October 20

Religion:  Third grade is in charge of the Rosary on Tuesday, October 24 at 2:45. The students will also be assigned a saint to research. They will be going to the computer lab to so some research. The final project will be a google slide they create using google classroom. They will be able to work on the slide at home using their email address to access their drive.

Writing: Next week we will be presenting our final drafts to the class. We will be listening for interesting words and sensory detail.

Math:   We will only have a couple of lessons next week due to Iowa Assessments. Unit Three will focus on linear measures and area.

Spelling: NO SPELLING this week.
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: Students will review matter content and test will be on Thursday, November 2.

Comprehension: We will begin to work on visualizing next week. We will read the book Have You Seen Bugs? as a class. We will discuss words that helped us picture the story in our minds.

October 6

Religion:    We have started the Rosary and are focusing on the Joyful Mysteries. We will be using the Bible to find the Joyful Mysteries. Third grade is in charge of the Rosary on Tuesday, October 24 at 2:45.

Writing: Next week our grammar lesson will be over Singular & Plural Nouns. We will be taking a first draft from our writer's notebook and taking it all through the writing process. The third graders will learn how to edit and revise.

Math:   We will be continuing our unit on addition and subtraction. The test for this will be on Friday, October 20. Please continue to review the basic addition and subtraction facts with your third grader.

Spelling: Week Six - Long e (ei & ie)) & Consonant Digraphs (ch, sh, tch, th, wh)
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: Students will continuing exploring the concept of matter. Students will be able to identify the different states of matter, the melting properties of matter and the physical changes that can occur with matter.

Comprehension: We are working hard during our reading block. The students have been working in groups, and they have been completing their daily centers. Next week we will continue to make connections with our books.

September 29

Religion:    Next week we will be celebrating the Feast Day of St. Francis. The students will be doing activities centered on St. Francis and learning about his interesting life.

Writing: Next week our grammar lesson will be a Review Week (simple, compound and complex sentences). We will continue working on gathering lots of ideas for writing. We are also starting to listen for and use sensory words in our writing. We want to create a clear picture for the reader of our writing.

Math:   The second unit starts next week. It will focus on adding and subtracting whole numbers. Please continue to review the basic addition and subtraction facts with your third grader.

Spelling: Week Five - Long e (ee, ea) & Initial 3 letter consonant blends (str, scr, spr)
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: We will start our first unit in science - Matter. The students will learn what matter is and will bring in an object for an activity that helps them learn about the physical properties of matter.

Comprehension: Students are reading lots of different genres in the classroom. We have officially learned all of our reading centers too, so our reading block is in full swing. This week we used Vehn Diagrams to make connections to our books. Next week we will focus on text to text connections.

September 22

Religion:    Classroom meetings have been going well! Next week we look forward to Grandparents Day on Friday. The students will be making cards for their grandparents. If they are not able to come, please send the cards to them to enjoy.

Writing: Next week our grammar lesson will be over Complex Sentences. We will continue working on gathering lots of ideas for writing. We will brainstorm times when we felt a strong emotion (happy, sad, scared, etc.) and write about those memories.

Math:   The first unit will wrap up next week with a test on Thursday. They will have a review day on Wednesday to help them prepare. Please start reviewing the basic addition and subtraction facts with your third grader.

Spelling: Week Four - Long e (Ce, y, ey) & /Z/ Sounds of S
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: We will be wrapping up our unit study on communities. The students will have 2 review days in class. Communities test will be on Friday!

Comprehension: We have been adding books to our bins this week. Students should now have a variety of reading materials to chose from. Next week we begin to work on making connections to our reading.

September 15

Religion:    We will continue with our weekly classroom meeting next week. It is a great way for the students to get to know each other. We will also have our first All About Me as another tool to encourage respect in our classroom community. The third graders will be using the Bible next week. They will be using the Table of Contents to help find books in the Old Testament and New Testament. They will learn how to look up a Bible verse.

Writing: We have been listening to trade books this week and discussing what the author did that we may want to also do in our writing. Next week we will be learning strategies that will help us continue writing even when we feel stuck. Our grammar lesson next week will be over Compound Sentences.

Math:   The students are reviewing how to use our Student Reference Book. They have access to this at home using the Everyday Mathematics website. We will look more into using a number grid to help find the difference between numbers, using a calculator and the concepts of money. Please start reviewing the basic addition and subtraction facts with your third grader.

Spelling: Week Three - Long a (ai, ay, eigh) / Hard and Soft Sounds of c and g
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: Students will recognize that communities have histories. We will read a book called The General Store and compare and contrast with present day stores. On Friday we will be touring the town of Walnut Hill at Living History Farms.

Comprehension: This week we learned the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. Next week we will study specific types of fiction books. We will start with realistic fiction and fantasy books. We will then start adding books to our bins at school.

Sept 8

Religion:    We will continue with our weekly classroom meeting next week. It is a great way for the students to get to know each other. We will also have our first All About Me as another tool to encourage respect in our classroom community. On Thursday and Friday the students will focus on respect and what that looks like in the school setting.

Writing: We are continuing to create our writing environment. The students will hear select trade books read out loud. They will then use the information gained to write their own pieces. So far we have been gathering and writing stories about people we know.

Math:   The students are reviewing how to use our Student Reference Book. They have access to this at home using the Everyday Mathematics website. We will look more into collecting and organizing data, time, probability and deconstructing numbers. Please start reviewing the basic addition and subtraction facts with your third grader.

Spelling: Week Two - Long Vowels (CVCe) / Final Consonant Blends (ft, ld, lt, nt)
The spelling section of the website contains all of the weekly lists and the choice words in case your child misplaces their words.  You can also find a copy of LSCW if you need it.

Science/SS: We will continue to learn about the different communities: rural, suburban and urban. We will also focus on the responsibilities citizens have in communities. We will finish the week learning the differences between producers and consumers.

Comprehension: We are continuing to teach students how to use and manage our literacy block. The students will eventually have book bins filled with classroom books. For the next two weeks, we ask that each student bring in a library book or a chapter book from home.

September 1

Religion:  We will start each week with a classroom meeting.  We start each meeting with intercessions and prayer.  Then the students get to share what they did over the weekend or something they are excited about.  Next week we will be reviewing out PBIS rules with skits. Writing:  We are excited to begin our writing program, Being a Writer, next week.  The first unit will introduce the students to procedures for a guided Writer's Workshop.   Math:  The students took a beginning of the year assessment today.  The first unit starts next week with reviewing skills such as analyzing and displaying data, equivalent names, probability and finding differences. Spelling:  Week One will focus on the skills of short vowels and 2 consonant digraphs.  There will only be 10 words this week, but we will add 2 more each week until we reach 16.  There will be 16 words each week from then on.  Each week there will be a Look, Say, Cover, Write due on Thursday.  You can find a link to that in the spelling section of our website if needed.  The first list will go home on Friday, September 8. Science/SS:  Social Studies will be our focus for the first couple of months of school.  Our first unit will concentrate on communities.  The students will also work on timelines and map skills. Comprehension:  The students will be reviewing how to select appropriate independent books from our classroom library.  We will be setting up and practicing our routine for Reader's Workshop.