9/30/21

   Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/30/21

Math

Third grade students are preparing to take the Topic 2 math assessment. This test will cover the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10 when multiplying. Students will have a test on Friday, October 1st.

Reading/Language Arts

This week third grade is reading the biography "Roberto Clemente-Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirate" by Jonah Winter. Students read about the triumphs and struggles of the baseball player Roberto Clemente. The comprehension skill covered cause and effect. The vocabulary strategy covered the prefix of mis-. Students worked on singular and plural nouns at the grammar skill.  The phonics skill focused on word with long i.

The results of the lesson 4 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder. These are yours to keep.

Next week, the third grade students will be taking the Unit 1 Benchmark Assessment. This will be taken over a couple of days. The class will not be moving ahead in the reading series.

Science

The third grade class is learning about force. Students learned about push and pulls, strong and weak forces, and directions of pushes and pulls.

October Book Order

The October book order is ready for viewing. All orders will be placed online paying with a credit card. The October order is due by Friday, October 8th. The Scholastic book order is a great way to add books to your child's library at an affordable price. Please use the following link to browse and order books.   https://clubs.scholastic.com/grade3

Reading Incentive Program

Third grade will be participating in a reading incentive program during the months of October through March. Students are asked to keep track of the "free" or "leisure" reading. There are books read outside of educational reading for school.  A note and October calendar have been included in the take home folder explaining how the program works. During the months of October, November, and December, the reading goal is 400 minutes total. The reading goal increases in January, February, and March to 500 minutes total. If the student meets the goal for the month, he/she will be given an incentive of a gift certificate for Pizza Ranch in Creston or Pizza Hut in Osceola or Winterset. There will also be an award for the student who reads the most minutes each month. Please return the calendar each month even if your child doesn't meet the goal. There is an award at the end of the program for the two students who read the most minutes in all six months. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates

Friday, October 8th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 8th-3 Hour Early Dismissal (Homecoming)

Wednesday, October 13th-3rd Grade Leads the Mass

Thursday, October 21st-PTO Meeting

Friday, October 22nd-Spirit Day $1

Thursday, October 28th-3 Hour Early Dismissal

Thursday, October 28th-Parent/Teacher Conferences

9/24/21

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/24/21

Science

Third grade students will have a test covering scientists on Thursday, September 23rd.

The next topic that third grade will learning about is force and motion.

Math

Third grade students have been introduced to the factors of 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10. Students need to be practicing the basic facts at home to improve fluency. The class has watched videos and played games to help learn the factors taught so far.

Reading/Language Arts

This week third grade read the historical fiction story called "Pop's Bridge" by Eve Bunting. Pop's Bridge is a story about two boys named Robert and Charlie. Not only are they friends, but their dads work together, too. They have a very important job, to build the Golden Gate Bridge. Robert believe his pop has the most important job to do on the bridge. He is a skywalker, while Charlie's dad is a painter. One day, as the boys watch the bridge construction, a terrible accident happens and twelve men plummet into the water below. Robert then thinks about how this could have happened to his or Charlie's dad. He realizes that he was wrong in the beginning. The job is dangerous for all workers, and each role is equally important. The comprehension skill covered compare and contrast. The vocabulary skill focused on word families. Students worked on common and proper nouns as the grammar skill. The phonics skill focused on long o sound.

The lesson 3 weekly assessment results have been included in take home folder.

FAST Testing

The results of the reading section of the fall FAST screening have been included in the take home folder. These results are yours to keep. If a student is not at the goal, he/she will receive an intervention designed to help the student.

Dress Code

As the weather gets colder, just a reminder that if wearing leggings, the skirt, dress, or shirt must extend to at least mid-thigh. This rule is included in the dress code posted on the school's website.

Important Dates

Friday, September 24th-NO SCHOOL

Friday, October 8th-Spirit Day $1

Friday, October 8th-3 Hour Early Dismissal (Homecoming)

Wednesday, October 13th-3rd Grade Leads the Mass

9/16/21

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/16/21

Math

Topic 2 in math will focus on the learning the multiplication facts using patterns. The students have worked on the factors of 2, 5, 9, and 10. Please practice solving multiplication equations. Strategies for each factor have been discussed. Skip counting and repeated addition are ways to solve multiplication problems. When multiplying by two, the product is always even. When multiplying by five, the ones digit is always a 0 or 5 of the product. When multiplying by nine, the two digits of the product always add up to 9. The hands trick was also taught to the students for the factor of nine.  Click on the link to watch the video explaining the trick.  Finger Trick for Nines  Please practice the multiplication facts at home.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class is reading the realistic fiction story "Destiny's Gift by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley.  In this selection, Destiny learns that Mrs. Wade may have to close her bookstore because the landlord is raising her rent. This saddens Destiny since it is her favorite place to spend time. In an effort to help save the bookstore, the community volunteers to help out by planning a block party and raising awareness by contacting newspapers and TV stations. Destiny also gives Mrs. Wade a gift of her words that she treasures. The comprehension skill covered understanding characters. Students worked on figuring our antonyms in context as the vocabulary strategy. The grammar skill focused on compound sentences. Students also worked on long vowel pairs (ai, ay, ea, and ee).

The lesson 2 weekly assessment results have been included in the take home folder.

Science

The class continue to learn about scientists. Students have learned about Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, and Dian Fossey. There will be a test over the scientists next week.

Important Dates

Thursday, September 16th-PTO Meeting 6 PM

Saturday, September 18th-Holy Spirit Block Party 3 PM

Friday, September 24th-NO SCHOOL (Professional Development)

Friday, October 8th Spirit Day

9/9/21

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/9/21

Science

Students continue to learn about scientists. In addition to learning about Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, the students have learned about Galileo Galilee and Isaac Newton.

Math

The class has been working on the process of division. Students have been finding the number in each group or the number of groups.  Also, students continue to practice the process of multiplication. The topic 1 assessment will be on Thursday, September 9th.

Reading/Language Arts

This week the third grade class read the story "The Trial of Cardigan Jones" by Tim Egan. In  this fantasy selection a moose is suspected of stealing a neighbor's pie. The moose is arrested and has to go to trial.  Everyone thinks the moose is guilty based upon drawing conclusions except the judge who needs to see evidence. The comprehension skill focused on drawing conclusions. Students worked on identifying types of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory). The phonics skill covered long vowels. The students worked on using a dictionary as a vocabulary strategy. 

The results of the lesson 1 weekly assessment have been included in the take home folder. These results are for parents to keep. Each skill on the assessment form was discussed and practiced during the week.

Spirit Day

Friday, September  10th is a Spirit Day. Since the weather still remains warm, students may pay $1 to wear a hat. Students are also asked to wear Hawkeye or Cyclone gear to celebrate the game on Saturday.

FAST Testing

One of the ways St. Malachy uses to access students in the areas of reading and math are by using FAST testing. Students are screened 3 times a year (fall, winter, and spring). When students do not meet the goal, then interventions are planned accordingly. The fall screening will take place next week. All students will take four tests, with two of them them being in reading and two of them in math. Data will be shared with parents once all the screenings have been completed and the data has been analyzed.

Important Dates

Friday, September 10th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, September 13th-FAST Testing Begins

Thursday, September 16th-PTO Meeting @ 6PM

Friday, September 24th-NO SCHOOL (Professional Development)

9/2/21

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

9/2/21

Reading/Language Arts

This week third grade read the humorous fiction story "A Fine, Fine School by Sharon Creech. In this story Mr. Keene, the principal, loves his school so much he wants more and more school. First on Saturdays, then on Sundays, then on holidays, then in the summer. The students and teachers do not want to go to school on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or in the summer, but no one knows how to tell Mr. Keene that. He is so proud of the students and the teachers. This is also the story of Tillie, a young girl who attends this fine, fine, school. It is up to Tillie to show Mr. Keene that even though this school is a fine one, it is not fine to be there all the time. The comprehension skill focused on story structure (characters, setting, and plot). Students worked on short vowels and dividing words into syllables that follow the VCCV pattern as the phonics skill. The vocabulary skill covered context clues. The grammar skill had students identifying subjects and predicates in simple sentences.

Science

The third grade class has been learning about scientists who have made contributions. Students have students have learned about Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.

Math

The class has been learning about the process of multiplication. Students are learning how multiplication and addition are related, solved multiplication problems using a number line, and made arrays to represent multiplication equations. The Commutative (order) Property of Multiplication was introduced to the third graders. (5x4=20, 4x5=20)

Students also learned about the process of division and how many in each group. and how many equal groups.

Book Order

An email was sent out earlier this week containing information about order books from Scholastic. All orders this year will be done online so parents can use a debit/credit card. This month's order is due by Friday, September 10th. The Scholastic book order is an affordable way to build your child's home library. Here is the link to order. Scholastic Book Order

Name Interview

In our class meeting this week, we discussed the importance of our names. Each student brought home a "Name Interview" form. Students are asked to interview his/her parents on how he/she got their name. Please return the form to school by Tuesday, September 7th. Students will share at the next class meeting.

Important Dates

Thursday, September 2-Picture Day

Monday, September 6th-NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Friday, September 10th-Spirit Day $1

Monday, September 13th-Friday, September 17th-FAST Testing

Thursday, September 16th-PTO Meeting 6 pm