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