News and Notes
December 7, 2009
Third Grade
***
Dear Parents,
The following is the Owl Report Planner which was sent home on Friday. Your child has selected an owl to study and it is listed on his/her individual report form. Please note the dates the rough and final drafts are due. Your child also received an information page to begin learning about their owl. Remember, we are writing our own sentences from the information we find. Be sure to write a few sentences for prior knowledge before beginning the research process. Rough Draft due: this Friday December 11th Final Draft due: next Thursday Dec. 17th This should be a one page report...two pages at the most. The owl quilt patch is something students can do over the holiday vacation. They will receive their canvas square on Dec. 18th. We will put the quilt together after we return in January.
"Secret Someone"
The students asked if we could do a gift exchange this year. I generally have a week planned for "Secret Angels"...an opportunity to do mini anonymous "acts of kindness" daily. So, if your child would like to participate...we will have a week of "Secret Someone" Dec. 14 - 18. They will draw for their person on December 11th. "Acts of Kindness" might include a new pencil in their mailbox, or bringing in their backpack or lunch box if it is forgotten outside...asking their secret someone to join them in an outdoor game at recess. But, as I mentioned it is very difficult for third graders to keep a secret...so be nice to more than one person to keep them guessing ;-) We will reveal on Friday, Dec. 18th and share a gift (under $5 or homemade...Mmmm) that day. Your child should bring a wrapped gift with their name (ONLY) on it (From: Susan To: ??). That way it doesn't identify the student they have selected. It is a lot of fun and does add a nice feeling of caring before we head off for our holiday vacations.
Gingerbread Houses
We will be constructing our Multiplication Gingerbread Houses (Graham Crackers and Vanilla Frosting with small candies) on Thursday, December 17th. If they are solid, they can go home that day...or if needed, we will wrap them in Saran Wrap to "set" and take them home on Friday. We'll see how the kids feel about them. The list of ingredients will go home this week and your child will have selected something they think they can easily contribute. Friday will be a busy day that week, so we are not planning a regular Christmas "goodie" party...probably a day for a popcorn party & holiday movie to wind down after the gift exchange. Or if we continue to be hard workers and with a little bit of luck a "pizza party"...but we have to keep ahead of the first grade with our canned goods donations. Our bucket was slight this week...the grand total numbers will be announced on Monday for each class. We'll see. Our goal is for each child to bring in one more can or box of food. I think we have a good chance to win... Either way ;-), thank you for your generosity...it is a good feeling to provide for others.
Please send kids with jackets, hats and gloves this week...unless it rains...we plan to play outside. If it snows...we'll we be ready!
Stay warm!
Ms. Minsart & Class
Owl Report Planning Sheet
(this is basically a one or two page report)
Owl Choice_____________________________________________
Prior Knowledge: What I already know about this owl (before researching)
__________________________________________________________________
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What I want to learn:
Where does this owl live? (area in CA or US)
What does this owl eat?
What does this owl look like? (describe colors & size, weight, etc.)
Does this owl have enemies? or...Describe a food chain for your owl (begin with plants)
How does this owl make a home or nest?
How does this owl raise its young?
Other interesting things I learned about this owl...(you may want to list a few)
1. Write each question on a blank sheet of paper or card and take notes as you read books or online about your owl.
2. Then, write each fact in a complete sentence. Each question should give you enough information to write a separate paragraph. Your question can be changed into your topic sentence. Example: What does this owl eat? The Barn Owl eats a variety of rodents and small birds. Some of these are....
3. Organize your paragraphs by numbering them for an order you like.
4. This will now be your rough draft report. Have a parent or other adult read it over to check for complete sentences. This rough draft is due: Friday, December 11
5. Rewrite or type your corrected rough draft then illustrate or find a photo online to share with the class. This final draft is due: Thursday, December 17
6. Design your owl patch for our class patchwork quilt. Draw or design (with cut out paper, etc.) how you want to illustrate your owl patch (rough draft on paper)
7. Over the holiday vacation you can turn your design into a fabric quilt patch decoration. The students have seen examples in class (stitching, fabric paint, fabric or felt pieces, etc.)
Be creative! We will sew together the quilt squares with other fabric into our own classroom quilt in January.
**Check our classroom Links Page for online “owl resources”...enature.com... a great one!**
List of Owls (choose one)
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl
Pygmy Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Spotted Owl
Boreal Owl
Long-eared Owl
Burrowing Owl
Short-eared Owl
Cactus Pygmy-Owl
Elf Owl
Snowy Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Flammulated Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Great Gray Owl
Whiskered Screech-Owl
(choose one)
Barred Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Northern Pgymy-Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Eagle Owl
Tawny Owl
Laughing Owl (extinct)
Thank you for your continued support and keeping our school needs in mind over the holidays,
Ms. Minsart & Class
msminsart@gmail.com
School information:
office phone: 275-5480
address: 14732 Bass Drive
Redding, CA 96003
Each child will have an opportunity to be our featured student for a week this year. They will decorate a pre-designed poster and share about themselves. We have started alphabetically and will continue until everyone has a turn. The posters will be returned to the child in case you choose to use photos...copies and drawings are fine, also!
Christmas performance, Dec. 10th 7:00 PM...please arrive at school by 6:45...K-2 performs at 6:00 PM before us.
Our class musical play, "Vacation on Mars"...Feb. 18th. (Please mark your calendar to attend at 6:30 PM)
Gem & Mineral Show (Anderson)... generally third Friday in May (TBA)
Driver forms: If interested, the forms are available in the office and a current copy of insurance and driver's license is required. You are also always invited to drive for your own child if insurance amount is not sufficient to transport other children.