Classroom News!

Hello and welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you and your families had a restful and fun-filled week, and soaked up some sunshine! Here's what's going on these days in third grade:

Mathematics

Prior to break we started our unit on fractions. We investigated unit fractions, practiced solving problems dividing brownies and pizzas into fair shares, and explored different combination of fractions that can add up to one whole. This week we will practice dividing geoboards into various fractions and taking a close look at fractions along a number line – a model that all kids need much more experience with. We will also be discussing equivalent, mixed, and improper fractions. You can reinforce the “fractions talk” at home: what fraction of the pizza will each family member get as you sit down for dinner? What fraction of the distance have you driven to baseball practice? What fraction of the clothes in your closet have the color blue? What fraction of a dollar is $0.05?

The week prior to break, we finished round one of OAKS Math; most students are finished, except for a handful who either just started, or left early for Spring Break. Don’t fret if your child is not “meeting” after round one; unlike the OAKS Reading, there is a sizable amount of content in the math test that cannot/does not get covered until April and May. As before, simply contact me privately if you would like to know how your child did.


Writing

Our Poetry Slam with the 6th graders was a success! Notwithstanding a bit of stage-fright, the third graders were brave and read a variety of poems to an attentive audience. We heard rhyming couplet, nature haiku, two-voice poems, cinquain, - all kinds of poems ranging from student-authored pieces to Henry David Thoreau to hip-hop raps. Great job, kids!


This week we will wrap up the unit by learning two more poetic forms, and then each student will publish their own beautiful Poetry Anthology.

Reading

This week, we will begin a new read-aloud The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate. Recipient of the 2013 Newbury Medal, this novel is written in first person from the point of view of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who lives in a cage at a shopping mall. It is an AMAZING book!

We will pick back up with our daily core routines of silently reading-to-self and reflecting on what we are reading, as well as reading-to-someone to practice more fluid, fluent oral reading. I will be picking back up with small-group reading instruction as well, focusing with groups on comprehension strategies, fluency, nonfiction reading skills, etc.

Science & Social Studies


We wrapped up our big geology unit with some independent research to beef up those nonfiction reading skills. Students worked with a partner to read, take notes in their own words, and create a short digital presentation using the app “Haiku Deck” to reflect their comprehension. Click here to see one example.

This week we will be launching our next big Storyline unit about a Wildlife Park in the Northwest - building a classroom model, and tackling questions such as:
Why do we have wildlife parks?
What does a wildlife park need?
What animals and plants might you find in various habitats in a NW state park?
What causes animals and plants to move?
Who works at a park?
Who uses a park?
How are people and living things affected by an event, problem, or issue at a state park? How are these issues worked out?
What do people need to know about a park, and how do they acquire that information?

In addition to the Wildlife Park Storyline, we will soon be doing some digging, planting, and science inquiry in our salad garden bed behind the school.



Coming up:

• Week of April 7-11 -- Scholastic Book Fair
• Thursday April 10th – Monthly Field Study at Wapato Park
• Thursday April 17th – No School; Teacher Work Day
• Friday April 18th – Optional Parent-Teacher Conference (recommended for struggling students)


Warm regards,


Asa