Math/Science Week of October 21st

Boy last week seemed crazy!  But most four day weeks do!  Last week with DATA day and a field trip, we got a little behind in our lessons.  Also 3rd grade made a teacher decision to spend some more time on estimating Sums and Differences because our kids needed some addition support and time on it.  SOOOOO, Monday and most likely Tuesday will now be spent on addition and subtraction patterns in a paired table like this:

The rest of the week we will be moving on to measuring in our customary system.  We will begin working in measurement as we use rulers to find the length of objects.  We will focus on inches, feet, yards, and miles.  Students will practice predicting the length of objects around the room, measuring with rulers, and then calculate the difference between the predicted and the actual length.  

We will also work on the concept of Perimeter.  We will talk about the border around our bulletin boards or the fence around the school to introduce the concept of a perimeter.  To find the perimeter, students will measure all sides of an object or shape and then find the sum of these sides.  To challenge your child on perimeter,  give them the total perimeter of an object or shape and encourage them to find all the possible lengths that could equal the given perimeter.  

Our Fast Fact Friday Quiz will be for practice and will now include ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION.  Students should be studying facts every night for at least 5 – 8 minutes.  

In Science this week, we will continue our new unit of study.  Students will begin studying the concept of Energy.  Energy is the ability to move and do work.  We will review four forms of energy: sound, light, heat, and mechanical. We will begin with Mechanical Energy and discover that there are two types of Mechanical Energy: Potential and Kinetic.  We will also learn about pushes and pulls in greater detail.

Remember this week on Thursday and Friday are our parent conferences.  Make sure that you have a time scheduled with your homeroom teacher for next week.  

Love, Ms. S