Here is an update of what’s happening in third grade:

Writing: We are finishing up our personal narrative writing. Our third graders have done a great job of using some new strategies to make their writing interesting. We will be moving on to informational writing next week. 

Reading: We have been learning about what it means to have a discussion about our reading. We have learned about how to be respectful when we talk as a group and how to listen to others. We will be working on responding to our reading through discussion and writing. We started discussing the reading strategy of visualization. We have been practicing making mental images as we read or listen to a story. 

Math: We are finishing up unit 3 on word problems. We will review on Monday and have our Test on Tuesday. We will be moving on to multiplication next. Over the next few weeks, we will also be focusing on fact fluency. Your third grader has a collection of addition flashcards at school for practice. As we practice at school and your child masters the facts, they will be sent home. If you see flashcards come home, please do not lose them or throw them away. They still need to be practiced often. Keep them in a safe place where you and your child can access them. Thanks for your help in this. As we work on more facts, I will be sending home a weekly practice log. 

Social Studies: We continue our study of Michigan geography and have recently been learning how people, goods, and information move. We have also been talking about why they move. It was also interesting to learn about zebra mussels as something we don’t want moving into our Great Lakes. We will have a quiz on movement on Monday. A review went home on Thursday. Next week, we will review for our Geography unit test. As of right now, the test is planned for Friday. 

Spelling: We continue practicing our short a and short e words. We have learned a few word work activities this week. We will do a sentence dictation test on Thursday.