Hello students and families,
We had a wonderful week to end the month of October. I cannot believe how quickly the school year is flying by! It has been great to see some of you during conferences, which continue next week, and I have truly enjoyed getting to know each of your children. Here is a look at our learning this week:
Reading: We kicked off guided reading this week! After going over the expectations, we rotated between independent work/reading stations and the teacher table. At the teacher table, we previewed and made predictions about the 4 different mysteries groups will be reading. Then, we got into our guided reading books and work. Many groups are working on answering questions thoughtfully about what we read, which encourages active reading. We are still listening to reading or reading with a partner to help with fluency and expression. We also worked on writing open responses to what we read, using sentence starters like "I wonder if..." or "I predict that." Tomorrow, we will work on echoing the questions in our guided reading work.
Math: In math, we started the week by writing our own story problems. We had to ensure our problems were organized, contained two digit numbers, and required either addition or subtraction. Then, a classmate solved our problem, and we gave feedback! We then moved on to rounding to the nearest 10 and to the nearest 100. Students did well with looking at the "bossy number" next to the digit that is changing. For example, if we are rounding 47 to the nearest 10, the "4" is rounded based on the "7" - it rounds UP to 50. We also worked on ballpark estimates, and using estimation as a way to solve addition problems. We started WIN Math groups, where the third grade is mixed up into groups based on "What I Need" in terms of supporting math skills.
Spelling: During our Fundations lessons, we learned about base words and suffixes. We started with a review of making words plural. We recognized the plural endings -s, -es, and -ies. We also identified words that change when they become plural, like child --> children or wolf --> wolves. Students did a fantastic job with suffixes, and began to see them everywhere - even during science! (leaf --> leaves). We also worked with the vowel suffixes -ing and -ed.
Writing: We continued to think about using a Storyteller's Voice and mapped out our small moment stories using vivid details and imagery. We told stories to a partner and then used a flow chart to describe the beginning, middle, and end of the small moment. Mrs. K modeled this with a story about a Water War. Then, with the help of the class, she wrote her story draft using descriptive language and dialogue. Students will continue to draft their small moment stories. They enjoy sharing their progress and ideas in the Author's Chair, and asking classmates for Constructive Feedback.
Science: In preparation for our field trip next week, we identified and labels the parts of a tree. We looked at actual cross-sections from trees, and used hand lenses to help us count the rings and find the outer bark, inner bark, and heartwood. The hand lenses also helped us investigate leaves up close. We discussed what trees have (branches), are (oxygen-makers), and need (sunlight), and talked about how we use trees everyday. Finally, we filled in a K-W-L chart: what we know about trees, what we want to know, and what we have learned so far!
Reminders:
* Field trip forms: We are going to Moose Hill next Wednesday, rain or shine!
* Homework: Reading log, POW, and spelling dictation are due tomorrow
Enjoy the Halloween weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich
We had a wonderful week to end the month of October. I cannot believe how quickly the school year is flying by! It has been great to see some of you during conferences, which continue next week, and I have truly enjoyed getting to know each of your children. Here is a look at our learning this week:
Reading: We kicked off guided reading this week! After going over the expectations, we rotated between independent work/reading stations and the teacher table. At the teacher table, we previewed and made predictions about the 4 different mysteries groups will be reading. Then, we got into our guided reading books and work. Many groups are working on answering questions thoughtfully about what we read, which encourages active reading. We are still listening to reading or reading with a partner to help with fluency and expression. We also worked on writing open responses to what we read, using sentence starters like "I wonder if..." or "I predict that." Tomorrow, we will work on echoing the questions in our guided reading work.
Math: In math, we started the week by writing our own story problems. We had to ensure our problems were organized, contained two digit numbers, and required either addition or subtraction. Then, a classmate solved our problem, and we gave feedback! We then moved on to rounding to the nearest 10 and to the nearest 100. Students did well with looking at the "bossy number" next to the digit that is changing. For example, if we are rounding 47 to the nearest 10, the "4" is rounded based on the "7" - it rounds UP to 50. We also worked on ballpark estimates, and using estimation as a way to solve addition problems. We started WIN Math groups, where the third grade is mixed up into groups based on "What I Need" in terms of supporting math skills.
Spelling: During our Fundations lessons, we learned about base words and suffixes. We started with a review of making words plural. We recognized the plural endings -s, -es, and -ies. We also identified words that change when they become plural, like child --> children or wolf --> wolves. Students did a fantastic job with suffixes, and began to see them everywhere - even during science! (leaf --> leaves). We also worked with the vowel suffixes -ing and -ed.
Writing: We continued to think about using a Storyteller's Voice and mapped out our small moment stories using vivid details and imagery. We told stories to a partner and then used a flow chart to describe the beginning, middle, and end of the small moment. Mrs. K modeled this with a story about a Water War. Then, with the help of the class, she wrote her story draft using descriptive language and dialogue. Students will continue to draft their small moment stories. They enjoy sharing their progress and ideas in the Author's Chair, and asking classmates for Constructive Feedback.
Science: In preparation for our field trip next week, we identified and labels the parts of a tree. We looked at actual cross-sections from trees, and used hand lenses to help us count the rings and find the outer bark, inner bark, and heartwood. The hand lenses also helped us investigate leaves up close. We discussed what trees have (branches), are (oxygen-makers), and need (sunlight), and talked about how we use trees everyday. Finally, we filled in a K-W-L chart: what we know about trees, what we want to know, and what we have learned so far!
Reminders:
* Field trip forms: We are going to Moose Hill next Wednesday, rain or shine!
* Homework: Reading log, POW, and spelling dictation are due tomorrow
Enjoy the Halloween weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich