Jack L.

       Once upon a time there was a swan. He wanted to know why the clouds weren’t puffy. He thought and thought but he couldn’t think why the clouds weren’t puffy. So he went to see Fish. But Fish said, “Clouds can’t become puffy.”  The swan said, “I don’t think that’s true.”

        Then he felt a sting. It was a bee trying to show him something. So the swan flew as high as he could go. He saw the bee trying to do something. He asked the bee, “What are you doing?” The bee answered, “You will see once I am done.”

         The swan noticed something different about the clouds. He saw something puffy sticking out. He went to get Fish. When the swan showed Fish the clouds, he was amazed. He didn’t realize the bees make the clouds swell up from their stingers.

December 13, 2013

Update from Ms. Luria

Wednesday December 18th - HW due NOTE the different day - students are writing a myth

Wednesday, December 18th - 2 hour late start

Friday December 20th - Last day before break - family sing in the classroom at 2 pm - 

                                        bring a healthy snack if you want to share

Monday, January 6th - First day back after winter break

No spelling test this week, No vocabulary test this week

Dear Families,

Students had a full week. We are into our 3rd IB unit of the year. Students are writing myths to answer questions about the northwest. Some of their questions are the following:

• Why are clouds puffy?
• Why is the ocean salty?
• Why is the sky blue?
• Why does the crow make the sound it makes?

We are reading traditional myths from Northwest cultures and writing our own myths in similar styles. 

HW: This week students are to finish writing the myth they have started in the classroom.

Friday Sing: You, and your family, are invited to our last Friday sing. We will be singing winter songs, rounds and other songs that we have been learning this year in the classroom. Come and sing along with us before the winter holiday starts. Join us at 2:00 pm for about 30 minutes of singing. Then, feel free to stay and share some treats before the end of the day. 

Headphones: Please have your child bring a baggie with a pair of headphones to use in the classroom.

Math: We are close to our goal of 100% of the students reaching mastery of subtraction! I anticipate that we will be having a math party before the end of January. Your children are working hard on mastering the basics! We also will continue our study of geometry for one more week. Our next unit will be on multiplication and word problems.

Spelling: No spelling test next week.

Feel free to write me a note, email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Luria

Nelson Mandela

Here is some information about Nelson Mandela that we studied in class today. Feel free to share what you learned with your family.

http://www.timeforkids.com/news/nelson-mandela-1918-2013/97361

December 5, 2013

December 5, 2013 Update

Update from Ms. Luria

Friday December 6th - HW due, spelling test

Friday December 6th - Ms. Luria out

Monday December 9th - Last day to order SCRIP

Next week - Friday vocabulary test (No spelling test)

• Link with some pictures and words for the vocabulary test: https://drive.google.com/a/kid-writers.com/file/d/0B-XD_jT3WCnNQ3E2Sm5xRHNLZnc/edit?usp=sharing 

Dear Families,

Students had a full week. We started our next IB project on how people and the world are connected. Students have been asking questions about why the world is the way it is. Ask your child about their questions about the world.

HW: This weekend students are to work on their individual homework packet.

Battle of the Book: Students all have their own teams. They are reading books and excited about the process. This is part of the homework this week.  

Headphones: Please have your child bring a baggie with a pair of headphones to use in the classroom.

Math: We are learning all about quadrilaterals and geometry. The words are challenging for many students. Instead of a spelling test next week, students will have a vocabulary test on the math words!

You can find many great practice problems at IXL.com for geometry.

We are continuing to work on subtraction and multiplication fluency. **Please look in the homework folder to see if you have a note about how your child is doing.** You can find lots of practice pages for free at this website: http://themathworksheetsite.com/

Spelling: No spelling test next week.

Feel free to write me a note, email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Luria

Dec 4, 2013 Assignment

Your assignment is to read the following story: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/holidays-are-here/11516

1. As you read the story, JOTT notes for each paragraph. JOTT = Just one, two or three phrases
2. Write 3 questions and answers that you could have after reading the article.
3. Write 2 questions you have that are not answered in the article.

How to take Cornell Notes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t_Vzeq5L3g&safe=active

Nov 15, 2013 Update

Nov 15, 2013 Update

Update from Ms. Luria

Nov 15th - Homework this coming week is finishing writing the IB unit project

Nov 15th - Books donated for Battle of the Books: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-battle

Nov 22nd - IB unit 2 presentations at 12:30pm in the auditorium

Nov 22nd - Scholastic paper orders due (write me a note if you want the books to be for the holidays and want me to keep them in a bag to hand to you.)

Nov 22nd - 1:45 - 2:30 IB 2 celebration - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-ibunit

Nov 25th and 26th - Conferences

Nov 26th - Online Scholastic orders are due. Class code is MKKWD. Please email me if they are presents for your child and should be picked up by you in the classroom.
https://orders.scholastic.com/MKKWD

Dear Families,

Students had a full week. They finished their literature journals and are working on finishing their IB projects. We can't wait to have you share in the IB projects with the class.

HW: This weekend students are to work on completing their IB project. Please help them practice out loud. There is a form with activities to do each night of the week. Please sign that piece of paper and have your child turn it in on Friday.

Battle of the Book: I will be creating OBOB teams this coming week. Students should know their teammates by conference time. 

Headphones: Please have your child bring a baggie with a pair of headphones to use in the classroom.

Math: Our next math unit is all about geometry. Students will learn about perimeter, area and all of the different types of quadrilaterals.

You can find many great practice problems at IXL.com for geometry.

We are continuing to work on addition, subtraction and multiplication fluency. **Please look in the homework folder to see if you have a note about how your child is doing.** You can find lots of practice pages for free at this website: http://themathworksheetsite.com/

Spelling: No spelling test this week.

Feel free to write me a note, email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Luria

Update November 8th

Nov 8, 2013 Update

Update from Ms. Luria

Nov 8th - No school - teacher planning day

Nov 11th - No school holiday

Nov 12th - Spelling retake for students who received letters on Thursday

Nov 13 - Literature folder due

Nov 15th - NO homework/ NO spelling test because of literature circle project
Nov 15th - Books donated for Battle of the Books: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-battle

Nov 22nd - IB unit 2 presentations at 12:30pm in the auditorium

Nov 25th and 26th - Conferences

Dear Families,

We used lanterns on Thursday morning because of the power outage!

Our Thursday started off with quite a literal bang! The power was out in the classroom for part of the morning, but we still learned a ton and had a great day.

HW: This weekend students are to work on completing their literature folder. They have had 45 minutes a day 4 days a week to work on their literature study for the last 3 weeks. Many students have turned in their completed folders, but they are due on Wednesday. 

Students DO NOT complete the literary terms for this first unit. Some groups have no writing response, some groups have 1 response and some groups have 2 responses. Your child knows the expectations, but feel free to email me if there are any questions.

Battle of the Book: Students are starting read the books for this year's Battle. All are very excited and we have a waiting list of the books on this list! Please donate a book if you are able to do so. 

Here is the link to donate a book: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-battle

Headphones: Please have your child bring a baggie with a pair of headphones to use in the classroom. This way they can listen when using iPads. They can be ear buds or any type of headphone.

Math: Our next math unit is all about geometry. Students will learn about perimeter, area and all of the different types of quadrilaterals.

On the long weekend, students are invited to do http://www.mobymath.com and earn points for the current math contest. It is over on Tuesday!

We are continuing to work on addition, subtraction and multiplication fluency. **Please look in the homework folder to see if you have a note about how your child is doing.** You can find lots of practice pages for free at this website: http://themathworksheetsite.com/

Reading: Students took home their first literature circle guide this weekend (unless it was already turned in.)

Also, check out your child's writing on the blog. They would love to see a comment written from you on the blog if you have three minutes to write something to our growing authors!

Spelling: No spelling test this week.

PE: We have PE on Fridays. Please make sure your child wears gym shoes those days. Thanks!

Library: Our library day is Thursday. Please make sure books are returned to school on Wednesday so they can be checked in   before library.

Feel free to write me a note, email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Luria

Resources for IB 2

TIME for kids has a mini-site devoted to the environment. It has articles about Earth Day, green tips, rescuing animals and conservation.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/environment

Pollution

• Tsunami debris in Oregon: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3758051
• Tsunami contaminating water http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42225380/#.UoQOjXBJOSo
• Tips on saving and using water carefully in a game format: http://wateruseitwisely.com/kids/
• Learn about SOLVe the beach clean up program in Oregon: http://www.solv.org/
• Tips on saving water in written format: http://wateruseitwisely.com/tips/category/kids/
• In the Magic Tree House play we attended you learned a bit about coal mining. Here is more information on the process: http://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=coal_home-basics
• How cars cause pollution http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4911257_car-pollution-causing-global-warming.html
• Smoking and indoor air pollution http://www.no-smoke.org/learnmore.php?id=671

Global Warming

• Here is the Environmental Protection Agency's website on global warming for kids: http://www.epa.gov/climatestudents/
• More information about forest fires and global warning: http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Global-Warming-is-Causing-Extreme-Weather/Wildfires.aspx
• How cars impact global warming http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4911257_car-pollution-causing-global-warming.html

Environment Oregon is a state-wide citizen group group in Oregon. http://www.environmentoregon.org/issues

Bats

• White Nose Bat Syndrome: http://whitenosesyndrome.org/
• How you can help with WNS http://whitenosesyndrome.org/what-can-you-do-help
• More about bats from Times for Kids: http://www.timeforkids.com/search/site/bats

Deforestation and its affects on animals:

• Cheetahs http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19705131
• Elephants https://sites.google.com/a/owu.edu/elephants-for-karli/home/asian-elephants/the-effect-of-habitat-loss-on-asian-elephants
• Spotted Owls http://books.google.com/books?id=_hCEAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=spotted+owl+deforestation&source=bl&ots=cIL5Bid5Ro&sig=VXEMdDCjZqXVLTZirMhGHv-R6Ig&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kQ2EUuuYBOP7iwKRvIDYCg&ved=0CGkQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=spotted%20owl%20deforestation&f=false
• Tigers and the loss of their habitat http://www.savetigersnow.org/problem

Nov 1, 2013 Update

Update from Ms. Luria

Nov 5th and 6th - Ms. Luria out

Nov 7th - Spelling test, homework due, general knowledge test

Nov 7th - Bridges Unit 2 retakes

Nov 8th - No school - teacher planning day
Nov 15th - Books donated for Battle of the Books: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-battle

Dear Families,

Thank you for all of your support in making the harvest festival a success. We learned all about the history of harvest festivals around this time of the year. Students learned about how the Celts originated many of the traditions that have turned into Halloween and Dia de los Muertos.

Headphones: Please have your child bring a baggie with a pair of headphones to use in the classroom. This way they can listen when using iPads. They can be ear buds or any type of headphone.

Math: This week students took a test on the second Bridges Unit. Most students did very well! You will receive an email if your child will be retaking the test on Thursday.

We are continuing to work on addition, subtraction and multiplication fluency. **Please look in the homework folder to see if you have a note about how your child is doing.** You can find lots of practice pages for free at this website: http://themathworksheetsite.com/

Reading: With the new reading standards, we are spending half of our time reading non-fiction and the other half reading fiction. For non-fiction, most of the pieces are related to our current IB unit. Students are finishing up their first literature study. Please sign their literature study guide journal this weekend.

Also, check out your child's writing on the blog. They would love to see a comment written from you on the blog if you have three minutes to write something to our growing authors!

Battle of the Book: An optional program in 3rd grade is the Oregon Battle of the Books. Our school has signed up, and I highly encourage everyone to get involved. Please look at the video below this for information about the program. It is very fun and educational as well!

We could use your help! Could you donate one or two books to the 3rd grade as a whole for the Battle of the Books program? Here is the link to donate a book: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BAFAA2BA5FB6-battle

Spelling: Students are continuing to learn about when to double consonants. They are learning that if a short word ends in a CVC and the next morphograph begins with a V, they double the last consonant.

For example: run + ing = running, run + er = runner

water + ing = watering ( is not waterring because it is not a short CVC)

PE: We have PE on Fridays. Please make sure your child wears gym shoes those days. Thanks!

Library: Our library day is Thursday. Please make sure books are returned to school on Wednesday so they can be checked in   before library.

Feel free to write me a note, email me or call if you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Luria

Math assignment November 1st

http://www.showme.com/sh/?h=RGPqZW4

Oregon Battle of the Books 2014

This first video introduces all of the books for this year!

The second video explains how the battles work.

IB unit 1 Picture

Here is the poster from our first IB unit on How We Organize Ourselves.

Rakyah

Winter is my favorite season. Why? Because my birthday and Christmas is in that season. I like my birthday because as I get older I get to do more things. I also like Christmas because I get to see my family. I like the season mainly because it can show any time and I like snow.

            For Christmas we have a party. Most of my family members come. Last year when December comes my grandpa gives me a countdown paper. ON the 25^th of December I wake up as early as I can to get ready for the party. I like Christmas because I get to see my family.

            On my birthday I have a lot of fun. My brother comes to my party a lot. I was born on 2 cousins birthday and 2 brothers birthday. All of my cousin come if they can. I go to a lot of fun places last time I had a house part it turned into a sleepover. I like my birthday because as I get older I get more stuff.

Dylan

My name is Dylan and I am showing you how to start a Lego company. I already know a lot about Lego so it will be easy. You have to start by planning it so you need to first buy some Lego. Then you could sell them on eBay.

            Then you list them. You will need an advertisement so you can attract people.

Lily

I am reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The order of Phoenix is the 5^th I am on chapter twenty nine is called “Career Advice”. It has thirty seven chapters in it and eight hundred and seventy. I like the Harry Potter series because it has action and mysteries all in one.

            I watched the 4^th Harry Potter movie on Friday. It is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It is a little scary but it is cool. It has Pegasus dragons gill weed sharks, quick quotes quill beetles ships and evil things. I enjoyed watching this movie because it was a cool and entertaining movie to watch.

            Harry Potter is a great person because he survived. You know how aka Lord Voldemort when he used the killing curse aka Avada kedavra. He only got little scar on his forehead. Voldemort lost his powers then and he got supporters also death eaters. Barty crouch’s son and worm tail are his big supporters.

Elena

“Budget”

Do you know the different ways to earn money? Have you ever wondered what parents buy for their kids? Do you know what you can do with your leftovers? If you don’t, then you will learn lots of interesting facts.

Do you know where people get money from? Your mom or dad probably work and earn money. Also if you put money in the bank, they might give you a little each month. You might get money from your friend or family as a gift. Also, you could work for your neighbors. These are some good ways to earn money.

            Do you know what parents buy for their kids? They buy clothes, toys, food and pay for activities. It’s important to have some toys, but not too many. Toys and activities can be quite expensive. My activities are piano and kung fu and my brother does piano and soccer. We both like our activities but our family has to budget for them.

            Do you know what you can do with your leftovers? You could donate to people or organizations like the human society. Also I like to support Sunday Parkways because it’s a day to ride your bike and be safe in Portland. You could keep some of your money for needs and wants. I hope you learn a lot about budgets.

Julian

Dog walking is one of the kid businesses. I will get three dollars for small dog that do poll. Seven dollars for medium dogs that don’t pull. Ten dollars for medium dogs that do pull. 12 dollars for large dogs that do pull. One thing I learned was that dogs are fun to play with! I also learned about kid businesses was that raising money if fun!

Simon

Do you need an allowance? Also do you know how to earn money? Here some ideas. A lemonade stand is a good way to make money. You can get some wood and make a stand.  You can think of a good price 25 cents. It is a good way to make money.

            You can also mow the lawn. It is a very easy job. If you like nature you will like this. You use a lawn mower to cut grass. You help people, which is special.

            You should buy food. You should buy needs and not wants. It is okay to get legos once in a while, Legos are wants. Needs are the

Mason

Do you want to know how to save money?  I’m going to teach you how to save money.

            If you save money you can more to spend. There is a tip if you get some money spend some and save the rest. You might able to earn money for doing jobs. If you practice saving money as a kid you might not have as many money problems when you’re an adult. Saving money could do you good.

            Now I’ll teach you needs and wants. Needs are what you a really need. Legos are not a need. Water, food and shelter are all needs. It is good to spend money on needs. Always satisfy your needs before your wants.

            Now I’ll tell you about wants. It is okay spend money on wants. It is okay to spend money on wants. Here’s another tip: don’t spend saved money on candy it’s a waste. Before you spend money ask yourself if you really want it.

            I hope you now know how to save money.

Naime

One kid business is pet care. Animals can’t speak, so they need you to take care of them. Also let them have some fun. You need to feed them twice a day. If they are tired let them go to sleep. The most interesting thing I learned was that if you play with a pet everyday it will want to see you more often.

Jack T

Have you ever wished that you had a budget? Having a budget makes you save money up but you can still buy things while you’re saving.

            Like say you earned 10 dollars per week you could spend half of that and the other half you could save. It would be slower process but you could still save money. You should also list how much money you make per week.

            When you go somewhere you should bring a notepad. That way you know how much money you spend and how much more you have in your budget. You could also use three jars. One is for donating, one for savings and the last one for spending. Divide your money into each jar. You should always keep your money in a safe place like in a closet or maybe in the bank. The best place is a bank because you get interest. If you had a thousand dollars in the bank and if it was in there for a year it would be 1000 plus 50 dollars.

Finn

The United States Mint was created on April 2^nd, 1792 when congress passed The Coinage Act. Did you know that David Rittenhouse was appointed the first director of the mint by President George Washington? The Mint’s first circulating coins were 11,178 copper cents. A long time ago coins were made of precious metals like gold, silver and copper. The Mint stopped producing gold coins during the Great Depression, and today it makes coins out of alloys, which are mixed metals.

Violet

What do you do if you are too impatient to save up for something you really wanted for a long time? How do you do it? There are a lot of ways of doing it. So how do you solve it?

            What are ideas to solve it? One way you can do it is you can try to be more patient. Another thing you can do is try to save up for something not so expensive. Some other ways are you can try to sell something to make money. Also you can collect loose change.

            Why is it important to solve money jams? It is important because you can run into other money jams when you are an adult. It is also good to solve these problems because when you are an adult you won’t be able to get a house or anything you needed. That’s why it is also important to study money problems in school. I wonder if money will be this important in the future.

Zaidee

I will teach younger children to learn the basics of playing guitar. It is for kids of the 5 & 7. I will charge 10-15 dollars an hour. I will give out scholarships. The most interesting thing I learned about. There will be adult supervision available; I will also give out discounts very advanced kids should go to someone else. Checks will be acceptable. I will have very limited space.

            If you call too late you might be denied. All types of money are acceptable, half hour long class starting Oct 28, 2013. No kid will be accepted if they cause drama. I am only 9, so if you don’t want your kid with a 9 year old, you’re welcome.

Adelle

            Do you not get allowance, but still want to make money? Well today I am going to tell you all about making money. One way to make money is to do yard works for people who can’t do it. Yard work is fun for some people. It’s a good exercise and it’s outside so you get fresh air too.

            One of my friends picks up acorns for two dollars. Another friend pulled weeds for a dollar. I like doing yard work and it is nice to know that I did something good for people

            The second thing you could do is a lemonade stand. I did a lemonade stand with a friend and we earned 14 dollars and 8 cents. I want to do a lemonade stand by myself and see how much I will make this time. You can make a lot of money just for making lemonade. I love lemonade and I think it is so much fun to do a lemonade stand.

            The third thing that you could do is pet sitting. If you love animals then this is a good job for you. I think it depends on the pet on the amount of money you get, but don’t ask for money right away because it will seem like you don’t care about the pet. It would be easier if you took the pet to your house instead of having to walk back and forth. I would like to learn more about money.

“The End”

Josh

“How to make a coin”

            Have you ever wondered how to make a coin? Well here is how you do it. First all coins start as a sheet of metal. The metal strips are 13 inches wide and 1,500 feet long. Next the strips are wound into big coils that are easier to move. Each of the coils is fed through a blanking press. The blanking press punches out round discs. The round discs are called blanks. The strip of left over metal is called webbing. It’s shredded and recycled, usually into another sheet of metal.

            The Mint doesn't create ordinary blanks for pennies it buys them. However the Mint has fabricators with Zinc and Copper that are used to create penny blanks. Since nickels, dimes quarters and half dollars and dollar coins are all different sizes so are their blanks. They’re even a mix of different metals, but blanks needs to be prepared before they can mint them.

            First the blanks are heated in an annealing furnace to soften the metal. Then they go through the washer and dryer. This makes the blanks nice and shiny. It’s not the bad blanks but the good that are upset.

            Why is that? Upsetting is the next step in the process. A machine called upsetting mill, raises a rime around the edge of the blank. If you run your fingers around a coin, you can feel its raised edge.

            At this point the round piece of metal is still a blank. This makes sense – it doesn’t yet have the designs and lettering that make it a coin. The process of adding these items is called striking. The upset blanks to go through the coining press. All at once, this machine strikes the pictures, amount, and wording on both sides of the blank. Now it’s a genuine United States coin.

            Not all coins are ready to circulate. Some need to be remade. That’s why after they are struck; coins must be inspected before they can leave the Mint. First the press operator uses a magnifying glass to spot-check a new batch, making sure that the designs and inscriptions came out correctly. Then the coins are put through a coin sizer, this machine screens out any misshapen coins or coins that are dented. And that is how you make a coin!

Jack L.

            ATM cards let you access the bank without going there. You used to be able to get away with not paying the amount on a check. Checks are what you use if you’re going to transfer money. If you want to keep track of money and still pay use checks. When you go to an ATM to get money you have to pay a fee.

            Credit and debit cards let you access money from ATM’s. They are an easy way of carrying money around. Also they can carry more than 1 million dollars. These little cards are the latest form of money. They are also what people normally pay with.

            Checks are surprisingly really old forms of money. Normally people use these to pay back others. And they are also great ways to pay bills. Checks probably won’t let you access the bank as well as ATM cards. If I had to choose I would rather use ATM cards.

Eleanor

“How to budget”

            Have you ever wanted to know how to manage your money? There are many ways to manage your money if you learn about them. Budgeting is a way to keep track of your money. A budget would usually include what you earn each week and what you have left to save. After you have made your budget you should cut back on what you spend. After you do that follow what your budget says you spend and earn. You will have plenty left. I definitely recommend budgeting.

            Now I am going to tell you about the earning part of your budget. Earning is an important part of a budget. Some of the things you earn as income might include allowance, school lunch money and kid jobs. When you start your budget always write down what you earned. If you are going to make a budget you should earn enough to spend some.

            Another part of a budgeting is expenses, sometimes if you get hurt you’ll need money that’s not on your budget. Always have extra money on your budget for these expenses. You might also want to write down your total expenses. I’m sure that a budget will help you.

Milan

I’m going to tell you how to start a business. First brainstorm about what your business is it going to be. A selling business or providing services. Try thinking about what your good at like sports, school or music. You need advertising and people after you pick your business you can get started. I hoped you had good time learning.

Rakyah

I’m just going to tell you about who’s on our paper money. On our 1 dollar bill there is George Washington. On our 2 dollar bill Is Thomas Jefferson. There is Alexander Hamilton on our ten dollar bill. On our 20 dollar bill is Andrew Jackson on our five dollar bill is Abraham Lincoln. Ulysses S. Grant is on our fifty dollar bill.

            Now I’m just telling you about who’s on our coins. Abraham Lincoln is on our penny. Thomas Jefferson is on our nickel. On our quarter is George Washington. The most interesting fact is that coins are still handmade.