Rome Wasn't Built in a Day!

Dear Families,
     We are nearing the half way point in our unit on the ancient Roman civilization, a civilization whose contributions can be seen in many areas of our lives today. Your child has been introduced to the geography and to the gods and goddesses of Rome. She have also learned about the legend of the founding of Rome, the evolution of the Roman government, the Punic Wars, and what daily life was like in the city of Rome. Here are some suggestions for activities that you may do at home to reinforce what your child is learning about the ancient Roman civilization. 

1. Using a map

     On a world map or globe, have your child locate the continent of Europe and the city of Rome, Italy. Talk with him about the location of Italy, it's shape, and the location of the Mediterranean Sea. Discuss with your child that Italy is called a peninsula because it is surrounded on three sides by water. Have her look at the globe or map and try to find other peninsulas. Have your child locate the Tiber River and discuss its significance in the founding of Rome. You may also wish to have your child locate Greece as a way to bridge learning from last year in second grade. The Greeks and Romans had a lot in common!

    2.   Draw and write
     Have your child draw and write what she is learning about the ancient Roman civilization, such as Roman gods and goddesses, or what a scene from the city of Rome might have looked like. Ask questions to help your child use the vocabulary he is learning at school. Ask him to describe what he has learned about ancient Roman family life.

     3.   Roman and Greek Myths
     Your child will be learning about ancient Roman mythology and how many of their myths were shaped by Greek mythology. Discuss with your child the myths, and the Roman gods and goddesses she is learning about. Remind your child that mythology is the collection of myths, or stories, associated with the beliefs of a particular group of people that explain why people act a certain way, how things came to be, or how things happen in nature. Your child will also be making up a myth of their own!

     4.   Sayings and Phrases: Rome wasn't built in a day, All roads lead to Rome, and When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Your child will be learning these sayings. Talk with your child about the meaning of each phrase. In relation to "Rome wasn't built in a day," share with your child an experience or a project that took you a long time to finish, requiring a lot of patience and persistence. In relation to, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," share moments in your life when you followed the traditional customs of a culture different from yours. Find opportunities to use and reinforce these sayings again and again.

     5.   Words to Use
     There are a lot of new vocabulary terms that we will be learning about and using. Try to use these words as they come up in everyday speech with your child.

• ruins- Although no one lives in the buildings today and some of the statues have fallen down, the ruins in Rome help us understand this ancient civilization.
• attributes- Mrs. Denman has many good attributes like patience and kindness.
• elaborate- The Morgan's house by the lake was elaborate because each part of it was carefully placed to make it look like an enormous mansion. 
• conflict- Collin got in trouble at school today as a result of the conflict between him and Joe about who could play with the puppets first. 
• defied- Although his parents told him not to go swimming, Keith defied them and went anyway. 

     6.   Read aloud every day
     It is very important that you read with your child every day. Set aside time to read to your child, and also to listen to your child read to you. You can maximize this time by finding books that relate to our study of Rome, at your local library or book store. I have an extensive list of recommended titles for this age and reading levels. I am happy to share if you are interested!

Our first Family Project for the year will be introduced next week, and due the end of October. We will also be building our own Cascade Heights Roman Road (with our 6th grade buddies) from the patio to the amphitheater! 
Finally, our October field trip, on October 23rd, will be a tour of modern examples of Roman legacies, followed by our own Gladiator Games!  

Sincerely,
 Mrs. Gausman

Multi-letter Phonograms and Italics

Parents,
This week we've finished the 26 single letter phonograms and have begun the multi-letter phonograms. Over the next few weeks we will gradually introduce full words (and sentences) to the homework. Because we are also practicing our cursive italics and careful handwriting, please help to uphold this expectation on homework each night. Below are examples of how the phonograms are written in italics. In case you need it, here is an earlier blog post for the single letter phonograms in italics.

What Should Homework Look Like?

Parents,
As the year gets rolling, it's important to make sure that homework habits are being formed, and that the work is being done correctly- to avoid frustration for you and your student! Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect, and what it should look like at home:

The Planner
Planners should come home every day, with all assignments written down. I check planners every afternoon for accuracy, and to ensure that each student has the materials they will need (ie. books, green folder, etc.) Occasionally, someone will be missed, but you should look for my stamp to indicate that I checked it over. Please look over your child's homework each night and initial the  planner.

Reading
In the fall, 3rd graders should be reading 20 minutes per night. At least 10 minutes should be read aloud to someone. Even after readers become proficient enough to read silently, reading aloud is still extremely important. Keep this habit going as long as you can! ;)


Riggs
For the next few weeks, we are reviewing/learning phonograms in conjunction with our learning of cursive italics. For now, your student should have a page with phonograms down the side, to complete 1 row of each for handwriting practice. They should also be saying the phonogram OUT LOUD every time they write it. Next week we move into the multi-letter phonograms (and italics joins!)
Once we finish all the phonograms and move into spelling (most likely early October), homework will look more like this, with words written 5x each on the top and sentences written on the bottom of the page. Missed words from the previous night should be written on the back, 5x each.




















Rocket Math
We do a Rocket Math facts test every morning. Your child will come home with that day's test, with either a star if they passed, or a reminder to practice. Please celebrate successes and take 2-3 minutes each night to practice "around the box". These facts are done orally, and should be coming out fairly quickly. Our goal is automaticity! If a fact is said incorrectly, or if your child pauses for more than a second, say the corrected fact and remind them to repeat it 3x then move back 3 facts and continue. These pages do not need to return to school.

Saxon Math
Your child will have a math lesson almost every day. These should be done in their new Written Practice books. We will write the date,  lesson number and page numbers, at the top of our page each day. On Thursdays we often do 2 lessons, which are due on Monday. On test days there may be an investigation, and usually they will have their test back to be corrected, signed, and returned the next day. Students typically get 10-15 minutes in class to begin homework, ask questions, or participate in small group instruction.



History (reading)
Once or twice a week your child may have a reading assignment from the history text book. At this point in the year, this should be done either as a read to or read with for most students. This reading DOES count toward the nightly 20 minutes. 



Nightly homework should take between 30-45 min. per night in third grade. This breaks down roughly as 15 min. for Riggs, 15-30 minutes for math and facts practice, and the 20 minutes of reading. This is intended to be practice and review. If your student is spending over an hour, please let me know. There are some strategies that we can discuss to find out what's going on and how we can work together to make homework time less stressful for everyone.


Mrs. Gausman

Back to School Night Recap

Thank you to all of the parents who came to Back to School Night last night! For those of you who were not able to join us, this is the information that was distributed. I will send a hard copy home with your child on Monday, as well. Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to set up a time to meet in person!

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Three of the field trip dates on the packet are incorrect. The correct dates and times have been entered on our Volunteer Spot page, and sign-ups for ALL field trips as well as Parent- Teacher Conferences are now available.

The corrected dates are:

10/23- Roman Legacies

11/12- Chief Lelooska's Lodge

1/22- Oregon Children's Theater- Geronimo Stilton, Mouse in Space

Feb (date still unconfirmed)- Tryon Creek State Park

2/26- On-campus science exploration day

3/17- Old Aurora Colony (12:00-3:30)

4/21- SCRAP (8:00-12:00)

5/26- Solar System Hike in Eugene (7:00-5:00)

Sorry for the mix-up!

I am really excited to begin a new year with such an amazing group of 3rd graders! Here is a brief overview of what you can expect this year. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Daily Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
7:45-7:59	Arrive, turn in homework, prepare for the day
8:00-8:30	Riggs test and new words
8:30-9:45	Math (Intermediate 4)
9:45-10:00	Snack	Art 10:00-10:30 Snack 10:30-10:45	Snack	Snack
10:00-10:45	Guided Reading		Guided Reading
10:45-11:15	P.E.
11:15-11:45	Music/Library	Guided Reading	Music/reading	Portfolios
11:45-12:15	Lunch and Recess
12:15-1:15	Core Knowledge (History or Science)
1:15-1:45	World Language
1:45-2:00	p.m. recess
2:00-3:00	Language Arts
3:00-3:25	Planners, independent reading, cleaning, and pack-up

I would love to have a volunteer who can stay in the morning until about 8:15 to help check in homework and planners. Let me know if you are interested!

Guided Reading occurs every day in our classroom,  and I would love to have a parent volunteer during this time to help work with small groups.. If you are available and interested, please look at the sign-up on our Volunteer Spot page. . Thank you!

What do we learn about in 3rd grade?

Core Knowledge Units:

Fall	Spring
Ancient Rome	First Peoples of North America
Human body: Skeletal, Muscular, and Nervous systems	Colonial America (up to the Revolutionary War)
Vikings	Ecology, Animal Classification (vertebrates)
Early Explorers of North America	Human Body: Eyes (light/optics) Ears (sound/hearing)
Alice in Wonderland	Rivers of the World
	Astronomy
	The Wind in the Willows

Do you, or someone you know, have a particular interest or experience that relates to one of our units? I am always looking for local Experts to enrich our curriculum. Please let me know if you have something or someone to share with us!  Our goal as a school this year is to have at least one representative from each family spend some time in our classrooms. Guest speakers, special Read Alouds, field trip chaperones, and Guided Reading helpers are just some of the ways that parents can be involved. Let’s work together to find an opportunity that works for you!

Throughout the year, we use the Riggs curriculum for spelling and writing, as well as Institute for Excellence in Writing. We do a lot of writing in 3rd grade! We will also learn Getty and Dubay Italic Cursive this year. We start cursive in September, as we are reviewing the 71 phonograms. This allows a slow enough pace for students who are new or struggle with their phonograms, and gives a new challenge for Riggsperts to focus on.  At home, you can help your student remember to slow down and focus on proper letter formation when completing homework, and by reviewing the phonograms nightly.

Field Trips

Our first field trip of the year is on October 23rd . We will be traveling to 4 locations as we tour modern examples of Roman legacies. Slots are listed on our Volunteer Spot.  Please see the office to complete all volunteer requirements ASAP if you are interested. Field trip Fridays are instructional days- students are expected to be on campus from 8:00-3:30, in uniform. Please try to schedule long weekends and appointments on the 3 other Fridays of each month!

Planners, Homework, and Projects

In 3rd grade, we have homework every night! Once we get into the swing of things, you can expect Riggs/spelling every night, and math most nights. There will also be writing, history, or science, but those will not be the same every day. PLEASE check your child's planner every night to see what we're doing. In addition to the daily work, each unit generally has a Family Project. These are assigned 3-4 weeks before they are due. Project information, including directions and grading rubric, will be sent home (and be emailed out, and available on our class webpage!) Our first project, our Roman Legacies, will be assigned toward the end of September and due the end of October.

In addition to homework, your student's planner is also how I will communicate with you how your child's day went. Every afternoon, students will record what color they “landed on”. This becomes a running record, and it is essential that the planner be brought to and from school every day, checked by a parent, and signed. Thank you for your cooperation!

Falcon Five and our School-wide Behavior Policy

All students at CHPCS are expected to follow the “Falcon Five”- Falcons are Respectful, Resourceful, Responsible, Tolerant, and Safe. We have also created a color-coded system that will be the same in ALL classes. In 3rd grade, we have magnets that are moved down the chart as needed. They are:

Green- Everyone starts here each day- Keep it up!

Yellow- 1st warning (no “verbal only” warning this year). Please note, this is JUST A WARNING. We all slip up, and having a yellow means just that. Could you go an ENTIRE day without making ANY mistakes? I know I couldn't!

Orange- A 2nd warning

Blue- Time out. Student will take a short break from the situation to reflect before speaking to the teacher and re-entering the group.

Red- At red, there will be a logical consequence connected to the behavior, and the parent is notified, either by phone or email, depending on the situation. Red is either a '4th warning' for small behaviors, or a '1st time' for actions that endanger self or others.

Hot Pink- student is removed from the classroom. This is an office Referral and will be followed up by administration. Referrals also require a conference with the parent, teacher, and administrator.

A Full copy of our school-wide discipline policy is included at the front of every student's planner as well as available on the CHPCS website.

In conjunction with the consequences above, we also have several Positives to help children learn to make good choices! In our class we use the Class Dojo program to recognize positive behaviors. Class Dojo also allows you and I to communicate via “messenger” (like texts) and through “Our Story” which are whole-class updates and what’s going on in class. Signing up and checking Dojo is quick and easy, and I’m happy to answer any questions or help if you need assistance getting started!

Communication

The best way to reach me is by email. If you have something arise during the day that needs immediate attention, please phone the office. My primary method of communication will also be email. If you do not have email or have another preferred style (letters, phone, text..) please let me know. We also have a class blog.  Ideally it will be updated each  week, and will include news and announcements, upcoming events, as well as photos and updates of what's happening in the classroom. Please go to http://ch3rdgrade.blogspot.com/ and 'subscribe' to receive automatic notifications when updates occur!

I can also answer quick questions via Class Dojo messenger. This is GREAT for updates, like “Bobby is going to carline today.” or to request a call or conference.

Student progress will be communicated with the student portfolios. These are similar to what you are familiar with from 2nd grade, except that they are in binders instead of folders. Students will be reflecting on their work and selecting pieces to display on our “Best Work” wall (bulletin board in the hallway) and placing new items in the portfolios every Thursday.  It will take us a few weeks to get up and running, but by the end of September, you should expect to see your child’s portfolio coming home every Thursday, to be returned to school on Monday. Please review new items, celebrate your child’s successes, and help them to set new goals for the following week.

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences

Fall conferences this year are the week of October 26-30th . A sign-up sheet is available on Volunteer Spot. I will be sending out the link on Friday, September 11th  (after I’ve updated from in-person sign-ups at Back to School Night) and you can sign up at your convenience. I look forward to working with each of you this year to make 3rd grade an extraordinary experience for your student!

Thank you for coming tonight! Let me know if you have any questions that I may have missed! And, thank you for sharing your child with me!

Angela Gausman

a.gausman@chpcs.org

(503)683.3140

http://ch3rdgrade.blogspot.com/

Things are looking Bright in Third Grade!

Parents,
As many of you have noticed, 3rd grade has gotten much brighter this week- literally! A huge thank you is due to Mr. Gardner for installing our new full-spectrum lights! While it may take a bit of getting used to, I thought I'd share just a fraction of the available information on fluorescent vs. full spectrum (also known as 'natural') lighting, and why I chose to make this change in our classroom.

Fluorescent bulb on the left, full spectrum bulb on the right

Fluorescent Lighting & Children's Behavior

by Carissa Lawrence, Demand Media

Children are often affected by things that we as adults barely consider. As children grow and learn, environmental factors play a large role in their ability to function under certain circumstances. Lighting is one of the factors that influences a child's ability to focus and affects children's behavior. While fluorescent lighting is the standard form of lighting in schools and other public buildings, it may not be the most beneficial for children.

Why Fluorescent Lighting is Used

According to the US Department of Energy's website, fluorescent light bulbs use 67-75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. They also last about 10 times longer. Being more energy efficient, fluorescent tube lights are most often used in large indoor areas. Compared to incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights create less direct glare and provide adequate lighting for schools, offices, stores and other buildings.

Fluorescent Lighting in Schools

It's a proven fact that there is a link between a child's learning performance and environmental elements such as light, room design, use of color, temperature, sound enhancement and instructional design. For years, most schools have used traditional-style fluorescent lights in classrooms and hallways. However, research has shown that fluorescent lights can induce bodily stress, hyperactivity and attention problems. These factors often lead to poor learning performance in children. Fluorescent lighting in the classroom has also been linked to increased depression among older elementary students.

Children with Sensory Processing Disorders

Fluorescent lighting greatly effects the behavior of children with autism, ADHD and other disorders often associated with sensory integration issues. When a child has problems with sensory integration, experiences involving noise, light and sound can be intensified to the point where they are overwhelming. Though most people don't notice, fluorescent lights send out pulsing vibrations that can affect children with sensory disorders. One researcher found that fluorescent light caused an increase in repetitive behaviors in children with autism. Fluorescent lighting can also increase the chances that a child with a sensory disorder will act out and exhibit undesired behaviors in response to being visually overstimulated.

Alternative to Fluorescent Lighting

The human body is designed to respond most to the natural light that the sun provides. It is not always possible to use natural light, but there is another alternative to using fluorescent lights. Full-spectrum lights have been created to emit light in all visible wave lengths, making them a closer representation to sunlight than traditional fluorescent lights. Children who learn under full spectrum lighting have been found to experience less stress and anxiety, improved behavior, attitude and health and increased academic performance and achievement.

Effects on Academic Performance
Fluorescent lighting may do more harm than good. Long term clinical studies by the Irlen Institute and independent sources have found that reading difficulties as well as academic underachievement may be related to fluorescent lighting. For example, a 2006 study by Capital E found that students in schools that had natural lighting instead of fluorescent lighting had 10 to 21 percent higher learning rates and test scores. Fluorescent lighting may cause pain and suffering for 12-14 percent of the world’s population, triggering headaches, migraines, and other physical symptoms.

BENEFITS of FULL SPECTRUM LIGHTING
• These studies reported that students had fewer cavities, gained weight
and grew in height more than students in non-daylit classrooms.
• The students demonstrated better work habits, improved academic performance,
resistance to fatigue, and more positive attitudes
• Studies also reported that schools had greater energy efficiency, significant

cost savings and reduced environmental impact.

If you would like more information, I am happy to share what I've learned!