Week of September 29th-October 3rd

We had a great week in third grade! We celebrated Henry's birthday, learned about continents, chose seed ideas in writing, discussed story elements in reading and took our first math and spelling tests!

This week...

Reading 

Last week, we discussed story elements including characters, setting, plot and two important ideas-movement through time and character change. This week we will start focusing on characters. We started a new reading log. This will be turned in each Monday and should record five days of reading. We are continuing out first read aloud-Justin Case-School, Drool and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail. It is a hilarious look at third grade through the eyes of a worrier!

Writing

Last week, students chose "seed ideas" for their personal narratives. We are working on picking "small moments" from their lives to write about. This week, we will work on writing leads and practicing "fast drafts".

Math

We finished up Unit 1 with a test on Friday. We will start Unit 2-Number Sense:Addition and Subtraction on Monday. 

Spelling

This week, students will bring home their spelling homework. The homework is to practice their words each night using Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check. A sheet explaining this will come home Monday. Each Monday, we will have a pretest on a word skill. The first six words on the list will follow that pattern ie. "at". The next four words come from the 3rd grade priority list and from a variety of other sources-their writing, social studies, science, etc. 

Social Studies

We are continuing the geography unit this week. 

Week of September 22nd-26th

Thanks so much to everyone who attended Open House! It was great to see all of you.

Reminder:
There is no school on Thursday, 9/25, in observance of Rosh Hashanah

This week...

Reading
Students will be getting a new reading log on Monday. This is a weekly reading log that should be returned the following Monday. Students should record their reading at least 5 times for the week. We are practicing using post its to record thinking and students are writing Friday reflections.

Writing
We are continuing the personal narrative unit. We discussed the "hard parts of writing" and "what to do if you run out of gas as a writer". We will refer back to these charts throughout the year. We will be choosing "seed ideas" for the personal narratives this week.

Math
We will continue the place value unit this week. We are going over comparing and ordering numbers on Monday and Tuesday. We will review on Wednesday and have our first chapter test on Friday of next week! Also, a letter will be coming home this week explaining how you and your child can access the Envisions math program that we use here in the classroom. It is a great way to help your child with their homework and to encourage them to share this resource that we use in the classroom!

Social Studies
We are learning about geography this week. We are reviewing the continents and oceans and will look at maps and globes.

Spelling
We will finish the spelling inventory and will practice by doing our first unit in class this week. Homework and weekly tests will begin next week!

September 12, 2014

Our first full week of third grade was great! We spent time learning more about each other and getting used to routines. Check out the pictures of the class reviewing place value by doing a team activity using popsicle sticks and decorating writer's notebooks.

Reminders:
Open House in this Thursday, 9/18. Grades 3-5 are from 7:30-8:00. We hope to see many of you there!

Fall Family Picnic is Friday 9/19 from 5:30-7:30.

This week...

Reading
Students are continuing to work on choosing "just right" books. We discussed different types of genres this week. Students recorded their reading and practiced using post its to record their thinking. They will be writing reflections each Friday and we started that this week. Please make sure your child is recording their reading each night on the yellow reading log. Please use the side labeled "home".

Writing
We started our first unit this week, personal narrative. We discussed the dos and don'ts of 3rd grade writer's notebooks and wrote an entry about a special person. We will continue personal narrative this week.

Math
We started our first unit, place value. We reviewed place value and practiced making numbers using place value blocks.

Social Studies/Science
We will start geography in social studies and plant life in science.

Week of September 8th-12th

It's time to start our first full week of third grade! We had a wonderful first two days getting to know each other and getting used to classroom procedures. We are going to have a great year! Here are a few pictures! Continue to scroll down for the curriculum overview for the week.

This week...

Reading
The students did a nice job of selecting books last week. We talked about easy, just right and challenging books and how to use the Five Finger Rule to choose a just right book. This week students will begin recording their daily reading. We will be recording it here at school and they will record it at home. They will get a double sided recording sheet with home on one side and school on the other. Students should fill this out each night at home after they do their reading. We will also start weekly poems. Students will get a poem every Monday. They need to read the poem aloud each night to practice reading fluency. We will choose 2-3 students every Friday to read the poem aloud. They do not need to memorize it.

Writing
We are beginning our first unit this week, narrative writing. We will start the week by setting up writing notebooks. Students should bring items to decorate their notebooks on Monday.

Math
We will begin our first unit this week, place value. We will also be setting the class up on xtramath.org. Many students did this last year. You will be getting a note explaining this. Students should practice math facts on xtramath.org 3 times a week for 15 minutes.

Spelling
We will be completing a spelling inventory to create a list of priority words for each child.