What's going on in Mrs. Prairie's room?
by Heather Prairie
August 26, 2008
Welcome to the third grade! My name is Heather Prairie. This is my third year in 3rd grade at Chebanse Elementary. I previously taught four years in 2nd and 3rd grade in St. Anne. I grew up in Chebanse and decided to return home due to my own growing family. My husband and I reside in Clifton with our two daughters and a baby on the way.
I received my bachelor's degree from Olivet Nazarene University. I have also received a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and a master's degree in Educational Leadership from St. Francis University.
Reading- This month we will be reading beginning a unit on Incredible Stories. This theme will involve stories that are meant to wow the students. The first story we read is called Dogzilla. It is a play on the story of Godzilla. The town of Mouseopolis is attacked by Dogzilla. The students also love the story because it is the same author of the Captain Underpants series, which they all seem to love. In addition to this story, I will read the trade book Kat Kong to them. We may even try to write our own creative incredible story.
We also devote some of our reading time to guided reading. This is an opportunity for the students to read books at their level within a small group setting. Then they get to discuss it and work on different skills in their small groups with an adult to guide them. Two groups meet for 15 minutes at a time during four days of the week. The 15 minutes each student is not in a group, they are to read or free write. This is a great opportunity for the students to progress with their AR points.
The week before Christmas break, we will be reading some fun holiday stories. We are also going to make marshmallow snowmen using melted chocolate, graham crackers, pretzels, and some other fun items. The C.A.R.E. group sponsors Craft Day on December 18. They purchase items for students to use to create different crafts. The third grade will rotate between the four third grade teachers to complete a different craft with each one. The students love this day!
We will also be finishing our novel Hoot. This is a story about a business getting ready to build on property that has protected burrowing owls living on it. A group of students decided to try to stop the company. The students beg me everyday to continue reading because they love it so much! They are so excited to finish the story. As a reward, we will be watching the movie and comparing and contrasting the book to the movie in a Venn diagram.
Math- We are finishing our chapter on time and money. Next we will be starting some multiplication.
Science- The students are beginning a unit on the Earth. We will be learning about the different landforms and the many changes in the Earth's surface.
Social Studies- Our social studies consists of reading weekly Time For Kids articles. I love these because it focuses on current events. The students enjoy reading the articles in pairs. Then they complete a worksheet that has different types of comprehension questions and graphs to read and interpret. Sometimes they even create their own graphs using the information from the article.
Writing- Each week we work on writing an expository paper. My goal is for each child to be able to write 4-5 paragraphs on a given topic. The students are really improving on their expository writing papers! When I grade the papers, I highlight any mistakes that they should have gotten correct because they have been taught that concept. Then the students get their papers back and are to figure out why I highlighted the mistakes and correct them. If they cannot figure it out, they come to me for help. In the meantime, I meet with 3-4 students to work specifically on their papers. We focus on how to improve the following week.
We slowly have been adding reading response prompts to our writing. This focuses on answering a question using specific information and facts from the story with the addition of adding in a personal connection or lesson. They will be required to do two of these responses on the ISAT test in March in addition to the expository paper.
The best way to reach me is by sending a note with your child, or sending an e-mail at hprairie@cusd4.org.
Have a relaxing and joy-filled Christmas!
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