Sunday, September 15, 2013

Week of September 16th-20th

Thank you to all of our families who joined us for Open House on Thursday.

Students need to continue to get on the computer for math (two nights a week) either Reflex Math or Moby Max.  Students can also begin to get on FCAT Explorer for reading.

Academics:

Math:

Last week in math we talked about rounding.  We had a fun rounding rap we watched!  See if your kids can sing it! :)


This week, we will be working on adding and subtracting larger numbers.  By the end of the week, we will be discussing subtracting across zeros.  This is a skill that is usually difficult for third graders.  Please offer help and support at home.

When subtracting  larger whole numbers,
start in the ONES column and move left.
However sometimes we can't  subtract
from the column we're in,
so we need to borrow from the column to the left.
But  there are times
when the number to the left is a ZERO ;
when this happens
you must to
borrow from the next TWO places to the left.


Science:

In science, we will begin incorporating some reading strategies during our lessons.  We will be doing some close reading techniques, as well as holding Socratic Seminars.
We will also begin our discussion on Chapter 3:  Matter.  We will look at objects and describe their properties using our senses.  Next week, we will talk about the different states of matter.


ELA:
We will continue our novel study, Charlotte's Web. This week we will be using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words,  working with plot structure, and learning how an author can convey a mood or feeling within a text.

Using context clues:
This is an important skill to be aware of as we read. As we read Charlotte's Web, we will look at specific words and figure out the meaning from clues in the text. This is a great concept to talk about at home if the question, "What does this word mean?" comes up during reading.



Plot Structure:
We are very familiar with plot structure (characters, setting, problem, solution) now. On the back of the RAH log is an assignment to choose a character trait (internal) that describes a character and provide evidence from the story that support the trait. The author rarely tells the reader, but instead provides clues that cause the reader to infer and make judgments about the character. Here are some examples of evidence:
  • how a character acts
  • what the character says to others
  • how a character responds to events
  • what others say or think about a character
  • what a character thinks to himself
Mood and Feeling:

E.B. White is very good at showing how his characters feel in Charlotte's Web. This week we will focus on how Wilbur's feelings change during the story. We will discover how the author shows Wilbur's feelings by describing the setting, Wilbur's surroundings, how Wilbur acts, and what Wilbur is thinking.

Resources:

Tiberio:
Tuesday- Media (please remember to bring your library books)
Thursday- Teacher directed P.E.(Wear tennis shoes)
Friday- Music

Kluge:
Monday- Media (please remember to bring your library books)
Thursday- Teacher directed P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Thursday- Music

Friday, September 13, 2013

New BSE School Spirit Shirts!

Check out the logo for our new BSE school spirit shirts! Order forms came home today. The shirts will be navy blue. Only $6.00 for short sleeved shirts!

Thank you!!!


It was great to see so many parents and students at our Open House last night. We have emailed the PowerPoint to all of you. Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a great weekend!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Week of September 9th-13th

Open house will be this week on Thursday, September 12th from 6:15-6:45 and then a second session from 6:45-7:15.  Mrs. Kluge and I will be talking together about the curriculum, and classroom expectations.  Please plan on attending.

Also, on Thursday will be a volunteer orientation.  If you would like to be a volunteer at BSE and be more involved, plan on attending the volunteer orientation at 8:30 in the media center.

Wednesday, Sept. 11th is our first early release, dismissal will begin at 1:45.

Resources/Events:
Tiberio:
Monday- Art
Wednesday- Early Release
Thursday- Open House/P.E. (wear tennis shoes)

Kluge:
Tuesday- Art
Wednesday- Early Release
Thursday- Open House
Friday- P.E. (wear tennis shoes)

Math:

We have finished our discussions about place value and will begin working on rounding.  In third grade students will be asked to round numbers to the nearest hundred thousands place.  We will start with basic rounding to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000 place.  We will also discussing adding and subtracting larger numbers.


We will also begin math centers this week!  The centers for this week will be a review of place value, we want to continue to reinforce past skills during center time.

One of our strategies we will use to remember how to round numbers. :)

Science:

We will be using our inference skills this week during science.  We will discuss why scientists observe and infer when conducting experiments.  We will have a short open book/open note quiz on chapter 1 on Friday.

Reading and Social Studies:

I am so excited about this week. We will begin our first of four third grade novel studies. Our first novel is the much loved Charlotte's Web. Although it is familiar to many, we will read it in a whole new way. Before we begin reading, we will take an in depth look at the story's setting, the Zuckerman's farm in the state of Maine. We will incorporate social studies by studying about the weather, climate, and geography of Maine as compared to Florida. As we learn about the setting, we will talk about informational text and how we read it differently because of informational text features.
Another focus throughout the reading of Charlotte's Web will be character development. As we look at the characters, we will think about their motives, actions, and feelings. We will distinguish between the feelings of a character and how their actions show what kind of person they are on the inside.
character feelings and character actions anchor charts
We will read Charlotte's Web together in class. Each student will have a copy in class, but the books will not come home. The book is a tool to guide our instruction of reading strategies and skills. Everyone will continue reading their personal chapter books during independent reading and at home.

By the way... our RAH logs looked much better this week! Thank you!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Volunteer Orientation

The volunteer orientation will be Thursday, September 12th at 8:30 in the Media Center.  We will also have Open House that evening at 6:15!  We hope to see you!

Monday, September 2, 2013

R.A.H. LOGS...

Our first round of RAH (reading at home) logs were turned in on Friday. Overall, it looks like a lot of reading at home took place! Yay! I can't emphasize enough how very important this is for building reading stamina and helping us grow as readers. For a student to complete the RAH log, he/she must read at least 5 days throughout the week for 20 minute or more. There is also a short comprehension check on the back of the log each week related to what we have talked about in class. This week students are asked to write about schema and make a connection to the chapter book they are reading.

Parents... Please help to make this a beneficial part of third grade by touching base with your child about at home reading.
Thank you so much!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Week of September 2nd-6th

Just a reminder we do not have school on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day!  Enjoy the long weekend with family and read a good book!

Early dismissal Wednesdays will begin next week, Wednesday, September 11th.

We have finished district testing and are looking forward to really diving into our curriculum.

Math:

This week in math we will be comparing numbers using the greater than, less than, and equal too symbols:

For example: 145,876 > 132,654  or 3,456 = 3,456

We will also order numbers from least to greatest, and begin our discussion on rounding.

0-4 stay on the floor, 5-9 climb the vine!

I am asking that students get on mobymax.com or reflexmath.com at least twice a week.  Reflex math will help to build fluency with math facts.  Moby Max is designed to assess where your child is in math and then it creates lessons and activities to help them.  Both websites are listed under math websites on the right side of the blog.

We will have a test on topic 1 on Friday, September 6th.

Science:
We will continue our discussion on the many roles scientists have.  We will talk about how scientists use math when recording data.  We will look at different types of graphs.

Reading:
We will begin looking at the elements of plot structure in fiction text. We will read several Anansi the Spider folktales and identify characters, setting, problem and resolution this week.

We will continue our work with comprehension strategies as we focus on inferring. When we infer, we merge our schema with an evidence-based guess. We use what we know about something and then combine it with specific information from the text to make a logical inference. I'm excited about how we will use concrete objects this week to help us secure the language of inferring.

Writing: 
We have been working on drafting a descriptive piece about a favorite place. We have planned using our senses to describe and have also brainstormed reasons about why our place is special to us. Ask your child what Mrs. Kluge's favorite place is! 

Social Studies: 
We will begin an introduction of basic map skills. This will be a review of what was learned in second grade. Look for a study guide to come home soon.


Resources:
Tiberio:
Wednesday- Media
Friday- Music

Kluge-
Tuesday-Media
Thursday- Music