Camp Packard: 3rd Grade News
In efforts to Connect Parents and Guardians to our Classroom
April Dates to Remember
Parents and Guardians, Please look for Seesaw "Teacher/Staff notes of encouragement" updates... you can add to in the comment section on Test days. First test day is April 21st, so look for a post in the evening on April 20th.
May/June Dates to Remember
* May 2-4th Math MCAs
* May 4th Bike to School Day
* May 9th PTA Meeting
* May 24th Global Arts Fest & Choir Concert (same night)
* May 25th Twins Weather Field Trip
* May 30th Memorial Day- No school
* June 1st Pullman Elementary Twins Game Night
Send me your Pictures and Videos!
This is a picture of Burke showing me what he can do at the playground. :)
Math in the classroom...Geometry, Time, Measurement and more...
Elapsed time is a hard concept for students to understand. Having your child figure out the time you need to leave the house in order to arrive on time to an appointment, a softball game, or a birthday party for instance will help them see the real world connection with importance of time.
Fractions continue as part of our Measurement unit. Reading a ruler correctly, rounding to the nearest half or quarter inch is a skill we are working on. One way I have worked with fractions at home with my boys is measuring with our measuring cup as we bake. Showing them equivalent fractions, and adding and subtracting fractions, has helped them see that fractions don't have to be so scary to use. :)
Data and Graphing is one of my favorites topics in Math. We actually have been looking at different graphs and how to collect data all year long. Graphing our reading minutes, graphing ourselves (standing in lines), creating line plots with teachers' pictures on our floor, etc. Learning how to read and create a graph can be difficult, but knowing to always refer to the "key" of the graph is the most important part in reading the data correctly.
Reading in the classroom... helping your child make Inferences
We are working on making students tune into the inferences we make as readers and the clues that are helping us make those connections as we read. Here is a list I found that can help with making inferences at home. I hope you find them interesting and useful :)
Things Parents Can Do:
- In a non-judgmental way regularly ask the child what they think about things and what reasoning did they use to come to that conclusion.
- Explain that we make inferences all day long, not just when were reading. Encourage a conversation about this. For instance, what does he learn from a person‟s facial expression? How does he know that?
- Make your own thinking processes more apparent to the child. (Teachers call this a think- aloud). For example, you notice that the sky is turning dark, explain to the child that this means that it is probably going to rain.
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Play guessing games like “Twenty Questions.”
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Ask the child higher order thinking questions like “Where are do birds go when it rains?” “What would have happened if the South had won the Civil War?” Ask the child to explain his reasoning. Ask follow up questions to model how thinking evolves over time.
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Ask the child to figure out unknown words using context clues and ask her to explain how she figured out what the word meant.
- Let your child express his own conclusions and have him describe his thinking. Let him decide whether he has come to the best conclusion or not.
- Have the child make predictions at places in the book that are the “cause” of an effect. Again, have the child describe her thinking.
- Help the child think about the bigger picture by discussing the title or significant events in a story. Guide the child to realize that thinking changes over time as more is learned.
Resource copied from http://www.dayofreading.org/DOR09HO/TeachingInference.pdf
Writing and Research in the classroom...
Camp Packard
Email: mpackard@sowashco.k12.mn.us
Website: www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/pe
Location: 3rd Grade Pullman Elementary
Phone: 651-768-3639
Twitter: @Packard3rdGrade