Room 124 Curriculum 2016-2017

 Third Grade with a Twist of Moxie

Communication:

• wingel@riverview.wednet.edu
• 425-844-4566 (8:00 – 6:00)
• Class Blog: Room 124 Cowbell Chronicles (Life in Room 124 and valuable learning links). Please sign up!

https://wingel.edublogs.org/    

Classroom Volunteering Opportunities: “Any Day, Every Day”

Monday – Thursday, 9:15 – 10:55, 11:00 – 12:25

Monday – Thursday, 1:05 – 3:30

Friday – 9:15 to 11:15

Weekly “Un-Homework” Monday to Monday:

Parents/Guardians:

• Math – fact fluency practice, Reading – 20 minutes per night, Keyboarding – 15 minutes per night
• “Unhomework” Menu and tickets

Grading Policy: Growing as a learner!

• Growth Mindset – Becoming a learner!
• Common Core State Standards (Not always for mastery)
• Pre and Post Assessments, Projects, and Targeted Benchmarks (Formative and Cumulative)
• Grading 1-4

Curriculum Integrated: All subjects are integrated in order to encourage learners to make relevant connections with their education.

Reading Curriculum Notes:

• Nonfiction – (Text Features and Comprehension)
• Fiction – Reading Workshop (Comprehension and Story Elements)
• Phonics and Vocabulary – GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design)

Writing Curriculum Notes:   Lucy Caulkins

• Informational, Narrative, Fiction, and Opinion
• Research Note Taking

Math Curriculum Notes:     

• EngageNY https://www.engageny.org
• LearnZillion https://learnzillion.com

Social Studies Curriculum Notes:

• TCI – Geography and Mapping Skills
• Northwest Native Americans – Storypath Simulation

Science Curriculum Notes: Inquiry Based Learning/Environmental studies

www.nextgenscience.org/next–generation–science–standards

• Inquiry Field Studies (Rivers and Forest Habitats)
• Puget Sound, Salmon and Plant Life Cycles
• Sound Waves
• Raising Salmon in the Classroom

Technology Curriculum Notes:

• Keyboarding , Research and Information Gathering, PowerPoint and Multimedia (Storyboard/Photo Stories)

Art Integration: Movement, Drama and Visual Arts

Greetings Families of Room 124,

Welcome back to school and third grade. This week, learners will be introduced to school and classroom routines in regards to physical and emotional safety. These simple routines enable our classroom community the opportunity to explore, share and learn. Many routines, incorporate Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences to ensure that each learner’s strength is activated (over and over again).

On the first day of school, your kiddo will come home with a black secret agent binder. This binder is divided into important sections. If possible, please look through the binder together with your child. Inside the binder you will find information regarding the layout of the binder: My Reading Life, “Unhomework”, Mindful Moolah, Secret Agent Notes, and the important folder with paperwork labeled as “Leave Home” and “Bring Back”. The only section of this binder that needs to be activated is the important school paper work that every parent and guardian around the country needs to fill out and return to school. Paperwork goes right back into the “Bring Back” folder pocket. Please return all paperwork by this Friday. I appreciate your help! If not, this is what I will hear from our wonderful secretary, Joyce, “Elizabeth, do you have the student’s forms? Do you have their student fees ($45?)? Do you remember where you put them?”. My friends, this is a scary place to live in Carnation Elementary limbo!

Please note that students have PE on Monday and Thursday, Music on Tuesday and Friday, and Library on Wednesday. This week, the young scientist, writers and actors will immerse themselves into zoology and geometry, acting and writing, and self-care (learning to breathe) and different forms of integrated art. Our week will cover every form of multiple intelligence, especially kinesthetic.

Above, is a photograph of your child’s teacher in the country of Namibia, Africa. This is my fourth summer zoology field study (Belize, Guyana, Thailand and Namibia). This photo will remind the students that I love to have fun and be goofy as I learn too. With my lioness hair, I was pretending to camouflage in the savanna grassland (while acting out a scene from the movie, “Little Miss Sunshine”). Just at this photo was taken, a male lion (twenty feet from my left), lifted his head, looked at me, yawned, and went back to sleep. I guess I was too bitter to eat! Let the third grade learning adventure begin!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day! All my best to you and your family – Elizabeth Wing

IMG_1096.JPG

Washington Fish and Wildlife experts study the the riparian zone of Griffin Creek. The experts stated that they observed root wads, resting pools, gravel bars, and log jams. Every attribute to create a healthy habitat for fish. The salmon were asked for an in depth interview. They declined to comment.

Room 124 scientists created their own natural habitats with other like creatures and shared their experiment findings. Most of the scientist shared incorrect findings, which made for an excellent discussion. Please note that there was no habitat destruction.

Scientist in the field used their unique sense of smell to find their “Scent  Families”. There were four distinct and different scents and the lads were not allowed to speak. Just a lot of sniffing and re-sniffing. It took them 2:27 seconds! That is 2:27 humorous seconds…

Thank You, REF! on PhotoPeach

01/31/2016

Greetings Room 124,

 

I just want to take a moment to brag about your amazing children. I know that you get tired of hearing about their many accomplishments and I understand your burden. Every student is becoming an autonomous and dedicated learner. Sometimes, I think I could leave the classroom and they would not even notice! We are in the midst of researching the Salish Coast native people. Notes are being recorded, intensive reading shared, facts and diagrams posted around the classroom and many inquiries are emerging. “I wonder” sticky notes cover the cabinets. Very sophisticated thinkers! Synapsis and dendrites are firing and growing.

 

We have finished round two of the Measurement of Academic Progress in reading and mathematics. An eleven-point gain is equal to one calendar grade growth. Our class mean in reading grew 12 points and the class mean in mathematics grew 16 points. This is a hard working group who is becoming proud of their learning process. Bravo to them!

 

Quick updates:

 

• Below is a thank you letter to the Riverview Educational Foundation. I wrote a grant earlier this year in hopes of acquiring seventy-five books titled, People of the Cascadia books by Heidi Bohan. Ask your child about this fascinating book and how we are using it to research our local indigenous tribe (The People of the Moon – Snoqualmie).
• Please keep math homework manageable for your child and homelife (You especially!). We are starting lesson 10 tomorrow and hope to complete lesson 14 by Friday. Students are to continue reading five hours a week at home (I know recording is painful – You can be your child’s scribe). I have observed that the Xtramath and keyboarding are benefiting many learners in class. Thank you for guiding your children to be lifelong learners.
• Thank you to everyone for supporting our classroom Bingo Raffle Basket. It is beautiful bodacious! Special thanks to Sara Thompson for combining all of your generous donations. I shall see you all this Friday at Bingo. I will be the confused person working the bingo laptop as Mrs. Panesko calls out. Hey, this might be a great opportunity to win.

 

As a King County Level Four Green School, I have worked closely with our science partners, Nature Vision for six years. Due to our sustainability commitment, Nature Vision has offered the third grade additional science workshops and an all expensed paid field trip to Oxbow Farm in March. Details will be coming soon.

All my best,

Elizabeth

 

Dear Riverview Education Foundation,

 

I want to thank you for your generosity. The grant awarded to Carnation Elementary allowed us to buy 75 copies of the amazing book, The People of Cascadia, by Heidi Bohan. This book is beautifully written and has many exquisite illustrations and diagrams of the Salish Coast Native Americans and their culture. Heidi’s talent has captured and aided the imagination of the young researchers in my class. The students are obsessed with the books and have begged to take them home over the weekend to continue their research. As an educator it is a blessing to have an educational tool that allows students the opportunity to research, learn, inquire and wonder. The students are now endowed with many new research questions to chase. Below is a photopeach of some very cute third grade researchers.

 

The photopeach is on our classroom Edublog, “Cowbell Chronicles: Third Grade with a Twist of Moxie!” You can access this blog from our school website.

Owl Puke Biologist on PhotoPeach

Greetings,                                                                                                      01-17-2016

Salmon, Science, and Social Studies: 250 Coho salmon eggs are in the care of our third grade biologist. This year the Coho return was minimal and I am extremely grateful that we were chosen by US Fish and Wildlife to be care giving recipients here at Carnation. On Thursday the young scientist had the opportunity to observe, document and prepare the salmon egg nest (redd) in our aquarium. Many salmon were held and named in the process. Salmon once again sequence back into our intensive and interdisciplinary study of our Northwest Native American unit.

Nature Vision Blue Team Grant: Our third grade band has once again received a Nature Vision grant. This grant supports our science units of salmon and plants with the social study unit of native people. We will receive four in class workshops from Nature Vision, plus a free field trip to Oxbow Farm this spring. Many thanks to my cohorts at Nature Vision!

Citizen Science Sites added to our Edublog: As February approaches, so does the Great Backyard Bird Count supported through Cornell University and the Audubon Society. Citizen science is a tremendous opportunity for families to observe and participate in collecting scientific data from all around the world. Please look for other third grade citizen science opportunities on our blog. More detail coming about the Backyard Bird Count. birdsource.org/gbbc/

Great Backyard Bird Count

Ornithology

National Audubon Society, Cornell Lab of Ornithologybirdsource.org/gbbc/

FrogWatch USATM

Conservation, Ecology, Herpetology

Association of Zoos and Aquariums

USA

1998

aza.org/frogwatch/

BeeSpotter

Entomology

University of Illinois at Urbana-Chamapaign

USA (IL, MO, OH)

2007

BeeSpotter

Galaxy Zoo

Astronomy

Zooniverse collaboration

Worldwide

2007

Galaxy Zoo

Hummingbirds at Home

Ornithology

National Audubon Society

USA

2013

Hummingbirds at Home

Hummingbird Migration Tracker

Ornithology

Birdfeeders.com

USA

2010

Hummingbird Migration Tracker

Report Cards and Homework: Our first semester ends on January 28^th. Report cards will be sent home the following week. Remember that I am always here to brainstorm, chat, and listen. Please contact me anytime! Math homework completion targets continue to fluctuate. By this coming Friday, students should have lessons eight and possibly, nine homework lessons completed.

Raffle Basket and Bingo: Sarah Thompson is still pining for chocolate and coffee-eques donations for our classroom raffle basket. Thank you all for your time, effort and energy!

All my best to all.

                                                                                                                10/11/15

Dear Families of Room 124,

Greetings and best wishes to you all. This week your children persevered through our daunting district reading and writing assessment. This assessment is used as a baseline to guide our instruction through the Common Core State Standards and to also give everyone (teachers included) a glimpse into the Smarter Balance expectations. The young learners did well. They built stamina and resiliency. As an educator, I built the same traits too. It is difficult to watch kiddos grapple with information and not swoop in with assistance. I believe I suffer from mother bird syndrome!

In mathematics, we are slowly working through the foundation of multiplication and division. The students have been working through a variety of graphic strategies to aid in their understanding. Examples of the mathematical strategies are: arrays (rows and columns), number lines with repeat addition and repeat subtraction, equal share drawings and number bonds to find the unknown factor (quotient). Yes, third grade mathematicians are using precise math language. Their brains have every right to feel full and exhausted. The beginning of any unit can be overwhelming for all.

Homework:

• Homework still entails reading approximately five hours per week. Please encourage your reader to record their data in their My Reading Life folders. You are always welcome to scribe for your child.
• As a third grade team we tried not to add too much homework to your busy and active lives. However, we have cracked. We know understand that we cannot cover the homework portion of the math curriculum in class. Consequently, we have decided to send the math homework home. The homework is stapled together. We ask that your child only works on the lesson we are covering in class and not to zoom ahead. Many new strategies, procedures and expectations are discussed and practiced in each lesson. For this week, we are beginning lesson 7 and we should progress through lesson 8. Please have your child complete any prior unfinished homework problems. Also, please keep the homework packet in a safe place. It is due at the end of the unit. I do not have any extra copies. Good luck to all and thank you for the time dedicated to your child’s education.

On the 22nd, we are off to the fabulous Washington State Corn Maze. It is a blast! We are studying mapping skills this week in case we  lose any chaperones. Thank you to the many folks who are joining us. I will send out a list of chaperones and a map with directions. I recommend that you all car pool unless driving alone is your only quiet time of the day. 🙂

All my best to you and your families. Please remember, that I am always available to meet and chat. Your children are terrific!

Kind regards,

Elizabeth

Greetings Room 124,

Please note that we are off to visit Oxbow Farm tomorrow and tour the Carnation Food Bank on Tuesday. Volunteers, I appreciate your time and dedication. As I mentioned to the students, please make sure that you have sunscreen, a hat, and water for the farm. There are not many shady spots at Oxbow.

This week the students will be busy collecting and organizing donations for the food bank hygiene drive. I admire how our young citizens are making connections in the community. We are continuing to study nutrition, how to read food labels and the importance of active and healthy bodies. Beware, we did research edible insects around the world and in Washington State. Be careful if you ask for help during dinner time. As the week concludes. we will  complete our infamous Power Points on various Native American Tribes. The new twist this time is we will use our grade band laptops in the classroom and actually complete and present our projects without interruptions (I think).

Field Day is this Thursday and Move Up Day is Friday. Thank you to the volunteers who are helping me with the obstacle course. I appreciate it.

All my best,

Elizabeth Wing

 

Earth Day is Everyday on PhotoPeach

04/29/2015

Dearest Families of Room 124,

The descent has begun, but we have many miles to go. Your children have been working hard, supporting one another and making tremendous progress in all intelligences. We have not been studying for the Smarter Balance Test. We have been learning, making mistakes and talking about our thinking. Our math testing begins on Wednesday the 6th and Thursday the 7th. We will begin our mathematical review on Monday and start test preparation on Tuesday. Students will test in the afternoons. My hope is that these young learners are rested, calm and feel confident in their abilities. I believe that these children are lifelong learners and that they will go far. I promise to remind your child to do their best and to also be gentle with themselves. These are two afternoons in their eight and nine year old lives. I also vow to make goofy faces, wink, tug a few pigtails, and rub backs when necessary.

A very special thank you to all of the wonderful chaperones who  shared our special day with the Snoqualmie Tribe and King County. The students were in the best of care and I believe a majority of the planted trees will survive!  Many of the Snoqualmie tribe members and King county workers were very impressed with your children’s knowledge, passion for the environment and their “sense of place”. It was tremendous  treat for me to stand back, admire and watch your kiddos working together and having fun. Big kids included…

Remember you can always reach me at (425)844-4566 and wingel@riverview.wednet.edu.

 

All my best,

Elizabeth

Calling All Citizen Scientists! The Great Backyard Bird Count Has Begun!
Join bird lovers around the world as they actively participate in collecting data on quantity of birds and species in their own back yard in Carnation! All recorded data is sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. All students of Room 124 are asked to participate. Student have their collection sheets and links to online Bird Information. As a class we brainstormed a list of common Carnation bird species that we all recognize. Have fun! Additional information is below. http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
Launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, the Great Backyard Bird Count was the first online citizen-science project to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time. Since then, more than 100,000 people of all ages and walks of life have joined the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. We invite you to participate! Simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 13-16, 2015. You can count from any location, anywhere in the world!