Monday, December 19, 2011

Week of January 9th -13th, 2012


Welcome back and Happy 2012!
We hope that everyone had a wonderful, relaxing break.  It was nice to be home and spend time with family and friends.  It is a chance to rest and re-energize for the new year.    Hopefully you also had a chance to reflect on the year and set some new goals for this year.

We are going to jump right back into the swing of things because we have a lot to do.  Please read on to see what exciting things are happening in third grade!

Remember to wear a warm coat and bring gloves and a hat.  We will continue to go outside for recess and the weather has been very sporacdic lately.  Isn't this crazy weather for January?

Also, prior to break we asked you for your help.  The third graders will be turning our hallway into an amazing animal habitat.  Did you save your empty wrapping paper rolls?  If so, great!  Please send in any rolls that you had collected to school.  You will still have to wait and see what they will become! : )

Citizenship – For the next 5 weeks we will be working on a program that will help the students solve problems and deal with different situations.  This week we will be focusing on Empathy.  The students will understand that all actions affect those around us.

Spelling -  There is no spelling this week, but there will be a pretest towards the end of the week.  It would be great week to review some of the past lists.  Check the spelling list tab for a review of the words from earlier in the year.

Reading-  Our next story is Balto, The Dog Who Saved Nome by Margaret Davidson.  It is a wonderful story about a heroic dog sled team that went through tremendous circumstances to help a town get medicine.  We will be discussing nonfiction text features and the skill of sequencing.  The students should be able to identify important events in the story and the order in which they occur.  Next week, we will have an open book quiz and watch the movie!


Writing -  Third Grade gathered information on ocean animals for their first research writing unit before break.  The students have worked on organizing their information and now we will put it all together.  Our end product will be a paper that summarizes what they learned in an efficient way.

Grammar -  Figurative language has been a great topic of discussion the last few weeks before break.  Alliteration is the repetition of an initial consonant sound. Larry's lizard likes leaping leopards is an example of alliteration.  We will have fun making our own sentences this week!

 Science -  We are going to review the habitats that we have already discussed so far.  There are a few more that we will learn about.  The students have been working on a packet throughout the unit to help them learn the essential items in this unit.  At the end of the week, we will be quizzing them on what they have learned.  They will be allowed to use their packets during the quiz.  Next stop, the rainforest!
3rd Grade Math-   The students will do a review of what we learned prior to the break.  We will be going over place value with decimals, focusing on tenths and hundredths.  The unit will be ending shortly.  A study guide will be given soon and the test will be next week.
The secure (mastered) skills for this unit are..

- Students will read, write and compare whole numbers up to 5 digits
- Students will identify place value in whole numbers up to 5 digits.

Remember that under "Math Games" on the right sidebar of the blog there are many place value games for students to practice their skills.  What a great way to get back into the swing of things!

Accelerated Math -  Students have been working really hard in Unit 5.  We only have one more concept to review and that is multi-digit multiplication.  The students will learn several different strategies for solving a multi-digit multiplication problem, but will only be tested on one... the traditional method.  A study guide will be going home on Monday and will be due on Wednesday, 1/11 in hopes that the Unit 5 test will be this Thursday, 1/12.  If I feel the students are not ready for the test, I will change the date and let you know.  Thanks for your support.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Week of December 19th, 2011

Chicago Botanical Gardens 

Hello and welcome to winter!  We have finally had some snow which is a friendly reminder to dress warm for the weather.  Remember to wear a warm coat, bring gloves and a hat.  We go outside for recess all winter long.

Parent S.O.S.  
 The third graders will be turning  our  hallway into an amazing animal habitat and we need your help! Please save your empty wrapping paper rolls.  This is the time of year when their should be plenty of them!  Just send them to school.  You will have to wait and see what they will become :)



Week of December 19th-22nd




Spelling  There is no spelling this week or the week when we come back.  Please enjoy the spelling break.

Reading-  The students are truly enjoying The Boxcar Children shared reading.  After each lesson, the students are answering Who, What, When, Where and Why questions about their reading.

Writing -  Third Grade has started gathering information on ocean animals for their first research writing unit.  The students are learning how to sift through information to find what they need.  Everyone seems very excited to learn more about some interesting creatures of the deep.

Grammar -  "It's raining cats and dogs" or "You have ants in your pants" or how about "Your head is in the clouds".  These are all examples of idioms and the students just love them.  We continue to explore figurative language and how words don't always mean what you think they mean!

Science -  This week we will be exploring different types of habitats.  Students will be learning the different characteristics of habitats and about the plants and animals that live in them.

3rd Grade Math-  We have started Unit 5  on place value.  The secure (mastered) skills for this unit are..

- Students will  read, write and compare whole numbers up to 5 digits
- Students will identify place value in whole numbers up to 5 digits.

The unit starts with understanding place value and the value of numbers up to the ten-thousands place, then moves up to the millions place!!!

Under "Math Games" on the right sidebar of the blog there are many place value games for students to practice their skills.

Accelerated Math -  Students have started Unit 5 on multi-digit multiplication.  The unit starts with a discussion of extended math facts.  The students will also practice estimating sums and products.

Monday, December 5, 2011

12/5/11 - 12/9/11

Spelling- The test for List 12 is Friday, 12/9. The skill is /o/ words.

Reading- For the next three weeks, we will immerse students in the mystery genre. The students will read The Boxcar Children. The children will be assessed on different vocabulary and comprehension activities throughout the book. We will also analyze characters traits as we read.

Writing- The students will continue practicing Math and Reading Extended Response each week. We will also begin a research unit. The students will learn how to do computer searches, gather information, and paraphrase (take notes using short phrases and key words.) Each student will research a special ocean creature and learn all that they can about them. We will develop a rough draft from our notes, and practice revising and editing our work. It’s exciting to see the growth that students make as they go through the writing process.

Grammar- The students will learn about figurative language and idioms. Idioms are common sayings or expressions whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meaning. For practice, visit the following websites: www.funbrain.com/idioms . This site contains a paint by idioms game. Idiomconnection.com has an A-Z list of idioms, their meaning, and use along with quizzes for each idiom.

Science- This week, we are beginning our habitat unit. The students will learn about habitats, the names of different habitats around the world, and the types of animals that live there. They will also learn how animals have adapted to their environment over the years. The essential questions that students should be able to answer at the end of this unit are:
What is a habitat? Where do plants and animals live? How do plants and animals live together? How do animals survive in their environment? What is a food chain (web)? What is a rainforest, and where are they in the world? What are some plants, foods, and products that come from the rainforest? What are some animals that live in the rainforest?

3rd Grade Math- We will continue Unit 4 on Multiplication and division. The Study Guide is due on 12/7. The Unit 4 Test will be on Fri., 12/9.
By the end of this unit, the developing and secure skills that students will learn are:
Unit 4 Learning Goals-
D- Solve number stories involving equal groups by using multiplication.
D- Solve number stories involving equal sharing and equal grouping.
D- Know multiplication facts having 3 or 4 as one factor and 2 through 7 as the other factor.
D/S- Know multiplication facts having 0,1,2,5, or 10 as a factor.
D/S- Complete multiplication/division fact families.
Additional LearningGoals on Unit 4 Assessment-from (Units 1, 2, and 3)
(Unit 1 Learning Gaols on Unit 4 Assessment-)
D-Identify and use number patterns to solve problems.
D/S- Count by 10’s and 100’s
D/S- Apply place-value concepts in 4-digit numbers.
D/S Find equivalent names for numbers.
(Unit 2 Learning Goals on Unit 4 Assessment)
D- Compare “What’s My Rule?’ tables.
D- Add multi-digit numbers.
D- Subtract multi-digit numbers.
S- Know basic addition and subtraction facts.
S- Complete fact and number families.
S- Solve addition and subtraction multi-digit number stories
(Unit 3 Learning Goals on Unit 4 Assessment)
D/ find the area of a rectangular region divided into square units.
S/ Measure line segments to the nearest cm.

Accelerated Math- The study guide is due on Thursday, 12/8. The Unit 4 Test is on Friday, 12/9.