The Week of October 29th

Base

1. known

2. written

3. laugh

4. sphere

5. wreck

6. writer

7. wrong

8. wrap

9. wrench

10.knocked

11.knot

12.wring

13.enough

14.rough

15.wrinkle

Alternate

1. knowledge   

2. dolphin

3. ghost

4. wrongful

5. knit

6. phonics

7. wrist

8. cough

9. telephone

10. knowing

11. laughter

12. knock

13. knight

14. pharmacy

15. physical

Thank you for returning your conference sheets.  If you need to still schedule a conference, please contact me by October 31st.   Report cards will coming home on Friday.   I look forward to discussing your child's progress and setting learning goals for the next quarter.

In social studies, we will be finishing up our community brochures.  Each child is to complete a brochure that includes illustrations and text to show what he/she has learned about the three major types of communities.  The three major communities are urban, rural, and suburban.   Later, in the week we will explore the world of government and the upcoming elections.   Our goal will be to see how government plays a role in serving the needs of the voters in a community.      See the social studies sidebar for additional resources on the upcoming election.  

                                                          Open Inquiry Photos

In reading,  some of the students have started independent inquiry during reading workshop time.  The students have the opportunity to go deeper into a subject of interest to them.   The students can work independently or in small groups to complete an inquiry.   I assist them in collecting a text set of various books about the subject.   Right now, we have various small groups learning about the following:  

The Titanic
Whales
Prehistoric Times
Various Artists
Wolves

Here are some benefits to using text sets in the classroom:

•  provide multiple perspectives on a topic.
•  allow students to find questions about a larger topic.
•  develop students' ability to "read" multiple forms of texts and images. 
•  support synthesis, application, and critical evaluation.
•  provide an opportunity for intertextual reading; students make connections       between     
• texts, reflect on texts they've previously encountered and construct new knowledge

Please continue to make sure your child is reading outside of school.   Reading builds stronger readers.  I appreciate your help in supporting your child's literacy.

In 3A math, we continue to build strategic thinking for solving problems involving the operations of addition and subtraction.   It is important that your child develop an complete understanding of the operations and knowing that different strategies build number sense and problem solving skills.    Mathematicians have a variety of methods for solving problems and checking for precision.  

Here is  an example open number line strategies:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:1VP-YVNyvH4J:investigations.terc.edu/library/curric-gl/sample_g3_smh_p32-35.pdf+subtraction+strategies&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESihZRGeutFpi5U-h_wJlI2uxgWaMREayEi3Hs7HcokfYd4GrWDJgxehNKzWKuW1TXYsTXaY3L9MZCo3xrPjt0aEGmASsW6vjnED3CXmCjldt7FUpmMWXoTi03z1WAUg7dDy76cF&sig=AHIEtbSMfo54mVY6VKHsLd_7mta4WzoR9g

Lesson Videos

http://learnzillion.com/lessonsets/77

Week of 22nd

Base

1. least

2. fast

3. just

4. burst

5. strip

6. stick

7. strike

8. artist

9. almost

10.student

11.strong

12.start

13.blast

14.step

15.street

 

Alternate

1. stroke

2. distance

3. steal

4. steel

5. sticky

6. stripe

7. stronger

8. strongest

9. faster

10. fastest

11. startled 

12. strapped

13. stepped

14. stolen

15. stranger

 

 

 
 

 

 

Open Number Line Resources

Today in class we introduced the method of using an open number line to solve a problem.   We will be using this method to solve both addition and subtracting numbers to 1000.   Your child needs to understand place value and skip counting in order to be secure in this method.  What exactly is an open number line? Well, it's a number line with no numbers or tick marks. Open number lines are great models for working with place value or, in the case below, addition. The number line is a fantastic way to record the different strategies used by students. The three number lines below all show strategies for adding 37 + 48. Look at each one and see if you can explain how the addition was done in each case.

1. Number Line 1: This student added the tens (30 + 40) and then the ones (7 + 8). The number line starts at 30 (the tens from the first number) and adds on the 4 tens from the second number, landing on 70. The student then added 7 + 8 to get 15 and added that to the 70 to get 85.
2. Number Line 2: This student left 37 whole and added on the 4 tens from the second number. He then broke the 8 ones into 3 + 5 and used the 3 ones to make 80. Finally, he added on the remaining 5 ones.
3. Number Line 3: This student took 3 of the 8 ones from the second number to get make a ten out of the 37 (37 + 3 = 40). Then, she jumped on the 4 tens to get to 80. Last, she added the remaining 5 ones.

Notice the number sense required for this type of math. Students have to be able to think flexibly about numbers, understand place value, and decompose numbers. This might be out of your comfort zone!

 

Examples of open number lines

http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/empty-number-line.html

Video showing open number line:

http://www.schooltube.com/video/4a65cba9b1dba3b9ce6b/

Interactive Number Open Number Lines
http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools

Our First Inquiry Photos

Week of October 15th

Base

1. tight

2. while

3. show

4. stone

5. bright

6. whole

7. window

8. time

9. follow

10. close

11. flight

12. tide

13. grow

14. broke

15. below

 

Alternate

 

1. coach

2. grown

3. writer

4. sigh

5. quite

6. coast

7. bite

8. highland

9. tonight

10. divide

11. minus

12. dime

13. pronoun

14. glow

15. float

The Week of October 8th

Since it is a shorter week, there will not be spelling list this week.   We will have a formalized list next week.   In school, the students have been taught how to use Spelling City to study his/her list each week.   Spelling City is a great resource for motivating kids to learn their weekly spelling list.

We are finishing up our habitat science unit. For their final project, the children have been working together in teams to research a question that they want answered.  We have been reading various nonfiction texts to find the answer(s) to their question.  They have even investigated websites as one of their resources.   The children are working hard on being a good teammate.   Ask your child what their team is doing for their first inquiry project.

In reading,  we have been exploring biographies.  As readers, we are trying to figure out the best words  to describe the people written about in the books.   We have have learned about Wilma Rudolph and Lou Gerhig.   We have compared and contrasted these two brave people.  The one word we thought that fit both of them was hero.  In the next few days, we will be trying to figure out what makes a hero.    Can your child tell you about these two famous Americans?

In 3A math, we continue to work on place value and multiplications.  Next week, we will be learning  algorithms and applying our understanding of place value to add multi-digit math problems.    Here are some new websites that will help your child practice the key concepts of this week:


Basic Multiplication
www.sheppardsoftware.com/mathgames/.../multiplicationPicnic.htm
www.multiplication.com/games/play/carls-cookie-capers

More Challenging Multiplication
www.mathplayground.com/gsmbegin.html

Basic Place Value
www.ictgames.com/placeValue.htm

Challenging Place Value
http://www.kidsmathgamesonline.com/numbers/placevalues.html
http://www.quia.com/rr/32598.html

The Week of October 1st

Spelling List Words for this Week

Base

1. slip

2. fish

3. pick

4. rocks

5. lunch

6. gift

7. thing

8. inch

9. truck

10.pond

11.from

12.jump

13.socks

14.dish

15.thump

Alternate

1. otter

2. addition

3. supper

4. rotten

5. skin

6. quick

7. skilled

8. stock

9. knot

10. gotten

11. copper

12. closet

13. understand

14. interested

15. arithmetic

In reading, we will be working on stopping and thinking when we read.  Good readers are able to tell their thinking and give evidence for there thinking.  In addition, I will also be challenging your child to use his/her reading time more wisely and read the whole time.   Ask your child  if he/she  finds a good spot to read and puts all his/her efforts into reading.  Also, I do not track students nightly reading but please support the 20 minutes of reading at night.  It is critical that your child read in and out of school.  Good readers read  and weak readers do not.  Please look over the chart in the website that gives stunning proof that reading at home does make the difference:

http://www.bpd3.org/km/readingnight.pdf

Remember tomorrow is the habitat and food chain quiz on key vocabulary.  We have been working hard at learning these words in the context of our science unit.   This week, we will be working in cooperate groups to become an expert on one habitat.  I am excited to see what new concepts and facts the students learn.

In 3A Math,  we are focusing on understanding place and rounding of numbers to the nearest ten.   In class, we will be using base ten blocks to learn about expanded notation and review the order of  places.   We started our math class today with a short video that clearly illustrates our place value system.  Please have your child watch this video again at home to revisit today's concepts.  

http://mathstory.com/youtubevids/placevalonetenhund.aspx#.UGh5GJj_B0g
It is critical that you child have a understanding of how numbers work so that they can apply strategies to multi - digit adding  and subtracting.  Below are resources that will help build your child's place value understanding:


3A Place Value and Rounding Resources:

http://www.beahttp://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/weblessons/whatsyourname/defau

\http://education.jlab.org/placevalue/index.html

http://www.toonuniversity.com/flash.asp?err=496&engine=5

http://www.learningbox.com/Base10/BaseTen.html - uses base ten blocks

http://www.funbrain.com/cgi-bin/tens.cgi?A1=s&A2=0

http://www.hbschool.com/activity/numbers_to_1000/  - base ten blocks with places

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?f=PVChartv8

More challenging Expanded Notation

lt.htm#page5conlearningcenter.com/weblessons/whatsyourname/default.htm#page5

http://www.quia.com/hm/83340.html

Rouding

http://www.janbrett.com/piggybacks/rounding.htm