Timed Addition Quizzes

Hopefully your child came home yesterday with addition flashcards. Next Monday, November 3 we will have our first timed addition quiz. The children should study their flashcards for 5-10 minutes each night. The goal is to know their facts very quickly, even automatically. There are a number of ways children can study:

*look at the card, say the addition fact then say the sum - out loud. Do this 3 times for each card.
*trace number facts in salt, shaving cream or pudding (on a cookie sheet)
*write number facts in the bathtub with suds or tub crayons
*listen to addition rap (You can find in most music or educational stores.)
*make up your own tune to memorize

Often children think they are studying when a family member is quizzing them. Please remind them, they need to study BEFORE they can be quizzed.

As children pass their quizzes within the allotted time, they can move on to the next quiz. (The numbers gradually get higher.) For those children who do not pass, they will take the same quiz again the next Monday. For those who do, they will be studying +1,+2,+3 for the next quiz. (I will give them the new flashcards.)

Although I want children to work hard studying their facts, I do not want this to become very stressful. Please stay positive with your children and encourage them to do their very best.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Africa

This afternoon we saw a wonderful program of Zulu song and dance. The PTC Creative Arts committee brought us "Thula Sizwe: The Group Zulu" from South Africa with generous funding from the NEF.

Because the group is from South Africa, I asked the children to tell what words they think of when they hear the word Africa. Predictably they said:

animals - tigers, snakes, elephants
savannah
flowers (exotic)
straw houses
beading
drums

I told the children that these were stereotypes of Africa. (Thanks to the fifth grader's wonderful assembly Friday, we learned that stereotypes are ideas about a group or place that is overly general. For example, "all doctors are men" is a stereotype. We also learned that stereotypes can hurt people.)I challenged the children to do a little research tonight (nothing extensive) to find out why these are stereotypes. I'll share the results of our next discussion soon.

Place Value

We've been having fun with place value! When we study place value we are learning that the place a digit has in a number affects its value. For example, 7 has a different value in 27 than it does in 72. In 27 the 7 is worth 7. However, in 72, the 7 is worth 70. This is a very important concept for children to understand as we move into more sophisticated math concepts.

We played a great game at Morning Meeting that you can play at home. It's called "Pico, Ferme, Nada." One player thinks of a three digit number (although you can play with as many digits as you'd like). The other player(s) try to guess what the number is. The player who chooses the number tells the guessers if they are right using the words pico, ferme, nada.

Pico means that the digit is in the number and it's in the right place.
Ferme means that the digit is in the number, but it's in a different place (therefore having a different value).
Nada means that the digit is not in the number at all.

For example, the person thinking of the number comes up with 784. They don't tell the other players. The other players start guessing. Perhaps they guess 743.

7 is pico because it's in the right place.
4 is ferme because it's in the number, but in the wrong place.
3 is nada because it's not in the number at all.

The players then use their reasoning skills to make a new guess.

I know this sounds a little complicated, but the kids know how to play. Let them teach you! It's lots of fun. ;o)

Writing Workshop

We are working towards publishing our first personal narrative. The children have been working hard to include many qualities of effective writing in their work. Ask your child if he/she has been:

*Writing a little seed story (NOT a watermelon topic)
*Zooming in so they tell the most important parts of the story
*Including true, exact details from the movie they have made in their mind
*Beginning with a strong lead - perhaps using setting, action or dialogue
*Making a strong ending - perhaps closing with important actions, dialogue or images that tie the story together

This is hard writing work and certainly not all children are in the same place in their progress. My biggest goal for writers at this point in third grade is that their writing is (mostly) clear, it makes sense and that the writers are intentional. When I say intentional, I mean that third grade writers are working to be reflective and think about what they can do to make their writing the best it can be.

I can't wait to share their writing at our conference! :o)Melanie

Opera Presto

Thank you to the PTC Creative Arts Committe and the NEF for bringing us Opera Presto! Today we saw The Magic Flute. It was a wonderful performance. Here's what the children had to say:

It was cool.
It was interesting.
There was different types of music for different characters.
The costumes helped represent the character.
When the Queen of the Night came on there was evil music.

Ask your child how one performer played 4 different characters! Also ask them what they learned about music today.

Spelling Words

Our spelling program has officially begun. Yesterday children brought home a list of words. This week, the words came from two places. Five of the words are words they chose from a list we provided. They are all words that follow the spelling rule we taught this week. The other five words come from an individualized list. Every day for two weeks the children took a pre-assessment of "trick words". (Most words on the list do not follow phonetic patterns or rules.) The words they were not able to spell correctly were placed on a list called "Words to Learn".

As we've discussed before, all children have strengths and struggles. The children have individualized lists so they can choose words that are "just right" for them. The words should be ones they are close to knowing. (They can't spell them accurately, but their spellings are only off by a few letters.)

We teach children that we should spell correctly out of respect for their readers. "Dictionary" spelling is much easier to read than invented spelling. We want readers to easily read and understand what we're trying to say. Please be sure that your child studies 5-10 minutes each night to help them improve their spelling.

The Hundred Penny Box

Each afternoon at 2:15 the 221 community is gathered on the rug eagerly listening to our latest chapter book. I read aloud a text to the class that I think the children will find engaging, that has a theme I would like to talk about, is a genre I would like them to be exposed to, and is more challenging than most children can read independently. Our latest chapter book was "The Hundred Penny Box" by, Sharon Bell Mathis.

When we finished the book today, the children were quite frustrated with the ending. They felt like they were left hanging, and many children asked if there was a sequel. I acknowledged their feelings and challenged them to reread the book with their families. It has some interesting themes surrounding family dynamics and relationships with elderly, grown children and young children. If you are interested, I am happy to share my copy. Alternatively, I am sure you can find it at the Needham Public Library or your local book store.

Happy reading! :o)Melanie

Guess my Rule

Our overview of third grade math continues with data collection and representation. Today and yesterday we played a game called Guess My Rule. I called people to the front of the class who all had something in common. The children were challenged to figure out what they had in common and invite others to the front who also "followed the rule." Mathematicians look for patterns and that includes finding similarities and differences.

The children took the data we collected during the game and represented it visually. For example, yesterday 11 children were wearing long sleeves and 8 children were wearing short sleeves. Some children showed this data by drawing 11 shirts with long sleeves and 8 shirts with short sleeves. Other children showed the data using a bar graph. It was exciting to see how many ways children could tackle the task.

You can play Guess My Rule at home! Gather a collection of objects. Pull out certain objects that have something in common. The children can guess what your rule is. Better yet, they can choose the rule and you can guess what they are thinking. You can even play this with numbers, book characters, practically anything you can imagine.

Have fun! :o)

Mathematical Thinking

We have been working on a unit called Mathematical Thinking at Grade 3. This unit will help your child get used to solving problems that take considerable time, thought and discussion. While solving these problems, your child will be using materials like pattern blocks, cubes and calculators, and will be writing, drawing and talking about how to do the problems. Emphasis during this unit will be on thinking hard and reasoning carefully to solve mathematical problems.

During this unit your child will explore even and odd numbers, create symmetrical designs, look for number patterns and combine and compare different amounts of money or handfuls of objects. The class will also collect and organize information about themselves as a group - we call this working with data.

While our class is working on this unit and throughout the year, you can help in several ways:

*Your child will have assignments to work on at home. Sometimes he or she will require your participation. For example, your child brought home a game called Plus-Minus-Stay the Same. He/she should have taught you how to play. Later in the unit, your child will be figuring out ways to make $1.00 and will be asking to count the change in your pocket or purse.

*Often children will work out number problems by using real objects. So when they are working at home, it would help them to have a large collection of objects for counting, such as beans, buttons, or pennies.

*In class, students made a set of Addition Cards. You will probably recognize these as addition facts, although we call them combinations. Your child is working to memorize these facts. The goal is for each child to develop effective strategies for combining numbers. For example, one strategy a child might use is:
"What's 6 + 7? Well, I know 6 + 6 = 12, and 6 + 7 is one more than that, so it's
13." You can help with these combinations by listening to your child's strategies or sharing ones that you use. Soon I will send home more information about memorizing number facts at home.

Second Step

This is a busy time for children who are learning many new skills in school. They are reading chapter books, writing stories, using graphs or starting to play a musical instrument. These are all important skills for children to learn.

Another area of learning that requires specific skills is social-emotional learning. These important skills are often overlooked. This is the realm where children learn how to understand and manage their feelings, how to make friends and be a friend, and how to solve social problems. Learning takes place throughout the day -- in the classroom, on the playground, and at home. Children learn by watching and listening to how teachers, family members and friends interact with one another.

We will be using a program called Second Step to help us think about, develop, and practice positive social skills. Research tells us that children who learn and use these skills are more likely to get along with others and do better in school.

The Second Step program is divided into three units:
*Unit I: Empathy Training. Children learn about feelings and ways to show understanding and caring toward others.
*Unit II: Impulse Control and Problem Solving. Children learn new ways to solve problems and practice skills such as calming down, apologizing, interrupting politely, and making new friends.
*Unit III: Anger Management. Children learn to manage their anger in ways that do not hurt others.

Incorporating photographs and videos of children in everyday situations, Second Step lessons introduce and teach all the above skills. All students are given the chance to practice the skills they're learning through role-playing, an important part of Second Step lessons.

Families play a crucial role in the success of the Second Step program. You will be receiving letters about what your child is learning at school and what you can do at home to help him or her understand and practice the new skills. Please feel free to come and observe one of our Second Step lessons, and if you have any questions, be sure to ask. I would be delighted to hear from you.