We need your help:

Third Grade is looking for empty cereal boxes. Each child will need only one! If you could help us out that would be great!
We are going to use them for a Valentine's Day Project <3

January 31st

I could not be prouder of my third graders. They are working hard and continue to surprise me daily! 

We finished our science unit on "Inheritance and Variation of Traits." I was pleased how well they all did on the assessment.  This week we will start a social studies unit on "European Explorers." I think they will love this unit! I am discovering my third graders love non-fiction and we have some awesome activities planned for them!

We also finished our unit 4 math test and our mid-year math test! They did an amazine job. We are loving Everyday Math! On Friday, we went to the math lab and had our first lesson on IXL...needless to say it was a big hit! They loved it and were so happy with all the awards they earned along the way. I think this will be an awesome addition to our math program.

Some highlights of our week:

Our new math unit is studying fractions. On Friday we took a break from the book to do a fraction project. They LOVED it. They made mindcraft people and then had to write the fraction for the colors used! They did an awesome job!

The final results:

We have been doing lots of mini lessons on word choice before our actual writing block. One of the lessons was illustrating words. After illustrating and talking about the characteristics of the word third grade had to write a short story about their word without using their word! They have gotten many compliments on their work! Check it out...

And last, but NOT least...Every Friday should be popcorn Friday!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I am looking forward to another great week in third grade!

Week of January 11

We had a busy week in third grade! I think my third graders learned we never plan on a snow day in Maine..haha. They were great sports on Wednesday even though they had to come to school :)

This is our last week of reading with 4th and 5th grade. The kids have all enjoyed the change in groups and have asked to PLEASE do it again. I am sure this will be something we will do again later in the year!

In writing we worked on strong beginnings to our stories. We also did a mini lesson on "pebble words" and "rock words". Third grade is working on using different words to make their stories more colorful and exciting!

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day we watched part of his, "I have a Dream", speech. We also read stories about his life. Third grade then thought about a dream they have for our world. I have to say I was very impressed with how thoughtful they were.

This is our "Dream Big" bulletin board.

Miss Cloutier has been teaching math and is doing an awesome job! She has done some pretty cool and engaging lessons with the kids. They have been learning about area and perimeter. Check out how much fun we are having:

In science we are doing a unit called Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Last week we looked at two flowers and played a game to pick traits from each flower and then design one of our own.

Thank you to all of you for sending in a binder and composition books for your child!

I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Third Grade

1/11/16

Dear Parents,

We will be starting a poetry notebook, personal journals, and more interactive notebooks. Each child will need a 1 inch binder and 2 composition notebooks. If you could help with these items that would be great!

Thanks so much,

Holly

Happy New Year

Third grade is off to a great new year! It was a busy week. It is always nice to get back into our routine.  They were all happy to see each other on Monday. Vacation is wonderful, but it is always nice to see all the smiling faces!

I am sure you have heard all about our new reading groups. The students are all in a mixed group of third, fourth, and fifth graders! We are having a blast. It is so nice to see them so excited to go to their new group and come back with so much enthusiasm. I think this is going to be a great few weeks for all of us.

We have started writing our own books. Third graders are working on strong beginnings. We have done mini-lessons on word choice and homophones.  Next week we will make a list of "no excuse" words.  These are words that should always be spelled correct! Before each writing block we will do a mini-lesson to learn a writing skill to practice.

Third grade started a new science unit on inherited traits. We had fun making a graph that included all the common traits in our classroom.  Some of the traits we looked at were: eye color, curly/straight hair,

bump on your nose/no bump, detached earlobes/attached, freckles, hair color, etc. 

We are very excited to have Miss Cloutier in our room for the next few months.

Here is her introduction:

Dear Parents / Guardians,

Hello! My name is Emberly Cloutier and I will be working as a student teacher for the next four months in your child's classroom. I received a 100-hour field experience placement in Mrs. Humphrey’s class this past fall and was delighted to be invited back to complete my student teaching this spring. 

I am currently a senior student at the University of Maine working to complete my eighth and final semester.  I have spent my undergraduate career studying elementary education, with focuses in mathematics and French.  I have had experiences working with grades PreK-3 throughout my college career and also volunteered as a tutor for 7th grade reading and math.  In my free time, I love to read, travel, embrace the outdoors, and spend time with my friends and family!

During my stay in at Veazie Community School, I will be continuing my work with students in hopes of bettering my own abilities as an educator. I am excited to have the chance to create and lead some of my own lessons as well as work right alongside Mrs. Humphrey in class.  

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.  I can be reached via email at emberly.cloutier@umit.maine.edu.  I look forward to continuing getting to know all of the student and creating a wonderful third grade experience for them!

Sincerely,

Miss. Emberly Cloutier

I think Miss Cloutier will add a lot to our classroom. I am happy to have her working with me and your children!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Holly