Mrs. Pharr's Class News

Class News

The students seemed very confident that they did well with the CRCT testing. Everyone appeared serious about the test, yet relaxed. Thank you for the support at home. The results should be in near the end of the school year.

Thank you for making me feel special for Teacher's Appreciation Week. The flowers, balloons, candy, cards, and comments are very appreciated.

The students have grown so much this year, both academically and physically.
I am so proud of all of them.

We are working on reading skills and concentrating on spelling and grammar. Reading daily is so important.

We are finishing social studies and science concepts that we began before CRCT.

We are working on two-three digit by one digit multiplication and division. The students are being taught the meaning of the process and not just the computation. If the student does not know the multiplication facts, continue working on them. We are now concentrating on processes and not so much on drilling facts.

The students' writing skills have improved this year. Let them practice writing during the summer. They know how to write a friendly letter. Perhaps the summer offers an opportunity for keeping in touch with a friend or family member.

Dates to remember:

May 13 Field Day for third grade in the morning
May 18 PTA Fun Day
May 22 Last Day of School

Class News

The students will really be ready for spring break April 6-10 because they are working hard each day. They are proud of their work. It is so much fun teaching them because they are applying all their prior knowledge as they continue learning new skills.

Reading at home is very important. The homework sometimes includes passages from the online practice, OAS, for CRCT. Please take a few minutes and read and do this work with the student since this is a sample of what CRCT will be.

Encourage reading comprehension by reading for all the details. The students have been assigned word math problems that they must read carefully for all the details or they will not answer correctly. This is a way to integrate reading and math and teach math skills.

Writing involves using sensory details, transition words, and examples. The students are reminded that sensory details refer to the senses of smell, touch, feel, taste, and see that the reader will experience as he or she reads a passage or story. Grammar and spelling skills are emphasized in writing.

We have completed magnets in science and have moved on to heat. Magnet lessons were taught through hands-on experiences with magnets. we are reading about heat in reading groups and then we will do experiments.

Dates to remember:

PTA/Technology Night Tuesday, March 31
Spring Break April 6-10
CRCT April 21-27

Thank you for the support at home.

News

Students have Dolphin Dash sheets. This letter explains.

Dowell Dash Fun Run

Our first Fun Run will be held on Friday, March 20th during school. We are encouraging students to become fit, so our PTA decided to make a fund-raiser by becoming fit. This will take place of our annual cookie dough fund raiser.

Directions:
1. Have your child ask friends and family to sponsor their run. They can pledge an amount per lap or just give a donation.
2. Complete the chart on the reverse side.
3. Students will be running in school.
4. Then the students will collect the money pledged for each lap they ran. Money is due one week after the Fun Run.

PRIZES for participation:
1. All students will receive exercise!
2. Students who collect:
$50+ = Medal
$100+or $200 for family=entered in drawing for Wii
Top 10=Pie in Mr. Manson's face
Top Class=$100 Visa card for teacher, treats for students,
teacher throws pie at Mr. Manson
2nd place class, $50 for teacher + treats +pie
3rd place class, $25 for teacher + treats +pie

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!!!!!

Class News

The students had fun learning about poles of magnets and discovering what magnets will attract. We used books about magnets as our guided reading books.

The students have finished persuasive writing and are now working on narrative writing. Reading, spelling, and grammar skills are applied in writing.

The OAS information that I gave to you at your conference provides excellent CRCT practice. OAS is the online practice that requires the ten-digit student test number password. I have printed some of the questions and sent them home for homework. These questions do not interfere with your practicing at home.

In the folder this week are two forms that need to be signed. One is for the in-school field trip and the other is for lunch decisions for the capitol trip. I also included a permission form for the capitol trip if you have not sent it back. A student cannot participate in a field trip without signed permission.

Upcoming dates to remember:
March 19 spring pictures
March 20 fitness night at Dowell
March 24 capitol field trip
April 6-10 spring break
March 31 PTA, technology night

Class News

We are having fun each day as we add new skills and review old skills.

Reading is very important. We integrate reading skills into all of our work. Read daily at home and asak questions about what the student is reading. Summarizing is an excellent way to share what the student reads.

Even though we have moved on with fractions, decimals, and measurement, the students need to practice multiplication facts. They will apply those facts as we multiply two- and-three digit numbers by one digit.

Class News

Thank you for attending conferences. Working together certainly is beneficial for the students.

The students are working very hard to achieve in all subjects. Daily reading is so important. Words should be spelled correctly in all work. The students use their dictionaries every day in the classroom. We are working on social studies and science in guided reading and shared reading.

Third grade is going for a Performing Arts trip on February 20. We will see a performance of Paul Revere at the Cobb Civic Center theater. Chaperones are not needed since this is at the theater for a performance. The county arranges this trip.

In the weekly folder is a packet of reading material from OAS. The students completed the work and we discussed in class. This is the online material that we discussed at conference. You have the ID number and the password.

February 16 is a student holiday and a workday for staff. March 3 is an early release day.

Cosmic Bowling is tonight, February 5.

Practice multiplication facts at home.

Thank you for the notes about changes in going home.

Class News

The third nine weeks is off to a great start!

The students are working on improving reading skills. We do read aloud, shared reading, independent reading, guided readaing, and literature circles every day. We are very busy.

Literature circles have changed slightly. Groups of students have the same books which they read and share, but they also have more independent work to do. Work from the lit circles is in the weekly folder. I meet with these groups on Friday to discuss the books.

Daily reading at home is very important. Ask questions from the book and let the students write questions from the book also.

Practice multiplication facts at home. We work on them at school, but we have limited time since we have to keep moving in math.

In science we are working on habitats. We are doing science during guided reading for informational text, or nonfiction.

In social studies we are learning about the equator, prime meridian, reviewing continents, and oceans.

We are writing persuasive stories for this nine weeks. We practice writing skills from the previous two nine weeks. Spelling and grammar skills are used in the writing.

We have added "Add It," "Fix IT," "Sort It," and proofreading to our daily language arts schedule.

As you can see, we have very busy days. Learning is fun!

When the weather is very cold as it has been these last few days, we do not go outside, but have indoor recess.

Thank you for the notes about changes in going home for the students. We want students to go home the way you intended and to stay safe.

Upcoming dates:
January 26-30 Conference Week, Students released at 12:30
February 4 Early Release
February 16 Student Holiday
February 20 Performing Arts at Cobb Civic Center
March 3 Early Release

Class News

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are finishing units in Science and Social Studies before the holidays. The students have prepared fro the quiz in science by hands-on activities in class and they have been reading in the science book. Pages to study in the science book went home this week.

We have Writer's Workshop every day. The students have written an informational piece about the fossil they made. They are taking the fossil home today. We have begun the unit on habitats in science by reading in guided reading books. The students have activities that help them learn how to get information from informational text.

Practice multiplication facts at home. We practice the facts each morning from 8:00 to 8:15 for math computation. Each Friday they take a quiz on multiplication facts.

We combine spelling and English concepts for mini lessons and practice in writing. We have used the noun, pronoun, verb, and adjectives. Spelling counts in all work. The students have words in their word books. They use these words as a tool for editing for spelling.

Thanksgiving holidays are from November 24 through November 28.

December22 through January 2 Winter break

January 5 Teacher workday, no school for students

Class News

The students are doing informational or nonfiction reading.  They should check out a fiction and nonfiction book or two nonfiction books.  We are learning how to read nonfiction material in our guided reading groups.  Read daily at home and ask questions over the material that has been read.

We do shared reading, guided reading, independent reading, literature circles, and read aloud in class.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair is Thursday, November 6.  A flyer is going home again today.  This is a fun way to enjoy reading.

Practice multiplication facts at home.  We work on them in class, but there is not enough time in class to drill them each day.

We are reading about fossils, weathering, and soil in guided reading groups. These books provide excellent informational reading on various levels.

In social studies we are learning about economics.  Students have investigated four types of resources, human, natural, capital, and entrepreneurs.  We have identified goods and services.

Dates to remember:

                               November 24-28       Thanksgiving Holidays

                                VIP lunch for third grade     November 20

Class News

It's hard to believe we are beginning the second nine weeks.  Report cards will go home on Friday, October 17. 

In math we are working on multiplication.  Practice the multiplication facts from 0 to 5 for now.  The students will need to learn the facts up through 10.  Students are working on place value and elapsed time.

The field trip was beneficial.  The students were taken on an imaginary trip through Georgia's land regions where habitats were explained.

Accelerated Reader reports with reading levels are in the folders this week.  The students and I have talked individually about the results of both SRI, which was sent home last week, and AR.

CRCT practice information is in the folder this week.  The student's test ID number is on the sheet.  Just follow the instructions for practice at home.

October 17                     Report Cards go home

October 27-31              Red Ribbon Week

November 6                  Barnes and Noble/PTA Night

November 24-28         Thanksgiving Holidays