Welcome! My name is Kim Kunst (pronounced koonst – German for “art”) and I will be your child’s third grade teacher for the 2018-19 school year. My husband and I are originally from Long Island, NY but have lived in GA for the past 22 years. We have 3 daughters – Libby (18), Meg (15), and Kate (12) – and live here in the Ford district.
4th Quarter:
Writing: Persuasive We will be focusing on writing well-structured paragraphs that clearly state an opinion and use reasons and examples to back it up. One of our projects will be writing reviews on restaurants and other businesses with which the students are familiar. It would be helpful if you discuss those favorite (and not-so favorite) businesses with your child to make it fresh in their minds. We will also be reading to see how authors express their opinions and what makes a strong argument. Reading: Fiction We will be reading Peter Pan as a class this quarter, discussing character traits and motivations, and events that move the story forward. We will focus on main ideas and key details -- how to tell which ideas are key to the story. Book Scouts will be our reading homework for the quarter. It is meant to encourage children to try out new reading materials. PLEASE hold them responsible for complete sentences and answering all parts of the questions. We look forward to celebrating its completion in March with a Camping Day celebration! Math: Fractions and Data Students will be partitioning shapes, sets, and number lines into equal pieces to create the denominator and shading a given amount to name the numerator. We will use manipulatives to explore the concept of one whole (8/8, 4/4, 2/2, etc.) and equivalent fractions. We will also use manipulatives to compare fractions with either the same numerator or the same denominator. Students will collect data and learn to represent it in a variety of charts, graphs, and line plots. They will also learn to read and interpret data from charts, graphs, and line plots! :) Science: GA Regions and Habitats; Heat Students will review GA Regions (from second grade) and look at them in a new way -- as habitats for animal species in our state. We will explore the topic of heat in terms of sources, conduction, insulation, and tools for measurement (both Fahrenheit and Celsius). Social Studies: Colonies We are exploring the reasons people had for coming to the New World as well as the economies, education, and religion of the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies. We are looking forward to this fun-filled semester with the school dance, Jump Rope for Heart, Valentine's Day, CATO field trips, and Camping Day to look forward to! Thank you for your continued support of our classroom 3rd Quarter:
Writing: Persuasive We will be focusing on writing well-structured paragraphs that clearly state an opinion and use reasons and examples to back it up. One of our projects will be writing reviews on restaurants and other businesses with which the students are familiar. It would be helpful if you discuss those favorite (and not-so favorite) businesses with your child to make it fresh in their minds. We will also be reading to see how authors express their opinions and what makes a strong argument. Reading: Fiction We will be reading Peter Pan as a class this quarter, discussing character traits and motivations, and events that move the story forward. We will focus on main ideas and key details -- how to tell which ideas are key to the story. Book Scouts will be our reading homework for the quarter. It is meant to encourage children to try out new reading materials. PLEASE hold them responsible for complete sentences and answering all parts of the questions. We look forward to celebrating its completion in March with a Camping Day celebration! Math: Fractions and Data Students will be partitioning shapes, sets, and number lines into equal pieces to create the denominator and shading a given amount to name the numerator. We will use manipulatives to explore the concept of one whole (8/8, 4/4, 2/2, etc.) and equivalent fractions. We will also use manipulatives to compare fractions with either the same numerator or the same denominator. Students will collect data and learn to represent it in a variety of charts, graphs, and line plots. They will also learn to read and interpret data from charts, graphs, and line plots! :) Science: GA Regions and Habitats; Heat Students will review GA Regions (from second grade) and look at them in a new way -- as habitats for animal species in our state. We will explore the topic of heat in terms of sources, conduction, insulation, and tools for measurement (both Fahrenheit and Celsius). Social Studies: Colonies We are exploring the reasons people had for coming to the New World as well as the economies, education, and religion of the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies. We are looking forward to this fun-filled semester with the school dance, Jump Rope for Heart, Valentine's Day, CATO field trips, and Camping Day to look forward to! Thank you for your continued support of our classroom. I enjoyed meeting with all of you during Parent-Teacher Conferences! Thank you for taking the time to come in; I know that 20 minutes out of the middle of your day is not convenient but I hope that the information was worth it! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.
2nd Quarter: Writing: Informational We will be focusing on writing well-structured paragraphs and using research to report factual information. Towards the end of the quarter, we will be adding non-fiction text features to our writing to firm up our understanding of how headings, captions, a glossary, an index, diagrams, etc. function in non-fiction writing. Reading: Non-fiction We will be working on strategies to help with reading non-fiction texts -- how do we use those headings, captions, etc. when we are the reader? In addition, we will be focusing on determining the main idea and key details of a text. Math: Multiplication and Division; Perimeter and Area We are beginning with the concepts of what multiplication and division are all about and different ways that might look (ie. groups vs. rows and columns). We will continue throughout the quarter and into the second half of the year taking timed multiplication (and then division) tests in order to build a strong base for future math skills. Later in the quarter, we will use our multiplication skills to work with computing area. Science: Soil and Fossils We will build on our understanding of rocks and minerals this quarter by experimenting with soils. We've looked into which types of soil best retain water with our Earth Parents and we will be watching a jack-o-lantern decompose right outside our classroom window in order to better understand how living things can eventually become part of the soil. Our study of fossils will include the ways that fossils are formed and how they are used as clues to the past. Social Studies: Explorers We will research the reasons for and obstacles to the exploration of North America, looking specifically at the accomplishments of John Cabot (England), Vasco Núñez de Balboa (Spain), Hernando de Soto (Spain), Christopher Columbus (Spain), Henry Hudson (The Netherlands), and Jacques Cartier (France). CogAT concludes tomorrow, Sept. 8th and we will begin IOWA testing next week.
Monday: Reading Tuesday: Language Arts Wednesday: Math Thursday: Science / Social Studies Please continue to encourage your children to listen carefully to directions and put forth their best effort and stamina. Thank you for sending in the fun snacks and prizes to give the children something to look forward to following each testing day. Our Earth Parents came for our first vermiculture lesson today (www.wormpoop.com/composting/composting.htm) and we are now proud caretakers of our own red worm habitat. Ask your child for updates on the food, water, and ph data we will be collecting weekly. National Anthem Day – Thursday, September 14 Please encourage your child to wear red, white & blue to school on Thursday, September 14 as we celebrate the 203rd anniversary of the penning of our National Anthem: The Star Spangled Banner. We will be discussing the anthem in music class and trying to memorize the words to prepare for the big day. This year’s REFLECTIONS theme is, “Within Reach.” For those unfamiliar with the program, students can enter various art-related categories for a chance to continue to the district level. From there, winners can move on to state and then national levels. Categories include:
Entry deadlines: Oct. 3-Oct. 5 by 2 p.m. Recognition Ceremony: Wednesday, October 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Ford Elementary Learning Commons Email [email protected] with any questions. More detailed information can be found at: www.fordreflections.com/ News and Notes:
8/30 Early Release (12:30) (Students will still go to both specials and lunch but at an earlier time; ASP is available.) 9/4 Labor Day - no school 9/6-9/8 CogAT 9/11-9/15 IOWAS (Please be sure your child is well-rested, has eaten breakfast, and is on-time for school during testing!) 9/23-10/1 Fall Break 10/16-10/20 Parent-Teacher Conference Week (Early Release all week) It's been a great start to the year. Thank you for sharing your children with me! Thank you all for making time to come to Open House Tuesday night. I know that it's a lot of information all at once so if you have any questions, please feel free to email me. The Powerpoint is available at the link below, should you need it for reference. We have a great group of students this year and I'm looking forward to lots of growing, learning, and laughs!
First Nine Weeks: Reading: CAFE Strategy instruction (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, Expanding Vocabulary); small group differentiated reading lessons Writing: Writing Process (Brainstorming through Publishing); Narrative; Constructed Response (thoroughly answering a question in writing) Math: Place Value and Rouding to the Nearest 10 and 100; Adding and Subtracting within 1000; Concepts of Multiplication and Division; Commutative and Associative Properties; Multiply and Divide within 100 (starts toward the end and carries into next quarter) Science: Rocks & Minerals; Fossils; Soils Social Studies: Native American Culture by regions of the United States; map skills 1 pair of headphones/earbuds (in a labeled Ziploc)
2 pkgs. wide-ruled loose leaf note book paper 3 wide-ruled composition books 24 sharpened #2 pencils 2+ Pink Pearl erasers 5 pocket folders/brads (red, purple, yellow, blue, black) 8 glue sticks 1 bottle of Elmer’s Glue 1 box of crayons 4 Expo dry erase markers 2 packs 3 x 5 index cards 1 pair scissors 1 set of colored pens (no black) 4 Multi-colored Highlighters 2 Black Sharpie – Fine Tip 2 Black Sharpie – Extra Fine Tip 1 roll of paper towels 2 boxes of tissue Girls -Clorox Wipes and pump hand sanitizer Boys-Quart size Ziploc bags & Band-Aids My name is Kim Kunst (pronounced koonst – German for “art”) and I will be your child’s third grade teacher for the 2017-18 school year. My husband and I are originally from Long Island, NY but have lived in GA for the past 21 years. J We have 3 daughters – Libby (17), Meg (14), and Kate (11) – and live here in the Ford district. This will be my second year at Ford Elementary but my 22nd year teaching (time flies!). I have taught K-4 during that time as well as 2 years teaching in the education department at Kennesaw State University. My undergraduate degree is in English and Early Childhood Education from James Madison University; my MEd is in Reading Instruction from University of Georgia; and my EdS degree is in Language and Literacy from Georgia State University. As I’m sure you’ve now noted, reading is a passion of mine and it is my hope to pass that on to each and every student. I truly look forward to sharing in the life and education of your child. It’s going to be a great 3rd grade year! |
AuthorMrs. Kunst has been a teacher for 20 years in grades K-4 and spent 2 additional years teaching in the education department at KSU. Archives
September 2017
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