NOVEMBER 28 - DECEMBER 2

Hello Parents!

Welcome back from the long holiday weekend! Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and got some time to think about all the things we have to be thankful for! Now after all that turkey, it is time to get back to business for 3 more weeks!

Our class went to MVHS yesterday to have our reader's theater recorded by the video and production class.  The kids performed fabulously!  I will keep you posted as to when we will be able to view the production.

December is always a very busy month with lots of things added to our schedules. Check out the REMINDERS at the bottom of this post.  :)
Here is what is going on this week!

Math
We will continue our Geometry unit on two-dimensional shapes and their attributes. This week we will cover how polygons can be put together and taken apart to make new polygons.

Reading
This week we will start a Rigby theme about Recycling and our comprehension strategy we will focus on is determining importance.

Spelling
We will continue to have a 15 word Rigby list and the challenge list. This week the prefix is super-, sur- which means over, above, beyond.
The Rigby list is: can, cook, find, your, bigger, bragger, dimmed, dropping, hugging, ripped, splitting, strumming, tripped, wetter, and transferred.
The challenge list is: superb, superimpose, superintendent, superior, supervisor, surcharge, surplus, surprise, surreal, and surtax.

Science
This week we are starting a new unit on recycling/pollution and inventions. We will only get to introduce this unit but will start more detail and projects next week.

Social Studies 
After so much work from our five wonderful candidates, I would like to announce our President and Vice President after Tuesday's election:  Hunter and Peyton! The class will now start campaigning for Hunter to be the president of the entire 3rd grade! We will be working on our campaign all week and the final election is this Friday.

Grammar
We will be reviewing adjectives, root words, prefixes, and suffixes. We will be making posters, jingles, and playing bingo!
Have a good week!

REMINDERS:

12/2 3rd Grade Presidential Election

12/8 3rd Grade Music Program at 10 am & 7 pm

12/9 Crazy Holiday Clothes Day

12/13 Cool the Earth Assembly

12/15 Winter Party at 3:00 pm
12/16 Half Day of School
12/16 End of 2nd Quarter
12/17 - 1/04 Winter Break
1/05 School Resumes

November 14-18

Reading-
We will continue to read stories about transportation this week, while practicing how to create images about the text we read.

Math-
We completed multiplication today with our Topic 6 Test. We will be studying geometry for the remainder of the week. The lessons will include these topics:  Lines and Line Segments, Angles, Polygons and Triangles.

Writing-We will begin descriptive writing this week.  I want others to be able to create images in their minds from the descriptions our kids will be writing.

Social Studies-We learned about the 3 branches of government last week and will learn about citizenship this week. Students will understand the differences between Rights and Responsibilities. 

Formative Assessments-We began taking formative assessments, which are practice tests for State Assessments. We will be taking one in reading and one in math every week. In reading, the students will be tested on narrative and expository reading passages. In math, the students will take short quizzes that each emphasize a specific math skill.

Spelling-The patterns for this week are silent b,g, and gh (I have added to this list and it will now be a 15 word list).  The Rigby words are anything, think, us, way, sign, bright, doubt, sigh, dough, subtle, debt, design, gnat, sleigh and reign.

The Extension list focuses on the prefix- "sub-" which means under.  Those words are subconscious, subcutaneous, subdue, subfreezing, subirrigate, subject, submarine, submerge, subordinate and subway.

November 4 - 7

The third grade is sponsoring a great program called Cool the Earth. The program began yesterday and will run through December 15.  It is a program where the kids will take an initiative towards helping the earth. The students came home with a coupon book yesterday. They only need to complete a task one time to bring the coupon in. The pledge is for them to try to continue it, but not anything they will need to keep track of. Our school goal is to have each child complete AT LEAST 3 coupons but more would be even better!  Check the Monday Folder for more information or let me know if you have any questions. 

Math
This week in math we will continue to work on Topic 6. Depending on how the week goes, we may have our Topic 6 Test this Friday, I will let you all know as this week goes on! We will continue to work on multiplication and find the number of combinations that are possible between the members of one group and the members of another group. We will also work on two-step story problems towards the end of the week.

Reading We start a new unit in Rigby, Theme 6 which is called "Roads to Travel On." This week our comprehension focus will be creating mental images while reading.

Writing/Grammar
We will continue to focus on prefixes and suffixes and how they can change a word.

Social Studies/Science
This week we will start our unit on government. Students will learn government vocabulary and the importance of documents such as the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and The Constitution.

SpellingThe Rigby Spelling list will focus on silent consonants w, h, b, g, and gh. The Rigby words are room, same, saw, that's, comb, honest, limb, numb, wrist, and tomb. The extension list focus is contra, counter (against, opposite). The extensions words are contraband, contradict, contrarian, contrary, contrast, counterbalance, counterclockwise, counterexample, counterfeit, counterintuitive.

October 31 - November 4

October 31- November 4

Happy Halloween!!!  I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable evening last night.  I did not assign any homework last night so I hope the kids had a great time.  Please note that Halloween candy should not be sent to school for snack.  Thanks for keeping your kids fueled with healthy snacks here at school.  :) 

After last week's full week of activities, we will be getting back to our normal routines this week.  Please look over what we have planned and let me know if you have any questions.

Reading- We will continue with Theme 5 this week.  Small reading groups will begin reading various chapter books.  Be sure to ask your child what book he/she is reading.

Spelling- The Rigby pattern this week is "oy and oi" and the list is found, laugh, sleep, something, avoid, choice, destroy, oyster, royal, turquoise.  The prefix pattern this week is "co- and com-" which means together or with and the list is coexist, cohesive, coincidence, combine, commiserate, committee, communication, community, compare and compatible.

Grammar- We will practice combining sentences this week.  This will help devleop the students sentence fluency when they write.

Math- We are contininuing to learn our basic multiplication facts this week.  We will learn how to multiply by 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.  After this week, they will have learned all their facts through 10, so it would be a good time to get some flash cards so they can practice memorizing them at home.

Science- This week we will be learning about weather.

October 24 - 28

It was great getting to see you all and to have the opportunity to work as a partner with you in helping ensure your child's success. This week will be another exciting one! It is RED RIBBON WEEK and below are the spirit wear days!


A special thanks to Brooke Verdict and Maggie Riley who has planned our Halloween party on Friday, October 28th.  Also, thanks to each of you for volunteering to send in the necessary supplies to enable the party to be a success.


On Wednesday, October 26, the third grade will have their Tourism Day. You are welcome to attend. It will run from 1:00-3:30. You can stop by and see how your child has become "An Expert" on their state.


Math
We will be finishing up Topic 5 this week and will have the test this Friday. The last few lessons include how to multiply with multiples of 10 and using problem solving to figure out two step story problems.

Reading
We will begin Theme 5 "Times Have Changed" in Rigby. The comprehension strategies we will focus on are monitor understanding and reviewing synthesizing.
The Rigby Spelling list will focus on the ou, ow, oy, and oi patterns. The Rigby list is first, fish, live, pick, pouch, allow, ounce, growl, proud, and mountain.
The extension list focus is quad (four). The extension words are quadrangle, quadrant, quadrennial, quadriceps, quadrilateral, quadrilingual, quadrisect, quadruped, quadruple, and quadruplet.


Social Studies
We will continue our geography unit where the students have begun doing research on an assigned state. The culminating Tourism Day is on Wednesday from 1:00-3:30.


Writing We will continue adding new stories to our Writer's Workshop Notebook.


Red Ribbon Week Spirit Days:
Monday, October 24:
Wear your favorite team sports jersey or T-shirt to "Kick Off" Red Ribbon Week and to Team Up Against Drugs!
Tuesday, October 25:
Wear RED to show your support for Red Ribbon Week!
Wednesday, October 26
Wear Sweats today, because saying NO to drugs and alcohol is "no sweat!"
Thursday, October 27:
Wear Crazy Socks to "Sock It" to drugs!
Friday, October 28:
Wear your favorite hat because we are "putting a lid on" drugs and alcohol!


Have a great week!

Curriculum October 10-14

This is the last week of the 1st quarter!!  Can you believe how fast it has gone?  There will be no school for students this Friday.  This will be a teacher work day in order for us to finish up our 1st quarter grades and get prepared to meet with you for Parent Conferences next week. 

Here's a look at the learning that will happen this week in our class.

Reading
We are still practicing how to "synthesize" information when we read.  This is when we put our previous knowledge together with information we read to create new ideas. 

I will not be meeting with small groups this week or next week.  I will be benchmarking students to get their current reading level so that I can re-evaluate reading groups for the 2nd quarter.

Spelling
The patterns this week are:
   1.  ie, igh, oa, and ow
   2.  "tri-" which means three.
The Rigby words are bus, can't, eat, feet, owner, delight, flown, moan, oath & brief.
The extension words are triangle, triathlon, triceratops, tricycle, trilateral, trilingual, trilogy, trio, tripod & trisect.
The test will be on Thursday this week.

Writing
We have been writing some rather creative stories in our Writer's Workshop notebook.  In grammar we will continue our study of sentences. 

Math
We did a review lesson today and will be taking our Topic 4 test tomorrow.
We will begin Topic 5 on Wednesday. The lessons in this topic focus on multiplication facts and patterns.

Social Studies
We are continuing to study maps and will begin a state research project later this week.  The majority of this project will be completed at school.  The 3rd graders will be hosting a "Tourism Day" on October 27.  This is the culminating event for this project.  Students will have the opportunity during our "Tourism Day" to share all the information they learned about the state they researched.

Science
Reminder:  Solar Houses are due on Monday, October 24th.

Curriculum Oct. 3 - 7

Envision Math
We completed Topic 3 last week and will be starting Topic 4 this week.  We will be working on multiplication as repeated addition, arrays and multiplication, the commutative property, and writing multiplication stories.

I will be sending home subtraction and addition fact sheets.  There will be 3 addition and 3 subtraction sheets.  They are to be used to practice at home and do not need to be returned to school.  The time is four minutes for addition and five minutes for subtraction.  They need to have 80% of the problems correct to receive a + on addition and subtraction for the quarter.

Rigby Reading
We will begin Theme 4 this week.  The focus will be on synthesizing and inferring.

Synthesizing: Think about it as a puzzle.  Take pieces from the story and put them together to form a new idea.  Our previous thoughts about a topic join with new information to form the new idea about the topic.  Our thinking gets bigger. 

Inferring: This is reading between the lines.  It is not what the author has said, but instead what they have implied.

Grammar- We will review subjects and predicates.  We will also review the types of sentences. 

Spelling
The Rigby words this week are an, book, teacher, two, afraid, explain, layer, crayon, eerie, and meant.

The extension focus is bi, which means two.

bicolor, bicuspid, bicycle, biennial, bifocals, bilingual, bimonthly, biped, biplane, and biweekly.

Science
We completed a unit on phases of the moon and stars.  The sky observation project is due on Monday, October 3.  You should have received the Blazing Insulated House project guidelines last Monday.  This project is due Monday, October 24.

Social Studies

We will begin a unit on geography.  The students will be learning about types of maps, continents, oceans, and states.  Please mark Thursday, October 27 on your calendar.  This will be our 3rd grade Tourism Day.  This will be a culmination of an at school project where the students will focus on a specific state.

Writing

We will use the Four Square writing method to focus on a new story this week.

Curriculum September 26-29

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to enjoy some of the beautiful weather.  :)

enVision Math
We will focus on subtraction this week.  Models for subtracting 3-digit numbers, subtracting 3-digit numbers, subtracting across zero, and drawing a picture with a number sentence to work on problem solving.  We will take the Topic 3 test on Friday.

Rigby Reading
We will continue Theme 3 in Rigby this week. We will review asking questions and work on inferring. The students will be expected to read between the lines of what the author is implying in his or her writing.

Grammar- The focus will be on subjects and predicates.

Spelling
The Rigby words this week are good, house, land, oh, whisper, whistle, thaw, children, shadow, establish.
The extension word focus is uni, which means one.

unicellular, unicorn, unicycle, unidirectional, unify, unilateral, unique, unison, unit, unitard

 

Science
We will continue to learn about different stars and the different phases of the moon.  Look for a project to come home on observing the stars.  Also, look for the solar house project to be sent home this week.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Social Studies
We culminated our Communities unit with our community walk, which was very successful. The students were spreading a little sunshine along the way by handing out little sunshine cutouts with positive messages on them.  Those who received them were all impressed and had smiles on their faces.  McDonalds went very well.  The kids quickly learned how important it was to apply tax when calculating the costs of their meals.  It was a great real-life learning experience!

 

We will be starting a geography unit next week.

September 19-23

Our Community Walk is on Wednesday!  Make sure to get your child's permission slip signed and turned in by Wednesday morning. (They went home on Friday- if you did not recieve it or do not have one, let me know and I can send another one home. 

Reading
We will be starting Theme 3 this week titled "What is Light?"  During this theme we will be practicing the reading strategy of making inferences.

We will also continue to practice the strategy of asking questions.  We will begin to develop two types of questions this week, on the surface questions (answers can be found directly in the test) and under the surface questions (answers require deeper thinking). 

Reading Logs will come home again tonight in Monday folders.  Send them back next Monday or Tuesday.  This is a school-wide reading program so please make sure your child is reading regularly.

Spelling
Spelling this week will be the long vowel pattern OR the prefix poly, which means many.

Rigby Words:  ball, day, up, what, alone, quote, polite, surprise, entire, plague

Extension List:  polychromatic, polyclinic, polydactyl, polyglot, polygon, polygraph, polyhedron, polymorphous, polysyllabic, polytheism

Math
We took our Topic 2 test on Friday and will retest on Thursday.  It was a tougher topic for many so we will take some extra time to review and retest.  We will add with an expanded algorithm, look at models for adding 3-digit numbers, add 3-digit numbers, add 3 or more numbers, and draw a picture for problem solving.

Science
Our Solar Cookout was postponed until tomorrow!  There was NO sunshine on Friday, therefore we will cook our bagel pizzas and s'mores all day tomorrow.  The students will still be eating their normal lunch at school.  The cookout will count as their afternoon snack.  We will set out the cookers in the morning, check them periodically through the day to make sure the sun is hitting them correctly, and then eat our snack in the afternoon.  Our next unit will be studying the moon and stars.

Social Studies
Learning about the community is an important part of the 3rd grade curriculum.  We will culminate our communities unit with a community walk. The students will walk throughout the community, while observing things that stand out to them. They will have to draw something from their community and discuss the importance of it. We will also go to McDonald's where the students can practice using real-world skills with money.  We will be eating lunch at school and then leaving for our walk shortly afterwards.  Please send a small amount of money to school with your child that day if you would like for them to be able to buy a treat.

Writing
The students are almost finished with the stories they have been working on.  We have computers reserved to type them this week. 

Our grammar focus this week is on subjects and predicates.

Solar Cook Out - Supplies Needed

Solar Cook Out

On Thursday, September 15^th, we will be assembling our solar cookers in the afternoon around 2:00. We could use 4 parent volunteers to help the kids put them together that afternoon. Each student will need to bring in 50 cents to purchase a Pizza Shoppe box to create their solar cooker by Wednesday, September 14^th. On Friday morning we will set up the cookers and then let the pizzas cook throughout the day. Volunteers will not be needed on Friday.  Below are items we need donated for the cookout. If you are willing to donate one of the following items, please email me and let me know! Thank you for all of your help!

3 Packages of Plain Sliced Bagels (regular sized)

5 Bags of Finely Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 Large Jars of Ragu Pizza Sauce

1 Box of Graham Crackers

2 Bags of Jumbo Marshmallows (not the super sized ones)

10 Rolls of Aluminum Foil

5 Rolls of Plastic Wrap

Package of Paper Plates

Package of Napkins

One Bag of Wooden Skewers

September 12 - 19

Welcome back to a full a week of school!  The kiddos completed MAP testing last week.  They did a great job with their first computerized test of the school year.  Thank you to everyone that volunteered to send in things for our solar cookout on Friday.  We are still in need of several items so I will send an updated list shortly.  We have our fingers crossed that it will be a warm and sunny day!

enVision Math
We will estimate differences, make sense of addition and subtraction equations, use problem solving to evaluate reasonableness and take the Topic 2 test.

Rigby Reading
We will continue theme two in Rigby this week.  The focus will be on asking questions to promote thinking before, during and after reading. 

Reading logs will continue this week.  Please make sure that you sign off on the log each week and have your child total the minutes.

Grammar- The focus will be on verbs

Spelling
The Rigby words this week are come, dog, down, me, credit, grand, quest, drizzle, problem and sprinkle.
The focus of the extension list is mono-one.
monochrome, monocle, monolingual, monolith, monologue, monophobia, monopoly, monorail, monosyllabic and monotone

Science
We will continue our solar energy unit this week with a couple more experiments and wrap it up with the creation of our own solar cookers.  We are hoping for a SUNNY day Friday without RAIN!  :)


Social Studies
We will continue our communities unit.  The students will finish creating their communities that they started last week.  You'll see some fantastic pictures of a rural community, a suburban community and an urban community very soon.  The kids have been very creative with their supplies!

Writing
We will continue to work on revising and editing our Narrative paper on their lost/loose tooth.
The students have a editing sheet that they have to complete before they take their paper to the publishing stage. 

MATH . . . Hang in there!

Just wanted to send you a quick message of encouragement with our math program.  This is a work in progress and the kids really are doing well.  Some of these concepts are much, much harder than they have had in the past.  Please know that we are working diligently in the classroom and that some of these concepts take a few days for them to really sink in and comprehend. 

We reviewed yesterday’s math lesson before moving on to today’s lesson.  Yesterday we had tried a couple different approaches to subtracting mentally.  Today our class found an approach that they seemed to grasp a little better.  Suppose you have the problem 43-18 and you were to subtract using mental math.  We want to try to make 18 an even ten so that it is easier to subtract.  We added 2 to 18 to come up with 20.  Now, it’s not fair that the 18 got an extra 2 so we needed to be sure to give 43 an extra 2 as well.  (I actually compared this to a sibling getting 2 more cookies than them.  Then they understood that it’s not fair unless they get 2 cookies as well.)  Now instead of 43-18 we have 45-20=15.  Guess what?  43-18=15!  We did several problems comparing it to food and someone else getting more than them.  They seemed to get that idea a little better.  Keep it fair, keep it equal and it will work out.  J 

Please know that you are able to log in to the site and see the video we watch and even the problems we do from their math text each day.  Simply go to this site:  https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp and log in as your child.  Most kiddos have the first letter of their first name and then their last name as their username.  A few had to use their whole first name and they can tell you who they are.  Everyone has the same password of thirdpre and you should be in!   Check around on the site and become familiar with the resources it has to offer you at home as well. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at all.  Breathe easy as today we only had to round to the nearest ten and hundred.  Whew!  J  I told the kids we gave our brains such a hard workout yesterday that they got to take a little break today.  Tomorrow we will be estimating; however, each day we will continue to work out some problems with our mental math until it is a skill that they have mastered.  Thanks so much for your help at home and patience as we get our kids thinking about math in a different way and one that they can explain.  We’ll get there together! 

By the way, the kids have been doing well with their MAP testing.  Only one more day to go! 

Curriculum September 7th - 9th

MAP TESTING this WEEK!
Students will be taking MAPS each day from Noon to 1:30 pm.  Please make sure your child is well rested and ready for school in the morning.  THANK YOU! 

enVision Math
Please notify me if you haven't receive the parent letter for enVision with your child's user name and password.  I have sent it home twice now so I'm hoping it has made it to you at least once.  =)  Each lesson that your child views in class is also online so you are able to see what we complete in class.  Please do let me know if you have any questions at all.  (Math has changed A LOT since we've been in school.)  The login site is as follows:  https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/snpapp/login/login.jsp 

The students took an online test and a hard copy test (both were exactly the same) last week over Topic 1.  Most students performed better on the hard copy test; however, we are trying to help prepare the students for the computerized testing they will have to take in the Spring.  I will plan on going forward with both forms of testing at the moment and will average their scores for you.  The students completed a survey about their performance and have brought it home over the weekend for you to sign.  Please take some time to go through the test with your child.  I was very proud of how the students did given this was the first time they had something other than Saxon.  They are doing a great job!

The current topic is Number Sense: Addition and Subtraction.  This week we will cover Using Mental Math to Subtract, Rounding and Estimating Sums.  We will begin using an Estimation Jar soon to help us with our estimating skills.

Rigby Reading
We will continue focusing on Making Connections. After reading, you can ask your child how they are able to relate to the text, relate it to another text, or relate it to the world.  We will also focus on Asking Questions as we read to help us better understand the text.
*We will begin reading logs this week. They are due the Tuesday of the following week.  Due to the extended holiday weekend, students are to return their reading logs on Wednesday.
*Grammar-We will continue to focus on identifying nouns and verbs.

Spelling
No spelling this week due to the short week and MAP testing.

Science
We will continue our solar energy unit.  The students will test earth materials and create solar heat collectors.  Please note that we will have our Solar Energy Cook-Out on Friday, September 16.  We will need parent volunteers to help throughout the day.  Students will also have their own Solar Houses due at the beginning of October.  Look for more detailed information regarding both events very soon.

Social Studies
We will continue our communities unit.  This week we will be covering the history of Shawnee, recreation and city services in Shawnee.
 
Writing
Last week we began a draft on the topic, "My Lost Tooth" after reading Trevor's Wiggly, Wobbly Tooth by Lester Laminack.  This week we will focus on voice, strong beginnings and strong conclusions in our tooth narratives.
 
Have a great week!

Enjoy the LONG weekend!

We had another super week in 3rd Grade!  I hope you all enjoy the long weekend.  I'll look forward to seeing your kids again on WEDNESDAY! 

Recess & Pokémon Cards

Recess is an important time of our school day as it allows kids to engage their bodies in physical activity. We know that our minds work best when our bodies are strong and healthy!  In order to encourage students to exercise during recess, I am asking that they only trade their Pokémon cards during the first recess.  They have been told that during the second recess they should be up and moving . . . no trading or even watching others trade.  I know they enjoy the cards and I also know they should be enjoying recess.  As a result, we agreed upon this compromise.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Thanks for helping me keep your kiddos up and moving so we can keep them learning in the classroom!!

Aug. 29 - Sept. 2

Math- Our first test will be on Tuesday.  It will cover "Topic 1" from our math book--which was all about numeration.  We will take a practice test together on Monday, and then the actual test will be taken using the computers on Tuesday.  A copy of the directions to the "site" was sent home Friday with the kids if you would like to preview the process.  We will begin Topic 2, Number Sense: Addition and Subtraction on Wednesday.

Reading-  We are continuing to practice the skill of Making Connections when we read.  When your child finishes reading a passage, ask him/her if there were any connections to their life, another text or to the world.  Last week in Daily 5 the students practiced how to "read to self" and how to "read to someone".  This week we will continue practicing both of those reading types as well as add "word work" to the rotation. Word Work is our time to practice spelling activities.

*We will begin reading logs this week. They are due the Tuesday of the following week.

Language Arts- We will continue learning about nouns and will focus more on determining whether a noun is a common noun or proper noun.  We will also write stories that include a beginning, middle and end.

Spelling
Rigby Words: her, look, many, mom, dairy, dolphin, fixture, marble, visitor, physical
Extension: Focus on Post (after): postdate, postgraduate, posthumous, postindustrial, postmark, postmeridian, postmorthem, postpone, postproduction, postscript

Science and Social Studies-  We will continue to learn about solar energy with an experiment this week using sunscreeen.  The boys and girls will learn the difference in 3 types of communities and practice identifying them - rural, suburban, and urban.

Thank You & School Pictures

Thanks for attending Parent Information Night!  Please note that picture order forms were sent home with you this evening and are due back before pictures on Tuesday.  For those of you who could not attend this evening, I will send home picture forms and my packet of information with your child tomorrow.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thank you!

PIN

Just a reminder that our Parent Information Night is tonight at 6:00 pm.  I'm looking forward to seeing you again and sharing what the year has ahead of us.  Hope you can make it!  =)

Our First Week Slide Show

Our First Week

Click above to check out our Animoto slide show from the week. What a great group of kids and what a great year we'll have together!

We had a SUPER first week!

First Week of School  

We completed our first week of 3rd grade!  It was a wonderful week getting to know each other better, learning about what's coming up this year, as well as reviewing school and classroom expectations for the year.  Ask your child about some of their new friends that they have made and about some of their favorite first week activities.

This Week...PARENT INFO NIGHT-- I hope to see you all on Thursday evening, August 25, at 6:00pm.  At that time I will introduce myself, go over the 3rd grade curriculum and explain school and classroom expectations.

Spelling- 
We will begin spelling this week.  There will be two lists coming home in Monday folders.  Your child has the choice of choosing which list he or she wants to practice each week.  Both lists consist of the same number of words.  One list comes directly from our reading program and follows a weekly pattern.  The other list will require your child to learn more about the meanings of new words and how to apply them. Tests will be given on Friday.  Children will be expected to practice their spelling at home nightly, but will not be given daily homework assignments to turn in.  They will use their word work time to practice their list at school.

Math-
We began studying numbers this past week using our newly adopted math program, enVision.  The students have a text book this year and we have spent quite a bit of time learning how to use them.  We reviewed the three ways to write a number:  expanded form, standard form and word form. 

Reading-

We discussed "just right" books this week and practiced reading to ourselves.  The kids did fabulous and enjoyed reading their "I Pick" books.  Students will be using a textbook in reading this year as well.  We will begin reading our first theme titled "People and Places" this week.  The year will begin with a study about communities.  The reading strategy focus for the first two weeks will be "making connections."

Writing-

Students will write their very own Bio-poem this week.  I'm hoping you will see them Thursday evening.   In grammar we will learn about nouns--people, places and things.

Science-
The school year started with a unit about solar energy.  Ask your child about the sundials we created on Friday and what they learned about the effect the sun has on our shadows.

Social Studies-
A discussion about communities will begin this week.

Check back regularly for classroom updates!