Monday = Sports Jersey Day
Tuesday = Beach Day
Wednesday = PJ Day
Thursday = Crazy Hair Day
Friday = Tuckahoe (Blue and Gold) Day
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Schoolyard Stewards - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Schoolyard Stewards will resume for March, April & May. Please note the following on your calendars and send your students to the designated place at the designated time. I will post grade-specific volunteer schedules shortly.
Kindergarten--Wednesdays 10:55-12 Noon--Meet in Beansprout Corner
1st Grade--Tuesdays 11 AM-12 Noon--Meet in Peter Rabbit
2nd Grade--Fridays 12-1 PM--Meet in the Courtyard
3rd Grade--Tuesdays 12-1 PM--Meet in the Butterfly Garden
4th Grade--Tuesdays 12:45-1:40 PM--Meet in Colonial Village
5th Grade--Tuesdays 12:45-1:40 PM--Meet in the Greek Pavilion
No gardening experience is needed. Lesson plans will be provided. Please let me know if you can help (once or more than once).
Thank you!
Wax Museum Project
March Book Report: Overview
February 29, 2012
For this report, you will read a biography/ or autobiography about someone and present your book report as an oral history of that person in a Third Grade wide Wax Museum format on Wednesday March 28, 2012. You may choose to do this biography on anyone on the list in your Wax Museum packet. We ask that you find an age appropriate book about the person you wish to portray. You may use the school library, classroom library or the County Public Library to select your book.
In order to help organize this project into manageable pieces, there are several key dates and deadlines that you will need to follow.
Wednesday, March 7- All books selected and signed off by teacher and parent
Wednesday, March 14- Finish reading book, complete packet
Wednesday March 21 - Initial Note Cards Due
Monday March 26 - Final Note Cards Due. Costumes and props assembled
and practicing begun.
Wednesday March 28 - Wax Museum Presentation- All parents invited 11:00-12:00.
We will be grading according to the Wax Museum Rubric as well as the completion of each of the deadlines listed above. If you have any other questions about this project please let your classroom teacher know.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Multiplication and Division Test 3/6
Ms. Coffman students will be closing our multiplication and division unit with a test on Tuesday, March 6th. We will be doing an in class review tomorrow and Monday. They will also receive a "practice test" that can be completed in preparation for the test. There will be no surprises and I suspect that everyone will do very well!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Success in the Savanna, 2/24/12
Dear Parents:
The intent of this note is to bring a couple of housekeeping items to your attention.
- “School Yard Stewards” is beginning again in March. This hour long volunteer opportunity is an opportunity to work with small groups of children during their recess/lunch period in the Outdoor Classrooms. Activities are planned by Laura Ryan and NO GARDENING EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY. Please let me know if you would be interested in helping with this activity.
- Dessart Night will be held on Wednesday March 14th. Anna Stein, our Art Teacher, has asked for parent help hanging the children’s artwork in front of our room. If you would be able, or interested helping out, please let me know.
- Parent Teacher Conference Days are Thursday and Friday of next week. There will be no school for the children on those days.
- Thank you for the quick turn around on the White House forms. We have sent in our information and will let you know as soon as we get a confirmed date for our visit.
Sincerely,
Ms. Coffman
.
Upcoming Events
Thursday/Friday March 1-2 Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday March 14th- Dessart Night
Monday-Friday March 26-30- Book Fair
Wednesday March 28- Wax Museum Presentation
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Field Trip Reminder!
We will be taking our trip to the Bethesda Imagination Stage tomorrow, Friday, 2/24. Please be sure that your child has a sufficient breakfast as we will be gone all morning and not returning before noon or even after. If you are joining us for the trip, please be in our classroom by 9 am. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Word Study Homework Change 2/22
Due to all the excitement today for Curriculum Day, we did not take our Word Study test (Coffman class only; not Ms. Marbley). My class did not get new words to cut and initial. The homework change is for all students to review old words for test tomorrow and to glue them, in sorted order, in their word study notebooks. New words will be issued tomorrow and cut/initialed in class.
Thank you to the many parents who attended today's Curriculum Day events. It was great fun!
Thank you to the many parents who attended today's Curriculum Day events. It was great fun!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Curriculum Day 2/22
Curriculum Day is Tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 22nd
From 9:30 – 11:30 tomorrow, you are welcome to join us for a morning of exciting learning in the third grade. Classes will be rotating through each third grade space. Rotations will be approx. 20 minutes long and will continue all morning. See the list below to understand the rotation order of your child’s classroom. Activities and lessons will be offered in all of the major content areas: math (Coffman), reading (Cackley), writing (Dolinsky), social studies (DiNardo), and science (Weaver). Join us for all or some of the day! Please contact your homeroom teacher if you have any questions.
The Third Grade Teachers
Rotation Orders for Wed., Feb. 22
Rotation Times: 9:30-9:50; 9:55-10:15; 10:20-10:40; 10:45-11:05; 11:10-11:30
Coffman group: Weaver – Dolinsky – DiNardo – Cackley – Coffman
Weaver group: Dolinsky – DiNardo – Cackley – Coffman – Weaver
Dolinsky group: DiNardo – Cackley – Coffman – Weaver – Dolinsky
DiNardo group: Cackley – Coffman – Weaver – Dolinsky – DiNardo
Cackley group: Coffman – Weaver – Dolinsky – DiNardo – Cackley
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday Folder Important Note!
Please look inside the Friday Folder for an important note about the possibility of a White House visit in late March. Your prompt response is needed in order for us to compile student data to make this request. Further information is included in the folder!
Success in the Savanna, 2/17/12
Dear Parents:
I hope this finds everyone doing well. We enjoyed this week of celebrations in the classroom. Valentine’s Day was a great opportunity to practice being scientists as we conducted our experiment about solutions and mixtures. The children were amazed we could make limeade and snack mix as a science experiment. For the 100th Day the children chose various activities all related to the number 100.
On Tuesday, we will close our Rome unit with a test. Portfolios were sent home earlier this week and all students have a practice test (review) that can be used to prepare. In math, we’ve moved onto our division facts and looked at more on line sites to help solidify our understanding. I will be sharing some of my favorite on line and in class games with you next Wed. at curriculum day. In Science, we are just starting our unit on the Water Cycle and Weather. If there is anyone out there who can teach us how to get some snow on any day other than a weekend, we welcome you to our classroom! Although we have temporarily halted our Health instruction, it will return soon. In language arts, we have started our Literature Circles in class and students are doing so well. They have also started the journal writing process with me and I am further impressed with the efforts being made in these notebooks. I will talk further with you about this process at our upcoming conference. If you have not already returned your conference form with a requested date/time, please do so at the earliest.
I appreciate everyone’s effort to get the permission slips turned in quickly for our field trip to Imagination Stage next Friday. I also want to thank those of you who have volunteered to be chaperones. I will be in touch with you separately to share details early next week.
On Wednesday, February 22nd we will be having our annual Curriculum Day. This will be an opportunity for you to come join your child as we rotate through various curricular activities. This is a fun way for you to get a taste of some of the different Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts activities your child is engaged in throughout the year. This school-wide event will be from 9:30-11:30.
Two years ago, the Third Grade began a garden for the “Plot for Hunger” project. This community service project helps to grow fruits and vegetable for the AFAC food bank. As a grade level we will be planting our garden again this year. We will be planting seeds for some of our vegetables on Friday afternoon, February 24th. These seeds will be germinated inside, under the grow lights in the hallway near our room. Once it is warm enough, we will move them to the greenhouse and then transplant them in the beds outside. We will need extra hands in the coming months to help make this service project a success. If you are interested in helping please let me know. (There is no need for any garden experience to help!)
I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend break.
Sincerely,
Ms. Coffman
Upcoming Events
Monday February 20- President’s Day Holiday- No School
Wednesday, February 22- Curriculum Day
Friday, February 24- Imagination Stage
Thursday/Friday March 1-2- Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Ancient Greece Test Tuesday 2/21
Ancient Rome Review
Name:_____________________ Teacher: _____________
Use the words from the word box to fill in the blanks
| Toga | Aqueduct | Mosaic | Tiber | Monarchy |
| Civilization | Forum | Latin | Viaduct | Archaeologist |
1. A _____________________ is a group of people who share a culture, develop a language and a form of government.
2. A scientist who studies past cultures by looking at what has been left behind is called an _______________________.
3. The town center in Ancient Rome was called the _____________________.
4. Rome was located near the ____________ River.
5. A system of channels built to carry water from one place to another is called an _________________________.
6. Wealthy people in Ancient Rome wore a ____________ over their tunic.
7. A ____________ is a decorative design created from small pieces of glass, tile or stone.
8. A bridge held up by arches is called a _________________.
9. The language of Rome was called ______________________.
10. A _____________ is a government that is ruled by a king or queen.
Answer the following in COMPLETE sentences
1. What type of clothing did everyday people wear in Ancient Rome?
2. Romans were skilled builders and were credited for developing a building material that would be as strong as rock when it hardened. What is this material called?
3. What type of democracy did Ancient Rome have?
4. In ancient Rome there were two different classes of people. What were the names of the two classes and describe them both.
5. The Rome Republic was large. What area did it cover?
The following questions are either True (T) or False (F).
_______ 1. Wealthy Romans lived in their own houses that were built around a garden.
_______ 2 Common or poor people used the Roman Baths most often.
_______ 3. A civil war is when countrymen fight countrymen.
_______ 4. The Parthenon is one of the famous structures built by the Romans.
______ 5. Under Roman law you were considered guilty until proven innocent.
______ 6. The money used by the Ancient Romans was called census.
______ 7. All roads led to Rome.
______ 8. An amphitheater is where sporting events were held.
______ 9. Houses in Rome were called villas.
______ 10. The Romans wrote on stone tablets.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Spring Conference Sign Up
Ms. Coffman’s Spring 2012 Conference Schedule
If possible, please sign up now for a parent/teacher conference. I am available as early as the 17th of Feb. If you have a specific request due to sibling (or the date assigned below will not work), please let me know as soon as possible.
You are welcome to sign up for more than one period if you feel that more than 25 minutes is needed. If you do not find a time or date that fits your schedule, please let me know and we will coordinate another meeting time. Thank you!
Fri., Feb. 17, 2012
7:50 – 8:15 am Flatin
8:20 – 8:45 Renga
4:00 – 4:25 pm _________________________________
4:30 – 4:55 __________________________________
Wed., Feb. 22, 2012
8:20 – 8:45 Frisk
Thurs., Feb. 23, 2012
4:00-4:25 __________________________________
4:30-4:55 Wetmore
Fri., Feb. 24, 2012
4:00-4:25 Mason (Lucy)
Wed., Feb. 29, 2012
7:50 – 8:15 am _________________________________
8:20 – 8:45 Ashe
2:00 – 2:25 pm _________________________________
2:30 – 2:55 _________________________________
3:00 – 3:25 _________________________________
3:30 – 3:55 _________________________________
4:00 – 4:25 _________________________________
4:30– 4:55 _________________________________
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - am
8:20 – 8:45 __________________________________
8:50 – 9:15 __________________________________
9:20 – 9:45 __________________________________
9:50 – 10:15 __________________________________
10:20 – 10:45 __________________________________
10:50 – 11:15 __________________________________
11:20 – 11:45 __________________________________
Thursday, March 1, 2012 - pm
12:50 – 1:15 __________________________________
1:20 – 1:45 __________________________________
1:50 – 2:15 __________________________________
2:20 – 2:45 __________________________________
2:50 – 3:15 __________________________________
3:20 – 3:45 __________________________________
3:50 – 4:15 __________________________________
4:20 – 4:45 __________________________________
Friday, March 2, 2012 - am
8:20 – 8:45 __________________________________
8:50 – 9:15 __________________________________
9:20 – 9:45 __________________________________
9:50 – 10:15 __________________________________
10:20 – 10:45 __________________________________
10:50 – 11:15 __________________________________
11:20 – 11:45 __________________________________
Friday, February 10, 2012
Important Valentine’s Day Newsletter
February 9, 2012
Once again Valentine’s Day is upon us. We will celebrate this event on Tuesday, February 14, after 2:30 pm. We will not be having a class party but we will be doing a science “experiment” that will demonstrate the difference between mixtures and solutions. Students will also be making a Valentine’s Day gift for parents as well as writing letters to our soldier friends in Afghanistan. We will also be exchanging our own cards during this time period. Although parent volunteers are not needed, I do appreciate the many offers that I have had to assist.
On the back of this letter you will find the names of all the students in our class. We talked about this in class and agreed that if the children were going to bring cards to school to share, that they must bring one for everyone in the class. If your child has friends in another third grade class and wants to bring a card for that person(s), they may do so but we ask that they do this discreetly so as to avoid hurt feelings. If your child wants to make a small box at home to have on his/her desk, that is fine. Alternatively, I will provide bags for students to collect their cards and treats.
Please remember that Tuckahoe is currently sponsoring a drive to support A-SPAN. Collection Bins will be located at the school entrance Monday, February 13th through Friday, February 24th. We are collecting only new, adult men’s and women’s socks and new twin flat and fitted sheets.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me in the classroom or via email. As always, thanks for your hard work and support!
Ms. Coffman
Success in the Savanna, 2/10/12
I hope this note finds you at the end of a good week. In class we continue our study of both single digit and multi-digit multiplication problems. There will be a short quiz next week of the basic facts before we start to learn our division facts. At the end of our division practice, there will be a full unit test of both multiplication and division concepts. We continue to travel through Ancient Rome and will be ending this unit late next week. In science, we are starting the unit on the water and weather cycles. In language arts, journal writing has begun and students are starting literature circles in the classroom. In brief, there is never a dull moment in third grade!
I have several housekeeping items to share with you this week.
1. I hope you received my note about our planned Valentine’s Day activities. If not please check the blog and/or the white paper reminder in your child’s Friday Folder.
2. We will have our annual Curriculum Day on Wednesday February 22nd from 9:30-11:30. This is an opportunity for you to rotate through several learning activities with your child. I hope you will be able to join us.
3. In the Friday Folders today is the permission slip for our trip to Imagination Stage on February 24th. If you would like to chaperone this trip, please let me know.
4. The Schoolyard Stewards program is starting back up in March. If you would like to work with the children in the outdoor classrooms, during their recess/lunch time on Tuesdays, please let me know. Please remember there is no need to be a garden expert to help with this program. Laura Ryan our Schoolyard Coordinator will arrange all lessons and activities.
5. Anna Stein, our Art teacher is asking each class to provide a volunteer to hang the class artwork for Dessart Night. The picture hanging will begin after Parent Teacher Conferences. If this is something you could help with please let me know.
6. Parent Teacher conferences will be March 1st and 2nd. I can also meet earlier should these dates not work into your schedule. I am working on sign up sheets and these should be coming home today or early next week.
I hope you and your family have a relaxing weekend. I will be seeing at least one basketball game this weekend and hope to catch a few more next weekend. If I have not visited your team, please send me a reminder note about remaining games. Thank you for your help in making this happen.
Sincerely,
Ms. Coffman
Monday, February 6, 2012
Food Chain Project 2/8
Food Chain Project/Assessment
February 6, 2012
On Wednesday (2/8) in class, you will be making a food chain of not less than five links that shows the flow of energy from the sun to the producers, consumers, and decomposers. You may use a food chain that involves the animal that you researched in class or you can use another animal/food chain that you research on your own. You may NOT use one of the food chains that we built using the online FOOD CHAIN GAME found on the Kids Links page on the Tuckahoe website. However, you may use this game/link to see a sample chain if you are unsure about what you will be building: http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm
In addition to the chain, you will be asked to write a one page paper that describes the flow of energy in your chain. Your paper should include important vocabulary words such as predator, prey, producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, and interact. Your paper should describe clearly how the energy is passed from the sun through each part of the chain.
Cards for the chain, coloring materials, and paper clips will be provided in the classroom. If your child would like to use other special materials, they are welcome to bring these to class. Although each child is expected to have a food chain selected to use for this project, all actual work will be done in the classroom.
Please contact me if you have any questions. On the back of this sheet you will find an optional planning sheet for your use.
Ms. Coffman
Friday, February 3, 2012
Success in the Savanna, 1/3/12
Dear Parents,
All the children had such good week swimming. The reports back from Mr. Green and Mr. Corkins were all very positive about the children’s skills as well as their behavior at the pool. The excitement about using their jeans as floatation devise was fun to hear. Thank you again to my parents who assisted in the process!
We (I!) did enjoy getting back to a regular schedule on Wednesday. We continued learning about the life and times in Ancient Rome and we voyaged back in time on the computers with our tech. buddies. In Science, we are ready to conclude our unit on animal interactions (food chains and food webs) and there will be a small, in class project next week instead of a test. In brief, the students will construct a food chain or web with an animal of their choice. We have done some animal research in the classroom and your child is welcome to choose this animal for the project. Or, they may do further research at home and select a new one. Further project information will be coming home early next week. In math, we are multiplying maniacs who are learning strategies to help us master those facts that are most challenging. Thank you for all the additional home practice – this is necessary to build the skills and confidences that are necessary for higher order multiplication (coming soon). Finally, the journal writing process has started and I am so excited by the positive responses that I’ve heard from the students as we kicked it off. Please refer to the letter sent home earlier this week or posted on our blog. This is a parents HANDS OFF effort and your cooperation is greatly appreciated! I will be sharing more about the journal writing process in the coming weeks. For now, just encourage your child to tell me all that experienced while reading a book, magazine, newspaper, text book, or other written material. This is less about summarization and more about their individual reading strategies.
As you know report cards for the second quarter will go next week. As I told the children, this reporting period began all the way back on November 2nd and their grades are a reflection of growth over that time. If there are any questions about the grades or comments issued, please feel free to contact me. I will be sending home notices for early conferences. It’s hard to believe that we are nearly at that point in the year.
For note, we have a field trip coming up this month as well. We will be going to Imagination Station for a theater performance on Friday the 24th. Please let me know if you would like to join us for this fun learning experience.
As always, thank you for all you do to support your child. Good luck to all the basketball teams tonight! I will not be attending as I am trying desperately to get over a cold/sinus infection. However, the season is not finished and I do hope to attend games in the final weeks ahead.
Sincerely, Ms. Coffman
Upcoming Events
Friday 2/24- Imagination Station Field Trip
Thursday and Friday 3/1-2- Parent Teacher Conferences (No School for Children)
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