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

We’ve been working hard on identifying main idea and supporting details! It’s an important third grade skill. We’ll keep working on it in the classroom, and here are a few ways you can help your child practice at home:

• After your child has completed their daily reading, ask them to tell you the main idea of what they read, and at least three details that tell more about the main idea.  
• Let your child read an age/content appropriate news article of interest to them. Three good online sites are dogonews.com, timeforkids.com, and htekidsnews.com (still monitor the content though since third grade is on the young end for some material). Ask them to write down the main idea and three supporting details. Count their reading time towards their reading log.
• After your child has listened to a story or news article (or watched one on TV), ask them to tell you the main idea of what they heard. Ask them to tell you some details they heard that tell more about the main idea.

As a reminder, we have snack around 9:45 each day. Please send 1 or 2 healthy snacks with your child - enough to keep them going until lunch at 12:30. While we do have a school share box for snacks, there’s not always something in it.

Also, music is on Tuesdays. Your child should bring their recorder back to school that day, along with their music. Other days it can stay at home for practice.

New pictures will be added to our online class photo album before the end of the long weekend! You can find them on the Class Photo Albums page on our class website.

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

• Reader’s Workshop: Summarizing biographies
• Writer’s Workshop: 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

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!

Reading Comprehension

When we return from vacation I will begin adding a new component to homework. Each Monday I’ll send home a reading comprehension passage along with questions to be answered. It will be due at the end of the week. There is a certain process that I will teach the students, and we continually use for answering comprehension questions. Students will be asked to use this process at home, so I want to be sure to share it with you.

Here’s how we’ll approach reading comprehension questions:

1. Read the passage
2. Read all the questions
3. Reread the passage, keeping the questions in your head.
4. Do question one, looking back at the passage to be sure it’s the right answer.
5. Underline the answer in the passage.
6. Write the paragraph number where you found the answer next to the question.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for each question.

This process will ensure that students closely examine the text, and use text evidence, to answer questions about it. If you have any questions, please be sure to drop me a note.

Weekly Wrap Up

It was wonderful to meet with all of you this week at conferences! Since we have all just spoken, there’s not much I can put in t!he newsletter this week. So, I thought I’d let a few kids who wanted to share their thoughts with you do so.

• Rhiana- Today we learned how to read two passages on the same topic, take notes, and then we had to write a paragraph on what we took notes about. 
• Elizabeth - Today we learned about main idea and details when we are reading non-fiction books.
• Chloe - This week we learned division. 
• Hailey - Please check out our class on Twitter. 
• Ethan - We played 4-Square in Wellness this week.
• Jared - Remember to practice your recorder every week.
• Jacob - We are learning how to find certain books in the school library.
• Shannon - We finished painting our Picasso heads in art, and now we’re doing pottery.
• Mary - We’re learning how to play volleyball in gym.

One of the things that I do on an almost daily basis is place extra copies of worksheets and papers in our "extra copies" box. This way there's always an extra copy in case something gets lost. At the end of each trimester I let the children who like to play school take home any of these papers. So, if you see a lot of papers come today don't think it's work your child needs to catch up on, it's just for fun. :)

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

• Reader’s Workshop: Reading for information and main idea/supporting details
• Writer’s Workshop: Information Writing
• Math: Division

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

Did you hear we’re learning how to keyboard, and your child can practice with the same program at home? Generally we take about half an hour on Fridays to build our keyboarding skills. Sometimes we sneak in a few extra minutes other days if we finish something early, but not very often. We’re using the website, Typing Club. If your child logs into the Chrome browser at home with her/her district Google account information, and then accesses the site through the district apps link in the browser (I call it the “waffle”), they can pick up where they left off at school. Once they login again in school, they won’t have to repeat the section they did at home. The key is to make sure they login with their district Google account. We’ve done this in school before, so your child should be comfortable doing it at home.

If you’re following us on Twitter you’ve seen the links to the Native American project presentations. The projects and the presentations are incredible! Your children worked so hard, and I’m so very proud of them! The projects will be on display in the hallway during conferences, and QR codes will be available so you can also view their presentations. If you don’t have a QR code reader on your device, you might want to get one before conferences.

If you’re not following our class on Twitter you’re missing out on all the great things we do each day! You can find us sharing our learning at: @MrsCarnevale3rd. Follow us! You’ll know something that went on in our room each day, and hopefully never hear “nothing” when you ask your child what they did in school that day!  :)

Conference appointments went home early this week. If you didn’t get yours please let me know ASAP.  Also, if your schedule has changed since you returned the sign up form, and now you need to reschedule, please contact me ASAP.

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

• Reader’s Workshop: Reading for information and main idea/supporting details
• Writer’s Workshop: Information Writing
• Math: Topic 6 test and begin Topic 7 - meanings of division
• Science: Habitats

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!

Northeast Woodlands Native American Villages

Our Northeast Woodlands Native American Village Educreations are finished!  Enjoy!