Special Visitors

 Hadley's mom, dad, and sister came to celebrate Hadley's birthday.  They shared some great stories with the class!

Social Studies

We continued our government unit. We discussed the duties of government leaders and the rights of citizens. Students learned that our country is a republic where leaders are elected, and citizens can share their voice through voting.

Fiction Reading

This week we examined a folk tale and discussed how folktales often use literary and cultural language to convey a story that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story may use trickery, traditional artwork, and help explain a wonder of the world. We also enjoyed reading Zen Shorts this week! Students made inferences by using their background knowledge and evidence from the text to figure out each story’s theme. 

Chapter 8 Math

We are now working on Chapter 8.  In this Chapter, we will be focusing on fractions.  We will be learning about equivalent fractions, comparing fractions with like and unlike denominators, and adding and subtracting fractions.  Here are some videos to help you and your child at home.  There are quite a few videos because this is quite a complex unit.

Basic Fractions

Understanding Fractions

Fraction Song

Types of Fractions

Equivalen Fractions

Visual Equivalent Fractions

Comparing Fractions

Adding Fractions with Like Denominators

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Special Visitor

 Judy's parents came in to celebrate her half birthday.  We had a wonderful time!

Secret Snow Pal

Your child brought home a letter explaining the project on Monday.  Your child has a secret snow pal that they need to make a card for.  Cards are due on Wednesday.  I sent home paper for them to make their cards.  If your child needs more paper, please let me know.  I am happy to send more home.

Cardboard Challenge

We are almost finished building our projects which will share with others next week.  This has been a great lesson in creativity, collaboration, and perseverance!  I will take pictures and you can check them out on our classroom blog.  Thank you to parents who were able to come in and help us build this week!

Another Special Visitor

 We were so excited to have Olivia's dad stop by and read a story that he wrote!  Then Olivia shared a favorite that she loves as well.  We had a great time celebrating Olivia's birthday.

Chapter 6 Videos

Our next unit is Chapter 6.  This unit focuses on bar modeling, a way to think abstractly about word problems.  Here are some videos that can be helpful during this unit.

Bar Modeling- an Explanation of How Bar Modeling Works

Solving a Multiple Step Word Problem Using a Bar Model

Multiplication Bar Modeling

Bar Models Made Easy

Special Visitor

 Arisa's dad stopped by to help us celebrate her birthday.  We really enjoyed the story!

Social Studies

 We began our new social studies unit! Our main focus this week was local government. We talked about all the important parts of city hall. We discussed how each department has a special job to help the community run smoothly. Some of the jobs we discussed included the city manager and the police department.  We will continue learning about local government next week.

Special Visitor

Ryan's parents were able to stop by and read a couple of books with the class.  

We had a good few laughs because the books were so funny!

 

Map Skills

 Students learned that a map scale shows the real distance between various places on a map. We practiced using a ruler to measure the distance and converted inches to miles. We also talked about the importance of checking the map scale each time, as they can vary depending on the map.

Nonfiction Reading

 Last week, we read a variety of nonfiction books! Students learned about the nonfiction text structures that authors use to teach the reader information. We read a biography called Snowflake Bentley, which had a problem/solution text structure. We also read Waiting for Ice and discussed author’s purpose. We used the acronym PIE to remember each purpose (Persuade, Inform, Entertain). Students used evidence from the text to support their thinking. We also practiced various strategies to help us figure out unknown words in Animal Tongues (context clues, background knowledge, glossary, substitute a different word, use the photos/illustrations, etc.).

High Frequency Words

 Each trimester we focus on a variety of third grade high frequency words to help your child practice and encourage them to spell them correctly in their written work.  In your child’s red folder I have included some of the words from this trimester that your child is still working on mastering.  It is not required, but feel free to practice these at home.