June 9, 2017

     The countdown to the last day of school has begun.  We're using every moment to finish up final projects and activities.  We've also enjoyed watching the 1st grade play and Beginner Band concert.
     Thank you to the many chaperones that were able to join us last week on our field trip to Echo.  It was a great trip that included a good balance of structured time and explore time.  The beautiful weather also allowed us the opportunity to have a picnic lunch outside.
     For our final week of school we have several fun events planned:
Tuesday:  Planting in the school garden (Join us if you can!)
Wednesday:  Move up day
Thursday  Cleaning (desks, cubbies, and lockers) Please send your child with an extra bag (or bags!).
Friday:  Field day, BBQ, and team celebration
     Next week we'll also send home and post summer reading and math ideas to help prevent the "summer slide!"

May 29, 2017

Even though the end of the school year is approaching we are still in high gear!

• In math this week we wrapped up Unit 5.  We will be reviewing for our end-of-the-year math exam and working on our new geometry unit.

• In writing students have been very hard at work writing their own adaptation to a fairy tale. Ask your child to tell you about their story they are making.  What fairy tale were they inspired by?  What are they changing?

• In science we tested our “sliders”.  We discovered the slider with the least amount of friction moved the fastest!

• In social studies we are learning about how and why the Europeans made colonies here in America,

Important Messages from Office:

A letter was sent home with your child on Friday about their lunch accounts.

We hope you enjoyed your 3 day weekend! We are looking forward to our end of the year field trip on Thursday!

May 19, 2017

Even with the heat on Wednesday and Thursday it was a productive week in 3rd grade:

• We finished our Unit 5 math review and will take our test next week.  
• We are becoming more and more fluent with our multiplication and division facts.  Try quizzing your child on any multiplication fact 0-9.
• We are learning about the challenges the Pilgrims faced in their journey to America.  
• We've read and listened to a variety of fairy tales.  I wonder which one your child will pick to adapt and make their own.
• We tested our "sliders" this week.  Thank you for all the caps that you sent in.  Next week we will make a claim about which slider has the least friction.

Next week we hope our momentum continues and we finish May strong.  

May 12, 2017

We’ve got exciting news to report.  Mrs. O’Brien gave birth to a beautiful baby girl today!  

Our other exciting news is that we have finished our SBAC testing!  Now we can get back to a regular but busy schedule.  Here’s what we’ll be doing:

• Finishing Unit 5 Multiplication and Division
• Immersing ourselves in fairy tales in preparation for our next piece of writing which will be an fairy tale adaptation.
• Reading about the arrival of Europeans to the New World (1600’s)
• Exploring more with forces

Things to talk to ask your child about:

• Making “Hopper Poppers” and building paper bridges
• Their opinion writing prompt topic

Please remember even though it will be a regular schedule next week we will not be doing our regular word study.  There will be no new spelling lists sent home.  

May 5, 2017

Dear Families,

We hope you had a wonderful vacation week.  We’ve gotten back into most of our routines except for spelling.  Due to vacation week, SBAC testing, and other May assessments we will not be sending home any new spelling lists for the remainder of the year.  We will continue to practice our spelling in our writing and review the patterns we have learned.  

Our math SBAC testing will begin on Monday. Thank you for helping to provide snacks for our hungry 3rd graders.

Upcoming important information and dates:

• PiE will be creating a new Student Directory for next year.  If you do NOT want your child’s information included in the directory, please complete this form and return it to HCS.  Otherwise, all information will automatically be included in the directory.  If you need a paper copy of the opt-out form sent home, please let your child’s teacher know.

• PiE is also hosting a fundraiser called the “Vermont Comedy Divas.”  This flyer contains all of the event information.  You can purchase tickets in the school lobby on Friday mornings from 7:45 - 8:15 or email hcspie@cssu.org.

• Annette’s Preschool will be hosting a community event on Thursday, May 18th focusing on the importance of play and hands-on investigation for children ages pre-K to 8.  To get more information and to RSVP, please follow this link.

• In your child’s Home Folder, you will find a packet regarding the ABCD Study at UVM.  Please see this flyer for more information.

Finally, thank you to those who have volunteered to chaperone our class field trip. If anyone else would like to join us please email us.

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

April 14, 2017

Dear Families,

Our ELA SBAC testing is finally complete.  The students did a fantastic job with persevering and respecting the testing environment.  We’ll be taking the math SBAC test beginning on May 8th.

In math, the students are working on finding the relationship between multiplication and division.  We have been creating “fact families,” such as 3,5,15.  The students then write the multiplication and division equations related to that family.  We’ve also been practicing writing our own story problems, which requires the students to have both an understanding of the mathematical equation and give an appropriate amount of information needed so that another student could solve the problem.  

Our science engineering unit is coming to an end.  Students worked in small groups this week to design a plan to clean up an oil spill.  Groups had a 20 million dollar budget to work with to purchase supplies.  Students then implemented their plan and analyzed their results. Finally, groups had the opportunity to improve their designs and evaluate their success.  

As a reminder, we will be taking our field trip to the Flynn Theater on Monday.  The buses will be leaving promptly at 8:30 so that we make it in time for the show.  Students will be returning back to school prior to our normal lunch time, so there will be no changes to lunch.  However, we will be missing our regular morning snack at 9:30, so students may want to have a hearty breakfast to hold them over until we return.

Finally, the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser will be taking place on Wednesday, April 19th from 2:45 - 4:00.  If your child wishes to participate, please return the permission slip portion of the donation envelope as soon as possible.  Students do not need to fundraise in order to participate.  

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

April 7, 2017

Dear Families,

As you know, we will be taking our English Language Arts SBAC starting Monday.  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated or offered to donate snacks to our classrooms.  

We will be taking a field trip to the Flynn on Monday, April 17th to see a student matinee on Native American culture, which links to our social science curriculum.  Permission slips were sent home with your child today.  Please ensure that they are returned by Friday, April 14th so that your child can attend.  We will be returning back to school prior to our scheduled lunch, so students should either pack their lunch or purchase school lunch as normally planned.

Your children will soon be bringing home permission slips for Jump Rope for Heart, which will be taking place on Wednesday, April 19 from 2:45-4:00pm.   If your child would like to participate please complete the upper portion of the packet and return it to school.  You may hang on to the bottom portion of the form and collect donations.  The donation envelope should be returned before or on April 19th.  

Have a wonderful weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

March 24, 2017

Dear Families,

It was a busy full week back to school.

We've begun practicing for the SBAC testing.  Our practice includes learning test taking skills and becoming familiar with navigating the testing site.  Our first testing session will be the week of April 10th.  We will complete the English Language Arts section during that week.  Then during the week of May 8th, we will complete the math portion of the test.

Our new writing unit will be opinion writing.  Students will learn to write a claim, provide evidence,  and write a closing.  We look forward to sharing our topics and student responses with you.

In math, we are finishing Unit 4: Measurement and Fractions.  We will be taking our unit 4 test next week.  Then we will be moving into Unit 5: Multiplication, Division, and Area.

Next week we are holding our spring conferences.  Please use the Sign-Up Genius sent by your child's teacher to select a time.  We look forward to discussing your child's progress.

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

March 17, 2017

Dear Families,

This week was quite a whirlwind!  We hope you enjoyed the snow days as much as the students seemed to.  

In science, we began our engineering unit by discussing what engineers are and how technology impacts our everyday lives.  We will continue in the next few weeks with the oil spill unit that we mentioned in last week’s post.

In math, the students are continuing to discuss fractions.  We used paper to create models of unit fractions such as ½, ⅓, or ⅛.  This activity lead to discussions about how dividing a whole object into more pieces results in each piece being smaller.  Fractions are really a fun topic, and we will have a number of opportunities to use models and hands-on activities to explore.

In writing, we began working on a writing prompt where the students had to determine whether or not the rainforest animal they researched could survive in Hinesburg.  They had to draw from their knowledge base as well as the research they performed to make a claim.  The students then needed to support their claims with evidence to support their thinking.

In reading, we are continuing to respond to our reading in a variety of ways.  Students are working in literature groups, responding to questions using Google Classroom, and answering text-related questions.

We had a visit from the Tooth Tutor, who discussed proper brushing and flossing techniques to maintain healthy teeth and gums.  Ask your students to explain why their teeth are like castles with a moat surrounding them!  We also saw a performance by Drumshtick, which is a three-person percussion group from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

Finally, HCS will be coming together for a “Kindness Rocks” project, which was started by a woman in Massachusetts.  To learn more about the mission of the project, you can visit thekindnessrocksproject.com.  If you would like to participate, please send your child to school with a small rock (about the size of their palm), which will be painted and decorated by the students as a way to spread kindness around the community.  

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

March 12, 2017

Brrr!  It's cold outside.  I'm glad we chose to have our Open House last week with the anticipated storm arriving this week.  Thank you all for coming.  We hope you enjoyed hearing, seeing, and reading all about the rain forest.

This week we will begin transitioning to our engineering unit.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about environmental disasters and how scientists respond to them.  The unit will invite students to design and test methods to clean-up an oil spill.

In reading we will work on reading short articles (fiction and nonfiction) and responding to those articles.  This will include answering comprehension questions, comparing and contrasting texts, and writing responses.  All this work will help prepare the students for the SBAC assessments that will begin in April.

Our next writing unit will be focused around opinion writing.  Students will learn to make a claim and support their claim with evidence.  After practicing several pieces students will have the opportunity to chose a topic of their choice to take through the writing process and publish.  We look forward to sharing those with you.

Finally, we are wrapping up unit 4 with a focus on fractions.  Students will explore unit fractions, equivalent fractions, and begin adding and subtracting fractions.

February 24, 2017

Dear Families,

  It's hard to believe February break has arrived.  We did not assign any new spelling words or homework over break.  We hope students enjoy family time and time to pursue their interests.  

We have been very busy, as you know, with our rainforest project.  Please remember all animals are due Monday, March 6th so that we can display them before our performance.  We look forward to sharing our work with you at Open House on Thursday, March 9 from 6 to 7pm.  For the performance, we’ve asked the students to wear neutral colored clothing if possible.  Please do not buy anything new -- wear what you have!

Have a restful and relaxing break.

The Third Grade Teachers

February 17, 2017

February 17, 2017

Dear Families,

    Thank you for your contributions to our school food drive and fundraising themed basket, “Movie Night”.  We will continue to accept donations for both causes through Friday, February 24.  We also appreciate all the empty toilet tissue rolls that have been collected.  We are still in need of a few more.  

Math: In math, we began our measurement unit.  We started with measuring time, using a number line as a tool to calculate elapsed time.  We’ve also begun to explore mass, using balance scales as a tool for comparing the mass of various objects.

Literacy:  We’ve continued with our rainforest animal reports in writing.  The students were asked to write an introduction that hooks their reader in and states their main idea.  We also started writing our conclusion paragraph, which recaps our main idea and “ties a bow” on our report.

Science: We discussed biodiversity, which is the variety of living things in a particular habitat.  We modeled biodiversity by comparing the variety of animals in Vermont to the variety of animals in the rainforest.  We learned that over half of the world’s plants and animals live in the rainforest!

Technology: Throughout the year, our technology integration specialist has joined our classes to teach different lessons relating to use of technology resources in the classroom.  For our rainforest projects, students will learn how to search for images online that are available for reuse.

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

February 10, 2017

February 10, 2017

Dear Families,

We survived the cold, blustery weather this week!  The students had indoor recess twice this week due to the wind chill.  Hopefully, it will warm up next week so we can get outside.  

The students began practicing for our rainforest performance in music class this week.  As part of our performance, the children will make “binoculars” to wear.  We will be making them from empty toilet tissue rolls, so if you have any that you can send to school, we’d love to take them off your hands.

In addition, the Student Council is collecting goods for the Hinesburg Food Shelf.  Families can donate non-perishable food items along with dish soap, body wash, feminine products and toothpaste.  If you would like to donate, we will have boxes outside of our classrooms to collect items until February 24th.  

Math: In math, we finished unit 3, which involved addition and subtraction strategies for multi-digit numbers.  The students have been practicing the standard algorithm for both addition and subtraction, which is likely the method you learned in school.  We first built the conceptual knowledge, examining why this method works, prior to learning the technique.  We have begun unit 4, which explores measurement.  Our unit begins with a review of telling time, so that skill is a great one to practice at home.  We are also exploring fractions in Number Corner as well.

Literacy:  We are continuing to explore nonfiction text as a means of gathering information.  We’ve linked our literacy instruction to our rainforest unit, so we read various books about the rainforest.  We even discovered how monkeys are involved in the process of making chocolate!  We discussed why the rainforest is important to us in our daily lives.  Feel free to ask your child why the rainforest is sometimes referred to as the “lungs of the earth.”  We’ve also continued writing our rainforest animal reports, which have really begun to take shape.  The children are very enthusiastic, and they have loved sharing their facts with each other.

Science:  Continuing with our rainforest theme, we’ve been examining interdependence among species in an ecosystem.  The children created webs linking together different plants and animals, and we explored how the elimination of one species impacts other plants and animals.  The students continued to work on a habitat map, which displays where their animal lives in the world.  This activity helps us to link science and geography together.

Have a wonderful weekend, and stay warm!

The Third Grade Teachers

February 3, 2017

February 3, 2017

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful week!  A few notices went home with your child, including information regarding the PiE Basket Fundraiser.  The third grade will be working as a team to create our basket(s), all fitting the theme of “movie night.”  Please feel free to contribute any items that fit the theme by Friday, February 24th.  We’re excited to see what we can put together.

If requested, we also sent home order forms for the yearbook.  Orders can also be placed online using the link on the HCS homepage.  If you would like an order form, please let us know so we can send it home with your child.

Finally, we sent home a letter explaining an optional project related to our rainforest project that the students can do at home.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you,

The Third Grade Teachers

January 20, 2017

January 20, 2017

Dear Families,

This week, we have started our rainforest unit of study!  Your child has selected a rainforest animal to research. They will be gathering information to write a report, creating a map to show where their animal lives, and making a paper stuffed animal.  The unit will culminate with an open house and musical performance. We are trying to solidify a date for our rainforest open house, which will likely take place on the week we return from February break.  Once the date is set, we will send out the date and time.  

Literacy

The students have been continuing to practice reading nonfiction texts to gather information.  The students have each selected a rainforest animal to study, and we’ve been discussing how to use reference materials and the internet to research their animals.  The children have been putting those research skills to use by taking notes and transferring those notes into a report-style document.  

Math

This week, the students took their mid-year district math assessment, called the CRAM.  The students worked hard, and we are proud of their perseverance.  

Science

In science, we have begun our ecology unit, which has a focus on the rainforest habitat.  We broadly discussed a variety of habitats around the world.  We’ve also started discussing food chains and food webs, demonstrating how energy flows from producers to consumers, ending in decomposers and beginning the cycle again.  

Have a wonderful weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

January 13, 2017

Dear Families,

We’ve had a busy week wrapping up our social science unit and moving into our new ecology unit.  Our ecology unit will become our theme for our reading, writing, and science lessons.  We will be sending more information home next week about the projects we will be completing in school and optional projects your child may choose to do at home.  

Reading:  In reading, the students have been learning about how to read nonfiction text.  We explored some of the features of nonfiction text, such as headings and photographs, and discussed how they aid in our understanding of the topic.  We practiced these strategies by reading biographies about Martin Luther King.

Writing:  Students had the opportunity to practice writing a basic paragraph this week.  All students were expected to begin with a topic sentence, include 3 detail sentences, and add a closing sentence.  We will use this structure to help us write pages (paragraphs)  for our informational books about rainforest animals over the next several weeks.  

Math: In math, we practiced strategies for subtracting larger numbers, including two- and three-digit numbers.  These strategies include number line strategies such as the “take-away” method and the “difference” method.  We’re also practicing with time telling, including using a number line to determine elapsed time.  If you are looking for a skill to practice with your child, telling time using an analog clock is a great choice.

Science / Social Science:  We wrapped up our mini-unit on Explorers this week, and we’ve  moved onto to our Ecology unit.  Our first lesson was about habitats.  Each student had the opportunity to create their own personal habitat explaining how their survival needs are met. Next week we will learn about food chains/webs.     

Enjoy the weekend,

The Third Grade Team