January 8, 2016
Dear Parents,
Right before winter break, the third grade team gathered for celebration and reflection. With the respite from the busyness of the daily school life -- the geography quizzes, book club discussions, and multiplication assessments, we asked ourselves,
What drives our teaching?
We teach because we are passionate about children, who they will become and how they will impact our world. We love that we are able to teach both the mind and the spirit. As educators, we strive to teach children to be thoughtful, empowered,and literate human beings. Our daily lessons are all driven from our commitment to developing lifelong learners and leaders. We pride ourselves in teaching children not only content, but also the skills that they will use to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. We hope that our students will become servant leaders who follow their hearts, and use their talents to change the world.
We believe that our partnership and communication with you are essential. Together, with shared support, understanding, and values, we can continue to effectively develop the whole child. In order to more effectively communicate the essential skills and understandings of our curricula, the third grade team will send new monthly newsletters. Each newsletter will emphasize the broader goals and skills we will work toward and achieve each month. It will highlight each unit we are currently studying, along with information of how students will learn the concepts we are teaching. The newsletters, which will replace our weekly updates, will be sent out at the beginning of each month. Homework, announcements from the office, and any other important information will still be updated weekly on our class websites.
Our team has worked together to bring you a newsletter that is more informative, digs deeper, and shares what truly drives our teaching each day.
Warmly,
The Third Grade Team
January Newsletter Third Grade
READING Nonfiction Reading: Expository Texts
When children read nonfiction, they cultivate a foundation of background knowledge about the world around them. We seek to develop learners who think critically about the world, and consider the perspectives of others. Informational texts lend themselves to children’s ability to distinguish their own points of view from an author of a text, in addition to satiating their natural curiosity.
Nonfiction readers examine text structures and use them like a road map to accumulate new information. They differentiate between topics, main ideas, and supporting details, and are able to summarize, draw conclusions, and use their newly acquired schema to generate theories to be shared with others. Within this unit, the children will develop the necessary skills to effectively and efficiently navigate informational texts. They will learn to use text features to quickly locate information, identify a variety of text structures that help support their understanding of what they read, determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by the key details, and describe the relationship among content ideas in a text.
Questions you can ask your child about what he or she is reading in school or at home:
Questions you can ask your child about his or her learning:
December 11, 2015
Here's a quick recap from this week:
Math
December 4, 2015
It is hard to believe we are already in December! Take a look at a quick recap of our week!
Math
· Learned about place value
· Came up with our own class definition of place value
· Practiced reading and writing numbers all the way to the millions place
· Learned about place holders
· Looked at census data to help understand geographic population
Reading
· Wrapped up book clubs
· Continued to work with the inGen Studio to code our characters’ stories
· Reviewed what we already know about Non Fiction texts
· Worked with partners to identify text features and compiled a list of different text features we found in non fiction books.
Writing
· Continued to work on editing, revising, and publishing our realistic fiction pieces.
· Came up with catchy titles
· Discussed how to make powerful illustrations
Word Study/ Grammar
· Assessed November Learned Words
· Reviewed the 1-1-1 Doubling rule
Social Studies
· Read about and studied about the Midwest region of the United States
· Studied the geography of the Midwest region
· Learned about important cities, crops, and attractions that are in the Midwest region
· Studied states and capitals on a blank map
· Assessed the Midwest region (states and capitals)
November 13, 2015
We had a busy week in room 252. Take a look at all we have been working on!
InMath, We are nearing the end of Unit Four. This week we continued studying multiplication fact power and shortcuts. We learned the relationship between multiplication and division and practiced multiplication and division fact families to help us learn our facts. Students loved playing Baseball Multiplication and rotating through our math exploration stations where they conducted explorations about multiplication (use of arrays, fact practice, various games, etc.) On Friday, students learned how to estimate distances on a map using a map scale, which is also relevant to our Social Studies lessons when we look at maps.
In Reading Workshop, we continue to study our characters and use strong character traits to describe them. Students continue to read independently and meet in their book clubs to discuss and analyze their characters and what their character is learning as the chapters progress.
In Writing Workshop, students spent time developing a plan for their final draft of their Realistic Fiction story. They began by writing their story on a time line and identifying the problem/resolution that their character will face in their story. We reviewed "Catchy Leads" and looked at several of our mentor texts for ideas of how we could write our own interesting introduction. Students worked hard to integrate new craft moves as they revise and edit.
In Word Study, students were assessed on plural endings -s, -es, and -ies. We began to study the three sounds of -ed (/d/, /id/, /t/). We have also been studying our November learned words using S.O.S.)
In Social Studies, we read about and studied about the South East region of the United States and studied the geography of the SE region- Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean. We too time to learned about important cities, crops, and attractions that are in the SE region and assessed the SE region (states and capitals) on Friday. We will begin to study the Northeast Region next week!
November 6, 2015
It is hard to believe we are in November! We have had a lot going on this week. Take a look below for a quick recap.
In Math, students began to understand the basics behind multiplication and created arrays to help learn multiplication facts. Students used math manipulatives (cubes, pennies, counters etc.) to learn that dividing numbers up is putting them into equal groups. Then, students looked at and discussed the relationships between multiplication and division. Our first few lessons in Unit 4 culminated in our "Array City" project where students created a building and used an array as the windows to represent a multiplication fact.
In Reading, we studied our characters and used strong character traits to describe them. Students are continuing to meet in their book club to talk around their jots and get to know their character in their book.
In Writing, we are continuing to write realistic fiction and learn new strategies from our mentor texts. In doing so, students learned that most stories have a challenge and the character is brave or works out a solution. Students also used the organizer: Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then to talk about a story line and story mountains to help graph our plots. Students will begin drafting their final piece this week.
In Word Study/ Grammar, we assessed our October Learned Words and began studying plural endings -s and -es (* and noticing when to add an -s or -es.
In Social Studies, we assessed our Pangaea/Early Explorer Unit and launched our geography unit.
October 30, 2015
We had a great Fall Festival. Thank you to all those who helped make the day so much fun for our students. Here's a quick recap from this week:
In Math, we wrapped up unit 3 this week by studying diameter and circumference. We spent a few days reviewing for our unit 3 assessment, and completed the assessment along with the re-engagement.
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to study our character through book clubs. We discusses character traits and how we can find text evidence to prove it. Our book clubs met and continue to work together to discuss the books they are reading while making long and strong jots.
In Writing Workshop, we continue to look at our mentor text to learn about realistic fiction and to help us gain insight about how to be realistic fiction writers. Students brainstormed ideas for their own realistic fiction stories that they will begin to write this week.
In Word Study, we studied and assessed our silent consonant blends "ghost letters" this week. These included gn-, kn-, wr-, and ph. We have also been continuing to apply different spelling strategies as we tackle spelling our learned words for October. We will assess this week.
In Social Studies, we reviewed for our test on Monday. Students leaned about several different explorers through an interactive project where they made mosaics of the explorers, mapped the explorer routes on a map, and wrote a quick blurb on their accomplishments.
October 23, 2015
We had such a great "full" week back. Take a look below for all that we have been doing in room 252.
In Math- We are wrapping up Unit 3 this week. We worked on perimeter and area. We found both the perimeter and area of our names as well as other objects in the classroom. We also completed an explorations lesson. This lesson allowed students to problem solve, work in small groups, and interact with various manipulatives to help them better understand perimeter, area, and polygons. The students were given the study guide this week and are expected to finish it before their Unit 3 assessment on Wednesday 10/28.
In Reading Workshop- This week we got into our book club books- finally! We created plans on how we will participate in successful book clubs and set individual and group goals. We worked hard to turn our post-it thinking into meaningful jots by asking ourselves “does my jot sink or float?”. The students began meeting with either myself, Mrs. Tucker, or Mrs. Ivey and began having great book club conversations. As a reminder the students are only expected to read their book club books in the classroom.
In Writing Workshop- This week as writers we worked hard to recall all the strategies we know about collecting story ideas. We took a tour around the school in hopes that it would spark story ideas. We also looked at our own past experiences and asked “what could have gone differently?”. This helped the students be more flexible in their thinking and showing how just a little change in a story can make the story something else completely. The students also worked in groups to create a realistic fiction story together. This was a great collaborative exercise that showcased all we have worked on thus far. Next week we will begin mapping out our own stories next week.
In Word Study/Grammar- This week we worked on silent beginning digraphs. We learned and kn- and gn- make the /n/ sound, wr- makes the /r/ sound, and ph- makes the /f/ sound. The students enjoyed learned that words that have ph in them that make the /f/ sounds are those from Greek origin.
In Social Studies- This week we wrapped up our explorers unit. The students finished learning about Henry Hudson and Amergio Vespucci. The students were given a study guide which was completed in class. The students will use this all next week to study for their social studies assessment on Monday 11/2
October 9, 2015
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Look forward to seeing the students back on Wednesday, October 14th! Take a look below for a quick recap of our week in Room 252.
· In Reading Workshop, we allowed the students to free read. Since we were in between units we thought it was important to allow the students some “freedom” to read books that are on their just right level, or non-fiction books. We took a trip to the library where Mrs. Ivey did great book introductions on books suitable for 3rd graders. We appreciate Mrs. Ivey and all of her help!
· In Writing Workshop, students published their first stories of third grade! We learned about the difference between editing and revision and made time for both. We shared catchy titles, powerful illustrations, and celebrated our great stories!
· In Math, we spent time reviewing for our Unit 2 assessment. We gave the assessment in one day. Like our last unit, the students were given a second day/second chance for the Open Response. The students were able to collaborate in groups, learn from each other’s mistakes, and gain a better understanding of the concepts addressed in this unit’s open response.
· In Word Study/Grammar, we learned about the “ch” and “tch” at the end of the word. We studied when we add which ending, and what vowel sounds go with each. We worked on strategies to not get confused since both –tch and –ch make the /ch/ sound. We will assess sometime after fall break. We are working on a mini-unit with Their, There, and They’re.
· In Social Studies, we are moving into our study on Early Explorers. We shared their trials and tribulations and the courage it took to leave you homeland in search of a new world. Students also worked together to create mosaic portraits of five of the explorers we will be researching and learning about next week. We also went back and visited our Stone Age understandings with third grade Cave Art.
October 2, 2015
Hope you all had a great week! Below is a quick recap of our week in Room 252.
In Reading Workshop, we finished our read aloud, Class Clown by Joanna Herwitz as we wrapped up our character unit this week. We shared our stories in partnerships and discussed how our character faces a challenge and how they overcome it, and the lessons our characters learned.
In Writing Workshop, we are in the final stages of crafting our personal narratives. We looked at mentor text and brainstormed all of the craft moves we could try in our own writing. Some of the moves that we mentioned were catchy leads, descriptive words, show not tell, dialogue, sounds, feelings, and strong conclusions. We also learned about paragraphing and organizing our story. Exciting news...Next week we will publish! Can't wait for you all to read their wonderful personal narratives.
In Word Study, we learned what makes the “k” sound. We realized that the /k/ sound can be made in several different ways. From there, we discovered that with a short vowel sound, the /k/ at the end of the word is spelled with a –ck (duck). With a long vowel word you add –ke (snake), and finally we discussed vowel teams and how a "k" stands alone (book).
In Math, we completed Unit 2. Over the last few lessons, we have been learning the Partial Sums addition algorithm. We also learned/reviewed the counting up and trade-first subtraction algorithms. We worked hard to read number stories and figure out what the question is and use the information to solve word problems. The students were given a study guide on Monday that they should complete before the assessment. Our assessment will be Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
In Social Studies, we learned about the Vikings and continued to put our new note taking skills into practice. We also had two open note quizzes to help us recall what we have learned about the Ice Age and Stone Age. Our next few days will be learning about Early Explorers and their famous voyages across the sea. To launch our study of explorers, the students "heard from the king" that they were being sent on a voyage and that they had $100 to spend on supplies. On Monday, the "king" will send a letter awarding them points if they chose their supplies he mentions as being some of the key items they would need for their voyage.
Have a great weekend!
September 25, 2015
We had a GREAT week! Please note that we will NOT be having 3rd Grade Fun Night on October 2nd. The third grade team and administration is working to reschedule.
Take a look below for a recap of our week!
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to focus on developing theories about our characters. In order to develop these theories, we continue to practice stopping, thinking and jotting about our reading. As readers, we learned about inferring and ways in which we can notice, think, support, and develop resigning about our character's actions. We also used a timeline to track our characters’ changes throughout the book.
In Writing Workshop, we have been working hard on our personal narratives. We used timelines to help stretch out our small moment (seed) stories. We also worked on drafting catchy leads to really "hook" the reader. Today and over the next few days we will be tackling transforming our drafts, piece by piece, to come to know the process and importance of drafting.
In Word Study- This week we reviewed the FLOSS rule. Students learned a "cheer" to help them remember that a Floss word is a word that have one syllable, one short vowel, and end is F,L, S,Z—you double it! We also studied the two sounds of "C." (C says /s/ when it is followed by an i,e, or y and says /k/ when it is next to any other letter). Mrs. Bair also came to visit us this week to help review skills by "drilling the deck" to help us recall sounds quickly.
In Math- We continued working on Unit 2 this week. We reviewed “What’s My Rule?” routines and solving number stories. We solved number stories through Part-Part-Total diagrams (addition) and through Comparison and Change Stories (subtraction). We are also reviewing ballpark estimates and will begin to work on Partial Sums.
In Social Studies- We wrapped up the Ice Age and Stone Age and are now beginning to discuss the Vikings. There seems to be a lot of excitement around this unit! We are also continuing to learn note taking skills.
September 18, 2015
Thank you all for coming to Parent Night and attending Hopes and Dreams Conferences. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to meet and spend time hearing about your child.
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to learn strategies of how we can follow our characters into meaning by tracking our character throughout a book. We learned about envisioning and how important it is to make a mental movie in our minds as we read, making sure to stop, think and jot along the way. Students worked in groups to practice envisioning by taking a passage from Class Clown and sketching the mental picture they have in their mind. We also developed a greater understanding in the difference between character traits and character feelings. We talked about how traits show how a character acts over and over again while feelings can change. (Students became familiar with this concept by turning and talking with their partners about personal traits they embody verses feelings they may have in the moment).
In Writing Workshop, students continue to build their knowledge of how to write a strong “seed story.” We discussed how strong writers “Show, NOT Tell”. This strategy is used to help students create vivid stories by including detail, descriptive words, the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why), and a catchy lead. Students also spent time working in partnerships to choose their “seed story” that they want to draft, edit, revise, and publish. Over the next week students will walk through the entire writing process with their chosen piece.
In Math, we assessed Unit 1 and, as you will see, assessments are slightly different in third grade. We sent home a study guide a week prior to the test for the students to complete as a way to help them prepare. We also have one day devoted to review in which I work with students whole group, small group and individually.
On assessment day, students are given time to complete both the written and the open response assessment. The next day, students are given another chance to solve the open response through a “re-engagement.” During this time, students work alongside their peers to talk and collaborate before they are sent off to make revisions (if needed) to their work. Then, I take both grades from the first and second attempt and average them.
And, finally, we launched Unit 2 in which we learned about fact families and fact family extensions.
In Word Study, We concluded REVLOC by discussing the “consonant + le” rule. We also discussed open and closed syllables and what vowel sound the vowel makes (Open: Vowel makes long sound; Closed: Vowel makes short sound).
In Social Studies, we began our Unit in Prehistory. Last week we discussed Pangea and this week we launched into talking about the Ice Age and Stone Age. Students are involved in learning about these topics and are tackling the note taking and learning different methods of doing so in the process.
September 4, 2015
We had a busy week in 3rd grade, but seem to be getting more and more in routine! Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Take a look below for a quick recap of what we learned this week…
In math, we have been working with equivalent names, the language of chance events, finding differences, calculator routines, and money. We are making it through the mid-way point of unit one, which has given us a good foundation for moving forward into 3rd grade math.
In Reader’s Workshop, students continue to learn our routines as we read. We talked about how it is important for readers to stop, think, and jot to help them track their thinking, retell, make predictions or when we find something we don’t understand. We also set the guidelines for partnerships for our future workshop: as readers we act like coaches by cheering them on, listening respectfully, and reminding our partners of useful reading strategies. We learned about how to conquer tricky words by: looking at a picture to help, skipping over it and coming back after we have read more of the sentence, looking for chunks we know (at, it, ch, th), seeing if it looks like another word we know, or trying to sound it out.
In Writing Workshop, we took time to reflect on their lives as writers and brainstormed different ideas to help us when we can’t seem to get our pencils moving. Students participated in a writing activity that had them write about three different topics ranging from something they knew a lot about and very little about for 60 seconds each. From this activity they discovered that our writing notebooks are a place where we write fast to just try to get out ideas down, and how it is easier to write A LOT about topics that have meaning to us.
In Word Study, students reviewed vowel sounds and we have talked about the Bossy R (“Bossy R” bosses the vowels around, but he is polite and lets them go first:). Our learning specialist, Teddi Bair, joined us on Thursday to introduce us to S.O.S. a technique to help us tackle tricky words that don’t follow the rules. We have also been reviewing punctuation, capital letters, and parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and verbs).
In Social Studies, we read several books, brainstormed and wrote our official class promise. We then traced and cut out our hands to border the promise to symbolize that we all will try our best to abide by those principles each day.
August 28, 2015
We had a GREAT first full week in 3rd grade! Take a look below for a quick recap of our time in Room 252!
In Math, we launched unit one. Throughout the week, we reviewed numbers and number sequences, worked with the number grid, took a “walk” through our student reference book and learned methods of analyzing and displaying data.
In Writing Workshop, students prepared for a successful year as writers by thinking about wha-t our workshop should look like, sound like, and feel like. We also spent time discovering the “why” behind writing. Students brainstormed that we write because we want to: express thoughts, persuade, share feelings, talk about an experience, ask questions, and because we LOVE it! Students began working in their writing notebooks by setting goals for themselves and writing down ideas of topics that they would want to write about to help them refer back to if they ever have “writer’s block”.
In Reading Workshop, students prepared for a successful year as readers by thinking about what our workshop should look like, sound like and feel like. We spent time establishing routines, learning how to choose “just right” books, and how we, as readers, are researchers and the importance of logging both for volume (# of pages) and stamina (#of minutes). I have read with each child and they will begin reading at their “just right” levels next week!
In Word Study, we discovered “fun facts” of the English language and became familiar with using the dictionary by finding words from each of the quartiles (A-D, E-L, M-R & S-Z). Students have begun working in their word study notebooks with dictation (word study learners learn about words by saying, tapping and writing the word) and coding (linguists study words by labeling letters and syllables to find patterns).
In Social Studies, we have been reading books to help guide us as we prepare to write our class promise. In our first unit, we will be discussing the importance of community and how we, as a class, can build a community of learners.
_____________________________________________________________________
August 20, 2015
We had a GREAT week in 3rd grade. Is is an absolute joy to have your child in our class this year!
Dear Parents,
Right before winter break, the third grade team gathered for celebration and reflection. With the respite from the busyness of the daily school life -- the geography quizzes, book club discussions, and multiplication assessments, we asked ourselves,
What drives our teaching?
We teach because we are passionate about children, who they will become and how they will impact our world. We love that we are able to teach both the mind and the spirit. As educators, we strive to teach children to be thoughtful, empowered,and literate human beings. Our daily lessons are all driven from our commitment to developing lifelong learners and leaders. We pride ourselves in teaching children not only content, but also the skills that they will use to be successful both in and outside of the classroom. We hope that our students will become servant leaders who follow their hearts, and use their talents to change the world.
We believe that our partnership and communication with you are essential. Together, with shared support, understanding, and values, we can continue to effectively develop the whole child. In order to more effectively communicate the essential skills and understandings of our curricula, the third grade team will send new monthly newsletters. Each newsletter will emphasize the broader goals and skills we will work toward and achieve each month. It will highlight each unit we are currently studying, along with information of how students will learn the concepts we are teaching. The newsletters, which will replace our weekly updates, will be sent out at the beginning of each month. Homework, announcements from the office, and any other important information will still be updated weekly on our class websites.
Our team has worked together to bring you a newsletter that is more informative, digs deeper, and shares what truly drives our teaching each day.
Warmly,
The Third Grade Team
January Newsletter Third Grade
READING Nonfiction Reading: Expository Texts
When children read nonfiction, they cultivate a foundation of background knowledge about the world around them. We seek to develop learners who think critically about the world, and consider the perspectives of others. Informational texts lend themselves to children’s ability to distinguish their own points of view from an author of a text, in addition to satiating their natural curiosity.
Nonfiction readers examine text structures and use them like a road map to accumulate new information. They differentiate between topics, main ideas, and supporting details, and are able to summarize, draw conclusions, and use their newly acquired schema to generate theories to be shared with others. Within this unit, the children will develop the necessary skills to effectively and efficiently navigate informational texts. They will learn to use text features to quickly locate information, identify a variety of text structures that help support their understanding of what they read, determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by the key details, and describe the relationship among content ideas in a text.
Questions you can ask your child about what he or she is reading in school or at home:
- ● How do text features help you understand what you’re reading?
- ● What topics did you read about today?
- ● What topics would you like to read about?
- ● What was the main idea of the book/article?
- ● What is the main idea of this section?
- ● How do you find the main idea of a nonfiction book/section of a nonfiction book?
- ● What is the author’s perspective on the topic?
- ● How did your thinking change after reading about the topic?
- ● What did you learn from this book/section?
WRITING Informational Writing
What is something you know well? When asked this question, third graders are more than willing to tell you all about what they know best! This question also generates excitement around our information writing unit, and motivates writers to write all about the topics they are experts on and most interested in.
In this unit, the children will channel the richness of their experiences into their writing, and learn to convey their ideas clearly and concisely. They will think of different ways broad ideas can be divided, such as parts, kinds, or famous examples, to focus their writing. They will learn to
- ● What are you an expert on?
- ● How did you zoom in on your topic to make it more specific?
- ● What structure(s) did you use in your writing? (Compare/Contrast, Pros and Cons,
Boxes and Bullets) - ● What new information do you need to research to support your ideas?
MATH UNIT 6 Geometry
Geometry use is practical for measuring different lengths, areas, and volumes. It helps us understand how the sizes and shapes of spaces relate to objects within that space. In this unit, the children will explore points, line segments, rays, lines, the relationships among them, and the geometric shapes the can be built from them. In addition, they will construct angles, polygons, prisms and pyramids. Children will also explore similarities and differences among 3Dimensional shapes and regular polyhedrons. While geometry involves a great deal of vocabulary, the emphasis in this unit will not be on memorizing the terms, but rather on using these new words to examine relationships among the classifications of geometric figures.
Questions you can ask your child about his or her learning:
- ● What is a polygon?
- ● What polygons do you know? How many sides do they have?
- ● What is the difference between a line segment and a line?
- ● What is the difference between a ray and a line?
- ● How do you name a line segment? A ray? A line?
- ● What is a prism?
- ● What 3D shapes do you know?
- ● What is a right angle?
- ● Which way is clockwise? Counterclockwise?
SOCIAL STUDIES Native Americans
In preparing children to become global citizens, it is important that we instill within them respect for Earth’s natural resources, and cultures and perspectives that are different from their own.
In our study of Native Americans this month, children will learn the ways in which different Native American tribes across the United States lived off of the land as America’s first people. We will look at the customs of some of the different tribes, and the ways in which climate and location affected their ways of life. Additionally, we will notice and discuss the ways in which Native Americans are depicted in books, television, and our society, and ultimately debunk
Questions you can ask your child about his or her learning:
- ● How were the homes of the Native Americans in the northeast region different from the homes of the Native Americans in the southwest region? Why were they so different?
- ● How did the Native Americans use natural resources to survive?
- ● How was life different for Native Americans then, in comparison to today?
GRAMMAR AND WORD STUDY
During the month of January, children will study a number of grammatical concepts and word patterns. They will notice, discuss, and practice using commas before coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences, and apostrophes in possessives, and identify runon sentences and sentence fragments. In Word Study they will review the different spellings of long vowel sounds, delve into inflected ending word patterns, and determine the meanings and correct spelling of homophones.
Questions you can ask your child about his or her learning:
- ● How can you change a sentence fragment to make it a complete sentence?
- ● Where can you include punctuation to make a runon sentence two (or more) complete
sentences? - ● When should you use an apostrophe?
- ● What is a homophone?
- ● What homophones have you learned so far? Can you spell them?
December 11, 2015
Here's a quick recap from this week:
Math
- Practiced writing and reading very large numbers
- Modeled decimals with base ten blocks
- Wrote and read decimals to the hundredths place
- Zoomed in and study the tenth and hundredths place value (thought of it like money)
- Looked at decimals in measurement- using the metric system
- Studied place value with decimals
- Studied x5
- Studied for the Unit 5 assessment
- Reviewed effective partner talk
- Previewed various nonficition texts to ready ourselves before reading it
- Became teachers to their partner about their nonfiction reading
- practiced summarizing small chunks of text
- Looked at text features to predict/infer what we know about said topic
- Worked on filling out KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) charts to become experts on a nonfiction topic
- Continued to work on editing, revising, and publishing our realistic fiction pieces.
- Celebrated with Ms. Jordan and Mrs. Baugh's class
- Assessed the 1-1-1 Doubling rule
- Read about and studied about the southwest region of the United States
- Studied the geography of the southwest region
- Learned about important cities, crops, and attractions that are in the southwest region
- Studied states and capitals on a blank map
- Assessed the southwest region (states and capitals)
December 4, 2015
It is hard to believe we are already in December! Take a look at a quick recap of our week!
Math
· Learned about place value
· Came up with our own class definition of place value
· Practiced reading and writing numbers all the way to the millions place
· Learned about place holders
· Looked at census data to help understand geographic population
Reading
· Wrapped up book clubs
· Continued to work with the inGen Studio to code our characters’ stories
· Reviewed what we already know about Non Fiction texts
· Worked with partners to identify text features and compiled a list of different text features we found in non fiction books.
Writing
· Continued to work on editing, revising, and publishing our realistic fiction pieces.
· Came up with catchy titles
· Discussed how to make powerful illustrations
Word Study/ Grammar
· Assessed November Learned Words
· Reviewed the 1-1-1 Doubling rule
Social Studies
· Read about and studied about the Midwest region of the United States
· Studied the geography of the Midwest region
· Learned about important cities, crops, and attractions that are in the Midwest region
· Studied states and capitals on a blank map
· Assessed the Midwest region (states and capitals)
November 13, 2015
We had a busy week in room 252. Take a look at all we have been working on!
InMath, We are nearing the end of Unit Four. This week we continued studying multiplication fact power and shortcuts. We learned the relationship between multiplication and division and practiced multiplication and division fact families to help us learn our facts. Students loved playing Baseball Multiplication and rotating through our math exploration stations where they conducted explorations about multiplication (use of arrays, fact practice, various games, etc.) On Friday, students learned how to estimate distances on a map using a map scale, which is also relevant to our Social Studies lessons when we look at maps.
In Reading Workshop, we continue to study our characters and use strong character traits to describe them. Students continue to read independently and meet in their book clubs to discuss and analyze their characters and what their character is learning as the chapters progress.
In Writing Workshop, students spent time developing a plan for their final draft of their Realistic Fiction story. They began by writing their story on a time line and identifying the problem/resolution that their character will face in their story. We reviewed "Catchy Leads" and looked at several of our mentor texts for ideas of how we could write our own interesting introduction. Students worked hard to integrate new craft moves as they revise and edit.
In Word Study, students were assessed on plural endings -s, -es, and -ies. We began to study the three sounds of -ed (/d/, /id/, /t/). We have also been studying our November learned words using S.O.S.)
In Social Studies, we read about and studied about the South East region of the United States and studied the geography of the SE region- Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean. We too time to learned about important cities, crops, and attractions that are in the SE region and assessed the SE region (states and capitals) on Friday. We will begin to study the Northeast Region next week!
November 6, 2015
It is hard to believe we are in November! We have had a lot going on this week. Take a look below for a quick recap.
In Math, students began to understand the basics behind multiplication and created arrays to help learn multiplication facts. Students used math manipulatives (cubes, pennies, counters etc.) to learn that dividing numbers up is putting them into equal groups. Then, students looked at and discussed the relationships between multiplication and division. Our first few lessons in Unit 4 culminated in our "Array City" project where students created a building and used an array as the windows to represent a multiplication fact.
In Reading, we studied our characters and used strong character traits to describe them. Students are continuing to meet in their book club to talk around their jots and get to know their character in their book.
In Writing, we are continuing to write realistic fiction and learn new strategies from our mentor texts. In doing so, students learned that most stories have a challenge and the character is brave or works out a solution. Students also used the organizer: Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then to talk about a story line and story mountains to help graph our plots. Students will begin drafting their final piece this week.
In Word Study/ Grammar, we assessed our October Learned Words and began studying plural endings -s and -es (* and noticing when to add an -s or -es.
In Social Studies, we assessed our Pangaea/Early Explorer Unit and launched our geography unit.
October 30, 2015
We had a great Fall Festival. Thank you to all those who helped make the day so much fun for our students. Here's a quick recap from this week:
In Math, we wrapped up unit 3 this week by studying diameter and circumference. We spent a few days reviewing for our unit 3 assessment, and completed the assessment along with the re-engagement.
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to study our character through book clubs. We discusses character traits and how we can find text evidence to prove it. Our book clubs met and continue to work together to discuss the books they are reading while making long and strong jots.
In Writing Workshop, we continue to look at our mentor text to learn about realistic fiction and to help us gain insight about how to be realistic fiction writers. Students brainstormed ideas for their own realistic fiction stories that they will begin to write this week.
In Word Study, we studied and assessed our silent consonant blends "ghost letters" this week. These included gn-, kn-, wr-, and ph. We have also been continuing to apply different spelling strategies as we tackle spelling our learned words for October. We will assess this week.
In Social Studies, we reviewed for our test on Monday. Students leaned about several different explorers through an interactive project where they made mosaics of the explorers, mapped the explorer routes on a map, and wrote a quick blurb on their accomplishments.
October 23, 2015
We had such a great "full" week back. Take a look below for all that we have been doing in room 252.
In Math- We are wrapping up Unit 3 this week. We worked on perimeter and area. We found both the perimeter and area of our names as well as other objects in the classroom. We also completed an explorations lesson. This lesson allowed students to problem solve, work in small groups, and interact with various manipulatives to help them better understand perimeter, area, and polygons. The students were given the study guide this week and are expected to finish it before their Unit 3 assessment on Wednesday 10/28.
In Reading Workshop- This week we got into our book club books- finally! We created plans on how we will participate in successful book clubs and set individual and group goals. We worked hard to turn our post-it thinking into meaningful jots by asking ourselves “does my jot sink or float?”. The students began meeting with either myself, Mrs. Tucker, or Mrs. Ivey and began having great book club conversations. As a reminder the students are only expected to read their book club books in the classroom.
In Writing Workshop- This week as writers we worked hard to recall all the strategies we know about collecting story ideas. We took a tour around the school in hopes that it would spark story ideas. We also looked at our own past experiences and asked “what could have gone differently?”. This helped the students be more flexible in their thinking and showing how just a little change in a story can make the story something else completely. The students also worked in groups to create a realistic fiction story together. This was a great collaborative exercise that showcased all we have worked on thus far. Next week we will begin mapping out our own stories next week.
In Word Study/Grammar- This week we worked on silent beginning digraphs. We learned and kn- and gn- make the /n/ sound, wr- makes the /r/ sound, and ph- makes the /f/ sound. The students enjoyed learned that words that have ph in them that make the /f/ sounds are those from Greek origin.
In Social Studies- This week we wrapped up our explorers unit. The students finished learning about Henry Hudson and Amergio Vespucci. The students were given a study guide which was completed in class. The students will use this all next week to study for their social studies assessment on Monday 11/2
October 9, 2015
Hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Look forward to seeing the students back on Wednesday, October 14th! Take a look below for a quick recap of our week in Room 252.
· In Reading Workshop, we allowed the students to free read. Since we were in between units we thought it was important to allow the students some “freedom” to read books that are on their just right level, or non-fiction books. We took a trip to the library where Mrs. Ivey did great book introductions on books suitable for 3rd graders. We appreciate Mrs. Ivey and all of her help!
· In Writing Workshop, students published their first stories of third grade! We learned about the difference between editing and revision and made time for both. We shared catchy titles, powerful illustrations, and celebrated our great stories!
· In Math, we spent time reviewing for our Unit 2 assessment. We gave the assessment in one day. Like our last unit, the students were given a second day/second chance for the Open Response. The students were able to collaborate in groups, learn from each other’s mistakes, and gain a better understanding of the concepts addressed in this unit’s open response.
· In Word Study/Grammar, we learned about the “ch” and “tch” at the end of the word. We studied when we add which ending, and what vowel sounds go with each. We worked on strategies to not get confused since both –tch and –ch make the /ch/ sound. We will assess sometime after fall break. We are working on a mini-unit with Their, There, and They’re.
· In Social Studies, we are moving into our study on Early Explorers. We shared their trials and tribulations and the courage it took to leave you homeland in search of a new world. Students also worked together to create mosaic portraits of five of the explorers we will be researching and learning about next week. We also went back and visited our Stone Age understandings with third grade Cave Art.
October 2, 2015
Hope you all had a great week! Below is a quick recap of our week in Room 252.
In Reading Workshop, we finished our read aloud, Class Clown by Joanna Herwitz as we wrapped up our character unit this week. We shared our stories in partnerships and discussed how our character faces a challenge and how they overcome it, and the lessons our characters learned.
In Writing Workshop, we are in the final stages of crafting our personal narratives. We looked at mentor text and brainstormed all of the craft moves we could try in our own writing. Some of the moves that we mentioned were catchy leads, descriptive words, show not tell, dialogue, sounds, feelings, and strong conclusions. We also learned about paragraphing and organizing our story. Exciting news...Next week we will publish! Can't wait for you all to read their wonderful personal narratives.
In Word Study, we learned what makes the “k” sound. We realized that the /k/ sound can be made in several different ways. From there, we discovered that with a short vowel sound, the /k/ at the end of the word is spelled with a –ck (duck). With a long vowel word you add –ke (snake), and finally we discussed vowel teams and how a "k" stands alone (book).
In Math, we completed Unit 2. Over the last few lessons, we have been learning the Partial Sums addition algorithm. We also learned/reviewed the counting up and trade-first subtraction algorithms. We worked hard to read number stories and figure out what the question is and use the information to solve word problems. The students were given a study guide on Monday that they should complete before the assessment. Our assessment will be Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
In Social Studies, we learned about the Vikings and continued to put our new note taking skills into practice. We also had two open note quizzes to help us recall what we have learned about the Ice Age and Stone Age. Our next few days will be learning about Early Explorers and their famous voyages across the sea. To launch our study of explorers, the students "heard from the king" that they were being sent on a voyage and that they had $100 to spend on supplies. On Monday, the "king" will send a letter awarding them points if they chose their supplies he mentions as being some of the key items they would need for their voyage.
Have a great weekend!
September 25, 2015
We had a GREAT week! Please note that we will NOT be having 3rd Grade Fun Night on October 2nd. The third grade team and administration is working to reschedule.
Take a look below for a recap of our week!
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to focus on developing theories about our characters. In order to develop these theories, we continue to practice stopping, thinking and jotting about our reading. As readers, we learned about inferring and ways in which we can notice, think, support, and develop resigning about our character's actions. We also used a timeline to track our characters’ changes throughout the book.
In Writing Workshop, we have been working hard on our personal narratives. We used timelines to help stretch out our small moment (seed) stories. We also worked on drafting catchy leads to really "hook" the reader. Today and over the next few days we will be tackling transforming our drafts, piece by piece, to come to know the process and importance of drafting.
In Word Study- This week we reviewed the FLOSS rule. Students learned a "cheer" to help them remember that a Floss word is a word that have one syllable, one short vowel, and end is F,L, S,Z—you double it! We also studied the two sounds of "C." (C says /s/ when it is followed by an i,e, or y and says /k/ when it is next to any other letter). Mrs. Bair also came to visit us this week to help review skills by "drilling the deck" to help us recall sounds quickly.
In Math- We continued working on Unit 2 this week. We reviewed “What’s My Rule?” routines and solving number stories. We solved number stories through Part-Part-Total diagrams (addition) and through Comparison and Change Stories (subtraction). We are also reviewing ballpark estimates and will begin to work on Partial Sums.
In Social Studies- We wrapped up the Ice Age and Stone Age and are now beginning to discuss the Vikings. There seems to be a lot of excitement around this unit! We are also continuing to learn note taking skills.
September 18, 2015
Thank you all for coming to Parent Night and attending Hopes and Dreams Conferences. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to meet and spend time hearing about your child.
In Reading Workshop, we are continuing to learn strategies of how we can follow our characters into meaning by tracking our character throughout a book. We learned about envisioning and how important it is to make a mental movie in our minds as we read, making sure to stop, think and jot along the way. Students worked in groups to practice envisioning by taking a passage from Class Clown and sketching the mental picture they have in their mind. We also developed a greater understanding in the difference between character traits and character feelings. We talked about how traits show how a character acts over and over again while feelings can change. (Students became familiar with this concept by turning and talking with their partners about personal traits they embody verses feelings they may have in the moment).
In Writing Workshop, students continue to build their knowledge of how to write a strong “seed story.” We discussed how strong writers “Show, NOT Tell”. This strategy is used to help students create vivid stories by including detail, descriptive words, the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why), and a catchy lead. Students also spent time working in partnerships to choose their “seed story” that they want to draft, edit, revise, and publish. Over the next week students will walk through the entire writing process with their chosen piece.
In Math, we assessed Unit 1 and, as you will see, assessments are slightly different in third grade. We sent home a study guide a week prior to the test for the students to complete as a way to help them prepare. We also have one day devoted to review in which I work with students whole group, small group and individually.
On assessment day, students are given time to complete both the written and the open response assessment. The next day, students are given another chance to solve the open response through a “re-engagement.” During this time, students work alongside their peers to talk and collaborate before they are sent off to make revisions (if needed) to their work. Then, I take both grades from the first and second attempt and average them.
And, finally, we launched Unit 2 in which we learned about fact families and fact family extensions.
In Word Study, We concluded REVLOC by discussing the “consonant + le” rule. We also discussed open and closed syllables and what vowel sound the vowel makes (Open: Vowel makes long sound; Closed: Vowel makes short sound).
In Social Studies, we began our Unit in Prehistory. Last week we discussed Pangea and this week we launched into talking about the Ice Age and Stone Age. Students are involved in learning about these topics and are tackling the note taking and learning different methods of doing so in the process.
September 4, 2015
We had a busy week in 3rd grade, but seem to be getting more and more in routine! Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Take a look below for a quick recap of what we learned this week…
In math, we have been working with equivalent names, the language of chance events, finding differences, calculator routines, and money. We are making it through the mid-way point of unit one, which has given us a good foundation for moving forward into 3rd grade math.
In Reader’s Workshop, students continue to learn our routines as we read. We talked about how it is important for readers to stop, think, and jot to help them track their thinking, retell, make predictions or when we find something we don’t understand. We also set the guidelines for partnerships for our future workshop: as readers we act like coaches by cheering them on, listening respectfully, and reminding our partners of useful reading strategies. We learned about how to conquer tricky words by: looking at a picture to help, skipping over it and coming back after we have read more of the sentence, looking for chunks we know (at, it, ch, th), seeing if it looks like another word we know, or trying to sound it out.
In Writing Workshop, we took time to reflect on their lives as writers and brainstormed different ideas to help us when we can’t seem to get our pencils moving. Students participated in a writing activity that had them write about three different topics ranging from something they knew a lot about and very little about for 60 seconds each. From this activity they discovered that our writing notebooks are a place where we write fast to just try to get out ideas down, and how it is easier to write A LOT about topics that have meaning to us.
In Word Study, students reviewed vowel sounds and we have talked about the Bossy R (“Bossy R” bosses the vowels around, but he is polite and lets them go first:). Our learning specialist, Teddi Bair, joined us on Thursday to introduce us to S.O.S. a technique to help us tackle tricky words that don’t follow the rules. We have also been reviewing punctuation, capital letters, and parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, and verbs).
In Social Studies, we read several books, brainstormed and wrote our official class promise. We then traced and cut out our hands to border the promise to symbolize that we all will try our best to abide by those principles each day.
August 28, 2015
We had a GREAT first full week in 3rd grade! Take a look below for a quick recap of our time in Room 252!
In Math, we launched unit one. Throughout the week, we reviewed numbers and number sequences, worked with the number grid, took a “walk” through our student reference book and learned methods of analyzing and displaying data.
In Writing Workshop, students prepared for a successful year as writers by thinking about wha-t our workshop should look like, sound like, and feel like. We also spent time discovering the “why” behind writing. Students brainstormed that we write because we want to: express thoughts, persuade, share feelings, talk about an experience, ask questions, and because we LOVE it! Students began working in their writing notebooks by setting goals for themselves and writing down ideas of topics that they would want to write about to help them refer back to if they ever have “writer’s block”.
In Reading Workshop, students prepared for a successful year as readers by thinking about what our workshop should look like, sound like and feel like. We spent time establishing routines, learning how to choose “just right” books, and how we, as readers, are researchers and the importance of logging both for volume (# of pages) and stamina (#of minutes). I have read with each child and they will begin reading at their “just right” levels next week!
In Word Study, we discovered “fun facts” of the English language and became familiar with using the dictionary by finding words from each of the quartiles (A-D, E-L, M-R & S-Z). Students have begun working in their word study notebooks with dictation (word study learners learn about words by saying, tapping and writing the word) and coding (linguists study words by labeling letters and syllables to find patterns).
In Social Studies, we have been reading books to help guide us as we prepare to write our class promise. In our first unit, we will be discussing the importance of community and how we, as a class, can build a community of learners.
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August 20, 2015
We had a GREAT week in 3rd grade. Is is an absolute joy to have your child in our class this year!
- Students explored their new classroom through a classroom tour and read books to help develop class rules and procedures for the year.
- Students worked hard in math, writing and reading to complete several assessments to help us get to know them as learners.
- We created our own self-portraits by making mosaics. Students drew their silhouette and cut small pieces of paper to fill in their bodies and faces. Can't wait for you to see them at Parent Night- They are precious!
- We took a "walk" through our new binders and agendas. Students completed an agenda scavenger hunt to help them become acclimated to the new organizational tools for third grade.
- We played "Find Someone Who" and brainstormed how we can all contribute to building a strong classroom community. In room 252 we are working together to be a place where we encourage and each other every day.