Purim Play IN HEBREW!!!!!

Morah Ariella has been teaching our class the Purim Story in hebrew! Today 3rd grade performed the purim story for the rest of the school - in hebrew! We said each word with such expression that even the 1st and 2nd graders understood us!

Check out the video...

Adar Activities...

Getting ready for Purim: Morah Ariella has brought the theme of the Purim story -"Ve'nahafoch Hu" ( how everything in the Purim story had an 'about turn' and became the opposite) to our classroom everyday in a fun and exciting way. Everyday we turned something around and did the opposite of the norm! We even managed to learn with our pajamas on!

On friday we had a special Rosh Chodesh rally. we all brought fun hats to school!

Preparing for the State Exams...

Yesterday we discussed the different parts of the state exams that we will be taking...

Math: 1) Book 1 - multiple choice math questions

2)Book 2 - questions which require more working out and showing our work.

English: 1) Reading

2) listening and writing conventions
3) writing and responding

We have had alot of practice in all these areas:

• Math book 1 - we have done many past papers and feel confident in the kind of questions that are asked.
• Math book 2 - we have done 1 or 2 past papers and we are now clear about what is expected of us in this part and we will continue to practice...
• From the beginning of the year we have become familiar with the reading - multiple choice questions format.
• We have been building on the reading skills neccessary to anwer the kind of questions that are asked in the test
• We have been listening to many read alouds and discussing.
• We know how to edit our own work,
• And, we have got used to responding and writing about books that we read.

Now it's time to put our skills into practice and learn how to take a test!

We wrote up some 'Reading Test Tips':

-Always read ALL answers

-Choose BEST answer

-Think about the MAIN IDEA of the text and the author's PURPOSE in writing the text

-When the answer is in the text - underline the words in the text.

-When the answer is not in the text - we need to infer and 'read between the lines'

-Check your work carefully

I was so proud of our class that they were able to come up with these tips on their own!!!!

We will be continuing to work on all these skills and we will be writing tips for ourselves for the 'listening' section and 'writing' section too!

Masquerade Party in School...

We will be having a fun Purim party in school in which your child should bring a purim costume to school in a bag. Your child should come to school dressed in school uniform and then we will change into costumes before the party.

Please make sure that your child dresses up as something that encourages good values and behavior and has a positive theme!

Morah Ariella and I will be having our 3rd grade class party on Friday 18th of March.

Math - Unit 8

We had a test today on Unit 7 and tomorrow we will be starting Unit 8. Your child has a family letter all about unit 8 to give to you, in their homework folder, which can be kept and used to guide your child with their homework.

In addition to learning Unit 8, we will also be spending time over the next couple of months doing general math practice for the state exam.

Unit 8 - overview: Fractions

In this unit we will review the uses of fractions and fraction notation and develop a solid understanding of equivalent fractions. The approach to equivalent fractions in 3rd grade is informal and includes many hands-on activities. We will be exploring fractional and spatial relationships; Introducing the number line for fractions; Finding equivalent fractions and solving number stories involving fractions.

March Trips...

• Jewish Children's Museum (JCM) Purim Program: 14th March - 9:30am - 1:30pm

About the program: We will gear up for Purim by making delicious hamantaschen and decorating face masks! As an added touch to the Purim fun, we will dress up as the characters of the Purim story and will receive a framed group photo for our classroom. We will be touring the 3rd and 4th level exhibits and be having a special Purim Game Show!

• Model Matzah Bakery at Chabad Neshama Center: 30th March - 12:15 - 2:00pm

About the program: At the Matzah bakery the children learn how matzah is made. Dressed in baker's hats and aprons, the children participate in a full live presentation of the matzah baking procedures as well as forming and baking their very own matzah to take home. In addition, children will step back in time to experience ancient Egypt and watch as the miraculous escape is brought to life in an educational and entertaining voyage through history.

Hat Day

Tomorrow is our rally for Rosh Chodesh Adar-2!

To get into the purim spirit we will be dancing and all wearing a fun hat! Please help your child choose a hat to wear for the rally tomorrow.

Thank you!