Third Grade Newsletter                                                            September 4, 2007

 

Good day, Families!

Our first week was a great success with students learning routines, creating a class motto, and so much more. We are eager to have you see some of our work when you come for BACK TO SCHOOL night on Wednesday, September 5th at 6:30 PM. We will meet in the library to start then move to our rooms.

 

This short week, we have quite a lot planned:

In reading, we will be having the students continue to learn to read from each class’s library, listen to read-aloud stories, use Good Hope School library, and learn to use reading strategies beyond Visualization. Those strategies are:

  • Predict and Infer
  • Phonics and Decoding
  • Monitor and Clarify
  • Question
  • Evaluate
  • Summarize

 

Journals will be used extensively this week with students having choice about what they are writing and continuing to use an editor’s checklist that most of them used in grade 2. This practice in writing will provide important diagnostic information for us as we prepare to individualize the students’ spelling for week 3.

 

For math, we are continuing to focus on numeration, greater than, less than, equivalence, and correctly using commas in larger numbers.

 

Scientific method will be introduced in science this week with the students learning new vocabulary such as hypothesis, analyze, and data. Listen for some great stories about scientific observations being made about a common phenomenon. Dr. Kimble’s class will take a beach walk when all the students have brought in their old shoes and towels. Hope you enjoyed the pictures of Mrs. Layton’s class beach walk that are on the website. One item we need for each student this week is a baby picture. We are beginning to study how living things change as they grow, so looking at how each student has changed will be fun. So please send in a baby picture with your child’s name on the back. A print or copy of an original will work very well. We know these pictures are precious!

 

Social studies this week will continue to be practicing rules, jobs/chores, and routines that will help us all work well together and function as unified classes. We may be introducing some geography vocabulary in preparation for our first unit to start in coming weeks.

 

In closing, you have fantastic children, kind, compassionate, and bright. We are truly excited to be working with these children this year. We both know the year will be WONDERFUL and WONDER-FILLED.  See you tomorrow evening.

Dr. Kimble and Mrs. Layton