Off to a Great Start
Welcome to the third grade blog. Each month we will work to share a glimpse
of the upcoming curriculum.
of the upcoming curriculum.
Save the Dates!
- Parent Alliance: Thursday, September 13th @ 6:30
- Movie Night: Friday, September 14th @ 6:00pm
- Picture Day: Friday, September 21st
Reading:
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
The Third Graders are in the middle of reading Charlotte's Web.
This classic will be our inspiration for the first set of Third Grade reading
and writing standards. The students will write a letter to a character in the book,
Mr. Zuckerman, persuading him to save Wilbur the Pig.
We will also focus on character and plot development,
along with the many enriching vocabulary words and thought provoking
reading comprehension.
This classic will be our inspiration for the first set of Third Grade reading
and writing standards. The students will write a letter to a character in the book,
Mr. Zuckerman, persuading him to save Wilbur the Pig.
We will also focus on character and plot development,
along with the many enriching vocabulary words and thought provoking
reading comprehension.
"Just Right" Reading
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!
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!
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.
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.)
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.)
During our reading time we will focus on:
- Ways to talk about their reading with partners and the class.
- Strategies to help pronounce long words.
- Strategies to figure out the meanings of hard words.
- How to find important details in fiction stories and nonfiction articles.
- How to analyze what we read and write about it.
Here are a couple of activities you can do to help your child.
- Read together a fiction story. Discuss what happens in the story and who the characters are.
- Read together a nonfiction book or article. Ask your child what the story is about.
- Discuss what kinds of photos and images they see. What can they learn from these images?
Math:
Bridges in Mathematics Grade 3
Unit 1 Addition & Subtraction Patterns
In this unit your child will:
❚ Use efficient math strategies to build fluency with basic addition and subtraction facts
❚ Determine whether two expressions are equal
❚ Write equations to represent one step story problems
❚ Use strategies based on place value, properties of operations, or the relationship
between addition and subtraction to fluently add and subtract within 100
between addition and subtraction to fluently add and subtract within 100
Writing: Writer's Workshop is well underway and students have been having
a lot of fun learning about what writers do to "gather" ideas for writing true stories.
Students have gathered ideas by recalling "first times" in their lives, writing about
moments they experienced strong emotions such as sadness, happiness,
embarrassment, and fear. They also generated ideas based on things they love.
This week they will choose two of their ideas to take to a quick write,
share those quick writes with partners, and then select one of those ideas
to begin drafting their stories. We love the ownership this process gives
them in their writing. One student told us that, "I feel like Writer's Workshop is
like our own secret club!" It's so wonderful to hear that kids call out, "Yay!"
when we announce it's time for writing. They have been so open and willing to
share their ideas for writing as well (and boy did we hear about some VERY
embarrassing moments). It's really a happy time in our classrooms.
a lot of fun learning about what writers do to "gather" ideas for writing true stories.
Students have gathered ideas by recalling "first times" in their lives, writing about
moments they experienced strong emotions such as sadness, happiness,
embarrassment, and fear. They also generated ideas based on things they love.
This week they will choose two of their ideas to take to a quick write,
share those quick writes with partners, and then select one of those ideas
to begin drafting their stories. We love the ownership this process gives
them in their writing. One student told us that, "I feel like Writer's Workshop is
like our own secret club!" It's so wonderful to hear that kids call out, "Yay!"
when we announce it's time for writing. They have been so open and willing to
share their ideas for writing as well (and boy did we hear about some VERY
embarrassing moments). It's really a happy time in our classrooms.
Accelerated Reader
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. You can look up a particular book in AR Book Finder. 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 in Home Connect.
Here is a link to the Parent's Guide to AR. Accelerated Reader
Hopefully, this will answer your questions.
The goal dates are as follows:
Aug 16- Nov. 21
Nov.22 - Feb 28
Mar.1- June 1
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