Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Holiday Homework

Holiday Homework!  Study your city and get ready to present it to the class.  

What would we do for fun in your city and what can’t we miss?

A little history adds to the presentation too!  

HAVE FUN WITH THIS!!

If you want to look at ideas from the past go to the blog and look in the archives!


The date of their presentation is on the left and we will usually do this at 330 to 350 to wrap up the day!  Come on in if you want!  The presentations are pretty fun!!

E2 Quest City List!!  First Draft
1/11 San Diego, CA***  Ivy

1/ 13 San Francisco, CA***  Landon

1/15 Seattle, WA***  A’Bria

1/18 Yellowstone, WY*** Avery

1/20 Boise, ID***  Charlotte

1/22 Grand Canyon, AZ *** Ian

1/25 Phoenix, Mesa, AZ*** Kayden

1/27 Denver, CO*** Kieran

1/29 Steamboat, CO*** Jake

2/1 Rapid City, SD*** Jimmy

2/2 Bismarck, ND*** Emma

2/3 MInneapolis, MN*** Tylone

2/4 Duluth, MN*** Luke
⅖ Green Bay, WI*** Sophie

2/8 Chicago, IL*** Anna

2/10 St. Louis, MO*** Cameron

2/12 Oklahoma City, OK*** Jayden

2/17 Dallas, TX*** Kathrine

2/19 New Orleans, LA*** Ty

2/22 Huntsville, AL**** Oliver

2/24 Indianapolis, IN*** Addi

2/26 Cleveland, OH*** Evan

2/29 Buffalo, NY*** Rhett

3/2 Boston, MA*** Mia

3/4 New York, NY*** Hannah

3/7 Philadelphia, PA***Eric

3/9 Washington D.C.*** Lily

3/10 Orlando, FL*** Lauren, Gabe

Miami, FL***  Ethan

Have fun with this!  Here are some
questions to answer…

What are some of the jobs?

What can we do for fun?

What is your city known for?

What makes your city unique?

What shouldn’t we miss?

Friday, December 11, 2015

E2 Quest Cities and Dates

E2 Quest City List!!  First Draft
1/11 San Diego, CA***  Ivy

1/ 13 San Francisco, CA***  Landon

1/15 Seattle, WA***  A’Bria

1/18 Yellowstone, WY*** Avery

1/20 Boise, ID***  Charlotte

1/22 Grand Canyon, AZ *** Ian

1/25 Phoenix, Mesa, AZ*** Kayden

1/27 Denver, CO*** Kieran

1/29 Steamboat, CO*** Jake

2/1 Rapid City, SD*** Jimmy

2/2 Bismarck, ND*** Emma

2/3 MInneapolis, MN*** Tylone

2/4 Duluth, MN*** Luke
⅖ Green Bay, WI*** Sophie

2/8 Chicago, IL*** Anna

2/10 St. Louis, MO*** Cameron

2/12 Oklahoma City, OK*** Jayden

2/17 Dallas, TX*** Kathrine

2/19 New Orleans, LA*** Ty

2/22 Huntsville, AL**** Oliver

2/24 Indianapolis, IN*** Addi

2/26 Cleveland, OH*** Evan

2/29 Buffalo, NY*** Rhett

3/2 Boston, MA*** Mia

3/4 New York, NY*** Hannah

3/7 Philadelphia, PA***Eric

3/9 Washington D.C.*** Lily

3/10 Orlando, FL*** Lauren, Gabe

Miami, FL***  Ethan

Have fun with this!  Here are some
questions to answer…

What are some of the jobs?

What can we do for fun?

What is your city known for?

What makes your city unique?

What shouldn’t we miss?

Homework 12/10/15

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Monday, November 16, 2015

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Friday, September 25, 2015

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Narrative Planning

Unit 2 Spelling

Online Resources


The log in for everydayonlinemath is Login:  oxb806       password: 2 c rhombus

Friday, September 18, 2015

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Monday, September 14, 2015

Parent Meeting 2015

Parent Night 3EE

Welcome to Parent Night!
Introductions:
Our 3EE Community this year:
My Teaching Philosophy:  The goal is growth!!!!  These kids are beautiful, brilliant and amazing.  Let’s find our passion and find the wonder of living!  The things you do the most are the things you do the best.
Our Daily Schedule:
9:15  Students may arrive
9:30  Morning Meeting-Math
11:15  Snack- Read Aloud
11:35  Specials:  Day 1-Music, Phy Ed  Day 2-Media, Computer
                    Day 3-Music, Phy Ed     Day 4-Art      Day 5- Inquiry
12:35  Spelling and Writing
1:30  Lunch and Recess
2:20 Show and SPELL
 2:30  Reading
 3:15 Social Studies and Health
3:45  Prepare for Dismissal, Planners    
Communication:
    Oxbow Main Office:  763-506-3800
        Oxbow Absence Line:  763-506-3806
        Oxbow’s Website:  http://www.anoka.k12.mn.us/oxbowcreek
        My Email:  Neil.Eerdmans@anoka.k12.mn.us
        3EE Website:  www.e2quest.blogspot.com
        Bi-Weekly newsletter:  Coming home every other Friday

Homework:
#1 piece of homework:  Read! Read! Read!
    Reading Calendars:  Record your minutes on your reading calendar.  Any minutes he/she reads count.  Any minutes read to your child count as well!  This is your child’s #1 priority when it comes to homework.  Please return your monthly reading calendar as soon as the month ends.  The first one will be due the first week of October.  We want your child to love to read.  If a reading calendar causes stress please DON’T do it!  Just be sure to read with your child every night!  That is the key!
    A homework packet will come home on most Thursdays. This packet will have math problems that go along with what we are doing in math and a reading selection.  Spelling words come home on Wednesday and the tests will be the next Tuesday.

Book a Day- Volunteers!
I love “book a day,” it gets kids to practice reading with quality literature!  As far as “book a day” goes, if your child is not ready to read certain books, read the book to them and they can tell the volunteer what the book was about.  This will show if your child is able to follow the stories and discuss parts of the story. (Plot, setting, and characters)  Get your kids to give the starting sounds of words, words form context clues, and have them read easy sight words.  Get your child to read on their own.  Reading together will model that reading is a fun activity, and something that we can enjoy together!  If you have a book going at home, USE THAT BOOK for book a day.  The key is that we are reading! The kids get a charge out of reading to you and with you as well.  It is critical that kids find reading to be an enjoyable activity!!  I am very flexible with times; we can work it out!  I will also use volunteers for mastery checking, although “book a day” is a great assessment tool in itself!  Have fun with this and do it regularly!!

Spelling:
    Spelling words come home every Wednesday.  Our spelling tests are every Tuesday.  If a week has 3 or fewer days of school in it there will be no list for that week.  Practicing daily will help students retain the words longer than cramming it all in Thursday night!
    Those of you who really want to get a jump start should start working on common contractions.  (i.e. does not=doesn’t)  That’s our hardest test of the year!
    Check out this site:   SpellingCity.com    Students can go to this site and test themselves with spelling words, hear a voice pronounce the words, use the words in a sentence.  There are also games to play with the words.
   


What will reading look like in 3EE?
    The Daily 3:  Students engage in 3 out of 4 of the following tasks:
1. Read to self    2. Read with a partner     3. Meet with your reading teacher 4. Respond to your reading. (Writing, filling out a graphic organizer, etc.)
    I get to read with students 1-1 and in small groups.  I am able to keep track of progress and encourage the kids as they grow.  It is great!
        
What will math look like in 3EE?
    Daily Math Message, Mental Math, Using different strategies to problem solve, Understanding vs. memorization, Spiraling skills, Math journals, Student reference books, Math games, Homework Links.!!  Get a calculator!  They are pretty cool!
Science- Our Inquiry class is going to be great!!  Get ready for crayfish!
Social Studies
Health
These will be intermixed with the theme books and centers.  They will rotate throughout the year.  We are now working on bus safety for health.  The virtual journey is an incredible way to address these objectives!!

Our Theme-
E2 Quest:  From Coast to Coast
This year we will be touring the United States.  Each of the students will be a local yocal and take a city along the route.  They will tell us about where they live and what is significant about the area.  It is fun and we will all learn a lot.  We use the Internet to share our many exciting adventures.   The writing is real.  The trip teaches that writing is used to convey information, communicate, and to entertain.  There is a natural application to math when considering a trip.  There is the budget, miles, traveled, problems faced and solved, packing, and transportation.  There are easy ties to our science, health, and social studies  curriculum as well.  Simply put, traveling is one of the best ways to learn, even if it is virtual.  The places are real and all the situations we face teach lessons of independence and interdependence.  As we pedal we will face many celebrations and challenges.  Each of these challenges contains a lesson.  We have to deal with the weather, people, terrain, and each other.  The lessons are applicable to life and made real by the Internet.  If you want a peek, check out last year’s trip atwww.e2quest.blogspot.com  I will use the first two months to insure we have a grasp of the standards and the packages.  In November we will begin to work with the theme and I hope that you can take part!


What will grading look like in 3EE? The star system.  Keeping it simple.
Field Trip volunteers are done by drawing names… over the years that seems to work best.  I would like to apologize in advance if you do not get to go.  On our last trip everyone gets to go!
THE REPORT CARDS Grade with a 4, 3, 2, 1 SCORING SYSTEM MATCHED WITH THE STATE STANDARDS!!
NEW TEST SCHEDULE:  MAP IN FALL, MCA IN SRING.
Why do I like the MAP test so much?  It is like a time trial!  It shows growth!

Dates:
September 23:  Picture Day  (Envelopes coming soon)
October 5, 8 and 13:  Goal setting conferences
October 14-16:  MEA  (No school)
October 30: 3EE Fall Class Party 2:30-3:30
November 3:  Mill City Museum
November 25-27:  Thanksgiving (No school)
December 23:  3EE Class Holiday Party 2:30-3:30
Winter Break:  December 23-January 2
February 12: 3EE Valentine’s Party 2:30-3:30
February 9, 11 and 16: Winter Conferences
February 23 and 25 Baker Park Field Trip

Some practical ways to help your 3rd Grader:
 1.  Read with your child:  Read to them and let them read to you!  Talk about what you read.  Make it pleasurable!
 2.  Limit screen time:  When it comes to reading I don’t think T.V., video games, and computers are our enemies… but they surely are our competitors!
    Look at the math if your child replaced just one ½ hour show a day with reading:  30 minutes x 30 days = A monthly calendar with 900 minutes!
 3.  The pleasure principle:  Do all you can to connect pleasure with reading.  Get cozy!  Curl up together.  Stack books around the house.  Put books by your beds!  They are watching you, story about Owen.
 4.  Money Jar:  Give your child a jar with change and/or bills.  Change the amount often.  Practice counting.  Ask your child to show you different combinations to make specific amounts of money.
 5.  Telling Time:  Time can be very difficult for second graders.  Point out the hour and minute hands.  Count the minutes around a clock.  Talk about what time it is throughout the day.
 6.  Writing:  In second grade we do a lot of writing about everyday life experiences.  Some kids have a tough time trying to figure out something to write about.  As fun, interesting things happen in your child’s life remind him/her to write about it at school!
 7.  Handwriting:  Help your child to keep practicing the correct formation of their letters.  Remind him/her when to use upper and lower cases letters.  We do not learn cursive writing in second grade.
 8.  Learning on the Computer:  Useful Links on Oxbow and 3EE’s Website:  These free links will connect you with all sorts of games and activities that support our learning.  Kids will be familiar with these websites since we visit them during our computer time.

Miscellaneous:
    Take home folder: Please check every night and send back every morning!
    Water Bottles:  Our brains need water so water bottles are very welcome in 3EE.  Remind your child to bring it home for regular washings!
    Snack Time:  Sending a snack with your child is optional but the afternoons do get long!  Healthy (or at least somewhat healthy!) snacks only.  Students are not allowed to “share” snacks.
    Birthday Treats:  Students may bring a store bought birthday treat if they so choose to.  We presently have 29 students in our class.  
    Going outdoors:  If it is above zero degrees we go out.  Please send your child prepared!  If your child is well enough for school our school policy is that he is well enough to go outside so staying in is not an option.
    Morning media check out:  Students can check out books every day of the year from 9:15-9:30A.M.  What a great privilege!
    Bring home books from our classroom:  Students are also allowed to borrow my books.  That’s why I have them!!!  Please don’t forget to return them!
Scholastic book orders:  Almost every month I will send home Scholastic book order flyers.  These are totally optional but usually include a lot of great deals.  They are always due on the 15th of that month!  
    Lunch money:  Try to remember to write your child’s pin number on your check when you send lunch money.  If you have to send cash put it in an envelope and label it with your child’s name, homeroom (3EE), and pin #.
    Supply list:  If your child needs something a note will come home.
    Show and Spell:  Each week your child will have a day for show and tell.  Have them bring a few items that can be shared with our class so we could better get to know them.  An example might be a boy bringing a baseball, a picture of his dog, and a rock from his rock collection.
        Parties: We will have 3 parties this year and I have a sign up for party volunteers. If you would like to help that would be great!  We usually meet in the room a couple of weeks before the party to make our plan!

Field Trip volunteers are done by drawing names… over the years that seems to work best.  I would like to apologize in advance if you do not get to go.  On our last trip everyone gets to go!  We have a lot of great ideas brewing!!

We are partners- 1/3, 1/3, 1/3

I hope we will be friends!
I need to be your partner.  Please communicate with me!  If I don’t return a call during the day, I will try in the evening.  Your child is going to go through some big changes this year and will be learning a lot.  Let’s work together to make this a great year!
Call Me! Or Email Me!!
Please call if you have a concern.  I am almost always check my voicemail by 7:30.  The number is 506-3843.  Each night I will leave a detailed description of the days activities so that you can discuss the days events with your child.  I am great at replying to e mail at all hours, Neil.Eerdmans@anoka.k12.mn.us!!
Our Goal is Growth!
P.S.  You may here the terms BBA, Green, URLoved, Highlights, Cinema, the things you do the most and others… I will try to get to those tonight or you could youtube search Neil Eerdmans and hear more about these terms.  Thanks!!

New Quote!  Be a voice not an echo!

Unit 1 Writing Overview

Unit 1 Reading Overview

Math Unit 1 Overview

Friday, June 12, 2015

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Thanks Kylie!

Our journey in 3EE     by Kylie

3EE I am going to be telling 1 thing {maybe more} that is magical about everyone in 3EE!

I will start with Matthew, he really deserves to be the first lieutenant he is a wonderful part of the group!

Next we have Cole, Cole is such a straight shooter and he is always on task!

Here comes Theo, he is a straight shooter too he always has a smile on his face he is always listening and raising his hand when Mr.E does blabs to make the blab even better!

Now about Breanna, she is a straight shooter too and she is always asking people how was your day!

Alex Dahl, he has a grown so much since second grade to 3rd grade!

Conor, he also has grown a lot and he always is asking Mr.E if he needs help!

Madia, she is a straight shooter too she is always listening when someone's talking!

Ally, she is sooooooo a straight shooter and is always always listen when someone’s talking!

Anna, she is a WONDERFUL locker buddy to have!

Mia, she is always asking people are you okay how was your day or what is your # she is so nice!

Shanne, was brand new to the school and she knew just what to do after like 5 minutes that is amazing!

Kaylee, is a wonderful girl she is always asking do you need any help or can I help you!

Myra, she is always always asking how was your day, every single  day she asks Mr.E!

Ben, he is totally a straight shooter he is always listening helping and learning and many more!

Katie,she is a straight shooter and if you are looking for a friend she is a great one to have!

Diego, he is so nice asking people how was your day what is your highlight!

Courtney, she is a wonderful girl she is a straight shooter!

Grace, she is always asking are you okay or how was your day!

Stone he is such a wonderful artist he is Awesome!

Drew, he is AWESOME to have in our group  for the last days of school!

Marcus, he is always enjoying the learning in 3EE!

Chase, he is very nice to everyone and asks how was your day!

Taylor, she is a WONDERFUL and smart girl she is awesome!

Ethan, he is a smart and wonderful boy he has learned so much!

Gavin, he is such a straight shooter he is a wonderful friend to have!

Calvin, he is always asking hey can I give you a hug he is so nice!

Jojo, he is a different boy he is always super excited when we do math he is awesome!

Emily, she is so so a straight shooter she is also a WONDERFUL friend to have!

Now last of Neil Eerdmans, my favorite teacher of all i am so glad i got to have you as my teacher.

And 3EE have a WONDERFUL SUMMER!!! And be glad this class got together don’t be super sad it is over but you can be a little sad!!!




                  THANKS SO MUCH 3EE YOU ARE MY bestest
                  FRIENDS I WILL ALWAYS HAVE YOUR BACK!!



                           Written by Kylie Gargasz