October 28, 2016

Dear Families,

It was great to see many of you at parent conferences!  If you would like a conference and did not schedule one, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher.

Math:  

This week, we continued to investigate the relationship between repetitive addition and multiplication.  Students calculated the cost for arrays of stamps.  Also, they used a clown fish named Chloe to find the length, height, and widths of other items.  We will continue to build proportional reasoning during unit two.  Please remember that students should still practice their math facts!

                           

Reading:  

As a culmination of our unit on reading fluency, students will be engaging in Reader’s Theater.  This is an opportunity to practice the skills they have learned in class by reading scripts from plays.  It’s a lot of fun!

Writing:

Students are continuing to work with their narrative pieces.  They are building upon their drafts to make them stronger.  The next piece of writing will be informational.  They will learn to write a report by integrating it into our science unit on the Rain Forest.     

Social Science:

Students have begun to investigate how the regional environment affected the culture of the Native Americans who lived there.  Next week, we will be looking more in depth at the Eastern Woodland region.

Halloween:  

As you know, Halloween is held on a Monday this year.  We will be celebrating in our classrooms from 1:00 - 1:45.  Students will be able to wear costumes at the party only.  They will have to change again at the end of the day.  We ask that students do not wear makeup or anything scary or violent (such as blood, swords, guns, etc.)   

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Curriculum Night Presentation

Here is a is link to our Curriculum Night presentation.  Thank you to all who attended! Curriculum Night Google Presentation

October 14, 2016

Dear Families,

The weather is getting colder, so we would like to remind students to wear warm clothing to school.  Many children are getting cold at recess time because they do not have a jacket to wear.  We love taking them outside, so we appreciate it very much if they have clothing that is best for the weather.  Thank you for your support!

Math:  We just finished our first math unit, Addition & Subtraction Patterns.  Next week, we will start unit 2, Introduction to Multiplication.  Students should continue practicing their addition and subtraction facts at home.  

Spelling:  Students have spelling tests once a week.  Students should practice their words at home as well.  They can do the optional spelling activities and/or use Spelling City at home.  We use Spelling City at school, and students really enjoy it!                                         

Writing:  We have been continuing with our personal narratives.  The students are currently in the drafting process.  We’ve been discussing the key components that their narratives should have, as well as using our “storyteller voice” to make the piece more interesting for our audience.  

Reading:  This week we have focused on reading fluency which includes phrasing, rate, expression, accuracy and paying attention to punctuation marks.  Later on, they will participating in Reader’s Theater where they will be able to practice what they know about reading fluently.  We’ve also been writing journal entries about the Red Clover books that we’ve read.

Parent Conferences: Parent conferences start next week.  Please contact me if you would like a conference and have not already scheduled one.

Curriculum Night: The third grade Curriculum night will be on Wednesday, October 19th at 5:30.  We hope to see you there!

Picture Retakes:  Picture Retakes will be on Wednesday, October 19th in the morning.  

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

October 7, 2016

Dear Families,

It was a great week in third grade.  We are learning and growing every day!

Math

Students worked on double digit subtraction strategies.  Students are learning to use number lines to break up bigger numbers into smaller chunks.  We encourage students to use “friendly numbers” when solving problems.  In Number Corner, students are looking for shape and color patterns this month.  

Writing

The students have started composing their personal narratives using their Chromebooks, which is very exciting for all of us!  The technology allows for easy editing as well as peer conferencing and teacher comments.  The students are enjoying learning how to use Google Docs.

Reading

We are going be reading Red Clover books in the upcoming weeks.  Red Clover is a Vermont-based program where books are selected by librarians and voted upon by students across the state.  

We have been working on how to retell a story from a book of choice.  Next week we will be practicing fluency in order to prepare for our upcoming Reader’s Theater unit.

Science

We are wrapping up our weather unit.  Students are now able to predict weather based on cloud types.  In addition, students are able to decide what clothes to wear in different climates.  Students will continue to gather temperature and precipitation data for their international locations for the rest of the school year.   Our next unit will be Forces and Motion.  Most classes will start this unit later this year.

Social Science

Ms. Wright’s class made a mural of the Eastern Woodland Indians. It is hanging in the hallway and looks great!  Next week we will start learning about the Plains Indians.

Curriculum Night The third grade Curriculum night will be on Wednesday, October 19th at 5:30.  We hope to see you there!

Picture Retakes:  Picture Retakes will be on Wednesday, October 19th in the morning.  

Have a Wonderful Weekend!