November 18th - November 22, 2013

     An author usually has a reason for writing each  book he or she writes. The story we're reading this week is  Author: A True Story.  We laugh as Helen Lester tells us about everything she learned about writing from the time she was three to when she is a grownup. This is a very funny book, but the author also tells us how she had a dream and just kept trying and trying to reach it. So, she has two reasons for writing this book—to give us a good time and tell us not to give up.

*Citizen of the Week*

Bella!

Onomatopoeia!
What is an onomatopoeia?
A word that represents a sound:

Biographies and autobiographies are texts that tell about someone's life.  A biography is written by someone other than the subject.  It is written from the third-person point of view.  An autobiography is written by the subject.  It is written from the first-person point of view.

Spelling Words er, ur, and ir

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

Working with er, ur, and ir

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

Working with er, ur, and ir

Working with er, ur, and ir

Working with er, ur, and ir

Alphabetizing Spelling Words

This Week's Vocabulary and Spelling Games
Vocabulary Game 1: Unit 3, Week 1
Spelling Game 1: Unit 3, Week 1

Perimeter and Area with Peanut Butter!  FUN!

Enjoying Perimeter!

THIS WEEK at a glance:

• COMPREHENSION:  Generate Questions  (3.2 B)
• Author's Purpose (3.12)
• Skill:  Theme (3.5 A)
• GENRE:  Poetry, Autobiography
• Vocabulary: talented, single, proper, excitement, acceptance, useful, illustrated, publisher, autographing, hearth, muskets Click here
• Context Clues: Word Clues(3.4B)
• Phonics/Spelling:  r-Controlled Vowels er, ir, ur (3.1 C) Click here
• Grammar/Mechanics:  Action Verbs (3.22 A i)
• Writing: Traits-Ideas (3.22 A)
• Math - Perimeter in Standard Units/Linear Measurement (3.11AB)
• Calendar for this week

November 11th - November 15, 2013

This week we're reading Glow in the Dark Animals.  This informational text describes many animals that glow in the dark, from fireflies to krill to cookie-cutter sharks. The author explains the three different ways an animal glows, as well as the many different reasons that animals glow. Scientific information about habitats and current research is highlighted.  (Reading A-Z)

The new Texas Bluebonnet List is in!  

The Texas Bluebonnet award program is a unique program that encourages reading for pleasure and is aimed at students in grades 3-6.

Each year, 20 books are chosen

as the “Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List” by the TBA selection committee.

If students read a minimum of five books from the current master list (or have the books read aloud to them), they have the opportunity to vote for their favorite title during the month of January each year. The author of the book receiving the most votes statewide is declared the winner of the Texas Bluebonnet Award.

We are taking district tests this week.


*Citizen of the Week*
Damian!

November 4th - November 8, 2013

Dear Family Members:

This week we’re reading A Castle on Viola Street. It’s about a family who wants to live in a nice house. The family and the neighbors work together to fix up old houses so people can live in them. We learned that the theme is the message of the story. We think the theme in this book is helping one another can lead to wonderful things.


* GAMES *

Spelling Game This Week
Vocabulary Game This Week
Contraction Fun
More Contraction Fun

Contractions!

*Citizen of the Week*
Ashton

We're playing Affix Match.  
Click here to view or make our game.

THIS WEEK at a glance:

• COMPREHENSION:  Monitor Comprehension (3.2C) Theme (3.5A)
• Author's Purpose (3.12) Persuade, Inform, or Entertain
• GENRE:  Literary Text:  Expository, Fiction (3.6)
• Vocabulary: appliances, owners, construction, equipment, leaky, project
• Context Clues: Paragrah Clues(3.4B)
• Phonics/Spelling:  Contractions, Multisyllabic Words (3.1C)
• Contraction Bingo
• For Spelling and Vocabulary Words for this week:  Click here
• Grammar/Mechanics:  Possessive Nouns (3.22A, B), Apostrophes in Possessive Nouns
• Math - Fractions
• Calendar for this week

We love our firemen hats!
Thank you!

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