October 28th - November 1, 2013

Here's My Dollar

by Gary Soto

     Angel Arellano is our age and has been in the newspapers and on TV.  Here’s My Dollar tells how Angel learned that the zoo in Fresno was running out of money. Angel wrote to newspapers, talked at different schools, and appeared on talk shows. She asked everyone to donate a dollar to save the zoo and the animals in it. I think the author wants to tell about Angel, but he also wants to show how one person can make a difference.

Spelling with Diagraphs
(and one trigraph)

Citizen of the Week

Chase!

Author's Purpose:
Persuade, Inform, and Entertain

October is Fire Prevention Month
Thank you POC and Port Lavaca Fire Departments.  You are our heroes.

We saw Sparky!

We love our firefighters!

Stop, Drop, Cover our Eyes, and Roll!

Our writing buddies helped us write 
about Veterans Day.

This week in writing buddies, we wrote about Veterans Day and the name of the holiday brought up a common question:  Do we need an apostrophe in the word “Veterans”?

The short answer is no.  The U.S. government gave the holiday its official name, and they chose to write it without the apostrophe.

Since many people are confused, you’ve probably seen "Veterans Day" written three ways:

·        The right way: Veterans Day

·        Another potentially right way: Veterans’ Day

·        The wrong way: Veteran’s Day

THIS WEEK's Lesson Plans:

• COMPREHENSION:  Monitor Comprehension (3.2C)
• Author's Purpose (3.12) Persuade, Inform, or Entertain
• GENRE:  Literary Text:  Folktake, Expository, Poetry (3.6)
• Vocabulary: tour, volunteers, thrilled, slogan, deserve, fraction, equivalent, singular, plural, possessive rule, apostrophe rule
• Strategy:  Context Clues(3.4B)
• Phonics/Spelling:  Digraphs, Multisyllabic Words (3.1C)
• Spelling Game 1 for this week
• Grammar/Mechanics:  Possessive Nouns (3.22A, B), Apostrophes in Possessive Nouns
• Vocabulary Game for this week 
• Math - Linear Measurment Tools Length 3.11A(s)

October 21st - October 25, 2013

RED Ribbon Week!

RED RIBBON WEEK THEMES!

MONDAY: Show Your Red Ribbon Support:
Wear the Red Drug Free Shirt PTO bought for you!
TUESDAY: Wild About Being Drug Free:
Wild Hair Day!
WEDNESDAY: I’m Not Mixed Up!
Wear your best mixed-matched outfit!
THURSDAY: I’ve Got Better Things To Do:
Wear something to show what you can do to stay clear of drugs-
Hunting, Fishing, Sport, Clubs!
FRIDAY: POC Kids Are Crazy About Being Drug Free:
Wear your Red Drug Free Shirt with Crazy Socks and or Shoes!

This week, we’re reading Go West! It is about the way railroads changed the Southwest.  The main idea is that the railroad helped the Southwest grow.  The railroad made it possible for farms and industries to succeed.  For example, trains helped deliver crops and meat to the East.  Trains also brought settlers to the Southwest and created new towns.  Today, many big cities are along old railway lines.  As we read, we are finding out that the details in the article support the main idea.

Crazy Hair Day Pictures!
We had so much fun!

Bella

Blake

Chase

Say No!  (Chase)

Damian

Ashton

Pippi Longstocking... OH!  Leah

Harley

Ethan

Kalynn

Kalynn

Here's our Literary Pumpkin:
The Adventures of
Captain Underpants
We sure hope we win 
the pumpkin contest.

Our Chicken Squat Board 

THIS WEEK's Lesson Plans:

• COMPREHENSION:  Monitor Comprehension (3.2C)
• GENRE:  Nonfiction
• Vocabulary:  culture, communities, immigrants, established, traditional, main idea, details, conclusion, antonyms, thesaurus, and consonants
• Strategy:  Context Clues/Antonyms (3.4B, C)
• Phonics/Spelling:  Three Letter Blends (3.1C)
• Spelling Game 1 for this week
• Spelling Game 2 for this week
• Grammar/Mechanics:  Irregular Plural Nouns (3.22Aii), Punctuate Sentences 
• Vocabulary Game for this week 
• Math - Money

Citizen of the Week

Blake

October 14th - October 18, 2013

Home Grown Butterflies
by Deborah Churchman

This week, we will be reading Home-Grown Butterflies. It’s a real story about people who raise butterflies in Costa Rica. In this one village, there were fewer and fewer fish to eat and sell for money. Soon they would have to cut down trees from the rain forest in order to farm the land. A scientist taught the school kids how to start a butterfly farm! They now sell the pupae, or eggs, to zoos. In conclusion, these kids are serious about protecting their environment!

We're learning about money, honey!

Multiple Meaning Word Book
By The Florida Center of Reading Research

We love Istation!

THIS WEEK's Lesson Plans:

• COMPREHENSION:  Monitor Comprehension (3.2C), Draw Conclusions (3.13B), Sequence
• GENRE:  Expository, Poetry
• Vocabulary:  disappear, protect, harming, supply, capture, enclosure, elusive, field guide, pollution, and nectar
• Strategy:  Context Clues:  Multiple-Meaning Words (3.4B)
• Phonics/Spelling:  Silent Letters (3.1C)
• Spelling Words for this week
• Spelling Game for this week
• Grammar/Mechanics:  Singular and Plural Nouns (3.22Ai), Punctuate Sentences 
• Vocabulary Words for this week
• Vocabulary Game for this week 
• Math - Focusing on Money

*Citizen of the Week*

Congratulations Kalynn!

October 7th - October11, 2013

We will be reading the story Boom Town, which tells about a young girl and her family who moved west. Amanda is bored, and so she bakes a pie. After people begin buying her pies, Amanda starts a bakery. Things happen one after another. We will keep track of the things that happen and the order, or sequence, in which they happen. When we finish reading, we’ll know which events are really important. They’ll help lead us to know how Boom Town came to be.

Here are pictures of us sequencing Boom Town!
We are using transitional words 
to help order the events.

We're rounding with a roller coaster!
Well, okay, it's not a REAL roller coaster.  =)

Reading together and sharing our test taking strategies, help us get the right answers!

Compound Word Game

Proper and Common Noun Sort!

It's a lot of fun to play!

We love Mrs. Sue!

Thank you for all that you do!

THIS WEEK's Lesson Plans:

• Comprehension:  Summarize (TEKS 3.8 A), Sequencing (TEKS 3.8 A), Make Predictions (TEKS 3.2A)
• Genre:  Fiction, Historical Fiction, Expository
• Vocabulary:  compound word, sequence, idioms, noun, common nouns, proper nouns, rounding, sidewalks, grumbled, traders, blossomed, wailed, and lonesome
• Vocabulary Game
• Word Parts:  Compound words (TEKS 3.4 E)
• Spelling:  Long Ee (TEKS 3.1 C) 
• Spelling Game
• Grammar - Common and Proper Nouns (TEKS 3.22 A)
• Writing:  Showing (TEKS 3.17 C)
• Math:  Rounding Numbers (TEKS 3.5 AB) Motivation Math p.69 - 78