Raddatz News
March 18, 2016
Reading
We have spent some time reading poetry and exploring the many different styles and author's craft found within the large group of poetry. Now that we have had more experience with poetry, our mini-lessons will shift and readers will take a closer look at specific craft and strategies for reading poetry. It can be a challenge for readers as often the message is not clear. As a reader, you must really focus on the clues and meaning behind the words chosen by the author. It is often difficult for third graders to understand poems are open to interpretation. They often want to feel they have the "right" interpretation of the poem they have just read. We continue to use the strategies taught in our essay unit: back up your thinking with evidence to support your position!
Writing
We just finished typing our essays. Most of the students understood how to make a claim/thesis and then defend thinking through examples. Full and complete sentences with correct spelling continues to be a skill we are building here in third grade. Some students understand this concept and use it well, but others struggle to put in punctuation. We will continue to work on this!
Math
Area and perimeter has been our focus for several weeks now. This is a challenging concept for third graders because they do not use it often in real life applications. After the unit is done, the skill is not often used, and then often forgotten. If you come across a time when you use the skill, please highlight it to your child. It's important they see the real-life connections.
We will move into geometry next. We will be exploring shapes, especially quadrilaterals. We will then separate quadrilaterals (4 sided shapes) into smaller categories and explore the characteristics. It should be fun! You can help by doing a shape search as you are in the car, sitting at a restaurant, or just about anywhere. Make sure to ask your child about the characteristics for each of the shapes.
Field Trip
Thanks again to the parents who chaperoned the field trip to Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium. I hope it was a great time for you. The students learned a lot!
Click this link to take a look at the pictures.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WbtC4_v6VpO8T-ypM1PeNBUZQEbEqHBDYKRCdfznclE/edit?usp=sharing
Social studies/Science
Our social studies unit on Early History of Michigan is nearly complete. Soon, we will be moving into force and motion in science. This is a very interactive experience! We may need to collect some tinkering supplies. If you have any great recycling or items you will be tossing away, please consider setting them to the side. We will be creating items such as marble rolls, mobiles, and other creations that demonstrate an idea of force and motion.
Representative Tedder Visits!
This morning, Representative Tedder visited and read with the students in honor of March Reading Month. He also told the students about his job and what role he has in government. Take a look at a few pictures!