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Reading - We continued to practice character inferences by using what a character says, thinks, and does. We'll integrate our learning about characters and the book's problem next week.
Writing - Students worked on drafting and revising. They also learned how to research for extra information and integrate it into their drafts. We'll study introductions and conclusions next week. Math - We began learning a bit about division, using multiplication as a way to problem solve when there is a missing factor. We'll work on the relationship between multiplication and division next week. Science - Students experimented with more wheel systems. Next, they'll test a variable and draw conclusions about its effects, using a "Twirly Bird" - a folded, flying piece of paper. Miscellaneous - We have school next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This will be my last Classroom News till 2016 - have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year! As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you to all who were able to meet for parent-teacher conferences! I love getting a chance to discuss your child's work in third grade so far, and hearing parents' perspectives is always so helpful. I'm looking forward to meeting with the rest of the families this week!
There are a few changes and clarifications with regards to homework routines. We, the third grade teachers, hope this makes things more clear for you:
Please note that we've updated our Math homework routine to include a parent sign-off for nightly study of multiplication facts. By the end of third grade, students are responsible for knowing through their 10s tables (10x10). Students can study their facts in whatever way they find useful. This includes XtraMath, which I have updated so that all students can access multiplication facts.
We'll do a weekly 30-second quiz on one times table - for example, the 0s table (0x1, 0x2, etc.). The time limit is designed to give students a sense of whether they know their facts automatically. The quiz is considered a check-in for students to see how well they know that week's facts. They can, of course, continue to study those facts in the following weeks. Please keep an eye out for an explanatory letter coming home tomorrow!
Progress reports went home today, Friday, December 4th. Please take the time to read the rubrics I sent home electronically as well as the paperwork sent home with the progress report. I look forward to meeting with you at conferences!
Reading - We practiced identifying and picturing the setting, as well as analyzing its relationship to a book's problem/goal and characters. We also summarized using important events that relate to a text's problem. We'll continue analyzing elements of fiction next week. Writing - Students finished planning their informational texts by experimenting with a variety of organizational structures (problem and solution, cause and effect, etc.). They drafted a table of contents that had a logical organization. We also studied how individual chapters can be organized in much the same way as entire books, and started using images to help the reader picture and remember facts. We'll continue information writing next week! Math - Students practiced skip counting and connecting it to multiplication. Next week, we'll study arrays (equal groups of rows and columns) and their connection to multiplication. This is a great opportunity for home school connection - finding tiles that are organized in an array, panes on a window, etc. Science - Thanks to the STEAM Initiative and a generous PTO grant, we had a fantastic presentation by the Museum of Science connecting to our current science unit. Students also studied the relationship between the number of magnets used and the size of the magnetic field. Miscellaneous - We have an early release on Tuesday at 11:15 (not our usual 1:00!) due to parent-teacher conferences. Your promptness picking up your child is much appreciated as I will need to get prepared for conferences immediately thereafter. I didn't administer a Word Study quiz this week so students will move on to a new spelling pattern but study the same set of high frequency words. Students will have 2 days to finish their Tuesday math assignment (therefore due Thursday) but they will still have a math assignment on Wednesday as usual. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. |
Mrs. WalterPlease visit here regularly for updates on what we're learning in third grade! Subscribe to the RSS feed below. Archives
February 2016
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