It's hard to believe we are starting our last week of school together. Thank you for all your love and support you've shown your child as well as us this year. We are truly grateful for you all! We wish you a happy, safe, and fun-filled summer!
Please see below for the last few events we have together as a grade level:
Monday, May 29: SCHOOL HOLIDAY
Thursday, May 31: Talent Show in Cafeteria from 9:20-10:20pm and 4th Nine Weeks award ceremony in Discovery Center from 1:45-2:15pm.
Friday, June 1:Last Day of School!!End of year celebration and pizza in our classrooms. This is an early dismissal day.
Week 36: May 21st-25th We have a BIG week coming up! Please see below to read the happenings of third grade this week... Please join us for the following this week...
Monday, May 22nd: Publishers Picnic at 11:00-11:30am in our courtyard
Please make plans to join your child in the third grade courtyard from 11:00-11:30am. They will share with you much of their work from this school year. It's a great time to see the growth they have made this year and celebrate their success. Because this is a school wide event, you will want to get here early.
Tips on things to bring that will make the time more special: smiles, a blanket or chairs to sit, a lunch with your child's favorite things, and plenty of water as it is to be hot and humid.
We're asking that your child remains at school after Publisher's Picnic as we are finishing up end of year MAP testing and data collection.
Thursday, May 25th: Join us for the 3rd grade Chariot Races from 8:30-9:00am on our field. You won't want to miss this short, but fun experience!
Friday, May 26th: Join us the next day at the Winds of Time school-wide parade and celebration 8:45-10:00am. Students will be parading around our hallways and participating in a final Winds of Time celebration on our hardtop.
STAAR Testing is this week. Your child will take the math STAAR test on Monday and the reading STAAR test on Tuesday.
By working together, we can make your child’s test experience positive and successful. Here are some suggestions and reminders to help your child succeed:
- Make sure your child gets a good night’s rest.
- Have your child eat a healthy breakfast at home or in the cafeteria at school.
- Make sure your child arrives at school on time. We will be starting very soon after the school bell rings.
- HCE will be providing one, clean snack on Monday and one on Tuesday. Your child can bring their own snack as well. Let’s avoid bringing snacks that are sticky, liquid-based, and messy (e.g. Cheetos). We will also be providing a water bottle each day.
- We highly encourage your child to bring a jacket or sweatshirt. The AC will be on and it gets rather cold in our class and testing rooms.
- Per TEA, students are not allowed to bring or WEAR devices during testing. We are asking that your child leave smartwatches, Fitbits, and phones at home on Monday and Tuesday.
- Continue to build your child’s confidence through the weekend! Please reiterate that they have learned everything they need to know for the test. We have practiced strategies to help them be successful test takers. We are ready and prepared!
Thank you for continued support and help in making Monday and Tuesday test days run smoothly.
Other upcoming HCE events...
Monday, May 22nd: Publishers Picnic from 11:00-11:30am in our Courtyard
Please make plans to join your child in the third grade courtyard from 11:00-11:30am. They will share with you much of their work from this school year. Since this is a school wide event, you will want to get here early.
Tips on things to bring that will make the time more special: smiles, a blanket or chairs to sit, a lunch, and plenty of water as it is to be hot and humid.
We're asking that your child remains at school after Publisher's Picnic as we are finishing up end of year MAP testing and data collection.
Thursday, May 25th: Join us on the field for the 3rd grade Chariot Races from 8:30-9:00am. You won't want to miss it!
We're still in need of wagons for our chariot races. Please lend us your wagon and ask your neighbors to help us out, too! The following SignUp Genius will help us keep track of what is coming. Thanks for your help! Chariot Wagon SignUp
Friday, May 26th: Join us for the Winds of Time school-wide parade from 8:45-10:00am in the hallways and hard top area.
Language Arts: We will be working on our Unit project for Ancient Rome after STAAR this week. After spending a few weeks researching and note taking, your child will be writing an Ancient Rome nonfiction book to show all that they've learned during unit time.
Math: We're studying Roman numerals for the remainder of the week.
Social Studies/Science: We will spend our short week preparing for our upcoming chariot races. Your child will be choose a team name inspired by ancient Rome and create a shield for the big race.
Week 34: May 7-11 Reminders: 5/9 - Bike to School Day 5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00 5/14 - Math STAAR 5/15 - Reading STAAR 5/21 - Publishers' Picnic @ 11:00 - 11:30 5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30 5/25 - Winds of Time Parade @ 8:45 5/28 - Memorial Day (No School) 5/31 - 3rd-5th Talent Show
Winds of Time is just around the corner. In third grade we study Ancient Rome and take part in our own version of the chariot races that entertained Romans all over the empire. We need wagons to transform into chariots. Please lend us your wagon and ask your neighbors to help us out, too! The following SignUp Genius will help us keep track of what is coming. Thanks for your help! Chariot Wagon SignUp
Please note that Publishers' Picnic has been changed to Monday, May 21 from 11:00-11:30. We hope to see you there to share what your child has accomplished this year. Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket and meet us in our grade level courtyard. For the rest of the year, third grade will be piloting a new schedule that will add a few interesting segments to our day. Students will participate in Morning Meetings that build community, valuing the thoughts, feelings and accomplishments of all students and helping students feel included in our community. We aim to develop students as empathetic collaborators who work successfully in teams. During Office Hours, students will further develop executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, study skills, self-regulation and flexible thinking. In Unit Time, we will begin our study of Ancient Rome as an interdisciplinary unit of discovery with students' questions guiding their learning and collaborative problem solving. Reading: We will teach our lessons in small groups to reinforce previously learned concepts. Being a week away from the STAAR test, we will celebrate our year-long growth and learning as a community of readers. Writing: We will continue to take a creative approach within our writing workshop this week. We will be wrapping up our pieces from last week as well as working on something special. Moms/Aunts/Grandmothers: Be on the lookout for a special surprise from your child this coming weekend. Social Studies and Science: Now that research and note taking expectations are established within our Unit Time (explained above), your child will continue to research topics of interests related to Ancient Rome such as architecture, entertainment, landforms, history, and aspects of every day life. A few of our guiding questions for our unit of study include: How does Ancient Rome have an influence on our current day communities and world? Why did the Roman Empire collapse? What factors led to the disintegration of the Roman Empire? Math: We will continue to be devoted to a targeted review of all skills covered this year. We have spiraled reviews all year and for these weeks before STAAR we will challenge our students to focus and work more carefully than ever before... remembering to use strategies we have taught, know when you need to figure out a multiplication fact you are not sure about and NOT GUESS! We will not have a warm up this week as we will be discussing the importance of slowing down, reading the problems carefully, and showing their thinking in their work. Please continue to encourage your mathematician to show their thinking in their homework as well. We will also have our usual FFF quiz. We are so proud of their hard work & dedication!
Reminders: 5/9 - Bike to School Day 5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00 5/14 - Math STAAR 5/15 - Reading STAAR 5/21 - Publishers' Picnic @ 11:00 - 11:30 5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30 5/25 - Winds of Time Parade 5/28 - Memorial Day (No School)
Winds of Time is just around the corner. In third grade we study Ancient Rome and take part in our own version of the chariot races that entertained Romans all over the empire. We need wagons to transform into chariots. Please lend us your wagon and ask your neighbors to help us out, too! The following SignUp Genius will help us keep track of what is coming. Thanks for your help! Chariot Wagon SignUp
Please note that Publishers' Picnic has been changed to Monday, May 21. We hope to see you there to share what your child has accomplished this year. Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket and enjoy! For the rest of the year, third grade will be piloting a new schedule that will add a few interesting segments to our day. Students will participate in Morning Meetings that build community, valuing the thoughts, feelings and accomplishments of all students and helping students feel included in our community. We aim to develop students as empathetic collaborators who work successfully in teams. During Office Hours, students will further develop executive functioning skills such as organization, planning, study skills, self-regulation and flexible thinking. In Unit Time, we will begin our study of Ancient Rome as an interdisciplinary unit of discovery with students' questions guiding their learning and collaborative problem solving. Math: This week in Math is devoted to a targeted review of all skills covered this year. We have spiraled reviews all year and for these weeks before STAAR we will challenge our students to focus and work more carefully than ever before... remembering to use strategies we have taught, know when you need to figure out a multiplication fact you are not sure about and NOT GUESS! Our daily warm-ups will target relationships between numbers in a chart, two step word problems, expanded notation and comparing 4 and 5 digit numbers. Friday's warm-up will be a grade in our grade book. We will also have our usual FFF quiz. Science: This week in Science we will continue adding to our Weather Logs and will transition to our focus on Personal Financial Literacy. We will discuss human capital and how a person can make themselves more valuable as an employee. We will cover scarcity and supply and demand. Students will review the value of saving and budgeting and the convenience and responsibility of credit cards, debit cards and cash. We will view interest in the context of both borrowing and saving.
Reading: Our students have completed listening and interacting with our grade level read aloud, Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate. It was an amazing experience, to say the least! The story is based on the point of view of Red, a red oak tree who doubles as the town's wishing tree each May 1st. This Tuesday, May Day, will give our third graders an opportunity to wish on our very own HCE wish tree. Our lessons this week will be taught in small groups that address the individual needs of our readers based on recent assessments.
Writing: It is hard to believe, but the HCE annual Publishers' Picnic, which takes place on May 21st, is just around the corner, and our third grade writers are excited! This week's explorations are taking on a creative tone. Students will be completing a piece inspired by the book Not a Box, exploring descriptive language by creating nature-inspired poetry, and using a poem about monsters and aliens to compose a piece of writing that focuses on character development. It will be a great opportunity for students to peer conference, revise, and refine their work. Social Studies: When in Rome, live as the Romans do; when elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere. -Saint Ambrose Social studies skills will be incorporated into student exploration of Ancient Roman culture. Ask your third grader which questions they have become interested in researching in more depth during class time.
Reminders: 5/9 - Bike to School Day 5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00 5/14 - Math STAAR 5/15 - Reading STAAR 5/21 - Publishers' Picnic 5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30 5/25 - Winds of Time Parade 5/28 - Memorial Day (No School)
A big thank you to our wonderful parents who chaperoned our trips to the River Oaks Country Club and Main Street Theater. We couldn't do it without your partnership! Winds of Time is just around the corner. In third grade we study Ancient Rome and take part in our own version of the chariot races that entertained Romans all over the empire. We need wagons to transform into chariots. Please lend us your wagon and ask your neighbors to help us out, too! The following SignUp Genius will help us keep track of what is coming. Thanks for your help! Chariot Wagon SignUp Reading: This week our readers will continue interacting with our third grade read aloud, Wishtree by master storyteller Katherine Applegate. It is a book that consistently leaves our children wanting more!
An Amazon Top 20 Children's Books of 2017
The New York Times-bestselling story of kindness, friendship, and hope.
Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . . . Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"―people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say Red has seen it all. -Amazon Students will be working on refining test-taking strategies using this week's feature poem, "I Saw My Teacher on a Saturday." Our third graders are becoming proficient in discussing the structure of poetry, including: stanzas, free verse and narrative structures, rhyme scheme, tone, mood, purpose, etc. Guided groups will be the focus this week, working with students at their individual levels to evaluate non-fiction text features. On Wednesday they will take an assessment on three genres of text and we will continue to elevate their reading skills based on the data we collect. Writing: Our read aloud, Wishtree will be the inspiration for a poetry assignment in writing this week. The students will create a draft, then revise and final draft a piece the follows the rings of a tree through their own lives. Students will final draft on watercolor paper; what a wonderful piece to share at this year's Publishers' Picnic!
Social Studies: This week our money-saavy Cougars will continue to work through the video series Econ and Me, during their study of economics. This has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to work on effective note taking skills and to apply the concepts learned to their personal financial literacy. Math: This week in Math we are exploring pared tables and input-output tables. Both concepts require students to discover the mathematical relationship between numbers from one column of a table to another.
In this table, students must see the relationship between the number of pages and the number of pictures. The pattern can be determined vertically by adding 4 to each line (if the numbers are sequential) or horizontally by multiplying the pages by 4 to find the number of pictures. Any operation can be used in the table. Students must ask themselves "What has been done to the first number to get the other?"
Tables can be written horizontally, too. But the process is the same. What is done to the bottom number to get the top number? In this case, you divide by 4.
Here is a resource that can further explain the concept of function machines.
At the end of the week, we begin learning about Personal Financial Literacy. This exposes our students to the basics of economics. We will discuss credit cards and planned and unplanned spending. It is always interesting to hear how children think the financial world works. Hopefully our exploration will clarify many misconceptions they have.
Students will have written homework Monday through Wednesday nights and their usual FFF quiz at the end of the week. Please make a greater effort with your child to further their multiplication facts. We are down to the wire to being fluent and proficient at all math facts!
Science: The first half of the week we are reviewing customary weight measurement and metric and customary volume. Students will jar their memories about how we measure weight and liquids here in the United States. On Wednesday they will participate in a volume lab where they will use graduated cylinders, beakers and measuring cups to better acquaint themselves with liters and milliliters. At the end of the week we practice measuring inches to the nearest half and quarter inch. Now that we have learned fractions, this should be a fairly simple exercise.
4/18 - Field Trip to Main Street Theater 4/20 - Progress Reports go Home 5/9 - Bike to School Day 5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00 5/14 - Math STAAR 5/15 - Reading STAAR 5/21 - Publishers' Picnic 5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30 5/25 - Winds of Time Parade 5/28 - Memorial Day (No School)
Math: This week we are finishing up our study of fractions and all ways to decompose, compare and model those numbers that are greater than zero and less than 1. Key points include:
Reasoning through comparing fractions with like numerators or like denominators is pivotal!
Equivalent fractions cover the same amount of area on similar whole models.
Models can be divided into more or less equal pieces to show equal fractions.
Equivalent fractions are located at the same place on number lines that are divided into different numbers of equal pieces.
Be careful when number lines are not lined up exactly.
Students will work in pairs and individually to practice fraction skills. We will use our knowledge to play Fraction Brick Wall and our favorite, Fraction Taco.
Monday through Thursday, everyone will work on a warm-up that is a spiral review of skills covered all year. On Friday, a similar warm-up will be graded and entered into the grade book. There is a POW (Problem of the Week) due and a fact quiz (FFF) this Friday.
Science: We changed up Science a little last week and began our exploration of the water cycle and its role in making our weather. How is it that the three ingredients of weather: air, water, and the sun's heat energy, make it all happen? Students will be responsible for knowing the what and why on all parts of the cycle. Target vocabulary includes evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and accumulation. Students have a quiz on Thursday covering the 9 weather tools we have researched in class.
4/10 - Field Trip to River Oaks Country Club for Men's Clay Court Tennis Championship 4/18 - Field Trip to Main Street Theater 4/27 - Progress Reports go Home 5/9 - Bike to School Day 5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00 5/14 - Math STAAR 5/15 - Reading STAAR 5/22 - Publishers' Picnic 5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30 5/25 - Winds of Time Parade 5/28 - Memorial Day (No School)
ROCC Field Trip InformationDress: Please try to send your child in this year’s
gray #COUGARSTRONG t-shirt. Being dressed the same helps us better keep an eye
on everyone. The weather is forecasted to be 60’s in the morning to mid 70’s by
afternoon. A light jacket or sweater that can be tied around your child’s waist
is appropriate.
Lunch: We are eating an early lunch (10:00) at school in the
cafeteria. Regular cafeteria food will be served. The menu for Tuesday is
chicken and waffles, baked potato with cheese, salad with chicken, and Wowbutter
and jelly sandwich. We will eat lunch as usual, just early.
Snack:Everyone will be hungry when we return to school.
Please be sure to send a good size, healthy snack your child can eat
around 2 in the afternoon.
Schedule: We eat lunch at 10-10:30, bathrooms and then board
buses to leave at 10:45, arrive at ROCC at 11:15, restroom and then must be
seated by 11:45, match is noon to 1:30, board buses and head to HCE at 1:30 to
be home by 2:00 or so.
Chaperones: Please arrive at school while we are at lunch (10-10:30)
so you can help as we get ready to leave.
Math:
As we have concentrated on fractions on a number line, it is time to compare fractions in different forms. We will spend this week looking at fractions using fraction bars and circles to compare the amount of each shape that is shaded. The fraction with the larger area shaded is the greater fraction. When looking at the fractions in number form, the rules are simple. Just ask, "How big are the pieces?" When fractions have the same denominator (pieces of equal size), the numerator determines the comparison. The smaller numerator is the smaller fraction. When the numerators are the same and the denominators are different, the denominators determine the size. Larger denominators are smaller pieces and therefore the smaller fraction.
Later in the week we will review all we have learned about fractions in a round robin activity. On Friday, we will complete a benchmark of past skills to see how we stand after our weeks of practice. Also on Friday we will have our usual Fast Fact Friday quiz and will check the Problem of the Week.
Science:
During the week we are logging the weather conditions in 10 different U.S. cities. This includes temperature, general sky conditions, humidity and wind. We are researching nine weather tools that help us forecast our own weather on a daily basis and long term. Vocabulary cards will go home this week that explain those tools. Students will be tested on them next week. Specific date to be determined. At the end of the week, we will review metric liquid volume. Students will participate in a very wet volume lab on Friday and have an opportunity to use various tools including beakers and graduated cylinders.
Reading: All of our third grade students are participating in a grade level read aloud and discussion using the book Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. It was chosen in part for its eloquent vocabulary and in addition, for its powerful themes, including prejudice, friendship, kindness, and acceptance. Please ask your child to share about the book, and his/her reactions to the characters and plot.
Most of our time in reading is being spent working in small groups, with each student focusing on a genre that is tailored to their greatest area of need. The three types of text include: expository (informational text), literary nonfiction, (nonfiction content shared in story form-biographies are an example), and fiction. It is our goal to challenge our third graders not only to comprehend these texts, but to think on a much more in-depth level. For example, What was the author's purpose for writing this piece? What in the text lead you to that conclusion? How do the subtitles throughout the text connect? What is evidence of this? At the end of the week students will be taking an assessment about the genre they have been studying. Writing: Our students continue through the writing process, revising and editing their piece of expository text. There is a saying: "When your draft is done, you've only just begun!" This idea of revising or making changes to improve the draft's content can be daunting for our budding writers, however we are teaching and modeling specific examples of how to revise effectively. For example, deleting words and phrases not needed, changing a single word to be more interesting or specific, or changing the punctuation in some way. This is a great opportunity for students to conference with not only their teachers, but with their peers.
Social Studies: Third grade Cougars are fine tuning their note taking skills as they continue their study of economics using the Econ and Me video series. Even though the videos date back to the 80s, (just looking at the hair makes that evident) their appeal is great, and the information still rings true today. Students are learning about the importance of making smart economic choices, and understanding the benefits versus risks of each decision.
4/10 - Field Trip to River Oaks Country Club for Men's Clay Court Tennis Championship
4/18 - Field Trip to Main Street Theater
4/27 - Progress Reports go Home
5/9 - Bike to School Day
5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00
5/14 - Math STAAR
5/15 - Reading STAAR
5/22 - Publishers' Picnic
5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30
5/25 - Winds of Time Parade
5/28 - Memorial Day (No School) Math: As we better understand how to compare fractions with like denominators on a number line, we move on to comparing fractions with the same numerator but different denominators. The key is to visualize how big the pieces are. A very difficult concept for many students is that, as the denominator gets larger, the number of pieces the whole is divided into increases AND the size of the pieces gets smaller. The bigger the denominator, the smaller the pieces. So, 3/5 is smaller than 3/4 because the "fifths" pieces are smaller than the "fourths" pieces.
4/5 > 4/10
Later in the week we will begin a study of equivalent (equal) fractions or fractions that show the same amount but use different numerators and denominators. We will use various models and manipulatives to visualize the area covered by equivalent fractions.
Students will construct a Fraction Taco and practice exchanging one fraction for its equivalent while playing this very fun game. We will also learn the box method of multiplying 2 digit X 1 digit. It is similar to the expanded form we learned last week but is put in a neat little box. Finally we move to the usual algorithm that most adults use. Our usual Problem of the Week and Fast Fact Friday quiz will take place on Friday, April 6. Science: This week students will complete an activity researching the current temperatures in 4 cities in different parts of the U.S. and world and record those temperatures on thermometers with different scales. Tuesday students are introduced to an on-going weather unit and will examine tools used by meteorologists to view current weather conditions and the movement of weather patterns across our area, state and country.
Reading: Our readers will be working on how to approach a piece of text to determine which parts are important vs. interesting. (Oftentimes these are two different things.) The first step is to preview a piece of text to develop initial understanding. Secondly, the text is read and read again, this time considering what the writer would most want the reader to know. In addition, our children will continue their work evaluating the genre of test, and how it is uniquely different from other genres. For example, if you were reading a book for pleasure, it would not be typical to take notes, highlight key sections, or navigate how to best answer created questions. This is necessary when working through our state assessment. Writing: Expository writing shouldn't sound robotic or leave the reader feeling bored!! This week HCE writers will work on developing effective endings. They have experimented with creating leads that draw a reader in, so now they will work on leaving the reader with "food for thought". Although the purpose of an ending is to restate the topic, it should be memorable and not repetitious. The models the teachers provide will give valuable insight to this craft. Social Studies: Our global economy is complex, so it is never too soon to learn about how economies operate and the key concepts involved. This work our third graders will be using a video series called Econ and Me to understand about saving vs. spending, needs vs. wants, as well as how goods and services as well as producers and consumers are central to an economy. Who knows? By the end of study, we might just have the next child entrepreneur in our midst!
Reminders:
3/30 - Good Friday (No School)
4/10 - Field Trip to River Oaks Country Club for Men's Clay Court Tennis Championship
4/18 - Field Trip to Main Street Theater
4/27 - Progress Reports go Home
5/9 - Bike to School Day
5/10 - Gallery Night @ 5:00
5/14 - Math STAAR
5/15 - Reading STAAR
5/22 - Publishers' Picnic
5/24 - Chariot Races @ 8:30
5/25 - Winds of Time Parade
5/28 - Memorial Day (No School)
Math: During math this week, we will continue in our fractions unit. On Monday, we will use cuisenaire rods to identify and compare fractions.
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we will learn to use a place a fraction on a number line and then use the number line to compare fractions. Reference the video to understand how we will be teaching this concept to your child: Video for Fractions on a Number Line. Due to our shortened week, we will only have a worksheet on Monday and Tuesday night. The fast facts quiz will be moved to Thursday. Science: This week during science, we will learn how to read a thermometer to measure temperature. We will practice reading thermometers using scales of 1, 2, 5, and 10. These are the most common scales for a thermometer. On Wednesday, we will begin using technology to research temperatures of cities in different regions of the United States to understand the variety of seasons and temperatures we have in the US. By the end of the week, your child should understand how to identify the scale of a thermometer to determine the temperature.
Week 27: March 19 - 23 Reminders:
3/20 - Third Nine Weeks Recognition Ceremony @9:00 in the cafeteria 3/30 - Good Friday (No School) Reading: This week in reading students will dig into the data from their Practice Reading STAAR and set personal goals. Reflection and goal setting are key components to our learning. We will dive deeper into expository reading and learn about a variety of topics including- marine animals, cultural holidays, animal adaptations, how things are made and the solar system. Writing: Students will finish up lessons on craft elements they could use while revising one of their expository essays. We will also try out this week was to add details, anecdotes and thoughtful reasoning to support our claims in writing.
Social Studies: The fourth 9 weeks brings us to our study of Economics. This week students will discuss needs and wants. You can watch BRAIN POP JR. videos at home to further learning and discussion at home. Math: This week in math, we will begin our unit on fractions. On Monday, we will introduce fractions and the vocabulary that goes along with this unit. On Tuesday, we will talk about unit fractions where the numerator is always one. On Wednesday, we will go beyond unit fractions and talk about non-unit fractions. On Thursday and Friday, we will use unifix cubes to create fractions and understanding the numerator and denominator.
For homework this week, we will have a worksheet come home on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We will also have a problem of the week come home and it will be due on Friday. Our fast facts quiz will also be on Friday. Science:Before spring break, your child came home with a Solar System review sheet and vocabulary cards. The solar system test will be on Friday, March 23rd. During our science time this week, we will discuss the relationship between the sun, Earth, and moon. We will notice the limitations of the models of the solar system that we see. On Monday and Tuesday, we will learn the order of the planets. In groups, your child will make a mnemonic device to help them remember the order of the planets. On Wednesday, we will create planet bracelets. These bracelets will have beads that represent each of the planets. On Thursday, we will review for the solar system test playing our Jeopardy game.
Reminders:
9 - Report Cards go home
12-16 Spring Break (No School)
20 - Third Nine Weeks Recognition Ceremony at 9:00 in the cafeteria
23 - Solar System Test
30 - Good Friday (No School)
Reading: Our students worked hard last week and showed amazing effort and skill on the READING practice STAAR test. Please look for an email from your child's reading teacher by Friday, March 9th to tell you more about your child's reading strengths and areas for growth. Mostly, know we are PROUD of their reading accomplishments thus far and it is only MARCH!
Narrative NonFiction will continue to be our genre focus for this week. Above you can see some of the titles we have been reading and discussing in class. Specifically, this week, we will teach students a silly song that can serve as an EXCELLENT strategy for writing summaries or answering STAAR like questions about summary with narrative. For a sneak peak, or simply to keep the fun going at home, check out this clip.
Writing: Essays will continue to be our genre of focus. This week we will look at how to write a strong lead. We will look at many styles and try them out with our first drafts to see which style might be most effective. Below is a sample anchor chart. Something like this will be built together in our classroom this week as we write. Social Studies: Students will finish up their work with map skills. We hope that maybe a few students have gotten excited and talked to you about how we learned to play BATTLESHIP using our grid map skills. This week, we will also look the cultural traditions associated with St. Patrick's Day. Math: During our math block this week, we will continue to look at division strategies and how we can apply these strategies to word problems. Your child will work to create division word problems to help with their understanding of the parts of division word problems. On Wednesday and Friday, we will learn about area (Area Video). We have taught area models during our multiplication unit and we will make the connection between area and the area models we have already studied. On Thursday, we plan to complete a reflection paper from the practice STAAR that was taken last Monday. This tool helps your child zone in on the concepts they really understand and helps us to identify areas of need. We will send this paper home with your child so that you can use this as a discussion tool at home.
For homework this week, we will have a worksheet come home on Monday - Wednesday. We will not have a problem of the week this week. We will take a fast facts quiz on Friday. If you plan to be out of school on Friday, please let your child's teacher know so that they can take their fast facts quiz before the break. Science: This week during science, we will continue talking about the relationship between the sun, moon, and Earth and our other planets. On Monday, we will work on the next set of vocabulary cards for the solar system unit. We will send home these cards and review sheet so that your child will be able to study nightly for our test. The date of the test Friday, March 23rd. During the rest of the week, we will be studying the planets.
Reminders: 26th: Math Practice STAAR 27th: Reading Practice STAAR
Please make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast at home or at the school cafe these two days of testing. A rested body and full belly will make a huge difference as we tackle these practice tests. 28th: Field Trip to Houston Museum of Natural Science
We're excited to head to HMNS on Wednesday! Please have your child wear their #cougarstrong school t-shirt on Wednesday for the trip. We also request all children bring a lunch packed in a bag that can be thrown away after use. We will be eating lunch on our field trip and returning to school later in the afternoon. Reading: We will tackle note taking strategies using informational texts once we resume our normal schedule on Thursday. Determining importance and synthesizing information is an important skill for our readers to learn. Writing: We will continue our expository writing unit this week. We're drafting essays to form a collection in our Writer's Notebook. We're already flagging essays we look forward to publishing at the end of our unit. Math: The students will continue to build their problem solving skills by identifying word problems and exploring different types of division word problems and strategies. One of the most important parts about identifying a word problem is NOT finding a keyword. Students must find the key concepts and determine how they are to solve the problems. There will be a fast facts quiz this friday. Science: Your scientist will be given their unit vocabulary cards and study guide later in the week. We will continue learning about the characteristics of the sun, moon, and earth. Please make sure they are studying 20 minutes a night.
Week 24: February 19th-23rd Reminders: 19th: Monday is a student holiday in honor of President's Day. We'll see you tomorrow!
23rd: GO TEXAN DAY! Wear your best Cowboy/Cowgirl/Cowperson clothes!
26th: 3rd Math Practice STAAR
27th: 3rd Reading Practice STAAR
28th: Field Trip Museum Natural Science. Please have your child bring a sack lunch to eat while on the field trip.
Reading: We will continue to work through narrative nonfiction texts and comprehension strategies during our Reader's Workshop mini lessons. Your readers will use text evidence to make inferences about the subject(s) of the true stories we read. We will also spend some time this week reviewing strategies your readers can use while answering a multiple choice question. Writing: Students will continue to write expository pieces. We've worked with graphic organizers to brainstorm supporting details that support our main ideas. This week, we will focus on the structure of an expository essay. We will model how to transfer important information from a graphic organizer into paragraphs within their essay. Social Studies: We're looking forward to this week's activity in social studies! We will be using a paper-based grid map to play Battleship. Students will play one another to practice navigating grid maps. We will then journal about our experience and strategy of using a grid map to play the game.
Math: We will continue to dive deeper into Division word problems while introducing them to the various strategies that will build their confidence in solving those problems. We will discuss what Division means, review new vocabulary words (multiples, dividend, divisor, and quotient), and discuss when they divide in their life. Knowing their fact families can them solve problems! Please have your students study their multiplication facts. We like to have students skip count for fun (multiples of 6: 6, 12, 18)!
Homework: The Problem of the Week will be sent home on Monday. Please have your child bring it to school on Friday. Homework #1-3 will be sent home Monday-Wednesday. Please have your child be on DreamBox for at least 20 minutes a day at home.
Science: We will begin our Solar Sytem unit this week! This includes exploring main characteristics of the sun as a source of energy and physical characteristics of the Sun. Later in the week, we will explore the main characteristics of the moon and how it compares to Earth. We are so excited about this unit and your scientist will too!
