Thank you parents for making the time to come in for our Parent - Teacher Conferences. We found them informative and beneficial. Please remember that your third grade team of teachers is always available to meet with you to discuss your child's growth, successes or challenges as we move deeper into the academic year.

We have officially kicked off our multiplication (combining or adding equal groups) and division (splitting a quantity into equal groups) unit. The first portion of the unit involves understanding multiplication as equal groups, writing story problems, using skip counting as a tool to find the product (answer to a multiplication problem), and using multiplication symbols. We plan on enlisting your help as parents to assist with the mastery and automaticity of multiplication facts. When the time comes we will provide a list of resources, strategies and websites that you can use with your student to help with this very important task. Our first job, however, is to build a deep understanding of what multiplication is and why it works. Along with cursive, this is one of the major accomplishments students know is associated with third grade!

In literacy we are developing topic ideas and potential chapter titles for our informational (non-fiction, factual) books. Students will settle on the final subject matter they feel they are an expert on and then create a plan for teaching the reader all they know about the topic in an organized way. While this is happening in writing, students are learning the ways curious readers approach an informational text. The class has practiced non-fiction reading, organizing factual information, and teaching a peer about what was read and learned.

The class began its spelling class this week. At this age we will be moving students from invented (a close approximation to the spelling of a word) spelling. Invented spelling does have a place in a writer's life. It is useful because it helps with fluency, word choice, and speed when drafting a writing piece. However, there are many instances when a word can be spelled correctly if just a tiny bit more brainpower is employed. We call these one-second words (misspelled words that can be correctly spelled with the aid of a quick trick).

• Would -- say, "O u lucky dog" to remember the silent 'l'
• They -- spell 'the' and then add 'y' to avoid spelling 'thay'

With simple tricks like these students can overcome their most frequently misspelled words. The class will also look at more personal spelling strategies along with universal spelling patterns.

Today we had our two Four Winds volunteers, Scarlett McDermott and Beth Harper, join us to explore concepts related to sunlight and shadows. It was a great hands-on workshop with lots of information packed into our hour and a half period.

We will hold a holiday class book swap on the last day before December break which is Thursday, December 22. Please help your student select a third grade appropriate book in good condition from your household collection that you are willing to part with. We do not intend for families to go out and purchase a book for the swap.

1. Pick a book (used, good condition, third grade appropriate)
2. Wrap it in wrapping paper
3. Bring it to school between now and Monday, December 19

Thank you for continuing to support your child in their completion of thirty minutes of reading a night and filling out the Reading Log. You are helping to build a habitual reader!

Finally, ask your student if they are in need of any classroom supplies: pencils, sharpener, erasers, etc. Supplies are running low for some of the class.

Drafting away in our writer's notebook

Sharing ideas and providing feedback

Writing in a quiet space

Student starting to share all she
knows about a topic 

Representing multiplication visually

At some point over the next few days you should be receiving your child's report card in the mail. We suggest you read over and take time to digest the information contained in the report card prior to sharing it with your student. When reviewing the scores with your child it is our hope you will identify areas they have had success with. Maybe ask them why they think they earned the scores they did by asking him or her to say, "I got a ___ in ___ because I ___." Additionally, students often have room for growth in academic disciplines or personal development areas. These will most often be represented as 2s on the report card. A 2 is interpreted as a student who inconsistently meets the third grade standard or needs adult assistance to do so. If your child receives a score of 2, help him or her understand that this is simply an area where there is room for improvement in the coming quarter. We look forward to see you all for conferences next week. Here is the link, Conference Sign-Up, indicating the time you have signed up for.

WES wrapped up its schoolwide Everybody Engineering Week challenge with a whole school assembly. Your child worked on a student team and was instrumental in the design, construction and presentation of a popsicle stick tower. Teams were comprised of seven or eight students from grades 1 - 6. The towers are on display in the lobby if you want to have a look.

During math class we have been working on area (the amount of space a shape takes up) and practiced measuring using square units. The class is also exploring the attributes (characteristics or traits) of squares, triangles, and rectangles. We'll begin looking at different angle sizes and categorizing them as right angles (90 degrees or square), less than 90 degree angles, or greater than 90 degree angles. This unit should wrap up by the end of next week.

We've begun our next reading unit, Reading to Learn, focusing on reading non-fiction texts. Many of the skills associated with this unit will be applied in our writing as we embark on our Art of Information Writing unit next week. Students are energized by the opportunity to read a different genre and learn something along the way. So far we've looked at what text features are (the elements that are not part of the main text) as well as searching for examples in classroom books: table of contents, glossary, bold words, images, captions, etc. When students begin writing their own informational texts they will be expected to include many of these text feature elements in their personal writing.

Our Student Council is sponsoring a Food Drive to restock the community food shelf. Any contributions your family can make are appreciated. The most needed items are:

• baked beans
• hot and cold cereals
• canned soups and stews
• boxed macaroni and cheese
• coffee and tea
• spices

See you next week and enjoy your long weekend!

Getting the tower just right

Finishing touches

The finished model river

Determining area using squares and triangles

Playing hard

Hanging out

Building triangles of different sizes and shapes

It seems hard to believe that we are already approaching the close of the first marking period. Parents will be invited to attend a parent / teacher conference in mid-November to discuss their student's strengths and identified areas for growth. You can expect to see a sign-up scheduling sheet come home next week.

The class was fortunate to have our first 4 Winds workshop of the school year this week. Scarlett McDermott and Beth Harper led the class in an investigation of the processes of erosion. Students watched a puppet show, participated in stations modeling erosion forces, and were involved in a design challenge to mitigate the effects of water erosion on the landscape. It was a great and highly engaging session.

Please remember to help ensure your child reads for a minimum of thirty minutes a night on weeknights and completes a Reading Log entry. The yellow log is then returned to school on Fridays for a quick review by Ms. Bahlenhorst.

In math, third graders are beginning to explore the concept of perimeter (the distance around the outside edge of a shape) and learn the skills associated with accurately determining a shape's perimeter. This involves understanding how to use measuring tools appropriately and the difference between U.S. standard units (inches, feet, yards, etc.) and metric units (centimeters, meters, etc.).

Students were introduced to three different ways they can determine a word's meaning from context clues when reading.

1. antonyms or contrasts as clues
2. synonyms or definitions as clues
3. examples as clues

We are sneaking up on completing the final drafts of our small moment stories. Today we used whisper phones (ask your child what these are and how they work) to check for meaning. Tomorrow we'll look at how to write an ending, and then students will begin the final phase of editing prior to publishing.

In science we've been working on the idea of the shared life cycle of all organisms (birth, growth, reproduction, death). Additionally, we've zoomed in on complete and incomplete insect metamorphosis (change). The class played some matching and card games to help them understand and memorize the different stages of metamorphosis.

• Incomplete Metamorphosis--egg, nymph, adult
• Complete Metamorphosis--egg, larva, pupa, adult

Finally, our read aloud Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher is wrapping up this week. Ask your child to give you a summary of the important parts of the book in order. This is an important skill we'll begin working on in the near future. It's something you can practice, too, at home. Students should think about who the main character is, what the big problem or issue in the story is, how the main character goes about solving the problem, and the overall resolution at the end. You can even practice this skill with TV shows.

Playing the Go Bug! metamorphosis game 

Matching metamorphosis game

More life cycle work

   

4 Winds wind erosion

4 Winds water erosion

More water erosion

Engineering a way to prevent erosion in 4 Winds

Although only four days, we've accomplished lots this past week.

Our classroom river is up and running with water circulating through it and live macroinvertebrates populating it. We had a successful expedition to the banks of the Ottauquechee on Tuesday and collected a host of creatures at different stages of their life cycles. We'll be using these up close and personal glimpses of the critters as a springboard to studying the life cycles of organisms. Most of the landmarks students created using craft materials or the Tinkercad program are complete. They are pretty amazing projects and are very realistic representations of the actual landmarks found in the village. All that remains for us to do is paint on the roads and place the buildings in their correct locations along the river. Swing by to check it all out when you have a chance.

We are deep into drafting our personal narratives inspired by true, small moment stories from the lives of third graders. At this stage students are concentrating on the following:

• adding the exact words people used (dialog) 
• establishing who the story is about, where it takes place, and when it happened (setting)
• including the inside parts of the story (characters' feelings)
• writing in a way that allows the reader to picture what is happening (description and elaboration)
• telling the story bit-by-bit

The class wrapped up its first math unit today which focused on addition and subtraction strategies. Our next unit of study is a significant shift in concepts. Beginning next week our concentration will be on geometry, specifically measurement and 2-dimensional shapes.

Reading mini-lessons have focused on the mind work of giving oneself comprehension checks along the way. Students should periodically ask themselves Who is this part about?, What just happened?, and Does this fit with something that already happened or is this new? Of course, independent reading for thirty minutes a night along with an accompanying Reading Log entry is still weeknight homework.

Everyone was given his or her own personal, portable, silent pencil sharpener today as a means of maintaining productivity and independence. Along those lines, please check in with your child to see if there is a need for any personal classroom supplies like pencils, colored pencils, erasers, etc.

Finally, if you could fill out the poll to the right it'll help me figure out if and how the Blog is being used by parents. Thanks in advance.

Enjoy the pictures below and have a fantastic autumn weekend!

Adding material to create the riverbed

Painting on the landscape

Searching for macroinvertebrates

Private homes and a church

Businesses, houses and the Town Hall

Obviously it's . . .

Today's trip to SculptureFest was a big hit with students viewing diverse artworks in a beautiful outdoor setting. Thank you to Ms. Piana, our new art teacher, for coordinating such a worthwhile event.

 

This afternoon the class piloted using the website Socrative as a means of reinforcing key concepts and content and quickly assessing for understanding. With each student having his or her own dedicated Chromebook, integrating technology into daily activities is becoming easier and easier. This was the first time we've tried this particular teaching tool here at WES.

Anonymous student data using the website Socrative

Students answer questions on Socrative after reading an article about river macroinvertebrates

 

For those interested in subscribing to our class Blog, you can register in the Follow by Email section to the right. I think and hope you'll get email updates when something new is posted. Thanks to Audrey R. for bringing this feature to my attention.

This is also my first pass at creating and maintaining a Blog, so if you have suggestions of ways to enhance or make it more meaningful please share them with me. The audience is you, the parents. Therefore, I want to craft it to suit what you are looking for and find most valuable.

The class is off to the river tomorrow to collect non-living and living matter that will be used in the creation of the classroom river model.

Thank you to Scarlett, Jackie, Buzz, Bryon, and Kim for volunteering to help chaperone the class as they meander the fields of SculptureFest next Tuesday.

Although Picture Day was today, we will have a retake day in the coming months. Don't panic if it slipped off your radar screen.

Next week we'll send home subtraction cards that students can work on in order to gain mastery and automaticity of their facts (small number computation problems).

Working on building reading stamina

Reading up to 30 minutes now 

Morning Meeting with Ms. Gauvin

Students working on their 3-D Tinkercad designs

A first "draft" 3-D  printed model and the accompanying house it's based on 

Music class is spent working on recorder skills

Here are some images capturing a bit of what we've been up to lately in third grade.

Concluding Morning Meeting with the activity Night at the Museum

Students catalog what they find in the Ottauquechee River 

Instruction at the Tuffet Lounge