Third Grade News
February
BURNT MILLS ELEMENTARY
Ms. Cohen * Ms. Edgar * Mrs. Orellana * Ms. Stuart * Mr. Andrade
Dear BMES Families,
Reminders. . .
Hello third grade families:
W e hope you all enjoyed your extra time off with
these snow days! Believe it or not we are at the
beginning of marking period 3! Report cards will
be coming home shortly. Also, we are currently
finishing up our MAP-M and MAP-R tests. Please
keep a look out for current scores coming home.
Our Valentine’s Day celebration will be held on
Friday, February 12th at 2:30.

In Reading. . .
In Math. . .
Students will be exploring the genre of historical
fiction, and will practice distinguishing theme
(moral or message of the story) from main idea
(what the book is about, making references to the
title of the book). Additionally, they will continue
to explore comparisons of theme, plot, setting,
and characters.
Students will identify fractions as pictures,
numbers, and as part of a number line. W e will
also be naming the fraction of a group. Students
will be using the terms numerator, denominator,
and partition. The fractions covered include
halves, fourths, eighths, thirds, and sixths.
In Social Studies. . .
In Science. . .
Students will compare elements of culture and
examine how people from different cultures meet
their needs. The locations selected for this study
are the United States, Mexico City today, and the
ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. They will
explore how cultures modify their environment to
meet their transportation needs and in order to
make a living. By the end of the month, students
will be able to describe the purpose of different
types of map- transportation, physical, and
political.
Students will develop their understanding of
heat production and the transfer of heat.
Students will explore fuels and technology for
producing light and heat for buildings and
homes. Additionally, they will investigate the
influence of a building’s structure on the
amount of fuel required to heat the building.


Please make it a W ednesday night routine to
check your child’s W ednesday Folder every
week. W e will be returning graded work and
important notices every W ednesday.
There is always homework. Check and sign
the blue Student Planner each night.
W e will be sending home a class roster for
Valentine’s Day cards. Be on the look-out.

How is heat energy produced? How is
evidence used to determine a change in
temperature? How is heat energy
transferred?
In Writing. . .
Students will be using details of their historical
fiction book to create a literary analysis. Here
they analyzed a character’s response to a
problem and the solution from a book they have
read during weeks 1-4. Towards the end of the
month, students will embark on an extended
narrative writing task. Students will organize their
ideas, establish a situation, and use description
to develop their experiences in order to write a
realistic fiction story that will have a theme.