Happy New Year & Welcome Back!

Cold Weather Reminder: It is important for children to get outside, even in the winter. We will be having outdoor recess when it is about forty degrees or above. Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather. An extra hat/gloves in the backpack or locker comes in handy!

MATH:

MULTIPLICATION HAS BEGUN! Third graders are learning many new strategies to conquer the multiplication tables through twelves.  Students will work with arrays and writing multiplication stories.  Please encourage the use of strategies at home to practice facts.  In the classroom, students will have fun with various games including; Iguana Factor, Mum Ball and Around the World. Have a deck of cards at home?  Ask your child to teach you Good Times or Salute!

LANGUAGE ARTS

This month, we have moved out of our reading anthology and are currently reading the Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Clearly. Students will complete several activities related to this book including learning new vocabulary and creating a “dream motorcycle”.

About the Author:  After reading about several authors’ backgrounds, including Beverly Cleary, students will write their own “About the Author” pieces. Students will practice writing in the third person in this assignment, which can be tricky.

SCIENCE:

This month started with a study of landforms. Third graders are learning about plateaus, mountains, valleys and canyons, to name a few. We will discover the quick changes to these landforms such as volcanoes and earthquakes and also how these landforms can change slowly over time with glaciers and erosion, as well. Later in the month, students will learn about soils, including how they are formed and the many variations of soils. Finally we will discover the importance of soil to our existence and ways to conserve this important natural resource.

In Environmental Science, students will begin a field guide of various heirloom vegetables. We will discover the history of these fragrant and tasty plants!

Chinese New Year…

We will be helping Chef Peter make dumplings as part of our celebration of Chinese New Year. Third graders will also be performing with the Lower School at a special Chinese New Year Assembly on January 25. Please ask your child to share the song they are learning in Mandarin to help them prepare for this assembly.

Field Experiences this month:

Fairfield History Museum: January 19 (uniform day)

Audubon in Fairfield: January 27 (casual day)

What Are You Thankful For?…

Third graders will be discussing this question in preparation for a writing assignment this month. Students will practice paragraph writing skills with this topic and more. We will focus on identifying the topic sentence, detailed sentences and a proper closing. Students will learn techniques to add interest to their written work. Later this month we will join the entire student body to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast! Third graders will create place cards the week before and attend the feast dressed as pilgrims. (All costumes are already at school.)

As we approach the holiday season, reading selections this month will focus on family traditions from around the world. We will also read a story about the journey of the Mayflower from a pilgrim child’s viewpoint. We will work on previewing and evaluating text before reading and making judgments as to the author’s point of view.

In math, this month, students will continue to work with identifying patterns to enrich problem solving skills. Students will practice many strategies for addition and subtraction of one, two, three and even four digit numbers. Please continue to encourage your child to show all work when completing assignments at home, as this helps us to identify your child’s thought process. Students will strengthen regrouping skills with addition and subtraction, especially across zeros and with money.

Science:Third graders have been busy researching an endangered species of their choice and writing a report. When the reports are complete, each student will create a PowerPoint presentation to share with the class. Students have been amazed at the many interesting facts they have uncovered on the harp seal, polar bear, lynx, loggerhead sea turtle and many more…all of which are unfortunately on the current endangered species list. Within our study of animals, students this month will also learn about ecosystems, including various forests, desert, grassland, and water ecosystems.

On November 10th we will be traveling to Mother Earth in Brookfield, CT to begin a study of rocks and minerals. Students will participate in a fabulous program where they will identify various rocks and minerals and afterward, go into a mine to dig for their own to take home. This will be a casual day and students are asked to bring both a snack and bagged lunch, including drinks. If you prefer, Chef Peter will be happy to provide snack/lunch for your child; just let Mrs. Gordon know 24 hours in advance.

WELCOME TO THIRD GRADE!

We have an exciting year planned for our new third graders! Third grade starts off with many new experiences: lockers, desks, P.E. clothes, switching for science and social studies….We will take a deep breath and start off slowly with our new routines. In no time, we will be flowing through the year! Here is a sneak peak of topics we will begin with.

Language Arts

Reading: We will start off the year reading adventure stories in our anthology. “The Lost and Found” by Mark Teague will be one of our first stories. Students will use many reading strategies to enhance their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

Writing: Third graders will learn to “think like a writer”, using “6+1 Traits of Writing” (voice, conventions, word choice, sentence fluency, ideas and presentation). We will learn to identify these traits in various books and students will practice using each trait, starting with ideas. Later in the month students will compose their first narrative of the year.

Spelling will begin with a review of short a and short i letter sounds. Spelling workbooks will be coming home with weekly assignments. There will be a pretest each Monday and a post test each Friday.

Handwriting: Students will practice their manuscript this month. Cursive is right around the corner in the coming months…

Math

What do numbers mean? Students will discover the ways we use numbers every day…to locate, to measure, to name, etc. Students will chose a number and create number riddles. Stop by our hallway and see if you can figure them out! Then we will discover place value and money. We will identify place values up to ten thousand and beyond and learn to properly read longer numbers. Students will work with both coins and bills to count and make change. To get your child ready, you might allow your child to count your spare change. Use the names and values of each coin and use different coins to make the same amounts.

Science

Types of animals and animal homes will be our first unit of study in life sciences. Students will discover how and why animals create their homes. We will learn the needs of various animals and learn how they meet these needs. In addition, students will go outside to complete the first of three Horse Tavern Brook observations for the year. We will study the air and water temperature, any foliage and wildlife present and water velocity. Students will also identify any erosion of the river banks and discuss causes and possible solutions. In environmental science, Mrs. Curran will introduce third graders to “Botany on Your Plate”. Don’t be surprised if your child is requesting new fruits and vegetables to try this fall!

WELCOME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK!

We are looking forward to a strong and productive April in third grade.

In writing, the focus this month is on poetry. Students will use the inspiration of the new spring season to write  Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry that is often written about nature. We will read many forms of poetry and students will learn to identify stanza and verse. Students will also create couplets, onomatopoeia and color poems.

We will read several biographies this month from the reading anthology. Biography subjects will include Bill Melendez, Babe Didrikson and Hank Greenberg. Students will define a biography, learn the key elements and contrast biographies. Finally, students will select a person to compose a biography of.

Math will begin this month with an in-depth study of measurement. Students will learn both the U.S. Customary and metric units of measurement. We will also explore decimals into the hundredths and learn to compare, order, add and subtract decimals.

In our multi-age environmental science, students will learn to identify mammals, birds, amphibians, fish and reptiles. We will investigate animal behavior in the spring and learn of the ways that animals get food. Various ecosystems will also be explored.

Third graders will learn about soils. We will discover where soils come from and uses for different types of soils. Conservation of this important natural resource will be investigated, as well.

***We will celebrate Earth Day this month on April 21. We have many presenters and activities planned for your child focusing on preserving and protecting our planet!****

What do you LOVE to collect? This month, third graders will be discussing and writing about collections. After reading the story, The Talking Cloth, where Aunt Phoebe collects many things, the students will write about what they collect and why these things are special to them.

MATH: We have worked very hard on learning our multiplication facts in December and January. Now we are ready for division! We will begin learning division as sharing and then as repeated subtraction. Later we will apply our multiplication skills to creating multiplication/division fact families. Students will discover the inverse relationship of these two math concepts. PLEASE keep practicing facts 5-10 minutes every day at home to strengthen skills.

SCIENCE: This month in science, students will discover what animals live in estuaries (where fresh and salt water meet) and learn what special adaptations these animals have. Students will also create their own water filtration systems. Students will learn how their clean drinking water gets “cleaned”. Later in the month we will turn our focus to the weather. Students will learn the layers of the atmosphere and how changes in the weather are measured.

VALENTINES DAY: We LOVE Valentine’s Day in third grade! Students will be creating their own unique Valentine mailboxes on Feb. 11th. Then we will celebrate on Monday February 14 with a Valentine card exchange and special afternoon snack.

FIELD EXPERIENCE THIS MONTH:

Maritime Aquarium Friday February 25. Students will learn dissection skills while learning about squids’ unique adaptations for survival. (casual day, bring a lunch & snack)

SNOW DAY UPDATE:

Your child has been given a “snow day” packet. IF there is a snow day, your child is expected to complete the packet at home that day. This is in addition to the daily required 20 minutes of reading and practicing math facts. With so many snow days already this year, we want to continue to strengthen skills and maintain academic continuity. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Happy New Year & Welcome Back!

MATH:

MULTIPLICATION HAS BEGUN! Third graders are learning many new strategies to conquer the multiplication tables through twelves.  Students are working with arrays and writing multiplication stories.  Continue to encourage the use of strategies at home to practice facts.  In the classroom, students are having fun with various games including; Iguana Factor, Mum Ball and Around the World. Have a deck of cards at home?  Ask your child to teach you Good Times or Salute!

LANGUAGE ARTS

Have you heard of Godzilla? This month, third graders will read the story of DOGZILLA in our study of fantasy literature. This is a story of an enormous playful pooch who roams a mouse-sized city, leaving a trail of destruction.  Students will find humorous aspects in this story and identify fantasy elements from realistic. Others fantasy stories will include, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and Raising Dragons. In addition, we will read shorter selections, focusing on specific reading comprehension skills.

Writing: After reading about several authors’ backgrounds, students will write their own “About the Author” pieces. Students will practice writing in the third person in this assignment, which can be tricky. We will also use our own pets (real or imaginary) to write alternative endings to Dogzilla, which always gets many laughs! Later, students will share their own stories while writing personal narratives about snow.  We will be taking some literary license to expand our stories and add excitement.  What wonderful imaginations our third graders have!

SCIENCE:

How much rain water equals 6 inches of snow?  Third graders will find out this month in science.

Where did all this snow come from? With the abundance of snow lately, this is a perfect time for our students to study Earth’s water cycle. Our class will learn why precipitation occurs and why water is an important part of this planet.

In Environmental Science, students will begin a field guide of various animal species sighted on the Unquowa campus.

Field Experiences this month:

Audubon: January 28 to investigate birds who winter in our area.

UPDATE: Our trip to the Maritime Aquarium originally scheduled for January 13 has been rescheduled to Friday February 25, due to the weather.

What are you thankful for?…

Third graders will be discussing this question in preparation for a writing piece this month. Students will practice paragraph writing skills with this topic and more. We will focus on identifying the topic sentence, detailed sentences and a proper closing. Students will learn techniques to add interest to their written work. Later this month we will join the entire student body to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast! Third graders will create place cards the week before and attend the feast dressed as pilgrims. (All costumes are already at school.)

Reading selections this month will focus on family traditions and a story about the journey of the Mayflower from a pilgrim child’s viewpoint. We will work on previewing and evaluating text before reading and making judgments as to the author’s point of view.

In math, this month we will focus on data and graphs, beginning by graphing our Halloween candy! Save a couple of your favorite wrappers for an upcoming project. Students will learn to collect and analyze data and then create their own graphs. Please continue to practice math facts at home…especially subtraction! Daily fact sheets and “Problem of the Day” will be practiced throughout the month.

In Environmental Science this month, we will continue our study of “botany on your plate”. Students have already studied roots, leaves and flowers in depth. This month, we will focus on the roots of plants. Recently, students dissected asparagus to identify the xylem, nodes, and flowers. Later our third graders diagrammed and and discovered the functions of the stem as well.

On November 5th we will be traveling to Mother Earth in Brookfield, CT to study rocks and minerals. Students will participate in a fabulous program where they will identify various rocks and minerals and afterward, go into a mine to dig for their own to take home. This will be a casual day and students are asked to bring both a snack and bagged lunch, including drinks. If you prefer, Chef Peter will be happy to provide snack/lunch for your child; just let Mrs. Gordon know 24 hours in advance.

Fall is here and the leaves are changing color…make sure to ask your child why this is happening!

SCIENCE

Third graders continue to investigate matter this month. Students will identify the three states of matter and the atom arrangement for each state. We will practice measuring matter and use the terms of mass and volume. Balances, graduated cylinders and beakers are among the tools the students will use. Physical and chemical changes to matter will be explored as well. Later in the month, we will begin a unit on Earth’s land. Here students will investigate minerals, rocks and fossils, culminating in a trip to Mother Earth in Brookfield, CT. (details to follow on this trip)

In environmental science, our mixed age groups are completing a unit titled, “Botany on Your Plate”. Mrs. Curran and Mr. Lawrence are a wonderful resource and will come into the classroom to share their expertise in this area. Students will study parts of plants in depth, focusing on the many plants that we eat. Mr. Lawrence will discuss “eating a rainbow” with the students. Mrs. Curran, along with student helpers, will continue to maintain the grow lab in our hallway. Stop by to see the lettuce, radishes and green beans!

MATH

What time is it? Third graders have been busy learning to tell time to the minute and identify time to the half and quarter hour. Students are also practicing the concept of elapsed time. Also in math, students are learning how to make change by counting on. Third graders are enjoying playing the role of “cashier”, pricing items and making accurate change for “customers”. In chapter two of our text, students will learn the properties of addition (commutative, associative and identity) and how addition and subtraction are related.  We will learn many strategies to improve mental math ability by learning to group hundreds, tens and ones separately and then adding or subtracting. Students will learn estimation of sums and differences and be able to identify an overestimate and an underestimate. Students will also strengthen algebra skills when they need to “find the rule” of a given situation.  Later in the month, we will practice adding and subtracting two and three digit numbers with regrouping.

Don’t forget to check out the math textbook website at www.pearsonsuccessnet.com!  This a great resource to strengthen the math skills presented in class. More information can be found in the parent folders given out at Back to School Night.

Language Arts

In addition to working in small reading groups,  this month, students will read several adventure stories in our anthology. Titles will include: The Lost and Found, The Ballad of Mulan and The Waterfall. Lessons will focus on reading comprehension strategies of prediction, summarizing and clarifying as the students are reading.  In our reading response journals, students will be learn to support their responses with evidence from the text.

In writing, students continue to learn and use the writing diamond.  Students are learning to add setting details and suspense to their writing.  We will plan and write fall or Halloween stories which will be shared in a celebration of writing at the end of the month.  Come by our hallway later in the month to read what we have been working on!

What is D.O.L.?

D.O.L. stands for Daily Oral Language.  In this exercise, students are presented with sentences that are grammatically incorrect.  Students need to use proper editing marks to correct the sentences.  This puts into practice the grammar lessons that are taught weekly and helps to improve editing skills.  Grammar lessons we will focus on this month include: identifying telling and asking sentences, determining parts of a sentence and what makes a complete sentence.

Field Experiences this month:

• Sport Hill Farm October 15 from1:00-2:30…casual day
• Fairfield Museum October 22 from 9:30-11:30 …uniform day

WELCOME TO THIRD GRADE!

We have an exciting year planned for our new third graders! Third grade starts off with many new experiences; lockers, desks, P.E. clothes, switching for science and social studies….We will take a deep breath and start off slowly with our new routines. In no time, we will be flowing through the year! Here is a sneak peak of topics we will begin with.

Language Arts

Reading: We will start of the year reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary. Students will use many reading strategies to enhance their reading comprehension skills.

Writing: Third graders will learn to “think like a writer”, using “6+1 Traits of Writing” (voice, conventions, word choice, sentence fluency, ideas and presentation). We will learn to identify these traits in various books and students will practice using each trait, starting with ideas. Later in the month students will compose their first narrative of the year.

Spelling will begin with a review of short a and short i letter sounds. Spelling workbooks will be coming home with weekly assignments. There will be a pretest each Monday and a post test each Friday.

Handwriting: Students will practice their manuscript this month. Cursive is right around the corner in the coming months…

Math

Our year in math with begin with place value and money. We will identify place values up to ten thousand and beyond and learn to properly read longer numbers. Students will work with both coins and bills to count and make change. To get your child ready, you might allow your child to count your spare change. Use the names and values of each coin and use different coins to make the same amounts.

Science

Matter is our first unit unit of study. We will investigate the three states of matter and discover how adding or taking heat away allows matter to change states. In addition, students will go outside to complete the first of three Horse Tavern Brook observations for the year. We will study the air and water temperature, any foliage and wildlife present and water velocity. Students will also identify any erosion of the river banks and discuss causes and possible solutions.

Fall is here and the leaves are changing color…make sure to ask your child why this is happening!

SCIENCE

In science, we are finishing a unit on plants and moving into a unit on types of animals.  Students will investigate the needs of all animals and learn how they meet these needs.  We will identify many types of animals including birds, mammals, amphibians, fish and reptiles. Students will categorize these types of animals according to the characteristics that allow each to survive.  Third graders will learn about animal behaviors, including which ones are instinctive and which ones are learned.  Students will investigate human and nature’s roles in animal extinction.  Upon completion of our study of types of animals, students will examine the interdependency between plants and animals.

MATH

Math in October has begun with a “shopping trip”!  Students are learning to compare a regular price and sale price using store circulars and going “shopping” to find the best deal. We will learn to make change by counting on.  In chapter two of our text, students will learn the properties of addition (communitive, associative and identity) and how addition and subtraction are related.  We will learn many strategies to improve mental math ability by learning to group hundreds, tens and ones separately and then add or subtract. Students will learn estimation of sums and differences and be able to identify an overestimate and an underestimate. Students will also strengthen algebra skills when they need to “find the rule” of a given situation.  Later in the month, we will practice adding and subtracting two and three digit numbers with regrouping.

Don’t forget to check out the math textbook website at www.pearsonsuccessnet.com!  More information can be found in the parent folders given at Back to School Night.

Language Arts

We will begin an author study of Beverly Cleary by reading Ramona Quimby Age 8 . Later, students will choose another Beverly Cleary book to read independently. Lessons will focus on story elements, including character development and compare and contrast different books by the same author.  Students will be introduced to book clubs to discuss opinions and make predictions. Students will be encouraged to support their reading responses with evidence from the text.

In writing, students continue to learn and use the writing diamond.  Students are learning to add setting details and suspense to their writing.  We will plan and write fall or Halloween stories which will be shared in a celebration of writing at the end of the month.  Come by our hallway later in the month to read what we have been working on!

What is D.O.L.?

D.O.L. stands for Daily Oral Language.  In this exercise, students are presented with two or more sentences that are grammatically incorrect.  Students need to use proper editing marks to correct the sentences.  This puts into practice the grammar lessons that are taught weekly and helps to improve editing skills.  Grammar lessons we will focus on this month include; identifying telling and asking sentences, avoiding run-on sentences, possessive nouns and pronouns.