Moon Phases

November 16, 2015

Good morning observers!
Many of you have been taking special notice of the moon lately... watching it change from small to big and back to small. Last week we had a new moon. Do you remember what that means? By your predictions, when will the next full moon be?

Here are two pictures of the moon from opposite sides of our county. Both were taken this weekend. One picture is from Stanford, CA and the other is from High Point, North Carolina.

Our perspective of the moon comes from the middle of the country and north of CA and NC. Take a look at this picture, also from this weekend.

Do the pictures look similar to what we saw in Minnesota? 

Be thinkers today! Think about your options and make good decisions!

Be good. Be nice. Behave. 

Packer Pride

November 12, 2015

Good morning, Packers!
Many of you do activities outside of school such as sports, dancing, art classes, and music lessons. There are so many opportunities for us all to practice being balanced.

Not too long ago there were a group of young football players at Lincoln Center and Kaposia. These boys worked really hard to stay balanced between school and football. Each of these players had to be committed to working hard at school so their parents and coaches would let them continue playing football after school. That hard work and dedication paid off!

Tomorrow afternoon the South Saint Paul Packer Football Team is playing for the title of MINNESOTA STATE CHAMPIONS! They have worked hard for many years in school and on the football field! Way to go, Packers!

  

Good luck, Packers! We're so proud of you!

Be good. Be nice. Behave.

Veterans Day

November 11, 2015

Good Morning,

Today is a special day; it is Veterans Day. In 1938 legislation dedicated November 11 to be a day to honor those that served in World War I, also known as "Armistice Day."  On June 1, 1954 Congress changed the name to Veterans Day. 

The United States military has five branches of military: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Today we salute and show appreciation to all men and women that have participated in any of the armed services.

Do you know someone that has served in the military?  If not, ask a family member about friends or family that have. What does this day mean to you?  Share with your class what this day means to you and to our country.

Be good.  Be nice.  Behave.

Book Talk Tuesday

November 10, 2015

Hello Hungry 3rd Graders!
Book Talk Tuesday comes to you from The Applequist girls. We read together almost every day. Usually the books we read together have something to do with fairies, animals, jokes, or little girls. Every once in awhile though, I get to pick the book!

Tonight I picked, THE JOY OF COOKING! You see, I love banana bread. I really love banana bread. And, in my humble opinion THE JOY OF COOKING recipe makes the very best banana bread. I'm not sure why it makes the best; the recipe is quite simple. Perhaps it is the best because I always make it with my girls.

Cook books are non-fiction and are considered culinary literature. They are how-to books that give directions for cooking and baking. Some people follow the directions exactly, while others use them as suggestions.

I hope you have an opportunity to cook or bake something with a loved one. It is really a fun experience... and you get to practice reading while you're at it!

Be good. Be nice. Behave.

Okay. Okay. Okay. I have to let you in on a secret. The truth is, my husband read the recipe and baked with the girls. That's the real reason I probably love this banana bread so much... because the people I love the most made it for me!

Solar System

November 9, 2015

Hello inquirers!
Did you know our sun is the largest star in our solar system? In fact our solar system revolves around the sun... A system is a group of things that works together. The solar system is a group of things that work together around the sun.

We are studying the solar system in our unit of inquiry. This unit revolves mostly around the sun and what we can see from Earth at different times of the day and different times in the year.

What do you think when you look at this picture?

Take a minute to watch BrainPopJr. about the sun.

The Sun

Be good. Be nice. Behave.

It's All About the Bus, About the Bus

November 6, 2015

Hello Walkers, Bikers, and Riders,
The weather is certainly feeling more like autumn today than it has all week! It's crazy to think it was sunny and 70 degrees just a few days ago! The changing weather this week makes me think of two school connections: compare/contrast and adaptations. The weather fits perfectly into both of these concepts!

Each day as we wrap up our school work and wind down from our busy days, we all move around in the hallway getting our things and getting ready to go home. Our hallway has seemed unusually loud and hectic lately. People are taking their time at lockers, carrying on conversations, running to find friends, and simply not paying attention to our environment. We have to get back on track.

This is a great time for classes to review who goes to which lines and what the expectations are. What should our lines look sound/sound like/feel like? When you walk out of school, what are the expectations? If you ride the bus, please know, the Lincoln Center expectations follow you all the way until you are home!! True story.

Take time to talk with your classes about expectations at dismissal.

  

Be good. Be nice. Behave.

What's the same? What's different?

November 4, 2015

Hello Thinkers!
Why do we spend so much time working on new reading skills and reviewing ones we've already learned? I mean, come on, we learning about comparing and contrasting in second grade! Some of us even did Venn Diagrams in first grade and kindergarten! I bet some of you sometimes feel this way!

The reason we continue to learn and review concepts is to continue to grow, strengthen, and sharpen these skills. Comparing and contrasting is one of the skills you will continue to strengthen every year. Readers compare and contrast in order to make connections in what they are reading. Finding similarities and differences helps us to understand the text better. We make this connections between characters, settings, books/movies, books/books... the possibilities are endless!

Here is a great story to practice comparing and contrasting.Watch this with your class and discuss the similarities and differences between the main characters.

Our Walk in the Woods

Compare and contrast this too...

Be good. Be nice. Behave.

Be principled. Be caring. Have integrity.