Week 15

We received a number of awards during this week’s flag ceremony.

Congratulations to Sonia, Nicole, and Victor who received 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd prize for Mid Semester Grades.

Well done to Jasmine for receiving the Student of the Month Award for Respect.

All of 3B also received a 1^st place in the Clean up competition. You always work so hard in Clean up. Good Job 3B!

In Science we have been learning about landforms and we used a paper towel to see how the forces at work in the earth help create mountains.

Also in Science, we had great fun sucking candy as a model of weathering. We discovered that the longer we sucked the candy the smaller it got. This was a model of how the longer a rock is in a river the more it will be weathered.

Another Science activity was to model how rocks tumble around in a river and bash against other rocks. This causes the rocks to break up into smaller rocks and eventually sand. To illustrate this real life happening we placed 5 pieces of candy in a plastic jar then we each took turned shaking the jar. After a few shakes not much had happened but the more we shook the more the candy broke up into pieces. At the end we had fine powder and only a few small pieces of candy.

Congratulations Gloria for becoming a 2 and 3 times tables Wizard. Keep up the good work.

A number of students became 4 and 5 times tables Wizards this week. Well done to you all!

Well done to all our Homework Machines for trying your best with your homework. Remember to always turn in your homework on time and to do your homework the best you can.

This week it was Jolene, Jonathan, JC, Joshua, Justin, Nick, and Nicole’s turns to put up some decorations on our Christmas calendar and Christmas tree. They also very nervously popped the next 7 balloons in our Christmas count down.

A new Class President and Vice President were chosen during WSS this week. Thank you Jason and Justin for doing such a good job up till now and congratulations to Elijah and Nicole for becoming our new Class President and Vice President.

We have finally finished reading “Kabuka and the Magic Calabash”. The students will now have an assignment on this book. Each student will be given a chapter of the book to re-read, summarize, and illustrate. The due date for this assignment is Monday 4^th January.

During noon quiet time on Friday 3B became a hair salon and I French braided Nicole, Jasmine, Gloria, and Jolene’s hair. They all looked really beautiful with their neatly tied hair.

To help get us in the Christmas mood Mr. DB played some Christmas songs for us all on his guitar on Friday afternoon. JC showed us his great dance moves while the rest of us sang.

Christmas Plans

Please remember the following information for our Christmas Plans:

1. Thursday 31^st December will be 3B’s Christmas party. (Thanks to the Christmas moms for helping me book the 2^nd floor multifunction room)
2. Parents are welcome to join us in the 2^nd floor multifunction room from 2:30 to 4pm on 31-12-09.
3. Don’t forget to buy a gift for your secret buddy (between NT150 –NT200) and bring it to school on Monday 28^th or Tuesday 29^th December.
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Summary of work planned for the next month. I will update this regularly in case of unplanned changes.

Science

This week (week 15) we began work on Unit C Chapter 2: Landforms and Slow Changes to Landforms.

Week 16 we complete Unit C Chapter 2 by looking at Rapid Changes to Landforms and have a test on Unit C Chapter 1 and 2.

In week 17 we begin Unit C Chapter 3 and look at how soils form, different soils and how to conserve it.

In week 18 and 19 there will be a Unit C Chapter 3 test and we will start Unit C Chapter 4 and look at resources and how to conserve them.

In week 20 we will finish of Unit C Chapter 3 and prepare for exams which take place at the end of the week and in week 21.

Math

We are working on multiplication for the rest of this semester. There will be a test on Chapter 5 on Monday 21^st December.

Western Social Studies

Week 15: Chapter 4 Models of American Citizenship, and National Symbols.

Week 16: Monday 14^th December there will be a Chapter 4 open-book-test and later in the week we will begin Chapter 5 Describing a Place

Week 17: Chapter 5 What People Add to Places, and People and Their Environment.

Week 18: Chapter 5 Test and Chapter 6 The World in Geographers’ Terms

Week 19: Chapter 6 Physical Processes, and Human Processes

Week 20: Complete Chapter 6 and prepare for exams which take place at the end of the week and in week 21.

English

Week 15: On Monday 14^th December we will have our regular weekly test on Theme 3 Lesson 13 A Tree is Growing; Grammar – Subject and Object Pronouns, Phonics – Consonants s/c, j/g, dge. The rest of the week will cover Theme 3 Lesson 14 One Small Place in a Tree; Grammar – Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement, Phonics – Syllable Patterns.

Week 16: Theme 3 Lesson 15 Ask the Experts; Review of Theme 3

Week 17: Theme 3 Test and Review

Week 18 – 20: I plan to use “Charlotte’s Web”

End of week 20 and week 21: Exams

Week 13 and 14

We were lucky last week to have an ice-cream party (even though we had already had a pizza party) for raising so much money at the UNICEF Carnival.

The Thanksgiving Party was wonderful. We played a game with 3A and then had lots of delicious food to eat.

Thanks to all the parents for preparing the food and joining us to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Mr. Pousen helped us create some great hats with a Thanksgiving theme.

At flag ceremony we received a few awards. We received 1^st place in the Field Day Sportsmanship Contest. We also received two 1sts and a 3^rd in the Clean up competition. Well done 3B!

In Science we started learning about Rocks and set up a crystal growing activity. Unfortunately, it is not going as planned because no crystals are growing on the nails but some great crystals are growing on the wet string and on the tray where some salt water was spilled.

Well done to all the students who received Homework Machine Awards for always turning in their homework and trying their best.

We have started the Times Table Wizard Quizes and many students have already completed 2 and 3 times tables successfully. Keep up the good work!

In Chinese class the students have worked really hard at memorizing poems and tongue twisters. They performed really well and received a special treat from their teacher.

We had a science activity where the students looked at rocks and tried to match unknown rocks to known igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.The students also had some practice using a balance scale. They estimated which rocks were heavier than others and then weighed the rocks and put them in order from lightest to heaviest.

We also looked at fossils and how they are formed.

In Chinese Social Studies groups of students made posters which promoted one student in the group to become the new Class President.

Gloria’s back on her feet and able to start walking again.

Thank you Nina for helping me put up the balloons after school and thank you Gloria for helping me put up some of the decorations.

Alica, Elijah, Gloria, Jasmine, and Jason put up the first5 decorations on our Christmas calendar and Christmas tree. They also very nervously popped the first 5 balloons in our Christmas count down.

Christmas Plans

Although the Christmas show was canceled due to the risk of H1N1 we still have some great things planned for Christmas.

We took a vote and we will be delaying our 3B Christmas party until Thursday 31^st December.

Secret Santas have been chosen and each Secret Santa will secretly give their buddy small notes of encouragement or very small gifts up until our Christmas Day. On our Christmas Day the Secret Santas will reveal themselves and give a gift (between NT150 –NT200) to their buddy with a card telling them who their Secret Santa is. We will play some fun Christmas games too.

Mr. Pousen will help each student to make a Christmas stocking and I have asked Santa Claus to please deliver our gifts on the 31^st.

Summary of work planned for the next month. I will update this regularly in case of unplanned changes.

Science

This week we have completed our work on Unit C Chapter 1: Minerals, Rocks, and Fossils and the students have a review worksheet to complete this weekend.

Next week (week 15) we begin work on Unit C Chapter 2: Landforms and Slow Changes to Landforms.

Week 16 we complete Unit C Chapter 2 by looking at Rapid Changes to Landforms and have a test on Unit C Chapter 1 and 2.

In week 17 we begin Unit C Chapter 3 and look at how soils form, different soils and how to conserve it.

In week 18 and 19 there will be a Unit C Chapter 3 test and we will start Unit C Chapter 4 and look at resources and how to conserve them.

In week 20 we will finish of Unit C Chapter 3 and prepare for exams which take place at the end of the week and in week 21.

Math

We are working on multiplication for the rest of this semester.

Western Social Studies

Week 14: Chapter 4 US Government, and Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens.

Week 15: Chapter 4 Models of American Citizenship, and National Symbols.

Week 16: Chapter 4 Test and Chapter 5 Describing a Place

Week 17: Chapter 5 What People Add to Places, and People and Their Environment.

Week 18: Chapter 5 Test and Chapter 6 The World in Geographers’ Terms

Week 19: Chapter 6 Physical Processes, and Human Processes

Week 20: Complete Chapter 6 and prepare for exams which take place at the end of the week and in week 21.

English

Week 14: Theme 3 Lesson 13 A Tree is Growing; Grammar – Subject and Object Pronouns, Phonics – Consonants s/c, j/g, dge.

Week 15: Theme 3 Lesson 14 One Small Place in a Tree; Grammar – Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement, Phonics – Syllable Patterns.

Week 16: Theme 3 Lesson 15 Ask the Experts; Review of Theme 3

Week 17: Theme 3 Test and Review

Week 18 – 20: I plan to use “Charlotte’s Web”

End of week 20 and week 21: Exams

Week 12

Jolene celebrated her birthday this week. Happy Birthday Jolene! I hope you had a great day.

I have sent home the latest Science and Social Studies workbooks, as well as the 5 theme 2 English workbooks. Please will you sign them and return them to me by Wednesday. Thank you.

Jason, JC, Nick, and Yao please will you remember to bring in 10 pieces of work to go into the Time Capsule.

JC and Jonathan please will you bring in your transfer forms on Monday.

Don’t forget to make a Thanksgiving card for your secret buddy. Try to write a sentence telling them why you are thankful for them. Don’t sign your name; just write “from your secret buddy”. If you can, please type it on your computer so that your buddy does not recognize your handwriting.

What has been happening to Kabuka? Remember, Kabuka stole the calabash back from Zaka but then was tricked by Tabisa (who was under Zaka’s curse) and lost it again. Zaka was then hit by a tree branch which was struck by lightening and Kabuka managed to get the calabash back again. When we left Kabuka he was watching a pride of lion hunting a giraffe, and the baboons were catching up with him …….. that’s when he thought up a plan!! We will find out next time what happens next!

Everyone was happy to receive their book orders from Scholastic this week.

On Friday Ricky, JC, and Nicole took part in the Field Day long jump competition. Well done to you all for doing your best.

We have begun rehearsals for our Christmas concert. The students are doing really well learning all the songs and learning our 3B dance to the UNICEF song “Hand in Hand”. Hand in Hand is a song composed by Costas CACOYANNIS and written by Pambos Kouzalis. It was performed last year at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The youtube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxmjKqkG2dE

This next week we will be having a number of tests:

Monday – Theme 2 English

The test will be similar to the mid term test with the following parts:

• Comprehension – opinion/fact; main idea/details; reference sources; synonyms/antonyms
• Phonics – compound words; tch, ch, sh, wh; oi, oy; ou, ow; blends scr, str, spr
• Grammar – compound sentences, combining sentences, proper and common nouns, singular and plural nouns, and abbreviations (remember that US states are capital letters e.g.: California = CA)
• Vocabulary – please review the following words carefully. Shabby, famine, investigate, momentum, alert, inquisitive, expert, ingredients, gaze, various confess, suspect, dominant, and suspicious.
• You will also need to write a paragraph of between 5 to 10 sentences.

After the test we will begin Theme Three of Story Town.

On Tuesday is the Science test. Use B70 – 71 in your text book to review.

After the test we will begin Unit C.

On Wednesday is the Chapter 3 Social studies test.

Please review the following pages in your workbook:

• The activity page on Law and Order. Make sure you know some of the rules or laws that should be obeyed.
• Review the different ways that you can resolve a conflict.
• Be able to answer questions about a map like the page in your work book headed “Identify State Capitals and Borders”
• Review the True and False questions for Lesson 2 and 3.
• Review carefully the notes be wrote for Lesson 3.

We will begin Chapter 4 on Monday 30 November.

In Math next week we will be continuing learning about the Metric System and will learn about capacity (milliliters and liters), weight (grams and kilograms), and temperature (degrees Celsius). There will be a Chapter 4 test on Monday 30 November.

Chapter 5 and 6 Math deals with multiplication. Memorizing the multiplication tables is essential to completing these chapters successfully and therefore we have started having multiplication tables quizzes as often as possible. To be able to fit these quizzes into our program we will have them at 8am on a Monday and Tuesday and then at other times during our daily schedule. Please can you make sure that you are early on Monday and Tuesday so that you don’t miss out.

I hope you all have a great weekend. See you on Monday, 3b!

Mrs.DB