Ms. Aldrich, Mrs. Criss and Ms. Clement

Important Dates & Reminders

• Monday, April 1st: Teacher Work Day - No School for Students
• Tuesday, April 2nd: Staff Development Day - No School for Students
• Wednesday, April 3rd: Beginning of Quarter 4
• Thursday, April 4th: Spring Pictures
• Wednesday, April 10th: Eid Holiday - No School
• Thursday, April 18th: Quarter 3 Report Cards go home
• Friday, April 19th: Bright Minds, Big City @ 5:30-7:00 PM

Language Arts 

What are we learning?

Reading Unit: Poetry

Students will be able to…

• Understand that responding to poetry through movement, speech, or art, furthers understanding and interpretation. 
• Understand that the meaning of a poem is constructed by the poet and the reader interacting with text. 
• Understand that poetic tools reveal images, evoke feelings, and produce sounds to create a message for the reader to interpret. 

Writing Unit: Poetry

Students will be able to… 

• Read a variety of poetry to gather ideas for their own poetry.
• Make decisions about which ideas they want to turn into poems.
• Decide how their poem will look on the page

We will begin our Testing as a Genre reading unit and Persuasive Reviews writing unit on Monday, April 15th

Home/School Connection

Poetry Questions to ask your student:

• What makes a poem?
• What does this poem reveal about the author/poet?
• How can we make poems come alive?
• What are you thinking about as you read?
• What are you picturing in your mind?
• What does the poet want you to believe? What do you think about that?
• What are you feeling?
• What messages and ideas are you trying to communicate?
• What poetic tools do you notice?
• What poetic tools are you using?
• How do the poetic tools contribute to the deeper meaning?

Books/Poems We’ll Be Reading:

Math What are we learning?

Math Unit: Fractions Pt. 2

Students will be able to…

• Solve practical problems that involve addition and subtraction with proper fractions having like denominators of 12 or less

We will begin our Multiplication and Division Part 3 Unit on Monday, April 15th

Home/School Connection

Things to do with your student:

• If student has access to the computer, have them practice on ST Math or Reflex
• Practice fact fluency with flashcards
• Use real life examples- cutting a pizza, cake, etc. 
  • “If I eat ¼ of the pizza, and you eat 2/4 of the pizza, how much did we eat altogether?

Science 

What are we learning?

We will begin our Simple Machines unit on May 13th

Social Studies 

What are we learning?

Social Studies Unit: Ancient Greece and Rome 
 

Students will be able to…

• Describe and evaluate how people in Ancient Greece and Rome adapted to their environment.
• Explain how the contributions of Ancient Greece and Rome continue to influence our world today.

AAP Corner 

What are we learning?

 Students will be able to understand that…

• A person’s culture and identity contributes to their perspective.
• A perspective forms based on interaction with a person, place, thing or idea. 
• A perspective may form on purpose or accidentally. (conscious or unconscious choice.) (with or without awareness) 
• A perspective may be self-discovered or developed.
• A perspective can change over time.
• A perspective can positively impact some people while negatively impacting others.

Specials:

What are we learning? &  Home/School Connections:

• Library: 
  • In April, we will have our Spring book fair! It will be from April 11-April 22. There will be evening hours during most days for families who would like to come after school.
  • 3rd grade students are continuing to research animals using multiple database sources and creating their own “Who Would Win?” books in Wixie. We will also reflect on ourselves as communicators.
• PE: 
  • Falcon Families, We hope your Spring Break was full of smiles and activity. As always, we are grateful to call you our co-teachers and appreciate the work you do with your student(s).
  • Upon returning from break, we always revisit routines and expectations until students are back in “school mode.” The next actual unit will be SOCCER! Students have been looking forward to this unit because it’s many peoples’ favorite and we can finally play more outside. Falcons are lucky because Mr. Bergin is a working Varsity Soccer Coach in the county; what a valuable resource! Students will learn basic skills, rules for the sport, and practice in small games. At the end of the month, we will transition to a two-week biking unit! Families can stay alert because we will be asking for volunteers to assist with this unit. Volunteer sign-up information will likely be shared in Thursday Folders and/or Talking Points. Until then, Happy Spring!
  • ❤ Mr. Bergin and Ms. Brod
• Music: 
  • Ms Shaw’s class is working on learning the notes of the staff and our next belt for the recorder Frog in the Middle.
  • Mr. Sawasky’s class:
    • All grades will continue our work on the frame drumming composition.  All students will know how to create their own rhythms and work on creating melodies.
    • We will practice singing the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” All students will express themselves through playing xylophones, frame drums and percussion instruments.
    • 3^rd and 4^th will be learning how to create a melody and will continue rhythm practice.
• Art: 
  • In the Forestdale art program, the primary goal is to create an environment in which every student feels confident, safe, and supported by Ms. Barrett and by the other students. The goal is that each student will reach a level of technical mastery and self-confidence that allows them to take risks with their own artwork and create work that they value.
  • In April,  all students will be creating clay art projects! 
  • 3rd graders will create clay bowls with lids that are shaped like a turtle or a bird. 
  • All students’ ceramic pieces are delightful.
  • Thank you to all families for returning the Parent Interview Forms for each art unit! Students in grades 1st - 6th continue to use their Art Planning and Reflection Books, increasing their literacy skill practice during art classes!
  • As always, Ms. Barrett ([email protected]) is here for any questions or concerns regarding the art program.
• STEAM:
  • 3^rd Grade: Third graders are carrying out the steps of the Engineers Design Process and practicing collaboration as they imagine, build, and improve their wiggle bots and scribble pens.

ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages

All ESOL students have now completed their WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessments. The ESOL Team is very proud of how hard every student worked on each of their tests! Results from this assessment will be sent to families before the end of the school year. We are looking forward to seeing how much growth our students have made in learning academic English.