What's New in Room 20

 

We have been SO busy in room 20!  The students are really enjoying learning how to multiply.  I have met with each child to check their flashcards, and we have narrowed the pile down to specific cards that the students should be studying.  Please look in your child's folder, and encourage them to practice the cards as often as possible.  They have a pile of cards that they know, and a pile of cards that they should practice.  We have discussed that the cards that they know should be looked at occasionally so that they remember them, and the ones to be practiced should be practiced several times a day.  Throwing out math facts while driving in the car or waiting in a long line is a great way to pass some time with your child.  We will be updating those piles as the children learn the cards, and replacing them with new facts as needed.

We are in the middle of reading The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes.  This book has a plethora of rich vocabulary words, and we are focusing on noticing new words, and playing with them so that we increase our word knowledge.  Please reinforce this concept by talking with your child about new words that you come across during your time together.

We have been writing informational texts.  We are using everything we learned from reading information texts, such as text features and text structures, to organize our writing, and make it more interesting.  Look for the published pieces in portfolios after the break.

 

We are continuing our study of Colonial America.  We have been looking closely at the Pilgrims and the Puritans and seeing how they are alike, as well as how they are different. Ask your child to tell you some of the things they have learned, specifically about what jobs the children would have to carry out for their families in that time period.

The children and I have spent time recently discussing third grade expectations.  They have reflected on what has been going well this year, and what could be going better.  I am currently meeting with each child to discuss this, and every child will bring home a plan that they have created for themselves with their report card.  Please be looking for these in your child's folder on Monday.

Wishing you a relaxing time with family and friends.  See you next year!

Today we had a special visitor to our school, author Natasha Lowe.  She showed us her published books, and told us how she wrote them.  She also showed us a new book that she was working on that hasn't been published yet.  Her published books are called The Power of Poppy Pendle and The Courage of Cat Campbell.  Cat Campbell is Poppy Pendle's daughter.  Natasha's next book will be about Poppy's great grandmother Mable.  All of these characters are magical.  Here is her website if you would like to learn more about her or her books.  Thank you so much Natasha Lowe for coming to our school.  We really enjoyed it!

Math update

 

We have spent the last week or so learning how to tell time to the minute, as well as calculating elapsed time. These are skills that we will continue to work on throughout the remainder of the year.  When you are with your child, take a moment every once in a while to ask them what time it is, and have them use an analog clock to tell you.  This practice is invaluable as they are learning the concept.

The children are very excited that we are now moving on to multiplication. We are starting by thinking about the concept of multiplication being repeated addition, or equal groups of things.  We will then move into facts after that.  Some of the vocabulary that we will be using are:

multiplication:  an operation that gives the total number when you join equal groups

factors:  numbers that are multiplied to give a product

product:  the answer to a multiplication problem

array:  a way of displaying objects in equal rows

Commutative Property of Multiplication:  numbers can be multiplied in any order and the product will be the same

Some of the standards that we are working on are:

3.OA.A.1 Write multiplication sentences for repeated addition situations and find products

3.OA.A.3  Write multiplication sentences for arrays and use arrays to find products

3.OA.B.5  Write multiplication sentences and use the Communtattive Property of Multiplication

3.OA.A.3  Write math stories for given multiplication facts

3.OA.A.3, 3.OA.D.9  Use objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology to provide a written explanation reflecting their understanding



Please look in your child's folder for the Home School Connection letter regarding this unit.  Several new games have been added to this website to help your child practice multiplication.  Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Wow!

Thank you so much to everyone for the donation of candy for our troops.  This morning we were able to collect almost an entire box full of candy.  We will be collecting through Friday.

Thanks again for your generosity!

Reading buddies

Friday we celebrated Orange and Black Day at Parmenter School.  As an added treat, we went to visit Mrs. Zarrella's class to do some reading.  All of the children were completely engaged in their books, and enjoyed sharing the stories with each other.  Here is a sneak peek.

 

This is something we will do occasionally throughout the year.  We will be bringing some of our own writing to first grade to model different genres for the first graders, too.  Stay tuned for more pictures.

Plimouth Plantation

Third graders had a wonderful field trip this week to Plimouth Plantation.  The weather looked a little iffy, however, it turned into a beautiful fall day.  Here are some pictures from our journey.  Be sure to ask your children for specific details of things they saw, heard, smelled, and touched.  If any chaperones have additional pictures, I would be happy to add them to the blog if you send them to me.  Thanks and enjoy!

 

 

A big thank you to the PCC for making this trip possible.  The children had an amazing time, and learned many interesting details about life in the 17th century.