KidPower visited third grade. They were here to teach people of all ages and abilities how to use their power to stay safe, act wisely, and believe in themselves. Ask your child how to walk away and throw negative words in the "trash." Check out their web site. kidpower.org 
Water is a unique earth material, the only material on Earth that
occurs naturally in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
Next to the air we breathe, water is probably the most important
thing in our lives. Your child will learn these interesting things and
more as we investigate water, its properties, and what it can do in the
FOSS Water and Climate Module.
One of the goals of this module is to help students focus their
observation skills on water—to begin seeing water in a new light. Through their
investigations into the properties of water (how it reacts to heating and cooling and
the processes of evaporation and condensation), students will begin to appreciate how
important this unique material is.
We will also use tools and the Internet to monitor weather conditions in our local
area and compare forecasts to actual measurements. We will be introduced to climate
and how climate regions are determined around North America and the world.
You can help your child focus on the properties of water and its uses in several ways.
Use the Internet to find the source of your local water. Take a trip to the public
library and check out books about water, water conservation, and recycling. Plan a
visit to a garden shop and find out more about irrigation systems and water drainage
in different kinds of soil. Visit a dam, reservoir, lake, or stream to observe the flow and
interactions of water with the earth. Consider ways to conserve water in your home
and community. Take a walk around the block after a rainstorm, looking for evidence
of precipitation, condensation, evaporation, and flowing water. Follow weather
conditions in the broadcasts and in newspapers and discuss them with your child. You can get more information on this module by going to
www.FOSSweb.com.
We’re looking forward to weeks of exciting investigations in the world of water and
climate! 
| Each student has been assigned an "AR Goal." The goals were calculated according to each student's performance on the computerized AR star test. The Accelerated Reader program ("AR") is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension. Students select books on their reading level, read independently, and take an independent comprehension test on a school computer. Each book is worth a certain number of points based on its length and reading level. Students get a percentage of these points based on how many of the test questions they get right. The program tracks their progress over the course of the school year. You may track your student’s progress inHome Connect.
Here is a link to the Parent's Guide to AR. Accelerated Reader
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With the new Common Core State Standards, we will focus on how to read nonfiction text in RTI. We'll learn about text features, subject specific vocabulary, cause and effect and how to compare and contrast information as we learn about plant and animal adaptations. Our Foss Science text, The Mighty Saguaro Cactus, A Real Cold Fish, Cave Dwellers, and Animals of the Tropical Rainforest will be our texts as we learn these skills. Additionally, we will learn how to cite evidence and generate questions about informational text.
We have been focusing on how to choose "just right" books and why it is so important to choose books that we are able to read. Research shows when children are reading independently, they should be reading books they can read and understand. Reading books that are too challenging can lead to frustration, inability to understand the story, thus causing reading to no longer be enjoyable. We want children to love reading, which means it is important they are reading books they are interested in and on their just right level! And of course Nibbles loves reading too. 
Research also shows that children are motivated to read when they can choose their own books. The strategy we will use in class to choose just right books is called IPICK. You can use the poster to help your child in picking good fit books at home.
This year we will be focusing on applying reading strategies to a variety of literary genre. Our class will learn how to read fiction stories and nonfiction articles carefully. We will learn the basic skills that we will use in our reading throughout the year. Ask your child what genre we focused on this week. (Hint: It has characters, setting, or events that can not exist in real life, animals have human-like characteristics, and these stories teach a lesson.)
| Each student has been assigned an "AR Goal." The goals were calculated according to each student's performance on the computerized AR star test. The Accelerated Reader program ("AR") is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension. Students select books on their reading level, read independently, and take an independent comprehension test on a school computer. Each book is worth a certain number of points based on its length and reading level. Students get a percentage of these points based on how many of the test questions they get right. The program tracks their progress over the course of the school year. You may track your student’s progress inHome Connect.
Here is a link to the Parent's Guide to AR. Accelerated Reader
Hopefully, this will answer your questions.
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