Grade 3 October 2015

Waters Landing
Elementary
School
Third Grade
October Newsletter
Ms. Baek, Mr. Bothwell,
Mrs. Grimes, Mrs. Smith,
Mr. Steiner
We are off to a wonderful start in third grade! Thank you to the many
parents who came to Back to School Night in September. On the back of this
newsletter, you will find information about what we are studying in each subject area.
Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns about homework or your
child’s progress. We hope you take the time to look over your student’s
progress report which will be sent home Monday, October 5.
The students are working very hard and it is important to celebrate their progress
both at school and at home! The 1st quarter ends at the end of October and you will
receive report cards in early November. If you did not sign up for conferences at Back to School Night,
expect correspondence from your child’s teacher in order to sign up for a parent-teacher
conference. It is very important that you discuss your child’s progress with their teacher at
this time. As October is underway the weather is changing! Students should be coming to
school in appropriate attire (with a sweater or jacket) as the weather becomes colder.
Please continue to donate supplies when possible (hand sanitizer, tissues, pencils, etc…).
Standards Based Grading Reminders
Here is a reminder of our standards based grading rubric:
ES: Exceeds Standard: The student demonstrates an exceptional
understanding of on-grade-level content.
Important Dates
P: Proficient: The student demonstrates proficiency of the content
of processes
Date
Event
I: In Progress: The student is in progress towards meeting the
standard
Friday, October 2nd
Early Release Day
N: Not Yet: The student is not yet making progress or is making
minimal progress towards meeting the standard.
Tuesday, October 6th
PTA Meeting (7:00pm)
Students will also be assessed on the two Thinking and Academic
Success Skills (TASS) that are addressed each quarter. During the
first quarter, we will be focusing on the skills of collaboration
(working in a group in a positive manner to achieve a goal) and
analysis (breaking down a whole into parts that may not be
immediately obvious and examining the parts so that the structure of the whole is understood). Look for more information to
come about this process during Back to School Night!
October 5th-9th
Book Fair
Monday, October 12th
Open House (9:30am—
12:30pm)
Friday, October 16th
No School
Wednesday, October 28th
Student Picture Day
Friday, October 30th
Marking Period 1 Ends
Reading
Students have been working on identifying cause
and effect, the central message, and key details of texts in reading. We
continue to stress the importance of asking questions before, during, and
after reading to enhance comprehension of a text. We will begin discussing word meanings, inferences, and synonyms. Students will learn how context clues and
other resources can help them to determine the meaning of unknown words in class lessons,
guided reading groups, and when reading independently.
Math
This month students will be focusing on multiplication in math class. This includes using multiplication to find the area of a
rectangle, multiplication within 100 of equal groups, word/story problems
and multiplication in relation to division. Students will be working with manipulatives, patterns, and creating models as they develop a variety of strategies for multiplying and dividing. They will focus on fluency of facts with 0, 1,
2, 5, and 10. You can help at home by checking your child's homework nightly, and relating multiplication and division concepts to real life tasks you do every day. Basic fact practice is always beneficial! Students can work on Splash Math or Monster Math Facts on their G-Mail Account Apps.
Science and Social Studies
In Social Studies, we will be focusing on civics, history, economics, and
healthy living. Students will identify and classify goods and services provided by
businesses and the government, including those paid for by taxes. We will study
safe, healthy practices and health hazards related to prescription and over-thecounter drugs, caffeine, tobacco use, and exposure to secondhand (passive) smoke.
In science, the students will continue working with various
materials, tools, and objects while examining different variables that affect force
and motion. They will collaborate to evaluate designs of models and machines.
Finally, students will design their own wheels and tires and test how a vehicle moves
over different surfaces for a wonderful hands-on educational experience in the
Students will conclude their Common Good personal
narratives. They will also write an informative piece including
fact-based information. Then, students will compose an opinion
piece based on their own viewpoint of a given topic they will
research (transportation, currency, writing methods, or cooking methods).
Writing
Third Grade October Newsletter
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