Welcome to Back to
School Night
Third Grade
September 9, 2015
Math
• Our new math curriculum is based
on the internationally-driven
Common Core State Standards.
• The goal is for students to use
math practices (UCARE) to develop
deep understandings.
• UCARE stands for understanding,
computing, applying, reasoning, and
engaging
Math
• By the end of third grade, students are expected
to develop the following deep understandings:
– Understand properties of multiplication and
the relationship between multiplication and
division.
– Use place value understanding and properties
of operations to perform multi-digit
arithmetic.
– Develop understanding of fractions as
numbers.
– Understand concepts of area and relate area
to multiplication and to addition.
Math
Math Folder
● Used to keep work and resources from
math class
● Please do not empty folder. We will
empty at the end of the day
Homework
● Will focus as a review of grade level
work done in class
Writing
• There will be a heavy emphasis placed on
writing in third grade.
• Students will be taught how to write strong,
detailed paragraphs with main ideas and
supporting details.
• We will concentrate on strong topic
sentences and concluding sentences, as well
as sensory words to describe things.
• Students will be learning how to use
descriptive sensory details to enhance their
writing.
Writing (Continued)
During the year children will
be taught and will write in
the three intents:
• Narrative writing
• Informative writing
• Opinion writing
Writer’s Notebook
• Students will be writing in their writer’s
notebook on a regular basis.
• Subjects for this notebook will include
their thoughts, feelings, questions,
lists, memories, etc.
• Students will only be turning in a few of
their writer’s notebook entries into
published pieces for each marking
period.
Writing Instruction
• Instruction will be based on the writing
workshop model. Mini lessons, independent and
guided writing, conferencing, and sharing will
provide opportunities for students to develop
writing skills and strategies by spending ample
time writing after a short mini-lesson.
• Instruction and analysis of writing will center
on the following six traits:
1. sentence fluency
2. conventions
3. word choice
4. voice
5. organization
6. ideas
Mechanics
Throughout the year students will
work with spelling, capitalization,
punctuation, and grammar usage.
These very important skills will help
students become more proficient
and competent writers. Much of
this skill work will come in the form
of mini-lessons or will be
incorporated into Reading and
Writing instruction.
Word Study
• This year 3rd graders will participate in the Words
Their Way word study program just as they did in
2nd grade.
• This program is a student-centered approach to
phonics, spelling and vocabulary instruction that
actively engages the learner in constructing
concepts about the way words work. Students will
have the opportunity to construct their own word
knowledge that they can then apply to their reading
and writing.
• You will receive more detailed information about
what this program will look like in the classroom
when we begin in late September.
Reading
In third grade, the reading program is
composed of a variety of reading
types. These include:
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Realistic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Poetry
Plays
Folktales
Myths
Non-fiction
Reading Strategies
• Making Connections – Activating relevant,
prior knowledge before, during, and after
reading text. (Text-to-Self, Text-toText, Text-to-World)
• Questioning – Asking questions of
themselves, the authors, and the text
before, during, and after reading.
• Determining Importance – Determining the
most important ideas and themes in a text.
Reading Strategies
(Continued)
• Visualization – Creating visual and other
sensory images from the text during and
after reading.
• Inferring - Using prior knowledge and textual
information to draw conclusions, make
predictions, create critical judgements, and
form unique interpretations from text.
• Synthesizing - To monitor for overall meaning,
important concepts, and themes in a text. To
be aware of how text elements fit together,
and to extend the literal meaning of a text to
the inferential level.
The 90 Minute Block
• 20 – 30 minutes
– Modeled or Shared Reading
• 60 – 70 minutes
– Guided Reading
– Independent Reading
– Written Work
• Guided reading work
• Reading responses
• Poetry responses
• Literature circle work
Science
In Science, third graders will learn
about:
Forces and Motion
Properties of Matter
Heat Energy
Ecology
Social Studies
• Civics: Government-basic functions, roles
in society, etc.
• Geography-comparing places and regions
around the world
• Culture: Elements of multicultural settings
-comparing and examining different
cultures
• Economics: Money Management strategieslearning about producers, consumers, and
budgets
Weekly Folder
• Your child will receive graded
work in their folder every
Thursday or Friday
(depending on their teacher)
• Please sign and return the
weekly folder the next day.
T.A.T.
(Tiger Achievement Time)
• Third Graders will have T.A.T.
every day after lunch for 15 - 20
minutes.
• Students will use this time to
finish their class work, meet with
their teacher for extra support, or
read silently (self-selected
reading).
Testing
• The third graders will be taking the
PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers) in
May. We will let you know specific
dates when we know them.
• The subjects that will be covered are
math and reading. It will be taken on
the Chromebooks.
Third Grade Website
The third grade website is a
valuable resource! You can find
overviews of each subject area,
information about Curriculum
2.0, and many other things.
Please check it out!
One last note...
We are truly thrilled to be
teaching your child and thank you
for giving us the opportunity to
make a difference in his or her
life. We know we will have a
FABULOUS year together!
Thank you for coming this evening!