Spelling City and Xtra Math

    Summer vacation is almost here! Although summer is a time of rest and relaxation, it can also be a time for continued learning. It is important that over the summer children continue to keep their mind stimulated. As you probably know, children are expected to read every day throughout the summer. You will receive their reading assignment on the last day of school.
    However, It is also very important that children continue to review their math facts as they get ready for fourth grade. Fluent knowledge of basic math facts leaves each child’s brain open to solve more sophisticated math problems. Your child may continue to use the Xtra Math program to help them review throughout the summer. I will check the website once each week to see if any child has finished their program.
    In addition, children can continue to work to improve their spelling using Spelling City. I will also monitor that website and give children additional assignments as needed. If your child has finished an assignment on either website, you can also email me at melanie_sullivan@needham.k12.ma.us and I will adjust it more frequently. 
    Please complete the form I sent home in your child's folder today to let me know if your child will continue with Spelling City and or Xtra Math throughout the summer.

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, and so many sites that we are getting ready to learn about!

Ask your child what they learned about:

town cemetery
Native Americans
First Eliot School
Little Red School House
Dog Corner
Echo Bridge
Hemlock Gorge
Town Center
First Parish Church
Many historical homes in Needham

You may want to learn more about these with your child.  Click here to take a virtual tour of the Needham cemetery.

William Emerson Baker was a fascinating citizen of Needham. He has a very unique history, but we're unable to learn about him during our unit. Click here to see a slide show about him and the "amusement park" he created right here in Needham.








Click here to learn about many historical homes in Needham, many which we drove by today.

Thanks so much to Stacey Engel for joining us on our trip.

Historical Tour of Needham

Just a reminder that our final field trip will be Monday, June 24. (If you have not returned your child's permission slip, please do so.) Mrs. Martell will lead us on a historical tour of Needham! It will be very cool to see all of the interesting places we've been discussing!

As usual, please send your child with a snack that day. We will actually eat the snack here in the classroom before we leave.

Thanks to Gemma's mom for letting me know that it's forecasted to be 90 degrees on Monday. Yikes! Please provide your child with a water bottle. I'm not sure if they'll be allowed to drink it on the bus, but at least they will be able to drink when we get off the bus at each stop.

Thanks for your support!

:o)Melanie

Mitchell Pen Pals

This morning our friends from Mitchell will be visiting! We've been writing back and forth all year, so it is so exciting to meet them in person! We will played a fun cooperative game together and even get to play on the playground. Ask your third grader to tell you about their pen pal.

Publishing Party

Thanks to all who were able to attend our Publishing Party! I'm sure you were impressed by all their amazing pieces!

For those of you who were unable to come, our amazing authors were able to show off four genres of writing:

Personal Narrative                                    Poetry
Feature Articles (informational)               Realistic Fiction


Third grade authors have grown tremendously throughout the year. They were able to show off examples of:

Focused writing                                         Specific details
Interesting leads                                        Strong, specific word choice
Show not tell                                             Description

The Little Red Schoolhouse

We traveled back in time today! We had a great time being students (and teachers) in the year 1855.

Here's what the day looked like:

*Opening - Children bowed or curtsied to the teacher. We sang America. We reviewed the rules of the school and the thought for the day. When Mistress Sullivan did roll call we answered "present."

*Reading - Each group had different books. They were assigned stories to read, spelling and vocabulary to memorize. Groups were called one at a time to stand with the teacher at the front of the room for a lesson.

*Math - Children used slates and chalk to complete math problems from the board. They showed the problems to the adults in the room to be checked. Groups were called one at a time to recite their multiplication facts.

*Lunch/Recess - Children sat on the porch and enjoyed their lunches. They were given time to play in the yard out front.

*Penmanship - Children used quills and ink to write in their copybook. They could practice making letters, writing their name, or copying passages.

*Spelling Bee - The day ended with a fun game. The children competed to spell words correctly.

Thanks to Mrs. Dowling and Jasmin for making the copy books!
Thanks to Mrs. Rufo, Mr. Gould and Ms. Basch for chaperoning our trip!