Humerick Happenings

2012-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!

What a week! It seems like we did a lot of testing - but... the kids really hung in there and did well! The Mock MSA on Wednesday went VERY WELL! The tests themselves aren't graded, we go over them as a class. What I want them to get out of the whole exercise is the test-taking experience. Please ask your child how they think they did.

Next week, although there's no school on Monday, will be a "regular" week!

Language Arts: We will be finishing up Ancillary Texts - places we can go to for information... reference books, web sites, articles, etc.

Math: We'll be taking our 3rd quarter pretest. You'll also be receiving the new list of skills we will be covering this quarter. Be aware - multiplication and division are on the horizon!!! If your child is not proficient in addition or subtraction, this may present a problem. PLEASE practice these facts at home! Along with the pretest we'll be doing some calculator practice and some additional work with problem solving.

Social Studies: We'll be discussing Taxes, who works at City Hall, and Voting. Ask your child to tell you some information we've been talking about in class!

Writing: The class finished a persuasive writing piece about whether to allow dodge ball to be played in schools or not. They did a nice job! Next week we'll continue with our writer's workshop.

Cursive: We're done with all of our lower case letters! So...that means there will be more writing in cursive! Next week we'll be starting with some upper-case.

Word Study: Our focus next week will be words that make the /j/ sound.

I think that's it for now. Our Valentine's Party will be on February 14th. A letter will be coming home soon asking for donations for the party.

Don't forget!! Your child's Cultural Project is due Thursday, January 26.

Have a wonderful weekend - remember there's no school on Monday - it's the end of Term 2 and I'll be working on report cards!

Faith Humerick

2011-12-22T12:30:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a day!!! Believe it or not, we did get some work done! The class was so good...I know how excited they are...but, they really held it together!

Just a short email to let you know about the week back:

Reading: We're continuing with reading poetry and analyzing the poet's message. We're also still reviewing our practice MSA test - these will be coming home when we're finished. Please go over them with you child!

Writing: While we're reading poetry, we'll also be writing it. Look for some haiku poetry this week!

Math: We've finished area and perimeter for now and we're moving onto patterns, word problems, and relational sentences (56 + 13 > 23 + 12). Please go over your child's homework with him/her every evening. I give Math homework every night. Keep practicing those subtraction facts!

Word Study: We'll be working with winter words.

Social Studies: A new unit will be starting when we get back. We'll be covering immigration, diversity, and cultures. A project will be coming home at the end of the first week back. Keep an eye out for it!

Your child brought all of his/her supplies home. PLEASE go through them and determine what needs to be replenished. Pencils and glue sticks are really needed by some!

Also, we are out of anti-bacterial wipes. If you could donate some, that would be great! We wipe down our desks periodically and really go through them!

On a different note:

Have a wonderful winter break with your family! I know I'm so excited to have both of my boys home!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

2011-12-15T12:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Thursday!

Can you believe the holidays are almost here? We're really trying to keep a regular schedule for the class...hoping that will keep them focused!

Here's what we'll be doing:

Language Arts: We'll be reviewing our "mock" MSA tests we took. I think it will be a great exercise to see what/how the answers should be. We'll also be reading and writing some haikus. We've been reviewing alliteration and similes this week.

Math: We're continuing with perimeter and area. If your child did not do well on the telling time quiz, please review this skill with him/her. Also, continue practicing those subtraction facts... I can really see improvement!!

Writing: Lots of the kids are beginning to write poetry since we've been talking about it. They continue to enjoy writing during Writer's Workshop.

Word Study: No words next week!

Cursive: n and m

I will be sending an email out in January for anyone who wants to volunteer in the classroom. I'll be redoing my volunteer calendar then.

Mrs. Humerick

2011-11-28T05:46:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

Happy Monday! Can you believe the Thanksgiving break is over already?? I hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends... our home seems very quiet now that everyone has left!

Here's what's going on this week:

Language Arts: We're continuing to work with non-fiction texts. Our focus this week is determining the main idea and the important details. The students will be completing organizers for this skill. Using these organizers will make it easier for them to write a summary... an important third grade skill. For added work at home, have your child read any text. Then have him/her tell you the important details that have happened.

Math: In my math class, we're starting a new unit on measurement. We'll begin with inches, half-inches, feet, and yards. Then we'll get into centimeters and temperature. For added work at home, have your child choose several items around the house. Have him/her make a chart for estimate and actual measurement. Have him/her write an estimate of the length, width, etc. and then actually measure it.
We'll also continue to work with our math facts. Most students are doing well with addition. PLEASE work with your child on his/her subtraction facts... flash cards, orally, computer games, etc.... anything will help!

Writing: Our writer's workshop continues. Our focus this week is on endings and how they have to reflect the story.

Cursive: Our letters this week will be a and d.

Word Study: The silent letters mb,gh, and gn are our focus this week.

2011-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

Enjoy our "Day at the Beach" reading time photos...

2011-11-11T08:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!

Boy, the weather sure has changed! Please make sure your child is bringing a coat, hat, gloves, etc. to school on cold, windy days like this. We will go outside for recess unless it's raining or below freezing.

Here's what's going on in the classroom:

Language Arts: We have started our new unit, "Reading Social Studies Texts". This week we started with "before" reading strategies... setting a purpose, previewing the text, and planning how we're going to read carefully. We also began "during" reading strategies... finding text features, answering our purpose questions, and changing our predictions. Next week, we'll be doing lots more of this with texts written at your child's reading level.

Social Studies: Our Economics unit continues with "Econ" videos. We have covered scarcity, opportunity cost, and consumption. Next week we'll be looking at production and interdependence. Please ask your child about all of these economic terms. They should be able to define them and give examples. I'm trying to send some homework home with each idea so you can see what we're doing.

Writing: Our Writer's Workshop continues with lessons on "Excellent Endings". Each student is looking for ways to end their writing pieces that makes sense with its beginning.

Math: If your child has me for math, we have finished our first quarterly assessment. We have also taken the second quarter pre-assessment. This will enable me to see where my focus should be for this quarter. I will still be sending homework home to review skills from the first quarter, along with the second quarter. On Monday, your child will be bringing home a list of skills that will be covered in the second quarter. Please review this list periodically with your child so you know what we're working on.

Cursive: Our next letters will be j and p.

Thanks to all of you who check over homework and initial the agenda. We had TWO days this week where everyone had everything done!

Have a wonderful, warm weekend!
Faith Humerick

Fall Festival Party, Walk for the Homeless, Pumpkin Math

2011-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, I put the pictures in backwards, so we'll start with the party!

Our Walk For The Homeless!!!! With our buddies!

Our Pumpkin Math activities:

2011-10-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

I'm so sorry this is so late! What a Friday and weekend we had!

Let's start with Friday first... We had such a great group of parents to come in and help us with our Pumpkin Math! Kids were predicting their pumpkin's height, weight, circumference, diameter, number of seeds, etc. Then... they did the actual measurements. BUT... in the middle of all of this - we did our walk for the homeless. Thank goodness we were first! Our buddy class, Mrs. Marini's kindergarteners, were sooo cute in their costumes! We all walked together for about a mile and then came back inside and finished our pumpkin activities. Kids had their hands up to their elbows in pumpkin gunk. It was very interesting to see how each group decided to count their seeds! Ask your child what EFFICIENT way their group used!

Then we got cleaned up and had a word study test, followed by recess and lunch. After lunch we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" while our room moms got the room ready for a party. We had a short exercise recess and then enjoyed a wonderful party! Thanks so much to Becca Clark and Rose Ann Shapiro for all of their work! We all had a great time!

Then... the weekend! Can you believe the snow? During the bad weather, my husband and I celebrated our birthdays with family and friends... so... that's my excuse for getting this out to you on a Monday. Sorry!

Anyway, here's what we'll be doing this week:
Language Arts: We're finishing up reading Folktales and will begin talking about Fables. We'll be discussing "morals of the story" and the "author's purpose". I find that the students come up with some great ideas on how to teach others these lessons.

Math: My math class is continuing with subtraction. We're beginning double-digit subtraction with regrouping and will go straight into 3-digit subtraction with regrouping. If you want to give your child some extra practice - give him/her some problems where they have to regroup in the ones and the tens places.

Science: Our aquariums are gone! But... this doesn't mean we're done with the unit! We'll be writing a factual essay on our ecosystems. We'll be focusing on putting details in our writing.

Word Study - No words this week. It's too hard to do when there's no school on Friday. We will, however, be reviewing some homophones.

That's it for now - I'm hoping to put the pictures I took on Friday on my blog, so please check it! I'll be sure to let the kids know when the pictures are there!
Have a wonderful week - remember there is no school on Friday so we have time to input grades.

Faith Humerick

2011-10-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday... oh wait... it's only Thursday! I hope you and your family have a wonderful, long weekend! It looks like the weather will be beautiful!

Thanks to everyone for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I love conferences! I love to tell everyone how well their child is doing! It's also nice to express concerns face to face. PLEASE, if you have any questions about what we discussed at your child's conference, email me or write me a note. I don't want you to have any questions!

Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing: (It was SUCH a strange week, we didn't get to everything I wanted to this week!)

Language Arts: We will continue working with folktales. Next week we'll be focusing on character development -- how and why a character changes during a story. We'll also be discussing the setting of a piece of literature. This includes where and when the story takes place. Stories we'll be reading are: "The Pancake", "The Tiger and the Big Wind", and "The Monkey and the Crocodile". Ask your child about these stories throughout the week.

Math: We're stopping addition with regrouping for awhile (there will still be some practice) and we're beginning with subtraction. We'll be starting with fact families - showing the relationship between addition and subtraction facts. Then we'll continue with word problems where they'll need to subtract to find the answers. We'll be slowly working toward subtraction with regrouping. PLEASE - it will greatly benefit your child to be practicing math facts at home. You can use a computer program/game or flashcards...anything!

Science: Observing our ecosystems (aquariums) is our main focus. We're so proud of the fact we haven't had any more casualties! We'll also be discussing food chains and food webs...using the organisms in our rooms and others in the environment.

Word Study: the next list is homophones - words that sound the same but the meanings are different. Your child will need to be able to spell each word correctly, but must also be able to use each word correctly in a sentence.

Thanks to the parents who signed up to help out in the classroom on the morning of the 28th. The Pumpkin Math activities are really fun and the kids really love it! If you can't make it to that...please try to stop by for the party that afternoon. Thanks to Becca Clark and RoseAnn Shapiro for getting everything together for the party!

Well...that's it for now...have a wonderful weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-10-13T13:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Rainy Day,

I wanted to get this out today since every Friday is so hectic.

Here is what we've been doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We've read some folktales. This week we focused on the beginning, middle, and end of each story. Next week we'll be looking at characters. Are they major or minor? Do they change throughout the story?

Math: My math class has been working on 2-digit addition with regrouping, 3-digit addition with regrouping, and column addition with regrouping. They will be taking a quiz tomorrow on all three. Next week we'll be starting with subtraction with regrouping.

Writing: Our Writer's Workshop is in full swing. Ask your child about our "pitstops". We start out our time with 10-15 minutes of quiet thinking or writing. Then I do a short writing lesson. Next, they go to "pitstops". These stops could be drafting, peer conferencing, editing, revising, teacher conferencing, or publishing. They are really into it and are always focused during this time.

Word Study: We worked with synonyms this week. Next week we'll be working with homonyms (sound the same but have different meanings).

Science: We have aquariums!!! Yes...nothing has died all week! Ask your child the difference between a population and a community. Also, ask what organisms we have in our aquariums and have them tell you a little about each one. Next week we'll continue to observe and talk about predator, prey, food chains, and food webs.

Other Information:
Thanks to everyone who has gotten the Fall Festival money in so quickly. I'm sure my room moms are appreciating it! Also, another big thank you to everyone who has returned permissions slips and money. Again, sorry everything is coming all at once!

Please check your child's take home folder, agenda, and book bag and be sure to initial the agenda. I have not had one day where 100% of my class came to school with all homework done. The work I'm sending should not be too much for them to handle.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at conferences. Please let me know if there are any specific questions you'll have... 15 minutes is NOT a long time!

Have a great weekend,
Faith Humerick

2011-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

OH, what a beautiful day!! My message to the class on their morning powerpoint was: GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY THIS WEEKEND! I hope everyone enjoys the sun!

Here's what we have been doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We have started our Short Stories unit. We have watched and read three folktales so far. The kids are really good at figuring out the "lesson" of the story. We'll continue with more stories next week. Our focus next week will be characters, setting, plot, climax, problems, and solutions. Ask your child what stories we watched this week!

Math: My math class has been working on double digit and triple digit addition with one regrouping. Next week we will be working with double digit and triple digit addition with two regroupings. We will also begin with three-column addition. If you have time at home, please practice math facts with your child - it's so important to know them to be able to do these skills.

Science: After one shipment of dead guppies, we are trying to get our aquariums put together. Monday, we will be observing aquatic plants and newts and putting them into our aged water. We'll see how that goes... we're looking at growing populations, predator and prey, and habitats.

Writing: We are finishing up our first informative essay on a Frederick County landmark. The kids each used a peer to conference with about their work. They did a great job!

Word Study: Next week's words will be synonyms. Words that mean the same but are spelled differently. Your child's list will look like the antonym list where they will have to come up with five of their own words.

Other Information: Check out under this post!!! I put pictures on from when the class was observing their daphnia. Great pics!

The Fall Festival is just around the corner on Friday, October 28th from 2:30 - 3:20. A letter will be coming home on Monday. Please read the Urbana News that came home on Friday to see what the guidelines are for costumes.

Today (Friday) was our first "Pal Day". We are paired with Mrs. Marini's kindergarten class and your child has been paired with a child in that class. Today the third graders interviewed the kindergarteners. They were so well-behaved and really set a great example!

That's it for now!
Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

Observing daphnia

2011-10-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here are my scientists at work! They are observing daphnia... how they move and how the adults and babies look differently. And then... trying to get five adult daphnia into a vial of aged water. Not so easy... just ask them! I LOVE how they work so well together!

2011-09-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a great day off yesterday! It looks like a beautiful weekend - be sure to relax and enjoy!

Here's what we've been doing, and what we will be doing next week:

Language Arts: We're finishing up reviewing General Reading Processes... what to do before you read, during your reading, and after you read. Then we begin with Short Stories. Our first type of short story will be folktales. We will be comparing them with other texts and revisiting the reading process as we read them.

Math: My math class will continue working with addition and subtraction (including money). This week we were finding missing numbers on either side of a number sentence. Next week we'll be using everyday situations (word problems) to answer problems and to construct them.

Social Studies: We'll be finishing up our lesson on Frederick County Landmarks and then starting Science!! Our first unit in Science is Aquarium Habitats. Next week, we'll just be measuring water in our aquariums and talking about how the sun affects the water.

Word Study: We'll be working with antonyms...opposites. Your child's word list will only be half complete when he/she brings it home on Monday. Please help them choose appropriate words to finish the list.

Writing: Your child's Writer's Notebook is sooo full of ideas! These kids love to write! Next week we'll be discussing peer conferencing. Ask them what they're working on!

Other information:
I have spoken with the class about their homework. We have not had a day where everyone had their homework and initialed agendas!! PLEASE check your child's agenda and be sure they are coming to school with everything that is needed.

Thanks for getting the conference papers back to me so quickly - I'm excited to meet with everyone! If you have any specific questions you want answered, please drop me an email or note so I can be prepared with an answer. Remember they are October 18, 19, and 20th.

The Fall Festival is just around the corner on Friday, October 28th from 2:30 - 3:20. Additional information will be coming home in the future.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be in the Media Center October 3rd - 7th.

Picture Day is October 6th. The order form came home with your child last week. Please send it to school on Picture Day if you are interested in ordering pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend!

2011-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Wow! Have you ever seen this much rain?? I am so proud of my class for their great behavior ALL week with no outdoor recess...it can be tough!

Here is what we've been doing and what we will be doing:

Math: We've been working with place value of numbers. Next week we will continue with this skill, but with larger numbers. We will start changing classes for math on Monday. If you did not receive a letter stating that your child is going to a different class for math, then your child will stay with me. My class will be covering the third grade math curriculum.

Social Studies: We've been working on map and globe skills this week. Next week we'll continue with this focus and discuss our "place" in the world.

Language Arts: After discussing different genre's of books, we have been focusing on Before Reading Strategies - Setting a Purpose, Previewing, and Planning. We've also discussed the types of books we should be reading...ask your child about "easy" books, "just right" books, or "challenging" books! Next week we'll begin with During Reading Strategies.

Writing: Thanks for helping your child choose a picture to bring in for his/her Writer's Notebook. We're trying to fill this notebook with all kinds of things that will spark ideas for writing!

Word Study: Next week we'll be starting with a list of words your child will need to work with during the week. The test will be on Friday.

I was so impressed with the amount of parents who came to Back To School Night on Wednesday! Even in the rain... you guys are awesome!

Thanks for your help in checking your child's agenda and take home folder every night.

We had such a great lesson in the computer lab on Wednesday. I am so sorry I told the students they could access Culture Grams without a password. Mrs. Wright, our media specialist, gave me the correct information and I'll be sending it home. Please use the passwords given to get to some of the websites we'll be using this year.

That's it for now! Have a wonderful weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-09-02T04:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Can you believe a whole week is over already?! How time flies...

I have enjoyed getting to know the students this week. Thanks so much for helping with the All About Me bags. Everyone really enjoyed sharing and listening to others share.

This week the students have been introduced to the school and classroom rules and we have discussed classroom procedures. The students have been working hard to earn Soaring With Pride stickers throughout the day. We have also had students earn Star Student stickers in the classroom.

Some reminders: please check your child's take-home folder and agenda daily. If there are papers in the "Keep at Home" pocket, please take them out. Always initial your child's agenda. It helps me know that you are checking your child's work. Weekly checklists are coming home today for the first time. Please review it with your child, sign it, and return it on Tuesday.

Hope to see all of you at Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 7th.

Enjoy the long weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-08-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THIRD GRADE!
I am so glad I got to meet so many of you today! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop in and see your new room. I've got great things planned for you this year...I can't wait for the year to begin!!!!

Please bookmark this blog and check it often. I usually update it every Friday, but will sometimes add things during the week.

Have a great, DRY weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-06-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Just a final thought - HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!
Love, Mrs. Humerick

2011-05-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Field Day!! I'm sorry these photos are out of order. Our field trip is at the bottom! The class was so well-behaved outside, and boy...it was HOT! Enjoy!

We were fortunate to be able to ride the carousel at the ball park!

The best seats in the house!

Inside the press box. Learning all the jobs people have to keep the Keys playing.

Inside the visitor's locker room.

The Key's Dugout!

Mt. Olivet Cemetery...the chapel, which houses artifacts from a very old time capsule.

Ask your child what Francis Scott Key is pointing at!

First time ever that I've seen the presses at work!

Learning about some old newspapers and how they were made.

Some people at work.

We have had so much fun the past two days! I am so thankful that the weather held out for us! Although it was hot, it was never really miserable. I am so proud of the behavior of my class! They actually earned a Soaring With Pride sticker for their wonderful sportsmanlike conduct at field day!

Next week we'll be practicing our plays and continuing to get ready for sharing them with other third grades and any parents that can come on June 9th at 9:30.

In Math, we'll be finishing up our next unit on large numbers and will then do some review of Geometry. There will be an assessment next week and the week after.

In Writing we are still working on How To stories.

We're still discussing the environment in Social Studies.

On another note, I will not be in school tomorrow - Friday, the 27th. I am sooo proud to say that I will be attending my son's (Bryce) graduation from Towson University. I can't stop smiling as I type this!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Mrs. Humerick

2011-05-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Another rainy day... I'm looking forward to a really nice weekend!

Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing:
Language Arts: Our scenery is finished and now we'll be practicing our parts! Our production for parents will be on Thursday, June 9th at 9:30. PLEASE do not feel you have to come. This is NOT a major production - it's more of a "reader's theater" than a play. We will be doing 3 plays. Each will take about 10 minutes.

Math: We're continuing to work with larger numbers.

Word Study: Next week we'll be talking about antonyms (opposites).

Social Studies: We'll be reviewing human, natural, and capital resources to get ready for our field trip. We'll also be talking about Frederick landmarks.

Please keep these dates in mind:
Field Trip: May 25
Field Day: May 26
Plays for parents: June 9

PLEASE remind your child that third grade is not over yet! Each student needs to keep working as hard as he/she can until June 14th! Along with that, please continue checking homework and agendas! Thanks!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-05-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry this is late - Blogger was down for repairs and I couldn't get on. Anyway, here is what we've been doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: I haven't ended our Novel Unit yet because this class loves to read! They also love doing activities from the menu they have. So...we're doing that AND our Play Unit. Everyone has a part now and we'll be starting our scenery this week. I will have a date for you at the end of the week for our productions.

Math: We just finished a unit and will be starting a new one on larger numbers. There will be a lot of addition and subtraction in this unit. Hopefully most of it will be a review.

Writing: We're still working on our "How To" essays.

Cursive: We're almost done our capital letters!!

Word Study: This week we'll be working with synonyms - words that mean the same but are spelled differently.

Please make note of these dates:

May 25 - field trip 9:00-1:00 remember your child (and if you are going) will need a disposable, packed lunch unless you have told me otherwise.
May 26 - field day 9:00-12:30 students will need a hat, sunscreen, and a water bottle.

I think that's it for now!
Have a great week!
Faith Humerick

2011-05-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday! I hope this beautiful weather holds out for our 50th Anniversary Celebration and the Strawberry Festival!

Here's what we're doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We're continuing with our Plays unit and our Novels unit. By the end of next week your child will have a part in a play that we will perform. This will most likely take place around the beginning of June.

Math: We've been cutting out fractions and adding them. Next week we'll be doing the same with sets of objects.

Writing: I had so much fun making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with some of the students' directions. We'll be working on giving directions and will then turn that into a "How To" essay.

Word Study: Next week's list will be homophones - words that sound the same but are spelled differently. The test for these words will be sentences using the word properly.

Science: We're still working on our Populations Unit - we'll be discussing ecosystems next week.

Have a wonderful weekend.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Faith Humerick

2011-04-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! Can you believe it's May already? I hope the weather gets a little warmer!

Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We're continuing with our Novel unit. Each student chose a novel from our reading area to read. When they finish, they have a menu to choose from of activities they can do. If anyone has any clay or Play-Doh, could we please use it? Some have chosen to show the setting of their novel this way.
Along with novels, we are also going to start our Play unit. We'll go over all parts of a play and then we'll practice some. Our class will be performing three different plays. Keep an eye out for a date - we'll invite you to come see us! It will probably be around the beginning of June.

Math: My math class just completed working with function tables. Next week we'll be revisiting division. We'll continue to have multiplication fact tests on Fridays. I am sooo proud of most of my class! Their numbers really went up!

Science: We'll be finishing up our Populations unit. We'll be talking about predators and food chains/webs.

Word Study: We'll be working with Latin roots next week. This week when I graded the tests, I attached a practice paper for cursive if that child was having difficulty with a certain letter or connection. Please practice these at home.

Important Dates:
May 3 - 2 hour early dismissal
May 6 - Urbana Elementary School's 50th anniversary celebration and the Strawberry Festival. Please remember that students are not allowed to stay after school this year!
May 25 - Our field trip to the Newspost, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and the Keys stadium. Keep on the lookout for the permission slip.

That's it for now! Have a restful, safe weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-04-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

THE SUN IS OUT!!!! I'm really hoping we see it a lot next week! This will be a short post since we'll be continuing work that we didn't finish this week. Novels will be finished... Anoles will be sent back to the science center... Function tables will be continuing... Not a lot of changes for the week when we come back. I just wanted to post this to say: HAPPY SPRING BREAK! Enjoy the time with your family - I know I will! Faith Humerick

2011-04-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend! I'm hoping the weathermen are right and we'll have a beautiful Sunday! Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing: Language Arts: We'll be finishing our novels and then starting a self-selection novel unit. With this unit they'll be able to choose their own novel and do activities from a menu. It's always interesting to see what activities students choose to do! Math: My math class is hard at work learning their multiplication facts. We'll be testing them every Friday (I'll be throwing in some addition and subtraction just to keep them on their toes!). We're still working with growing patterns and then will start with function tables. Science: Well, we got our anoles in! Today will be the first day the class gets to observe them and feed them crickets! We'll continue discussing populations of different organisms. Writing: We're finishing up our Just So stories and I'll be typing them for the Quill. I really like to be sure everyone has an entry. Cursive: We're finished with lower case letters and are using it in some of our writing. Now we'll be starting on capital letters. Thanks to all who jumped rope for Jump Rope For Heart! We raised an amazing amount of money! Our next field trip will be on May 25. It's a fun one! We'll be starting out at the Frederick NewsPost... then we'll head to Mt. Olivet Cemetery... then we'll end up at the Key's Stadium for a tour and our packed lunches. I wanted to get the info. out in case you wanted to take off work to come with us! That's all for now! Have a great weekend! Faith Humerick

2011-04-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of our class at the ESSL (Earth Space Science Lab). Enjoy! Thanks again to Loretta Klein for remembering her camera!!

2011-04-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

Happy April Fool's Day!! Wow... the first day of April already! I hope the weather starts to get warmer so we can enjoy the Spring! Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing: Language Arts: We're still reading our novels. Please ask your child to tell you a summary about what he/she has read so far. Having them use the words first, next, then, and last will help them focus on important events. Next week we'll be working with summaries, comprehension questions, and story maps. Math: My class is continuing to work on patterns and growing patterns. Writing: We've just finished listening to some Just So Stories. We even watched two on a video. We'll begin writing our own next week! Word Study: Next week's words are suffixes again... plurals. s, es, and ies endings. Science: We'll be starting Populations. In fact, we just got our daphnia and algae today! Other critters will be coming soon! Thanks to Loretta Klein - Chase's mom for letting me borrow her flash drive so I can post pictures of our ESSL visit. I, of course, left it at home! I'll try to get them up sometime this weekend! That's it for now - have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Humerick

2011-03-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend!

Well, I'm gearing up for this afternoon and tomorrow - getting those report cards done! I wish they really showed how much your child has grown so far this year!

Here's what we'll be doing next week and some things we have been doing...

Language Arts: We're continuing to read our novels. We've been focusing on characters, setting, and inferring. Next week we'll get into character traits and mood.

Math: My class will continue with graphing. This week we talked about line graphs using temperatures. We went to weather.com and kept track of Urbana's weather for a day. Fun stuff...

Writing: We're going listen to some "Just So" stories and then write one ourselves. Like... How the Rabbit Got Long Ears... They turn out to be very entertaining!

Science: We're ending our Rocks, Soil, and Fossils Unit next week and are beginning Populations. We'll end the unit with a tour of the Wetland's fossil wall with Mr. Esko... if you've never been to our Wetlands, YOU NEED TO GO!! All the kids had a great time today making their own fossils! I hope they all make it home in one piece!

Word Study: We'll be working on more suffixes.

I am sooo sorry I forgot my camera on the ESSL field trip! Mrs. Sikora took some and I'll try to get those on here this weekend.

Please be sure to get in the permission slips for Urbana High School's Cinderella! We always try to take advantage of this free show - the kids love it!

Well, that's it for now - have a wonderful weekend with your family!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-03-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our classroom was filled with green clothing and cool electronics today! The day started with Mrs. Fike giving us a talk about bullying - ask your child how you could "fill their bucket"... Then, the students were allowed to get our whatever gadget they brought. I am so proud of the way they handled themselves! If someones ran out of power, that person was quickly asked to join a friend.

Here's what's been happening and what WILL be happening.

Language Arts: We're continuing to read our novels. Some students are reading Frindle, by Andrew Clements; some are reading Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume; and some are reading Fox and His Friends. Each day we focus on a different comprehension strategy. So far it's been the setting - where and when. Next it will be characterization - traits and how characters change.

Math: My math class will be taking their assessment on Friday. Next we will begin our next unit of "Stories, Tables, and Graphs". Each child will also be practicing multiplication fact cards. Please be sure that if the baggie comes home for practice, it comes back to school the next day.

Writing: Well, we've finished our letters to Mr. Watkins and Mrs. Hollenbeck persuading them to give third grade an extra recess. We'll see how that goes... Next we'll be asking Mrs. Thompson (our technology person) to change the song on morning announcements!

Word Study and Spelling: the list is the same and the test will be on Thursday.

Science: Fossils!!! We'll be learning about them and making our own! A very cool activity!

Remember that next week is a short week. It's nice that Frederick County gives us days at the end of the term to use for report cards! Can you believe 3rd term is almost over???? One more term and then they're FOURTH GRADERS!

Have a great weekend! Enjoy your kids!
Faith Humerick

2011-03-11T04:31:00.000-08:00

First, let me say how nice it is to look out my classroom windows and see the sun shining!! What a beautiful morning! If only it would stay that way today!

Next, I have got to tell you how impressed I am with your children. They have persevered (our new classroom mantra!) through two days of reading and writing. It is tedious and long, but they really did their best... it's not easy sitting in the same chair for close to two hours with only a drink break.

Today will be the first session of math. Monday will be our last day of math. YEAH!!!! We still have a strange schedule on Tuesday since the other grades will still be testing. If your child was absent for any of it, they will be caught up during this time.

Now, onto things NOT MSA!

Language Arts: Next week we'll beginning our Novel Unit. After each chapter or two students will have a comprehension sheet to complete. We'll be covering setting, characterization, inferring, connections, major and minor characters, plot, climax, and a whole lot more I can't think of right now. The kids will really enjoy the books I've chosen for them - great stuff!

Math: My math class will be ending unit 5 and will be reviewing to take the assessment on Thursday. We'll also be completing multiplication flash cards to practice with at home. I'll also be giving some timed fact tests next week.

Writing: We're in the middle of a persuasive letter to Mrs. Hollenbeck and Mr. Watkins asking for an extra recess. We're also still working on the writing trait, "Voice".

Word Study: Your child will get a list on Tuesday but the test won't be until the next week on Thursday. The focus will be suffixes.

Cursive: We only have two more letters to do until we start capitals. Some are already writing in cursive. We'll start out with their spelling/word study words.

PLEASE remember that Thursday is Electronics Day. Be sure to get the permission slips in. It will not be all day...probably about 45 minutes.

Thanks so much to Loretta Klein for taking on our "Sunny D" wrapper project. We just received 20 new books from Scholastic for our classroom!

Since we've finished (finally) our read aloud - Charlotte's Web - we'll be watching that this afternoon. It'll be a nice break after this rough week!

Thanks to all of you who got your children to bed early and fed them a good breakfast - it really paid off!

Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's March already!?!

And... with March comes the MSA's. I can't tell you how impressed I am with these kids! They really stepped up and took our mock MSA's seriously. I think they really have a good understanding of the types of questions they'll have to answer and the time they'll get to finish a section. I keep telling them the hardest part is waiting for the time given to be up! The directions don't allow for them to read or do anything else but sit and wait. Please remind your child this is an excellent time to review the answers to that section!

Our schedule for next week has been changed...lunch times and Special's times will be different. It's too much to let you know all of the changes, but if you need to know a certain day's schedule, please let me know.

Language Arts: We'll be starting our novel unit. Be looking for an information sheet to come home explaining how we'll be keeping a "journal" about the book we'll be reading.

Math: We'll continue with multiplication and division.

Writing: We're working on a persuasive letter to Mrs. Hollenbeck and Mr. Watkins... we're asking for another recess... we'll see...

Word Study: The'll be no word study next week.

Thanks for sending the notes back in the big, yellow envelopes. The kids really enjoy them!

PLEASE... be sure your child gets a good night's rest and a good breakfast the mornings of the testing. Also, if your child arrives late to school on any of the testing days, they will have to sit in the office and take that portion of the test another day. So... please be sure they ride the bus and are on time!

I think that's it. I feel really good about the MSA's this year! We're going to ROCK THEM!

Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-02-24T12:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, I promised myself I would have this done BEFORE the checklists came out with "updated" written on them!!!

We have had an eventful, full week! Starting with President's Day AND a snow day, they were wound up on Wednesday! After settling down, we had a great rest of the week!

Language Arts: Today was our first mock MSA for Reading. The students did a great job staying focused... it can be very hard to sit still when you're waiting for the time to be over.

Next week we'll be going over our practice packets and doing some other practice with writing BCR's.

We'll also be starting our "Novel" unit next week.

Math: In my math class we'll be doing some practice MSA problems, along with division and fractions.

Science: We'll be discussing different types of soil and then we'll be looking at some fossils while comparing them with other fossils (this is always a favorite!!).

Word Study and Spelling: Your child got a list this week. We won't test on those words until next Friday. There will be homework each day next week.

Please read the note coming home on Friday in the large manila envelope. We do this every year and it really means the world to the kids!

Not much to tell you about... MSA skills are really our focus right now. I really hope having the mock MSA's helped your child be more comfortable with the testing procedure.

Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-02-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry these are in separate blogs! Please look at the next three blogs! Enjoy!
Here is our mega-Science project! Thanks Mr. Schartner!

2011-02-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well, here are the Valentine's Party pictures - Enjoy!!

2011-02-20T04:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week... starting off with a Valentine's Party and ending with a 2-hour early dismissal! But...we persevered (a word I've been using lately with the kids when talking about the MSA's) and got a lot of work done.

Here's what we've been doing and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We did some MSA practice packets to get us ready for our Mock MSA's this week and the real ones on the 7th of March. The students are really getting a taste of what will be expected. With all of this practice, my hope is that they won't be so nervous and will do their best work when March 7th rolls around. We'll also be starting our Novel unit soon.

Math: My math class is continuing working with drawing pictures and arrays to solve multiplication problems. Next we'll be doing the same for division problems.

Science: Well, this was certainly the highlight on Friday! Mr. Schartner set up a team-wide experiment on the playground. It showed every third grader the effects of water and air on dirt, rocks, and sand. The students then had to put all of the information together and explain erosion. We'll begin talking about fossils next week.

Word Study: This week will be a prefix study.

Writing: We're talking about "Voice". This is putting your own attitude in your writing.

A big thank you to Tina N. (Connor's mom) and Stephanie T. (Austin's mom) for our perfect Valentine's Day party!

I had each student take his/her supplies home. Please go through these with your child. Most need pencils, but have other supplies they don't need but take up room in their desks. Thanks!

Next week on Thursday and Friday will be our Mock MSA practices. Please be sure your child gets plenty of rest and a good breakfast each morning.

Well, that's it for now - have a wonderful long weekend! Enjoy the pictures of our party and the Science experiment. Actually, I've been trying to upload my pictures and my laptop at home is not reading them. Hopefully I'll get them in on a seperate blog! Sorry!

Faith Humerick

2011-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday!

I wanted to get a head start on next week since we'll be starting it off with a PARTY! Thanks to my room parents for organizing everything! AND, thanks to all of you parents for getting your donations in promptly!

Here's what we'll be doing next week:

Language Arts: We'll be finishing our organizers for our PowerPoint presentations. We'll also be reviewing HOW to take different types of tests. They have had a lot of practice with different types, but we want to really review before MSA's. Some of the practicing we'll be doing is with released tasks from the state.

Math: My math class will also be practicing with MSA type questions. We're also starting multiplication next week! I'm sure they'll be super excited!!

Writing: Next week will begin our focus on the "Voice" writing trait. That's where they put their own "attitude" in their writing.

Science: We're finished working with our red worms. They are, however, still in the classroom making wonderful compost... We've begun talking about rocks and minerals now.

Please remember about our Valentine's Party on Monday at 2:30!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Faith Humerick

2011-02-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by apologizing for not keeping up with my blog! My schedule and plans are so turned around with all of these days off! (I'm sure yours are too!) Anyway, here is what we have been doing and what we will be doing...

Language Arts: We have started a new unit called "Reading Science Texts". We started off by previewing them and writing questions we would like to find out. Now we're reading the books and writing facts on post-its. Then we'll take the post-its and put them with the questions we asked at the beginning. The culminating activity will be a power-point about the subject! The kids were so excited to hear about what we'd be doing! So am I!

Writing: We've just finished an expository essay and will begin a persuasive writing piece. If there's one thing I've learned from teaching... third graders can be VERY persuasive!!!

Math: My math class is working with finding the area and perimeter of shapes. Next we'll discuss geometric figures and how to identify them.

We're finishing up our Economic Unit in Social Studies and are beginning our "Rocks, Soil, and Fossils" unit in Science. We've already started our composting with red worms - hopefully you've heard about it!

Thanks to everyone who has donated their $3.00 for the Valentine's Party. Just as a reminder... the party is Monday, February 14th, 2:30-3:15. You can begin sending in Valentines on Monday, February 7th.

That's about it for now... Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-01-13T04:42:00.000-08:00

Well, brace yourselves - it's another LONG weekend! Please remember that there is no school on Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday observance), Tuesday (teacher training on new curriculum), or Wednesday (time for us to complete report cards). Have a wonderful time with your child!!

Since next week is so short, I won't have much to post. Here it is...

Language Arts: We are still working with reading questions carefully and then answering them fully. I find that students want me to tell them what they need to answer instead of reading the question. A good strategy for this is to read the question aloud. This helps understand what is being asked. This will also be a huge help with those BCR's I mentioned last week!

Math: Because of our snow day we are a little behind where I wanted to be, so our unit test will probably be next week (Thursday).

Writing: We are in the midst of writing an expository essay. Each student chose something important to him/her and we're writing about it. When I modeled the writing, I used my kitchen table - ask your child about it!

Word Study - NO word study next week.

Social Studies - We're continiuing our Economics unit. Next week will be consumers and interdependence. The kids really love Econ!

That's about it from here...
I do want to say that our next field trip will be to the Earth, Space, and Science Lab on March 22, 9:30-11:00. We would love for you to meet us there!

Other important dates that you can't miss:

Reading Night at UES - February 2 (snow date - Feb 16). 6:45-7:30. A letter came home about it. If you would like more information, let me know.

Yearbook Order forms are due by Feb. 2

Multicultural Fair - February 11, 6:00-8:00pm.

Valentine's Day Party!!! February 14th, 2:30-3:20. Letter with class list will be coming home soon!

I think that's it... Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2011-01-07T06:15:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope your 2011 is very happy, healthy, and prosperous!

The class really came back ready to work! It's nice to see my students so happy after a nice break from school!

Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We started Ancillary Texts this week. These texts are any that aid you in finding information... dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, articles, websites, etc. We've spent the week reading an article about the Flu and doing our Before, During, and After Reading Strategies with it. Next week we'll be reading more information and answering BCR (Brief Constructed Response) questions. BCR's are found a lot on the MSA's we'll be taking in March so we'll be practicing a lot!

Math: My math class will continue working with large numbers. We've been doing lots of work with number lines and travel stories this week. Next week we'll continue with this and also begin subtracting larger numbers. Our assessment for this unit will probably be Thursday.

Writing: We're talking about interesting words. Word Choice is our focus these next few weeks. The students went through the dictionary on a word hunt for words they could use in their writing to make it more interesting. Hopefully, they'll use these more and more.

Social Studies: We've started our Economics Unit. Ask your child about Econ. He's an imaginary character in our 5-part series of videos explaining scarcity, choices, opportunity cost, decision trees, and a whole lot more!

I was so pleased with the Cultural Projects the students did! They're all hanging up in the library hallway for all to see! Such a great diverse group!

As always, thanks to everyone for checking their child's backpack for homework, papers to be signed, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-12-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!

This will be my last post for the year! The next time you see this it will be 2011!

I am wishing everyone a very happy holiday... filled with family and friends.

Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) and a very prosperous Happy New Year!

Mrs. Humerick

2010-12-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

So sorry this is late! I had it done last week and saved it... then forgot to send it! Anyway, here's our info. for the week:

Language Arts: We are continuing with Poetry. This week we'll be talking about similes and metaphors. We'll also be reading some poems and answering comprehension questions about them.

Math: My math class will continue adding larger numbers from word problems and then we'll start on telling time.

Social Studies: We'll be looking at some holidays that other cultures celebrate - we're preparing ourselves for our projects!!

Writing: We've talked about "mighty middles" and are now focusing on "excellent endings".

Word Study: There won't be any word study words this week. We'll be doing some work with sight words that I see being misspelled.

I can't wait for next Monday!!! One of my favorite projects is the one that's due on Monday. I went over my expectations again today. Each line off of the web needs to be labeled. Any picture or drawing needs to be labeled. If your child had completed the poster, he/she needs to practice sharing it. Each idea needs to be explained to the class. Any questions? Please send me a note or email.

Your child needs to come to school appropriately dressed for the weather. Please be sure your child has a coat, hat, gloves, etc.

Have a wonderful week!
Faith Humerick

2010-12-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

Wow! Can you believe it's December already? I just looked at the calendar and saw that Tuesday was the middle of the term! Really?? Already??

We've really been working hard and stretching our minds and vocabulary. Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing!

Language Arts: We are finishing up our biographies. The class did such a great job learning about some famous people. Some learned about Einstein, some about Mozart and some about Garrett Morgan. Please ask your child who they read about and have them give you some facts about that person. Our culminating activity was to write a summary paragraph or a timeline. Next week we begin our Poetry unit. Always fun around the holidays!

Writing: Boy, these kids are great at bold beginnings. We'll continue with that and go into "mighty middles" next.

Math: My math class just finished Unit 2 - Probability. We'll be starting Unit 3 - Collections and Travel Stories (working with larger numbers).

Social Studies: We've been talking about different cultures and this week we've touched on immigration. A PROJECT IS COMING HOME AND IS DUE ON DECEMBER 20TH. Please pay attention to the directions and details.

Other: please, please, please send your child with an appropriate coat for the weather. Hats, gloves, and scarves would be nice, too!

Have a wonderful weekend - keep warm,
Mrs. Humerick

2010-11-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Election Day!
I hope you enjoyed the previous post of pictures - I was rushing to put them on and messed up the order... but aren't those kids the cutest???

Friday was a perfect day for us. Pumpkin Math was a huge hit! Thanks to all the parents who came in to help us! I never could have done it without you! Then... on to our Fall Festival Celebration - complete with costumes! I LOVED it! Thanks to all who helped with the party, but especially Tina Nguyenkhoa for going above and beyond!

I'm giving another shout out for our Silent Auction basket. Stephanie Tucker is working hard to make sure we have a great one... but, she still needs those donations! Please consider donating - it certainly benefits your child's classroom in the end!

Here's what we'll be doing for the next two weeks:
Language Arts: Next week we'll be working with Tall Tales and talking about character traits. On Nov. 8 we'll be starting a new unit - Reading Social Studies Texts. The kids will be previewing, predicting, reading, and answering questions about non-fiction Social Studies books.

Math: My math class will be starting Probability. It will go on for the next few weeks - I love this unit - lots of games and higher level thinking.

Social Studies: I'm sad to say our Science unit is over. I DID NOT tell the class what the mystery powders are yet, the other third grade teachers wanted me to wait until they caught up with us. That way, no one is spilling the beans...
We'll be starting a SS unit on People of the Nations and World. We'll be doing a lot of comparing of customs - in our classroom and in the world.

Word Study: No word study this week since it's only 3 days. Next week we'll be working with compound words.

Cursive: The next two weeks we'll be working with r and s.

I'd like to share some important news with you... I will be having much-needed surgery on November 3. I will be out as long as the doctor wants me to be, but he assured me it will only be a week or two. Having said that, I am so happy to have gotten the substitute I wanted!!! Angela Warr will be with the class until I get back. I have gone over everything with her and she is aware of how I do things. She actually knows a lot of the students from subbing in other classes in previous years. PLEASE, if you have any questions or concerns, just email me - I'll be checking my FCPS email periodically. Believe me when I say - your child will be in GREAT hands!

Thanks for being such supportive parents! I'm really going to miss these kids (am I really saying that??)
Have a great week, '
Faith Humerick

2010-10-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, please excuse the way I posted these pictures! You'll need to start at the bottom and and work your way to the top! Sorry! Enjoy! More to come tomorrow!

Science pictures

2010-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some great pictures of cooperative learning during Science. I lOVE how these kids work together!

2010-10-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

We had such a great time yesterday at the Weinberg Center! The kids really enjoyed the performance and were a very respectful audience. Thanks to the parents who got to come with us... I hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Now we're looking forward to our Fall Festival Celebration - the day will start our with our Pumpkin Math. I have three parents so far - the more help, the better! The rest of the day will be spent reading and writing about Fall and pumpkins. At 2:30 our celebration will begin! Thanks to all who have helped - especially Tina Nguyenkhoa for putting it all together.

I need to do another call out for donations for our Silent Auction basket. Please be sure to read the reminder! Thanks to Stephanie Tucker for handling this for us!

Here's what we'll be doing this week:

Language Arts: We'll be discussing folktales. This unit is so fun - lots of great, old stories to read and share! Our focus during these stories will be character development and sequencing.

Math: My math class will be finishing up line plots, measuring, and graphing and will start some probability.

Science: Next week will be our last week of working with our "mystery" powders. Hopefully, by Friday, the kids will have discovered what all five are. Try back later if there are no pictures with this post - I'm trying to get some on here from Science!

Writing: Our focus is still Ideas and Organization. I'm really trying to get some grammar in there, too. Please be sure to check your child's homework for good sentences!

Word Study: We will be working with different silent letters.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Faith Humerick

2010-10-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday - oh that's right, it's only Thursday! We were really confused all day today! With that being said, I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing, long weekend!

Here's what we've done and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We read some Fables this week. I think they really enjoyed how animals were the characters that taught the lessons! Next week we'll be reading Fairy Tales. Do you know what elements Fairy Tales have? I'm hoping your child will be able to tell you next week!

Math: We'll be continuing with Measurement.

Writing: We'll be doing some capitalization and punctuation practice this week. We're also going to start with the trait "Organization". This is where beginning, middle, and endings come into play. Each written piece needs to have all three parts. Bold Beginnings will be our focus first.

Science: Hopefully you've been hearing about our "mystery powders"! We'll continue mixing our chemicals with other liquids. We'll also be filtering some of our mixtures to form crystals. Your child will be bringing home two different ways to create crystals. This is not a requirement - just a fun activity you can do at home. I did ask them to bring in the crystals if they made them so we can share.

Word Study: Silent letters will be our focus for the next two weeks.

Thanks to everyone for getting in the permission slips and money so quickly! I can't wait to see the show! I have to apologize to the parents who didn't get chosen. I've never had so many responses to go along! Please remember we'll be going on two more that you're welcome to come to.

Thanks to Tina N. for planning our Fall Festival party. Please don't forget to send in $3 with your child for the food and craft. There have been 2 reminders sent home about costumes. Please be sure you have read them and understand what is acceptable.

Also, thanks to Stephanie T. for taking on our Silent Auction basket. Please consider donating something to go in it - the money raised for the PTA benefits us in the classroom!

I'll end this for now - I've had no voice this week, so I'm just rambling now...
Mrs. Humerick

2010-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is so late, I usually like to post on Thursdays before the weekend.
I'm sitting at home with a sinus infection and bronchitis. Lovely, huh?... Anyway, this will be a short one:

Language Arts: We're starting a different type of short story - fables. This is a little difficult for the kids to understand - lots of the morals in the stories are way over their heads. We've found some they'll be able to connect with, so we'll be reading those this week and talking about character traits.

Math: In my class, we're starting to work with some measurement.

Writing: I'm really going to start integrating grammar into our writing. Sentence structure, punctuation, etc....

Science: We're continuing with our "mystery powder" investigations. The kids LOVE Science!

Thanks to all parents who offered to chaperone our field trip to the Weinberg. I had to pull names - anyone who was chosen should have gotten a note from me. Please remember we'll have 2 more that you can go on if you didn't get chosen this time.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-10-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Happy 2-hour early dismissal Friday!!

The kids have really been wound up this week - I think it's all the rain and not being able to go outside... hopefully this weekend will be beautiful and they can get outside!

Here's what we'll be doing next week:

Language Arts: We're starting a new unit called "Characteristics of Short Stories". This is definitely one of my favorites. We'll be discussing Fables, Fairy Tales, Tall Tales, Folk Tales, and Legends. Our class will be starting with Tall Tales. We'll be enjoying tales such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and John Henry. We'll be using our "Before Reading", "During Reading", and "After Reading" strategies that we've been learning about.

Math: My math class will be starting a unit on graphing. Don't be surprised if your child comes home with homework to gather data to graph.

Word Study: This week we'll be working with ch/tch sounds in words.

Science: Next week will be our first week with Science. We'll be doing a unit called, "Chemical Tests". The students will be doing experiments with different chemicals (safe ones of course!). At the end of the unit, they should be able to tell what the chemicals are.

Speaking of Science, the Science Fair forms just went home for your child to complete if he/she is interested in entering.

Starting next week I'll be posting pictures on the blog. I feel so bad I haven't done that for you yet!

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

Until next week,
Mrs. Humerick

2010-09-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well... I'm sitting at my classroom computer and I have to admit... it's REALLY quiet in here today! I hope you're enjoying your long weekend. It's always nice to get caught up on planning and paperwork!

Down to business - here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We've been discussing and practicing more of our "Mosaic of Thought" reading strategies. We're just finishing up with Synthesis - putting it all together. We read some great books to practice putting all of our thoughts together - "Charlie Anderson" and "Oliver Button is a Sissy" were favorites! Next week we'll begin talking about "Fix-up" strategies" - what happens when you aren't understanding... what happens when the word you read doesn't make sense...when should you reread... These are called "clunks" in our reading and we'll be discussing strategies to "fix" them.

Math: If your child has me for math we've been working with money. Some students may be coming home with cards that have coins on them that they need to practice counting. PLEASE practice counting coins with your child!

I'm so proud of how our fact test scores have improved! KEEP AT IT!!

Next week we'll continue with money and working with word problems. We should be taking our first unit assessment next week.

Social Studies: We're still talking about our Government. This week we had "expert" groups. Small groups of students were responsible for learning different types of governments - state, local, and national. They then had to share their facts with students of other groups. What an awesome class we had!! The sharing of information was unbelievable! We'll be getting ready for a quiz next week and then we'll be starting a Science unit.

Writing: Ideas is still our focus. We've talked about where good ideas come from, now we're talking about main ideas and details. Most are really enjoying our free writing time we sometimes have in the afternoon.

Word Study: Did you realize there were so many ways to make the /k/ sound? This coming week we'll be spelling /k/ with que, ke, and c.

I absolutely LOVE my class this year! They are very caring and responsible. I have, however, noticed some of them coming to school without a parent initial in their agendas. Please check over your child's homework - if there are lots of misspelled words, help them sound them out and correct them. It's a great learning opportunity for them and will show them that taking their time pays off!

Starting Monday, if your child comes without completed homework, without a signed checklist, or no parent initial, they will be losing some recess time. Please remind them how important it is!

Have a great weekend!

Faith Humerick

2010-09-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Constitution Day!

We watched a very informative video today on the Constitution - ask your child about it!

We've really been working hard - not only academically, but as good citizens. As of this morning, our class has earned 20 Soaring with Pride stickers - WOW! It really shows how well they follow the rules and respect each other.

Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We're continuing to work with During Reading Strategies. This week we finished up with Questioning and Inferring - hope you enjoyed the homework! Next week we start with Synthesizing. That's when we "put it all together". While most of your children do this automatically when they read, it's nice to slow them down so they can THINK while they read.

Math: If your child is in my math class, we will continue working with numbers to 100. I was so proud of the timed addition tests! Some of these kids are definitely ready for subtraction!

Social Studies: In Social Studies we discussed rights vs. responsibilities and how people contribute to the common good of our society. Next we'll be looking at local, state, and national government.

Writing: Ideas for writing is still our focus.

Word Study: We'll be working with words that have different spellings for the /k/ sound at the end.

Remember that Friday is a day off for students.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-09-10T04:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came to Back To School Night to hear me ramble on about third grade and what a GREAT class I have! Here are some questions that were brought up that I want to address:
You must go through a volunteer training class to be able to help in the classroom or go on field trips. There are two options at this time - Sept. 13 6:00-7:00 pm - Sept. 15 9:30-10:30 am. As of right now, you only have to do the training once.

It was mentioned on the message from Mrs. Hollenbeck that all important papers will come home in a "Friday Folder". That is not true for my class. I send the folder home daily with papers in it. Please check it each day.

You were able to sign up for conferences. If you didn't make it Tuesday night, please call the office for available times.

Now - on to what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We've been working with During Reading Strategies. We've made connections and used our sensory imagery. Next week we'll be working with Questioning. To practice this strategy we'll ask a question about a book we are going to read. During our reading, we'll adjust our questions according to what is happening in the story. This makes us THINK while we read.

Word Study: Our new focus this week will be words that have the /k/ sound at the beginning. There are patterns for this sound, and we'll be finding words that fit those patterns. Please practice these words every evening - even if they aren't given as homework.

Math: My math class continues to work with numbers in the ten's and hundred's. Your child should be able to take a number and 1)draw a picture, 2)write the words for it, 3)show it in expanded form, and 4)write the value of each of its digits. We're also really working with addition facts. Please read the note attached to your child's first math fact test.

Social Studies: This week we've been reading about laws and rules in different communities. Next week we'll be discussing rights and responsibilities. This is always an interesting topic with third graders! It seems they think a lot of things are their "right"!!!

Writing: Ask your child how to "funnel" an idea. This is when an idea is too broad of a topic to write about, like DOGS. When you put "dogs" in a funnel, what comes out should be a narrower topic, like How My Dog Plays Soccer With Me.

Other notes: your child may bring in a labeled water bottle that will be kept on the side counter. Please initial your child's agenda after checking his/her homework. Please check your child's Take Home folder daily. If your child is finishing up homework in fewer than thirty minutes, have him/her read or practice math facts!

Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

2010-09-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

What a busy week we've had! I'm really getting to know your child as a person and as a learner. Here's what we've been doing... and what we'll BE doing....

Language Arts: We've been working on Before Reading Strategies - Setting a purpose, previewing the text, and coming up with a plan. On Thursday we began discussing During Reading Strategies. We're starting with Connections. This is when you think of how the ideas in the text remind you of something about yourself (text to self), how the ideas in the text are like another text (text to text), or how the ideas in the text are like something that is happening in the world (text to world). Next week we'll be reviewing Connections and then talking about Sensory Imagery - how do the words in the the text "sound" to you, "smell" to you, what would it "feel" like, etc.

Math: In my math class we've been using strategies to get to 100. We'll be continuing that - especially while using word problems. We have also been making our own addition fact cards. You may see these come home to be practiced - I've told them they have to be FAST with these. Subtraction will be next.

Social Studies: EVERYONE did so well on the Maps/Globes quiz! We're taking a break from that right now and moving on to Government since we'll be having elections in the area soon.

Writing: Wow! What great objects! The ideas are just flowing during writing time! I can't wait to read the final paragraphs!

Word Study: If your child has word study with me, we just worked with words that have the /f/ sound. We will not have any word lists next week since it's only a 3 day week.

I'm really hoping to see everyone at our Back To School night on September 7th. It starts at 7:00. There will be two 20-minute sessions in case you have more than one child. If you have any questions you want me to answer that would benefit everyone, please send them to me on Tuesday or email me this weekend.

Today (Friday) is the first Friday that your child will bring home a "checklist". I went over it with the class and explained they had to be signed and brought back to school on Mondays (Tuesday for this one). I truly think this is a powerful communication tool for all of us!

I'm going to end this now - Have a wonderful LONG weekend - remember no school on Monday or Thursday -
Mrs. Humerick

2010-08-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Whew! Can you believe a whole week is over already?! How time flies... I have to say that I truly love this class! Everyone is so respectful and hardworking! I'm also very proud of how they work together. I've learned so much about them and have shared many laughs this week!

Thanks so much for helping with the All About Me bags. Everyone really enjoyed sharing and listening to others share. Even Mr. Watkins participated!

Here's what we'll be doing next week:
Language Arts: We're beginning with the Reading Process... our first lessons being about "Before" Reading strategies. Your child will hear purpose, preview, and plan a lot this week! Our before reading strategies will focus on Fiction and Nonfiction.

Math: My math class will be continuing with adding and subtracting using different strategies. A lot of word problems will be used to focus on these skills.

Writing: We're beginning our traits for good writing. Our first is Ideas - a note will be coming home asking for your child to bring in an object they can write about.

Social Studies: Our first unit of Social Studies is Geography. This week we'll be focusing on maps and globes.

Word Study: The /f/ sound is our first focus this year.

I am soooo excited to say our class has already earned 10 Soaring with Pride stickers... and it's only Thursday! Please ask your child how they've earned them!

Some reminders: please check your child's take-home folder daily. If there are papers in the "Keep at Home" pocket, please take them out. Always initial your child's agenda. It helps me know that you are checking your child's work.

Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. Hope to see all of you at Back to School Night on September 7th.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-08-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

August 17, 2010
WELCOME! This is the place where I will post information every week about the goings on in our classroom. I am so excited for the upcoming year...we are going to have a great time together while learning sooooo many new things!

I hope to get a chance to meet you all on Friday, August 20th from 3-4pm at the UES Open House...feel free to bring your school supplies and put them in your desks that afternoon...it will make the backpack a lot lighter Monday morning!!

When you get to the classroom...look for your desk...on it will be a Scavenger Hunt to help you become familiar with the classroom and our surroundings.

If you'd like to communicate with me BEFORE the 20th....maybe you'd like me to know what name you like to be called, or you'd like to tell me something interesting about your summer, or maybe you just have a question...please feel free to email me... faith.humerick@fcps.org

Enjoy the rest of your summer break ---- I'll see you VERY soon!
Mrs. Humericik

2010-05-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! As I'm typing this I'm looking out the window and it's beautiful outside! That could only mean one thing - STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL!! I'm hoping to see a lot of you there. MANY thanks to Mrs. Bassan for coordinating our class stand and making the sign for it!

The next date to put on your calendar is Tuesday, June 8th. We would like to invite you to watch the plays we've been practicing. We're having a lot of fun with these and want to share them with you! An invitation will be coming home, but I wanted to get the word out1 We'll probably start them around 10:00. Hope you can make it!

Language Arts: We've been practicing our play parts and next week we'll be finalizing scenery and props.

Math: We're working on a fun activity with squares - 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, etc. We've paired with Mr. Clutz's class to work on this and the kids have done a fantastic job!

Writing: Porquoi stories, or Just-So stories, are stories that explain why an animal looks the way it does. We've listened to lots of examples and now each student is writing one. Everyone is excited so I should get some good stories!

Social Studies: Economics is still our unit for next week.

That's it for now! PLEASE remember that our field day is May 26th. Your child should be coming to school with sunscreen already applied, a hat, and a water bottle. We love field day!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Humerick

2010-05-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is coming to you on Sunday afternoon, but we did yard work ALL weekend, and I'm just now getting to sit down to blog!
We had a fantastic time on our field trip! Thanks to all parents who came with us - I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Here it is in pictures:

the Frederick NewsPost

Learning about how all departments - advertising, sports, opinion, local news, etc. work together to make a newspaper.

It is a beautiful building and we really learned more about Interdependence! And technology, check out an old press...

and the new one - it was huge - and in many parts. Amazing how many papers it can make in one hour!

Then, on to Mt. Olivet Cemetery and where Francis Scott Key was buried. Lots of interesting facts and Frederick County history.

A tour of the beautiful chapel on the cemetery grounds. A fascinating story about the time capsule that was opened and what was in it!

THEN, on to Key's Stadium! What a great tour! We started off listening to some facts about the team - this is also where we ate lunch.

Very cool to be there when there isn't a crowd!

In the press box! Again, Interdependence at its best!

In the dugout - kids were hanging onto hat hooks....don't ask me why...

Locker room of the opposing team -

And, what would our trip to Key's Stadium be without Keyote!

So...after our big day on Friday we came back to find out that the Strawberry Festival had been cancelled. It has been rescheduled for this Friday. See you there!

This Week:

Language Arts: We're starting our Play unit. Parts have been picked and the scripts will be coming home to practice. Enjoy!

Math: We're continuing with money - word problems.

Social Studies: We're still covering Economics. Word Study will also be using terms from this unit.

That's about it for now - I want to get this posted so you can enjoy pics of the kids.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Humerick

2010-05-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

watching the dancers

listening to the stories

beautiful regalia

getting the kids involved

storytellers

the Wetlands

some cute faces

learning about the Wetlands

enjoying the weather!

a great class!

more of a great class!

patiently waiting!

Wow! what a great day we had on Friday! I hope you enjoyed the pictures! Please ask your child everything they got to do! We started out in the Wetlands learning all types of things about our environment. We saw beekeepers, composters, learned how to check water, learned about solar panels, and so much else!

After lunch we spread out our towels and sheets and enjoyed some storytelling from actual Native Americans. We learned why and how Powwow's are held. We watched dancing and learned the reasons behind each dance. It was just a perfect day! I hope the kids enjoyed it as much as I did!

Next week:

Language Arts: We'll be starting our Plays unit. We're planning on sharing plays the first week of June. You'll be getting information about that later. Lots of learning about characters, stage direction, dialogue, etc.

Math: We're going to revisit counting money and adding and subtracting it. We should be taking an assessment Thursday. Please continue practicing math facts at home!

Social Studies: We'll be continuing our studying of Economics - especially resources - human, natural, and capital.

Writing: We just completed some persuasive paragraphs. Each student wrote about an animal they wanted and why. We heard about polar bears, baby chicks, monkeys, and dogs... very creative!

Our field trip is on for Friday - Please remember to pack your child's lunch if that's what you chose on the permission slip. If you are a parent going, please be sure to be in our classroom at 9:00 so we'll be sure to leave at 9:10. Should be sooo fun!

Speaking of Friday, that's also our Strawberry Festival! I hope to see everyone there!

A very heartfelt thank you to everyone (parents and students) who wrote notes and sent things in for Teacher Appreciation Week! I truly do feel appreciated!

Finally, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mrs. Humerick

2010-04-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2010

It's FRIDAY!

Language Arts: This week was a lot of fun for the kids and me...we finished up our Functional Documents - we've now shared favorite recipes, how-to directions, menus, advertisements, and lots of others! We'll be starting some Social Studies reading about our local government next week.

Social Studies: We started a unit entitled "Econ and Me:. They are being exposed to vocabulary such as: economic problems, opportunity cost, goods, services, income, consumption, etc. Through discussion, the students are using the vocabulary to discuss the story Econ is teaching.

Science: Our anole friends left us...don't worry...they didn't "leave us, leave us", they went back to the science center. But our daphnia...well, they died. And even though the kids no longer have populations living in their classroom, they have a better understanding of food chains.

Math: We've been working with "big" numbers... reading them, writing them, and showing them in different ways. Next week we'll be focusing on some comparing of large numbers and Geometry.

Important dates to remember: Friday, May 7 - Wetlands Celebration (there is a document coming home today about this that you need to see, it asks if you'd like to join us!)
Tuesday, May 14 - field trip permission slips went home today...please return these as soon as you can...this field trip is free thanks to the generous grant we receive from the PTA!!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-04-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a busy week... especially yesterday! Not only was it "Take Your Child To Work Day", but it was also Earth Day, AND Math night! Thanks to all who attended Math Night - it was a HUGE success! What a great way to learn/practice math - games!

Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing next week:

Language Arts: We started talking about functional documents - text (usually one page) you read to learn something... We started with recipes - as you know! Thanks to Beth Schwab for typing a lot of them for us! Today we went into the computer lab and worked with a poster and website about nutrition, then we worked with reading directions. Next week we'll be working with pamphlets, menus, and advertisements. If you get the paper, please send in any sale papers you get...thanks!
I loved the book projects! Most were sooo creative! Thanks to Jim McCown for putting them up in the room!

Math: We're still working with capacity and completed a "capacity creature"! We'll touch on milliliters and liters, and then we'll be moving on to some geometry.

Science: We're spending most of our Science time on observing our Populations. We now have anoles, crickets, daphnia, and plants (we just planted the seeds). We'll continue to observe while we begin our Social Studies unit on Resources.

Writing: We're still working with persuasive paragraphs.

Please remember: Permission slips with be coming home soon...
May 14 - our last field trip for the year - We'll be going to the Frederick NewsPost for a tour, stopping off at Mount Olivet Cemetery to listen to some historical facts about Frederick, and ending up at Key's Stadium for a tour and lunch. Mark your calendars - chaperones are welcome!

Have a wonderful weekend - hope the nice weather holds for everyone!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-04-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FRIDAY!
It's been a busy week in our classroom! Please read on to see what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing next week.

Language Arts: Sorry about the due date for projects... my fault! I thought we would be done reading our novels but that just wasn't the case. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing all of them on Tuesday, April 20th!
Next week we'll be starting to look at Functional Documents - recipes, menus, maps, how-to directions, etc. It's a fun unit - be prepared... your child will be asked to bring some things in to share!

Math: Our new unit starts out with weights and measures. We've been discussing pounds, ounces, grams, and kilograms. Next week we'll be taking about liquid measurement. Thanks to all who help their kids find things to share!

Writing: FINALLY! I have gotten a piece of writing from every student in my class to submit to the UES QUILL! I love (and so do the kids!) seeing their work in print! Be sure to buy one when they become available!

Science: We've got lots of new friends in our room! Ask you child what the name of his group's anole is. We've also just received daphnia and algae. We'll be discussing populations, dispersal, and lots of other stuff! We'll also be planting some seeds and then we'll observe some aphids to see what plant they like the best!

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!! Thursday, April 22 is Math Night here at Urbana Elementary. We've worked really hard to come up with some games and other math-related activities to share with you and your child - PLEASE COME! A flyer will be coming home on Friday to tell you times.

As always - thanks to all of you who check your child's things daily! You make my life soooo much easier! Also, thanks to those who have donated tissues, hand sanitizer, and wipes.
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-04-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely here! I hope everyone had a wonderful break - it was short but what great weather! My family has never had so much yard work done so early in the season!

As you can see, everyone is receiving a hard copy of my blog this week. I took a survey on the last checklist and 5 families out of 25, that have Internet access, don't read it. I started blogging this year for the first time to keep ALL families informed and involved with our class. I really think it's beneficial for you and your child to know what's going on so you can talk about it. With that being said, I know our lives are busy - mine is, too. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now... Here's what's going on:

Language Arts: We're reading our second novel. Some kids might have heard these stories last year, but I explained to them that we're doing different skills with the books. Today your child will receive a project paper where he/she can choose an activity to do. It will be due April 16th. There will be two grades for the project - one for comprehension (does the project show he/she understood the book?) and one for communication (orally sharing the project with the class).

Math: We've been working with function tables. Each child came up with their own, and everyone had to figure out the function - very fun! After our assessment (probably Tuesday) we'll be starting a unit using BIG numbers. Adding, subtracting, digit value, expanded form, decomposing, etc. - all with larger numbers. PLEASE be sure your child is practicing math facts in the evenings...even if it isn't given for homework. Every Friday will be a timed fact test. Please go over the missed facts with your child.

Science: We're beginning to learn about soil - don't be surprised if your child comes home and tells you about what you should be using in the garden! This unit has taken much longer than usual because of the snow. So... your child WILL NOT be receiving a Social Studies grade on his/her report card.
Thank you to Mr. Harrell who shared his falcon with us - what great information for our next Science unit - Populations!

Social Studies: We'll begin to talk about natural, capital, and human resources. We should begin this unit in the next few weeks.

Writing: We've been writing about Math since April is Math Month. I'm hoping that we get some good stuff to put in the Urbana Quill!

Here are some important dates:
April 22 - Math Night here at UES. Each grade level will be sharing math games that your child knows how to play - It should be soooo much fun! I hope to see all of my parents there!

May 14 - our last field trip for the year - We'll be going to the Frederick NewsPost for a tour, stopping off at Mount Olivet Cemetery to listen to some historical facts about Frederick, and ending up at Key's Stadium for a tour and lunch. Mark your calendars - chaperones are welcome!

As always, thanks for being such great parents... checking agendas and homework, cleaning out take-home folders, sending in needed items...everything!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-03-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

A rainy Friday - YUCK! Hopefully the sun will shine for the weekend!

We had lots going on this week... Here's some of what happened:

We had a our pictures taken on Monday and began our Personal Body Safety Unit on the same day.

Tuesday we had a wonderful time at Bye, Bye, Birdie - Thanks to Jim McCown and Jennifer Romer for going with us! Even though the play was long - the entire third grade did a great job watching and acting respectfully.

Wednesday we were fortunate to have Mr. Esko, our 5th grade Magnet teacher and resident collector of fossils, to give our class a virtual tour of Purse State Park where he has gathered thousands of fossils. Your child's thank you notes were given to him and he was so pleased about how excited they were!

Thursday - a big thank you to Jim McCown - he came in and helped our class and Mr. Clutz's class make our own fossils! They'll be coming home today! Very cool...

Now... on to next week:
We will have one more day of the Personal Body Safety Unit on Monday. Your child will be bringing home some papers we've done and some information - please go through this with your child.
Language Arts: We're continuing reading our novels. We'll be meeting in Literature Circles to discuss the chapters that have been read. Your child may need to read in the evening to reread or to catch up with the group - please listen while he/she reads and ask what is happening. This will help with comprehension of the story.
Math: We've been working with graphing and next week you'll be asked to give information for a data gathering homework. Your child will then decide which type of graph will work the best to display the data and then will independently create a graph with all parts that a graph needs.
Science: We're continuing with fossils and will begin talking about soil. We'll decide which soil is best for growing seeds... should be helpful for the gardeners!
Word Study - We'll be doing Latin roots for the next 2 weeks since they're both short. So, the words they get on the 29th, they'll get tested on April 9th.
Cursive - We're still plugging away at upper case letters - hopefully we'll be done soon so we can write something ALL in cursive!

Have a great weekend! Hope it dries up for everyone...
Mrs. Humerick

2010-03-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! As I'm typing this it is such beautiful weather outside! I hope everyone gets to enjoy it this weekend! Even after MSA's we've been working hard to get ready for 4th grade. Here's what we'll be doing next week:

Language Arts: We've started our novels. Your child may be reading any of three novels. Ask them which one they're reading and what it's about! We've been discussing main idea this week.
Next week we'll be doing some Literature Circles where each child will have a job to complete and share in their group. Fun!

Word Study: We will not have word study words this week because of our Personal Body Safety Unit.

Math: We'll be doing some collecting of data and turning that into a graph. I'm also really pushing facts. After I see they're proficient with their addition ones, they will be practicing subtraction and then multiplication.

Science: We're almost done with erosion and weathering. Next is Fossils! This is always a favorite. The best part is going to Mr. Esko's 5th grade portable where he'll teach us everything he knows (believe me - it's A LOT!).

Tonight (Friday) is the Multicultural Fair.
Class picture Monday, March 22.
Personal Body Safety lessons begin on Monday.
Tuesday is our trip to Urbana High to see "Bye, Bye, Birdie".

That's it for now - get outside and enjoy this weather!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-03-12T05:39:00.000-08:00

IT'S FRIDAY AND.... IT'S OVER!!!! I can't tell you how pleased I am with these kids! They kept at it and did the best they could! The worst part of the test is the waiting... but each and everyone held it together. Let them know how proud you are!

Next week:
Language Arts: We're starting our Novel unit. Each child will have a novel to read with different activities to do in school and at home. Most, if not all, of the reading will be done in the classroom, but, if they do need to bring a book home, please be sure it comes back the next day.

Word Study: We'll be working with Greek roots.

Math: We'll be continuing our work with multiplication/division facts. Our new unit is "Stories, Tables, and Graphs", so we'll be doing a lot of graphing and table making.

Cursive: We're almost finished all upper case letters. As soon as we're done your child will be required to do some of their tasks completely in cursive.

Science: We got to do a lot of science during the MSA's, which was fun. Next week we'll be learning about weathering and erosion.

ATTENTION:

Thanks to Lauren's family for sending in baggies and pencils! We still need hand sanitizer, tissues, and small baggies.
On March 23 we will be going to Urbana High School to see their production of "Bye, Bye, Birdie". We are starting a "Play" unit in the coming months, so this will be great! If you would like to chaperone, please let me know. Permission slips will be coming soon. We will leave UES at 9:10 and return around 12:45. We'll be eating lunch here when we get back.
Multicultural Fair is March 19th - sounds like a wonderful time!
March 22 - Class pictures.

Have a great weekend - my third graders certainly deserve it!

Mrs. Humerick

2010-03-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Well, Spirit Week is over and now it's time to get SERIOUS! The big test is next week...and we are ready! Monday and Tuesday mornings your child will be tested on Reading skills. Thursday and Friday mornings your child will be tested on Math skills. We have been doing practice MSA problems all year, but have really hit them hard the past few weeks. I keep telling the kids the hardest part is the sitting and waiting quietly!!

Please remind your child to read carefully, look at all the answers before choosing, and reread to check! Also, a good breakfast and plenty of rest is a must!

Other than test taking next week, we will be working on our "Rocks, Soil, and Fossils" unit and writing some Poetry for a national contest.

I really need to remind some parents to have their child here at school on time. If your child doesn't ride a bus, he/she really needs to be in the classroom between 8:30 and 8:50. Anything later makes them feel rushed. Thanks...

Classroom needs: hand sanitizer, baggies, and it seems every child has run out of good pencils with erasers! We will supply new pencils for the testing, but your child really needs a couple extra.

Please remember: 3/19 Multicultural Fair
3/22 Class Pictures

Have a wonderful weekend - I heard the sun will be shining!
Mrs. Humerick

2010-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hello! Happy Weekend! It's been a LONG week with a lot of work, but we ended it with a wonderful party! You'll see photos of that at the end, for right now, here's what we've been up to:

Language Arts: We have been working sooo hard on our MSA practices. Reading stories (fiction and nonfiction), articles, menus, directions, pamphlets, and just about everything else, and then answering comprehension questions about them. These questions may be multiple choice or short answer - just like the MSA's. Ask your child about the strategies we've been talking about for these types of tests.

Math: We've just finished a fractions unit and we'll be revisiting some skills as a review for the MSA's. As we have been all year, we continue to practice our BCR's (Brief Constructed Responses) to show that we can explain how we get the answer to any problem. This shows deep understanding of the skills being learned.

Writing: Our writing is really improving! The kids are really finding their "voice" and using "word choice" strategies to make what they write interesting.

Cursive: We're almost finished lower case and upper case letters. Once we've covered all of them, some assignments will be mandatory in cursive!

Science: In our Rocks, Soil, and Fossils Unit we have been taking apart "rocks" to find the "minerals" that make it up. These "rocks" looked surprisingly like clay with different colored beads, but the idea was made! These were measured and weighed with a spring scale.

PLEASE speak with your child about taking the MSA's. The first day of testing is March 8. We'll be doing 2 days of LA and 2 days of Math. They are prepared for this test! They just need to take their time and CHECK THEIR WORK! Also, please be sure your child eats a healthy breakfast each morning and gets plenty of sleep.

Some interesting things going on:
Next week is School Spirit Week if your child wants to participate
March 4 and 5 are the rescheduled days for Donuts for Dad.
Change is still being collected for Haiti.

IMPORTANT: Conferences were cancelled because of loss of instructional time. I am willing to meet/speak with any parent who has concerns. Please call me or email me!

NOW ON TO THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE BLOG - PICTURES!!!!
We had such an awesome Valentine's Party - thanks to Meena Bassan for organizing everything and to Jim McCown for the fun games. Also, thanks to all who sent in the goodies!

Here they are opening their Valentines and goody bags.

Congratulations to Chloe and Brandon for getting the licorice in the fastest!

The rest of the photos are the kids trying to figure out how many hearts were in the jar. Contrats to Kaleb!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Humerick

2010-02-04T07:19:00.000-08:00

I'm updating this today (Thursday) since I'm not too sure about tomorrow! (Actually, next week, too!) Hopefully we'll have a great "weekend" snowstorm and be back on Monday!

Anyway, here's an update on the learning going on our class:

Language Arts: Today was our first day of computer lab for Power Point. It was AWESOME! The kids really listened to directions and loved typing their information on slides. I can't wait for them to see the finished product! When this "Reading Science Texts" project is over, we will be doing lots of MSA prep - reading text and answering questions or writing summaries.

Math: We're still working with multiplication and division - we'll also be practicing telling time - this is really something you can work on at home, too.

Writing: We've listened to music, and now artwork to see that everyone uses different voice when communicating. We're going to begin working with this trait, "Voice", and adding "Word Choice" into the mix. The students are really grasping the fact that these traits go hand in hand to make their writing better!

Valentine's Day - thanks to Meena Bassan for pulling all of this together. Also, thanks to Jim McCown for planning games for the party. Students may begin bringing in valentines for everyone on Monday. I'd like to have them all in by Thursday so they can be delivered. Thanks to all who contributed in some way to the party!

That's it for now! Enjoy your weekend -
Mrs. Humerick

It's been a 5-day week!

2010-01-29T04:23:00.000-08:00

It's Friday.... It seems like it's been a long time since we had a five day week! We've worked really hard this week - learning new things and reviewing others. I've been giving a lot of MSA practice questions this week - trying to review/teach strategies for answering the questions. This will continue until the test in March. When working with your child at home - any subject - have them explain their thinking - this will help greatly, as a lot of the questions contain BCR's (Brief Constructed Response).

Now... on to what we've been doing!

Language Arts: We're into our new unit, "Reading Science Texts". We've integrated our Science unit "Rocks, Soil, and Fossils" with it and the kids are reading articles about rocks, soil, and fossils. With the article, they will be using note cards to write facts. These facts will then be turned into power points. My hope is that each student will create a powerpoint with the information gathered. A lofty goal... but I know we can do it!

Math: We're starting a unit on Multiplication/Division. While they need to learn their facts, we're starting off with some deeper understanding - drawing pictures, saying it with words, showing repeated addition - if this sounds confusing to you... ask your child!

Science: We've got worms!!! Our tubs of composting are coming along fine. Please continue to send in food for them. Your child can tell you what is acceptable and what isn't! The purpose is to show the kids how decomposers help the soil. We've also been identifying the difference between rocks and minerals. We'll be doing some fun experiments with this next week!

Writing: Our Writing Trait focus this month is on "Voice". We've been listening to music (thanks to Mr. Clutz), reviewing art work, and listening to stories, to see that everyone puts their own "voice" to their work. Hopefully this will carry over to their writing. For most pieces of writing they are now being graded on Ideas, Organization, Conventions, and now Voice. Conventions seems to be the area of most need - please check over your child's work and make him/her change misspelled words, capitals, punctuation, does it make sense?...

Cursive: We have now finished all lower case letters! We will beginning on upper case. At times, they will be expected to write an entire task in cursive. Practice, practice, practice...

Other things going on: Our Valentine's Day party is February 12th. A note came home with the names of our students attached. Please call/send in a note to Meena Bassan so she can have all the help/food she needs! The time of the party is 2:30-3:15. Jim McCown (Mr. Jim as the kids call him) will be planning the games. Please come!

UES is collecting change for Unicef to help the children in Haiti. There are containers as soon as the kids walk into the school where they can put their change.

Well, that's it for now... have a wonderful weekend!

2010-01-11T04:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday!
I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this blog! Hopefully, this will be a 5-day week! I know the kids and I really need it! (Of course I probably won't be saying this on Friday afternoon!)
Just a quick update for this week:
Language Arts: We're reading biographies and writing summaries about the person we've read about. Most of the books are about people the students have never heard of, so it's fun to see them learn about someone new.
Math: Hopefully you received the parent letters explaining what's going on in math. We've started a Geometry unit and have been identifying shapes. This week we'll be working on perimeter and area.
Social Studies: We're ending our unit on Peoples of the Nation and World and will be beginning a Science Unit called "Rocks, Soil, and Fossils". Don't be surprised if homework one night is to bring in scraps of food for our compost with worms!
Writing: We're finishing up a descriptive paragraph on favorite holidays or food and a personal narrative on what was done over the holiday break. I'm hoping to get both finished and to final copy this week. I'm really stressing the Conventions writing trait - grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Have a great week!
Thanks for everything you do to make my life easier!
Faith Humerick

2009-12-10T06:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!
Boy, the holiday feel is in the air! Please remind your child that we still have some days left before the holiday break...

Here's what we've been doing:
Language Arts: Wow! I really have some great poets in my class this year! We've been writing couplets, haikus, cinquains, free verse, shape, and acrostic poems. You may even see some of our wonderful poetry in the next "Urbana Elementary Quill"!

Math: We've been working with subtraction of 3 digit numbers while reading word problems. Some students are having difficulty subtracting from 0, so I've been focusing on that.

Social Studies: We've started our unit on Peoples of the World and Nation. We've had some good discussion about immigration. If your family came here from another country, please share that with your child so we can hear about it in class! The project that is due on December 21 goes well with this unit!

Writing: Most of our writing this week has been with poetry.

Next week...
Language Arts: We'll be ending our Poetry unit and starting Reading Social Studies Texts. We'll be covering how to use text features to help us understand what we're reading.

Math: We'll continue with subtraction by comparing how things that can be measured are different.

Social Studies: We'll continue covering different cultures.

We are still in need of large and small baggies, antibacterial wipes, and games/toys for the classroom.
Thanks for all you do!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2009-12-03T11:27:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it's December already?? Where has the time gone? I sincerely hope everyone had a restful and yummy Thanksgiving. I have to admit I did not want to hear that alarm go off Monday morning! Your kids made me smile though, and that got me through the day!

I sometimes can't believe how hard these kids work! Here are some things we worked on this week:
Language Arts: We've been reading and writing Poetry. Ask your child what a couplet, a haiku, or a cinquain is! Thursday and Friday we listened to some fun Poetry and illustrated the "mood". A favorite was "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out!"
Math: We worked hard on subtraction fact cards and how subtraction is the inverse operation of addition. Some kids REALLY need to be practicing addition facts at home - even if it isn't written down for homework! We've also been doing subtraction of three digit numbers from three digit numbers - please practice this with your child.
Science: We finally know what the mystery chemicals were: alum, sugar, cornstarch, baby powder, and baking soda! It was certainly a fun unit!
Word Study: We've done lots of work this week with contractions. Since this is word study and not spelling, the students were responsible for understanding what a contraction is.

Next week:
Language Arts: We'll continue to work with Poetry. Each poem we read will have MSA type questions to answer - we need to get the practice in now!
Math: We'll continue to work with subtraction in different ways - travel stories, distance riddles, and more!
Social Studies: We're starting a new unit - Peoples of the World and Nation. Along with this unit will be a holiday project. Look for it on Monday.
Word Study: Our pattern this week is "final stable syllables".

We have some classroom needs:
If you have any games or lego-type toys that you would like to donate, we are in dire need of stuff to do during indoor recess. The toys/games we have are MANY years old and need to be retired!
We also need baggies - large and small and disinfecting wipes.
Thanks in advance!

Have a wonderful weekend - thanks for all you do to make my life easier!
Mrs. Humerick

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T11:11:00.001-08:00

This will not be a long blog. I just want to share with you how thankful I am to have your children in my class. Every day they come in smiling and ready to learn!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and break.
Enjoy your family and friends,
Faith Humerick

2009-11-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!
Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner??!! We've been really busy this week! Here are a few things we've been working on:
* Our penny collection is GROWING! Thanks for allowing your child to send some in... We are now at 2,341. WOW!! Keep them coming if you can... the collections will be given to a program that makes care packages for Frederick Marines in Afghanistan.

*Speaking of the special people that serve our country, we have written and drawn pictures for "Soldiers Angels". This is a school-wide program Urbana adopted this year. These letters will go to soldiers overseas who don't get any correspondence. The kids did a fantastic job! I told them about when my husband was in the Persian Gulf and received a letter from a 4th grader. It meant so much to him...he still has it! This is also why the school has been asking for envelopes and stamps. Thanks to all who have donated!

NOW... on to next week:
LA: We've finished our Short Story unit and are beginning a Poetry unit on Monday. It's fun to work with poetry around the holidays! We will be reading and writing all types.

Math: We are still working with big numbers. I began testing students today on their addition math facts. Please continue working with your child. They really need to know them within 3 seconds!

Writing: Along with writing poetry, we are still focusing on Organization. Is there a great beginning, a good middle, and an appropriate ending?

Science: We're still experimenting with mixing powders with liquids. Be sure to ask your child what happens when water, vinegar, iodine, and red cabbage juice is added to our mystery powders!

Next week is American Education Week! We're lucky to have Scott Schartner on our third grade team - he's also the Urbana High School Varsity Soccer Coach! He's having some of his players come to our classrooms and read their favorite picture books to our third grade classes! I know they'll LOVE IT! On Friday, we're asking all students to wear their school spirit wear. Staff will be wearing their school wear also! It should bring about some great discussion about education!

Report Cards: Remember that this year's report card will look VERY different... Lots of added information about each subject. Please sign the envelope that it's in and return it for the next term... Thanks! Please get in touch with me if you have any questions!

Thanks for all you do - enjoy your hard-working third graders this weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

Pajama Read-In

2009-11-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!

What a great day we had today! It all started with our big announcement to the whole school, "Congratulations to Mrs. Humerick's class for earning so many Soaring With Pride stickers! They will be celebrating with a Pajama Read In!

After that we settled right in with blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, donut holes, water, and some books. What a great way to celebrate! Please enjoy our pictures at the end of this post.

Next week: In Language Arts: We'll be starting to read some "Tall Tales". Paul Bunyan is great for exaggeration and hardships. Wednesday we'll end our Short Story unit and begin our Poetry unit.

Math: We're starting on Unit 3 - Collections and Travel Stories. Big numbers and place value are the focus. PLEASE practice those fact cards so we can move on to some others.

Science: We're still observing our chemicals when they're added to different liquids. We still haven't figured out what they are!

Writing: Bold Beginnings is our focus next week. How a writer "hooks" the reader at the beginning of the story.

Well, that's it for now, it doesn't seem like much, but I promise my plan book is FULL!

Be on the lookout for some papers explaining our collections in math and other holiday collections.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for all you do to make your child's third grade year successful!

Mrs. Humerick

Fall Festival

2009-10-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had soooo much fun today. From 9 to 10 was our pumpkin math activities. The kids LOVED predicting circumference, diameter, weight, and number of seeds. Then... they got to check their predictions! We had some messy hands, but some VERY accurate amounts of seeds! Big thanks to Mr. McCown for his help with cutting the pumpkins!

After our pumpkin math we celebrated Fall with some yummy treats! Thanks so much to Meena Bassan for pulling everything together. And.. thanks to all who contributed - the kids had a blast (not sure if they ate any of their lunch!).

ENJOY THESE PICTURES!

Now for the serious stuff:

LANGUAGE ARTS: We're continuing our Short Story unit with another week of Folktales. We've been talking about character traits - how characters act and why.

MATH: We just took our Unit 2 assessment and will begin Unit 3 - Collections and Travel Stories - on Tuesday. A big focus in this unit will be larger numbers. I'm also focusing on math facts - addition and subtraction. Look for a letter coming home.

SCIENCE: We've been trying to identify unknown solids (white powders). We've added water and observed each powder. Now we'll start adding other things to see if we can observe differences.

WRITING - Putting our writing in order is our focus.

CURSIVE: over curve letters are next - a's and d's will be next week.

Please remember that there is no school on Monday. Tuesday, November 3rd will be the first day of Term 2. Teachers will be spending Monday entering grades on the computer.

As always, thanks for checking backpacks, agendas, take-home folders, and intialing everything! You're great!

Have a great, long weekend and most of all... BE SAFE!

2009-10-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday,

I must apologize for no posting last week. During conferences I got some kind of stomach bug and had to take some time to recuperate. Thanks to all of the parents who had to reschedule!

I got to meet with EVERY parent! I can't tell you how much I enjoy talking to you about your child. I apologize if the conference seemed short, I just didn't have a lot of problems to discuss - that's a GREAT thing!

Our Fall Celebration is quickly approaching! Please get in touch with Mrs. Bassan if you haven't done so already. I have two parents helping out with pumpkin math in the morning. If you can come in to help, please let me know. Also, this is not a day to wear any type of costume.

SCIENCE FAIR - Information packets have already gone home, but if you need to know anything else, just ask! It's such a cool way to learn - but, remember, it is optional.

Here's what's going on next week:

LANGUAGE ARTS: We are finishing up Fairy Tales and starting Folk Tales. The kids will be practicing their before reading strategies, their during reading strategies, and their after reading strategies. We'll also be focusing on character traits and how they affect the story.

MATH: We'll be working with probability. Our new vocabulary includes: certain, equally likely, even, impossible, less/least likely, more/most likely, outcome, possible, and probability. Fun, fun, fun!!! We'll also be taking our Unit 2 assessment this week.

SCIENCE: We are starting our Chemical Tests Science Unit. We will be working with five different chemicals that are safe for the students to touch. We'll have so much fun trying to figure out what they are!

WRITING: Bold Beginnings! Mighty Middles! Excellent Endings! This is what your child will be hearing as we begin working on Organization with our writing.

WORD STUDY: We'll be working with /j/ sounds - using g and j.

That's about it for now! Have a wonderful weekend! Try to stay dry!

Mrs. Humerick

2009-10-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

The class did such great work while I was gone! When I came back on Wednesday, they had covered so much material - I was impressed!

Here's what we've been doing and what we'll be working on:
LANGUAGE ARTS: We've been working with Fables - it's fun to hear what the kids think about the morals to the stories we've read. Next week we'll begin Fairytales. I hope everyone has a great time with the project that was sent home. Remember that it's due October 19th. The bottom part of the directions is due Monday, October 12th.
MATH: We're finishing up with graphs and will begin measurement next week. We have some fun activities planned!
SOCIAL STUDIES: Next week we'll be finishing up with the Geography part of our unit and will start with Science. Chemical Tests! Fun, fun, fun!
WRITING: Next week we will start talking about Organization in our writing. We're getting really good with Ideas with details.
WORD STUDY: There won't be any word study words next week - the schedule is too crazy!

Speaking of schedules: Please remember: Monday is a regular day. Tuesday and Wednesday start 4 hours late. Thursday dismisses 3-1/2 hours early. Friday schools are closed.

PLEASE be sure you have a conference time to meet with me to talk about your child. I can't wait to see everyone!

FIELD TRIP to the ESSL will be Monday, October 19th... I will be able to take parent chaperones, so mark your calendars if you'd like to attend! You must have participated in one of the volunteer trainings, so if you haven't been to one of those yet, make sure to get to one of them in October...there are three volunteer orientations scheduled during the week of conferences!! We will be leaving the school around 9:10 and returning around 11:15.

October 30 - Fall Festival Day!! We will be participating in activities that have to do with pumpkins all day on this early release Friday! I will need at least four adult volunteers that day...but would love to have as many of you as want to come. Each adult will need to bring a medium sized pumpkin and some other supplies. If you are interested, please send me an email and I will get you the specifics. We will also celebrate our Fall Festival party this day. You'll be hearing more about that in the days to come!

Thanks for initialing or signing your child's work after checking over it. It's so helpful for me AND your child!

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2009-10-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

October 2, 2009

It's a sad weekend for my family - after two long months in the ICU at Hopkins, my father-in-law passed away. I won't be at school today, Monday, or Tuesday. Thank goodness we have Ms. Wilde. Since she has been teaching all subjects anyway, the kids probably won't even know I'm gone!! (I hope that's not true!) Speaking of Ms. Wilde, Friday, Oct. 9, will be her last day with our class. She has truly been a huge help and a wonderful teacher!

Now for what we've been doing!
LANGUAGE ARTS: We've been practicing our Before Reading strategies. Next week we begin a Short Stories unit which will allow the class to really put their reading skills to use! We'll be reading fairy tales, folktales, legends, fables, and tall tales. This is such a fun unit! I'm looking forward to some great writing, too!

MATH: We're continuing with graphing. We even accomplished a double-bar graph. We compared data from Mr. Clutz's class to data from our class. Next week we'll be doing more of that and also talking about line graphs and pictographs. If you find any examples of graphs in the newspaper or anywhere else, please send it in with your child to share!

WRITING: The kids are really getting soooo much better with details! They seem to really understand that an idea won't be interesting to write about unless there are good details. YEAH!!!!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We're still working on our brochure and will continue with maps/globes skills.

Look for information about our Fall Festival Celebration - coming soon!
Thanks to everyone for their support with homework, agendas, take-home folders, and just about everything else you do for your kids!

Have a happy weekend!
Faith Humerick

2009-09-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Fair Day!

While everyone is off having a good time, we teachers are here in our classrooms planning for another exciting week! I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing, l-o-n-g weekend! It'll be fun to hear about everyones adventures on Tuesday when the kids come back to school.

Now, here's what we've been doing... and a little of what we WILL be doing...

LANGUAGE ARTS: We are continuing our focus on the "during reading" strategies. Each child has been practicing with books at his/her reading level. I want the students to read carefully while they're enjoying a book...the more they think WHILE they read, the better they understand what they're reading. They need to slow down and process what they're reading. They need to make connections, ask questions, visualize, infer meaning, synthesize, and use fix up strategies to better understand what they're reading! The kids are getting really good at reading a book and using a post-it to mark a strategy they're using. Next week we'll continue with these skills along with "after reading" strategies. This will entail writing summaries of what has been read. We'll be doing lots of practice with this!

MATH: We had so much fun this week making graphs! I was excited to see that so many of us knew what a graph needed and how to make one! I now know where everyone likes to eat in Urbana!!! We will continue with graphing - bar graphs, pictographs, tally charts, etc. - next week.

WRITING: We are still focusing on the Ideas writing trait. I WANT DETAILS is something I'm sure your child has heard enough of! This will continue next week with Ms. Wilde using the Promethean Board for some writing practice. Ask your child what this great piece of technology is!

WORD STUDY: The /k/ sound is still our focus. We'll be working with different endings that make this sound.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Our brochures of different states are still in the process of being completed. I think one more day in the computer lab using CultureGrams will be enough for everyone to get all of the information they need. This information will then be turned into a brochure of that state. Very cool stuff!

As always, I sooo enjoy this class! They are a group of very unique individuals that make me smile every day!

Thanks to all who check this blog and bookbags and take-home folders and agendas and homework!! Wow! Also, please remember to initial your child's agenda daily and sign your child's checklist and send it back.

Again, have a wonderful weekend!
Faith Humerick

2009-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend!

Please remember that we have a short week coming up! Thursday is a two-hour early dismissal day, Friday the students have no school, and Monday is no school for everyone! Enjoy!!

LANGUAGE ARTS: Ms. Wilde has been reading lots of good books to model Synthesizing for the class. When students synthesize they are changing their minds based on what they have read. We will still be working with this Reading Strategy next week. It flows nicely into writing summaries, which will be our focus soon.

MATH: The class took a Unit Assessment on Thursday. Unit 2 will begin on Monday - Surveys and Line Plots. I'm really looking forward to it! We'll be gathering data and using different ways to represent it. Where is your favorite place to eat in Urbana????

WRITING: Our focus is still on Ideas. One word - DETAILS! The class has been scoring their stories with an Idea Rubric. Higher scores are earned when there are details!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We've been focusing on directions, parts of a map, and states/waterways that border Maryland. Next week students will use what they know to write brochures! Can't wait to see them!

WORD STUDY: Our focus this week and next week are words that have the /k/ sound.

CURSIVE: This week we've worked with u, w, e and l. Next week, we'll be reviewing all letters we've done so far.

I just have to say again how lucky I am to have your child in my class. They are responsible, polite, and respectful. I'm so proud of their behavior and how hard they work!

Again, PLEASE check your child's agenda, take-home folder, and homework daily! You should be initialing the agenda and signing/returning the Friday checklist. Thanks!

Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Humerick

September 11

2009-09-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

I was excited to see the parents who came to Back To School Night on Thursday! I hope you left the classroom feeling good about your child and his/her third grade experience. If you were unable to attend, your child will be bringing home a folder with important information and a postcard that can be put on your fridge with important contact information.

PBS: We've had an excellent week! We're still earning lots of "Soaring With Pride" stickers - I guess I'll need to find another way to display them since we've filled up my poster! Please speak with your child about respectful cafeteria behavior - they seem to be having difficulty with this.

Language Arts: We're still reviewing Reading Strategies. We've covered making connections, visualizing, asking questions, fixing-up reading, and inferring. Next week we will be working on inferring and synthesizing. Inferring is when a reader takes information that is read, adds what he/she already knows, and comes up with a prediction. I used this to explain it: The road is wet. Cars have their lights on and wipers going. People are carrying umbrellas. What can you infer???? It's raining! We read The Stranger by Chris Allsburg to practice this skill.

Math: The class has been learning some new games from Ms. Wilde using money, estimation, and digits to get to 100. Next week we're using those skills to figure out word problems. We've also been looking at what math facts we know quickly and which ones we really need to practice.

Please check over your child's math homework when it's given.

Social Studies: Ms. Wilde has been talking about Maryland and the states that border it. They've used maps to find major cities and bodies of water. Soon each student will be producing a brochure showing geographic concepts.

Cursive: I try to do at least 4 new letters a week. So far we've done i, t, and u. I can't get over how neatly these kids write!!

Writing: IDEAS is still our focus. Coming up with a big idea and "funneling" it down to an idea that is easy to write about. For example: Dogs - puppies - golden retriever puppies - my puppy - taking care of my golden retriever puppy.

Water Bottles: Because of our proximity to a water fountain, I previously haven't allowed students to bring in water bottles. BUT... to prevent students catching any germs, I've told them they can bring in a labeled bottle of water and use it when they need to.

Book Orders: The first book order of the year has gone home. I love doing these because I earn points that I can use to buy new books for our classroom library! Thanks in advance if you order some!

THANKS to all who check take home folders and agendas daily. Remember, you need to initial the agenda for your child after you've checked everything!

Have a wonderful weekend - hopefully the sun will shine on all of us!

Mrs. Humerick

It's the end of the SECOND WEEK!!

2009-09-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!

The weather is supposed to be beautiful! Spend some time outside and enjoy it!

We've been having another great week! We earned 14 "Soaring With Pride" stickers from other staff members last week and we have almost passed that! Hopefully your child will tell you this week that we got more!

Language Arts - we've been discussing and practicing what we should do before we read. The three P's - purpose, preview, and plan - will help your child understand what he/she is about to read. We've also started reviewing "during reading" strategies. We've made connections to ourselves (text to self), to other texts (text to text), and to things going on in the world (text to world). We also had fun on Friday "visualizing" the story, We Eat Dinner In The Bathtub.
Next week we will be continuing to work on "during reading strategies". We'll be asking questions and inferring to help us comprehend/understand what we read.

Math - the class is so awesome using different strategies for adding/subtracting 1-, 2-, and 3- digit numbers. I've seen 100's charts, 200's charts, 100's grids, counters, blocks, adding by place, and other strategies being used! Their number sense and knowledge of place value is really coming along!
Next week we will work on facts that they know quickly and others that they need to work on.

Social Studies - Do you know what a hemisphere is? My class does! Miss Wilde (my Hood intern) has been filling your child with interesting facts about our world. They even got to see Urbana Elementary on GoogleEarth!
Next week we'll be talking about directions and important American places - especially in our community.

Cursive - we started with i's and t's today.

Word Study - most everyone did an excellent job on their tests. Next week the list will be words that contain /f/ sounds.

Type to Learn - we've started type to learn in the computer lab. Expectations are that each student keep their fingers on home row!

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Our BTSN is from 7-8 on Thursday, September 10th. It is for parents only and it is where I will have the opportunity to tell you more about what goes on in our classroom and answer any questions you may have. If you know a question you'd like answered, please email me ahead of time so that I can be well prepared...thanks!
Faith.Humerick@fcps.org

This Tuesday, President Obama is giving a speech to America's students. I am not broadcasting this speech. It begins 10 minutes before our lunch and it, unfortunately, does not fit into our day. I am, however, recording it at home to show my own son that evening. If you would like more information about this speech, want to know what channel to record, or would just like some questions to use with your child before and after the speech, please follow this link... http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html#faqs

PLEASE check your child's homework and initial his/her agenda. This week is also the first week for checklists. I had the students complete theirs in pencil. It was fun to see how they perceived themselves in the classroom. Mine is done in ink so you can see what expectations need to be worked on. PLEASE sign this and return it to me on Tuesday.

I just need to say that I am loving this class!!! They are respectful, responsible, and fun to be around - thanks for having them!

Have a wonderful, LONG, weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

2009-08-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

WOW!! Can you believe the first week of school is over already!?! We have had a wonderful time so far! Let me tell you a little of what we've done:

* we talked a lot about procedures - morning routine, homework routine, afternoon routine, etc. I'm so proud of how soon they've come to know what I expect - and they do it!

* Character Counts! - we spoke and drew pictures about all of our Character Counts! pillars. If you have forgotten, they are: Caring, Respect, Citizenship, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, and Fairness. I've see A LOT of this going on in my classroom!

* PBS matrix - Positive Behavior Support - Urbana Elementary has started this program, and I love it! The class has earned soooo many "Soaring With Pride" stickers for following the expectations on our matrix. Your child should have his/her matrix inside the front cover of the take-home folder. Ask about it! We've gone over each behavior!

* Independent Reading expectations - reading quietly, reading a "Just Right" book (one that isn't too easy or too hard), and understanding what is read.

* Place value in math. I am so impressed with the strategies the students are using to find the answers to problems I'm giving them! Even word problems!

*All About Me! - Thanks to all of you for helping your child find things to share! Everyone learned so much about everyone else.

*Rules, laws, and good citizenship are what we've discussed during Social Studies time. I'm so happy with all of the good citizens I have in my room!

* For writing we've been discussing where authors find ideas to write about.

*****PLEASE be sure to initial or sign your child's agenda. This helps me know that you've gone over the homework with your child - Thanks!

**remember to mark your calendar for Back To School Night - Sept. 10

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Humerick
faith.humerick@fcps.org
240-236-2170

Welcome to Third Grade!

2009-08-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

August 17, 2009

Welcome to my new students and families!!
WELCOME! This is the place where I will post information every week about the goings on in our classroom. This is something new for me, so bear with me while I get it started.

I am so excited for the upcoming year...we are going to have a great time together while learning soooo many new things!

Hopefully we got to meet on Friday afternoon at the UES Open House and you got to participate in our Scavenger Hunt.

If you would like to get in touch with me for any reason, please feel free to email me at Faith.Humerick@fcps.org. I have a phone in my room, but it is quicker and easier for me to answer my emails. I will, however, always return your phone calls within 24 hours.

Have a relaxing weekend and I'll see you Monday!
Mrs. Humerick