Valentine's Day

Dear Parents, As I am sure you are aware, Valentine’s Day is approaching. It will be Friday, February 14th. I know that students enjoy trading valentines with their friends. If your child would like to participate, they may but they do not have to participate. In room 6, there are a few guidelines. 1. We will NOT have a Valentine’s Day party. Students will be allowed to pass out valentines at the end of the day. 2. Do NOT send candy. We are still following the EatSmart guidelines. The valentine may have food but it should be healthy not sugary or salty. Acceptable treats are: fruit snacks, pretzels, cheese crackers, etc. (If you have questions about whether a particular treat is okay, please call me at 953-4450.) 3. If your child chooses to bring valentines, they need to bring one for EACH child in our classroom. They should leave no student out. We have 20 students in our class. Please give me a call at 953-4450 or email me at mcoleman@hazelwoodschools.org if you have any questions.

Reading Projects

Reading Projects were due today the 13th, despite our extended vacation. For each day projects are late students will lose five points. Please make sure your child has turned in their project or turns it in as soon as possible.

Reading Fair

You probably already know by now that students have a reading project due in January. It is the student's job to read a book and create the project in their own time. Please let me know if you need help. To get some great ideas, google "reading fair". Look at the images that come up. You will see some great ideas. The more creative the better!

Fluency

An important part of reading is fluency. Not only are students tested regularaly on their fluency, it is important to comprehension that students are able to read in a fluent manner. Because of this, we practice fluency in the classroom. To practice at home have your child read aloud a paragraph a couple of times a week. If they are having trouble, do an echo read. You read a sentence first, then they read it. Or you can read at the same time, together. This is called a choral read. Here is a picture of students reading poetry chorally.

RED RIBBON WEEK

This week we celebrated Red Ribbon Week. This is a D.A.R.E. activity that celebrates being drug and alcohol free. Students were encouraged to sign a pledge against drugs and alcohol. One of the activities was to create a drug free door decoration. This is ours!

Drawing Conclusions

A big focus in third grade reading, is drawing conclusions. This means using clues that they have read to determine something untold in the story. For example if I read, "After Melanie took a bite of the fruit, she squinched her eyes and pursed her lips". What fruit did Melanie read? How do you know? The answer: Melanie ate a lemon. I know because when you eat a lemon you squinch your eyes and purse your lips because it is sour. Today I gave each group of students a old cell phone and a script. Students read the script and their classmates had to determine what they were "talking" about. Then explain how they know.

Reader's Theater

To increase fluency, I am using a research-based strategy called Reader's Theater. Students each get a short play to read out loud. They practice several times before performing in front of the group. The increased practice helps students become more confident in their reading and more fluent. They are better able to read with expression and fluency.