Holiday Festivities

We squeezed some holiday cheer into math workshop yesterday by making some festive trees! The kids frosted a waffle cone, then solved multiplication and division problems to find the number of each color ornament to add to the tree. Then they measured Twizzers to the nearest 1/2 inch and added garland to their trees. 

To make a tree, you need a waffle cone, some frosting (I added green food coloring to vanilla and cream cheese icing) and your favorite candies to decorate.

Gregorio and Ashley practicing their frosting skills

Leslie measures a Twizzler segment while Nikki adds hers to her tree

Horatio is Getting into the Holiday Spirit!

It's been a very exciting week for Horatio! He dressed up in his favorite holiday sweater to decorate his third Christmas tree last night! (It's a little snug. I think he's put on some weight since last year.)  

Today, Vanessa helped make the season even merrier. Horatio really appreciated his two new mice and thought your picture was lovely! He says to tell you, "MEOW very much for the wonderful presents!" 

Sniffing my new friends

Wrestling black mouse

Relaxing with my buddies!

Field Trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

We had a great time today on our trip to the Met! Since we only had a short time there, there's lots more to see and do. Check out some of these family programs at the museum. All programs are free with admission, and many include fun art activities. Or, the Met suggests these itineraries if you'd rather explore on your own.

Our guide on the Faces tour

 

Stephanie tries on a garment like the little girl in the sculpture behind her would have worn

Discussing Chuck Close's Lucas

I think we have some future art critics on our hands

Division With Equal Groups

Multiplication Games

Several of you asked for links to games to help you practice your multiplication facts. Unit 4 is all about multiplication, so it's important to begin getting quick with your facts!

 Click this link to find lots of fun multiplication games. I like these because most let you choose which facts you want to practice. 

If you're just starting to learn your facts, begin with the 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 facts (these are the numbers you can quickly count by to solve the problems). If you're ready for a challenge, add in the more difficult facts. 

Have fun!

Shake, Shake, Shake the Butter!

It's really easy to make butter like we did today in class for your Thanksgiving table. Impress your family and friends in just a few simple steps!

What you need:

• 1 pint of heavy cream (we used a quart to make enough for 60 kids!)
• 1 glass jar with lid
• Family and friends to help you shake!

What to do:

1. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream.
2. Screw the lid on really tight.
3. Start shaking! It will take at least 10 minutes for your cream to turn to butter, so pass it to your family and friends when your arms get tired.
4. Your butter is ready when a ball forms inside the jar.
5. Pour off the extra liquid (this is buttermilk, like you use to make pancakes).

This is what your finished butter should look like! 

Enjoy your butter on a roll, or you can use it to cook other Thanksgiving dishes. It makes a great start to cupcake frosting! 

Yummy! 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our dual language family! 

218's Trotting Turkeys

Class 3-218 made these jolly  scrapbook paper turkeys to get into the Thanksgiving spirit.  

Turkeys on parade

Testing the turkey's foldable beak

 

Turkeys by Kelly C., Bryan G., and Jennifer V. 

Best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Our Series Reading Unit

To celebrate all we learned during our series reading unit, students created a book jacket for the next book they would write about their character. I'd love to follow some of these adventures!

Inspired by Beverly Cleary's Ramona

Inspired by Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse

Inspired by Ann Cameron's Julian and Huey

Inspired by Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones

Next up: non-fiction! 

Math Games to Help You Prepare for Monday's Test

Remember to study for the Unit 3 math test on Monday! Here are some extra links to games to help you practice the skills you need to know. 

Skills from Unit 3:
Perimeter and Area 
Measuring with a Ruler in Inches and Centimeters (you should be able to do the "easy" and "medium" levels in both inches and centimeters)

Old skills you still need to know:
Reading Line Plots
Making Change
Ballpark Estimates 

Enjoy your weekend!

Check Out This Awesome Selection of Kids' Books to Read Online!

Forgot your books at school or haven't been to the library for a while? Click on this link to see more than 150 books you can read online! 

Username: msranager
Password: gleane

Use the "filter" and "sort" tabs to find the kind of book you are interested in, and click on the cover to read the complete book on your computer. 

Read every day, lead a better life! 

This is How We Answered the Call!

Here are a few photos of the volunteers who received our food in Rockaway last Friday. The families were truly grateful for the time and love you put into your cooking. With our classes' help, volunteers were able to feed hundreds of our neighbors in need.

The American Legion, where our meals were taken to be reheated and served. The electricity comes from a gas-powered generator.

Volunteers prepare the food for serving

A delicious buffet! 

Thank you again for your generosity. It is truly appreciated! 

Finding the Area of Rectangles

Remember: perimeter is the total distance around the OUTSIDE of a shape. Area is the total amount of space INSIDE the polygon. Help yourself keep track of the squares you are counting by numbering the inside of each square!

Print-and-Play Math Game

Practice your skills making estimates with this Rounding Robots game! Just log into Google Drive, and you will see a new folder at the top called "Math Games to Print and Play." You will need to print a copy of the game board for each person who is playing. Ask your parents first if you can print the file! 

In class, we will use special dice that have 10 sides to play the game, but at home, you could use a regular deck of cards. Just take out the face cards and only use numbers 1-9. You can use beans, pennies, or pieces from other games as markers.

1. Put the cards face down in a pile.
2. Turn two cards over and put them next to each other to form a 2-digit number.
3. Round that number to the nearest 10 and cover it with a marker.
4. The first player to cover five numbers in a  row is the winner!

I laminate the games to make them last longer, but you can also put them in a clear plastic page protector or even a large Ziploc bag.

Hope you have fun practicing estimates!

THANK YOU!

We're blown away by how many of you generously cooked meals for families in the Rockaways. Over the past two days, parents and kids from classes 3-216 and 3-218 made nearly 20 large trays of food to donate to people in need after Hurricane Sandy. I know your delicious meals warmed the stomachs and the hearts of people facing one of the most difficult times of their lives. 

Thank you SO much! May we continue to teach our children the value of serving others.

Comments are Fixed!

I was getting pretty jealous because you guys were commenting so much on Mr. Fox's site, and mine wasn't getting any! Then Nikki let me know you couldn't comment without a special ID.

The problem should be fixed now. To post a comment, click the arrow where it says "Comment as" and select "Name/URL." Type your name into the top box. You can leave the bottom box blank. Finally, click the "Publish" button to post your comment.

 

Horatio and his bug wish you happy commenting!

Measuring Perimeter

Personal References for Units of Measurement

This unit in math we're working on measurement, and today's lesson focused on students using things they know well (personal references) to help them measure using different units of length. A few said our chart would be helpful for homework, so here you go.

Kids, let me know which charts you think would help you at home as we continue throughout the year, and I'll post them.

I hope you're staying warm!

Help Feed the Rockaways!

P.S. 89 is collecting warm meals to feed the hundreds of families still without heat and power after Hurricane Sandy. Michelle Rowe, an ESL teacher at our school, has been delivering home-cooked dinners to families every day this week. She needs our help to make sure there is enough to feed everyone.

If you are able to, please consider cooking a hot, nutritious meal or salad and sending it to school with your child in a disposable container. Mrs. Rowe will deliver the meals on Thursday, November 8 and Friday, November 9.

Help teach our kids the importance of coming together as a community to support those affected by this disaster.
 

Election 2012 for Kids

Visit this link to check out kid-friendly articles, videos, maps, and games to keep up-to-date on today's election.  

Happy (Late) Halloween from Horatio

I've had a lot of requests for some pictures of the famous Horatio. He didn't dress up this year, but here he is celebrating Halloween. And yes, this is the window he splatted himself on trying to catch that fat pigeon.

Win 100 FREE BOOKS!

 

 Unleash your creativity with Scholastic's Paws for Reading Contest! You could win 100 free books for yourself, plus 100 books for our classroom. Here's how:

1. Draw a picture or take a photograph of a cat or dog reading a book. They can be real-life pets or stuffed furry friends.
2. Bring your picture to school by November 15th and I'll submit it for you
3. Find out by January 8th if you're one of the lucky winners!

Scholastic will also donate $1 for every entry to Paws for Healing, an organization that provides therapy to injured dogs. Every picture will help animals in need. Good luck!

Hurricane Sandy

Schools will remain closed tomorrow as the city tries to recover from Hurricane Sandy. I hope you and your families stayed safe through the storm and will continue to be cautious as cleanup continues. 

Horatio and I are safe and sound, and we did not lose power in Upper Manhattan. Mr. Fox is also fine and has power in Sunnyside.  

I haven't been able to find much information about Elmhurst. I hope no news is good news. If you are able to, please comment or email to let us know how you are. 

My thoughts are with you and your families.

Feliz Cumpleaños, Señor Fox!

Señor Fox hit a milestone birthday today, and our kids surprised him with these fox silhouettes in celebration of his 30th year. 

Jennifer's polka-dot fox

Read closely...I love Christian's sense of humor here!

Jacqueline's plump fox family

To many, many more birthdays! We love you!

Get Your Kid Hooked on Reading with These Awesome Series Books!

Want your child to become a lifelong reader? Children often become enthusiastic readers when they fall in love with a character in a series. They gobble up book after book, following the adventures of Captain Underpants and laughing along with Junie B. Jones. 

Our second reading unit of the year is fiction series, so our classes will spend the next month following characters across books in both English and Spanish. 

Here are some popular fiction series, sorted by their guided reading levels. All our students know their own levels, so reading within a series will help your child make appropriate choices when you visit your local library, where books are not leveled. 

Level L
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Pinky and Rex by James Howe
Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline

Amanda and Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwan

Cam Jansen by David Adler

Rainbow Magic by Daisy Meadows

Ricky Ricotta by Dav Pilkey

George and Martha by James Marshall

Level M

Baily School Kids by Debbie Davey

Cobble Street Cousins by Cynthia Rylant

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows

Judy Moody and Stink by Megan McDonald

Katie Kazoo Switcheroo by Nancy Krulik

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

Level N

Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron

Amber Brown by Paula Danziger

Andrew Lost by J.C. Greenburg

The Zack Files by Dan Greenberg

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy

Level O

The Magic School Bus Chapter Books by Joanna Cole

My Weird School by Dan Gutman

Geronimo Stilton by Elisabetta Dami
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Mallory by Laurie Friedman

Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary

Henry Higgins by Beverly Cleary

Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary

Secrets of Droon by Tony Abbott

Level P

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Dragon Slayers' Academy by Kate McMullan

Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobol

Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper

Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka

Level Q

Fudge by Judy Blume 

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

American Girl by various authors

Animal Ark by Ben Baglio
Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Celebrating Our Favorite Characters

Our third graders wrapped up their first reading unit last week. They created these fun foldables to celebrate all they'd learned about growing ideas about the characters in their fiction books. 

These favorite characters from students' "Just Right" books open up to reveal their ideas about the character's traits, with evidence from their books to support their ideas. 

Geronimo Stilton (by Gregorio)

AJ from My Weird School: Miss Laney is Zany! (by Vanessa)

Henry from Chocolate Fever (by Alexis)