The Ritenour Review
2018 - 2019 Third Grade Weekly News
Websites to Use at Home
Math Sites:
- khanacademy.org
- xtramath.org
Five minutes each night or morning - that's it! Super quick!
Xtramath.org
Login Info: critenour@zcs.k12.in.us
Student name and code
- Scootpad: go to zcs.k12.in.us -> login using username: first-last and password is lunch code -> click on scootpad icon
- office.com: We have used Word so far.
- Newela: Current Event Reading
**We will add to this list in the coming weeks.
Brrrr!!!!
Man, it's cold out there!! I hope you're all enjoying your extra long weekend. We are going a little stir crazy with these frigid temperatures outside. I hope your family is staying warm and finding enjoyment this weekend.
Here is a look into our coming week:
Word Study:
Last week, our entire class revisited common contraction spelling patterns. This coming week, we will work on a whole class spelling list again. Starting the following week, the class will be split and working on the skills at each students' level.
Mentor Sentences:
We will work with the story Olive My Love.
Our main focus will revisit adjectives.
Reading:
Last week, we kicked off our newest reading unit. We are returning to a fiction unit, specifically focused on plot and character traits. We will focus on looking at patterns throughout our stories to determine the traits our characters hold. A big focus will be to avoid stating emotions as traits.
Writing:
I hope you have heard about the hype in our writing block. Last week, we started a new writing unit - Persuasive Speech Writing. This year, the third grade team decided to mix things up a bit. We are kicking off our unit working on a whole-class writing opportunity. Over the next two weeks, we will learn the skills and components to persuasive writing by attempting to persuade one of the biggest entertainment companies around - Disney! We are working on letters to send to Disney executives. Our point is to try to persuade them to create a ride with a movie that has not been used at one of their parks. Fun!
Last week, we had several debate battles to determine our class movie - Black Panther. After our two weeks working as a whole unit, each child will have the opportunity to write to an audience of his/her choice. Several may want to work on another movie that did not get selected, or they may want to look to a different audience - moms, dads, principals, presidents. The sky is the limit! As we travel through this unit with the same topic, we will be using an online program called Boom Writers. This will allow us to collaborate as a whole unit and share our ideas. As we finish up our informational writing unit, I look forward to seeing those writing traits carried into this similar writing unit.
Math:
We are working heavily in a fraction and multiplication unit. We are continuing to build a visual sense of fractions and implement more efficient multiplication strategies. Ultimately, the two go together nicely. At this point in the year, we have a plethora of skills and needs. The kids are excited by the hands-on components to fractions, and I have had the beautiful opportunity to work with them individually more in the last week. The next week will allow the same opportunities for individual time and hands-on exploration.
Science:
We are still waiting on our next science kits to arrive. The third grade team has tentatively planned to kick off our Motion unit on Thursday. We shall see!
Upcoming Dates
- January 23rd - Family STEM Night "Cardboard Challenge" 6:00-7:30
- February 14th: Our class Valentine's Party. **More information coming soon.