Welcome to fall! Here’s a glimpse of what is happening in Room 15 this month…
***Be sure to check out the Announcements page for some important upcoming dates.
Reading:
In Reading we just finished our second text set on Family stories. The essential question through this set of stories was: What is special about being a family? Students were asked to find the message of each book and came up with ideas such as:
Spending time with families brings us closer together.
Families love each other.
You can learn from people in your family.
During this text set, we practiced responding to reading, and taking a few digital comprehension tests. We wrapped it all up by describing our favorite family tradition and illustrating it for our class tradition “quilt”.
Next, we will move on to the third text set which is a collection of books on animals. The essential question for this group of stories is: Why is it important to learn about the animals that share our world? The end of October should bring us to our fourth text set on stories about authors’ special memories. The essential question will be: What makes some memories special? Throughout the text sets, students will practice reading skills by taking comprehension quizzes, responding to questions in their Reading Response Journals, and focusing on identifying the genre, the overall message, and how to summarize the story/text.
Also, Guided Reading groups should begin by the end of this month! :)
Finally, book reports have begun! October’s genre is realistic fiction & reports are due by November 1st on paper or digitally via Google classroom. Directions and forms went home on September 30th. Happy reading!
Language/Writing:
We will be continuing to focus on narrative writing in October. Students have been practicing adding dialogue to their stories, replacing tired words such as ‘said’ with something more specific like ‘muttered’ or ‘yelled’, and adding more figurative language to their pieces. Please ask them what they have been working on! If possible, please also help your child by discussing different life events that have occurred: first lost tooth, first time riding a two-wheeler, a birthday party, a rollercoaster ride, a camping trip, etc. Students are expected to come up with their own story ideas to describe in detail. They will “show, not tell” their readers about their event, with vivid descriptions.
Students will also be working on various language skills such as prefixes, compound words, contractions, and more!
Math:
To start October, students will be wrapping up our first module in the Eureka series. We’ll end with two problem solving sections that will have students solving two step problems using all four operations. In general, students use the RDW strategy for solving math problems. You may see them write these initials on their math homework. The letters stand for:
Read it – Students should read the problem (possibly more than once) & identify/underline any key parts.
Draw it – Students should draw a model to represent the problem. This may include a number bond, tape diagram, array, etc.
Write it – Students need to write a number sentence (equation) and a word sentence to show their answer.
After we finish module 1, we will go to module 3 before going back to finish module 2. At this point, students should be well versed in their x2, x3, x4, and x5 facts. (Ask if they can sing the multiples of 3 or 4 to you! :) Module 3 will continue to focus on multiplication & division facts, and we will cover the rest of the tables, through 10, in this module. Students should begin practicing their multiplication facts at home. Some possible strategies are to use multiplication flashcards or play multiplication bingo. Another way to practice facts is to play “War”, the card game. For our purposes, A = 1, J = 11, Q = 12, and K = wild, you choose! Play as you would the original card game, by splitting the deck and having each player turn over a card. The student with the higher card has a chance to state the multiplication fact and product. If he/she is right, he/she places the cards in their winning pile. If the product is incorrect the other student gets a chance to solve the problem. If students flip over the same card, they should flip over another card to break the tie.
Social Studies:
In Social Studies, students looked at maps for a map key, title, and symbols. We also learned about directions using the compass rose. Students practiced finding directions and learned the meaning of the statement “Never Eat Soggy Waffles.” We wrapped up this part of the unit by designing our own cities and creating maps!
Then, we began locating & labeling the seven continents, 5 oceans, and the equator. We will also focus on identifying & naming our continent, country, state, & city.
Special Guests:
Our Monarch presentations start this month! This year, Jessie Bond from the Morton Grove Public Library will be coming in monthly to present the Monarch Award nominees to third graders. (“The name Monarch was chosen because of its familiarity to K-3 children and to symbolize the growth, change and freedom that becoming a reader brings. The Monarch is designed to encourage children to read critically and become familiar with children's books, authors and illustrators. The program is open to all K-3 age children in Illinois. For more information, click here. Students will vote in March, and their votes will count!
