Tag Archives: math facts

Update: Week of March 18

Parents,
Here is an update for the week!

Writing: We are finishing up our literary essays this week and will work on our Post Assessment for opinion writing.

Social Studies: We will finish our last lesson in our Michigan History unit as we learn how Michigan became a state. I am hoping to give the test on Friday. A review page will come home.

Math: We have completed our lessons on geometry and will begin lessons on area and perimeter. It will be important that your third grader continue practicing math facts on MobyMax.

Reading: We have started our Biography unit and students are starting to read and learn about people in history. They will read a biography book and then complete a comprehension card to show their learning and understanding. I am excited for our third graders to learn all about people who faced their fears, made their dreams come true, overcame challenges, and made our world a better place!

MARCH IS READING MONTH:
You can still email me a picture of your third grader getting ‘caught’ reading!

This Friday, March 22: Wear a hat with words so others can read it!

Update: Week of March 11

Parents,
I look forward to seeing you during Parent/Teacher Conferences this week! Our third graders have made great progress and it is exciting for me to share that with you!

I am sending report cards home today. Your third grader can be very proud of all their hard work! If your child is discouraged that they did not receive ALL 3s on their report card, please remind them of their GROWTH MINDSET. We have worked hard on using a growth mindset as we work on learning and make progress toward our goals. The standards you see on the report card show progress being made and they will continue to be assessed. Remind your third grader that learning takes hard work and practice. I am very proud of our class!

BOOK FAIR:
Our class will preview the book fair on Monday. If your child chooses to make a purchase, please send the money in an envelope labeled with your child’s name by Wednesday. Thanks!

March is Reading Month- FUN FRIDAY:
Our class is celebrating Reading Month with some activities on Fridays. This Friday, we are wearing our words! Choose a shirt with words so others can read it!

MobyMax math fact practice: Please remind your third grader to get on MobyMax to practice math facts. This will help build their fact fluency progress.

Update: Week of January 28

Parents,
We start this week of with a SNOW DAY on Monday! Stay safe and warm!
Here is an update for the week ahead:

Math Test: We will have our unit 3 Math test some time this week! I can’t say a specific day yet, due to the snow days. This will cover measurement, time, elapsed time, and graphing. As soon as we get back in class, we will review and the review page will come home.

Math Practice Page:
Please help your third grader to continue practicing their math facts for the next practice page.

Homework: Continue with reading (use the reading calendar) and math fact practice as part of homework. MobyMax is a great way to have your third grader practice their math facts.

Social Studies: We have started to learn about Michigan History. We are learning to be historians and are understanding how primary and secondary sources are useful to learn about the past.

Writing: We have started our unit on writing realistic fiction. We will work on creating a story plan and learning to write an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Weekly Word Work: We have been continuing work with practicing word patterns, vocabulary, spelling and grammar. This is done using in class activities and hands-on learning so we do not have a word list that comes home.

READING COUNTS: The first marking period for Reading Counts ended a few weeks ago. Elizabeth, Breslin, Eden, and Faith met their reading goalsl!! They enjoyed a candy treat from Mrs. VandenBerg and also an ice cream treat from me!! Way to go, girls! Many students have been reading and have already started meeting their goal for the next Reading Counts marking period!

COMING UP:

Early Release: Friday, February 1. Dismissal at 12:15pm.

Winter Break: Monday- Tuesday, February 4 and 5. School resumes Wednesday, February 6.

Update: Week of January 14

Parents,

Here is an update of what we have been working on in third grade:

Writing: We have started learning strategies for realistic fiction. We are brainstorming small moments in our own lives and using them to generate ideas for realistic fiction. We are looking forward to creating our own characters, problem, and setting.

Social Studies: We are finishing up our Economics unit. I plan to give the test on Friday, A review page will come home.

Math: We have been working hard on telling time and using elapsed time. This will be great to practice at home.
Example questions:
Joe got to his friend’s house at 1:30. He was there for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then he walked home for 20 minutes. What time did he get home?

The school music program ended at 8:35pm. It lasted for 1 hour and 50 minutes. What time did the program start?

It will be important for your third grader to continue practicing math facts on MobyMax. Working on this at home will be helpful to build fluency especially in preparation for 4th grade. If your third grade has not memorized their login and password for Clever, please let me know and I can help.

Reading: We have started our series book clubs. Students have reading assignments and then meet with their group to discuss the characters, problem, and details of their reading.

Scholastic Book Order: A book order was sent home last Thursday. If you choose to place an order, do that online by this week Thursday, the 17th. Thank you!

Snack: I am all out of extra snacks for our classroom. I like to have some available for when students forget theirs at home. If you are able to donate, we would appreciate a box of graham crackers or a bag of pretzels. Thanks!

3rd Grade Update: Week of December 17

Here is an update from our classroom:

Writing: We are working on writing conclusions to our informational writing. We will work on revising, editing, and writing a final draft.

Social Studies: We started studying Economics in Michigan. We have learned about scarcity, opportunity cost, and we have started learning about economic activities such as manufacturing and agriculture.

Math: We continue with our measurement unit and will begin a few lessons on telling time and using elapsed time. This would be great to practice at home, too! Third graders should keep practicing multiplication facts at home using MobyMax or flashcards.

Reading: We have been exploring nonfiction texts by identifying text features and new vocabulary words. We have also been taking notes as we read and gather facts and information from our reading. Third graders should continue with reading 20 minutes at least 5 days a week. Complete your December reading calendar over break and bring it back on January 7.

COMING UP:

Our Polar Express party is on Thursday, Dec. 20. Students may wear pajamas if they would like. ***If you are donating items, please send them in on or before Wednesday.

Popcorn Friday is this Friday, the 21st.

HOLIDAY VACATION starts Monday, December 24. School resumes Monday, January 7!

Update: Week of Oct. 1

Parents,

It continues to be very important that students be practicing their multiplication facts at home. We work on multiplication at school, but students need continuous practice with the basic facts so they can complete the math work at school. There are a few ways students should be practicing at home:

FLASHCARDS: these should be coming home each night. It is not so helpful to try and practice the whole pile of flashcards in one sitting. Instead, choose one color count-bys that your child is struggling with and just practice those for that night. Then choose a different color on a different night. This will help mastery. A recommended order of practice is: 5s, 2s, 10s, 9s, 3s,.
As the flashcard folder gets full, we will start to take some out and keep them at school.

MOBYMAX: students have been working on MobyMax math fact practice at school. They are reviewing addition and subtraction facts and when they have mastered those, they will move on to multiplication and then division. Students can access Mobymax at home for practice.

Coming up this week: WALK–A–THON
Friday, October 5 is our school WALKATHON. This is sponsored by the PTC (Parents, Teachers and Children)…and it is our ONLY fundraiser for our school. The money raised funds learning incentives, online learning programs and parent/child events throughout the year. Our goal is to raise $30.00 per child to support our extra programs at school. PLEASE donate and join us for our Lovin’ the 80’s Walkathon!

Look for information about our READING CALENDAR later in the week.

Thanks!

Week of March 26!

We will not be doing a math practice page this week. The practice page from last week will come home sometime this week. This will let your third grader know what facts to be practicing over spring break.
Our Unit 6 math test will be on Thursday. This will cover geometry and area and perimeter. A review page will be coming home.
No Homework Packet this week! There will not be a homework packet this week, but please help your third grader to be consistent with reading and math fact practice over spring break! It is also important for third graders to be practicing typing. Please have your third grader practice typing by clicking the links here on the right side of the blog or logging on to Clever and using Nitro Type.
Have a great Spring Break!! School resumes on Monday, April 9!

Update: Week of March 19

Thank you for meeting with me for conferences last week! Our third graders are working hard and have so much to be proud of!
Homework this week is Homework 4-5 and Homework 5-4. This is due next Monday March 26.
Multiplication Fluency Practice: A practice page will come home today. This was completed on Friday. Attached to this practice page will be a note saying NOT YET or GOT IT! This lets you and your third grader know what facts should be practiced for this Friday. Your third grader keeps track of their progress here at school so they know exactly what facts to practice. Please help your third grader practice their facts this week.
MobyMax should be practiced regularly at home. You will need to log onto Clever to access MobyMax. Let me know if you have forgotten how to do this. There is a link on the right side of the blog under AT HOME links. I will also continue to have all kids practice fluency here at school.
We have library on Friday. Please remind your child to return their books so they will be able to check out new ones.
AS A REMINDER:
Grades 3-5 have been preparing for the state test (M-STEP). This is a required test and it will take place in the weeks immediately following spring break.

Please make sure you look ahead on your family calendar (Gr 3,4,5) to make sure that your child is at school on the days listed. Please change any appointments so they do not occur the mornings of testing.

Also, provide extra nutritional snacks on the testing days, along with a water bottle — and adequate sleep during the testing period.

Testing takes place between 9-12 on these dates:
- Grade 5 April 10, 11, 12, 17
- Grade 4 May 8, 9, 10
- Grade 3 April 24, 25, 26

Polar Express Party

Here is a peek at our Polar Express party! We had a great time. THANK YOU to all who volunteered and donated items.

With two weeks off from school, I have reminded the third graders to continue their reading and math fact practice. Please help your child to remember to log on to MobyMax or use their flashcards for practice. They will know what math facts they need to practice. Thanks!

I wish you all a happy Holiday break!

Week of December 18!

There will not be a homework packet this week. There will not be new spelling words this week.
Social Studies Homework tonight. Due tomorrow (Tuesday). Please check with your third grader and remind them of this. Thanks!
Multiplication Fluency Practice: You will see a practice page come home today. This was completed on Friday. Attached to this practice page will be a note saying NOT YET or GOT IT! This let’s you and your third grader know what facts will need to be practiced for this Friday. Your third grader keeps track of their own progress on a graph here at school so they will know exactly what facts they should be working on.
We have library on Friday.
Math Test: The plan is to have our math test on Thursday. We will review on Wednesday. If we need another day for review then we will move the test to Friday.
By Wednesday: Send in the wrapped box and small gift for our holiday party. See previous blog posts for more information.

Thank You!