Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math: Multiplication fact practice*
*This week, please practice the facts (__ x 1, __ x 5, __ x 10 and __ x 11) up to 12. There are "flash cards" that you can use to help - remember to write the correct answers on the back of each card before you begin your practice sessions! The goal is to practice each set at least 3 times this week.
Have fun!
- Mr. B
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Homework
Tonight's homework:
- Read 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math packet (due Friday)
*optional*
- Study "practice spelling bee words" at home**
**We will be having a class spelling bee (contest) tomorrow. Students were provided with a sample list of words for third graders that we have been practicing with in class. The winner of our class spelling bee will be invited (you have the option to decline) to the Brownsville Spelling Bee which will take place next week on Thursday, February 2nd (starting at 9:30am). This will be a spelling contest with contestants from each class in the third, fourth and fifth grades. Exciting stuff!
Have fun!
- Mr. B
- Read 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math packet (due Friday)
*optional*
- Study "practice spelling bee words" at home**
**We will be having a class spelling bee (contest) tomorrow. Students were provided with a sample list of words for third graders that we have been practicing with in class. The winner of our class spelling bee will be invited (you have the option to decline) to the Brownsville Spelling Bee which will take place next week on Thursday, February 2nd (starting at 9:30am). This will be a spelling contest with contestants from each class in the third, fourth and fifth grades. Exciting stuff!
Have fun!
- Mr. B
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Homework
Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math Packet ("Things That Come in Groups, etc." due Friday)
Today we started our unit on multiplication (and division) in math. We talked about what it means to multiply, looked at the "x" sign and brainstormed lists of things that come in groups of 2s, 3s, 4s (and so on). These lists will help us connect multiplication problems to real life once we have them finished.
Example:
Things that come in 3s
- sides on a triangle
- wheels on a tricycle
- tennis balls in a pack
- holes on a bowling ball
- lights (red, yellow, green) on a traffic light
- colors (red, white, blue) on an American Flag
Using this list, we can come up with multiplication problems like the following:
"There are 4 triangles drawn on a piece of paper. Each triangle has 3 sides. How many sides are there in all?"
"I drive through 6 traffic lights on my way home each day. Each traffic light has 3 different lights on it. How many lights are there in all?"
Once we are comfortable generating these problems, we can talk about different ways to solve them (and eventually decide on the best way(s) to solve them).
Today some students shared a strategy of adding over and over again (repeated addition). Others shared a strategy of counting up by a certain number (skip counting). I would encourage skip counting practice at home (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35...). Familiarity when counting by 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, etc. will help a great deal when solving multiplication problems!
Have fun! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!
- Mr. B
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!) with a good book
- Reading log (due Friday)
- Math Packet ("Things That Come in Groups, etc." due Friday)
Today we started our unit on multiplication (and division) in math. We talked about what it means to multiply, looked at the "x" sign and brainstormed lists of things that come in groups of 2s, 3s, 4s (and so on). These lists will help us connect multiplication problems to real life once we have them finished.
Example:
Things that come in 3s
- sides on a triangle
- wheels on a tricycle
- tennis balls in a pack
- holes on a bowling ball
- lights (red, yellow, green) on a traffic light
- colors (red, white, blue) on an American Flag
Using this list, we can come up with multiplication problems like the following:
"There are 4 triangles drawn on a piece of paper. Each triangle has 3 sides. How many sides are there in all?"
"I drive through 6 traffic lights on my way home each day. Each traffic light has 3 different lights on it. How many lights are there in all?"
Once we are comfortable generating these problems, we can talk about different ways to solve them (and eventually decide on the best way(s) to solve them).
Today some students shared a strategy of adding over and over again (repeated addition). Others shared a strategy of counting up by a certain number (skip counting). I would encourage skip counting practice at home (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35...). Familiarity when counting by 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, etc. will help a great deal when solving multiplication problems!
Have fun! Enjoy the beautiful weather today!
- Mr. B
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Homework
Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more) with a good book!
- NO READING LOG THIS WEEK
- Math: Review Packet (due Friday); Math midyear test on Friday!
Parents, here is a (not-so) brief look at what we've been working on in each subject. Please take the time to engage your child and ask them questions about what they're learning! Many thanks.
Language Arts: We have been working on making connections to the words we read. When one book reminds us of another book, we call that a "text to text" connection. When a book reminds us of something we have experienced in our own life, we call that a "text to self" connection. When a book reminds us of something we know about but have not experienced, we call that a "text to world" connection. Good readers make connections all the time!
We have also been working on sequencing the events that occur in the stories we read. Students have been using sticky notes to mark important events and then, after reading, they have been writing the events down in order. Words such as "first", "next", "last", "after that", and "finally" are used to transition from one event to another. This is an important skill to use when summarizing a story.
Finally (see what I did there?), we have been reading and listening to all kinds of folktales in class. Some of the titles we have read and discussed are: The Talking Eggs, Paul Bunyan, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Why the Crab has no Head, Raven, Lon Po Po and John Henry. These stories are very entertaining and they have raised awareness about different cultures and how stories are passed along from one generation to the next. We are always looking for more good titles - if you have any favorites, please let me know!
Writing: We are finishing up our Animal Book project. Students have been working in pairs to research, organize notes, draft and create real-looking books about animals. We are in the final stages now - some of the finished titles include: The Elephant's Life, Rise of the Monkeys, Amazing Turtles and Sharks!
Social Studies: We are learning about Ancient Greece. In particular, how Greek government (birthplace of democracy), art (sculptures, pottery and mosaics) and architecture (doric, ionic and corinthian columns) has influenced our lives today.
Math: Since our 2nd Quarter Math Test is this Friday, we have been reviewing old content for the past few days. Students are visiting different teachers based on their own particular strengths/weaknesses in math. For example, some students are studying graphs, others are reviewing addition and subtraction, others rounding, and so on. Next week we will be starting a unit on multiplication and division!
Have fun!
- Mr. B
- Read for 20 minutes (or more) with a good book!
- NO READING LOG THIS WEEK
- Math: Review Packet (due Friday); Math midyear test on Friday!
Parents, here is a (not-so) brief look at what we've been working on in each subject. Please take the time to engage your child and ask them questions about what they're learning! Many thanks.
Language Arts: We have been working on making connections to the words we read. When one book reminds us of another book, we call that a "text to text" connection. When a book reminds us of something we have experienced in our own life, we call that a "text to self" connection. When a book reminds us of something we know about but have not experienced, we call that a "text to world" connection. Good readers make connections all the time!
We have also been working on sequencing the events that occur in the stories we read. Students have been using sticky notes to mark important events and then, after reading, they have been writing the events down in order. Words such as "first", "next", "last", "after that", and "finally" are used to transition from one event to another. This is an important skill to use when summarizing a story.
Finally (see what I did there?), we have been reading and listening to all kinds of folktales in class. Some of the titles we have read and discussed are: The Talking Eggs, Paul Bunyan, Tikki Tikki Tembo, Why the Crab has no Head, Raven, Lon Po Po and John Henry. These stories are very entertaining and they have raised awareness about different cultures and how stories are passed along from one generation to the next. We are always looking for more good titles - if you have any favorites, please let me know!
 |
| We have studied many different types folktales, including the legend of John Henry. |
Writing: We are finishing up our Animal Book project. Students have been working in pairs to research, organize notes, draft and create real-looking books about animals. We are in the final stages now - some of the finished titles include: The Elephant's Life, Rise of the Monkeys, Amazing Turtles and Sharks!
Social Studies: We are learning about Ancient Greece. In particular, how Greek government (birthplace of democracy), art (sculptures, pottery and mosaics) and architecture (doric, ionic and corinthian columns) has influenced our lives today.
Math: Since our 2nd Quarter Math Test is this Friday, we have been reviewing old content for the past few days. Students are visiting different teachers based on their own particular strengths/weaknesses in math. For example, some students are studying graphs, others are reviewing addition and subtraction, others rounding, and so on. Next week we will be starting a unit on multiplication and division!
Have fun!
- Mr. B
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Homework
Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- NO READING LOG
- Math: Review Packet (due Friday)
We have one more midyear test to go! This Friday, January 20th, we will be taking our 2nd Quarter Math test. This test will cover all of the units we have studied so far this year (graphing, place value, rounding, addition/subtraction, money, time). Thanks for all of your support!
Best,
Mr. B
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- NO READING LOG
- Math: Review Packet (due Friday)
We have one more midyear test to go! This Friday, January 20th, we will be taking our 2nd Quarter Math test. This test will cover all of the units we have studied so far this year (graphing, place value, rounding, addition/subtraction, money, time). Thanks for all of your support!
Best,
Mr. B
Parent Math Night!
Greetings!
Tonight we will be hosting an informational "Math Night" for any parents who are interested in learning about how we teach multiplication in 3rd grade. It's an important concept and we hope that those in attendance will walk away with some more knowledge about how to help their 3rd graders understand this concept. In our collective experience(s), multiplication is taught much differently today than it was when we were children. The 3rd grade teachers thought that it might be helpful for parents to see some additional strategies to use when solving multiplication problems at home!
Math Night is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. @ the BES Innovation Lounge (follow the signs at the front door!)
We hope you can make it!*
*If you cannot attend, we'll be happy to send home notes/resources upon request.
Sincerely,
The 3rd Grade Teachers
Tonight we will be hosting an informational "Math Night" for any parents who are interested in learning about how we teach multiplication in 3rd grade. It's an important concept and we hope that those in attendance will walk away with some more knowledge about how to help their 3rd graders understand this concept. In our collective experience(s), multiplication is taught much differently today than it was when we were children. The 3rd grade teachers thought that it might be helpful for parents to see some additional strategies to use when solving multiplication problems at home!
Math Night is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. @ the BES Innovation Lounge (follow the signs at the front door!)
We hope you can make it!*
*If you cannot attend, we'll be happy to send home notes/resources upon request.
Sincerely,
The 3rd Grade Teachers
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Homework
- Read for 20 minutes (or more) with a good book!
- Reading log (due tomorrow)
- Math: Clock packet (due tomorrow)
- Mid Year Review (study guides): Create a game or activity (flash cards, jeopardy game, etc.) using the Social Studies and Science review packets. Due NEXT Friday. Parents, please just spend 10 minutes a night looking over the information with your child. We will be practicing different review games at school leading up to the midyear tests so students should have a few different ideas about what to do at home. Please don't stress about this - the purpose is to have some fun while recalling things we have studied up to this point. Please email or call with any questions.
Next week's testing schedule:
- Social Studies (Wednesday, January11th)
- Science (Thursday, January 12th)
Have fun!
- Mr. B
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Homework + Early Dismissal Plans
Tonight's homework:
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading Log (due Friday)
- Math packet (reading analog clocks)
Parents, today I sent home a copy of your early dismissal plans (in case of bad weather). This was a form you filled out during the first week of school that we'd just like to double check now that winter weather is a possibility. Please take the time to double-check your plans (make changes as necessary) and send it back to me! Many thanks!
Stay warm!
- Mr. B
- Read for 20 minutes (or more!)
- Reading Log (due Friday)
- Math packet (reading analog clocks)
Parents, today I sent home a copy of your early dismissal plans (in case of bad weather). This was a form you filled out during the first week of school that we'd just like to double check now that winter weather is a possibility. Please take the time to double-check your plans (make changes as necessary) and send it back to me! Many thanks!
Stay warm!
- Mr. B
Monday, January 2, 2012
Welcome back!
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a fun and restful vacation!
Tonight's homework:
- Read 20 minutes or more with a good book!
- Reading Log
- Math: Clock Packet*
*As mentioned in class, the cut-out clock located in the packet should not be cut out due to there being homework questions on the back of the same page. Instead, I included another cut-out clock as a separate page to be used at home. Apologies for the potential confusion.
Have fun!
- Mr. B
Tonight's homework:
- Read 20 minutes or more with a good book!
- Reading Log
- Math: Clock Packet*
*As mentioned in class, the cut-out clock located in the packet should not be cut out due to there being homework questions on the back of the same page. Instead, I included another cut-out clock as a separate page to be used at home. Apologies for the potential confusion.
Have fun!
- Mr. B
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