February Update
LANGUAGE ARTS - Our theme for the new year in our RTI groups is INCREDIBLE STORIES where students compare realism to fantasy. We will read about dragons as pets, magicians and giants! Ask your child to tell you about the imaginative stories we are reading. Within this theme we will study possessive nouns, homophones, prefixes, and verb tenses (past, present, future).
WRITING - Students are in the initial stages of composing their second personal narratives using the Writing Process. They'll incorporate Thinking Maps along the way for brainstorming ideas and formatting their details before composing drafts. Their published final drafts along with their multiple stages of learning will be available to view in detail at our Open House on Thursday, February 23rd. We are keeping them in their Author's Notebooks to use as a tool for their 2nd trimester narrative.
MATHEMATICS - In Unit 4, Volume 2, students will be discovering the meaning of multiplication and division using the facts: 2s, 3s, 5s, 9s and 10s. Some classroom time will be provided in order to help students learn their facts, but every child must be practicing their facts at home each night in order to master them to a level of automaticity. Using flash cards, computer games, or simply asking, "What is 5x3?" while driving, will help your child immensly.
"FACTS" HOMEWORK: Continue memorizing MULITIPLICATION FACTS EACH NIGHT until they know them in a snap!! Memorization is vital in third grade. They will be expected to know them by 4th grade!
Students can practice on an internet multiplication website (our MP website lists several under student resources), flash cards, worksheets, or any other way to motivate your child. Please initial their SURF Reading Logs under "Facts 5" each night. If it is not initialed, we assume they did not practice their facts. Students pay "tickets" when their SURF Logs and PWQ spelling (on back) is not initialed. It is their responsibility to come to you to have it signed.
SOCIAL STUDIES - We are studying California Indians Past and Present. Our field trip to Heritage Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest was an excellent educational Hands-on Native American Tour. The children have been incorporating the information they gained from the field trip in their writing and triramas.
THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR WONDERFUL PTA FOR SUBSIDIZING OUR FIELD TRIPS. WE ENJOYED RIDING THE BUS TO HERITAGE HILL HISTORICAL PARK!
SCIENCE - Hands-on Science units will be taught throughout the year. They will include Matter & Energy, Living Things with Crayfish, and Sun, Moon, & Stars.
The Crayfish are coming!!!
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on grade level news!! |
