Math Vocabulary for State Assessment Practice

Learning these vocabulary words will help your child do better on the state math assessment! Some of the words will be new to your child. Remember they are a list for grades 3-5. Use the vocabulary words in a game. Pause after each question for thinking or discussion time. With the right answer, your child can roll the dice and advance on any gameboard. Students will not need to know the terms median, mean, mode, and range.

March 20, 2013

Due Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Dear Parents: 

     I hope you all have a fun and safe spring vacation.  Instead of the normal writing assignment, I have attached an optional activity.  Students will be given extra credit if they write a sentence or two with their handmade quill pens (with parent’s help!) and homemade ink.    The peacock quill has been given to your child.  The “How-to-Sheets” are attached to this letter.

The writing is due on Tuesday, April 2, if your child wants extra credit.

    

     I’ve also attached a Scholastic News “Extreme Plants” for reading and the graphing activity for practice.  This may be used for RAH minutes one day.  It is due on Tuesday, April 2.

Continue reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  In reading we are reading non-fiction, informational texts, learning about main idea and supporting details. 

     Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

     Check out the Blog site for pictures and video of B1’s field trip to Champoeg Park.

                                            

Making a Quill Pen

Many of the world's most important historical documents were written with
quill pens. Now your child can make his own, and experiment writing with a
feather pen-- just like Washington and Jefferson.
The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carta,
and many other vital documents were written and signed with quill pens. In
fact, the word "pen" comes from the Latin word "penna", which means
feather.
Help your child step into Franklin, Paine, and other forefathers' footsteps,
by teaching him to make his own quill. By the time students have mastered
the skills of penmanship they can begin to appreciate ways to make writing
unique. Every quill writes differently and your child can see how his
penmanship changes with unusual tools.
Find your own feathers during a nature walk, or take a trip to a craft store to buy a package. Throughout
history, quill pens were made from the flight feathers (preferably the largest wing feathers) of large birds.
Here's how your child can make his own!
What You Need:
Large wing feathers (A pack of plain turkey quill feathers can be bought for under $3). Try to find
feathers that are about 12" long or more, with a thick shaft.
An art knife to cut the correct angle on the feather shaft
Ink in a bottle - can be purchased at most craft and art supply stores. You might want to start with
non-permanent ink until you are experienced.
Cutting board
Marker
Tweezers
What You Do:
1. Select your feather. You need a feather long enough to hold comfortably, with a sturdy shaft (the
spine of the feather). Prime wing feathers can be purchased from places like www.ostrich.com or
you can gather one on a nature walk. Quill pens were most often made from goose feathers, but
turkey feathers were also popular. You can leave the feather as is, or trim the sides of the feather
for several inches, to leave more room for a better grip.
2. Follow the natural curve of the feather. You want your writing point to point down.
3. Take your marker and make a dot at the point where you'd like the writing tip to be. Place your
marked feather on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut the end of the quill at a slant less than
45 degrees.
4. Take the tweezers and clean out any materials left in the cut shaft.
5. Dip your new quill pen into some non-permanent ink. Give your child a chance to experiment with
the quill. How does using it change his penmanship?
Did You Know?
Feathers evolved from the scales of reptiles and are one of the things that set birds apart from all
other animals.
Feathers have a hollow shaft and can produce a sharper and more flexible tip than metal nibs.
The quills described above are easy to make and simple in design, but you can create a more
complex nib that is more like metal nibs-- it just requires greater cutting skill.
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Making Your Own Ink

Nature can provide for everyday needs such as writing ink. Traditional ink sources include flower petals and tree bark, and though fruit sources are less traditional, they also make for useful ink. Berries and cherries, with their high juice content, are ideal for ink making. Unlike other juicy fruits such as watermelons, citrus fruits or peaches, berry and cherry juice are dark enough to show on writing paper. Use fruits that are commonly available at supermarkets, or go hiking to gather wild berries such as pokeberries or sumac berries if you'd like to take your eco-lifestyle up a notch.

Items you will need:

1.                             1 to 2 cups berries, 1/2 cup liquid yield

2.                             Blender

3.                             1/2 tsp. salt

4.                             1/2 tsp. vinegar

5.                             2 oz. glass jar

6.                             Mesh strainer

7.                             Metal or wooden spoon

8.                             Glass or ceramic bowl

Step 1:

Purchase or harvest your fruits. Ideal ink candidates include blackberries, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, pokeberries, cherries, black currants, elderberries or sumac berries. Small, hard wild fruits such as rosehips, winterberries or juniper berries will likely not yield enough juice or will be too light to make effective ink.

Step 2:

Mash fruit in a bowl or whirl them in a blender or food processor. If using cherries, you'll need to remove the pits first.

Step 3:

Put a fine-mesh strainer inside a bowl or balance a smaller strainer on the rim of a bowl. Fill the strainer with fruit and any juice left from the mashing or chopping.

Step 4:

Press the fruit pulp against the sides of the strainer with a spoon. If you use a wooden spoon, it may become stained permanently. Don't try to drain the fruit of all its juice. Forcing the juice from the skins of the fruits results in cloudiness, affecting the final product.

Step 5:

Remove strainer and discard fruit pulp or set aside the pulp for another use.

Step 6:

Mix the vinegar and salt into the fruit juice. Vinegar and salt clarify and deepen the color of natural dye and ink products, as well as preserve the juice from spoilage.

Step 7:

Pour the fruit ink into a small, wide-mouthed jar. Recycled and cleaned 2 oz. baby food jars or specialty jam jars are ideal.

Tips

1.                             Make an old-fashioned quill pen for your homemade ink with a bird feather found outdoors or purchased from a craft store. Cut the tip of the feather at an angle with a craft knife, then use the knife to create a small notch at the very top of the tip. Using this technique allows the ink to be held better than simply using a rounded feather tip. To use, dip the feather into the bottle of fruit ink, tap to remove any excess and blot the tip on a paper towel or coffee filter before writing. Dip the feather into the ink bottle when your tip needs more ink.

2.                             Berry and cherry juice, even when preserved with vinegar and salt, has a short shelf life. Make it in small batches and store in small jars.

3.                             While berries and cherries yield the best ink from the fruit family, you may wish to explore other classic natural ink resources. Infused poppy petals yield red ink. For black ink, turn to oak galls, the knots that form on oak trees. Oak galls are rich in tannin, which slows the fading process.

Warnings

1.                             The autumn-emerging berries of the wild plant pokeweed yield such deep, rich colors that the plant was once nicknamed "ink berry." But only use pokeweed berries as an ink or dye material when working with adults or older children. The berries are extremely toxic. Another wild autumn berry, the sumac, should not be confused with poison sumac, an unrelated plant. Sumac trees yield fuzzy red berries ideal for making a lemonade-like drink and for making dyes and inks. Poison sumac, which causes skin rashes, is a small, shrubby plant.

Champoeg Field Trip March 15, 2013

Expository Graphic Organizer

Idea Web Graphic Organizer

March 14, 2013

Due Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Dear Parents: 

           

     Continue reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  In reading we are reading non-fiction, informational texts, learning about main idea and supporting details. 

     Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

   

Family Writing: 

Fill out the organizer form for the paragraph. Tell about your favorite place you have visited. Write a strong paragraph about the place. Before you begin writing, think about the (1) location (description) of your favorite place. Think about (2) when and why you like to visit this place. Think about the (3) benefits of visiting this place. Now write a paragraph of your favorite place.

Since                                         

March 7, 2013

Due Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Dear Parents: 

           

 Continue reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  In reading we are reading non-fiction, informational texts, learning about main idea and supporting details. 

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

      

Family Writing: 

Fill out the organizer form for the paragraph.  Everyone has jobs or chores. Tell the importance of one of these jobs or chores.  First, brainstorm the importance of one of these chores.  Then, go through your list and choose three really strong reasons why this chore is important.  Next, think what your topic is, and write a topic sentence.  Write a detail sentence about one of your brainstormed reasons.  Write another sentence about that same reason, backing up your answer with a specific example.  Do the same with the next two reasons.  Finally, write a concluding sentence.  You should have a total of 8 strong sentences.  Proofread your paper carefully. 

                                          

February 28, 2013

Due Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Parents,

          Don’t forget tomorrow is book character dress up day!  We’re dressing up to celebrate Read Across America Day (Also, Dr. Seuss’s birthday).  Their book needs to be in their hands for the parade through our school.

           

 Continue reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  In reading we are reading non-fiction, informational texts, learning about main idea and supporting details. 

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

      

Family Writing: 

1. Use your graphic organizer to write your topic (Character Dress Up Day) in the oval.
2. In the top rectangle write a topic sentence about your character. (Example:  Charlotte, in the book, Charlotte’s Web is a unique spider.)
3. Write 6 things and any details about those things you know about your character in the rectangles around the oval.
4. Write a conclusion (example:  That’s why I think Charlotte was the best character for me to dress up as on “Read Across America Day”.) in the bottom rectangle.
5. Put your graphic organizer to use by building sentences from your graphic organizer and write them on notebook paper.  Indent to begin your paragraph.  Write one sentence after the other.  Don’t forget your topic sentence and conclusion!

Sincerely,

Ginny Ryan

http://forestridge.salemkeizer.net/  School website

http://forestridgec4.blogspot.com/    Our classroom Blog site                                             

February 21, 2013

Due Tuesday, February 26, 2013

            Students need to decide which book character they will dress up as on Friday, March 1, Read Across America Day (in celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday).  Students need to tell me the character they’ll dress up as by February 22.  The book needs to be in t heir hands for the parade through our school on March 1.

           

 Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  In reading we are reading non-fiction, informational texts, learning about main idea and supporting details.  The writing assignment this week has an example of that genre of reading.  The time spent reading counts as RAH minutes.

            Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

       Family Writing:  We’re working on developing a non-fiction (expository informational) paragraph. 

1. Go to our classroom blog.
2. Click on the link “National Geographic for Kids” (If you don’t have access to a computer, read a book or see a PBS program about an animal.)
3. Left click on “Animals and Pets” tab.
4. Choose an animal to read about.
5. Use your graphic organizer to write your topic (example:  gorilla) in the oval.
6. In the top rectangle write a topic sentence about your animal. (Example:  Gorillas are amazing animals.)
7. Write 6 things and any details about those things you learned in the rectangles around the oval.
8. Write a conclusion (example:  That’s why I think gorillas are amazing animals.) in the bottom rectangle.
9. Put your graphic organizer to use by building sentences from your graphic organizer and write them on notebook paper.  Indent to begin your paragraph.  Write one sentence after the other.  Don’t forget your topic sentence and conclusion!

Scholastic Book orders are due by Monday, February 25.  Please order online.

         

Valentine's Day Party 2013--Click on picture to see slides.

February 14, 2013

Due Tuesday, February 21, 2013

Dear Parents: 

            Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  Possibly set a goal for earning money by reading or doing homework to donate to the Heifer Project to support our school in the effort to help others.  The first part this term in reading, we’re working on character qualities, point of view, cause and effect relationships, recounting stories, theme, moral and lesson, sequence of events, and compare and contrast.

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards (These were sent home on Monday.) for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

       Family Writing:  Write about the Heifer Project.  Explain the importance of the project and how it will help people. Tell about what you are doing to help support our school effort in helping others in the world. Include a beginning, middle, and ending. Working and writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns.

Websites:  http://www.heifer.org/  (Explore this site.  The other links I added are from this website.

http://www.youtube.com/HeiferInternational

http://www.heiferinvite.org/heifercards/interactiveposter/index.html

Scholastic Book orders are due by February 25.  You can order online.

February 7, 2013

Due Thursday, February 14, 2013

Dear Parents: 

            Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  Possibly set a goal for earning money by reading or doing homework to donate to the Heifer Project to support our school in the effort to help others.  The first part this term in reading, we’re working on character qualities, point of view, cause and effect relationships, recounting stories, theme, moral and lesson, sequence of events, and compare and contrast.

            Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards (These were sent home on Monday.) for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

            In writing we are working on functional writing, a form of expository writing.  Students are learning how to right clear directions. 

      

       Family Project/Writing/Speech:  Please continue making the valentines holder, directions for making it, and speech on how it was made.  The directions were sent home last week.  You can find them on our Blog or your e-mail, if you can’t find last week’s letter.

           

In science we are studying the movement of the sun, earth, and moon.  Please have your child check each evening to see what the moon looks like.  Have him/her record it on the “Moon Phases Calendar”.  Write the month (February-March) and year at the top.  Begin on Thursday (on the first line).  Write the date, (7) in the top left corner of the rectangle.  Record the date in each top left corner of each rectangle.  Have your child put the “Moon Phase Calendar”  inside his/her RAH folder, so I can make sure he/she is filling it in!  Soon we will be learning why the moon appears differently in the sky during a 28 day cycle. If the moon is hidden by clouds, use this website to see what the moon looks like:  http://www.calculatorcat.com/moon_phases/phasenow.php

            If you’re interested in ordering Scholastic books, please place your order online (You will get a free book in your next order!) by February 25.

            Names of students in our class are attached to this letter.  Have your child use the list to include everyone when addressing valentines.

January 31, 2013

Due Thursday, February 14, 2013

Dear Parents: 

            Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  Possibly set a goal for earning money by reading or doing homework to donate to the Heifer Project to support our school in the effort to help others.  The first part this term in reading, we’re working on character qualities, point of view, cause and effect relationships, recounting stories, theme, moral and lesson, sequence of events, and compare and contrast.

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards (These were sent home on Monday.) for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

       Family Writing/Construction of Valentines Box/Speech:  See another Blog entry for "Valentines Holder" for the long-term (2-week) project.

   

            Valentine's party will need to be planned soon!  Is there a parent who would like to volunteer to organize it?  Are their any parents willing to help with the party?  Send me an e-mail, and I'll share your contact information with the parent(s) who wish to organize.  The party will be from 2-3 on Thursday, February 14.

Sincerely,

Ginny Ryan

Valentines Holder

Due:  Thursday, February 14

1. Create a special and original decorated valentines holder.  It may be made of anything you have around your house.  The more reused items you put into your holder, the better!  (Forest Ridge has a contest for the most creative use of recycled items in making a valentines holder.) Do not bring the valentines holder to school until February 14!!!
2. Write a “How I Made My Valentines Holder” paper.  Include a materials list, and step by step procedure, so someone else could make it.
3. Plan a speech about “How I Made My Valentines Holder”.  Include: 

1.      What did you make and where did you get your idea?

2.       What materials did you use?  (Be sure to make a point of talking about the reused materials!)

3.      Give step by step directions of how you put it together.

4.      Tell what you’re going to do with it after Valentine’s Day.

Each term 2^nd and 3^rd  graders will be assessed on their speaking ability.

The areas assessed include:

Content/Ideas

™       Ideas are clear.

™       It is evident the speaker knows what he/she is talking about.

Organization:

™       It is evident the speech was prepared ahead of time.

™       The speech includes a beginning, middle, and ending.

™       There are interesting and clear transitions.

Language

™       Words to make the speech interesting are used.

™       Words are appropriately used.

™       Diction is clear.

Delivery

™       Show confidence.

™       Smile appropriately.

™       Stand straight.

™       Use appropriate hand gestures and at other times keep hands comfortably at sides.

™       Make eye contact with students and teacher.

™       Project voice.

Effort

™       There is clear evidence that the child has rehearsed the speech several times in front of an audience.

 ™       Practice, practice, practice!

™    

January 24, 2013

Due Tuesday, January 29

Dear Parents: 

            Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  The first part this term in reading, we’re working on character qualities, point of view, cause and effect relationships, recounting stories, theme, moral and lesson, sequence of events, and compare and contrast.

            Math: Continue playing the array games a couple of times a week. 

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards (These were sent home on Monday.) for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use SumDog.  If you need the password for SumDog or Xtra Math, please let me know. 

       Family Writing:  Write a letter to someone.  It could be a thank you note for a gift, or just a friendly letter.  There are 5 parts to a friendly letter (Heading—date, Greeting—Dear ________, Body—what you want to say-indenting paragraphs, Closing—Sincerely, Yours truly, Your friend, Love, and the Signature—your name.  Be sure you use “Friendly Letter” format!  I will return it with no marks on it, so it can be mailed or given to the person.  Writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns.

Sincerely,

Ginny Ryan

January 17, 2013

 Dear Parents: 

            Continue the great work in reading with your child for 30 minutes each day and recording it in the RAH folder.  The first part this term in reading, we’re working on character qualities, point of view, cause and effect relationships, recounting stories, theme, moral and lesson, sequence of events, and compare and contrast.

            Math: Continue playing the array games a couple of times a week. 

            If you don’t have computer access for you child, please work on flashcard practice or the array games.  Second graders need to know their addition facts through 10 + 10 (or 20’s) and subtraction facts through 20’s.  Third graders need to know addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts through 10’s (11’s and 12’s would be nice, too!) 

          Falcon Fast Facts are now on the RAH folders.  Have your child work on Xtra Math or flashcards (These were sent home on Monday.) for a few minutes.  Mark your initials by Falcon Fast Facts on the RAH folder each day.

            Please continue to have your child use Xtra Math and SumDog.  If you need the passwords, please let me know. 

       Family Writing:  Five students still need to finish up their fiction story that was assigned before winter vacation.

          Write a New Year’s Resolution.  Choose one thing you’d like to improve to make you a better student.  Explain what that is and how you plan to improve it. 

          Writing together encourages your child to see you having fun with writing, and allows you an opportunity to spend time with your child while he/she learns.