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!