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 :)