MRS. STOKES' THIRD GRADE NEWSLETTER
December 15, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ANGEL GIFTS
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
We will be having a Christmas celebration on Thurs., Dec. 17. We sent
letters home Friday about the party. If you received a letter, please send a
reply as soon as possible.
Signed paper folders will be sent home on Tuesday.
MATH
Now that we know the multiplication facts, we have moved on to division.
Since division is the opposite of multiplication, students need to
understand the relationship between multiplication and division to know how
to divide. We will be working in the math book in Chapters 11 - 13. There
will be a Division Unit Test on Dec. 16th.
We MUST continue to work on speed and accuracy with multiplication as we
learn the division facts, so timed tests for multiplication facts will
continue throughout December. I stress the importance of this because
almost everything we do in math from now on will build on knowledge of
multiplication facts. Students will need to be able to apply that knowledge
to problem-solving, division, and fractions. Without this knowledge, math
will become increasingly difficult. I realize that this is a busy time of
year, but please find time to quiz your child and have him or her continue to
practice multiplication facts. They can spend time on multiplication.com
(15-20 min each night) and/or they can write the facts and practice with
flash cards. I know many of you have been doing this for weeks now, and it
has really made a difference. Thank you so much!
They should also practice at home telling elapsed time and counting money.
They know where to go on my website for links to interactive time and money
games.
SCIENCE
Our “rock” unit continues, with a vocabulary test on Thurs., Dec. 17th. Be
sure your child rereads the lessons and completes the workbook pages that
accompany them. Students will be writing these assignments in their
assignment books daily.
READING
Our story this week is be "Uncle Jed's Barber Shop. It is historical
fiction. The setting is real, but some of the characters and events are
fiction.Our skill focus is on vocabulary, subjects and predicates, reviewing
comparative and superlative adjectives, and cause and effect.
Vocabulary words:
1. segregation - the practice of setting one group apart from another
2. bundled - wrapped together
3. county - a part of a state
4. equipment - tools and supplies used for a given purpose
5. unconscious - not awake
6. failing - losing money
7. stations - places where services are performed
SOCIAL STUDIES
We are reading biographies of Great American Heroes. We have read about Mary
Mcleod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony. Students will
complete class and homework activities to accompany these biographies, and
there will be a short quiz on these three heroes on Wed., Dec. 16th.
Students will receive a study guide on Tues.
Here are some vocabulary terms that students will be learning.
1. justice - equal treatment under the law
2. segregation - system of keeping people of different races separate
3. diligence - hard work over a long time
4. slavery - a cruel system in which someone legally owns or controls another
person
5. volunteer- a person who willingly helps people or groups without pay
6. abolitionist - person who wants to end slavery
7. civil rights - rights protected by law
8. liberty - freedom
9. enslaved - forced to work without pay
SPELLING, ENGLISH, AND WRITING
We will be studying comparative and superlative adjectives in English. We
are writing with “persuasive” topics.
Spelling words for – Uncle Jed's Barbershop
Words with o spelled - o, o_e, _ow, and oa_, words with ow spelled ou_, and
ow; words with oo spelled oo, _ew, u_e, and u; and words with u spelled u,
u_e, _ew, and _ue
1. glow 10. due
2. bonus 11. flew
3. road 12. use
4. town 13. rule
5. owl 14. mule
6. pound 15. unit
7. about Challenge words:
8. July 16. county
9. scoop 17. tissue
18. raccoon
Online Books - Parents, I have taped the passwords
for the students' math, social studies and reading books
in the front of each student's assignment book. Now
if your child forgets a textbook at school, you can
access it at home online at any time. There are also
games and activities that go with some of the chapters
and stories. Go to my links page to get to the websites
for these textbooks.
* Parents, you can check your child's AR progress online
at home. Just go to the school website, then click on
media center, then Renaissance, then Home Connection,
then put in your child's username and password, and you
will see their AR information. You can also check their
progress on Accelerated Math.
ACCELERATED READER
If you would like to look up an Accelerated Reader Book on the computer,
here are the directions:
After you logon to the RES website, click under Media Center, then on the
left of this page, click on "AR Book Finder." On Advance Search, you can
sort by author, book title, or book level.
http://teacherweb.com/GA/RiversideElementary/LenoirStokes
You can also access my website from the county website. Click on "Our
Schools", then "Riverside", then "link to the school website",
then "classes", then "third grade", and then the star by my name