Team Third Grade
Mrs. Behm, Mrs. Komar, & Mrs. Frye
February 7, 2020
Language Workshop
In Language Workshop, the theme for this unit was identity. The students collectively unpacked what the concept of identity meant and worked hard to analyze how the characters’ identities were formed and shaped. The students discovered different ways that these individuals responded to a challenge, event, or relationship that caused them to problem solve and persevere. It became much more clear as to why each person we read about was able to grow a positive identity and become the best version of themselves.
Essential Question: How are identities formed and shaped?
Reader's Workshop
In Reader’s Workshop, we read a variety of biographies both independently and in small literature discussion groups. We learned, questioned and developed theories about individuals and discovered a variety of ways that they made a difference in the lives of others. We also used a variety of resources to gather more information and grew a better understanding of the people that we were learning about in our biography study.
Writing Workshop
The third graders have learned how to stretch the ideas written in their biography notes into complete sentences and are now drafting their paragraphs. We’ve also been brainstorming what kinds of nonfiction text features they could include in their biographies. From reading many biographies they’ve noticed that many include a table of contents, pictures of the important person, timeline, glossary, author’s note, and bibliography. Finally they will be editing and revising their work using our editing checklist and rubric.
At the very end of our informational writing unit, students will be asked to write an on demand piece. They will be given the heads up on the day before and will have 45 minutes to complete this piece the next day. We know that this type of on demand writing comes up on Forward testing and later in life so we hope this will give them experience and prepare them for future situations like this.
Math Workshop
We just finished up our fractions unit with our third graders! Thank you for supporting your students by completing the study guides that are sent home. This is a great way to get in math minutes as well as a review for our students. This week, we are starting our time unit! This unit consists on telling and writing time to the nearest minute as well as elapsed time. Want some extra practice at home? Start encouraging students to tell time on your clocks. See the button below for the math newsletter about this new unit!
Science
This week students chose their animal for their inquiry project as part of our Unity and Diversity unit. They have explored several good online library resources which they’ll use to research and answer their questions. They are Power Knowledge Science, Britannica, World Book, Facts 4 Me, Pebble Go, and Pebble Go Next - Science. Over the next couple of weeks they will inquire about many different topics for example: animal structures, behaviors, habitats, adaptations, diet, offspring, etc.
Digital Citizenship
Our focus this month centered around, “What information is appropriate in a digital footprint?” Our lessons were geared to guide our students as to what types of information is appropriate to put online. The students learned that the information they put on line will leave a trail. Therefore, we need to be careful to never share private information online.
Second Step
Our next unit for Second Step is calling Emotion Management. We understand that sometimes things that seem little to us can rock a 3rd grader’s world. We are diving deep into understanding the brain and how it works to manage these big emotions. Understanding and acknowledging that it’s hard to think when these big emotions take over is the first step! Students are learning how to focus their attention on the clues that our body gives us (warm face, racing heart). When your child is feeling frustrated at home, help them talk about how they are feeling and come up with some strategies on how to manage that.
Why this lesson matters? According to Second Step, “when emotions are intense, it is hard to think straight and make good decisions. Strong feelings of anger can lead to aggressive behavior. Students may also struggle to make good choices when experiencing other intense feelings. Recognizing and labeling feelings in oneself and others facilitates problem solving, self-management, and social competence. Focusing on bodily signs of strong emotions helps students recognize emotions that might need to be managed.”
Important Dates
Friday, February 14th - Friendship parties
Tuesday, February 18th - Parent Conference, 4:30-8:00 pm
Thursday, February 27th - Parent Conference, 4:30-8:00 pm
Friday, February 28th - Early Release: Students dismissed at 1:40pm