Week 6: September 25-29

September 25th - 29th
Reminders: Due to growing bodies and changing hormones, please encourage your child to develop the daily habit of applying deodorant.  

Please remember we have students with allergies; pack nut-free snacks.  Snacks should be dry and healthy to promote student learning and not create a mess. 

 Examples: 

• Fresh or dried fruit/vegetable sticks or slices
• Cheese cubed or sliced·        
• Applesauce (in the squeezable containers)
• Goldfish, Cheeze-it or Cheese Nips·        
• Saltines/Graham crackers

Reading: Fix-Up Strategies take center stage this week.  We use fix-up strategies when meaning breaks down during reading.  As adults, these are techniques we do without a second thought.  For third graders, it require much thought, self-awareness and lots of practice!  Note the bookmark we will use in class to help us as we apply this learning.

Writing: Good writers keep a notebook to generate ideas.  This week we will continue to work on ways to get ideas from our brains to our journals.  Storytelling at home is a wonderful way to help students make the connection between school work and the real world.  Specifically this week, we will think about memories that come from our homes.  Is there a room where you remember a funny or poignant story from your life?  Is there a home you have been in that has important meaning to you?  Where have you made memories? Share stories with your child.

Spelling: After reviewing inventories, we have noticed some overall spelling needs.  We will begin our spelling practice with a few whole group lessons to fix-up some grade level misconceptions and then will move into a more targeted and personalized approach to spelling.

Social Studies: Last week, we discussed leadership council and the opportunity it brings to third graders.  Leadership Council representatives will be announced Friday, September 29. In the meantime, we will focus on learning more about our community.  Where do we live? How can we help in our communities?  We will wrap up the week completing a service project that we will share with our third grade friends at Meadow Wood Elementary.

Math: During math this week, we will practice comparing and ordering numbers. Your child will learn several strategies for comparing numbers and justifying how they got to their answer. On Wednesday, we will work to order numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least, our prior knowledge about comparing numbers will help us move through this topic. On Thursday and Friday, we will learn how to put numbers on a number line. We will work to locate a point on the number line when given a beginning and endpoint. Your child will have their first graded fast facts quiz on Friday. A blue paper filled with addition problems was sent home so that you have an idea of what to practice. We encourage you studying with flash cards or apps at home. Paper homework will go home on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night.

Science: This week we will be studying the scientific method. We will go through the different parts and understanding what scientist do when conducting an experiment. We've worked on making observation and next we will work on making predictions and hypothesis when answering scientific questions.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will go through all the steps in the Scientific method as we conduct our first experiment. 

Library Volunteers

We are thankful for those parents and family members who can help us in the library.  Remember that all volunteers have to fill out forms to register to a volunteer and attend a training lead by Mrs. Snyder.

Ms. Saint Val’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade

Ms. Duncan’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade1

Ms. Badrak’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade2

Ms. Ford’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade3

Ms. Rozzell’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade4

Ms. Morphey’s Homeroom - http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4caea623a0f85-3rdgrade5

Week 5: September 18-22

September 18th - 22nd

Reminders: 
September 18-22- MAP TESTING (Please reference the blog post for more information.)

Columbus Day - October 9th - Student Holiday (No School)

Open House - October 10th from 6:00-6:45p.m.

Reading: We will focus our attention on Metacognition this week. We will think about what we

think while we read.  Good readers are able to monitor their thinking while read.  Making connections and predictions while reading improves reading comprehension and enjoyment!  Please share with your child what you are thinking while reading a book together this week.

Writing: Thank you for equipping your students to share and create with Writer's Notebooks last week.  We have created personal treasure chests that we will now begin to fill full of personal and creative stories.  This week, we will begin by trying on a variety of writing techniques that get writer's thinking and ideas flowing!

Spelling: Teachers have given the developmental Words Their Way Spelling Inventory and will work together during extended planning this week to make a plan for how to reach a variety of needs and challenges.  Look for more to come home in spelling in a few weeks!

Social Studies: Third graders have the opportunity to be part of the HCE leadership council.  In classes this week students will learn about how we elect representatives.  We will make connections back to our local and state governments.  We look for students who demonstrate good conduct, have all passing grades, show leadership characteristics, are well respected by his or her peers and are motivated to help our school think of new and fun ways to serve the community.  Election results from 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will be shared on the morning announcements on Friday, September 29.

Math: Due to the MAP testing this week, your the day to day schedule may look different in each class. This week, our objective is to learn how to compose and decompose numbers. This helps your child understand the many ways that numbers can be built and created. We will practice decomposing on Monday, composing on Tuesday and then we will combine the two on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will work to understand the relationships between numbers in each place that they hold. 

We will have paper homework come home on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Please return the homework the next day as we check it together in class. We hope you will make time and encourage your child to do their homework, it is great practice. 

Science: During our science block this week, we will be reminded how to make observations. When we make observations, we use our five senses - touch, taste, smell, see, and hear. We will practice making observations in class with items. Your child will come up with examples of objects or items in which they use their five senses. 

MAP Testing

MAP^® Growth Assessments

During the week of September 18^th your child will take diagnostic assessments called Measures of Academic Progress^® (MAP^®). We give students MAP assessments to determine your child’s instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of Reading and Mathematics. Your child will take the tests on a Google Chromebook.

MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your child’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing.  And with MAP assessments, we can administer shorter tests and use less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s growth. Over the next few days, your child will spend a total of about 2 hours completing these tests.

Each school year, students in grades K - 5 take the assessments in Aug-Sept, January and May. Following each testing period, you will receive a report showing your child’s growth.

We are truly excited to begin a new era that focuses on every child’s individual growth and achievement. Partnering to help all kids learn, parents and teachers can have a profound positive effect on the lives of our children.

For more information, see:
https://www.nwea.org/resources/a-parents-guide-to-map/

Sincerely,

Third Teachers

Mandie Badrak, Kirstyn Duncan, Omi Ford, 

Sarah Morphey, Mac Rozzell, and Sandra Saint-Val

Week 4: September 11-15 (First Day: Take Two)

Reminders
Classes resume on Monday, September 11.  We are excited to share hugs, stories, space and learning together again!

Reading
We will review routine and expectations for Reader's Workshop.  We will practice how we move and prepare ourselves for success when reading and thinking together.

This will be our first trip to the library.  Students will get to meet our new librarian, Mrs. Stultz.  Badrak, Duncan, Ford and Saint-Val's classes will go to the library every Wednesday.  Morphey  and Rozzell's classes will go to the library each Friday.

Writing
We will finally decorate our Writer's Notebooks on Thursday, September 14.  Please send your child with photos, stickers, and materials to make their notebook tell the stories that make him or her unique.

The majority of our week will be spent thinking about the stories we have to share and the many ways that writer's organize and prepare themselves for writing.

Spelling
Each student will take a beginning of the year Words Their Way Inventory.  This developmental spelling assessment helps teachers know what letter and pattern concepts your child has mastered.  We will use this information to guide our spelling instruction this school year.

Social Studies
We spent more time apart than we have together.  This week we will review and firmly establish our expectations for each other.  A community is a group of people who live and work together.  It's imperative that we understand what each of us needs and requires to help make learning and growing possible for each member of our community.

Math
During math this week we will pick up where we left off. On Monday, we will introduce our online resources called Dreambox. We will tape your child's username and password into the front part of their planner so that you will be able to access this resource from home.

Science
In science this week, we will review our class expectations for our science time together. We will discuss characteristics of a scientist. We will work on our portrait, "Picture Me as a Scientist."

We miss you!

 

We hope that our HCE families continue to be safe. The third grade teachers are well.

Some families have emailed and wanted to know what they can do with their children while school is closed.

You can view the pages on the right hand side of this blog to find websites great for kids.

MATH, SCIENCE, LANGUAGE ARTS and SOCIAL STUDIES

Reading daily is always a good practice for anyone. Practicing math facts or playing games that use numbers and strategy are fun and helpful.  The Ford family has been playing Farkle and adding up big numbers.

The most important thing for us, is that we want you and your children to know that we love you and miss you. We want you to be safe.