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.