3/27/25

 Burg's Buzz

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

2/27/25

Reading/Language Arts

This week in third grade, the class is reading One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul. In this biography, students learn about Isatou Ceesay from Gambia, Africa. As a child, she begins to see all of the plastic that is creating piles of trash in her village. It's not until Isatou is an adult that she comes up with a plan to reuse the plastic bags to make purses to sell in the city. This also helps clean up the village she has lived in. The comprehension skills include making inferences and understanding the text structure. Students are working on irregular plurals as the decoding skill. The grammar skill introduces students to adverbs. The vocabulary strategy will cover the suffixes of -ness and -able.

Due to Reconciliation and the field trip to the public library earlier this week, the class has not covered all of the work that needs to be done. The spelling post-test and weekly reading assessments will not occur until Monday, March 31st. The rest of next week will be spent completing the ISASP practice tests.

Science

Each student has started researching their topic for their research paper.

Math

The next topic in math will cover two-dimensional shapes. Students will learn about the different types of quadrilaterals. The vocabulary that will be introduced includes polygon, vertex, concave, convex, angles, parallel, perpendicular, trapezoid, parallelogram, rectangle, rhombus, and square.

Reading Calendars

March calendars are due back to school on Tuesday, April 1st. No more calendars will come home with the students, but still continue to have your child reading at home

ISASP Testing

The Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress are assessments aligned with the Iowa Core standards that provide a clear picture of student learning outcomes. Students in grades third through eighth will be taking these assessments during the week of April 7th. Next week the students in third grade will be taking practice tests to prepare for these assessments.

Students need to be encouraged to put forth their best effort when completing these tests. Included in the take home folder is a note card and an envelope. Please write an encouraging and motivational note to your child on the note card. The note card should then be sealed in the envelope. Please write your child's name on the front and decorate it. Send the sealed envelope back to school with your child. I will give the students their note prior to beginning the testing. Please have them returned back to school by Friday, April 4th.

 

Biography Project/Presentation

The biography book report information is coming home with your child today. All of the information has been explained to your child. The entire project is due back to school on Friday, May 2nd. The Biography Bash is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6th, at 2:00 PM.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important Dates

Monday, March 31st-"Donut" Stop Reading Party-2 PM

Thursday, April 3rd-2nd, 3rd, 4th Grade Field Trip

Friday, April 4th-Spirit Day $1

Week of Monday, April 7th-ISASP Testing

3/20/25

 Burg's Buzz

3/20/25

nburg@crestonstmalachy.org

Science

The class has been learning the difference between weather and climate.

Next week, the class will begin their research on a weather topic.

Reading/Language Arts

The 3rd grade class has started Module 7. The next three stories will focus on how individuals are making a difference in the world. This week's story was called Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. In this biography, students learn about how Will Allen grew up, went on to play basketball in college, and moved to Belgium to play professionally.  Upon returning back to the United States, Will worked in a white collared job but realized he enjoyed being in the dirt and wanted to provide fruits and vegetables to people in the city. He bought six abandoned greenhouses, figured out how to use waste to make compost to turn into good soil, hung baskets from the ceiling, grew plants in buckets and on crowded shelves, then began adding goats, chickens, and bees. His farm in the inner city became known as "Growing Power." The comprehension skills covered include making and confirming predictions, the author's purpose, text structure, and point of view. The decoding skill focused on compound words and abbreviations. Students also worked on the suffix on -ion. The grammar skill covered irregular verbs.

The results of the Module 6 assessments have been included in the take home folder.

Math

The class has worked on different types of measurement. Students worked with gallons, quarts, pints, and cups. The class also worked on finding the mass of an object using grams and kilograms. The class has begun reviewing skills for the topic 14 assessment.

Field Trips

There are two upcoming field trips planned for the third grade students. First, on Wednesday, March 26th, the class will visit Gibson Memorial Public Library. The plan is to take the trolley arriving at the library around 1 PM and returning around 2:30 PM. 

The second field trip is scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd. The students in second, third, and fourth grade will be going to the Des Moines Art Center and JJ Gaffers for an art exploration experience. The bus will leave STM at 8:30 AM and return back by 3:00 PM. Students will need to bring a sack lunch. There is no cost for this. Expenses are being paid for by the Conover Grant.

Please return both permission slips back to school.

Donut Stop Reading Party

To end National Reading Month, there will be a party on Monday, March 31st at 2:00 PM in the third grade classroom. Each student is allowed to invite one adult guest to the party. The students will perform several reader's theater scripts, then enjoy a donut and share reading together with their guest. A note has been included in the take home folder about who will be attending the party with your child.

Important Dates

Friday, March 21st-Spirit Day $1

Monday, March 24th-Reconciliation

Wednesday, March 26th-Noisy Change Collection

Wednesday, March 26th-Public Library Field Trip

Monday, March 31st-Donut Stop Reading 2 PM

Thursday, April 3rd-Des Moines Art Center Field Trip

Friday, April 4th-Spirit Day $1