WOW! What a fun 2 weeks it has been getting to know my new students. We have been very busy so far in third grade with building our classroom community and diving into the third grade curriculum! I look forward to meeting/seeing you all on Curriculum Night on Wednesday, September 17th at 6:00. This blog will serve as a way for you to stay connected with our classroom this year! I hope you enjoy all of the pictures, websites, and updates to come in third grade.
READING: At the beginning of the year, third graders begin exploring the classroom library, learning how to choose IPICK (just right) books, and practice becoming independent literacy learners through Daily 5 choices. These choices include reading to self, reading to someone, working on writing, responding to reading, and word work practice. In the next few weeks, students will become independent in these tasks and have several responsibilities to complete each week during their literacy block. Over the past two weeks, our class has also read several books that teach skills related to Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary (CAFE). We will continue to learn new skills and add strategies to our reading board that will help us become better readers in third grade.
This week students will complete the STAR reading test for me to gain a better understanding of their reading strengths. I will also continue to conference with students and begin forming small groups for reading. Please take a look at your child's READING LOG. This is designed as a book mark and should be filled out each night so that I can stay up to date with what your child is reading at home!
WRITING: In the fall trimester, students will be focusing on narrative writing pieces. We started with a small snapshot writing piece about each student. The kids wrote three paragraphs all about them that include something they love, activities they especially enjoy doing, and the best thing about them! They have turned out really great and will be hanging in our hallway at the end of the week. We will turn these published writing pieces into a book so that others can learn more about the students in room 208!
MATH: Throughout Unit 1, students will be learning about multiplication and division. They will learn to use a variety of strategies to solve multiplication equations and word problems, and also learn how multiplication and division are related to one another. To end, students will be solving two-step word problems that involve the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Please ensure that your child is practicing their multiplication and division fluency at home each night! See their homework calendar and 'study plan' for more details in numbers to practice.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our Community, and Beyond! In Unit 1 students explore where we live in the world. Students start big with vocabulary including hemisphere, equator, and prime meridian, and will begin talking about the continents, countries, states, and communities. This tends to be a difficult concept for third graders. Please try to also use this vocabulary at home when talking about vacations, places you've been, where you were born, etc! It is very helpful.
SCIENCE: This trimester we are piloting a new science kit that we are really excited about! The title of the unit is Motion and Matter and includes tons of hands on activities that engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) activities. More details on this unit to come in the next few weeks!
DATES TO KNOW:
September 17th: Curriculum Night
September 26th: Walk-A-Thon
September 29th: Picture Day
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