September 21, 2015 Newsletter

Inside Third Grade
September 21-25, 2015
Common Core Curriculum
We are:
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Determining key details relevant to the
main idea using the realistic fiction text.
Applying context clues from immediately
around the word/phrase to determine
the word’s meaning.
Reporting on a topic, telling a story, or
recounting an experience with
appropriate facts and relevant,
descriptive details using our Writing
Notebooks.
Editing and revising a story to ensure it
includes all plot elements (characters,
setting, problem/conflict, events that
move the story along, and a
solution/resolution.
Writing using descriptions.
Adding three addends within 1000
(composing a ten and a hundred) using
strategies and algorithms.
Subtracting within 1000 (decomposing a
ten or hundred) using strategies and
algorithms.
Explaining how certain practices are
connected with the democratic
principles (skills, attitudes, and
dispositions) of being a citizen.
Suggesting possible causes for changes in
the motion of objects as they move
across different textured surfaces, and
model them.
Observing and describing what may have
caused a change in an object’s motion.
Things to Ask Your Child:
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On what surface did the ball roll the slowest
in Science? Why do you think that was the
case? What other surfaces revealed similar
results?
A basketball or golf ball have textured
surfaces. Do you think they would be slower
or faster than a ping pong ball? Why?
How can you figure out what a word means?
What homework do you have tonight?
Please show me.
Teachers’ Corner:
Our homework assignments are becoming more
challenging this week. In addition to reading 4 nights a week
for at least 20 minutes, this week we are introducing Reading
Logs which will be due every other week. Monday Folders
come home each week and are due the following school day
signed by a parent or guardian. How can you help? Help
your child establish homework routines at home which
conclude with packing up their homework the night before
school whenever possible.
Do you want to further challenge your child with
homework? Ask your child to reread his/her Reading Log
answer out loud. Does your child include at least 2-3 specific
examples from the text to support his/her answer? In Math,
have your child use those basic facts to answer a few 3-digit
addition problems. Don’t stop there—we ask our 3rd graders
to explain their answer, not just saying what numbers were
added, but each number’s value, as well. Here’s an example:
__?__ = 328 + 162. We would expect to hear something like,
“First, I wrote my problem vertically so I could solve it more
easily. Then, I added 8 + 2 which composed a ten. I
recorded the 0 in the one’s place and wrote a one in the
ten’s place (student might point to the place instead of
naming it). Next, I added 20 + 60 + the 10 I composed to get
90. I wrote a 9 in the answer spot. Finally, I added the 300 +
100 and got 400. My final sum was 490.”
It was great to see so many of you at Back to School Night
last week. If you were unable to attend, we sent home the
handouts with your child on Wednesday. Please let us know
if you did not receive any items (colored 3rd Grade
Information stack, booklet about 3rd Grade curriculum study,
and 2 letters about what we are learning this Marking Period
in Math and Reading and how you can help at home. In
addition, if you did not schedule a conference time, please
let us know in the red Monday Folder, a note, or email what
date you would prefer a conference—Wed., Nov. 11 or
Thurs., Nov. 12—and we will do our best to accommodate
your preference.
Important Academic Dates to Remember:
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Sept. 21- Monday Folder comes home; Reading Log WS
assigned (due Oct. 6)
Sept. 22- Signed Monday Folder due
Sept. 23- No School
Sept. 28- Monday Folder comes home
Sept. 28-Oct. 7- Book Fair Preview and Sale
Sept. 29- Signed Monday Folder due
Oct. 6- Reading Log due; New Reading Log assigned