First Quarter Honors

The first quarter of the 2014-15 school year is behind us and with that Horizon Science Academy took some time to recognize students who demonstrated outstanding achievement in academics, character, and citizenship. The following students from third grade were recognized at this week's awards assembly.

Special Honors and Awards

Khadijah:  Outstanding Performance in Computer Technology
Kaylin: Highest Average in Reading; Sherlock Holmes Award for Citing Text Evidence
Ra'Jhay:  Most Improved Citizenship
Shy'Diamond:  Highest Average in Social Studies; Helping Hand Award
Cayla:  Most Improved Academics; Sherlock Holmes Award for Citing Text Evidence
Abubakr:  Outstanding Performance in Computer Technology
Diamond:  P.R.I.D.E Award
Jayda:  Outstanding Performance in Writing; Sherlock Holmes Award for Citing Text Evidence; P.R.I.D.E. Award
Darren:  Highest Average in Social Studies
Alivia:  Highest Average in Science
Angel:  Outstanding Performance in Computer Technology; Highest Average in Math
TaMya:  Outstanding Performance in Computer Technology; Helping Hand Award
Da'Marieon:  Outstanding Performance in Computer Technology
Karissa: Sherlock Holmes Award for Citing Text Evidence; P.R.I.D.E Award
James:  Highest Average in Social Studies; Highest Average in Reading; Outstanding Performance in Writing; Sherlock Holmes Award for Citing Text Evidence; P.R.I.D.E. Award



Several third grade students were recognized for outstanding overall academic performance in all academic areas.  These students received a GPA of 3.0 or above as specified below.

Merit Roll

Merit roll is achieved when a student earns an overall GPA between 3.0 and 3.49.  The following third graders achieved the Merit Roll for the first quarter of this school year:

Angel, Cayla, Alivia, Jayda, Lavon, Shy'Diamond

Honor Roll

Honor Roll is achieved when a student earns a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99.  When placed on the Honor Roll, students receive a McDonald's gift card in addition to their certificate. The following students achieved Honor Roll during the first quarter:

Kaylin, James, Marion

Super Honor Roll

Super Honor Roll is achieved when a student obtains a GPA of a perfect 4.0.  No third graders achieved this during the first quarter, but I do know that they are eager to work towards this goal in future quarters.

Dean's Student of the Quarter

This award is given by the Dean of Students to one student in each homeroom for outstanding overall performance including character, academics, citizenship, and behavior.  Students who earn this award are presented with a special HSA t-shirt that says "Dean's Student of the Quarter" that can be worn as an alternative to the HSA uniform shirt at any time.  For the first quarter of the 2014-15 school year, Jayda was selected by Dean Billingsly as the Student of the Quarter for our homeroom.

Jayda is the Dean's Student of the Quarter for room 177!

The Case for Cursive

The third graders at Horizon Science Academy-Dayton Elementary have completed the introductory unit to cursive handwriting and will begin learning stokes and letters for cursive handwriting during the second quarter.  Having been dropped from the Common Core Standards, thousands of classrooms across American have discontinued teaching cursive handwriting.  However, is there a case for cursive to continue to be taught in our classrooms today?  Ms. Amstutz believes that the research strongly points to a resounding answer of YES!  Read the articles below to find out why.

Sharnetta practicing beginning upward strokes.

How Cursive Writing Uniquely Helps Brain Development 

(by Lisa Garber)

These are not surprising results, as certain physical activities naturally spark various areas of the brain  But they still point to the benefits of handwriting that are missing from typing skills alone. Take, for example, the research of Virginia Berninger, an educational psychology professor at the University of Washington. Berninger claims that because handwriting necessitates physical sequential strokes to form just one letter (as opposed to a single strike in hitting a single key), massive regions in the brain are activated, including areas of thinking, language, and temporary information storage and management. In one of her studies, she demonstrates that children in grades two, four, and six were able to write more words faster and express more ideas when writing essays by hand rather than the keyboard.

What’s more, writing in general helps build important neural pathways in the brain, helping you to better remember whatever you were recording. This is not the case with typing.

Andrea Gordon, writing for ParentCentral in the Toronto Star, writes on cursive writing’s impact on neurological development. Citing the research of Toronto psychiatrist and neuroplasticity expert Dr. Norman Doidge, she says that cursive writing is unique in that, unlike with print handwriting and typing, each letter connects uniquely to the next  This is “more demanding on the part of the brain that converts symbol sequences into motor movements in the hand.” Gordon further ties cursive to emotional circuitry according to Dr. Jason Barton’s research at the University of British Columbia.

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/how-cursive-writing-affects-brain-development/#ixzz3GjXqu7aI
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Marcus checks his work to look for his best upward stroke.

5 Reasons Cursive Writing Should be Taught in School
Posted November 6, 2012 in Curriculum & Instruction

Teaching cursive writing extends far beyond simply handwriting skills.

In the 21st century, teaching cursive writing is increasingly becoming more of an exception than the rule. With computers emerging as the primary source for writing, many administrators feel teaching cursive writing is not necessary and believe the time would be better spent teaching keyboard skills.

Many students and parents, however, believe that teaching cursive writing is still very relevant and should not be so quickly dismissed. Maggie Wells from Parenting Squad polled teachers to uncover reasons why cursive should be taught in school:

Cursive develops motor skills
Cursive writing requires a very different skill set than print writing. It involves using the hand muscles in a different way. Additionally, it activates a different part of the brain than regular writing does. At the age cursive is taught, around 7 or 8-years-old, these skills can be very beneficial in furthering motor skill development. In turn, many other skills will benefit. Some administrators argue that the time teaching cursive writing would be better spent teaching keyboard skills. In this case, students do not actually have to use their hands to create the letters, which will make retention rates lower and not help motor skills at all.

Cursive reinforces learning
When students are only taught the English language in one form, print writing, they only get one chance to learn and memorize the letters. By having to learn cursive as well, it gives students another opportunity to fully comprehend the alphabet. Learning cursive also gives students a clearer understanding of how letters are formed, which will improve their print writing as well.

Khadijah works to finish up her first cursive words.

Cursive helps students with disabilitiesStudents with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia, can have a very hard time with writing in print because many of the letters look similar, particularly b and d. On the contrary, cursive writing offers each letter a very different look. This gives dyslexic students another option; an option that can decrease their dyslexic tendencies and make them more confident in their abilities.

Cursive is an art form
More and more school districts are cutting art from their budgets. This can be detrimental to the full development of students. However, cursive writing can be considered an art form all its own. It is one more way for students to develop the side of their brain that is not developed by basic reading and writing skills. The more diverse a teaching curriculum is, the better.

Cursive connects students to the past
Without being able to read cursive writing, students will undoubtedly be kept from many opportunities to read important documents. Examples include many historical documents that are written in cursive. While some of these documents are readily available online in print form, not all of them are. It would be silly to expect students to use translators to interpret cursive writing when it is written in their own language.

Not only will students miss out on a part of history, they may very well miss out on reading important letters and cards from their grandparents or great-grandparents. The older generation still writes in cursive on a daily basis. Kids often rely on their parents to translate these letters and cards for them because they simply cannot read the cursive writing. Forty years from now, when these grandparents have passed on, kids may want to look back on these letters, and they should be able to read them.

So, should cursive be taught in school?
We think a resounding ‘Yes!’ If teaching cursive writing is eliminated from schools, children have a lot to lose. Though the world is becoming more and more technology dependent, there is something to be said for retaining a part of classic writing skills in the curriculum. Maybe schools need to start testing on the subject again in order to make teachers take it seriously. Cursive reinforces the mantra that learning should simply be for learning–not just to pass a test.

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Letters to Bear: Trickster Tale Advice from the Third Grade

As part of a study of different cultures who have influences American history, students read a variety of Trickster Tales.  Trickster tales are short, imaginative narratives that usually use animal characters to convey fold wisdom and to help us understand human nature and develop proper human behavior.  These stories were originally passed down through oral tradition and were eventually written down.  Trickster tales provide comic relief but also explain how humans have the knowledge they possess.  

To introduce the topic of trickster tales to the third graders, a modern trickster tale, Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, was read to the students.  In this story, lazy Bear sleeps through every planting season, so conniving Hare makes him a deal.  Hare and his family will work Bear's land and split the crops in half.  He'll even let Bear choose which half he wants, tops or bottoms.  Bear chooses but each season Hare ends up reaping all of the vegetable profits.

Afterwards, students wrote a letter to poor Bear to give him some advice. I always enjoy reading student writing because it is possible to gain insight into their personalities and also to see the parts of the stories with which they made a connection.  Below are three samples of student writing:  

Dear Bear, Plant your own crops.  Don't let Hare plant
your crops next time.  Say, "I want middles, tops and bottoms."
And let them plant it.  Say, "You plant it.  I eat it."  Buy your land back
and stop being lazy.  You are not nocturnal.  You sleep during the winter.
Stop sleeping on the front porch in that rocking chair.  Sincerely, Alivia
P.S.  If you're going to be lazy you're going to need to go to a furniture
store and get you a Lazy Boy Recliner.

Dear Bear, I heard Hare is tricking you.  You should stop being lazy
 and do your own work and plant your own crops
and I will come to your house to help you.
Sincerely, Da'Maireon  P.S. Stop being lazy.

Dear Bear, I heard you are getting tricked by Hare.  Hear is mean.
I think you learned your lesson to not be lazy.  You should grow your own
crops so Hare don't take all of your food like he done in the book.  He took your
corn, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, and your carrots.  He took a lot of your food.
Bears sleep in the winter not in the summer. You should go
to sleep in your home.,  I think I know how he come to you house
every summer.  He came to your house to plant so me
crops.  But he tricked you.  Ever summer you should have
said,  "tops and bottoms, and middles."  You didn't even know
at first but ever summer he took you food because you gambled.
You should be more careful.Your Friend, Karissa  P.S. Stop slacking and get up!

In class we read several trickster tales including Anansi the Spider:  a Tale of the Ashanti (West Africa) by Gerald McDermott and Anansi and the Cattle Ranch (Nicaragua) by Harriet Rohmer.  We also watched the following video clip:

We also read the tale of Zomo the Rabbit by Gerald McDermott who is known as Bre'er Rabbit in the United States.  The following video clip told a story of Bre'er Rabbit:

Kids Just Wanna Have Fun!

While the third graders have been busy learning all about immigration, migration, and pioneer settlements in the early United States, they have managed to take a few breaks.  In late September, Horizon Science Academy was fortunate enough to have a wonderful guest speaker who educated the students about anti-bullying in a fun and creative way.

Chris McBrien engaged the students through magic tricks, role-playing, and a unique style of puppeteering using HSA's very own Mr. Moeller.

Through this presentation using Mr. Moeller as a live puppet, Chris McBrien was able to teach students the lesson about how it is only acceptable to laugh WITH someone rather than AT someone.

The students thoroughly enjoyed seeing their favorite gym teacher acting silly and having some fun along with them.

At the end of September, students in room 177 celebrated their academic achievements, good attendance, and positive behaviors at the September P.R.I.D.E. party.  Students watched Ice Age The Meltdown.  Through this cleverly teacher-selected movie, students also made connections to forces of migration, changes in ecosystems, and needs of living things as they watched the movie.  While watching the movie, students were able to spend their hard earned P.R.I.D.E. points on Papa John's Pizza, popcorn, and juice.

Jayda, Lavon, and Ra'Jhay relaxing during the P.R.I.D.E party.

Abubakr, Da'Marieon, and Angel had a good time with good friends.

Technology in Action...Student Writing Samples

As part of our classroom goals, we have been working on projects with a purpose.  Third graders have been researching animals migratory habits as part of the "What Has Value?" interdisciplinary unit.  One P.R.I.D.E. group worked together to research migratory habits of Salmon.  The two samples below demonstrate how students with differing ability levels were able to complete the same challenging task within their own reach.  And this was done very successfully.  Students worked together to complete a planning page and then returned to their seats to draft a written informational piece about salmon.  Their drafts were taken to the computer lab to be typed in a Microsoft Power Point Presentation.  Later, Mr. Korkmaz, the Computer Technology teacher emailed student work samples to Ms. Amstutz who then collaborated with students on revising and editing their slides for grammar, spelling and visual appearance.

This student work sample is another technology piece that was completed as a "paired texts" writing assignment.  After reading two different non-fiction texts about butterfly migration, students were to write a journal entry from the point-of-view of a butterfly who is migrating from northern U.S. to Mexico.   Da'Marieon did a wonderful job of incorporating information gleaned from both non-fiction  pieces by mentioning the use of the stars and sun to help guide his way during the migration process, how many miles he traveled, and what his food source was on his journey.  

Meet Kaylin

Our third grade Star of the Week this week is Kaylin .  

Kaylin is eight years old.  People in Kaylin’s family include her mom, her aunt, her baby cousin and her grandma.  She has dogs for pets but if she could have any animal in the world for a pet, she would like to have a monkey.  Her favorite color is pink and her favorite subject in school is Social Studies.  She enjoys playing tag and at recess she likes jumping rope with her friends.    Other things she likes to do are going to the park and drawing.  She also collects rocks and pinecones.  Kaylin’s favorite sport is soccer.  She enjoys reading Junie B. Jones books.  Things that she dislikes are bees, wasps and spiders.  When Kaylin grows up, she would like to be a nail designer.  

Kaylin is a star because she is always respectful.  She has a beautiful smile and is friendly to everyone in the class.  She always gives her best effort in her classwork and her homework.  Kaylin is a shining bright star.

Rounding Rap Rules Room 177

We have been learning about rounding this week. To help us remember how to do it, we learned this song and made this video staring (front row) Khadijah, Cayla, Aaron, Angel, and (back row) Ngone, Darren, Diamone, and Kaylin. 

It reminds us to first find the place (circle it) we are rounding to. Then, look at the number "next door." If that "next door" digit is 5 or more- raise the score (add 1) of the digit to which we're rounding. If it is 4 or less-let it (the digit in the place value to which we are rounding) rest (stay the same). Finally, look to the right of the digit in the place value to which we are rounding to and put zeros in sight (change all the digits to the right of the number rounding to to zeros).