We have wrapped up our study of citizenship and local government. We learned about the importance of rules and laws, different types of government, the jobs in our local government and what they do to help keep our town running. Our trip to the town hall allowed us to meet the people in our local government and learn more about their jobs there. We are now beginning a science unit on weather and climate.
This week in reading we are finishing up "Fantastic Mr. Fox". During this book we have been discussing cause and effect. "Bunnicula" is up next! In math we are working on a data unit. We have made and interpreted bar graphs and pictographs. Coming up we will be collecting more of our own data and representing it in ways that are meaningful to the ideas we want to get across. We are gearing up for Natalie Kinsey-Warnock to come to our school with her "StoryKeepers" curriculum next week. She will teach students so many things about history, historical research, and how to find and keep stories from their families. They will also be completing a research project on one person from their family tree. Today you will see a family tree coming home for students to fill out. We all recognize that families come in many different forms, so please fill these out however you are comfortable, there is no "right" or "wrong". It is a chance for students to feel pride about who they are and the people they love. Please do as much as you can and then return them next Tuesday when you come to conferences. Natalie will be arriving on Wednesday morning and it will be helpful for students to have this part of their work already completed. Please remember school is closed on Monday for the holiday weekend and parent-teacher conferences are on Tuesday. You should have received a reminder about your conference time. If not, or your time no longer works for you, please let me know and we can figure out a new time to sit down together. See you Tuesday!
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Last week we had a wonderful hike up to the Pinnacle. In addition to the view, we saw stonewalls, old foundations, lots of different types of plants and mushrooms, monarch caterpillars and chrysalis', a snake skin and a snake! It was a great chance to get out in nature and continue to get to know each other.
We have started learning cursive! So far we have learned lowercase: c, a, d, g, h, and t. While I know 3rd graders are very excited to practice this new skill, I ask that they hold off on practicing at home until we have learned all of the lowercase letters to help limit confusion about letter formation. We have started our Natalie Kinsey-Warnock author study. Many of the books we have read by her so far are inspired by her family stories. When she comes in October, we will be encouraging your students to talk with you and other family members about the stories in your own families. As we are reading her books we are also "collecting" similes and metaphors. In a few weeks we will be trying to include some in our own writing as well! In reading we are currently reading Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. While reading this book we are working on identifying settings and inferencing (taking our own background knowledge and putting it together with what we are reading to create a new idea). In math we are continuing to learn about multiplication, this week focusing on it's connections to area and dimensions of rectangles. We have had a great first seven days in third grade! We have done lots of getting-to-know-you activities including making "All About Me" silhouettes.
Last week in reading block we read The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco. During this book we worked on sequencing through our discussions, written answers and by drawing a map to the bee tree. We also sampled some honeycomb. This week in reading block we have started The Canada Geese Quilt by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. Once we finish this book, we will dive into a Natalie Kinsey-Warnock author study during read aloud time, as she will be visiting the 3rd and 4th graders at our school this fall! In math we have started learning about multiplication! The third graders are very excited to be learning this new math concept and are giving their work a lot of effort! A reminder will be coming home today about our hike to the Pinnacle on Monday. Please make sure your student is wearing sneakers and comfortable clothing. A good time should be had by all! Welcome to our third grade blog! Please check back here for updates.
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