Auntie Claus Arrives!

Today Mrs. Phillips had to step out of the building and invited, in her place, the fabulous Auntie Claus!  We entered what had previously been our media center, but today was transformed into the North Pole to hear a story read aloud by our honored guest.

We took our seats and eagerly awaited her arrival.  Once we greeted her warmly, she settled in to share a classic holiday book, Merry UnChristmas, by Mike Reiss.  We were very excited to hear he is also a writer for The Simpsons.  It was an adorable story about a town where it is Christmas 364 days of the year!  Can you imagine?  Do you think that would get a little tiring?













We closed our adventure with milk and cookies served by elves!  Check us out receiving and devouring our mid-morning treat!  Yum!!!











Did you enjoy meeting Auntie Claus? How were the cookies?  They sure looked good!

The Call of Battle!

Calling all readers!  The battle begins!  This year, as third graders, we are able to compete in the Battle of the Books.  This is a competition of third, fourth, and fifth grade readers who, after reading books from this list, are able to compete and attempt to earn a spot on the final battle team!  There are books for everyone;  books about ghosts, animals, sports, history...a variety of genres to choose from!  The battle is in the distant future.  For now we are gathering supplies and beginning to develop our battle skills.  The good news is, we have already read one book from the list...The Earth Dragon Awakes!  The bad news is...we currently only have one copy of each book, and with 53 friends in our classes, it will be difficult to prepare.  We need your help!  If you would like to donate books from the list to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it!  It's time to start reading!    

Slime Time!!!

In celebration of students meeting the Readers To Leaders reading goal for the first nine weeks, Mrs. Phillips allowed reading teachers to slime her this morning after Flag Raising!  92% of our students are on their way to reading one million words this year!  For this particular celebration, all students were able to attend, however, for the next celebration only students meeting the goal will be invited.  As third graders, having read at least 6 chapter books in the first nine weeks is expected in order to be on the right track.  We are so proud of the efforts of our readers!  Keep up the good work!  Stay tuned for news about the next celebration!

The Power of One!!!

Today we were reminded of the importance of being a "bully buster!"  Bullying is the act of purposely and repeatedly harming another with words or actions.  Bullying is often a way of gaining power over another person, but today we learned how to put a stop to it!  We will stop being bystanders!  We will tell a trusted adult if we are the victim of, or witness to, bullying!  We are going to be on the lookout for all types of bullying; physical, verbal, cyber, etc.  We know we have what it takes to keep Chets Creek a safe and happy place where students feel free to learn and enjoy themselves!  Let us know what your plans are to stand up to bullies!  


For more information about bullying and the quest to end to it...check out these websites!

• http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/what-is-bullying.aspx
• http://www.pacerkidsagainstbullying.org
• http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00117/bullying.html

Lovely Logs

In addition to our nightly reading, we complete a reading log for homework each night.  The pink log sheet is all too familiar to our students.  We know we are responsible for filling in the title, time read, and a comment, question, or prediction about our reading from the night.  Some things as third graders, we should be aware of:

• the title of a book should be capitalized
• a third grade quality response includes capital letters, punctuation, and is a thoughtful response
• the amount of space provided is a good clue about the length of the response expected

Take a look at these great student examples!  If your work is equivalent...keep it up!  If not, make some adjustments so you meet expectations in the future!

Halloween Scream!!!

What's in the bag?  That was the question of the day!  During our Fall Celebration, those who dared, reached into a mystery bag and had to guess the contents.  The bags had names of course...Goblin Eyes, Mummy Snot, Frankenstein's Brain, Witch Fingers, Intestines...you get the picture. 

 

It was up to our students to use only their sense of touch to discern what these bags might actually hold...no we did not manage to get our hands on Frankenstein's actual brain.  What began as squeals of anticipation and excitement, did eventually turn into shrieks of dread and revulsion!  Even with our gag reflexes put to the test, we screamed for more!  Check us out! 

Well guys, now that it's over, what did you think?  Which bag was the easiest to guess?  Which bag contained the grossest mystery substance?  We're dying to hear from you!

Diamond D-light!

We just returned from our wonderful trip to the Diamond D Ranch.  

Who knew a working ranch could be so much fun?!?  

I certainly didn't know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised.

We started the morning off with a wild ride on, The Drum Roll.  Many of us were nervous, but after being securely strapped in, cries of delight could be heard from within the swirling, burly ball.  A few of our friends opted out of the experience, but all that partook in the opportunity did not regret it!

Then it was off to hear about the animals on the ranch.  Here we met the very gentle, Boris, who did not protest when we surrounded and patted him with great vigor and joy.  Thank you Boris, for being so agreeable! 

From there, we dashed to the wagon and piled aboard for a tour of the property.  We got the chance to feed baby goats who eagerly lapped up the food we offered.  So cute!  Then it was back on the wagon to the cow pasture.  From a distance the cows glanced at us uninterested...but pull out a bucket of unusual, pellet-like food and they literally come charging for a snack.  This fellow had quite a system...keep the long, alien tongue to the side so that 52 kids will throw pellets directly down his throat with ease!  It was a very efficient system. He ate more than any other cow!

The Nature Walk was a pleasant break from the hectic events of the early morning.  Before venturing through the woods we were prepped with an example of poison ivy, and reviewed as a group the chant, "If you see three, let it be!"  Words to live by!  We also received the chance to touch the antlers of a white-tailed deer.  They are made from calcium and were surprisingly dense.

At the conclusion of our walk, we stumbled upon a serene looking pond.  Our guide handed us food for the "fish."  Looking into the water we noticed nothing but minnows and were feeling slightly underwhelmed.  On the count of three and after a gentle toss...boy were we shocked, as the water erupted into a frenzy of gigantic catfish thrashing and feasting with delight.  We could not contain our excitement.  Never before has such joy been experienced from watching fish eat!

The day was coming to a close and we were approaching actual departure time, but you can't leave a ranch without riding a horse!  Our final stop was the Pony Ride station.  Somehow the members of the ranch managed to subdue and harness these wild stallions...just kidding.  We were lucky enough to ride twelve of the sweetest, most gentle horses in Jacksonville.  None of us were afraid or nervous.  With horses named Hershey, Chocolate, Lucky, Goofy, and Mr. Goodbar, why would we be?!?  Check us out...we look like real cowboys and cowgirls!!!  Yeehaw!

Did you enjoy the trip?  Let us know what parts were your favorite!  Take the poll!!!

The Earth Dragon Awakes!

We have begun our newest read aloud, The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.  Already, we are overcome by tension, awaiting the inevitable disaster.  The author has done a tremendous job of grabbing our attention through clever foreshadowing..."But is has been thirty-eight years since the last strong earthquake.  People have forgotten how bad it can be.  But soon they will remember."  WOW!  I want to read more!

This book falls into the genre of historical fiction, which means it is a fictional story that takes place in a particular time period from the past.  The characters are fictional, but experiencing real events from history.  We don't have a lot of background knowledge about this time period or area of the country, so I thought I would put some of the images from our in-class discussion on the blog for you to refer to as we continue to read the text!

 San Francisco in 1906,    

before the earthquake.

San Francisco in 1906, 

after the earthquake and

fire that followed.

The City Hall Tower

before and after the earthquake.

Present day Chinatown.

This is the community where

Chin and his father reside in the book.

Present day San Francisco.  

These are the type of homes Henry and

his family would have lived in.

A trolley car  travels through

the city, transporting citizens.  

Chin and his father take a trolley

to Chinatown from work at the Travis home. 

San Francisco today.

Rebuilt and thriving!

The Golden Gate Bridge. 

A famous landmark in 

San Francisco.

Hopefully this helps you visualize, as we continue reading this fascinating book!  Let me know what you think of it so far!  Are you enjoying it?  Do you have any predictions about what might happen to Henry and Chin!?!

A Touch of Chocolate

We've chosen our newest read aloud, The Chocolate Touch, by Patrick Skene Catling, about a boy John Midas, who loves chocolate more than anything else.  Many of us can relate to John's love of the creamy delight that is chocolate.  Me?  I prefer white chocolate.  How about you?  Could you ever have too much chocolate?  Based on the title of our newest read aloud, what do you predict the story will be about?  The Chocolate Touch?  John Midas...any connection to King Midas?  Hmmm.  Let me know what you think!  I cant wait to get started and see what happens to John!

It's a Safari for the Senses!

We made it!  Our long walk to our first field trip was certainly an adventure!  We weren't exactly sure what to expect, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised.  Traveling from station to station and learning about animals from around the world was like being on a real safari!  Check us out here with this ferocious wolverine!   

Who knew that hippos are one of the most dangerous animals in Africa?  They are very aggressive and can eat over 150 pounds a night!  Look, there's one now about to devour one of our friends!?!





What was your favorite part of the experience?!?  Mine was definitely the walk there (just kidding)!  Which animal was the most interesting?  Were there any facts that totally shocked you?  Let me know so we can remember and enjoy our wonderful journey at the Sensory Safari!


Check out more cool animal facts by clicking here!

We Have Fudge-a-mania!!!

I'm so glad we started our year off with Fudge-a-mania, as our read aloud.  I remember reading Judy Blume books when I was in the third grade, so it has been wonderful for me to get a chance to revisit an old favorite!  I thought you might be wondering more about the author, Judy Blume.   She sure does a great job making us laugh and beg for more each day!  

Well, I looked about and stumbled onto her official webpage.  Click here to read about her inspiration for many of her best books!  I hope you enjoy this site as much as you seem to be enjoying her book!  What has been your favorite part of Fudge-a-mania so far?  Has anyone taken the initiative to start reading more Judy Blume books?  Let me know!  Keep on reading!

The "Poet" Tree is Blooming!!!

Our poetry is growing
We're adding more each day
The metaphors we're using
Will blow readers away!
We think of something simple
Then add music to each word
To say that we're not poets
Would just be plain absurd!
Now if you're at home thinking
Of poetic things to do
Why not take a second
And click the links I've found for you!

Giggle Poetry
Poetry with Jack Prelutsky
Poetry 4 Kids
Story It Classic Poetry

Let me know what you think of our poetry unit so far!

I'm Betting the Farm...It's Going to Be a Great Year!!!

Chets Creek Elementary School - Cultivating a Community of Excellence from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Welcome back! It was so wonderful to meet all of you at Orientation! What did you think of the classroom? Let me know what you are most excited about this year! I look forward to seeing your smiling faces Monday morning. Get ready to read some awesome books and write some amazing stories!

The Cost of Oil

Today we were fortunate enough to listen in on a Discovery Education webinar featuring Phillipe Cousteau. Phillipe is the grandson of Jacques Cousteau, and has made a name for himself as an oceanographer and environmental activist. The topic of discussion was the current environmental tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. We heard Phillipe's perspective and news on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. Phillipe shared that the wetland habitats in danger are some of the most fragile in the world and also some of the most important. 40% of all the wetlands in the lower 48 states exist along the coast of Louisiana and are directly in the oil’s path.

We were shocked and saddened by the footage of the disaster. Below is a live feed of the leak from the ocean floor. What can we do to make a difference? Can you remember anything Phillipe suggested? Have you made any changes already? I hope to hear some new ideas about how we can start helping our environment!!!

The Battle Has Begun!

The Battle of the Books is now underway! Since the beginning of school, our classes have been reading books from an approved list in order to earn a chance to compete in the battle. Well after months of careful reading, small comprehension tests, and a final qualifying exam, we are officially prepared to battle. Our teams have been chosen! Check us out!!!


This morning we marched to the media center to initiate the battle. Unfortunately, our two teams were pitted against one another right from the get-go. The competition was fierce. So many books! So many authors! So much information! Our classes wowed the crowd with their extensive knowledge and team spirit! Each team displayed a valiant effort, but Miss Hoffmann's homeroom left victorious.



The battle continues June 4 when we challenge new teams, and we will be pumping iron (reading and reviewing books) until then!!! What did you think of the first leg of the battle? Were you surprised by the questions? Stay tuned for more updates from the battlefield!