New Read Aloud: Where I Live

We are sharing a new book called, Where I Live, by Eileen Spinelli.  You can discover all kinds of information about the book by following this link to our Pinterest Story Board.  This board is a great way to launch book discussions with your child. He or she can tell you about the story's characters, the plot, and the big questions of this book. We find it helpful to add pictures of interesting vocabulary.  We look for pictures that reveal important character traits.  Keep checking our board as we read and uncover important elements of this amazing book. Ask your 3rd grader to talk about the letters written by the 4th graders. Ask your 4th grader to tell you how they helped the third graders to prepare for this story.  This is a creative experience shared by the class.  Enjoy!

4th Grade Testing: The OLSAT and Stanford Achievment Tests

Spring-like weather,  2 short school weeks, and 4th grade testing...January seems to be full of exceptions for us this year!  Here are a few house-keeping reminders:

Homework:  

Homework is due this Thursday.  Students will be submitting a reading log with 4 or more entries of reading that totals at least 120 minutes.  Math assignments vary, so please check with your child about this week's math assignments tailored to his or her needs.

Testing: 

The 4th graders will be taking the OLSAT and the Stanford Achievement tests starting this week.  We will begin testing at 9:30 each day.  A good breakfast and comfortable clothes are encouraged so the kids can be at their best during their morning tests.  Thank you in advance to all of the parents that plan to send in water, mints, and Jolly Rancher candies!  The thoughtful reminders of home are always enjoyed.  If your child is late or absent, he/she will make up their tests at a later date. 

Wednesday (1/16): 4th graders will take the OLSAT with Mrs. Smith in the morning; regular instruction will occur for the 3rd graders working with Mrs. Marlatt during the morning.  Regular instruction will carry on in the afternoon.

Thursday (1/17): The 4th graders will take the Word Study and Vocabulary portion of the Stanford with Mrs. Smith in the morning while the 3rd graders have regular instruction with Mrs. Marlatt. We will have regular instruction in the afternoon.

Friday and Monday (1/18 and 1/21):  No School

Tuesday (1/22):  The 4th graders will take the Reading Comprehension portion of the Stanford with Mrs. Smith in the morning while the 3rd graders have regular instruction with Mrs. Marlatt. We will have regular instruction in the afternoon.

Wednesday-Friday (1/23-1/25): The 4th graders will take the Math Problem Solving, Math Procedures, and the Science/Social Studies portion of the Stanford with Mrs. Marlatt in the morning on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  During those three mornings, the 3rd graders have regular instruction with Mrs. Smith. We will have regular instruction in the afternoon.

Let us know if you have any questions about the tests.  Have a great week!

Our Third Grade Read Aloud: The Tale of Despereaux

 

 

The third graders are finishing an adventurous fairy tale filled with unexpected heroes, puzzling villains, and lessons about friendship, loyalty, and being true to yourself.  

 

Written by Kate D. Camillo, The Tale of Despereaux, is the story of young mouse who finds himself with the unlikely role as a brave hero that must rescue the lovely Princess Pea from her captor, Roscuro the Rat. 

We read this book each day, utilizing the Smart Board and enjoying the amazing language, unusual vocabulary, and descriptive passages of this fairy tale.  The Smart Board allows us to use the built in Kindle Dictionary to define and understand new vocabulary.  We also link new vocabulary to Shahi, a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr, Google and Yahoo images.  Visit this site any time your child has a question about a new vocabulary word; the variety of pictures help make the new definition memorable for a young learner.  Visit the site and type in the word "castle" and explore this helpful tool.

 

Visit our Pinterest Board with pictures highlighting important elements and characters from The Tale of Despereaux.

We will be deciding on our next novel very soon... There are so many great books and just not enough time to read them all!

Happy New Year and welcome back to the second half of the school year! We developed a new blog to share your child's experiences in Room 137 and 138.  We hope to share photos and quick summaries about academic studies, projects, our shared novels and news from the IMA learning community.

Great News: 

We have a new student!  Jayden is a third grade student and it did not take long for the other IMA kids to make him feel at home.  Please welcome Jayden to our learning community.

Symbaloo:

Here is the link to our Symbaloo page-the path to so many of our learning resources.  Enjoy!

Student-created Website:
The students are tackling an important problem in our outdoor learning lab called The Habitat.  They would like to attract more owls in order to bring balance to our local ecosystems.  Please visit our website called, All About Owls. It is not ready launch for reading, but you can see our website at the beginning stages of development.  Enjoy!