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.