a child gets home, he...
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2^nd and 3^rd Grade Arts Show

Thursday, November 15^th

5:30-6:30

 

Dear Parents-

On Thursday, November 15^th the Specials Teachers will be showcasing work from the 2^nd and 3^rd Graders during their annual Arts Extravaganza at Brown. Please mark your calendars for an evening full of music, dance, art and performance. All 2^nd and 3^rd grade classes will participate. Here is the format for the evening:

 

Visual Arts in the Community Room:

Mrs. Tynan’s 2^nd grade & Mrs. Capozza’s 3^rd grade

 

Music...

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We had a fantastic field trip to the Museum of Nature and Science.  In addition to walking through the Pompeii exhibit, students also toured the Gem and Mineral exhibit. Both of these exhibits connected well to our current unit of inquiry. Of course, students also loved touring the Expedition Health and Space Odyssey exhibits. There is so much to do and learn about at this museum!  Make sure to ask your child to tell you about Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii. Unfortunately since we were in small g...
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Please take a few moments to browse the photo gallery to see the latest pictures from our UnEarth Colorado lab presented by an educator from the Museum of Nature and Science. I've also posted some new files under Newsletters. Please take time to read the HTWW (How the Word Works) Parent Letter. This tells about our current unit of inquiry and ways you can help your child extend his/her learning at home. Finally the October Newsletter share all the happenings for the end of October.

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As part of our new unit, Earth, Wind and Fire, students are investigating the structure of the earth. Over the past two days, we have used a boiled egg as a model of the earth. Ask your child to tell you how the shell, egg white, and yolk are like the earth. You will be receiving more information at the end of the week in our monthly newsletter about this unit.

In the meantime, we are lucky to have the Education Outreach department from the Museum of Nature and Science with us o...
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Throughout the year, you might hear your child talk about doing a "mini-inquiry." In layman's terms, this means students are going to do research to find the answer to a question. We adults do it all the time and most of the time we turn to the internet to find the answer. Well, mini-inquiries are the perfect opportunity to teach research skills before embarking on a huge research project (which we will do a few times this year).

Last week students identified a question related to poetry that...
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Thank you to everyone who helped make our first end-of-unit celebration, The Poetry Cafe, a huge success. We had a great turn-out, fabulous drinks and food, and of course, wonderful poetry recitations by our third graders. Head over to the Photo Gallery to see photos of the event. For almost every unit, we have an end-of-unit celebration. We'll be sure to let you know when the next one is. Thank you again!

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What a fantastic opportunity we had today! Although we weren't very close to President Obama, the entire experience from start to finish was unforgettable. We left shortly after 9 and at 10:30 the President addressed us. Upon return we spent time preparing for our Poetry Cafe.

At the end of the day, we went to the auditorium for an assembly. We heard it had to do with the Governor. There was excitement around the idea of seeing the Governor and the President on the same day. At the assembly i...
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This week during Guided Reading, students are reading and analyzing poetry that are TCAP released items. (These are poems that were formerly on previous TCAP tests).  The purpose of this is two-fold. First, it is to begin exposing students to what they can expect on TCAP and to develop confidence surrounding this upcoming test. The second is to develop test taking skills and to view tests as a type of genre, where students navigate the passages and related questions, but still use their think...
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Monday, October 1 is October Count Day. It is imperative that every student be at school that day. Our school gets per pupil funding and that is the day that decides how many students are at Brown and how much money our school gets. We also have our first 3C assembly that day.

On Friday is our Poetry Cafe at 2:30 p.m. Students are VERY excited about this event. They have many ideas of how to transform our room into cafe, including decorations and food. Thank you in advance if you have gracious...
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We had a fabulous day! Check out the Photo Gallery to see a collection of photos from today. It started out with a great turn out for Books and Bagels. We then had a ton of fun at our Field Day. Having Field Day at the beginning of the year is a fabulous team building experience. Afterwards we went to Ms. Clausen's class for PYP Buddies. During that time, students listened to "It's Ok To Be Different" and discussed what it meant to be Open-Minded. Each 3rd Grader paired up with a 1st Grader a...
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Today your 3rd grader logged onto ALEKS.COM for the first time. This is a differentiated math computer program. Your child first takes an assessment. Some students are still working on this initial assessment. He/she then receives a pie graph.  Each piece of the pie represents a different math concept. It shows what he/she knows and concepts to be learned.

We will work on ALEKS 1-2 times a week at school. However, this is a fantastic way for your child to continue to build on his/her math con...
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3^rd Grade Books and Bagels

Friday, Sept. 21, 8:30-9:00 a.m.

(Field Day begins at 9:10 for 3^rd graders)

 

 

·      Come, read, and have a bagel with your third grader in the classroom or the library from 8:30-9:00.  

·      This is a great time for your child to showcase his/her reading and show you how he/she quizzes online.

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Dear Parents/Guardians:
This is a reminder that Thursday is Back to School night from 6-7 p.m. The format is as follows:

6:00-6:15   Parents meet in the gym for a welcome from Principal and                                               Assistant Principal

6:20-6:40   Parents choose one class of their children;

6:40-7:00  Parents go to another child’s class or go to a

        Specials classroom to visit. 

This evening is for parents only, but if you need child care, there will be...
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As you are now well aware, each 3rd grader will bring home his/her assignment book (planner) each day. Each night please check the assignment book and initial it. Your child can check off the homework tasks directly in the assignment book. Please help him/her by setting up a routine for getting it signed each night and returned to school each day.

Finally please mark your calendar for Back to School Night from 6-7 p.m. next Thursday, September 13. It will begin with an address by our principa...
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During our first unit of inquiry titled I'm a Poet and I Know It,  under the theme How We Express Ourselves, the students will be looking at how people express themselves with poetry. This unit's central idea is "Expression of ideas, priorities, emotions, and images are communicated through various forms of the written word." Over the next four weeks, we will be reading and writing poetry. During Guided Reading and Writing, students will use a variety of strategies to read poetry and then pra...

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What a fabulous first week and we ended it with a bang! Check out the photos I posted of our class "expressing themselves." They looked fantastic and we learned a lot about each other!

Today students learned their A.R. Zone and set A.R. reading goals. This is the zone in which they select books to read independently.  If a student picks a book from the library and isn't clear of the level, they can check on the A.R. website. I also sent home book orders today, which are also leveled. As part o...
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Today we launched our first unit of inquiry under the theme How We Express Ourselves. We looked at photos and the variety of ways people across the world express their beliefs and values. On Friday students are asked to come to school "expressing themselves." They can consider clothing, hair, and bringing small items. Students are very enthusiastic and have a lot of ideas!

I'm excited to report that our assignments books arrived! They will come home for the first time on Tuesday. Please send i...
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Today we continued to build community, specifically focusing on "My Job" as a teacher and "Your Job" as students. We then created Essential Agreements, or rules, to help us be able to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Our Essential Agreements are:
1. Be a communicator

• Listen to others who are speaking. Make eye contact.
• Ask questions when you are curious or need help.
• Participate
• Use the correct noise level

2. Be a Risk-Taker

•     Ask questions
  

• Present new ideas

3. Be Caring and Respectful

• Trea...

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Despite the high heat, we had a fabulous day. Luckily our room is on the cooler site of the building and we have air conditioning and a fan. We spent a good chunk of time building our classroom community with getting-to-know you activities and reviewing the I.B. Attitudes. I also introduced the 3C's, our school's new positive behavior program. Be Cooperative, Be Curious and Be Committed. We did a bit of writing and spent some time engaging in math centers, working with different math manipula...
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