November 1, 2021

I hope that everyone had a super fun weekend! We get to look forward to a 3 day week for the kids this week. I am most excited about having 2 less days to pack lunch for my son and myself.  HA!

****Don’t forget that starting Monday, the kids can bring in extra candy for the Treats for Troops candy collection. ******

Each student will receive a FREE house t-shirt. Look for a link to be sent out from me on Monday that will ask for your child’s shirt size. We are asking that this information be filled out no later than Friday.

I will be working on report cards this week and should have all grades finalized by conference day. I am looking forward to seeing many of you soon to talk about your amazing student. I have the best class ever!

PAJAMA DAY is November 10th!

Here are some of the highlights for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Word Study: Each word study group will receive a new list of words on Monday. Due to the odd week, the kids will not have the word study test until November 18th. THIS IS A THURSDAY. I don’t want to give the test on November 19th since it is a half day. I would worry that I wouldn’t have time to administer the word study test to each of the 4 groups.

Writing: The kids are becoming very good writers! We just finished writing a descriptive paragraph about a monster that the kids created. In November, the kids will write paragraphs on several fall topics.

We have been working on when to use a, an, and the when writing. We have also practiced correctly spelling words that end with the suffixes -ed and -ing. This week, the kids will practice using commas in lists correctly. Example: My dad and I like to rake leaves, watch football, and read books together.

Reading: The kids are working hard in their small reading groups with me. We are currently reading fiction books and identifying the characters, character traits, and setting. This week, we will add identifying the conflict and resolution of a story.

During our whole group lessons, we are reading the book Crenshaw. This is such a great book to practice identifying story elements. Also, during whole group lessons we will start regularly incorporating Scholastic News Magazines. These are awesome for continuing to practice nonfiction skills.

Math: Last week, we practiced adding 2, 3, and 4 digit numbers. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that the kids know the basic addition and subtraction facts. As I stated in one of my emails last week, flashcards are a great tool to use.

This week, we will focus on subtraction. The most challenging skill when subtracting is when the top number has zeros. This is something that you can practice at home. Example: 5,001 – 653= ?  This is not an easy skill for third graders, so they will need to practice, practice, practice!

We will also solve word problems. It is tricky for kids to figure out when they need to add or when they need to subtract. What really gets challenging is when a word problem requires that both addition and subtraction be used. We will work on problem solving a lot!

Social Studies: I absolutely love teaching the geography unit. Ask your child to share the continent chant with you. We have learned about the important land and water forms in North and South America. This week, we will focus on Europe, Asia, and Africa.

During this unit, the kids will make their own Atlas and have many opportunities for practicing research skills.

Look below at all that the kids need to know! Yes, there will be a big study guide glued into the notebooks so that the kids can prepare for the test. If all goes as planned, we will have the test one day during the week of November 15th.

This covers our 3 days this week! Looking forward to seeing the kids on Monday and hearing all about their Halloween adventures!