Math/Science Week of October 1st

Dear Parentals,

In Math: 
We will move in to our study of addition and subtraction with and without re-grouping.  Students will add 2-digit and 3-digit numbers in the beginning of the week as a 2nd grade reviewand then we will move on to subtracting two and three digit numbers towards the middle and end of the week.  This is a challenging skill for third graders so any extra practice at home is wonderful.  We will practice the very important skill of recognizing when a problem solving situation requires addition or subtraction.  We will use the table below to help guide our mathematical decision to add or subtract in order to solve a problem successfully.  This week we will be really focusing on Combining, Take Away, and Comparative Subtraction Word Problems.

Combine 2 or more groups of things	Addition
Compare 2 groups of things	Subtraction
Take some things away from a group	Subtraction
Find a missing part of a group	Subtraction

Our Fast Fact Friday Quiz will consist of subtraction problems only and will be graded this Friday the 5th. Please see your student’s Tuesday Newsday folder for the Fast Fact quiz from last Friday the 28th of September.  This can help guide your studies at home each night.  Your child is also keeping up with their Fast Fact grades by graphing their scores on a graph in their  green binder each week.  Ask your child to show it to you!   As we begin working with addition and subtraction of large numbers, correct re-call of math facts will be incredibly important.  Students should be studying facts every night for at least 5 – 8 minutes. 


In Science:

This week we will continue investigating matter by experimenting with the changes of matter.  Students will learn about “physical changes” and “chemical changes”.  We will look closely into changing from a solid to a liquid and vice versa this week. We will conduct a fun experiment called The Great Ice Cube Race on Monday to observe one of these changes and discover what a physical change needs in order to happen.  We will assess the students knowledge of the states of matter through an end of unit exam in the coming weeks (most likely the week of the 15th, be looking for a study guide and flash cards the week of the 8th).

LA and SS update for the week of October 1-5

Reading
In Reading this week we will be look at genre and theme.  We will review some of the books we have shared aloud to determine what text evidence can help us determine a book's theme.  Students will then read fables in partners and independently to find evidence and determine theme.  We will use this same text evidence strategy to determine the genre of a book.  Students should be able to notice and name features of various genres (Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Autobiography, Biography, Informational, Traditional and Poetry).  Students will go on a genre hunt with a partner to search out books of various types. 

WRITING
As we continue to work in the genre of personal narrative, we will continue to consume examples (text and student work).  We will also look this week at critiquing personal narratives.  What things make a personal narrative EXCELLENT or not so great.  We will work as a class to create a criteria chart of the things we think EXCELLENT narratives need.

SPELLING

Please remember that they are responsible for completing 8 points and turning in their homework on Thursday mornings.  

SOCIAL STUDIES

Each class has three leadership council candidates that were nominated/chosen by classmates.  These candidates will work over the weekend to complete an application form and write a speech.  We will listen to their speeches and vote using a secret ballot!  We have talked at length about how we will only have ONE representative this school year.  This is a hard but real life lesson for many third graders to learn.  In our class discussions, we have talked about other ways third graders can serve as leaders even if he or she isn't the leadership council representative this school year.  Please continue this discussion at home.  If your child is looking for ways to volunteer or lead our community I don't want to squash anyone's drive and excitement!  We've even talked about what great leaders we can be for our reading buddies each Friday, and even for the bigger kids at our school as we conduct ourselves in the hallway and in the cafeteria.

In class, we will begin talking about how the United States government is set up.  Be ready... this week we will talk about how we have a local, state and federal government.  In the weeks to come you can look forward to talking with your kids about the three branches of government, elections, and leaders at each level of our government.

Math/Science Week of September 24th

Dear Parents,

This week in Math we will be taking what we have learned over the last five weeks with place value, and applying it to rounding.  Early in the week, I will introduce rounding two digit numbers to the nearest ten.  We use a fun roller coaster flip chart to introduce rounding and the kids really enjoy it a lot.  The roller coaster theory is pretty simple to relate to as well.  We talk about "THE POINT OF NOOOOOOO RETURN," when rounding.  Once the roller coaster reaches the top of the track (5,15,25,35,45,etc...), it has reached "THE POINT OF NO RETURN," and must swoop down to the bottom, thus rounding to the nearest ten ahead.  If the roller coaster doesn't quite make it to the top, it will fall backwards and we will then round to the nearest ten behind.  Towards the middle of the week, we will be rounding three digit numbers to the nearest ten as well and then move on to rounding to the nearest 100 at the end of the week, with 50+ being "THE POINT OF NO RETURN."   The students will have a quiz on rounding to the nearest ten and hundred on Friday.  

Last week's fast fact score was recorded in the grade book, and now we are moving on to Subtraction Facts.  Please change gears and study subtraction facts only with your child for at least the next four weeks.

In Science this week, we will continue our unit study on Matter and its properties.  The kids will perform a Solids Lab this Monday and make observations and conclusions about objects that are solids.  Towards the middle of the week, we will have a gas demonstration, and the kids will practice making predictions and conclusions in their journals again.  At the end of the week, we are scheduled to complete a liquids lab.  We will be practicing estimating ML and measuring our liquids in the liquids lab.  

It should be a fun week of learning!

LA and SS 9/24-9/28

Reading
In Reading this week we will be diving into the word of character traits and character development.  Good readers notice how a character may change throughout a story.  We will begin the week by brainstorming a list of character traits.  What words can we use to describe how the character is acting and feeling?  Then, we will review some books we have read to see if we can find text evidence to support a character's personality trait.  As the week progresses, students will look for this text support in their DEAR time (independent reading) book. 

Writing

Nouns ate our lunch last week!  We spent some time backtracking and thinking about what makes a noun a common or proper noun.  Therefore, this week we will introduce our first writing genre study, personal narrative.  We will spend the next few weeks sharing examples of personal narratives and noticing and naming the parts of a narrative.  This week we will focus on learning the vocabulary for those parts (setting the stage, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution).

Spelling

Please remember that they are responsible for completing 8 points and turning in their homework on Thursday mornings.  Students may complete any assignment on the menu they wish.  If they choose to write their words 3 times this week, they may only use that assignments once this week to get 2 of the 8 points.  

Social Studies

We will focus this week on identifying specific people who have demonstrated qualities of a good citizen.  We will focus on the lives and work of Helen Keller, Ruby Bridges, Jane Addams, and Clara Barton.  After we learn about the lives and work of these four women, students will create a billboard to display their understanding of how these women have changed our society.  

This week we will also work on electing our LEADERSHIP COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE.  We will discuss qualities needed in a leadership council representative and the duties and responsibilities that go along with this leadership position.  Students will create a jot down list and nominate classmates.  By the end of the week, we will narrow our list down to three candidates   Those candidates will have the weekend to complete an application form and write a speech.  We will listen to their speeches next week and vote using a secret ballot!

Language Arts
Reading
In Reading this week we will be working on making connections to our reading.  Good readers make connections to a text as they read.  These connections in the brain help us take ownership of the reading.  The story becomes part of who we are because of how we connect to the text.  The three kinds of connections we will focus on are text-to-self, text-to-text and text-to world.  We were able to start this discussion last week.  We related to Stagestruck as a young boy participated in a school play.  Thanks to our music program at HCE, many kids were able to make great text-to-self connections about playing different parts in a play and the feelings they had on stage in front of an audience.  We also read The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.  Our classes were able to relate the towers in NYC and we discussed how they were a great moment of celebration when they were built and how last week we honored the 11th anniversary of the falling of those great towers. I was impressed with their empathy and sharing. 

Writing
This week we will finish up some discussion on types of nouns (common, proper, singular and plural).  Students will also be introduced to our first writing genre study, personal narrative.  We will spend the next few weeks sharing examples of personal narratives and noticing and naming the parts of a narrative.  This week we will focus on learning the vocabulary for those parts (setting the stage, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution).

Spelling
Students made it through their first week of spelling!  Most kids did a GREAT job.  Please remember that they are responsible for completing 8 points and turning in their homework on Thursday mornings.  Students may complete any assignment on the menu they wish.  If they choose to write their words 3 times this week, they may only use that assignments once this week to get 2 of the 8 points.  You will find their tests and test grades in their spelling spiral.  Those grades will not be recorded in the grade book.  I want students and parents to see how the test is set up and graded before entering it in the grade book   Students receive one point for spelling the word correctly and one point for sorting it correctly.  The test we will take on 9/21/12 will be counted for a grade.

Social Studies
We will focus this week on identifying qualities that make someone a good citizen.  We will then brainstorm together to nominate friends, family and community citizens for a good citizen award.  The nomination and reasoning behind it is the most important part of this assignment!  Students will then create a good citizen poem to describe the person they have chosen to honor.  Check out our hallway in a few weeks to see who our third graders believe to demonstrate good citizen traits!  

Math/Science Week of September 17th

Dear Parents,

Next week is going to be fast and furious!  We have so much going on between a counselor lesson, a field trip, Open House, AND Progress Reports going home!

In Math this coming week we will still be working on Place Value.  Early in the week, we will be reviewing four digit numbers.  We will practice again comparing them (using the < and > signs) and ordering them from Least to Greatest and Greatest to Least.  We will have a short quiz on place value Tuesday before we move on to five and six digit numbers.  We will focus on five and six digit numbers the rest of the week.  I will teach the students several Math Station games to reinforce learning in the classroom on Place Value.  Ask your child to teach you Skeleton or Tri-Digit Roll at home.  If you attend Open House this Thursday, one of their jobs is to teach you one of our Math Station Games!

In Science this week, we will be diving deeper into Matter and focusing on the Three States of Matter.  Our main objective for the week is for each student to observe and evaluate a substance/object, and then determine if it is a solid, liquid, or gas based on the properties/characteristics that it contains.  They will discover that the particles in each state of matter are different and how that affects the properties of that object.  Does it change it shape?  Does it pour?  Etc....

Above are the particles first a solid, then a liquid, and last a gas for visual reference.  

Thank you to all parents who emailed interest in chaperoning this upcoming field trip on Wednesday to the Wortham Center.  Unfortunately we are not allotted any monies to take chaperones along on this field trip, so it will be teachers and students only.  If you are interested in chaperoning the next one though, please email myself or Mrs. Ford so we can get in touch with you for the next one.

Thank you and have a great week!

Parents of 4th graders...

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Mental Images, Connections, and Citizenship

Language Arts
Reading
In Reading this week we will be finishing our discussions on mental images, also called visualization.  Good readers create images in their minds as they read a text.  These images help us check for understanding of a text but also aide in our ability to remember what we have just read.  Look for some excellent mental images to come home in the Tuesday Newsday folder this week.

We will then be moving on to work on connections.  Connections fall into three categories:  text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to world.  We will work this week to create text-to-self connections.  We will read and then work together to think...
What about this story reminds me of something I have done?
...something I have experienced?
...someone I know?
These connections draw us closer to the text while building comprehension   

Writing
We will be taking our work from Visualization and apply it to our writing.  We have been noticing in read the language that an author uses to create these beautiful images as we read.  Students will work this week to try their hand at the craft.  They will work on use sensory language and adjectives to help their readers create images as they read.  The pictures that you sent last week for homework will serve as our inspiration this week for writing.

Spelling
We did it!  We made it through our first Monday with new spelling words.  The groups did an excellent job of supporting one another and asking great questions.  The Spelling Homework Menu is due Thursday.  Students will need to complete 8pts. of spelling assignments.  We have only learned about 2pt. and 4pt. options on the menu, so bear with us this week.  The Spelling Menu is located in their green three ring notebook and should stay there all year long as a reference guide.

Social Studies
We have spent a good deal of time talking about how to make our classroom community successful.  We're now working on thinking about what makes someone a good citizen.  Our discussions will help students think about what others can do in our local and national communities to help make our world a better place.  We'll be talking specifically about volunteering this week.  If you or your child have volunteered for an organization, please use that experience as a springboard for discussion at the dinner or breakfast table.  

I am very thankful for your support at home!  I will begin testing each child's reading level soon using the DRA2.  I will be sending a sign-up genius sheet asking for some families to volunteer to bring their child before school, after school and on some Saturdays.  This extra time to tests kids helps me not take so much class and instruction time to administer 45+ reading assessments.  It takes a team, and I'm glad we are in this together! ~Omi Ford