March 27th - 31st
Spring Break Vacation- NO SCHOOL
Monday, April 3rd- Puffins to Forest Grove Public Library 2pm-3pm
Students may return books from our last visit, just bring them to school in a tote bag.
Chaperones Welcome! We will be visiting the children's department and can always use parent volunteers to walk with us, encourage our kiddos to make smart choices, and to help kids find and check out books. If you would like to join us, simply meet us in the classroom at 1:55pm after checking in with the school office.
Math Homework
For the upcoming week, focus on these Apply homework pages:
For 4th graders:
4th graders should be working up to lesson 10 in the new Module 4 workbook.
Also, 4th graders should check that all lessons are finished up in their module 3 workbook.
For 3rd graders:
3rd graders should be working up to lesson 20 in their Module 3 workbook.
Also, 3rd graders should check that all lessons are finished up in their module 2 workbook.
Also strongly recommended: daily practice with multiplication facts for 2-10's
Check out these multiplication fact practice apps:Looking for more? Check out lessons on Khan Academy.
What's happening in the Puffin Nest:
Our new StoryPath unit:
Main Street: Understanding Goods and Services.
Over the next 2 months, students will explore community collaboration and civics, the path of goods and services, and natural resource management by creating a business and addressing problems within the business community.
Episode 3:
Understanding the Marketplace (and considering sustainable goods/services)
This week, we finished up episode 3. After creating a visual display of goods/services offered, students wrote about what makes their business special. They considered:
- What goods and/or services should my business provide?
- How should my business make the goods or provide the services?
- Why would customers want to come to my business?
- Who will buy my goods or use my services?
In our project work, we are learning about natural resources and how they are used to make the goods and services found in our local business community. We will be thinking about how the things we BUY and USE may one day end up as garbage. We know that responsible recycling is an important part of RE-using resources to make our planet more sustainable. At our All School Meeting on Friday, the Puffins Presented: The Adventures of “Ali” the Aluminum Can!
Out & About
On Wednesday, students took a deep dive into trash - literally! For our Out & About, we bravely donned gloves and conducted a (slightly stinky) waste audit of schoolwide classroom trash. After we sorted trash into categories, students took measurements, made observations and identified some problems. Why do we throw out so many single serving food wrappers? How might we do a better job recycling paper? We'll continue to brainstorm solutions to these tough problems! Need some fun over spring break? Try doing a waste audit at home!
Read Aloud
We are enjoying the genre of Mystery!
The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch.
This is a story about two young, adventurous detectives, who accidentally stumble upon a mystery surrounding a magician's diary. This is a fun read, filled with word games, and featuring a mysterious narrator.
Our kiddos are considering clues and suspects, making predictions, asking questions and solving puzzles.
Opinion Writing
This week, we continued our opinion writing unit by selecting a compelling topic, planning, organizing and drafting.
Our opinion writing skills focus will include:
- Introducing a topic, “hooking” the reader, and stating an opinion
- Supporting point of view with reasons and details
- Ending with a concluding statement
- Transitions, writing conventions, word choice and cohesive ideas
Social Emotional Learning
This week, we continued to discuss the importance of being mindful of our thoughts, words and actions. We considered how our habits play a role in shaping our character. We thought about our daily habits surrounding our FGCS Citizenship, Scholarship and Stewardship goals. We want to strengthen the habits that serve us:
- caring for ourselves and others in our community (kind words and actions, flexible respectful collaboration, active listening)
- caring about our learning (active participation, doing our best, trying new things, growth mindset)
- caring about our place and tools (taking time to care for our materials and space)
Inclusive Community Read Aloud:
March: Women's History Month
Through these read-alouds, we learn about and celebrate diversity in our community.
She Persisted
Bold and Brave
Women in Science
Tower of Books Challenge
The Tower of Books is an optional at-home independent reading challenge designed to support your child's daily reading habits. We ask that all of our level 2 kiddos engage in 20 minutes of reading outside of school time each day. Our kiddos brought home their paper "Tower of Books" backgrounds and book spine labels at fall conferences.
To meet the challenge, students must write down the name and category for each book they finish on a paper book "spine" and add it to their tower. The goal is 30 books! Consider an incentive for every tenth book your child reads (like picking family dinner or movie night). We have a special V.I.P celebration and award for any students who are able to complete the challenge before the last day of school this year. Please support your child in working on their tower and in helping them to be accountable with finishing a book "cover-to-cover" by discussing the book with them when they finish.