Math and Science Week of December 15th

Dear Parents,

This will be a fast and furious 4 1/2 days!  There is still much to learn :)

Last Friday in Math your child took a Math test on Multiplication and Division.

On Monday, I will be teaching them a strategy called "The Picture Method," to solve two digit by one digit multiplication problems.  A picture is worth a thousand words so see below:

On Tuesday we will review the picture method and solve problems that end in zero.  For example:
8 x 5 = 40
8 x 50 = 400
8 x 500 = 4,000

On Wednesday and Thursday we will work on another strategy called expanded method to solve two digit by one digit problems.  It looks like this:

The kids will learn the regular algorithm later on in the year.

The Fast Facts test will be given on Thursday and will be for a grade.

In Science we are trucking right along learning about force, gravity, and magnetism.  The kids will perform a fun Science experiment on Monday about how using the simple machine pully will help make work a lot easier.  On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will continue working and studying gravity in depth.  We have a fun Magic School Bus video about gravity in our future as well as great notes to write in our Science Journal.

This is our schedule on Friday:
8:00 Announcements
8:10 Movie in class
9:30 Sing A Long
10:20 Lunch
10:50 Recess
11:15 Party
12:00 Dismissal

So Exciting!  I hope to see you at the Sing-a-Long and party!

Love,
Ms. S

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We are in the home stretch, yet we are going to still be working hard this week!

Reading
We will discuss poetry vocabulary and spend one whole day this week immersed in identifying parts of a poem.  We will then look for the hidden messages that we have to infer in our reading.

Writing
Our WITS writer, Mrs. Bolton, will join us again on Tuesday to get the kids thinking more about their portrait poetry.
Then, we will spend the rest of the week publishing our narratives and landform poetry to share with you at Publisher's Picnic this spring!

Spelling
There will be no spelling work this week.

Social Studies
Students have a map skills quiz on Thursday, 12/18.  The review sheet went home last week and is linked here.

We will spend one day with students working in pairs and groups of three to complete research and create an online book about a cultural holidays.  I hope their investigations spark some good conversation in class and at home!

Math and Science Week of Dec 8th

Parents,

Last week we slowed the pace down a bit and spent some days learning how to write our own multiplication word problems.  The kids really loved doing this because we would pick a new theme to write about every day.  We made multiplication problems up about Holidays, birthdays, and animals.  The kids were instructed that they needed a number of groups, a number to go IN EACH group, and then ask for a total.

MULTIPLICATION Example:
I went to the zoo last Summer.   I saw eight rhinos.  Each rhino was given 7 pounds of food.  How many pounds of food were the rhinos given in all?

Towards the end of the week we took those same problems and turned them into division word problems.

OCTOPUS Division METHOD EXAMPLE:
There were 56 lbs of food for the rhinos.   The zoo wanted to share that food among 8 rhinos.  How many pounds would each rhino get, if they all got an equal amount?

Early this week we will study the cookies Method.  This is when you are given the total and the number IN EACH group and you are asked to find the number of groups.

COOKIES METHOD EXAMPLE:
There were 56 lbs of food for the rhinos at the zoo.  The zoo keeper gave each rhino seven pounds of food.  How many rhinos were there at the zoo?

In the middle of this week, we will decode multiplication and division word problems and decide the appropriate strategy to solve.  The kids will do a Math circuit in the classroom for the first time!  These are fun traveling around activities.  On Friday will be the Chapter 6 Multiplication and Division test.  The kids have been studying Chapter 6 since the beginning of November!  They are getting to be multiplication and division pros now!

Fast facts were taken for a grade last week and the scores from this week will not be recorded.  Next week's fast facts test will be on Thursday due to Friday the 19th being a half day.

In Science we are finishing up our deeper study of force, a push or a pull.  The kids have some fun Magic School bus videos to watch to help them learn about how simple machines like pulleys can help make lifting easier.  We have a great lab demonstration planned with the kids on the helpfulness of pulleys.  We will also discuss gravity as a force and magnetism as a force as well.

The kids will be given dictionaries on Tuesday, courtesy of the Dictionary Project, The Hour of Code project on Thursday in the library, and will have toys for tots on Friday.

It;s going to be a fun and busy week.
Love,
Ms.S

Math and Science the Week of December 1-5th

Parents,

Can you believe it's December already?!!

These next three weeks will be jammed packed with learning and activities and fun!  Hold on to your hats.  In Math this week we will be jumping into division head first.  Our study of division will begin basic, as we plan to use cubes and pictures to represent the process of dividing a larger group of things into smaller equal groups.   Students will practice “acting out” the process of division. We will consume LOTS of word problems and use two different strategies to solve.  The first strategy is the Octopus Method.  In this type of word problem you of course are given a total to divide and a number of groups to divide that number into.  You are in search of the number IN each group.  For example:

Ms. Skrivanek had 10 tickets.  She wanted to give five students the same amount of tickets.  How many tickets will EACH student get? 10 divided by 5 is 2 tickets each.  

The inverse of this problem is what we will study the latter part of the week.  It is called the "Cookies Method."  This is when you are given a total to divide, but this time you are told the number IN each group and you have to figure out how many groups there are.  For example:

Ms. Skrivanek had 10 tickets.  She gave two tickets to each student.  How many students were given tickets, if each student was given the same amount? 10 divided by two is five students.

In Science we will dedicate a short time to studying friction.
We have a fun experiment planned as to which the kids will use hot wheels across carpet, tile, and concrete to discover which surface the car travels the fastest/slowest on.  Through their findings the kids will deduct which surface contains the most friction.  

    

Math and Science for the week of Nov 24-25

Parents,

We just have two days this week!  There will be NO HOMEWORK and NO FAST FACTS.

In Math we will be finishing up multiplication of 9's.  We will make groups of nine, arrays of nine, number lines with nine, and repeated addition to solve problems with 9.  Some of your child's work might look like this:

1. 8x9 = 9x8 = 72

2. seven nines = 7 x 9

3. 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 5 x 7

4. 3 groups of 9 = 3 x 9

5. 6 x 9 =
    5 x 9 + 1 X 9
    45 + 9
    54


We will watch this you tube video on the nine hand trick to help us while we memorize our facts:

 In Science we will be finishing up our Unit of Energy.  The kids will have a great Lab on Energy on Monday.  On Tuesday, we will finish up a four door fold-able project on Energy that we have been working on and journal about the energies we have learned about in detail.  The four door fold-able will be a project grade in Science as well as a journal grade in Science when completed.

I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ms. S

Nov. 17-Nov. 25 in Language Arts and Social Studies

LANGUAGE ARTS

READING

Reading

Last week we worked on talking about what strategies good readers use when comprehension breaks down.  Students agreed that when I ask what strategies they try when stuck their first response is usually, sound it out.  While that is one strategy that may help readers who are stuck, it isn't the most effective strategy.  Some other strategies we decided good readers use are:
asking ourselves- does it make sense?
if not, looking at the pictures
reading on
going back and rereading
trying out a synonym and seeing if it makes sense
looking for parts of a word we know
our list will continue to grow as students start noticing what is helpful when they come to a problem while reading.

We also started and will work until Thanksgiving on context clues.  Students know that context means that there are clues in the text that can help a reader discover a words meaning.  Students will participate in class discussions on Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters as we discover the story and uncover all the new vocabulary it has to offer.  They will also work in small groups to share strategies for comprehension.  

SPELLING
We will not have spelling work again until December.  Instead, students will bring home review homework on capitalization and punctuation.

WRITING and SOCIAL STUDIES
Students have been working hard in writing.  We will be working on a number of pieces over the next 7 days.  Students will learn some organization strategies to guide their publication of a personal narrative.

We will then combine our work in Social Studies and Writing.  Students will learn about personification by consuming the mentor text I am the Ocean.  They will apply what they know from our work with landforms and create a landform poem with personification.  These are always some of our most amazing writing pieces.  Your child will share his or hers with you at Publisher's Picnic in May.

Finally, we will also be working on postcards to tell friends and families about vacations we have taken to different regions.  Students will be expected to apply learning and share with the recipient the climate, weather, activities and landforms they encounter while on their imaginary vacation.

Math/Science Week of November 17th

Parents,

The kids are LOVING multiplication!  So far we have learned/reviewed FIVE multiplication strategies that the kids can use to solve multiplication problems.

1. Groups of-3x4 means three groups of four
2. Jumps of-3x4 means three jumps of four on a number line
3. Rows of- 3x4 means three rows of four in an array.
4. Repeated Addition in 3x4 means 4+4+4=12
5. Using facts we know to solve ones we don't know:
                    6x8 = 5x8 + 1x8
                    6x8 = 40 + 8
                    6x8 = 48

This coming week we will use all these tools above that are in our tool belt now to solve multiplication facts of 6,7,8 and 9.  Once the kids have these strategies down, we will also be studying multiplication word problems and what they look like and sound like.  In multiplication word problems you are always given a number of groups and a number IN each group as you search for a total product.

Just an FYI, a district MATH assessment is scheduled in class on Tuesday.  It is not graded or inputted into the grade book, but the data is used as a tool to drive large and small group instruction in Math.  There is no way to study for this test.  It will measure things that have been learned in class so far this year.

Most kids are now studying multiplication Fast Facts at home.  In the back of their green notebook you will see a checklist of the order in which we study our facts in 3rd grade.  They are at the bottom of this blog post as well.  Please study fast facts with your child every night.  The Quick Math app on the I-Pad is excellent practice as well.

In Science we have studied Mechanical, Heat, and Sound Energy with great detail.  The kids will now be moving on to Light Energy this week.  A study guide went home last Friday with flashcards.  An Energy Assessment is scheduled for this Friday the 21st.  It consists of 25 multiple choice questions about the four energies we have studied.

A short week is up ahead next week.  We have a FUN energy Science Lab planned on Monday the 24th to wrap up our Science Unit.  In Math for those two days, we will be tying up loose ends and making sure we are ready to start division in great depth when the kids come back from Thanksgiving break.

Love,
Ms. S

0,1,10

0,1,2,10

0,1,2,5,10

0,1,2,5,10,squares

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6,7

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6,7,8

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6,7,8,9

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6,7,8,9,11

0,1,2,5,10,squares,6,7,8,9,11,12

Math and Science for week of November 10th

In Math this week we will be continuing our study on multiplication.  In the beginning of the week we will work on arrays.  Below are several examples of arrays.  Students can use their knowledge of arrays to help them solve multiplication problems that they don't know.

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On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will dig deeper into what the kids learned in 2nd grade about multiplication.  We will spend Tuesday discussing all the Math in Focus multiplication strategies such as making groups, repeated addition, skip counting on a number line, using facts you know like 5x7 to solve 7x5, and making arrays on dot paper.  On Wednesday, we will work on division strategies learned in 2nd grade such as using multiplication fact families to solve division problems, dividing and sharing equally, dividing by grouping.  We will then spend some time breaking down real world word problems and deciding how to solve.  We will spend the end of the week studying the commutative property (numbers can be multiplied in any order) and the associative property of multiplication (numbers can be grouped and then multiplied in any order).

Fast facts will be graded and inputted this week.  Kids should be studying every night for at least ten minutes.

In Science we are continuing our study of energy.  We barely skimmed the surface of Thermal Energy last week.  This week we will become familiar with insulators and conductors as well as discuss where the six sources of hear come from:the sun, friction, deep down inside the earth, your body, electricity, and fire.  An Energy test is scheduled for the 21st of November.  

Parents please try and attend our annual Veterans Day program this Tuesday at 8:30.  It is a real treat!!

The November Scholastic order for Skrivanek's class will be due on Wednesday the 12th.  Thanks!

Ms. S

Update from Mrs. Ford

LANGUAGE ARTS

READING

Reading

We will continue working with non-fiction features.  Students will learn how to use a FQR (Facts, Questions and Responses) chart this week as a note taking tool and helpful tool to solidify comprehension.

WRITING
Students have been working hard in writing.  We have selected a kernel narrative to take through the writing process.  Last week and this week we have talked about snapshot lead.  Students have brainstormed what senses were engaged at the beginning of their memorable moment.  We have almost finished adding our first round of details to our leads and will continue to learn how to participate in peer and teacher conferences to fine tune our writing.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Landforms

We are starting a new unit in Social Studies, Geography.  Our geography unit is made up of two parts, landforms and map skills. We will start the unit with a look at landforms.  This week and last we review many landforms that are, hopefully, familiar to our students.  

The BIG idea in social studies that we will try to drive home is that our daily life is affected by the land surrounding us.  When we plan vacations, what we pack, what we do, and our travel are all determined by the land and water features surrounding our destination.  

Some of our upcoming vocabulary will be:

Geography-the study of Earth’s features

Landform- natural features, or shapes, of the land including mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, etc.

Climate- the kind of weather a place has over a long period of time

Human Feature- something that people add to the landscape, such as a building

     Adapt- change to fit the environment

We've used this video and songs to help us remember the different types of landforms.

Math/Science Week of November 3-7

Welcome to November parents!


This Friday will be field day and our class color is purple.  We will be called Skrivanek's Surfer Dudes!  Mrs. Ford's class color will be gray and they will be The Fab Fords.  Our Friday schedule will be a bit different with no specials that day so here it is:

Veterans Day Practice in cafeteria- 8:30-9:30

Field Day on the field-10:15-11:45

60th Assembly on Hardtop-11:45-12:15

Lunch in cafeteria 12:35

Recess 1:05


Movie in Skrivanek's room 1:45

In Math we are working on BAR MODELS!!!  It can be a difficult concept to grasp at first, but it is really quite beneficial for our visual learners.  This is an extension of 2nd grade.   Your child learned in 2nd grade how to solve one step addition and subtraction problems.  In 3rd grade, the word problems are double step.  I am attaching a YouTube video to help you.  This is the actual page we worked on this past Friday.

Towards the end of the week we will begin studying multiplication.  We will start off VERY simple and work our way to more difficult concepts.  Students will brainstorm things that come in groups: 2 eyes, 3 wheels on a tricycle, 8 sides on an octagon, etc.  We will discuss that multiplication is actually just equal “groups of” things.  Through a game called “Circles and Stars”, students will represent 5 “groups of” 3 with 5 circles and 3 stars in each circle.  Students will use repeated addition    ( 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 15) to discover the total amount of stars.  We will then connect this to the multiplication sentence of 5 x 3 = 15.   The latter part of the week I will be introducing  multiplication arrays.  We will learn equal rows of things such as 4 rows with 3 cookies in EACH row ( 4 x 3 = 12).   Please look out for any opportunities at home to point out “arrays” or “groups of” things.  Example:  If your family is making cookies, use multiplication to find out how many cookies are on the pan.  If the football team scored 3 touchdowns, use multiplication to find out how many points in all. 


Some students are now on multiplication facts and some are on addition and subtraction.  Either way, the FF test take on Halloween was inputted into the grade book, so this week will be just practice.

In Science this week we are continuing our study of Energy.  We have discovered Mechanical Energy so far and how it is the Energy of motion.  We will review Mechanical (Potential and Kinetic) Energy learned in detail last week, and then we will move on to Heat/Thermal Energy. The students are also becoming familiar with what Force is-a push or a pull, and how energy is transferred from one object to another.  

It's going to be a great week of learning with the kids :)

Love, Ms.S

Math and Science Week of October 27th

Parents,

This week will be Red Ribbon Week at HCE.  On Monday the kids can wear crazy socks, Tuesday is wear tie dye, Wednesday is wear neon and bright colors, Thursday is wear your favorite sports team jersey, and Friday is wear camouflage clothing.

This week in Math we will be finishing up Chapter 4 on four digit subtraction.  On Monday the kids will complete a study guide in class.  They will have no HW on Monday night except to study for the test on Tuesday.  Wednesday will begin our study of Chapter 5, addition and subtraction with bar models.  The kids will be reviewing bar models from 2nd grade on Wednesday and we will make a class anchor chart on the six models they learned in 2nd grade.  One example is below:

We will spend Thursday and Friday reading and decoding word problems and drawing out matching bar models.  Most problems will be double step!!  This is very difficult for 3rd graders and we will spend some quality time in class working through all types of problems. 

Fast Facts will be for a grade this week.  Please continue to study them 8-10 minutes a night.  They are 20% of your child's Math average. 

In Science, we will wrap up our study of mixtures and solutions with some fun vocabulary games and a song to help the kids remember what they have learned.  This week we will begin our unit study on 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. 

Thank you for all that attended conferences this week and last.  It was great to have some face to face time with all of you.  

Love,

Ms.S

Math and Science the Week of October 20th-24th

Parents,

This is the week of Fall conferences.  This means we will have three full days, Monday-Wednesday, and two half days, Thursday and Friday.  This does cut our instruction down a bit for the week!

In Math on Monday we will finish up strategies on how to regroup in the ones, tens, hundreds and thousands while subtracting.  This is a sample from one of our kids work on Friday:

On Tuesday, we will work on subtraction over TRIPLE zeros!  Here's what that looks like:

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we will work on using our newly found subtraction skills in all kinds of word problems.  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

In Fast Facts we will be moving on to Addition and Subtraction combined.  Because this is the first time your student has been exposed to mixed addition and subtraction in a fast fact setting, this will be just for practice!  Next Fridays FF test will be recorded in the grade book.  Fast Facts are worth 20% of your child's Math average.

In Science, we have completed our study on Matter.  You can be looking for your child's test score in their Tuesday News-day folder this week.  We have skimmed the surface on Mixtures in Science and will be diving deeper into what a mixture is and how they can be separated. Mixtures are very common.  When you add two or more different types of things, you make a mixture.  The parts that are combined are called ingredients.   There can be two or more ingredients in a mixture such as a fruit salad.

Mrs. Ford and I look forward to seeing you this Thursday and Friday for conferences.  If you are in my homeroom and have not signed up for a conference with me, please click the link below to do so.  Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/8050949A5AF229-fall1

Love,

Ms. S

Genre, Narrative and our first ASSESSMENT in Social Studies

It's a short week, but a FULL week!

READING

Today, we are reviewing genres and working to identify the genres of books students have read during DEAR time. 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).  As the week ends students will work with a partner to determine the genre of a book simply from it's outward characteristics.  We will apply this knowledge next week as we begin a unit on non-fiction texts.  

WRITING
We are continuing our focus on Personal Narrative. Last week, our Literacy Specialist, Krystle Henley taught students how to create a kernel narrative. This week, we will generate a kernel each day.  Soon, students will get to choose which kernel they want to POP and publish.

SPELLING 
New spelling words will come home on Wednesday.  If your child cannot locate his or her words, please reference the spelling spiral. The new homework and spelling test date will be written in your child's planner.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We are wrapping up our 9 weeks focus on Communities, Citizenship and Government.  We will spend Tuesday and Wednesday review for our first big assessment in Social Studies.  Students participated today in class in a KAHOOT which they created questions and answers for to help their peers review.  Please remember that good study habits start now.  We don't want anyone CRAMMING for the test.  The review sheets have been in student binders for a week.  A little review each night will make a big difference. 

Math and Science Week of October 13th

Parents,

It will be a fast a furious short week this week!  In Math we just concluded our chapter on Addition with and without regrouping.  The kids took at Chapter Test this past Friday.  On Tuesday, we will be practicing four digit subtraction without regrouping at all to get them in the groove of subtracting again.  On Wednesday the kids will be doing four digit subtraction with regrouping in the hundreds place only, and on Thursday it will be four digit subtraction in the ones, tens, and hundreds place.  On Friday, all 3rd graders will have a substitute because it will be 3rd grades' planning day.  In Math on Friday, the kids will review the weeks concepts and nothing new will be introduced.  For homework this week we have taken from 2nd grades' Math in Focus resources online and will be sending home three digit subtraction problems your kids did last year in 2nd grade as a nice review and segway into what we are doing this week.  The picture below represents what regrouping/borrowing means visually in subtraction.

This Friday will be the last Friday in the the 1st nine weeks.  The fast facts test will be 20 subtraction problems in one minute.  It will be taken as a grade.  Your child's Fast Fact scores are 20% of their Math Average.  Please study 5-10 minutes a night.  The app Quick Math is an excellent resource for practicing facts.

In Science, The kids and I will review what we learned on Friday through our lab called The Great Ice Cube Race.  The children that melted their ice cube the fastest did so by using friction and creating heat.  Heat changes Matter.  On Tuesday we will discuss heat further by talking about melting, freezing, evaporation, and condensation.  On Wednesday will be our first Science Test on Matter.  It will consist of some fill in the blank with a word bank to test vocabulary knowledge, some multiple choice to test content, and two short answer questions.  On Thursday and Friday we will begin talking about mixtures and solutions.

Thank for reading!
Love,
Ms. S

Genre, Narratives and preparing for our first Social Studies test

Reading
We will finish up theme this week.  Students will examine texts that they have previously during DEAR time.  Students will have to provide text evidence to support their choice of theme.  We will also read fables to determine theme. As the week ends, we will review some of the books we have shared aloud 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).WritingIn Writing, we are continuing our focus on Personal Narrative. This week, we will students will reconstruct a narrative.  They will be given an example of a student written personal narrative.  The narrative will be cut up into pieces.  Students will have to work in a small group to "put the narrative back together."  Then, students will have to come up with explanations of why the order works.  We will create a quick-list of writing ideas that students can use when writing his/her own personal narrative. Lastly, our Literacy Specialist, Krystle Henley will come in and teach students how to create a kernel narrative.  After we generate a few kernels, students will get to choose which kernel they want to POP and publish.SpellingThis week, your child have his or her Spelling Test on Wednesday.  The Spelling Homework menu is due on Tuesday.  I cannot post spelling words on the blog since student lists are differentiated each week and our spelling curriculum is copyrighted.  If you child cannot locate his or her words, please reference the spelling spiral. The new homework and spelling test date will be written in your child's planner.Social StudiesWe are wrapping up our 9 weeks focus on Communities, Citizenship and Government.  Last week, focused on government leaders.  Students need to continue to study the leaders at each level of government: local/mayor, state/governor and nation or federal/president.  This week we will focus more on the responsibilities of each level of government.  Please look for the review sheet to come home on Tuesday. 

Math and Science for the week of Oct 6th

Parents,

This week will be our Education Go Get It Week.  Please feel free to send your child in any college shirt to support the week's theme.  

In Math this week we will be reviewing four digit addition.  Students will be completing problems that have regrouping in the ones, the tens, and the hundreds place!  Last week we worked on just regrouping in the hundreds.  Students used manipulatives to represent numbers.  Observe pictures below:

 

These pictures represent the addition problem 1,800+2,800=4,600.  The students will now use manipulatives to regroup in the ones, tens, AND hundreds this week.  On Tuesday and Wednesday we will take what we have learned and apply them to addition word problems.  On Thursday your child will be bringing home their Chapter Wrap Up Test Review, and then on Friday we will have a Math test over four digit addition.  

Our Fast Fact Friday Quiz will consist of subtraction problems only and will not be graded this Friday. Your child is 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 we will be diving deeper into the three states of Matter.  We will have a gas demonstration, a liquids lab, and a fun lab called, The Great Ice Cube Race!  It's a really fun experiment the kids do to discover how heat changes matter. On Wednesday, your child will bring home flash cards and a matter study guide to help them prepare for OUR FIRST SCIENCE TEST ON OCTOBER 15th.   The test will consist of multiple choice and some short answer questions.

It's going to be another great week of learning!

Love,
Ms.S

Theme, Personal Narratives, Spelling, and Government!

Reading
We will move onto Theme later in the week.  There are many common themes found in books.  These are usually tied to a lesson that the main character learns at the end of the text.  Some examples of themes are: Courage, Acceptance, Kindness, Friendship, Responsibility, Perseverance and Honesty.  We will start by examining texts that we have previously read as a class.  Then, we will move onto analyzing our DEAR books.  Students will have to provide text evidence to support their choice of theme.  We will also read fables to determine theme.
Writing
In Writing, we are continuing our focus on Personal Narrative. This week, we will listen to a read aloud of My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother by Patricia Polacco.  Students will put the events in the text on the narrative arc.  Next, students will reconstruct a narrative.  They will be given an example of a student written personal narrative.  The narrative will be cut up into pieces.  Students will have to work in a small group to "put the narrative back together."  Then, students will have to come up with explanations of why the order works.  Lastly, we will create a quick-list of writing ideas that students can use when writing his/her own personal narrative.
Spelling
This week, your child will bring home new Spelling words on Wednesday.  I will meet with students in small groups to teach the new sort.  Students will practice the sort in class and then bring the words home to complete the Spelling Homework Menu.  I cannot post spelling words on the blog since student lists are differentiated each week and our spelling curriculum is copyrighted.  If you child cannot locate his or her words, please reference the spelling spiral. Each Wednesday after our small group lesson, I have the students write the spelling list in the correct sorts in their spiral so they can see a correct example as they practice throughout the week.    
Please send your child's Ziploc bag back to school on Wednesday to help him/her earn a homework coupon!  This coupon will be worth 2 points off the Spelling Menu homework.  Instead of completing 8 points, he/she will only  have to complete 6 points.  Please attach the coupon to the rest of the completed homework to be turned in next Tuesday.  Coupons cannot be saved up.  A student cannot turn in multiple coupons in one week.  The new homework and spelling test date will be written in your child's planner.
Social Studies
We are continuing our 9 weeks focus on Communities, Citizenship and Government.  Last week, we went through the voting process and now we have elected 2 Leadership Council Representatives!  Congratulations to Raul in Ms. Skrivanek's class and Avery in Mrs. Ford's class!  This week, we will focus on government leaders.  Students need to understand the leaders at each level of government: local/mayor, state/governor and nation or federal/president.

Math and Science Week of September 29th

Hola!

Here we are in the sixth week of school.  You should have received your child's progress report and signed it over the weekend.  We are trucking right along now and will have quite a busy week of learning.

In Math we will start the week with a test.  The kids worked hard on Friday in partner groups on their study guide.  They should have bought it home over the weekend and looked over it with you.  On Tuesday we will review some 2nd grade skills, addition with two and three digits with and without regrouping.  On Wednesday we will be introducing four digit addition without regrouping.  Towards the end of the week we will introduce four digit addition with regrouping in the hundreds place.  We will start the kids off very simple on place value mats building numbers and adding them with manipulatives and gradually progress to the regular algorithm on paper/pencil.  This is what it would look like with two digit regrouping:

In Math Facts, we have moved on to subtraction.  This week will be graded and inputted into the online grade book.

Last week in Science we had such a fun time with Matter exploration.  The kids investigated mass, texture, temperature, magnetism, sink/float, and the three states of matter.  This week we will dig a little deeper into understanding the molecule make-up of a solid, liquid, and gas.  The kids will take a 10 question quiz in the middle of the week to review learning thus far.  It includes some Science safety and tool review, as well as some deeper questioning on Matter in which they discovered in last week's lab.

Thanks for reading!
Ms. S

Connections, Character Traits, Narratives and Elections

We've had a great first month of school.  Your children are thinking while they are reading and sharing their thoughts with others!

READING

We will finish up our work on connections early this week.  Last week, we reviewed and practiced making text to self and text to text connections.  This week we will finish by discussing text to world connections.  This type of reading connection can be the most challenging for 3rd graders since it requires background knowledge in world events and history.  I will scaffold our learning by connecting our text to Ruby Bridges story we learned about a few weeks ago in Social Studies.

Students need to continue to read for 20 minutes each night and record the title in their planner.  This is part of their study habits and daily routine which are assessed and reported on the progress report each grading cycle.

WRITING

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 of a narrative (setting the stage, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution).

WORD WORK

Spelling words came home last Wednesday.  This Tuesday, 9/23, spelling spirals are due.  They should hold your child's spelling homework.  They have had a week to complete 8pts of spelling assignment choices on the spelling menu. On Wednesday, 9/24 students will have their first spelling test.  Since this is our first week to test, there will not be a spelling grade on the progress report.  New spelling words will be introduced and go home on Wednesday, October 1.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This week we will learn about HCE's Leadership Council.  Students will have a chance to notice and nominate classmates whom demonstrate the COUGAR CODE.  We will combine those nominations and then elect a representative for our homeroom class.  We will use this real world example to guide our study and learning about voting.  We will close up the week by learning about our local government and comparing our mayor and city council to the roles of our school principal and leadership council!

Math and Science Week of September 22nd

Parents,

We have a full week this week!  On Wednesday we will be visited by an Author in the library, Thursday we have our first field trip, and on Friday your child will bring home their progress report.  Be looking for that over the weekend to sign and return.

This week in Math we will take what we know about rounding to the nearest ten and hundred, addition, and subtraction and put it all together.  The kids will be required to look at a three digit Math problem, round the numbers, and then solve like this:

You will see some rounding practice come home every day this week.  Monday we will round to the nearest ten, Tuesday to the nearest 100, and on Wednesday we will round a three digit two different ways, to the nearest ten AND hundred.

EX: 329 to the nearest TEN is 330
EX: 329 to the nearest HUNDRED is 300

On Thursday the kids will bring home a Chapter Review and will need to study it on Thursday night for the Unit test on Chapter 2.  If the kids don't finish the study guide at school, please work on it with them at home.  The test will be on Friday.

Science is fun this week!  We will be diving into properties of Matter.  The kids will have a lab on Tuesday and Wednesday that is a station rotation.  It will be six different stations discovering mass, texture, magnetism, temperature.  The kids will get to use a lot of different Science tools and explore.  Here's a pic of our Gobstopper Experiment this past week.  Ask the kids to tell you all about it!

It's going to be a busy and fun week!

Love, Ms. S

Math and Science Week of September 15th

Parents,

We are trucking right along and have completed our study of place value for the time being.  Next week we will move on to Mental Addition and Subtraction Strategies as well as estimation.

On Monday we will introduce the Chapter will some number bond review from second grade as well as a review of rounding to the nearest ten.  For example:  4 and 5 make 9, so 4+5=9 and 5+4=9, as well as 9-4=5 and 9-5=4.

On Tuesday we will go over two Mental Addition strategies without regrouping.  The first one is called, "Add the tens, then the one"

EX: 45+62 is like 45+60.  This equals 105+2=107

The second strategy is called, "Add the tens, then subtract the extra ones."  

EX: 35+58 is like 35+60.  This equal 95-2=93

On Wednesday we will work on Mental Subtraction strategies very similar to Tuesday, only now we will be subtracting.  In one strategy, you are rounding down and adding extra ones.  In the second strategy, you are rounding up, and then subtracting the extra ones you tacked on when you initially rounded.  

Ex #1 68-34 is like 68-30.  This equals 38-4=34.

EX#2 63-48 is like 63-50.  This equals 13+2=15.

On Thursday the kids will be adding larger numbers close to 100 mentally.

Ex#1 86+95 is like 86+100.  This equals 186-5=181.

Ex#2 94+97 is close to 100+100.  This equals 200-6, 194-3=191.

The kids will be playing some fun station games to practice these skills.

On Friday will be FAST FACT FRIDAY!!  This Friday's grade will be entered into the grade book. 

In Science we will be moving on from learning HOW to make observations, to actually making some observations through the Scientific Method and an experiment we will conduct with the kids early in the week!

Next week we will have a counselor lesson with Ms. Clifton on Monday, Picture day on Tuesday, and Curriculum night on Thursday at 5:30.  Please watch this video in internet explorer before you come to curriculum night so you can be ready with great questions!

WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE CURRICULUM NIGHT

See you Thursday!

Ms. S

Fiction Elements, Visualizing, Good Citizens and Spelling Menu Practice

Reading- We will continue to discuss fiction text elements Students will be reminded of the importance of characters, setting, and plot (problem and solution) in fiction texts.  Then, we will move into visualizing.  This is an IMPORTANT reading strategy that helps kids and adults monitor comprehension as we read.  If we can't see it in our minds (visualize it) then we aren't understanding what's happening in the story.  We will focus on what words an author uses to help us create these images.

Writing- Your children have written two journal entries in their Writer's Notebooks.  Last week we learned about a sharing style called point.  The students reflected on what they liked about POINT and had this to say-- "You get to know someone better when you hear their story."  "I like that they told me something nice about my writing."  "It felt good to get a compliment."  As we work to write in a variety of ways this week, we will continue to use POINT as a way to reflect on our writing and get to know one another better.  

Word Work- This week, students will learn about our Spelling Menu.  We use a menu each week as part of our 3rd grade spelling homework.  Students will learn this week about each of the options on the menu and the where, when and what of spelling homework.  If you have access to a thesaurus and/or dictionary at home, great.  There are multiple choices about working with definitions, syllables,  synonyms or antonyms on our spelling menu. If you do not have access to a thesaurus, I will teach your child this week how he or she can check resources out from me each evening.

Social Studies- We will continue our work on Good Citizens this week in Social Studies.  Last week we learned about Ruby Bridges and Helen Keller.  This wee we will focus on Jane Addams, who started the Hull House, one of the very first community centers in America.  We will also learn about Clara Barton who was instrumental in starting the American Red Cross.  
Students will be encouraged to think about the power that volunteers have to make a community run well.  If you volunteer, please share what you do and why you do it with your child.
Towards the end of the week, we will learn about first responders in our community and nation.  Officer Miller will speak to our classes on Wednesday and we will have our Lunch With Heroes this week as well.  If there is anyone in your family or community circle who is a first responder, please talk about this person's commitment and dedication with your child.
Homework-Third graders will have 20 minutes of reading homework each night.  We checked out library books last Thursday, and will return to the library each week on Thursdays.  Students should record the book title in their planner each night to show that the required 20 minutes was completed.

Math and Science the Week of Sept 8-12th

Parents,

In Math next week we will be wrapping up Chapter 1 with four digit place value.  On Monday, the kids will be bringing home a study guide to study for their Math test on Tuesday.  The test will include:

Standard Form: 4,678

Expanded Form: 4,000+600+70+8

Word Form: four thousand, six hundred seventy-eight

Patterns in a list: 4567 ______  4587  4597  _______   _______

Patterns on a number line:

Building Numbers:  

The latter part of the week we will introduce the ten thousands place as well as the hundred thousands place.  The students will build numbers to 999,999.

In Science, we have been working on Science safety and Science tools.  Next week we will discuss how you make observations with their eyes, ears, hands, nose, and mouth.  The kids will practice describing different objects and their properties making observations with their senses.  In the middle of the week, we will be playing The Properties Game and having a FUN time with that!!  

Next week is Lunch With Heroes on 9/11.  Have your child wear red, white, and blue that day.  The kids will be eating with firefighters, policemen, FBI agents, etc...

We now have turned in all of our red first day folders and are trucking right along with the routine of school.  Thank you to those who have signed up for my remind text messages.  

Skrivanek's Homeroom please sign up using: www.remind.com/join/skriv

Ford's Homeroom please sign up using: www.remind.com/join/fordsh

These will be Math and Science reminders from ME such as, "Math test tomorrow, study guide is in your child's HW folder," or "Science Test tomorrow!"

It's going to be a great week!

Ms.S