The One and Only Ivan is Class Favorite
We completed all 300 pages of our global read aloud text. The One and Only Ivan is our new class favorite! It is a wonderful story of triumph, sorrow, heartbreak, and dreams come true. Read it again as a family. Have your third grader read aloud for you with expression. Cry together. Cheer together. Enjoy a great discussion of the message.
We were not able to Skype with our buddy class in California but the program was still a success. We participated in an online wiki group with classes from around the world. 30,000 students on 6 different continents read simultaneously. What a great accomplishment. There is a possibility that there will be a second session in the spring. If so, we will certainly participate. We look forward to the announcement of the program and can't wait to see what text is selected!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Plimoth Plantation
Living History Here We Come!
We will visit the living history museum of Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower II Wednesday, October 24th. In order to take in all the sites the grade three staff have voluntarily extended the school day. The PTO has generously agreed to cover the cost of the buses so students need to pay only the museum admission. There were many parents who volunteered to chaperone - Thank you! The lucky lottery winners were Mr. Wells and Mrs. Foley.
Students should arrive at school Wednesday morning at 7:40. Buses will leave at 7:50. Electronics are allowed, but are the responsibility of the students. They must be left on the bus as backpacks are not allowed in the village. Students should bring a "bus pack" with a morning and afternoon snack, and a book, sketch pad, electronics, or other entertainment for the ride down and back. Upon arrival at school students will put their lunch in the class bin which will be taken off the bus to the lunch pavilion at Plimoth. Lunches should be bagged separately from snacks, be fully disposable, and clearly labeled with the students name. NO PEANUT BUTTER lunches or snacks please! We will be traveling with students who have nut allergies. We will tour the village, homesite, and barn in the morning. After lunch the buses will move to the waterfront where the students will board the Mayflower II and visit Plymouth Rock. We will depart for home at 2:00 and plan to arrive at Coolidge around 3:30. Students should be picked up in the gym at 3:30. If your son/daughter is being picked up by someone other than their parent/guardian please notify us in writing by Tuesday.
We look forward to this exciting educational adventure.
We will visit the living history museum of Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower II Wednesday, October 24th. In order to take in all the sites the grade three staff have voluntarily extended the school day. The PTO has generously agreed to cover the cost of the buses so students need to pay only the museum admission. There were many parents who volunteered to chaperone - Thank you! The lucky lottery winners were Mr. Wells and Mrs. Foley.
Students should arrive at school Wednesday morning at 7:40. Buses will leave at 7:50. Electronics are allowed, but are the responsibility of the students. They must be left on the bus as backpacks are not allowed in the village. Students should bring a "bus pack" with a morning and afternoon snack, and a book, sketch pad, electronics, or other entertainment for the ride down and back. Upon arrival at school students will put their lunch in the class bin which will be taken off the bus to the lunch pavilion at Plimoth. Lunches should be bagged separately from snacks, be fully disposable, and clearly labeled with the students name. NO PEANUT BUTTER lunches or snacks please! We will be traveling with students who have nut allergies. We will tour the village, homesite, and barn in the morning. After lunch the buses will move to the waterfront where the students will board the Mayflower II and visit Plymouth Rock. We will depart for home at 2:00 and plan to arrive at Coolidge around 3:30. Students should be picked up in the gym at 3:30. If your son/daughter is being picked up by someone other than their parent/guardian please notify us in writing by Tuesday.
We look forward to this exciting educational adventure.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Reading Takes You Places
Nightly Reading Counts Toward Medal
The PTO sponsored Reading Takes You Places program has kicked off the 2012-2013 season. Students who completed their summer reading are able to advance to the first station automatically. The nightly reading the students undertake should be recorded on both their homework log and the RTP sheets. Students who complete ten levels are rewarded for their success at a celebration in June.
Reading may be accomplished in several ways: read to self, read with someone, or listen to reading. The important thing is that your son/daughter read. The more you read, the more you grow. The more you grow, the smarter you get. We have some very well read, very smart children here at Coolidge. Thank you PTO for coordinating this important program year after year.
The PTO sponsored Reading Takes You Places program has kicked off the 2012-2013 season. Students who completed their summer reading are able to advance to the first station automatically. The nightly reading the students undertake should be recorded on both their homework log and the RTP sheets. Students who complete ten levels are rewarded for their success at a celebration in June.
Reading may be accomplished in several ways: read to self, read with someone, or listen to reading. The important thing is that your son/daughter read. The more you read, the more you grow. The more you grow, the smarter you get. We have some very well read, very smart children here at Coolidge. Thank you PTO for coordinating this important program year after year.
Do You Wordle?
wordle.net
Yesterday we used wordle to create a character analysis of some of the friends we met in our global read-aloud text. The students loved watching the whiteboard as I typed their descriptions into the program. We sorted and rearranged our words until we found a poster combination we liked and then added it to our read-aloud portfolio.
Several students plan to use the site to create covers for their writing journals. I suggested it also makes a great tool to practice the weekly spelling words. Ask your son/daughter to go online and wordle with you.
Have you wordled today?
Yesterday we used wordle to create a character analysis of some of the friends we met in our global read-aloud text. The students loved watching the whiteboard as I typed their descriptions into the program. We sorted and rearranged our words until we found a poster combination we liked and then added it to our read-aloud portfolio.
Several students plan to use the site to create covers for their writing journals. I suggested it also makes a great tool to practice the weekly spelling words. Ask your son/daughter to go online and wordle with you.
Have you wordled today?
Monday, October 1, 2012
Massachusetts QUIZ 10/4
The Great Bay State
Students will use the shared grade-level Ipad again on Thursday to identify the important features, cities, water waterways, and their home location on an outline map of Massachusetts. Questions will be short answer and multiple choice format. A workmat map will available for reference.
We have read about the great Bay State in our text, Massachusetts Our Home and we have practiced completing maps ourselves. Outline maps and study guides were sent home Friday for anyone anxious to use the weekend to review and again today in the orange homework folders. I know the students will continue the quality work they demonstrated on their previous science and social studies assessments.
Students will use the shared grade-level Ipad again on Thursday to identify the important features, cities, water waterways, and their home location on an outline map of Massachusetts. Questions will be short answer and multiple choice format. A workmat map will available for reference.
We have read about the great Bay State in our text, Massachusetts Our Home and we have practiced completing maps ourselves. Outline maps and study guides were sent home Friday for anyone anxious to use the weekend to review and again today in the orange homework folders. I know the students will continue the quality work they demonstrated on their previous science and social studies assessments.
Hurley's Join Global Read Aloud
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
The Global Read Aloud was founded last year to allow students of all ages, abilities, and cultures to share a common reading experience. The students in room 35 have joined with hundreds of classrooms around the world to jointly read The One and Only Ivan. The story is realistic fiction. It recounts the life of a mighty silverback who has lived for 9,855 days in capitivity along exit 8 of the highway.
The book was published in January 2012. Unfortunately, the main character, Ivan, died on August 20th of this year also. The trailer we used to preview the text warned that the story would break our hearts and then mend them again. It already has.
Check in with your son/daughter for their daily update. Once we have finished you might want to have a family reading project so everyone can share this great story.
by Katherine Applegate
The Global Read Aloud was founded last year to allow students of all ages, abilities, and cultures to share a common reading experience. The students in room 35 have joined with hundreds of classrooms around the world to jointly read The One and Only Ivan. The story is realistic fiction. It recounts the life of a mighty silverback who has lived for 9,855 days in capitivity along exit 8 of the highway.
The book was published in January 2012. Unfortunately, the main character, Ivan, died on August 20th of this year also. The trailer we used to preview the text warned that the story would break our hearts and then mend them again. It already has.
Check in with your son/daughter for their daily update. Once we have finished you might want to have a family reading project so everyone can share this great story.
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