05.14.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:07 am by missdaly
Hi Families!
You may have heard that we had a visitor come in and speak to our class about conserving our resources. To go along with our energy and resources science unit, we asked Mrs. F to come in and speak with our class about conservation. Mrs. F runs the Green Lions Garden Club and is an excellent resource for knowledge about “going green.” We collected bottle tops and old magazines to make some snazzy magnets with a material that cannot be recycled. Did you know that we don’t recycle plastic bottle caps to water bottles, soda bottles, etc?? Within a week of asking to collect plastic bottle caps, we ended up with more than 50! We also talked about a few things we can do to help conserve renewable and nonrenewable resources:
Recycling: Did you know that plastics with a 5 on the bottom cannot be recycled through our city’s recycling program? We checked out all of the things in our classroom with a 5 on them. We found out that yogurt containers are 5’s. You can recycle your 5’s through a program called Preserve Gimme’s 5. Visit http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/gimme5.html to see where you can send your 5’s.
Waste-free lunches: Plastic baggies, paper napkins, and anything else disposable can be wasteful to our environment. Plastic is made of a nonrenewable resource, oil, and we will eventually run out. How can you make your lunch waste-free? Use a lunchbox that is reusable, plastic reusable containers, inexpensive cloth napkins, and stainless steel silverware. Visit http://www.wastefreelunches.org/ for some tips!
Water conservation: We talked about not letting the water run while brushing your teeth. If you brush your teeth for 1-2 minutes with the water running you are wasting 12 gallons of water! Also, try to take more showers than baths and spend less time in the shower.
Local/Seasonal fruits, veggies, and other foods: We finally talked about how eating fruits and vegetables that are in season are better for the environment. How? Well, some of our fruits and vegetables that are not in season come all the way from California or Mexico! They use a lot of gas, a nonrenewable resource, to get to Virginia. Also, organic, seasonal, local fruits and vegetables are better for you because they have all of the important nutrients and vitamins we need from them. Check out http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal/ to see what fruits are in season in our area.
We made butter out of heavy cream and spread it on locally made whole grain bread. To make butter at home simply fill a jar half way with heavy cream. Shake for around 5 minutes. It will first turn into whipped cream and will then turn into butter. Salt can be added for flavor if desired. If there is liquid remaining drain it out. The students had a blast making their own butter and it was so yummy!
Go green! Start with something small. It can be overwhelming to do all of the things we hear to help the environment. I have started by buy inexpensive cloth napkins and using those instead of paper ones in my lunch at school and at dinner table. What small steps will you take to help protect our resources?
Making magnets.
Eating our butter on locally baked bread.
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04.30.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:51 pm by missdaly
Hi Families,
We are collecting bottle caps and old magazines, newspapers, catalogs, etc. for a project. Please send in if you have any of those! Thanks!
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04.27.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:38 am by missdaly
Dear Families,
I cannot believe we are already into the 4th nine weeks. This year has seemed to fly by! I hope you have enjoyed this school year as much as I have. Our class has grown in so many ways and I am proud of every student for the goals each one continues to strive for. If you noticed in the behavior folder, we wrote down our goals for the 4th nine weeks. Many students wrote they would like to either maintain or achieve principal’s list and citizen of the month. Third grade is an interesting year because it is the first time students get to make honor roll and principal’s list with letter grades. Grades start becoming very important to them. I am glad I have so many students that want to do well. I want to emphasize to students that sometimes it’s not always about the destination; it’s about the journey as well. Getting to principal’s list is a great goal to have, but sometimes it takes longer to get there and being able to be satisfied with the growth and progress each student has made is just as important. All students this year have grown academically as well as socially. I encourage families to help your student reflect back at their school year with how far they’ve come.
There are a few things as a class I would like to work on. I would really like to foster more independence this quarter. Being responsible for homework and class assignments is very important. Another way we can become more independent is to be problem solvers. It can be uncomfortable to struggle with problems academically as well as socially. It is easy to help students so we don’t see them struggle. I would like to encourage being a little uncomfortable when difficult problems arise. As a school system, we are trying to foster critical thinking and problem solving. In many of my trainings I have heard various presenters saying our children need to be comfortable with not knowing the correct answer right away. Grappling with problems is an important part of our learning process and something that students will have to do their entire lives!
I want to thank each family for the continued support they’ve given their students, as well as their teachers, this year. Like I said on the last report card, let’s make this quarter the best one yet!
Warmly,
Miss Daly
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04.16.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:26 pm by missdaly
Hi!
Today an SOL study guide was given for Social Studies and Science. This study guide includes standards from kindergarten through second grade. Please read the letter with your student carefully and remember to initial calendars each night. Studying nightly for 15 minutes is part of homework and will be counted towards your student’s work habits grade. Thank you for your support!
–Miss Daly 
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03.22.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:39 am by missdaly
Hi!
The simple machines study guide has been posted under “study guides.” The test will be next Friday, March 30th. Please study nightly to ensure review of material learned in class. Thank you!
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03.09.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:33 am by missdaly
Hi!
I have uploaded the Earth, Sun, and Moon study guide to the “Study Guide Page.” Students received this study guide Friday, March 9th and will be tested next Friday, March 12th. Science binders and readers will be sent home as well to use as resources. Please study each night!
Miss Daly
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02.28.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:48 am by missdaly
Happy Leap Day! 
Here is a link that talks about leap year:
http://www.highlightskids.com/stories/year-confusion
Here is a cute video on leap year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BaXMYn07RE
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02.09.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:41 pm by missdaly
Today we set new goals for the 3rd quarter. A lot of students chose to keep similar goals. Please review the goals with your student and check back once in a while to see what your student can do to attain them. One of my goals for this quarter is to post more frequently on our class blog. Check back weekly for new posts!
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02.06.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:06 pm by missdaly
Hi All!
I’ve changed the appearance of the blog a little bit. I’ve added a “resources” page where you can find the reading log and word study contract. I’ve also added a “reading response” page where you can post all reading log homework. All the pages can now be found on the right hand side of the blog.
Miss Daly
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01.31.12
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:49 pm by missdaly
Tonight’s homework asks the question: How does each part of a structure influence other parts? What evidence can you find in the story Mansa Musa and on your concept map to support your ideas?
-This question comes directly from our gifted unit on Mali.
-It focuses on our grade level generalization of “Structures.” Students have been exposed to these generalizations throughout the year. Students are to connect the generalizations throughout the year to concepts and units we are studying. If you would like the generalizations, please let me know.
-Helpful tips for answering this question:
-This question examines the story of Mansa Musa by Khephra Burns. A basic summary of the book: Mansa Musa was an actual king of Mali. He came after Sundiata and like Sundiata, they both made the ancient empire of Mali rich and powerful. They both brought success to the kingdoms by encouraging trade of their natural resources of salt and gold. The Sahara desert was a huge part of the trade route to the city of Timbuktu. The story explains the “fictional” boyhood of Mansa Musa. He was kidnapped as a young child and taken to the desert. There he learned to survive and was finally brought back to the city of Timbuktu. He was said to be lead there by “lion’s paws” left is by the spirit of Sundiata. The story is more like a fairytale, trying to explain how Mansa Musa became a powerful king.
-If you are having trouble with the question, try to connect the stories of Mansa Musa and Sundiata together. They both had struggles and challenges and were once taken from their kingdoms.
-This question is meant to challenge students. There is no right or wrong answer, but students must try to answer the question to the best of their ability. They were told 5 sentences or more would be appropriate. Use this as a guideline but do not worry if it is not the exact number. I am looking more for depth.
-It is okay if your student struggles with the question. We are trying to encourage critical thinking as a school division and sometimes it is a challenging process.
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