1. Last Week’s Happenings…
Ms. Deming’s Weekly Newsletter
October 11, 2015
Last Week’s Happenings…
Picture Day!
Last week was our picture day. Many of the students ordered pictures and got all dressed up for the occasion! Pictures will be sent home as soon as I get them! You will also be notified when picture retake day is.
Changing States of Matter Science Experiment
The students were all given an ice cube and had to form a hypothesis on whether they thought that a flashlight, sand, salt, or body heat would cause the ice cube to melt the fastest.
Jacob’s Ladder
Last week students completed their first Jacob’s Ladder. It is a reading comprehension program that is excellent for gifted learners. We will be doing many of them this year!
Genius Hour
This past week we started Genius Hour. We will be doing a class project at first so the students can learn the design process. Students’ inquiry question is, “How can we help the victims of hurricane Joaquin?” The entire third grade will be raising money for the victims and that money will be donated to the Red Cross to help out people in need. Each student has brainstormed a list of ways they can earn some money from home to bring in. We will also be opening this up to the entire school. We will also be doing a silent auction to raise money. We are in the process of contacting local businesses for donations.
Guest Speaker
Last week we had a guest speaker come in to talk to us about how Charlotte has changed over time. Rebecca Hefner works for the city of Charlotte and prepared a presentation to teach the kids how the city has changed over time.

2. Important Information and Reminders
Happening This Week…
Math
We will continue with our addition and subtraction unit. Students were placed in a standard based group from the data collected on their pretest. The groups are…
Addition
Subtraction
Addition properties/ patterns, and unknown equations
Two step addition and subtraction word problems
Once students show mastery on all these skills, they will be working on a project called “The Million Dollar Project” which ties in 4th and 5th grade standards. We have not set a date for the unit test yet. Please sign their personalized learning reflection sheet everyday this week. It will be in their take home folder and will let you know what they are working on in class.
Reading
We continue in our literature unit. Students will learn how to identify when a character changes over the course of a text. Students will also learn how to complete a literature web from the William and Mary Gifted Education curriculum where they have to identify the big ideas or themes in the book, symbols, feelings, and key words. Students will also learn about the author central message and theme this week and how to identify this in the books they are reading. Finally, students will learn how to distinguish between literal and nonliteral phrases when reading fictional text. We will finish our literature unit this week and students will test next Tuesday.
Writing
This week students will be working on finishing publish their first personal narratives. They will also complete an illustration for their narrative. We will begin our second writing unit this week. Our second writing unit is “Upping the Quality of Our Personal Narratives.” Students will continue writing narratives, but with better quality. Students will interview each other this week by doing an activity called, “Questions for Memoirists.” This will help spark ideas for more narrative writing pieces in the students. We will also begin grammar this week. We will spend one writing lesson per week focusing on a grammar lesson. Students will spend the week with that same skill and have an assessment on that skill weekly.
Science- Students’ matter study guides are due Tuesday, October 13. We will go over their study guide in class. Students will test on Wednesday. We will begin our new unit on energy this week.
Social Studies- This week the students will continue with our unit on change over time. Students will be researching one person that has changed our communities over time (ie. Martin Luther Kind Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sir Walter Raleigh, Gertrude Weil, or John Hope Franklin).
Dates to know…
This week: SPIRIT WEEK
Monday – mustache Monday
Tuesday – Favorite Team day
Wednesday – wacky day and PJ day (you can combine the two)
Thursday – School spirit day
Friday – Wear red for Fun Run Day
-10/13 Science Study Guides Due
-10/14 Science Test on Matter (study guide will be sent home this week)
-10/16 1st Quarter “Change Over Time” projects due
-10/16 Irwin Fun Run
-10/20 Literature Unit Test
-10/22 First Quarter Ends
-10/23 No School Teacher Workday
-10/30 October Birthday Celebrations 3:00 (due to our recess time we can’t do 3:30)
-11/6 Fall Enrichment Clusters begin (more information will be sent home. Students must sign up via a Sign Up Genius. The link will also be sent home as it gets closer).
Vocabulary Dates:
-List 2 words introduced 10/12-10/13
-Test on list 2 Friday 10/23
Spelling Dates:
Group 1: New words introduced 10/14 and test 10/21
Group 2: New words introduced 10/15 and test 10/22
Group 3: New words introduced 10/16 and test 10/23
Notes from Ms. Deming 
Scholastic Book Orders – I sent home the 4th and 5th grade catalogs on Friday for the book orders. I am extending the return date to tomorrow Tuesday, October 13, If your child wants to order books bring them back by tomorrow!
Parent/Teacher Conferences – Please make sure you have signed up for a conference if you haven’t already done so! First quarter conferences are mandatory for all parents. The link is:
Important Information and Reminders
Still in need of:
-Expo markers (any color)
-1 pack of Mr. Sketch scented markers
-2 staplers
The following multicultural books for our next rdg unit (they are all picture books. Let me know if you need the author):
The Librarian of Basra
Rain School
My Librarian is a Camel
Nasreen’s Secret School
A Day’s work
My Name is Yoon
That Woman Book
I am also in need of
2 parents to help with calling local businesses for donations for our Genius Hour class project. me if interested!