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March 15th, 2021 – 4th Quarter Begins

Hello Families!

I hope your family had a great spring break!  Hard to believe the 4th quarter is here and the stretch run has begun!

Reading

This week in reading (Unit 5, Week 4), the kids will practice asking and answering questions, point of view, possessive nouns and affixes as we read a variety of biographies.  You can expect a spelling list to come home Monday, but there will no longer be a weekly reading homework.

Math

In math class, we’ll begin to review fractions.  We’ll explore equivalent fractions to start the week, and end the week practicing word problems.  I anticipate homework on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

March 1st, 2021 – Fossil Dig and Read Across America Week

Hello Families!

Ah, spring has sprung!  It’s so nice to see that warm temperatures are here, and hopefully will be here to stay!

Reading

This week is week 3 of Unit 5 in reading.  The kids will learn about teamwork this week, as we read a variety of expository texts about the benefits of working together.   We’ll practice asking and answering questions, discuss point of view, context clues and subject-verb agreements in grammar.  You can expect a spelling list to come home Monday, as well as the final reading homework assignment of the year.

Math

In math, we’ve begun unit 5.  The kids are learning about area and perimeter, and we’ll continue with that this week.  I anticipate homework on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings if all goes well.

Writing

The kids will complete their Personal Essay writing assignments this week.  It’s been a long journey, and I look forward to you reading their completed projects.  I will be sure to send a copy home, as well as include it in their year-end portfolio.

Health

The kids are learning about Nutrition again this week.  Last week we learned about the dangers of too much sugar, and the importance of a balanced diet.  This week, we’ll learn about the power of advertising and making good choices when buying food.  Beware…your shopping list may be influenced by their good choices!  🙂

Fossil Dig!

On Friday, the kids will complete a fossil dig.  This activity is quite messy, so I would encourage the kids to wear comfortable clothes that aren’t too fancy!  The plaster molds won’t stain their clothes, but then plaster does tend to get everywhere.  It’s always a fun activity, and one the kids tend to remember long past third grade.

Zoom kids will have a mold ready for them to pick up Friday morning, if they choose to partake.  The only catch is they will need a screwdriver and perhaps a hammer to help them chisel out and excavate the prize inside the mold.  And again, it’s very messy, so the driveway might be the best place to do some digging.  🙂

If this sounds like too much work, they are welcome to skip this activity, and can end their day a little early on Friday at approximately 2:30.

Read Across America Week

Attached is a flyer explaining the spirit week activities for Read Across America Week.  The kids are welcome to dress as described each day, and we’ll enjoy those fun books each day during the week.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

February 22nd, 2021 – Unit 4 Math Test Week

Hello Families!

Hard to believe, but we are coming down the stretch of third quarter!  Where does the time go?

Reading

This week in reading (Unit 5, Week 2), the kids will learn through a variety of texts about recycling.  We’ll practice point of view, summarizing and homographs during our weekly lessons, as well as object pronouns in our grammar lesson.  Spelling will resume again this week, and you can expect a list and a reading homework to come home Monday evening.

Math

In math, we’ll take our Unit 4 (part 2) test this week on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We’ll review Monday, and then start a new unit at the end of the week.  I anticipate homework on only Monday and Friday evenings due to the test.

Health

The kids will begin a series of lessons on nutrition on Monday.  We’ll explore nutrition, the effects of sugar, how ads can influence what you eat and spend lots of time learning about healthy dietary choices!

Writing

In writing, the kids will begin writing their personal essay rough drafts this week.  By the end of the week we may even begin polishing those into their final drafts.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

February 17th, 2021 – Unit 5 Begins

Hello Families!

COVID…snow days…cold days…if we haven’t learned to roll with the punches by now, we never will!  🙂

In reading…we will begin Unit 5.  We’ll do our best to cram five days of lessons into three days.  Due to the cold day, we will skip spelling for the week.  I will also count the reading homework assignment as a bonus, and not something that must be turned in with this being such a short week.

In math…we’ll complete a couple of lessons, and have homework on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

In writing…we’ll begin writing personal essays this week with a series of preparatory lessons.

Zoom families…you will notice a lot of extra work in the kits this week.  Please save any extra papers we don’t use, as those assignments will likely get pushed back a week due to the cold day.

Have a great week and stay warm!

Eric Wachter

February 8th, 2021 – Unit 4 Reading Test Week

Hello Families!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  The game is just about to start, and I hope it’s a classic!  I don’t really care who wins, but I think I’m going for Tampa Bay because they have a few Huskers on their team.

Reading

This week the kids will take their Unit 4 Reading Test.  We’ll spread it out over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday so it’s not overwhelming.  There will be no spelling words this week, but we will have a reading homework assignment.

Math

In math, we’ll continue to practice telling time.  As usual, this is a very hit and miss skill.  My goal is pretty simple…can they first tell the hour?  Then the minute?  Next is minutes after the hour?  It gets tricky determining the minutes to the next hour, and calculating elapsed time.  Any practice at home with telling time would be great, and we’ll keep practicing at school.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

February 1st, 2021-Aviation and Conferences Week

Hello Families!

It will be nice to get back to “normal” this week with Old Man Winter taking a break, it appears!

Reading

In reading (Unit 4, Week 4), we’ll learn from a variety of aviation stories this week.  We’ll practice rereading, cause and effect and multiple meaning words.  You can expect a spelling list and reading homework to come home on Monday evening.  If you don’t see them, please remember you can always access both from our class web page.

Math

In math, we’re starting to practice telling time.  This can be oddly tricky for some, at first, but often turns on like a light switch when it clicks.  It’s also an easy skill to practice at home.  Quiz your child on the time, how long a show will last, how long until bedtime, etc. The more practice the merrier.  I anticipate homework on the following evenings.

Monday-Homework 4-7

Tuesday-Homework 4-8

Wednesday-No Homework

Thursday-Homework 4-9

Friday-No Homework

Embryology

We had a great end to the week playing with the chickadees!  I know a lot of kids took pictures, and so did I!  I will be sharing them at the end of the year in the kids’ year end video.  I’m sure that was an experience they will always remember.

Conferences

As you know, conferences have been pushed back a week due to the storm.  Please look at the attachment to review your time.

Click on this link to Zoom-In to your conference: https://lps.zoom.us/j/5261813917

Initially, you’ll be placed in a “waiting room,” and I will invite you in when your conference begins.  If possible, please sign in with your first and last name, so I can confirm I’m inviting the correct person into the conference.  I look forward to meeting with you via zoom!

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

January 27th, 2021 – Chicks are Hatching!

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a nice long, snow-filled weekend!  I love a good snowstorm, but I think I’m good for a bit!  🙂

Embryology

I went out to school today (Tuesday) to check on the chicks, and was excited to see so many hatching!  Each room had a handful that have hatched, and each room had 4-5 “pippers” that were working on breaking out.  I even got to record the hatching of one of Ms. Nguyen’s eggs!  Check out the link below to watch.  It should be downloadable, if you want to save it.

Hatching

This link is to the “Egg Cam” at the 4-H office, which provides our chicks.  There is a 12 hour recording you can speed through to try and find some hatchings.

4-H Egg Cam

Reading

Because of the snow days, we’re going to do a little adjusting with our reading curriculum this week and next.  We won’t have a spelling list this week, and we’ll skip reading homework, too.  Instead, this week I’m going to do some activities from next week.  Then next week, we’ll do some activities that we were going to do this week.  Basically, it will be easier to condense next week into three days, and then use next week as full week for Unit 4, Week 4.  Confused yet?  Ha!  Just know there is no spelling or reading homework and the kids and I will figure out the rest.

Math

In math, we’re wrapping the first half of Unit 4.  We will finally take our Unit 4, Part 1 test on Wednesday.  Then, we’ll dive into telling time to end the week.  I only anticipate homework on Friday this week.

Writing

In writing, we’ll finish up our “What Am I” book this week, then begin prepping for their Personal Essay project, which will take place over the next couple of weeks.

Conferences

The Wednesday, January 27th conferences are still on for tomorrow.  You probably saw that the first day is pushed back to next Monday, February 1st.

If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so with the link below.  If you can’t meet with me, I will send home your child’s progress notes for you to review at your convenience.

Mr. Wachter’s Conference Sign-Up

Click on this link to Zoom-In to your conference: https://lps.zoom.us/j/5261813917

Initially, you’ll be placed in a “waiting room,” and I will invite you in when your conference begins.  If possible, please sign in with your first and last name, so I can confirm I’m inviting the correct person into the conference.

Remote Learners

Because of the snow days, a lot of the materials I sent home for this week you won’t need.  Please hang on to them for next week.  Pages like Retrievals, Annotations, Spelling pages, Check for Understandings…just hang on to those for next week.  I’ll make sure most of this week’s lessons have digital options for the kids at home to complete.

Please keep in mind that we will spend a fair amount of time Wednesday and Thursday playing with the chickadees, so the Zoom kids will have a bit of a break during those times.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Class Web Site:  Mr. Wachter’s Class

January 19th, 2021 – Embryology Continues and Conference Reminder

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a nice weekend and are ready to crank up a new week!

Embryology

We are off to a great start with our Embryology unit!  The kids have done a great job being “mother hens” and tending to the eggs three times a day.  We candled the eggs last week, and thankfully we had 13/14 eggs developing properly!  We’re just a little over a week away from them hatching, which will create some great memories for the kids.

Reading

We’re progressing through Unit 4 in reading, and this week will begin week three.  We’ll read a number of expository texts about nature and wildlife, and do a fair amount of comparing and contrasting the stories we read.  You can expect a spelling list to come home on Tuesday night, as well as a reading homework.

Math

In math, we’re wrapping up part 1 of Unit 4.  We will complete one more lesson about fractions on Tuesday, then spend a couple of days on measurement.  We’ll end the week reviewing for the part 1 test.  I anticipate homework on the following evenings.

Monday – No School

Tuesday – Homework 4-5

Wednesday – No Homework

Thursday – Homework 4-6

Friday – Review Homework

Writing

In writing, we’re going to begin a min-research report about animals, and how they adapt to survive.  We’ll do some research and note-taking this week about an animal of their choice.  Then, each student will create a page for a classroom book about their animal and how they adapt in the wild.

Conferences

“Spring” conferences are coming up.  They will take place on Monday, January 25th, and Wednesday, January 27th.  Attached is the time that worked for you in the fall.

If you haven’t yet signed up, please do so with the link below.  If you can’t meet with me, I will send home your child’s progress notes for your to review at your convenience.

Mr. Wachter’s Conference Sign-Up

Click on this link to Zoom-In to your conference: https://lps.zoom.us/j/5261813917

Initially, you’ll be placed in a “waiting room,” and I will invite you in when your conference begins.  If possible, please sign in with your first and last name, so I can confirm I’m inviting the correct person into the conference.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

January 11th, 2021-Egg Candling Week

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a nice weekend and are ready to crank up a new week!

Embryology

Our Embryology unit continues to progress.  This week, we will “candle” the eggs to check their development.  This simply means we will use a high-powered flashlight to look “inside” the egg.  Hopefully everything will be progressing as planned, and we’ll have a high number of success stories after week one.

On Tuesday, generally the Zoom kids would not zoom-in after lunch due to it being a PLC day.  However, our egg-candling presentation is Tuesday at 1:40.  Therefore, Zoom kids should plan on coming back after lunch and recess at 1:15, as if it was regular day.

Reading

This week is week Unit 4, Week 2 in reading.  We’ll learn practice point of view, asking and answering questions, prefixes and contractions with not, as we read a number of realistic fiction stories.  You can expect to see a spelling list and reading homework come home on Monday evening.

Math

In math, we’re off to a great start with fractions.  The first few lessons went well, and we’ll continue to expand our knowledge this week.  I anticipate homework on the following evenings.

Monday – Homework 4-2

Tuesday – No Homework

Wednesday – Homework 4-3

Thursday – Homework 4-4

Friday – Homework 4-5 (Possibly)

Writing

In writing, we’ll finish up our cinquain snow-globe poems, as well as write an acrostic poem.  Later in the we’ll begin learning about animal adaptations, and begin a mini-research project on an animal.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

January 5th, 2021 – Embryology Begins!

Hello Families!

Welcome to the new year, and welcome to the second semester of the school year!  I had a very relaxing break, and I hope your child is as ready as I am to crank things back up at school!

Embryology

Our Embryology unit begins on Tuesday!  This means the kids will become mother hens to 12 chicken eggs for the next three weeks, as they grow and develop in our class incubator.  We will learn all about their development, as well as the life cycles of several different organisms.  Then, if all goes well, we’ll have some furry little friends to play with during the last week of January.  This is the thing kids remember most about third grade, and it’s a really fun way to get through the frigid month of January!

Reading

This week, the kids will begin Unit 4 (Week 1) in reading.  We’ll practice asking and answering questions, point of view, root words and linking verbs as we read several folktales.  Spelling will resume, as will our weekly reading homework.  Please check for those items coming home Tuesday night, and remind your child to study and complete that homework assignment by Friday.

Math

In math, we’ll begin Unit 4, as well.  This unit begins by learning about fractions.  The first lesson is a rare, three day lesson, and the second lesson is a two day lesson.  So I only anticipate homework on Thursday evening this week.

Writing

In writing, we’ll begin the year by completing a creative writing activity about the kids’ winter break.  Then, we’ll spend the rest of the week working on a really neat cinquain snow globe poem.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter