Thir d Gr a d e Pe ter s on E le me nta r y S c hool

Third Grade Update

Issue 7 February 2013

A Note from the Third Grade Teachers

Spring is just around the corner! This month, students will be taking the ISAT test the week of March 4th through March 11th. Please be sure your child gets a good nights sleep and eats a healthy breakfast prior to coming to school! This month we also welcome Nicole Munn, Mrs. Kempskis longterm substitute teacher. Mrs. Munn will be part of the third grade team until early May. Please take a look at each subject area for our specific areas of focus for the upcoming month.
The Third Grade Team As we meet with small groups of students for Guided Reading, students will have the opportunity to practice and reinforce the literacy skills and concepts from our weeks lessons at each of the five literacy stations (Read to Self, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Word Work, and Listen to Reading). This month our anchor stories, focused skills and strategies are:

The Olympic Games: Where Heroes are Made Non-Fiction Text Features, Question-Answer-Relationships (QAR), Prefixes and Suffixes

You can help your child by building their background???

Reading non-fiction books and articles about the Olympic games and Ancient Greece Help your child identify non-fiction text features and the importance of each Asking your child thick questions to further promote their comprehension while reading their independent books Encouraging your child to read portions of his/her book aloud to practice their oral reading fluency

Important Dates
ISAT TestingWeek of March 4th March 11 Kindergarten Preview Night March 18 Spring Pictures March 20 Panther Pride Celebration March 21 Band/Orchestra/Peterson Singers Assembly at 2:30 March 22 End of 3rd quarter, Read Across America Day March 25-29 Spring Break
Throughout the month of March writing will coincide with our study of habitats in science. In writers workshop students will combine the information learned from our study about habitats and adaptations to write about the adaptations or things they would need to bring with them to survive in a particular habitat. Students will be researching in the LMC different characteristics of a forest, desert or ocean habitat to put together a group mural that represents their habitat. Research information and murals will be on display at Open House in early April.

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T H IRD G RA DE U P DA T E

IS S U E 7

The Unit Outline emailed at the beginning of each unit outlines the specific skills and strategies while also providing additional resources for at-home practice. Outlined below are the specific skills and strategies we will be focusing on as outlined by the new Illinois Learning Standards (Common Core).

The Family Letter provided at the beginning of each unit outlines specific skills and strategies covered within the unit. Outlined below are the specific skills and strategies we will be focusing on as outlined by the new Illinois Learning Standards (Common Core).
Unit 7 Continuing Fractions (We will be testing the second week of April)

Focus Multiplication & Division

Use multiplication and division to solve word problems. Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication and division number equation with three numbers. Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. Be able multiply and divide using properties of operations.

Know factor pairs, identify multiples, prime & composite numbers Generate and identify equivalent fractions with unlike denominators (ex. Find a common denominator) Compare fractions with different numerators and denominators Adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators, unlike denominators, and mixed numbers in word problems Multiply fractions, including multiplying by a whole number and solve word problems. Convert improper fractions to a mixed numbers Renaming fractions with 10 and 100 in the denominator

* Please practice multiplication facts at home on a daily basis!

as decimals.

Social Studies
This month we will be sharing our Landmark Power Point Presentations. Your childs Power Point presentations will be available to be shared with parents and families at Open House in April!
This month will be starting our study on habitats. The essential questions guiding our study are:

What is a habitat? How do animals survive in their environment? What is a food chain (web)?

Were looking forward to our upcoming units in April on immigration & migration and important people who have shaped our lives.

Throughout our study we will learn about the characteristics of six habitats throughout our world and the plants and animals that live there.

Great Websites & Resources

Please check our grade level blog at http://thirdgradepanthers.blogspot.com under additional fun websites for activities to support our learning!