Treats?????

I need 2 parent volunteers to send treats or drinks for our Fall Party on Thursday.  If you are willing, contact me. 

Grace and the Time Machine

Click the following link to take the Grace and the Time Machine reading assessment.

Grace and the Time Machine

What Will We Do With iPads?

What will you do with iPads? was one question that was asked last night that got me thinking.  Has anyone really said what students will specifically be doing with their iPad at this level. 

Each room will probably be a little different.  I can't guarantee that our room will do all of the same things that every other room does.  I can promise that the teachers will be having many discussions about how they are being used in their rooms.  We already share many ideas with each other and will continue to do so with how we are using the iPads.

My number one goal to start with is to do as many things on the iPad as possible that were done on paper before.  I want to try an eliminate some of our paper use.  I know I won't be able to completely, but we should be able to cut-back considerably.  I feel that attempting this is a great place for our class to start. 

My second goal is for students to use them to create.  I am a firm believer that creating and producing leads to better learning and deeper understanding.  Each week the students have the assignment to create a poster about the Reading Skill or the Grammar Skill for the week.  Look back through the Twitter feed to see some examples.  The iPad has a million different things that students could do to show they understand the skill rather than making a poster with markers and crayons. 

There will be many other things that students will use their iPads for.  These are my first two goals.  I feel that if we start small we will be better in the long run.  I encourage parents to ask their student each day what they did in school and also what they did with their iPad.  In the beginning it might not be much, but hopefully every day they say more and more things.

I would also like to take the time to thank the parents for their support during this exciting transition!!!

Library Visits

Each week our class will be taking a short field trip to the Kendall Young Library.  We are very fortunate to have such a great library in our town.  Students who have library cards will be allowed to check out 1 or 2 books.  Students who don't have a library card should go with a parent to the library to get one.  They are FREE and it only takes a couple minutes to get one.  Below are some pictures from our library visit.  Notice I have taken them off Twitter.  These pictures were upload during our library trip.  If you follow @mrbrimsclass on Twitter you can get live updates of what is happening in our class throughout the day.

iPad Rollout

Next Sunday, October 20th will be the date for iPad Rollout.  Each household should be receiving a letter about this if they haven't already.  The letter does have a form pertaining to the Apple ID that needs to be returned by October 17.

Every student will need a parent to attend the meeting on the 20th.  If they don't have a parent attend the meeting they will not get an iPad.  If you are unable to attend the meeting you need to contact me or Mr. Bonjour. 

Look for more information on this matter very soon. 

A Look Ahead....

Reading

This week in reading we will be working on drawing conclusions as our reading skill.  Drawing conclusions is using information from the text along with prior knowledge to make a decision about what is happening or has happened in the story. Here is the example we used this morning:  I am the only one at the bus stop where there are usually several kids also waiting for the bus. I wait a few minutes and am still the only kid there.  Then I see my friend riding his bike to the park.  The conclusion I can draw from this is that there is no school today. 

The grammar skill that will be focused on this week is changing singular nouns to plural.  We will only be working with regular plural nouns which are words that can be made plural by simply adding -S, -ES, or -IES.

The spelling pattern will be irregular plurals.  These are words that need spelling changed to become plural.  An example is the plural form of, tooth.  We would say teeth not tooths. Click here for a link to Spelling Words.

Math

This week in math we will continue work on multiplication.  Every student will be switching from addition Rocket Math to multiplication.  It is very important that students memorize all the basic multiplication facts.  They are more likely to do so if they practice at home.  This could be as simple as having a parent quiz them for a few minutes a day.

Science

Tuesday of this week we will be switching Science/Social Studies classes.  Mr. Brim's class will be going to Miss Martzahn for the next 7 weeks for Social Studies.  Mrs. Anderson's class will be coming to Mr. Brim for 7 weeks of Science.  At the end of the 7 weeks everyone will rotate again.  At the end of the year each student will have had time with each 4th grade teacher for either science or social studies. 

#todayIlearned

Today we used the Twitter concept to share what we learned today or earlier this week.  I gave an example and then each student had to write out their own "tweet" on paper.  Check out the "tweets" below. 

Mr. Brim – A dependent clause can’t be a sentence on its own. #todayIlearned

Allison – Long U sound can be spelled many different ways.  #todayIlearned

Cydney – That long U can be used by u, ui, ue, u consonant e. #todayIlearned

Cole – Our spelling pattern this week is long U sounds. #todayIlearned

Mollie - OO makes the U sound. #todayIlearned

Saul – A magnet can mess up a credit card. #todayIlearned

Jordyn – Volleyball isn’t about winning, it’s about friendship. #todayIlearned

Saliha – Magnets can be inside things, such as fans, doors, hooks.  #todayIlearned

Emily – Double O makes the long U sound and the U makes the long U sound. #longUsound #todayIlearned

Jaxin – Good readers always go back and reread. #todayIlearned

Cody – There are a lot of ways to spell words with a long U sound. #todayIlearned

Taylor – Long U can be used in a lot of words and long U is our spelling pattern. #todayIlearned

Jake – Old Faithful and Yosemite are very big and Yosemite is very popular.  #todayIlearned

Chase – Long U can be spelled in different ways. #todayIlearned

Jasmine – Magnets stick to some things and not to some things. #todayIlearned

Mateo – A magnet can stick to this rock with lodestone. #todayIlearned

Athit – Long U has a lot of spelling words. #todayIlearned

Carter – A magnet can ruin a TV and an iPad. #todayIlearned

Matt – A magnet can ruin electronics. #todayIlearned

Happy Friday

At least this rain storm is not dropping snow on us!!!!

I have decided that daily updates and information about our class will be added to Twitter rather than the blog.  I feel that Twitter will give me a better platform to keep students and parents up to speed when they are away from the classroom.

Big announcements will still be added to the blog.  If something is better announced on the blog it will be put on Twitter as a link.  

Twitter is easy to use and becoming more and more popular everyday.  It is FREE!! It can be done on any computer, iPad, tablet, Smart Phone.  Things that most of us are fortunate enough to have access to.  If you don't you soon will, as each student will be getting an iPad.

Twitter can be used by anyone.  It is just like the internet, it has great information.  It is also just like the internet in the fact that it has things that can be found that may be inappropriate for 4th graders.  Whether you allow your child to have a Twitter account or not is up to you.  I am going to be doing some research on this and if it is something that kids will be asked to have or not when they get their iPads.

My advice as of today is for parents to get it and use it with their student to follow @mrbrimsclass. 

Information Overload

This post will have a lot of information in it since I haven't blogged since last Thursday.  I was gone Friday and Monday of this week and it has taken all of my free time to get caught up and keep things going for this week.

Reading

In reading we have been reading a nonfiction story about Yosemite.  We also watched a video that showed what a cool place Yosemite National Park is.  The reading skill for the week is Main Idea.  The grammar skill for the week is Clauses and Complex Sentences.  The spelling pattern for the week is Long U sounds.  Friday we will have a reading assessment that covers main idea and will also possibly cover author's purpose or sequence from the previous weeks.  The spelling test will also be Friday.  Remember, most weeks there isn't time to study spelling at school so it needs to be studied at home.

Math

This week in math we took the Unit 2 test.  In math I correct the students' tests and then return them and give them one opportunity to correct their mistakes.  We had several perfect math tests after the correction round.  That is great!!!  We have spent the rest of the week reviewing some things and going over the second part of the math test as it is not corrected or counted toward the grade.  Tuesday we will begin Unit 3.

Science

We have continued to work on energy and circuits in science.  We did a couple solar panel experiments and looked at different ways to set up circuits.  Today we are moving on to Magnets.

We will be starting our weekly trips to the Kendall Young Library this month.  Students with library cards will be allowed to check out books.  Some students had cards and they are now expired or have been blocked because they have past due books or fines that need to be taken care of.  I will talk to those students and let them know.  Students who have never had a library card should have a parent go with them to the library and sign-up for one.  This is a great opportunity for students to have access to way more reading materials than we can provide at school.   

Circuits

In Science we have been studying energy and how energy travels through circuits.  I am sure the kids have been talking about this at home because they have been very excited about it here at school. 

We have learned the difference between a series circuit and a parallel circuit.  We have also been able to relate this to a real life experience as we talked about the different types of Christmas lights.  The kids have worked in groups to spend time building both types of circuits. 

It is great to see how excited and enthusiastic the students get about Science.  They love the hands on approach and they also love the opportunity to be presented with a problem and then to try and solve it in their own way.  Check out the Twitter feed for some pictures of what has happened in Science.

Picture Retakes

If a student missed picture day or needs their picture taken for another reason the retake day has been scheduled for October 11.  If a student needs an order form they need to ask in the office or ask me and I will get them one. 

Officially Fall

Happy Birthday to Mollie today!!!!!!

It is now officially fall and it actually feels like it too.  We complained about the hot start of the year but the weather was just following the seasons as it was still summer according to the calendar.  We are also looking at having our first full week of school.  It's about time!!!

This week in Reading we are working on Author's Purpose, Compound Sentences, and the Long E spelling pattern.  On Monday students should have brought home a spelling sort that will help them learn the different spelling patterns that make up the long E.  This is to be completed at home, but it doesn't need to be returned to school. 

This week in math we will be working on collecting, organizing, and analyzing data.  We have been and will continue to work on our facts as well.  We will be spending time working on three of the four major operations.  We will work on addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Any practice that students can do at home with any of these will help them tremendously. 

Survey

MAP Testing is Finished

This morning we took the MAP test for Language.  Everyone was given a chance to finish which means that each student in our class has finished all three portions of the MAP test.  Thank you to the students for their patience and hardwork as we took the MAP test on iPads for the first time. 

Since we had MAP testing we did not have Math class today.  Therefore, there is no math homework.  Students need to make sure they are studying their spelling words at home.  The test will be Friday.

This afternoon we took our first Science test today about energy and circuits.  I think everyone did a fantastic job and I can't wait to check over them. 

Crazy Week

We will have a short, packed, crazy week at Sunset!  Hopefully all the families enjoyed the 3 day weekend.  If nothing else I'm sure the kids enjoyed an extra day off school. 

In reading this week we are reading a story titled Grandfather's Journey.  The skill that we will focus on will be sequence.  The grammar skill is looking at sentence subjects and predicates.  The spelling pattern this week is long E and long O words.  Students all took a pretest this morning.  They should be bringing home a practice book page this evening to work on at home. 

We will be taking a little break from math to fit in some reading things.  We will have limited time because of the short week, MAP testing, and the Fall Walk.

Language Arts MAP testing will take place tomorrow morning.  Each student takes the test from the comfort of their own desk on an iPad. 

The Fall Walk will be Friday morning and this year we will be having a pep assembly and sack lunches at hospital hill.  School will then be dismissed at 1:12 for Homecoming. 

Let's all do our part to make this a great week!!!

Author's Purpose by Mollie Summers

Author’s purpose

                Author’s purpose can be to Persuade, to inform, to Entertain, or to express his/her feelings. Persuade means to tell you to do something. Inform tells you how to make something. Entertain means the author wants you to enjoy the book. Lastly, express his/her feelings and ideas are just telling you what the author is thinking.

                Persuade can be telling you to do something like do this in particular thing like getting a dog. For example, you can play with tug-a-war with a dog, and you can play ball with a dog.

                Inform is telling someone how to do something. For example how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you need to pieces of bread, peanut butter, jelly and a butter knife. First thing you do is put the peanut butter and jelly on the bread, put the pieces of bread together and eat it.

                Entertain is just the author wanting you to enjoy the book. Like making up stuff that is funny. Like the book Miss Nelson Is Missing is about a teacher, who has a class that misbehaves a lot, but then one day she didn’t come and a teacher named Miss Viola Swamp. Days went by without a trace of Miss. Nelson. Then one day she came back.

                To express his/her feelings is just the author telling you what he/she is thinking. Like is they are sad, or happy any mood they are in.

Jackets???

I don't think we will need jackets quite yet but it feels good to have some relief from the heat.  70s might feel cool after what we have been through.

This week in reading we have been focusing on Author's Purpose.  Each author has a reason for writing what they did.  Some different reasons an author might write something could be:  to inform, to teach a lesson (moral), to persuade, to entertain, or to express their ideas and feelings.  As we read books, magazines, newspapers, etc. it is important for us to understand what the author's purpose is so we have a better understanding of what we are reading. 

We have also started MAP testing this week.  On Tuesday we took the first ever MAP test on iPads. The test we took was Reading. Our class did a great job.  Almost everyone finished in the time given.  Those who didn't will have an opportunity to finish later.  Today we will be taking the Math portion of the MAP test.  Next week we will take the Language portion of the MAP test.

Speaking of iPads, I had the chance yesterday to be updated on the status of our student's getting iPads as I am part of the technology committee. Each student will be getting an iPad to use sometime soon.  I don't know exactly when, but it will be sometime in the next couple months.  There are still many things that have to be ironed out and decided before this can take place.  Our district is working very hard to make this happen as soon as possible.  I am very excited for the things to come!!

The Heat Wins Again

Due to the forecasted heat this afternoon and a few hot afternoons in a row school will be dismissed 2 hours early today.  Some might say it isn't any hotter today than it was yesterday or Wednesday but with consecutive warms days the building really heats up and never gets a chance to cool down. 

We will be working on our Spelling Test this morning and our weekly reading assessment that is over Sequencing and Summarizing this week.  I will also be returning math tests for students to look over but they will have to leave them at school.  Students should share their math results with their parents. 

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry

I had the best intentions of writing on the blog each and every day to share things that have been happening at Sunset.  With short days last week and our meetings in the afternoons to our much busier full days this week it has been pushed aside.  I am sorry for that and promise to add to the blog more regularly once things are more settled down which should be soon.

Today in Math we took our first unit test.  The students will all have an opportunity to correct the problems they got wrong before I grade it for the final time.  Since this is my first year teaching fourth grade and am not yet completely familiar with the grading process I will be keeping the tests just in case I need them when report card time comes.  Parents will need ask their kids how they did tomorrow after I have them graded.  Kids will need to tell their parents how they did. 

We are in full swing with our regular reading curriculum after spending last week learning the routines that will be used during reading.  To go along with reading we will have our first official spelling test tomorrow.  There isn't always a lot of time to study spelling words at school so make sure they are being studied at home. 

Parents - If you have any questions or concerns about how things are going so far please contact me.

Have a great day!!

Early Out the Rest of the Week

School will be released 2 hours early the rest of the week.  It sounds like all of the kids got to where they needed to be on Monday after school.  Remember to have a plan in place.  It is also helpful to have a daily plan in place before the kids leave for school.  Having that plan in place with the kids before school is a much better alternative than daily calls to the office for what the child should do after school. 

There is homework in math tonight.  Most of our math so far has been review and the kids are doing a great job. 

Spelling words should being coming home today.  I have a list of 500 words 4th graders should be able to spell by the end of the year.  Most of them are easy words and I would be willing to bet that most kids already know how to spell a majority of them.  We are going to start the year's spelling with some of these words. 

The spelling routine can be somewhat confusing at first.  At the beginning of the week each student is asked to spell 20 words on their pretest.  I then check those 20 words and let them know how many they will be tested over at the end of the week. 

If the student misses.....

0 words - then they are only going to be asked to spell the challenge words on Friday.  If they get the challenge words correct their score for the week would be 25/25.  They will not be asked to spell the first 20 again.  This is their incentive to try hard the first time. 

If the student misses.....

1-5 words - then they will be tested over 1-20 on Friday. They may attempt the challenge words and they will be checked but they will not count toward their score.  Their best possible score would be 20/20. 

If the student misses.....

6 or more words - then they will be test over 1-10 on Friday. They may attempt the rest of the words and they will be checked but they will not count toward their score.  Their best possible score would be 10/10. 

Hot, Hot, Hot

Due to the excessive heat school will be letting out 2 hours early both today and Tuesday.  Please use this as an opportunity to make a plan for what students should do if schools is suddenly let out early.  Keep this plan updated or discuss it on a daily basis when weather looks like it could cause and early release.

I would also encourage all students to bring a water bottle with them to school.  I do ask that it is water and only water.  We have a nice new drinking fountain that has cold water so they may fill them up at school during an appropriate time if needed.

There is homework in math today.  I expect students to have homework completed when they get to school.  If they don't they may come into the room in the morning to finish it or ask for help.  I will then spot check the homework to check students understanding.  Students will need to have their homework completed to go out for morning recess. If something happens to their homework it can be printed off by following the Math Homelink link on the blog. 

Stay cool!!!!

Week 1 Is In The Books

The students have just finished their first week of 4th Grade!!!!  We had a great start to our school year minus the extreme heat that we lacked for a portion of the summer.  It sounds like the heat could be even worse next week.  The students are welcome to bring water bottles to school to try and stay cool.  We are scheduled to be in school full days next week but with the forecast the way it is there may be a chance of some early outs.  Keep tuned for those.  I will announce them on the blog and Twitter and the radio would also have them on. 

Today in Reading we worked on the Fluency portion of our Cafe Menu.  Fluency is a key building block to becoming a great reader.  We talked about several different strategies readers use to help them to become fluent readers.  We also started writing rough drafts for personal narratives.  Most kids are writing about something they did with their families over the summer.

In Math we reviewed some geometry terms.  I hate to say it but with the 4 day week and the 2 early outs the kids' first homework of the year will be due on Monday.  It will be a simple Math worksheet over the geometry terms that we reviewed. 

FFA students at the high school are once again selling Homecoming t-shirts.  Order forms are coming home with kids today. 

I hope everyone enjoyed their first week of school, kids and parents alike.  I know I did!  Have a great weekend!!!

Time for Full Days

I already missed a day of blogging on the second day.  It is a main goal of mine to write on it each day and I promise to try and do that.

I think we have covered most of the expectations for the classroom and school.  Most of these expectations were review for students as they have already gone to school here for a couple years.

Today we will be starting some reading and math activities.  Look for the Unit 1 Family Letter for Math tonight in your child's take home folder.

Your child should be bringing home a planner each night along with their take-home folder.  I do ask that each student gets their planner signed or initialed by someone at home each night.  This could be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.  My hope is that you will take a minute each night to talk to your child about what they did that day and if there is anything they need to do as homework to be returned to school.  I really appreciate your cooperation and participation with this.  

Day 1 is Completed

Day 1 is over, only 179 days left!!  Haha!  It was great to get all of the kids back to school today.  I can already tell that this is going to be a great group of kids to work with.  Below are a few photos from our day. 

Working on our About Me posters to share. 

4th graders starting off the year by walking on the track. 

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school!!!  I'm sure many of you feel the same way that I do when I think summer went by way too fast.  I had a great summer and even though it went by very quickly I am anxious to get the year started.  This year will be a learning year for me as well as I start my first year in 4th grade.  I look forward to meeting each student and getting to them as we have a great year together!

Summer Reading

Thanks to McDonald's you could earn some free ice cream just for reading a book!!  You can read any chapter book that you want and then write a summary telling what the book is about.  Remember your summary needs to include: characters, setting, main ideas, and anything else you think might be important.  

What Different Dogs Are Used For

Check out what Mollie, Emma, and Devon did during Genius Hour today. #geniushour is an idea that Mrs. Bertran shared with me that she found on Twitter. Students keep track of things they want to learn about or have questions about. Then every once in a while they are given the freedom to do whatever they want to learn about whatever they want. They may then produce whatever they want to show what they have learned. Some other topics were Pete Gray, who was a one handed baseball player. We just finished reading a book about a one handed boy who played baseball. Another topic was what stingrays eat, what sharks eat, black panthers eat, penguins, spiders, and more!!!

Track Day Tomorrow

Let's hope the weather is decent tomorrow like it was today.  Tomorrow will be the annual Sunset Heights Relays.  The whole school will be going up to the high school to compete in several different events.  Each student should get two events to compete in. 

Mr. Hisler puts a lot of time and effort into making this a great day for all students.  It is really fun and always a highlight of everyone's year. 

If you are interested in watching you do so.  The events will begin around 11 and conclude around 2:30.  We will also be eating lunch at the high school track.  If you do come please understand that lunch will only be available for students and school staff. 

Look for pictures and highlights tomorrow evening on the blog from the Sunset Heights Relays. 

Under 10!!

We now have less than 10 days left of Third Grade!!!  I can't believe how fast the year has gone.

We will be finishing our last reading story and spelling list this week.  Next week we will spend time working on the Unit 6 Benchmark reading test, a fun spelling test, and an end of the year writing where each student will write a letter to a 2nd grader letting them know what they need to know to be successful in 3rd grade. 

In math we are continuing our unit about weight, measurement, and capacity.  There will be math homework off and on up until the end of next week.  I also hope to finish our Measurement and Matter unit in Science before the end of the year.  The kids have really enjoyed the new science program and I think they have learned a lot from it. 

Make sure to check out the important dates section to see what other things are coming up here at the end of the year!

Movie Night

There will be a free movie playing tonight at the middle school sponsored by the PTO.  The movie is WRECK IT RALPH and will begin at 6:30.  Bring the whole family!

School supply order forms were sent home today.  They can be ordered online or the order form can be returned to school before June 4th.  Ordering the supplies this way is optional. 

Busy, Busy

It is near the end of the year and we are busy, busy here at Sunset.  The next few weeks will only become busier.  This will probably cut into my blogging but I will do my best to put important updates on here so make sure you check back often.

Tomorrow the kids will be taking a Spelling test.  They have both math and science homework tonight.  The science is actually more like math as it deals with averages.  Some students may have completed their math homework as they were given time to work on it in class so if they say that is the case it may be. 

It still feels like the end of the year is a little ways off but it will be here before we know it.  It certainly feels like summer outside. 

Second Try for the Mile

Tomorrow will be our classes day for the mile run.  Make sure your child dresses appropriately and has tennis shoes.  It is supposed to be very warm tomorrow.

There is no math homework this evening.  Your child should be bringing home spelling practice book pages and they may also read and practice math facts like always.  Next week will be the last week of our math fact competition.  The winner will get lunch with me from their choice of restaurant in town. 

As a trial for a possible restructuring of 3rd grade next year Mrs. Ferrell's class and my class will be switching things up this week.  Mrs. Ferrell will teach two sections of reading and spelling.  I will be teaching two sections of math.  We will each be teaching writing, vocabulary, and science to our own students.  This went really well today and the kids all did a great job. 

Let the countdown begin, we have 15 days of school left!!!!

Mile Run

Our class will be running the mile tomorrow.  To go along with the mile and all the measurement that we have been talking about we will be going out and marking off yard lines for the softball throw and 50 yard dash that will take place in PE next week. 

There is a sheet of math homework to be completed tonight.  Also, if you haven't signed your child's math test and sent it back to school with them please do so tomorrow. 

60s and Snow

For the first time I think we had students running around in shorts and t-shirts at recess while there were still a couple patches of snow on the playground. 

I am sending home your child's math test from Friday.  We checked them today and I have gone over them with almost every kid individually.  I am asking that you go over your child's test with them and sign it to confirm that and have them return it to school. 

Your child should also be bringing home spelling words to practice.  I will get their test checked and back to them tomorrow.  They should have brought home a practice book page that they can use to study.

WE WILL BE HAVING THE MILE RUN THURSDAY!!!!

Math Test Tomorrow

Tomorrow we will be having our Unit 9 Math Test.  We spent our math time today reviewing so there is not a sheet of math homework tonight.  That should give everyone time to practice their math facts.  Our checkered flag multiplication competition will be ending on May 24th.  The person with the most laps that day will get to choose one other person who has also completed at least one lap and a restaurant in town for me to order lunch from.  As of today our leader, Taylor, has 12 laps.  That means in the month of April she practiced her math facts for 375 minutes.  Way to go Taylor!!!

Congratulations

Congratulations to Jesse on his accomplishments in the Special Olympics last week.  He got 1st place in his division in the tennis ball throw.  He threw 12 m 5 cm to take the gold.  He also got 3rd in the 100 meter dash in his division.  He ran the race in 23.09 seconds.  Here is a picture of Jesse with his ribbons. 

There will be TWO sheets of homework tonight.  We actually went through two math lessons today because the kids are all doing so well with their multiplication.  I think their practice at home is making a huge difference. 

They will also be bringing home their spelling pre-test and a practice book page that they may use to study their words. 

Let's all work together to make it a great week! 

Picture Slideshows by Emma Stroner and Marissa Kaufman

Bridge Building

Today in math we had the challenge of building a bridge between two books with a single piece of paper.  We then stacked calculators on the paper to see whose bridge held the most. 

Kyzer, Cody, Bronwyn, and Ella got their bridge to hold 8 calculators to win the competition. 

There is homework tonight to practice lattice and partial products multiplication.  If lattice multiplication confuses you, below is a video explaining it. 


Lattice Multiplication: Introduction to lattice multiplication

The Y Camp

Wow!!!  What an amazing experience!!!!  Our field trip today turned out to be a great day.  This is the second time that we have gone to the Y-camp and last year it was raining.  This year it was cold, but it was actually a very nice day.  We were so busy and excited that we didn't even notice it was a little chilly.  The sun was shining and it was a great day to be outdoors.  Make sure to ask your kids how the day was.  We will be working on a slideshow of pictures, so look out for that in the future.  You can also see some pictures on Twitter that I uploaded throughout the day. 

Field Trip tomorrow

Please remember that our field trip is tomorrow. Following on some points of emphasis for the field trip.

• Dress appropriately, layers, old shoes, hats are allowed.  
• Lunch if you signed up to bring one from home.   Please no pop.
• Backpack or drawstring bag (if you don't have one we can share, do NOT buy one)
• Be on time.  Bus leaves at 8:15 sharp.
• Water bottle 
• We will not be back until 3:00.  

I am looking forward to a great day tomorrow! Check Twitter throughout the day for updates. 

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day.  I have posted an extra credit assignment on KidBlog for the kids to do for Earth Day.  They are to come up with a plan for how they can help improve the Earth.  I tried stressing to them that they should be able to carry out their plan on their own, with minimal help.  Encourage them to do this assignment.  If you, the parents, were to help that would be awesome.

There is regular math homework along with math facts and reading tonight.  We are also back on track with a reading story this week and a spelling list.  Each child should be bringing home practice book pages with their spelling words on it.  They are to complete these pages but they don't need to be returned to school.

Remember, our field trip is Wednesday.  We will be leaving at 8:15 sharp for the Boone Y-Camp.  If your child is a walker or gets dropped off please help them to get here a little early Wednesday.  As soon as they arrive they may come into the room.  If your child signed up to bring a lunch from home they will need to remember this, if they forget they will NOT be getting a lunch.  We are only able to take as many as we order.  Also, make sure your child dresses appropriately.  They will need old clothes.  They should also dress in layers.  We will be outside even if it is raining for part of the day.  When we went last year it was a day like the last couple weeks and we were all very muddy when the day was over.  Thanks for your cooperation in all of these matters!! 

Have a Great Weekend!

There is no homework other than checkered flag multiplication and reading minutes this weekend.

This afternoon we had visitors here to help us plan our gardens.  We will be planting a small garden behind Sunset if the weather will ever cooperate.  Today we voted on what crops we would plant.  We decided that we would plant carrots, leaf lettuce, radishes, and broccoli. 

Hopefully it warms up soon!  Have a great weekend!

Yearbooks

Students who ordered yearbooks should have got them today.  If they didn't get one and should have let me know. 

We took a few minutes this afternoon with all of the other third graders to sign yearbooks in the gym. 

Tonight there is regular math homework and also checkered flag multiplication and reading minutes to work on. 

Today in reading we took some time to publish persuasive letters to the KidBlog.  If you can, log on with your student and look through some of the students work.  I have been very impressed.  Asking them to publish it online really makes them put forth their maximum effort. 

Don't forget our field trip is next Wednesday.  We will be going rain or shine, or should I say snow or shine???

Factors

Today in math we introduced factors.  Listing factors can be a simple way to practice multiplication facts.  The homework tonight is about factors. 

Most of the students finished their Unit 4 Benchmark test in reading today.  Most did very well.  The first part of the test comprehension of two short stories.  I think the reading they have been doing at home has really helped their comprehension skills.  Keep up the good work at home!!

We have also been working on writing persuasive letters.  I asked each kid to write me a letter trying to persuade me to let them do something here at school.  I am going to ask them to type their letters on the KidBlog and then I will reply through the comments section.  It should be interesting to see what they write about!!!

One More Day in the Books

When it gets to this time in the school year it seems like the days click off right before your eyes.  They come and go before you can even blink.  Before we know it these kids will be leaving 3rd grade and moving right on to 4th grade. 

There is regular homework in math today.  I am aware that the walkers or riders didn't receive homework so they will all get a free homework pass.  It was my fault that they didn't get it.  However, I do expect all of those kids to do both their reading and math practice and return recorded minutes with a signature since they didn't have to do the regular homework. ;)

Encourage your students on the new Kid Blog.  I still can't get over how interested they are in this.  If you are around while they are on it check it out and see what some of the students are contributing.  Try to encourage your student to write something.  They could write about what they did after school, what they learned in school, something they are excited for that is coming up, etc.  Any writing is better than no writing. 

Thanks for all of your support as the support you give at home makes a tremendous difference here at school!!

Partial Products

Partial Products is a new method to solve a multiplication problem.  Below is a video demonstrating a couple problems.  The kids' homework in math is about partial products. 

I have been amazed at the involvement of the Kid Blog over the weekend.  That is awesome!  There is an extra credit assignment on the Kid Blog website.  I would love to see as many people writing on the blog as possible. 

We will not be doing a spelling list this week.  We also will not be working on a story in reading this week. 

Kid Blog

I am happy to announce that our class now has a Kid Blog set up. 

Kid Blog is a blogging website similar to this site.  It is private to only the people in our class though.  The best part about it is that the kids can write on it from anywhere that they can access the internet.  Each kid has a user name which is their first name and a password which is their last name. 

There is a link to the Kid Blog site in the links section of this page.  You can also get there by going to kidblog.org/mrbrim.  We have only been out of school for an hour and Devon and Mollie have both found their way onto the blog and made a post.  That is great!!  Let's see how many kids we can have write something over the weekend!!

Have a great weekend!!

Study, Study, Study

Please have your child take a few minutes tonight to study their spelling words.  I am sending home a double sided worksheet that they could complete as their spelling practice.  This is not required but highly encouraged. 

There is also a math worksheet for homework tonight.  Along with the math homework they can practice their math facts and read for 15 minutes.  I realize that this adds up to be a lot of work sometimes.  Do what you can and forget the rest.  Anything is better than nothing. 

Ask your student about our science activities.  I think the kids are really enjoying these lessons and having a lot of fun with them.  I know I am!!

Scholastic News

The homework for tonight is to read the Scholastic News Magazine that was sent home and to write down 3 things that the kids learned by reading the magazine.  If your child is in Project Explore they weren't in the room when we handed out the magazines and don't have to do the homework.

A little over half the class finished the reading portion of the MAP test today.  Our next test will be Language on Friday afternoon. 

I did ask if a couple of the kids could bring a apple or orange tomorrow for our science lesson.  I don't need a bunch but a few would be great.  Thanks!!

MAP Testing

Most student finished their Math MAP test today.  Most of the kids went up about 8 points which is great.  Encourage them to keep up the good work. 

We will be taking the Reading portion tomorrow and the Language portion on Friday.

There is no homework this evening.  You could use this rainy day as an opportunity to work on multiplication facts and reading minutes. 

Spring Has Arrived

It finally feels like spring outside.  Remember the rule we use at Sunset about coats is that if it is below 60 degrees students must have jackets to go outside.  If it is about 60 degrees they may go out in t-shirts.

This week we will be taking our Spring MAP tests.  Our class will be testing on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons.  Remind your students to do their best.

There is math homework tonight.  Along with the homework students may work on reading and checkered flag multiplication. 

Let's make it a great week!

April Fools

I made it through the day without being tricked with any April Fools jokes.  You never know what third graders might come up with.  I am hoping that Mother Nature is playing a joke on us with this chilly day.

There is no math homework tonight.  Kids could however practice their math facts.  March Mathness is over and our class scored 551 points which translates into 1,653 minutes of fact practice.  Today we are starting a new incentive that is very similar called Checkered Flag Multiplication.  Check out Twitter for a picture of our race track.

Spelling practice book pages are also coming home tonight for practice.

Out of everything coming home tonight the most important is the field trip packet.  Our field trip will be to the Boone Y-Camp on April 24th.  Students CAN"T go without returning the green "Health Form".  They also need to bring back their lunch choice by the 8th of April.  Look for further field trip details at a later date. 

Tomorrow is the last day for yearbook orders!

Happy April!!

No More Winter Gear!!!

Starting Monday please DO NOT send snowpants or boots with your child.  Even though all of the snow isn't quite gone as of now we are going to be done with boots and snowpants for this year.  Even if it snows again they don't need these things.  We will either be on the blacktop only or inside for recess.

There is no homework this weekend other than March Mathness and the 15 minutes of reading.  Enjoy the three day weekend!!

Yearbook Forms

Yearbook order forms are due Tuesday.  Those need to be turned in if your child would like a yearbook. 

There is homework in math tonight about fractions.  Today in math we introduced mixed numbers. 

The spelling test and reading test will be tomorrow.  Practice those spelling words!!!

Challenge

The homework tonight will be a challenge and it is meant to be.  Please don't give your student too much help, try to make them work through it.  Help walk them through the steps they need to go through to answer the question, however.  I would like them to be able to explain to me how they got their answer tomorrow. 

This homework comes out of our new science program - FOSS Science.  The program is unique in the fact that it has stories that go along with what we are learning about and also incorporates math.  I am sure that some social studies will be incorporated down the road also. 

Keep studying for the spelling test.  Remember that it will take place on Thursday this week. 

Back to School!!

I hope everyone had a much needed and relaxing break.  I was able to enjoy a trip to Arizona to visit my parents with my wife.  It was much warmer there than it has been here.  I am ready for spring already. 

This week we are reading a story titled, "Goodbye 382 Shin Dang Dong".  It is about a girl in Korea that moves to America with her family.  It compares how things are alike and different Korea and America.  As we read this story we will be talking about sequence of a story, adverbs in our writing, and words that are spelled with the same vowel sound as BALL. 

There is homework in math tonight as we continued our work on fractions this afternoon. 

Also coming home today are yearbook ordering forms.  These forms are due back by Tuesday, April 2.  The yearbooks should be delivered in Mid-May. 

Some students did a great job of logging math and reading minutes over break.  Everyone needs to get back in the groove and routine of 15 minutes of reading each night and practicing math facts each night.  I have seen tremendous growth by the students who do this on a regular basis.  Keep up the good work!!!

What Can We Work On At Home??

What can we work on at home? is probably one of the most commonly asked questions at conferences.  I also think it is a question most parents want to know, but don't ask for a different number of reasons.  I also never really feel like I have that great of an answer for parents.  After much thought this is what I have come up.

Does your child read 15 minutes or more each night?  If they are that is awesome, if they aren't then that could be a goal to work towards.  I would also encourage parents to take interest in their reading.  Ask them about their book.  When a student retells what they have read it improves their comprehension of what they have read tremendously. 

Has your child be practicing their multiplication facts?  Currently we are having a competition at school called March Mathness.  Each student gets a point for every 5 minutes practiced.  We are competing against Mr. McGrane's class to see which class can get the highest total of points.  There are a million different ways to practice facts.  Flash cards, ask and answer with someone, make flash cards, write out facts, and several other ways.  There are also many fact practice games on various websites on the internet.  Many of them are linked in the Links section of the blog.  If you find a new one feel free to share it with me.  (Sometimes a website says it is for math, but then the games really have little to do with math so be careful of that.)

Writing is another focus for third graders.  A great Spring Break task would be to write a few sentences each day.  Work on neat handwriting, correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.  Every little bit helps.

With Spring Break coming up we have a great opportunity for kids to practice lots of things at home.  Does that mean I want them to do school work all day everyday?  Absolutely NOT!  A few minutes a day can make a huge difference.  Anything is better than nothing.

Sometimes I think parents wonder if they are working on the right things.  In my opinion there really are no wrong things to work on.  If  you are taking an interest in your child's education and trying to help them become better at ANYTHING, then you are working on something positive. 

Have a great break!  I look forward to break and also a strong finish to the end of the school year! 

Character Counts Day!!!!

We had a fun filled day at the middle school and with the middle school kids visiting us.  Below is a link to a video of pictures and video clips that Emma put together for us.  Thanks Emma!!!

Character Counts Day iMovie

Science!!

Today instead of Math we started some Science.  Sunset teachers are piloting the FOSS Science program that we will be adopting next year.  We will be alternating between Science and Math in the afternoons.  Since we didn't have math today there isn't any math homework. The area of Science we will work on is Measuring and Matter.  Today we talked about having common measurements and good measuring habits and techniques. 

In Reading this week we will be reading the story How My Family Lives in America.  The story is about three young people who all have a parent that was born in another country.  The spelling list that goes along with this story is homophones.  Check with your child to see if they know what a homonym is.  They should be bringing home practice book pages to practice their spelling.  As always, this doesn't have to be returned to school.

Tomorrow will be an exciting day as we will be visiting the middle school and also have visitors from the middle school to celebrate Character Counts day. I will take pictures tomorrow to add to the week's slideshow on Friday.  I will also post Twitter updates.  If your not following our class on Twitter at @mrbrimsclass do so before tomorrow so you can see updates throughout the day. 

Report Cards

Be on the look-out for report cards.  Each child should bring one home with them today.  You may keep the report card and any other papers.  I do ask that you send the envelope back with your student on Monday.  The sooner they bring it back the more Brim Bucks they get!

Also, if you haven't sent back the conference sheet yet please do so ASAP!

There is homework in math this weekend and the opportunity to scored 9 points in March Mathness.  15 minutes of fact practice each day gets them 3 points per day.  The practice does need to happen on three different days.  Keep recording the reading minutes as well.

This morning we had Juli Jaycox visit us to talk about dental hygiene. She gave each kids a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste.  Students in 3rd grade should already be taking good care of their teeth but they are also getting close to the age where other good hygiene habits need to be started. 

Check out the new video link for pictures from the past week!

Happy Friday and Have a Great Weekend!!!!

A Little Bit of Everything Today!

Another busy, busy day has come to and end here in third grade at Sunset.  Hopefully yesterday everyone got the gold conference form.  If you haven't already done so please return the bottom half indicating if your assigned time will work for you or not.  If it will not I have a couple other openings on that day or I can do a different day after school. 

Tomorrow we will be taking our reading test over the story, Suki's Kimono.  Ask your student what the story is about.  Summarizing a story is a great way to prepare for the test.  We will also be taking out spelling test.  I sent home practice book pages for the spelling words.  Those can be great practice and they do not have to be returned to school. 

We had a much better turn out for our March Mathness fact practice today.  Keep up the good work on that!  We are in a competition with Mr. McGrane's class so every point counts!!

Today was also our day to visit the Kendall Young Library.  The kids really love going there to get books.  I think almost everyone has a library card now.  That's fantastic!

Please check out the SURVEY tap at the top of the page.  It would be great to get a little feedback from the parents.  Be on the look-out tomorrow for a picture slideshow of some of the things that happened throughout the week.  Many of the pictures have already been uploaded to Twitter.  If you don't follow our class on Twitter, sign-up soon.  It's a great way to see what is going on here at school and to get updates.  Simply sign-up for a Twitter account and search for @mrbrimsclass. 

Survey

I'm trying something new.  It may work and it might not.  Please take a minute to check out the SURVEY tab at the top and complete the anonymous survey.

Boots and Snow Pants

Please make sure your child has boots and snow pants here at school every day.  Also talk to them about the importance of wearing them out for recess.  If there is snow on the ground, they need them on.  It would also really help if they wore them to school in the morning.

Our custodians work very hard to keep our building clean all year and have to work extra hard in the winter.  Let's all help them out by wearing boots and wiping our feet when entering the building.  Think about the mess your child makes when they come in the house.  Now imagine the 350 kids Curt has to clean up after. 

Fraction Posters

Today in math we talked about fractions some more as we discussed probability.  We did a block drawing experiment that I think all of the kids thought was kind of fun.  There is homework tonight in math. 

As an extra thing to do I told kids that they could create a poster that explains Fractions with examples.  We will then vote for the best poster and it will be displayed for the rest of the year.  All of the others will also be displayed for a while.  I told the kids it didn't really matter when they returned this.  If it came back by the end of the week or the beginning of next week that would be great.  Some kids even talked about getting poster board to put it on.  That would be great!

Monday Has Come and Monday Has Gone

I can't believe how fast today went by.  It also seemed like the first normal day of school we have had on a Monday in a while. 

In reading this week we are reading a story titled Suki's Kimono.  A kimono is a type of dress that women in Japan wear traditionally.  This led to some discussion about our ancestors.  I told the kids to ask their parents where their ancestors came from and if their parents or grandparents had any idea what type of traditional dress was worn in that country. 

Each student should have brought home spelling practice book pages to work on spelling words.  These also include the words.  If you are studying on Spelling City we are on Unit 5 Week 1.  All of the words this week have a CVVC or CVV pattern somewhere within the word. 

In math we started Unit 8.  Unit 8 is about fractions.  Since we started a new unit today each child should be coming home with a Unit 8 Family Letter.  Remember to hang on to this as it might help answer questions when you are working on homework throughout the unit. Fractions always seem to be a challenging topic for third graders.  The more they can talk about fractions at home the more they will learn about them.  Also, in math don't forget about the March Mathness fact practice.  We have entered into a competition with Mr. McGrane's class to see which class can score the most total points as a class.  To win we will need everyone to participate in March Mathness. 

I have a feeling this is going to be a great week filled with learning!

Friday Fun!!

What a great way to end the week!  We had a Read-A-Thon this morning and the kids enjoyed reading and snacking. 

For lunch we had sack lunch due to the presentations in the gym today.  We even had a special guest for lunch as my wife, Brittany joined us. 

This afternoon we worked on a math test for a while and then had a presentation by the Grout Museum.  The kids got to see some cool science related things.  It also just so happened that we had science kits delivered today so we can add some more science to what we are teaching. 

For pictures from the week check out the video slide show in the Video and Pictures Links. 

Have a great weekend!!

Videos Uploaded

There are some neat videos that have been uploaded in our video links section.  The kids took turns teaching different math concepts today in preparation of the Unit 7 test tomorrow.

Tomorrow will also be our Read-A-Thon in the morning.  The kids may bring a small snack and a drink with a screw-top lid (no pop).  They may also bring their own books from home to read.  Please no blankets, pillows, etc. this time. 

Remember tonight is the Donkey Basketball at the middle school.  It starts at 8 pm due to the middle school music concert earlier tonight.  I know that is past most 3rd grader's bedtimes, but this might be a night you want to make an exception.  I have never seen such a thing before but I have high hopes for a very entertaining night.  Third grade's own Mr. McGrane is rumored to be riding a donkey tonight. 

Wow!!

Wow!!!  I'm impressed by how well the students did on their Unit 4 Benchmark Reading Test.  Most scores were in the 80s and 90s.  Historically the the scores have been in the high 60s to 70s, rarely into the 90s.  Ask your child how they did and congratulate them for giving their best effort as I thought all students took the test very serious and really gave it their best shot. 

This afternoon in math we spent time creating slides that will review a math problem that is similar to the test problems they will solve later this week.  Tomorrow the students and their partner or on their own will be teaching the class about their topic using their slide on the SMARTBoard.  I am excited to see how this turns out.  I plan to video a couple of the kids and post them on the blog so look for those tomorrow. 

We also welcomed a new student in our class today.  Ana Gomez-Lopez is joining or I should say rejoining us as she went to Kindergarten and 1st grade here.  Recently she has been in Mexico.  I am always impressed with how well the students welcome new students into the class.  Everyone is willing to help and make them feel welcome. 

No Spelling

The big announcement for today is that there is No Spelling this week.  This week we will be taking the Unit 4 Benchmark test in reading and doing some other writing activities.  Therefore we will not be reading a new story this week or taking a spelling test.  Your child will still need to read their 15 minutes each night.  We are closer than ever to reaching our monthly goal. 

Friday we will be having a Read-A-Thon.  You should be getting a yellowish note at home tonight with details.  A drink with a screw-top lid (not pop) will be allowed and 1 snack.  Please send stuff for your own child.  No sleeping bags, pillows, stuffed animals, etc. will be allowed this time.

There is homework in math tonight.  We will hopefully get far enough in math this week to take our Unit 7 test. 

We took our spelling test today just in case we have a snow day tomorrow.

If we do have school tomorrow we will be spending our time working on persuasive writing. This is a new type of writing to the kids. If they need something to do on the snow day (assuming it happens) they could spend some time researching for their persuasive writings. Most of the kids are writing to persuade which plants should be planted in our garden boxes this spring. They need to pick plants that can be grown in our climate. They also need to find a couple other points that would show why the plants they pick would be good choices for our gardens.

We spent our afternoon talking about the persuasive writings so we didn't have math. Since we didn't have math and the spelling test is already completed there isn't anything for the kids to do tonight besides their usually 15 minutes of reading. If we do have a snow day it would be the perfect opportunity to do some extra reading.

Math facts would also be a great thing to practice if we have a snow day and the kids have a little extra time on their hands. Practice could be done several ways. Flash cards can be used and if you don't have any just making some could be good practice if they have to write the answers on the back. Just make sure to check their answers for them so they don't practice with the wrong answers. There are also some great links that have math games. My favorite is Arcademic Skill Builders. Mr. Wylie's website in the links section also looks like it probably has a lot of good educational games.

More Snow!!!!!!

It looks like we are probably going to get a significant amount of snow in the next few days.  According to the recent forecast it looks like there could be a CHANCE for early dismissal tomorrow.  Unplanned early dismissals are always chaotic.  Please talk with your child tonight about what they should do if that were to happen.  When the kids know it makes it a lot easier here at school.  Listen to the radio and check KCCI or WHO as they are usually the first to know about early dismissals and etc. 

To try and plan around the upcoming storm we took our reading test today.  The kids all did very well.  The spelling test may happen tomorrow if it starts looking like we will not have school Friday.  If we do take it tomorrow I will allow extra practice time beforehand.  Make sure your child studies tonight and is prepared for a test tomorrow. 

Tonight's math homework always proves to be confusing.  ONLY the problems that have estimates greater than 500 need to be solved.  If the estimate is less than 500 DO NOT solve.  The kids can estimate either to the largest place or to the tens place. 

Dodgeball

Today was the annual dodgeball tournament.  Students could use their Paw Prints to buy a ticket to participate in the dodgeball tournament. Most of the kids chose to play and we all went to Fuller Hall to take part in the fun.  Our class was beat in the final match by Mr. McGrane's class. 

There is math homework tonight.  It should be pretty easy.  Extended facts are just basic facts with zeros added on the end.  I teach students to do that base fact and then count how many zeros are on one side of the equals sign and then add that many zeros to the other side. 

For example:
                             30 x 40 =        
        Base Fact:       3 x 4 = 12

In the original fact there are 2 zeros on the left side of the equals sign so 2 zeros can be added to 12 to get 1,200 as a final answer.