Third Grade News
Mrs. Behm, Mrs. Komar, and Mrs. Pilo
January 25, 2019
Language Workshop:
In Language Workshop, we will be unpacking each of the books above collectively in a large class conversation. We will begin to form an understanding of the term “identity” as we think, listen, and share our deep thinking around the characters in the texts above. How did they become who they are today? What impact and influence do they have on others? What’s their story?
Essential Question: How are identities formed and shaped?
Reading Workshop:
In Reader’s Workshop, we will continue to study informational text with an emphasis on biography. We will also continue to study the different structures (main idea & details, comparison, sequence, cause/effect) that writers of informational text utilized to communicate their information. This will lead into an awareness that informational text may seem to have a persuasive angle in some cases.
Writing Workshop:
In Writer’s Workshop, our enthusiastic young writers are in the process of researching, taking notes, composing chapters or sections for their informational text around a topic of their choice. It’s exciting to see our writers approximate specific writing moves that they’ve studied and learned from writers such as Nicola Davies, Stephanie Carney and Kate Riggs. Their engagement is quite admirable.
Math:
Homework Reminder: Math logs are due every Monday with the goal of 40 minutes of math practice throughout the week. We have had a lot of lost and/or forgotten logs lately. Please help your son our daughter to remember to get it signed and bring it back on time. This is an important third grade responsibility and tool to reinforce what we’re learning in math class at school.
We are wrapping up our Geometry unit this week so students can expect an assessment on Friday, February 1st. They have learned that shapes can go by more than one name depending on their attributes, for example: a square could be a rhombus or a square could be a rectangle. We’ve learned a lot of important vocabulary to help us to make these decisions. Watch this Quadrilateral Properties video to see how we think about all of these attributes to make our decision.
We will be moving on to Fractions next. Students will learn how to represent the fractions by shading in a picture, building it with fraction strips, and marking it on a number line. They will also need to know the the difference between a numerator and denominator. Please take a look at the Grade 3 Unit 4 Parent Letter for more info, strategies, and ideas for home practice.
Science:
We are beginning a new unit called Unity and Diversity. So far students have made discoveries about organisms and the difference between living and nonliving. We will focus our learning on an organism that lives in the Fox River, the crayfish!
Social Studies:
In Social Studies, we have been discussing ways to be good citizens. With our Social Studies and Science we do one area at a time so that we can clearly cover all the content in the area.
Guidance:
All of our classes have now met with Mrs. Edwards, our guidance counselor, for this month. Mrs. Edwards talked to us about how to use appropriate coping skills when faced with anger or frustration. Please ask your child what they thought were the coping skills that they like to use best in these situations.
Valentine’s Day Friendship Parties:
We will be having a Valentine’s friendship party on Thursday, February 14th. Notes were sent home this week with more information including the names of all your son or daughter’s classmates. If your child would like to have a box or bag to hold their valentines please make them at home and send to school by the day of the party. Thank you!