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