Announcements:
Conferences are coming up next week (February 13 and 14)! Look for a sign up slip in your child's folder and make sure it comes back to school so I can give you a time that works best for you!
All students in 3rd grade will be moving to multiplication Monday for math facts so that they can work toward mastering the facts we will be working with the rest of the year in multiplication and division. Thank you for everything you do at home to help your children practice, it is so helpful for them to practice at home too!
Friday (February 7) is the sled dog race! Please make sure your child is dressed for cold weather and has returned their permission slip!
Reading: This week in reading we will be reading 'Rocks in His Head' and focusing on asking questions and generalizing to better understand what we are reading.
Grammar: In grammar this week we will continue to focus on pronouns, and move into using possessive pronouns as well as understanding what possessive pronoun correctly replaces the noun in sentences.
Spelling:
prepaid
midnight
overflow
outdoors
outline
overgrown
prefix
Midwest
pretest
midpoint
outgoing
overtime
overdue
outside
outfield
precaution
prediction
midsection
overweight
prehistoric
All of our spelling words this week are words with prefixes: pre-, mid-, over-, and out-. We will be learning about what those prefixes mean as well, and how they change the meaning of the root word so you could discuss that at home too!
Math: We have just started fractions, and will continue to learn more about naming, comparing, and estimating with fractions. We will also continue with our multiplication unit this week, and finish it up early next week.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Science- Plant Life Cycles
This Friday in science we learned about different plant life cycles, including flowing plants, seed plants, and cone plants. In my room we focused on cone plants, and got to do some fun pinecone observations!
We started out by discussing and writing down predictions about what part of a pinecone was needed to grown new pine trees, what kind of adaptations pinecones had to protect themselves from weather and animals, and what we thought would happen if a pinecone got wet. It was really cool to hear about their predictions, and the connections they made between animal adaptations and pine cone adaptations.
Then it was time to observe! Since we are scientists we had to make many observations and comparisons between dry pine cones and wet pine cones, as well as other parts of the pinecone using our senses- sight, touch, smell and strong adjectives. I set up stations and the students moved to each one with their magnifying glasses.
It was very cool to see the pinecones closing up in water before our eyes, and they had a lot of fun picking them apart and learning about all the different parts and adaptations. I was very impressed with their observations and the wonderful adjectives they used to describe the cones, too!
We started out by discussing and writing down predictions about what part of a pinecone was needed to grown new pine trees, what kind of adaptations pinecones had to protect themselves from weather and animals, and what we thought would happen if a pinecone got wet. It was really cool to hear about their predictions, and the connections they made between animal adaptations and pine cone adaptations.
Then it was time to observe! Since we are scientists we had to make many observations and comparisons between dry pine cones and wet pine cones, as well as other parts of the pinecone using our senses- sight, touch, smell and strong adjectives. I set up stations and the students moved to each one with their magnifying glasses.
January 27- 31
Wow, January is going by so quickly! No new announcements this week, but make sure your child is still reading and working toward those AR point goals!
Reading: Our main story this week is 'Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest'. We will be comparing and contrasting details, characters, and events in stories to better understand them.
Grammar: In grammar we will be building on our pronoun knowledge from last week and learning all about subject and object pronouns. By the end of the week we should be able to determine whether a pronoun is a subject or object pronoun, as well as use them correctly in our writing.
Spelling:
third
early
world
certain
dirty
herself
earth
word
perfect
verb
nerve
worm
thirsty
workout
earn
determine
commercial
whirlwind
worthwhile
virtual
Math: This week in math we will wrap up our Geometry unit with the Chapter 8 test on Wednesday. On Tuesday night students will be expected to complete pages 492- 495 in their math books to prepare. We will also be continuing with multiplication- practicing all facts, finding multiplication patterns to complete tables, and different ways to use multiplication in problem solving (including key words and ideas such as equal groups). Any extra time that you can spend at home practicing those multiplication facts will be incredibly helpful to your child in the classroom!
Have a wonderful week!
Reading: Our main story this week is 'Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest'. We will be comparing and contrasting details, characters, and events in stories to better understand them.
Grammar: In grammar we will be building on our pronoun knowledge from last week and learning all about subject and object pronouns. By the end of the week we should be able to determine whether a pronoun is a subject or object pronoun, as well as use them correctly in our writing.
Spelling:
third
early
world
certain
dirty
herself
earth
word
perfect
verb
nerve
worm
thirsty
workout
earn
determine
commercial
whirlwind
worthwhile
virtual
Math: This week in math we will wrap up our Geometry unit with the Chapter 8 test on Wednesday. On Tuesday night students will be expected to complete pages 492- 495 in their math books to prepare. We will also be continuing with multiplication- practicing all facts, finding multiplication patterns to complete tables, and different ways to use multiplication in problem solving (including key words and ideas such as equal groups). Any extra time that you can spend at home practicing those multiplication facts will be incredibly helpful to your child in the classroom!
Have a wonderful week!
Friday, January 17, 2014
January 20- 24
Announcements:
We will have swimming this Thursday, January 23 from 10:30- 11:00. Make sure you remember your swimsuit, towel, and warm clothes to walk back in!
Winter MAP testing is taking place this week, so everyone needs lots of rest and a good breakfast :)
Reading: This week we will be taking the Unit 3 test. Our main story will be Wings. We will be focusing on cause and effect and how events and characters in a story effect other events.
In grammar we will be learning about plural nouns. By the end of the week we will be able to determine what is the correct plural noun to replace the noun in a sentence or in our own writing.
Spelling Words this week:
wolves
knives
feet
men
children
women
sheep
heroes
scarves
mice
geese
cuffs
elves
banjos
halves
loaves
beliefs
tomatoes
potatoes
tornadoes
Math: We will start Chapter 6 this week, and continue working on more multiplication facts! This week's focus will be multiplying with 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. We will also continue working on geometry and learning about symmetry, perimeter, area, and volume. By the end of the week we will be able to define each of these terms, as well as find the number of lines of symmetry a shape has and determine the perimeter, area, and volume of a shape.
We will have swimming this Thursday, January 23 from 10:30- 11:00. Make sure you remember your swimsuit, towel, and warm clothes to walk back in!
Winter MAP testing is taking place this week, so everyone needs lots of rest and a good breakfast :)
Reading: This week we will be taking the Unit 3 test. Our main story will be Wings. We will be focusing on cause and effect and how events and characters in a story effect other events.
In grammar we will be learning about plural nouns. By the end of the week we will be able to determine what is the correct plural noun to replace the noun in a sentence or in our own writing.
Spelling Words this week:
wolves
knives
feet
men
children
women
sheep
heroes
scarves
mice
geese
cuffs
elves
banjos
halves
loaves
beliefs
tomatoes
potatoes
tornadoes
Math: We will start Chapter 6 this week, and continue working on more multiplication facts! This week's focus will be multiplying with 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. We will also continue working on geometry and learning about symmetry, perimeter, area, and volume. By the end of the week we will be able to define each of these terms, as well as find the number of lines of symmetry a shape has and determine the perimeter, area, and volume of a shape.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
I Have Who Has... Multiplication with 0,1,2,5,9, and 10 (Game Cards Included)
In class today we played the game I Have Who Has... to practice the multiplication facts we have been working on in Chapter 5 (0, 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, and making arrays). It is a really simple game:
The cards are evenly distributed to all players. The player who has the I Am Starting Card begins by reading their fact. The person with the answer to their fact responds with I have... Then reads their own fact on their card. This goes on until it gets to the person with the final I Am The End card.
To make it more competitive (and practice for those math facts quizzes!) we timed each round and tried to beat our previous times.
It is a really fun game, and would be great for practicing the strategies we learned in class in a fun way at home! I have included a link to a Google Doc if you want to print it out, cut out the cards, and play it at home!
I Have Who Has Chapter 5 Game
The cards are evenly distributed to all players. The player who has the I Am Starting Card begins by reading their fact. The person with the answer to their fact responds with I have... Then reads their own fact on their card. This goes on until it gets to the person with the final I Am The End card.
To make it more competitive (and practice for those math facts quizzes!) we timed each round and tried to beat our previous times.
It is a really fun game, and would be great for practicing the strategies we learned in class in a fun way at home! I have included a link to a Google Doc if you want to print it out, cut out the cards, and play it at home!
I Have Who Has Chapter 5 Game
Sunday, January 12, 2014
January 13-17
Announcements:
This Friday is a 1:00 release. It is also the end of the quarter, so make sure your child is working hard toward their AR and Math Facts goals!
This Friday all students who have met their AR goals will be going sledding to celebrate! If your child has met their goal, make sure they have coats, snow pants, boots, gloves, and a hat with them on Friday.
Reading:
This week our main story will be Volcanoes: Nature's Incredible Fireworks. We will be focusing on comparing and contrasting to better understand a story or topic, and using this strategy in our writing as well this week.
Spelling Words:
thumb
gnaw
written
know
climb
design
wrist
crumb
assign
wrench
knot
wrinkle
lamb
knob
knit
wrestler
bologna
cologne
honeycomb
knickknack
These are some TOUGH words since the emphasis is on silent letters with wr, kn, mb, and gn. It would help your child to really study those letter combinations and the sounds they make closely.
Math:
This week we will finish up introducing multiplication in Chapter 5 with tricks for multiplying by 0,1, and 9. We will take the Chapter test on Thursday, so look for a study note Wednesday night! We will also be continuing geometry and learning about polygons, triangles, and quadrilaterals.
Have a wonderful week!
This Friday is a 1:00 release. It is also the end of the quarter, so make sure your child is working hard toward their AR and Math Facts goals!
This Friday all students who have met their AR goals will be going sledding to celebrate! If your child has met their goal, make sure they have coats, snow pants, boots, gloves, and a hat with them on Friday.
Reading:
This week our main story will be Volcanoes: Nature's Incredible Fireworks. We will be focusing on comparing and contrasting to better understand a story or topic, and using this strategy in our writing as well this week.
Spelling Words:
thumb
gnaw
written
know
climb
design
wrist
crumb
assign
wrench
knot
wrinkle
lamb
knob
knit
wrestler
bologna
cologne
honeycomb
knickknack
These are some TOUGH words since the emphasis is on silent letters with wr, kn, mb, and gn. It would help your child to really study those letter combinations and the sounds they make closely.
Math:
This week we will finish up introducing multiplication in Chapter 5 with tricks for multiplying by 0,1, and 9. We will take the Chapter test on Thursday, so look for a study note Wednesday night! We will also be continuing geometry and learning about polygons, triangles, and quadrilaterals.
Have a wonderful week!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
January 6-10
Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
We are jumping right back into things, and will be extra busy for the next few months! We started reading teams as a whole third grade to encourage the students to be reading and getting those AR points for the rodeo, so for the next few weeks there will be extra incentive to be reading and helping their teams out. When your child finishes a book at home, feel free to send a note with the title(s) so they don't forget what test they need to take when they get to school!
In reading this week our main story will be A Symphony of Whales, and we will be focusing on making generalizations about characters, events, and other story elements based on facts from the story.
The spelling words for the week are:
beautiful
safely
kindness
finally
spotless
worthless
illness
helpful
daily
suddenly
wireless
quietly
fairness
cheerful
painful
anxiously
thoughtfully
cautiously
tardiness
breathless
The focus is on suffixes, so it might be helpful to review how the suffixes change the meaning of the root word as well as practicing spelling them.
Math will be very busy for the next couple months as we prepare for the end of the year testing. We will be doing two math lessons a day most days. This week we will be working on multiplication, and looking closely at 2,5, and 10 as factors. We will also be starting geometry and learning about shapes and lines.
We will also begin cursive this week, working on one letter a day briefly at the end of the day.
We are jumping right back into things, and will be extra busy for the next few months! We started reading teams as a whole third grade to encourage the students to be reading and getting those AR points for the rodeo, so for the next few weeks there will be extra incentive to be reading and helping their teams out. When your child finishes a book at home, feel free to send a note with the title(s) so they don't forget what test they need to take when they get to school!
In reading this week our main story will be A Symphony of Whales, and we will be focusing on making generalizations about characters, events, and other story elements based on facts from the story.
The spelling words for the week are:
beautiful
safely
kindness
finally
spotless
worthless
illness
helpful
daily
suddenly
wireless
quietly
fairness
cheerful
painful
anxiously
thoughtfully
cautiously
tardiness
breathless
The focus is on suffixes, so it might be helpful to review how the suffixes change the meaning of the root word as well as practicing spelling them.
Math will be very busy for the next couple months as we prepare for the end of the year testing. We will be doing two math lessons a day most days. This week we will be working on multiplication, and looking closely at 2,5, and 10 as factors. We will also be starting geometry and learning about shapes and lines.
We will also begin cursive this week, working on one letter a day briefly at the end of the day.
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