Grade 3 News
Friday, January 11, 2019
Dear Third Grade Parents,
We hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing Winter Break. It's so great to see our students after break! We have so many fun things happening in third grade right now, so read on to find out!
Upcoming Dates
1/23 - Evening conferences (sign up coming Monday morning)
1/24 - Evening conferences (sign up coming Monday morning)
1/25 - Dress of Choice
Science
We have started our newest unit – Force and Motion. Students will have their test on February 5th. Between now and then, we have some awesome labs planned. This unit is very vocabulary heavy, so I have suggested students use the vocabulary cards I sent home yesterday to study from. The more they understand these concepts, the more fun this unit is.
Thank you to those who so eagerly jumped to help me with donations and weird requests. You all are amazing.
History
What a fun week it has been starting our new Viking (Norsemen) Unit! Students wrote their name using the Runic Alphabet and a secret coded message. They also defined many vocabulary words in their history notebooks. On Monday and Tuesday, students will construct a Viking longship in class. I need plastic drinking straws or plastic coffee stir sticks and small pieces of fabric brought in for the mast and sail of the longship. Everything else will be provided. On Jan. 18, Friday, we will have a matching vocabulary quiz. Students will use their notebooks as a study guide. We will review on Wed. for the quiz. We will also be learning more about Norse mythology.
Literacy
In literacy, we have been reading about Susan B Anthony and Cesar Chavez. While reading this, the students have been having great discussions and taking notes. Students will be writing a compare and contrast paper on it this week. We have also been working on singular and plural nouns in grammar next week, our focus will be on forming plurals for nouns ending in the letter y and irregular nouns. In writing next week, we will be starting our biography study and the students will be researching and writing about an author and what character traits they display. In reading, students will be starting a novel study on Stone Fox. For spelling, students will have new lists and activities to do on Spelling City.
Students have also been given their book report assignments for the trimester. The due date for the book report will be February 8, 2019. The students need to pick a chapter book that might be a bit challenging, but one they can read.
Math (Harris)
You may have noticed, I have started taking a grade for their 30 minutes of IXL a week. This time is very important in helping to not only build their math skills but also build their independence and self-awareness. I do suggest topics; however, I really encourage students to think reflectively about what math skills they need to work on. To do so, they should be jotting down notes after tests, homework, etc. about what topics they are still struggling with, so they know what to search on IXL. Another great resource is refer to is the Saxon chapter titles. If there was a lesson that was confusing for your student, they should search that chapter title in IXL.
Math (Hurley)
We are continuing to practice multiplication daily during math, but please encourage your student to practice daily at home as well. Often students will make small errors on their multiplication facts and many won't notice that they have made an error. Practicing with a sibling or parent can be helpful. We are moving into division next week, so being confident in multiplication facts is extremely beneficial.
Math (Wambold)
On Monday, Jan. 14, students will be taking Test 7 and Power Up Test 7. We will have a 8xs multiplication test on Jan. 17, Thursday. We will also be doing Investigation 4 and lessons 41-42 this week. Please continue to have your students practice on IXL multiplication concepts, missing numbers in subtraction problems, fractions, elapsed time, and mixed numbers on a number line. I have starred key concepts on IXL that your student can be working on for extra practice.
Math (Mitchell)
In Mrs. Mitchell’s math class we will be having a math test on Monday, January 14, 2019. They will have worked on a review packet in class and should use that to study for their test. We will also be studying more about fractions, decimals, multiplication and some rounding. The students are doing well in advancing on their multiplication facts. Please keep practicing them at home, as for the kids who have accomplished the task of knowing their facts up through their 12’s they will be starting division fact time tests.
Third Grade Specials
Last week, we created intricate asymmetrical patterns. This week, we're creating patterns again, but this time symmetrically. Navajo rugs have a gorgeously intricate design often using one or two lines of symmetry. In order to create our own version, we're using folded, cut paper. When third grade art geniuses unfold their cut paper designs, they discover a beautiful symmetrical masterpiece.
Can you hear it? It's recorder season! We are learning how to read music and apply that to playing our recorders. We are focusing of the notes B,A,G,D, and C. We will continue our unit through the rest of the year. Soon 3rd grade will be recorder virtuosos.
During this unit students will be learning about balancing on top of objects. They will participate in Blob (a type of cone you balance on) activities and get to create their own Blob games in small groups that I will teach to Kindergarten and First grade students during a separate unit.
Students will expand their knowledge of PowerPoint and explore the different uses of this software. Second and third graders will use PowerPoint to create informational presentations while the fourth and fifth graders will create interactive quizzes. These presentations and quizzes will be used later on in Trimester 3 to help students review the content they learned throughout the school year.