Happy Halloween!

We had so much fun celebrating Halloween together today!  Thanks to all families who brought snacks, paper goods, and themselves.  We had a blast!

Shannon Hunger snapped some pictures for us to enjoy if you couldn't make it to the parade.  Thanks, Shannon!



Lemme Staff as 101 Dalmations!

 A few quick notes: 

*Students are getting used to filling out their planners at the end of each day and seem to really be enjoying this sense of responsibility! 

*October reading logs are due this Friday.  Your child should be reading an average of at least 10 minutes a day and writing the book titles on their sheet.  Parents are expected to sign the calendar at the end of the month.  A November reading log will be sent home tomorrow.  Thanks for your help in supporting the importance of reading!

*Unit 3 math assessments and Profile of Progress sheets will be sent home on Friday.  Please look it over, sign the form, and send the packet back with your child on Monday. 

Have a great night!
Mrs. Johnsen

A few quick notes: 

*Students are getting used to filling out their planners at the end of each day and seem to really be enjoying this sense of responsibility! 

*October reading logs are due this Friday.  Your child should be reading an average of at least 10 minutes a day and recording the book titles on their sheet.  Parents are expected to sign the calendar at the end of the month.  A November reading log will be sent home tomorrow.  Thanks for your help in supporting the importance of reading!

*Unit 3 math assessments and Profile of Progress sheets will be sent home on Friday.  Please look them over, sign the form, and send the packet back with your child on Monday. 

Have a great night!
Mrs. Johnsen
johnsen.jill@iccsd.k12.ia.us

Happy Monday!  It's so nice to be back to our normal schedule now that the Iowa Assessments are over.  The kids did a wonderful job hangin' in there during our week of testing.  Thanks, again, for all of the donations of gum, mints, and healthy snacks! 

Quick Curriculum Updates:

Reading:  Our main selection this week is called Kamishibai Man by Allen Say.  We are using this text, along with our small group books, to determine cause and effect relationships. 

Spelling:  Our pattern this week is spelling the ow and ou diphthongs in words such as "clown" and "proud". 

Grammar:  This week's grammar lessons focus on finding the simple subjects (nouns) and simple predicates (verbs) in sentences. 

Writing:  Students will be writing opinion response paragraphs to literature. 

Science:  We completed our Electric Circuits science unit today by taking the assessment.  On Friday, students shared the flashlights they built with their groups.  Check out the awesome pictures below!

Math:  Students are continuing their work on measurement and perimeter.  We have been measuring to the nearest inch, half-inch, centimeter, and half-centimeter.  Reinforcing these skills at home can be very beneficial.  This week's lessons will involve using number models to find the area of rectangles. 

A few important notes:

*Beginning today, October 22nd, your child will be coming home with a daily planner.  We feel, as a team, that these planners will help students become more organized and help them to gain more responsibility. We plan on taking the last five minutes of the day to fill out our planners together.  Students will record the homework they have each day and leave the subjects in which there is no homework blank.  It is important to note that we are NOT asking parents to sign these every night.  The goal will be that if an assignment is missing, your child will highlight the assignment in their planner and only then will they need to get a parent signature so you are aware that work has been missed.  We are all so excited about this new communication tool!

*Parent-teacher conferences are coming soon!  In your child's Leopard Book, there is a brief parent survey.  This is an opportunity for you to share any concerns or topics you would like to discuss prior to our meeting together.  I look forward to seeing all of you in the upcoming weeks! 

Have a fabulous week! 
Mrs. Johnsen
johnsen.jill@iccsd.k12.ia.us

We Made It!

Hello Parents! 

Congratulations!  Your child officially made it through his/her first day of the Iowa Assessments!  Today we completed the Vocabulary and Written Expression tests.  Tomorrow and Wednesday will be Reading Parts 1 and 2 and Mathematics Parts 1 and 2 (aka "The Big Ones").  We will finish up the week with Computation, Science, Social Studies, Capitalization, and Spelling. Thanks to those parents who signed up for and/or sent in snacks for the kids this week!  Here are a few good habits to share with your child, whether it's during testing week or any other normal school day:

1.  Get plenty of rest.
2.  Eat healthy, including a well-balanced breakfast (I had one student today tell me she loves Iowa Assessments because she got scrambled eggs for breakfast!).
3.  Stay hydrated.  Drinking plenty of water helps flush toxins out of the system.
4.  Arrive at school on time.  Preparing for school the night before can help get the day started well.
5.  Maintain a positive attitude.  Focus on what went well.  If students believe they'll do well, they're more likely to succeed.

These children continue to amaze me with their eagerness, enthusiasm, and positivity every day, even during test-taking time.  :)

A few quick (but important) notes: 

*Students should have brought home a reading log in their Leopard Book on Friday.  We would like students to read at least 50 minutes a week or 100 minutes for the rest of the month of October.  We will gradually increase the minutes throughout the year.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call or email.

*Please sign and return the Everyday Mathematics Unit 2 Progress Check if you have not already done so.  I use this as important data to help drive future instruction.

*Your child will bring home a conference confirmation form tomorrow.  Please sign and return this as well.

*There is no spelling this week due to the Iowa Assessments.

*Students will have their Electric Circuits science test next Monday, October 12.  Study sheets, science composition notebooks, and science folders will come home on Friday to help them prepare.

Have a great evening! 

Mrs. Johnsen
johnsen.jill@iccsd.k12.ia.us

Hello 3rd grade families!  Our week is off to a great start!  Here are a few updates on what we have been working on in class:

Reading:  Our main selection this week is a traditional tale called The Harvest Birds.  Students are using this story, as well as our small group books, to practice the comprehension strategies of predicting and inferring.  They have also been using Conclusion Maps to help organize their thoughts and draw conclusions from the texts. 

Spelling:  This week's spelling words focus on unexpected consonants.  Students are practicing spelling the /r/ sound with a wr, the /n/ sound with a kn, and the /ch/ sound with a tch.  Please encourage your child to practice his/her spelling words throughout the week.

Grammar:  We are practicing incorporating commas into a series of nouns and a series of verbs.  A sample sentence would be, "Mrs. Johnsen loves to teach, bake, and read."

Writing:  Students have been working toward producing brief summary paragraphs of texts in their own words.

Math:  Unit 3 will begin tomorrow with homeroom teachers.  The focus of this unit is on measurement.  All students should have brought home a Unit 3 Parent Letter. 

Science:  We are LOVING our Electric Circuits science unit!  This week, students will be exploring the "secret language" of electricians.  They will also be building different types of circuits and comparing them based on the brightness of the bulb and the length of time the bulb will light.  They will also be learning how to make switches to turn their circuits on and off!  Ask your child for more details about our investigations!

I hope you have a great rest of the week.  As always, please feel free to contact me via email or phone with any questions/concerns.

Mrs. Johnsen
johnsen.jill@iccsd.k12.ia.us

Be Responsible!

Good evening!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and was able to enjoy the wonderful weather. 

We had such a busy week last week getting ourselves ready for the Responsibility Rap!  Our class, along with Mrs. Hynes' second graders, put on an outstanding performance on Friday morning for the school.  In addition to the performance, Mrs. Berry gave the students a mission for the upcoming weeks: to go out and find ways to demonstrate responsibility at school and at home.  I encourage all of you to have a conversation with your child about what responsibility could look like both in both of these settings. 
And now...check out our awesome rap stars (and giggle a bit at how much the teachers enjoy themselves as well)!  http://www.edline.net/pages/lemmeschool/News/Responsibility_Rap__

Quick Curriculum Update: 

Math:  Students are learning new methods for adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers.  We practiced the Partial-Sums addition method last week.  We are working on the Counting-Up and Trade-First methods for subtraction this week.  Students should be practicing their basic facts by using their triangle flashcards at least three times per week.

Reading/Language Arts:  We are focusing on using text and graphic features to help us analyze and evaluate pieces of literature this week during both large and small group reading.  Our phonics and spelling lessons are based on three-letter cluster words (scr-, str-, spr-, thr-).  Just a reminder...spelling lists go home every Monday and posttests are on Fridays.  The class will complete the Fall District Writing Assessment this week.

Science:  The Electric Circuits science unit is so much fun!  The students have been introduced to new materials to help them build circuits:  bulb sockets, battery holders, and Fahnstock clips.  They learned the steps to take for troubleshooting incomplete circuits.  Today, partners used circuit testers on a variety of items to identify whether they are conductors or insulators.  Ask your child for more details!

Have a great week! 
Thanks for all of your support at home!
Mrs. Johnsen