Wow..It's been a long time

I can't believe that it has been so long since I wrote on this blog! I stay busy once I get home from school, and I have the share the computer with 2 teenage daughters! Do you have to share your time on the computer?

We surely had some cold weather recently! I don't like the cold very much; I am a summer person. Which season do you prefer? Since it is cold here in Southern Indiana, I thought it would be a good time to read about Alaska. I am very lucky to have gotten to visit there in the summer of 2008. It is very different in Alaska. As we read, you will learn about some of their traditions, and you will learn some new words. This picture is of Addison. Don't the mountains look fake? They were so beautiful! The weather was different in different areas. One day we were in Anchorage, and we wore capri pants and t-shirts. When we were on a boat touring an area with glaciers, it was freezing! It's a good thing that I always pack too much! I hope that you enjoy learning about our northernmost state!

When you read this, write down the main idea of the longest paragraph, put your name on it, and give it to me (secretly) for Stath Cash.

November, already?

I can't believe that I already had to change my calendar to November! I think that this will be our first normal week in quite some time! We are beginning to read Jan Brett books this week. I normally teach this unit in the winter, but I wanted to be prepared for our field trip - it is less than two weeks away :-)!

As you read your Jan Brett book, notice the beautiful illustrations. Can you believe that Jan Brett not only writes well, but she is also an incredible artist?! Do you think that you could ever draw as well as she does? I know that I couldn't. Her stories often have animals as the main characters. Do you like stories about animals!

Write down one question that you would like to ask Jan Brett when we go to meet her. Bring it to me to earn some money!

Fall Break - Already??

I cannot believe that it is already time for Fall Break! The school year usually goes quickly, but I feel like we just started! Christmas will be here in no time!

This is going to be a very busy week! It is Mrs. Kraus's last week with us. Can you keep a secret? Shhh...On Thursday we will have a little going away party for her. I will bring treats for everyone. When she is out visiting other teachers on Wednesday, we will make her a surprise.

I am really excited to get to talk with all of your parents on Thursday, even though it is going to have to be a really quick talk! Having parents who care about your education will make you better students!

Bonus Bucks-----Write down one thing that you would like for me to tell your parents, bring it to me, and you will earn $5 in Stath Cash!

I don't like missing school!

After leaving early yesterday because my daughter was ill at the junior high, here I am at home again today. She is still running a fever, so I couldn't leave her alone. Like most kids, she wants her mom when she is sick! I do miss my students, though.

I am so proud of my class this year! They have fallen into the school routine, respect our student teacher, and treat one another with kindness. I have been happy to host a student teacher, but will be glad when I can get back to teaching you every day!

We have so much to look forward to in the coming months! You will all enjoy our HallowRead performances. Next month we will take our Sunday field trip to meet Jan Brett! What an adventure that will be! We have a lot of work to do before November 15. We have to write the grant so that we have money for lunch and books; we have to study Jan Brett's books; and we have to write letters to Jan Brett so that she will be expecting us at the signing. Are you ready to work hard? I am because I know that hard work pays off!

Write down the answer to this question and give it to me at school (you will earn $5 in Stath Cash)...

If you could meet anyone, famous or not, who would it be and why?

Things are changing!

Change is never easy, especially if one is a creature of habit like I am! We are no longer going to learn spelling in the traditional manner that most of us learned; we are going to work grammar into our writing more; and our teaching of reading strategies will be laid out in a more uniform format so that we are all teaching the same thing. These changes are good! I am thrilled to have a student teacher at this time so that I have some time to research ideas so that I give your kids what they need to be successful. Be patient - I am learning too!

Kids, you are awesome! I am really enjoying getting to know all of you, and you have already managed to challenge me as a teacher (in a good way!). You have done a great job of getting into our routine, you work hard, and you have welcomed Mrs. Kraus and made her feel comfortable in our class. Thank you!

Challenge Question: Who is the author of My Rows and Piles of Coins?

Write down your answer (don't tell your friends!), put it on my desk, and you will earn $5!

Off to a great start!

So far, so good! This group is off to a wonderful start this year! I am really enjoying getting to know each child. I must apologize for missing so many days at the beginning of the year; I normally do not miss much school. I have taken one personal day so that my husband and I could go out of town, but the other days have been for professional development, which will benefit your children.

There are some rather large changes that will be taking place in the next few weeks. Beginning next week, we will no longer have weekly spelling lists or tests, which also means that we will no longer be doing the spelling activities. This is a school-wide initiative. We will be beginning a program to work with word patterns so that children can apply those skills in order to spell most any word they need to spell, rather than just memorizing the weekly list. There will still be opportunities for at-home activities. This is new to all of us, so please be patient while we work to organize. The past two days 2nd and 3rd grade teachers have been working together to plan the best strategies for teaching your children.

Thanks for caring about your child's education - it makes a huge difference!

Another Great Week in 3rd grade!

Wow! We have had such a great start to the school year! The kids are really settling in, and we are already learning so much. I have had a substitute twice, and both reports have been good.

This week we will begin a new story about Alexander and how he blows his money. Do any of you ever blow your money without even realizing it? I know that I do sometimes! It just seems to disappear! I think that you will like this story because Alexander is kind of silly. Our story last week, What About Me?, wasn't the best story, but acting it out on Friday made it more fun.

We will continue to work on improving our writing this week. Some of you still need help just getting started. I have some ideas for you to try. We are also going to begin a vocabulary notebook. I bought some post-it tabs so that we can organize them, and I bought each of you a highlighter so that we can highlight the most important words.

I hope that you are enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend! See you on Monday!