Third Grade

Grade Level News -2nd Trimester

On February 22 we will be walking to Northwood High School to watch the performance of, “Mulan.” This is a wonderful learning opportunity for all students, as well as further exposure to theatre productions.

March 13 is our Jog-a-thon. We will warm up at 10:10, jog at 10:30, and cool down at 10:50. Please come and cheer us on!

Curriculum News

Reading

The current theme in our reading book is animal habitats.  Skills we are teaching and practicing are:  the verb “be”, helping verbs, irregular verbs, multiple meaning words, and base words. Students will also work on differing between fact and opinion, comparing and contrasting, and making judgments. We are now spending two weeks per anthology story, which results in the students having a selection test every other week. “Voyages,” will follow in a month as we begin Theme 5.

Writing

We have been focusing on writing a friendly letter, adding more details to our stories, and sentence fluency. Students are also beginning to write from a reflective viewpoint, looking at pieces of artwork and reflecting on what they admire and what they would improve on. Additionally, students do journal writing, note-taking, and respond to a variety of nonfiction prompts in Social Studies and Science. A writing skill we continue to work on throughout third grade, is incorporating the question into our response, on short answer questions. This is especially true on weekly selection tests.

Sharing

Please remember to have your child practice their sharing several times at home, without reading it from a paper. As part of our public speaking skills we want students to become comfortable with glancing at their notes, speaking in a loud and clear voice, and being prepared. We love hearing your children share their knowledge!

Science

The current unit of study in science is Structures of Life. The students spent time looking at various seeds and learning the purpose of a seed. Students are now preparing to observe and interact with Crayfish and Snails. They will study structures, behaviors, habitats, and adaptations associated with these live organisms. Students will compare snails and crayfish, and look at how both have many adaptations for survival.

Social Studies 

We have finished our units on local Native Americans in Orange County from long ago and today.  Next, we will be studying “Community History” (Chapters 5 and 6).  Students will learn that communities have a long history and that they have changed greatly from the time of early explorers to today.

In Chapter 5, How Communities Began, we will learn about the early California explorers and examine reasons for their exploration.  Students will be introduced to settlements such as missions and ranchos and will compare/contrast what life was like during both time periods.

In Chapter 6, Building Communities, students will be introduced to the California Gold Rush, the ways our state changed during and after the Gold Rush, as well as recognizing ways both transportation and technology have affected California, and communities such as our own.

Math

We have been, and will continue to study Chapters 4 and 5 as we explore multiplication. Students are expected to make a daily study plan to learn their multiplication and division facts.  At school they test each other on the basic facts they are ready for.  They also are taking minute long facts tests to advance to the next level.   We are learning numerous strategies for understanding the concepts as well as learning the facts with speed. Facts must be automatic.  If they don’t achieve accuracy and speed on Tuesday, they have a second chance on Thursday. At least five minutes of practice a day is recommended to achieve automaticity.  Practicing multiplication facts requires immediate feedback. (No worksheets) It is most effective to chunk the facts. Work on fives; when mastered, move on to twos, etc.  Practice mixed facts when they are fluent.

Jog-A-Thon

Students are working on building stamina and fitness in P.E. to prepare for the upcoming Jog-A-Thon on March 13.  You can encourage daily jogs before or after school.

Resources

You can access reading, math, and social studies texts by using the following:

Language Arts and Math:  https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com

    Select California; Irvine Unified School District, Canyon View

    Click the box that says “Remember my organization”

    User name:   grade 3

    Password:   student

    Select “My Library” and choose text

Math homework pages:  www.iusd.org

    Select student resources; mathematics

Social Studies:  www.eharcourtschool.com

    User name:  gradethree3

    Password:  student

GATE/APAAS: 

Direct your questions about GATE or APAAS on our district's website: http://www.iusd.k12.ca.us/parent_resources/gate/index.html

Important Dates