Third Grade News
What's Happening in December
Language Arts
It's hard to believe the first trimester of third grade is over! Your students have worked hard improving their reading strategies and will continue to grow as we begin our unit in informational texts. The strategies of previewing, predicting, summarizing, and determining the main idea with supporting details will be center stage. Reading nonfiction well becomes hugely important as your students travel through the grades and into their eventual career!
As writers, your students will take what they notice from their reading and try those "moves" out as the author of their own informational texts. Strategies like adding anecdotes, expert vocabulary, definitions and gluing their writing together with linking words/phrases (also, because, in addition to, as well as, etc.) will help elaborate their pieces!
Math
In December, we will continue to work on adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers within 1,000. Students will need to lock in an efficient and accurate strategy that consistently works for them. Remember to sign-up for your parent access to the Student Handbook online to see examples of the work we do in class. If you've misplaced that information, please contact Mrs. Mangini and she'll get you set up!
Science and Social Studies
The third graders are in the process of researching birds for their STEM project. In order to design and construct bird feeders, students must determine which birds are around Connecticut in the winter and how best to meet their needs. We're still open to donations of any of the following materials: empty and cleaned-out milk jugs/cartons, wooden spoons or dowels, pie tins, styrofoam plates/cups or anything else you think would be useful!
Odds and Ends
- Holiday Helpers is here! Please send in gifts by the 16th (after you've heard from your teacher what items to pick up!)
- Jump Rope for Heart was great!
- Keep practicing those multiplication facts for the in-class quizzes!
- The Hour of Code is coming... ask your student about it!