Mrs. Greene's 3rd Grade
January 8, 2018
Ready to Get Back to It...
THANK YOU SO MUCH for the wonderful GIFT CARDS! I enjoyed spending some time at Barnes and Noble, shopping online at Amazon and locally at Target, and eating dinner at Boom Bozz thanks to your generosity!
January will bring a lot of new beginnings in 3rd Grade. Be sure to read the CALKINS READING section below for changes in 3rd Grade Reading. We start to look ahead toward I-READS and ISTEP testing which take place in the months of February and March. More information about those two important tests will come home soon.
Don't forget, I am always available to meet with you to discuss your child's progress or address any questions or concerns you may have. Call or email if you'd like to request a meeting.
Looking forward to a GREAT week next week!
Enjoy your weekend...
Mrs. Greene
December 22, 2017 - FUN!
Calkins Reading
Beginning second semester, the Lead Teachers at Smoky Row will pilot a new reading program. It is written by Lucy Calkins and is entitled The Units of Study for Teaching Reading. Many teachers around the district have started piloting this program and are excited about the results they are having with their students.
There will be a few changes that come with this program. They are as follows:
- Students will use their own books, books from my classroom library, book from the SRE Media Center, and other authentic reading materials to practice reading skills. This is different in that we have been using an ANTHOLOGY where everyone is reading the same story to practice.
- There will be no SPELLING LISTS given and students will not take a weekly spelling test. This does not mean that we won't be engaging in spelling work. We will do a daily spelling lesson practicing prefixes, suffixes, roots, grammar, and other important and transferrable skills.
- Students will be expected to record everything they read in their Reader's Notebook. Books read at home and at school should be recorded. You will not need to sign anything to verify your child's reading. The purpose of this is to view patterns in genres, reading stamina, and to use it as a celebration of lots of hours spent reading!
- There will be NO nightly homework in reading. This is a result of reading many professional studies/articles/blogs that show homework does not contribute to academic success in elementary students. Click HERE to read a short blog in support of no homework. This article/blog is one of many, but it's short and gets to the point quickly. If you are interested in following educational professionals that are very up-to-date on best practices on Twitter, I suggest following ALICE KEELER. Nightly math homework will still be assigned, as it support our Everyday Math curriculum. I WILL ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO SPEND TIME EACH NIGHT READING, BUT IT WILL NOT BE REQUIRED!
- Your assistance is needed in the following ways:
* Ask your child about the current book they are reading.
* Encourage him/her to always have a book that comes home from school. I will try
to make sure this happens, but with 21 students it can be difficult.
* Get involved in helping your child choose books. Going to the Carmel Public
Library or a trip to Barnes and Noble are great ways to keep the spark of reading
alive and growing!
* Consider ordering from a Scholastic Book order. I will send this home soon and I
plan to use ALL OF MY TEACHER BONUS POINTS on new books for the classroom.
I hope this information helps you as we begin this new reading program next semester. I am excited about it. I think GREAT things will transpire as my students begin to really see the value of reading in their everyday lives! Thanks for your help and if you have questions, I am always available to meet with you!
SRE CALENDAR
January 12: SRE Spirit Day - Report Cards available!
January 15: No School - MLK Day
January 15 - February 10: NWEA (MAP) Testing
For more information about what is happening around SRE, click HERE to read the Rocket Review. It is full of wonderful information!
Around Room 9...
Here is What is Planned for Next Week: January 8-12
Reading
- Reading genres
- Summarizing fiction texts
- Predicting events in fiction
Word Study
- "ture" picture, fracture, capture, puncture
- Roots: tract, struct, rupt
- Prefixes: re-, un-, pre-, mis-, inter-
- Suffixes: -ous, -ing, -ed
Writing: Persuasive/Opinion Writing
- Developing an Idea
- See a problem - develop a solution
Math: Unit 5
- Representing Fractions
- Exploring Equal Parts
- Reviewing AREA
Your child should have brought home their Unit 4 Math Test. We graphed our data and the test was put in their Data Binders.
Science: Scientific Method
- What are the steps of the Scientific Method?
- A FUN Froot Loop Experiment
- We will spend time organizing our Science Notebooks
Special Helper - Bridget
3rd Grade Trivia
Which Ocean borders Georgia?
Mrs. Greene's Contact Information
Email: tgreene@ccs.k12.in.us
Website: http://tgreen5.wixsite.com/room9
Location: 900 West 136th Street, Carmel, IN, United States
Phone: 317-571-4084
Twitter: @MrsGreene4