Welcome Back!
We hope you had a restful Thanksgiving break. As we approach the end of the 2nd 9 weeks, please continue to help your child work toward his or her A.R. goal.
Upcoming Activities...
12.5.11~ Progress Reports sent home. Please review and feel free to discuss any questions/concerns with your child's teacher.
12.21.11~ Winter Break Party** We will be having a holiday rotation. Students will rotate to several other third grade classes to participate in fun activities. We'd appreciate a donation of $2 or more to help us put together some wonderful activities for the students.
12.22.11-1.6.2012~ Winter Break
1.27.12~ field trip to Vulcan Quarry -This trip allows students to explore and learn more about rocks and minerals found in Georgia.
Topics of Study...
Reading/Language Arts~ We are continuing to focus on the elements of fiction (characters, setting, problem, solution). Our grammar focus is on pronouns, adjectives, and complete/incomplete sentences. In writing, we are working on responding to literature. In their writing, the students are summarizing a story and sharing connections.
Math~ Keep studying the multiplication tables. Students must learn tables 1-10 in the third grade. Our focus is on understanding multiplication and division, geometry, money (making change), and graphing.
Social Studies and Science~ Our study of historic figures who helped shape our democracy focuses on Paul Revere, Susan B. Anthony, and Frederick Douglass. We'll also work on map skills with an emphasis on longitude and latitude. In science, we'll study soil, weathering and erosion. Then we'll begin our study of habitats.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Hi all!
Well here we are at the end of the 1st 9 weeks of third grade! Time flies when you're having fun!!!
Important reminders/dates:
Fall Festival- Oct. 21 5:00pm-8:00pm
Bring the whole family for some Fall fun!
Conference week- Oct. 24-28 early release each day
** Report cards will be given out at each conference. Make sure you come ready with any questions or concerns you might have. **
Tutoring- If your child stays after school for tutoring help, please be ready to pick them up at 3:30.
November 1st- last day for Tuesday tutoring
November 10th- last day for Thursday tutoring
November 12th- last day for Saturdays for Success tutoring
Student Holiday- November 8th
Thanksgiving Break- Nov. 21-25
2nd 9 weeks
Reading:
Students will continue to use the UNRAVEL strategy when reading.
Students will focus on reading comprehension skills, main idea and details, fact and opinion, vocabulary, sequencing, story elements, and genre (the different types of stories).
It is very important that your child reads for at least 25 minutes each night to help them grow as readers. Remember- they are responsible for reading all tests this year by themselves.
Please remember to check your child's reading log each night. Look on the back to find updates on the progress of your child and his/her AR goals. Encourage them to take tests every few days if they have read their AR books carefully. New AR goals will start on Monday so remind your child that they will have a fresh start to make their goal if they didn't make it last nine weeks.
Math:
We are continuing our study of multiplication facts in the beginning of this nine weeks. Your child should know all of their 0's, 1's, 2's, 4's, 5's, and 10's facts so far. If they do not, have them practice for at least five minutes each night so they do not get behind.
While working on multiplication facts, we will start to introduce division so it is very important they know their facts by memory.
Science/Social Studies:
We will begin to explore different types of soils. (clay, loam, and sand) Students will learn how to tell these soils apart from each other as well as how we use them in our everyday lives.
Students will get to know more about the famous Paul Revere and his midnight ride. They will also learn the three branches of government and their roles.
*** Be sure to check the agenda each night and sign or initial it. That is our primary source for communication with you. ***
Thanks for reading!
The Third Grade Team :)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Hi Third Grade Families!!!
Can you believe it is almost October? Third grade is off to a great start with our first set of assessments behind us. Here is a quick look at what your child will be studying/learning the next few weeks. These topics will be covered on their 2nd or 3rd sets of assessments, which will be given in the next 4-5 weeks.
P.S. Please remember that re-tests are only given to students that score below an 80% in Math. Study guides are sent home before every assessment, so please check the papers your child is bringing home and check agendas for upcoming assessment dates.
Reading Comprehension: Students will continue with the UNRAVEL strategy, which stands for:
Underline the title.
Now predict the passage.
Read the questions first.
Are the important words circled?
Very carefully read the passage.
Eliminate silly answers.
Let the questions be answered.
Students will also focus on comprehension skills, context clues, sequencing, vocabulary, story elements, and genres (Traditional Literature, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Folktales, etc.)
Students will be assessed on reading fluency at the end of this 9 weeks (reading for speed and accuracy). Please allow your students to read out loud to you any chance they can get :)
Last, ask your child every week how they are doing on their AR goal. Teachers send home an update on AR on the backs of reading logs each week. Your child should be at 50% of their goal with an 80% accuracy average.
Grammar: Commas in a series, verbs, capitalization, punctuation, proper word use, editing a paragraph, homophones, pronouns, possessive nouns, contractions, and plural nouns.
Writing: Students will learn/use the writing process to create their first graded writing piece based on the topic: Personal Narrative. Students will learn to use proper sentence structure, transition words, correct punctuation, personality, and more "juicy" word choices to write a paper that is able to gain their audiences' attention.
*Please also encourage neat handwriting on homework!
Math: Please continue practicing those adding and subtraction facts for speed! Our 4th math test will consist of mixed addition/subtraction facts and will be a timed test of 100 problems. It is so important to know these facts, because we will quickly be moving on to Multiplication fluency tests. Many classes have already started learning the connection between multiplication and repeated addition, while also drawing sets and arrays. Students will continue to review previously learned information while starting rounding to the nearest 10/100, estimation, word problems, Frayer Models, and elapsed time.
*Every year we notice students have a difficult time with telling time and discussing time intervals. Please ask your child what time it is (on an analog clock) as often as possible. It may be beneficial to buy a non-digital watch for your child, as well, if finances allow. You can often find these at the Dollar Store, Target, and Wal Mart for a fairly low cost. Also, discuss how long it takes to do certain tasks at home (Example: If you started your homework at 4:30 p.m. and finished at 5:15 p.m., how long did it take you to complete your homework?).
Math websites: Firstinmath.com, coolmath.com, Aplusmath.com, Funbrain.com/math/
Social Studies: Students will be learning about ancient Athens, Greece and their form of democracy that they created in response to a tyrannical government. During this time we will be comparing their form of democracy to the version we have in our country. We will discuss aspects of their everyday lives, especially their famous architecture. They will need to be able to identify the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian types of columns. Be sure to point out any of these you see as you drive around the neighborhood or other parts of the city. We will take a look at buildings that are similar in form here in our own country (such as the Parthenon there and the Supreme Court building here).
We will be working on basic map skills. These will cover cardinal and intermediate directions as well as reading basic parts of a map (title, legend, etc.) Students will also be able to identify various rivers and mountain ranges in the United States.
Last, students will have the chance to become entrepreneurs! They will have the opportunity to create a business and explain the natural, human, and capital resources that were needed to make it thrive.
Science: Rocks and minerals, and fossils are the hot topics to explore this quarter! Students will learn the differences between rocks and minerals and the identifying qualities of each. They will be very curious and interested in rocks during this time... therefore be patient when they come inside with 15 "new" varieties!
We will also learn about fossils. There will be chances for them to create their own as well as learning how they were formed. There are many opportunities for them to investigate actual fossils and have hands-on learning experiences. Encourage them to "teach" you all about these fascinating topics... they will be more than glad to get that upper hand on mom and dad!
(Remember that most of the students start with either Science or Social Studies with their homeroom teacher for 4 and 1/2 weeks and then switch to another teacher for the other subject. Most classes have just made this switch this week!
Other Important Dates and Reminders:
* Look for your child's Progress Report this Monday, September 26th. This will need to be signed and returned to school.
*CogAt Testing will take place October 5th-7th and ITBS Testing will take place October 10th-14th. Third grade is a huge testing year, and we ask that your child does not miss school during theses days (unless they are sick of course). Please schedule future appointments accordingly and have your child to school on time!
*We will only be having two Panther Pride Assemblies this year. One in January and the other in May. Look for dates soon!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this and keep up with third grade happenings! We appreciate your daily support each and every day. Please never hesitate to contact us with questions.
-The Third Grade Team :)
Can you believe it is almost October? Third grade is off to a great start with our first set of assessments behind us. Here is a quick look at what your child will be studying/learning the next few weeks. These topics will be covered on their 2nd or 3rd sets of assessments, which will be given in the next 4-5 weeks.
P.S. Please remember that re-tests are only given to students that score below an 80% in Math. Study guides are sent home before every assessment, so please check the papers your child is bringing home and check agendas for upcoming assessment dates.
Reading Comprehension: Students will continue with the UNRAVEL strategy, which stands for:
Underline the title.
Now predict the passage.
Read the questions first.
Are the important words circled?
Very carefully read the passage.
Eliminate silly answers.
Let the questions be answered.
Students will also focus on comprehension skills, context clues, sequencing, vocabulary, story elements, and genres (Traditional Literature, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Folktales, etc.)
Students will be assessed on reading fluency at the end of this 9 weeks (reading for speed and accuracy). Please allow your students to read out loud to you any chance they can get :)
Last, ask your child every week how they are doing on their AR goal. Teachers send home an update on AR on the backs of reading logs each week. Your child should be at 50% of their goal with an 80% accuracy average.
Grammar: Commas in a series, verbs, capitalization, punctuation, proper word use, editing a paragraph, homophones, pronouns, possessive nouns, contractions, and plural nouns.
Writing: Students will learn/use the writing process to create their first graded writing piece based on the topic: Personal Narrative. Students will learn to use proper sentence structure, transition words, correct punctuation, personality, and more "juicy" word choices to write a paper that is able to gain their audiences' attention.
*Please also encourage neat handwriting on homework!
Math: Please continue practicing those adding and subtraction facts for speed! Our 4th math test will consist of mixed addition/subtraction facts and will be a timed test of 100 problems. It is so important to know these facts, because we will quickly be moving on to Multiplication fluency tests. Many classes have already started learning the connection between multiplication and repeated addition, while also drawing sets and arrays. Students will continue to review previously learned information while starting rounding to the nearest 10/100, estimation, word problems, Frayer Models, and elapsed time.
*Every year we notice students have a difficult time with telling time and discussing time intervals. Please ask your child what time it is (on an analog clock) as often as possible. It may be beneficial to buy a non-digital watch for your child, as well, if finances allow. You can often find these at the Dollar Store, Target, and Wal Mart for a fairly low cost. Also, discuss how long it takes to do certain tasks at home (Example: If you started your homework at 4:30 p.m. and finished at 5:15 p.m., how long did it take you to complete your homework?).
Math websites: Firstinmath.com, coolmath.com, Aplusmath.com, Funbrain.com/math/
Social Studies: Students will be learning about ancient Athens, Greece and their form of democracy that they created in response to a tyrannical government. During this time we will be comparing their form of democracy to the version we have in our country. We will discuss aspects of their everyday lives, especially their famous architecture. They will need to be able to identify the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian types of columns. Be sure to point out any of these you see as you drive around the neighborhood or other parts of the city. We will take a look at buildings that are similar in form here in our own country (such as the Parthenon there and the Supreme Court building here).
We will be working on basic map skills. These will cover cardinal and intermediate directions as well as reading basic parts of a map (title, legend, etc.) Students will also be able to identify various rivers and mountain ranges in the United States.
Last, students will have the chance to become entrepreneurs! They will have the opportunity to create a business and explain the natural, human, and capital resources that were needed to make it thrive.
Science: Rocks and minerals, and fossils are the hot topics to explore this quarter! Students will learn the differences between rocks and minerals and the identifying qualities of each. They will be very curious and interested in rocks during this time... therefore be patient when they come inside with 15 "new" varieties!
We will also learn about fossils. There will be chances for them to create their own as well as learning how they were formed. There are many opportunities for them to investigate actual fossils and have hands-on learning experiences. Encourage them to "teach" you all about these fascinating topics... they will be more than glad to get that upper hand on mom and dad!
(Remember that most of the students start with either Science or Social Studies with their homeroom teacher for 4 and 1/2 weeks and then switch to another teacher for the other subject. Most classes have just made this switch this week!
Other Important Dates and Reminders:
* Look for your child's Progress Report this Monday, September 26th. This will need to be signed and returned to school.
*CogAt Testing will take place October 5th-7th and ITBS Testing will take place October 10th-14th. Third grade is a huge testing year, and we ask that your child does not miss school during theses days (unless they are sick of course). Please schedule future appointments accordingly and have your child to school on time!
*We will only be having two Panther Pride Assemblies this year. One in January and the other in May. Look for dates soon!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read this and keep up with third grade happenings! We appreciate your daily support each and every day. Please never hesitate to contact us with questions.
-The Third Grade Team :)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Some of you have joined us after the first week of school. Due to this you may not have received our welcome letter which outlines the basics about third grade. Please see the letter below and of course, feel free to email us should you have any questions.
Learning Skills for a
Successful Life In Third Grade!
We hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing summer and are
ready to begin digging into the new school year! The following is a brief description of some
of the information that will help us start the year smoothly.
Homework
Each night
your child will bring home an Agenda with assignments written down. Important information regarding weekly
assignments, conduct, and special announcements will be in this Agenda. This agenda will come home every night
and should be returned signed, every day.
This Agenda will serve as an important means of communication
between parents and teachers, so please review it carefully. Students with a blue dot showed self
discipline all day long, students with a green dot had at least one
inappropriate incident during the day. Students with a yellow dot received
multiple warnings and students with a red dot have had either a teacher/parent
contact or an administrative contact. Class work that is not finished
completely will be noted in the Agenda and may be sent home to be finished.
All
students are expected to read at home every night. Reading logs will be checked daily. Parents must initial the reading log in order
for students to receive credit for the assigned reading. Minutes will increase throughout the year.
Grading
Policy
Please note that all
students will receive a 9 week report card, as well as a progress report. Behavior concerns will be noted in the
Agendas and on the progress report.
We believe
strongly that all of our students can and will succeed in all facets of their
school life. We have strong expectations
of behavior that include kindness and respect for students as well as teachers. We try to emphasize the positive and teach
children to work cooperatively with their friends. We do have consequences for behaviors that do
not follow classroom and school-wide rules.
Office referrals will result if oppositional behavior
continues after other possible interventions have been implemented.
Snacks
Snacks are optional, but strongly encouraged
because 3rd grade does not attend lunch until almost 12 P.M. For this reason, we also encourage students
to eat breakfast at home or in the cafeteria.
Please refer to the list of the Dynamic Dozen (healthy snacks) listed
on the back of students’ Agenda for suggestions. A student may bring in a water bottle with
his or her name on it (no juice or soda).
Birthday Celebrations
If you would like to recognize the birthday of your child in
a special way here at school, we would like for you to do that, but also it is
very important this celebration not disrupt the learning environment in any
way. For this reason, please adhere to the following expectations.
- Please do not send in a cake or cupcakes due to icing stains.
- Please do not send any party favors or gift bags.
- No candles
Suggestions
- Cookies
- Little Debbie Snacks
- Brownies
- Rice Crispy Treats
- Muffins
Dress Code
Uniforms
are mandatory. Please refer to the back
of the students’ Agendas for guidelines concerning uniforms and appropriate
dress. All shirts must be tucked
in. Parents who need help with uniforms
should contact the school office.
Sneakers are required for P.E. days.
Feel free to send in a sweater, sweatshirt, or jacket with your child in
case they get cold.
*******Students who are not in uniform 5 or more times
over each 9 week period are not eligible for Character Club.*******
We
thank you for sharing your children with us and we look forward to getting to
know and work with them. Look for more
information to follow about third grade academics, procedures, and policies in
the upcoming newsletters and Agendas.
With your help it is going to be a great year!
Sincerely,
The Third Grade Teachers
Beth Burruss Lynda Day Lauren Smith LaTonia
Hilliard
Christina Duncan Angela
Schneider Karen Shabazz
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Welcome to a New Year of Learning!
Welcome back to another fantastic school year. We look forward to getting to know all of our new students and parents as the year goes forward. We wanted to create a blog format that would enable each of you to stay up to date and informed about the standards we are teaching, activities we have planned, and upcoming events at our school. This blog will be from the entire team, not just one teacher's individual room. Please feel free to ask questions regarding information posted on here through this format. There will be new postings on here at least once a month (at the beginning of the month), and sometimes more often as the need arises.
Without further ado, let us get right to the academics!
Reading/Language Arts:
During the first grading period we will be focusing on reading and understanding traditional literature and breaking down the elements of stories. Traditional literature includes fables, fairy tales, tall tales, myths, and legends. We will be working on this type of literature through read-a-louds, guided reading, and student's individual reading time. We will also be working on comprehension of story elements through the use of story charts. These charts will cover the characters, setting, plot (events in story), main idea, and problem and solution of each story. We will work on these projects together and in small group settings to help ensure students are understanding each segment. Please ask your child about these sections of the books they are reading each night while working on their reading logs.
In language arts we will be covering nouns (plural and singular, possessive), use of commas in a sequence,and contractions. One way to help cover this at home is to have your child look through your junk mail. They could circle all the contractions they find and underline the possessive nouns, or however you decide to mix it up.
Math
During our math classes we will be starting out with a focus on place value and the addition and subtraction of three digit numbers. We will be also be introducing basic algebraic problems during the next few weeks. These problems will be your basic missing addend or "answer" to the problem and they must be solved to find the missing piece.
Our next large portion of learning will cover elapsed time and estimation. Of all that we have mentioned here, elapsed time will most likely be the most difficult for your child. Please start now making your child aware of the time as well as the passage of time from one event to another. When you leave to go to the store, to a friend's house, or other location have your child note the time you left as well as the time that you arrive. Asking them to tell you the time it took to complete a task will go a long way towards helping them gain an understanding of this difficult subject.
Coming up at the end of this grading period we will begin to focus on our multiplication facts. Anytime you can go ahead and start the flashcards on these facts, please do so! : ) You will have an adoring crowd of teachers thanking you for your effort!
Social Studies:
Students will be learning about ancient Athens, Greece and their form of democracy that they created in response to a tyrannical government. During this time we will be comparing their form of democracy to the version we have in our country. We will discuss aspects of their everyday lives, especially their famous architecture. They will need to be able to identify the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian types of columns. Be sure to point out any of these you see as you drive around the neighborhood or other parts of the city. We will take a look at buildings that are similar in form here in our own country (such as the Parthenon there and the Supreme Court building here).
Once we leave Greece's sunny shores we will be working on basic map skills. These will cover cardinal and intermediate directions as well as reading basic parts of a map (title, legend, etc.)
Science:
During Science classes we will be focused on two main areas. Rocks and minerals, and fossils. Students will learn the differences between rocks and minerals and the identifying qualities of each. They will be very curious and interested in rocks during this time... therefore be patient when they come inside with 15 "new" varieties!
We will also learn about fossils. There will be chances for them to create their own as well as learning how they were formed. There are many opportunities for them to investigate actual fossils and have hands-on learning experiences. Encourage them to "teach" you all about these fascinating topics... they will be more than glad to get that upper hand on mom and dad!
We hope that this has given you an overview of the next several weeks of learning here in Third Grade. Feel free to ask your child's teacher should you need more resources or ideas pertaining to a particular subject.
Without further ado, let us get right to the academics!
Reading/Language Arts:
During the first grading period we will be focusing on reading and understanding traditional literature and breaking down the elements of stories. Traditional literature includes fables, fairy tales, tall tales, myths, and legends. We will be working on this type of literature through read-a-louds, guided reading, and student's individual reading time. We will also be working on comprehension of story elements through the use of story charts. These charts will cover the characters, setting, plot (events in story), main idea, and problem and solution of each story. We will work on these projects together and in small group settings to help ensure students are understanding each segment. Please ask your child about these sections of the books they are reading each night while working on their reading logs.
In language arts we will be covering nouns (plural and singular, possessive), use of commas in a sequence,and contractions. One way to help cover this at home is to have your child look through your junk mail. They could circle all the contractions they find and underline the possessive nouns, or however you decide to mix it up.
Math
During our math classes we will be starting out with a focus on place value and the addition and subtraction of three digit numbers. We will be also be introducing basic algebraic problems during the next few weeks. These problems will be your basic missing addend or "answer" to the problem and they must be solved to find the missing piece.
Our next large portion of learning will cover elapsed time and estimation. Of all that we have mentioned here, elapsed time will most likely be the most difficult for your child. Please start now making your child aware of the time as well as the passage of time from one event to another. When you leave to go to the store, to a friend's house, or other location have your child note the time you left as well as the time that you arrive. Asking them to tell you the time it took to complete a task will go a long way towards helping them gain an understanding of this difficult subject.
Coming up at the end of this grading period we will begin to focus on our multiplication facts. Anytime you can go ahead and start the flashcards on these facts, please do so! : ) You will have an adoring crowd of teachers thanking you for your effort!
Social Studies:
Students will be learning about ancient Athens, Greece and their form of democracy that they created in response to a tyrannical government. During this time we will be comparing their form of democracy to the version we have in our country. We will discuss aspects of their everyday lives, especially their famous architecture. They will need to be able to identify the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian types of columns. Be sure to point out any of these you see as you drive around the neighborhood or other parts of the city. We will take a look at buildings that are similar in form here in our own country (such as the Parthenon there and the Supreme Court building here).
Once we leave Greece's sunny shores we will be working on basic map skills. These will cover cardinal and intermediate directions as well as reading basic parts of a map (title, legend, etc.)
Science:
During Science classes we will be focused on two main areas. Rocks and minerals, and fossils. Students will learn the differences between rocks and minerals and the identifying qualities of each. They will be very curious and interested in rocks during this time... therefore be patient when they come inside with 15 "new" varieties!
We will also learn about fossils. There will be chances for them to create their own as well as learning how they were formed. There are many opportunities for them to investigate actual fossils and have hands-on learning experiences. Encourage them to "teach" you all about these fascinating topics... they will be more than glad to get that upper hand on mom and dad!
We hope that this has given you an overview of the next several weeks of learning here in Third Grade. Feel free to ask your child's teacher should you need more resources or ideas pertaining to a particular subject.
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