Third Grade Update for the Week of October 4th

October 4, 2010

Dear Parents,

Good Afternoon! Just an update on the latest news in the third grade!

Today we completed the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The children can be proud of their hard work and classroom demeanor during the testing period. We are now happy to go back to “business as usual”.

In Religion, the test for Chapter 3 is tomorrow. October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. I would like during this month to begin the Religion period by saying a Decade of the Rosary. I am asking the children to bring their rosaries to school and keep at school for the month of October.

In Reading, we have started the Friday morning Reading With Moms and Dads. We are reading Charlotte’s Web as our first novel. Again, all Moms and Dads are welcome to come by on a Friday at 11:40 to read with a small group of children. In class, we will be reading the story “Guys From Space”. The emphasis this week is distinguishing between realism and fantasy in a story. The Vocabulary test for Unit 3 is this Thursday, October 7th.

In Language Arts, the children have started a Unit on Nouns. The Unit will include identifying proper and common nouns, spelling the plural forms of regular and irregular nouns, and using singular and plural possessive nouns correctly. Look for your child’s writing to come home in the Corrected Work Folder this week Mrs. Gonzalez will post samples of the children’s writing on the Third Grade Blog. The children are mastering the Writing Process!

In Math, we have started a Unit on Addition. I would encourage all third graders to spend ten minutes a night practicing addition facts as well as the two, three, and four times tables. Extra reinforcement at home is necessary for PROFICIENCY!

In Social Studies, we will start a Unit on the Forest, and in Science we will be discussing “How Animals Live”. As a supplement to this chapter in science, the children will use the computer as a tool for research to create an Animal Riddle. Each third grader will choose an animal and answer specific questions about his/her animal using suggested sites on the Internet. This will be completed in the Computer Lab. The Social Studies test for Chapter two has been postponed until Thursday, October 15th.

The third graders completed their first PowerPoint Presentation in the Computer Lab. The topic was Seasons of the Year. The children can be proud of their work as the Presentations display creativity and excellent use of color and choice of font. Again, in the coming weeks we will display the Presentations on the Third Grade Blog.

Finally, the children will begin their reading and writing journals next week. Your child’s username and password will be attached to their Corrected Work Folder. The children will be required to post one entry a week. I will add a second entry as the children become more proficient with the computer and their keyboarding skills. As always, please contact me with any questions or comments. Have a good week!

Sincerely,
Ms. Maguire