Paperwork and Upcoming Assignments

We sent home lots of papers this week. I know that it seems like a lot, but these papers are important for us as the teachers and the office. Please make sure to send in all paperwork as soon as possible. It is greatly appreciated!!

There are a few students who are still in need of supplies. Please make sure that your child has all necessary supplies by Monday, so we can start the year off on the right foot. Thanks!

Important assignments this week (current and upcoming):
* Me Bag - Students put 5 items that represent who they are/what they love in a paper bag to share
* Favorite Book - Students bring in their favorite book (due no later than Friday)
* Writing Journal Cover - Students make a collage on the front cover of their writing journal. This is to help inspire them to write about things that are meaningful to them. They can include photos, mementos, etc, but remember: these items should be glued on to the cover (will give out tomorrow, due Monday)
* Hopes and Dreams - Parents fill out a brief questionaire relating to your hopes and dreams for your child this year

* Name Interview - Students will interview you about their name (ie. what it means, why did you choose the name, etc) A good internet resource for this assignment, if you are unsure of the meaning of your child's name, ishttp://www.behindthename.com/ (will give out Thursday, due Friday)

Your child will be bringing their STAR folders home each night. Please review these nightly and make sure your child returns to school with it on the following day.

We are off to a great start in 3rd grade!!

A Preview of 3rd Grade

I thought I would share some of the topics we will cover in 3rd grade this year:

Reading

*Building a Reading Community

*Being Active Readers

*Becoming Thoughtful Readers

*More in depth look at a variety of genres

*Book Clubs

*Becoming Analytical Readers

*And so much more!!

Writing

*Launching Writer's Workshop

*Narrative Writing

*Essays

*Writing Fiction

*Poetry

*Writing about Reading

Math

*Place Value, Addition, Subtraction

*Multiplication

*Division

*Fractions

*Measurement

*Plane Shapes

*Time

Science

*Matter

*Energy

*Earth in Space

*Living Organisms

*Interdependence

Social Studies

*Our Community

*Native Americans

*Holidays Around the World

*Economics

*Government

*Regions of the US

Looking forward to a fun-filled year of learning!!

What is Co-Teaching??

Are two teachers better than one? YES!! This year our classroom will be following the co-teach model. Over the past few years co-teaching has become more popular as schools need to comply with Classroom Size Reduction. This year, Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Thompson will be sharing all classroom duties together. Together we can lower the student-teacher ration and provide differentiated instruction in a manner that is not possible for one teacher. When teachers share the responsibility of instruction, lessons are more creative because two people are planning them. I think it will be nice to have another adult in the room to be able to provide a range of support to students and to share those "a-ha" moments. Looking forward to a great year!

A new school year about to begin...

I still get excited as each new school year begins! I love shopping for school supplies and setting up my classroom. My classroom theme this year is "Hollywood" which I implemented last year. I think having a classroom blog will be a great tool for parents and students as well as myself! A big thank you to Heather, Nick and Jen for motivating me to have a blog this year. I have a lot friends who have blogs that follow their personal lives and I even kept a blog to document a year of traveling I did with my husband in 2008-09. It can be found at http://thecampbelljourneys.blogspot.com if you are interested in taking a look! I look forward to meeting the adorable 3rd graders who will be an important part of my life starting on August 24th.