Mrs. Ford is BACK!

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to school, and back to third grade with Mrs. Ford!
I missed all of you while I was gone.
Here's a little look at who I was spending my break with...

Language Arts

Reading- We will spend the rest of this week and next week reviewing inferences and beginning to analyze questions using QAR (Question Answer Relationship).  QAR is useful as a tool for conceptualizing and developing comprehension questions. "QAR creates a way of thinking about the types of questions that are most appropriate for different points in guiding students through a text. Questions asked before reading are usually On My Own QARs. They are designed to access relevant prior knowledge. In creating questions asked during reading it is important to balance text based and inference questions. Search and Locate QARs should dominate and should build to the Author and Me QARs. Finally, after reading questions are primarily Author and Me and On My Own QARs. Please remember that too many Right There QARs may indicate and overemphasis on literal, detail questions. QAR is useful as a student tool in providing a basis for three comprehension strategies: locating information, determining text structures and how they convey information, and determining when an inference would be required. It initially helps children understand that information from both texts and their knowledge base and experiences are important to consider when answering questions. It helps students search for key words and phrases to locate the appropriate information for answering questions. Finally, QARs help students recognize whether or not information is present in the text and, if not, that it is necessary to read “between or beyond the lines” to answer the question." (the reading lady)
Reading homework is back on track.  Please have students check the reading blog to record homework.

Writing- Students have finished writing a personal narrative.  We will be working the next two weeks on letter writing.  Students will receive a third grade pen pal.  We will learn how to correctly format and write a friendly letter to that person.  Then, after each child receives a letter, we will learn how to write a thank you letter in return.  We are hoping that this real world application will inspire a new generation of letter writing! :)

Spelling- Students will once again bring home spelling words on Mondays.  They will work to complete 8 points off the spelling menu by Thursday and we will test on Fridays.

Social Studies

Geography We will start our unit on land forms   In third grade we work to learn land form vocabulary.  Then, we will find when on our EARTH different land forms or bodies of water may be found.  Finally, we want students to think about how life might be based on what type of land form or body of water we live near.