News for the Week Ending 9/25
**Photos Needed:
Please send in a photograph (or color copy of a photograph) of your child engaged in any kind of activity by Sept. 29th for a writing project.
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News |
Reading |
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Dear Families of 3-Fitzgerald, This week we began exploring writing. We discussed how good writers are always noticing what is happening around them. It could be something big such as a fire drill, or it could be something small such as the steam rising from a cup of hot chocolate. I am encouraging the students to write these observations in their Writer’s Notebook. You can help at home by asking your child to share his/her ideas with you. We had our first visit to the library this week. We’re looking forward to working on the computers with Ms. Harmon. We will be finding books about world communities and kindness. These will be used in the class as we get closer to our Unicef project. (More information will be coming your way!) |
Our focus this week we reviewed story elements. We discussed how every fiction story has certain elements. Students listened to a variety of read aloud to distinguish character, setting, main events, problem and resolution. As the texts become harder, students will continue to pull out these story elements. Next week we look forward to working in small groups and partners as we continue this skill. Students also received their reading log for the year. The goal is to have each student read 25 books by the end of third grade. You can help by keeping an accurate reading log at home. There is a reading log that went home in the first homework packet. When it has been filled up, please bring it in and I will send home a fresh one. Books that are completed will be added to the children’s reading log at school. Ask your child about our class read aloud, “Granny Torelli Makes Soup” by Sharon Creech. It is truly a great book! |
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Writing |
Math ** New Everyday Math helpful links. Just click: Subjects > Math |
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As a way to encourage the third graders to write independently, each child has his/her own Writer’s Notebook. The purpose of this notebook is to gather and explore ideas. With a book full of vivid ideas, students will hone in one or more to create a meaningful story. From time to time, you may see the Writer’s Notebooks coming home with your child. They may have an assignment to add to the notebook. Please make sure your child brings the notebook back the following day so he/she will have it to work from in class. You could encourage your child to hae a conversation about his/her ideas from the notebook with you. |
This week in math, we reviewed tally charts and bar graphs. Students added to our math wall by remembering graph vocabulary such as maximum, minimum, median, mode, and range. Another lesson in math this week was the Name Collection Boxes. Children enjoyed naming a number in as many ways as they could. This is a skill easily practiced at home. Ways to name a number are by itself, its name, ways to add to the number, ways to subtract to the number, using centimeter cubes, money, and other number sense. As the year goes on, students will build on this as they are able to think of multiplication and division problems to get to a number. We learned the game, “Name That Number”. You could ask your child to show you using a regular deck of cards, how to play this game. You can count the Jack as 11, Queen as 12 and King as 13. (Ace can be a 1.)
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Social Studies |
Taking Care of Business |
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| As we continue to talk about children all around the world, next week we will begin maps and globes. Using prior knowledge and new learning, we will sharpen our map skills by practicing reading maps and by making our own. Children will also connect their map skills to the different world communities we have been discussing in class, and will continue throughout the year. | 9/24 Open House Communication: Time for Kids: For those of you who have already sent in a check, thank you so much! Scholastic Book Clubs: Photos Needed: |
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