Hello students and families!
Here is a look into our 4-day week. Tomorrow there is no school due to Veteran's Day.
Math: We launched our new unit in math called THE BIG DINNER. Mrs. Kalich is hosting Thanksgiving for the first year, and needs some help to figure out her grocery costs. Students worked in pairs to determine the price of a 24-pound turkey if 1 pound costs $1.25. Partners were up to the challenge and used different strategies to calculate the cost. Some groups added $1.25+1.25+1.25... 24 times! Other groups did partial sums of the dollars, the dimes (20 cents+20 cents...) and the nickels (5+5+5+...). Other partners separated the dollars and quarters, and then added them up realizing that 4 quarters = $1.
After discussing the most efficient and accurate strategies, we worked as a class to make a chart for the grocery store. The chart showed different sized turkeys and how much they would cost. Then, students saw patterns and ways to use the table to help calculate different sizes/costs. We will continue to work on planning the Big Dinner
Reading: We are reading mystery books in our first round of guided reading groups. Students are using Super Sleuth notebooks to keep track of the detective(s), clues, suspects, and witnesses. After meeting in a group, students work in their notebook or reading response journal, or read the next chapter of their mystery. We also have read to self, read to someone, or work on writing during guided reading when we are not meeting with a teacher. Ask about our mystery book - by now, most groups know the crime, detective(s), and have 1 or more suspects!
Writing: I am so proud of the hard work students put into their folktale adaptations! As some students are finishing their final final draft, other students illustrated front and back covers. We've worked very hard as a class to create a detailed plan, draft a story, and then edit and revise to make improvements. Many students wrote more than one draft before rewriting as a final published product! We look forward to sharing them in our Author's Chair and with other third graders next week.
Word Work: This week we learned about vowel and consonant suffixes. We isolated the base words from different suffixes, or word endings. We determined the sounds and spellings of different suffixes, like the -ed suffix sounds like /t/ in some words like jumped.
Creative Arts and Sciences: On Monday, Ralph Masiello did a special presentation about being an illustrator. We enjoyed hearing his funny stories and how he went from studying marine biology in Florida to studying art (with Chris Van Allsburg!) in Rhode Island. He inspired many of us to work hard on our folktale covers and to use simple shapes (plus creativity!) in our drawings.
Have a wonderful weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich
Here is a look into our 4-day week. Tomorrow there is no school due to Veteran's Day.
Math: We launched our new unit in math called THE BIG DINNER. Mrs. Kalich is hosting Thanksgiving for the first year, and needs some help to figure out her grocery costs. Students worked in pairs to determine the price of a 24-pound turkey if 1 pound costs $1.25. Partners were up to the challenge and used different strategies to calculate the cost. Some groups added $1.25+1.25+1.25... 24 times! Other groups did partial sums of the dollars, the dimes (20 cents+20 cents...) and the nickels (5+5+5+...). Other partners separated the dollars and quarters, and then added them up realizing that 4 quarters = $1.
After discussing the most efficient and accurate strategies, we worked as a class to make a chart for the grocery store. The chart showed different sized turkeys and how much they would cost. Then, students saw patterns and ways to use the table to help calculate different sizes/costs. We will continue to work on planning the Big Dinner
Reading: We are reading mystery books in our first round of guided reading groups. Students are using Super Sleuth notebooks to keep track of the detective(s), clues, suspects, and witnesses. After meeting in a group, students work in their notebook or reading response journal, or read the next chapter of their mystery. We also have read to self, read to someone, or work on writing during guided reading when we are not meeting with a teacher. Ask about our mystery book - by now, most groups know the crime, detective(s), and have 1 or more suspects!
Writing: I am so proud of the hard work students put into their folktale adaptations! As some students are finishing their final final draft, other students illustrated front and back covers. We've worked very hard as a class to create a detailed plan, draft a story, and then edit and revise to make improvements. Many students wrote more than one draft before rewriting as a final published product! We look forward to sharing them in our Author's Chair and with other third graders next week.
Word Work: This week we learned about vowel and consonant suffixes. We isolated the base words from different suffixes, or word endings. We determined the sounds and spellings of different suffixes, like the -ed suffix sounds like /t/ in some words like jumped.
Creative Arts and Sciences: On Monday, Ralph Masiello did a special presentation about being an illustrator. We enjoyed hearing his funny stories and how he went from studying marine biology in Florida to studying art (with Chris Van Allsburg!) in Rhode Island. He inspired many of us to work hard on our folktale covers and to use simple shapes (plus creativity!) in our drawings.
Have a wonderful weekend!
-Mrs. Kalich