Reading: In reading this week we will introduce our first series story A Fine, Fine School. We will spend time talking about story elements and being able to identify characters, setting, conflict, and resolution in a story. We will also be looking at how illustrations within the story help enhance our understanding of the text. The class will also be working on establishing routines that will be used daily during our guided reading station time. We will be learning how to choose good fit books, when to abandon a book, how to choose a place to sit within the classroom to be a successful reader.
Math: Our first unit in math will cover place value and rounding. Rounding is a brand new skill for third grade and can be pretty tricky. We will spend quite a bit of time working in smaller groups so I can work with students one on one to make sure they are understanding the concepts within the chapter.
I also like to give each of the kiddos a pre-test to see what they already know, areas where they might have some idea of what is going on, and areas that are completely foreign to them. This helps me to drive my instruction and lessons that I plan for the kids. From the pre-test I have the students make goals for their learning during the chapter and then we follow up at the end to see if we have mastered the learning targets or if we need to revisit certain areas before moving on.
Spelling: Our first spelling list was passed out on Friday. Spelling lists can always be found on our weebly home page and a document for the year is on the spelling page of our website. We will test over lesson 1 this coming Friday. I will be looking at spellers over the next couple of weeks to see if I need to differentiate the list according to the students ability. If I change lists, I will contact parents to let them know.
Social Studies: Third grade spends the first semester learning Social Studies concepts and second semester Science. Our first unit is over building a classroom community. We work on character traits, appropriate ways to treat our friends, and how to blossom in the classroom. We will then move into types of communities and look in depth at the community of Tonganoxie.
Weebly and Remind101: I do most of my communicating through our weebly page and the Remind101 app. You may join weebly by going to www.tesmillersminutes.weebly.com. At the top of the page is a place to subscribe. Type in your email and they will send you a confirmation. You will then receive a notice when our weebly page has been updated. I put our newsletters on weebly, spelling lists, pictures of classroom activities, and classroom information can be found on the website.
Remind101 is a quick announcement app that I have used over the last several years. It allows me to send out quick reminders and update everyone on important information quickly. You can text @6f47h6 to 81010 and that will get you connected.
Thank you to all of you who asked about Courtney and her move to Emporia. It went smoothly and she is off to a great start. Thank you for understanding my need to go with her. And I am happy to say...no tears...yet.
Have a wonderful week and if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
To Do Your Best, You Have To Be Your Best #WOOOO!!!
Mrs. Miller