February 7, 2012
Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe it’s already February! Upcoming Bandelier events include: Math Curriculum
night on February 15 and the Art-in-the-School Chair-a-Tea event on February 24. Also, look for
conference sign-up sheets to come home soon. Parent conferences will be held on March 8 and 9,
just before Spring Break, which is scheduled for March 12 through March 16. Standards Based
Assessments will begin upon our return from Spring Break. More details about SBA will be given as
the time draws near.
We will have a classroom valentine exchange on Valentines Day, Tuesday, February 14,
2012. We will be designing valentine bags/mailboxes for the exchange. Attached to this letter is a
class list so that no one gets left out. On Tuesday we will distribute our valentines at 11:40, and then
we will open our valentines after lunch, just before math. If you do not wish for your student to
participate in the valentine exchange, please let me know and an alternate activity will be available.
Our class is participating in a program called “Chat Across America.” This program uses video-
conferencing to connect third grade classrooms from other states. The intent is to learn about states
and to see how other third graders live. So far, we have spoken to students in Pennsylvania and
Maine. On Thursday, we will speak with students from the state of South Dakota. The class has only 5
third graders and they all live on cattle ranches in the great open spaces of South Dakota. Please be
sure to ask your student what they have learned about Pennsylvania, Maine and South Dakota.
Hopefully, we will connect with many more third grade classes before the end of the year!!
Thanks to all of you who have chaperoned on our two recent Popejoy field trips!
TALK ABOUT IT:
Here are some recent class topics that you may enjoy discussing with your student
LANGUAGE ARTS:
*What does the word “plural” mean? What is the opposite of “plural?”
* How do you form a plural noun for most words?..... for words that end in sh, ch, x? ….. for words
that end with a vowel and the letter y? …...for words that end in a consonant followed by the letter y ?
* English is a rich and diverse language. Using interesting verbs can improve your writing. Brainstorm
words in the category “ways of walking.” ……. stroll, trudge, etc.
* What is an adjective? Choose an object and think of as many adjectives as you can to describe the
object.
MATH:
*What is a fraction?
* Define these terms: numerator; denominator
* Which fraction is larger 1/6 or 1/12? Explain how you know.
*What is a “mixed number?” Give an example of a mixed number. How do you write a mixed
number?
*What is a decimal?
*Name the three place values to the right of a decimal.
*How is money notation (for example: $5.28 ) related to decimal notation.
*Which is greater: .47 or . 81 ? Explain how you know.
*Explain why is writing numbers in decimal is form so useful.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
*Tell what you have learned about New Mexico state symbols.
* Tell what you’ve learned about Pennsylvania, Maine, and (after Thursday) South Dakota.
*How many time zones are in the continental U.S.?
*How many hours in time is Maine ahead of New Mexico?
*In map-reading, hat is the importance of a “map key.”
*In map-reading, what is a “border?” What states border New Mexico? What country borders New
Mexico in the south?
SCIENCE:
*In life sciences, what does the term adaptation mean?
*Our science booklet is titled “Structure and Function.” What do those words mean?
*Describe our bird beak experiment and the tools we used to simulate bird beaks and bird food?
Thanks for reading!
Mrs. Fuller
