Wonderopolis

Keep Kids Inspired During the Holiday Break with Wonderopolis™

Is there a way to keep their minds engaged while they're away from school? Absolutely! Take a daily trip with them to Wonderopolis during the holiday break. Why are all snowflakes different? Why do people kiss under the mistletoe? What are the Northern Lights? Explore answers to these—and many more—interesting "wonders" each day in Wonderopolis. Each new Wonder of the Day® presents a curious question, a related video to spark interest in the topic and fun activities in which the whole family can participate. Just because they aren't in school doesn't mean the learning—and the fun—has to stop!

Thanks to Martha Wells - the Technology Specialist at Broadmeadow and Hillside for this fun tip!

Hats and Mittens

Please be sure to send your child to school wearing hats and mittens/gloves. The children are sent outside for recess unless it's extremely cold. (I don't remember the exact temperature that requires indoor recess, but it can be very cold even above that.)

If for some reason you are unable to get a hat and gloves/mittens for your child, please let me know and I will be happy to help out.

Adding Suffixes

Have you ever wondered why the 'p' is doubled when you spell the word skipping? Now you can ask your third grader!

Skip is considered a 1-1-1 word because it has 1 syllable, 1 vowel and 1 consonant after the vowel. If you add a vowel suffix (a suffix that starts with a vowel) to a 1-1-1 word, you usually double the final consonant. For example, the word run is a 1-1-1 word. If you want to add 'ing,' a vowel suffix, you know you need to double the 'n,' the final consonant. However, stick is not a 1-1-1 word because the vowel is followed by 2 consonants. Therefore when you add 'ing,' a vowel suffix, you do not double the final consonant.

We also learned a rule about adding a vowel suffix on to a word that ends in silent e. You drop the e, then add the suffix.For example: confuse + ing = confusing.

***You can support your child by holding them accountable for the rules when they're spelling at home. Please don't correct all they do, but you can challenge them to find 3 words that are misspelled in their homework or writing. If you know that they've learned to drop the -e before adding a vowel suffix, you can suggest they try that. Happy spelling! :o)

Word Wizards

Today we worked together using our bodies to show the meaning of challenging words collected by our Word Wizards. Some words are easier to represent than others! We included the definitions in our own "kid friendly" terms. Click here to check it out.

Scholastic Book Clubs

Reminder:

Scholastic book orders are due tomorrow. Send in your order form or click here and use activation code DRVHV to sign in and order online.

Dinosaur Research

Third grade paleontologists chose a dinosaur to research today! They are finding out the time period the dinosaur lived in, the size of their dinosaur and where it lived. Researchers are also looking for 2 other interesting pieces of information. Ask your researcher to tell you the dinosaur they researched and what they learned about it.


Click here if your third grade paleontologist would like to continue exploring and learning at home.

Test Prep

It's really here! The time for MCAS prep has begun. Most of the preparation we do for MCAS is solid teaching and learning of the third grade curriculum and meeting the needs of your children. However, I also think it is important for your children to learn how to take a standardized test. Taking a standardized test is indeed a skill, and not one that comes naturally. Therefore, Reading Workshop on Thursday will now include instruction on test taking strategies.

The first strategy we learned was reading the questions first. If the children read the questions before they read the text, they will be better prepared to recognize the information they need as they read the text. Ask your child how they felt about our practice. We used a sample from an actual MCAS test!

Congratulations Third Graders!

Eliot School Third Graders did a fabulous job at Friday's assembly. The presentation was based on what we learned from the book Dumpy La Rue by Elizabeth Winthrop.

In the story, Dumpy is told he shouldn't dance because he is a pig. "Pigs don't dance." He is told he shouldn't dance because he's a boy. "Boys don't dance." Third graders learned that these statements are stereotypes. Together we learned that there are many gender based stereotypes that can be very damaging and hurtful.

So third grade social activists worked together to discount many common gender stereotypes by collecting data from our school community. They asked questions like, "Do you know a girl that likes to play football?"

Our presentation began with a retelling of the story. Next,they presented the collected data with accompanying images. Finally the audience was treated to third grade voices singing "Flashdance!" They were awesome!

Click here to see some of the images and data we presented.

Homophones

We added to our Word Wall again this week! Our Word Wall consists of homophones that are commonly misspelled. A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different meaning and is spelled differently.

I updated a paper copy that was sent home. Keep it where your child does homework for easy reference. Once a homophone is on the Word Wall, I expect it to be spelled correctly in children's work.

*You can also find a copy on our classroom website.

We learned three new sets:

mail - Something delivered to your house by the post office.

male - A boy or man
***********************************
mind - The part of your body that thinks

mined - Rocks or minerals that have been dug up from the ground
***********************************

find - To locate something

fined - To be charged a fee for something done wrong

Song for our Assembly

The third grade is presenting at the assembly this week. We read the book "Dumpy La Rue" by Elizabeth Winthrop. Dumpy loves to dance, but the farm animals insist that he can't dance because "pigs don't dance."

As a result, third graders have been looking at gender stereotypes. We have surveyed the school community to find people who know of boys or girls, men or women who break existing stereotypes. We will present this data accompanied by matching images at the assembly.

For the finale, third graders will belt out "Flashdance!" You may be familiar with the popular song about a young woman's passion for dancing. (Don't worry, I told the kids they can't watch the movie until they are 17 or 18. :o) If your child would like to practice the song, click here for the karaoke version on youtube.

Have fun! :o)

Stereotypes

This morning third graders were given a true/false quiz. They were asked to answer the following:

All mechanics are boys.
All nurses are girls
All doctors are boys.
All football players are boys.
All ballet dancers are girls.

Their responses were fantastic! I asked them to complete the "quiz" the best they could and be sure to raise their questions and concerns during our discussion.

I was very impressed with the children's response. Most of them answered false to every statement. They felt strongly that you can't say anything about a person's abilities or likes/dislikes because of their gender.

The point of this experience of course was to introduce the children to the concept of stereotypes. A stereotype is when we make an assumption about a person based on the group they belong to - in this case 'boys' or 'girls.' We will have more conversations about stereotypes. You can have some interesting conversations about this with your child at home. :o)

Publishing

Each third grade author is publishing their 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)
*Including true, exact details from the movie they have made in their mind
*Beginning with a hook - perhaps using setting, action or dialogue
*Including dialogue - that brings the story to life

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

Check These Out!

A few weeks ago, Eliot third graders were treated to a special guest. A cartographer came in and taught the children how to draw their own maps of Needham. Click here to see photographs of their creations.

Thanksgiving

We went on an awesome website this morning that you may want to check out. Do you want to know the truths and myths about Thanksgiving? Plymouth Plantation has created a website to teach you the truth about Pilgrims and Native Americans. So much of what we know is based on ONE letter about "the first Thanksgiving" written by a Pilgrim in 1621. The children learned that this primary source gives us some answers, but also leaves historians with many questions. Let your third grader share the rest of what they've learned at:

http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html

The Room 221 community also discussed what Thanksgiving means to different people. Although I encouraged children to celebrate and enjoy their own traditions with family, I also asked them to pause and remember that not all people celebrate Thanksgiving. Some families who are relatively new to this country do not choose to celebrate the holiday. In addition, many Native Americans don't choose to celebrate Thanksgiving because they consider it a Day of Mourning.

Whatever you choose to do tomorrow, I hope you enjoy time with your family.

Pen Pals!

Have you ever had a pen pal? Your children do. They are exchanging letters with Mitchell 3rd graders in Ms. Camelio's class. It was exciting to watch the children's eyes light up as they read their first letters this morning!

We began responding to the letters right away. We get to practice some important writing skills in the process. The children need to consider their audience as they are answering questions and sharing information. They need to TTQA (turn the question around) so that the reader knows what questions they are answering. They will also use paragraphing skills. They will work to keep each subject they write about in its own paragraph. Finally, they will need to edit their letters carefully so that they can be easily read.

Ask your third grader about their new pen pal!

Virtual Dino-Dig

This afternoon we went on a virtual dino-dig! We learned about the tools and the process paleontologists use when they excavate a fossil. Click here to try it out yourself!

Drummers and Dancers

Friday was the culminating event for our Read-a-thon to support the citizens of Haiti. We were treated with a special drumming and dance troupe. They shared with us the many aspects of West African culture that has become part of the culture of Haiti. It was an energizing and exciting presentation.

Click here to see some photographs of the event.

Reflection Letters

This afternoon your third grader will bring home a reflection letter with new FCAs. They are:

Thoughtful Response - Your child should respond to the letter you wrote last week. I told them that writing letters was almost like a conversation. One person says something, the next person responds to what they said. Therefore, you should read a paragraph that responds to what you wrote last week.

3+ Specific Details - Your child should continue to include at least 3 specific details about one thing they did in school this week.

Letter Format - I introduced the children to a friendly letter format. They are expected to use that format as they write. (The date on the right, a comma after the greeting, etc...)


Please be sure to respond to your child's letter each week. I know that life can be hectic and there never seems to be enough time, but please write back even if it's only 4-5 sentences. (Please print if possible. Third graders can't read cursive
yet.:o)

Synonyms

A synonym is a word that means the same or almost the same. For example, mad is a synonym for angry. Third graders learned about synonyms yesterday morning at meeting. You can ask your child to name some for you.

You can have lots of fun with synonyms in the car or at home. You might play "I'm thinking of a Word" and use synonyms for clues.

I'm thinking of a word that is a synonym for smart. Do you know what it is?

True or False

This morning I presented our mathematicians with a series of number statements. I asked the children if they were true or false. This led to some interesting conversations.

3 + 5 = 8
8 = 3 + 5
8 = 8
3 + 5 = 3 + 5
3 + 5 = 5 + 3
3 + 5 = 4 + 4

The children all agreed that the first number sentence is true. The next two were more controversial. Some children thought they were true, others thought they were confusing. This led me to ask the children, "What does = mean?" The most popular answer is the sign you put after an addition sentence (interesting... :o). But a few children answered that = is the "same", or "is". As in 3 + 5 is the same as 8, or
3 + 5 is 8. Finally, we agreed that equal means the same value.

We will continue this conversation next week. These conversations will help us all to better understand equations and numbers. You may also begin to recognize the beginnings of algebra!

Amber Fossils

This afternoon the children created their own "amber fossils." We went outside to find artifacts. We mixed gelatin with warm water and placed the artifact inside. The "fossils" will harden over the weekend and the children can bring them home on Monday.

P.S. The children know that it takes much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much longer for a real fossil to be formed. :o)

Making Change

Have you ever been frustrated when a cashier is unable to quickly make change at the convenience store? (Without the help of the computer, of course. :o) Your children will never be that cashier, because they are beginning to master the lost art of making change. They have learned to count up from the cost of an item.

For example, imagine a third grader purchases a notebook that costs $3.26 and they pay using a $5 bill. Third grade mathematicians learned to count up from $3.26 with 4pennies making it $3.30. Next, they take 2 dimes to make $3.50. After that, they take 2 quarters to make $4.00. Finally they take a $1 bill to make $5.00.

Challenge your child to make change for you at the store. You can even make your own store at home!

Homophones

We added to our Word Wall again today! Our Word Wall consists of homophones that are commonly misspelled. A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different meaning and is spelled differently.

I updated a paper copy that was sent home today. Keep it where your child does homework for easy reference. Once a homophone is on the Word Wall, I expect it to be spelled correctly in children's work.

*You can also find a copy on our classroom website.

We learned two new sets today:

plain - ordinary, having no decoration

plane - a machine that flies in the air

***********************************
meet - to get together with other people

meat - part of an animal that you eat

Weekend Adventure

If your child has worked on their weekend adventure already, you may have noticed 2 new FCAs. I wanted you to have a better understanding of my expectations.

2. Hook/topic sentence - The children have been learning that the beginning of their writing should "hook" the reader so that they want to read more. However, their paragraph should also include a topic sentence towards the beginning of their paragraphs. (A topic sentence needs to be within the first few sentences, but doesn't necessarily have to be first.)

For example, if I'm writing a paragraph about jumping in the leaves, my topic sentence might be: 'I was having fun with my girls jumping in the leaves.' However, the first sentence of my paragraph could be a hook like, 'The leaves flew in the air and floated down all over my body.' The hook makes the reader want to read more. The topic sentence makes it clear to the reader what the paragraph is about.

In the actual paragraph it would read, 'The leaves flew in the air and floated down all over my body. I was having fun with my girls jumping in the leaves.'

3. PN (Proper Nouns) - The children have learned that the first letter of every proper noun should be capitalized. Therefore I will be looking for capital letters at the beginnings of names, months, days, streets, etc...


I hope this clarifies things for you. I don't expect you to correct your third grader's paragraph, or help them make it "perfect." However, I thought knowing the FCAs might assist you in supporting your child if he/she needs it.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any comments or concerns.

Challenge Math Problem

I hope this problem offers your family an opportunity to work together to solve a fun and challenging math problem. It's important to emphasize that this challenge is not necessarily designed for your child to solve on their own, this is something to work on together!

*Please note, this is not a mandatory activity, but something your family may choose to participate in.

Challenge #1

On Thanksgiving Thursday Carissa ate some cranberries. The next day she couldn't stop thinking about how good the cranberries were and ate seven more cranberries than she had eaten on Thursday. Each day after that she ate seven more cranberries than the day before. By the following Wednesday night she had eaten a total of 161 cranberries for the whole week.

How many cranberries did Carissa eat on Thanksgiving Thursday?

Extra: Since Carissa would probably get sick eating so many cranberries, let's pretend. If she were to continue this pattern, each day eating seven more cranberries than the day before, on which day would she eat 499 cranberries for her daily total?

Have fun! :o)

Fun New Games Online

I just found two new word study games that can be enjoyed online! I will definitely introduce them to the kids in school, but thought you might enjoy them at home too!

The first is called 8 Letters in Search of a Word. All 8 letters are scrambled, but work together to spell one big word. You want to find the big word, however, you get credit for all the small words you find along the way. Check it out!

The second site helps the worlds' hungry while you play. At www.freerice.com you can challenge your vocabulary skills by identifying the meaning of increasingly challenging words. For every word you get right, you earn 10 grains of rice! (P.S. It's NOT cheating to use a dictionary! :o)

Have fun!

Potatoe Hill Poetry

Wow! I know I am not alone when I say that I have been inspired by Andrew Green, guest poet from Potato Hill Poetry. He spent 80 minutes this morning sharing his writing, his thinking and techniques. Finally, he gave the children time to begin their own poems. He helped pull lines from each individual poem to create this collaborate poem.

Beautiful Miscellaneous

The church bell ringing
A tiny nightlight
Ice cream dripping all over you
What is beautiful?

Different colors of hair
Holiday laughing and singing
Playing with friends
What is beautiful?

A notebook
Sunlight in the morning
The National Anthem
What is beautiful?

A sweater or a shirt
Catching the ball
Flowers standing in gardens
What is beautiful?

A blue universe
Puffed up clouds
The cooing sound of a dove
What is beautiful?

A clock ticking
Pizza at a new store
A warm summer day
What is beautiful?

Slippery, shiny, squirmy snakes
A football flying in the air
Puddles

by Room 221

Thank you to the PTC for bringing us this amazing kick-off to our poetry unit. We can't wait to invite you to our Poetry Reading! (Date TBD) We promise you won't be disappointed!

Money

Who doesn't love money? :o) These third graders certainly do! This morning we began a review of counting change. The following is a list of things I encourage them to practice and remember:

*The name and value of each coin

*When counting coins they should generally begin with the largest value. Then look to get to a "10" (the numbers you say when you count by tens).

For example, if I have 2 quarters, 2 dimes, a nickel and 3 pennies, I will start with the quarters - $.50. Then I will continue counting with the dimes - $.60, $.70. (Counting tens is easiest.) Next I will count the nickel - $.75 and finally the pennies - $.71, $.72, $.73.

However, if I have 1 quarter, 2 dimes a nickel and 3 pennies, I will start with the quarter - $.25, but then jump to the nickel - $.30 because I want to get to tens as quick as I can. Then I would continue on with my dimes and my pennies.

*When writing the value of coins in third grade we do not use the cent sign. (As I told the children that is so "first and second grade...")In third grade we write money with the dollar sign and a decimal point - $.82.

*The value of groups of quarters - 2 quarters = $.50, 3 quarters = $.75, 4 quarters = $1.00.

Next week we will began making change. Although it is tricky, they will love it! :o)

Fossils

Have you ever imagined yourself as a paleontologist? Digging up dinosaurs bones from deep beneath the ground? Most of your children have. They are very excited as we begin our dinosaur unit. Last week many fossils (and replicas) were spread throughout the room. The children acted as true scientists as they drew observational sketches and took notes about what they drew. At the end of the two sessions, we held a scientific meeting. The scientists shared their findings and made theories about what they noticed.

This week, we will learn that a fossil is the "preserved remains of plant or animal life." Together we will read part of Aliki's book, "Fossils Tell of Long Ago." Finally the children will create their own "amber fossils." We will go outside to find artifacts. We will mix gelatin with warm water and place the artifact inside. The "fossils" will harden and the children will be excited to show you the results.

P.S. The children will know that it takes much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much longer for a real fossil to be formed. :o)

Learning Buddies

Room 221 had such fun working with their 4th, 5th and 1st grade Learning Buddies Friday afternoon. We worked together in teams to work on our muscle memory. Each team made 3 multi-leveled statues using each of their bodies. Each statue was assigned a letter A, B, or C. Finally, those letters were called out in random order and the teams had to recreate the correct statue. It was great fun! Check out the pictures!

Weekly Math

This week you may have noticed an extra homework assignment. We have begun assigning Weekly Math. Weekly Math will be assigned on Monday and should be returned no later than Friday. The problems are review of the content we have studied in math so far this year. Please help your child to plan their working time carefully so that they are not completing the entire assignment on Thursday night.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

(This week's packet includes some subtraction with regrouping. We aren't as far along as I thought we would be at this point. We will practice more tomorrow so children should be able to complete those problems tomorrow night. If it is an issue, just let me know.)

Homophones

We added to our Word Wall again today! Our Word Wall consists of homophones that are commonly misspelled. A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different meaning and is spelled differently.

I updated a paper copy and will send it home in folders tomorrow. Keep it where your child does homework for easy reference. Once a homophone is on the Word Wall, I expect it to be spelled correctly in children's work.

*You can also find a copy on our classroom website.

We learned three new sets today:

guest - a person invited to go somewhere

guessed - when someone predicted without all the information

***********************************
banned - being stopped from doing something

band - several people playing musical instruments together;
length of material used to hold things together

************************************

missed - to unsuccessfully attempt something

mist - lots of tiny drops of water in the air, making it hard to see

Spelling Words

Children will be assigned new spelling words tomorrow. We ran out of time today! :o)

Halloween Candy

Halloween candy will be allowed in school for a snack or dessert for two more days! The children may bring in 1 piece on Tuesday and 1 on Wednesday. After Wednesday, I will ask the children to enjoy those treats at home! :o)

Challenge: Today, I asked third grade mathematicians to estimate how many pieces of candy they collected last night. Our answers ranged from 30 to 687. Encourage your child to pull 10 pieces of candy away from the rest. Using this group of ten, ask them to revise their estimate. (If "this pile" is 10, how many groups of ten do you think you have all together?)

I will be interested to hear the new estimates tomorrow.

Word of the Week!

miscellaneous: a group of things that don't belong together

Encourage your third grader to notice this word around them and to use this word whenever they can!

Exciting Day!

We had an exciting day in third grade!

First, we had a guest come in to teach us how to draw maps of Needham! Wait until you see the results. Click here to see some of our young cartographers at work.

Next, we went on a parade around the building to show off our awesome vocabulary costumes! We impressed many people with our knowledge of language!

We ended our day with a fun Halloween party. Thanks so much to Mrs. Perkins for helping out. Thanks a million to Mrs. Donovan and Mrs. Shapiro for organizing the entire event.

Have a fun and safe weekend. Happy Halloween!

Regrouping

Yes, the time has come. We are reviewing addition with regrouping. Although it may feel like torture to some children, they are doing quite well. We are even venturing into regrouping with 3 digit numbers...

As you are working with your children, remember that math instruction has changed since we were in elementary school. You probably know regrouping as carrying.
"5 + 9 = 14. Put down the 4, carry the 1..." Children can still solve addition problems this way. The only thing different for that method, is that we call it regrouping. They don't carry the one, they regroup the 10 (or the hundred).

There are two major challenges with regrouping. First, it's important that children have lined up the numbers properly. The digits in the hundreds place, tens place and ones place need to be lined up. It's not accurate to combine 3 from the ones place with 4 from the tens place. Also, children tend to forget that the little 1 they are "regrouping" is really a ten. It's important for them to remember that so they can develop a sense of the numbers.

As always, don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

:o)M

Little Red Schoolhouse

Hopefully you have heard about our wonderful trip to the schoolhouse! We had a blast! The children really got into the spirit of things. I worked really hard to stay in role. Apparently I did okay with that because when I asked children to compare school today to school in 1850, many of them mentioned the "strict" teacher in 1850. You can find their completed venn diagrams in their folders this afternoon.

Special thanks to Lauren Zalkind, Jane Donovan and Anne Nydam for joining us as chaperones!

Click here to see photographs of our exciting day!

Timed Addition Quizzes

I was unable to correct the quizzes in time for children to bring them home today. Third grade mathematicians will find the corrected quizzes in their folders before tomorrow afternoon. Happy studying! :o)

Spelling Words

Just a reminder. Most students from Room 221 will be bringing home words to study tonight. There is a quiz on Friday. A few children have demonstrated mastery of the sight words third grade requires. These children will not be bringing home new words. They are taking on extended vocabulary and spelling challenges at school.

Word of the Week

Last's week word was:

genius - someone who is incredibly smart

This week's word:

scallion - a green vegetable that tastes similar to an onion

Try using these words throughout the week!

Homophones

We added to our Word Wall again today! Our Word Wall consists of homophones that are commonly misspelled. A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different meaning and is spelled differently.

I updated a paper copy and sent it home in folders this afternoon. Keep it where your child does homework for easy reference. Once a homophone is on the Word Wall, I expect it to be spelled correctly in children's work.

We learned two new sets today:

son - a male child

sun - the star in the universe that provides us with daylight and warmth

***********************************
some - a collection of something

sum - an answer to an addition problem; an amount of money

Spelling Words

Third graders brought home spelling words today. They should study 5-10 minutes each night. Please read the yellow letter in their folder explaining our revised spelling program.

Bike Rodeo!

I forgot to remind the children that the bike rodeo is tomorrow! Their bikes can be brought to the gymnasium this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Mr. Brenheiser will have signs on the walls indicating where the bikes from each class should go. Thanks for your help! :o)

Rounding

Yesterday we began learning how to round numbers to the nearest ten. The children began to understand that sometimes you need to count with precise accuracy, but other times you can make an estimate. In situations that require only an estimate we round numbers. We looked at a number line so we could visibly see which multiples of 10 (the numbers you count when counting by 10) are closest to each number. I directly taught the children that numbers with 5 in the ones place always round up.

You can practice rounding to the nearest 10 at home! Ask your child to round 67 to the nearest 10. (67 rounds up to 70.) Or try 21. (21 rounds down to 20.)

This morning we practiced rounding to the nearest 100. When we round to the nearest hundred we look at the tens place to see which multiple of 100 is closest to the number. Just like rounding to the nearest 10 - numbers with 5 or higher in the tens place always round up. Numbers with 4,3,2,1 in the tens place always round down.

The trickiest part for some children is figuring out what the choices are. For example, if I am rounding 361 to the nearest hundred, I need to find the closest multiples of 100. Children need to know that 361 is between 300 and 400. Once they have determined this, they can see that 361 rounds to 400 because there is a 6 in the tens place.

Happy rounding! :o)

Weekend Adventure

You should find another "Weekend Adventure" assignment in your child's folder today. Third grade writers should write a paragraph about something they do over the weekend. Please remember, this paragraph is due on Tuesday. I do not expect children to complete the assignment over the weekend. I give it to them so they can if it is convenient for your family.

This week's FCAs are:

Small moment - The children should write about a small moment in time. It could be 10 minutes, or even 3 minutes of their day. They should not write about their entire day, or even an hour. For example, jumping in the leaves is a small moment. Fall clean up day is not. We call the big topic (not a small moment) a "watermelon." We call small moments a "seed." We spent more time talking about this in class this week. You should see improvement in topic selection. However, if you're child does choose a "watermelon" topic, (like fall cleanup), you can encourage them to think of a small moment that happened during that time.

3+ specific details - Third grade writers should include at least 3 specific details telling about their topic. The details and the topic sentence should be about the same thing.

Capitalization and punctuation - Third grade writers should begin every sentence with a capital and end every sentence with punctuation. (This should become more and more automatic.)

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you might have,

Enjoy your weekend! :o)

Reflection Letters

Unfortunately, reflection letters did not make it into our schedule this morning. We will be sure to write to you next Friday. Sorry!

New Dictionaries!

Thank you so much to the Needham Rotary Club! This morning each student received his/her very own dictionary - inscribed with their name. The looks on the children's faces were priceless. Each child was truly excited. They can't wait to share them with you. We love words! :o)

Scholastic Book Clubs

Just a reminder - Scholastic Book Club orders are due tomorrow - Wednesday,
October 13.

I am From... Poems

Click here to hear your child read their "I am From..." poem as you admire their creative self portrait.

Thanks to Mrs. Martell for all her support with technology!

Historical Tour of Needham

Thanks so much to Mrs. Kathy Martell for guiding us on an awesome historical tour of Needham. Thank you also to Terri at Volante Farms for her willingness to share the history of the last working farm in Needham. The children brought home packets with their drawings and writing of all they learned. Part of their homework is to share at least 2 facts they learned with you this evening.

Click here to see photos from our trip.

Weekend Adventure

You should find a "Weekend Adventure" assignment in your child's folder this weekend. Third grade writers should write a paragraph about something they do over the weekend. Please remember, this paragraph is due on Wednesday. I do not expect children to complete the assignment over the weekend, I just give it to them so they can if it is convenient for your family.

This week's FCAs are:

Small moment - The children should write about a small moment in time. It could be 10minutes, or even 3 minutes of their day. They should not write about their entire day, or even an hour. For example, jumping in the leaves is a small moment. Fall clean up day is not. We call the big topic (not a small moment) a "watermelon." We call small moments a "seed."

3+ specific details - Third grade writers should include at least 3 specific details telling about their topic. The details and the topic sentence should be about the same thing.

Capitalization and punctuation - Third grade writers should begin every sentence with a capital and end every sentence with punctuation.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you might have,

Enjoy your weekend! :o)

Pico Ferme Nada

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)

Fundations

Our spelling program follows the phonics concepts and skills taught in the Fundations program. Your children have been working with Fundations since kindergarten. We began Unit 1 this week.

The review concepts for the first unit are:
• closed syllable
This syllable has only one vowel and that vowel is followed by one or more consonants. (ex. at, itch, scram) The vowel sound is always short.
• spelling of the /k/ sound
Rule: At the end of one syllable words, ck is used immediately after short vowels
(sick). If there is another consonant after the short vowel, you only use the k (milk). The letter c is most often used at the beginning of the word and the letter k is most often used at the end of the word.

The new concepts for the first unit are:
• tch sounds like /ch/ and is used in spelling after a short vowel (catch)

As we practice and review new concepts I will begin holding children accountable for using the phonetic rules in their own writing.

Wonderful Words

Each day a member of the Room 221 community is the "Word Wizard." The Word Wizard collects new words that he/she hears when the class is in a lesson, listening to a story, or having a discussion. At the end of the day, many of the words are shared. They are then put in our word jar. (Ask your child about the chapter book "Donovan's Word Jar" by, Monalisa Degross.)

Every week the class will vote on one word to highlight. This word will be placed in large letters on the wall for all children to see. We will challenge ourselves to use the highlighted words whenever possible. This will make the words part of our standard vocabulary.

I plan to post on the blog each time we choose new words so you can try using the words at home!I will post the third grade definitions that we came up with.

Last week's word was:

serendipity - a happy accident

This week's word is:

extinct - a group of animals that no longer exist because they all died out

Homophones

Today we add to our Word Wall for the first time! Our Word Wall consists of homophones that are commonly misspelled. A homophone is a word that sounds like another word, but has a different meaning and is spelled differently. We will learn three sets today:

know - when you understand something completely

no - a negative response to a question, a reference that something is not true, rejection of something, or denial of permission
***********************************
which - used to ask a question when there are several possible answers

witch - a female that is thought to possess magical or evil powers
***********************************
right - something that is correct; also the opposite of left

write - create words or letters on paper with a pen or pencil

Weekend Adventure

I forgot to put the weekend adventure homework in children's folders today. If your child would like work on it over the weekend, the FCAs are:


(TS) topic sentence
(3+SD) 3 or more special details
capitals and punctuation

Happy writing!

Learning Buddies

Ask your third grader about their learning buddy! This afternoon we met first graders from Mrs. Schwarm's room and fourth/fifth graders from Mrs. Abadon/Mrs. Hoffman's room. We will be meeting together two-three times each month to learn together. Each child is assigned one or two partners that they will work with each time we meet.

It's important that learning buddies get to know each other, so we started by creating venn diagrams. The venn diagrams show ways that partners are similar and how they are different. Ask your third grade what they learned about their partners today!

Time for Kids

Time for Kids is a wonderful, weekly magazine written for kids. We will spend time each Wednesday reading parts of it together. The children will bring it home to share with you. You may want to share with them similar stories that you have read in magazines or the newspaper. You can also check out www.timeforkids.com for supplements to their weekly articles.

This week we read about scientists' search for lost amphibians. You can go to conservation.org/campaigns/lost_frogs to check for updates on the search. On the same site you can also watch a video about frog scientists Robin Moore and Don Church. Just scroll down to find Features & Media and click on "Robin Moore & Don Church Talk Frogs."

Enjoy!

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 have practiced writing numbers in expanded form. Expanded form shows the value of each digit. For example, the expanded form of 273 = 200 + 70 + 3. The expanded form of 791 = 700 + 90 + 1.

We also learned a new math challenge called Digit Deal. To play Digit Deal well, you need to understand the concept of place value. You can play Digit Deal together or independently. The players should choose 3 digits from a deck of cards. (You can make one of the face cards stand for 0.) The players should use only their 3 cards to make the:

Largest possible number, smallest possible number, the number closest to 500, the largest even number, the smallest odd number, the even number closest to 400 and the odd number closest to 300.

If your child is looking for more of a challenge, the game can be played with 4 digits or even 5. Just change some of the kinds of numbers you are looking for. Have fun! :o)

Weekend Adventure

Each Monday night for homework your child is responsible for writing a paragraph. The paragraph should be about one thing they did over the weekend. I will be sending the paragraph home on Fridays so that children can get a head start on it if they would like. (This is not a have-to, it's a choice. The paragraph is due on Tuesday.) Please remember, these should not take the children more than 30 minutes. It is not necessary to write more than one copy.

This weeks' FCAs are:

Topic sentence - This sentence should be towards the beginning of their letter. It should tell the reader what the paragraph is about.

3+ specific details - Third grade writers should include 3 specific details telling about their topic. The details and the topic sentence should be about the same thing.

Capitalization and punctuation - Third grade writers should begin every sentence with a capital and end every sentence with punctuation.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you might have,

Enjoy your weekend! :o)

Reflection Letters

Hopefully your child will come running through the door today excited to share their newly written reflection letter with you. If not, it can be found in a spiral notebook in the backpack slung over their shoulder... :o) Each Friday students will brainstorm a list of the activities and lessons we learned throughout the week. Students will use these ideas to write a letter home about one or two of their favorite lessons. In third grade, this takes a LOT of practice! We work on our letter writing skills for the entire school year.

Each week their will be FCAs (Focus Correction Area) based on what has been taught and what the kids are practicing. These FCAs make it clear to the students what my expectations are. This week's FCAs for the letter were:

Topic sentence - This sentence should be towards the beginning of their letter. It should tell the reader what the paragraph is about.

3+ specific details - Third grade writers should include 3 specific details telling about their topic. The details and the topic sentence should be about the same thing.

Capitalization and punctuation - Third grade writers should begin every sentence with a capital and end every sentence with punctuation.

You will see a check, check plus or a check minus next to each FCA on each writer's page. This shows you how your child is doing with that particular skill. As we learn and grow you will see lots of progress and improvement in our letters. Eventually you will see the FCAs change as we work on more sophisticated skills and techniques.

Please read and respond to these letters if possible. Students look forward to hearing from you and it is a great way to model writing a friendly letter, which is a component of the 3rd grade curriculum.
Happy writing! :o)Melanie

FCAs - Weekend Adventure

I try to give student's feedback about the work they do. Feedback helps students to see what they are doing well and what they need to work on. When an assignment has FCAs (focus corrections areas)attached to it,I will give feedback specifically on the FCAs. I will look at the work for each FCA separately. Depending on the work I see, I will give the student a check, check plus or check minus.

For example, on Monday's paragraph assignment the FCAs were:
Topic sentence (TS)
3 Specific details (3+SD)
Capitals and punctuation (shown with a symbol the student's understand)

In order to give students appropriate feedback, I read each paragraph three times.

First I read to see if it has a topic sentence. If it has a topic sentence that reflects the content of the paragraph, it gets a check. If it is an incredible topic sentence, it gets a check plus. If the paragraph does not have a topic sentence, or if the topic sentence is not related to the details they included it gets a check minus.

Second, I read for specific details. If the piece has 3 specific details, it gets a check. If it has more than 3 precise, and very interesting details, it gets a check plus. If the details are very general or there are less than 3, it gets a check minus.

This process continues for each FCA. (I usually give only 3.)

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Timed Addition Quizzes

The children will bring home their corrected math quizzes today. In order to move to the next quiz they need to have no more than 2 problems wrong. In addition, they need to finish the quiz within a certain time. (I don't tell them what the time is, because that tends to stress them out. :o(

In your child's folder you should find their corrected quiz. The quiz has their score on it given as a fraction - the number correct over the total number of problems. All children completed their quiz accurately, however, most of them did not complete the quiz quickly enough. If I wrote "You got it!" on the quiz, they passed and will go on to the next quiz (+1,+2,+3). Those children received 3+ flashcards to study for that quiz. They should cut the flashcards out and begin studying tonight.

If I wrote "Keep studying" or "Study harder so you can go faster" on the quiz, the child needs to keep studying +2 so they can complete the first quiz more quickly. (If anyone needs new +2 flashcards, they are welcome to them.) I have emphasized to the children that I don't want them to worry, I just want them to study hard.

The next quiz will be given on Tuesday.

As always, don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Assignment Notebook

Yesterday was an exciting day in third grade! The children received their assignment notebooks. This is a big jump in terms of their responsibility. Each day, children should fill out their assignment notebook with that day's assignment. (It will be posted on the smartboard for them to copy.) When they return home in the afternoon, they should open to the correct page (it will be marked with a sticky note so it's easy to keep track). They should read their assignment notebook before completing any homework.

We also talked about being responsible about returning the assignment notebook each day. I suggested to the kids that they should put their assignment notebook in their backpack immediately after completing their homework. At the same time, they should put their homework back in their folder and their folder in their backpack. That way, the next morning they will be ready to go!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding the assignment notebook.

Homework

Hopefully you saw the homework and assignment notebook that was sent home today. Your child should bring home the assignment notebook each night, Monday - Thursday. The assignment notebook should be checked before doing homework each night.

Each night your child should read for at least 20 minutes. They should fill in the reading log after reading.

Each night your child should spend at least 5 minutes studying for the timed math quiz. They should use the triangle flashcards they brought home today.

Each night there will be written homework. Today, the children began to learn about our Weekend Adventures. Every week they will be asked to write a paragraph about something they did that weekend. I will typically send the assignment home on Friday, but it will not be due until Tuesday. Tonight they simply received a graphic organizer. They were asked to add 3 specific details about their topic. The details should match the topic sentence which they already wrote on the top of the page.

We will spend more time developing our writing skills as we work on our paragraphs.

The Colors of Us

Last week, Room 221 listened to "The Colors of Us" by, Karen Katz. It's a story of a young girl's walk through her neighborhood as she notices the beautiful and unique shades of each person's skin. She returns home to mix white, black, red and yellow paint to recreate each skin tone and paint portraits of her friends.

221 artists also mixed paint to find their own, unique skin color. They painted the shade onto a plain piece of paper which they will used to cut out their face and create their self portrait in collage. We noticed and celebrated the difference of each one. Hopefully you saw them hanging in our classroom with our "I am from... poems." Next week, Mrs. Martell will take photographs of each, record each child reading their poem and post them to the web for you all to enjoy.

String Instruments

If your child is interested in playing a string instrument this year please send in the registration forms as soon as possible. Students will be measured for their instruments on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30. String instruments will be distributed on Thursday, September 30 at 6:30.

Many children seemed very excited at the possibility after the instrument demonstration.

Working with Partners

Working as part of a team is very important, but not always easy. It is important that third graders learn to cooperate with others to solve problems, make decisions and complete projects. Children learn so much from listening to others' ideas and expanding those ideas with their own.

This afternoon I challenged the kids to solve a "toothpick" brain teaser with a partner. Before they got started I asked them what it looks like and sounds like when partners are working well together. They came up with the following:

*accept your assigned partner graciously
*be nice
*disagree respectfully - "I respectfully challenge..."
*use a nice tone of voice
*take turns - "You can go first."
*both people's ideas are important
*listen to each other
*stay focused on your work

Impressive list, don't you think? More impressive was the way they actually did work together this afternoon. They were awesome! Ask them to tell you about their process and what went well for them and their partner.

Scholastic Book Club

I will extend the deadline until tomorrow. If you are interested in ordering books please send in your forms or order online. :o)

Math Curse

Are you a Jon Scieszka fan? He is a fabulous children's author with a quirky sense of humor. Yesterday morning we read the beginning of his picture book "Math Curse." The main character feels cursed when her teacher informs her that everything can be seen as a math problem! Suddenly there is math everywhere and she doesn't know what to do!

"Math Curse" is a fantastic book to read together with your child. There are many math challenges to enjoy. The level of the math varies so there is something for almost everyone. For example, the children might be challenged with a simple math word problem, or to recognize the Fibonacci Sequence. Check it out! You won't be disappointed.

P.S. Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith also worked together to create "Science Curse." I'm sure you'll love it.

Curriculum Night

Thank you so much to all who were able to join us last night. It was truly a pleasure meeting and working with all of you. For those of you who were unable to make it, I will send home the handouts and blog some important links soon. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. I look forward to a wonderful year together.

I'm sorry we weren't able to complete our game of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" (I will ask my husband to work on fixing it for next year...) If you are interested in seeing the rest of the questions or answers click on this link:

Who Wants to be a Millionaire - Grade 3

Go to Third Grade and scroll to the bottom. It's called Curriculum Night - Mrs. Sullivan. Have fun! :o)

Reminder

Tonight is Eliot School's Grades 3-5 Curriculum Night. Join us at 7:00 in the Performance Center where our principal and PTC president will speak to us. At 7:30, you will be invited to Room 221. I can't wait to share with you our exciting plans for third grade! AND you'll get to play a round of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

This afternoon, Room 221 will visit the Book Fair. The children may bring money to spend or create a wish list. You are welcome to join us there at 12:30 if you are interested. In addition, the Book Fair will be open tonight. You can purchase items from your child's wish list at that time if you would like. Also, there is an easel placed near the performmance center. If you would like to contribute a book to our classroom library, there are many suggested titles in a pocket with my name on it. Please remember, there is no obligation.

Hope to see you tonight!

Hopes and Dreams

This week we began reading The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, by Barbara Kerley. It is the biography of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins who dreamed of building life-size models of dinosaurs in the 19th century. His accomplishments led us to think about our hopes and dreams for third grade. Children brainstormed what they might like to accomplish this school year. Next, each child completed a reflection sheet to help them narrow their decisions down. Finally, on Friday they will choose one aspiration to share. They can decide based on what's important to them at school, what they want to get better at, or what they want to learn about.

Have a conversation with your child. Talk about your hopes and dreams. You'll be able to see your child's final decision hanging in the classroom when you come for Curriculum Night, Tuesday September 14.

Instrumental Demonstration

Check your child's backpack this afternoon for information about string lessons in the Needham Public Schools. Mr. Mark Smith came and played for the children this morning. They were practically spellbound. When he asked how many might be interested in playing a string instrument, nearly ALL children raised their hand. Please consider signing your child up. Musical intelligence is an important intelligence to be fostered.

Ask your child which string instrument plays lower - violin, viola, or cello.

The First Six Weeks

We will be spending a lot of time during the first six weeks of school spelling out expectations, articulating rules and establishing predictable structures.

1. The children are participating in guided discoveries. In a guided discovery children discuss, explore and practice the use of classroom materials so that they can take care of the materials and each other. They role play what we can do when something goes wrong, or when another child wants to share.

2. Tomorrow, the children will choose a hope and dream for third grade. Each child will share their dream with the rest of the community. We will use these hopes and dreams as the basis for classroom rules. The discussion will begin with the question - “What rules do we need to have in our classroom so that everyone is able to fulfill their hopes and dreams this year?”

3. We are practicing, practicing, practicing all of the expectations. We practice lining up quietly, using quiet voices while working and even hanging up our backpacks in the cubbies. (**So far so good! The children have been fantastic and respectful. I am constantly amazed by them.)

4. I will be teaching recess. This may sound strange to you, but it's very important. The purpose of recess is for all children to have fun. We have been playing games together as a community. We model and practice what it looks like to be sure everyone has fun and is safe.

5. Most importantly, we are getting to know one another. We are all special and unique and we have begun sharing small pieces of ourselves with one another

***We put a strong focus on all of these activities so that we can move toward an
orderly, cooperative and stimulating learning environment where children feel ownership and safety.

Home Folders

Please be sure your child checks his/her folder each evening and delivers any important papers to you. I often send home important notes and homework. I expect each third grader to return their emptied folder the following day. It should only have new notes or completed homework in it.

Thanks for your help as your children learn to handle new responsibilities.

Welcome to Third Grade!

We have successfully completed our first day of third grade! I have to tell you that your children are amazing! They worked very hard today as they began to learn routines and expectations. They have been incredibly respectful.

This morning we had a "person" scavenger hunt. The children walked around the room looking for people that fit a certain description. For example, they were challenged to find someone who ate toast for breakfast this morning. They also tried to find someone who was born in another state. Through this activity they were able to learn that we are very similar in some ways, but very different in others. Ask your child what they learned about a new friend.

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

Take Down the Walls

The Room 221 community did it again! They blew me away yesterday as we cleaned and packed up for another summer. They worked tirelessly for more than 90 minutes. They were so focused and organized we were able to accomplish more than any class before them.

Special thanks to Kathy Lesanto, Jacquie Sherman, Marisa Rufo, Vicki Brown, Leslie Healey, and Martha Cohen Barrett for coming to help. It is sooooo appreciated! :o)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

In May we began a wonderful novel titled "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin. The children have been enthralled as I read aloud to them each day. They have been begging for more! Unfortunately, we ran out of time. We were unable to finish this wonderful story. I encourage all of you to find it at the library or local book store and share the rest of it with your third grader. I promise you won't regret it!

Third Grade Good-byes

The end of third grade. Your children have made it with flying colors! We ended our final day in third grade by reading "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss. I know that each and every one of your children will go far! They are capable of so much. I wish I could have them back every year. I hope they will all come back and visit.

It has been such a pleasure working with this third grade community. Each child is such a gift and I can't thank you enough for sharing them with me.

A huge thank you to all who have supported us this year! There are so many parents that came in countless times to do anything and everything I could ever ask. I couldn't get it done without you.

Thank you especially to our room parents Kathy Lesanto and Misti Perkins. They dropped everything and came running every time I emailed. You are both wonderful! Thank you.

Have a safe and happy summer! :o)Melanie

Boston Museum of Science

We had a fantastic time at the museum yesterday. If you haven't already, be sure to ask your third grader to share a few things that they learned. Special thanks to Misti Perkins, Sarah Roostaie and Jen Woodman for joining us! :o)

Electricity Investigation

Throughout our electricity unit third grade scientists have asked thoughtful questions. Mrs. Rizzutto, director of the Needham Science Center came and helped us sort our questions into two groups. Some of the questions were "researchable." That means we could find the answers by asking someone, searching on the internet or searching in a book. The questions we were focusing on were "testable." That means third grade scientists could safely find the answers by using scientific equipment.

Today third grade scientists worked in groups to answer some of those questions. They figured out which materials they needed to use. They described the set up and wrote the directions so that any other scientist would be able to repeat the investigation.

Finally, they gave it a try. Third grade scientists used many different size batteries, different kinds of wire, light bulbs, motors, and switches to answer their questions. Mrs. Rizzutto, Mr. Claus and I were very impressed by the way the children collaborated. They problem solved and asked further questions. Many groups started thinking of new questions based on their original results. They are truly scientists!

Ask your third grader about their electrical investigation. :o)

Multiplying 3 Digit Numbers

There have been several questions about multiplying 3 digit numbers by 1 digit numbers.

Let's try 326 x 8:

First, multiply 6 x 8. Write the product under the multiplication problem.
Start with the ones place.

6
x 8
48

Next go to the tens place. Multiply 20 x 8. Write that product under the first product.Be sure to line up the tens and ones.

16
x 8

48
160

Finally go to the hundreds place. Multiply 300 x 8.Write that product under the rest. Be sure to line up the hundreds, tens and ones.


300
x 8

2400

Add all the products together.

48
160
2400

2608

The product of 326 x 8 is 2608.

Sorry, I can't figure out how to do underline on this. Hope it's not too confusing... :o)

Mitchell Pen Pals

Last Wednesday our friends from Mitchell came for a visit! We've been writing back and forth all year, so it was so exciting to meet them in person! We played a fun math game together and even got to play on the playground. Ask your third grader to tell you about their pen pal.

Book Commercials

Room 221 readers should work for Scholastic! They can sell their favorite books. Check out their book commercials!

Extra Help

I will be holding our last extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. We will be reviewing a variety of concepts and strategies! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Poppy

Did you hear? We finished our all time favorite read aloud on Thursday. "Poppy" by Avi was a huge hit in Room 221. The kids were enthralled by the humor of Ereth (the porcupine) and the suspense of Mr. Ocax.

You should know that this book is just one in a series. The books are leveled S, so some third graders can read them independently, but all children will enjoy them as a read aloud. I promise that you will enjoy the books too if you choose to snuggle up to share them with your child. Perhaps you can read them all this summer! The titles are:

"Ragweed"
"Poppy & Rye"
"Ereth's Birthday"
"Poppy's Return"
"Poppy & Ereth"

Avi has written many other fabulous books (apart from the Poppy series). Some are perfect for 9 year olds, some are more suited to older readers. Check them out at your local bookstore or library. You can also check out Avi's website!

Electricity

Third grade scientists are having such fun as they explore electricity. They have made a motor run using just two wires and a battery. Ask your scientist how they got the motor to spin in the opposite direction...

Lighting a small bulb using only a battery and two copper wires was tricky. All students were able to make the bulb light, and the process helped us realize that the lightbulb and the battery have "critical contact points." These are points that must be connected in order to create a complete circuit.

The very bottom of the light bulb, (we call that the base terminal) must be touching (directly or through metal wire) the metal part of the top or base of the battery. This must be connected (directly or through metal wire) to the opposite end of the battery. The wire must be connecting with the metal side terminal.

Why is everything attached using so much metal? Your third grade scientists will let you know after our "Conductors and Insulators" lesson today!

Extra Help

I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. For the last few weeks of school I will be reviewing a variety of concepts and strategies! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Extra Help

Sorry for the short notice, but I will be holding extra help sessions on Thursday afternoon. This week we will review finding the area of shapes! I will also review anything individual children would like to go over. Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Special Presentation - Friday

This Friday, May 14th our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes will be treated to a unique and exciting view of our earth – from the inside out!  EarthView, presented by Bridgewater State University, will be set up in the gym all day long.

 

The EarthView is a 22’ inflatable globe that allows students to walk inside the earth and see it from a totally different perspective. The Bridgewater State’s Department of Geography will offer a 20-minute presentation to each group. The EarthView is both a fascinating teaching tool and a delicate work of art. The outside is a hand-painted, large-scale map of the Earth's surface, showing biological communities, rivers, seas, landforms, continents, islands, oceans, and major cities. The inside reveals the positions of tectonic plate boundaries and ocean spreading centers, along with all of the detail visible from the outside. More information is available at [ http://www.bridgew.edu/EarthView/ ]http://www.bridgew.edu/EarthView/

****Please note:

**Shoes must be removed and socks must be worn while visiting the EarthView.  Please advise your students. I will bring extra pairs of new socks for those that forget, but I won’t have enough for everyone!

Check These Out!

All children who love books and reading should check out these websites. They are filled with book reviews written by children as well as book suggestions and links to other cool sites. Check them out!

www.kidsreads.com


www.spaghettibookclub.org

Welcome Nicholas!

Room 221 welcomed a new student today! Nicholas is joining us from Colorado. The children were very welcoming and gracious. Ask your third grader about their new friend.

Math

You may have noticed that over the last several weeks we zipped through much of measurement and geometry. As you probably know, that's not my usual style of teaching. As the Math MCAS approaches quickly, I wanted the children to at least have familiarity with the third grade concepts in each topic. When we complete the MCAS for third grade, we will be revisiting the concepts we've breezed through and look at them more thoroughly. I'm looking forward to facilitating some fun, exploratory, hands-on learning experiences.

Fiction Writing

The most exciting Writing Workshop unit has begun. The children have been waiting for it all year. It's FICTION!

The children will be creating their own characters and will reflect on the internal and external characteristics of those characters. Third grade writers will learn the importance of making choices that make sense or are connected to the story they plan to write. For example, I might choose to make my character brave. I would make this decision because she gets lost in an amusement park, so bravery would be a good characteristic for her to have. By the end of the week you can ask your child about the character that they have created.

Starting next week, we will plan the plot of our stories using story mountains. We have learned during Reading Workshop that most stories have an initiating event (when the problem is introduced) a climax, and a conclusion. The children are using their story mountain to help them build action until it reaches a climax and finally a conclusion. This advance planning should help them to write a cohesive, logical and exciting story. Don't forget to ask your child to describe the plot of their story.

Happy writing! :o)Melanie

No "Extra Help" This Week

No worries! I will still help your child as much as they need during the school day, but due to MCAS I will give the kids time off before and after school. I will start up again next week. :o)

Math MCAS

As many of you know, the Math MCAS is this week. We will have a brief practice test on Monday. This is fairly short and simply gives the children an exposure to the experience.

The actual test will be administered on Tuesday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 12 at
9:00am. The test is created to take about 60 minutes. Some children will be done sooner, and others will take longer. The test is untimed, so the children can take as long as they need.

I am asking all students to be in bed by 8:00 the nights before the test. Please help your children follow this guideline. In addition, all children should eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school each test day.

The room parents are using "classroom money" to purchase healthy snacks for the children. They will be invited to eat lightly when they get to school. After all children have completed the test, they will also be able to eat an "extra" snack and relax for a short time. The children will also get extra recess each test morning in order to run off any extra steam.

This week will look different in terms of homework. Written homework will only be assigned on Thursday. There will be no spelling words this week. In addition, there will only be one timed math quiz on Monday. Your children should continue to read (or be read to) for at least 20 minutes each night.

Most importantly, I do not want your children to feel stressed about MCAS. It is important that they know we believe they will do well. Please encourage them to work hard and do their best. However, also remind them that no matter how they do on MCAS, we know they are smart children!

Thanks for your cooperation. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Extra Help

I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. This week we will review finding the area of shapes! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Matter

Everything around us is made up of matter. As an introduction to our unit on electricity, the children learned that matter:

*takes up space
*has weight
*can sink or float
*can be in different forms - solid, liquid, gas
*can change from one form to another - from solid to liquid, or from liquid to gas
*can be "sensed" - hear, smell, feel, taste, see

Ask your child to name some matter around you!

P.S. What does matter have to do with electricity? Matter is made up of atoms. Atoms are made up of electrons. The flow of electrons IS electricity!

Historical Tour of Needham

Thank you so much to Mrs. Martell for taking us on a fabulous tour of Needham! We saw in person so many sites that we have learned about. Check your child's folder for more information. We have included a list of sites you may want to visit with your family.

Linear Measurement

Today we started out measuring distance with "giant steps." Teams of children measured how many "giant steps" it took to get from one end of the hallway to the other. As we organized our data on a line plot, we realized that although we were measuring the same amount of space, our numbers were very different. Through this experience and reading the story "How Big is a Foot?" we began to understand the importance of standard measurement.

Today we practiced measuring things to the nearest inch. Tomorrow we will expand our knowledge to the nearest 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch. It's important to remember to line the measuring tool up carefully with the edge of what you're measuring. We will also practice identifying those small lines that indicate fractions of an inch. As our unit continues we will investigate and practice with other units of measure.

The more experience with measurement that children get at school and at home, the better. Encourage your child to estimate and measure distances. Typical questions that might come up at home include these:

How far is it across our kitchen table - and can we really reach that far?
How many children can sit comfortably on our couch? How many adults?
Will that extra bookcase really fit in the kids' bedroom?

These are good questions, and they're also very practical ones! Measurement questions come up a lot in our home lives, and it's exciting for children to be involved with real-world issues.

Here's how you can help during this unit:

Listen to your child's strategies for measuring.

Involve your child in your own measurement activities - hobbies like sewing or carpentry are a natural for this.

Work together on the measurement activities your child brings home.

Happy measuring!

Making Change

Have you ever been frustrated when a cashier is unable to quickly make change at the convenience store? (Without the help of the computer, of course. :o) Your children will never be that cashier, because they are beginning to master the lost art of making change. They have learned to count up from the cost of an item.

For example, imagine a third grader purchases a notebook that costs $3.26 and they pay using a $5 bill. Third grade mathematicians learned to count up from $3.26 with 4pennies making it $3.30. Next, they take 2 dimes to make $3.50. After that, they take 2 quarters to make $4.00. Finally they take a $1 bill to make $5.00.

Challenge your child to make change for you at the store. You can even make your own store at home!

Extra Help

I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. This week we will review multiplying larger numbers! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Spelling Words and Timed Quiz

The children will have spelling words this week, but they will not be chosen until tomorrow. They should begin studying tomorrow night.

In addition, the children are just getting back their timed quizzes from last Thursday. Therefore, there was no timed quiz today. There will be one on Thursday, April 15.

Thanks for your support! :o)Melanie

Schoolhouse Today!

We had a great time traveling back to 1850.

Here are some things the time travelers noticed:

*a wood stove
*the desks were longer and shared with other people
*each desk included the bench for the row in front
*kids in 1850 had lunch and recess time
*the schoolhouse was smaller than our regular classroom
*we didn't use pencils
*the teacher was a lot stricter
*a lot of different ages were in one classroom
*the boys sat on one side of the room. The girls sat on the other
*the ink pens were difficult to use
*a large bell made by Paul Revere was on the ground in front of the school house.

Here are some things the time travelers wondered:

*were the McGuffey readers the actual books students in 1850 used?
*Why did kids only have 1 book to read?
*Why were people so formal and proper?
*Did schools in 1850 have more than 19 students?
*How long has the old wagon been sitting in front of the schoolhouse?
*Where did kids get balls to play with?
*Did older boys in Needham actually play the "smoke prank?"
*Who was in the photographs in the schoolhouse?
*Why did the teacher keep an apple on her desk?

Ask your child about his/her experience today! Be sure to ask for details! :o)

Reminder - Schoolhouse Visit Tomorrow!

I am looking forward to our trip to the schoolhouse tomorrow! Please remember to send your child to school wearing 1850s clothes and carrying an 1850s lunch. Thanks so much for your support! :o)Melanie

Techsploration

Thanks to the PTC for bringing back Techsploration! Third grade scientists got an exciting glimpse into our upcoming unit on electricity. Ask your child the following:

What is electricity? (Hint: The flow of ______________.)

What do you need for electricity to flow? (Hint: It's shaped like a circle, and it must
be "closed" or "complete.")

How do we measure electricity?

What do we create when we pass a magnet through a coil of wire? (Hint: Remember George:o)

Please remind your children that they are encouraged to experiment with electricity using small batteries, however they may only do so with adult permission. In addition, they should NEVER use plugs or wall sockets to experiment. This is very dangerous!!!!!

Schoolhouse Identities

It was an exciting day in 221! Our community members from 2010 found out their new identities from 1850. When we visit the schoolhouse next week, the students will pretend to be one of the actual students from a school in Needham in the 1850s.

2010 students researched their 1850 identities. They learned who their parents were, their siblings and cousins. Some of them were able to find photographs of the houses they lived in, and many found where their houses were on an old map from 1876.

Thanks so much to Mrs. Martell for her incredible knowledge and assistant with technology!

Ask your child to tell you their "new" name. Check out this site and ask your 2010 student to show you more!

Multiplying Larger Numbers

This morning we jumped backwards to review multiplication. We learned how to multiply digits by 1 digits with regrouping. We didn't use the standard algorithm that you are probably accustomed to however. It relies heavily on children's knowledge of place value. That's why I like it! :o)

For example, when multiplying 16 x 8:

First, multiply 10 x 8. Write the product under the multiplication problem.

16
x 8
80

Next multiply 6 x 8. Write that product under the first product.

16
x 8

80
48

Add the two products together.

16
x 8

80
48
128

Sorry, I can't figure out how to do underline on this. Hope it's not too confusing... :o)

Extra Help

I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. This week we will continue to dig into fractions! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Help!

I am looking for a volunteer (or two) to make the copybooks we need for our schoolhouse visit on Monday. I have all the materials, it should only take an hour or two to put them together. This is a project that can be done at home on your own time.

Please let me know if you can help out with this! :o)

This Week

It will be another crazy week, but we will try to fill it with as much learning as possible!

Due to Passover, we will not have homework Monday or Tuesday night. Therefore, we will not have spelling or weekly math due this week. In addition, we will not have a timed math quiz until Thursday.

I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. This week we will be digging into fractions! Please let me know if your child will be attending.

Hope you had a great weekend! :o)Melanie

MCAS

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our first official MCAS test. I have asked the children to go to bed by 8:00 tonight. They should also eat a nutritious breakfast so that their bodies are ready to work hard and persevere.

Although some children are still feeling nervous, most children are excited to begin. Please remind your children that they are smart and we just want them to work hard and try their best.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Adding Fractions

Pattern blocks are incredibly useful learning tools! Today and yesterday we used them to expand our knowledge of fractions. If a yellow hexagon is the whole, then a green triangle is 1/6 because it takes 6 green triangles to evenly fill up a hexagon. Similarly, a blue rhombus is 1/3 because it takes 3 blue rhombi to evenly fill up a hexagon. Finally, a red trapezoid is 1/2, because it takes 2 red trapezoids to evenly fill up a hexagon.

As children manipulated the blocks, they realized they could fill a hexagon using a combination of blocks. For example, you can fill a hexagon with 1 trapezoid, 1 blue rhombus and 1 green triangle. Therefore, we know that 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = 1. We talked about adding fractional pieces. We learned that we can only add fractions (in our head) if the denominators are the same. For example, we can add 1/4 + 2/4 = 3/4. The denominator of 4 is consistent. In the example 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/6 = 1, the children used a model (the blocks) to solve it. They would not be able solve it mentally because the denominators are not the same. However, some very smart third graders realized that 1/3 + 1/6 = 1/2 (because 1/3 = 2/6) so the same problem can also be solved 1/2 + 1/2 = 1. (Sounds like fifth grade fraction studies, don't you think?)

Challenge your child to solve these addition and subtraction problems:

1/3 + 1/3 =
3/4 + 1/4 =
5/6 - 3/6 =
3/5 - 1/5 =

Vocabulary

Room 221 had fun playing jeopardy yesterday and today! Both games were focused on reviewing vocabulary. Yesterday we focused on math, and today we focused on reading and language arts.

Ask your child 3 words they knew for each subject. Remember strong vocabularies make our brains more powerful!

This Week

As many of you know, the Reading MCAS begins this week. We will have a brief practice test on Monday. This is fairly short and simply gives the children an exposure to the experience.

The actual test will be administered on Wednesday, March 24 and Thursday, March 25 at 9:00am. The test is created to take about 60 minutes. Some children will be done sooner, and others will take longer. The test is untimed, so the children can take as long as they need.

I am asking all students to be in bed by 8:00 the nights before the test. Please help your children follow this guideline. In addition, all children should eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school each test day.

The room parents are using "classroom money" to purchase healthy snacks for the children. They will be invited to eat lightly when they get to school. After all children have completed the test, they will also be able to eat an "extra" snack and relax for a short time. The children will also get extra recess each test morning in order to run off any extra steam.

This week will look different in terms of homework. Written homework will only be assigned on Monday. There will be no spelling words this week. In addition, there will only be one timed math quiz on Monday. Your children should continue to read (or be read to) for at least 20 minutes each night.

Most importantly, I do not want your children to feel stressed about MCAS. It is important that they know we believe they will do well. Please encourage them to work hard and do their best. However, also remind them that no matter how they do on MCAS, we know they are smart children!

Thanks for your cooperation. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Fact and Opinion

As we read and write non-fiction texts, (we are still plugging away at our feature articles) it's important for children to know the difference between facts and opinions.

A fact can be proven or checked. For example, "The necklace has 13 stones on it," is a fact because the number of stones can be checked by counting.

An opinion can have different answers from different people. It can not be checked or proven. For example, "The necklace is beautiful," can not be checked. I might think it's beautiful, somebody else might think it's horrid. One person's answer can not be proven true.

Challenge your child to distinguish between facts and opinions while you're eating breakfast together tomorrow morning! It can be fun! :o)

Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions

I had so much fun watching the "lightbulbs" turn on in math today. When I was a kid, I would never have believed that fractions could be fun, but it was a blast today! The children worked diligently and enthusiastically figuring out how mixed numbers and improper fractions work.

Yesterday we learned that if we share 7 brownies with 4 people that each person would get 1 3/4 brownies. 1 3/4 is called a mixed fraction. It's a whole with a fraction left over.

Today, I asked third grade mathematicians to compare fractions to a whole. I asked if a fraction was more than a whole, same as a whole or less than 1 (a whole). We noticed that fractions like 2/3, 3/4, 1/2 are all less than 1. We noticed that fractions like 5/5, 8/8, 6/6 are equal to 1. (Any time the numerator and denominator are the same, the fraction is equal to 1. Finally we learned about fractions that are more than a whole - 9/4, 8/6 etc... We made the generalization that if the numerator is larger than the denominator, the fraction is automatically larger than
1. Ask your third grade mathematician to draw you a picture proving these ideas.

Next, I challenged the students to turn 17/4 into a mixed number. I reminded them that a mixed number had some wholes and some fraction of the whole. Most students solved the problem by drawing out squares split into fourths, but several children made the connection to division and were able to solve it mentally!

Finally, I assigned the mixed number 3 2/5 and asked third graders to find the equivalent improper fraction. Most problem solved the problem by drawing 3 rectangles divided into fifths, but even more of them used multiplication and addition to solve this problem.

I was very proud of our mathematical minds today. Challenge your child to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions and improper fractions to mixed numbers. At the third grade level it is very appropriate for them to draw pictures to help them solve the problem.

Have fun! :o)

Challenge Question

As we discussed Puritan communities this afternoon, a student asked: "Where did they get the wax for the candles?" (I do expect them to know that they couldn't go to Stop & Shop down the street! :o)

Instead of answering the question, I challenged the kids to find out by researching tonight at home. They can check in a book, search online or ask you. We'll be excited to hear the answers tomorrow!

History of Needham

Third grade historians are having a blast studying the history of our great town! So far we have learned about the Puritans arriving in the New World and their settlement in Dedham and eventually Needham. Today, I asked the children to respond to the following prompt:

Tell me 3 things that are wrong with this statement.

Puritans came to Needham directly from England because there was not enough food in England. There was plenty of food in Needham because nobody had lived there before.


Ask your child to tell you how they responded. You will be impressed by how much they already know!

Extra help this week

I will be holding extra help sessions again on Wednesday morning (7:50-8:20)and Thursday afternoon (2:35-3:05). This week we will focus on naming factors. For example, finding all the factors of 24 - 1,2,3,4,6,8,12,24.

I am happy to see as many children who are interested. I only ask that you notify me to let me know that your child is coming.

Reminder - Family Science Night

The Needham Science Center is hosting another family science night. It's Thursday,
March 11, 6:00-8:00


There are so many things for you to see and do. Check it out!

No Written Homework

I inadvertently forgot to put homework in the mailboxes this afternoon. Therefore, there will be no written homework due tomorrow. However, children should read, work on Weekly Math, study their math facts and spelling words.

Feature Articles

In Writing Workshop, we continue to focus on feature articles. Each child has chosen the topic that they want to research and then write about. It was exciting to see inquisitive brains at work as children developed questions they want to answer. Finally, they turned those questions into subtopics. Subtopics are the smaller topics within the larger one that researchers want to focus on in their article.

As many researchers began taking notes today, we learned about plagiarism. It's important that children learn not to copy exact sentences from their research. We practiced pulling out "fact fragments" - the most important words from a sentence that contain the chunk of meaning. This is a skill the children will be developing for years to come.

Ask your child to tell you a subtopic they decided to focus on and one fact fragment that they recorded about it today.

Sorry for the short notice! I will be holding extra help sessions again on Wednesday morning (7:50-8:20)and Thursday afternoon (2:35-3:05). This week we will work on line plots. Many children could benefit from review of line plots so send them my way! :o)

I am happy to see as many children who are interested. I only ask that you notify me to let me know that your child is coming.

Inferring

Do you remember being asked to make inferences when you were in third grade reading groups? I do. And although I was considered a strong reader, I had no idea idea what an inference was.

In Room 221, we will begin to take the mystery out of inferences, because we make them every day. To make an inference you use your schema (background knowledge - the stuff that's already inside your head) plus the clues that you see (or hear) around you. For example, if I hear my dog scratching at the door, I can infer that he wants to go out.

Readers do the same thing with texts. They use their schema plus clues from the text or the illustrations. We learned that readers can infer in three different ways:

1. Infer the meaning of an unknown word
2. Infer to make a prediction
3. Infer to deepen our understanding of what's happening in the text

Share the inferences you make as you read with your third grader!

Extra Help This Week

I will be holding extra help sessions again on Wednesday morning (7:50-8:20)and Thursday afternoon (2:35-3:05). This week we will continue our focus on elapsed time.

I am happy to see as many children who are interested. I only ask that you notify me to let me know that your child is coming.

Fair Shares

Our class is beginning a new unit on fractions, called Fair Shares. Your child will be using fractions to make "fair shares" of things like paper "brownies" and pattern-block "cookies." By working with these materials, your child will learn about how "wholes" come apart into fractions and how fractions fit together as wholes. We'll talk about which of two shares is larger and which fractions are really the same (for example, 1/3 is the same as 2/6).

Here are some ways that you can help at home:

*When your family is sharing food, talk about "fair shares" and help your child name fractions. If you want to split the pizza among five people, how can you split it fairly? How much does each person get?

*Cooking is another great way to learn about fractions. How can we measure 3/4 cup? Look together at how the fractions appear on a measuring cup. Doubling recipes, or cutting them in half, can help your child understand how to make new numbers with fractions.

The purpose of this unit is for students to visualize and compare fractions, to find different combinations of fractions that make a whole, to learn which common fractions are equivalent, and to begin to use fractions to solve problems like this one:

Six people at a party shared all the cookies evenly. Each person ate 1 and 1/3 cookies. How many cookies did they eat?

We love fraction action! :o)Melanie

Paralympics - Social Action

Several weeks ago, during a disabilities event sponsored by the PTC, Room 221 third graders learned that the Paralympics take place several weeks after the Olympics each year. They also learned that the Paralympics are not televised like the Olympics. In fact, the U.S. is one of the only major countries not to televise it. Most others do.

This upset the children greatly. They felt this was unfair and they, in fact, would be interested in watching the Paralympics on television. So, they decided to take action. Third grade social activitists decided to write a letter to the major networks persuading them to televise the Paralympics.

I suggested that we do some research first. So, we emailed several people on the International Paralympics Committee. We learned that they will be publishing a broadcasting schedule soon. Due to our inquiries, Room 221 will be receiving the schedule via email. Therefore, Room 221 has decided to hold off on writing our letter to the networks until we have more information.

Your children should be proud of their actions. Standing up for what you believe in is honorable and an important part of living in a democratic society.

Art Tomorrow

Sorry for the short notice! Mrs. Morgan is working on an architecture unit with third graders for the next few weeks. They are invited to bring in photographs of their houses to draw. This is not mandatory, the children may also choose to draw a historical house in Needham.

Extra Help

Starting this week I will be holding extra help sessions on Wednesday mornings (7:50-8:20)and Thursday afternoons (2:35-3:05). In order to best meet the needs of each child I will be choosing a focus for each session. For example, this week there will be a focus on elapsed time. If your child needs or would like some extra practice in this area they are welcome to attend either or both days.

I am happy to see as many children who are interested. I only ask that you notify me to let me know that your child is coming.

Thank You!

A special thanks to our Room Parents, Misty Perkins and Kathy Lesanto and volunteer Jacquie Sherman for yet another fabulous party! The Friday before vacation the children had a fantastic time decorating Valentine's bags, playing bingo and making beautiful roses.

Thank you!

Report Cards

There have been several questions about signing and returning report cards. You do not have to sign or return these ones. Because we are entirely digital now, new ones will be printed for June.

Please don't hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a wonderful vacation! :o)

Reflection Letters

Unfortunately, reflection letters did not make it into our schedule this morning. We will be sure to write to you the Friday after vacation. Sorry!