September 25, 2009
Dear Parents,
It is soooo hard to believe the first quarter of school is almost over. The students have done a great job adjusting to third grade. Now the hard work really begins. J As I told my wonderful students, they have had time to adjust to the “hard” expectations and “all the writing” a third grader has to do across the curriculum. They are realizing they all have to put forth their best efforts everyday in school. The last few weeks have been full of learning!
In reading, we have become poetry experts! We have read different types of poetry, learned about the different parts of a poem, and learned the different tools poets use to make poetry exciting. In addition, we continued to discuss all the reading strategies good readers use before and as they read. We also spent time in class practicing and discussing metacognitive strategies such a paraphrasing, rereading, reading ahead, using context clues, etc. Please make sure your child is reading different types of books at home. It may also be a great idea to purchase or subscribe to a magazine like Kids Discoverer, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights, Ranger Rick, etc. My class has really enjoyed the articles from some of these magazines and they get to practice all those wonderful strategies as they read articles that are of interest to them. These articles are also great for the reading response journals. Students are allowed to borrow these magazines from class to read or if you would like to see what they have to offer.
In math, we have been working on measuring and drawing line segments, finding the perimeter of polygons, and sorting/classifying quadrilaterals (parallelogram, rectangle, square, and rhombus). They have also been introduced to the concept of permutations and combinations. Students have learned LOTS of new vocabulary this quarter so I feel it would be helpful to review these concepts at home from time to time. In addition, we are always working on solving word problems with addition and subtraction concepts.
In writing, we have been reading personal narratives by authors like Cynthia Rylant and Patricia Polacco. We spent lots of time discussing strategies for generating topic ideas for our very own personal narratives. We also reflected on people, places, and important moments in our lives. We now have “backpack” of great writing strategies to use when we have Writer’s Block. Students have selected their favorite pieces to take through the entire writing process.
In science, we have finished up our Human Body unit. Students have been so excited and learned lots of new information, thus gaining an appreciation for the machine we call the human body. We have begun our social studies unit. We are learning about the qualities of good citizenship by identifying people who have made a difference in their community. We have also learned the characteristics of responsible citizens and learned how citizen participation can impact changes within a community.
When students return from track out, we will spend the second quarter of school in room 410. Remember over track out to continue to have your child read and actively discuss the book your child is reading with him/her. Also practice math with real life activities at home. This is also a time to have fun with practicing the memorization of basic facts with your child. As always, thanks so much for your support. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Erika Emelle