January 16, 2015

Dear Parents,

       As I mentioned in my previous e-mail, we have been doing our STAR math and reading testing to see how much progress students have made since we last took it in the fall.  We also did a "load test" for the Milestone which was just to test the system and see if it could handle the volume of students being logged in at the same time. 

     Next week, we will be taking a Write Score assessment.  We opted to do this as a 3rd grade team since it will provide us more guidance on what areas we still need to work on it writing and give us a better idea of what kinds of tasks students will be asked to do on the Milestone.  Since it's on the computer also, it will serve as a simulation of how we will be testing with the Milestone in April. 

     We know that the Milestone will be a more rigorous test than the CRCT and we have been working hard to increase your students' ability to think critically and make their own assessments of the information provided in more than one text.  For example, students analyzed whether or not pride is bad or good after reading the fables "The Elephant and the Mouse" and  "The Lion and the Mouse".   In February we will participate in another Milestone simulation that will focus on Math.  We are trying to make sure that we and the students understand as much as we can about what to expect on the Milestone, since none of us have seen it before.  Please let me know if you have any questions and/or concerns and look for report cards and ITBS results coming home tonight.  Thanks for all your support!!

Jenny M-G

January 12, 2015

 Dear Parents,

       We are having some technology issues this Monday so our homework will be online this week.  For Social Studies, students can go on Pebble Go and review the book, video, and timelines for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt.  For Science, students can go on Brain Pop and watch the video on Magnets and take the Review Quiz.  Please make sure your student is reading for at least 20 minutes nightly and check in with them and ask questions about what they are reading.  Better yet, read the book with them so you can talk about it!

     In Math, students can review for our Geometry unit at www.studyjams.scholastic.com  Today we created a KWL on Polygons and read " The Greedy Triangle" and learned what quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, and decagons are.  We then drew pictures in our journals about some of the places in the real world that we find these shapes.  

      Thanks for your support!!

       Jenny M-G

January 7, 2015

   Dear Parents,

      I hope everyone enjoyed the break!  I was very happy to see all your student's smiling faces yesterday.  :)  We are hitting the ground running and getting right back into things.  In Science, we are finishing up our Fossils unit and will have our test next Monday, 1/12.  Students will be working on our Chapter Review this week and can also review on Brain Pop and Pebble Go Science.  Yesterday in stem lab we created models of fossil casts and molds using clay, shells, and glue and had a lot of fun exploring my mom's fossil collection.  Ask your student about what fossils they learned about!

     In Math, we are continuing to learn about Area, Perimeter, and creating and interpreting graphs (bar, line plot, circle).  Later this week we will be starting our Geometry unit.  We have heard that our wonderful Foundation will be buying IXL again for our students to review on and all students can currently be reviewing online on iReady. Please let me know if you have any questions.   

     Thanks for all your support!

     Jenny M-G

Estimados padres de familia,

       Espero que todos hayan disfrutado las vacaciones! Yo estaba muy feliz de ver todos los rostros sonrientes de ayer de su estudiante. :) Nos estamos golpeando el funcionamiento de tierra y conseguir de nuevo en las cosas. En ciencias, estamos terminando nuestra unidad de Fósiles y tendremos nuestra prueba siguiente Lunes, 12.01. Los estudiantes estarán trabajando en nuestra revisión del capítulo de esta semana y también pueden revisar el cerebro Pop y Pebble Go Ciencia. Ayer en el laboratorio tallo creamos modelos de moldes fósiles y moldes con arcilla, conchas, y la cola y tenía un montón de diversión explorando colección de fósiles de mi mamá. Pregúntele a su hijo acerca de lo que los fósiles que han aprendido acerca!

      En matemáticas, seguimos para aprender acerca de área, perímetro, y la creación y la interpretación de gráficos (barra, línea de la trama, círculo). Más tarde esta semana empezaremos nuestra unidad de geometría. Hemos oído que nuestra Fundación maravillosa estará comprando IXL nuevo para nuestros estudiantes a revisar todos los estudiantes y en la actualidad se pueden revisando en línea en iReady. Por favor, hágamelo saber si usted tiene alguna pregunta.

      Gracias por todo su apoyo!

      Jenny M-G

December 18, 2014

Dear Parents,

     It has been my privilege to work with your wonderful children this semester!  We have learned a lot and worked and grown, both individually and as a class.  I love seeing the progress our students are making!  I encourage you to encourage your great kid to get on i-Ready for Reading and Math over the break if he/she can.  Most of the students love it since it meets them at their level and slowly stretches them while rewarding their hard work with fun games after they finish their lessons.  (Remember that your student can login with his/her lunch number and abc123.) Teachers love it because it targets the exact skills your child needs to work on and allows us to monitor their progress and growth.  Thanks for all your support and I hope everyone has a fabulous break!!! 

     Jenny M-G

December 8, 2014

     Dear Parents,

      This Friday we will have our Economics test. Your student will be bringing home his/her textbook and journal on Wednesday to study the vocabulary and t-charts with examples of our terms (good, service, entrepreneur, income, budget, consumers, producers, interdependence, capital resources, human resources, natural resources, scarcity, supply, demand, interdependence, opportunity cost, and trade off). Your student can also review on Pebble Go (Spalding Drive webpage, Students, Media Center, Resources, Pebble Go Social Studies) under "All About Money". There are also movies on Brainpop for natural resources and trade. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks for your support!!

Jenny M-G

December 5, 2014

 Dear Parents,

This morning we were exploring how our money is made and how different countries have different currencies. The students wanted me to let you know the website so they could continue exploring the videos and games at home so here it is:
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/ I hope you both enjoy it!

Jenny M-G

December 2, 2014

Dear Parents,

     In Social Studies, we have finished up our Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony unit with our choice board activities and are into our Economics unit.  We have read the story of Kojo, a young Ghanian boy who starts his own business.  Students should be reviewing their vocabulary (currency, goods, services, income, savings, budget, entrpreneur) on Pebble Go this week.  Your student can access Pebble Go on the Spalding webpage under Media Center Resources, Pebble Go, Social Studies, All About Money.  Students should read all the books and watch all the videos - Supply and Demand and Scarcity will need to be reviewed at least twice.  In Science, we have finished our Minerals, Rocks, and Soils unit and will be studying Fossils for the next few weeks. 

     In Reading, we are continuing to examine our texts closely and analyzing and dissecting them in small groups.  These skills will help our students prepare for the Milestone in the spring.  Students are working on their word sorts with Words Our Way.  We also are exploring literature circles and are reading about related Science and Social Studies concepts in our small group rotations.  The students are making great connections!  Please encourage your student to read nightly and take AR tests regularly.

     In Writing, the students have finished their Informational essays on their chosen animal and we are currently working on writing a Persuasive letter.  In Math, we have finished up our unit on Multiplication and Division.   Your student can continue to review on Study Jams and iReady which is the new resource the school has purchased. Your student can login at login.i-ready.com  (lunch # is username and abc123 is password).  We are now into Unit 3 covering Area and Perimeter and will be spiraling graphing and line plots, 2-step word problems, and measurement to the nearest 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch.

Thank you for all your support!

Jenny Magis-Graves

magisgraves@fultonschools.org