What's Happening This Week...

Please come to Open House....Seriously, you can't resist me.

Reminder: OPEN HOUSE, Thursday night at 6:30 PM  There are two sessions so you can visit both Mrs. Allison's and my class (6:30-7:15 and 7:15-8:00).

On Wednesday, August 28, the students will take the IOWA test.  This is a standardized test that I will be using as a diagnostic tool to pinpoint your child's strengths and weaknesses.  The district Curriculum Guide Baseline Test will also be given between Friday and next Wednesday (the schedule is still being finalized.

I am also pleased to announce that my intern from UNF, Mr. Griffin, will be joining our class on Wednesday, August 28.

Our PTA fundraiser kick-off is Thursday, August 29.  Be on the lookout for those catalogs!

Our first spelling test will be Friday, August 30.

There will be no school on Monday, September 2 (Labor Day)

I think I got everything,  somewhere in there I plan on teaching a few things too :)

Have a great rest of the week,
Mr. Nix

Working on Character

     One of the target skills we have worked on this week has been the character element of plot.  Whenever a reader makes judgments about a character in a story they are making an inference, which as an informed guess based on evidence presented in the text.   Making inferences within reading comprehension is one of the big differences between third grade reading and what students have learned in K-2nd grade.

    When we infer about a character we look at evidence of the following:

• What the character says
• What the character does
• What the character thinks
• How the character treats and speaks to others

     One of the examples we discussed on Monday was Lucy Van Pelt from the Charlie Brown comics.

Lucy calls Charlie Brown a blockhead (what she says).  Lucy pulls the football away every time Charlie Brown tries to kick it (what she does).  The actions Lucy does reflects on how she treats Charlie Brown.  So I can infer that Lucy is sometimes mean and insensitive.

Why does he trust her???

     As you read stories or watch TV shows, discuss a characters actions and behaviors, and then make a judgment about the character.  Its a fun way to practice the skill!

Spelling Words, Week of 8/26/13

SPELLING LIST

WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2013

1. mix

2. milk

3. smell

4. last

5. head

6. friend

7. class

8. left

9. thick

10. send

11. thin

12. stick

13. test

14. dish

15. empty

16. glance

SPELLING PACKET DUE: 8/30/13

SPELLING TEST: 8/30/13

DIRECTIONS

1. Write each word 5 times

2. Place the words in ABC order

3. Pick ten words.  Use each word in a separate sentence for a total of 10 sentences.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Working on Story Structure

On Tuesday the class began its study or story structure (also known as plot).  Just like the walls of a house provide structure, all good literature has a structure.  The four major elements of story structure we are studying are:

• Setting-Where the story takes place?
• Character-Who is the story about?
• Problem-What major problem does our character(s) face?
• Solution-How did the character(s) solve the problem?

We started our story reading one of my favorite childhood stories, The Story of Ferdinand.  In the story Ferdinand the Bull is accidentally picked to go to the bullfights in Madrid.  Ferdinand, being a peaceful bull doesn't want to fight.  The students and I then identified the story elements together using a strategy called "story mapping".

Next, the students read a story on their own, The Dragon of Krakow.  They then completed a story map on their own.  With that activity I will be able to assess our next steps as we learn more about story structure.

Keep reading :)

Mr. Nix