📚 Overview of ES Reading Week 📚

ES Reading Week: Feb. 26-Mar. 2

Here's what's happening...

Sunday, Feb. 26: Day 8

• Book Trailers: According to dictionary.com, a “trailer” is a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights.

• View one or more of the following book trailers. Consider the following questions:

• How did the trailer use sound to capture the viewer’s interest?
• How did the trailer use images to capture the viewer’s interest?
• What else did you notice? Quotes? Character description? Problem definition?
• Did it give too much away?
• Did it hook the viewer?

• Book trailers for 3rd grade: The One & Only Ivan, Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux
• Book trailers for 4th grade: Rules, The Tiger Rising, The Fourteenth Goldfish
• Book trailers for 5th grade: Wonder, Home of the Brave, El Deafo

For more book trailers or author interviews, head to mrschureads.blogspot.com

Monday, Feb. 27: Day 9

• Read Aloud Day!
• By an overwhelming vote, Mr. Luke will come to read to our class at 10:55!
• Ms. Kit will be reading during all morning recesses at the picnic tables near Kg1!

Tuesday, Feb. 28: Day 10

• Digital Read Aloud Day!
• Choose a story to listen to from Storyline Online

Wednesday, Mar. 1: Day 1

• All Dahl-ed up!
• The ES is all Dahl-ed up today!  
• Be sure to look around as you go about your day to spot the quotes and facts about author Roald Dahl!

Thursday, Mar. 2: Day 2

• World Book Day Character Dress-up Day & Outdoor Grade Level Reading Time: To cap off an amazing week of celebrating reading, your child is encouraged to think about a great book they have read and come to school dressed up as that favorite book character on Thursday, March 2. This book character dress up day will spark many conversations between students about their favorite characters and continue to set the environment for the love of reading to be contagious. As a reminder, we do not consider cartoon or movie characters as part of this day. Students are only permitted to wear costumes from book characters on this reading celebration day. Thank you for your support and cooperation. Here are some ideas from previous years: 2016, 2015 (living biographies, which might also spark some ideas), 2014 (more living biographies)

• Outdoor reading!  The tennis courts have been turned into a reading space!  Bring your favorite book outside to relax and read all together as a grade.

• Schedule:  
• Grade 3: Period 4 (make sure you have your chapter book and log ready!)
• Grade 4: Period 6
• Grade 5: Period 7

Reading Week

Next week is ES Reading Week!

To cap off an amazing week of celebrating reading, your child is encouraged to think about a great book they have read and come to school dressed up as that favorite book character on Thursday, March 2. This book character dress up day will spark many conversations between students about their favorite characters and continue to set the environment for the love of reading to be contagious.

As a reminder, we do not consider cartoon or movie characters as part of this day. Students are only permitted to wear costumes from book characters on this reading celebration day.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Happy reading!!

Pizza Day

DAAPA will be hosting their next pizza day on Thursday, March 2.  The order forms will be sent home today and are due back by Tuesday morning (Feb. 28).  Unfortunately, we cannot accept orders on Pizza Day.  

Thanks so much for your ongoing support. :) 

Recap of Field Trip 🐪

Our field trip to the Dubai Museum and The Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was a fantastic time for everyone, as we enjoyed a rainy (!!), overcast day, a smooth trip, and plenty of hands-on learning. 

Together with Ms. Olivia's Class (3OP), we first visited the Dubai Museum where we explored the traditional weapons, music, and artifacts, then the underground "souk" area, which was just fascinating. The children were impressed to see the "Mannequin Challenge" (and "creepy") statues set up as they would've been in the not-too-distant past. It was particularly interesting to visit the pearl diving exhibit, as we recently read The Pearl Diver by Julia Johnson, a captivating fictional account based on real events. 

The class was also intrigued to see ancient findings from excavations of Jumeirah, Al Barsha, and Bur Dubai, as they included skeletons (eek!), as well as pottery, jewelry, and weapons from 3,000 B.C. 

After the museum, we went around the corner (by bus) to the historical neighborhood of Bastikiya and the Al Fahidi District in Bur Dubai.  We arrived, only to be greeted by a Bedouin with his pet falcon! The children loved it and made remarks like, "That was my first time ever seeing a real falcon!" They were so adorable to watch.

Then, we meandered our way through the maze of traditional homes to the cultural center where the students removed their shoes and entered the majlis area of a relatively old (1941) traditional wind-tower Emirati villa. 

Ms. Guiliana was our host and did an excellent job teaching the students about Emirati and Bedouin culture, customs, and life in the past. 

Then, we happily moved onto the next event, which was drinking Arab coffee (with lightly roasted Arabic coffee beans, cardamon and saffron), eating delicious dates and finally, enjoying a traditional meal. The children seemed to love the main course, especially the dessert, however, some did not particularly prefer the coffee as you will see from their expressions in the photos. :) 

While our class was downstairs, Ms. Olivia's class was upstairs painting.

Can liked it! 

Mariam and Sarah were terrific sports and seemed to like dressing up. :) 

After lunch, we went next door to enjoy tile painting on the roof! The setting was just beautiful--an old room with high ceilings and old wooden doors, which were open to the elements. The students were given an introduction about this type of painting, then set to work on their creations as classic Arabic music played softly in the background. The children so enjoyed the experience and seemed so relaxed. 

It was truly a fantastic day of hands-on learning that we will all remember for a long time to come. I hope you will enjoy these photos of our special day. 

Valentine's Day Fun

Last Tuesday ushered in a classroom full of pink, red, and white and many happy smiles, as children dressed down in festive wear and came prepared with decadent sweets to share.  Though it was a normal school day, we managed to carve out about 30 minutes for some Valentine's Day fun.

The children were happy to express their love and care for each other through the exchange of valentines, cards, and hugs. It was very sweet to watch. :)

Also, thank you so much to those of you who sent goodies in. The children certainly appreciated the sugar, icing, and sprinkles and I one could literally FEEL the energy circulating throughout the room. Trust me (and be glad you weren't there)! ;)

Here are some pictures for you to treasure and enjoy...

Parent Engagement Recap

Thank you, dear parents, for taking the time and effort to join us for our Parent Engagement writing lesson on Thursday. It was so great to see so many of you!

I hope the mini-lesson on elaboration was helpful, both for you and your child. It's one of those writing skills that takes time to learn and also plenty of practice. Even world famous authors continuing working towards improving their elaboration skills by writing in a way that is gripping, yet not too detailed, so know that your child is in good company.

For those of you who were not able to come, please feel free to avail yourself of the materials that I used:

• Lesson Overview
• 7 Strategies for Elaboration
• Grade 3 Narrative Writing Checklist 
• Pinterest Board with some good resources

Finally, here is the link for the pictures of our time together. (I tried to capture everyone, but I know I missed a couple of you, who had to sneak out early.) My heart was genuinely full as I watched you working with your sweetie. I thought to myself, "Now, how can I get these parents to come help everyday?!" :)

Thank you, all, once more for coming. It was a true delight to have your join us. 

Class Pictures 📷

Our class of the most beautiful and handsome children I know will be photographed as a class on Thursday, Feb. 23rd.  

Students should be looking their very best in their regular uniform with black shoes and black socks or white shoes and white socks, as well as their tie.  

Thanks so much for your wonderful support, as always! 

Track and Field Day Recap (and pictures)

As expected, our Track and Field Day for ES was a big success! The children all seemed to have a fantastic time out in the fresh, cool breeze and warm Arabian sunshine. Anytime we can get outside during the winter in Dubai is a good day to me. 

Please enjoy these pictures from our day. (I included all of them, even if there were several that were very similar. I know that in group shots, one picture may be better of one's child than another, so I wanted to at least try to give you some options to choose your personal favorite.)

Also, I want to especially thank you the following parents who gave up their time and energy to kindly serve our class (and me) as group leaders or volunteers: Doaa, Merry, Ela, Aatika, Dania, Liubov, Rania, Lamis, Julie, Nina, and Afshan. It was great to see many of you there, supporting the children and cheering them on. It really made a difference and added to our 3LN team spirit! 

A huge thank you and congratulations to these fine coaches who organized a fun, smooth, and successful event! 

What does respect look like?

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, the class and I have been having some good conversations about respect. What is it? How do we show respect to others? Why does it matter?

During our morning meeting last Wednesday, the class and I went around (in a circle) and shared practical ways that we show people in our lives that they matter to us and that we respect them. (Some of their responses were so precious and heartfelt that I seriously wish that I had recorded them.) 

It seems that doing acts of kindness and showing respect overlap, but all in all, the class seemed to know that respecting others is a way to honor them, look up to them, and most importantly, one of the best ways that we show people that we truly value and care about them.

According to Google, respect means:

And, here are some practical ways that our class shows respect on a day-to-day basis:

To see all the pictures (minus Anita, who went home sick), please click here. 

And, remember, respecting others isn't always easy, but it's important and makes a big difference. 

News from Music with Miss Wyse 🎶

Hello Third Grade Parents,

Our recorder unit has begun! Please read and watch the important information below:

Students must use Quavermusic.com at home to sign into their account and practice their music. Their user names and passwords can be found in their passports. Please see the video I have attached for extra help!

​

 3rd Grade Recorders

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Learning to play the recorder can be a struggling time in music learning. This is a perfect opportunity for parents and students to have some conversations. I am sure students will be excited to have everyone involved and share in their success! Please keep up the positive encouragement, try your best, and success will happen!

Thank you for your continued support of the music program!

If you have any questions, please contact me at jeannie.wyse@gemsdaa.net

Thank you,

Miss Wyse

☀️ Morning News in 3LN ☀️

We will be starting something new in 3LN. It's called "Morning News" and it will be a time when children share something newsworthy with the class. 

Here are the details: 

• What? Students may share a current event from the news (world or local) OR true information about something they are interested in, such as cats, soccer, or even a famous person. 

• Where? At the front of our classroom 

• When? Every Monday and Wednesday (4-5 children each day)

• How? Have your child think of what they'd like to share. Then, have them write a brief summary of the information. They can write the information on a notecard and piece of paper, so they can read it to the class. Or, another option would be to post what they want to share (photo, link, info., etc.) on Seesaw, then I will project it in the classroom and they will speak about it. The time limit will need to be short, just 1-2 minutes, because our mornings are already quite full. 

• Why? As a way to develop and improve public speaking skills 

• What else? Please be sure to have your child reference any sources he/she used to get the information (website, newspaper, book, newsela, Time for Kids, etc.), so we they learn to give credit where credit it due. Also, if you'd like an example, this might be a good way to start: "Good morning, 3LN. My name is Laura and today I will be sharing some local news with you. In Dubai yesterday..."  

**For your reference, this is the rubric I will be using to grade your child. I will be reviewing it with them on Sunday. 

Here is the schedule: 

Mon., February 13: Zayd, Zaid, Jordan, Aly 

Wed., Feb. 15: canceled due to Parent Engagement 

Mon., Feb. 20: Efe, Jenna, Mariam, Zoya, Anita 

Wed. Feb. 22: Woochan, Zunyi, Sarah, Ali 

Mon., Feb. 27: Yehia, Julian, Farida, Isabella  

Wed., Mar. 1: Leo, Alvin, Can, Sofiya

I'm looking forward to learning more from your child!! Thank so much for your support and please let me know if you have questions. 

News to Note

Ok, can someone please tell me how it can be February already?! This year is flying by way too fast and I'd really like it to slow down just a bit, so I we can all enjoy it even more. Hopefully, the day off yesterday provided a great opportunity to do just that...and the weather was just glorious! Though we teachers were at school, it was a fantastic day of professional growth as we learned from Brian and Robin Fogarty, who are renowned experts in education. Our time was very well spent.

Since it's been a while (so sorry!), I wanted to touch base about a few things:

• I want to offer a huge thank you to those of you parents who were able to come to our Track and Field Day last Tuesday, Jan. 31. I so appreciate your help, encouragement, time, effort, and support. It made our day so much more fun having you there with us, so please know that I am very appreciative. (I'll be posting pictures soon!) 

• Swimming is canceled for this cycle and the rest of Trimester 2, as the recent storm caused some damage to the pool area and it will take time for the repairs, insurance, inspection, etc. Thank you for your understanding. I know the children are disappointed, but this is a great opportunity to use a favorite expression in our classroom, "C'est la vie." (That's life.) 

• Parent Engagement Week in the ES: You are invited to join us in our classroom on Wednesday, Feb. 15, from 8:10-9:00. I will be teaching a mini-lesson about how to effectively elaborate in narrative stories (in this case, our fractured fairy tale). Knowing a few strategies will help to equip you at home when/if your child gets stuck as a writer and doesn't know what else to add to his/her story. I hope you'll be able to join us! 

• We will be going on a field trip next Thursday, Feb. 16. First, we'll head over to the Dubai Museum to learn about life in the UAE, Bedouins, pearl diving, and more. Then, we'll walk down the block to the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. There, we'll partake in a full Emirati meal, learn about local culture, and make a tile craft. (This is the reason why this field trip is a bit pricey. Rest assured that it's a high quality field trip, which students have typically greatly enjoyed and students will be brining home the art the create.)  
• If you would like to volunteer for this trip, please just let me know. It's a fantastic trip! We'll be off campus from 8ish until 1:30 pm. (You will need to drive your own vehicle, as parents are not allowed on school buses for insurance purposes.) 

• Valentine's Day is next Tuesday, Feb. 14. We will be having a small classroom party; however, it will just be limited to the students and me, since our time will be short. If you would like to send in some goodies (cookies, cupcakes, fruit, chocolate, etc.), you are welcome to. Just send me an email, so I know what to expect. 

• Students are invited to dress down in Valentine's Day colors (red, pink, white) on Tuesday, Feb. 14, for a minimum donation of AED 5, which will go to Dubai Cares. (Students who don't wish to dress down are also most welcome to still donate.)

• If you would like to have your child write valentines for their classmates, here is a list of our 3LN students: 

• Girls: Jenna, Mariam, Zoya, Anita, Sarah, Farida, Isabella, Sofiya (8 total) 

• Boys: Zayd, Zaid, Jordan, Aly, Efe, Woochan, Zunyi, Ali, Yehia, Julian, Leo, Alvin, Can (13 total)

• Next week will be Love Your Library Week, so be on the look-out for all the "lovely" details. 

• Also, you may have heard my big news that I have accepted a teaching position in Shanghai, China!! I told the news to our class and they share the same bittersweet emotions that I am also feeling. While I'm thrilled to be embarking on a whole new adventure, I will really miss my precious students, you parents, my colleagues, friends, and all of the other aspects of Dubai that I have come to know and love so well. It's difficult to leave. Having said that, however, I'm ready for a change, new challenges, and a whole culture in the Far East. (If you want to read  the whole story, which includes a very detailed description, you're welcome to view and read my personal blog post.) 

• Academics: We have been busy learning! Here's a brief summary...

• In reading, students are now in Unit 3 and learning more about characters through inferencing, examining the character's motivations, and forming theories about characters. Students are now reading fiction again in class, so please encourage your child to read his or her "just right" chapter book each night and bring the reading log back to school each day. Thank you! 

• In writing, we are also in Unit 3, which is all about writing fractured fairy tales. Students will be learning about fairy tale adaptations and how to write their own. They will write 1-2 short fractured fairy tales of their own, with the final goal being to publish their favorite one. 

• In math, we are wrapping up Chapter 5 (place value, decimals) and will have a test next Tuesday. 

• In science, students have been learning about the different between weather and climate, as well as weather tools, how to analyze weather data and draw conclusions, and how to predict the weather based on patterns. 

I think that's it. Thanks for taking the time to read all of our 3LN news and, most importantly, thank you so much for all of your ongoing support! Together is better.  :)