Fair Shares!

Dear Family,

Our class is starting a unit on fractions, called Fair Shares. Your child will be using fractions to make "fair shares" of things like paper "brownies" and pattern-block "cookies."

By working with these materials, your child will learn about how "wholes" come apart into fractions and how fractions fit together as wholes. We'll talk about which of two shares is larger and which fractions are really the same (for example, 1/3 is the same as 2/6).

Here are some ways you can help at home:

* When your family really is sharing food, talk about "fair shares" and help your child name fractions. If you want to split the pizza among five people, how can you split it fairly? How much does each person get?

*Cooking is another great way to learn about fractions. How can we measure 3/4 cup? Look together at how the fractions appear on a measuring cup. Doubling recipes, or cutting them in half, can help your child understand how to make new numbers with fractions.


Throughout the unit, please look over your child's homework. Ask about the fraction work the class is doing, and encourage your child to explain some of the problems to you. The purpose of this unit is for students to visualize and compare fractions, to find different combinations of fractions to make a whole, to learn which common fractions are equivalent, and to begin to use fractions to solve problems like this one:

Six people at a party shared all the cookies evenly. Each person ate 1 and 1/3 cookies. How many cookies did they eat!?

Thank you for your support and interest in your child's mathematics.

Allen Say Author Study

We have been studying the children's literature author, Allen Say for the past few weeks. We have been learning about Japanese culture and traditions. Some of his books also discuss how people in both Japan and America were affected during World War II. Students have been very intrigued by the topics! So far we have found the majority of books by Allan Say have common themes as we are learning how to compare and contrast each story.

Throughout our Author Study, we have been making predictions, inferring and learning how to summarize the books we are reading. Students each have their own "Attributes Charts" to record the genre of each story, characters, interesting words/phrases, connections, questions and themes. We are also working on writing "Responses to Literature" about his books for Writer's Workshop. During this process, students are learning valuable "FCAT" test-taking skills including interpreting higher level text with figurative language, challenging vocabulary and "diving back in for supporting details" when answering comprehension questions.

Check out websites related to Allen Say at:

• His Official Publisher’s Website: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allensay/


• Interview with Allen Say: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/say.htm
  
• Allan Say Webcast: http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3505

FCAT Snacks Requested

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Wow! This year is flying by so quickly! We are starting to focus on FCAT Test-taking strategies in class. As a reminder, testing will begin on Monday, April 11th and last thru Thursday, April 14th. It is very important that your child is here every day before the test for review!

In addition, I know how important it is to create a comfortable environment for students. I would like to have special snacks for the students to enjoy each morning before/ after testing. I will be here early morning on testing days to serve breakfast. The following is a list of suggested healthy snacks that can be donated. Please keep in mind that we currently have 20 students in our classroom. Thank you for any help you may be able to provide!

Healthy Snacks:
· Juice boxes (no sugar added)
· Applesauce/ Fruit cups
· “Gogurt” (Yogurt packages)
· Cereal/ Granola/ “Chewy” bars
· Carrots
· Bananas
· Muffins
· Trail mix
· Pretzels
· Crackers (Cheese or peanut butter)
· Cheerios/ dried cereals
· Raisins
· “100 Calorie” Snack packs
· Celery with peanut butter

Other suggested items:
· Mini Kleenex packages
· Fresh fruit
· Pancake mix/ Syrup
· Canned Biscuits/ Jelly
· Any other “breakfast” items for before the test!

FCAT Update

Dear Parents,

A letter was sent home last week about FCAT with useful websites and information. Here is a copy of what you need to know...

Third Grade FCAT TEST DATES:

• Monday, April 11th- Tuesday, April 12th: Reading


• Wednesday April 13th- Thursday, April 14th: Math

Beginning in the 2010-2011 school year, there will be several changes to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This change occurred in response to what are called the “Next Generation Sunshine State Standards or NGSS that were adopted state-wide in 2007.

Online Resources:
o https://app1.fldoe.org/SuccessMeasures/Default.aspx
“The Success Measures application allows users to learn about the Florida standards, also referred to as the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, and the specific assessments that will be testing that particular standard. Please choose the anticipated school year, along with the grade level and the courses you wish to research. The results will display when you select ‘Go.’”

o http://www.floridastandards.org/homepage/index.aspx
This webpage provides detailed information on each standard and benchmark tested in each subject and grade level. The “standards” tab will explain each standard and benchmark, while the “resource” tab give examples of lessons/activities for particular grade levels and subjects.

o http://fcat.fldoe.org/fcat2/
This webpage provides a general overview explaining reasons behind the changes for the 2010-2011 school year. A link titled “Test Item Specifications” gives detailed examples of what questions will look like. Another link, titled “Sample Questions and Answer Key Booklets” provides a sample FCAT for your student.

Before The Test:

1.Make sure your child attends school regularly. Remember that tests reflect the overall achievement of your child. The more often the child is in a learning situation, the more likely he/she will do well on tests.

2. Give your child encouragement. Praise him/her for the things done well throughout the year. A child who is afraid of failing is more likely to make a mistake.

3. See that your child has a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.

4. See that your child completes homework assignments. Homework supports classroom instruction and can help your child increase his/her comprehension of the classroom work.

5. Meet with your child’s teacher(s) as often as possible to discuss your child’s progress. Parents and teachers should work together to benefit the child.

6. Ask the teacher(s) to suggest activities for you to do at home with your child. Such activities can help your child improve his/her understanding of school work.

7. Make sure your child is well rested on school days. Children who are tired are less likely to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of class work and tests.

8. Try not to be overly anxious about test scores. Too much emphasis on test scores can be upsetting to children.

Valentine's Day

Just a reminder, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 14th if you wish to send in Valentine’s or treats for the class. Here is a current list of our students:

1. Katie
2. Daniel
3. Carlee
4. Janae
5. Reagan
6. Tyler
7. Sonny
8. Melvin
9. Mason
10. Julianna
11. Carter
12. Adrienne
13. David
14. Denaysia
15. Jesus
16. Michael
17. Sole’
18. Sophie
19. Anthony
20. William

Hope you enjoy the Valentine's Dance tonight! It will take place from 6:00-8:00 p.m.