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. Some children were brave enough to recite their assigned poems from memory!

*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 Mr. Valdez and Mrs. Murphy for helping make the copy books!
Thanks to Mrs. Akinc, Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Euse for chaperoning our trip!

Dates to Remember

You will be receiving notices with more detailed information soon, but I wanted to give you a heads up about all the excitement in store for third graders!


June 6 Little Red Schoolhouse - Please make sure your child wears their costume, and brings an appropriate lunch. 
June 9 Field Day - Please be sure your child wears sneakers and sunblock. 

June 10 Concert for parents of orchestra students, 9:00

June 11 and June 12 Third grade writers will be typing their fiction stories in the computer lab, 1:30-2:30. Please let me know if you can come in and help! 

June 16 Historical Tour of Needham - Mrs. Martell will show us all the interesting places in town that we've been learning about. 

June 17 Third Grade Book Swap - Children can bring in books from home and swap for new ones! (See the notice that came home yesterday.)

June 17 Publishing Party, 9:00 - Families will be invited to join us for a celebration of our third grade publications. (More information coming soon.)

June 18 - Take Down the Walls, 12:30-2:30. Volunteers needed to help get our classroom ready for summer. (More information coming soon.)

June 19 Last day of third grade!

More on Multiplication

Room 221 mathematicians are working to dig deeper into multiplication so that we are prepared for more sophisticated multiplication problems in later grades. We will break down multiplication problems with larger numbers into more manageable chunks.

For example, if we want to solve 12 x 3:

We could break it down into (10 x 3) and (2 x 3). 

**I understand many third grade mathematicians are able to solve 12 x 3 in their head. I will still ask them to practice using this strategy in class so that they can understand the concept and the process. It's important that they can use the strategy later with larger numbers that they can't solve in their head. 

You can also imagine the process using base ten blocks:

You may recognize that using the base ten blocks is very similar to the standard algorithm you were probably taught in school. You multiply the ones place and you multiply the tens place. 

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. Encourage your mathematician to ask questions in math class! Questions help us learn. 

Fiction Writing

Thank you so much to Mrs. Anne Nydam for visiting third grade this afternoon! If you don't know, Mrs. Nydam is a published author and illustrator. (Her children attended Eliot. They are now in sixth grade at High Rock.) You can check out her books and her artwork at her website http://www.nydamprints.com/.

221 writers have begun a unit focused on writing realistic fiction. Mrs. Nydam shared many of the strategies and techniques she uses as a writer of fiction. Here's some of what our third grade writers learned:

*Every story needs a problem and solution
*Write stories like the ones you like to read
*Show don't tell - Don't say 'big,' describe how it's big
*Notice and pay attention to everything. Record or save the ideas you find most interesting
*Name your characters
*Put yourself in the character's place - think about what it was like when you felt that way...
*Notice problems in your own life. You might use one for a story
*Read other stories - get ideas from other writers. 

Mrs. Nydam is teaching Art classes through Needham Community Education Summer Explorations. To learn more or register go to:  http://rwd1.needham.k12.ma.us/community_education/Summer_Programs

Happy writing!

Reading Mysteries

Third grade readers are exploring the genre of mystery. Ask them which mystery they are reading here at school. We are learning that readers approach mysteries differently than they approach other genres.

When reading mysteries readers:

• Look for the "main" detective and the mystery that needs to be solved.
• Readers should know the detective and the mystery within the first few chapters. 
• Pay attention to clues and try to solve the mystery alongside the detective.
• Try to think like the detective. Try to picture the clues and details in your mind. 

Happy reading!

Math MCAS

Math MCAS will be administered to third graders on Tuesday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 7 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 children will be invited to eat a light, healthy snack 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. There will be no math packet, weekly math or Spelling City. Your children should continue to read (or be read to) for at least 20 minutes each night. They should also continue to do Xtra Math at least three times. 

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.

Geometry

Geometry is a unit filled with vocabulary! It all comes at once, so it can be challenging for children to remember all the different words and meanings.

Ask your mathematician about these words:

polygon 
quadrilateral
rectangle
square
triangle
rhombus
parallelogram

parallel
perpendicular

right angle

line

line segment

ray

You can even sort these words together!

Not sure what some of the words mean yourself? Click here for a wonderful, illustrated math dictionary.

Vacation Adventure

Your child should have come home with a Vacation Adventure assignment this week. Third grade writers should write a paragraph about something they did over the April vacation. Please note, this paragraph is due on Friday. 

The FCAs (focused correction areas) for this assignment 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.

Proper Nouns - Third grade writers should put a capital letter at the beginning of all proper nouns (names of specific things).

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

Area and Perimeter

Third graders have learned to measure the area and perimeter of some shapes. 

 Perimeter is the distance around a shape. We might measure the perimeter of a space if we want to put a fence around it. Third grade mathematicians know to measure each side of a shape and add them together to find the perimeter. 

Area is the measure of space inside a shape. We might measure the area of a space if we want to cover the space with a rug. Third grade mathematicians know to found the squares inside a shape to find the area. Or, to determine the area of a rectangle, you can multiply width x length, similar to the way we multiply rows x columns in an array.

Ask your third grade mathematician to tell you the area and perimeter of the shape below. 

Parent Volunteers Needed

Third graders are beginning their study of Dinosaurs and their Fossils! There are several different ways fossils can be formed. Third graders are going to learn more about the different types of fossils by creating “fossils” of their very own.  

We would love your help! The entire third grade will be working in stations on Wednesday, April 9 from 12:45-2:15. We are looking for volunteers to run stations where children will create their fossils. (You just need to bring your self. No prior knowledge necessary... :o) 

Please let us know if you can make it!

Biography

Third grade readers are learning to become stronger readers of biography. As you may know, each genre has its own characteristics that readers need to be able to understand in order to best understand the text. For example, third graders have learned that biographies are nonfiction. They are true stories of a person's life.

In addition, third graders have learned:

*Biography is a type of nonfiction that is narrative. That means that biographies are told as a story.

*Similar to fiction stories that we have read, biographies have a main character, but this character is a real person. The main character in a biography is the subject of the biography.


Ask your child who is the subject of the biography they are reading! Maybe you can learn about that person together.

Happy reading!

Different Kinds of Families

Did your child come home asking about adoption? We were blessed today to hear a special presentation by Mandy Mulliez and our very own Anna Mulliez. Thanks to their thoughtful sharing, third graders learned that all families are different. Family is not just about blood, it's about love. The topic of families and adoption is, of course, huge. Your child may still have questions. Mandy Mulliez shared some key points that may help you answer these questions at home.

 - One way that a child comes into a family is through adoption.  That means the child grew in one woman's belly but another family raises that child.   The child is adopted by that family.  A child can be adopted at any age - from a newborn to a teenager!  

 - There are millions of people who are adopted into their families all around the world.  

 - There are many famous inventors, sports players, musicians, actors, CEOs of companies that came into their families through adoption.  Two of the most  famous are Steve Jobs - the inventor of Apple computers and the iPod, and Babe Ruth, a baseball player.  

 - Some people may have been adopted into their family and look a lot like their adoptive family so you might not ever know they were adopted unless they told you.

 -People in a family don't necessarily always look like each other or act like each other

 - There are many different reasons why parents cannot care for their children and choose to find an adoptive family for them.  Those reasons could be that  they are very poor, that they are too young to be parents, they are sick or they may have died.  Again, there are lots of reasons and they are private to each family. 

 - People might sometimes ask "Well, which one is the real family?"  And the answer is both families are real. 

 - You don't have to be born into a family or look like your family for them to be your "real family".  

Thanks again to Mandy and Anna for sharing! The class was thoughtful and kind as they listened. I know many learned some valuable lessons.

Reading MCAS

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

The actual test will be administered on Tuesday, March 25 and Thursday, March 27 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 (Monday and Wednesday night). Please help your children follow this guideline. In addition, all children should eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school each test day.

The children are welcome to bring in an extra healthy snack if they would like to eat before the test begins. They will be encouraged to eat lightly so they don't become sleepy from overeating. After all children have completed the test, they will also be able to eat snack and relax for a short time. The children will get extra recess each test day in order to run off any extra steam.

This week will look different in terms of homework. Written homework will not be assigned. I do not expect children to complete Spelling City.  Your children should continue to read (or be read to) for at least 20 minutes each night and continue to use Xtra Math at least 3 times this week.

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.

State Fair!

Thank you to all who were able to attend the state fair. The children were very proud (and deservedly so) to show off their learning through facts, songs and their creative dioramas. Photos will follow soon! 

Needham Unplugged

As you can see from my previous post, tomorrow is Needham Unplugged. Teachers throughout Needham have agreed not to give homework on Thursday night so that families can spend time together. Therefore, this week's homework can be passed in on Monday, March 17. 

I hope you are able to enjoy tomorrow evening together as a family! :o)

Needham Unplugged

Needham Youth Services Presents…. Needham Unplugged It is so easy to get caught up in electronics --- TV, computers, Internet, X-Box, and Wii are fun, entertaining, and a nice way to relax.  However, it can become a problem when you find yourself spending 2, 4, 6 or even 8 hours a day plugged in…and little time is devoted to interacting with family and friends or simply engaging in quiet activities such as reading or walking. Needham Unplugged is a month long awareness campaign in March to remind Needham families and residents to “unplug their electronics” and “plug into” each other.  It is a reminder that there is more to life than what is on the other side of a plug. The highlight of this year’s program will be a no-homework, no-sports, and no-activities night for Needham Public School Students on March 13, 2014 Parents can play their part on March 15th by getting home from work no later than dinnertime, canceling/rescheduling any night meetings, and thinking about making this night a special time for the entire family. In addition, there will be no town-related meetings and virtually no community, school, or religious meetings held on that night.  We will also celebrate Social Networking-Free Thursday on March 6th, Phone-Free Friday on March 7th, E-Mail-Free Friday on March 14th, and Text-Free Tuesday on March 25th .

Poetry

Room 221 is filled with poets! I have been blown away with their poetry writing, and we've just started. Poets write about many different topics. Room 221 poets have written about their own lives, ideas in their imaginations and even things they can see around them.

As we continue in our unit, Room 221 poets will learn to:

-use line breaks
- include repetition
-include rhythm
-include alliteration
-choose powerful words
-show feelings

Ask your child about the first poems they have written. You can even write poetry together at home.

Happy writing! :o)

Understanding Our Abilities

The Eliot PTC has brought us a very special program called "Understanding Our Different Abilities." This wonderful program shares with children the important message that we are all people first, and that we all have a different range of abilities in terms of how we move, see, hear, communicate, think and learn.  

On Friday, February 14, the program was kicked-off with an all-school assembly featuring an inspiring story. Annie Garofalo, a Harvard student from Medfield, was born with only one hand. An accomplished athlete and student, Annie showed and discussed how she is able to play many sports, tie her shoes, drive and even play the piano. 

Next week, third graders will continue to learn about physical disabilities from a workshop, a different speaker and a performance of a wheelchair dance. Ask your child what they are learning about people who have different abilities.

Fractions!

Our class has been working on fractions in math. Your child has been using fractions to make "fair shares" of things like paper "brownies" and pattern-block "cookies." By working with these materials, your child is learning how "wholes" come apart into fractions and how fractions fit together as wholes. It's important for children to remember that fractions consist of "equal parts," that means that the parts each need to be the same size. 

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

State Project

Has your third grader told you about the state they will research? We have begun learning about the states in our country! Our study will culminate with a State Fair on Friday, March 21 at 9:00. (Please save the date! :o)

Each child will focus on one state. They will be asked to do research at home and at school. Ask your child which state he/she is studying. Hopefully you found the actual assignment for the state project in your child's folder today. This gives explicit instructions for each part of the assignment. We went over it carefully this morning. Please note that the projects are due on Wednesday, March 19. 


Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

:o)Melanie

Regions of the United States

Third grade geographers are so excited to learn about the 50 United States! We have officially started our unit, and will choose which state each child would like to "dig into" on early next week! 

This afternoon, geographers looked at one way the country is divided into regions. (Different people divide it in different ways, we teach just one example.) Ask your child to tell you where to find these regions on a map of The United States:

New England
Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
Midwest
West
Southwest
Pacific

In addition,it is important that all children know the following:
Our country is made up of 50 states.
Each state has a capital.
The capital of our country is Washington D.C.
We live in Massachusetts.
The capital of Massachusetts is Boston.

I know we'll have a great time exploring our country! 

P.S. Save the date! Families are invited to attend the Third Grade State Fair on Friday, March 21 at 9:00. Hope to see you there! :o)

Patterns

Third grade mathematicians have been studying the algebraic concept of looking for patterns in numbers and pictures while practicing simple computations. The number patterns are functions. That is, for every input there is exactly one output.

Find a Rule (FAR) cards were used as a way to begin the study of functions. These cards have pictures or numbers on the fronts of the cards that relate to pictures or numbers on the backs of the cards. The rule for the FAR cards shown below is "multiply the numbers on the front to get the number on the back."



Your child was asked to figure out the pattern, and then complete cards that follow the same pattern. For example:



Your child also used square tile to identify and extend patterns in geometry.

How many tiles will be in the next figure?



The pattern is increasing by one, so the next figure would have 6 tiles.

Most recently, third grade mathematicians have been finding patterns that use division. We remembered that division is actually multiplication backwards. When you divide you are simply breaking down a larger number into equal groups. We consistently remind the children that "equal groups" is the key!

You can use these models to help your child practice number patterns. You can also have fun with the game "Find a Rule" that was sent home earlier this week.

Have fun!

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 this week. 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?

Character Unit

How well do you know the characters that you read about? Third graders are learning that readers think about the characters in their stories, in fact readers should begin to care about those characters. To work toward that goal, we will spend several weeks studying characters and practicing skills and strategies that help us understand fiction books better. Throughout this unit, we will be using "Mr. Lincoln's Way" by Patricia Polacco as a shared text to which we can all refer. 

To begin our unit, third graders learned that some characters are main characters and other characters are secondary characters. For example, in "Mr. Lincoln's Way," there are two main characters, Mr. Lincoln and Eugene. They are main characters because they are present in the entire story, and the story is mostly about them. There are also many secondary characters in the text: Eugene's father, Eugene's grandfather, other children in the school, etc… As we dug deeper into the text we learn that in stories, secondary characters influence the main characters in some way. Ask your third grader to share how Eugene's father influences him.

We are also learning the characteristics can be described in certain ways. Mrs. Slotnick taught us a lesson about external characteristics. These are characteristics that are physical. You can see those characteristics just by looking at the character. Soon, we will focus on internal characteristics. These characteristics can not be seen just by looking at someone. You can identify internal characteristics by considering what a character says or does.  

Talk about the characters in the books you read with your third grader. Discuss whether characters are main characters or secondary characters. Remind children that secondary characters are there for a purpose - they affect the main characters in some way.  Identify the characteristics of the main characters and show the evidence you used to figure it out. Ask your third grade reader to describe another character. These ideas can help lead to rich discussions! Happy reading!

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 trickier. All students were able to make the bulb light, and the process helped us realize that the light bulb 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.

Sounds complicated, right? Not to these electricity experts! They're doing a great job. Tomorrow we will review the concept of a circuit, but this time we'll use battery holders and clips. 

Ask your scientist what they are learning about electricity!

Reading Aloud

Please read aloud to your children! I know they are third graders and can read independently, but they can still get so much from you reading to them. Some of the many benefits are:

*inspires writing
*expands vocabulary
*boosts comprehension
*increases achievement
*improves listening skills
*builds general knowledge
*encourages visual imagery
*broadens knowledge of genre
*reveals different writing styles
*fosters curiosity and imagination
*reveals different language patterns
*promotes motivation to read and learn
*extends knowledge of literary elements

Don't be afraid to share your THINKING as you read aloud! 
You might say:

*I'm wondering...
*I predict.... because...
*If I were ________ (character's name) I would have...
*I liked the part when...

It's mostly just important to share the kind of thinking you do when you are reading on your own. You are a fantastic model for your children!

Field Trip Chaperones

Thanks to all who volunteered to be chaperones for our Museum of Science Field Trip! We were fortunate to have so many volunteers. Unfortunately, the cost of the trip includes a limited number of adults, so we are not able to include all of you. I picked out of a hat to determine who could come. I will email those people on a separate email.

However, if you would like to pay to come to the museum yourself, and you don't mind driving yourself into Boston, you are certainly welcome to meet us there. Let me know if you decide to do this, I'll assign you a group of kids or partner you with another group.

Thanks again for your enthusiasm!

:o)Melanie

Winter Concert

The Winter Concert (that was snowed out before vacation) will take place tomorrow evening, 

January 7, at 6:30. If your child plays a string instrument and is part of the Eliot Orchestra, they are scheduled to perform! Good luck to all performers!