Mrs. Kava's Classroom Page
Welcome to Third Grade!
`
Letter to Parents:
2-3-2012
Dear Parents:
This week we took the habitat/Antarctica test and finished the unit. We will move on to Michigan next week!
We also prepared for our wonderful TACKY THE PENGUIN play that we perfomed on Thursday. It was a great success! Thank you to all of the parents and family members that were able to attend.
In math this week we worked on division, subtracting using an algorithm, finding and naming angles, diagonals, parallels, and perpendicular lines, measuring to the nearest quarter inch, managing a checkbook, and equivalent fractions.
In reading, we continued to read Mr. Popper's Penguins. The students are enjoying all of Mr. Popper's quirky antics! We are still meeting for Lit Circle groups, and once in a while we add a bit of fun to our meetings by making them tea parties. We sit around and chat about the book in our fancy voices, eating crackers and apple juice. It is quite fun! ...Never a dull moment in the Third Grade!
We continue to work on the state reports. There are even a few students who have diligently completed the entire sloppy copy and final copy! Remember to continue to work on the "at home" part of the state report. The project is due on Feburary 16th.
Picture Day is February 15th. You can send the picture packets/slips in to me on or before the 15th of February.
We will be having a Valentine's Day Buddy Breakfast on February 14th. There is a sign up sheet outside the classroom if you are interested in sending in some of the breakfast ingredients, or if you are interested in helping to serve the breakfast to our preschool buddies and our class.
Also, students can bring in Valentine's for our entire class, as well as, his/her buddy(ies). We will do a Valentine exchange later in the morning. If I could have one parent volunteer to send in a peanut free sweet treat and drinks for our classroom Valentine exchange, that would be super! Just send me an email if you are interested.
The school Science Fair will take place Saturday, Feburary 4th in our school gym. All are welcome to visit between 10:30 and 12:30, after the judging has taken place.
Finally, enclosed in the Thursday packets this week were two very important forms. The first is a payment sheet for the remaining balance for our overnight trip to Fort Michilimackinac. The second form is a Medical Release Form. Please complete and return the forms with the payment by April 20th.
Partners in Education,
Angela
CALENDAR
February 4: Science Fair
February 15: Picture Day
February 17-20: Mid-Winter Break/Childcare open
February 27-29: ISACS Accreditation Committee Visiting
Not a current parent? Thanks for visiting the Third Grade page! Read on to learn more about Third Grade at KCDS!
My classroom is centered around monthly themes. Each month is chocked full of learning through hands-on, and meaningful activities. Students will be engaged in learning the content as they work in cooperative groups, using activtities and lessons that cross all of the eight multiple intelligences. Your child will learn all the ways that they are smart!
I believe that "every child is gifted, some just open their packages sooner than others". My lessons are set up to match your child's strong intelligences, and stretch your child's other intelligences so that they become stronger, as well. All children are smart in many ways!
THIRD GRADE:
We enjoy field trips to the Nature Center. We also enjoy in-school visits from the Nature Center and Mad Science. Every other year, Third and Fourth Graders go to the state Capitol and the Michigan Historical Museum. On alternating years we take an overnight trip to Fort Michilimackinac!
Here our a few highlights and photos from our 2011 trip: riding on the plank road, laying on the glass floor and looking up in the rotundra of the Capitol, being introduced by Senator Schuitmaker, President Pro Tempore, in the Senate House, seeing Governor Snyder's office, having Hungry Howie's pizza for lunch, seeing the protesters gathering on the lawn, and riding on a very cool bus! There were many other memorable moments, too numerous to name.
Pictured above right: Students laying on the glass floor looking up into the rotundra at the Michigan State Capitol.
Third Graders making pasties. Pasties are a dish that miners would take with them into the mines to eat for lunch. They would heat them up over a candle. The pie crust could be filled with meat, potatoes and other vegetables, and even fruit for dessert.
Third and Fourth graders at the Michigan State Capitol
Third Grade State Projects
Third Grade Curriculum
The Third Grade Curriculum revolves around monthly themes.
Topics of study include:
September: Earth the Water Planet: Parts of the inside of the Earth, rocks, minerals, volcanoes, faults, etc.
October: Prehistoric Times: Fossils and Dinosaurs
November: Native Americans of Michigan
December: Habitats Around the World
January: Antarctica and the Artic/Forms of Energy: Intro to heat and electricity, Study of light and sound
February: Michigan History (We publish our very own book on Michigan!)/African Americans and Slavery
March: The Digestive System/Michigan History
April: Recycle, Reuse, Renew
May/June: Insects (Who wants to raise their very own Praying Mantis? We do!)
In Third Grade, we use the Saxon Math 4 curriculum, as well as, Sitton Spelling combined with weekly concepts and spelling lists.
We use Write On Track to guide us through the writing process for many meaningful writing assignments including reports, summaries, catalogs, creative stories, and much more! We use the World of Language text and workbook to practice grammar skills. We will use lots of games and cooperative learning activities to practice these skills, as well.
Third Graders read trade books throughout the year. Reading aloud is still encouraged to improve fluency and intonation. We work on comprehension skills, vocabulary, and story elements. Students take the STAR Reading test throughout the year to track reading level progress.
We take part in great learning experiences outside of the classroom by visiting the Nature Center a couple of times, going to Lansing to visit our state Capitol and the Michigan Historical Museum or overnight to Fort Michilimackinac (These two trips are on alternating years and are for Third and Fourth Graders). Our school also invites in many visitors like "Mad Science", the Nature Center, and various musical and theatrical artists, including Fran and Von Washington, the Kalamazoo Symphony, and the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Our school is a partner school with the Kalamazoo Symphony and Gilmore Keyboard Festival.
Kalamazoo Country Day School can offer your Third Grader many wonderful learning opportunities. We value challenging academics and encourage a love for learning through meaningful activities and assignments, while providing a safe, nurturing community in which your child can EXPLORE, EXPAND, and EXCEL.
Click HERE to visit the Spanish Classroom Page!