English Language Arts
Every week your child will read an anchor text as well as a paired text. The anchor text is used to work on fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary skills and strategies. The paired text may be similar in theme and or genre. This text will reinforce vocabulary usage. Student understanding of the anchor text and vocabulary will be assessed on Fridays.
Students will also work on grammar and spelling throughout the week. Assigned spelling words will be assessed on Fridays.
MSTEP Prep
On Friday, third graders will bring home 10 M-STEP vocabulary words to study at home and an extra credit crossword puzzle. If students complete and return the extra credit crossword puzzle, they will earn 1 extra credit point on the quiz. On Fridays, the students will be quizzed on these words. In January, when your child earns 80% or better on Friday’s quiz, he/she will earn a charm for his/her M-STEP charm necklace. Students will be quizzed on Friday, December 13th.
Weekly Reading
All gold Catch a Sunflake books should be returned to school at this time.
Every Friday, your child is assigned reading material for the week. This assignment will be in the form of an electronic article using ReadWorks. Login info is in your child’s planner. Your child is required to read and answer questions that are Common Core based. Similar questions will appear on the M-STEP. The electronic submission is due by the following Thursday. All short answer questions MUST be answered in complete sentences and contain proper punctuation in order to earn credit. If your child doesn’t submit or return the reading homework by Thursday, he/she will miss out on valuable skill practice, and it will be noted as a missing assignment in Parent Connect. It is imperative that students complete the assigned articles and questions on time. After a certain date, the article will no longer be available in the student’s ReadWorks account for late submission.
ReadWorks Article: Native American due 12/12
Encourage your child to use the following steps to complete the assignment:
- Read the article noting any unknown words.
- Explore vocabulary section or use a dictionary to define the words.
- Read through the questions.
- Listen to the text aloud using the audio option available stopping to note any possible answers to the questions.
- Answer the questions using evidence in the text and note it in the text where possible.
- Reread until all other questions are answered.
- Double check to make sure all answers are completed and reasonable.
Math in Focus Chapter 7: Multiplication
In this chapter, your child will learn multiplication without and with regrouping.
Some of the skills your child will practice are:
• multiplying ones, tens, and hundreds mentally
• multiplying ones, tens, and hundreds without and
with regrouping
Chapter 7 Test will be on Tuesday, December 10th. Because this is a new concept for third graders, here is a great resource to print off for added practice.
XtraMath Updates
We are now in the second trimester. Your child should be working to master their multiplication facts in order to earn a “1” on their second trimester report card. They will need to complete addition and subtraction in order to begin multiplication. This can be achieved by completing a session online each day. Login information is in your child’s planner.
Helpful hints for XtraMath success:
- Only complete one session per day. (An additional session will not count toward student progress due to an increase in frustration level).
- Students are better to let time run out than to answer a problem incorrectly.
- Students should be focused on the computer screen once the facts begin to appear.
- NO Distractions!!!!! (Sorry, parents, this is a nag-free time. However, students are encouraged to complete all chores before settling in to complete an XtraMath session.)
Special congrats to Pandora, Riley, Megan, Natalia, and Greyson. All of them mastered addition facts on XtraMath. Congrats to Noah and Olivia. Both of them mastered their subtraction facts and are moving onto multiplication. Calvin mastered all of his multiplication facts! Woohoo! Keep up the great work moving toward your goals!
November Super Cougar
Congratulations to Olivia Ostrander! She is Super Cougar for November. She is Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. She goes above and beyond our PBIS expectations. Way to go, Olivia! Keep up the great work!
Holiday Festivities
On Friday, December 20th, our class will be enjoying a movie. I felt that popcorn and juice pouches would be a special treat as well. If you are able to provide any of the requested items, please sign up below. I am requesting that donated items be sent to school no later than Thursday, December 19th. If you are unable to click on a particular item, the item may no longer be needed. Thanks so much!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4eaaac2ea4f94-movie
Mystery Science: What kinds of animals might there be in the future?
In science this week we learned about how people create new breeds of animals by selecting
certain traits and only having those animals have babies. Your child learned in particular how the earliest dogs were medium-sized and wolf-like, but using selective breeding, we managed to get the many different dog breeds, from small dogs to big dogs, spotted dogs to plain dogs.
What makes selection possible is the fact that no two individuals are ever exactly alike–there are always small differences, and yet parents do pass on most of their traits to their offspring. You can help reinforce this learning at home by helping your child to notice these small differences in physical traits between siblings, cousins, and other family members, as well as to contemplate which traits have been passed on from one generation to the next.