A Week of Opinions.....

This week is a writing week. We are writing our opinion on something, or how we think or feel about something. When we have an opinion, we have to back it up with specific details and examples of why we feel or think the way we do. This past week we formed an opinion on two types of muffins we sampled in class. We had to observe the differences in the muffins and also tell how they were alike. The we had to taste the muffins and tell which muffin we liked the best. Then we had to give specific examples of why we chose a certain muffin. We did the same thing again with cereal (Trix and Corn Chex). We are practicing writing our opinions as we prepare for writing our in-class Opinion Piece. Mrs. Shore is working on a piece called Heroes. She will be working on the Hero piece next week as the students continue to write their Opinion paper.
For example:
     Every year Mrs. Shore's family and Mrs. Graham's family go on a wonderful week long camping trip. We do all sorts of fun things while we are there. We play games, we sing songs, we explore and swim, but best of all....we go on fabulous, long hikes. Last year, we hiked up to an icy cold glacier lake. It took us all day to get there, and we have some marvelous hikers.
     Two of the hikers are Ryan (Mrs. Graham's youngest son) and Anthony (Mrs. Shore's oldest son). They are true friends. They work together all summer for a farmer. They help him irrigate his pasture and take care of his hay. They love to camp and hike and are excellent hikers.
     I want to tell you why they are such good hikers. First of all, they are in very good shape. Their legs are long and they have a lot of strength. Secondly, they love to hike and explore as they go. When they hike they may get ahead of the rest of the group so they can go and check out other interesting points along the way. Third, these boys are great hikers because they have hiked so much with their Scout Troop and learned to enjoy hiking and the outdoors. We have so much fun trying to keep up with them as we hike to different spots each year.
     As I have already stated, Ryan and Anthony are hiking enthusiasts. Our families anxiously wait for this summer when they can lead us to some undiscovered mountain top we have never visited before. I can't wait to go hiking again!!

Housekeeping:
Monday, October 28th: PLC/Early Release
Monday, October 28th: "Say BOO to Drugs" (Wear Orange and Black for Red Ribbon Drug-Free Week).
Tuesday, October 29th:"Sock it to Drugs" (Wear Crazy Socks)
Wednesday, October 30th: "Team Up Against Drugs" (Wear a sports jersey)
Thursday, October 31st: "Ready to be Drug Free" (Wear Red)
Thursday, October 31st: Halloween Party starts at 12:30 pm. We will have games and healthy snacks!

Language Arts:
As I have previously explained, the students in Jurassic Park room #1 will be engaged in writing an opinion piece next week. Following are the English Language Arts Learning Targets for the next 6 weeks:
I can read accurately and fluently on a third grade level.
I can spell third grade words correctly. (Studied words, and words when I write).
I can capitalize and punctuate correctly when I write.
I can describe the 5 parts of a short story (setting, character, plot, conflict, theme)
I can compare the author's point of view from my own.
I can write a 3-paragraph opinion piece with supporting details.
I can write short opinion pieces (1 well-written paragraph)
I can revise and edit my writing.
I can gather information by taking notes.

Spelling List for this week: Please refer to the list which was sent home.

Math:
This is our last week of subtraction. After this week, we will begin multiplication facts through 10 x 10. We have some great ideas for helping the kids memorize these facts, but first of all, they need to understand what multiplication is. Here are the basic subtraction concepts we have been working on for the past 2 weeks:
Subtract when ungrouping the tens.
Subtract when ungrouping the hundreds.
Subtract across zeros.
Subtract numbers through 999.

Following if a list of the Learning Targets for Math. These targets will be in place for the next 7-9 weeks.
I can correctly solve multiplication problems using the different symbols. 

I can correctly solve division problems using the different symbols. 

I can solve multiplication and division problems using fact families. 

I can use the inverse operation of multiplication to find the missing number. 

I can solve a variety of multiplication and division problems by using the different properties of multiplication. 

I can use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to solve word problems and then use mental math to decide if my answers are reasonable. 

Social Studies:
Next week the students will read the selection "Aurora means Dawn". We will discuss the 5 parts of a short story. We will take notes to gather information. We will discuss the story as a class. We will answer questions referring to the text. We will use correct punctuation, grammar, spelling, and capitalization when we write.It is a wonderful story about a family who is moving out West to settle land that no person had settled before. This story takes place many years ago during the westward expansion.

Short Opinion piece of the week: (See my example at the top of this BLOG)
Choose your favorite ice cream to write a short (1 well-written paragraph) opinion piece.
These are the things I am looking for:
An interesting introduction about what the topic is about.
Choose your favorite ice cream.
Back up your opinion with well-written detailed sentences. You need a minimum of 4 well written details to back up your opinion.
Concluding Sentence to summarize your paragraph.

**Tommy and Blaykley and all other BLOG readers, if you bring me your well-written paragraph, you can earn 5 tokens!!! GOOD LUCK....