Week of April 22nd
Biography and Wax Museum Project: This is such a fun project! Students should choose a biography to read by Monday, April 22nd. Today is our media center day, so that provides them with one more opportunity to choose a book. If they still do not have a book by Monday, I will require them to choose one from our classroom library. For more information on this project, please see this letter: biography and wax museum note
Language Arts: Students will be learning to take notes while reading their biographies. To model, I will be reading a biography about Jackie Robinson aloud to the class. While reading, I will show students how to take notes on his childhood, adult life, important achievements, and overall impact.
Math: As we continue in our geometry unit, our focus will turn to area and perimeter. We will find different ways to make rectangles with the same area. For example, to make rectangles with an area of 24 square units, we can think about the factors of 24 to help (1 by 24, 2 by 12, 3 by 8, 4 by 6). We will find the perimeter of rectangles and other polygons.
Social Studies: We will begin a unit on economics using Social Studies Weekly newspapers. We will focus on needs and wants, and then the three types of resources (natural, capital, and human).
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, April 22nd: Bring biography book to school
Friday, April 26th: Math homework due (HC Book Pages 109, 111, and 112)
Thursday, May 2nd: Math M-STEP
Language Arts: Students will be learning to take notes while reading their biographies. To model, I will be reading a biography about Jackie Robinson aloud to the class. While reading, I will show students how to take notes on his childhood, adult life, important achievements, and overall impact.
Math: As we continue in our geometry unit, our focus will turn to area and perimeter. We will find different ways to make rectangles with the same area. For example, to make rectangles with an area of 24 square units, we can think about the factors of 24 to help (1 by 24, 2 by 12, 3 by 8, 4 by 6). We will find the perimeter of rectangles and other polygons.
Social Studies: We will begin a unit on economics using Social Studies Weekly newspapers. We will focus on needs and wants, and then the three types of resources (natural, capital, and human).
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, April 22nd: Bring biography book to school
Friday, April 26th: Math homework due (HC Book Pages 109, 111, and 112)
Thursday, May 2nd: Math M-STEP
Week of April 15th
Biography and Wax Museum Project: We are so excited about the biography and wax museum project! Students should choose a biography to read by Monday, April 22nd. Please see the attached letter that was sent home last week for more information about the project: biography and wax museum note
MSTEP: Our Language Arts M-STEP is on Thursday, April 18th. Please click on the link for information about Roosevelt's M-STEP testing: https://www.smore.com/n/t0axc
Report Cards: Report cards are being sent home today. Please keep the report card at home, but sign and return the yellow envelope. Thank you!
Reading: We are using different passages to practice reading comprehension and prepare for the M-STEP.
Writing Workshop: We have been reading some excellent children's books as we learn how to write literary essays. We have done a lot of reading, brainstorming, and drafting together as a class. Now we will transition to students writing literary essays more independently.
Math: Students will be using different manipulatives, such as toothpicks, geoboards, and shape cards to study the attributes of different quadrilaterals.
Science: We will be completing an exciting, hands-on Mystery Science lesson called: Magnets and Engineering: How can you unlock a door using a magnet? It will give students the opportunity to explore and create in order to solve this problem.
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, April 18th: Reading M-STEP
Friday, April 19th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 107 and 108)
Monday, April 22nd: Bring biography book to class
MSTEP: Our Language Arts M-STEP is on Thursday, April 18th. Please click on the link for information about Roosevelt's M-STEP testing: https://www.smore.com/n/t0axc
Report Cards: Report cards are being sent home today. Please keep the report card at home, but sign and return the yellow envelope. Thank you!
Reading: We are using different passages to practice reading comprehension and prepare for the M-STEP.
Writing Workshop: We have been reading some excellent children's books as we learn how to write literary essays. We have done a lot of reading, brainstorming, and drafting together as a class. Now we will transition to students writing literary essays more independently.
Math: Students will be using different manipulatives, such as toothpicks, geoboards, and shape cards to study the attributes of different quadrilaterals.
Science: We will be completing an exciting, hands-on Mystery Science lesson called: Magnets and Engineering: How can you unlock a door using a magnet? It will give students the opportunity to explore and create in order to solve this problem.
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, April 18th: Reading M-STEP
Friday, April 19th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 107 and 108)
Monday, April 22nd: Bring biography book to class
Week of april 8th
Solar Eclipse: The solar eclipse is on Monday, April 8th. The PTO purchased glasses for students to view the eclipse. As a reminder, a pink permission form needed to be completed and returned in order for your child to view it. Other plans will be made for students not viewing the eclipse.
M-STEP: The M-STEP is Michigan's computerized test that assesses students' understanding of grade-level content. Our third graders will be taking the Language Arts M-STEP on Thursday, April 18th. They will be taking the Math M-STEP on Thursday, May 2nd. We have been setting aside some class time to practice for these tests. The students are ready for this and they will do amazing work!
Language Arts: We are starting an exciting unit on literary essays. We will start by reading a book called Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson, and forming opinions about the characters. Students will learn to collect evidence, which includes details, examples, and direct lines from the text. Then they will learn to write a literary essay by creating a thesis statement and writing different paragraphs with evidence.
Students will also work on this project during reading time, as they read many different children's books that are rich in themes, lessons, and character development, to gather ideas for their essays.
Math: In our geometry unit, students will learn to identify quadrilaterals based on their most important attributes. The shape in this newsletter has more than one name. It is a... quadrilateral (because it has four sides), rectangle (because it has four right angles), parallelogram (because it has two pairs of parallel sides), and of course, square (because it has four congruent sides and four right angles). Here are the most important attributes of each shape:
Science: We will continue to use Mystery Science lessons to study force and motion.
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, April 8th: Solar Eclipse
Tuesday, April 9th: 1/2 Day
Friday, April 12th: Math Homework Due (HC Pages 103 and 104 - challenge optional)
Thursday, April 18th: Language Arts M-STEP Test
M-STEP: The M-STEP is Michigan's computerized test that assesses students' understanding of grade-level content. Our third graders will be taking the Language Arts M-STEP on Thursday, April 18th. They will be taking the Math M-STEP on Thursday, May 2nd. We have been setting aside some class time to practice for these tests. The students are ready for this and they will do amazing work!
Language Arts: We are starting an exciting unit on literary essays. We will start by reading a book called Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson, and forming opinions about the characters. Students will learn to collect evidence, which includes details, examples, and direct lines from the text. Then they will learn to write a literary essay by creating a thesis statement and writing different paragraphs with evidence.
Students will also work on this project during reading time, as they read many different children's books that are rich in themes, lessons, and character development, to gather ideas for their essays.
Math: In our geometry unit, students will learn to identify quadrilaterals based on their most important attributes. The shape in this newsletter has more than one name. It is a... quadrilateral (because it has four sides), rectangle (because it has four right angles), parallelogram (because it has two pairs of parallel sides), and of course, square (because it has four congruent sides and four right angles). Here are the most important attributes of each shape:
- a rectangle has four right angles
- a square has four right angles and four congruent sides
- a parallelogram has two pairs of parallel sides
- a trapezoid has one pair of parallel sides
- a rhombus has four congruent sides
Science: We will continue to use Mystery Science lessons to study force and motion.
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, April 8th: Solar Eclipse
Tuesday, April 9th: 1/2 Day
Friday, April 12th: Math Homework Due (HC Pages 103 and 104 - challenge optional)
Thursday, April 18th: Language Arts M-STEP Test
Week of March 25th
Because of Winn Dixie: We plan to watch the movie Because of Winn Dixie on Wednesday. I sent home a permission slip to view the movie earlier this week because it is rated PG. Please make sure to return that slip soon if you would like to give your child permission. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the content of the movie.
Solar Eclipse: A solar eclipse is coming up on April 8th. The PTO purchased glasses so that the students can view the solar eclipse on that day. A permission slip was sent home earlier this week. Please remember to return that form if you wish to give your child permission to view the solar eclipse with the glasses that were purchased.
Homework: There is no homework next week
Reading: We will use next week to practice fluency and test-taking strategies as we look ahead to the Language Arts MSTEP test coming up in April.
Writing: Students will be finishing their informational book final copies. I was hoping that final copies would be turned in before spring break. When students fall behind on their work, sometimes it is because they are not staying focused during writing time. Other times, it is just because they are slow and careful workers. Either way, I may ask some students to do a little bit of work at home this weekend and/or next week to get caught up. If that's the case, I will place it in an orange Friday Folder that should be returned on Monday.
Math: We will start a new unit on geometry. I will give you more information about what we are studying after spring break.
Have a wonderful spring break!
Looking Ahead
Wednesday, March 27th: Because of Winn Dixie Movie
Thursday, March, 28th: Half Day
Solar Eclipse: A solar eclipse is coming up on April 8th. The PTO purchased glasses so that the students can view the solar eclipse on that day. A permission slip was sent home earlier this week. Please remember to return that form if you wish to give your child permission to view the solar eclipse with the glasses that were purchased.
Homework: There is no homework next week
Reading: We will use next week to practice fluency and test-taking strategies as we look ahead to the Language Arts MSTEP test coming up in April.
Writing: Students will be finishing their informational book final copies. I was hoping that final copies would be turned in before spring break. When students fall behind on their work, sometimes it is because they are not staying focused during writing time. Other times, it is just because they are slow and careful workers. Either way, I may ask some students to do a little bit of work at home this weekend and/or next week to get caught up. If that's the case, I will place it in an orange Friday Folder that should be returned on Monday.
Math: We will start a new unit on geometry. I will give you more information about what we are studying after spring break.
Have a wonderful spring break!
Looking Ahead
Wednesday, March 27th: Because of Winn Dixie Movie
Thursday, March, 28th: Half Day
Week of March 18th
Friday Folders: Because we will be gone on the field trip for most of the day, I don't believe that I will have time to check over work and organize folders for students who are missing assignments. I may send home orange folders on Monday for students who need to complete work.
Book Fair: Next week is the Book Fair! Our class will be shopping on Wednesday, March 20th from 1:00-1:40. Please send in money on that day if you would like. The Book Fair will also be open on Thursday, March 21st from 3:45-6:00 if you would like to shop as a family. There is more information about the Book Fair in the latest Roosevelt All Star: https://www.smore.com/n/9yarh
Coin Challenge Next Week!
Monday: Pajama Day: pennies
Tuesday: Dress as Book Character: nickels
Wednesday: Dress Wacky: dimes
Thursday: Sports Fan Day: quarters
Friday: School Spirit: dollars
Reading Workshop: We finished our Character Studies unit. We will use the next couple of weeks to practice a variety of skills, such as reading stories and answering questions, fluency, and test-taking strategies as we look ahead to the Language Arts MSTEP test coming up in April.
Writing Workshop: Students will continue working on their informational book final copies.
Grammar and Word Work: In grammar, we are studying adverbs, which tell how, when, or where an action takes place. In word work, we will practice short u and long u words like cure, sure, rust, rusty, and crust. We will also practice the spelling change: drop the y and add ies. Examples:
fly - flies
marry - marries
carry - carries
Math: We have a math test coming up next Friday which covers multiplication and division concepts. The study guide will be coming home on Monday and it will be due on Thursday, the day before the test. That will give us the opportunity to check over the study guide together in class.
Science: We are using Mystery Science to study invisible forces, including the following lessons:
Balanced Forces and Engineering: What makes bridges so strong?
Patterns of Motion, Gravity and Friction: How high can you swing on a flying trapeze?
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip
Wednesday, March 20th: Book Fair Shopping
Thursday, March 21st: Math Study Guide Due
Friday, March 22nd: Math Test
Book Fair: Next week is the Book Fair! Our class will be shopping on Wednesday, March 20th from 1:00-1:40. Please send in money on that day if you would like. The Book Fair will also be open on Thursday, March 21st from 3:45-6:00 if you would like to shop as a family. There is more information about the Book Fair in the latest Roosevelt All Star: https://www.smore.com/n/9yarh
Coin Challenge Next Week!
Monday: Pajama Day: pennies
Tuesday: Dress as Book Character: nickels
Wednesday: Dress Wacky: dimes
Thursday: Sports Fan Day: quarters
Friday: School Spirit: dollars
Reading Workshop: We finished our Character Studies unit. We will use the next couple of weeks to practice a variety of skills, such as reading stories and answering questions, fluency, and test-taking strategies as we look ahead to the Language Arts MSTEP test coming up in April.
Writing Workshop: Students will continue working on their informational book final copies.
Grammar and Word Work: In grammar, we are studying adverbs, which tell how, when, or where an action takes place. In word work, we will practice short u and long u words like cure, sure, rust, rusty, and crust. We will also practice the spelling change: drop the y and add ies. Examples:
fly - flies
marry - marries
carry - carries
Math: We have a math test coming up next Friday which covers multiplication and division concepts. The study guide will be coming home on Monday and it will be due on Thursday, the day before the test. That will give us the opportunity to check over the study guide together in class.
Science: We are using Mystery Science to study invisible forces, including the following lessons:
Balanced Forces and Engineering: What makes bridges so strong?
Patterns of Motion, Gravity and Friction: How high can you swing on a flying trapeze?
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip
Wednesday, March 20th: Book Fair Shopping
Thursday, March 21st: Math Study Guide Due
Friday, March 22nd: Math Test
Week of March 11th
Field Trip: Our field trip to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is coming up on Friday, March 15th. When you turned in the permission slip for your child to attend, you either marked a box to order a sack lunch through the school, or checked a box that you would be providing a sack lunch for your child. I will remind students of their choices, but please let me know if you don't remember which option you chose. If you are providing a sack lunch, please remember that everything should be disposable so that we can throw all trash away before returning to school.
Read-A-Thon: Today, your child will be bringing home a paper about the Read-A-Thon. Over the next week, students will be reading at home and tracking minutes on the chart. When students hit certain marks, they bring the paper to school to receive a prize, and then take it back home to continue tracking minutes. Next Friday, they will turn in their papers. Students can earn free dollars toward the book fair based on how many minutes they read in all. All of the information you need will be on the paper that is coming home today.
Reading Workshop: We will finish Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel, and discuss the themes and lessons that readers gain from the story.
Writing Workshop: Students have been working hard on their nonfiction books! Next week, they will be writing their final copies.
Grammar and Word Work: We will finish our study of adverbs. We learned that adverbs describe verbs by telling how, when or where the action happens. We will also study the following spelling changes:
try - tries
cry - cries
spy - spies
Math: We will be solving division story problems and practicing multiplication and division facts to build fluency.
Science: We are beginning a Mystery Science Unit called Invisible Forces. This will correlate well with our field trip to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 15th: Return Read-A-Thon papers to school
Friday, March 15th: Math Homework Due: HC Pages 93 and 94
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip to Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Monday, March 18th: Book Fair Week (I will let you know which day we are shopping)
Read-A-Thon: Today, your child will be bringing home a paper about the Read-A-Thon. Over the next week, students will be reading at home and tracking minutes on the chart. When students hit certain marks, they bring the paper to school to receive a prize, and then take it back home to continue tracking minutes. Next Friday, they will turn in their papers. Students can earn free dollars toward the book fair based on how many minutes they read in all. All of the information you need will be on the paper that is coming home today.
Reading Workshop: We will finish Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel, and discuss the themes and lessons that readers gain from the story.
Writing Workshop: Students have been working hard on their nonfiction books! Next week, they will be writing their final copies.
Grammar and Word Work: We will finish our study of adverbs. We learned that adverbs describe verbs by telling how, when or where the action happens. We will also study the following spelling changes:
try - tries
cry - cries
spy - spies
Math: We will be solving division story problems and practicing multiplication and division facts to build fluency.
Science: We are beginning a Mystery Science Unit called Invisible Forces. This will correlate well with our field trip to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo.
Have a great week!
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 15th: Return Read-A-Thon papers to school
Friday, March 15th: Math Homework Due: HC Pages 93 and 94
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip to Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Monday, March 18th: Book Fair Week (I will let you know which day we are shopping)
Week of March 4th
Reading Workshop: As we begin the second part of our Character Studies unit, we will read a book called Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel. The main character moves to a new city and faces many challenges that she needs to work through. Eventually, we will compare Dyamonde to Opal from Because of Winn Dixie to observe how both characters overcome their challenges.
Writing Workshop: Students will edit and revise their informational books, and then work on final copies.
Grammar: We will start a quick study of adverbs, which are words that describe a verb. They can tell how, when, or where the action happens.
Math: We will work on multiplication and division fact families. As I wrote in the last couple of newsletters, this would be a great time to practice multiplication and division facts at home.
We are also working on writing different equations to find the area and perimeter of rectangles.
Social Studies: We will learn about Michigan's regions and the resources found in those regions.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 1st: Variety Show - 6:30 at LHS
Tuesday, March 5th: Quick trip to LHS to see a small part of Newsies
Thursday, March 7th: Half Day
Friday, March 8th: Half Day
Friday, March 8th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 91 and 92)
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip to Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Writing Workshop: Students will edit and revise their informational books, and then work on final copies.
Grammar: We will start a quick study of adverbs, which are words that describe a verb. They can tell how, when, or where the action happens.
Math: We will work on multiplication and division fact families. As I wrote in the last couple of newsletters, this would be a great time to practice multiplication and division facts at home.
We are also working on writing different equations to find the area and perimeter of rectangles.
- Height x Width = Area
- Side 1 + Side 2 + Side 3 + Side 4 = Perimeter OR (first side x 2) + (second side x 2) = Perimeter
Social Studies: We will learn about Michigan's regions and the resources found in those regions.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Friday, March 1st: Variety Show - 6:30 at LHS
Tuesday, March 5th: Quick trip to LHS to see a small part of Newsies
Thursday, March 7th: Half Day
Friday, March 8th: Half Day
Friday, March 8th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 91 and 92)
Friday, March 15th: Field Trip to Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Week of February 26th
Permission Slips: There are two permission slips that need to be turned in. First, permission for your child to attend part of Newsies at the high school on March 5th (due on March 1st). Second, permission to go to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo on March 15th (Due today). Don't worry if you have missed the due date, but please remember to return these forms as soon as possible. Thank you!
Reading: We finished Because of Winn Dixie last week. This unit has taught students how to analyze stories. For example, determining character traits using evidence from the text, studying the story mountain as a way to track plot, and determining the morals and themes of the story. Before moving on to our next story, students will have the opportunity to practice some of these skills using other short stories. We are also making a push to practice fluency. There is a correlation between fluency and comprehension, so it is an important skill to practice.
Writing: Students will be finishing their nonfiction books. My hope is that they will have the opportunity to edit and revise so that they can start their final copies soon!
Word Work: We will learn about the prefix "dis," meaning the opposite. Examples include disagree and disassemble.
Math: We will be using arrays to further understand the relationship between multiplication and division (see the picture in this newsletter).
As a reminder, this is a great time to practice multiplication and division facts at home. This digital multiplication table is an excellent resource for practicing multiplication, division, and recognizing relationships between numbers. Please feel free to click on the link below and use it at home!
https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Times-Table/
Social Studies: Using Social Studies Weekly newspapers, students are learning how people interact with, adapt to, and modify the environment. Then they will learn about the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Have a great weekend!
Dates
Friday, March 1st: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 89 and 90)
Friday, March, 1st: Variety Show
Reading: We finished Because of Winn Dixie last week. This unit has taught students how to analyze stories. For example, determining character traits using evidence from the text, studying the story mountain as a way to track plot, and determining the morals and themes of the story. Before moving on to our next story, students will have the opportunity to practice some of these skills using other short stories. We are also making a push to practice fluency. There is a correlation between fluency and comprehension, so it is an important skill to practice.
Writing: Students will be finishing their nonfiction books. My hope is that they will have the opportunity to edit and revise so that they can start their final copies soon!
Word Work: We will learn about the prefix "dis," meaning the opposite. Examples include disagree and disassemble.
Math: We will be using arrays to further understand the relationship between multiplication and division (see the picture in this newsletter).
As a reminder, this is a great time to practice multiplication and division facts at home. This digital multiplication table is an excellent resource for practicing multiplication, division, and recognizing relationships between numbers. Please feel free to click on the link below and use it at home!
https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Times-Table/
Social Studies: Using Social Studies Weekly newspapers, students are learning how people interact with, adapt to, and modify the environment. Then they will learn about the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Have a great weekend!
Dates
Friday, March 1st: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 89 and 90)
Friday, March, 1st: Variety Show
Week of February 19th
Reading: As we finish Because of Winn Dixie, we will think critically by asking questions such as:
Writing: As students continue writing their informational books, they will learn to write powerful introductions and conclusions that leave the reader thinking. They are also choosing different text features, such as diagrams, charts, maps, lists, etc. that will enhance each of their chapters.
Word Work: We will be working on "long o" words such as rose, sore, store, and stone. We will also study the prefix "er," which means "more." For example, an ox is stronger (more strong) than a rabbit.
Math: We will be starting unit 5, which extends students' current understanding of multiplication and division. Students can use a variety of strategies to solve multiplication problems (some examples are shown below). However, this is a wonderful time to begin practicing and memorizing multiplication and division facts if you have a few extra minutes during the week.
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Don't forget about doubling!
Example: 6 x 7... To solve 6 groups of 7, do 3 groups of 7 and double it ... 3 x 7 = 21, and 21 + 21 = 42
Field Trip: A note came home regarding our field trip to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. Permission slips, money, and chaperone forms are due by Friday, February 23rd.
Social Studies: As we study the geographical theme of place, we will learn about human characteristics.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Monday, February 19th: No School
Friday, February 23rd: Kalamazoo Air Zoo permission slips, money, and chaperone forms are due
Friday, February 23rd: Math Homework Due (HC Pages 83, 84, and 87 - challenge optional)
- How did the character change?
- What lessons did the character learn?
- What are the important themes in the story?
Writing: As students continue writing their informational books, they will learn to write powerful introductions and conclusions that leave the reader thinking. They are also choosing different text features, such as diagrams, charts, maps, lists, etc. that will enhance each of their chapters.
Word Work: We will be working on "long o" words such as rose, sore, store, and stone. We will also study the prefix "er," which means "more." For example, an ox is stronger (more strong) than a rabbit.
Math: We will be starting unit 5, which extends students' current understanding of multiplication and division. Students can use a variety of strategies to solve multiplication problems (some examples are shown below). However, this is a wonderful time to begin practicing and memorizing multiplication and division facts if you have a few extra minutes during the week.
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Don't forget about doubling!
Example: 6 x 7... To solve 6 groups of 7, do 3 groups of 7 and double it ... 3 x 7 = 21, and 21 + 21 = 42
Field Trip: A note came home regarding our field trip to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. Permission slips, money, and chaperone forms are due by Friday, February 23rd.
Social Studies: As we study the geographical theme of place, we will learn about human characteristics.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Monday, February 19th: No School
Friday, February 23rd: Kalamazoo Air Zoo permission slips, money, and chaperone forms are due
Friday, February 23rd: Math Homework Due (HC Pages 83, 84, and 87 - challenge optional)
Week of February 12th
Reading: We have been using the story mountain analogy to track the plot of stories. In Because of Winn Dixie, we will read through the climax of the story. The climax is when tensions are most high. We compare that part of the story to a pot of water boiling over. We can learn a lot about characters when we notice how they react to their challenges.
Writing Workshop: Students will continue to write chapters in their nonfiction books (see last week's newsletter for more details about the skills they will work on while writing).
Word Work: We will study words in the "ight" word family, like night, might, and flight.
Math: Students will be taking the unit 4 math test next Friday. The study guide will be sent home on Monday and it is due on Friday, the day of the test. There is no other homework this week.
Social Studies: As we study geography, we will discuss how each community has different characteristics. These characteristics include human characteristics, political characteristics, economic characteristics, agriculture, industry, and services.
Remember that Monday, February 12th is a half-day. Have a wonderful week!
Looking Ahead:
Monday, February 12th: Half Day
Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day Party
Friday, February 16th: Math Test, Study Guide Due
Monday, February 19th: No School
Writing Workshop: Students will continue to write chapters in their nonfiction books (see last week's newsletter for more details about the skills they will work on while writing).
Word Work: We will study words in the "ight" word family, like night, might, and flight.
Math: Students will be taking the unit 4 math test next Friday. The study guide will be sent home on Monday and it is due on Friday, the day of the test. There is no other homework this week.
Social Studies: As we study geography, we will discuss how each community has different characteristics. These characteristics include human characteristics, political characteristics, economic characteristics, agriculture, industry, and services.
Remember that Monday, February 12th is a half-day. Have a wonderful week!
Looking Ahead:
Monday, February 12th: Half Day
Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day Party
Friday, February 16th: Math Test, Study Guide Due
Monday, February 19th: No School
Week of February 5th
We had a wonderful week! You should be so proud of your child's hard work in third grade!
Report Cards: Report Cards are coming home today. Please sign and return the yellow envelope and keep the report card at home. NWEA scores will be sent home next week.
Reading: Using Because of Winn Dixie as our mentor text, we will learn about the story mountain - this is the typical plot structure that many stories follow (characters and setting, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution).
We will also use the analogy of an iceberg to analyze characters. We can see the top 10% of an iceberg, while 90% of the iceberg is hidden below the water. At times, this is the same with people. We can notice their actions and words. However, we do not always understand what lies beneath, or what causes them to act the way they do. In Because of Winn Dixie, Opal learns not to judge others, because everyone has different circumstances that she may not understand at first.
Writing: Students will continue to write their nonfiction books. I am asking students to think as experts and to consider what vocabulary words and concepts they should be teaching to the reader. I am pushing them to add details and examples in each paragraph.
For example, I am writing a book about running. One of my paragraphs explains how an mp3 player helps to keep running fun. Instead of just writing that an mp3 player can make running fun, I use add-on details to explain it further:
If you are not feeling motivated to run, an mp3 player might help. An mp3 player is a device that plays songs or podcasts. You will want to choose songs with a high tempo, or speed, to encourage you to run fast. Pop, hip-hop, or rock music might work best. Choose new songs every week and that will make you excited to go for a run!
Grammar and Word Work: We are studying verbs and how to modify verb endings correctly. For example:
bake, baked, bakes, baking or carry, carried, carries, carrying
Math: Next week we will study fractions. Fractions are an abstract and challenging concept for students. At this point, they need a lot of diagrams and manipulatives to make sense of the concepts. We will start by learning about unit fractions, which have a "1" in the numerator (1/2, 1/3, 1/4...). It is easy to compare unit fractions because the larger the denominator, the smaller the pieces (for example, 1/4 is greater than 1/10)
Social Studies: Students have already learned that there are five themes of geography - location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction. Now we will study each theme in more depth. Next week, we will learn about location and discuss lines of latitude, lines of longitude, oceans and continents.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Thursday, February 8th: Half-Day and Conferences
Friday, February 9th: Math Homework Due (pages 69 and 71)
Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day Party
Report Cards: Report Cards are coming home today. Please sign and return the yellow envelope and keep the report card at home. NWEA scores will be sent home next week.
Reading: Using Because of Winn Dixie as our mentor text, we will learn about the story mountain - this is the typical plot structure that many stories follow (characters and setting, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution).
We will also use the analogy of an iceberg to analyze characters. We can see the top 10% of an iceberg, while 90% of the iceberg is hidden below the water. At times, this is the same with people. We can notice their actions and words. However, we do not always understand what lies beneath, or what causes them to act the way they do. In Because of Winn Dixie, Opal learns not to judge others, because everyone has different circumstances that she may not understand at first.
Writing: Students will continue to write their nonfiction books. I am asking students to think as experts and to consider what vocabulary words and concepts they should be teaching to the reader. I am pushing them to add details and examples in each paragraph.
For example, I am writing a book about running. One of my paragraphs explains how an mp3 player helps to keep running fun. Instead of just writing that an mp3 player can make running fun, I use add-on details to explain it further:
If you are not feeling motivated to run, an mp3 player might help. An mp3 player is a device that plays songs or podcasts. You will want to choose songs with a high tempo, or speed, to encourage you to run fast. Pop, hip-hop, or rock music might work best. Choose new songs every week and that will make you excited to go for a run!
Grammar and Word Work: We are studying verbs and how to modify verb endings correctly. For example:
bake, baked, bakes, baking or carry, carried, carries, carrying
Math: Next week we will study fractions. Fractions are an abstract and challenging concept for students. At this point, they need a lot of diagrams and manipulatives to make sense of the concepts. We will start by learning about unit fractions, which have a "1" in the numerator (1/2, 1/3, 1/4...). It is easy to compare unit fractions because the larger the denominator, the smaller the pieces (for example, 1/4 is greater than 1/10)
Social Studies: Students have already learned that there are five themes of geography - location, place, region, movement, and human-environment interaction. Now we will study each theme in more depth. Next week, we will learn about location and discuss lines of latitude, lines of longitude, oceans and continents.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Thursday, February 8th: Half-Day and Conferences
Friday, February 9th: Math Homework Due (pages 69 and 71)
Wednesday, February 14th: Valentine's Day Party
Week of January 29th
With winter break, snow days, NWEA tests, and other assessments, it has been a bit of a challenge finding our routine. We are always flexible! It will be exciting to get back on track with some of our units next week!
Reading Workshop: We are reading a book called Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo. Students will learn to make observations about characters, look for patterns in their behaviors, and develop theories about them. Characters also become more complicated as we read more advanced books. They change and learn lessons, so we will be on the lookout for that.
Writing Workshop: We are beginning a unit in which students will write their own nonfiction books using topics of their own choice. Next week, they will start to plan chapters for their own nonfiction books. Then, they will learn to use details and examples to explain their ideas. For example, if I am writing a book called Taking Care of a Dog, I could write a chapter called Feeding a Dog. It might include information about what type of food to buy, how much food to give the dog, how often to feed the dog, and maybe even different types of treats.
Math: We will be practicing single step and multistep story problems that may require using any of the operations. For example:
There were 286 ml of water in the water bottle. Then I added some more. Now there are 725 ml of water. How much water did I add?
725 - 286 = ___ OR 286 + ___ = 725
Jill had 7 buckets with rocks. Each bucket had a mass of 13 kg. Then she used 21 kg. of those rocks for landscaping. How many kg of rocks are left?
(7 x 13) - 21 = ___
Social Studies: As we continue in our Geography unit, we will learn about physical characteristics of different regions around the world.
Other Notes:
Looking Ahead
Friday, February 2nd: Report Cards Coming Home
Thursday, February 8th: Winter Conferences
Reading Workshop: We are reading a book called Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo. Students will learn to make observations about characters, look for patterns in their behaviors, and develop theories about them. Characters also become more complicated as we read more advanced books. They change and learn lessons, so we will be on the lookout for that.
Writing Workshop: We are beginning a unit in which students will write their own nonfiction books using topics of their own choice. Next week, they will start to plan chapters for their own nonfiction books. Then, they will learn to use details and examples to explain their ideas. For example, if I am writing a book called Taking Care of a Dog, I could write a chapter called Feeding a Dog. It might include information about what type of food to buy, how much food to give the dog, how often to feed the dog, and maybe even different types of treats.
Math: We will be practicing single step and multistep story problems that may require using any of the operations. For example:
There were 286 ml of water in the water bottle. Then I added some more. Now there are 725 ml of water. How much water did I add?
725 - 286 = ___ OR 286 + ___ = 725
Jill had 7 buckets with rocks. Each bucket had a mass of 13 kg. Then she used 21 kg. of those rocks for landscaping. How many kg of rocks are left?
(7 x 13) - 21 = ___
Social Studies: As we continue in our Geography unit, we will learn about physical characteristics of different regions around the world.
Other Notes:
- There is no math homework next week. Circumstances have not allowed the progress I was expecting in our measurement unit, and I don't want to assign concepts that we have not yet studied in class.
- Students will be taking the NWEA Math test on Thursday.
- If anyone would be willing to donate individual bags of popcorn or Popcorners, or apple sauce pouches to our Valentine's Day party, we could still use those donations. Please let me know. Thank you!
Looking Ahead
Friday, February 2nd: Report Cards Coming Home
Thursday, February 8th: Winter Conferences
Week of January 22nd
The end of the marking period was supposed to be today (January 19th). Due to the snow days, the end of the marking period will now be on Wednesday, January 24th. This doesn't change too much for our purposes. However, the report card will now be sent home on Wednesday, January 31st. It was good to wrap things up this week so that we can begin new units!
Reading Workshop: We are starting an exciting new unit called Character Studies. We will read a story together called Because of Winn Dixie. It is a deep story with a lot of lessons and themes to discuss. To get started, we will form ideas about characters using patterns of behaviors that we observe from the text.
Writing Workshop: We are also starting a new writing unit. Students will be writing their own informational books. They will begin by brainstorming informational topics in which they are experts; examples might include soccer, caring for dogs, ballet, fishing, or making jewelry. Then, they will choose one of those topics and develop categories (chapters) for their informational books.
Grammar and Word Work: In grammar, we are studying verbs, including linking verbs. (For example, "They are happy.") In word work, we are studying different patterns that make the "long e" sound, (feet, meat, Pete) and we are learning about the suffix "est." (fastest, maddest, greatest...)
Math: Last week, we explored mass using a balance. This week, we will explore liquid volume using milliliters and liters (1,000 milliliters = 1 liter). Students will also solve single-step and multi-step story problems that relate to measurement. For example:
Jill bought 6 stepping stones that each had a mass of 4 kg, and she bought 5 stepping stones that each had a mass of 6 kg. What is the total mass of the stepping stones?
(6 x 4) + (5 x 6) = 54 kilograms
Social Studies: Our new unit is Geography. The first lesson teaches students how to read different types of maps.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, January 25th: Jim Basketball Jones Assembly - The Power of Yet
Friday, January 26th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Pages 65, 66, and 67). The challenge on page 66 is optional.
Thursday, February 8th: Half-Day, Conferences (your child will be brining home a note today)
Monday, February 12th: Half-Day
Reading Workshop: We are starting an exciting new unit called Character Studies. We will read a story together called Because of Winn Dixie. It is a deep story with a lot of lessons and themes to discuss. To get started, we will form ideas about characters using patterns of behaviors that we observe from the text.
Writing Workshop: We are also starting a new writing unit. Students will be writing their own informational books. They will begin by brainstorming informational topics in which they are experts; examples might include soccer, caring for dogs, ballet, fishing, or making jewelry. Then, they will choose one of those topics and develop categories (chapters) for their informational books.
Grammar and Word Work: In grammar, we are studying verbs, including linking verbs. (For example, "They are happy.") In word work, we are studying different patterns that make the "long e" sound, (feet, meat, Pete) and we are learning about the suffix "est." (fastest, maddest, greatest...)
Math: Last week, we explored mass using a balance. This week, we will explore liquid volume using milliliters and liters (1,000 milliliters = 1 liter). Students will also solve single-step and multi-step story problems that relate to measurement. For example:
Jill bought 6 stepping stones that each had a mass of 4 kg, and she bought 5 stepping stones that each had a mass of 6 kg. What is the total mass of the stepping stones?
(6 x 4) + (5 x 6) = 54 kilograms
Social Studies: Our new unit is Geography. The first lesson teaches students how to read different types of maps.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, January 25th: Jim Basketball Jones Assembly - The Power of Yet
Friday, January 26th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Pages 65, 66, and 67). The challenge on page 66 is optional.
Thursday, February 8th: Half-Day, Conferences (your child will be brining home a note today)
Monday, February 12th: Half-Day
Week of January 8th, 2024
I hope you had a wonderful break! I am excited to see the students again this week! The second marking period ends on the 19th. That means we have a lot of things to wrap up in the next two weeks before we start new units.
Reading: A performance task is when students apply their learning in a real-world scenario. We have been studying nonfiction texts. In this week's performance task, students will pretend that they are babysitting two kids for the summer. They will use their nonfiction reading skills to explore a pamphlet about the summer camps offered at Sarett. Then, considering the age and interests of the kids, they will create a schedule of camps to attend.
Writing: We will use our writing time to catch up on grammar, word work, and cursive. This will include studying verbs and practicing words with the "ou" pattern such as sour, scout, and counts.
Math: We will be solving time story problems. For example:
"Larry started walking to the library at 2:17. He arrived at 3:05. How long did it take him to get there?"
We are also studying measurement. Students are getting an overview of different types of measurement, including mass, volume and length. They are also gaining familiarity with common units in both the Metric System and the U.S. Customary System. Students will be completing pages 39 and 40 in their Home Connections book for homework.
Science: We will use Mystery Science to address the question, "Why do plants give us fruit?" The following lesson description is taken from Mystery Science:
In this lesson students learn about why plants grow fruit. In the activity, Science Fruit or Vegetable, students examine common grocery produce and predict if each item is a science fruit or science vegetable. Then they take a closer look at slices of the produce and search for seeds.
Have a wonderful week!
Looking Ahead
Friday, January 12th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 39 and 40)
Monday, January 15th: No School
Thursday, January 18th: Half Day
Friday, January 19th: Half Day
Friday, January 19th: PTO Family Movie Night
Reading: A performance task is when students apply their learning in a real-world scenario. We have been studying nonfiction texts. In this week's performance task, students will pretend that they are babysitting two kids for the summer. They will use their nonfiction reading skills to explore a pamphlet about the summer camps offered at Sarett. Then, considering the age and interests of the kids, they will create a schedule of camps to attend.
Writing: We will use our writing time to catch up on grammar, word work, and cursive. This will include studying verbs and practicing words with the "ou" pattern such as sour, scout, and counts.
Math: We will be solving time story problems. For example:
"Larry started walking to the library at 2:17. He arrived at 3:05. How long did it take him to get there?"
We are also studying measurement. Students are getting an overview of different types of measurement, including mass, volume and length. They are also gaining familiarity with common units in both the Metric System and the U.S. Customary System. Students will be completing pages 39 and 40 in their Home Connections book for homework.
Science: We will use Mystery Science to address the question, "Why do plants give us fruit?" The following lesson description is taken from Mystery Science:
In this lesson students learn about why plants grow fruit. In the activity, Science Fruit or Vegetable, students examine common grocery produce and predict if each item is a science fruit or science vegetable. Then they take a closer look at slices of the produce and search for seeds.
Have a wonderful week!
Looking Ahead
Friday, January 12th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 39 and 40)
Monday, January 15th: No School
Thursday, January 18th: Half Day
Friday, January 19th: Half Day
Friday, January 19th: PTO Family Movie Night
Week of December 18th
Reading Workshop: We will be exploring different nonfiction text structures. For example, some might be organized in chronological order. Others might be organized by topic, with main ideas and details. Some texts contain causes and effects, or problems and solutions.
Writing Workshop: Students are completing their final opinion papers of the unit. They finished a rough draft last week, and now they should be editing, revising, or completing a final copy.
Vocabulary: We will use IXL to practice a variety of skills such as compound words, synonyms and antonyms, homophones, and multiple meaning words.
Math: We are starting Unit 4, which is a unit on measurement. We will begin by telling time to the nearest minute. Then we will get more familiar with different types of measurement, such as mass and liquid volume. Students will solve a variety of story problems that contain different units of measurement.
Science: In Mystery Science, we will explore the question, "Why do plants grow flowers?"
Have a wonderful break with your family!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, December 21st: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 61-62, challenge optional)
Thursday, December 21st: Holiday Party (9:15 - 10:15)
Friday, December 22nd: We will watch Homeward Bound; Also, it's pajama day!
Writing Workshop: Students are completing their final opinion papers of the unit. They finished a rough draft last week, and now they should be editing, revising, or completing a final copy.
Vocabulary: We will use IXL to practice a variety of skills such as compound words, synonyms and antonyms, homophones, and multiple meaning words.
Math: We are starting Unit 4, which is a unit on measurement. We will begin by telling time to the nearest minute. Then we will get more familiar with different types of measurement, such as mass and liquid volume. Students will solve a variety of story problems that contain different units of measurement.
Science: In Mystery Science, we will explore the question, "Why do plants grow flowers?"
Have a wonderful break with your family!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, December 21st: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 61-62, challenge optional)
Thursday, December 21st: Holiday Party (9:15 - 10:15)
Friday, December 22nd: We will watch Homeward Bound; Also, it's pajama day!
Week of December 11th
Reading Workshop: We are reading three nonfiction articles about roller coasters. We will use the articles to practice synthesizing - this is when readers bring together information from different sources in order to develop an understanding about a particular topic.
Writing Workshop: We have learned the process of writing an opinion paper: brainstorm an idea, write a thesis, complete a graphic organizer, draft the paper using topic sentences and details in each paragraph, and use transitions to support organization. Now, students will choose from a list of prompts and write one more paper that will eventually become a final copy.
Math: There will be a test this Wednesday that covers rounding and three-digit addition and subtraction. The study guide will also be due on Wednesday. I sent home the study guide yesterday so that students would have plenty of time to complete it. I want to remind you that students have learned different ways to solve addition and subtraction problems, including the standard algorithm, number lines, and other place value strategies. At this point, each student should be choosing the strategy in which he/she can apply most consistently, accurately, and confidently.
Science: In science, we will explore the question, "What's the best way to get rid of mosquitoes?" The following lesson summary is taken from Mystery Science:
In this lesson, students investigate mosquito life cycles and habitats and discover the role of mosquitoes in carrying diseases such as malaria. In the activity, Bug Off!, students evaluate the merits of different solutions for getting rid of mosquitoes at various locations in a town. Students design a solution to help the town deal with an abundance of mosquitoes resulting from a very rainy summer.
PTO Newsletter: Here is another copy of the PTO newsletter, giving information about the Holiday Gift Shop. Our class will be shopping on Thursday morning. A paper copy of this newsletter was sent home yesterday: PTO Newsletter
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Wednesday, December 13th: Math Test and Study Guide Due
Thursday, December 14th: Our class shops at the Holiday Gift Shop
Writing Workshop: We have learned the process of writing an opinion paper: brainstorm an idea, write a thesis, complete a graphic organizer, draft the paper using topic sentences and details in each paragraph, and use transitions to support organization. Now, students will choose from a list of prompts and write one more paper that will eventually become a final copy.
Math: There will be a test this Wednesday that covers rounding and three-digit addition and subtraction. The study guide will also be due on Wednesday. I sent home the study guide yesterday so that students would have plenty of time to complete it. I want to remind you that students have learned different ways to solve addition and subtraction problems, including the standard algorithm, number lines, and other place value strategies. At this point, each student should be choosing the strategy in which he/she can apply most consistently, accurately, and confidently.
Science: In science, we will explore the question, "What's the best way to get rid of mosquitoes?" The following lesson summary is taken from Mystery Science:
In this lesson, students investigate mosquito life cycles and habitats and discover the role of mosquitoes in carrying diseases such as malaria. In the activity, Bug Off!, students evaluate the merits of different solutions for getting rid of mosquitoes at various locations in a town. Students design a solution to help the town deal with an abundance of mosquitoes resulting from a very rainy summer.
PTO Newsletter: Here is another copy of the PTO newsletter, giving information about the Holiday Gift Shop. Our class will be shopping on Thursday morning. A paper copy of this newsletter was sent home yesterday: PTO Newsletter
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Wednesday, December 13th: Math Test and Study Guide Due
Thursday, December 14th: Our class shops at the Holiday Gift Shop
Week of December 4th
Reading Workshop: Students are learning to summarize nonfiction passages. While summarizing nonfiction, we start with the main idea. Then we give the most important details that support the main idea. Here is an example of a strong third grade summary, using a chapter from a book about gorillas:
Gorillas have many adaptations that help them to survive. First, their strong arms allow them to pull down branches and tear plants from the ground. Also, their hands and feet are special because they have opposable thumbs and toes. This allows them to pick up small things like insects and vines. Next, gorillas have a thick layer of fur to keep themselves warm and to protect against bugs. Finally, their sharp teeth allow them to defend themselves and grind up tough plants. Gorillas have special bodies to help them to live in their habitats!
Grammar: We will learn to identify adjectives in a sentence.
Word Work: We will study the suffix "or," meaning a person or thing that does something (a visitor is someone who visits, a sailor is someone who sails...). We will also look at homophones such as cell/sell and roll/role.
Math: We are learning different strategies to subtract three digit numbers. We have been doing a lot of work with the standard algorithm in class. Please see the picture within this newsletter for strategies that have been taught.
Science: We will start a new Mystery Science unit called Life Cycles. Next week's lesson is called, "How is your life like an alligator's life?" From Mystery Science:
In this lesson, students explore animal life cycles by thinking about their birthday buddies—all the animals that were born on the exact same day as they were born—and what happens to those birthday buddies over the course of their lives. In the activity, Birthday Buddies Timeline, students develop a model to compare the life stories of different animals. Using this model, students discover that although the lives of animals can be very different, they all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Friday, December 1st: PTO Skate with Santa at The Garden (6:00-8:00)
Friday, December 1st: Jam Fundraiser Sales Due
Friday, December 8th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 51 and 55)
Gorillas have many adaptations that help them to survive. First, their strong arms allow them to pull down branches and tear plants from the ground. Also, their hands and feet are special because they have opposable thumbs and toes. This allows them to pick up small things like insects and vines. Next, gorillas have a thick layer of fur to keep themselves warm and to protect against bugs. Finally, their sharp teeth allow them to defend themselves and grind up tough plants. Gorillas have special bodies to help them to live in their habitats!
Grammar: We will learn to identify adjectives in a sentence.
Word Work: We will study the suffix "or," meaning a person or thing that does something (a visitor is someone who visits, a sailor is someone who sails...). We will also look at homophones such as cell/sell and roll/role.
Math: We are learning different strategies to subtract three digit numbers. We have been doing a lot of work with the standard algorithm in class. Please see the picture within this newsletter for strategies that have been taught.
Science: We will start a new Mystery Science unit called Life Cycles. Next week's lesson is called, "How is your life like an alligator's life?" From Mystery Science:
In this lesson, students explore animal life cycles by thinking about their birthday buddies—all the animals that were born on the exact same day as they were born—and what happens to those birthday buddies over the course of their lives. In the activity, Birthday Buddies Timeline, students develop a model to compare the life stories of different animals. Using this model, students discover that although the lives of animals can be very different, they all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead
Friday, December 1st: PTO Skate with Santa at The Garden (6:00-8:00)
Friday, December 1st: Jam Fundraiser Sales Due
Friday, December 8th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 51 and 55)
Week of November 27th
Winter Weather Gear: Our playground gets very cold in the winter! Please remember to send in proper winter gear with your child - a hat, mittens or gloves, boots, and snow pants when necessary. Thank you!
Jam Fundraiser: Two weeks ago, your child brought home information about a fundraiser in which third and fourth graders will sell jam from Radtke farms. Please consider supporting this fundraiser. All third grade proceeds will get put into a general fund to reduce the cost of next year's trip to Lansing. All sales are due this Friday. Thank you for your help with this initiative! Reading Workshop: We are beginning an informational unit called Reading to Learn: Grasping Main Ideas and Text Structures. In this unit, students will learn to use text features to better understand nonfiction texts. Text features include titles, headings, subheadings, bold words, pictures, captions, and graphs. We will also learn to identify how texts are structured. Examples of text structures might include main ideas and supporting details, sequential order, or cause and effect. Writing Workshop: Student continue to write opinion papers. As the unit progresses, we are looking for the structure of the students' papers to get better and better. Papers should contain an introduction, body paragraphs with topic sentences and details, and a conclusion. Grammar: We are studying pronouns, which are words that replace nouns, such as he, she, they, them and it. It has been fun to look through our read aloud book, search for all the pronouns, and determine what each pronoun stands for. Math: We are solving story problems that require three digit addition. In this newsletter, I am including a picture of strategies that students can use while solving these problems. Have a great week! Looking Ahead... Friday, December 1st: Jam Fundraiser Sales Due Friday, December 1st: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 47 and 48 - challenge optional) Friday, December 1st: PTO Ice Skate with Santa 6:00-8:00 @ The Garden |
Week of November 13th
Music Concert: The music concert is on Tuesday, November 14th at 6:30 pm in the Lakeshore High School auditorium. Please have your child arrive around 6:15 pm. Third graders will be sitting in the first few rows of the auditorium until it is their turn to go on stage. For more information, please see the attached note: Music Concert Note
Reading Workshop: We are wrapping up our mystery unit. We will read a short story called "The Case of the Missing Left Shoe," and practice formulating responses while summarizing and making predictions using evidence from the text.
Writing Workshop: Students are writing opinion papers. They have already learned to brainstorm ideas by either seeing problems and imaging solutions (for example, There is too much trash on the beach; let's keep it clean!) or by seeing what's wonderful (for example, We should appreciate our custodians!).
This week, we will be focusing on organization and structure. We begin with an introduction (containing the opinion statement, or thesis). Then, each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph will be about, followed by details, examples, and short stories.
Word Work: We will practice the suffix "er," meaning a person or thing that does something (a runner is someone who runs, a scanner is something that scans). We will also learn to double the "n" when adding "er." (winners, planners...)
Math: We are starting a new unit on rounding and three digit addition and subtraction. This week we will focus on rounding to the nearest 10 and rounding to the nearest 100.
To the Nearest 10...
23 --> 20
83 --> 80
136 -->140
To the Nearest 100...
173 --> 200
811 --> 800
4,694 --> 4,700
Social Studies: We will look at early settlements in Michigan. We will study push factors (the negative aspects that motivated people to leave the place they lived) and the pull factors (the positive aspects that motivated people to move to Michigan).
Looking Ahead...
Monday, November 13th: Our class views books at the book fair
Monday, November 13th: PTO Meeting (3:45 pm)
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Concert (6:30 pm at Lakeshore High School)
Thursday, November 16th: Our class purchases books at the book fair
Friday, November 17th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 43 and 44)
Reading Workshop: We are wrapping up our mystery unit. We will read a short story called "The Case of the Missing Left Shoe," and practice formulating responses while summarizing and making predictions using evidence from the text.
Writing Workshop: Students are writing opinion papers. They have already learned to brainstorm ideas by either seeing problems and imaging solutions (for example, There is too much trash on the beach; let's keep it clean!) or by seeing what's wonderful (for example, We should appreciate our custodians!).
This week, we will be focusing on organization and structure. We begin with an introduction (containing the opinion statement, or thesis). Then, each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph will be about, followed by details, examples, and short stories.
Word Work: We will practice the suffix "er," meaning a person or thing that does something (a runner is someone who runs, a scanner is something that scans). We will also learn to double the "n" when adding "er." (winners, planners...)
Math: We are starting a new unit on rounding and three digit addition and subtraction. This week we will focus on rounding to the nearest 10 and rounding to the nearest 100.
To the Nearest 10...
23 --> 20
83 --> 80
136 -->140
To the Nearest 100...
173 --> 200
811 --> 800
4,694 --> 4,700
Social Studies: We will look at early settlements in Michigan. We will study push factors (the negative aspects that motivated people to leave the place they lived) and the pull factors (the positive aspects that motivated people to move to Michigan).
Looking Ahead...
Monday, November 13th: Our class views books at the book fair
Monday, November 13th: PTO Meeting (3:45 pm)
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Concert (6:30 pm at Lakeshore High School)
Thursday, November 16th: Our class purchases books at the book fair
Friday, November 17th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 43 and 44)
Week of November 6th
Math: We will have a math test over multiplication skills on Friday, November 10th. The study guide will be sent home on Monday and it will be due on Thursday, the day before the test. On Thursday, we will check over the study guide together. It is the only homework this week.
Reading: We are starting a new mystery called The Whodunit Detective Agency: The Diamond Mystery. Students are learning to be more active readers by:
Writing: As students learn to write opinion essays, our main focus will be providing evidence for opinions. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence and then details, examples, facts, or short personal stories to support the opinion.
Word Work: We will study the suffix "er," meaning a person or thing that does something.
teach - teacher
farm - farmer
speak - speaker
Of course, if a word already ends with "e," we simply add an "r."
range - ranger
make - maker
Social Studies: This week, we learned about the Anishinaabek, also known as The Three Fires. This includes the Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa), Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. Next week, we will learn about the European settlers, including why they came to Michigan and how life changed for the Native Americans.
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, November 9th: Math Study Guide Due
Friday, November 10th: Math Test
Monday, November 13th: Our class views books at the book fair
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Concert (6:30 pm at Lakeshore High School)
Thursday, November 16th: Our class purchases books at the book fair
Reading: We are starting a new mystery called The Whodunit Detective Agency: The Diamond Mystery. Students are learning to be more active readers by:
- Taking notes on clues
- Making predictions using clues from the text
- Pausing to ask themselves questions like, "What is happening so far? What are we learning about the characters? What clues are we finding and what might they mean? What will happen next?"
Writing: As students learn to write opinion essays, our main focus will be providing evidence for opinions. Each paragraph should contain a topic sentence and then details, examples, facts, or short personal stories to support the opinion.
Word Work: We will study the suffix "er," meaning a person or thing that does something.
teach - teacher
farm - farmer
speak - speaker
Of course, if a word already ends with "e," we simply add an "r."
range - ranger
make - maker
Social Studies: This week, we learned about the Anishinaabek, also known as The Three Fires. This includes the Ojibwe (also known as Chippewa), Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. Next week, we will learn about the European settlers, including why they came to Michigan and how life changed for the Native Americans.
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Thursday, November 9th: Math Study Guide Due
Friday, November 10th: Math Test
Monday, November 13th: Our class views books at the book fair
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Concert (6:30 pm at Lakeshore High School)
Thursday, November 16th: Our class purchases books at the book fair
Week of October 30th
Reading: We will finish reading and debriefing A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author. As we think about that story and the different mysteries that students are reading independently, we will look for patterns and trends:
Writing: Students will brainstorm big, BOLD, opinion statements for their opinion papers. These are often ideas to make our school, community, or world better. Then, they will develop reasons and examples to support their opinion statements.
Math: If you have any extra time, please consider taking a few minutes to practice multiplication facts with your child. It is completely normal that facts are not memorized at this point - students are just expected to find a strategy to solve the problem somewhat efficiently. Skip counting is an option. Or, I want to remind you of some of the strategies we have learned (listed below). I would suggest starting with 3's, 4's, and 5's, and then building up to larger factors.
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Don't forget about doubling!
Example: 6 x 7... To solve 6 groups of 7, do 3 groups of 7 and double it ... 3 x 7 = 21, and 21 + 21 = 42
Social Studies: It is fun to study Michigan's history in the fall. Next week, we will learn about the Ottawa, Ojibwe/Chippewa, and Potawatomi tribes that make up the Anishinaabek.
Halloween: Here is the note that was previously sent home. Halloween Parade and Party Note
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade and Party
Friday, November 3rd: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 41 and 42 - the challenge on page 42 is optional)
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Program at the High School (6:30 pm)
- there is a crime and a crime solver (detective)
- some suspects have a motive
- the first suspect is not generally the one who committed the crime
- there are "red herring" clues meant to throw you off track...
Writing: Students will brainstorm big, BOLD, opinion statements for their opinion papers. These are often ideas to make our school, community, or world better. Then, they will develop reasons and examples to support their opinion statements.
Math: If you have any extra time, please consider taking a few minutes to practice multiplication facts with your child. It is completely normal that facts are not memorized at this point - students are just expected to find a strategy to solve the problem somewhat efficiently. Skip counting is an option. Or, I want to remind you of some of the strategies we have learned (listed below). I would suggest starting with 3's, 4's, and 5's, and then building up to larger factors.
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Don't forget about doubling!
Example: 6 x 7... To solve 6 groups of 7, do 3 groups of 7 and double it ... 3 x 7 = 21, and 21 + 21 = 42
Social Studies: It is fun to study Michigan's history in the fall. Next week, we will learn about the Ottawa, Ojibwe/Chippewa, and Potawatomi tribes that make up the Anishinaabek.
Halloween: Here is the note that was previously sent home. Halloween Parade and Party Note
Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade and Party
Friday, November 3rd: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 41 and 42 - the challenge on page 42 is optional)
Tuesday, November 14th: Music Program at the High School (6:30 pm)
Week of October 23rd
Reading Workshop: Our mystery unit has been a lot of fun! Next week we will learn to make predictions drawing on the suspect's motives and opportunities. Reading mysteries can also be challenging - new characters, misleading clues, real clues... We will learn to take action when things get tricky!
Writing: Our next unit is: Persuasive Speeches: Changing the World. In this unit, students will create big, bold, opinions and then write papers that contain support for their opinions. Next week, we will read and respond to different examples of opinion writing in order to get familiar with this genre.
Word Work: Our pattern this week is: when words end with ch, add an es.
Examples: branches, ranches, and beaches.
Math: We will explore the multiplication table and discuss strategies that can be used to multiply numbers efficiently. Here are some examples:
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Science: We will use Mystery Science to learn about pumpkins:
Looking Ahead:
Thursday, October 26th: Conferences in the evening
Friday, October 27th: Half Day
Friday, October 27th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 31, 32, and 33)
Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade and Party
Writing: Our next unit is: Persuasive Speeches: Changing the World. In this unit, students will create big, bold, opinions and then write papers that contain support for their opinions. Next week, we will read and respond to different examples of opinion writing in order to get familiar with this genre.
Word Work: Our pattern this week is: when words end with ch, add an es.
Examples: branches, ranches, and beaches.
Math: We will explore the multiplication table and discuss strategies that can be used to multiply numbers efficiently. Here are some examples:
To multiply by 2: Doubles Facts
Example: 2 x 8... Double the 8 to get 16
To multiply by 3: Double Plus One Set Facts
Example: 8 x 3... Double the 8 to get 16, add one more set of 8 to make 24
To multiply by 4: Double Double Facts
Example: 4 X 7... Double the 7 to make 14, double the 14 to make 28
To multiply by 9: Tens Minus One Set
Example: 6 X 9... Do 6 x 10 instead, and subtract a group of 6 ... (6 x 10) - 6 = 54
Science: We will use Mystery Science to learn about pumpkins:
- How could you create the biggest fruit in the world?
- Why are pumpkins orange?
- Why are pumpkins so popular every fall?
Looking Ahead:
Thursday, October 26th: Conferences in the evening
Friday, October 27th: Half Day
Friday, October 27th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 31, 32, and 33)
Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade and Party
Week of October 16th
Reading: We are starting a fun new mystery unit on Tuesday. Students will read books from a mystery series that is near their reading levels. They will practice getting to know characters, looking for clues, making predictions, and using note-taking techniques as they read. As a class, we will read A to Z Mysteries: The Absent Author to practice these skills together.
Writing: Since we are not quite ready to begin a new unit, we will use this time to learn new cursive letters and practice grammar skills (irregular plural nouns). Math: We are in the middle of a unit on basic multiplication. We are using arrays to represent mathematical thinking. We are also exploring the idea of doubling. For example, to solve 4 x 6 (four groups of six), we can solve 2 x 6 (two groups of six) and then double it to make 24. 2 x 6 = 12, and 12 + 12 = 24 OR (2 x 6) x 2 = 24 Science: We will be using Mystery Science to explore: Fossil Evidence, Trace Fossils, and Animal Behavior: Can you outrun a dinosaur? Halloween: Here is the note that was sent home last week. Halloween Parade and Party Note Have a wonderful weekend! Looking Ahead: Thursday, October 19th: Half Day (conferences in the afternoon and evening) Friday, October 20th: Math Homework Due (HC Book pages 27, 29 and 30) Thursday, October 26th: Conferences in the evening Friday, October 27th: Half Day Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween Parade and Party |
Week of October 9th
Math: We are starting a unit on basic multiplication. At this point, memorization is not necessarily the goal. Students will use models (see the picture in this newsletter) or other strategies to solve problems and demonstrate their thinking.
Reading: We will be using reading comprehension passages to practice comprehension skills. We are excited to start a new unit On October 16th involving mysteries!
Writing: Students are writing final copies of their personal narratives. We will take advantage of any extra time by learning new cursive letters.
Grammar: We will be studying singular nouns, plural nouns, and proper nouns.
Science: We are using Mystery Science to study animals through time. This week we will learn about Fossil Evidence and Dinosaurs: How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?
Music Program: The first, second, and third grade music concert will be on November 14th, 6:30 in the evening, at the high school. More details will follow, but Mrs. Reid asked me to share this information so that you can mark the date on your calendar.
Parent Teacher Conferences: Thank you for signing up for a conference time! Please remember to sign up if you have not had the opportunity. Feel free to email me if you need me to resend the directions.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Friday, October 13th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Pages 21-23)
Reading: We will be using reading comprehension passages to practice comprehension skills. We are excited to start a new unit On October 16th involving mysteries!
Writing: Students are writing final copies of their personal narratives. We will take advantage of any extra time by learning new cursive letters.
Grammar: We will be studying singular nouns, plural nouns, and proper nouns.
Science: We are using Mystery Science to study animals through time. This week we will learn about Fossil Evidence and Dinosaurs: How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?
Music Program: The first, second, and third grade music concert will be on November 14th, 6:30 in the evening, at the high school. More details will follow, but Mrs. Reid asked me to share this information so that you can mark the date on your calendar.
Parent Teacher Conferences: Thank you for signing up for a conference time! Please remember to sign up if you have not had the opportunity. Feel free to email me if you need me to resend the directions.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Friday, October 13th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Pages 21-23)
Week of October 2nd
Math: A math study guide was sent home last Monday. It is due on Monday, October 2nd. We will check over the study guide together in class and then I will send it back home. The math test will be on Tuesday and there is no additional homework this week.
Reading: Students will read a story called "The Solver," in which a boy named Kevin helps his mom to find her glasses. Then they will write about one of Kevin's character traits, using evidence from the story. They will also write a summary of the story. Character traits and summarizing are skills that we have practiced together as a class, and now students are being asked to apply these skills independently.
We are also setting aside time to practice fluency. We could define fluency as reading with appropriate speed and expression. More simply, fluency is "reading the same way you talk." There is a strong correlation between reading fluency and comprehension, so it is something we practice often.
Spelling: Our spelling pattern this week is double the "b" when adding "ing," in words such as subbing, rubbing, and scrubbing.
Science: We will use an online program called Mystery Science as we begin our first unit, Animals through Time. The program uses videos and classroom activities to make science engaging for the students.
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Conferences are on October 19th and October 26th. Look for an email to come home Monday morning about signing up for a conference.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, October 2nd: Math Study Guide Due
Tuesday, October 3rd: Math Test
Wednesday, October 4th: Picture Day
Reading: Students will read a story called "The Solver," in which a boy named Kevin helps his mom to find her glasses. Then they will write about one of Kevin's character traits, using evidence from the story. They will also write a summary of the story. Character traits and summarizing are skills that we have practiced together as a class, and now students are being asked to apply these skills independently.
We are also setting aside time to practice fluency. We could define fluency as reading with appropriate speed and expression. More simply, fluency is "reading the same way you talk." There is a strong correlation between reading fluency and comprehension, so it is something we practice often.
Spelling: Our spelling pattern this week is double the "b" when adding "ing," in words such as subbing, rubbing, and scrubbing.
Science: We will use an online program called Mystery Science as we begin our first unit, Animals through Time. The program uses videos and classroom activities to make science engaging for the students.
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Conferences are on October 19th and October 26th. Look for an email to come home Monday morning about signing up for a conference.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, October 2nd: Math Study Guide Due
Tuesday, October 3rd: Math Test
Wednesday, October 4th: Picture Day
Week of September 25th
Math: Our homework schedule will be different due to an upcoming test. Monday, I will send home a study guide that is similar to the test. It will be due on the following Monday, October 2nd. On Monday the 2nd, we will check over the study guide together in preparation for the test on Tuesday, October 3rd. I would encourage your child to start the study guide early and then let me know if there are any questions. There is no homework in the Home Connections Book.
The image in this newsletter shows a typical third grade story problem for this point in the year. Notice that addition (23 + _ = 71) or subtraction (71 - 23 = _) could be used to solve the problem.
Reading Workshop:
We will practice writing about character traits, using evidence from the text. We will also practice summarizing, which is more challenging than simply retelling. It involves considering all of the details and merging them together to state the most important ideas. Our guidelines for summarizing a chapter or a short story are below:
Writing Workshop: We have been writing personal narratives and finding ways to improve them through revision. We will work on finding the "heart" of the story (the part that matters most) and being intentional about developing that part with more details, thoughts, feelings, etc. We will also continue to work on organizing our writing into paragraphs.
Word Work: Our spelling rule this week is: double the "p" when adding "ed," in words such as tipped, ripped, and clapped.
Social Studies: We will use our Social Studies Weekly newspaper to learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Sunday, September 24th: Color Run
Monday, September 25th: Math Study Guide Coming Home
Monday, October 2nd: Math Study Guide Due
Tuesday, October 3rd: Math Test
The image in this newsletter shows a typical third grade story problem for this point in the year. Notice that addition (23 + _ = 71) or subtraction (71 - 23 = _) could be used to solve the problem.
Reading Workshop:
We will practice writing about character traits, using evidence from the text. We will also practice summarizing, which is more challenging than simply retelling. It involves considering all of the details and merging them together to state the most important ideas. Our guidelines for summarizing a chapter or a short story are below:
- Write the important story events from the beginning, middle and end
- Try to include around 5 or 6 events (3 events is not enough, and 10 is too many!)
- Include the characters’ names
- Use your own words - do not copy direct lines from the story
Writing Workshop: We have been writing personal narratives and finding ways to improve them through revision. We will work on finding the "heart" of the story (the part that matters most) and being intentional about developing that part with more details, thoughts, feelings, etc. We will also continue to work on organizing our writing into paragraphs.
Word Work: Our spelling rule this week is: double the "p" when adding "ed," in words such as tipped, ripped, and clapped.
Social Studies: We will use our Social Studies Weekly newspaper to learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Sunday, September 24th: Color Run
Monday, September 25th: Math Study Guide Coming Home
Monday, October 2nd: Math Study Guide Due
Tuesday, October 3rd: Math Test
week of september 18th
Reading Workshop: We will be working on finding character traits and making predictions using evidence. If we can look back in the text to gather evidence about characters and how they tend to act in certain situations, it can help us to predict their future actions. This is a common theme in third grade learning: use a piece of evidence from the text in your response. We are also practicing retelling stories by focusing on the most important events.
Writing Workshop: I will be handing out writing booklets this week. Each page in the writing booklet has a small rectangle in the corner that will be used for a quick sketch. As students plan a story, they will learn to sketch the different story parts, using a different page for each story part. This helps to build the idea of paragraphs - when the setting changes, or when the story moves from one part to another, we start a new paragraph.
Spelling: Our spelling rule this week is: double the "p" when adding "ed." Here are some examples:
trip - tripped
flip - flipped
snap - snapped
Math: Students are learning to solve two digit addition problems using the number line. They will learn to add the tens and then add the ones. (please see the picture in this newsletter). This week's homework is pages 7, 8, and 9 in the Home Connections Book.
Social Studies: We are exploring the ideas of working together, conflict, and compromise using a Social Studies Weekly newspaper. We will address this topic in the context of our community, our country, and our world.
Here is the link to our Color Run fundraising page: https://getmovinfundhub.com/login
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Tuesday, September 19th: Reading NWEA Test
Thursday, September 21st: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 7, 8, and 9)
Sunday, September 24th: Roosevelt Color Run
Writing Workshop: I will be handing out writing booklets this week. Each page in the writing booklet has a small rectangle in the corner that will be used for a quick sketch. As students plan a story, they will learn to sketch the different story parts, using a different page for each story part. This helps to build the idea of paragraphs - when the setting changes, or when the story moves from one part to another, we start a new paragraph.
Spelling: Our spelling rule this week is: double the "p" when adding "ed." Here are some examples:
trip - tripped
flip - flipped
snap - snapped
Math: Students are learning to solve two digit addition problems using the number line. They will learn to add the tens and then add the ones. (please see the picture in this newsletter). This week's homework is pages 7, 8, and 9 in the Home Connections Book.
Social Studies: We are exploring the ideas of working together, conflict, and compromise using a Social Studies Weekly newspaper. We will address this topic in the context of our community, our country, and our world.
Here is the link to our Color Run fundraising page: https://getmovinfundhub.com/login
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead:
Tuesday, September 19th: Reading NWEA Test
Thursday, September 21st: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 7, 8, and 9)
Sunday, September 24th: Roosevelt Color Run
Week of September 11th
Reading Workshop: We will be starting a book called Indian Shoes. It is a collection of short stories about a Cherokee-Seminole boy and his grandfather. We will learn a very important skill: to monitor our own comprehension by pausing and asking ourselves questions as we read. Here are a few examples:
Writing: Students are brainstorming ideas for personal narratives and beginning to draft those stories in their writing notebooks. (Please see last week's newsletter for a better explanation of personal narratives).
Math: We are learning strategies for subtraction. Although this unit has some review, we are building an understanding of concepts that will be important for the remainder of the year. This week's math homework is pages 3, 4, and 5 in the Home Connections book.
Homework Hint: On page 4, question number 7 asks: There are 13 blue marbles and 7 red marbles in a bag. How many more blue marbles than red marbles are in the bag? Keon says this is a subtraction problem. Tamron says it is an addition problem. What do you think? Why?
This is a bit of a trick question, but someone could use addition or subtraction in order to find the answer (see equations below). It's important for students to understand this relationship between addition and subtraction. The first equation is called removal, and the second equation is called differencing.
13 - 7 = 6 OR 7 + 6 = 13
Social Studies: We will continue to use our Social Studies Weekly newspapers to study government. We will discuss the three levels of government (local, state and federal) and the three branches of government.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Wednesday, September 13th: PTO Red Coach Give Back, 6am - 11am
Friday, September 15th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 3, 4, and 5)
- Who is in this part?
- What just happened?
- Does this connect to another part of the story?
Writing: Students are brainstorming ideas for personal narratives and beginning to draft those stories in their writing notebooks. (Please see last week's newsletter for a better explanation of personal narratives).
Math: We are learning strategies for subtraction. Although this unit has some review, we are building an understanding of concepts that will be important for the remainder of the year. This week's math homework is pages 3, 4, and 5 in the Home Connections book.
Homework Hint: On page 4, question number 7 asks: There are 13 blue marbles and 7 red marbles in a bag. How many more blue marbles than red marbles are in the bag? Keon says this is a subtraction problem. Tamron says it is an addition problem. What do you think? Why?
This is a bit of a trick question, but someone could use addition or subtraction in order to find the answer (see equations below). It's important for students to understand this relationship between addition and subtraction. The first equation is called removal, and the second equation is called differencing.
13 - 7 = 6 OR 7 + 6 = 13
Social Studies: We will continue to use our Social Studies Weekly newspapers to study government. We will discuss the three levels of government (local, state and federal) and the three branches of government.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Wednesday, September 13th: PTO Red Coach Give Back, 6am - 11am
Friday, September 15th: Math Homework Due (HC Book Pages 3, 4, and 5)
Week of September 4th
We are off to a wonderful start! In our first week together, we started to build a classroom community with different "get to know you" activities. We learned classroom procedures and slowly began to dive into the curriculum. Next week, our daily schedule will start to take form.
Math: We have been solving addition and subtraction story problems and learning to solve math facts using different strategies. For example, to solve 8 + 7, we can use the Doubles Plus One strategy: Do 7 + 7 and then add one more. As an equation, we could write: (7 + 7) + 1 = 15
Students have math homework next week. Tuesday, they will bring home a green and white Home Connections book. The homework this week is pages 1 and 2, due Friday. This assignment will also be recorded in the Daily Planner each day. I ask students to at least attempt the challenge problem on page 2.
Reading: Our first reading unit is called Building a Reading Life. Students are learning habits and strategies to make reading time the best it can be. This includes choosing "just right books," building reading stamina, talking about books (either alone or with a partner), using strategies to figure out difficult words, and treating books as if they're gold (our attitude affects our reading!)
Writing: In the first writing unit, students will write personal narratives. These are true stories about small, meaningful moments in their lives. For example, I could write an entire story about the time I was scared to go down a waterslide but showed the courage to do it. I would include lots of thoughts, details, descriptions, and dialogue. Focusing on a small moment like this is more effective than writing a story that contains too many different events. For example, writing about my entire trip to Florida might include a lot of different events (plane rides, hotels, restaurants, roller coasters, beaches) but it would probably lack the specific details that would be necessary to bring the story to life.
Social Studies: We are using Social Studies Weekly newspapers to learn about government. We are learning that the United States is a democracy and a representative government in which the people elect leaders.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, September 4th: No School
Wednesday, September 6th: First Late Start Wednesday
Friday, September 8th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 1 and 2)
Click here for a calendar of this month's specials, or click on the "Specials" tab in my website.
Math: We have been solving addition and subtraction story problems and learning to solve math facts using different strategies. For example, to solve 8 + 7, we can use the Doubles Plus One strategy: Do 7 + 7 and then add one more. As an equation, we could write: (7 + 7) + 1 = 15
Students have math homework next week. Tuesday, they will bring home a green and white Home Connections book. The homework this week is pages 1 and 2, due Friday. This assignment will also be recorded in the Daily Planner each day. I ask students to at least attempt the challenge problem on page 2.
Reading: Our first reading unit is called Building a Reading Life. Students are learning habits and strategies to make reading time the best it can be. This includes choosing "just right books," building reading stamina, talking about books (either alone or with a partner), using strategies to figure out difficult words, and treating books as if they're gold (our attitude affects our reading!)
Writing: In the first writing unit, students will write personal narratives. These are true stories about small, meaningful moments in their lives. For example, I could write an entire story about the time I was scared to go down a waterslide but showed the courage to do it. I would include lots of thoughts, details, descriptions, and dialogue. Focusing on a small moment like this is more effective than writing a story that contains too many different events. For example, writing about my entire trip to Florida might include a lot of different events (plane rides, hotels, restaurants, roller coasters, beaches) but it would probably lack the specific details that would be necessary to bring the story to life.
Social Studies: We are using Social Studies Weekly newspapers to learn about government. We are learning that the United States is a democracy and a representative government in which the people elect leaders.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Looking Ahead...
Monday, September 4th: No School
Wednesday, September 6th: First Late Start Wednesday
Friday, September 8th: Math Homework Due (Home Connections Book Pages 1 and 2)
Click here for a calendar of this month's specials, or click on the "Specials" tab in my website.