ACCESS for ELLs Assessment

Good Evening Parents!

The students have completed their tests for the middle of the year assessments, including DIBELS Next in Reading and Star Math testing for the Math. I will be sending home the results with the second quarter report card.

Next week, students who are in the  English Language Learners program, or who are eligible for ELL services, will be taking the ACCESS for ELLs test to measure their English language proficiency. 

ACCESS for ELLs® stands for Assessing Comprehension and 

Communication in English State-to-State for English Language 

Learners and is designed to measure English language proficiency. 

It is a large-scale test that addresses the World-Class Instructional 

Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium’s English Language 

Proficiency Standards.

Please have your children get a good night's rest.

coolmath4kids.com

Hello guys! This is a fun website to help you understand fractions a little more! Enjoy.

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/fractions/index.htmlCool Math Lessons

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Room 205! 

It has a been a frigid first week back to school! Everyone is in good spirits and is behaving well and seems to be ready to learn!  We have had a good week thus far.

We are reading "A Symphony of Whales" in Reading Street which takes place in the Arctic.  We have discussed the challenges that the people face when living in inhospitable areas such as the Arctic compared to where we live. We are working on suffixes, generalization and past, present, and future tenses of verbs.

We will be having a math test on fractions this Friday.

We have begun our discussions about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the impact that he has on our society today.  The students are so knowledgeable in this subject area and are completely engaged in discussions during S.S.  If you have any books about him, please send them in so that I may borrow them share with the class.

Remember to dress in layers.  Since the temperature is very cold outside and our school is very old, there are different temperatures in different parts of the school.  In our classroom, it can get VERY warm.  However, in other areas of the school building, it can be very cold.  Please dress the students in many layers so that as it gets warmer in our room, they may take off the extra sweaters or sweatshirts.  However, they may also have the layers on so that when they do go into a room that may be colder, they can be prepared.

Students should continue to practice reading everyday!  I have started our Middle Of the Year (MOY) DIBELS (Reading) testing and have completed half the class so far.  Many of the students have shown a significant amount of improvement.  I am so proud of them!  Also, we will be testing for the MOY Star Math very soon as well.  In addition to all of this testing, the ACCESS test for ELLs, this class, will take place in a couple of weeks. This is a crucial time for assessment, so please send your children to school ready to learn everyday!

Students can continue to practice their math skills and compete with the school on firstinmath.com.  Students may also use the websites on this blog to help practice for any subject area in academics.  

Have fun and always keep learning!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate! My family and I enjoyed a wonderful time together, spending time catching up and eating great food together.  Have a safe and relaxing vacation and I hope you continue to read everyday!

 

See you next year!

firstinmath.com

Please encourage the student to play on firstinmath.com.  This is a great game sight that the school has adopted to help students have fun and learn at the same time.

Thank you!

Thank you parents for sending in the wonderful and generous treats, and the lovely gifts! The students had an abundance of snacks while enjoying the movie, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. They behaved wonderfully today and have done a great job all school year so far.  Thank you again!

PBIS REWARD CELBRATION

Dear Parents,                                                                 December 17, 2013

I am happy to write that your children have earned 129 Bumble Bucks for being kind, responsible and respectful, especially in the hallway. For their reward, they will be watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as it ties into our Reading Street lesson on the Literary Elements—narrator, character, plot and setting. We will watch the movie on Thursday December 19^th at 2:00PM. 

I’m sorry for the short notice, I would like the students to enjoy a little refreshments—I will bake brownies in the size of bite-sized cupcakes.  If you would like to donate anything such as water, juice, cups, plates, napkins, chips, other snacks, please do, so that the students will have a good variety to enjoy during the movie.

This has been a great group of students to teach. I am proud of their progress and am very proud that we have received so many compliments that they earned over 100 Bumble Bucks on compliments alone!

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. Please remind your children to read everyday so that they can improve their fluency and comprehension skills.

Thank You,

Ms. Chuk

PBIS REWARD CELEBRATION

Dear Parents,                                                                 December 17, 2013

I am happy to write that your children have earned 129 Bumble Bucks for being kind, responsible and respectful, especially in the hallway. For their reward, they will be watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as it ties into our Reading Street lesson on the Literary Elements—narrator, character, plot and setting. We will watch the movie on Thursday December 19^th at 2:00PM. 

I’m sorry for the short notice, I would like the students to enjoy a little refreshments—I will bake brownies in the size of bite-sized cupcakes.  If you would like to donate anything such as water, juice, cups, plates, napkins, chips, other snacks, please do, so that the students will have a good variety to enjoy during the movie.

This has been a great group of students to teach. I am proud of their progress and am very proud that we have received so many compliments that they earned over 100 Bumble Bucks on compliments alone!

I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. Please remind your children to read everyday so that they can improve their fluency and comprehension skills.

Thank You,

Ms. Chuk

Last week before vacation!

Good evening!

We have rearranged the classroom seats/tables/desks again and this time the students are in love with the new arrangement! Students are able to work well together in this set up as there is a heterogeneous type of grouping in which there is at least one very responsible student in each group.  Also, for Walk to Read, there will be less movement and the students are seated closer to their small group materials.

If any parent needs the names of all the students for Christmas gifts or a holiday treat, please email me at Thay.Chuk@ppsd.org. Also, there are 17 girls and 9 boys in our classroom of third graders.

Students are very excited about Santa Claus; please keep the dream alive because it is so sweet to see their faces and hear their discussions about Santa Claus.  One of the girls shared her letter from Santa and it was a very loving letter.  The students were in awe.  They are asking to write or email to Santa and hoping to get a response back from him, if you can do that at home.

Have a wonderful week and drive safely on the icy roads.

International Night/Book Fair/Open House

Happy Friday Everyone!

Room 205 Parents, please note that there are a few students who have NOT brought in their signed report card envelopes.  Please sign and send them in as soon as possible so that I may use them for the next quarter.

On Wednesday, December 11th is International Night/Book Fair/Open House from 5-7 PM.  Please join us in a night of cultural deliciousness.  If you would like to make a dish to bring to share, please fill in the lime green form I sent home on Thursday and send it in with your child as soon as possible.  There will also be a Scholastic Book Fair all week starting Monday through Friday.  Students will have a chance to go to the book fair during library time.  On Wednesday, parents may come in to the school to buy books and other Scholastic items with their child.

Please replenish supplies: 

Many students do not have any notebooks for Reading, Writing, Math or Science.  The students need 4 notebooks and at least a homework folder.  I gave each student a red homework folder at the beginning of the year and they no longer have them to use.

Also, please send in tissues and hand sanitizer.  Many students are in need of several tissues daily and because there are 26 students, one box of tissues does not last us more than 3 days.  I would appreciate any donations of tissues, hand sanitizer and table wipes so that I can keep not only the students, but also the room clean and sanitized.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

December is here!

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends.
We are learning lots of stuff in Room 205!

In Math, we are working on finding Perimeter and Area.
To find Perimeter, the students understand it best to ADD ALL SIDES.  They need to remember to label the units before after they solve for  Perimeter.
To find Area, students are multiplying two sides, A=length x width. They can also use the grid lines on the rectangles and squares as arrays to help them count the square units if they are having trouble multiplying. They need to remember to label the product in square units.

In Science, we worked on the thermometer and the students' hypotheses were that the water would "expand" instead of "contract" when placed in the hot water.  It was interesting to see and hear the excitement of watching the green water expand in the glass flask and move up the straw, and eventually overflow onto the tray.  They were oohing and aahing as the green water moved up the straw while they were watching relentlessly. We will be comparing how water evaporates in different areas of the room and determining if the temperature of the space is a factor in how much water evaporates.

In Reading Street, we have begun Unit 3, People and Nature.  The students have so much background knowledge about how people interact with nature; the discussions are fascinating. We are also discussing homophones and they truly know so many.  We discussed hair and hare and I had to explain why a rabbit is called a hare.  So I drew a picture of a lady with big hair and a big rabbit to represent the hare. But they gave me a long list of homophones and they made me proud.

In Writing, we are learning about contractions and how to keep contractions just in conversations rather than using them in writing so that our writing can sound more fancy and formal. The students enjoy speaking in complete sentences.  They are really having a hard time understanding why the contractions are spelled certain ways.  Truly, some of them have no rhyme or reason, so I told them to try to remember the spelling and understand which two words they mean when spoken formally. 
We are also distinguishing between action verbs and linking verbs.  One student asked, "Why don't they just call them verbs?!!"  My thoughts exactly.  I did have to explain to her that action verbs show what someone or something is doing and linking verbs are just "to be" verbs.  It was still hard to understand as it is not easy to explain.

Hoping we have more amazing learning days!

Fun and Productive Week

Good evening,
The past couple of weeks has been very fun and productive in Room 205.  We learned how to measure mass using grams and kilograms as our choice unit of measurement.  In pairs, we were able to decide and choose which the best unit to use for each item we had in our hands.  Students had the opportunity to use a grape to represent  the unit gram, and a cantaloupe to represent kilograms.  They used these items to compare the mass of the three items they had to choose the best unit of measurement for.  Students had fun figuring out what food product they had in their hands as I brought all the packaged food items from home and many had words written in Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai. 

Many students called the cantaloupe watermelon.  When I asked each  individual student what the fruit was, there were multiple responses that claimed it was a watermelon.  Many even said, "I always thought that that was a watermelon!" I took out the iPad and showed them an image of a watermelon and the whole class went, "ooooohhhhh!"  Needless to say, it was a fun and funny lesson! 

There were a few squished grapes on the rug but overall, fun and productive lesson. Students were able to tell that mass is how heavy an object is and we use grams and kilograms to measure mass.

Furthermore, we also spent a great deal of time "telling time" using a clock that tells the time for them.  We learned how to say "clock" in the different languages that we have in our classroom. We also learned the difference between clock and watch. We learned that the clock can be broken up into 4 sections, which we call quarters and that each quarter is 15 minutes.  We learned to tell time using quarter after, half past, quarter to.

In reading we reviewed our Unit, Smart Solutions, and all of the literary elements, conventions and phonics, and vocabulary they would be assessed on.  We started the first part of our Benchmark Unit Test Friday and will continue to work on completing this assessment by Wednesday.  We will begin Unit 3 Monday after Thanksgiving.

In Social Studies, we have begun talking about the history of Thanksgiving and the reasons for Thanksgiving.  These students are so insightful and smart!!!

This week, we will continue to work with water and discussing the different properties of water and how heat and the absence of heat affects water.

Have an amazing week!
Enjoy your time off and be thankful for all that we have!

Convert Time Units Instantly

Convert Time Units Instantly

 http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/time/

 

 

Great site to learn about the Metric Unit

Great site to learn about the Metric Unit:

http://www.convert-me.com/en/metric_conversions.html


Convert any number in any unit to the measurement unit you want.

http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/weight/

Customary and Metric Units of Measurement

We have learned how to choose the best measurement tool to measure length when using the customary units of measurement, inches, feet, yards, miles.  We will be learning more about the metric units of measurement of length, centimeters,decimeters, meters and kilometers.

We learned that the abbreviation for pounds is lbs because the word libra has a Latin origin and means pound.  So lbs means pounds.

We will be learning about the metric unit of measurement used to find out about mass which means how heavy an object is, grams (g) and kilograms (kg).

With all these lessons, the students have been using real world objects that they can touch and feel to help them choose the appropriate measurement tool to measure each object.

We have also had some time using clocks to learn how to tell time using quarter hour, half hour, quarter to the next hour; learning that the clock can be cut into four parts and each part is called a quarter but with a clock the quarter means 15 minutes, not 25 like in 25 cents.

So far, it has a been a fast and fun week in math in our classroom!

Video from Boo Bash at Providence Children's Museum in the Providence Journal

Video from Boo Bash at Providence Children's Museum in the Providence Journal

Check out my baby Super Krishna!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4CqhGzLMAM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

What are we learning now?

Good evening parents,
Report cards went home today.  In the envelope you will find 3 sheets.  One is the report card, the pink letter is me asking for your feedback on this blog, and the other sheet is regarding a survey students may take about their schooling.  Please sign and return these forms and the envelope labeled 1st quarter and return them as soon as possible, no later than Friday please.

In Math, we have been working on telling time to the minute, to the half hour, and to the quarter hour.  We will also work on measuring length using inches, feet and yard.  We will also be measuring mass, weight, using grams and kilograms.  I will be bringing in real world objects such as grapes and packaged foods to demonstrate the weight of the objects.

In Science, we will be building a thermometer with bottles, rubber stoppers and straws with colored water, placed in hot and cold water.

In Reading, we are finishing out Unit 2, Smart Solutions. We will review Main Ideas and Details, and learn about Consonant Digraphs, /ch/, /sh/, /th/, /ph/, /ng/.  We will also move forward to Plural Possessive Nouns as we learned about Singular Possessive Nouns last week.

In Social Studies, we will be studying about the learning about Rhode Island, as well as continuing our BUILD CHARACTER lessons.

In Writing, we will carry forward what we are learning in Reading, Consonant Digraphs and Plural Possessive Nouns. We will use these phonics and convention skills to help us create better action narratives.

Lady Central Knights Volleyball RIIL State Champions!

Congratulations to my husband's team, the Lady Central Knights Volleyball team, for winning the Division III State Championship title at URI Saturday! It was an amazing game to watch. Good things are happening ladies! Best of luck to everything you do in your future!

Feedback please!

November 5, 2013

Dear Parents,

The intent of this letter is to remind you of our classroom blog that has been up and running since the first day of school, mstchuk.blogspot.com.  The blog is an extension of our 3rd grade ELL classroom and consists of helpful information and fun resources for my students and their family.   It also includes educational games to enhance student learning in math, reading, writing, science and social studies.  

I've been updating this blog every week to keep you informed of what is happening in our classroom or provide you with tips I come across.  I know that some students have been practicing by playing games on my blog to enhance their learning.

I would like to hear from you with any comments, suggestions, and other feedback.  It is my intention to make the classroom blog not only informative, but also interactive and fun.  It serves to be an extension of what we do in our classroom, and to enhance the student learning experience, reaching the visual and kinesthetic learners of today.

The blog is also a great platform to use to communicate with me your needs and concerns, or just to share what you like about our classroom.

Please sign to acknowledge you received this letter and to leave me with feedback on my blog.

Sincerely,

Ms. Chuk

mstchuk.blogspot.com

Thay.Chuk@ppsd.org 

Please continue to visit and subscribe to my blog: mstchuk.blogspot.com

Student Name_________________________________________________________

Parent Name__________________________________________________________

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Picture Day, Chocolate Fundraiser, Grant Opportunity, Report Cards

Happy Fall Back! 
I hope you turned the clocks back one hour.  Woohoo! I gained one extra hour of sleep this morning!

Lots to share this week:

1. Just a friendly reminder that PICTURE DAY is Tuesday, November 5th. Reminders were sent home over a week ago and on Friday, I sent home the Lifetouch order forms.
2. Last Thursday, I sent home the annual chocolate fundraiser order forms.  There is a choice of milk chocolate, crispy, almond and caramel. Each bar is $1, what a bargain.  Please support our school by selling these chocolates to your friends and family.
3. We have an opportunity to win a grant from Stanley Security. Starting on November 5th, please help our school win a grant up to $200,000.00 of STANLEY Security installed products and services through the TOGETHER FOR SAFER SCHOOLS. Everyone can vote daily and we can’t do this without your help!  Please post the information below on your Facebook and/or Tweet all your friends and family to help our school get all the votes we can! Visit stanleysaferschools.com or text ASF@Broad to 99222 and vote for Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School November 5th – December 13th.
4. The first quarter ends on November 5th. Report cards were distributed to teachers last week. Please note that report cards will be sent home on Tuesday, November 12th.

Math Practice

http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-3

Happy birthday Tahiri!

Thank you Ms. Villanueva for sharing Tahiri's special day with our class! The students were grateful to enjoy such a delicious treat. Happy birthday Tahiri!

(Permission to post given by Ms. Villanueva October 30, 2013)

Mr. Heywood's website

Check out Mr. Heywood's website!  There are very interesting things to learn about reading on his page.  Have fun learning!

mrheywood.weebly.com