December 17th - 21st

Friday, 12/21- third grade read in.

12/24- 1/4- Winter Break, school resumes on 1/7.

Reading

We are continuing our author study on Chris Van Allsburg. This week, the students will finish reading The Sweetest Fig and The Widow's Broom. The main strategy that we will focus on is predicting and story endings.  The students will see how different endings change the story.  We will also continue to work on the skill from last week, which was inferring.  The students will use the information from the story and their own back ground knowledge to make predictions/guesses about the stories. Inferencing involves higher level thinking and so we will be spending the week on this strategy.

On Thursday, 12/20, we are planning on watching movies based on Van Allsburg's books. If anyone has a DVD copy of Zathura or Jumanji and are willing to let us borrow it, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.

Writing

Some students are still finishing up on their personal narratives. Then we will move on to writing about the author Chris Van Allsburg and will respond to his books. We will also incorporate some winter writing as students finish their work.

Grammar

The students will examine how figurative language enhances writing. Figurative language is when people or animals represent a human trait or quality. We will practice using similes and metaphors in our writing. Similes use like or as to make comparisons. Metaphors are direct comparisons.

Spelling

The Unit 15 test will be this Friday, 12/21. The pattern focuses on words with "ar" in them. Please make sure to practice every night.

Science

We are continuing our unit on habitats.  The students will learn what a habitat is and all the things habitats need for plants and animals to survive.  The students will see how plants and animals live together.  We will also focus on the food chain: consumers, producers, carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.  Then the students will see how animals survive in the environment.

Third Grade Math

Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

Accelerated Math

The beginning of unit 4 focuses on decimals. Students will be exposed to decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. They will compare two decimals to tenths and hundredths and will learn how to write the decimals in expanded form. The second part of unit 4 focuses on different types of measurements. We will learn conversions between measurements as well.

December 10 - 14

Citizenship
The focus for citizenship this week is keeping hands and feet to yourself.

Reading

We are continuing our author study on Chris Van Allsburg. This week, the students will finish reading The Stranger and also read The Sweetest Fig and The Widow's Broom. The main strategy that we will focus on is predicting and story endings.  The students will see how different endings change the story.  We will also continue to work on the skill from last week, which was inferring.  The students will use the information from the story and their own back ground knowledge to make predictions/guesses about the stories. Inferencing involves higher level thinking and so we will be spending the week on this strategy.

Right before break, we are planning on watching movies based on Van Allsburg's books. If anyone has a DVD copy of Zathura or Jumanji and are willing to let us borrow it, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.

Writing

Some students are still finishing up on their personal narratives. Then we will move on to writing about the author Chris Van Allsburg and will respond to his books. We will also incorporate some winter writing as students finish their work.

Grammar
The students will continue to work on plural nouns and possessive nouns.

Spelling

The Unit 14 test will be this Friday, 12/14. The pattern focuses on words with "ar" in them. Please make sure to practice every night.

Science

We will be starting our unit on habitats.  The students will learn what a habitat is and all the things habitats need for plants and animals to survive.  The students will see how plants and animals live together.  We will also focus on the food chain: consumers, producers, carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores.  Then the students will see how animals survive in the environment.

Third Grade Math

Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

Accelerated Math

The beginning of unit 4 focuses on decimals. Students will be exposed to decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. They will compare two decimals to tenths and hundredths and will learn how to write the decimals in expanded form. The second part of unit 4 focuses on different types of measurements. We will learn conversions between measurements as well.

December 3rd - 7th

Important Dates: 
Mon. 12/3 - Grades 3, 4, and 5 Family Math Night 6:30-8:30
Wed. 12/5 - Grades K - 2 Family Math Night 6:30-8:30

Family Math Night's theme is Sports!  Football, Cricket, Basketball, and LaCrosse have never been this much fun.  Watch your children move, learn, and discover the excitement of Math!  So, warm-up and come out to participate in all the LIVE action.  There are going to be a few cool estimation exercises - so bring a pencil and get moving!  Walk-ins are welcome.


Citizenship
The focus for citizenship this week is respecting substitutes.  Unfortunately, teachers do have to miss school from time to time.  When we do, sometimes the students act differently with a substitute.  We will discuss the importance of be respectful and responsible with substitutes and how it keeps us safe.

 

Reading

We are continuing our author study on Chris Van Allsburg. This week, the students will be reading Two Bad Ants and The Stranger.  The main strategy that we will focus on is inferencing.  The students will use the information from the story and their own back ground knowledge to make predictions/guesses about the stories.  Inferencing involves higher level thinking and so we will be spending the week on this strategy.

Right before break, we are planning on watching movies based on Van Allsburg's books.  If anyone has a DVD copy of Zathura or Jumanji and are willing to let us borrow it, please contact your child's homeroom teacher.

 

Writing

Some students are still finishing up on their personal narratives. Then we will move on to writing about the author Chris Van Allsburg and will respond to his books.  We will also incorporate some winter writing as students finish their work.

 

Spelling

The Unit 13 test will be this Friday, 12/7. The pattern focuses on words with "oo" in them.  Please make sure to practice every night.

 

Social Studies

We will be finishing our unit on our countries government by learning about our nation's capital, Washington D.C..  Students will learn how Washington D.C. became our capital and how it has changed since the beginning of our nation until the present time.  Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were two men that made a significant difference in our country. The students have been discussing their contributions to the country, as well.

 

Third Grade Math

Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

Accelerated Math

The beginning of unit 4 focuses on decimals. Students will be exposed to decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. They will compare two decimals to tenths and hundredths and will learn how to write the decimals in expanded form. The second part of unit 4 focuses on different types of measurements. We will learn conversions between measurements as well.

The Last Week of November 2012

 

We hope everyone had a wonderful, long weekend!  We now have 4 full weeks of school with lots of learning and fun packed in!  There is a lot coming up, but here is the information you need to know for this week...

 

Reading

We are beginning a unit learning about the author Chris VanAllsburg.  This week, the students will be introduced to the author by visiting his website www.chrisvanallsburg.com. Students will also listen to his first book The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.  We will be introduced to Fritz (who is somewhere in every one of his books) and talk about "magic" in stories.  Then we will move on to reading two more of his books, Just a Dream and Ben's Dream.  We will compare and contrast these two books, and we will also look for Fritz!

 

Writing

Some students are finishing up on their personal narratives this week.  Then we will move on to writing about the author Chris VanAllsburg and will respond to his books.

 

Spelling

This Monday 11/26, the students will be given the Unit 12 pretest.  The Unit 12 test will be this Friday, 11/30.  Please make sure to practice every night.

 

Social Studies

The students have been researching different national monuments and are now ready to present what they learned to their class with the powerpoint they created.  We will then continue our unit on our countries government by learning about our nation's capital, Washington D.C..  Students will learn how Washington D.C. became our capital and how it has changed since the beginning of our nation until the present time.

 

Third Grade Math

Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

Accelerated Math

The beginning of unit 4 focuses on decimals.  Students will be exposed to decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100.  They will compare two decimals to tenths and hundredths and will learn how to write the decimals in expanded form.  The second part of unit 4 focuses on different types of measurements.  We will learn conversions between measurements as well. 

 

November 12 - 20

Let's take a moment and thank all the veteran's who have bravely fought for our country.  We continue to live in peace thanks to all the men and women who have served in our armed forces

This blog installment will take us through Thanksgiving break.  The third grade team hopes everyone enjoys the time off and spends some quality time with family and friends giving thanks.

Picture Re-Takes - On Thursday,  November 15th picture re-takes are scheduled.  If you would like to get your picture re-taken,  please contact the office to get on the re-take list. Bring back your original packet.

Citizenship -  The students have already learned how to problem-solve and use empathy.  Now, they will learn how to handle a bully situation.  If a student feels he or she is being bullied and has tried to problem-solve the situation by talking it out, then they he oar she needs to remember to STOP-WALK-TALK. Students will tell the bully to stop by using the stop sign.  If the students does not stop, then the bullied student needs to walk away.  Finally, if the bully follows and doesn't stop bothering the student, come and talk to an adult.

Reading - This week we will finish our work on the story The Talent Show.  Every classroom will be holding their own classroom talent show. The important thing to remember is, some things are just meant to be enjoyed!  The kids really enjoy participating and watching their classmates show their special talents.  Thanksgiving week - we will be talking turkey!  The students will work on Thanksgiving activities.

Grammar- The second quarter is devoted to prefixes, suffixes, root words, plural/possessive nouns, and figurative language (idioms, similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia).

Spelling -  List #10.  The spelling pattern is /ou/.  The test will be Friday, November 16th.

Writing- During the next unit, the students will learn how to write a Personal Narrative. Personal Narratives are stories written from the first-person’s point of view that share personal experiences through descriptive details. We will begin by immersing students in books which focus on how writers narrate stories from their own lives. We will examine how writers share both details and feelings that make the reader visualize the event in their mind. We will model how to brainstorm ideas for narratives by using our heart maps. This unit will be taught using the “I do”, “We do”, “You do” method. 

Social Studies- the students are finishing up learning about how our country began. The students need to know...
- The first Americans were Asian  and crossed a land bridge from Asia.
- Many years later, colonists from England came over and settled in Jamestown
- There were thirteen original colonies
- The colonists became increasing angry with England- especially because the King was taxing them 
   more.
- The colonists were so mad they threw tea in Boston Harbor.  This became known as the Boston Tea
   Party.
- The Shot Heard Round the world was the beginning of the American Revolution
- The colonists wrote a letter to the King stating they wanted to be free from British rule.  This letter is
  called the Declaration of Independence.
- The colonies won their freedom from England and formed their own new country called the United 
  States of America
- A new government was formed and the Constitution was written. The constitution is the law of the 
  land. 

Students are also doing research on some of our national symbols and monuments.  They are working in pairs to create a PowerPoint slide and give an oral presentation to the class.  You can look forward to seeing the slides on Curriculum Night.

The final piece of our government unit will be focusing on Washington D.C. today.  The students will learn there are three branches of government, the executive, legislative and judicial.

Third Grade Math - Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

November 5th - 9th

Important Reminders:

Parent Teacher Conferences are this week on the following days and times:

Monday, Nov. 5^th- 4:40- 8:00

Tuesday, Nov. 6^th (no school for students)- 8:00- 3:40

Thursday, Nov. 8^th- 4:40-8:00

Friday, Nov. 9^th- Field Trip: Third Graders need to bring a cold lunch and snack because we are going on a field trip to see Great American Tall Tales.

Spelling – There will be no spelling test this week. Instead, we will review previous lists.

Grammar - The second quarter is devoted to prefixes, suffixes, root words, plural/possessive nouns, and figurative language(idioms, similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia).

Reading – For the next two weeks, we will be reading The Talent Show by Susan Wojciechowski. In this story, Beany is anxious about the upcoming talent show. After a talk with her father, Beany realizes that some things in life are simply meant to be enjoyed! We will be practicing the strategy of creating mental images with some engaging writing and drawing activities that are connected to music. They will also have a chance to participate in a talent show in their homeroom. This is a voluntary activity for students and is a wonderful way for students to be able to show their talent to the class!

Vocabulary: gym, perform, prefer, recite, enjoying, billions, and roam

Writing- During the next unit, the students will learn how to write a Personal Narrative. Personal Narratives are stories written from the first-person’s point of view that share personal experiences through descriptive details. We will begin by immersing students in books which focus on how writers narrate stories from their own lives. We will examine how writers share both details and feelings that make the reader visualize the event in their mind. We will model how to brainstorm ideas for narratives by using our heart maps. This unit will be taught using the “I do”, “We do”, “You do” method. 

Students will then begin to create their own narrated stories. These are some of the areas that we will focus on: writing a good beginning and ending, staying on topic, telling how he/she felt about what happened (feelings important in personal narrative), using clear details and strong word choice, writing complete sentences and used correct spelling, capitals, end marks and grammar, and producing a one to three paragraph personal narrative. 

Social Studies- We will continue to focus on the government. We began with a story about how people arrived in America. We also discussed the land bridge and the Native Americans. Then we focused on Jamestown and the 13 colonies. After learning about the 13 colonies, the students learned about the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, and the three branches of government. We will also be doing a research project this unit. The students will be researching a monument, creating a slide on power point, and writing a paragraph on a notecard to present to the class.

Third Grade Math - Unit 3 focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

The Week of October 29

10/31 Halloween Parade 2:00 weather permitting
10/31 Halloween party 2:30 - 3:15
11/2 Report cards go home.

Remember to turn field trip form and fees by Monday, October 29.

Reading - This week we will continue reading Lon Po Po, by Ed Young. This Chinese version of Little Red Riding Hood is about three girls who encounter a wolf. They try to defend themselves while their mother is away visiting their grandmother. We will also be looking at the story from the other point a view, the wolf! The students will engage in some information gathering about wolves to see if they deserve their bad reputation.

Vocabulary: delighted, dusk, embraced, tender, brittle, latch, cunning

Writing - Halloween is this week, and we thought it would be fun to hear what the kids think about this holiday. They will be writing an opinoin piece on Halloween. In addition, they will have the opportunty to write a creative story when giving characters, setting, and an action. It will be a lot of fun to hear what they create on Halloween!

Grammar - The second quarter is devoted to prefixes, suffixes, root words, plural/possessive nouns, and figurative language(idioms, similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia).

Spelling - List #9. This week the pattern is words with oi. The List #9 test will be Friday, November 2.

Social Studies- We will be moving on to social studies this week. Our next unit in social studies will focus on the government. We will begin with a story about how people arrived in America. This story will discuss the land bridge and the Native Americans. Then we will focus on Jamestown and the 13 colonies. After learning about the 13 colonies the students will learn about the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, and the three branches of government. We will also be doing a research project this unit. The students will be researching a monument, creating a slide on power point, and writing a paragraph on a notecard to present to the class.

Third Grade Math - We will be moving into unit 3 which focuses on measurement, perimeter, and area. Students will be exposed to measuring with U.S. customary and metric units of length. In addition, they will learn the how to find the perimeter and area of a quadrilateral.

 

Accelerated Math- Unit 3 focuses on multiplication and division.  This week we will be reviewing the multiplication and division facts, discuss the relationship between the two, and work on story problems involving both.  The students will be reviewing the various key words used in number stories that help the student identify which type of problem they will be doing.  Please help your child study their facts.

Week of October 15, 2012

Reminder...  There is a half day of school this Wednesday.  The students will be released at 12:15!

 

 

Reading - We will continue our bat unit for one more week.  We have learned wonderful bat facts, compared fiction and non-fiction, put events in sequence, recognized the difference between fact and opinion and did some basic research.  This week we will be making some cute little bats and a poster to show what we have learned. 

Writing - The students will be putting their final touches on their Sea Creature stories this week. Students will be finishing up their final drafts.  We will then move on to a seasonal opinion piece of writing.

 

Grammar - The first quarter is devoted to reviewing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and types of sentences.

Spelling - List #7. This week the pattern is words with the sh, ch and tch pattern. The List #7 test will be Friday, October 19th.

Science-  Students have made their skeletons and are now learning how joints help to move our bones.  We will continue to practice naming some bones in our body, but will move on to learning about the muscular system this week.  The bones and muscles test will be coming up on the 26th of October.  A study guide will go home soon. 

 

Third Grade Math - We have moved into unit 2 which concentrates on solving addition and subtraction number stories. Students will be exposed to adding and subtracting with regrouping and estimating to determine if their answer is in "the ballpark". In addition, students have been practicing their 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 multiplication facts. 

 

Accelerated Math-  Unit 2 is all about place value.  We have been practicing reading and writing large numbers.  Students have also reviewed what the "value" of each digit is in a large number.  This week we will continue to practice our multi-digit addition and subtraction to review place value.  We will also work with multi-digit number stories.  A study guide went home last week Friday and is due this Wednesday.  The Unit 2 test will be Thursday, 10/18.

Egyptian Fruit Bat ready to enjoy an apple!

Week of October 9-12

Hello all!  I hope you are all enjoying the Columbus Day holiday.  Here's what's happening this week in 3rd grade.

Author Visit-  Third Grade has the wonderful opportunity to meet Annie Barrows the popular author of the Ivy and Bean series.  She will be speaking to the students on Thursday afternoon.  If your student would like to purchase a book and get her autograph, just send back the purple order form that was given to students last week. Below the picture is a link to her website which gives more information about the series.

Ivy and Bean

Interim Assessments - This week Tuesday through Friday, the students will be taking diagnostic tests called Interim Assessments.  These tests are for district information about our current instruction and the gaps in the new Common Core standards.  This information is for district analysis only and no scores will be given to teachers or students. They will last approx. 45 to an hour a day.  

Reading - We are continuing our bat unit this week.  Besides learning wonderful bat facts, the classes will be comparing fiction and non-fiction, putting events in sequence, recognizing the difference between fact and opinion and doing some basic research.  At the end of the unit, students will be making some cute little bats to go along with our skeletons!  It's beginning to feel like Halloween in third grade! Some important vocabulary is ...

echolocation - nocturnal- mammal - species - megabat - microbat 

Writing - The students will be finishing up their Sea Creature stories this week.  Students will be revising and editing their rough drafts in preparation for writing their final copies. This is an engaging assignment that allowed students to use their creativity,  practice writing paragraphs and work through the writing process. 

Grammar - The first quarter is devoted to reviewing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and types of sentences.

Spelling - List #6. This week the pattern is words with the kn,  wr,  gh and ph pattern.  The List #6 test will be Friday, October 12th.

Science-  There will be little time for Science this week with the testing going on in the afternoon.  Students have made their skeletons and are now learning how muscles and joints work together to move our bones. The students will have a quiz on the bones we have been learning in class on Thursday, October 11. Check out the website on the blog to practice dem bones!


Third Grade Math -  We have moved into unit 2 which concentrates on solving addition and subtraction number stories. Students will be exposed to adding and subtracting with regrouping and estimating to determine if their answer  is in  "the ballpark". In addition,  students have been practicing their  0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 multiplication facts.  

October 1st - 5th

Reminder:

Picture Day is Thursday, Oct. 4th. Your child will bring home an order form for this on Tuesday, Oct. 2nd.

Family Science Night is this Wednesday, October 3rd between 6:30 and 8:30P.M. Our goal in Science Night is to increase students' exposure to, and opportunities to do hands-on science. There is a fee of $5/per family. You may still turn in the form sent out by the PTA if you have it. We will still accept walk-ins on the day of the event. Families just need to bring with them enthusiasm and spirit to enjoy the event.

 

PTA Reflections- All students are invited to participate in this wonderful opportunity for artistic expression. The theme this year is: "The Magic of a Moment." The completed projects and entry forms are due by Tuesday, Oct. 9^th. For more information, visit www.ptareflections.org or contact Amy Toepper, our local chairperson at amytoepper@hotmail.com

Citizenship: This week the students will continue to learn about conflict resolution, and how to talk about feelings. The students will learn to recognize that feelings surround conflict situations and how to express these feelings. They will also learn a positive way to handle anger through the Talk It Out process: stop and cool off. They will learn the importance of talking and listening to each other. We will practice using “I” messages- I feel ___ when you _____ because ________. We will also discuss the importance of timing when sharing upset feelings, so that we know when it is a good time to give someone an “I” message verses a bad time.

Spelling: The test for list #5 is Friday, 10/5. The pattern is words with consonant blends with st and str.

Reading: This week, we are taking a break from our Harcourt Trophies Series to start an exciting unit on bats! The students will think about how they feel about bats. We will read an online version of Stella Luna and examine how this story is a fantasy. We will also practice the strategy of sequencing events. We will read the book, Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats. The students will learn the difference between facts and opinions through a fun, interactive game. We will also learn how to research bats.   

Writing: The students will continue working on their creative writing pieces on sea creatures. The students have created a new type of sea creature and have shared information about their unique animal. The students will continue to review paragraph writing, which includes a topic sentence, details, and a concluding sentence. They are also learning how to write body paragraphs and a conclusion. The students are completely immersed in the engaging Smart Board Activities from this writing unit!

Grammar: The first quarter is devoted to reviewing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and types of sentences.

Science: This week, we will continue our Science Unit on the bones and muscles. We have learned that cells become tissues, tissues become organs, and organs become body systems. The students are learning to identify the 14 major bones in the body as well as describe how the bones and muscles work together. The joints will also be taught in this unit. The students are thoroughly enjoying using the Smart Board with interactive games which are helping us to learn about the skeletal system. If there are any parents who work in a health, Science, or medical field who are interested in talking to our students about the Skeletal or Muscular System, or their job, please email your child’s teacher. Thanks!

Math: The Common Core Math Standards philosophy is to teach deeper. We will be going more in-depth with our teaching and EDM will be used as a supplement.

Third Grade Math: Unit 1 is a review of number grids, patterns and time. Students will be doing number grid stories, recognizing number patterns and solving elapsed time problems. We will also introduce students to bar and pictographs. Students will draw a scaled bar graph and picture graph to represent data. They will also solve one and two step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented on a bar graph.
Accelerated Math: Unit 1 focuses on Geometry. The students will become familiar with a a variety of geometric figures and shapes, such as lines, rays, angles, and polygons. Learning the different properties will help the students classify 2D shapes into different categories. This week the students will discuss the different attributes of triangles and quadrangles.

September 24-28

Citizenship:  This week the students will continue to learn about conflict resolution, and how to cool off.  The students will learn to recognize that feelings surround conflict situations and how to express these feelings.  They willl also learn a positive way to handle anger through the Talk It Out process: stop and cool off.

 

Spelling:  The test for list #4 is Friday, 9/28. The pattern is long i and long o words.

Reading: This week we will continue reading Turtle Bay, by Saviour Pirotta.  It is about a boy named Taro who helps a wise, old man named Jiro-San clean up the beach for the return of a special group of friends.  Taro needs to wait patiently for the friends to arrive.  You will have to ask your child who the friends are that came to visit Jiro-San.  Our reading strategy for the week is author's purpose.  The students will determine whether the story is meant to give information, entertain, or persuade the reader.
Please remind your child to reread this story at home at least once during the week. The classes that have not taken the test will take an open book test (with vocabulary and comprehension questions) at the end of the week.

Vocabulary eager, trained, litter, patiently, message, wise
 

Writing:We have started a new writing piece that coordinates with our reading story for the week.  The students will be working on a creative writing piece on a sea creature.  The students will be creating a new type of sea creature and will share information about their unique animal.  The students will review paragraph writing, which includes a topic sentence, details, and a concluding sentence. They will also learn how to write exciting leads and a conclusion sentence.  The students and teachers will have a great time with this assignment!
 

Grammar: The first quarter is devoted to reviewing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and types of sentences. 

Science:  Our first science unit will focus on the bones and muscles.  We will be starting with the idea that cells become tissues, tissues become organs, and organs become body systems.  The students will learn to identify the 14 major bones in the body and describe how the bones and muscles work together. The joints will also be taught in this unit.  

Math:  The Common Core Math Standards philosophy is to teach deeper. We will be going more in-depth with our teaching and EDM will be used as a supplement.

Third Grade Math:  Unit 1 is a review of number grids, patterns and time. Students will be doing number grid stories, recognizing number patterns and solving elapsed time problems. We will also introduce students to bar and pictographs. Students will draw a scaled bar graph and picture graph to represent data. They will also solve one and two step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented on a bar graph.
Accelerated Math:  Unit 1 focuses on Geometry.  The students will become familiar with a a variety of geometric figures and shapes, such as lines, rays, angles, and polygons.  Learning the different properties will help the students classify 2D shapes into different categories.  This week the students will discuss the different attributes of triangles and quadrangles. 

September 10th-14th,

Important Reminders- Our third grade is excited to have our PTA President, Mrs. Straub, visit our students to talk about how the PTA is part of our May Watts Community. Thanks for doing this Mrs. Straub!

Curriculum Night is Thursday, 9/14/12.  Session 1 begins at 6:30-6:55 in each classroom. At 7:05, there will be a presentation in the Gym on Math, Champs/Citizenship and an introduction of specials teachers. Session 2 is at 7:35 for anyone who missed Session 1.

Citizenship- This week’s cool tool is responsibility. The students are learning ways to demonstrate responsibility throughout May Watts. We will learn about the importance of making responsible decisions. The students will learn that when we make responsible choices, we are doing our personal best.

Spelling- The test for list 4 is Friday, 9/14. The skill is short  i, short o and short u words.

Reading- The students will read the realistic fiction piece called Pepita Talks Twice by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman. This story is about a girl named Pepita, who stops speaking Spanish because she is tired of being the neighborhood translator. Pepita eventually realizes that speaking two languages is a positive skill through a difficult lesson.  A disaster almost happens when her dog does not respond to the English name that she has given him. Please have your child reread this story at home at least once during the week. There will be an open book test (with vocabulary and comprehension questions) at the end of the week.

Vocabulary: languages, grumble, mumbled, darted, streak, exploded, stubborn

Writing- The students are doing a terrific job of getting in the habit of writing every day. We will introduce quick writes. The students will also examine the writing process. Our writing prompt will be about “How We Spent Our Summer Vacation.”  We will continue to model what Writer’s Workshop looks like and examine the daily routine. It’s been fun to generate ideas through different lists such as authority lists, webs, and heart maps.

Grammar- The students will learn to identify and use verbs to enhance their writing.

Social Studies- Mrs. Straub’s will talk to our students about how the PTA is part of our May Watts Community. This will connect our Communities Unit to real life experience. The students will continue to learn about communities by creating a brochure about Naperville. We will examine places to live, work, and have fun in our suburb. We will also compare and contrast the three different communities- urban, rural, and suburban. Lastly, students will examine how geography affects a community.

Math- We started the year by dividing the students into their various math classless.  Beginning in third grade,  there are both Accelerated Math and Third Grade math classes.  Mrs. Brayton and Mrs. Kiselyk teach Accelerated Math and Miss Anco, Mrs. Baumann and Miss Pedersen teach third grade math.  Each class will be going over the structure of math class and laying the ground rules.  Everyone will be starting the New Common Core math curriculum.  While you will see familiar homework pages from the Everyday Math Program, we will not be using EDM exclusively.  Expect various kinds of homework and some skipping around. The Common Core Math Standards philosophy is to teach deeper.  We will be going more in-depth with our teaching and EDM will be supplemented.

Third Grade Math - Unit 1 is a review of number grids, patterns and time.  Students will be doing number grid stories, recognizing number patterns and solving elapsed time problems. We will also introduce students to bar and pictographs. Students will draw a scaled bar graph and picture graph to represent data. They will also solve one and two step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented on a bar graph.

Hello May Watts families and welcome to the 3rd Grade Blog!!  The third grade teachers work together to maintain this blog and give you all the information you will need to have a successful third grade year.  Check back often for weekly curriculum updates and important May Watts news.

We have a terrific year of learning planned for all of you and can't wait to get to know our new students. This year, there are 5 sections of 3rd Grade with Miss Carrie Pedersen joining the team.  As most of you know,  Miss Pedersen has been a 5th grade teacher here at May Watts and is excited to make the change to 3rd Grade! We are very happy to have her on our team and looking forward to a productive year of collaboration.

Third Grade is also proud to announce our newest little Wolverine!  Mrs. Brayton had her 3rd baby girl this summer, Leah Madison Brayton.  Mom and baby are doing great.  Mrs. Brayton will  be away on maternity leave until  the beginning of October.  Filling in for Mrs. Brayton while she is on leave is Mrs. Kimberly Adams.  We are happy to welcome her into our building and looking forward to working with her for the next six weeks. Mrs. Adams is very excited to start the new year in 3rd Grade  at May Watts!  The other 3rd Grade teachers are Miss Anco, Mrs. Baumann and Mrs. Kiselyk.  We are five strong and love what we do. Third Grade Rocks!

Here is what's happening the first couple weeks of school...

Citizenship- The May Watts citizenship program has undergone a transformation!  After eight years of Respect YOE, our core values have changed to...

May Watts Citizens are
 Respectful,  Responsible  and Safe

Respectful means treating people with care and kindness.  We are respectful when we...

Use good manners
Use expected voice levels
Show Empathy
Treat others the way you want to be treated 

Responsible means doing the right thing and making good choices.  We are responsible 
when we...

Follow directions

Treat materials appropriately

Are ready to learn

Do our personal best

Safe means engaging in activities that are not harmful to other people, property or the environment. We are safe when we...

Walk
Keep hands and feet to self
 Ask permission to leave

With the change in core values, also comes a change in incentives and rewards.  Students will still receive a paw print for displaying good individual citizenship, but redeeming will be a little different. Each week students will take the tickets they earned and go "reward shopping".  A fancy reward cart will come to each grade level once a week and students can redeem their tickets for a cool reward! Extra tickets? No problem, students can toss them in the monthly raffle jar for a chance to win another fabulous prize!! Whole class rewards are changing too. Classes will no longer receive gold tickets. Each class will now have a marble jar.  A class will receive marbles throughout the day when they work together to follow the core values of our school.  Once the marble jar is full, the class will decide on an extremely awesome class reward!!  It should be very motivating to watch the marble jar grow:) It might take some time to get used to the new system,  but the increase in great citizenship will be well worth it. Go May Watts!

Reading- We will start the year acquainting the students to our class libraries and discussing good fit books.  Each students will set-up their reading boxes and reading notebooks.  The first story we read is called  Officer Buckle and Gloria  by  Peggy Rathman.  The story is about a police officer and a dog named Gloria who give safety talks at schools.  Things go wrong when Gloria no longer helps Officer Buckle with the talks.  In the end, Officer Buckle learns a valuable lesson about teamwork. 

Vocabulary - department, audience, obeys, commands, expression, accident, noticed

Learning Target- Students will learn to use context clues (pictures and text) to figure out the meaning of the story.

Students will also read about Labor Day and why it's an important holiday for our country. 

Writing - In writing, we will be setting up our writer's notebooks. Students will be asked to bring in some pictures from home to decorate the cover of their notebooks. In  addition, we will review basic grammar rules, good sentence structure and good paragraph writing. Students will learn about "quick writes" and how to respond to a prompt. 

Learning Target - Students will review the basics of good writing  and begin writing to a prompt.

  

Spelling -List #1.  The test will be Friday, August 31st. All the spelling lists for the year are located at the top of this blog under the Spelling Lists tab.  Students may practice their words on Spelling City. There is no test the week of Labor Day.

Learning Target- students will lean how to spell words with the short a and short e pattern.

Social Studies- We will be alternating between Science and Social Studies.  We start the year with a unit on Communities.  The 3rd Graders will be creating their own school community.  We will review the three types of communities; rural, suburban and urban, as well as discuss Labor Day and kinds of community worker.  We will discuss how good citizens five back to the community.  Good citizens do their part by volunteering, helping neighbors and taking care of the environment.

Learning Target- Students will learn about communities.  Who are our community helpers? Why do we celebrate Labor Day. How to be a good citizen.

Math- We will start the year by dividing the students into their various math classless.  Beginning in third grade,  there are both Accelerated Math and Third Grade math classes.  Mrs. Brayton and Mrs. Kiselyk teach Accelerated Math and Miss Anco, Mrs. Baumann and Miss Pedersen teach third grade math.  Each class will be going over the structure of math class and laying the ground rules.  Everyone will be starting the New Common Core math curriculum.  While you will see familiar homework pages from the Everyday Math Program, we will not be using EDM exclusively.  Expect various kinds of homework and some skipping around. The Common Core Math Standards philosophy is to teach deeper.  We will be going more in-depth with our teaching and EDM will be supplemented.
Third Grade Math - Unit One is a review of number grids, patterns and time.  Students will be doing number grid stories, recognizing number patterns and solving elapsed time problems.


Take a deep breath and let the air slow. Yes, summer is really over.  We will all miss the freedom summer brings, but there is always a lot of excitement about the beginning of a new school year.  So say good-bye to summer and hello to a great new year!