THANK YOU!

I just wanted to say that I am so thankful to have had such wonderful conferences with you all. It was a pleasure to meet you all and spend some quality time going over your child's education. I hope that this break treats you all well. Some reminders to the students that they are encouraged to do two or more reading journals. The introduction to the reading journal was given on Thursday and Friday. Students are still to read for 20 + minutes and then write a Thinking Map "Circle Map" and then summarize with 4-5 sentences. They should not include their opinion on the story in their summary. Only the main idea and key details from the section that they read. In January the students will have a specific weekly skill that they will be focusing their reading journal readings on, but until then we will stick with the summary. Below is an example of the circle map with some ideas for the summary.

November 13th - November 16th

This is the final week of conferences. I have been enjoying our meetings as we go over student progress. Reminder this week students are still getting out at 1 o'clock. The week of Monday November 19th through Friday November 23rd is no school. There is no assigned work for that week. 

MATH

Tuesday: 6-5 8 as a Factor

Wednesday: 6-6 Multiplying with 3 Factors
Thursday: 6-7 Multiplication Facts

Friday: 6-8 Multiplying to Find Combinations

READING

Story: 

“One Body, Many Adaptations”

CLOSE READ TASKS
✓ Identify key details and main idea ✓ Identify reasons and evidence
✓ Make inferences about causes and effects
✓ Compare and contrast texts on the same topic

WRITING
Research for writing

1. Analyze a guiding research question
   
2. Evaluate print sources
   
3. Evaluate online sources
   
4. Use key words to search
   
5. Take notes on index cards
   

WORD STUDY/SPELLING
Closed syllable pattern

better black blended munching

predators quickly sticky suddenly

LANGUAGE
Review: coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
A coordinating conjunction combines two simple sentences to form a compound sentence. Some coordinating conjunctions are and, or, but, and so. Always use a comma before a coordinating conjunction.
A subordinating conjunction connects a simple sentence and a fragment. The words although, because, when, unless, while, and after are subordinating conjunctions.

SCIENCE/WRITING
We will continue to work on multiple paragraphs and informational writing. The students will be working on a written project of a assigned habitat. They will be editing and revising before presenting them. DUE this Friday is their animal project. 

November 5th - Nov. 9th

Welcome to the start of conference time. It will be from Wednesday, November 7th until November 16th. The students will be out at 1:00 o'clock each day. Reminders for your conference time have gone out. I hope you can all make it.

MATH
Monday: 6-1: Distributive Property
Tuesday: 6-2: 3 as a Factor
Wednesday:6-3: 4 as a Factor
Thursday: 6-5: 6 and 7 as a Factor
Friday: 6-6: 8 as a Factor

READING

UNIT 3 - Animal Adaptations
How do living thins adapt to change?
Story: Fur, Skin, Scale, or Feathers
Close Read Tasks:

✓ Identify key details and main idea
✓ Analyze compare/contrast text connections 
✓ Identify text connections: reasons and evidence 
✓ Use text evidence to make inferences
✓ Compare/contrast information from graphic features 

Writing:

Research for writing

1. Analyze a guiding research question
   
2. Evaluate print sources: using text
   features
   
3. Evaluate online sources
   
4. Use key words to search
   
5. Take notes on index cards

Word Study:

R-controlled vowels (er, ir, ur) 

Language:

Dialogue is a conversation between characters.
Quotation marks show the exact words a character says.
Adjectives are describing words.
Adverbs describe or tell more about verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. 

SCIENCE
Students have selected an animal that they have begun researching on in class and home. They will be working independently on this project. There are two pieces to the packet the first is a single worksheet due Friday, Nov. 9th to be checked by me and then sent back home. The main packet is due Friday, Nov. 16th.
In class they will be working on different habitats including desert, tundra, ocean, tide pool, forest, and grassland. Together they will be presenting the habitat to the class next week.

October 29th - November 2nd

This Wednesday is our costume parade. Students are to come to school in their costume. After the parade they will then change back in to their school clothes for the rest of the day. For students that do not celebrate Halloween please still come to school as we have a classroom and teacher that will be watching them during the parade. Once the parade is over it is back to work for the rest of the day.The parade will start at 8:30 a.m. please go to the designated spot for parent viewing.

Parents: I have placed a sign up for conferences on the window of the classroom. Please sign up for a time slot. We will be having conferences starting on Wednesday, November 7th. Reminder note that if you sign up for a morning slot it will be from 7:45 to 8 o'clock. I have morning yard duty for the next two weeks, so I will have to be out on the playground at 8 o'clock. I will send a reminder note home next Tuesday. Please arrive on time to your scheduled conference so it doesn't run into someone else's conference time. Along with it being conference week students will be getting out at one o'clock starting November 7th until November 16th.

READING
This week we will be starting our third unit and first non-fiction unit. Animal Adaptations - How do living things adapt to change?
Text: Animal Disguises and Animals' Tools for Survival
Close Reading Tasks:

✓ Identify key details and main idea
✓ Analyze text connections: Compare and contrast
✓ Use information from photographs 
✓ Analyze graphic features: charts
✓ Compare and contrast two texts on the same topic

WRITING

Research for writing

1. Analyze a guiding research question
   
2. Evaluate print sources: copyright and
   author
   
3. Evaluate online sources
   
4. Use key words to search
   
5. Take notes on index cards 
   

VOCABULARY

behave camouflage prey locomotion

environment survive detect formulate 

MATH
Monday: 5-6 Multiplying by Multiples of 10
Tuesday: 5-7 Problem Solving: Two Question Problems
Wednesday: Practice Topic 5 Test
Thursday: Topic 5 Test
Friday: 6-1 The Distributive Property

SOCIAL STUDIES
Review week with our Unit 1 Regions test. Students made a dough CA, but sadly the states did not keep their shape. We will be making a new paper version this week. Students are allowed notes on their social studies test.

SCIENCE:
We will be starting an Animal research project to connect with our Benchmark unit and topic. Students will have two weeks to complete the project. There will be some in class time, but a majority of it will be done at home. The students are NOT allowed to use the internet for research at home. 

October 22nd - October 26th

This week is Red Ribbon Week at school. Each day has a special theme for students to follow along. We will be learning about staying drug free.

Monday: Turn you back on drugs - wear your shirt backwards.
Tuesday: Wear red in honor of Red Ribbon Week.
Wednesday: Making smart choices, makes me a super hero - wear a super hero t-shirt.
Thursday: Team up against drugs. Wear sports clothing.
Friday: Shade out drugs. Wear sunglasses.

MATH
Last Friday students took the Topic 4 test and it is currently being graded they will get their test back before Wednesday. Next up will be topic 5 - Multiplication Facts - Use Patterns
Monday: 5-1 2 and 5 as a Factor
Tuesday: 5-2 9 as a Factor
Wednesday: 5-3 Multiplying with 0 and 1
Thursday: 5-4 Patterns as Facts
Friday: 5-5 10 as a Factor

READING:
We are in week 4 of Unit 2 and will be taking our Unit test and reviewing the topics we discussed the last three week.

SOCIAL STUDIES:
We will continue to work on Unit 1 with the two regional lessons. Students will continue to learn about the coast, desert, valley, and mountain regions as well as their geographical differences.

SCIENCE:
Students will continue to work on our force unit in the TWIG series.

October 15th - 19th

MATH
Monday: 4-3 The Commutative Property
Tuesday: 4-4 Writing Multiplication Stories
Wednesday: 4-5 Problem Solving: Writing to Explain
Thursday: Topic 4 in class practice test
Friday: Topic 4 Test

SOCIAL STUDIES
Unit 1 
Lesson 1 - What are the land and water like in your area?
Lesson 2 - How have people used the land in your region?
Vocabulary Words: geography, region, environment, resource, canal, protect, flood, and dam

SCIENCE
Driving Question: What happens when several different forces push or pull on an object at once?

READING
Story: Snow White
Identify Key Events and Summarize
Read and Analyze an Opinion Prompt
How illustrations convey a character
How illustrations contribute to a story
Compound Words
Comparing and Contrasting

October 8th - 12th

Welcome! This week we have Picture Day! Tuesday, October 9th is Picture Day! Forms have been sent home weeks ago and a reminder on Monday. If you are paying online please let us know.

MATH
Monday: 3-13 Problem Solving - Draw a Picture and Write a Number Sentence
Tuesday: Practice Topic 3 Test
Wednesday: In class Topic 3 Test

Starting Topic 4 - Meanings of Multiplication
Thursday:4-1 Multiplication as Repeated Addition
Friday: 4-2 Arrays and Multiplications

Students will be starting online testing for math with our Envision program starting with Topic 5.


READING
Essential Question: How do our actions influence our lives?
Story: The Tales of King Midas
Identify and summarize key details

Analyze how character traits influence a story
Analyze genre features: fables, myths, and folktales
Nonliteral language: similes

WRITING

Write an explanatory text.


LANGUAGE

Coordinating conjunctions to form compound sentences
The words and, or, but, and so are coordinating conjunctions.
They show how the two parts of a compound sentence are connected.
Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. 

SCIENCE
Pet Umrella Projects
Students are working in groups to figure out the best umbrella for the specific pet they picked as a group. The choices were: dog, cat, pig, horse, parrot, cat, and iguana. On Wednesday they will be presenting their finished posters to the class. 
Then we will move on to the next module in the TWIG program which is Motion in Play. 

SOCIAL STUDIES
We will be going over the Social Studies chapter test later in the week. We will be starting the next unit in a few weeks after focusing on science for awhile. 

October 1st- October 5th

Welcome to October!

Spirit Day: Thursday, October 4th is Twin Day! Wear a matching outfit with a friend.. or two!

MATH:

Monday: 3-9 Subtracting Across Zero
Tuesday: 3-10 Making Sense of Addition Equations
Wednesday: 3-11 Making Sense of Subtraction Equations
Thursday: 3-12 Adding and Subtracting
Friday: 3-13 Problem Solve: Draw a Picture and Write a Number Sentence

We will be having a Topic 3 math test next week.

READING and WRITING
Unit 2 - Ways Characters Shape Stories
Essential Question: How do our actions influence our lives?
Stories: Two Fables from Aesop and Two Famous Poems
Identify Key Events and Details
Read and Respond to Poetry

Students will be working on creating their own fable from brainstorming to a paragraph (or more) and including a visual illustration.


TWIG SCIENCE

This week we will be starting our Force unit in the pilot book for Twig. 3rd grade students will be working on their Ultimate Playground for the unit. We will be starting off with a group project to help them understand how scientists and engineers work as a team. This will include them creating and presenting a pet umbrella.

September 24th - September 28th

This Thursday is our school's fun run with APEX! Come out to see the 3rd graders at 1:00 p.m. on the field. We will continue to raise money for our school all week. I hope to see you there!
MAKE A PLEDGE!!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th
APEX FUN RUN
At the NW Field - 1:00 P.M.


MATH

Monday: 3-4 Adding 3 or More Numbers
Tuesday: 3-5 Problem Solving: Draw a Picture
Wednesday: 3-6 Subtracting with an Expanded Algorithm
Thursday: 3-7 Models for Subtracting 3-Digit Numbers
Friday: 3-8 Subtracting 3- Digit Numbers


READING & WRITING

September 10th - 14th

Welcome to Back to School week! I hope to see you on Thursday, September 13th from 6-7:30 p.m. starting in the multipurpose room. If you have to make it to more than one class during back to school night we offer two sessions. The two sessions are from 6:30 to 7, and 7 to 7:30.

MATH

Monday: 2-5 Estimating Sums
Tuesday: 2-6 Estimating Differences
Wednesday: 2-7 Problem Solving: Reasonableness
Thursday: Chapter 2 in class practice test and review
Friday: Chapter 2 Topic test

Based on last topics testing scores we will be adding an extra day of review and practice before we take our topic tests. The students will be again doing the test on paper, however, starting in January the math tests will all be online. Once I grade the tests we go over every single question as a class and then it is brought home to be signed. I would like you to take a look at the test and then sign it before they return it. Once I have seen that it was signed I initial it and then send it back home. Homework is corrected daily and is then sent back home to help study for the tests.

READING

We are still in Unit 1 "Government", but now we are on week 2. This week our story is "It is My Right!"

Close Reading Tasks
Key details and summarize
Refer to the text when answering questions (find evidence)
Cause and Effect
Draw Inferences

Writing
Write an Informative Text

Vocabulary 
boycott
Jim Crow Laws
strike
suffragists
boarded
bold
inspired
organize
release


SCIENCE

We will be starting our TWIG science next week. Myself and Mrs. Shem will be piloting on Unit of a new science program to start off the school year. This new program works with Benchmark Advance and the NGSS. This unit will be dealing with force and motion projects while students work to create their ultimate playground.

September 4th - 7th

MATH

Last Friday was our Chapter 1 Topic test. As a class we went over the whole test once they received their grade. It was to be sent home and signed by a parent to show they shared their grade. Then I initial it and it goes back home for you to keep.

Tuesday: 2-1 Addition Meaning and Properties
Wednesday: 2-2 Subtraction Meanings
Thursday: 2-3 Using Mental Math to Add
Friday: 2-4 Using Mental Math to Subtract

READING

This week we have started Unit 1 Government - Why do people participate in government?

The story for this week is "Working Together" and "Election Day". We will be using our Benchmark as well as some Readworks articles. 

WRITING

This week we will be working with our small moment writing prompt as well as a letter writing when dealing in reading.