November 8,2011 home note

November 8, 2011

Dear Parents,
It was a scene to be treasured-as leaves whirled overhead, rolling third graders dotted the long hill behind Hooper Institute, their exuberant voices heard as they returned up the hill only to spin down once again! We enjoyed a fun day of learning at the Hooper Institute on Friday. Working with the tools and gadgets from another time in our region served as a valuable introduction to our history unit. I feel very fortunate to have such rich resources in our local area and to be able to share these experiences with such a dynamite group of children.
On Thursday we head to Grafton for a very full field trip: Nature Museum for slides and background information, next to historical Howeville site (a short drive from museum), and after lunch, a visit and guided tour of the Grafton Historical Society’s building. WE WILL DEPART AT 8:30 AND RETURN BY 2:30. As with our trip to Hooper, please help your child remember to dress for the weather- in layers and in practical outer wear, especially on the feet. We will be in the woods for about an hour. Also, no foods needing microwave please on this day. We will eat at the museum (outside if it is dry and warm enough). MANY THANKS! Our drivers/chaperones for 11/10/11 trip are: Laura, Michelle, and Ray.
On Tuesday we start Farmer Boy. Its setting allows for many opportunities to learn about a wide range of relevant topics (e.g. geography of United States, Industrial Revolution, Civil War, simple machines, immigration, artists and inventors of the 1800’s, etc.). It is a literature unit that will easily extend through January as we explore the rich subthemes of this book’s contents. This week we will begin to look at the landforms of northern New York and other eastern states, as well as start investigating the collection of artifacts available in the classroom and in the woods (e.g. stone structures).
The children have worked to generate focused topics for their next creative writing project, a personal narrative. They have started their first rough drafts this week. The careful selection of details and the use of available resources to revise “tired words” are two of many writing skills that will be emphasized during the early stages of this creative writing. In addition to spelling book activities, we also will review spelling skills introduced earlier (contractions and the doubling rule for adding suffixes).
In math we are measuring the lengths of many classroom objects, using U.S. customary units and metric units. These math activities will soon include applying the concepts of perimeter and area, and multiplication models to determine the latter when working with rectangular shapes. Please keep the facts review a constant because I am seeing positive results in children’s confidence and facility with computations during group lessons. Thank you for your invaluable support here.
Just a reminder that November is our month to collect for the Putney Food Shelf. If possible, please send in non-perishable items with your third grader. I will have a box ready! Finally, a school-wide community service and buddy activity is the gathering of harvest baskets to be delivered to Putney Food Shelf on the 16th of November. Third graders are expected to each bring in one can of cranberry sauce by November 14th. Again, many thanks.
Looking Ahead: Our visit to Thompson House is next Tuesday, 11/15. The children will provide a sharing of music. We are all set for drivers; thank you Ray, Michelle, and Kathleen.
I hope you are all enjoying this spectacular weather!

Best,
Linda