Rocketing to Math Fact Fluency!

Third Graders have begun using a math fact fluency program called Rocket Math. Rocket math is a 10-minutes a day paper and pencil, worksheet-based math facts supplemental practice curriculum. Students learn 2 facts and their reverses on each worksheet in a carefully controlled sequence which enables mastery at an individualized pace. Students practice orally with a partner every day. At home, students should practice with a parent or a responsible sibling. One minute timings assess when students are ready to move to the next set of facts.

Because nearly everything we do in mathematics is rooted in basic number sense and operations, it is crucial that students have math fact fluency. Math fact fluency is the ability to recall the answers to basic math facts automatically and without hesitation. Fact fluency is gained through significant practice, with mastery of basic math facts being a goal of both teachers and parents.

By using the Rocket Math program, third graders will be able to improve their addition and subtraction fluency prior to tackling multiplication and division. This is important because of the relationships that exist between the operations. For example, addition and multiplication are related operations: 3+3+3+3 is the same as 3x4. Being able to quickly and fluently add will help the to also quickly see the relationship to multiplication.

When students correctly complete in one minute the number of problems that their personalized goal indicated, they advance.In just the four days we have done Rocket Math in the classroom, students have already been advancing levels. Pictured below are some of our third graders who are on their way to Rocket Math success!

Alivia, Angel, Ray'Von, Aaron, Marcus, Adriana, and James.

Guess Who?

Getting to know you!  Getting to know all about you!!! One of the age old traditions of "back to school" is some form of getting to know you activities.  Well, at HSA, in Ms. Amstutz's class, this year, since most of the students already knew each other, we put a bit of a twist on things.  We spent the second week of school getting to know how to phonetically spell each other's names.

One of the most frequently asked questions of a third grade teacher is "How do you spell_______?"  And, those who have had Ms. A. as a teacher before know that I very rarely will simply tell you how to spell a word.  I will ask "What tools do you have that will help you figure out how to spell that word yourself?  Have you tried to use them?"  In a future post, my third grade students will show you how we do this in the classroom so that you, can use this strategy at home.  It really works!  We must remember, that we don't always have to spell perfectly, but we always have to spell to be understood.  Eventually, we will learn to spell a word perfectly, but when first learning, it is ok if we make a mistake as long as our reader understands what we mean.  If we use what we know (our tools) we can help our reader do just that!  Here are just a few of our third grade names spelled phonetically:

Ngone      Gonay
James     Jamez
Kaylin     Kaylin

Abubakr     Oboobocker

Mid-week, after reading Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, students began writing a "Guess Who" riddle.  Our riddles are a series of statements that leave the reader guessing as to who is being described.  In this interactive display, readers will be able to lift the flap to reveal the answer.  Students are looking forward to fooling their parents at upcoming parent's nights...so,get ready to GUESS WHO!

Ngone taking P.R.I.D.E. in her "Guess Who" riddle.

Angel is hard at work adding colorful details to accent the big reveal on the inside of his "Guess Who" riddle.

Classroom Rules and Management

On the second day of school, third graders discussed how rules help us.  We identified that rules keep us safe and that rules allow us to have fun and learn.  We generated a list of rules that were good rules for school.  Did you know that third graders sure do know a lot about school rules?  You can tell that they have learned a lot since they started school when they were in kindergarten.  They are certainly among the leaders in the school now.

Once we created a list of nearly 15 good rules for school, we talked about how that is really WAY TOO MANY to remember.  We thought about how a lot of them fall into just a few main categories like "respect", "being prepared", "following directions", and "responsibility".  We agreed that it would be easier to remember just 4 rules instead of 15!  We talked about Ms. Amstutz's four basic rules.  We agreed to sign our class-generated list and hang it below Ms. Amstutz's list as a reminder of how they are related.

Da'Marieon signs the class-generated list of rules.

You can find Ms. Amstuts's four basic class rules under the RULES tab on the home page of the blog.

In third grade, students will continue to follow the color system for behavior management.  Students will begin their day on green. They may move up in levels to blue, purple, and pink for positive behavior.  They may move down in levels to yellow, orange, and red for negative behavior.  For each color, a point value is assigned and students use those points to earn entry to the P.R.I.D.E. party at the end of the month.  In addition to points for the P.R.I.D.E. party, consequences or rewards accompany each level.  In Ms. Amstutz's class the points and consequences are as follows:

Pink            +5         Positive phone call to parent

Purple         +3         Verbal Praise

Blue            +2          Verbal Praise

Green          +1
Yellow        -1          Verbal Warning

Orange        -3          Behavior Action Plan

Red             -5          Behavior Action Plan and Parent Contact

A behavior action plan is a form that students will complete in which they will identify the rule that was broken and what was done to break the rule.  They must then identify why they broke the rule.  And lastly, they must identify ways in which they will solve the problem in the future.  They will sign and date this plan and a copy will be made for their file.  The original will be sent home for parent signature and should be returned the next school day.  If it is not returned, I will then make a phone call home.

Behavior charts in agendas will be completed at the end of day and should be initialed each night by parents. Students who have agendas initialed will earn a "good work" ticket which can be accumulated and redeemed for items in our classroom economy.  Good work tickets are given for positive academic behaviors such as doing homework, participating in class, being diligent on assignments, following directions, etc.

Who's Got Horizon P.R.I.D.E.? Third Graders do!

Third grade students at Horizon arrived full of excitement and nerves but soon settled in for their first day of third grade.  Happy to see their friends again after a summer of outdoor play, family trips, and trying to stay cool indoor, we set to work.

Our first order of business was coloring an owl that would be then be put on our third grade bulletin board in the hallway.  Each of the owls had a different pattern, some simple, some complex.  Some owls had a zig-zag pattern, some had a floral pattern, some were plain.  As each student colored their owl, they were demonstrating their personalities by the colors they chose and each owl represented our uniqueness.  Owls were placed on the "Who's Got Horizon P.R.I.D.E.?" bulletin board with their names beside them.

Throughout the day, we discussed and practiced procedures and routines.  And, we organized that huge mound of school supplies.  It is hard to believe how fast the first day of school went.

After the 2:30 dismissal, Ms. Amstutz stayed behind and continued to work "behind the scenes".  It was 6:00 before she left for the day.

The student's desks had their assignments ready for tomorrow...

and everyone else had left the building.

But, this had definitely been the BEST first day of school EVER!!!!

Choosing Chapter Books for Third Graders

By third grade, most readers (even struggling readers), should be able to pick up a chapter book and read it. It is often a difficult transition to put down those picture books where such vibrant pictures were on every page and there were only a few words to a paragraph on a page. Chapter books can be intimidating when there are only words on pages, but many of them have still have pictures every few pages and they have far more engaging stories for our maturing students.

Selecting a chapter book can be difficult when there are so many to choose from and you hear so much about "reading levels". I will try to provide you with more information about that as the school year progresses. For now, here are some suggestions.

1. Check the cover. Does it catch your child's attention? Just don't judge the book only by its cover!
2. Read the summary on the inside flap or back of the book. Does it sound interesting to your child?
3. Read the first page. Does the author get your child's attention?
4. Have your child use the "five finger" test. (see below)
5. To find more books, look at the book displays, including the display of new books.
6. Ask the librarian. She/he is familiar with most of the books and would love to make suggestions.
7. Has your child read a book he or she enjoyed? Try reading another book by the same author.
8. Ask the librarian for a list of good authors or titles your child will enjoy.
9. Browse the non-ficiton collection. You'll find books on animals, science, hobbies, sports, crafts, and much more!
10. Use on of the library databases to help you find just the kind of book you or your child are looking for. The librarians will be glad to help.

How to Select a Book Using the 5 Finger Test

0 Fingers

This book is easy to read for your child.

1 Finger

This book is easy to read.  It offers little challenge.

2 Fingers

This book is easy to read but offers one or two new words per page that are easy to figure out.

3 Fingers

This book is perfect!  It offers just the right amount of challenge for your child.  

4 Fingers

Difficult to read.  An adult will need to read this book with your child.

5 Fingers

This book is probably too hard for your child to read.  It will need to be read with an adult.

It is wonderful to see your child reading every word of a book. However, you should still continue to challenge your child with books that they aren’'t able to ‘breeze’ through.

Generally, if your child struggles with 5 -6 words on one page, it is probably best to leave that book for a later date. If they are constantly getting ‘stuck’ on unfamiliar or difficult words, they may get discouraged and lose interest altogether.

A Sneak Peak at Room 177

I am so pleased to have been able to move across the hall to room 177 this year for one major reason...I have a window in the classroom.  It is so wonderful to have some natural lighting in the room!  I just love the way the room looks with the Turquoise on Dots coordinating decor.  Here are just a few photos of what is in our third grade classroom and some theory behind it.

A warm welcome into the classroom to greet the students will set the tone for the entire day.  Each day begins with a clean slate.

The view from the entrance to the room.  I really like the way my makeshift curtain turned out.  The potted silk flowers added a touch of vibrancy for the time being.  I do hope to add some live plants eventually.

Exemplar student work will be displayed on this board.  I am looking forward to seeing the amazing potential my new third graders have.

Above the bulletin board, number line and cursive alphabet charts are displayed.  Students WILL be taught cursive writing across the course of the school year.  Brain research has shown that when students write using cursive, more areas of the brain are stimulated than while printing or typing.  These areas are related to creativity and learning.  On the bulletin board, "I Can" statements and concept charts will be displayed for current material being addressed in class.

Classroom supplies are kept in the colored bins.  Student mail boxes are in the storage unit on the right.  Classroom behavior chart, schedule, morning work and calendar are on the wall.

This is one of the focal points of instruction.  This dry erase board will be used by the teacher and students for class instruction and for documentation of homework at the end of the day.

This is the other focal point of classroom instruction.  It is a STAR Board.  It is a type of interactive technology board.  Again, both students and teacher will use this for learning purposes.  Above the board are classroom hand signals which will cut down on class disruptions and to the left is our voice level chart so that we know which volume of voices are permitted for each activity.

This is my desk area.  Here's to keeping organized!  I have done everything I can to set myself and the students up for success for a great year.  On the table in front of the desk are turn in trays for classwork, homework, and parent mail.  The "jobs chart", class rules, and birthday  chart are on the wall.

Sometimes, students need a place to cool off or reflect on their choices.  This is the place to do it.  They will have the opportunity to actually "look at the man in the mirror" and fill out a "Behavior Intervention Plan" where they will identify what happened, why it happened, and possible solutions to prevent it from happening again.  Then they will identify their plan for making a change.  When students are required to complete a BIP, a parent signature will be required.

Attendance and lunch count will be taken by this clip chart system to avoid the loss of any instructional minutes spent taking roll call.  Students will move a clip from "absent" to their lunch selection when they arrive in the morning.

Front of room perspective from the door.

Back of room, perspective from teacher desk.

Welcome Back to HSA!

Welcome back to HSA and welcome to the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year! My name is Ms. Rosie Amstutz and I will be your child’s teacher for the 2014-2015 school year. I want to welcome you to the third grade HSA! I completed my Masters in Literacy at the University of Dayton in May, 2103. I have two teenage sons, Noah (16)and Nicholas (13). I also have three dogs: Blaze, Reagan, Gizmo. My hobbies include reading, writing, cooking and walking. This is my 2nd year at HSA and I am excited to begin!

I am thrilled to be teaching third graders this year and I am excited about getting to know you. Third grade is full of fun but it requires a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve to our best ability.

Students will reacquaint with old friends and make new friends while learning to be good citizens, not only in the classroom and at HSA but in the community and around the world! I look forward to getting to know every student and parent and working together to make this the best year of school possible for your child. Once again, I am EXTREMELY excited to begin this year! Through hands-on learning we are going to dive into the world of knowledge. You are going to be amazed at the students your children become. They are going to quickly become close readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and caring citizens right before your eyes. It is my goal to pass on my love of learning to every one of them.

School Supplies List 2014-2015

Welcome Incoming Third Graders! I hope that you are having a fantastic summer! Believe it or not, the sales will be starting shortly and I wanted to make sure that you had your list to take advantage of the good deals. Here are some items that would assist your student next year:

1 large or extra large zippered supply bag (no boxes)

24 sharpened pencils (no mechanicals)

2 red erasers (no pencil toppers)

2 red ink pens

1 box 8-10 count broad tip markers

1 box 12 count colored pencils

1 box 24 count crayons

4 highlighters (multi-colored)

1 pair of scissors

1 bottle school glue

1 1-inch binder with flexible plastic cover

6 three-prong folders with pockets (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)

3 packs college rule notebook paper

2 black composition books

2 black dry erase markers

1 roll of paper towels

3 boxes of kleenex tissues