Static Electricity

Third grade scientists continued on their quest to understand electricity! We began with a simpler form of electricity - static electricity! Children rotated from station to station - investigating, exploring and wondering.

In Station 1: Popping Paper, scientists put a plastic container over small paper circles. They rubbed the plastic container with their hand and with wool cloth. Ask your third grader what happened! Be sure to ask them why.

In Station 2: Jumping Peanuts, scientists rubbed a plastic card with wool cloth. Once they built up enough friction, they held the card next to styrofoam peanuts. Ask your third grader what happened! Be sure to ask them why.

In Station 3: Attractive Comb, scientists rubbed a plastic comb with two different types of cloth. Once they built up enough friction, they held the comb near small paper circles. Ask your third grader what happened! Be sure to ask them why. 

In Station 4: Static Tube Pick-Up, scientists rubbed a "static tube" with wool cloth or their bare hand. (The static tube is a clear plastic tube with small pieces of styrofoam inside.) Once they built up enough friction, they held the static tube up to styrofoam pieces, small pieces of yarn and aluminum strips. Ask your third grader what happened! Be sure to ask them why.

In Station 5: Dancing Styrofoam, scientists rubbed a "static tube" with cloth or their bare hand. Ask your third grader what happened to the styrofoam inside the tube! Be sure to ask them why.

Third grade scientists were encouraged to ask questions and create theories as they explored. Members of each group were encouraged to share information with one another. Third grade scientists in Room 221 are going to learn so much about electricity this year! :o)

Atoms

Did you learn about atoms in third grade? Probably not. (I know I didn't!) Your children are! Last week, third grade scientists learned that the world around us is made up of matter. Today we dug deeper and learned that matter is made up of atoms. Atoms are incredibly small. In fact, the period at the end of this sentence is made up of billions of atoms. 

Above you can see the model of an atom. Challenge your third grade scientist with these questions about it:

What is the center of an atom is called? (The nucleus) 
What is inside the nucleus? (Protons and neutrons) 
What is moving around the outside of the nucleus. (Electrons) 
Describe the charge of electrons and protons. (Electrons have a negative charge. Protons have a positive charge.) 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post describing our investigations into static electricity!

Subtraction with Regrouping

This week we tackled subtraction with 3 digit numbers in math. More specifically, we worked on subtraction with regrouping. For those of you as old as I am, you may know it as subtraction with borrowing. It's really the same thing. But instead of calling it "borrowing" from the tens column, we "regroup" a ten, into the ones column as ten ones.

Subtraction with regrouping can be tricky for many children. Click here to see a video that your third grader can watch to help review the concept.

Ask your child how they know whether to regroup or not!

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments of concerns.

:o)Melanie

Holiday Concert

Mrs. Martell took some great photos of the Holiday Concert yesterday.
Click here to check them out! :o)

Today, on December 12, people from IRobot came in to help us learn more about robots. They showed us what robots can do. One of the robots could clean up your messy floors so you don't have to. Those robots move automatically. They don't need a remote control. 

Other robots do need a remote control. Some of those robots have tracks and can climb up and down stairs. Some robots can flip themselves over. Other robots can go underwater or others can have long necks. There was a very small robot. Police use it to find bad guys inside houses. 

All of the robots were really cool! Click here to see photographs from the presentation. 

                written by,
                                   Room 221 Authors

Computer Programming

Did the kids tell you about their awesome experience today? We took part in "The Hour of Code." They worked with Mrs. Martell to learn about computer programming! They even got to try it out. Ask your third grader to show you at home. Click here for the program we used today. Look in your child's folder for a bookmark that has other useful websites. Happy coding! :o)

Computer Science

Education Week DECEMBER 2013

The Hour of Code is coming.

Code.org is organizing the Hour of Code, a massive campaign to recruit 10 million students to try one hour of computer science during Computer Science Education Week this December. Be sure to ask your child about their computer programming experience.

What is the Hour of Code? 

An introductory exploration activity for students of all ages, kindergarten through 5th G. Students will work on tutorials in the technology center with classroom teacher and the instructional technology specialist.

No experience needed from teachers and students.

Tutorials will be provided by Mrs. Martell, instructional technology specialist.

An effort to demystify code, and change the conversation around computer science.

Why Computer Science?

Computer programming jobs are growing 3x faster than students entering the field. Yet fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago. 90% of K-12 schools in the United States don’t even teach it. 

Visit http://hourofcode.com to learn more

Who is behind this campaign?

Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the College Board, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and over 100 others, are uniting to back the Hour of Code campaign. The Computing in the Core Coalition and Code.org are organizing CSEdWeek 2013. The annual CSEdWeek celebrates the birthday of computing pioneer 

Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).

For more information visit Computer Science Education Week http://csedweek.org

Reasons for the Seasons

Last week we learned about the affects of the Earth's movement around the sun. As we read, discussed and moved our bodies, we began to understand that the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere are tipped towards the sun during opposite parts of the year. This creates the seasons. The parts of the world closest to theequator aren't affected as much by the tilt of the earth so their climate stays more constant. 

This knowledge will help us as we try to answer our essential question:


"How do the locations of continents on Earth affect the way people live?" 

You can read further with your child in "The Reason for Seasons" by, Gail Gibbons.

Weekly Math

This week you may have noticed an extra homework assignment. We have begun assigning Weekly Math. Weekly Math will be assigned on Friday 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. 

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)

Helping Your Child With Math

I know it can be hard to support your child as they work through Think Math. It is very different from my experiences learning math, I'm sure it's different from yours as well. However, there's still a lot you can do to create a math-friendly atmosphere at home. For starters you can display a positive attitude towards mathematics - even if you find it difficulty or unpleasant, or think you were never good at it. 

A math educator, lecturer, and workshop leader says, "One of the most significant things parents can do is to help their children understand the normalcy and the value of struggle in mathematics... Learning math ultimately comes down to one thing: the ability, and choice, to put one's brain around a problem -- to stare past the confusion, and struggle forward rather than flee." People who struggle with math assume they just don't get it and never will. Those who do not struggle believe their success is the result of ability, but then may lose their confidence the first time they hit a stumbling block. You can help your child expect, cope with, and work through the mathematical difficulties and frustrations they encounter.

You can also explore math together as a family. Just like you read to your child each night, you can find ways to include everyone in the family, without focusing on the stressful parts - speed and memorization. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Your child can practice rounding at the grocery store. If you are trying to keep track of the running total you can ask them to round each item to the nearest dollar. If an item costs $6.27, your child can figure out that rounds to $6.00

If your child is ready for more of a challenge they can do the rounding, and keep the running total in their head.

2. Your child can help you figure out the cost of your items after you apply your coupons. Give the amount of the item and show them the coupon. They can estimate the cost.

3. Challenge your third grader to track the number of minutes they spend watching television, reading, doing homework or eating. They can graph their data and compare the results on different days.

4. Play 20 questions with numbers. Think of a number - you can adjust the number based on your child's skill level. Ask your child to figure out your number by asking questions that can be answered with yes or no. For example, a child might ask, "Is your number odd?"

5. Play with math in the car. Challenge your child to find license plates whose digits add up to a certain number. Or you can skip over the letters and read all the digits as a large number. If the license plate read, '6G1 T43' the number would be 6,143.

6. Challenge your child with math riddles. For example:

I have 6 coins in my pocket. They are worth 30 cents. What coins might I have?

Again, you can adjust this game based on your child's skill level. 

Have fun with math! :o)

Homework This Week

I shared good news and bad news with your children yesterday. The good news is that they don't have a math packet again this week. (Don't worry the math packet will return for the week after Thanksgiving… :o) 

The "bad" news is that they do have 2 other assignments:

1. Weekend adventure - The children should write a paragraph about one thing they do this weekend. It should include a topic sentence, and at least 3 specific details. I challenged the children to write about a "seed." A seed is one moment in time - not en entire hockey game - but perhaps one play from the hockey game. 

This assignment is due on Tuesday, November 26.

2. Spelling City - Children have a new assignment on SpellingCity.com. If they did not complete last week's assignment, they now have two. It is important that they complete this assignment. It will help to improve spelling in their writing. 

This assignment is due on Wednesday, November 27. If your child is behind on their assignments, I expect all assignments to be completed before children come back to school on Monday, December 2. 

Thanks for your support in helping your students learn responsibility around homework. This responsibility will help them in years to come. 

Reading Nonfiction Text

I hope your third grade readers have told you all about our focus on nonfiction text! We are learning lots of strategies to help us understand informational text. In addition, we are learning all kinds of new information about our world!

We have learned:

*Proficient readers use nonfiction text features (captions, headings, diagrams, etc…) to help them understand the text.
*Proficient readers don't just read for random facts, they read to determine the main idea. They consider what the author is trying to teach the reader.
*Proficient readers ask questions while they are reading to help them understand the text.

Be on the lookout for other helpful hints! It's even great to read nonfiction texts together at home! :o)

Homework

There is a change in homework this week. There will not be a math packet due Friday. However, the reading log and Xtra Math log are due on Friday.

In addition, your child is responsible for a new assignment on Spelling City. The assignments are individualized to best meet your child's spelling needs based on several pre-assessments.

Each child is familiar with using Spelling City. We have practiced together several times in the computer lab. Third graders can access Spelling City at SpellingCity.com, or by going to:

Eliot Home Page
Technology Center
Lessons
-The Spelling City link is at the top of the page.

Third graders can log in using their username:
first three letters of their first name, first three letters of their last name

password:
221

Please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing your child's assignment.

Amazing Authors

Each third grade author is working to publish 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

Third grade authors have also spent time revising their work. Revision means to look at again. I've been quite impressed at their willingness to make changes to improve their writing. They have revised by: 
*Rewriting their lead. They worked to begin with a hook - perhaps using description, action or dialogue
*Elaborating - Authors chose the most important part of the story and tried to say more. I challenged them to write exactly what the character was saying, thinking or doing. 
*Rewriting their ending - They worked to end the story close to their seed moment. They could try an ending that teaches a lesson, shows feelings that have changed, or solves a problem. 

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.

Tomorrow, we will begin the process of editing. When I refer to editing, I mean checking the mechanics of writing - capitals, punctuation, spelling. Correct writing mechanics makes the writing easier to read. 

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

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. 

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

The great thing about counting money is you can do it all the time! Let your children count the change when you leave the store. :o)

Addition and Subtraction With Regrouping

Last week we reviewed adding and subtracting two digit numbers. 

As you are working with your children, remember that math instruction has changed since we were in elementary school. You probably remember "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 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.

We also learned a new strategy for adding. It's called the partial sums method. Many of the kids aren't big fans of it, but it reenforces each mathematician's number sense. Here's how it works:

   39

+ 38

   60
   17
   77

For this method, the mathematician actually starts with the tens column. Below the problem you show the sum of each column. As you can see, 30 + 30 = 60. When all of the columns have been added, you add all of the sums. 

We also practiced subtraction with regrouping. Unfortunately, there is not a partial sums method to subtraction. Therefore, we focused on the traditional algorithm. When subtracting, children typically encounter two problems. Sometimes, they try what I call the "flip trick." For example, in the following problem: 

     93

-   24

You probably know to start with the "ones place." That's the column on the far right. Mathematicians look at that and realize they can't take 4 away from 3. Some third graders try the "flip trick" and take the 3 away from the 4 instead. Mathematically, of course, this doesn't work. 

The other problem many students encounter is forgetting to use regrouping. In the above example, they regroup from a ten to the ones column. This should make 13 ones and 8 tens. However, kids often forget to record this work, and therefore subtract inaccurately. 

Subtraction with regrouping can be tricky, but I know all our students can do it!

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

AUP

Yesterday, Mrs. Martell came to our classroom to teach us about being safe on our computers. In order for children to continue using computers in our school, they need to return an Acceptable User Policy form. Please discuss this form with your third grader and return it as soon as possible.

In addition, Mrs. Martell came in the classroom today to teach the class about cyberbullying. Ask your third grade how cyberbullying is different from bullying "face to face." 

Tardiness

Tardiness has been a real issue for many students in Room 221. Children have been getting to the classroom well after 2:35 each day. I am asking that your child arrive at school at 8:20 each day.

Third graders have many responsibilities in the morning. These include reading and responding to the morning message, doing their classroom job and completing any unfinished work they might have. In addition, I often meet with individuals and small groups before Morning Meeting to reteach or challenge children.

Please help your child arrive at school at 8:20 whenever possible.

Thank you for your consideration.

:o)Melanie

Magic Squares

Room 221 mathematicians learned about magic squares in the first lessons of Chapter 3. A magic square is a 3 x 3 grid where the digits in each column, row and diagonal all add up to the same sum. The special sum for the above magic square is 15. 

Third graders practiced using efficient addition strategies to complete magic squares. For example, when mathematicians are adding three numbers, they can find combinations of ten. For example in the center row, I would add 3 and 7 to make 10. Then, it is easy to add the 5 to 10. The sum of course, is 15. Similarly, third grade mathematicians can use sums they know, to solve sums they don't. For example, if third graders know that 7 + 7 = 14, they should also know that 6 + 7 = 13.

Third grade mathematicians also practiced finding missing addends when they knew the special sum of the square. For example, if we know that the special sum of the above grid is 15, but the last row is blank. We can add up the first column, 8 + 3 to make 11. Knowing that the special sum is 15, I can figure out that the last square in the first column is 4.

Ask your third grader to show you how they solve magic squares! Ask them what the special sum is for this magic square:

Bike Rodeo

I assume your third graders have told you all about the Bike Rodeo! The kids were lucky enough to learn about bicycle safety, including hand signals. They also had their helmets adjusted and learned about maintaining their bicycles. Finally, third grade bicyclists demonstrated their skill on the obstacle course. They did a wonderful job! A big shout out to Mr. Brenhiser and the wonderful parent volunteers for making this wonderful event happen.

Generic Ministries

Generic Ministries visited Eliot School today. Generic Ministries is an organization that provides clothing, food and other necessities to people who are poor or homeless in Boston. In fact, Eliot third graders have supported Generic Ministries once each month by donating socks that are distributed by the organization. Other grades in our school make sandwiches, decorate lunch bags, donate chapstick and toothpaste.

The gentlemen from Generic Ministries shared some of their experiences delivering to the homeless community. They ended their visit by showing us the van they drive into Boston. The van is filled with clothing, blankets and toiletries to be shared with those in need.

To help third graders understand why we support Generic Ministries, we talked about homelessness today. Third graders learned:

*People who are homeless typically don't have enough money to pay for housing.

*People who are homeless typically don't have enough money to pay for food, clothing and other      essentials.

*People who are homeless are not bad. (I explained to the children that most people are good. Just like most people who have a place to live are good. But, as children, we don't talk to strangers - homeless or otherwise.)


As a follow up to our conversation, we read "Fly Away Home" by Eve Bunting, a story of a little boy and his dad who are homeless and live in an airport.

Children may have some questions or concerns based on their experience today. Please let me know if I can assist in any way.

Homework Help

Homework is due today! Math packets, Xtra Math Logs and Reading Logs should all be turned in this morning. Please remind your child to take their homework out of their folder and place it in the homework tray. (Passing in homework is part of the homework... :o)

In honor of the day, click here to see an article Scholastic posted that may be helpful to parents when it's time to settle down to get the homework done.

Enjoy the weekend!

Vocabulary Costume

Third grade vocabulary wizards enjoyed hearing the story of Miss Allaineus by Debra Frazier. The third grade is working together on a fun project based on the book. We will celebrate Halloween with a Vocabulary Parade just like Sage's!

Be sure to check out the notice that was sent home yesterday describing a project that is due, Thursday, October 31. Each child is being challenged to create a costume that shows the meaning of an interesting vocabulary word.

Click here to see photographs of last year's costumes.

Click here to see some vocabulary word ideas from Debra Frazier's website.

Nano Brothers!

The kids had a blast learning from "The Amazing Nano Brothers" this afternoon. Two jugglers taught us a lot about the world in nano-scale. Ask your child how big a nanometer is. Ask them what they learned about atoms and molecules. We will use what we learned in the show when we study electricity later in the year.

Thanks to the PTC for funding this wonderful performance!

If your child really enjoyed the show, you may want to attend another performance that is a fundraiser. It will be held at the Newman School on Saturday, November 2 at 4:30.

Writer's Notebooks

Yesterday was one of my favorite days in third grade! Room 221 writers received their writer's notebooks! I love watching the children's writer's notebooks fill up. It's such a window into their personalities.

We learned two strategies for generating topics for our personal narratives (stories about our lives). You can try them too:

Think of a person who is important to you. It's best to think of a person you spend lots of time with. A person with whom you have created lots of memories. Visualize that person. Let the memories pour into your mind. Write a list of memories. 

My person is  Aunt Denise. She and I are very close in age and we've done many things together over the years. When I visualize Denise these are some of the story topics that come to mind:

Turkish Twist
Burning the popcorn
Lost on the rowboat
Stuck on the paddleboat
Cooking lobster
Demi passing

The kids listed some memories and then I pulled them back to the rug to learn the next strategy:

Think of a place that is important to you. Think of a place where you spend lots of time. A place where you have created lots of memories. Visualize that place. Let the memories pour into your mind. Write a list of memories. 

My place is a campground. I don't actually have one campground in mind. I have gone camping many times in my life so I have lots of memories at campground around New England. When I visualize campgrounds these are some of the story topics that come to mind: 

tent falling
year of the mosquitoes
bonfire
Cowabunga!
canoe race with an anchor

The kids also listed memories of a place. Ask your child about the person/place they chose to remember. I bet you will generate an even larger list together!

Soon we will work to develop these strategies into small moments, focused stories of our lives. I can't wait to read them! 

Intersections

As you may have read in the parent letter for Chapter 2 in Think Math, Room 221 is learning about multiplication. Think Math teaches multiplication in a way that is new to me, so I thought it might also be new to you. 

The third graders are taught to look at the number of vertical lines, the number of horizontal lines and the intersections that happen when the lines meet. The vertical lines represent one factor, the horizontal lines represent the second factor and the intersections represent the product.

For example, if you take 3 vertical lines and line them up with 2 horizontal lines, you will make 6 intersections. 

| | | (3 vertical lines) __ __ (2 vertical lines) 

For the intersections, please see the image above.

The matching multiplication sentence will be:

3 x 2 = 6 - factor x factor = product 

Ask your mathematician how many intersections there would be if you had 5 vertical lines and 4 horizontal lines!

Xtra Math

As you know, Xtra Math is a vital part of helping your third grader memorize essential math facts. I appreciate the effort you have taken to be sure your third grader accesses Xtra Math from home three times each week.

Unfortunately, we've encountered a "blip." Many children are using Xtra Math while attached to their second grade account. Therefore, it is not showing up on our third grade account. I will send home "Log In" notices today or tomorrow. If your child's account is okay, I will write you a note. If there is no note on your letter, could you please try logging in again? It is very important that you click "Enroll" and enter your child's third grade "Enrollment Code." ***Even if your child has been enrolled in Xtra Math in the past. This will ensure that the Xtra Math they do at school matches what they do at home. In addition, it will ensure me access to see their progress.

Thanks for your help!

New Dictionaries!

Thank you so much to the Needham Rotary Club! This afternoon 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. I hope they shared them with you right away. We love words! :o)

Rock Dominoes

Hopefully you have heard that Room 221 scientists are studying rocks and minerals! We have been learning to look closely at rocks and use precise words to describe their characteristics. Yesterday we learned some fancy vocabulary words that describe rocks. Your third grade scientist can tell you that we can describe a rock's luster. Luster tells you how shiny a rock is. Third grade scientists can also tell you that we can describe a rock's texture. Texture describe how a rock fees.

We ended the lesson playing a game of Rock Dominoes. I held up a rock. Third grade scientists had to choose a rock that had the same property as the first rock. For example, they might start with a rock that was pointy. If a child had a different rock that was also pointy, they could put it next to the first rock. They would have to explain that both rocks share the property "pointy." We continued the game with each rock. Children could choose a similar property or choose a different similarity.

You can even play this game at home! :o)

I Am From... Poems

Proud poets in 221 have been working on  "I am from..." poems. These poems give children the chance to share who they are. We all have different experiences, memories, and traditions that make us who we are. Each person's is different. It can depend on our culture, our religion, the color of our skin, where we grew up, or just the personalities of our family members. Ask your child about their poem. Ask them to share about their experience trying to think of what to share. You can even share your own special memories from your own childhood. Maybe even challenge yourself to write a poem.

First, we brainstormed what might go in our own poems. I shared with the children the kinds of things that might go in my poem. We thought about: items found around our homes, items found in our yards, items found in the neighborhoods, names of special relatives, sayings, or names of special foods and dishes. Yesterday, we added details to many of their original ideas. We learned how to describe and how to be more specific. Finally, today we turned our brainstorms into poems. Tomorrow we will focus on line breaks and how the poems sound. Soon they will be hung on the wall. We'll also post them to the internet for all to enjoy!

Assignment Notebooks

Hopefully you have noticed your third grader's assignment notebook. Using an assignment notebook is a big jump in terms of their responsibility. Each day, children should fill out their assignment notebook with that day's assignment and due dates. (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. 

It is also important for third graders to be responsible about returning the assignment notebook each day. Third graders 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

Students in Room 221 received a math packet today! They are expected to complete at least 4 (single sided) pages and return them by the Friday. Children can pass their packets in any day next week, but no later than Friday.  Please help them to meet this expectation. 

Remember, the front sides are the grade level expectation. The back sides are harder.

In addition to written homework, Room 221 learners are also expected to:

*Read each night for at least 20 minutes

*Use Xtra Math to review basic math facts online**(3-4 times each week)

Children will receive their logs back on Monday. They should complete their logs and submit them by next Friday, October 4. 

Thank you for your support!

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 their backpack. 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 there 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.

2+ 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 can see where they highlighted their capitals and punctuation. :o)

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