Happy Friday!

This will be my last post for the year! The next time you see this it will be 2011!

I am wishing everyone a very happy holiday... filled with family and friends.

Merry Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) and a very prosperous Happy New Year!

Mrs. Humerick

So sorry this is late! I had it done last week and saved it... then forgot to send it! Anyway, here's our info. for the week:

Language Arts: We are continuing with Poetry. This week we'll be talking about similes and metaphors. We'll also be reading some poems and answering comprehension questions about them.

Math: My math class will continue adding larger numbers from word problems and then we'll start on telling time.

Social Studies: We'll be looking at some holidays that other cultures celebrate - we're preparing ourselves for our projects!!

Writing: We've talked about "mighty middles" and are now focusing on "excellent endings".

Word Study: There won't be any word study words this week. We'll be doing some work with sight words that I see being misspelled.

I can't wait for next Monday!!! One of my favorite projects is the one that's due on Monday. I went over my expectations again today. Each line off of the web needs to be labeled. Any picture or drawing needs to be labeled. If your child had completed the poster, he/she needs to practice sharing it. Each idea needs to be explained to the class. Any questions? Please send me a note or email.

Your child needs to come to school appropriately dressed for the weather. Please be sure your child has a coat, hat, gloves, etc.

Have a wonderful week!
Faith Humerick

Wow! Can you believe it's December already? I just looked at the calendar and saw that Tuesday was the middle of the term! Really?? Already??

We've really been working hard and stretching our minds and vocabulary. Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing!

Language Arts: We are finishing up our biographies. The class did such a great job learning about some famous people. Some learned about Einstein, some about Mozart and some about Garrett Morgan. Please ask your child who they read about and have them give you some facts about that person. Our culminating activity was to write a summary paragraph or a timeline. Next week we begin our Poetry unit. Always fun around the holidays!

Writing: Boy, these kids are great at bold beginnings. We'll continue with that and go into "mighty middles" next.

Math: My math class just finished Unit 2 - Probability. We'll be starting Unit 3 - Collections and Travel Stories (working with larger numbers).

Social Studies: We've been talking about different cultures and this week we've touched on immigration. A PROJECT IS COMING HOME AND IS DUE ON DECEMBER 20TH. Please pay attention to the directions and details.

Other: please, please, please send your child with an appropriate coat for the weather. Hats, gloves, and scarves would be nice, too!

Have a wonderful weekend - keep warm,
Mrs. Humerick

Happy Election Day!
I hope you enjoyed the previous post of pictures - I was rushing to put them on and messed up the order... but aren't those kids the cutest???

Friday was a perfect day for us. Pumpkin Math was a huge hit! Thanks to all the parents who came in to help us! I never could have done it without you! Then... on to our Fall Festival Celebration - complete with costumes! I LOVED it! Thanks to all who helped with the party, but especially Tina Nguyenkhoa for going above and beyond!

I'm giving another shout out for our Silent Auction basket. Stephanie Tucker is working hard to make sure we have a great one... but, she still needs those donations! Please consider donating - it certainly benefits your child's classroom in the end!

Here's what we'll be doing for the next two weeks:
Language Arts: Next week we'll be working with Tall Tales and talking about character traits. On Nov. 8 we'll be starting a new unit - Reading Social Studies Texts. The kids will be previewing, predicting, reading, and answering questions about non-fiction Social Studies books.

Math: My math class will be starting Probability. It will go on for the next few weeks - I love this unit - lots of games and higher level thinking.

Social Studies: I'm sad to say our Science unit is over. I DID NOT tell the class what the mystery powders are yet, the other third grade teachers wanted me to wait until they caught up with us. That way, no one is spilling the beans...
We'll be starting a SS unit on People of the Nations and World. We'll be doing a lot of comparing of customs - in our classroom and in the world.

Word Study: No word study this week since it's only 3 days. Next week we'll be working with compound words.

Cursive: The next two weeks we'll be working with r and s.

I'd like to share some important news with you... I will be having much-needed surgery on November 3. I will be out as long as the doctor wants me to be, but he assured me it will only be a week or two. Having said that, I am so happy to have gotten the substitute I wanted!!! Angela Warr will be with the class until I get back. I have gone over everything with her and she is aware of how I do things. She actually knows a lot of the students from subbing in other classes in previous years. PLEASE, if you have any questions or concerns, just email me - I'll be checking my FCPS email periodically. Believe me when I say - your child will be in GREAT hands!

Thanks for being such supportive parents! I'm really going to miss these kids (am I really saying that??)
Have a great week, '
Faith Humerick

Okay, please excuse the way I posted these pictures! You'll need to start at the bottom and and work your way to the top! Sorry! Enjoy! More to come tomorrow!

Science pictures

Here are some great pictures of cooperative learning during Science. I lOVE how these kids work together!

Happy Friday!



We had such a great time yesterday at the Weinberg Center! The kids really enjoyed the performance and were a very respectful audience. Thanks to the parents who got to come with us... I hope you enjoyed yourselves!



Now we're looking forward to our Fall Festival Celebration - the day will start our with our Pumpkin Math. I have three parents so far - the more help, the better! The rest of the day will be spent reading and writing about Fall and pumpkins. At 2:30 our celebration will begin! Thanks to all who have helped - especially Tina Nguyenkhoa for putting it all together.



I need to do another call out for donations for our Silent Auction basket. Please be sure to read the reminder! Thanks to Stephanie Tucker for handling this for us!



Here's what we'll be doing this week:



Language Arts: We'll be discussing folktales. This unit is so fun - lots of great, old stories to read and share! Our focus during these stories will be character development and sequencing.



Math: My math class will be finishing up line plots, measuring, and graphing and will start some probability.



Science: Next week will be our last week of working with our "mystery" powders. Hopefully, by Friday, the kids will have discovered what all five are. Try back later if there are no pictures with this post - I'm trying to get some on here from Science!



Writing: Our focus is still Ideas and Organization. I'm really trying to get some grammar in there, too. Please be sure to check your child's homework for good sentences!



Word Study: We will be working with different silent letters.



Have a wonderful weekend!

Faith Humerick

Happy Friday - oh that's right, it's only Thursday! We were really confused all day today! With that being said, I hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing, long weekend!

Here's what we've done and what we will be doing:

Language Arts: We read some Fables this week. I think they really enjoyed how animals were the characters that taught the lessons! Next week we'll be reading Fairy Tales. Do you know what elements Fairy Tales have? I'm hoping your child will be able to tell you next week!

Math: We'll be continuing with Measurement.

Writing: We'll be doing some capitalization and punctuation practice this week. We're also going to start with the trait "Organization". This is where beginning, middle, and endings come into play. Each written piece needs to have all three parts. Bold Beginnings will be our focus first.

Science: Hopefully you've been hearing about our "mystery powders"! We'll continue mixing our chemicals with other liquids. We'll also be filtering some of our mixtures to form crystals. Your child will be bringing home two different ways to create crystals. This is not a requirement - just a fun activity you can do at home. I did ask them to bring in the crystals if they made them so we can share.

Word Study: Silent letters will be our focus for the next two weeks.

Thanks to everyone for getting in the permission slips and money so quickly! I can't wait to see the show! I have to apologize to the parents who didn't get chosen. I've never had so many responses to go along! Please remember we'll be going on two more that you're welcome to come to.

Thanks to Tina N. for planning our Fall Festival party. Please don't forget to send in $3 with your child for the food and craft. There have been 2 reminders sent home about costumes. Please be sure you have read them and understand what is acceptable.

Also, thanks to Stephanie T. for taking on our Silent Auction basket. Please consider donating something to go in it - the money raised for the PTA benefits us in the classroom!

I'll end this for now - I've had no voice this week, so I'm just rambling now...
Mrs. Humerick

Sorry this is so late, I usually like to post on Thursdays before the weekend.
I'm sitting at home with a sinus infection and bronchitis. Lovely, huh?... Anyway, this will be a short one:

Language Arts: We're starting a different type of short story - fables. This is a little difficult for the kids to understand - lots of the morals in the stories are way over their heads. We've found some they'll be able to connect with, so we'll be reading those this week and talking about character traits.

Math: In my class, we're starting to work with some measurement.

Writing: I'm really going to start integrating grammar into our writing. Sentence structure, punctuation, etc....

Science: We're continuing with our "mystery powder" investigations. The kids LOVE Science!

Thanks to all parents who offered to chaperone our field trip to the Weinberg. I had to pull names - anyone who was chosen should have gotten a note from me. Please remember we'll have 2 more that you can go on if you didn't get chosen this time.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Humerick

Happy 2-hour early dismissal Friday!!

The kids have really been wound up this week - I think it's all the rain and not being able to go outside... hopefully this weekend will be beautiful and they can get outside!

Here's what we'll be doing next week:

Language Arts: We're starting a new unit called "Characteristics of Short Stories". This is definitely one of my favorites. We'll be discussing Fables, Fairy Tales, Tall Tales, Folk Tales, and Legends. Our class will be starting with Tall Tales. We'll be enjoying tales such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and John Henry. We'll be using our "Before Reading", "During Reading", and "After Reading" strategies that we've been learning about.

Math: My math class will be starting a unit on graphing. Don't be surprised if your child comes home with homework to gather data to graph.

Word Study: This week we'll be working with ch/tch sounds in words.

Science: Next week will be our first week with Science. We'll be doing a unit called, "Chemical Tests". The students will be doing experiments with different chemicals (safe ones of course!). At the end of the unit, they should be able to tell what the chemicals are.

Speaking of Science, the Science Fair forms just went home for your child to complete if he/she is interested in entering.

Starting next week I'll be posting pictures on the blog. I feel so bad I haven't done that for you yet!

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

Until next week,
Mrs. Humerick

Well... I'm sitting at my classroom computer and I have to admit... it's REALLY quiet in here today! I hope you're enjoying your long weekend. It's always nice to get caught up on planning and paperwork!


Down to business - here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:


Language Arts: We've been discussing and practicing more of our "Mosaic of Thought" reading strategies. We're just finishing up with Synthesis - putting it all together. We read some great books to practice putting all of our thoughts together - "Charlie Anderson" and "Oliver Button is a Sissy" were favorites! Next week we'll begin talking about "Fix-up" strategies" - what happens when you aren't understanding... what happens when the word you read doesn't make sense...when should you reread... These are called "clunks" in our reading and we'll be discussing strategies to "fix" them.



Math: If your child has me for math we've been working with money. Some students may be coming home with cards that have coins on them that they need to practice counting. PLEASE practice counting coins with your child!

I'm so proud of how our fact test scores have improved! KEEP AT IT!!

Next week we'll continue with money and working with word problems. We should be taking our first unit assessment next week.



Social Studies: We're still talking about our Government. This week we had "expert" groups. Small groups of students were responsible for learning different types of governments - state, local, and national. They then had to share their facts with students of other groups. What an awesome class we had!! The sharing of information was unbelievable! We'll be getting ready for a quiz next week and then we'll be starting a Science unit.



Writing: Ideas is still our focus. We've talked about where good ideas come from, now we're talking about main ideas and details. Most are really enjoying our free writing time we sometimes have in the afternoon.



Word Study: Did you realize there were so many ways to make the /k/ sound? This coming week we'll be spelling /k/ with que, ke, and c.



I absolutely LOVE my class this year! They are very caring and responsible. I have, however, noticed some of them coming to school without a parent initial in their agendas. Please check over your child's homework - if there are lots of misspelled words, help them sound them out and correct them. It's a great learning opportunity for them and will show them that taking their time pays off!



Starting Monday, if your child comes without completed homework, without a signed checklist, or no parent initial, they will be losing some recess time. Please remind them how important it is!



Have a great weekend!

Faith Humerick

Happy Constitution Day!

We watched a very informative video today on the Constitution - ask your child about it!

We've really been working hard - not only academically, but as good citizens. As of this morning, our class has earned 20 Soaring with Pride stickers - WOW! It really shows how well they follow the rules and respect each other.

Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We're continuing to work with During Reading Strategies. This week we finished up with Questioning and Inferring - hope you enjoyed the homework! Next week we start with Synthesizing. That's when we "put it all together". While most of your children do this automatically when they read, it's nice to slow them down so they can THINK while they read.

Math: If your child is in my math class, we will continue working with numbers to 100. I was so proud of the timed addition tests! Some of these kids are definitely ready for subtraction!

Social Studies: In Social Studies we discussed rights vs. responsibilities and how people contribute to the common good of our society. Next we'll be looking at local, state, and national government.

Writing: Ideas for writing is still our focus.

Word Study: We'll be working with words that have different spellings for the /k/ sound at the end.

Remember that Friday is a day off for students.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

Happy Weekend!

Thanks to everyone who came to Back To School Night to hear me ramble on about third grade and what a GREAT class I have! Here are some questions that were brought up that I want to address:
You must go through a volunteer training class to be able to help in the classroom or go on field trips. There are two options at this time - Sept. 13 6:00-7:00 pm - Sept. 15 9:30-10:30 am. As of right now, you only have to do the training once.

It was mentioned on the message from Mrs. Hollenbeck that all important papers will come home in a "Friday Folder". That is not true for my class. I send the folder home daily with papers in it. Please check it each day.

You were able to sign up for conferences. If you didn't make it Tuesday night, please call the office for available times.

Now - on to what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We've been working with During Reading Strategies. We've made connections and used our sensory imagery. Next week we'll be working with Questioning. To practice this strategy we'll ask a question about a book we are going to read. During our reading, we'll adjust our questions according to what is happening in the story. This makes us THINK while we read.

Word Study: Our new focus this week will be words that have the /k/ sound at the beginning. There are patterns for this sound, and we'll be finding words that fit those patterns. Please practice these words every evening - even if they aren't given as homework.

Math: My math class continues to work with numbers in the ten's and hundred's. Your child should be able to take a number and 1)draw a picture, 2)write the words for it, 3)show it in expanded form, and 4)write the value of each of its digits. We're also really working with addition facts. Please read the note attached to your child's first math fact test.

Social Studies: This week we've been reading about laws and rules in different communities. Next week we'll be discussing rights and responsibilities. This is always an interesting topic with third graders! It seems they think a lot of things are their "right"!!!

Writing: Ask your child how to "funnel" an idea. This is when an idea is too broad of a topic to write about, like DOGS. When you put "dogs" in a funnel, what comes out should be a narrower topic, like How My Dog Plays Soccer With Me.

Other notes: your child may bring in a labeled water bottle that will be kept on the side counter. Please initial your child's agenda after checking his/her homework. Please check your child's Take Home folder daily. If your child is finishing up homework in fewer than thirty minutes, have him/her read or practice math facts!

Have a great weekend!
Faith Humerick

Happy Friday!

What a busy week we've had! I'm really getting to know your child as a person and as a learner. Here's what we've been doing... and what we'll BE doing....

Language Arts: We've been working on Before Reading Strategies - Setting a purpose, previewing the text, and coming up with a plan. On Thursday we began discussing During Reading Strategies. We're starting with Connections. This is when you think of how the ideas in the text remind you of something about yourself (text to self), how the ideas in the text are like another text (text to text), or how the ideas in the text are like something that is happening in the world (text to world). Next week we'll be reviewing Connections and then talking about Sensory Imagery - how do the words in the the text "sound" to you, "smell" to you, what would it "feel" like, etc.


Math: In my math class we've been using strategies to get to 100. We'll be continuing that - especially while using word problems. We have also been making our own addition fact cards. You may see these come home to be practiced - I've told them they have to be FAST with these. Subtraction will be next.

Social Studies: EVERYONE did so well on the Maps/Globes quiz! We're taking a break from that right now and moving on to Government since we'll be having elections in the area soon.

Writing: Wow! What great objects! The ideas are just flowing during writing time! I can't wait to read the final paragraphs!

Word Study: If your child has word study with me, we just worked with words that have the /f/ sound. We will not have any word lists next week since it's only a 3 day week.

I'm really hoping to see everyone at our Back To School night on September 7th. It starts at 7:00. There will be two 20-minute sessions in case you have more than one child. If you have any questions you want me to answer that would benefit everyone, please send them to me on Tuesday or email me this weekend.

Today (Friday) is the first Friday that your child will bring home a "checklist". I went over it with the class and explained they had to be signed and brought back to school on Mondays (Tuesday for this one). I truly think this is a powerful communication tool for all of us!

I'm going to end this now - Have a wonderful LONG weekend - remember no school on Monday or Thursday -
Mrs. Humerick

Whew! Can you believe a whole week is over already?! How time flies... I have to say that I truly love this class! Everyone is so respectful and hardworking! I'm also very proud of how they work together. I've learned so much about them and have shared many laughs this week!

Thanks so much for helping with the All About Me bags. Everyone really enjoyed sharing and listening to others share. Even Mr. Watkins participated!

Here's what we'll be doing next week:
Language Arts: We're beginning with the Reading Process... our first lessons being about "Before" Reading strategies. Your child will hear purpose, preview, and plan a lot this week! Our before reading strategies will focus on Fiction and Nonfiction.

Math: My math class will be continuing with adding and subtracting using different strategies. A lot of word problems will be used to focus on these skills.

Writing: We're beginning our traits for good writing. Our first is Ideas - a note will be coming home asking for your child to bring in an object they can write about.

Social Studies: Our first unit of Social Studies is Geography. This week we'll be focusing on maps and globes.

Word Study: The /f/ sound is our first focus this year.

I am soooo excited to say our class has already earned 10 Soaring with Pride stickers... and it's only Thursday! Please ask your child how they've earned them!

Some reminders: please check your child's take-home folder daily. If there are papers in the "Keep at Home" pocket, please take them out. Always initial your child's agenda. It helps me know that you are checking your child's work.

Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. Hope to see all of you at Back to School Night on September 7th.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Humerick

August 17, 2010
WELCOME! This is the place where I will post information every week about the goings on in our classroom. I am so excited for the upcoming year...we are going to have a great time together while learning sooooo many new things!

I hope to get a chance to meet you all on Friday, August 20th from 3-4pm at the UES Open House...feel free to bring your school supplies and put them in your desks that afternoon...it will make the backpack a lot lighter Monday morning!!

When you get to the classroom...look for your desk...on it will be a Scavenger Hunt to help you become familiar with the classroom and our surroundings.

If you'd like to communicate with me BEFORE the 20th....maybe you'd like me to know what name you like to be called, or you'd like to tell me something interesting about your summer, or maybe you just have a question...please feel free to email me... faith.humerick@fcps.org

Enjoy the rest of your summer break ---- I'll see you VERY soon!
Mrs. Humericik

Happy Friday! As I'm typing this I'm looking out the window and it's beautiful outside! That could only mean one thing - STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL!! I'm hoping to see a lot of you there. MANY thanks to Mrs. Bassan for coordinating our class stand and making the sign for it!


The next date to put on your calendar is Tuesday, June 8th. We would like to invite you to watch the plays we've been practicing. We're having a lot of fun with these and want to share them with you! An invitation will be coming home, but I wanted to get the word out1 We'll probably start them around 10:00. Hope you can make it!



Language Arts: We've been practicing our play parts and next week we'll be finalizing scenery and props.

Math: We're working on a fun activity with squares - 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, etc. We've paired with Mr. Clutz's class to work on this and the kids have done a fantastic job!

Writing: Porquoi stories, or Just-So stories, are stories that explain why an animal looks the way it does. We've listened to lots of examples and now each student is writing one. Everyone is excited so I should get some good stories!

Social Studies: Economics is still our unit for next week.



That's it for now! PLEASE remember that our field day is May 26th. Your child should be coming to school with sunscreen already applied, a hat, and a water bottle. We love field day!



Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Humerick

Sorry this is coming to you on Sunday afternoon, but we did yard work ALL weekend, and I'm just now getting to sit down to blog!
We had a fantastic time on our field trip! Thanks to all parents who came with us - I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Here it is in pictures:

the Frederick NewsPost

Learning about how all departments - advertising, sports, opinion, local news, etc. work together to make a newspaper.

It is a beautiful building and we really learned more about Interdependence! And technology, check out an old press...

and the new one - it was huge - and in many parts. Amazing how many papers it can make in one hour!

Then, on to Mt. Olivet Cemetery and where Francis Scott Key was buried. Lots of interesting facts and Frederick County history.

A tour of the beautiful chapel on the cemetery grounds. A fascinating story about the time capsule that was opened and what was in it!

THEN, on to Key's Stadium! What a great tour! We started off listening to some facts about the team - this is also where we ate lunch.

Very cool to be there when there isn't a crowd!

In the press box! Again, Interdependence at its best!

In the dugout - kids were hanging onto hat hooks....don't ask me why...

Locker room of the opposing team -

And, what would our trip to Key's Stadium be without Keyote!

So...after our big day on Friday we came back to find out that the Strawberry Festival had been cancelled. It has been rescheduled for this Friday. See you there!

This Week:

Language Arts: We're starting our Play unit. Parts have been picked and the scripts will be coming home to practice. Enjoy!

Math: We're continuing with money - word problems.

Social Studies: We're still covering Economics. Word Study will also be using terms from this unit.

That's about it for now - I want to get this posted so you can enjoy pics of the kids.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Humerick