What We Learned This Week
Word Study
This week's spelling words are: after, answer, daddy, sister, timid, unlock, better, ending, comma, bottle, number, and sprung. The five general categories are words with the short vowel sound of
a, e, i, o, and
u. Students will notice the letters next to the vowels with the short vowel sounds are consonants.
When a vowel sits side-by side with consonants, and not other vowels, it probably has a short sound.
Additional words you may want to use for at home spelling activities which support our generalizations include (see earlier post
http://3rdgradehudson.blogspot.com/2011/09/parent-information-highlights.html): grab, matter, step, six, slot, logger, puppy, under, chapter, attic, exit, listen, body, problem, funny, buzzer, halfway, sample, percent, locket, Congress, modern, jungle, and mustard.
We began cursive this week. We will focus on lower-case letters and will combine similarly formed letters, e.g., c, a, d, etc. all share the same beginning shape. We will take time to practice the shapes in the air with our finger, drawing large flowing shapes that support muscle memory, with explicit instruction on the directionality and shape formation. We will then practice on paper focusing on paper where students will:
- Sit up straight with both feet on the floor
- Slant their paper, top corner to the left
- Trace the shapes on the paper three times each before creating their own
- Pay attention to directionality (most of these will start at the bottom)
- Pay attention to "connections," how the letters connect
- Note how large the shapes are (e.g., most lower case are only up to the half-way mark on the paper)
- Circle their best attempt and explain why it's their best letter
If your student is struggling with cursive, I suggest having them practice at home with a crayon or other writing utensil that causes more friction than the smooth graphite tip of a pencil as this will develop muscle motor memory.
Reading
We are focusing on main idea and are developing both main idea statements using the five W's (who, what, where, when, and why). All main ideas will have a who and a what, but the other five W's vary in importance. Too, we have discussed that "who" may be an a person, an object, place or even an idea. We are developing summaries as well by using the five W's: character (who), setting (when and where) and plot (beginning, middle, end).
We began our research on famous African Americans and their contributions. Students have had the opportunity to use the computer where we discussed search terms (e.g., Martin Luther King, facts, for kids, list, etc.) and how to be more precise in finding what you are looking for. We will begin our paper based research this coming week and will organize our "noteworthy" facts into short research reports. This work is being done along with the other two third grade classes and students will meet with other students who are studying the same research person to share facts and support each others' findings. This work will be presented in the hallway along three time lines.
Writing
We are retreating a bit to tighten up on convention (indenting, capitals, and punctuation), and form (topic, detail, and concluding sentences).
Math
We concluded decimals this week and will begin geometry next week. Please click on the following math newsletter to learn what your student will be doing with geometry.
Important Dates and Reminders
January 24 - Progress reports sent home. All dual household progress reports will be mailed.
January 26 - Seona McDowell, Australian artist in residence (
http://www.seonamcdowell.com/)
January 30 - February 3 - Box tops collection
February 2 - am school only
February 7 - Kindergarten open house at 7:00pm
February 8 - Early Release, dismissal at 1:15pm for staff development
February 13 - 17 - Jump Rope for Heart
February 17 - School Spirit Day, students wear their Hawk-wear
February 20 - No school in honor of Presidents' Day
February 21 - Field trip to Kelton House for Underground Railroad tour. We have room for two more chaperons. Please email if you are interested. Thank you.
April Assessment Dates - Please do not schedule appointments and trips on these dates if possible.
April 2-5 - Terra Nova and InView
April 23 - Ohio Reading Achievement Retakes (only for students who did not pass in fall)
April 24 - Ohio Mathematics Achievement Assessment
