The Week of January 14th

We have a spelling list this week.  Please make sure your child  knows how to spell the words and the accompanying definitions.  Due to the short week,  the test will be next TUESDAY.

Base

1. started

2. card

3. park

4. smart

5. star

6. shark

7. mark

8. barber

9. party

10. pardon

11. bark

12. tart

13. carpet

14. farther

15. barn

Alternate

1. alarm

2. postcards

3. bargain

4. barbecue

5. darkness

6. pardon

7. hardest

8. marble

9. marshmallow

10. partner

11. parking

12. starry

13. starve

14. farther

15. garden

We have started our social studies unit on Maps and Globes.   On Thursday, there will be a vocabulary list sent home to study for a quiz next Friday.  Many of the words should be review from second grade.   You will also see I have put some interactive websites under the social studies for your child to explore.

To help all third grade students be secure on knowing all multiplication facts,  I have created a class on Xtramath.  Xrtramath is a interactive website that helps children learn their math facts.  It gives feedback to your child on the facts they have mastered and which ones they need to work on.  I can also go into my class and see how each student is progressing.  There is a flyer coming  home  that tells you how to enroll your child.  Please support your child's learning and enroll them as soon as possible.   I appreciate you support!

Week of December 10th

Base

1. boots

2. grouped
3. shook
4. school
5. looked
6. hood
7. choose
8. brook
9. zoomed
10. balloon
11. loose
12. soot
13. understood
14. cartoon

 15. afternoon

Alternate

1. gooey

2. loony

3. pooch

4. wooden

5. moonlight

6. doodling

7. crooked

8. woolly

9. rookie

10. football

11. goodbye

12. cookouts

13. woodpecker

14. oozing

15. zoology

Week of December 3rd

Base

1. song

2. law

3. because

4. soft

5. dawn

6. crawl

7. lost

8. taught

9. long

10. pause

11. frost

12. lawn

13. hawk

14. laundry

15. author

Alternate

1. bought

2. sausage

3. cough

4. frosting

5. cost

6. crawling

7. softest

8. longer

9. strongest

10. flaw

11. straw

12. loft

13. spa

14. tablecloth

15. broth

In class today, we read a book called How Full is Your Bucket?  Here is a short summary of the book:

"Each of us has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it's empty, we feel awful. Yet most children (and many adults) don't realize the importance of having a full bucket throughout the day.

In How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids, Felix begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. Felix then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well.

Follow along with Felix as he learns how easy it can be to fill the buckets of his classmates, teachers, and family members. Before the day is over, you'll see how Felix learns to be a great bucket filler, and in the process, discovers that filling someone else's bucket also fills his own."

In the month of December, we will  be focusing on how to better our community by doing and saying good things.  Ask your child every night, what did he/she did in school to help fill a classmate's bucket. When we help others feel good, we help ourselves!



3A Math

We have been working on perimeter and area for last few weeks.  For homework tonight, your child is play the following game to reinforce and drill the concepts learned in class. 

http://www.bgfl.org/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/perimeter_and_area/index.html

Week of November 26th

I hope you enjoyed your extra days at home.   It is hard to believe we are almost half way through the second semester.  Look for progress reports to come home on Friday.

Base

1. crown

2. proud

3. however

4. count

5. crowded

6. around

7. south

8. loud

9. house

10.shouted

11.howl

12.growl

13.bounce

14.fountain

15.sound

Alternate

1. crouch

2. sour

3. pounded

4. found

5. around

6. plow

7. frown

8. growled

9. houses

10. allowance

11. meow

12. chow

13. brownish

14. bouncing

15.  towel

We have started to read The Tale of Despereaux for our class shared read out loud.  It is a Newberry Award winner that tells the tale of the lovable  Despereaux Tilling, a mouse, who loves music, stories and a Princess named Pea.   With this novel, I am modeling for the students how read a novel and dive into the characters traits.   In addition,  we have started to use our open ended reading response journals.  After listening to a chapter, the children are asked to stop and reflect on the characters and events.   Our focus is on making sure to use specific evidence from the text.

In writing, we will be reading and studying examples of personal narrative writing samples.   Our job is to figure out the qualities of a  personal narrative.  By reading the samples, we will be able to generate a list of what a writer needs to do in order to write a strong narrative.  Over the next few weeks, we will be writing our own personal narratives.   We will be also reading the story Winfred Gordon McDonald Partridge to explore the concept of what makes a good memory.   Your child will be bringing home a memory envelope on Wednesday to collect memories to help your child be ready to write a strong narrative.   The envelopes will be due back to school by December 4th.

In science, we will be exploring the world of matter.  This week we will be working on building our background about matter in our everyday world.   By end of this unit,  your child needs to know the three states of matter and the accompanying properties of each.   Under the science section, you will find many interesting resources.

The Week of November 12th

There is a formalized spelling list this week.   I am sure you have noticed that the spelling lists have become more challenging.   It is really important that your child recognize the pattern and study a little each night.

Base 

1. space

2. stage

3. huge

4. fence

5. price

6. police

7. office

8. engine

9. badge

10.pencil

11.excite

12.force

13.range

14.ginger

15.giraffe

Alternate

1.	strange
2.	gigantic
3.	gentle
4.	village
5.	ginger
6.	edge
7.	digit
8.	vegetable
9.	circus
10.	twice
11.	except
12.	citizen
13.	trace
14.	decimal
15.	ounce

We will be exploring the everyday life of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Tribe.   Your child will be comparing and contrasting these two past communities.   During computer lab time, we will be learning facts and completing a Venn Diagram.    Ask your child which community he/she finds more interesting.  Can he/she tell you some facts to support his/her opinion?

In writing, we will be using web organizers and quick sketches to help us develop and organize our writing ideas.   In honor of the upcoming holiday, we will be writing a Thanksgiving poem about the small and big things we are grateful for in our lives.   Good writers make sure to include specific details to  paint a picture of their message.   Look for the finished poems coming home next week to share with the family.   

In 3A math, we will be doing a measurement investigation.  Your child will be estimating and measuring objects to the nearest quarter of an inch.    Below is a website for you child to practice this major skill for third graders:

http://www.funbrain.com/measure/

Our new learning will focus on area and perimeter using square units.  We will investigate how area is related to multiplication.    Area is the size of the surface and perimeter is the distance around a two dimensional shape.    Below are videos for reteaching area and  a website for extra reinforcement:

Area videos

http://learnzillion.com/lessons/1156-use-equal-square-units-to-find-the-area

http://learnzillion.com/lessons/1155-find-the-area-of-a-shape-using-square-units

Interactive Websites

http://www.mathplayground.com/area_perimeter.html

Fraction And Number Lines

This week in 3A math, we will be working understanding that fractions are less than one but more than zero.   In class, we watched a short video clip that clearly shows the connection between fractions on a number line and  parts of a shape.  Below you will find resources for your child to use to review the concepts taught in class:

Video done in class:

http://learnzillion.com/lessons?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters[subject]=math&query=&filters[grade][]=3&filters[domain]=&filters[standard]=3.NF.2a%3A+Represent+a+fraction+1%2Fb+on+a+number+...

Second Video
http://learnzillion.com/lessons?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters[subject]=math&query=&filters[grade][]=3&filters[domain]=&filters[standard]=3.NF.2b%3A+Represent+a+fraction+a%2Fb+on+a+number+...

Interactive Fraction Number Line

http://www.dreambox.com/teachertools