Weekly Update: February 7 - February 11

Third Grade Team Website

Announcements and Friendly Reminders:

• Valentine Boxes and Cards/Treats - Students are ask to create a festive, fun Valentine's box to collect Valentine cards/treats from their classmates. Also, students can make Valentine cards or treats for their classmates. Please, have your child bring his/her Valentine box and cards/treats this Monday, February 14th. See the image below for student names for Valentine cards/treats. 
• STAAR Interim (Practice test) - Next week your child will participate in 2 "practice" STAAR tests. On Tuesday we will do the STAAR Interim test for Reading. Then, on Friday we will do the STAAR Interim test for Math. There is no need to study or prepare for this. These "practice" tests are for teachers to determine areas of strength and areas of concern. Plus, this will give your child the chance to get a feel of what the real STAAR tests will be like in May. Starting after Spring Break, 3rd grade teachers will begin to send home STAAR homework in preparation for the May STAAR tests. 
• Science Soil Activity - Next week we will begin our next science unit on soil and natural resources and are in need of soil samples. We'll be comparing different types of soil, observing soil to determine how soil is formed, and investigating the layers of soil. Each student will need a soil sample for our investigations, (about 1 cup). If you could find time to help your child gather a soil sample that would be great. It doesn't have to be from your own yard. It could be from a park, a friend's yard, a trail you walk on, etc. In fact, the more variety the better. Please place soil samples in a plastic bag labeled with your child's name. We can't use soil that has mulch or fertilizer. It must be regular, natural soil. Bring soil bag in on Wednesday, February 16. Thanks so much for your help!
  
• Class Picture - We have our class picture on Thursday, February 17
• Grades (Home Access - HAC) - Please check Home Access Center (HAC) to see your child's current grades on assignments, quizzes and test. If you see a "M" in Home Access, it means you child has not completed and turned in that particular assignment. Remember, students can make corrections or redo any assignment, quiz or test that is below 70% for a possible 70% per school district policy. 
• Stay informed - Make sure you have the FREE Class Dojo app on your phone so you can see messages from me. Friendly Reminder messages are sent out a couple times a week! Plus, I usually post 1 - 2 pictures a week in our Class Story on Class Dojo showing some of the activities we do during our school day!
• Scholastic Book Order - If you are interested in getting new books for your child, consider ordering books from our Scholastic Book Club. Order online at: clubs.scholastic.com/ Our class code is: NP79X​
• Reading Unit - Our current unit: Informational Reading and Research. We are focusing on our PBL (Project Based Learning) topic which is "How can we educate others about conserving our natural resources?" Students will choose a topic and research. We'll also go back and focus on some reading comprehension strategies (nonfiction text features, main/central idea, context clues, problem/solution, inferencing, summarizing, fact vs opinion, cause/effect, author's purpose). 
• Writing Unit -  Our current unit: Opinion or Argumentative Writing. We are discussing the difference between facts and opinions, what makes a good argument, how to make a strong claim, reasons for opinion, connecting with the audience/reader, providing facts and examples, strong conclusion. We'll be writing a few opinion/speech pieces in this unit.  
• Science Unit - We are currently in the Weather & Earth's Forces (Volcanoes, Landslides, Earthquakes) unit. I've created a folder in Schoology with links, images and information for this unit. Students can also use my Science Links on this website for additional information and support in understanding this unit.  The test will be on Tuesday, February 15. 
• Math Unit  - Our current unit is Multiplication and Division. We'll revisit our multiplication and division strategies that help us to solve these types of problems. These strategies are: number line, repeated addition (multiplication), repeated subtraction (division), array, equal groups, and skip counting. We will work with numbers, 3, 6, 7, 9 and 2 digit numbers. Students need to become comfortable with reading a word problem and knowing what the problem is asking (Am I going to multiply or divide to solve?). ​