Weekly Wrap Up

Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays and vacation were fun and restful for all families! We are totally back in the swing of things, and your children have been such hard workers this week! You should be a fly on the wall to see their amazing effort and focus!

We’ve spent the week learning about the meanings of division. Students have learned that dividing means breaking things up into equal groups. They’ve practiced doing that with Fruit Loops (a yummy fun math lesson!) and with counting cubes. They’ve learned how to use repeated subtraction to divide, as well as use a multiplication chart to find the answer (quotient) to a division problem. They’ve also started learning to recognize when a story problem is asking them to divide. That one takes a little practice though. You can help at home by giving them a story problem, and asking them what operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) they should use to solve it and why. The “why” is important, it helps them process through the problem, stopping to think what needs to be done. Once they can give you the why, then have them solve it. An example of a problem you might use at home is: Grandma has 9 cookies to share equally among the three kids in our family. How many cookies should each child get?

Just a reminder, your child has PE every Thursday. Please try to remind them to wear sneakers on that day, or have them in their bag to change into. Also, they have music every Tuesday and should bring their recorder and music folder to school.

The most recent math fact test scores went home this week for your signature. If you have questions or want at-home practice sheets, please let me know. Now that we’re learning division, your child should begin studying division facts at home.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Science: Introduction to Force and Motion/Simple Machines
• Math: Division
• Reading and Writing: Finish up taking notes on information topic. Build new ideas from notes taken through different sources. Organize notes by sub-topic/ chapter. Determine if chapters have enough information, or need to be combined or need more research (this might go into the following week)

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Next week we finish up our study of addition and subtraction as your child learns to do what is called, “three digit subtraction across zeros with regrouping.”  What this means is learning how to do subtraction problems like 400-214. This can be a very tricky skill for third graders. I’ll be teaching it through the use of base ten blocks on the computer and iPad, which allows the students to drag and drop the blocks, as well as break them apart, which helps them see the regrouping needed. 

Since this skill can be so tricky for students, I’m going to make a change for homework next week only. Instead of math fact practice, I’m going to give them a regrouping practice sheet on Monday, and ask for it to be worked on at home during the week, and returned by Friday. It shouldn’t take them more than a total of 30-40 minutes during the entire week. If you find that it’s taking more, please have them stop, and send it back to me with a note. 

If you have an iPad and would like the same app we use, it’s Number Pieces Basic (by Math Learning Center). If your child wants to use the website, it’s linked off our class Just for Kids webpage. Also, your child can always re-watch the video that goes with lesson 3-9, found on the enVision website.

Our class wish list includes the following:

• Small plastic cups - for when kids don’t have a water bottle
• Animal print duct tape - great for repairing broken binders and notebooks, and so many other things 
• Ziplock type baggies with slider -sandwich size for storing word work materials each week, and many other uses 

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Unit skills review
• Writer’s Workshop: Putting together all the pieces that go into personal narrative writing, and working on individual goals
• Math: 3-digit subtraction with regrouping

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

It might have been a short week, but it’s been a busy week! We took some time to examine a few online resources, all of which can be accessed from home, and I want to share with you. Login information for each is written on their printed newsletter that came home on Friday. 

The first is enVision Math. This is the online resource for our math curriculum. After logging in, students and parents can view the instructional video from the day. To access it after logging in, click on the “Explore” button on the right side of the banner. From there click on topic, and then select the lesson. Students (and parents) can also access the book once logged in.

Next is MyOn. This is a free ebook site! On Thursday students took an interest inventory and placement test. Books were then recommended for them that are appropriate to their level and of interest to them. After reading a book students take a brief, 5 question, comprehension quiz. I am able to access and analyze their reading data. Login as your child and you can see their data, too. Video and print tutorials for MyOn can be found here: http://prodev.myon.com/at-home/get-started

Last is Typing Club. This is a keyboarding site, which steps students through learning to keyboard, including graphics which show the correct finger placement and usage. This program retains student progress if logged into with their District Google credentials. 

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Understanding figurative langage
• Writer’s Workshop: Putting together all the pieces that go into personal narrative writing
• Math: 3-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping.

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

A number of you have expressed concern to me over whether or not your child has more homework than reading and math facts practice. No, they don’t. Board of Education policy limits homework at the third grade level to 30 minutes a night. This has to include reading time. So, that’s why it’s only 20 minutes of reading and 10 minutes of math facts. In just a little over a month they’ll be working on learning multiplication facts, so it’s really important that right now your child learns their addition and subtraction facts. Just as quickly as they know that 1+1=2, they should know harder facts such as 17-9. It shouldn’t take more than 2-3 seconds per fact, otherwise they don’t actually know them. Reading should be any book they want, 20 minutes a night, 5 nights a week, and math facts should be 10 minutes, 5 nights a week.

Speaking of math, as you might have noticed from the papers coming home, we’ve been doing some review of 2-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping (what we used to call carrying and borrowing). If you’re wanting your child to do more schoolwork at home, writing up some problems that involve regrouping would be great practice! Soon we’ll be doing 3 and 4-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping, and “double regrouping” such as 323-176.

We’ve also been working making predictions in our reading and using information we’ve already read, as well as what we know about the character’s traits and personality, to help support those predictions. When you talk with your child about what he/she has read, you can ask them to predict what might happen next, and encourage them to support those predictions.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Decoding tricky words, using context clues, and figurative language
• Writer’s Workshop: Continuing to write small moment stories bit by bit, and including dialogue and characters’ thoughts and feelings
• Math: Estimating sums and differences

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Since we have two short weeks, this newsletter will be for the weeks of March 14th and March 21st.

As you begin to take out spring clothes for your child to see what still fits, or are buying new things, please keep the dress code in mind. Shorts and skirts/dresses should not be any shorter than the tips of fingers with arms hanging at side. Spaghetti straps or strapless tops should not be worn, and sandals should have heel straps. More info. on the dress code can be found in family handbook, located in the back of the school calendar.

Today we began our new math unit on geometry. Since there are a number of terms that you might not have seen since your days in school (Who remembers scalene triangles or obtuse angles?) the vocab cards for the unit are attached. Students also have a copy in their math notebook in class. We will be using our new knowledge to design towns applying various terms (ex: two streets must be parallel). There won’t be any math papers for homework, but students need to work on memorizing the meanings of the topic vocabulary words.

If you haven’t yet done the parent communication survey, please take a minute to fill it out. It’s linked off the front of our class website. Thanks!

Here's what we're learning about for the next two weeks:

• Reader’s Workshop: Book clubs 
• Writer’s Workshop: Persuasive Writing 
• Math: Geometry Town
• Social Studies: Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Today your child is bringing home a math fact test score report. It includes their monthly fact tests from December until now. I know you see a weekly score on their progress reports. This monthly score report will enable you to see growth each month since they began testing for multiplication and division. If you’re wondering why the scores on the February test might be different from the scores on the most recent weekly tests, it’s because there were different tests given on different days. Please sign it the for this weekend and return it on Monday with your child. 

Do your kids ever complain that they’re bored or there’s nothing to do? Our class website has the answer for you and your child! The Just for Kids section is filled with links to educational activities and games, as well as keyboarding practice. The Safari Scholar section will stretch your child’s brain with 100 unique and challenging tasks!

Conference request forms are due on Monday. If you haven’t returned yours, please do so on Monday. If you lost it, just drop me an email this weekend and let me know what days/times are best for you, and I’ll fit you into the schedule. The choices for conferences are:

• Monday, March 21st in the evening
• Tuesday, March 22nd in the afternoon
• Wednesday, March 23rd in the evening

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Growing theories about characters
• Writer’s Workshop: A little fun story writing followed by the Persuasive Writing unit pretest
• Math: Fractions
• Social Studies: Connecticut 

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education! 

Weekly Wrap Up

I just realized I forgot to post the information from the last newsletter, so this will have info from both.

We recently started something new to help students master their multiplication facts - Multiplication Fact of the Day. Here’s how it works... Assuming that the children have mastered their 0s, 1s, 2s, and 10s, there are only 28 facts to memorize when we take into consideration the commutative property of multiplication (ex: 3x8=8x3). Each day, for 6 out of 7 days, students will have just one multiplication problem to memorize. I’ll write it up on the board that day, and we’ll go over it multiple times during the day. There’s also a home calendar with each fact of the day written on it. I’m asking parents to really go over the problem at home with their child, too. Let them see it, say it, and write it. It won’t hurt to throw in a previous problem of the day, either. I don’t know if this will work for sure, it’s a new idea, but it’s worth a try. If this works, then I’ll do the same thing for division. In case you’re wondering, here are all of the facts that need to be memorized:!

• 3x3, 3x4, 3x5, 3x6, 3x7, 3x8, 3x9 (7 facts)
• 4x4, 4x5, 4x6, 4x7, 4x8, 4x9 (6 facts)
• 5x5, 5x6, 5x7, 5x8, 5x9 (5 facts)
• 6x6, 6x7, 6x8, 6x9 (4 facts)
• 7x7, 7x8, 7x9 (3 facts)
• 8x8, 8x9 (2 facts)
• 9x9 (1 fact)

This week the kids took over the newsletter! Here’s what they want you to know...

• Shannon: Today we learned so much about Helen Keller.
• Elizabeth: We watched a clip of the real Helen Keller in her Easton, CT house.
• Ethan: We had popcorn today during the movie.
• Mary: We also saw a cartoon about Helen Keller.
• Rhiana: We did our monthly multiplication and division quizzes.
• Alana: We now have a wall of honor for multiplication and division.
• Maryla: We saw Helen Keller’s CT house in Google Maps street view.
• Addie: We saw Helen Keller’s Alabama house in Google Maps street view, and it’s now a museum.
• Hailey: We’re finishing our information books
• Amelia: Study your math facts!
• Jared: We’ve learned about writing endings for information books.
• Shannon: We finished packet #4 in cursive handwriting. (Mrs. Carnevale says this means they’ve learned all of the lower case letters in cursive!)
• Mary: Next week we start upper case letters in cursive.
• Ethan: Practice reading!
• Maia: We book shopped this week for our new levels of fiction.
• Tyler: We’re starting a new unit in reading.

If you have extras of these at home, we could use them:!

• Paper plates
• Plastic grocery store bags

A few reminders... 

• Wear sneakers on Wednesdays!!
• Bring recorders and music on Tuesdays!!
• Notes are needed every Friday for electronics during Fun Friday!

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reading - Orienting to Fiction at our new levels
• Writing - Finishing (finally!) information books and information writing test
• Math - Fractions
• Social Studies - Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education! 

Fractions

We've been busy learning about fractions during math time. Here are our presentations on them, made on the iPads with PicCollage and Educreations.

Weekly Wrap Up

We’ve been busy putting our new knowledge about fractions to work this week. The children have been working in small groups to create presentations on the iPads using PicCollage and Educreations. As soon as each group finishes their project it will be posted on here and on the student blogs. Please stop by your child’s blog, watch their video, and leave them a comment!  

You’ll notice something new on your child’s weekly progress report, a box giving their weekly multiplication and division math facts quiz scores. To help the children track their progress, improve, and know how close they’re coming to meeting the goal score, we’re now doing weekly timed quizzes. Each week I’ll report their scores to you. If your child had 90 or higher on their January multiplication and/or their January division tests they do not have to take the weekly quizzes for that operation. Once your child gets 3 scores of 90 or higher in a row on an operation for the weekly quizzes, they no longer have to take the quizzes. However, if they drop below 90 on their monthly quizzes, then they’ll start taking the weekly quizzes again. I know this might sound a little confusing, so if you have any questions please drop me a note or call.

We have a lot of birthdays coming up in late winter and spring. If you plan to send something to school with your child, please remember that we have food allergies in the room. My policy is that any food treats that come in need to be tree nut free and peanut free, as well as shellfish free. If you make them at home, they can't be made in/on equipment that might contain any trace of tree nuts or peanuts or shellfish. If you make them, please send me a note that they're allergen free so I can get the parental permission of the children with food allergies. If you buy them, please make sure I can see the ingredients labels on them. Also, if you buy them, the label shouldn't say they're made in a facility or on equipment that also processes the allergens due to cross contamination that can happen. I know this can be confusing, so as an alternate, non-food treats are always great.  Please contact me ahead of time if you plan to send something in.  Thanks!

A couple of reminders:

• Please sign your child’s behavior calendar at the end of each week. Students get Tiger Tickets for signatures.
• Have you looked in your child’s backpack lately? I sometimes notice food in their desks and lockers, you might want to check their bag if you haven’t in a while.  :)

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop: Cross text synthesis while writing information books
• Math: Fractions
• Social Studies: Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

This week we started our new topic of study in math, fractions. Students are learning that fractions are equal parts of a whole, of a set, or of a length. This week they learned to name fractions with the help of M&Ms! That made for yummy math!  :) Next week they’ll learn to locate fractions and mixed numbers on a number line. At home you can help by asking your child to identify fractional parts of a set. For example, you could ask them what fraction of the silverware on the table are forks, or what fraction of items (such as toy cars or rubber bands) are a certain color. Keep the objects in the set to 12 or less, and ask your child to also use the fractions 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2 to identify the fractional set when possible. Example: Of the 12 rubber bands, 6 are red, so 6/12 or 1/2 of the rubber bands are red.

Also this week, your child learned a framework to use when summarizing a narrative (fiction) or narrative nonfiction (biography) story or chapter. It’s one you can ask them to use at home when they talk about their reading with you. We'll continue practicing this framework next week.

Don't forget that Curl Up and Read is next Friday, January 29! Please join us from 2:45-3:15.

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays and vacation were fun and restful for all families!  We are totally back in the swing of things, and your kids have been focused, hard workers this week! You should be a fly on the wall to see their amazing effort and focus!

Early next week we have our January timed addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tests. After I correct them I’ll send a score report home to you so you know how they did. Remember, goal is 80% or higher. Next week is our last week with division, then we move to fractions! Wow! So far this year the children have learned place value to the hundred thousands, adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers w/regrouping, multiplication, and division! 

Your child has PE every Wednesday. Please make sure they are wearing sneakers on that day, or have them in their bag to change into. Speaking of changing into shoes, at some point we’re going to have snow, and that means big winter boots. Once that happens you’ll want to make sure your child has their sneakers or other shoes in their bag if they’re not going to wear their boots all day.

Just a reminder that students are expected to read at home 5 nights a week for at least 20 minutes a night. They need to fill out their reading logs for each night. Also, students are expected to practice their basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) at least 10 minutes a night, 5 nights a week. They need to fill out their math logs for each night. Thanks for helping monitor your child’s home reading and home math.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Reading biographies

• Writer’s Workshop: Note taking on information writing topic, maybe start writing

• Math: Finish division, topic 8 test and start Fractions

• Social Studies: Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

A few times a year I send home a Scholastic book order. This is just one of many ways to find reading material for your child. Please don’t feel obligated to purchase anything, but if you do want to buy a book, you can either order and pay online, or you can send in the form with a check (please do not send cash). A larger selection of books is actually available online. The order link and our class code are on our class website. Online orders are delivered to the classroom and distributed to your child. They do not get sent to your home. Click here for the link on the class website for Scholastic Book Orders. Online and paper forms are due Friday, Nov. 13.

This week we started learning about the meanings of multiplication. Next week we start with the facts. Our math program does not do them in order (0-10). Topic 5 covers multiplying by 2, 5, 9, 1, 0, and 10, in that order. I also throw in 11 since it’s so easy. Late in the week ask your child to show you the nine’s trick with their hands. I’ll also tweet out a video of the trick on the day we learn it.

Once again we are collecting treats for troops. This is a great chance for your child to be a Goodness Gorilla (ask them what this means). Please send in a bit of extra Halloween candy next week. It will be distributed to our troops serving around the world

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Review of skills taught in unit 1
• Writer’s Workshop: Continue revising and typing small moment stories
• Math: Multiplying by 2 ,5, and 9
• Social Studies: Northeast Woodland Native Americans

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

On Wednesday we begin learning about multiplication! It’s first introduced through the concept of repeated addition, such as 4x2=8 is the same as 4 groups of 2, or 2+2+2+2=8. We will also learn about it through arrays. An example of an array is shown on the attached family math letter. Another way that we’ll learn about multiplication is through skip counting. If your child can count by 3’s six times, then they’ll know that 3x6=18. Next week a skip counting chart and a multiplication chart will be sent home. Your child will likely need to refer to those while doing his/her homework.

Along with studying addition and subtraction facts, your child can begin studying multiplication facts. The website multiplication.com (http://www.multiplication.com) has some great games that kids tend to love. The “Just for Kids” page on our class website has many resources listed by topic, as well as basic fact sites. One thing I find is that in their excitement to learn something new and “grown up” kids often fall back in their subtraction progress as they focus on multiplication. So, they’ll need to keep circling back to study subtraction facts (and addition too).

Today your child is bringing home a sheet with of all of their logins and passwords for the various sites we use in school. This is so they can login from home if they want, and so you always have access to what we’re doing in school. If you ever have questions about these sites or want help with them, don’t hesitate to ask!

I realized that I never sent home the math test scores from Topic 2 last week. I’m so sorry! The kids took the test on the Chromebooks, and they can’t print from them. I meant to print them, and then it slipped my mind. They’re coming home today.

Friday we are making slime in class! It’s a VERY messy activity. Your child is very likely to get it on their clothes. Please don’t send them to school in good clothes that day.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Strategies to read and understand meanings of tricky words and phrases (including figurative language, synonyms, and antonyms)
• Writer’s Workshop: Typing small moment stories
• Math: Test topic 3 and start Topic 4- meanings of multiplication
• Science: Physical and chemical changes of matter

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Next week we start Topic 3 in math, which focuses on 3-digit addition and subtraction with regrouping (what we grew up calling carrying and borrowing). We’ve actually already been working on addition with regrouping as part of our morning work, so our lessons will be focused more on subtraction with regrouping. By late in the week we will be doing what’s called subtracting across zeros. This means doing problems like 400-127. To help students with this, there’s a great free iPad app we use in school, Number Pieces Basic. If you have an iOS device at home, you may want to download it for your child (there doesn’t appear to be an Android version, but there might be something on the same idea). It can also be accessed on the developer’s website: http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/web-apps/number-pieces/.

 Did you hear the news? We blogged AGAIN this week! Last week your child wrote their introduction blog post. Today your child blogged about the favorite book he/she read in September. Please take a minute to read your child’s blog, and comment. Feel free to share their blog with every relative you have, and have them comment!, too. :) The kids LOVE it when people comment on their writing, and it is highly motivating.

 It was a techie week. Along with blogging, the children created their first Educreations slideshows on the iPads as a review for math. Each group had to choose whether to teach how to round numbers to the nearest ten and nearest hundred, or teach about the three properties of addition. A couple of the presentations are in the next blog post down.

 As you might have noticed this week, your child does not always have some type of worksheet to do for homework. I only send worksheets home when there’s been a skill taught in class that day (or sometimes that week), that I want them to practice and apply their new knowledge to, reinforcing their in-school learning. Even when there’s not a worksheet, they still need to be doing their home reading and math facts, and recording on their logs. 

Here's what we'll be learning about next week:

•  Reader’s Workshop: Strategies to read and understand tricky words and phrases (including figurative language, synonyms, and antonyms) 
•  Writer’s Workshop: Putting together all the pieces of personal narrative writing. 
•  Math: Addition and subtraction of 3-digit numbers with regrouping. 
•  Science: Matter 

 Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Educreations Math

We've been learning how to use the iPad app, Educreations, to create math presentations to help us review topics we're learning about.  Here are two that were made this week:

Weekly Wrap Up

We are just a few weeks away from starting multiplication! What that means is that your child really needs to know his/her addition and subtraction facts. Once we start multiplication, they’ll need to start focusing on memorizing those facts. A couple of months after that we start division, and then they have to learn those facts. That gets tricky if they’re still working on addition and subtraction. Third graders should know their math facts with immediate recall. This means no longer than about 2 seconds per fact! As fast as a child knows that 1+1=2, they need to know that 15-9=6. Thanks for making sure your child is practicing their addition and subtraction math facts at home, five nights a week, for at least ten minutes a night, and recoding it on their math fact log.

The final copy of the contact list is coming home today. If you move, change your phone number, or email, and want it updated on the contact list, please let me know, and I’ll make a new one to send out.

This morning I ran across an article on the free app, Bedtime Math. I briefly looked at the website, and thought the app looked promising. I haven’t used it yet, but wanted to share it with you in case you might be interested. If you do use it with your child, please let me know what you think about it.

You know from our class Twitter that I take a lot of pictures in class. But, I don’t post all of them on Twitter, just a select few. All the rest of the pictures get posted in the photo album page of our class website. All of the pictures from September will be posted by the end of the weekend. Stop by and take a look!

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Strategies to read and understand tricky words and phrases (including figurative language)
• Writer’s Workshop: Review using storyteller voice, not reporter voice.
• Math: Review and test Topic 2
• Science: Matter

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

We Will Round You

We made a math music video today!

Weekly Wrap Up, Sept. 25th

It was fabulous to meet so many of you at Open House! I know it can be a whirlwind of a night, especially if you have multiple classrooms to visit. Hopefully the tour your child gave you of our room and their things gave you a little insight into their life at school. Our first conference isn’t until December, so if you have any questions or concerns between now and then, or just want to check in on your child’s progress, please let me know. I’ll be glad to schedule an earlier conference.

As you know, we are working on writing small moment stories, telling a true story bit by bit, moment by moment. You can help at home when your child is telling you about something that happened. You can ask him/her to tell you their story in very small detail, bit by bit, moment by moment, so you can picture it like a movie. It’s often helpful for a child to rehearse telling a story, listing what happened across their fingers. This helps them remember to tell it in order.

If your child has trouble with their math homework, the instructional video from the day on the enVision Math website can always be watched at home. To access the video after logging into enVision from the link on our Just for Kids page, students can click on the “Explore” button on the right side of the banner. From there they can click on topic, and then select the lesson. I showed the children how to access their books and videos today, so they should be able to help you if needed.

Thanks to everyone who filled out the contact information/permission. I will send home contact information for the class by the end of next week. If you did not return the form to me, I cannot include your child’s contact information. When/if missing forms are returned, I’ll send out updated contacted information.

Here's what's on our learning safari next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Strategies to understand a story, and focusing on increasing reading stamina
• Writer’s Workshop: Paragraphs in narrative writing, and mapping out elements in narrative writing
• Math: Using mental math to add and subtract (we start rounding to nearest 10 and 100 and estimation the following week)

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

I wish you could have been flies on the wall during the last couple of weeks to see how hard your children have worked on their SBAC testing. I’m very proud of them for the effort and stamina they showed during testing. We have pretty much finished with testing, with just make-ups early next week. Thanks so much for helping make sure your child was at their best each testing day.

As you know from the capacity measurement homework, we are spending a few days studying measurement of capacity and mass, using both metric and customary units. If you go to the grocery store with your child this weekend, you can turn it into a huge learning experience by having them locate items measured in cups, pints, quarts, gallons, milliliters, and liters, as well as grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds. Of course if the thought of trying to do this in the grocery store with your child makes you laugh (or gives you hives) you could send your child on a measurement of mass treasure hunt in the kitchen (similar for what they did for capacity homework), looking for items with weight measured in grams, kilograms, ounces, and pounds.

Help!  No one volunteered for the one chaperone spot open for our June 2nd trip to the State Capital, Legislative Office Building, Museum of State History, and Bushnell Park in Hartford. We’ll leave Toffolon around 11:00 and be back around 3:00. It’s a big day, with a lot of walking. If you’d like to join us please email me or send in a note with your child.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Elements of fairy tales
• Writer’s Workshop: Adapting fairy tales
• Spelling: Unit 31 - Words home on Monday, test on Friday
• Math: Measurement of mass then Data (aka graphing)
• Social Studies: CT

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Our study of geometry is underway! Along with doing their regular math homework and studying math facts, your child should also be spending some time studying their math vocab. There’s a great online resource for this that I just learned about, and shared with the children: Quizlet. The third grade teachers at Wheeler have put all of the vocab words on there, and there are electronic flashcards, games, and quizzes available. We’ll have a quick vocab quiz next week to see how they’re doing.

Please keep an eye on the amount of candy and super sugary treats your child brings to school. A healthier snack is better able to keep him/her focused and learning through the morning than a sugary one. A little treat at lunch is great if you want, but too much sugar may wind them up and make it harder to settle and concentrate on their afternoon reading.

Here's what we'll be learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Talking about fiction books we read
• Writer’s Workshop: Persuasive writing
• Spelling: Unit 26 - Words home on Monday, test on Friday
• Math: Topic 11 - Geometry
• Science: Habitats - Finish posters and present

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. Together we are partners in your child’s education!