Mrs. Luyt Update 2/22-2/26/18

3rd Grade will be taking Winter MAPS testing on Tuesday during our normal writing time (8:10 a.m.). We will test for about an hour on Tuesday and for those students that do not finish in that time, we will continue testing into Wednesday's regular writing period. You can help by making sure your child is at school on time, gets a good night's rest the night before and a good breakfast in the morning.

Reading:  Last week we introduced text structures cause and effect and problem and solution. We also introduced new Latin/Greek words for a test on 3/1/18. We will be introducing new spelling words this week. In addition, we will be introducing text structures chronological order and compare and contrast. Latin/Greek test on 2/22/18.

Writing: We continue to practice cursive everyday.  Last week, we continued  to write rough drafts, revising and editing, and begin to format our final draft about our informational writing on deep see creatures.

Grammar:  Last week, we did practice tests for our MAPS testing coming up next week. Next week, we will be working on dictionary skills.

Projects: Last week we began putting together animal parts to make  animal creations that will fit in with their chosen habitat. Next week, we will be working on putting poster boards together with the information about each animal part. We are still in need of a couple of shoe boxes for our habitats that we will be starting very soon. If you have any extras, please send them in next week. 

Latin/Greek test on Thursday!

Homework: Read 20 minutes everyday and study for test. 

Math update with Mrs. Neal

Hello 3rd grade families,

This week in math we continued to dig deep into fractions. We have been getting to know all about fractions, including what is the numerator, denominator, and names of fractions. We also were able to partition shapes into different fractional parts and label them accordingly.

You should be seeing a half sheet come home soon with math fact goals on it. This sheet will tell you which facts your student has passed so far (multiplication and division only) and what goals they set for themselves. Please review these with your students and keep up the math fact logs, it is really making a difference!

Thanks and have a great week!

Mrs. Luyt update 2/12-2/15/18

Remember--No School on Monday, 2/19/18!

Thank you all for all of the wonderful Valentine's Day goodies! I felt appreciated and loved and I hope your kids all felt the same from me!

Reading:  Last week we introduced text features table, timeline, fact box, diagram, bullets, graphs, maps, and key words We also introduced Spelling words for a test on 2/22/18. We will be introducing new Latin/Greek words this week. In addition, we will be introducing text structures cause and effect and problem and solution. Spelling test on 2/22/18.

Writing: We continue to practice cursive everyday.  Last week, began writing topic sentences and supporting details into our rough drafts. Next week, we will continue to write rough drafts, revising and editing, and begin to format our final draft.

Grammar:  Last week, we reviewed parts of speech, quotations, and irregular nouns. Next week, we will be introducing dictionary skills.

Projects: Last week we learned about different animal parts and how that helps them live in their environment. Next week, students will be putting together their animal parts to make their animal creation that will fit in with their chosen habitat.

Spelling test on Thursday!

Homework: Read 20 minutes everyday and study for test. 

Mrs. Luyt update 2/5-2/8/18

Valentine's Day on Wednesday: Students can bring in cards for each member of the class with ONLY their name on the from portion. We will be having a treat and craft for the last hour of the day.

Reading:  Last week we introduced text features caption, glossary, index, and table of contents. We also introduced Latin/Greek words for a test on 2/15/18. We will be introducing new spelling words this week this week. In addition, we will be introducing text features table, timeline, fact box, diagram, bullets, graphs, maps, and key words.  Latin/Greek test on 2/15/18.

Writing: We continue to practice cursive everyday.  Last week, students began researching a deep sea creature to write an informational piece. This week we will be writing topic sentences and supporting details into our rough drafts.

Grammar:  Last week, we learned about shades of meaning among related words. This week we will be reviewing parts of speech, quotations, and irregular nouns.

Projects: Last week we started our animal adaptation project. We learned about the different kids of habitats and what adaptations animals need to live in those habitats. Next week, we will learn about different animal parts and how that helps them live in their environment. 

Latin/Greek test on Thursday!

Homework: Read 20 minutes everyday and study for test. 

Math update with Mrs. Neal

Hello 3rd grade families!
First off, a big thank you to everyone who attended math night! It was super fun and hopefully got everyone excited about math! If you did not attend you missed some important information: math homework will be changing for 3rd grade. Instead of assigning IXL or paper homework, the homework expectations from now until the end of the year will be to practice math facts each school night for 15 minutes. Each student has a log that they are responsible for bringing to and from school everyday. It will be checked daily and if they do not practice or forget their log, they will be going to study hall.
At math night we discuss some different strategies for practicing math facts. Here is a quick overview of what we discussed:

Math Night Information

Time requirements per 50 facts:

• 3rd grade- 2 minutes and 30 seconds
• 4th grade- 2 minutes
• 5th grade- 1 minute and 45 seconds

Ways to practice math facts:

• Using a plastic sleeve and a math fact page, time the facts written with dry erase/vis-a-vis markers. Math fact pages can be found at www.math-drills.com
• Flash cards
• Make two piles, the known pile that is answered within 3 seconds and the unknown pile that takes longer than 3 seconds and practice the unknown pile
• Sandwich- take the unknown pile and the known pile and stack them with 3 knowns and 1 unknown, then three more knowns and 1 unknown.

• Apps
• Math fact master
• Math magician
• IXL math facts (found under third grade)
• Manipulatives
• Dice- roll two dice and multiply them. Or if working on a specific fact, take that number and multiply it by the number rolled on the dice. Writing a list of the facts solved on a whiteboard or paper as they go is a good way to keep track of work!
• Cards- same as dice
• Dominoes- grab a domino and multiply the two sides or two dominoes and multiply together.

If your child is unsure which math facts they have passed (hopefully they know as they are keeping a log and graphing their progress in class) feel free to e-mail me and I can tell you which facts they need to complete. 

Thanks and have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Luyt update 1/29-2/1/18

Reading:  Last week we introduced text features title, subtitle, heading, and subheading in non-fiction reading. We also introduced new spelling and vocabulary words for a spelling test on 2/8/18. This week we will be introducing text features caption, glossary, index, and table of contents. We will be introducing new Latin/Greek words and Latin/Greek word creations this week. Spelling test on 2/8/18.

From now on, students will have a Scholastic News Article to read with questions to answer, a spelling practice worksheet, and a reading assignment focusing on what they are currently learning. These are all worked on during class and are expected to be completed by the end of class on Thursday. For the most part, the 3rd grade students are doing a good job at turning these assignments in and doing them to the best of their ability. I am so proud of their work ethic!

Writing: We continue to practice cursive everyday.  Last week, students wrote a narrative on a Valentine's Day Mystery as an assessment. This week we will begin researching a deep sea creature to write an informational piece. 

Grammar:  Last week, we learned about subject/verb agreement in sentences. This week we will learn about shades of meaning among related words.

Projects: Last week we presented our extreme weather projects to the 2nd grade classes. Next week, we start our animal adaptation project, which all of the kids are excited about.

Latin/Greek test on Thursday!

Homework: Read 20 minutes everyday and study for test.