Third Grade News
Mrs. Behm, Mrs. Komar, & Mrs. Pilo
December 7, 2018
Community:
In third grade, the students have had or will be having their personal safety lesson done by our counselor Heidi Edwards. Mrs. Edwards does an excellent job of presenting this very important information to our third grade students.
Language Workshop:
We are off to a great start with reading and unpacking the first book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. We have learned through the main character William, that the struggles he faced in life, propelled his efforts, curiosity and will to make a difference.
Essential Questions: How can inquiry solve problems? How do writers teach others effectively?
Reading Workshop:
In reader’s workshop, we are launching our study around informational books and noticing different features and moves that writers of this genre use. As researchers, we will continue our search for answers to our questions around topics of interest to guide our study. In this unit, we will focus on noticing the variety of text structures and text features that are used.
Writing Workshop:
This week our writers celebrated our study of persuasive writing. We discovered that this type of writing could be written in many ways such as a speech, a letter, a narrative, a poem, an essay or a script.. Our writers realized the importance of using examples to support their reasons when they formed an opinion or took a stance about a particular topic. They also learned that they needed to figure out ways to counter the opposing person’s perspective. We celebrated our work with sharing it amongst our classmates during a Writing Museum.
Math:
Our current unit is focused on using what we learned about multiplication to help us with division. We have learned 4 different strategies like fact families, equal groups, arrays, and repeated subtraction.
We are learning vocabulary to help us be precise as we talk about multiplication and division.
For multiplication we do: factor x factor = product
For division we do: quotient / dividend = divisor
Then we are using our strategies like fact families to find missing factors, dividends, and divisors. Finally we will apply all we have learned to solving multiplication and division word problems.
Feel free to practice multiplication and/or division math facts at home to begin building fluency (speed and accuracy). This time can be recorded as minutes on the pink math practice log.
Science:
Our study of magnets has brought us to a new challenge. Students have been asked to design a car that moves only using the force of magnets. They have used the pull of attraction or the push of repulsion to move their car. After many tests they are starting to move pretty far! The final project will lead them to a race to see how fast their car can really move just with the power of magnets. They’re really enjoying this hands on challenge!
Second Step:
In Second Step, we continue to learn about problem solving with friends and also learning to be empathetic to others. Empathy is a crucial skill for the students to learn about as they will be using it their entire lives.
Report Cards & Continuums:
Next week you will be able to see your son or daughter’s report card on Infinite Campus. Make sure you take a moment to look over their grades and comments. You will also be receiving the most recent student learning continuums. It will be a different version from last year’s K-2 continuum since they are now in the intermediate grades. Anything that is not highlighted means that we have not covered that concept yet. If it is highlighted green, then your child is showing that they are proficient. If it is highlighted orange, then we will continue to work on that area and will look for growth toward proficiency throughout the year. If you have questions, let your child’s teacher know.
Thank you!
The third grade teachers would like to thank our wonderful parents for being such an important part of our third grade showcase and music concert. We know that all of you are very busy with life. We truly appreciate the time you took to have your child ready and looking “special” for the concert. We know how important it was to the children! Thanks also for all you do each day to help your child be the BEST third grade learner that they can be!